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Artwork for Flying the Coop

Flying the Coop

Janel Torkington
Cooperative
Spotify
Cooperatives
Flying the Coop
Consensus
Collective Governance
Emma Technology Cooperative
Social Enterprise
Good Maven
Heirloom
Neurodiversity
Consent-Based Marketing
Purpose
Worker-Owned Co-Op
B Corp
Human Rights
Creativity
Supply Chains
ADHD
Strange Birds

For the people in rooms where hard things get built. Flying the Coop is Janel and Anna of Strange Birds, a worker-owned co-op, thinking out loud about how structure shapes what's possible. Conversations with founders, operators, and organizational leaders doing serious work on what business can actually be.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes21Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusinessMarketing

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Artwork for Flying the Coop

Latest Episodes

"We're optimizing for a sustainable container to take care of the people within it — and to do some cool work while we're at it." - Janel Torkington

Most businesses optimize for growth. Scale as much as possible, make as much money as possible, get ... more

"When you take infinite growth off the table, this entire world of possibilities opens up." — Ramsey Nassar, EMMA Technology Cooperative

We make this show to learn things, ask good questions, and let really cool people shine (and maybe occasionally ... more

"If they teach you how to build a business, you stop buying their stuff. That's not what they want." — Jessica Lackey

A lot of business advice is a slot machine dressed up as a strategy.

Jessica Lackey's book Leaving the Casino lays it out cold: th... more

"Collective care feels like an exhale — like finally being able to breathe at work." – Nilou Khonsari

Most organizations that say they value collective care don't actually build for it. They write values statements, flatten a few org chart lines, an... more

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Recent Guests

Andy Wallace
Creative Coder and Game Designer at EMMA
EMMA Technology Cooperative
Episode: #18 EMMA Technology Cooperative: Businesses need more verbs
Jessica Lackey
Author of Leaving the Casino, Stop Betting on Tactics, and Start Building a Business That Works
Author / Business educator
Episode: #17 Jessica Lackey: You can't move faster than the speed of your own growth
Nilou Khonsari
Author, facilitator, lawyer, consultant, coach, advocate, social justice leader, community organizer
Pangaea Legal Services; author of The Future Is Collective
Episode: #16 Nilou Khonsari: Collectivism isn't radical, we just forgot how to do it
Meg Rye
Founder of Good Maven, design recruitment and career coaching entrepreneur
Good Maven
Episode: # 15 Meg Rye is redesigning recruitment from the inside
Tarzan Kay
Marketing thinker and practitioner focusing on consent-based business
Tarzan Kay (independent)
Episode: # 14 Tarzan Kay has the antidote to hustle culture (and it’s not simply "slowing down")
Sara Otto
Chief Supply Chain Officer at Nest
Nest (nonprofit)
Episode: #13 Sara Otto: Supply chains that center the people within them
Chloe Poynton
Co-founder of Article One Advisors, a global consultancy focused on human rights in business
Article One Advisors
Episode: #12 Chloe Poynton: Human rights as a business responsibility
Lauren Edwards
Executive director at SeaChange and owner of NextStep Business Consulting
SeaChange; NextStep Business Consulting
Episode: #11 Lauren Edwards: Building businesses that do good from day one
Noah Scalin
Founding partner, Another Limited Rebellion
Another Limited Rebellion
Episode: #09 Noah Scalin: The ROI of creativity in the age of AI

Hosts

Anna
Co-host of Flying the Coop, Strange Birds (worker-owned co-op)
Janel
Host of Flying the Coop, Strange Birds (worker-owned co-op)

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 2 ratings
  • Great interviews!

    Love this series- really insightful and helpful as we grow our business!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Hetzelah
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners consistently praise the show for insightful, practical interviews that help grow a business.
Guests are varied but consistently grounded in authentic, values-led approaches to work.
The content is useful for anyone evaluating or building ethical, people-centered organizations.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#01 Janel and Anna: Why we’re doing business differently
Q: Do cooperatives really stay in business longer than traditional startups?
Yes. The hosts cite that roughly 90% of cooperatives remain in business after five years, compared with only 3-5% of traditional businesses, indicating greater durability.
#01 Janel and Anna: Why we’re doing business differently
Q: Is Angus Beef a cooperative?
No. Angus Beef is a non-profit brand run by the American Angus Association and is not structured as a cooperative, though there are cooperative beef models like Legacy Beef Co-op and Silver Fern Farms.
#02 Haley Boehning: The relationship between purpose and profit
Q: What does it mean to be a purpose driven company?
Haley explains that a purpose driven company centers on solving a world need in a way only they can, with mission acting as the set of strategies to fulfill that purpose, and emphasizes embedding that purpose into daily decisions rather than treating it as a slogan.
#03 Alfred García: Business should care for the people within it
Q: What does transparency look like in daily practice at Jamgo?
Transparency means sharing numbers and decisions openly in assemblies, so every member understands the co-op's financial health and can participate in governance, which builds trust and engagement.
#08 Elijah Zimmerman: Compassion as resistance in a culture of optimization
Q: What is the difference between compassion and empathy?
Empathy is feeling with someone in their moment, while compassion adds the intention and action to help alleviate suffering and transform the situation.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Flying the Coop

What is Flying the Coop about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Conversations center on worker-owned models, ethical leadership, and social impact in everyday business. Across recent episodes, listeners hear practical governance, inclusive hiring, democratic decision-making, and care-centered approaches to growth. Guests range from co-op founders and legal/advocacy experts to designers and nonprofit leaders, offering grounded frameworks for sustainable, human-centered organizations. The show stands out for pairing hands-on co-op experiences with critical perspectives on power dynamics, compensation equity, and responsible entrepreneurship, making it helpful for anyone exploring alternative ownership, ethical marketing, and mission-aligned growth.

Where can I find podcast stats for Flying the Coop?

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How many listeners does Flying the Coop get?

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How many subscribers and views does Flying the Coop have?

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Which podcasts are similar to Flying the Coop?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Flying the Coop:

1. First America
2. If Books Could Kill

How many episodes of Flying the Coop are there?

Flying the Coop launched a year ago and published 21 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Flying the Coop?

Recent guests on Flying the Coop include:

1. Andy Wallace
2. Jessica Lackey
3. Nilou Khonsari
4. Meg Rye
5. Tarzan Kay
6. Sara Otto
7. Chloe Poynton
8. Lauren Edwards

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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