What do you do when giving 150% to someone else’s dream gets you nowhere?

You build your own.

In this episode of The Perfect Rise, Kimberly Houston sits down with Kady Miller, founder of Alchemy Bake Lab in Houston, Texas, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to build a bakery from the ground up.

After being laid off from her corporate job, Kady made the decision to go all in on herself. What followed was a journey filled with pivots, rapid growth, hard lessons, and major wins.

From building her business with unemployment income to hitting six figures during COVID with no-contact dessert delivery, Kady shares the behind-the-scenes reality of bakery ownership.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Starting a bakery after being laid off
• The mindset behind betting on yourself
• Scaling from home kitchen to storefront
• Hiring, leadership, and team culture
• Why trusting your intuition matters in business
• “Train your replacement” and other growth strategies

This conversation is packed with real insight for bakers, students, and entrepreneurs alike.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re ready to take the leap—this episode might be exactly what you need to hear.

Become a Member

Most people think baking is about creativity.

Rachel Liu Martindale will tell you it’s about systems.

In this episode of The Perfect Rise, Rachel shares what it really looks like to walk away from a stable engineering career and build a bakery from the ground up—without skipping the hard parts. From scaling recipes and calculating margins to testing demand through pop-ups and navigating a business through COVID, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what it takes to create a business that actually lasts.

We talk about the gap between being a great baker and being a prepared business owner, why slow growth protected her business, and how rebranding around identity and market demand reshaped everything. Rachel also offers a candid look at leadership—what it means to manage a small team, set operational boundaries, and build a business that doesn’t require you to sacrifice your life to sustain it.

If you’ve ever thought about opening a bakery—or you’re already in it and feeling the pressure—this episode will challenge how you think about growth, success, and what it really takes to stay in the industry long-term.

Become a Member

There’s a version of the baking industry that people want to believe in—one where hard work, consistency, and great products are enough to guarantee success.

But the reality? It’s more complicated than that.

In this episode of The Perfect Rise, I’m joined by Martin Barnett, Executive Director of Baking Association of Canada, who has spent nearly five decades in the industry—spanning family bakeries, hospitality, education, and now national leadership.

What was meant to be a temporary role during a moment of uncertainty turned into something much bigger. And through that experience, Martin has had a front-row seat to what’s actually working—and what’s not—across the baking industry today.

This conversation pulls back the curtain on:
• The decisions that stabilized an entire organization during crisis
• Why the industry is harder than most people are willing to admit
• The shift from hustle to sustainability in modern bakeries
• The real reason workforce challenges still exist
• What mentorship and training should look like moving forward

But more than anything, this episode challenges the way we define success.

Because it’s not just about what you produce—it’s about how you lead, how you adapt, and how you build something that can actually last.

If you’re serious about your place in this industry, this is a conversation you don’t skip.

Become a Member