A Conversation about Online Business Ethics with Erika Tebbens (Part 2)

by | Sep 18, 2025 | Aggressively Human podcast

When does our work replicate the systems we chose to leave?

When does our work replicate the systems we chose to leave?

“We have been told that the online business space, or entrepreneurship in general or working for yourself is a way to opt out of the broken corporate systems. And if you can make the leap and if you can be successful working for yourself, then you can rearrange and you don’t have to follow those rules anymore because those are the things that are exploitative.

And then I’m hearing you and going, oh s***. Like we are still exploited, but we are the ones exploiting ourselves.” – Meg

What happens after you leave a business you built? How do you relate to work, money, systems, and your nervous system when your entire identity has changed?

In Part 2 of our conversation with Erika Tebbens, we go deeper—into the murky middle of business ethics, entrepreneurship under capitalism, and how we’re operating in the political climate of 2025.

We talk about the ethics of selling transformation, why systems don’t always equal support, and what Erika has learned about nervous system safety outside the online business bubble. This episode is full of those “I’ve been thinking this but no one’s saying it” moments, plus a little bit of righteous rage and some gentle reminders that you’re allowed to do things differently.

Whether you’re reimagining your business, your systems, or your relationship to capitalism itself, this episode will give you plenty to think about—and maybe even a little relief.

In this episode:

  • What happens to your identity after entrepreneurship

  • How to design systems that support your actual nervous system (not just your productivity)

  • The uncomfortable truth about selling transformation online

  • Why the ethics of business can’t be separated from capitalism

  • What real resourcing looks like—beyond time freedom or self-employment

  • Why Erika feels more supported working in an organization than she did solo

About our Guest

Erika Tebbens | Book — You’ve Got This: A Counterintuitive Guide to Powerful Inevitable Change-Making

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Meg Casebolt

Jessica Lackey

Meg Casebolt is the founder of Love at First Search, an AI discoverability consultancy she started in 2013. She created the BEACON Framework and the Unmistakable Authority Method to help coaches, consultants, and service-based businesses build the kind of search presence that AI systems recognize and recommend. She teaches this work inside Signal, a year-long mentorship program, and co-hosts the Aggressively Human podcast with Jessica Lackey.

The Unmistakable Authority Method is Meg Casebolt’s 5-stage framework for building AI-recognizable expertise — moving coaches, consultants, and service-based businesses from invisible to unmistakable in AI-era search. 

The BEACON Framework is Meg Casebolt’s 6-part system for building AI-recognizable search presence — not just on your website, but across every platform.

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