Below the Waterline

Founder alignment insights from Dori Etter. Why capable founders stay the bottleneck, and what actually changes it.

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New to Below the Waterline?

Begin with the first two episodes. They set up everything that follows.

Why your team pads every estimate (and why they're right)

Why your team pads every estimate (and why they're right)

Dori Etter
Published on: 09/09/2026

There's a cushion in every estimate your company sends. It isn't padding and it isn't waste. Here's where it comes from and what it costs you.

PodcastAlignment
Why Your Business Stopped Growing (It's Not What You're Bad At)

Why Your Business Stopped Growing (It's Not What You're Bad At)

Dori Etter
Published on: 08/29/2026

You're not stuck because of what you lack. You're stuck because of what you've mastered. Why the work you're best at quietly sets your company's ceiling, and the one question that changes it.

PodcastAlignmentFounder Identity
How to Step Back From a Business That Can't Run Without You

How to Step Back From a Business That Can't Run Without You

Dori Etter
Published on: 08/20/2026

You're not failing at your job. You're succeeding at the wrong one. Why founder bottleneck advice keeps aiming at you, and the one question that tells you which seat is yours.

PodcastAlignmentFounder Identity
Stop Writing SOPs No One Reads

Stop Writing SOPs No One Reads

Dori Etter
Published on: 08/07/2026

Your team ignores your procedures because work has to move. Here's why documentation can't change behavior, and what actually does.

PodcastAlignment
Why Work Keeps Falling Through the Cracks (and Why It's Not Your People)

Why Work Keeps Falling Through the Cracks (and Why It's Not Your People)

Dori Etter
Published on: 07/22/2026

Work stalls in your business even when everyone does their job. Here's where the cracks actually are, and the five questions that close them.

PodcastAlignment
The Love/Great Trap: Why You Can't Delegate the Work You're Best At

The Love/Great Trap: Why You Can't Delegate the Work You're Best At

Dori Etter
Published on: 07/15/2026

You delegated everything you hate and you're still the bottleneck. Here's why the work you love is your company's ceiling, and what to do about it.

PodcastFounder Identity
Why Founders Stay Bottlenecks Even After They Know the Problem

Why Founders Stay Bottlenecks Even After They Know the Problem

Dori Etter
Published on: 07/02/2026

Dori Etter introduces the Founder Alignment Arc, the five stages every founder moves through, and shows you exactly where you're stuck and what to do next.

PodcastAlignment
Why EOS Isn't Working: You Have an Alignment Problem, Not a Systems Problem

Why EOS Isn't Working: You Have an Alignment Problem, Not a Systems Problem

Dori Etter
Published on: 06/25/2026

You installed EOS and you're still the bottleneck. Here's why your operating system can't reach the real problem, and what works instead.

PodcastAlignment