When Everything Feels Uncertain, Keep Going | Angie Madara
When things don’t go as planned, most people stop.
But what does it actually take to keep going — when the path is uncertain, the pressure is real, and the outcome isn’t guaranteed?
Resilience is not about never failing. It’s about what you do next.
In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Angie Madara — entrepreneur, mentor and investor — about what it really means to build, adapt, and move forward in uncertain environments.
From navigating setbacks to building in emerging markets, Angie shares a grounded perspective on resilience, entrepreneurship, inclusive AI, and financial inclusion — and why success often depends less on certainty, and more on persistence.
This conversation is about business — and beyond.
🎙️ In this episode, we explore:
What it really takes to keep going when things don’t go as planned
How to respond to failure without letting it define you
Why building often means moving forward without certainty
What resilience looks like in practice — not just in theory
The reality of building across markets — and the gaps in access to finance
How innovation and inclusive AI can expand opportunity
The mindset that helps you keep going when things get hard
🔗 Check out Angie’s work:
Angie Madara (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/angiemadara/
Athena Fund X: https://athenafundx.com/
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 Episode Start
00:01Intro
00:59 Welcome Angie Madara
01:38 The $1.7 trillion credit gap
03:18 “Entrepreneurship for most women is winging it”
05:12 Her biggest failure
06:35 The rookie mistakes that cost her money
08:22 Learning never stops in entrepreneurship
09:31 Resilience is not a trait
10:43 What first-time founders should do differently
13:01 Building Athena: from idea to reality
16:22 AI, bias, and the future of credit
19:07 “It’s not charity. It’s big business”
25:35 98% repaid — so why didn’t it scale?
26:26We need a new game
33:42 From empowerment to economic resilience
39:23 The risk ahead: a growing credit gap
43:26 How she stays hopeful
44:04 “Hold yourself before you fail”
49:00 Final thoughts
📺 Watch more episodes:
Catch The Upswing is a business and leadership podcast exploring how people build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world. Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy.
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