The Workwomb Podcast Ep. 35 🌈 The Art Of Self-Leadership, Mushrooms, and Staying In Your Creative Flow with RAINBO Founder Tonya Papanikolov
You know that point in your biz where the work that once lit you up starts asking something new of you? Maybe new systems, new boundaries, new levels of self-leadership?
That’s exactly what today’s conversation explores.
In this episode, I'm sitting down with Tonya Papanikolov, the founder and CEO of RAINBO — a functional mushroom and adaptogen company built on a foundation of integrity, curiosity, and deep reverence for the natural world.
Tonya’s story moves from holistic nutritionist and yoga practitioner to visionary product-based founder, blending together science, spirituality, and entrepreneurship in the most magnetic way. We talk about nervous system wisdom, feminine leadership, working with your partner, and what it really looks like to grow a soul-led business that scales, without losing your magic.
We dive into:
- Tonya’s journey from holistic nutritionist to creating RAINBO — and the healing experience that inspired it
- The “mystical” birth story of RAINBO (and how she literally asked the mushroom spirit for permission to create the brand)
- Shifting identity from healer to CEO, and learning to lead a team with heart
- Working with your romantic partner — and how to maintain polarity when you also share a business
- Tonya’s self-leadership practices: what it looks like to structure creativity, delegate well, and lead from intuition
- What’s lighting her up now: play, poetry, sensuality, and slowing down
This conversation is pure medicine for anyone evolving in their biz — especially if you’ve ever wondered how to scale without hardening, or how to stay in your creative flow while leading others. It’s juicy and full of wisdom on entrepreneurship, embodiment, and what it means to build a company that’s as alive and intentional as you are.
Connect with Tonya
@tonyapapanikolove
@rainbomushrooms
Rainbo Podcast
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Chat with Abbi
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- Email me → abbi@workwomb.com