I’ll never forget my sophomore year of college, wandering the cobblestone streets of Sevilla, Spain, earbuds in… listening to something brand new to me at the time:

Podcasts.

One show in particular stood out: Entrepreneurs on Fire.

Hearing real entrepreneurs talk about building businesses that made an impact felt revolutionary compared to the dry, theoretical lectures I was getting in class. It was like discovering a portal into the life I knew I wanted.

Fast forward almost a decade…

Selena Soo (episode #242) invites me into one of her curated “Rich Relationships” mixers, and I find myself in a breakout room with Kate Dumas — the heartbeat of EO Fire.

If you don’t know, EO Fire is one of the most downloaded business podcasts (175M+ downloads), hosted by John Lee Dumas. 

But what many people don’t see is that behind the scenes, Kate has been co-building the entire empire with John… while also navigating a romantic relationship, cross-country moves, and now raising a kid together.

To date, EO Fire has generated $28M+ in revenue while impacting millions — and their relationship all started with Kate meeting a sweaty John while in his boxers in the middle of an Insanity workout (hilarious story you’ll hear on the show.)

In this episode, we go deep on:

🔥 What it’s really like to build a multimillion-dollar business with your life partner with two OPPOSITE skillsets

🔥 How Kate went from feeling invisible to launching her own show and stepping into her power

🔥 Why they intentionally scaled back from 8 employees to 3 — and what it taught them about freedom

Whether you’re in business with your partner, thinking about it, or just curious how 175M downloads happen behind the scenes…

This episode will give you a rare look into what makes it all work.

Show Notes Generated With The Help of AI!

00:00 - Introduction to Beyond Curious and today's guest, Kate Erickson Dumas

Brandon opens the episode with a heartfelt welcome and shares a personal story about his early exposure to podcasts, specifically "Entrepreneurs on Fire" (EO Fire). He introduces today’s guest, Kate Erickson Dumas, as the co-builder and operational force behind EO Fire, a business podcast with over 175 million downloads and $28M+ in revenue.

00:36 - A hilarious first encounter: boxer shorts and insanity workouts

Kate recounts the unforgettable moment she met her now-husband John Lee Dumas—he answered the door in boxer shorts, mid-insanity workout, to show her an apartment. This funny and awkward first meeting would eventually blossom into a powerful romantic and entrepreneurial partnership.

02:17 - Behind the scenes of EO Fire: a podcasting empire co-built with love

Brandon shares how he met Kate through a breakout room in Selena Soo's mixer and highlights EO Fire’s success and transparency, including monthly income reports. He introduces the key themes of the episode, including working with a romantic partner, stepping into personal power, and pivotal business decisions.

06:35 - Launching Kate’s Take: from invisibility to intentional leadership

Kate opens up about joining EO Fire and feeling unsure of her worth. She discusses a life-changing transformational training in LA and how it helped her overcome feelings of invisibility. Launching her podcast "Kate’s Take" became a powerful declaration of self-worth and a major growth milestone.

12:30 - The meet-cute love story of Kate and John

Kate shares their love story—from awkward neighbors in Pacific Beach to long-distance relationship to moving across the country together. A spontaneous apartment tour, deep conversations, and a bold invitation led to a cross-country move and the start of something extraordinary.

17:14 - John’s leap of faith: quitting his job to launch a podcast

Kate reflects on the moment John emailed her with his plan to quit commercial real estate and launch a podcast. She recalls being surprised, but fully supportive—offering encouragement while still working her own marketing job. She also helped with branding and design during the early stages.

22:34 - The beach walk that changed everything

Kate revisits a critical conversation during a walk on the beach in 2013, where John asked her to officially join EO Fire. Initially unsure, she eventually decided to quit her job and bring her skills to the growing business—under one condition: they stay in their own lanes and work as equals.

28:10 - From supporter to integrator: designing your role in a shared vision

Kate discusses how she carved out her role intentionally, based on her passions and strengths—community, content, and operations. She shares valuable advice for other couples navigating similar transitions, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect, role clarity, and independence.

33:32 - Making big decisions together as visionary and integrator

Kate outlines how she and John make decisions with mutual respect, not ego. She describes tough calls like changing the podcast frequency and sunsetting old products. Their goal is always to serve the business and audience together—not “win” arguments.

38:26 - Behind the scenes of EO Fire’s explosive podcast growth

Kate reveals that the biggest factor in EO Fire’s growth was timing—launching in 2012 gave them a massive head start. She also points to John’s strategic relationship building with people like Pat Flynn and Tim Ferriss, and the compounding effect of being featured by them.

47:30 - Why sponsorships became their #1 focus

Kate explains the major shift in their revenue model starting in 2020. After trying to scale with a large team and executive hires, they reversed course and simplified. They doubled down on podcast sponsorships, which yielded the highest ROI in terms of money, time, and impact.

52:23 - Joining the HubSpot Podcast Network and simplifying operations

Becoming part of the HubSpot Podcast Network was a major turning point, boosting exposure and simplifying sponsorship deals. Kate shares how they trimmed team size, dropped underperforming products, and focused only on what truly aligned with their lifestyle and values.

54:56 - What happens if John stops podcasting?

Kate opens up about a reflective exercise they did with a business broker. They explored selling EO Fire and learned that without John, the podcast (and brand) wasn’t as valuable. Ultimately, they decided to stay the course and prioritize lifestyle over aggressive scaling.

58:36 - EOfire.com: the centralized hub for everything they do

Kate encourages listeners to visit https://www.eofire.com as the home base for all things EO Fire—podcasts, income reports, courses, and more. She also gives a shoutout to the book The Common Path to Uncommon Success by John Lee Dumas, to which she contributed.

59:26 - A full-circle moment: podcasting to change lives

Brandon reflects on how EO Fire helped him early in his entrepreneurial journey. He encourages listeners to share this episode with someone who needs inspiration, whether it’s about business, relationships, or stepping into one’s power.

Links & Resources:

• EOFire.com – Home base for the podcast, blog, courses, and income reports
• EOFire.com/income – Transparent monthly income reports
• Kate’s Take Podcast – Kate’s personal podcast on business insights
• The Common Path to Uncommon Success – Book by John Lee Dumas, with contributions from Kate
• HubSpot Podcast Network – Business podcast network featuring EO Fire
• Mastery in Transformational Training (MITT) – Training program Kate attended for personal growth
• Episode #242 with Selena Soo – Connector who introduced Brandon and Kate