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Every page and article on Cathryn Lavery in one place, organized by topic.

Best Posts

The articles that best show who Cathryn is: founder, operator, and person. Start here if you want to understand her story.

Your OpenClaw Keeps Forgetting Everything. Here's How to Fix It. : Cathryn Lavery explains why OpenClaw forgets between sessions and how five plain text files build a memory system that turns it into an AI employee.
From Architect to $8.6M Business: My Journey Building and Buying Back Best Self : Cathryn Lavery on the AppSumo podcast: turning $550 into $2M in nine months, pre-selling $300K before manufacturing, and leaving architecture behind.
I Bought My Company Back : Cathryn Lavery on selling BestSelf Co. to a PE firm in 2022 and buying it back fourteen months later: the full story of a surprising founder plot twist.

Entrepreneurship

The founder stories. Building companies, selling them, buying them back, and the lessons that come from each stage. I write about entrepreneurship as I live it, not as a textbook teaches it. "How Four Companies Turned Resource Control Into Market Monopolies" starts with a simple idea: in business, timing isn't everything. Control is. I break down four real examples.

How I Rebuilt My AI Agent Team After Anthropic Cut Off OpenClaw : Cathryn Lavery on running OpenClaw as her daily operating layer: the rough start, fixes she contributed, and agents in iMessage and Slack by March.
How Four Companies Turned Resource Control Into Market Monopolies : Cathryn Lavery breaks down how companies like Softsoap and David Protein won markets by controlling the supply chain instead of building better products.
From Architect to $8.6M Business: My Journey Building and Buying Back Best Self : Cathryn Lavery on the AppSumo podcast: turning $550 into $2M in nine months, pre-selling $300K before manufacturing, and leaving architecture behind.
I Bought My Company Back : Cathryn Lavery on selling BestSelf Co. to a PE firm in 2022 and buying it back fourteen months later: the full story of a surprising founder plot twist.

General

Podcast appearances, conversations, and anything that doesn't fit into my other categories. If it happened and I want to share it, it goes here. "Roots + Rebirth Podcast" covers my conversation with host Terri R. on the Roots + Rebirth podcast. It was a chance to talk about things I don't usually get asked about.

Your first AI loop should be for yourself (template included) : I spend a ridiculous amount of my day in Claude Code, Codex, and a terminal. Not just coding. Researching. Drafting. Pulling reports… Or just playing…
My OpenClaw Demo at Claw-Con NYC : Cathryn Lavery recaps her short demo at Claw-Con NYC on using OpenClaw in business, the packed turnout, and thanks to organizer Michael Galpert.
Your OpenClaw Keeps Forgetting Everything. Here's How to Fix It. : Cathryn Lavery explains why OpenClaw forgets between sessions and how five plain text files build a memory system that turns it into an AI employee.
How Language Reshapes Culture : Cathryn Lavery on how shifting words move categories and beliefs: language doesn't just reflect culture, it reshapes how we see the world.
Roots + Rebirth™ Podcast : Cathryn Lavery joins Terri R. Broussard Williams on the Roots + Rebirth podcast to discuss building BestSelf Co., loss, and buying the company back.

Media

Podcast appearances and press coverage. When I get to tell my story on someone else's platform, I write about it here so you can follow along. "Money Stories Podcast: 8-Figure Empire from Student to Multi-Millionaire" starts with a wild premise: imagine selling your company for millions and then buying it back for pennies on the dollar. That's my actual story, and this podcast let me tell it in full.

Money Stories Podcast: 8-Figure Empire from Student to Multi-Millionaire : Cathryn Lavery on the Money Stories podcast: selling BestSelf Co. and buying it back, why founders outsource confidence, and setting boundaries.
How I Raised $300K in 30 Days with Jasmine Star : Cathryn Lavery joins Jasmine Star to talk crowdfunding BestSelf Co.: raising $300K in 30 days, keeping rewards simple, then selling and buying it back.

Personal

Life outside of business. Family milestones, childhood stories, parenting decisions, and the personal stuff that shapes who I am when I'm not building companies. "Welcome to the world, Leo Alexander!" is the happiest post on my site. Leo arrived on August 10, 2025 at 2:59 PM, weighing 7 lbs 9 oz.

Welcome to the world, Leo Alexander! : Cathryn Lavery welcomes baby Leo Alexander, born August 10, 2025 at 7 lbs 9 oz. Mom and baby are doing great, and big sister is excited to meet him.
How I Accidentally Got a Job I Never Applied For : Cathryn Lavery tells the story of walking into the wrong architecture firm for an interview that was never scheduled, and getting offered the job anyway.
Disney Classics vs. Modern Kids' Shows : Cathryn Lavery on swapping fast-cut kids' shows for hand-drawn Disney classics with her daughter, and the favorites readers shared in response.

Productivity

Systems, tools, and habits that help me get more done. I write about what actually works for me, including working with ADHD and optimizing sleep. "My Triple-Check Prompt for Claude Code" covers something interesting I found when I forced Claude Code to triple-check its own work. The results were worth documenting.

10 prompts that make Fable act like an owner, not an assistant : Stop giving Fable 5 polite work orders. These 10 ownership stances turn Anthropic's smartest model into a partner with skin in the game.
Your first AI loop should be for yourself (template included) : I spend a ridiculous amount of my day in Claude Code, Codex, and a terminal. Not just coding. Researching. Drafting. Pulling reports… Or just playing…
Your Terminal in 4 Upgrades : Cathryn Lavery's four terminal upgrades: Ghostty, Tmux, Fish, and Starship. Simple tools that make the command line faster and more enjoyable to use.
My Triple-Check Prompt for Claude Code : Cathryn Lavery shares the Triple-Check prompt that makes Claude Code audit its own work, catch scope creep, and stop solving problems that don't exist.
5 Productivity Apps That Save Me Hours : Cathryn Lavery's five favorite productivity apps: Granola, In Your Face, CleanShot, and 1Password, plus how each one saves time during her week.
A Productive Day With ADHD : Cathryn Lavery shares how she stays productive with ADHD: planning the night before, muting notifications, time blocks, and moving while she works.
How To Automate Better Sleep : Cathryn Lavery shares the iPhone color-filter and Shortcuts setup she uses to cut blue light at night and automate better sleep habits.
It’s Not ChatGPT, It’s You (No Offense) : Cathryn Lavery on why one-line prompts waste ChatGPT, and the meta-prompt she built to help anyone write better, more detailed prompts.