Toronto founder’s podcast spotlights overlooked builders

Sonia Couto launched Tenacity with Sonia C to feature founders and operators she felt were missing from tech conference stages. The show has grown to 132 episodes, more than 136,000 downloads and a top 2.5% global podcast ranking.

Why it matters: - Tenacity with Sonia C gives airtime to founders and operators who are often left out of high-profile conference lineups. - The show turns hallway conversations into a global audience for practical lessons, failure stories and hard-won advice. - The podcast has become a connection point for listeners who want less polish and more substance from business media.

What happened: - Sonia Couto, a Toronto-based technology founder and managing director of Konverge, launched Tenacity with Sonia C after repeatedly seeing the same speakers on tech conference stages. - The podcast now has 132 episodes and more than 136,000 downloads. - The show ranks in the top 2.5% of podcasts worldwide. - New episodes are released weekly. - The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube and other major platforms. - Listeners can learn more at the podcast site.

The details: - Couto said the best conversations she had at conferences came from people she met in hallways rather than on stage. - Tenacity focuses on honest discussions about what building a company really costs, not overnight-success narratives. - Couto built the show to highlight founders from around the world, women in male-dominated spaces and people who have failed and started over. - For each episode, Couto publishes a dedicated page on her website with the guest’s bio and social channels. - Couto also says she wants to be in the hallways, not hidden away in a green room, when she speaks at events. - Couto’s background includes immigrating to Canada from the Azores at age 10 without speaking English. - She entered tech at 26 without a degree after working in manufacturing and accounting. - Couto founded two global software products, MenuSano and Field Eagle. - She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 while running three companies at the same time. - Couto says she rebuilt both her business and herself in the years that followed.

Between the lines: - The podcast is positioned as a response to what Couto sees as a conference ecosystem that rewards repetition over range. - The show’s audience appears to value credibility and specificity over inspiration-only content. - Couto’s own background gives her a built-in lens for elevating people who are overlooked, underestimated or rebuilding after setbacks. - The dedicated guest pages suggest the podcast is meant to create real networking value, not just passive listening.

What’s next: - Tenacity with Sonia C will continue with weekly releases and ongoing distribution across major podcast platforms. - Couto is expected to keep using the show and her speaking appearances to push events toward more hallway-level, less scripted conversations. - The podcast site will remain the main destination for episode information and guest connections.

The bottom line: - Couto turned frustration with the same faces on stage into a podcast built around the people conferences often miss, and the format has found a global audience.