What a D1 Athlete Learned About Courage, Identity, and Building Sweet Addison's | Addison Labonte
4/23/202637 min
Sweet Addison's — Better-for-you, gourmet gluten-free and dairy-free desserts shipped nationwide. Get yours today! Go to - sweetaddisons.com
In this episode, I sit down with Addison LaBonte — former Division I college soccer player, ultra marathoner, and the founder of Sweet Addison's — to unpack one of the most raw and relatable entrepreneurial journeys I've had the pleasure of sharing on the show. Addison walks us through the identity crisis she faced after leaving college athletics, the shocking medical diagnosis of compartment syndrome that threatened to end her running career, and how switching to a gluten-free diet healed her body in just three days — without surgery. What followed was an organic content brand that grew to over 288,000 Instagram followers, a pivot out of a corporate finance career she never loved, and ultimately the launch of Sweet Addison's in January 2024: a better-for-you dessert brand built on clean ingredients and relentless work ethic. She shares the dark reality of her first year — working in near isolation, going three straight days with zero orders, and questioning everything — as well as the mindset tools that kept her going: visualization, delayed gratification, a service-over-self mentality, and her Christian faith. We even do a live taste test on camera, and I have to say — these brownies are unreal. If you've ever felt like you didn't know who you were after a major life transition, or you're too scared to take the leap on something you believe in, this episode is the one to share with two friends.
About Addison:
Addison LaBonte is the founder and CEO of Sweet Addison's, a fast-growing better-for-you dessert brand based in Dallas, Texas, and the creator behind the gluten-free lifestyle platform Organically Addison. A former Division I soccer player at the University of Maine and an ultra marathoner (50K finisher), Addison is the rare combination of elite athlete and self-made entrepreneur.
After graduating, Addison was diagnosed with compartment syndrome and told she'd need surgery or would have to quit running forever. Instead, she adopted a gluten-free lifestyle, reversed her symptoms in three days, and channeled that experience into a content platform that grew to over 1.7 million followers across social media and 1 million+ monthly blog pageviews.
She spent several years in corporate finance before launching Sweet Addison's in January 2024 — a brand of grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, seed oil-free cookies and brownies made with almond flour and organic coconut sugar. In under two years, she has scaled to multi-seven-figure revenue, operates in 30–35 retail locations, ships to all 50 states, and has been featured in TODAY, OK! Magazine, NBC Dallas Fort Worth, and more. She is also the host of the Organically Addison Podcast.
Connect with Addison:
Instagram (Personal Brand) @organicallyaddison
Instagram (Sweet Addison's) @sweet.addisons
Website (Blog) organicallyaddison.com
LinkedIn Addison LaBonte
About Justin:
Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The Science of Flipping podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur with over and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.
Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.
Connect with Justin:
- Instagram: @thejustincolby
- YouTube: Justin Colby
- TikTok: @justincolbytsof
- LinkedIn: Justin Colby
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJustin Colby· Host0:01
What is up, The Entrepreneur DNA family? We are back with another episode. As always, the community of the Entrepreneur DNA community is out on school, S-K-O-O-L.com/theentrepreneur, where you get to talk to my guests each and every week as they come on live, teaching you their expertise. Now today, I have a great guest here. She's a multi-seven-figure founder in just under three years. She was an All-American student athlete, and she's an ultra-marathoner. So you don't have a whole lot on your plate, do you? Addison Labonte is here. How are you?
Addison LaBonte· Guest0:35
Good. How are you?
Justin Colby· Host0:36
Good.
Addison LaBonte· Guest0:36
Thank you for having me.
Justin Colby· Host0:37
I'm excited because first of all, we gotta first promote. When I say multi-seven figure, I'm more interested in what she does. Sweet Addison's, you can go find her everywhere. I have a massive sweet tooth, so when you and I finally connected, I'm-- I can't figure out whether I want the protein brownie, which is feels like just gold, or the protein cookie, 17 grams. So we'll, we'll promote this as much as we can, but I really want people to hear, um, not just about Sweet Addison's.
Addison LaBonte· Guest1:05
Mm-hmm.
Justin Colby· Host1:05
Go, go look up Sweet Addison's and Addison Labonte all over social media, but I wanna talk to you about your journey. You are a very special human that I think has a story that most people are gonna resonate with.
Addison LaBonte· Guest1:17
Mm-hmm.
Justin Colby· Host1:17
It's not gonna be exact to their story, but you had some very dark days that you were able to turn into the brightness that we see today. Walk us through your story of the dark days