At the beginning of my conversation with today’s guest, I said something like, “This is one of those conversations that is 100% outside of my comfort zone.” I was truly not expecting that my zone of comfort would expand in a whole new way by the end of today’s episode thanks to my guest, Meenadchi.

Meenadchi is a somatic healing practitioner, with a focus on clearing ancestral money trauma for first-time entrepreneurs. The modality she uses for this work is family constellation therapy. In trying to explain family constellation therapy, Meenadchi realized it would be easier to demonstrate how it works by doing a short session during the interview. This was completely unexpected and un planned, but I’m so glad we took the time because there is no substitute for experiencing a session first hand. 

This is maybe the most intimate and personal conversation I’ve ever aired on this show, and I was a little on the fence about how much of it I would share. In the end it felt right to just put the whole thing out there, because I think sharing the experience as well as the insights I gained from it could be super beneficial to listeners of this show. There were some long pauses as I stopped to think about a question or prompt Meenadchi gave me, so those are shortened for your benefit, but otherwise it’s all in there.

Eek!

I’m just gonna come out and say it: Today’s episode is A TREAT. My guest today and I have been mutually following each other for a while and HOLY MOLY am I glad that we finally got to connect. She is as fun to talk to as she is knowledgeable about business and branding.

AND FUN FACT! I’m guest hosting over on her podcast, the exact day that this episode came out! So head over to the Brand Your Passion podcast (in the show notes) to listen to that one.

Hollie Arnett is a graphic designer turned brand strategist. Her mission is to help creatives build their brands, grow their audiences, and share their work with the world so that they can see their vision come true.

Hollie and I are kindred spirits in a few ways, but the most obvious was right smack on her website’s bio. She says, “more creativity, colour, and joy in the world? Yes please.” For those of you who have been around for a while, you know I relate to this on so many different levels. And in fact, Hollie’s relatability is one of the things I like so much about her. She explains branding in an accessible way without the annoying jargon and buzzwords. She is also passionate about what she does, and throughout our conversation offered a goldmine of actionable tips and takeaways.

Whatever stage your branding is in, I know you will find some nugget of wisdom to take away from this interview and keep in your back pocket. Or better yet, put into play right away!

To be honest, I avoided reading this book for quite a while. This is just my opinion, but the title is boring and misleading, and the cover art is pretty bad. I know, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” and all that, but it’s actually really bad in my opinion. What finally got me to cave was multiple guests on this podcast kept recommending it to me, people I really respect and enjoyed talking to. So Charelle and I decided to crack it open!

Now, while I don’t agree with everything in E-Myth, it turned out there were more valuable takeaways than I think either Charelle or I were expecting, which was such a lovely surprise. As per usual, Charelle and I flagged at different sections and had some really different takeaways. I cannot wait for you to listen to our conversation and see what you think.

I’m not usually a big new years resolution gal, but this year I did set the goal of spending more quality time with people in my small business community, not only online but in person. But lets face it, getting the ball rolling can feel a little awkward. That’s why I was so excited to chat with today’s guest, Danielle Bayard Jackson.

A certified friendship coach, Danielle teaches women how to make and maintain better friendships through research-based methodology. Since studying the ins and outs of female friendships, her teachings include how to solve common female friendship conflicts, creating connections with depth and closeness, and the impact of friendship on our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Books are a huge part of my life… and my business.

You might have noticed a hint of that from the fact that Making Good has a book club! In addition to the every Tuesday episodes that come out here on the podcast, on the fifteenth of every month we also have a Making Good Book Club episode, where we discuss a book we think can make an impact on your business, share our key takeaways, and then let you know what book we’re covering NEXT MONTH.

I’ve read a lot of books in the last couple of years. Not all of them changed things for me. But the ones that did? BOY am I glad I got to read them.

Stephen King said, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

And I want to share some of that magic with you.

Here’s the deal in today’s episode. We’re going to talk about 10 books that have changed my life and business… and might just do the same for you.

I am so, so thankful to today’s guest for completely letting me go off the rails and run wild with our conversation. Something you may not know about many interview-style podcasts is as hosts, we try to prep our guests with a list of questions they can expect during the interview. For whatever reason, I threw many of the pre-determined questions for this episode right out the window, and Julie Sellers was totally game. Often times, following your intuition and excitement yields the best results, and my conversation with Julie was no exception! 

Julie is the CEO of a small business advisory firm called Ellevated Outcomes, where she and her team teach and develop customized business strategy for creative entrepreneurs. They offer two paths to clarity & confidence for creative entrepreneurs who have found success in their unique skills, passion, and intuition, and who now seek a sustainable business and a balanced life.

Julie was so genuine and thoughtful in her responses to my questions, (and follow up questions). If she could shout one message from the rooftops, I think it would be this: “CEO” isn’t a big scary commitment, it’s a mindset that can help you reach your goals, however you define them! I cannot wait for you to give our fascinating conversation a listen.

This is not a business or self-help book.

It is a personal and social history intertwined with a healthy critique of white supremacy and capitalism and the way it influences how we work and the way we value ourselves and our time. Tricia writes from her experience as a black woman and descendant of enslaved people. There was so much in this book that just made me pause and re-read and underline and reflect.

Mindset is certainly a big topic that I tackle fairly often, both on this podcast and in my membership, and Rest is Resistance has given me so much food for thought about how I approach mental health and well-being in my work. I loved talking with Charelle about this book, and as always, seeing what different pieces of wisdom we each picked up on. This was a truly great conversation, and I cannot wait for you to hear it.

I am so excited to bring you this episode with a RARE repeat guest! Megan Dowd is a Certified Equity-Centered Coach who specializes in branding. You may remember Megan from the very early days of this podcast, where we chatted about how storytelling can help build strong connections in your business. That is a great episode and if you’re curious about checking it out, it is linked in the shownotes. 

Megan has since joined forces with graphic designer Nicole Yang and Copy, Content and Marketing specialist Latasha Doyle to form Rendezvous Creative, a full service design, branding and coaching agency offering a signature service that combines their talents and expertise. Noticing the predictable bottlenecks that arise as a result of having to communicate across studios and agencies, Megan, Nicole and Latasha have created a completely in-house solution where they can collaborate with each other, and their client.

My conversation with Megan was wide ranging and full of so many things to learn, from the joys of working with a team, to trusting your gut when it comes to your branding strategy. Megan is so much fun to talk to, and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Okay. I’m about to say something that is going to sound like an exaggeration. But I promise you, it’s not.

Here it is:

Starting a podcast has changed my life.

As a result of the simple decision to start a podcast, so much has come into my life. I have new friends! A new community. A new body of work that I’m so proud of. New skills, new confidence, and yes new revenue streams.

So, over 220 episodes into Making Good, I thought it was HIGH TIME that I do a deep dive into podcasting.

I was really excited to have today’s guest on the show because she offers a totally unique perspective to branding.

Talyn Rahman-Figueroa is a former British diplomat consultant turned brand expert. Her expertise lies in a distinctive realm: empowering solopreneurs to transform themselves into Brand Ambassadors within their respective industries.

Talyn’s background as a UK diplomatic consultant forms the foundation of her approach. Her mission is clear: just as she turned citizens into diplomats, she now turns solo entrepreneurs into Brand Ambassadors. Talyn firmly believes that every solopreneur has the potential to become an industry icon.

It was so fascinating to hear how Talyn incorporates her background in consulting diplomats when working with clients.