The Real Talk What happens when "authenticity" becomes your brand? Can you build a million-dollar business without ads or funnels? And more importantly—what do drum lessons and talking to dead people have to do with running a successful online business?

Colleen Nichols is here to answer all of that and more. She's the #1 bestselling author of Don't Make it Weird, a digital authenticity expert, and someone who's done what most people said was impossible: built a thriving business on pure human connection.

But this isn't your typical "business success story" interview. We're talking about the pricing pivot that terrified her, why she's building a networking group for normal people who happen to make abnormal amounts of money, and how learning to suck at something new saved her from burnout.

If you've ever felt trapped by your own brand, bored in your business, or like you've forgotten how to be a human outside of work—this one's for you.

What We Cover:

[00:00] Why Colleen's book has zero fluff (and what she refused to add)
[06:08] The secret Instagram account that became a million-dollar business
[11:19] The pricing model change that made no financial sense (but total human sense)
[13:25] How to tell the difference between "I'm bored" and "this doesn't align with my values anymore"
[15:46] Drum lessons, mediumship, and the hobbies you can't monetize
[22:42] The ROI on doing things that have nothing to do with your business
[26:36] Building a networking group that doesn't feel like buying friends
[28:17] The "trust recession" happening in online business right now
[35:12] Why normalizing martyrdom in marriage is bizarre (and what to do instead)
[38:28] The one thing you can do TODAY to live more allergic to the ordinary

Quotes Worth Saving:

"It is a privilege to be bored in your business."

"Somebody is scrolling right now, waiting for whatever it is that you're too afraid to say."

"I had to do stuff that I could not monetize. Gross. Hate it."

"A lot of women normalize the martyrdom of being a woman. And I think that is just bizarre."

"You have to have the patience to build the foundation of people seeing you as a thought leader or somebody they can relate to. The currency has to be engagement, and then the currency can be actual dollars."

Connect with Colleen:
Instagram: @noshamessalesgame

Don't Make it Weird by Colleen Nichols

Your Turn:
Colleen's challenge: Unfollow people who make you feel like shit.

Seriously. Go through your feed right now and unfollow (or at minimum, mute) anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself. You're in charge of your algorithm. Use it.

If ordinary has ever felt suffocating, you’re in the right place.
Follow Allergic to the Ordinary for conversations on identity, ambition, and designing a life that doesn’t play it safe.

Hosted by @jamiegasparovic

A Studio Gaspo production