Amidst The Chaos

Ok, how many of you have been planning a vacation in your mind for the past two years (I know I'm not alone)?! Well, today's guest is here to help you not only plan a trip that fits what you want, but make sure you have the most seamless process from start to finish! Victoria Fricke is a travel agent who focuses just as much on your trip as she would on hers! Vic talks to us about how she went from being a classroom teacher to a travel agent, as well as the different paths that others can take to do the same -- as always, it looks different for everyone!

We talk about how she has built her business, where she feels she flourishes and (of course) the hiccups and downsides that come along with running your own business. She also tells me what aspects of the industry you should be aware of if you are going to become an agent yourself. I absolutely loved this talk and already want to book a vacation and hang out with Vic while planning! Make sure to check out her site for more details and her feed for so many amazing tips. Let her know that Dana Graham sent you and enjoy your trip!!

When I started this podcast, the goal was to bring mothers in different indutries to this community so that YOU can see the variety of ways you can either start a side hustle or jump right in to a new career with skills you may already have. Today's guest is not only an amazing listen, but selfishly so fun as she is in the photography space - so I got to geek out on somethings! Alisa McCormick is a private photography editor for weddings who started her career as a photographer! We talk about how she was a stay at home mom and wanted a way to reinvent herself, so teamed up with her daughter to start a photography business. She tells me how she transitioned to being a photo editor and how she made that her full time work. She has continued to learn and grow in the space and wanted to find a way to support and share her tips, so she created a course for photo editing!

I love that so many of Alisa's tips are not only for those in photography. She talks about how important your network is and how she has really focused on finding careers for the different chapters of her life (serious goals)! I know you will love this episode just as much as I did, so make sure to check out her site and feed after you listen!

My guest today is on a mission to help mothers get back to feeling like themselves again through confidence and mindful eating. Karen Brein is a nutrition and wellness coach that used her own experience after kids to help other mamas feeling the same. We start talking about her life pre kids and company and how she came to find her passion as a coach to other women. She talks about how to form habits and her approach with her clients that TRULY help them succeed and maintain their goals.

Karen also touches on imposter syndrome, which so many founders (and people in general) face. We also dive into how she got her first clients, when she realized she needed to set boundaries and the hardest part of starting a business. I loved hearing Karen talk about the harder parts of building a business - especially one that is built around a method YOU created. Make sure to check out her site and feed for tips and insights.

We also have an exclusive deal for our listeners -- 10% off any offer with code CHAOS10.

Today's guest has brought a game changing product to the lives of all parents that are grocery shopping with their infants. Lindsey Fleischhauer is the creator of Totes Babies, which fits onto a grocery cart to help keep your infant carrier out of the bottom (hello, GENIUS idea)! Lindsey starts by telling me how she came to the idea after experience this problem every time she went to the store, and how her dad played a huge role in making it a reality. She then gets real about how she had some big naysayers that told her it wasn't a good idea -- and how she moved past that.

We talk about how she found different partners she's worked with (hint - it's something you can all do) and then she opens up about changing her perspective on working motherhood which really resonated with! We finish with her Shark Tank experience and how that impacted her then and now. I love that Lindsey took a problem and found a way to make a solution, and continues to be so involved in getting this product into the hands of parents who need it! Make sure to check our their site and follow along on social.

Also, for the Amidst the Chaos listeners, we have a special discount! Use code TOTES25 for 25% off and Free Shipping.

WOW, today's episode I got DEEP with our guest, Whitney Lundeen, on her journey to build her clothing brand Sonnet James. Whitney not only talks about the founder tips and hurdles, but gets really honest and open about her personal struggles, which I think will be really helpful for so many people. Whitney tells me about how she was a young mom and found herself in an unhealthy marriage. After making the scary decision to leave, she knew she had to do something on her own as childcare was so expensive. Instead of making excuses, she decided to jump right in and learn a new skill (sewing) to make fun, practical dresses for moms.

She then walks me through the logistics on starting her brand, meeting and changing manufacturers and how she leans on her gut more than others do. Whitney talks to me about the mental shift she has had thanks to this company, and how she really aims to practice what she is selling -- more PLAY with your kids. Finally, she tells me about how one book changed her mindset on life and how these past few years have helped given her something she didn't know she needed.

Make sure to listen for her tips and tricks, but even more so, for her story of courage and mental strength in life and business. Head to their site to check out the cute play dresses and give them a follow on Instagram to stay up to date on all things Whitney and Sonnet James!

I am so excited to bring another guest on the show today who had a skill/passion for something and after years of switching careers has found a way to turn that into her fulltime career. Today I am joined by Stacy Aguilar, a graphic designer who helps entrepreneurs with their branding and web design. We first talk about Stacy's background in public policy, where she was focused on helping people but found she was super interested in design and the visual realm, but she didn't know the best way to combine the two! Then she talks to us about how when she was working in ad agencies, and wanted to focus more on helping people, and took (what was at the time) her dream job as a graphic design teacher at an all girls private school.

While teaching she continued with side projects, including teaching courses and creating products, but realized its time consuming and hard to scale. We talk about the hard decision of making a leap to the unknown and the fear of it not working out. Stacy talks about how she reached out to her network to help her, how she finds boundaries through the struggles of working from home and how COVID affected her and her business. She finishes up with an AMAZING time management skill -- one that you wouldn't normally think of!

I love being able to speak with mothers who have skills that many of you may have, to help give you the confidence and tools to jump out on your own (or make it a side hustle) if you are thinking about it. Stacy's stories is so common, which I hope gives that extra push to have faith and trust in yourself. Make sure to head to Stacy's feed and page to learn more and connect with her!

I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to be more productive in one aspect of their life -- even my guest, who is a productivity coach! Meaghan Langston, the Meaning Mentor, joins us to kick off season two of the podcast! Meaghan has a similar background as previous guests in that she had a standard job but wasn't loving the hours, so was searching for something that was more flexible and aligned with her skills. While she was having these thoughts, her and her husband had just recently become foster parents to two littles (so not stressful at all). While at work, she benefited from a perk at her job that included a coach to employees. After seeing the benefits in coaching (and with the encouragement of her coach) she started to coach on the side. Meaghan dives into how she built her clientele, where she pivoted when she saw the need and how she chooses professional decisions.

While Meaghan talks about her story, she highlights a common myth about coaches that you are going to want to hear! It was so fun talking to Meaghan and I know her unique story will be so helpful for many of you. Make sure to visit Meaghan's feed and take advantage of her gracious offer of 10% off coaching or calendar insight (I promise you will benefit from either!) with code AMIDSTTHECHAOS.

I am so excited to finish out this amazing first season with a guest who could essentially be the poster child for this podcast! Sarah Peck is the founder of Start Up Parent, which focuses on helping women feel less alone and gives them the tools they need to plan for families during busy careers.

Sarah starts by giving me her long job history -- she legit has done it all! When she got pregnant with her first at a tech start up that she loved, she took her maternity leave in her own hands and set out to figure out what worked for her and the firm. As she was learning about this cross between work and family, she started recognizing how hard it is for women to make this happen. She started with the idea of a podcast, which lead to Start Up Parent and so much more!

I love that Sarah talks about how things don't look pretty or glamorous, but you don't know how things are until you do them! She talks about how you need to be prepared for so many different scenarios and things can look different for each family. I am so happy to have her finish this season out! Make sure to follow along on her site for some amazing resources, as well as her instagram and podcast. 

When everything went virtual in 2020, all sorts of service providers found a way to make it work with a ton of different digital video platforms. But my guest today, Rebecca Featherstone, wasn't satisfied with 'just ok' when it came to her music lessons. Instead of dealing with it (like so many of us continue to do), she MADE A FREAKING APP (musicology) to help music teachers all over have better and more effective lessons with their students.

Rebecca talks to me about her background in music and how the frustrations of teaching over zoom became too much for her and her students. We chat about how she decided to make the app and the amazing connections she's made through friends and her network. She also tells me the honest truth about pitching investments and how years of performance has given her really tough skin.

Rebecca story is so relatable to anyone who is in the thick of things and building something important to them (and others). For any music teachers who are looking to connect better with their students, make sure to check out Musica.ly and follow along on her Instagram for some fun life updates.

How often have you pictured an exciting moment in your life and then it comes and is not at all how you expected?! Well, lucky for you, my guest today is here to help with one of those moments -- introducing a dog to your baby! Dominika Knosalla is a dog trainer and founder of Dog Meets Baby. She joins me to talk about her path to starting this brand and how her life has taken a completely different path than she expected!

Dominika tells me how she had wanted to be a vet and met a dog trainer during her time and knew she found her calling. She left Poland to come to the states and really immersed herself in the industry; learning what she could from a range of experts in the space. When she found herself in San Francisco for a second time, she started working at a doggie day school that had lots of training request, then something surprising happened -- she had her twins and her well behaved dog had a predatory response to them. She realized if this could happen to her -- a certified dog trainer -- then it probably happened to others. That is when she started Dog Meets Baby! She's built an online presence through raw, honest tips and being open about her experience to help others going through the same thing. We finish with Dominika telling me about her clients, where they are in their lives and how they find her!

It was so great talking to Dominika, I have been wanting to have a dog trainer on for a while and she did not disappoint. Make sire to head to her site and follow her on Instagram to learn some awesome tips.