Amidst The Chaos

Do you ever meet someone and instantly click with them on so many levels? Well that happened with my guest this week, Jill Cromwell. When I first came across Jill, I was very impressed by her professional path, then as we talked and got to know one another, I was able to confirm we were on the same wave length in other aspects!

Jill is the founder of Cromwell Collective, a fill service media consultancy, mom of two, and overall awesome human. She dives into her career path; starting with her time at big publishers, and how the lack of support pushed her out on her own. Jill talks about how she grew so big organically (which is no small feat), how it took some time for her dad to come around and how she and her husband (casually) started their own individual businesses at the same time -- and still run them today!

Jill had some great professional insights, but what I took most from her was her ability to come back to her North Star -- having time with her kids. She uses that as a check in when things get overwhelming or she has to make a decision. I love this idea of having your values guide your decisions -- it helps when things can get overwhelming with ideas, opportunities and big plans.

I know you will take some great insights from this episode like it did! Make sure to follow Jill on Instagram and check out her website!

Full show notes here.

Lauren is the Founder and CEO of Rent-a-Romper (cutest name ever!), a rental clothing company for kids. Lauren aims to take the work, struggle and worry out of dressing your kids -- which, who doesn't want to sign up for that?! Lauren talks about how she grew up thinking that work had to be one specific way; you have a full time job, with benefits and security. She never thought she would start her own thing, until she was diving right in. We talk about the company's trajectory, what is was like starting during COVID and how it was crucial to find consistency with clients. We end with her vision for this company, and the future of the clothing industry as a whole, as well as what keeps her motivated.

Since recording this episode, Lauren and Rent-a-Romper were selected to the Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator (LACI) for start ups. This two year program will give her and the company the resources and support to grow even stronger and make a bigger impact on this planet and their customers!

Lauren was such an awesome guest and really made me think about the impacts we have with our day to day decisions. I know you will learn a lot from this and maybe even snag one of their adorable capsules. Be sure to check out their website, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

Find the full show notes here.

As a mom of two little humans, I know I speak for SO MANY of us when I say that we will do ANYTHING to get more sleep (both for us and our kids)! Sleep is so essential to our lives, our health and our relationships-- that’s why I’m so pumped to have Brittney Stefanic from Sleeper Teachers on today’s episode! Brittney walks me through her career path, from an education teacher to sleep consultant and how she was able to make the transition quicker than she thought. She also breaks down how she grew her niche business in a small mining town, including how she has built out her team (she is 7 consultants deep now)!

Brittney then breaks down her personal mindset shift and how that has helped her to change the way that she tackles things, both personally and professionally -- side note, I am LOVING how so many of my guests have discussed this shift in their mindset and how it’s impacted them! We end our chat talking about the relationship and role her husband plays with her business, which sounded eerily familiar to my bonus episode chat with Sean last week ha!!

We didn’t have enough time to dive into everything I wanted, especially the fact that Sleeper Teachers helps ALL ages, not just little ones! I know you will enjoy this episode as much as I did, so make sure to give them a follow on instagram, and head to their site for some more information and tips!

Full show notes here.

I am tapping into my Richmond mom entrepreneur pool again to bring you another AMAZING guest for today’s episode. I am joined by Jammie Baker, a personal stylist who pivoted her career after realizing how difficult it was to navigate style postpartum herself! She aims to empower busy moms with confidence to crush their everyday goals through curated wardrobes. 

Jammie tells me about her career path, which included jumping from one full time job to another, but always being pulled back to fashion. She also gives us three things you need to do/know when styling yourself (and it's not all about the clothes themselves)! One of my favorite pieces of wisdom (and there were TONS in this episode) was when she talked about being honest with yourself, shifting your mindset (similar to Ilana from Stylish Spoon) and making sure your style aligns with who you are and who you want to be. She encourages us to learn from other people, soak up what you can, and then pass it along so others can learn from you, which I found super insightful and selfless!

You are going to learn SO MUCH more than styling tips -- but don’t worry, they’re in here too! -- in this episode. I know you are going to love Jammie’s energy, life story and outlooks just as much as I did. Make sure to check out her website, Facebook Group, Instagram and her Style Guide. PLUS -- head to danagrahamphotography.com/guests-offers for a special code just for my listeners!

Full show notes here.

When it comes to quitting your job and starting a small business as a mom, your spouse is likely going to have something to say about it. In this episode, I walk through my journey in entrepreneurship with my husband Sean to get his insight and mindset from the beginning of my photography business to now. He tells us his reservations at the beginning, how he was able to overcome them, and some things he did to encourage and support me along the way. If you're having a hard time getting your spouse on board as you plan to start a new small business, we hope this episode provides you with some tools to help you two get on the same page. 

I was super excited to chat with Aubree for this episode as her story felt so similar to mine, just in a different industry. We had our kids at the same time and decided to make the leap after our second, so I resonated with so many of the thoughts, doubts and challenges she brought up. Hear Aubree discuss how she transitioned from teaching to becoming a Virtual Assistant and is now coaching other virtual assistants. She explains how she tried a lot of different things, but nothing stuck, which seems to be a commonality amongst so many of my guests! We talk about how her support system allowed her to have flexibility and how she shifts her mindset from losing time with her kids to allowing her husband to foster his bond with them (TOTALLY STEALING THIS)! She tells me about the growth she has made in the last 2.5 years and how she has gained so much power from it! Aubree then tells me what a VA does and how she has learned from her lessons ((which you KNOW I am a huge fan of!)), what her schedule looks like now, and how it's shifted from her time as a teacher, and even the first few months of her new role.

I know you will find lots of relatable moments and feelings in this episode and for those that are currently VAs or looking to become one, this is your episode!! Make sure to follow Aubree on Instagram, Facebook and check out their website -- which includes her own podcast!

Full show notes here. 

I continue to be impressed with the women who have taken time to come on this show, open up and give an in-depth look to some of the craziest times in their lives. Every guest has given me something new to take into my motherhood and career worlds and it’s something I can’t thank them enough for! Speaking of tips and tricks, this episode with Ilana Eck from Stylish Spoon is PACKED with honesty about the obstacles she has faced (personally and professionally) as well as one of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard in a very long time! Ilana tells us how she transitioned to gluten free baker after being an attorney for over 12 years, how her friends and family have helped in unexpected ways and how she has navigated through COVID. One of the best parts, she gives our listeners an exclusive code to get 15% off any purchase (including subscriptions)!

I know you will find lots of action items and self confidence tips throughout this conversation! Make sure to follow Ilana and Stylish Spoon on Instagram, Facebook and check out their website!!

If you know me at all, or have been listening to these past few episodes, you know that I am not one for those cliché hacks that seem to be constantly thrown around in the self help world. Instead, I try to rethink and shift my approach towards things, which helps keep my sanity (for the most part)! Last week I was so fortunate to talk to Katie McNamara from Little Lentil about her motherhood journey and founder story. Though quite a few things stood out, the most lasting has been her approach to time management. Get this -- it’s not a one size fits all hack that alleviates all stress and gets rid of time all together (( still working on finding that hidden gem))! Instead, she talks about how she has shifted her mindset and approach to time management in her day to day life. I am not going to sit her and tell you that I am a changed woman, who is stress free and that my days flow with ease (ha, I bet a lot of people wish they did), but I WILL tell you that I am making small steps to finding a place where I am happy and appreciative for what I have been able to accomplish in a day/week/month, while still striving to get more (and more and more and more) done. I am so grateful for Katie as she opened my eyes to something I have been actively working to incorporate in my day to day life, both as a mom and business owner.

I am so excited for you to hear my chat with Katie McNamara today because her big leap from a corporate finance career to founding a children clothing brand reminds me so much of mine! Katie lets me in on how she made such a drastic change, how starting her business two months before her first child was born was the greatest challenge and asset, as well as how her schedule and role has evolved. She sheds light onto how she leans on other female entrepreneurs for support and guidance -- because, as I’ve mentioned before, entrepreneurship can be lonely!! We talk about what her days look like now, as she has added to her family (HELLO 3 kiddos under 3.5!!) and continued to grow the business, and how she battles the pull between spending more time with both! We end by discussing what Little Lentil has become, how her hiccups along the way have made her wiser and what she views for this brands moving forward. I felt myself nodding along to SO MUCH of what Katie was saying about her entrepreneurial journey and I know you will too! 

I hope you are able to take some tips and gain some confidence from this conversation with Katie. Make sure to follow her and Little Lentil on Instagram, Facebook and visit their website!

View the full transcript and show notes here. 

Today we have our first co-founders on the podcast. It was so fun and enlightening to talk to Danielle and Wendy from sweatconnected. We hear from their backgrounds and how it led them to starting a fitness company in the middle of the pandemic (talk about being bold!). They even get me emotional discussing how the first class was cathartic and ignited them to bring their clients and colleagues together. I get an overview of what sweatconnected offers, their biggest hurdles (I feel SO many of these), and how the support of their friends and family (especially each other) helped them through. Finally, they talk about the emotional shifts of being an entrepreneur, what they bring to their clients now that they are in charge, and how ownership is empowering and terrifying!

I hope you all enjoy this episode as much as I did. Make sure to check them out on their website, app, Instagram and Facebook.