Better: The Brand Designer Podcast

I’m back with our annual spooooky client stories episode! I’m joined by my biz bestie and fellow designer Lauren Hemes of Elby Creative, and together we’re reading listener submissions (anonymously) and sharing a few spooooky stories of our own. A big shout out to everyone who submitted their stories, and Happy Halloween, listeners! 🎃👻

Guest Name: Lauren Hemes

Guest Social: @elbycreative

Past Spoooky Client Story Episodes:

S12 E12 | Spooooky Client Stories (Round 3!) with Audrey Humphreys

S8 E12 | Spooooky Client Stories (Round 2) with Lauren Braier

S6 E12 | Spooooky Client Stories

Episode Mentions:
@kenzigreendesign / The Unapologetic Podcast

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

This week is a little solo episode where I’m breaking down how my studio stays organized while supporting around 15 to 20+ client projects all at the same time, plus the systems and tools we use to keep everything running smoothly.

Links Mentioned:

Production design support: Brooke Davis (my sister-in-law) over at @thetidystudio

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

In this week’s episode, I chat with Sarah Robb, a brand strategy coach, founder of Brand Strategy Academy, and co-author of the book Rebrand Right. After many years at Landor working with brands like Gatorade and Pfizer, she shares what she brought with her from agency life and what she left behind. We also get into how independent designers can talk about strategy in a way clients actually understand, why real conversations with people still matter so much with AI in the mix, and the pricing and confidence gaps she found when she surveyed designers.

Guest Name: Sarah Robb

Guest Website: brandstrategysarah.com

Guest Instagram: @brandstrategysarah

Guest LinkedIn: @brandstrategysarah

Links Mentioned:

Brand Strategy Academy Course

Rebrand Right Book

The State of Brand Strategy Pricing 2026 Freebie Report

Free Brand Strategy Mini Course

Brand Strategy Question Template

Podcast Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers - Applications open for the next cohort on Nov 1st!

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

If you're curious what a design day looks like, this episode is for you! I chat with Bailey, designer and owner of Honeywave Creative, all about running a successful design in a day offer. She walks us through her process and the systems she has implemented to create a successful client experience doing a website all in one day.

Guest Name: Bailey Collins

Guest Website: honeywavecreative.com

Guest Social: @honeywavecreative

Links Mentioned:

Six Figure Offer Framework Freebie

Design Day Blueprint - Use code “hellojune” to received a brand bonus module for FREE (a $500 value) when you sign up!

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers - Applications go LIVE Nov 1st for Cohort 7 kicking off in Jan 2027!

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

In this episode, I chat with Brooklyn of Glorybright Studio about how her health journey took her from freelancing and taking on any design project to niching into serving holistic practitioners and wellness brands. We talk about how her values and faith shaped her positioning, why speaking from personal experience makes marketing and sales feel simpler, and how this shift has changed the way she shows up for her kids and family.

Guest Name: Brooklyn Beckerson

Guest Website: glorybrightstudio.com

Guest Social: @glorybrightstudio

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers - Applications for cohort 7 open up November 1st, 2026! 

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

In this solo episode, I chat all about how AI has impacted our studio, how we use it, how we see our clients using it (the good & the bad) where we don’t use it, and how we have implemented AI clauses in both our clients and subcontractors contracts.

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers - applications open Nov 1st, 2026 for cohort 7!

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

In this week's episode, I talk with Emily, a former Big Four audit manager who's now CFO of Thorne Advisors, the firm she co-leads with Andrea Mason. Together they help business owners get a clearer picture of their cash flow and a smarter approach to taxes. We get into why creative business owners can look profitable on their books but still feel broke, and unpack the cash leaks behind it, like underpricing and scope creep.

Guest Name: Emily Bowie

Guest Website: thorneadvisors.com

Guest Social: @thonreadvisors

Guest Podcast: Prosper and Get Paid

Freebie: 5 Cash Leaks & 5 Missed Tax Deductions

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

In this week's episode, I chat with Kadie Smith, designer and founder of Drop Cap Design. We talk about why she chose to rebrand after 12 years in business, how she'd been feeling disconnected from her brand, and what it was like being the "client," working with her senior designer through it. We also discuss why communicating clearly with clients matters so much, presenting work and gathering feedback more effectively, and growing into a creative direction role with your team.

Guest Name: Kadie Smith

Guest Website: dropcapdesign.com

Guest Social: @kadie_smith_

Drop Cap Social: @dropcapdesign / @dropcapacademy

Links Mentioned:

See the rebrand of Drop Cap - Watch Behind-The-Brand and use code “BETTER” and watch for FREE being a listener of the podcast!

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

In this solo episode, as I'm in my 14th season of the podcast and 8th year in business, I chat about things that have changed since I started in 2019, and share what I would do differently and things I would prioritize sooner if I were starting my creative business today.

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design

Grab Kayla's Website Copy Compendium today and use code BETTERPOD to save $200 on personal or commercial.

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In this episode, I talk with Kayla Dean, website copywriter, messaging strategist, and owner of The Literary Co. We chat about why messaging and positioning are often the missing link for designers who want high-ticket clients, and how strong copy can reduce pricing pushback, attract better-fit leads, and support what your portfolio already proves.

Guest Name: Kayla Dean

Guest Website: theliterary.co

Guest IG: @theliterary.co

Guest Threads: @theliterary.co

Website Copy Compendium: theliterary.co/wcc - Use code BETTERPOD and save $200 on personal or commercial.

Trust Triggers: Get your Free Guide Here

Links:

The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designers

Download my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)

Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.

Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*

Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*

Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*

Get 25% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.*

*Some are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.

Connect With Us:

Our Free Facebook Community

Our Website

Podcast Instagram

Hello June Creative Instagram

The Design Minimind

Join The Creative Diaries (my email list)

Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design