Clarity With Carole

Tanya McLean Ellacott has been making things since a grade 7 puff blouse. Today she sells one-of-a-kind pieces at Scottish festivals across Ontario with her art collective, Clan Crafty. No website. And she sells out.

If you're stuck building the website, the logo and the perfect launch before you try anything, this one is for you. Tanya and I talk about what she stopped doing, why she says no to commissions, how insurance and vendor applications really work, and how to pick events that give you joy.

Welcome to Season 2 of Clarity With Carole: real stories from people 50+ who started, and one small step for you each week.

TANYA'S 5 TIPS
1. Pick what gives you joy. If it stops feeling like fun, re-check what you're doing.
2. You may not need the website. She sells in person and her pieces turn over fast.
3. Learn your market. At new events she broke even, and now knows what to bring.
4. Share the cost, stay honest. Clan Crafty splits the insurance.
5. Say no to what drains you. No alterations, no commissions.

YOUR ONE SMALL STEP THIS WEEK
Look at the project or business idea on your desk. What is the "website" or "prep step" you are hiding behind? Strip it away. Take one messy, direct action this week that puts your work in front of another human being. Not sure where to start? Look up one festival or market near you and read what the vendor application asks for.

Tell me in the comments: which door are you standing at right now? Let's get clear on your next move.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction: Stop Planning and Just Deliver
00:27 - Meet Artisan Maker Tanya McLean Ellacott
01:45 - Grade 7 Sewing, 80s Puffed Blouses, and Lifelong Deconstruction
03:50 - Stepping Back into Craft After Kids
05:40 - The Milestone Pivot: Breaking into the Fergus Scottish Festival
07:15 - Festival Realities: Applications, Overhead, and $2M Liability Insurance
09:20 - Signature Pieces: Thrifted Denim Kilt Dusters and Highland Cow "Tea Cozy Hats"
11:55 - Avoiding Burnout: Pacing Production and Staying Grounded
13:15 - Why Tanya Doesn't Need a Website (And Still Sells Out)
15:30 - Clan Crafty: Splitting Costs and Insurance in an Artisan Collective
18:15 - Protecting Autonomy: Why She Stopped Taking Custom Commissions
21:30 - The Human Factor: Why Face-to-Face Stories Beat Social Media
24:15 - Carole's Takeaway: Stop Preparing, Pick a Lane, and Ship to Done

CONNECT WITH TANYA
Instagram: @tanyamcleanellacott
Clan Crafty: @clancrafty
Catch her Nov 12 to 14 at the Comfort and Joy sale in Orangeville.

WORK WITH CAROLE
Free tools and the Clarity Lab (live 30-minute working sprints): https://stan.store/RyCathMedia
Read Clarity, Off Air! on Substack: https://rycathmedia.substack.com
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroleneysmith

New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.

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Support the show

**Connect & Grow with Carole**
Ready to stop coasting and master your career currency?

* ⚡️ **Clarity Kickstart:** Book your private 30-minute strategy session: https://stan.store/RyCathMedia

* 📺 **Watch on YouTube:** Subscribe for video frameworks: [Subscribe] www.youtube.com/@ClarityWithCarole

If this episode helped realign your goals, please leave a 5-star review! 
*See you next week for more Clarity!*

🎧Are you truly growing or just comfortably coasting? Let’s take an honest raw look at where your actual time is going every single week.

Are you stuck in the loop of overthinking, over-polishing, and waiting for the “right moment” to finally take action? In this episode of Clarity With Carole, we’re unpacking why perfectionism keeps mid-career professionals stuck and how choosing progress over perfect is the real key to unlocking momentum.

✨ Free Resource: Grab your copy of Carole’s Clarity Snapshot 🧭 — a simple, action-oriented tool that helps you reflect, realign, and map your very first step forward. 
https://stan.store/RyCath/p/get-caroles-clarity-snapshot-now

You’ll learn:
✨ Why perfection slows your career growth more than you think
✨ Three practical ways to move forward - even when things feel messy
✨ How to break the habits that keep high achievers playing small

If you’ve ever felt behind, overlooked, or frustrated with your own pace, this episode is your reset. You don’t need a flawless plan. You just need movement.

#clarity #careerclarity #career #mindsetshift #uppbeat #progress #perfect 

Listen now and take one small step toward the career you actually want.
If this episode resonates, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more clarity, strategy, and practical tools to help you move out of the neutral zone.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

**Connect & Grow with Carole**
Ready to stop coasting and master your career currency?

* ⚡️ **Clarity Kickstart:** Book your private 30-minute strategy session: https://stan.store/RyCathMedia

* 📺 **Watch on YouTube:** Subscribe for video frameworks: [Subscribe] www.youtube.com/@ClarityWithCarole

If this episode helped realign your goals, please leave a 5-star review! 
*See you next week for more Clarity!*

🎧 If you are still waiting for a generic test score to tell you what you're worth you are actively giving away your authority.

Do you ever feel like you’ve been working hard for years… but still aren’t moving forward?

Maybe you’ve started second-guessing your path, wondering if it’s too late to make a change, or quietly asking yourself:  “Is this it?”

In this episode of Clarity With Carole, you’ll uncover the hidden reasons you might feel stuck mid-career and, more importantly, what you can actually do about it. You’ll learn:

✅Why staying “comfortable” at work could be holding you back (and how to recognize it).

✅The fears and excuses that keep smart, capable professionals like you from taking the next step.

✅The real cost of staying in a role that no longer fits you.

✅A simple way to shift from second-guessing yourself to taking confident, intentional action.

Here’s the truth: what’s holding you back probably isn’t your boss, your company, or even your age. It’s the story you’ve been telling yourself. The good news? You can rewrite that story — starting today.

✨ Free Resource: Grab your copy of Carole’s Clarity Snapshot 🧭 — a simple, action-oriented tool that helps you reflect, realign, and map your very first step forward.https://stan.store/RyCath/p/get-caroles-clarity-snapshot-now

This episode is for you if: You’re mid-career and feel like you’ve “lost the roadmap.” You’ve been waiting for your company to chart your growth path. You’re tired of feeling stuck but not sure how to break free. Listen in — and start building the clarity and confidence you need to move forward, on your own terms.

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Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/stan-town/good-c...
License code: Y0SMF4ZMLROQ1JXK

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#podcast #careerclarity #overwhelmatwork #mindset #mindsetshift #selfimprovement

Ask

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

**Connect & Grow with Carole**
Ready to stop coasting and master your career currency?

* ⚡️ **Clarity Kickstart:** Book your private 30-minute strategy session: https://stan.store/RyCathMedia

* 📺 **Watch on YouTube:** Subscribe for video frameworks: [Subscribe] www.youtube.com/@ClarityWithCarole

If this episode helped realign your goals, please leave a 5-star review! 
*See you next week for more Clarity!*

🎧Are you caught in a repetitive corporate routine secretly feeling soul-weary and stagnant but waiting for external validation to make a change?

In this episode, Carole Neysmith guides high achievers through a career clarity check, helping them identify misalignments, unlock their true potential, and craft a strategic plan for growth and self-advocacy.

Key Topics

• Career clarity check: energy alignment, competence trap, visibility
• The danger of mental exhaustion and misaligned work
• The importance of self-advocacy and visibility in career growth
• Recognizing and escaping the competence trap
• Building internal sponsorship and strategic visibility
• The impact of corporate praise on career choices
• Self-assessment tools for professional fulfillment

Takeaways

• Mental exhaustion is often mistaken for productivity; assess if your work energizes or drains you.
• High achievers often get trapped in roles that highlight their weaknesses, not their passions.
• Visibility and self-advocacy are crucial for career advancement, not just hard work.
• Regularly audit your career trajectory and realign with your true strengths and passions.
• Your genius lies at the intersection of your highest skills and deepest fulfillment

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: A Peer-to-Peer Conversation

00:26 The Danger of Coasting in Your Career

02:45 Recognizing the Need for Clarity

05:02 The Career Clarity Check: Evaluating Your Energy Alignment

07:38 Confronting the Competence Trap

10:07 The Importance of Strategic Visibility

12:52 Taking Action: The Career Clarity Checklist

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

**Connect & Grow with Carole**
Ready to stop coasting and master your career currency?

* ⚡️ **Clarity Kickstart:** Book your private 30-minute strategy session: https://stan.store/RyCathMedia

* 📺 **Watch on YouTube:** Subscribe for video frameworks: [Subscribe] www.youtube.com/@ClarityWithCarole

If this episode helped realign your goals, please leave a 5-star review! 
*See you next week for more Clarity!*

🎧Have you ever noticed that the things you excel at most feel so natural to you that you assume everyone else can do them just as easily?

Because something comes naturally to you, you assume it's "no big deal." But that invisible sweet spot is exactly what your next employer or client is desperately looking for and willing to pay premium dollars to access.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why your most valuable talents are the ones you routinely ignore.
• The danger of the "it’s easy for me, so it’s worthless to others" trap.
• How to identify your unique professional sweet spot and package your hidden strengths into a premium asset.

💼 Ready to see what you've been missing? Let’s audit your professional track and map out your true potential together. Book your 1:1 Clarity Kickstart Strategy Session with Carole:

https://stan.store/RyCath/p/book-a-11-clarity-kickstart-strategy-session-

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

**Connect & Grow with Carole**
Ready to stop coasting and master your career currency?

* ⚡️ **Clarity Kickstart:** Book your private 30-minute strategy session: https://stan.store/RyCathMedia

* 📺 **Watch on YouTube:** Subscribe for video frameworks: [Subscribe] www.youtube.com/@ClarityWithCarole

If this episode helped realign your goals, please leave a 5-star review! 
*See you next week for more Clarity!*

🎧 It's entirely possible to look wildly successful on a resume while feeling completely disconnected inside—let’s dismantle the corporate title trap.

Are you a high achiever who feels stuck at work, overwhelmed by everything on your plate, and frustrated by a lack of productivity? You’re not alone—and it’s not about working harder. In this video, I’ll share practical strategies to break through the overwhelm, regain clarity, and get back on track so you can thrive at work again. 

✨ What you’ll learn: 

⏰ Why high achievers often get stuck (and how to break the cycle) 

⏰ How to overcome overwhelm and create focus 

⏰ Simple productivity tools to get more done without burnout 

If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress, this episode is for you. 

🔔 Subscribe for more tips on clarity, productivity, and thriving in your career: Clarity with Carole 

Whether you’re ready to change roles, build influence, or rediscover motivation, this conversation will give you the insight—and the courage—you need to take your next bold step. 

📌 Subscribe for weekly episodes on career clarity, personal reinvention, and getting back in motion. 

🔔 Don’t forget to hit the bell to stay notified! 

Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/stan-town/good-cookin License code: 5LD7S1T0KA4JKSXQ 

#CareerPlateau #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadershipPodcast #BreakTheStall #ClarityWithCarole #productivity #highachievers #careerclarity #overwhelmedatwork

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

**Connect & Grow with Carole**
Ready to stop coasting and master your career currency?

* ⚡️ **Clarity Kickstart:** Book your private 30-minute strategy session: https://stan.store/RyCathMedia

* 📺 **Watch on YouTube:** Subscribe for video frameworks: [Subscribe] www.youtube.com/@ClarityWithCarole

If this episode helped realign your goals, please leave a 5-star review! 
*See you next week for more Clarity!*