How do you embrace growth when it's really uncomfortable? Last month, I experienced so much personal and professional growth that it was kind of rough. If you've ever been in this situation before, you know how it feels to want to give up and revert back to what was normal.

In this podcast episode, I'm getting real about the recent personal and professional development areas I experienced growing pains in, and sharing a few pieces of advice for embracing growth even when it's messy.

After you listen to this podcast, and if you identify with or are even experiencing any of these same uncomfortable growth situations, head over to the Coalesce Facebook or Instagram to share.

When we start a business, it's normally as a one-woman shop – meaning we do all the things! From making the product and posting on social media, to responding to emails and handling the paperwork, we handle every single piece and part of getting things done.

But as time goes on, you may feel like you spend all your time doing administrative or back-end work instead of doing the things you actually went into business to do. If this is you, it may be time to start thinking about outsourcing some of those tasks.

To help us better understand how a virtual assistant could help your business, I chat with guest Jill Carr. Living on a ranch in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Jill is a rancher, a mama and a virtual assistant for small business owners. In this episode, we discuss what a virtual assistant is, how they could be beneficial to your business, where to find them and how to set them up for success.

Connect with Jill on Instagram or Facebook.

Resources mentioned in this conversation:

• Pros and cons of hiring full-time staff versus hiring a contractor
• Digital workshop on starting a freelance business (This is an affiliate link.)
• Virtual assistant job board

We all so desperately want our product to sell or people to book our services, that we often fall into the trap of jumping on the latest marketing bandwagon only to realize weeks or months later that it didn't yield any profitable results.

Hold on tight, because this podcast episode is all about breaking the rules on some trendy marketing tactics that are promoted as golden tickets to success – but really might not be a good fit for your goals, strategy or your business structure.

Listen in and let me know: Do you have some unpopular advice of your own to share? Share it in the comments here or jump over to the Coalesce Facebook page.

Under the handle Old Blue Silo, Kelly Whiteman Snipes gives her followers a front-row seat to her life in rural Indiana where she's created an online personal brand that is warm, cozy and calming. As a home decor enthusiast, graphic designer and farm wife, Kelly's online brand perfectly aligns with her real-life brand.

In this podcast episode, I'm turning to Kelly to help us understand how we can use social media to build our personal brands by embracing authenticity, determining what to post and finding community – all while setting healthy boundaries.

Tune in and connect with Kelly on Instagram or her blog.

If only we could just harness time management as a magical unicorn to fix all of our problems.

Here's the truth: We only get so much time in a day. That means time management isn't just a one-and-done type of thing – it's something we have to constantly pay attention to and adjust for based on what we've got going on in our lives.

In this episode, I'm sharing my favorite ways to be more efficient with the time we do have. These approaches aren't silver bullets to mastering time management, BUT they can help you get more high-quality work done in a short amount of time.

After you listen, and if you loved this episode, head over to my blog post, "The exact approach I take to start and end my days strong" for more tips on how to spend your time more efficiently.

Launching an online business can be an awesome opportunity whether you are looking to make a little money through a side hustle, or are wanting a full-time job that you can manage while being a stay-at-home mom.

But building a profitable online business isn't always an easy task. Not to mention the tough workload that comes with developing consistent content.

That's where Jennifer Osterholt comes in. As a farm wife and mom, she developed an online business to support her lifestyle. Plowing Through Life shares easy and delicious recipes while providing readers a chance to learn more about agriculture. Jennifer's online business has allowed her to create a business that aligns with her life and her schedule. And she's delving into some great advice on how to get started, ways to seek out income sources, and tips for creating content.

Grab a notebook and tune in!

For links to resources mentioned in this conversation, see below:

• Mediavine
• AdThrive
• CafeMedia
• Pinch of Yum / Food Blogger Pro

"What type of life do you want to have?"

While that question may seem like a BIG, scary thought experiment, the reality is that the only wrong answer to this question is no answer at all.

In this podcast, I'm walking through three reflective questions to ask yourself to achieve your true business goals. Having a clear picture of the type of life you want to live is what will allow you to start reverse-engineering a business that aligns with and brings you closer to your dreams.

After you listen, and if you're not already part of the Coalesce email list, sign up for great weekly inspiration and early access to new programs and announcements!

We all know that networking and relationship building is an important part of growing your business, but it can be hard and intimidating to know where to start. Not to mention that being in the midst of a worldwide pandemic makes developing connections a challenge.

So how do you successfully break the ice online? That's what I'm chatting with Jodi Oleen of Jodi Oleen Consulting about today. She's an expert in relationship building, and we're discussing ways you can get started digitally networking.

You'll want to grab a notebook before tuning into this episode! It's packed with advice I'm sure you will find helpful, with a little bit of humor too.

Have you been telling yourself, I'll book that family trip we've been-talking-about-but-never-actually-do this year? Or, this pregnancy I'm going to commit time to soak in all the newborn cuddles I can?

And then, guilt and doubt creep in.

I know how scary it can be to step away from your business for a moment of rest, but it's so important. I've been trying to lose the ball-and-chain relationship I have with my work, and I want the same for you.

In this episode, I'm sharing four ways I plan for a vacation or maternity leave as an entrepreneur.

Taking the leap from corporate life to entrepreneurship can seem pretty daunting. That's why I'm excited to talk to Janice Person! She's been there and she's delving some of her best advice for making the transition successful.