Courage & Clarity

Meet Jacqueline Fisch, copywriter, editor, author and fellow Chicagoan! Jacq is a member of the Courage and Clarity community and a listener of the show, and it feels like a special treat to dive deep with a member of our tribe.In this episode, you’ll discover the crazy twist that prompted her to go full steam ahead with her writing business despite being a wife, mother to 2 kids, and full-time employee for 13 years.Then, in the Clarity half, she's sharing 5 concrete steps to growing a hustle -- WITHOUT hating yourself and making your family crazy in the process. First up in the Courage half, you'll hear: All about Jacq's business and how she earns her livingWhat it was like to get laid off THREE times in 5 years (two of those times was the same company!)- Huge lessons she learned after being laid off and these have shaped her work todayThen in Clarity, we're diving into: How time tracking can add firepower to your productivityExactly how to set up boundariesWhat to do with the extra money you make from your new side hustle The importance of talking about your big dream and telling lots of peopleHow to find gratitude, even when it feels crazy 

In this episode I'm hanging with Trena Little, a YouTube Coach and creator of amazingly helpful YouTube channel, Tips with Trena! In her channel, you’ll find straight-to-the-point tutorials for entrepreneurs who want to harness the power of video -- WITHOUT spending a ton of time & money.In today’s show, she's sharing brutally honest mistakes from her first couple years in business, how she tweaked to find success, and super concrete tips for leveraging YouTube -- even if you're a TOTAL newbie! IN THE COURAGE PORTION, YOU'LL HEAR: All about Trena's business & how she earns her living Why we should all care about using video in our businesses How she started, quit her job & built a course The tricky path to finding the right people & pain pointLaunching to crickets -- and how she switched it up to actually get clients AND IN THE CLARITY HALF, WE GET INTO: How YouTube content helps viewers find you via search How video content shortens the "know, like and trust" curve Exactly how to use a YouTube video to create a month's worth of content How regular people can make good videos without fancy equipment or paying for editing "You won't get better if you don't start practicing and testing and seeing what's working. You just gotta do it. If you hold on to perfect, you're never gonna get anything out there.""When it comes to YouTube, let your freak flag fly." 

It’s been a year since I started podcasting and here we are, already on our 76th episode! In this episode I'm on the mic solo, sharing the exact evolution of my workflow & processes over time. I'm also revealing one of my grand plans for the next few weeks.If you're running a podcast, planning to get into podcasting, or honestly creating content of any kind, this is definitely going to be a great episode for you. Nine big things that I've learned in my first year of podcastingFirst lesson: Sponsorship is not all it’s cracked up to be / sponsorship is not everythingSecond lesson: Know when to hand it offThird lesson: The power of batching contentFourth lesson: Having a mix of guest interviews and solo showsFifth lesson: Creating communitySixth lesson: Making an outline and making it powerfulSeventh lesson: Giving away the farmEighth lesson: Making people feel specialNinth lesson: Not being afraid to growBonus lesson: Keeping it simple"When you get a great idea, you share, you build, and you use it to create a community.""Don't be afraid to grow."Show notes: The C&C Community on FacebookSteph on instagramGoals that Stick course at Fizzle Steph's microphoneSteph's editing softwareThe 15 Minute Planner Method  

Today the show is as powerful as it is vulnerable and helpful ... strap in for a good one as my friend Becky Mollenkamp and I explore our winding journeys with grief and growth. If you listened to Episode 21 of the show, you already know a little about my rocky road with grief after the loss of my 24 year old brother in September 2016. Almost unbelievably to me, Becky has walked a path parallel to mine. In this episode, we're diving into the loss of her little brother, how she grew in her deep knowing of herself and discovered her superpower of building community in the process. Becky runs a tight-knit, vibrant & engaged Facebook group, so in the Clarity episode she's sharing 6 killer tips for creating community with authenticity & vulnerability. Her wisdom has definitely influenced how I run my own Facebook Group, so her tips are not to be missed. IN THE COURAGE PORTION, YOU'LL HEAR:More about Becky's business and how she makes a livingHer journey as a writer, challenges along the way & how she wound up working for herself What it takes to get paid to writeThe shocking event that dragged her to rock bottom -- and how it turned her into who she is today More about the experience of losing a loved one, what it's like to lose yourself & find your way back after changing everythingMoving in with her mom at 36 years old, repairing her spirit & learning to leverage vulnerability to discover her superpowerAND IN THE CLARITY HALF, WE'RE TALKIN':Tips and Strategies for Facebook groups -- Giving permission to participateTweaking questions to enter the groupHow Becky has leveraged capping membership to create a feeling of intimacyBecky's community leading secret sauce: being vulnerablePersonally welcoming each new memberModeling good, authentic behavior"Get comfortable with being vulnerable. Every time I allow myself to feel the feelings, get the feelings out, magic seems to happen." - Becky MollenkampLinks/Resources Mentioned:Amy Porterfield's Podcast15 Minute Planner Methodfizzle.co/courage -- 5 week trial, free!Courage & Clarity Community Ep 021 // Things I'm Afraid to Tell You: Losing My BrotherBecky's Website - http://beckymollenkamp.com/Becky's Facebook group - Own It, Crush ItFacebook.com/courageandclarity 

This week I'm thrilled to welcome Ashley Gartland,  Coach for Creative Entrepreneurs & Simplification Extraordinaire! She’s on a mission to help women avoid the process of overcomplicating their businesses by teaching them how to simplify. In this episode she shares how she transitioned from a career in food writing to coaching. You'll also find out how she discovered her “superpower” and figured out what it is that she can do well for people. In the Courage portion, you'll hear...More about the ins & outs of Ashley's coaching bizWhat it means to help people "simplify"How she started as a food writer and built her first successful businessWhat it felt like to experience a nagging feeling of needing to do something moreHow she discovered business coaching and made the pivotWhat it was like to take on her first few clientsEmbracing what she's really meant to do (due to tough feedback!)And in Clarity, you'll hear:5 Steps to Simplifying Your BusinessStep 1 - Do one thing at a timeStep 2 - Do a few things really wellStep 3 - Progress, not perfectionStep 4 - Delegate DailyStep 5 - Say no to shiny objects"Do less, better." - Ashley GartlandShow Notes:Fizzle, 5 weeks free! - fizzle.co/courageMarie Forleo TV - https://www.marieforleo.com/marietv/Ashley's Website - http://ashleymgartland.com/5 Step Guide to Simplifying your Business - https://www.ashleymgartland.com/simplifyCourage and Calirty Community - facebook.com/courageandclarity 

Megan Hale spills her secret sauce goal setting method that is allowing her to press pause for a YEAR for maternity leave if she chooses to. Mind blown! It's January 1st, and if I had a dime for all the goal setting advice that's out there ... well, you know how that saying goes. But there's something really special here, and that's why I invited Megan to record this podcast with me LIVE on Facebook.Her "Good, Better & Best" framework is effective for many reasons: It takes the pressure off by allowing us to celebrate milestones It puts our big scary goals within reach It gives us a feeling of WINNING instead of constantly falling shortIn general, it puts an "I can DO this!" feeling into our hearts I can't wait for you to hear Megan in this episode, and if you want to learn more about Wild & Holy year scoot on over to http://megan-hale.com! 

Episode 57 of this podcast is so popular, I believe it's worth a second listen! Tune in to hear how Catherine Rains (@thehotelartist on Instagram) learned to STOP fighting against her life, and fall in love with it instead.If you haven't ever heard it, stop everything and listen! And if it's your second time, give it your attention one more time and let Catherine's goodness wash over you on another level. In this episode, you'll hear: How to stop fighting AGAINST your circumstances, and instead learn to work WITH them A few precise mantras to help you stop dwelling in "tomorrow", "what if", "if only" & "someday"How Catherine used this mindset shift to go from hating her job, to loving it so much she cried when her dream job came along How Catherine was able to believe that cancer & divorce were amazing gifts, even as they were happening to her 

Not long ago, I was in a major funk. But recently, without much effort at all I've turned it around, and some amazing results have come.I'm laser focused now. Connected with you guys. Creating cool sh*t. Doubling my email list in one week. And I REALLY think it's because I'm more grounded. "More grounded" means I go through my day with more concentration and less stress / frazzled lady energy / overwhelm. I've been experimenting with adding 7 really special things into my day. In this episode, I take you deep into my favorite daily routine -- I'm talking exact tools, apps, favorite treats to get myself pumped up and more. If you keep hearing about "mindfulness", "meditation", "morning routines" or any combination of these, and you're equal parts annoyed & intrigued, this episode is for you. 

This week on the show, I'm totally nerding out on all things productivity with Tonya Dalton, Founder of Inkwell Press! (The CLARITY portion begins around 32 mins!)Especially with the recent launch of my new free 15 minute planner method, it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of conversations around productivity -- in particular, with a heavy dose of intention. After all, checklists and to do lists are just tools. It's what we do with these tools, and why we're doing it in the first place, that makes it all come together. By all measures of "success", Tonya had "made it" with her first business. And yet, she found herself miserable. Can you even imagine that? How do you figure out what to do next when all you know is that something is missing?In this episode, you'll hear: The story of Tonya's first business, which she built from her dining room table with zero business experience What happened when Tonya realized it was time for something new... but she had no idea why, or what to work on next Why imbalance is actually a critical piece of finding success (and why we need to stop looking for "balance" all the time) What it actually means when you feel overwhelmed (and how to fix it) A real, tactical process for sitting down and discovering what you truly want to do next 

In today's episode, I'm going talking about 4 steps to plan your entire week in 15 minutes. Yep, I'm for real -- 4 steps, 15 minutes, actually getting the good stuff DONE. Head to courageandclarity.com/plan before you listen! So in my free guide, you'll see on the second page I describe this method as "the crockpot of productivity".Here's why: I have tried every single solitary planning method under the SUN, guys. In fact, if you've listened to me on this show or over on the Fizzle Show for any amount of time, you have almost definitely heard me talk about my various affairs with planners and tools.I've tried paper planners, digital planners, online tools like Trello and Asana, I've tried planning nothing at all, I've tried planning every single minute from sun up to sun down, I've tried the pomodoro method, rewards-based systems, and the list goes on and on.Now, don't misunderstand me -- I have nothing against any of these tools, and in fact, I think most of them are very useful in their own ways.So back to the crockpot analogy. With all the planning methods I've tried, I started to feel like I had a kitchen full of fancy cooking gadgets -- but whether or not dinner actually made it onto the table? That was another story completely.The weekly planning method I'm about to teach you works because, like the crockpot, we're going to sit down for just 15 minutes and plan your week ONCE. It's going to be simple, yet effective -- it gets the job done, without 17 pots and pans that you just don't need.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR: The big reason your big & exciting projects are the first thing to slip off the priority listAn easy, stress-free approach to planning to avoid spinning your wheels Why this method is like the crockpot of productivity, and how you can "set & forget" your week4 steps to plan your week quickly & make real progress that drives results in your business