In this episode of Creative & Called, we meet Melinda—a woman who walked away from housekeeping after chemical exposure caused debilitating migraines... and walked straight into her God-given calling.

What started as a health crisis became the catalyst for a complete life pivot. Melinda didn’t just start over—she built multiple businesses rooted in creativity, service, and purpose.

Melinda’s story is raw, real, and a beautiful reminder that sometimes the most painful detours are the ones that lead us home.

If you're navigating a career pivot or wondering how your gifts could ever become a livelihood, this conversation will speak right to your heart.

Because here on Creative & Called, we believe your creativity isn’t random—it’s a roadmap.

VISIT MELINDA's BUSINESSES

Shiplap & Sage

The Stables Marketplace

Sacred Honor

SIMPLY HOOKED

Your first purchase at marcymade.co comes with a free downloadable donkey pattern—just our way of saying welcome!

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

Welcome to the very first episode under our brand-new name: Creative & Called! In today’s episode, I’m sharing the heart behind the change, why I felt led to shift the direction of this podcast, and how sometimes the best thing we can do in business (and life) is pivot.

If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to force something to work the way you thought it was supposed to—or if you’ve started a project that ended up evolving into something entirely different—you’re not alone.

This episode is your permission slip to change direction, follow the nudge, and trust that your God-given creativity will lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.

Let’s talk about why this podcast name changed, what that means moving forward, and how embracing the unexpected might be the very thing that sets you free.

SIMPLY HOOKED

Your first purchase at ⁠marcymade.co⁠ comes with a free downloadable donkey pattern—just our way of saying welcome!

🔆⁠⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

Welcome to Threads of Wisdom, my mini-episode series within Simply Hooked: A Crochet Podcast. In this episode, I reflect on a powerful quote from Earl Nightingale: “You become what you think about.”

Inspired by his iconic recording, The Strangest Secret, I explore how our thoughts shape our actions, success, and overall quality of life. Just like in crochet, where each stitch builds something beautiful, our thoughts create the fabric of our lives. I share practical ways to take control of your mindset, set clear goals, and focus on positivity to guide you toward the life you love.

RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

It’s the final episode of my 8-part mini-series on scaling a handmade business—and today, we’re talking about the most important lesson of all: mindset.

You can have all the strategies in the world—SEO, photography, email funnels, product design—but if your beliefs, energy, and inner world aren’t aligned, you’ll hit a ceiling every time. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the internal work that’s fueled my biggest growth. We’ll talk about how to shift from hustle to alignment, from fear to faith, and why your business can only grow as much as you do.

You’ll hear inspiration from Les Brown, Jim Rohn, Bob Proctor, and Jay Shetty—and walk away with a renewed sense of purpose, belief in your dream, and confidence in your next step.

✨ If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I really build something meaningful from my passion?”—this is your episode.

For a deeper dive into each of these lessons, check out my new book, ⁠Hooked on Growth⁠, which goes into much more detail on scaling!

RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

Welcome back to Simply Hooked: A Crochet Podcast! In Part 7 of my 8-part mini-series on scaling a crochet business, I’m pulling back the curtain on the tools and systems that keep my creative business moving forward—while juggling a full-time job, a toddler, and a bustling household. From Canva and Trello to Shopify, Mailchimp, and even ChatGPT, I’m sharing the platforms and processes I rely on daily to stay organized, show up consistently, and bring my ideas to life without burning out.

Whether you're just starting out or scaling your own handmade biz, this episode is full of time-saving tips and real-life hacks for working in pockets of time, keeping things simple, and building a business that fits your life. I also share how I batch content, record on the go, manage product shipping, and repurpose every ounce of creative energy. Let’s streamline your business so you can focus more on what you love—creating!

For a deeper dive into each of these lessons, check out my new book, ⁠Hooked on Growth⁠, which goes into much more detail on scaling!

RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

In this episode, we're talking all about one of the most important tools in your creative business—your email list. Social media is fun and flashy, but it’s not always reliable. Algorithms change, accounts get hacked, and posts can get buried. But your email list? That’s yours.

Today, I’m breaking down why building an email list is one of the smartest moves you can make as a maker or creative entrepreneur—and how it gives you a direct, personal way to connect with your audience anytime you want.

I’ll walk you through how to get people onto your list using a strong lead magnet (think: freebie your audience actually wants), and then how to nurture them with a simple trust-building funnel that leads naturally to sales. Let's turn your creativity into a connection that lasts.

For a deeper dive into each of these lessons, check out my new book, ⁠Hooked on Growth⁠, which goes into much more detail on scaling!

RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

Today, we’re diving into one of the most underestimated (yet powerful) elements of a successful handmade business: photography, graphics, and branding. When you're selling online, your images are everything. Before anyone clicks “buy,” they’re judging your product with their eyes—and trust me, your visual presentation matters.

In this episode, I’m sharing:✨ My go-to setup for product photography 📸 Why I ditched the lightbox and started using my front porch📷 The difference a DSLR camera can make—and how to get started affordably🎨 Branding tips to help you look polished and professional across every platform📲 How Canva became a total game-changer for my graphics📝 My #1 pro tip that boosted sales....

Whether you’re just starting your handmade biz or looking to uplevel your visuals, this episode is packed with simple, actionable tips that will help you stand out and build trust with your audience.

For a deeper dive into each of these lessons, check out my new book, ⁠Hooked on Growth⁠, which goes into much more detail on scaling!

RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

Welcome back to Simply Hooked: A Crochet Podcast! In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most powerful (and often overlooked) strategies for growing your crochet business—organic traffic. Imagine waking up to sales every day, not because you ran an ad, but because people found you through Pinterest, Google, or YouTube. That’s the magic of organic traffic, and it’s key to creating a sustainable business.

I’m breaking down the best strategies for driving organic traffic, including:
🧶 Why Pinterest is the #1 tool for crochet designers and how to use it to get more eyes on your products
🧶 The power of blogging and how it can boost your Google rankings over time
🧶 How YouTube videos can create trust, visibility, and a steady stream of website visitors
🧶 The right way to leverage Facebook Groups for engagement (without breaking group rules)
🧶 My go-to method for repurposing content to maximize reach across multiple platforms

Organic traffic takes time, but once it starts working, it becomes a steady stream of potential customers—without spending a dime on ads. If you’re ready to build a business that thrives long-term, this episode is for you!

For a deeper dive into each of these lessons, check out my new book, ⁠Hooked on Growth⁠, which goes into much more detail on scaling!

RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

Welcome back to my 8-part mini-series on the lessons that helped me scale my crochet business! So far, we’ve covered multiple revenue streams and SEO, and today’s episode is all about how to position your products in a way that makes them irresistible. 🧸💖

Here’s the game-changer: People don’t just buy crochet patterns or finished plushies—they buy what those things mean to them. Once I realized this, my entire approach to marketing shifted. Today, I’m sharing how to reframe your products with purpose—so you’re not just selling "cute things," but instead selling emotional connections, gifts, and solutions that people actually want. 🎁

💡 In this episode, we’ll dive into:
✨ The mindset shift that transformed my crochet business
✨ How to speak directly to your customer’s needs and emotions
✨ Lessons from Ashley at A Crafty Concept, Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework, and Seth Godin’s radical empathy approach
✨ Actionable tips to rewrite your product descriptions for better sales & connection

🔥 Challenge for the week: Rewrite one of your product descriptions using this approach! Instead of just describing the item, tell a story about how it fits into your customer’s life and solves a problem.

💡Ashley's Crochet Boss Academy

💡 Donald Miller's Podcast

💡 Seth Godin With Cathy Heller Podcast Episode

For a deeper dive into each of these lessons, check out my new book, ⁠Hooked on Growth⁠, which goes into much more detail on scaling!

SIMPLY HOOKED RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠

Hey friends! Welcome back to Simply Hooked: A Crochet Podcast!

Today, we’re diving into part two of my 8-part series on scaling my crochet business—and we’re tackling a game-changer: SEO. If you’ve ever uploaded a product to Etsy, your website, or Pinterest and wondered, Why isn’t anyone finding this?, this episode is for you!

For years, I ignored SEO, thinking I could just "make cute things" and people would find them. Spoiler: they didn’t. Once I got serious about growing my business, I took a deep dive into SEO—researching keywords, testing strategies, and completely revamping my product listings. And wow, did it make a difference!

In this episode, I break down how SEO actually works, simple strategies to get started, and why better SEO = more sales. I’ll share some of the biggest mistakes I made (like naming products with adorable but unsearchable titles) and the exact tools I use to optimize my listings—whether you sell on Etsy, Amazon, or your own website.

Trust me, SEO is a long game, but it’s so worth it. By implementing these changes, I saw my Etsy traffic jump from 1,800 visitors a year to over 26,000! 🚀

Your challenge this week? Pick one product and optimize it using the strategies we talk about today. Let’s make sure your beautiful handmade items actually get seen!

For a deeper dive into each of these lessons, check out my new book, ⁠Hooked on Growth⁠, which goes into much more detail on scaling!

RESOURCES & LINKS

🧶⁠FREE Donkey Crochet Pattern⁠⁠

🧶⁠⁠FREE Beginner's Crochet Starter Kit⁠⁠

🔆⁠⁠⁠More About My Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠

📺⁠⁠My YouTube Channel⁠⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Facebook⁠

🔆⁠Simply Hooked on Instagram⁠

🧶⁠⁠Simply Hooked Crochet Patterns⁠⁠