Female Owned: the podcast for small business without the hustle

A behind-the-scenes look at the autumn 2025 Grow launch — what worked, what I’d change, and how I approach launching gently and sustainably.

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Launching can feel intimidating — all that visibility, the pressure to do it “right,” and the uncertainty around results.

In this final episode of the season, I take you behind the scenes of the autumn 2025 launch of my gentle marketing programme Grow: what worked, what I’d tweak next time, and how I approach launching in a calm, sustainable way.

You’ll hear about:• How I structured and planned the autumn Grow launch• Why I start with what works for me — and teach my clients to do the same• The mix of “feeling-seen” and practical emails that shaped the launch• What I’m taking forward for future launches

If launching ever feels overwhelming, this episode will give you ideas for a gentler, more values-aligned approach to marketing and growth.

If you’re craving a slower, gentler and more profitable business

That’s exactly what I help small business owners do—through Grow, my four-month gentle marketing programme, and through 1:1 mentoring.

Discover Grow (and sign-up for the waitlist)

Discover 1:1 mentoring

📌 Read the transcript and leave a comment

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If you’d like to dive deeper into what I mention in this episode, here are a few related links and resources.

📕 Resources

Take the free marketing hurdles quiz to get your free, bespoke, ebook of easeful marketing strategy

Read all of the Grow emails I sent to my newsletter list

Listen to episode 3 of this season on minimal marketing, scaling up and down

Read my post “How I’m gearing up for the launch of Grow”

💌 Connect

Discover Grow, my 4-month gentle marketing programme and join the waitlist

Discover more about working 1:1 with me

Sign up for my small business newsletter, for business without the hustle

Send me a message with your questions or ideas for the new season of the podcast

Marketing for small business owners isn’t just strategy — it’s visibility, selling, and asking for money.And those parts of marketing can feel really uncomfortable.

In this episode, I explore two common challenges that make small business marketing feel overwhelming:

• Visibility — being seen can feel risky or unsafe• Pricing & selling — many business owners feel resistance around asking for money

You’ll learn gentle, practical ways to make marketing feel safer and more sustainable, so you can market your business with more confidence and less overwhelm.

In this episode

* Why visibility feels vulnerable — especially for women & marginalised identities• How to build confidence by expanding your comfort zone gently• Marketing mindset shifts that reduce discomfort around selling• Why a simple, intentional marketing strategy creates its own sense of safety and trust

✨ Mentioned in this episode: astridbracke.com/grow — Grow is my 4-month gentle marketing programme for small business owners, freelancers and creatives who want marketing that feels clear, sustainable and fully their own. Doors are open until October 31st.

📌 Read the transcript and leave a comment

📕 Resources

Tools and systems

Take the free marketing hurdles quiz to get your free, bespoke, ebook of easeful marketing strategy

Discover my roadmap to take up space in and with your business

Listen to episode 2 of this season “Marketing with ease: building a marketing system that feels good”

💌 Connect

📌 Discover Grow, my 4-month gentle marketing programme, for sale until tonight (October 31st)—join the waitlist after that date

Discover more about working 1:1 with me

Sign up for my small business newsletter, for business without the hustle

When I tell people that I don’t market on social media, they often respond with surprise — or with two familiar beliefs:“You can’t really grow a business without it,” or “You need a big audience to leave.”

In this episode, I push back against both — and share what happened when social media no longer fit my business.

In this episode

You’ll hear about:• The uneasy relationship I had with social media• The parameters I set to rebuild my marketing without it• A gentle pep talk if social media feels wrong for your business

If you’ve been craving marketing that feels calmer, more intentional and truly your own, this episode is your reminder that your business can thrive without social media.

✨ Mentioned in this episode: astridbracke.com/grow — Grow is my 4-month gentle marketing programme for small business owners, freelancers and creatives who want marketing that feels clear, sustainable and fully their own. Doors are open until October 31st.

📌 Read the full transcript and leave a comment.

📕 Resources

Take my free email course “Move your business away from social media”

Discover my guide “Business boundaries that feel good”

Listen to episode 2 of this season “Marketing with ease: building a marketing system that feels good”

💌 Connect

Learn more about Grow.

Discover more about working with me

Sign up for my small business newsletter, for business without the hustle

In this bonus episode, I answer seven real small business marketing questions — from newsletters that don’t sell to marketing with limited energy. Hear gentle, practical strategies to simplify your marketing and build a rhythm that fits your life.

In this episode

You’ll hear my answers on:

• Finding purpose in your newsletter when it doesn’t seem to sell anything

• Simplifying your marketing when your time and energy are limited

• Streamlining tools and systems without overwhelm

• Building a Pinterest strategy that feels doable and effective

• Marketing with chronic illness or fluctuating energy

• Managing all the small-business admin tasks

• What to do if your ideal clients are on a platform you don’t know well

Timestamps

00:02:01 Newsletter purpose and making it serve your business better

00:04:54 Marketing your books with limited time or energy

00:09:02 Simplifying onboarding, invoicing & payments (Paperbell)

00:12:20 Pinterest as a main marketing channel — DIY or expert help?

00:16:01 Marketing gently with chronic illness and limited energy

00:20:09 Staying on top of admin & marketing tasks without overwhelm

00:23:29 When your clients are on a platform you’re not familiar with

What participants say about Grow

“The modules are brilliant — I know I’ll go back to them again and again. I really enjoyed the recorded calls, and looking back, I wish I’d made even more use of the office hours to ask questions. They’re such a valuable part of the programme.”— Hannah Plews, book coach and private tutor

Discover Grow

If these kinds of honest, gentle answers are what you need in your business, that’s exactly what we do inside Grow. The doors to Grow are now open until October 31st. Learn more about Grow here.

📌 Read the full transcript and leave a comment.

📕 Resources

Tools and systems

The customer relationship management (CRM) tool I use, Paperbell (affiliate link)

Read more on creating a marketing ecosystem in my blogpost “The marketing strategy that works for me in 2022”

Pinterest resources

Check out my favourite Pinterest course, by Amy LeBlanc of Levee Road Studio (affiliate link)

Experts for Pinterest audits: Sarah Burk; Laura McMahon

Download my Pinterest strategy checklist (PDF)

Read my blogpost “The Pinterest strategy that is really making a difference in my business”

💌 Connect

Learn more about Grow.

Discover more about working with me

Sign up for my small business newsletter, for business without the hustle

Tired of feeling like marketing takes over your business?

In this episode, I share the minimal, flexible system that keeps my small business visible without overwhelm — and how you can make your marketing simpler, more sustainable, and more human.

You’ll learn:

How I simplified my marketing to just three core channels

How to scale up or down with your energy and seasons

What makes a marketing system truly sustainable

How to start creating your own minimal marketing approach

✨ Find out more about Grow, my gentle marketing programme for small business owners: astridbracke.com/grow

📌 Read the full transcript and leave a comment.

Resources

Take the free marketing hurdles quiz

Read the blog post “Should you move your small business newsletter to Substack?”

Check out my course Substack for small business owners, freelancers and creatives

Read my post on How I’m gearing up for the launch of Grow

Browse my favourite marketing blog posts

Read my guest blog post “From overwhelm to ease: How a marketing ecosystem helps you market your way”

Digital marketing support by Laura of the Smallest Light

Connect

Submit your marketing questions for my free recorded office hours (by October 13th), and join the waitlist for Grow to get 10% off, bonuses and early access

Discover more about working with me

Sign up for my small business newsletter, for business without the hustle

In the previous episode, I shared my marketing journey with you. I talked about how marketing felt like a necessary evil in the early years of my business, and how I felt I was flailing. And in spite of following seemingly everyone’s advice, my marketing had few results. It also made me feel overwhelmed, burnt-out and anxious. In 2021 and 2022 I got so few up, that I switched things around.

Radically cutting the number of channels I used and creating a simple marketing ecosystem turned out to make a huge difference, as I share in this episode.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out my website

Sign up for my newsletter, for small business done differently

Take the marketing hurdles quiz to get my favourite easeful marketing strategies, tailored to your business, in your inbox.

Discover Grow, my gentle marketing programme, returning in November 2025.

When I started my business, and struggled with marketing, I thought I was the only one struggling. Looking at the other small business owners I followed, they seemed to have it all together.

Now I know better. Now I know that most of the small business owners, freelancers and creatives I speak to struggle with marketing. And I’ve learned the only secret to marketing that matters: that I can market my way.

In this episode of the Female Owned podcast I share my marketing journey with you, tell you what’s changed and invite you to reflect on how you can make your marketing feel better (and be more effective) too.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out my website

Sign up for my newsletter, for small business done differently

Take the marketing hurdles quiz to get my favourite easeful marketing strategies, tailored to your business, in your inbox.

Discover Grow, my gentle marketing programme, returning in November 2025.

Tell me what you thought of this episode, through Substack

The Female Owned podcast, for small business without the hustle, hacks or overwhelm, is back.

In this season of the podcast I’m inviting you to reshape your marketing, to be more gentler, more effective, more joyful and more you. I’ll share my own marketing journey in more depth; discuss minimal marketing, the joys of evergreen marketing and how to make your marketing channels work together better. And I’ll talk about how I market without social media, and share some of the topics I often discuss with clients, like visibility.

The first episode of the new season will drop on September 26th.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out my website

Sign up for my newsletter, for small business done differently

Take the marketing hurdles quiz to get my favourite easeful marketing strategies, tailored to your business, in your inbox.

Discover Grow, my gentle marketing programme, returning in November 2025.