330 - If you feel like your photography business is only successful when the money is rolling in, this episode is for you. Heather explains why tying your emotions to revenue is dangerous and how to start recognizing the wins that actually move your business forward.

What to Listen For

• Why revenue is a dangerous success metric
• The hidden trap of conditional emotions
• What non-revenue victories really mean
• Why comparison destroys motivation fast
• The oak tree lesson about growth
• How goals create dissatisfaction gaps
• The difference between skill and success comparison
• A powerful question to stop complaining
• Why stillness improves decision makin
• How to measure real progress in business

If you’ve been judging your business only by clients and revenue, it’s time for a reset. Heather shares a healthier way to track progress so you can stay motivated while building long-term success. Tune in and start recognizing the wins that actually move the ball forward.

Important Links

• Why Your Revenue Goals Are Sabotaging Your Business
• Is Money The Only Way To Measure Success
• Learn More About Elevate

Connect with Heather

• Website
• Instagram

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

329 - Are networking groups actually worth it for photographers? In this episode, we break down a full year inside a weekly networking group — the time, the money, and the real results. If you’ve ever wondered whether those early morning meetings are growing your business or just filling your calendar, this one’s for you.

What to Listen For

• Why the networking group experiment started
• The real revenue generated in one year
• The true time commitment breakdown
• What opportunity cost actually means
• Why referrals favor certain industries
• The hidden math behind referral statistics
• Visibility versus strategic alignment
• Why photographers blame themselves
• What was gained beyond revenue
• How to evaluate marketing experiments

This episode is a reminder that activity and progress are not the same thing. If you want to build a profitable photography business, you have to look at the numbers. Listen in and decide where your energy is best spent.

Join us in Elevate! 

Connect with Michelle

• Website 
• Instagram

Connect with Heather

• Website
• Instagram

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

328 - What happens when your Zoom call gets hacked… live…?

In this episode, Heather shares the shocking moment her public call went X-rated, and the powerful leadership lessons that followed. If you’ve ever feared visibility in your business, this conversation might change the way you see it.

What to Listen For

• What actually happened on the call
• Why embarrassment feels so intense
• The four-step recovery framework
• Leadership versus martyrdom
• Why visibility always carries risk
• The truth about emotional regulation
• What resilience really looks like
• Why success is always messy
• Turning chaos into your next level

This wasn’t just a hacked Zoom call. It was a leadership turning point.  If you’re growing your photography business and fear what could go wrong, this episode will remind you that resilience is built in real time.

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

327 - You can work incredibly hard and feel energized. Or work half as much and feel completely exhausted. In this episode, we unpack the hidden burnout triggers that quietly sabotage your photography business.

What to Listen For

• Why burnout isn't about workload
• Why working harder can feel worse
• The hidden value conflict draining you
• One sentence that fuels resentment
• The control gap stealing your energy
• Effort with vision versus effort without
• How saying yes quietly burns you out
• The integrity mistake that exhausts you
• How to realign your business fast

If you’ve been feeling drained or disconnected, this episode will help you pinpoint why. Listen now and start shifting from exhaustion back to momentum.

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

326 - Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour wasn’t just a concert. It was a masterclass in commitment, mindset, and leadership. In this episode, Nicole and Heather break down the business and life lessons hiding in plain sight.

What to Listen For

• The long-term mindset most miss
• Why effort always compounds
• How boundaries protect growth
• Separating noise from feedback
• Playing a bigger game patiently
• Building belief through action
• Why comparison steals momentum
• Commitment beyond motivation
• Choosing endurance over shortcuts
• Staying focused when opinions fly

Whether you love Taylor Swift or not, these lessons hit close to home. Success is built through consistency, boundaries, and showing up anyway. Tune in and see how these ideas apply to your business right now.

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

325 - What if the thing you think will finally make you feel secure, confident, or successful… doesn’t? In this episode, we unpack why “getting there” rarely feels the way you expect — and what actually creates the feelings you’re chasing.

What to Listen For

• Why “there” always feels better than “here”
• The feeling you think money will give you
• Why success excitement fades fast
• Identity versus strategy in business growth
• What photographers are really chasing
• How goals quietly create anxiety
• Why confidence doesn’t come from arrival
• The danger of checklist dependency
• How obstacles build invisible equity
• The question that changes everything

Success doesn’t feel better because of the number attached to it. It feels better when your identity catches up. Tune in to rethink what you think you want and why that matters right now.

Learn More About Elevate: 

https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com/elevate

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

324 - We love the idea of growth, but rarely talk about the mess that comes with it. In this episode, Michelle shares how a book project grew her business, stretched her capacity, and challenged everything she thought success should feel like.

What to Listen For

• Why action creates clarity, not the other way
• How one project doubled her business revenue
• The hidden emotional cost of growth
• Learning boundaries after saying yes too often
• When being busy reveals pricing problems
• Trusting yourself when plans fall apart
• Why success can trigger imposter syndrome
• Separating client expectations from self-pressure
• The danger of equating late with failure
• Letting success be imperfect and still meaningful

Michelle’s story proves that meaningful success often feels messy in the middle. Tune in if you’re building momentum and wondering why it doesn’t feel as good as you expected.

Just a few more days to join Elevate at current pricing and lock that in for as long as you remain in the program!   

https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com/elevate

Connect with Michelle

• Website 
• Instagram

Connect with Heather

• Website
• Instagram

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

323 - You don’t need a big win to start being visible. You need a decision. In this episode, Karley shares the brave choice that shifted how she sees herself, her business, and what’s possible next.

What to Listen For:

• What hiding was really costing Karley
• The moment she decided to stop waiting
• Why confidence didn’t come first
• The fear behind staying invisible
• Letting yourself be a beginner publicly
• How one decision changed momentum
• The relief of finally showing up
• Why bravery often feels messy

A real conversation about visibility, fear, and choosing to be seen before you feel ready. Karley shares her brave first step.

Ready to join us inside of Elevate?  The price is doubling on February 1st, so be sure to join us now to lock in the current rate for as long as you're in the program.

https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com/elevate

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

322 - A big change is coming to Elevate. In this episode, Heather and I walk through the experiment, the data, and the clarity that led to a major business decision — and why it actually serves photographers better.

What to Listen For

• Why experiments matter more than perfection
• How action creates clarity fast
• What the data actually revealed
• The downside of staying underpriced
• Why value and price must align
• How pricing impacts client behavior
• What fear-free decisions feel like
• The role belief plays in growth
• Why commitment changes outcomes

Big decisions don’t have to feel heavy or dramatic. Sometimes they feel clean, calm, and obvious. Tune in to hear why this one did.

Join us inside Elevate now and lock in the current price for as long as you stay in the program. https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com/elevate

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

321 - Let’s kick off 2026 the way we actually want to run our businesses: with intention, self-trust, and a plan that doesn’t require burnout as a personality trait.

What to Listen For:

• Why goals can feel heavy
• The identity shift that matters
• Where you want to feel different
• Using feelings as thought clues
• Your dream year, without burnout
• Are you editing your own dreams?
• A fast way to find clarity
• How vision simplifies decisions
• Saying no without guilt
• Welcoming challenges instead of resisting

If you want 2026 to feel different, it starts with how you think about who you’re becoming, what you’re building, and what you’re willing to anticipate instead of fear. Hit play, grab the four questions, and let’s start this year with a mindset that actually supports your growth. And if you want support and structure along the way, come join us inside Elevate.

• Join Elevate: www.freedomfocusformula.com/elevate
• Master the craft of pet photography at the Hair of the Dog Academy - www.hairofthedogacademy.com
• Stop competing on price, sell without feeling pushy, and reach consistently $2,000+ sales in the Freedom Focus Formula - www.freedomfocusformula.com

JOIN THE PARTY:

• Connect with us on Instagram
• Explore valuable pet photography resources here
• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
• Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.