In this solo episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie talks about transitions, mental health, and what it takes to stay grounded when routines shift. From summer schedules and parenting to team changes and business responsibilities that don’t pause, this episode is a real-time reflection on building stability in seasons that feel disorienting.

Leslie shares the coping skills and grounding tools that help her most, including movement, quiet, structure, and adapting routines without spiraling.

Language Note: This episode includes occasional strong language.

You’ll hear about:

• Why transitions can feel triggering
• Staying grounded through summer schedules and reduced focused hours
• Movement, quiet, and structure as mental health anchors
• Boundaries and tools to protect your team
• Leading through uncertainty when you feel uncertain too
  

🔗 Connect with Leslie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/
The Shields Agency: https://www.theshieldsagency.com

In this solo episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie talks about transitions, mental health, and what it takes to stay grounded when routines shift. From summer schedules and parenting to team changes and business responsibilities that don’t pause, this episode is a real-time reflection on building stability in seasons that feel disorienting.

Leslie shares the coping skills and grounding tools that help her most, including movement, quiet, structure, and adapting routines without spiraling. She also shares what’s changing behind the scenes with the podcast as it moves into a new growth season.

Language Note: This episode includes occasional strong language.

You’ll hear about:

• Why transitions can feel triggering
• Staying grounded through summer schedules and reduced focused hours
• Movement, quiet, and structure as mental health anchors
• Boundaries and tools to protect your team and your brain
• Leading through uncertainty when you feel uncertain too

🔗 Connect with Leslie:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/
• The Shields Agency: https://www.theshieldsagency.com

In this episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie sits down with Dr. Collette Portis, founder of Red Development Group, for a powerful conversation about authenticity, sustainable systems, and what it really takes to build a business that lasts.

Language Note: This episode includes occasional strong language. 

Collette shares how her entrepreneurial journey started at age 11, why there’s a difference between being an entrepreneur and being a business owner, and why system-building is the path to freedom. They talk about root-cause problem solving, business assessment, strategy vs implementation, and why getting outside help is not weakness, it’s wisdom.

They dig into:

• Why identity matters, you are more than your business
• The difference between entrepreneurs and business owners (systems = freedom)
• How Red Development Group assesses, strategizes, and implements change
• The cost of poor structure and a hard lesson in tax debt
• Why women often over-serve at their own expense
• Getting outside help and learning to trust gut vs heart decisions
  

🔗 Connect with Dr. Collette Portis:

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colletteportis/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colletteportis/

Books mentioned:

• Drama Free — Nedra Glover Tawwab
• Business Secrets of the Bible — Rabbi Lapkin
• Outwitting the Devil — Napoleon Hill

Keywords: business systems, entrepreneur vs business owner, sustainable growth, implementation, KPIs, leadership, women in business, outside help, consulting, operations

In this episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie Shields sits down with Megan Bond, owner of Panther City Marketing, for a candid conversation about preparing for maternity leave as a business owner and building a company that can run without you.

Megan shares what she’s putting in place before baby arrives, including delegation, reducing approval bottlenecks, and building trust with her team. They also unpack what data-driven marketing really looks like, how to improve lead quality, and why protecting mental health through boundaries is part of building long-term business value.

They dig into:

• Maternity leave prep as an entrepreneur (and how to plan for a season of reduced capacity)
• Delegation, team trust, and removing yourself as the bottleneck
• Data-driven marketing decisions and lead quality
• Boundaries that protect mental health (and the business)

🔗 Connect with Megan / Panther City Marketing:

• Website: https://panthercitydigitalmarketing.com
• Email: [email protected]
• TikTok / Instagram / Facebook: @panthercitymarketing

🔗 Connect with Leslie Shields / The Shields Agency:

• Website: https://www.theshieldsagency.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/

In this episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie Shields sits down with Michelle Crim, founder of Dynamic Development Strategies, for a candid conversation about scaling a consulting business, building a healthy team culture, and setting boundaries that prevent burnout.

Michelle shares her unexpected launch story, including how a major health crisis became the catalyst for starting her firm, and how she grew from a solo consultant to a team of twelve. They talk documentation and workflows, hiring intentionally, working across generations, client expectations, and the “not sexy” parts of entrepreneurship like financial anxiety and mental resilience.

They dig into:

• Launching a business during a personal health crisis (and why it worked)
• Scaling from solo to a team of 12, including retired and part-time talent
• Documentation, policies, and remote-work guidelines that keep teams aligned
• Client boundaries: their crisis is not your emergency
• Defining success beyond revenue: impact, team satisfaction, and fulfillment
  

🔗 Connect with Michelle Crim:

• Website: https://www.dynamicdevelopmentstrategies.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecrim/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleWestCrim

🔗 Connect with Leslie Shields:

• Website: https://www.theshieldsagency.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/

Keywords: nonprofit consulting, fundraising, entrepreneurship, hiring, scaling a service business, company culture, remote work, client boundaries, burnout prevention, Fort Worth, North Texas

What happens when your personal foundation changes and your business doesn’t pause?

In this episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie Shields welcomes back Tamara Carlen, founder of Ensemble Coworking, for a raw and honest conversation about leading through divorce, identity shifts, and grief.

Tamara shares what it looked like to walk through a divorce after nearly three decades of marriage while continuing to run her business. They talk about self-care that actually regulates your nervous system, shifting leadership energy, vulnerability, and redefining success as alignment and peace instead of nonstop growth.

Key Takeaways:

• Big life disruptions change how you lead, even when business can’t pause
• Nervous system regulation is a leadership tool, not a luxury
• Softness and vulnerability can strengthen leadership and client connection
• “Rooted and aligned” becomes your decision filter
• Redefine success around peace and intention, not constant growth

Connect with Tamara:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetamaracarlen/
• https://www.ensemblecoworking.com
  

Connect with Leslie / The Shields Agency:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/
• https://www.theshieldsagency.com

Bonus note: This is a throwback conversation recorded in April 2025 (from our Facebook Live days), with the most timeless clips pulled for today.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsure where to find business support, or like you’re building alone, this episode is for you.

Leslie revisits key insights from a 2025 conversation with Tamara Carlen, focused on how entrepreneurs can leverage community resources, navigate funding options, and reframe the mindset around debt and profitability.

You’ll hear clips on:

• Ensemble’s mission and the power of community + collaboration
• What Sparkyard is and how it connects entrepreneurs to resources
• Practical tools at the Fort Worth Library and Tarrant County College
• Why debt isn’t automatically failure
• How funding helps you scale
• Cash flow realities: payroll timing + why a line of credit protects your business

Connect with Tamara:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetamaracarlen/

https://www.ensemblecoworking.com

Connect with Leslie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/

https://www.theshieldsagency.com

What does it take to go from scrappy to scalable in a service business?

In this episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie Shields sits down with Jennifer Serra, founder of the Jennifer Serra Beauty Team, to talk about the grit behind the glow and how Jennifer is navigating a season of listening, alignment, and calm after years of building.

Jennifer shares her pivot from nursing school to the beauty industry, how her background in sales and business development helped her gain traction early (even on a tight budget), and what it looked like to build a team of 11 artists while navigating motherhood, boundaries, and real-life seasons that tested her resilience.

They dig into:

• Pivoting from nursing school to entrepreneurship
• Why great sales is really education (not pressure)
• Bootstrapping: making every minute and every penny count
• How her client base evolved over time
• Building a flexible, boundaries-first work model
• Why listening is the real secret to scaling a service business

🔗 Connect with Jennifer Serra:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferserrabeautyteam/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.serra.332233
  

🔗 Connect with Leslie / The Shields Agency:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/
• Website: https://www.theshieldsagency.com

entrepreneurship, beauty business, makeup artist, hair and makeup, small business owner, leadership, networking, resilience, boundaries, working moms, Dallas Fort Worth

Success isn’t built on transactions — it’s built on real connection.

In this episode of Life, Business and Everything In Between, Leslie Shields sits down with Kathleen Alexander for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, leadership, and the moments when business gets deeply personal.

Content Note: This episode includes conversation about mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) in the U.S. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911.

Kathleen shares how she approaches insurance as relationship-first work (“I want to know what we’re protecting”), why authentic networking matters, and how leadership looks different when you care about people beyond the policy.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Authentic networking vs transactional networking
• Leading teams with empathy and adaptability
• Why insurance is about protecting people, not just selling policies
• Life Insurance Awareness Month + “tomorrow’s not promised” perspective
• *Suicide Awareness Month and breaking stigma through honest conversation
• Connection & "Humanness”

🔗 Connect with Kathleen (Kat):

• Website: Kat’s Got Your Back — https://www.katsgotyourback.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katgotyourback/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katsgotyourback

🔗 Connect with Leslie / The Shields Agency:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/
• https://www.theshieldsagency.com

*Timing Note: Recorded in September 2025 (released February 2026). Mentions of Suicide Awareness Month and business anniversaries refer to the time of recording.

What do you do when the path you thought was secure disappears and you’re forced to start over?

In this episode of Life, Business & Everything In Between, Leslie sits down with HR consultant, entrepreneur, and dad Mike Lyons for an honest conversation about reinvention, burnout recovery, and rebuilding when life shifts unexpectedly.

From leaving a stable job to redefining success through major personal and professional transitions, Mike shares the real story behind the polished LinkedIn profile. They talk about the pressure of being everything to everyone, why niching down in a very specific niche changed everything, and how his GRAVEL framework became a practical tool for resilience and leadership.

In this episode, they unpack:

• Career pivots and starting over (more than once)
• Burnout, mental health, and leadership responsibility
• Why niching down unlocked traction
• Fractional HR and the future of work
• Self-care practices that actually work
• Building boundaries while raising a family

This episode is for solopreneurs, service-based founders, and anyone navigating a transition while trying to keep moving forward.

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🔗 Connect with Our Guest, Mike Lyons:

• Website: https://www.seasoned-advice.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelyons
• Email: [email protected]

🔗 Connect with the Host, Leslie Shields:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliealiceshields/
• Website: https://www.theshieldsagency.com