Welcome to one of my favorite episodes of the year! In this planning workshop-style episode, I walk you through the exact system I’m using to create my best year yet. We’re not talking about vague resolutions or goals that fizzle out—we’re creating a clear, doable plan for 2026 that’s built to last.

This step-by-step framework will help you dream big, pick your North Star goal, break it into quarterly focuses, and set up the systems that keep you accountable and energized all year long. Whether you’re planning a big launch, growing your revenue, or carving out more balance in your life, this process will help you get there—with ease and intention.

NEXT EPISODE
→ The Ultimate Year in Review: Your Step-by-Step Guide

SHOW NOTES
→ Learn more about Xero (and get 90% off the next 6 months at the time of this episode's release!)
→ Join Making Good Happen

WHEN YOU'RE READY
🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT
📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
🧵 Threads
💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS
🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

In this episode, I’m guiding you through one of my favorite year-end traditions: a deep and meaningful year in review. Whether 2025 was a tough one (like it was for me!) or full of highs, taking the time to pause and reflect can bring clarity, closure, and intention for the year ahead.

I walk you through a four-part framework that helps you examine the growth, feelings, impact, and future vision of your business—and life. This isn’t just another task on your to-do list. It’s a gift to yourself and your business.

NEXT EPISODE
→ How I'm Planning My Best Year Yet (2026 Planning Guide)

SHOW NOTES
→ Join Making Good Happen

WHEN YOU'RE READY
🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT
📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
🧵 Threads
💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS
🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

Avoiding your numbers? This episode is your gentle but honest financial reset. Lauren Tilden sits down with Leah McCool of Orca Accounting to break down bookkeeping basics, common mistakes, and how understanding your numbers can actually feel empowering—not scary. If you want a calmer, clearer, more sustainable business (without drowning in spreadsheets), this is a must-listen.

NEXT EPISODE
→ It’s Time to Pay Yourself | Book Club | ‘Profit First’ by Mike Michalowicz | 109

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR
→ Special Xero offer: Get 90% off for 6 months using this link. Terms and conditions apply.

SHOW NOTES
→ 319: The Full Show Notes Page

FROM LEAH
→  The Bookkeeping Starter Pack
→  Leah's website
→  Instagram

WHEN YOU'RE READY
🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT
📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
🧵 Threads
💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS
🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

You don’t need a better planner, a longer to-do list, or more discipline. You need one thing... and you might just be avoiding it.

In this final Making Good Book Club episode with Charelle Griffith, we break down The ONE Thing and talk honestly about why doing less is often the fastest path to real growth. We unpack the lies that keep small business owners busy-but-stuck, the mindset shift that changes everything, and the simple question that can instantly clarify what actually matters.

If you’re overwhelmed, juggling too much, or secretly wondering why all your effort isn’t paying off yet—press play. This conversation might be the reset you didn’t know you needed.

LISTEN TO NEXT

→ Feeling Stuck? Try a "Tiny Experiment" | Book Club | 308

SHOW NOTES

→ Episode 318: The Full Show Notes

WHEN YOU'RE READY

• 🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
• 🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT

• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
• 🧵 Threads
• 💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS

• 🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

Ready to stop winging it and make 2026 your most focused, calm, and successful year in business? Lauren Tilden sits down with annual-planning queen Charelle Griffith to walk you through her simple 5-step framework for building a plan that actually works (even if 2025 was a tough one). Plus: a big (kinda emotional?!) announcement at the top from someone you know and love—don’t miss this one.

NEXT EPISODE
→ It’s Time to Pay Yourself | Book Club | ‘Profit First’ by Mike Michalowicz | 109

SHOW NOTES
→ 317: The Full Show Notes Page

FROM CHARELLE
→  Annual Planning Checklist
→  Annual Reflection Questions
→  1:1 Annual Planning Strategy Day
→  Charelle's website
→  Instagram
→  LinkedIn
→  TikTok

WHEN YOU'RE READY
🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT
📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
🧵 Threads
💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS
🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

It's time to stop the overconsumption of information, and start DOING.

In this Book Club episode, we’re talking about Lean Learning by Pat Flynn. This book is all about how to learn less, do more, and actually make progress in your business. If you tend to overconsume and underact, this one’s for you. We dive into tools, concepts, and strategies for getting unstuck and taking action—even if it’s imperfect.

LISTEN TO NEXT

→ Feeling Stuck? Try a "Tiny Experiment" | Book Club | 308

SHOW NOTES

→ You're Learning Too Much (And It's Holding You Back) | Book Club | 'Lean Learning by Pat Flynn | 316

WHEN YOU'RE READY

• 🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
• 🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT

• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
• 🧵 Threads
• 💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS

• 🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

I've been running my business since 2017, and I've made some serious mistakes along the way. Some cost me money. Some cost me time. And one nearly cost me my entire business.

Today I'm taking off the rose-colored glasses and sharing 5 mistakes I wish I could go back and warn past-Lauren about – from chasing quick fixes that never materialized, to ignoring my finances until the debt piled up, to saying yes to so many things that I burned out completely.

If you've ever felt like you're spinning your wheels, working hard but not gaining traction, or wondering why that strategy that worked for someone else isn't working for you – this episode might just save you years of trial and error.

NEXT EPISODE
→ What I Did to Break Through Burnout

SHOW NOTES
→ Learn more about Xero (and get 90% off the next 6 months at the time of this episode's release!)

WHEN YOU'RE READY
🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT
📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
🧵 Threads
💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS
🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

The morning person who couldn't get out of bed. The podcast host who dreaded recording. The marketing lover who felt... nothing. After months of denying my burnout, I finally faced it – and what happened next changed everything. In this vulnerable episode, I'm sharing the exact steps that pulled me through, including an alarm clock hack that forced her to move, the #1 tool that helped me break through, and the hard permission I had to give myself to scale back. If you're feeling stuck, blank, or like you're just going through the motions, this one's for you.

NEXT EPISODE
→ Why I'm in a Funk (and How I'm Climbing Out of It)

SHOW NOTES
→ Learn more about Xero (and get 90% off the next 6 months at the time of this episode's release!)
→ Get mental health support: NAMI (has a helpline and resource directory)
→ Psychology Today therapist finder
→ The alarm clock app: Alarmy
→ Making Good Happen

WHEN YOU'RE READY
🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT
📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
🧵 Threads
💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS
🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

This episode might completely change how you think about growing your business. I just spent two days surrounded by 2,400 small business owners at what's possibly the largest gathering of entrepreneurs in the world, and I walked away with pages and pages of notes. Here's what you need to know.

NEXT EPISODE

→ 3 Top Small Business Owners on Marketing, Growth, and Making an Impact

SHOW NOTES

→ I Spent 2 Days With 2,400 Small Business Owners. Here’s what I learned.

→ Learn more and apply for the 10,000 Small Businesses Program

WHEN YOU'RE READY

• 🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
• 🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT

• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
• 🧵 Threads
• 💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS

• 🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify

Fair warning: you're probably going to want to take notes. I sat down with three entrepreneurs who've built wildly successful businesses using completely different approaches—from TikTok and marketing funnels to community engagement and literally zero marketing budget to Bloody Marys at barbershops and turning a lawsuit into viral marketing gold. The best part? Their success isn't just measured in revenue—we're talking 60 million bars of soap donated, becoming the "doer" in your community who solves real problems, and a family business that's been going strong for 20 years. You're about to hear the unfiltered, no-fluff truth about what actually works in marketing, straight from people who've done it. 

SHOW NOTES

→ I Spent 2 Days With 2,400 Small Business Owners. Here’s what I learned.

SHOW NOTES

→ 3 Top Small Business Owners on Marketing, Growth, and Making an Impact

→ Learn more and apply for the 10,000 Small Businesses Program

→ Place your first order with Soapbox and get 25% off with code MAKINGGOOD25

→ Try some tasty gluten-free treats at Bake Me Happy (or check out Letha's website)

→ Try out McClure's Pickles

WHEN YOU'RE READY

• 🌼  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Making Good Happen
• 🫶  Browse the Shop

CONNECT

• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram
• 🧵 Threads
• 💻 LinkedIn

SAY THANKS

• 🍏 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌿 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a rating on Spotify