In this must-listen for small business owners, Dusti sits down with Laura Sprinkle—affiliate strategist and founder of Rootabl, an affiliate platform built for modern online businesses. Laura lays out why we're not in a "trust recession"…we're in a trust revolution—and how SMBs can capitalize by designing referral worthy experiences and smarter affiliate programs.

• Trust > tactics: Why buyers are choosier (and how to earn referrals that stick).

• Keystone partners, not "affiliate armies": Go deeper with 5–20 aligned partners while still empowering your customer "pollinators."

• Affiliate UX matters: Make it stupid-easy for partners to share and get paid (assets, links, attribution—no friction).

• Micro-influencers win: Smaller creators + genuine stories = higher conversion and brand lift.

• For newer owners: Start building relationships now. The sale may come later—the network equity compounds today.

• Personal growth: The hardest lesson Laura learned (asking for help) and why it changes everything.

Laura Sprinkle is an affiliate strategist and the founder of Rootabl, lightweight affiliate software purpose-built for creators and online businesses. She's helped run and advise some of the biggest partner campaigns in the space and is on a mission to make sharing what you love (and getting paid for it) radically simpler.

In this episode of Referral Worthy, host Dusti Arab is joined by Samara Bay, bestselling author of Permission to Speak and a sought-after speaking coach. Samara shares how coaching actors on accents in Hollywood led to coaching leaders on voice, presence, and the courage to sound like themselves. She explains why she chose to scale her ideas, not herself, and how B2B partnerships let her do deep, long-term work with rising executives and culture shapers.

They dig into what actually lands in 2025. Viral moments are emotional, yet most teams still reward flat delivery. Samara breaks down why the old rules around authority are outdated, how to use one upcoming talk as a Trojan horse for broader leadership growth, and why permission is not something you get from the outside. It is an embodied choice. The conversation also touches on activism, choosing service over hot takes, and giving yourself the freedom to have a lower-visibility era so you can do work that matters.

What listeners will take away:

• A practical lens for speaking that people feel, not just hear

• How to use a single high-stakes presentation to rewire your leadership presence

• When to choose B2B over B2C so you can do deeper work without burning out

• Why emotion is memorable, how to use it responsibly at work

• The difference between external permission and embodied permission, and why it changes how you sell, lead, and get referred

Samara Bay is a speaking and leadership consultant and Professor of Practice at USC's Annenberg School. She's the bestselling author of Permission to Speak and a behind-the-scenes guide to forward-thinking leaders across tech, culture, social impact, and politics. A former Hollywood dialect coach (credits include Gal Gadot), she shifted during a high-stakes election cycle to help rising political voices. Her mission: change the story of what power sounds like—so we change who has power.

In this episode of Referral Worthy, host Dusti Arab sits down with Melissa Cassera, a screenwriter, author, and publicity strategist with a portfolio career that spans movies, novels, VIP publicity days, and even on-camera gigs. Melissa breaks down what is working now for authors and founders, why traditional media is no longer the slam dunk it once was, and how to think about publicity as public relationships that you own.

They get into the reality of publishing in 2025, including why many Big Five launches rely on the author's own platform, the quiet power of digital sales, and how one-star reviews can sell more copies than you think. Melissa shares her drip, trickle, flow framework for revenue, the joy-first lens that makes launches sustainable, and a practical look at AI from inside the enterprise world.

What you will learn

• How to design publicity that builds buyers, not just buzz

• Why traditional media hits rarely convert on their own, and where to focus instead

• The real math behind book sales, print vs digital, and why direct sales can outperform

• How to plan a joyful, sustainable launch that you can actually keep doing

• When a traditional deal helps, when it hurts, and what hybrid models look like

• A clear-eyed take on AI for creatives, plus how to educate yourself without the doom spiral

Melissa Cassera is a screenwriter, author, and publicity strategist. She works with authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs through focused VIP publicity days and builds revenue across multiple streams, from screenwriting to spicy pen-name releases. She hosts the podcast Drip Trickle Flow Flood.

In this episode of Referral Worthy, host Dusti Arab interviews editor, copywriter, and writing instructor Samantha Pollock of Indie Copy Studio. They unpack what great editing really is, why most business owners do not need a start-to-finish copywriter, and how a smart "done-with-you" editing model can turn a messy first draft into high-converting copy without burning you out. Samantha breaks down levels of editing, how to keep voice intact in the age of AI, and what has shifted for creative service pros since 2020. The conversation lands on a simple throughline: more humanity, tighter communities, and clearer offers win.

What You'll Learn

• The difference between developmental, line, and proof edits, and when each one matters

• How a hybrid, done-with-you editing process turns a rough draft into a strong sales page or email sequence

• Voice in the AI era, including how to use AI for idea flow and transitions without losing your tone

• Why many founders no longer need a full done-for-you copywriter, and how editing plus founder-led drafting protects margins

• What has changed for creative service providers, from in-house shifts to burnout to agency consolidation

• Human-first marketing that cuts through isolation and builds trust, on and off platforms

• Practical advice for newer founders: clarify the offer first, then make it sexy

Samantha Pollock is the founder of Indie Copy Studio, an editor, copywriter, and the creator of The Craft, a program that helps business owners write with voice, clarity, and confidence. She has edited everything from dissertations to novels to high-converting launches and specializes in done-with-you copy that keeps the founder's voice intact.

In this episode of Referral Worthy, host Dusti Arab interviews Natalie Koussa, a podcast guesting strategist known for booking meaningful interviews that move the needle. Fresh off a rebrand, Natalie breaks down why trust is the new buying currency, how to meet the market as it shifts, and why experienced founders need done-for-you momentum, not another course. She shares the mechanics of her Trust Tour offer, lessons learned from overpromising, and a practical philosophy for integrating AI without outsourcing your actual thought leadership.

What You'll Learn

• How to design a podcast guesting strategy that builds demand and trust, not vanity metrics

• Why we are in a "trust recession" and what that means for your positioning and pipeline

• The case for long form and personal brand fit, including values, personality, and philosophy alignment

• How to speak to buyer self-trust in your funnels so decisions feel safer and faster

• A step-by-step look at Trust Tour: positioning, angles, story pulls, "love at first listen" funnel, tailored pitches, Airtable assets, and 30 days of support

• Why the gap is widening between businesses growing and stalling, and how to reposition to meet the moment

• Using AI as a thought partner while anchoring in your own frameworks and body of work

• Systems that prevent overpromising and protect client trust

Natalie Koussa helps founders and entrepreneurs build their personal brand beyond social media by speaking on the podcasts their future clients trust.

She's supported 100+ experts to land interviews on the leading podcasts in their industries, and is the creator of Trust Tour—a bespoke podcast guest campaign designed to put you in front of new audiences and next-level clients.

Natalie's a former nonprofit Partnerships Director, where she was quoted in The New York Times, The Guardian, and interviewed on national breakfast radio (her first taste of building a brand in her pyjamas). She's a slow runner, an aspiring potter and has never left a bathroom without making a new friend-for-life.

In this episode of Referral Worthy, host Dusti Arab interviews Lacy Boggs, longtime content strategist, director at Content Direction Agency, and founder of Thought Leader Lab. They unpack why a strong, differentiated point of view beats volume, how long form builds trust in a skittish market, and why your ideas need structure before they ever become posts, emails, or reels. Boggs shares lessons from shuttering her agency in 2023, the real difference between coaching and consulting, and a humane approach to navigating transitions without lighting your creativity on fire.

What You'll Learn

• How to cut through noise with a clear big idea and a stronger signal

• Why long form content builds trust before the inbox and how to repurpose it into short form without burning out

• Practical ways to use AI as a thought partner without outsourcing your thought leadership

• What is selling in 2025, including smaller offers and intentional ascension paths

• How to spot marketing that manipulates and choose trust-first messaging instead

• Lessons from closing an agency, choosing people over profits, and redefining success without shame

• The single question that clarifies your differentiation and makes referrals effortless

Lacy Boggs leads Content Direction Agency and founded Thought Leader Lab. She helps idea-rich, time-poor founders clarify their big idea, structure it into compelling long form, and translate it into content that attracts the right buyers. Her work centers on trust, clarity, and creative sustainability.

In this episode of Referral Worthy, host Dusti Arab sits down with Meg Casebolt, founder of Love at First Search, to unpack what actually works in SEO in 2025 and why being a true subject-matter expert beats chasing volume. They cover how AI summaries are changing search behavior, why owning your content matters more than ever, and how specificity attracts better buyers. They also talk about Meg's parallel life as a romance author, creative refuge during anxious seasons, and what the book world can teach entrepreneurs about building trust and joy into their marketing.

What You'll Learn

• How generative AI reshapes search and why lower traffic can mean higher conversions

• A practical way to use AI summaries and "People Also Ask" to reverse-engineer content that earns citations

• Why specificity beats ranking for broad terms and how to niche your topics without building a media company

• How to decouple your business from social platforms and create assets you actually own

• A humane approach to referrals and recommendations that puts the person, not the algorithm, first

• How Meg turned a hundred podcast episodes into a mental-health-friendly business book, then into a thriving romance catalog

Meg Casebolt is an SEO strategist and the founder of Love at First Search. She helps small businesses show up where ideal clients are already looking by creating empathetic, intentional, evergreen content. She is the author of Social Slow Down and writes romance novels that double as her creative sanctuary. Meg also co-hosts the podcasts Aggressively Human and Romance Pop Novel.

What if the key to building a sustainable business isn't another productivity hack - but a spicy book club?

In this episode of Referral Worthy, Dusti Arab sits down with Sensible Woo and Sasquatch Media founder, Mary Williams, for a truly one-of-a-kind conversation about emotional systems, burnout recovery, and how fiction (yes, even and maybe especially the smutty kind) can radically transform how we show up in business.

They dive into:

• Why "you are your first system" might be the most important business advice you'll hear this year

• How astrology, somatics, and spicy romance novels reveal hidden patterns in your decision-making

• The power of reading fiction as an entrepreneur - and why it's not a distraction, but a business tool

• Why private communities and invite-only spaces are the future of business growth in an emotionally reactive world

• And the spicy secret behind Dusti and Mary's local "Feral Book Club" 👀

This is your permission slip to stop taking business so damn seriously - and start reclaiming your humanity in the process.

Find more about Mary at www.SensibleWoo.com

We're back! And this time, Dusti's in the hot seat.

To kick off Season 2, Veronica Yanhs - one of Dusti's closest friends (online and IRL) - flips the script and interviews her about what Referral Worthy really means… not just in business, but in life.

They talk about the real stuff: why scaling isn't always the answer, how building a business that actually feels good matters more than ever, and why being "Referral Worthy" isn't just about getting clients to talk - it's about trust, integrity, and doing work that's genuinely worth sharing.

Here's what's inside:

• The truth about staying "small" on purpose - and why that might be your smartest move

• What makes someone actually Referral Worthy (hint: it's not a funnel)

• The behind-the-scenes of Dusti's life, including her new business and offline community-building

• Why "business at the speed of trust" might be your new favorite phrase

• And how friendship, reciprocity, and choosing your people on purpose are the new metrics of success

This isn't your typical podcast season opener - it's a real conversation between two women who are building businesses with heart, fighting burnout, and doing things on their own terms.

Want more? Snag Dusti's new free templates, The Ultimate Client Experience Pack.

Listen in to a different kind of episode today - the talk Dusti gave at Reinvent(ed)!

In this episode, Dusti shares the raw, unfiltered story of how she turned a chaotic life as a college student and single mom into the foundation for a thriving, relationship-driven business. From organizing karaoke nights to discovering the power of mutual aid, Dusti breaks down how showing up authentically and building trust can transform your work—and your life.

This episode is a reminder that your "Weird Barbie" energy isn't a flaw; it's your superpower. If you're ready to ditch transactional networking and embrace a business built on real connections, this one's for you.