Business and life are not linear at all. There are a lot of stops and starts in both. Trying something new will require a lot of courage as there’s a good chance you won’t get it right the first time. Mastering a new skill, a new habit, what have you will require that you leave the safety of your comfort zone and be open to learning something new.

If you’re courageous and try something new, you’re going to learn that valuable lesson you’re supposed to learn, succeed or fail, swim or sink. If you learn in the process you need to pivot and change course, that’s okay because you’ve learned that valuable lesson along the way. That’s interesting because back in Episode 59 social media expert Sarah DeGeorge echoes when she talks about how to take a step back from your business and rebrand, get back on the bandwagon and put yourself out there again. The biggest takeaway from these conversations is, despite having a successful career, if there are other areas of your life that need attention, such as your health, it’s okay to take a step back and refocus your efforts. 

But don’t give up entirely, because if you do believe in your work, you should keep going because it is such a gift to the world and that persistence can help others who may feel doubt, who may not be as courageous, and who could use the lessons learned in their own growth. An example of this is with my conversations with married couple author Jennifer Miller and Entrepreneur Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Jason Pfifer. They discuss book and magazine publishing and the importance of not only producing great work but standing up for it. In this two-part conversation, Episode 57 and Episode 58 we learn about having the courage and confidence to stand up for your work, find the opportunity in every challenge that you encounter.

Speaking of book publishing, we hear from McGraw Hill Editor, yoga instructor and lifestyle blogger Cheryl Ringer over on Episode 63 on how to get published, the importance of having a compelling hook and establishing a platform. She also dives into her productivity hacks for getting things done despite not drinking coffee which is amazing in my book! I love our conversation not only on book publishing but also her thoughts on yoga and meditation, which is great because I already feel relaxed talking about our conversation. 

Now if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed in that you probably love hearing all this great wisdom and getting the information to lead the best life you can, but you’ve got a busy work and family life, work and personal responsibilities, but still would like to implement digestible tips you could incorporate in your day to day to help you be more productive and set you up succeed, here are three tips. Listen to this episode to find out more!

Resources Mentioned:

Episode 57

057: Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer Part I: On Storytelling & How to Thrive as a Creative

Episode 58

058: Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer Part II: On Opportunity Awareness + Work Life Blending

Episode 59

 

Cheryl Ringer is the creator of and voice behind personal and professional development site, With Cheryl. With Cheryl offers readers practical, fun, and applicable advice to boost their life and career from where they are now to where they want to be. Join Cheryl to gain practical insights and learn about topics including habits, goal setting, organization, mindfulness, productivity, and much, much more.

Aside from a blogger, Cheryl is a business book editor, 200-Hour registered yoga teacher, dancer, avid reader, runner, productivity nerd, and constant learner. She lives in New York with her husband.

Quotes from Cheryl

Make sure that there is a hook, that there is something that differentiates your book from what's out there right now. Say you want to publish within the leadership category in business. There are tons of leadership books out there right now. What is it that's going to make someone say, 'Now that's the one I need to pick up, that's the thing that makes this different from XYZ books that were also published this year in the leadership space.' The second thing I would emphasize is platform. So the more you are getting content out into the world—whether it be through a podcast or writing on your blog, writing for HBR, Forbes, Inc.—any of those big outlets that you can get your content out there, make sure that content also relates to the topic of the book. That's going to be super helpful. (12:46)

I'm definitely someone who likes to help other people—so being able to help these authors to get their word out to more people. And then, what I thrive on is to make sure their content is helping other people. So someone who picks up a book on a bookshelf, I want them to be able to transform their lives, and that's what I get excited about, the fact that what I'm doing can help someone to improve something that they're doing. (14:49)

Remember that you are allowed to be your focus, without that being seen as selfish. At the end of each yoga class, from the teacher that I took my yoga teacher training from, she said something along the lines of, 'You are in this class and you're putting yourself first, so that you can be the best person for your child, your husband, your wife, your friends, your family, whoever that is. But by putting yourself first, you're allowing yourself to be the best version of you which is going to benefit everyone around you.' (16:30)

Recently I'd been trying to figure out what helps me achieve that—put me first so I could be best for other people. There are things like bullet journaling that I absolutely love, writing in my journal each day, meditating, taking the time to wake up early, so I have time to myself before I get the day started—those things are really important for me. (18:45)

What You Will Learn

* How she was able to turn failure to success

* How that setback led her to the work she truly loves

* The traditional publishing landscape

* The importance of self-care in everyday life

* Why she decided to start a blog

Website: https://withcheryl.co/

Email: [email protected]

Social Media + Resources:

* Instagram, Twitter

* Lori's Guest Post on Cheryl's Blog

Other Listening Options:

Looking for some zen in your life? Sign up to become a valued member of the Simply Designed Life tribe, over at LoriRochino.com and you’ll receive the free Simply Designed Life E-Course: A 4-Day Kickstarter to Zen-Like, Productive Habits. The 4-day audio course is designed to help you stress less and have more calm and clarity in just 5 minutes a day with short, actionable micro-tasks you could easily implement in your busy day. So how is this going to work? You will receive one email a day over the course of four days in which you will receive a five-minute, easy-to-do exercise on productivity, self-care and personal growth.

Plus, you will also receive regular news updates, including the latest podcast episodes from inspiring women entrepreneurs, game changers and creatives. You’ll receive a newsletter in both email and audio form so you have the option to either read on the go or listen while you are commuting to and from work, doing errands or working out. So, if you aren’t part of the Simply Designed Life tribe, please head over to LoriRochino.com and subscribe to become a valued insider, and get the free Simply Designed Life E-Course: A 4-Day Kickstarter to Zen-Like, Productive Habits. Plus get the latest podcast episodes, updates + more!

I had the good fortune of meeting Victoria Mavis—a professional magician— at Podcast Movement in Philadelphia last year. One of the things we had in common was having women entrepreneurs in our audience, so we decided then and there to go on each other's podcasts!

I appeared as a guest on her show Pure Mind Magic Podcast, which if you’re interested, you can listen to the interview via the link on the show notes at LoriRochino.com/062).

Now I’m thrilled to have Victoria over on my show at Simply Designed Podcast. Whether you’re a full-time entrepreneur, creative business owner or side hustler looking for tips on how to break through to your next level or get over those pesky mindset hurdles, you'll love this episode!

Who is Victoria? 

Victoria Mavis a professional magician and motivational speaker. She is one of only a few professional female magicians worldwide. She started doing magic at the age of 4 and had her first stage show at the age of 7. She is also the creator and host of Pure Mind Magic Podcast. She believes that we each have a superpower with unique abilities. We just may not know how to access and harness it yet. And, there are ways to train your mind to work better—just like a muscle—to turn you into the mind magician of your own life! She believes you can create the reality you have always wanted. This podcast will inspire you to do just that! Pure Mind Magic Podcast also offers practical advice, fascinating stories, and amazing guest expert interviews from people all around the world putting the magic of the mind to work for them.

Quotes from Victoria 

For sure, you have to have this clarity on your mind, and clarity is power, so you need to know the direction you’re heading and you need a plan to end up there. As I’ve said, when you have a strong “why,” you have this motivation as fuel  and you’re well-prepared to go there but you need this action plan, and you all know that speed of implementation is really important so it doesn’t help when you hold all the information and read a ton of self-help books and business books, and have this all in your mind, but this doesn’t take you anywhere. You have to take action.

We’re changing this up here. In the last episode, I mentioned this segment being more of a hybrid solo / mini-interview format and making this more of a bonus episode. In this episode, we’ll dive into the subject of coworking spaces, why one might need one, how one size does not fit all and some things to think about when considering using one.

Whether you’re a full-time entrepreneur, creative business owner or side hustler on the lookout for dedicated space to work without breaking the bank, this episode will provide some insight on how to go about finding the right workspace for you.

This special episode of Simply Designed Life Podcast will be broken down into three parts.

In part I, I’ll be sharing my conversations with both my previous guests from Episode 60 with Kimi Morton and Pua Pakele + Cabot who planted the idea of choosing to work in a coworking space in the first place. They’re based out of Hawaii.

In part II, we’ll bring on Katy Comber and Patty Kline Capaldo, the amazing founders of the Creative Light Factory outside of Philadelphia.

In Part III, I’ll share my thoughts and insights on the coworking space experience, why one size doesn’t fit all, and what you could do to get started in coworking space journey if that’s what you choose to do for your creative project, side hustle or business at this time. Think of this as a short list of lessons learned and other insights you can take and put into place for your own situation.

 

Who are Kim and Pua? 

Kimi Morton + Pua Pakele and Cabot are the founders of Best Life Ever and BLE Digital, and co-hosts of the Broke-ass to Badass podcast. They are fitness trainers turned corporate productivity coaches turned online business coaches. They are drawn together by a calling — a burning desire to help people fall (back) in love with their businesses and their lives!

What started as a fun side hustle, Best Life Ever has grown into more than a business, it's a radical movement to empower people to follow their dreams and expand the way they think, work, and live in today’s modern world. At Best Life Ever, their mission is to support entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs ready to build and grow online businesses for more FREEDOM and FUN!

Who are Katy & Patty? 

Katy Comber is a graduate of Eastern University with a M.Ed in Mulitcultural Education, a B.A. in English, and a minor in Communications with concentrations in Creative Writing and Theater. Comber founded the website affinitycolabpresents.org, an online arts and lit magazine, and has taught literature and writing for nine years. She recently completed a rough draft of her first novel and participated in her first NaNoWriMo with a different project in 2017. Her works can be found in Paragon Press’ Lagom Journal; Meat for Tea Literary Review, and a self-published collection of poems: 40 Portraits of a Family. 

Patty Kline-Capaldo earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and History from Indiana University and teacher certification from Ursinus College. She has hosted the Just Write Meetup for the past six years and also hosts an Artists Way group, Creative Light Circle. Working with these groups spawned the dream of a writer’s room that has manifested in Creative Light Factory. As a writer, teacher, and creativity coach, her passion is supporting writers and visual artists in their creative endeavors and seeing their creative dreams brought to fruition. Patty has been published in four anthologies and is perpetually wor...

So you know when you’re having a bad day, and you just need some motivational mojo or SOMETHING to get you going? I’ve got two guests who are able to bring their energy and enthusiasm for business and life. I’m really excited to share their story. We talk fight club, entrepreneurship, energy management, and why getting your first hater might actually be a good thing.

 

Who are Kim and Pua? 

Kimi Morton + Pua Pakele and Cabot are the founders of Best Life Ever and BLE Digital, and co-hosts of the Broke-ass to Badass podcast. They are fitness trainers turned corporate productivity coaches turned online business coaches. They are drawn together by a calling — a burning desire to help people fall (back) in love with their businesses and their lives!

What started as a fun side hustle, Best Life Ever has grown into more than a business, it's a radical movement to empower people to follow their dreams and expand the way they think, work, and live in today’s modern world. At Best Life Ever, their mission is to support entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs ready to build and grow online businesses for more FREEDOM and FUN!

They serve with joy through their free Best Life Ever Tribe on Facebook, free Broke-ass to Badass weekly podcast, and signature 8-week program, Broke-ass to Badass, which is helping entrepreneurs around the world to create badass online businesses from a foundation of efficiency and productivity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motivational Monday Mastermind Strategy & Accountability Group

Feeling overwhelmed with your projects and need help getting back on track? Want to FINALLY finish writing that book/ market your work to top media outlets/ fill-in-the-blank project? Need support and a sounding board from a committed group of looking to “bring it” in 2019? Then this group is for you!

Who This is Ideal For

Writers, bloggers, authors, creatives, consultants, marketing professionals, heart-centric entrepreneurs who are a) committed to doing the work and following through b) need support in a particular area of business or creative process like actively marketing their creative work or figuring out what the next finished story/project looks like and WORKING it, c) ready to both provide support and receive support for their goals in a safe, positive space.

WHERE: Greater Philadelphia Area & Online 

WHEN: Every 1st & 3rd Monday starting MARCH 4 / 1:00PM-2:00PM / March-May /  $127 (group only) / $167 (group + full-day workshop party) / Facilitator: Lori Rochino

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words of Wisdom

We really coach people to own your schedule so that you are designing your best life ever and h...

Every new year brings great beginnings! While I’m not a big fan of resolutions or “new year, new you” themes, I’m a fan of shorter-term goals. I’m part of several mastermind and business strategy groups and we tend to follow a 12-week year model. Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to the time allotted, so rather than keep goals at an arbitrary time length with vague goals that is the typical full year, why not work in shorter sprints to get what you need done?

In other words, we do our quarterly goals as though they were full years in order to get the most done in less time. The 12-week year is a productivity system created by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington in their book The 12 Week Year, where you, as the subtitle of the book states “get more done in 12 weeks than others do in 12 months." So it’s funny, in some ways our “new year” starts every quarter and we’re constantly setting new goals every 12 weeks. And what an opportunity for the changeup!

Which is why I’m excited about our next guest. I had the opportunity to meet Sarah DeGeorge at the BlogConnect event in Philadelphia. Sarah is one of those people who you could sit down with a cup of coffee and have an authentic conversation with and easily lose track of time. I think the biggest takeaway from this conversation was, despite having a successful career, if there are other areas of your life that need attention, such as your health, it’s okay to take a step back and refocus your efforts. Without further ado, let’s get into the conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Podcasting is a lot of fun! You get to meet really awesome people and get to provide your audience with super useful content that can help them achieve their dreams. While it is fun, some also use podcasting as a business that brings in a full-time income. Imagine if you could make a full-time income just by interviewing one person each week or just doing a solo show. This is a vision that can turn into reality. But only with the right knowledge.

So, that's why my friend Marc Guberti put together the ultimate virtual summit (<==affiliate link) for podcasters looking to launch, grow, and monetize their shows. Who is Marc Guberti exactly? He's a USA Today and WSJ bestselling author who hosts the Breakthrough Success Podcast which is over 300 episodes strong. 

I’m super excited and honored to be a part of Marc’s Podcasting Profit Summit (<==affiliate link) which starts next week from Tuesday through Friday, February 5-8! So, if you’ve ever thought of starting a podcast, this is a great opportunity to learn from twenty Podcasters and Influencers — including myself! Discover how you can launch, grow, and monetize your podcast. Get your FREE ticket to the virtual summit (<==affiliate link)!

Furthermore, if you’re looking for extra 1:1 support, guidance, and accountability on how to create and launch that podcast THIS year, no excuses, I have a limited number of podcast coaching slots. Want to make this year the year you FINALLY launch that podcast? Message or email me at [email protected] and mention this episode and we’ll set up a time for us to chat to see if now is the...

This episode continues the conversation with Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer. Just to recap to those brand new to Simply Designed Life Podcast just joining in, if you haven't listened to the previous episode, you may want to listen to it beforehand for context. That's episode 057: Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer Part I: On Storytelling & How to Thrive as a Creative. Here we cover their career paths and how they got to where they are today. 

In Part II, we continue the discussion on leadership and how to create opportunities out of challenges. Jason and Jennifer will also share their tips and insights on how they manage to be productive with work and personal life—especially in a busy, high-cost-of-living area like New York City.

We also discuss their new book, MR. NICE GUY. Inspired by their own time dating and working in New York City media, married couple Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer have written MR. NICE GUY (St. Martin’s Griffin; October 16, 2018), a provocative rom-com set in the world of Manhattan publishing.

Taking an insider look at the magazine industry, gender dynamics, and being young and ambitious in an ever-changing city, MR. NICE GUY is the perfect read paired with a bowl of movie popcorn, extra butter.

Who are Jennifer and Jason? 

Jennifer Miller is a journalist and the author of three books. Her debut novel, The Year of the Gadfly (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), was called “a darkly comic romp” by The Washington Post and “entirely addictive” by Glamour. Jason Feifer is editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur magazine, host of the podcasts Pessimists Archive and Problem Solvers, and has been an editor at Men’s Health, Maxim, Fast Company, and Boston magazine.

Jason and Jen met on OkCupid. She said "yes" to a date because Jason used a semicolon correctly in his first message to her. Yes, they are super nerds, but hey, it got them featured in the vows column of the New York Times. They live in Brooklyn with their 3-year-old, who they hope will never read this book.

Words of Wisdom

From Jason:

You can choose to see speedbumps and conflicts as opportunities to build trust and to prove yourself. In fact, you're kind of fortunate to have some kind of challenge to go through where you have to sit down with somebody in a position of authority and work through it together and in so doing so show yourself to be extremely trustworthy and valuable to them, and also, in the same way, prove your value to yourself. You should not hope for smooth sailing. What you should hope for are opportunities to prove yourself and to work together above and below you. (10:08)

You work with the information and that opportunities that you have. And you can always, always, always find value in whatever's in front of you. It may not be in the original way that you intended, but it could be in something else. (13:51)

You could always find some other avenue, it's just about not giving up. (14:28)

You just have to start deciding what's really important, and to me, work and family and friends are important and I can get to the other stuff later. (16:06)

Don't be afraid to take control, and see the opportunities in front of you as the opportunities that you can command, and that's how we built our careers and that's how we run our days and our families. Once you can internalize that and feel good about that, there's an endless bounty that awaits. (21:45)

From Jennifer:

I think taking risks is really important and it was definitely a risk ...

For those finishing up this year's Nanowrimo, we have a treat. To those not in the know, National Novel Writing Month is an annual creative writing project that takes place during the month of November where participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript. I myself have completed the challenge about 5 years ago and attempted it again this year.

In this episode, we have a novelist and top magazine editor who will share their wisdom insights on their career paths in media. 

Inspired by their own time dating and working in New York City media, married couple Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer have written MR. NICE GUY (St. Martin’s Griffin; October 16, 2018), a provocative rom-com set in the world of Manhattan publishing.

Taking an insider look at the magazine industry, gender dynamics, and being young and ambitious in an ever-changing city, MR. NICE GUY is the perfect read paired with a bowl of movie popcorn, extra butter.

Who are Jennifer and Jason? 

Jennifer Miller is a journalist and the author of three books. Her debut novel, The Year of the Gadfly (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), was called “a darkly comic romp” by The Washington Post and “entirely addictive” by Glamour. Jason Feifer is editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur magazine, host of the podcasts Pessimists Archive and Problem Solvers, and has been an editor at Men’s Health, Maxim, Fast Company, and Boston magazine.

Jason and Jen met on OkCupid. She said "yes" to a date because Jason used a semicolon correctly in his first message to her. Yes, they are super nerds, but hey, it got them featured in the vows column of the New York Times. They live in Brooklyn with their 3-year-old, who they hope will never read this book.

Words of Wisdom

From Jason:

I think that it is great to have this job without the ambition of this job. I mean there was a time when I developed an ambition to be an editor-in-chief of a magazine. That wasn’t the original intention but I got there at some point. But life doesn’t move in a direct clear path. If you identify something hyper-specific that you wanna do, you will narrow yourself down and turn down all the amazing opportunities that can come along the way.  (8:53)

My perspective on work is that you should always be working your next job. So you come into a job and you get good at it and then you look around and say, ‘What opportunities might I have available to me that nobody’s actually asking me to do? What is not part of the role day-to-day and yet could be ultimately the thing that could be the bridge to what comes next?’ (11:42)

From Jennifer:

Immerse yourself in communities and worlds that are different from what you grew up in, different from the ones you feel you automatically gravitate towards. It just gives you a lot of perspective and it gives you a lot of material. As a journalist I've found that to be extremely helpful for my fiction writing because a lot of the reporting that I do has introduced me to people and communities I would never have encountered otherwise—things like motorcycle riding, Vietnam veterans or Native American medicine men who are at the forefront of new mental health treatments or teachers who are doing really innovative things in their classrooms with technologies, all these things I learned about as a reporter. In various ways I was able to put it into fiction, so I had just a broader menu of things I just felt comfortable writing about. (14:41) 

You're continually developing your voice and every book that you write has a different voice but searching for your voice and what is kind of unique about the perspective that you can...

One of the things that hold people back from reaching and achieving their goals is mindset. Shocker? Not really. If you’ve ever read Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich which is a self-help bible of success there's this segment called “The Spur That Drives to Riches.” (If you don’t like reading books you could also watch the Think and Grow Rich legacy movie on YouTube that does a nice reenactment of some of the stories and concepts from the book.

In that segment, in particular, a warrior faced a great army whose men had outnumbered his own, and he knew that if there was a way to retreat, his men would probably perish on the battlefield with an enemy much more powerful than they were. Courage in their hearts was needed and if there was no way for his men to retreat, they would fight like they had nothing to lose. So he ordered the boats to be burned and the men fought like they would win because they had to win otherwise they’d perish. (And of course, they won!)

So bringing this back to everyday, modern life, while we don’t have the proverbial boats to burn, we do have a million distractions, from social media, text, mobile alerts, procrastination patterns and other things that we unconsciously allow us to retreat from those goals we set for ourselves. When you lose focus on what your intentions were, it could be a real uphill battle getting back on track. So I'm excited for Britny to share some words of wisdom on maybe not burning boats, but getting rid of those self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that keep us from getting what we want out of life. Listen in on the conversation.

Feeling overwhelmed with business and life?

Have bright shiny object syndrome and need help with focus?

Introducing the Just Finish! Clarity Call

for ending 2018 on a good note!

For just $37 get 37 minutes of clarity coaching on one goal.

As a productivity coach, I’m great at helping people simplify and organize their internal chaos so they can make room for the things that really matter. Imagine feeling more free and accomplished right before the new year!

How does this work?

1) Email me at [email protected] and in the headline write “I’m ready to finish!”

2) I’ll send you details on how we could work together for 37 minutes at $37 to hold your space. No pitch or gimmicks. We just work on your one thing to get you clear, focused and DONE!

Offer good up until Friday, November 16, 2018.

Have you ever thought of starting a podcast for your blog or business SOMEDAY?

What if you had your podcast up and launched TODAY?

Introducing the Simply Designed Podcast Launch for getting your show on the air! Ideal for mid-level content creators (authors, bloggers, coaches, consultants, and influencers) who want guidance and an action plan to get moving!

1) We’ll take 2 of your favorite blogs posts (or best pieces of content).

2) We transform them into your first 2 podcast episodes.

3) We’ll map out a basic podcast action plan with a framework and checklists so you or your team can continue to publish great episodes!

Simply Designed Podcast Launch

Investment: Original Price: $697

Sale Price: $497

You save $200! Offer good until Friday, November 16, 2018.

How does this work?

1) Email me at [email protected] and in the headline write “I’m ready to launch my podcast!”

2) I’ll send you details on how we could get this started!

Sale price on the Simply Designed Podcast Launch is go...

As mentioned in the previous Episode 54 with Fadra Nally, I’m happy to say that we've hit a milestone and passed 50 episodes of Simply Designed Life Podcast which I'm excited about! A big thank you to all the guests who’ve participated in making it happen and a big thank you for future guests scheduled to come onto the show. In this particular episode, I will address some of the highlights, and do a sort of retrospective on the last 50 plus episodes, and what's in store for the future of Simply Designed Life Podcast.

Who is Lori? 

Lori Rochino stumbled upon podcasting two years ago and has been hooked since. She created Simply Designed Life Podcast for entrepreneurs who want to simplify their busy lives in order to make room for the things that matter. She is a podcast & productivity coach with a corporate marketing background. She is the author of Fifty Shades of Simple: How to Prioritize in the Age of Information Overload. Her work has appeared in both national (SUCCESS, Huffington Post, YFS Magazine) and local (Philadelphia Style Magazine and Examiner) outlets.

Why did I start this podcast?

I had no big intention other than the fact that I was frustrated with the writing medium. I was an English Major with a Minor in Communications and women in business certifications at Chestnut Hill College, I've done marketing copywriting and editing for financial services and startups for about a decade both in-house and as a consultant and had all these communications skills, but I felt I needed something that felt more in alignment.

Also, I didn’t feel connected when I did put my written work out there because there’s about 30 million active blogs by 2020, over 400K podcasts, and of course social media and other platforms, so it’s a very noisy distracting world out there in terms of getting any traction with connecting with people in general. The words I took time to craft were eyeball scanned on digital screens, praised here and there, then tossed aside.

While feeling burnout from corporate writing, I learned that podcasting could actually complement the communications work that I was already doing. In the end, both podcasting and writing are mediums—one auditory, the other written—and both are necessary for reaching your audience or target market. In a way, podcasting changed me in seeing that perspective.

I get to strategize on ways to take branding to the next level, simplify and educate on processes to those unfamiliar with the medium, or just find ways to be more productive to make time for it.

You see, when I first started my podcast, Simply Designed Life, I wanted to take what Tim Ferriss said on lifestyle design in the Four Hour Workweek, and make it accessible to real-world people—whether that be busy parents, entrepreneurs, or 9-5’ers wanting more freedom in their lives. I wanted MY podcast to be an informational resource of great conversations about how to create a freedom lifestyle. That was MY mission, MY revolution, and the part of MY world I wanted to change. And the goal is to provide a framework—a simple one that is—where people can create their own version of a successful life that works for them, in whatever life category is the primary focus, whether that be for one's health, family, relationships, work, etc. That could be done by letting go of the things, relationships, situations that no longer work to make space for ...