Soul Traders

When did our inboxes get so out of control? Can we blame the pandemic? Or is this problem much bigger? Thousands of unread messages. Constant interruptions to the focused work we need to get done and the perception that we need to be always on top of our emails. We're calling it inbox overwhelm.

In this episode Bo and Amy discuss email and how they navigate their inboxes. Bo is a proponent of inbox zero. Amy uses tabs and filters. They also discuss the new retreat dates and what they've been listening to, reading and working on.

Links:

Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/

This is the tweet that started it all

Cal Newport's book 'A World Without Email'

Cal Newport interviewed by Lisa Leong on This Working Life

Subscribe to Tess McCabe's excellent email newsletter Sylloge

Josh Spector's 40 One Sentence Email Tips

Read short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut

Bo recommends listening to 'Everybody Knows', and reading Sally Rooney's 'Beautiful World, Where Are You' and enjoying the commentary surrounding it

Amy's has been working with Tess McCabe on her Creative Minds project

Amy recommends @iamthirtyaf for lols

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Shannon Palmer and Bryce MacDonald of Studio Bonum truly want to make a difference in their community. They are intentional and thoughtful both in the work they produce for their clients but also in their approach to their business.

Amy spoke to Shannon and Bryce about launching a creative business at a time of global uncertainty, the values they bring to their business and how they hope to attract clients with a similar social conscience.

Links:

If you'd like to join Amy and Bo for the Soul Traders retreat in November from the 11th until the 14th head to the retreat page soultraders.net.au/retreat/ and click on the link to email your interest.

Find Studio Bonum online at studiobonum.com.au/ and on Instagram as @studiobonum

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Exciting news: Bo and Amy are planning their very first in-person retreat!

It will be a nourishing weekend for creative business owners who want to overhaul their businesses, go deep and get clear on what they want and need to happen in 2022.

In this episode Amy and Bo talk about their plans for the retreat including an impactful program of workshops and activities. And food, don't forget about the amazing food. They also describe the incredible venue, New Farm Denmark, and cover the essential details.

If you'd like to join Amy and Bo for the Soul Traders retreat in November head to the retreat page http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/ and click on the link to email your interest.

Links:

Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

The podcast has reached a milestone: 10,000 downloads! Thank you to all our regular listeners for supporting us on our journey.

To celebrate Bo and Amy answer the questions they get asked most frequently about their personal and professional lives.

Links:

Bo reflects on her interview with Kate Stokes from Coco Flip earlier this season.

Amy remembers the episodes Real mistakes we've made and what we've learned along the way and Resisting the call to grow

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Orla Larkin is an award winning digital designer, strategist and educator. Over her career she's worked across state government, not for profits and education. These days she helps makers, creatives and ethical businesses establish themselves online. Orla is no stranger to remote working, having worked with clients around the world for many years.

In this conversation, Bo talks to Orla about finding ways to connect and create community as a freelancer, the importance of website accessibility, using Tik Tok as a grown up and her take on 'personal branding'.

Links:

Find Orla online at www.orlalarkin.com

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

We have a brand spanking new website www.soultraders.net.au Check it out and sign up to receive our Monthly Roundup - an email full of links and resources for creative freelancers.

You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Fiona Killackey is a business coach who has worked with many small to medium sized businesses supporting them with practical insights into their marketing, business systems, goal setting and most importantly, working out where their dollars are coming from!

Fiona has a podcast, offers courses and coaching and she's also written a book called 'Passion. Purpose. Profit.' which is an incredibly useful guide for anyone who has a small business or who dreams of starting one.

In this conversation, Amy talks to Fiona about her tips for dealing with uncertainty (and lockdowns!) and the advice she gives her clients about finding their purpose as well as the people and the systems to support them.

Links:

Find Fiona online at www.mydailybusinesscoach.com and on Instagram as @mydailybusinesscoach

Fiona's group coaching program 'Marketing for your small business' is enrolling now, find the details here.

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Imposter feelings, or that nagging voice at the back of your head that whispers 'who do you think you are?' or 'any moment now, people are going to discover you're a fake!' Most of us have them from time to time, no matter how outwardly successful or established we are.

In this episode, Bo and Amy answer a community question about imposter syndrome. They discuss how fears and doubts show up for them and what they've done to build confidence around their work and creative abilities.

Links:

The Soul Traders are online! Check out our new website soultraders.net.au

Listen the the This Working Life episode about imposter syndrome

Amy and Bo are reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron for the Soul Traders book club. Do you have a book suggestion? DM us on Instagram or use the contact form on our website soultraders.net.au

Amy and Bo recommend Ms Represented with Annabel Crabb available to watch on ABC iView

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

There's no denying working for yourself is a bit of a juggling act most of the time. When you're self employed, you are wearing all the hats: from administration, to accounts, to marketing and of course the actual creative service you are offering.

Sometimes performing all these roles can feel fun and easy, but often it can feel like we're pulled in different directions and we have too much on our plate which can lead to overwhelm and then if we're not careful, burnout.

In this episode Bo and Amy discuss the pros and cons of wearing all the hats, how overwhelm shows up for them and ways they avoid or combat it in their working lives.

Links:

Bo recommends This Working Life, an ABC podcast hosted by Lisa Leong and the Instagram account @sinkreviews

Amy recommends the Instagram account @uglymelbournehouses

She also recommends reading Richard Flanagan's essay in The Monthly 'To be free'. You can also listen to him reading the same essay on the 7am Podcast.

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Tess is a freelance graphic designer with a broad portfolio of work spanning web design, print and publishing. But she has many other strings to her bow: she started publishing company Creative Minds and has written and released several books of her own. She was formerly the coordinator of the Creative Women's Circle and co hosted The New Normal Podcast with friend and fellow small business owner Emma Clark Gratton. Her monthly newsletter Sylloge, a compilation of podcast, blog and book recommendations has a cult following.

Amy asks Tess about her incredibly diverse career and how she manages to wear all the hats in her solo business. They delve into her recent book, Graphic Design Speak, and what prompted her to write it. Tess also shares some thoughts about where to find a graphic designer and how to get the most out of the relationship.

Links:

Find Tess online at www.tessmccabe.com.au and her publishing company Creative Minds at www.creativemindshq.com

You can buy Tess's most recent book, Graphic Design Speak, from Creative Minds or your local independent bookstore.

She's on Instagram as @tessmccabe and @creativemindshq

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!

You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

In this short episode Amy shares 10 content ideas for social media that might actually translate into paying clients. Amy recommends an intentional approach to platforms like Instagram, leveraging our innately human need to connect and create community. She discusses the 'know, like, trust' principle and how you might use it as a starting point for your social media content.

If you're a small or solo business owner who feels frustrated by social media, if you aren't seeing the return on the investment of time and energy you put into it, then listen up!

Links:

Listen to our other episodes about social media and community building:

Are you wasting your time on Instagram?

Mini episode: photography for Instagram, Bo's tips

Mini episode: Amy's tips for writing great social media captions

Marketing and community building for creatives, without the ick factor

Mini episode: Amy's Instagram engagement tips

If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.

You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!

Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.