Can I be honest with you?

Most of us are growing our businesses all wrong. We're adding more clients, more inventory, more team members, more stress and wondering why we feel like we're being dragged behind the business we created instead of leading it.

You've probably 10x'd your to-do list, your warehouse space, and your sleepless nights long before you've 10x'd the care you give yourself. And that? That's the problem.

Because here's what nobody tells you when you're building a staging business: The business doesn't grow because you work harder. It grows because YOU grow. Not your hustle. Not your sacrifice. You - the human running the show.

So if you're heading into 2026 feeling exhausted, stretched thin, or like you've abandoned yourself somewhere along the way... this episode is your permission slip to stop. To draw a line in the sand. To remember that you are not just the CEO of your business you ARE the business. You're the asset. And it's time you started treating you like one.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• The difference between external 10x (hustle harder) and internal 10x (upgrade your capacity)
• Why most entrepreneurs abandon themselves in pursuit of their goals—and how to stop
• How to use internal vs. external locus of control to shape your business outcomes
• The 10x prompt that will make your next-level decisions crystal clear
• Why choosing a word of the year matters (and words like "asset," "sufficiency," and "anchored" might be perfect for you)

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you. Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible.

The newest data from the Real Estate Staging Association just dropped for Q2 and Q3, and I need to share something with you that honestly broke my heart a little bit when I saw it. The ROI numbers? Absolutely extraordinary. We're talking about the kind of returns that would make any financial advisor pause and say, "Wait, are we talking about a Ponzi scheme here?"

But here's what got me: The average staging investment sits under $5,000. A $3,800 to $4,300 investment producing anywhere from $58,000 to $100,000 in additional seller equity.

Now, I'm not sharing this to make you feel bad about your pricing or to pressure you into arbitrary price increases. This isn't about comparison or judgment. But when you place those incredible ROI numbers next to what our industry is charging on average, it creates a powerful moment for reflection.

So today's conversation is really about one question: Does the price I charge reflect the value I create?

In this episode, I'm walking you through the latest RESA statistics, breaking down the neuroscience behind why pricing feels so hard and inviting you to start tracking your own data so you can price from confidence instead of fear. Afterall. We are entering into a new season and better now than ever.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• The staggering new staging ROI numbers from Q2 and Q3 and why they matter more than ever.
• Why many staging CEOs undercharge from outdated brain patterns.
• How to build your own staging statistics and stop relying on national averages to justify your pricing.
• A reflection framework to help you assess alignment between your pricing and the outcomes you create.

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

Most homeowners move so rarely and so few have ever worked with a staging company, that it's no surprise they arrive nervous, unsure, and unclear about what to expect. And that confusion can lead to preventable hiccups for you and your team.

The good news? A little intentional communication goes a long way.

In this episode, I'm sharing simple ways to anticipate your clients' questions, address their concerns, and guide them through the process with clarity. I'm walking you through simple tools, scripts, and touchpoints you can set up once and use over and over again. All designed to make your clients feel supported and set your team up for seamless, drama-free installations.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why most clients have never worked with a stager and what that means for you.
• The common worries homeowners feel before staging.
• How to prep clients so they show up confident and ready.
• Simple systems and tools that make your communication clearer and easier.

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

Let's talk about something so many stagers quietly struggle with: figuring out how to stand out in a sea of gorgeous rooms and beautifully staged homes. If you've ever caught yourself scrolling and thinking, "We're all posting pretty pictures… so how am I supposed to be different?" this is your "guide to"

I'm sitting down with Heather of Social Savvy Stager today. Heather ran her own staging business for over a decade, doing all the installs, presentations, and wearing the marketing hat long before it had a name. Along the way, she realized something many of us feel but don't say out loud: our industry teaches us how to stage beautifully, but not how to talk about our work in a way that connects, converts, and brings in the clients we want. That realization became the heart of the work she's doing today.

Heather shares her thoughtful, step-by-step approach to branding and helps you uncover what makes you you in a market that often tries to flatten everyone into the same box. We also get into her Connect and Convert content framework, detailing the four types of posts every stager needs in order to move beyond pretty pictures and into real results.

If you're ready to get out of the price-shopping trap to build a brand that feels authentic and different, this episode is going to feel like a deep breath.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why pretty visuals aren't enough and what actually creates a brand that converts
• How to uncover your differentiators even if you're brand new.
• Why most stagers get stuck in growth content and what types of posts you must add in
• The biggest messaging mistakes Heather sees and how to avoid being commoditized by the market

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome
• Follow Heather on Instagram: www.instagram.com/socialsavvystager
• Download the Free Starter Kit: 5-day content plan + templates
• Heather's Website: www.socialsavvystagers.com/

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

"If this task had to be repeated 100 times, would you still want to be doing it?"

This is the question I ask every staging CEO, and honestly, it's the one that opened the door to the world of automations for me. In this episode, I am sharing why automations became one of my favorite leadership tools. Not because they're techy or trendy, but because they create clarity, consistency, and real breathing room inside a business. Especially a staging business like ours where there are so many processes and repeats.

From my early days building simple workflows to now helping staging business owners at various phases streamline theirs, I've learned that automations don't take away the human side of your business, they amplify it. Afterall, it is when the backend runs smoother and calmer that you get to focus on the work only you can do; the real staging business owner duty.

Wonder what automations can do for you? Listen to find out!

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why automations are leadership tools and how they shift you from reactive to intentionally designed operations.
• The first workflow I ever built and why it still runs eight years later
• The causes of business bottlenecks and how automations support all three.
• How to identify your next automation opportunity

RESOURCES:

• Learn more about the Automation Atelier here
• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

Ever look up and realize you've been so busy staging homes that you haven't actually led your staging business? That's exactly what we're unpacking in this episode. I'm taking you inside our 2026 Planning Day with the staging CEOs in my Accelerate program.

We talked about what worked, what didn't, and the power of asking one simple question: Where did hesitation cost me this year? You'll hear how these CEOs are shifting from being stagers who run around installing to owners who build companies, learning to trust their installation teams, and approaching their pricing and financials with real maturity.

And if you've ever dreaded your slow season (hello, post-holiday slump), we're reframing that too, because it's not a setback, it's your performance lab.

As we approach the new year, this episode is one of the preparations you need for leading your staging business with strategy, because it will only grow at the speed of your nervous system, not the speed of your installations.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How reflective planning helps you see what's really driving results without judgment or overwhelm.
• The mindset shift from operator to architect and how to let your team truly own outcomes.
• How to turn slow seasons into growth seasons by refining your systems and structure.
• Three planning questions that bring calm clarity to your next chapter.

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

Ever notice how planning a team lunch suddenly becomes urgent when you're supposed to be working on something important? That's dread disguised as productivity – and today we're breaking it down.

In this episode, I'm sharing the concept of the "dread sprint" from Brooke Castillo, and honestly, I'm using it in real-time to get this very episode recorded.

We'll dive into the neuroscience behind why you avoid certain tasks, why productive procrastination still leaves you drained, and how to train yourself to push through the dread faster. Whether it's sending that proposal, looking at your financials, or having a tough conversation with a team member – the longer you wait, the longer you suffer.

Sometimes it's not motivation you need … it can be just motion. And this episode proves that's more than enough.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• What a "dread sprint" is and how to use it to overcome avoidance in your business
• The neuroscience behind why you suddenly remember every admin task when it's time to do something meaningful
• How productive procrastination still runs on cortisol and drains your energy
• How to train your brain to come back to baseline faster and build resilience

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

Your phone's getting quiet. Your inbox is slowing down. And your brain is getting LOUD. If you're in that space right now where clients are hesitating, agents are skipping staging, and you're wondering how you'll make it through the end of the year, take a deep breath. Nothing has gone wrong.

What you're experiencing is what I call an integration period, and it's one of the most misunderstood, yet most important, phases of business growth. This is when your systems, your team, and your brain get to catch up to the last level you created before you move into the next one.

In today's episode, I'm walking you through exactly what's happening in your brain during these slower seasons (hello, predictive coding and survival mode!), and more importantly, how to turn this integration period into your strategic advantage.

I'll share my 5-focus area Integration Blueprint that will help you self-regulate, lead yourself through the quiet, and emerge from this season stronger, more prepared, and ready to hit the ground running when the listings come back—and they will.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why your brain flags slower seasons as a threat and how to self-soothe your survival brain through integration periods
• The 5-focus area Integration Blueprint with practical CEO actions for turning quiet seasons into strategic advantages
• How to conduct a powerful Groundhog Day Review and audit your pipeline to identify what worked, what didn't, and what to change
• The financial metrics every home staging business owner should review and why consistent visibility matters even when work is slow.

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome
• Download the free Profitability Calculator
• Grab the Digital Swag Bag with additional free tools

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.
• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your staging business isn't adding more but strategically saying no?

Today's episode is really a reflection and honestly, a celebration as we're winding down this year. I've had some amazing conversations with the CEOs inside our Accelerate and private coaching, and they are experiencing wins that I have to tell you about.

These are wins that I consider non-traditional. But rather, they are the more valuable, more powerful ones from what I'm calling "the clean no". The phase where you assess an area with a problem you are no longer willing to tolerate; either from yourself as the staging business owner, your clients, or your team, so you make a different decision and actually implement that decision to see the results.

So, I'm sharing the beautiful results that our staging CEOs got to see from choosing to do something differently, gaining more breathing room, respect and desired growth.

If you've ever thought, "I can't say no or they'll hire someone else," or "I just need to go a little above and beyond to prove that we're worth it," then this episode is going to challenge how you think about service, standards, and success.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• What a "clean no" is and why it builds more value than over-delivery
• Why over-delivery is often drama, not value and what it's really masking
• The real cost of over-delivery (financially and emotionally) and how it impacts your team
• Two powerful lists to help you identify where you're over-delivering and what a clean no could give you back

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!

ENJOY THE SHOW?

• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you.

• Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible

In this episode of Staging Sips, Lori reveals a quiet trap that keeps even experienced staging CEOs stuck in operator mode: hiring for help instead of ownership.

You'll learn how to spot the difference between helpers who lighten your load temporarily and team members who expand your company's capacity. Lori shares how to shift from being the answer key to being the coach, empowering your team to think, decide, and act like owners so your business can finally run without you.

Whether you're hiring your first assistant or managing a growing operations team, this episode will help you lead with discernment, trust, and vision — the Accelerate Standard for scalable success.

What you will learn in this episode:

• The difference between helpers and team members

• Why over-availability creates quiet dependence

• How to move from fixer to coach in your leadership style

• The questions to ask yourself before hiring or promoting anyone

• How to build capacity instead of just relief

• What it means to embody the Accelerate Standard inside your company

RESOURCES:

• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate
• Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth
• Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool
• Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome

If you're ready to elevate how you lead, refine how your business runs, and scale with the calm confidence of a true CEO, join us in Staging Business School Accelerate. The room where staging leaders rise.