Rhythm, predictability and structure could not feel any better!

If you're running your home staging business week to week, feeling dizzy at the thought of planning beyond 7 days, that is not where you should be. Most staging CEOs think structure will slow them down, but here's what neuroscience reveals: your brain is literally hardwired to crave predictability. And when tasks that feel urgent are carried into days? You are stuck in threat response mode resulting in decision fatigue, overthinking, and burnout!

Today you'll discover why business owners who install simple rhythms; weekly CEO hours, monthly metric reviews, quarterly planning sessions don't just grow faster, but with less stress and more strategic clarity.

You'll learn why creating these consistent rhythms for not just productivity can transform how you lead, creating space for clarity, reducing pressure, and allowing you to lead with more intention.

Your desired home staging CEO self is already unlocked.  You just have to do the work you most avoid.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why your brain craves predictability (and how that affects how you lead).
• Weekly, monthly, and quarterly rhythms that create momentum on autopilot.
• How to build cadence into your week even if it’s just you and a whiteboard.
• How to handle client curveballs and unexpected requests when you have solid business rhythms supporting 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
• Listen to: How to Be Ridiculously Easy to Work With

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

Is your website just sitting pretty or is it actually working for your business? If you've ever felt like your site doesn’t reflect your growth, doesn’t bring in the right clients, or still feels like it belongs to your “just getting started” era, this conversation is for you.

Lori’s conversation today is with Cathleen Barnes, the founder of Cathleen Barnes Consulting, a web and brand design studio known for creating strategy-first, high-converting websites for interior designers and creative business owners.

After climbing the corporate ladder for over a decade and reaching the role of eCommerce Director at a global company, Cathleen pivoted. She chose to take her skills into a more meaningful space helping designers and service providers elevate their digital presence with clarity, intention, and a whole lot less stress.

Whether you’re looking to rebrand, update, or completely reimagine your website, Cathleen offers a real-world, actionable roadmap for making your site your hardest-working employee, not just an online business card.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• What makes a website strategic vs just stylish
• How to make your website function like a backend assistant
• The most common problems your website should be solving
• What to include (and what to rethink) on your homepage

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
• Cathleen Barnes’s Consulting website: www.cathleenbarnesconsulting.com
• Follow Cathleen Barnes on Instagram: www.instagram.com/cathleenbarnesconsulting

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.

You didn’t start your business to manage chaos—yours or anyone else’s. And yet, even with a team in place, delegation doesn’t always feel like relief. You find yourself double-checking tasks you’ve already assigned, mentally tracking details you thought you handed off, or stepping back in when something feels off. Exhausting and far from the freedom you imagined!

Often, the root of this tension isn’t just about team performance. It’s about connection. When team members don’t fully understand how their role supports the mission of your staging business, it’s easy for their actions to fall flat and for your brain to stay on high alert. But that’s not dead-end. Rather, it is a problem with a solution that starts with you.

Today, I talk about the mental residue that so many staging CEOs carry even after building a team. Showing you not just how cognitive residue makes you stuck at hovering rather than trusting, you'll get neuroscience-backed tools, clear frameworks, and mindset strategies to help you delegate with confidence and get your time (and peace) back.

Whether you're hiring your first assistant or leading a full team, this episode is your guide to a team that doesn’t just follow instructions but one that functions with confidence and purpose.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why your brain stays on alert even after you’ve delegated
• How to use the IPO framework as a practical delegation tool
• How to reset your delegation mindset using Brooke Castillo’s Thought Model
• How to do a team inventory to spot loose ends in your team and fix them

RESOURCES:  

• Mark your calendar! July 17, 2025: Special CEO Refresh workshop for Accelerate members
• 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.

You’ve built your business with grit and a whole lot of resourcefulness. You’ve taken in all the free advice, downloaded the templates, maybe even brought on a little help and yet  something is not just clicking.

If you're in that messy middle where you’re no longer starting from scratch but nowhere near where you want to be, constantly beating yourself up with "I should be able to figure this out by now”, you are not alone.

What you may not just know right now is that even the most successful business owners don't build in isolation. They get support. And that transition from "scrappy startup" to "scalable business" requires a completely different skill set than what got you here.

And what happens when you try to muscle through alone? You end up working harder, not smarter. You're busy, but not necessarily building the business you actually want.

In today's episode, I talk about why this phase feels so frustrating and more importantly, how to break free from it. What’s important for where you are headed is leverage - getting the right support at the right time so you can finally build a business that works for you, not against you.

If you've been waiting for the "right time" to invest in strategic support, this epsiode is your sign.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why so many staging CEOs hit a plateau even after gaining traction
• How high-achieving CEOs unknowingly build their businesses for survival instead of leadership
• How coaching shifts your mindset from “What should I do?” to “Here’s what I’m doing—how can it be stronger, simpler, faster?”
• What real transformation looks like inside the Accelerate program

RESOURCES:  

• Mark your calendar! July 17, 2025: Special CEO Refresh workshop for Accelerate members
• Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp
• Download Your Free Digital Swag Bag
• 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.

Today’s episode hits close to home for so many of us juggling team mishaps, last-minute chaos, or repeating the same fire drill.

Every business hits rough patches; let’s be honest. However, it becomes an issue, a source of concern and a need to re-evaluate things when the same problem keeps showing up. Then, in contrast to “how can I solve this”, it is time to ask the  question: Am I fixing the right problem?

Here’s the kicker: If you’ve been fixing the same problem again and again… odds are, you’re solving the wrong thing.

This week, we’re diving into how to actually diagnose the real issue and implement solutions that don’t just offer temporary relief but create lasting momentum.

If you’ve been feeling like you’re constantly in reaction mode, this episode will help you step fully into your CEO role—with sharper focus and smarter decisions.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why you might be “fixing” the same issue repeatedly—and what that really means
• How your brain tricks you into solving the wrong thing (hello, temporary relief)
• A neuroscience-backed reframe to help you shift from reactive to strategic
• How to apply the FIXIT Protocol to get out of firefighting mode and lead like a CEO

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.

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I just need more time”? If you’re in the growth or acceleration phase of your staging business, this episode will lovingly challenge that thought. Because what if time isn't the issue at all?

Today, we’re diving into one of the most important mindset and structural shifts a CEO can make. If your days feel like a non-stop game of calendar blocks, your team still needs you to make every decision and your brain is carrying the entire operating manual, you’ll want to listen to this episode mindfully.

This isn’t just about scaling. It’s about reclaiming your time, restructuring your business, and stepping into the CEO role your company needs. Not the one it's outgrown.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why the feeling of needing “more time” is just a symptom, not the root issue
• The neuroscience behind burnout and why your brain defaults to YOU as the shortcut
• How to identify whether your business has outgrown its structure
• The 3 CEO reactive loops and how to break them

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.

Have things felt… messy lately? You’re booked out, your client list is growing, and you should be celebrating—but instead, you’re overwhelmed, behind on admin, and wondering how long you can keep this up. If that’s you, hit pause on the panic because this episode is your permission slip to see that chaos as progress.

In today’s episode, we’re unpacking what most business owners never talk about: how growth often looks like disorganization before it looks like success. I’ll show you why a chaotic season, especially in spring, when staging demand spikes—isn’t a failure of planning. It’s a visibility milestone. It means your business is asking you to lead differently.

This episode is part pep talk, part strategic wake-up call. You’ll leave with tangible ways to simplify your workflows, spot the systems that are breaking under pressure, and take back control of your time as the CEO, not just the doer.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why operational friction means you're doing something right
• How to spot and fix decision-making bottlenecks in your staging business
• The “Visibility Threshold” concept—and how to know you’ve hit it
• A 3-step mini assignment to immediately regain clarity and control

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
• CEO Fractions of Actions List

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.

How do you know what your staging business is really worth — and how can you make it worth more?

If you’ve ever assumed that your revenue or hard work alone determines the value of your business, this episode will challenge everything you thought you knew. Today, I am joined by valuation expert Steven Denny, who has worked behind the scenes with staging business owners at every level—from those just getting established to those preparing to exit at seven figures.

Gleaning from his experience of what makes a sellable staging business, you’ll hear exactly what buyers look for when considering a purchase, why strong cash flow isn't the same as profit on paper, and the biggest mistake that kills business value.

Steven also breaks down how to how to position your inventory as an asset rather than a liability, and what you need to be tracking now—even if you don’t plan to sell for 5 to 10 years. Plus, you’ll learn why most staging businesses aren’t sellable in their current state—and how to fix that.

If you're serious about building a business that’s not only profitable but valuable and transferable, this episode is your blueprint.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• What makes a staging business valuable beyond just revenue
• Why free cash flow matters more than profit—and how to calculate it
• How being Chief Executive of Everything impacts your business marketability
• The difference between inventory and assets—and how each impacts valuation

RESOURCES:  

• Get Steven's book at 60% off: https://www.youdontknowwhatyoudontknow.com/
• Book free consult with Steven: https://calendly.com/innovativebusinessadvisors
• 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.

Is being booked out six weeks straight really the holy grail of business success? While a packed calendar might look like winning from the outside, many staging business owners find themselves stressed, stretched thin, and wondering if this is truly success.

Today, I talk about the difference between being "booked out" and being "booked right." You'll discover why a constantly full calendar might actually be limiting your growth potential and keeping you trapped in a cycle of overwhelm.

Beyond that, I also talk about the strategic shift from being an overworked founder to becoming a CEO who makes intentional decisions about which clients and projects deserve space on your calendar. 

Do you feel like you are trapped in a continual grind? This episode will challenge your perspective on what sustainable business success really looks like in the staging industry.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why Being Booked Out Can Be a Business Trap 
• How to Filter Clients and Projects for Maximum Profit
• The principle of Strategic Pricing and Capacity Management 
• The Four-Step System to Transition from Overbooked to Strategic

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.

Today, we are replaying an episode on our 'Most Valuable Podcasts" list ! I hope you learn one or two new things from it.