That's So On-Brand: The Podcast

Introducing Jill Rothenberg! Jill is a pilates instructor and the owner of Movement With Jill, a virtual/in-person pilates studio based in Boston, MA. She's also a mental health advocate and believes that the body and mind go hand in hand and work together.

In this episode we talk about...

You can follow Jill on Instagram @movementwith_jill - and if you resonate with her message, check out her on demand class membership on her website movementwithjill.com!

Welcoming Mac Dingle to the podcast! Mac is a content creator, content curator, and vlogger. Most recently she's been sharing her infertility journey so she can connect with and help others going through the same struggles.

In this episode, we talk about...

We also reminisce about the good ol Facebook days (remember poking??), and our mutual love for the state of Maine.

Mac is a breath of fresh air in this negative, chaotic world! I highly recommend connecting with her on her various channels: just search "Mac Dingle" on Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok (she's the only one!) 

Welcoming Dr. Sara Gagne, DC, CertMDT, to the podcast! Sara is a chiropractor and the owner of Boston Spine and Performance. She has special interest in disc injuries, extremity pain, athletic recovery, and empowering patients to become the best versions of themselves.

In this episode we talk about:

Be sure to connect with her on Instagram @bostonspine, and learn more about her business on her website at bostonspineperformance.com. If you're interested in working with Sara check out her office on Boylston Street!

Introducing Lara Days, a holistic health and life coach whose mission is to dismantle diet culture. She helps her clients feel empowered in their bodies and lives through education, support, and tons of unlearning.

In this episode we talk about her musical and athletic background and about her business' transition from being solely nutrition-focused to more deep, holistic health coaching (and how selling intangible healing is not always easy!)

We also talked about how doing CrossFit shifted her perspective on what healthy bodies look like, how frustrating it is that we are not taught accurate nutrition information in school, and the fact that people work out for other reasons other than to shrink their bodies and lose weight. So many people think that green smoothies and magic pills will help them feel good in their bodies, but ultimately, "mowing the lawn while your house is on fire" (i.e. doing the fancy/complicated things instead of focusing on good sleep/good nutrients/moving your body) won't heal your gut.

She asked me an interesting question about the ethics behind running a business and making decisions that align with your core beliefs, and we discussed how it can be difficult to make a living while also keeping our integrity intact.

Lara explains how it comes naturally for her to share her personal side on the 'gram and how it's been a fabulous way to meet and stay connected with people. She believes that if we want people to open up to us, we need to open up to them, and that vulnerability is hard but necessary for deep connections.

We end our conversation on a positive note and talk about why she believes a shift is happening in regards to body diversity and acceptance (fingers crossed!)

Oh, and we somehow got on the topic of our mutual pet peeve: when clients misspell or mispronounce our names (especially in emails!!! Come on people!!).

Be sure to follow her on Instagram @lara.days and be on the lookout for details on her relaunched signature group coaching program called Nutrition Empowerment Project!

Episode 34 is live! Introducing Erica Resha, owner and creator of FITISH Activewear!

FITISH sells activewear, loungewear and tarnish-proof jewelry. I've had the pleasure of working with Erica to create some awesome, gorgeous products (that I actually get to wear!) It's been months in the making to get this busy woman on the podcast, and I am excited to finally share her contagious energy with the world!

In this episode, we talked about why FITish was created, her blog beginnings, how COVID affected her personally and professionally, and why quality-testing all her products is of the utmost importance.

We then dug into the fitness and fashion industries and how you can't tell how healthy someone is just by their appearance, her love for empowering women, and why representation is so important to have in the fashion industry.

We talked about how self-reflection and working through her insecurities has helped her build resilience, her love/hate relationship with Instagram, and why it's so important to surround ourselves with supportive people. With the holiday season approaching we should all keep in mind the different ways we can support our friends' businesses without spending money!

Follow her on Instagram @fitish_activewear and shop her products on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/FITISHactive. And stay tuned for her new website coming soon! 

Introducing Lindsey Singleton! Lindsey is the owner of Lighthouse Coaching & Consulting, where she runs a mental health private practice and does coaching and public speaking! She uses her business as a platform to work with adolescents, adults, athletes, etc. through transitions (whether that's going into college, leaving college, athletes struggling with identity transitions as they leave their sport, and more) Prior to starting her own business, she spent 14 years as a director of a college counseling center.

In this episode we talk about:

Lindsey is SO passionate about what she does and I can speak from personal experience when I say she is an incredible speaker! Get in touch with her at lighthousecc.info and to learn more about her services (or to bring her on as a speaker!)

Everyone, meet Courtney Schwabe! Courtney is a Brand Designer and the owner of Contraire Studio, a branding studio based in Somerville, MA. Contraire helps clients with brand creation and identity for new businesses as well as brand activation: think websites, marketing materials, package design, and more. Contraire recently partnered with Selma Blair (!!) on a Guided Beauty campaign and Courtney loves working with consumer product brands.

In this episode we talked about what it's like working for agencies and how a string of unhealthy work environments led her to start her own studio. We chatted about the branding process and how ultimately getting help from other creatives was key in establishing her own unique visual brand.

We dove into our mutual struggles with the concept of work credit and how the right people rarely get the recognition that they deserve for the work they've done (lots of gray area in the age of social media - where are the guidelines for crediting?!) 

Speaking of social media - we talked about how she's still figuring out how she wants to use her social platforms and the various questions she consistently asks herself, such as ""why am I creating? What is the reason for posting this? Am I just checking a box?"" Having a business definitely adds even more pressure for us to show up online, which can work against our personal needs and desires. 

We also talked about doing what you truly want to do vs. what comes easy - and the dangers of saying yes to things that aren't the best fit. 

It was so much fun to reconnect with Courtney (we went to high school together!) and talk about design and business. If you want to learn more about her studio go to contrairestudio.com (and be sure to follow her biz on the 'gram @contrairestudio! Her work is incredible!

Introducing Morgan Davis! Morgan is the creator of Notably Vegan, a vegan and gluten free blog.

Morgan and I worked together in 2021 to create her blog's visual brand, and it was SO much fun! In this episode we talked about the branding process and why we went in a direction that was less in-your-face shades of green and more elegant, natural, and earthy.

We then discussed her vegan journey and her tips for starting the transition. As a vegan myself, we both agreed that taking it slow and partnering up with someone throughout the process will make it a much more successful endeavor.

We also talked about her transition from the corporate world of burnout to a more aligned lifestyle where she is following her passions as well as doing "the thing" even though it's scary! The mental energy it takes to start a business and work through each obstacle is immense, but so worth it!

Morgan and I also chatted about how social media has fit into her business and the comparison traps that we all fall into on Instagram. In the end, as long as we are serving our audience, providing value, and asking for feedback we are doing our job!

Check out Morgan's amazing blog notablyvegan.com and be sure to follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest @notablyvegan !

Introducing Justin Russell to the podcast! Justin is the Co-Founder of both Digital Philly and Ranked.Legal, and is a Philly-based Search Engine Optimization specialist.

In this episode we talked about how he got into the SEO world and what made him finally take the leap to start his own business. We also talked about why "selling himself" has been a struggle from the beginning and about the differences between Zoom networking and in-person networking (particularly BNI).

We dove into branding and what that process was like for his two separate businesses, how branding is so much more than your colors/logo/fonts, and how good design is rarely complicated.

While digging into the topic of social media I learned that he prefers Twitter the most out of all of the platforms, and that there's a new argument in the SEO world about how TikTok could be the future of SEO!

He also expressed his struggles with anxiety at the beginning of his entrepreneurship journey, and I appreciated our conversation about how starting a business is a massive privilege for us both.

Need SEO consulting? Go to ranked.legal or email [email protected] to see how he and his team can help. And if you're on Twitter, be sure to connect with him @JusRusSeo. I really enjoyed this conversation - on top of being a fabulous human that I am so happy to have been connected to, there is so much to learn from him always!

Everyone, meet Traci Townsend! Traci is the owner of Fitness with Traci, a fitness and nutrition coaching business focusing on women over the age of 50. She's here to tell us all that we're never too old, out of shape, or busy for fitness!

In this episode we talked about what sparked her desire for a rebrand, how the people around us help us see who we are and why we're special, and how fitness looks different for everyone.

Traci spent 33 years in K-12 public education (she just retired!) so we chatted all about what went into her decision to pursue her passion for fitness and nutrition at age 56, as well as about following passions and seeing where it takes you (oh, and our mutual love for Precision Nutrition!)

We talked about why trying to do everything perfectly is actually working against your progress, how she has used social media to meet new people and build her business, how social media promotes false realities and makes people feel bad about not reaching their goals quicker, and why building a recognizable brand can take time and lots of patience. We also agreed that following up with people who interact with you in the DMs leads to more engaging conversations, and why it's important to poll your audience and see why they follow you (it may surprise you!).

Listen now to hear her school me on calling her an "older woman" on social media (LOL)!

Traci is on Instagram @fitnesswithtraci. Give her a follow and be on the lookout for more information on her upcoming webinar in August all about nutrition! She also has availability for 1-1 virtual coaching!