The Create & Get Paid podcast with Kamina James

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly.

Hi friends!

Today’s episode starts with a super inspiring story from my cousin who started her business before she felt ready and was fielding more enquiries than she could handle within a couple weeks of launching!

Then I’m going to tell you about three times I started something when it was rough but not ready:

* This podcast

* Posting reels on instagram

* My group program for creatives

Here’s my amazing cousin and her custom mural business!

What’s the thing you’ve been holding back on putting out into the world?

If you need somebody to hold your hand while you leap before you’re ready, come and join Create & Get Paid - my supportive online community and group coaching program for people who want to make money from creative work.

Now on the private feed:

If my substack adds something to your life, share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

Other ways to support: Like this post and leave a comment. Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly.

Hey babes,

It’s time to talk ‘tracking’ and ‘metrics’, two words that make me go ewww.

In this episode I talk about:

* The problem with tracking our business metrics (like income and subscribers) and why so many of us hate it or don’t do it at all

* How the right kind of tracking will help you not kid yourself, not shame yourself, and grow your business much faster

* My super simple system for tracking the metrics that matter TO ME (that you can adapt to suit what matters for you right now.

Here’s my monthly check-in template you can steal:

Income

* Total income

* Clients/sales (e.g. I track how many new clients I had and how many repeat clients)

Audience

* Social followers and interactions (on the platforms I actually care about growing)

* Email subscribers

Goals

* Look back at last month’s goals and check in how I did with them

Then ask:

* What’s working?

* What’s not working?

* What will I do differently next month?

Wrap up:

* Wins from the month

* Set next month’s (2-3) goals

For ongoing support with the boring bits of business like this, join us in Create & Get Paid! It’s a supportive group of chaotic creatives steadily making income out of their weird and wonderful work and I’d love to coach you personally in there.

Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly.

Friends!

I scratched this month’s planned post because of a conversation I had with my group coaching clients this morning, that I wanted to expand on here.

We were talking about whimsy + fun as essential business skills and cultivating a practice of not working when there’s work to be done.

In this episode I talk about:

* Why so many of us fall into the trap of working all the time (when the whole point of having a business was to have flexibility)

* Why it’s essential to business success to be able to NOT work when there’s work to do

* Three practical ways I actually practise this (including some hyper-specific personal examples, but you do it your way)

* And some notes on the reality that experimenting with this will involve letting people down until we get a handle on our realistic capacity (and stop over-promising)

What’s the hardest part about not working when there’s work to be done? What do you want to try differently this month?

P.S. This is not a skill you can magically have after one listen of a podcast episode. If you’d like to keep working on it long-term, join us in Create & Get Paid for accountability and skill building with LIFETIME membership.

Now on the private feed! What’s holding you back from pitching bigger clients?

If my substack adds something to your life, share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

Other ways to support: Like this post and leave a comment. Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly. Every month on substack I ask YOU a question and answer it myself. Join in!

Hello friends and happy July!

There’s a lot of halfway-through-the-year-evaluating-my-entire-worth-and-burning-things-to-the-ground energy going around on my social feeds, so welcome to a corner of the internet where I’m going to reassure you that YOU ARE COMPLETELY FINE AND IF YOU’RE FEELING LIKE THINGS AREN’T WORKING, YOU AREN’T THE PROBLEM.

Today I’m giving you a pep talk:

* How most of us build our creative work around what we see other people doing or what we think the market wants instead of what WE actually feel like doing

* Why it’s totally fine to ignore conventional business advice if your choices are working for YOU (and how to measure that)

* A bunch of practical examples from my friends, clients and myself where we did something with our business that everyone said not to and it worked out fine.

Which part of your work feels like “if I could just delete that I’d feel so much happier?” Please share in the comments! I’d love to help you fix it.

Notes:

* I mentioned my friend Christi’s work in the episode: here she is.

* Here’s the instagram post with the comment that inspired this whole recording.

* Book a free 30 minute session with me if we’ve never worked together before

* Or email me the word WAITLIST if you want to be alerted when ongoing 1:1 spots become available again.

Now on the private feed!

Things I’ve changed my mind about so far in 2026

If my substack adds something to your life, share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

Other ways to support: Like this post and leave a comment. Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly. Every month on substack I ask YOU a question and answer it myself. Join in!

This one is for all the people who say to me: “I can’t take money for that” or “I’ll start charging after XYZ happens” or “I don’t think I can raise my rates or nobody will hire me.”

You can and they will! But here’s a pep talk for you.

* For the hobbyists who are on the edge of a creative business but can’t make the leap: three realistic criteria that will tell you when you’re ready to start charging

* For the ones already charging for their work who are burned out and underpaid: a checklist for how to know when it’s time to raise your prices (or shift the way you work).

* Plus we go into a little side quest for the people who struggle with executive function and secretly think they can’t charge their clients for how long it REALLY takes because they feel ashamed that it takes “too long.”

Tell me please: What’s hard for you about this? What’s the reason holding you back from charging money or raising your prices?

Notes: Here’s the link to Create & Get Paid, my course and community for creatives who are ready to get paid (more).

And if you’re listening to this before 29 June 2026, don’t forget to comment or email me “SCHOLARSHIP” for the link to apply for a fully-funded (free!) place in Create & Get Paid!

Now on the private feed! Where are you overperforming? An invitation to stop over-doing so you’re freed up to REALLY perform your core business.

If my substack adds something to your life, share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

Other ways to support: Like this post and leave a comment. Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly. Every month on substack I share what’s been working for me in life and business and get you to try it too. Join in!

(Don’t forget there’s a transcript if you’d rather read than listen.)Hi friends!

April was a stellar month for me. I went camping, I went to the beach, I went to a cabaret show and a pop-up FRIENDS exhibition. (The sitcom, not a museum exhibit about my actual friends, although I feel that’s an amazing idea for a theme party.) I also revamped the whole back end of my business, wrote the bulk of a college course - my other career is in academia - and had more energy than I’ve had in years while only sleeping about six hours a night. Was it a hypomanic episode? No, but thanks for looking out for me. I’m 100% sure it’s because of these four specific things I’ve been experimenting with to lighten my mental load. I wouldn’t have BELIEVED the impact these things could have until I did it, so I will now evangelise about them to you.

* Two of them are boring things you’ve been told to do a million times BUT THEY WORK

* One of them is something I invented for my household and I hope it helps yours too

* And one of them is just good business.

Do you do any of these 4 things? Are you going to pick one to try? I’d love to hear in the comments. Notes:

* If you’re keen to try my group program for the cost of a gym membership, here’s the link to that.

* The instagram post I mentioned about using ACT to moderate phone use (pillar #2 is IT for me)

* Since I mentioned my lack of medication in the subheading and the recording, just offering my usual disclaimer that I’m not anti-medication and you should take it if recommended and it works for you. I personally love mine, just taking a break right now!

Now on the private feed! The mindset shift to make your day run lighter

If my substack adds something to your life, share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

Other ways to support: Like this post and leave a comment. Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly. Every month on substack I ask YOU a question and answer it myself. Join in!

Hey babies.

I know ‘goal setting’ is a toxic term for some of us and I wish there were another word for it, but that’s what it’s called and that’s what I’m talking about today.

* This one has something for the people who’ve been burned by setting goals and not achieving them

* Something for the people who don’t set goals because you’re not sure how or why

* Something for the people who are scared to name goals because you don’t know what’s a realistic goal or how to get there, and you feel like you’re setting yourself up for failure if you say what you really want.

Your goals don’t have to follow anybody else’s rules. You’ll need different goals depending on your relationship with goals to begin with.

* If you habitually complete all your goals 100%, I’m so sorry to tell you this but you need to set different goals!

* If you’re goal-shy because you’ve “failed” so many times, you need to start small and teach your brain it’s safe and doable to name things and achieve them!

* If you have no idea what your goals should be, you need to enter into goal-setting with a spirit of curiosity, knowing that the goal for you is learning the right kind of goal through experimentation.

The main thing I want you to take away from today is that the purpose of setting goals is not to achieve the goal 100%. They serve a much cooler, more useful purpose! Shifting your energy around this will generate so much forward movement in your business.

Listen to the episode to find out what it is.

I’d love you to share - what’s your relationship with goals? After you listen to the episode, what kind of goal do you need to set right now?

Now on the private feed:

If my substack adds something to your life, share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

Other ways to support: Like this post and leave a comment. Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly. Every month on substack I ask YOU a question and answer it myself. Join in!

I’ll never stop banging this drum: if you’re a creative in business, you need a weird little hobby that’s totally unrelated to your work.

When you’re self-employed, unproductive leisure time is usually a last priority.

What if you reframed it as being a core factor in your business success? (Because it is.)

I’ve written before about how emotional separation from your business is crucial if you’re going to make it. You must get your dopamine from somewhere outside your work, or you’re going to tank the business as soon you get bored or have a setback.

Having a weird little hobby gives you a sphere of control outside the business. It lets you practice being bad at something, learning, failing, upskilling and improving in a totally safe environment. (At least, in a way that’s not explicitly tied to you being able to afford housing and groceries.) It connects you to yourself and to a community of people who hopefully don’t know or care much about your business. And it might spark you to bring the creative play back into your work (my friend Christi Johnson is all about creative play as a business strategy, check her out!)

I talk more about my own weird little hobbies in the voice note (including the one that’s so important that I literally pay for it out of my business account), but if you want to skip the listening, you can still do the action points:

* If you already have a weird little hobby, tell us what it is in the comments - you might inspire somebody else, and it’s also really important for you to celebrate your hobby and affirm it to yourself!

* If you don’t have a weird little hobby, suspend resistance for a moment and ask yourself:What did I love doing as a kid?What did I always want to do but I wasn’t allowed?

* Write everything down in a list, pick one thing from the list, and take the smallest possible action towards it this month. (Ideas for tiny actions in the episode.)

Share with us please: What’s your weird little hobby? Or if you don’t already have one, what came up for you and what tiny step towards it are you going to take this month?

Now on the private feed: How I’m plugging my energy leaks in 2026, and what it’s cost me so far.

If my substack adds something to your life, please share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threadsBuy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes. <3

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe

If you’re new around here - I’m Kamina, a money mindset coach & business mentor for creative freelancers, side hustlers and small biz owners. My community is inclusive, neurospicy, anti-hustle, vulnerable and a little bit silly. Every month on substack I ask YOU a question and answer it myself. Join in!

Confession: I audited the energy leaks in my business and one of them is Substack.

So I’m playing with the format on here—and giving you a real-time example of how to do your business and online presence in a way that works for YOU, even if it’s “not best practice.” (It’ll be fine.)

Let’s chat about…

* How to audit the energy leaks in your business

* How to plug them and KEEP your money + clients (or even get more!)

* What I noticed when I audited my ‘leaks’

* How I’m shifting the vibe on Substack this year to better serve you and save my energy.

If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing, here are the energy audit questions.

* Write down the main tasks you spend time on in your business.

* Rate each task out of 10 in terms of income generation - how directly does this lead to money in my bank account?

* Rate each task out of 10 in terms of energy used - how long does it take, how much do I love (or hate) doing it, how drained or energised do I feel afterwards?

(Or to ask it another way…

* Where do I get most of my income, clients, leads?

* What do I spend a lot of time on that does not generate a lot of income?)

Other useful questions:

* Which tasks make me feel like I’m “good at business” or business is growing?

* Which tasks make me feel bad about myself?

* Which tasks do I do because I “should”? Or because somebody told me to / somebody else on the internet is doing it?

* Which tasks make me end the day feeling like I “didn’t do anything”?

And finally, for the tasks that drain you:

* Why do I do this? Is that a valid reason?

* Could I just not do it? What would I lose?

* How could I make it easier or more “me”?

I want to hear yours: did you do the energy audit? Where are your leaks? Share in the comments please ⬇️⬇️⬇️

If my substack adds something to your life, share it! Refer a friend and get 1, 3 or 12 months’ free subscription (to access subscriber-only content + insight into my behind-the-scenes that I don’t share anywhere publicly).

Other ways to support: Like this post and leave a comment. Buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription and get the subscriber-only podcast episodes.

facebook community | kaminajames.com | instagram | threads

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaminajames.substack.com/subscribe