The Real Women Real Business Podcast

What if the offer you are about to create is not really a strategy - but a reaction to fear?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon shares a powerful coaching conversation with a client who was considering creating a lower-priced version of her service after facing sticker shock from a prospective client. On the surface, the idea sounded generous and accessible, but after a deeper look, the decision was rooted almost entirely in fear.

Shauna Lynn breaks down how fear shows up when expenses rise, prices increase, teams grow, and business owners start second-guessing what has already been working. She shares five practical gut checks to help listeners evaluate whether a decision is rooted in vision or panic, including why “no” is data, why discounting rarely leads to stronger sales, and why not every client is meant to grow with you.

Listeners will walk away with a clearer way to protect their value, trust their offers, and make decisions from strategy instead of fear.


Timestamps:
(01:50) - (06:32) - The coaching conversation that revealed a fear-based business decision
(06:33) - (11:09) - Why growth feels different from starting and how systems change decision-making
(11:10) - (15:54) - Why “no” is useful data and how to stop negotiating against yourself
(15:55) - (20:33) - Tiered offers, discounting, and why lower-priced options must be intentional
(20:34) - (25:19) - How to tell whether fear or vision is driving your next decision
(25:20) - (30:01) - Bigger growth, strategic scaling, and making room for better-fit clients


Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Ep 100: Why People Pleasing Is Burning You Out and How to Set Boundaries Without Guilt: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/people-pleasing
• 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy: https://link.amazon/B0dWuyP5s
• The Science of Scaling by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy: https://link.amazon/B0cdhpflh

What if the thing holding your business back is not your team, your market, or your strategy - but the fact that too much still depends on you?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Melissa Franks, founder of On Call COO and a seasoned fractional COO who has worked inside more than 50 businesses. After leading billion-dollar transformations, M&A initiatives, and operational turnarounds in the Fortune 500 world, Melissa now helps small business owners build companies that can grow without relying on their constant personal effort.

Melissa explains why founders often become the bottleneck, how control can quietly limit growth, and why the strongest leaders are willing to stop being the smartest person in every room. She also breaks down what a fractional COO actually does, why saying yes to everything creates operational chaos, and which metrics business owners should start tracking now.

Listeners will walk away with practical insight on structure, profitability, leads, hiring, and building a business that can finally support the life they are working toward.


Timestamps:
(01:50) - (08:29) - Melissa’s path from Fortune 500 transformations to fractional COO work
(08:30) - (15:26) - Why founders become bottlenecks and how to stop doing every job yourself
(15:27) - (23:34) - What a fractional COO does and why trust is required to step back
(23:35) - (29:24) - What breaks first as a company grows and why saying no creates scale
(29:25) - (34:00) - How to choose the right operational support before hiring a fractional COO
(34:01) - (43:10) - The metrics to track, the vision to clarify, and how data drives better decisions


Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• The 5 Metrics Every Business Should Track: https://oncallcoo.myflodesk.com/5metrics

• Ep 100: Why People Pleasing Is Burning You Out and How to Set Boundaries Without Guilt: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/people-pleasing

• FREE Boundaries Bundle: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/yes

Connect with Melissa Franks:
Learn more about Melissa: https://www.melissafranks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086491652065
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_franks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oncallcoo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissafranks/
Email: [email protected]

Melissa Franks is the founder of On Call COO, a fractional COO firm that helps business owners strengthen operations, increase profitability, and build companies that can scale without depending on the founder’s constant effort. A former Fortune 500 executive, Melissa has led billion-dollar IT transformations, M&A initiatives, revenue growth strategies, and complex operational turnarounds. She has been named an OnCon Icon Top 100 COO for three consecutive years and brings a people-first approach to every business she supports. Through On Call COO, Melissa helps founders identify what is getting in the way, create scalable structure, make data-driven decisions, and move through growth plateaus with more clarity and confidence. She is also passionate about women in leadership, domestic violence awareness, family court reform, running, traveling, and cheering on her three sons.

What if the most powerful business growth does not come from pitching harder, but from creating spaces where people feel genuinely seen?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Brad Walsh, founder of Empowerography, international speaker, podcast host, producer, photographer, author, and Soul Visibility Guide. What began as a journey through photography and boudoir work became something much larger when Brad saw the transformation that happened when women felt witnessed, confident, and fully themselves.

Brad shares how Empowerography grew into a platform with more than 800 conversations with women around the world, and how those stories shaped his understanding of service, connection, visibility, and community. He also opens up about building the Empowerment Network, a sales-free space where women entrepreneurs can support one another, work through challenges, and feel less alone in business.

Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of why authentic connection matters, how community can shift perspective, and why supporting others never has to mean sacrificing yourself.

Timestamps:
(01:50) - (08:50) - Brad’s journey from photography to boudoir work and the beginning of Empowerography
(08:51) - (15:43) - Why service, women’s voices, and Brad’s family story shaped his mission
(15:44) - (24:57) - What 800 conversations revealed about women, systems, burnout, and invisible labor
(24:58) - (31:54) - Why women often settle for crumbs and how self-sacrifice shows up in business
(31:55) - (38:23) - Building the Empowerment Network and creating sales-free connection
(38:24) - (48:09) - Visibility, community support, shared experience, and why anything is possible


Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Join the Empowerment Network by Empowerography: https://empowerographypodcast.com/empowerment-network-page

Connect with Brad Walsh:
Learn more about Brad: https://www.empowerographypodcast.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brad.walsh.56/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerographypodcast/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Empowerography
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwalsh70/
Email: [email protected]

Brad Walsh is the founder of Empowerography, a podcast host, producer, photographer, international speaker, Soul Visibility Guide, and #1 international best-selling author. Through Empowerography, a globally rated podcast built to amplify women’s voices, Brad has held more than 800 conversations with women leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and change-makers around the world. His work began in photography and expanded through boudoir, where he witnessed the powerful transformation that happens when women feel seen, confident, and connected to themselves. Today, Brad continues that mission through conversations, community, visibility work, and the Empowerment Network, creating spaces where women can share their stories, support one another, and step more fully into their power.

What if the growth you are chasing is not hiding in a new marketing strategy, but already sitting inside your business?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon challenges the common belief that more revenue always requires more marketing. For many “Accidental CEOs,” the instinct is to add more content, platforms, ads, visibility, and outreach when revenue feels unpredictable. But more is not always the answer, especially when the foundation underneath the business is already overloaded.

Shauna Lynn shares a client example of a 15-year-old business generating strong monthly revenue with very little marketing spend, revealing that the real opportunity was not in adding new tactics, but in clarifying what was already working. She breaks down how referrals, loyal clients, repeat relationships, client experience, and backend processes can quietly hold the key to growth.

Listeners will walk away with three powerful questions to evaluate where revenue is really coming from, whether existing relationships are being fully used, and whether the client experience is strong enough to support organic growth.

Timestamps:
(01:50) - (04:08) - Why more marketing is not always the answer for revenue growth
(04:09) - (08:51) - The client example that revealed a clarity problem, not a marketing problem
(08:52) - (11:10) - How to lean into referrals, existing relationships, and what is already working
(11:11) - (15:40) - Three questions to identify where your revenue is really coming from
(15:41) - (20:22) - Why client experience, referrals, and existing relationships can drive better growth
(20:23) - (26:10) - The Accidental CEO trap and why clarity is faster than hustle

Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast

What if the reason writing feels so hard has nothing to do with discipline - and everything to do with the system you are using?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Susanne Schotanus, founder of Passionate Writer Coaching and the world’s first ADHD writing coach for adults. After coaching hundreds of ADHD writers, Susanne has made it her mission to change the narrative from “you are broken” to “you need strategies that work for your brain.”

Susanne explains how executive function challenges affect everything from emails and proposals to books, articles, and business content. She breaks down why a “simple email” may actually be a multi-step project, how overloaded brains freeze when too many mental programs are running, and why shame is often the biggest barrier to getting words on the page.

Listeners will walk away with practical tools, including the APT and TOAST systems, to simplify writing, reduce overwhelm, and create more supportive ways to finish what matters.


Timestamps:
(01:49) - (07:38) - How Susanne became an ADHD writing coach by following both data and passion
(07:39) - (12:53) - Why ADHD affects the writing process and how executive function challenges show up
(12:54) - (18:48) - Why simple emails can become hidden projects and how shame keeps writers stuck
(18:49) - (23:34) - The APT and TOAST systems for breaking down tasks, projects, and areas
(23:35) - (30:39) - Second brain systems, templates, SOPs, and reducing what your brain has to hold
(30:40) - (39:07) - Sticky notes, Notion, Apple Notes, self-trust, and why the system may be the problem


Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Free Workbook from Susanne Schotanus: http://passionatewritercoaching.com/rwrb

Connect with Susanne Schotanus:

Learn more about Susanne: https://passionatewritercoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PassionateWriterCoaching
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passionatewritercoaching/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@passionatewritercoaching
Email: [email protected]

Susanne Schotanus is the founder of Passionate Writer Coaching and the world’s first ADHD writing coach for adults. With a BA and MA from the University of Amsterdam, academic and publishing experience, and more than five years coaching hundreds of ADHD writers, Susanne helps people get their ideas onto the page without battling their brains in the process. Her clients include novelists, academics, memoirists, business owners, and anyone with a story or message to share. Through practical tools built around executive function, sustainable writing practices, and self-compassion, Susanne helps writers move away from shame, overwhelm, and the belief that they are not cut out for the work, so they can finish meaningful projects in a way that actually works for their brain.

What if the leadership skills that built a winning team could also build a more profitable, sustainable business?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Lauren Miles, Owner of Modern by Miles, a full-service interior design firm based in Alabama. After 10 years as a competitive swimming coach, including serving as Associate Head Coach of Women’s Swimming at Auburn University, Lauren found a new creative path after building her family’s forever home in 2020.

Lauren shares how coaching shaped the way she makes decisions, leads her team, builds trust with clients, and creates a strong business culture. She opens up about growing from solo designer to a small but mighty team, why thoughtful leadership matters more than simply paying people well, and how one pivotal pricing moment led her to declare, “this price no longer exists.”

Listeners will walk away with practical insight on hiring, team culture, confident pricing, and building a business where people, profit, and purpose can grow together.

Timestamps:

(01:50) - (09:58) - Lauren’s journey from competitive swimming coach to interior design business owner
(09:59) - (16:39) - Fast growth, quick decisions, trust-building, and bringing coaching skills into design
(16:40) - (24:14) - Growing from solo designer to a team and hiring before everything feels ready
(24:15) - (33:10) - Building team culture, thoughtful recognition, compensation, and helping employees feel seen
(33:11) - (44:29) - Pricing with confidence, letting old fees expire, and protecting team profitability
(44:30) - (50:38) - Mindset and Momentum, money awareness, boundaries, and leadership lessons for business owners

Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Mindset and Momentum: https://www.modernbymiles.com/mindset-momentum-2026
• Ep 124: The 3 Gut Check Questions to Ask Before Changing Your Business Direction: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/gut-check

Connect with Lauren Miles:

Learn more about Modern by Miles: https://www.modernbymiles.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernbymiles
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernbymiles/
Email: [email protected]

Lauren Miles is the Owner of Modern by Miles, a full-service interior design firm based in Alabama specializing in new construction, major renovations, and curated furniture projects. Before launching her design business in 2022, Lauren spent 10 years as a competitive swimming coach and finished her coaching career as the Associate Head Coach of Women’s Swimming at Auburn University. After building her family’s forever home in 2020, Lauren found a new creative passion in the design process and began building a business that blends strategy, trust, teamwork, and strong decision-making. Today, she leads a growing team with the same intentionality and culture-first mindset she brought to coaching, helping clients create thoughtful homes while building a business rooted in people, profitability, and long-term growth.

What if the biggest cost in your business is not showing up on your profit and loss statement?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon breaks down what she calls the Accidental CEO Tax - the hidden cost women pay when they build a business from passion without a clear plan. For many “Accidental CEOs,” the business starts with excitement, talent, and momentum, but over time it begins to grow in response to demand instead of intention.

Shauna Lynn explores how this tax shows up through lost time, scattered energy, unclear processes, underpriced work, reactive decisions, and the gradual fading of the passion that started it all. She also shares a personal story from the early years of her home staging business, when stepping back, rebranding, and rebuilding her foundation helped her grow to five times the previous year’s sales.

Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of where their business may be costing them and how to start closing the gap.

Timestamps:

(01:50) - (06:03) - What the Accidental CEO Tax is and why passion without a plan creates hidden costs
(06:04) - (13:08) - How unclear processes, repeat decisions, and poor delegation drain your time
(13:09) - (17:57) - The money layer of the tax and why revenue does not always mean profitability
(17:58) - (22:48) - How the wrong tasks drain energy and bury the passion that started the business
(22:49) - (31:59) - Shauna Lynn’s early business wake-up call and how clarity changed everything
(32:00) - (40:15) - How to identify the gap, use the Power Play Profit Filter, and claim the mastery program bonus

Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Ep 76: The Simple Filter to Clear Your To-Do List Fast and Refocus Your Energy: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/stop-busywork

What if you are not starting over at all - you are finally starting from experience?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Rohanna Doylida, founder of The TrueVoice Brand Mentorship and creator of the Wisdom Bridge Method. Rohanna works with second-career women, especially highly driven women building something new in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, who want their message, positioning, and brand presence to reflect the depth of what they already know.

Rohanna shares how her own path from Chicago stages to running a gluten and dairy-free bakery to teaching in classrooms shaped the work she does today. She explains why women often feel like beginners again when they reinvent themselves, how “starting over” can erase credibility, and why your real-life experience may be the very thing that makes your brand powerful.

Listeners will walk away with a new way to see their past, speak about their value, and build a brand rooted in confidence, clarity, and lived wisdom.

TImestamps:
(01:50) - (04:28) - The difference between starting over and starting from experience
(04:29) - (09:44) - Rohanna’s path through acting, baking, teaching, reinvention, and brand strategy
(09:45) - (13:52) - How the Wisdom Bridge Method turns past experience into credibility
(13:53) - (21:18) - Imposter syndrome, embodied confidence, and why scripts do not create authority
(21:19) - (30:04) - How to explain what you do with confidence and language that feels real
(30:05) - (42:00) - Consistent brand messaging, social media, touch points, and owning your story

Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• 12 Rules For Setting Up a Professional-Looking Personal Brand: https://thewholementorship.com/design-with-confidence

Connect with Rohanna Doylida:

Learn more about Rohanna: https://thewholementorship.com/experience_translation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RohannaDoylida/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rohanna_doylida/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohanna-doylida/
Email: [email protected]

Rohanna Doylida is a brand strategist for second-career women, founder of The TrueVoice Brand Mentorship, and creator of the Wisdom Bridge Method. With a background that includes performing on Chicago stages, running a gluten and dairy-free bakery, and teaching in classrooms, Rohanna brings a rich understanding of storytelling, reinvention, human connection, and practical communication to her work. She helps highly driven women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s connect the dots between their past experience and the business they are building now, so they can move through imposter syndrome, clarify their message, and create a brand that feels credible, confident, and true to who they are. Her work is rooted in the belief that a woman’s past is not something to downplay, but a powerful part of her positioning.

What if the success you worked so hard to build still does not feel like the life you actually want?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Steph Ramirez, strategic marketing consultant, certified identity coach, speaker, and Founder and CEO of Steph Ramirez Consulting & Coaching. After more than 15 years in corporate leadership and marketing, Steph left the traditional path to build a more aligned version of success, and now helps ambitious women strengthen their visibility from the inside out.

Steph shares why high-achieving women often carry perfectionism, people pleasing, overworking, and self-sacrifice from corporate into entrepreneurship, and how those patterns can quietly shape pricing, marketing, client choices, and personal branding. She also explains why visibility is often less of a marketing problem and more of an identity and self-trust challenge.

Listeners will walk away with a clearer way to define success, share their story, and build a business that supports their life instead of consuming it.


Timestamps:

(01:50) - (07:05) - Steph’s shift from corporate marketing to identity coaching and authentic visibility
(07:06) - (13:55) - Why high-achieving women can look successful but still feel disconnected
(13:56) - (19:57) - Listening to the right voices, building a vision, and prioritizing what matters
(19:58) - (27:55) - Perfectionism, people pleasing, overworking, and redefining success from the inside
(27:56) - (36:34) - Why your story matters and how vulnerability strengthens visibility
(36:35) - (42:45) - Aligned success, hobbies, family, health, quiet time, and avoiding a life of what ifs


Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Book a 1:1 session with Steph Ramirez: https://stephramirez.com

Connect with Steph Ramirez:

Learn more about Steph: https://stephramirez.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephanieramirez
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephramirezco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramirezstephanie/
Email: [email protected]

Steph Ramirez is a strategic marketing consultant, certified identity coach, speaker, voice actor, and Founder and CEO of Steph Ramirez Consulting & Coaching. After more than 15 years in corporate leadership and marketing, Steph left the traditional career path to create a more aligned definition of success and build a business rooted in visibility, confidence, self-trust, and personal reinvention. Today, she helps entrepreneurs, executives, and thought leaders strengthen their personal brands and create opportunities through authentic visibility from the inside out. As a first-generation Latina, competitive dancer, performer, and lifelong learner, Steph is passionate about helping ambitious women stop chasing someone else’s version of success and start building a life and business that feel like their own.

What if the thing you love doing in your business is also the thing keeping you from building what you actually want?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon shares a behind-the-scenes look at a strategic decision she is making in real time: scaling back one-on-one coaching to create more space for the Real Women Real Business Mastery Program. While one-on-one coaching is something Shauna Lynn deeply loves and excels at, she explains why loving the work does not always mean it is the right model for the next stage of business growth.

Shauna Lynn walks listeners through the patterns she has seen with “Accidental CEOs” who start with passion, take on everything, and eventually find themselves running a business that no longer reflects their goals, strengths, or values. She also revisits the Power Play Profit Filter from Episode 76 and explains why decision-making tools only work when the deeper business foundation is clear.

Listeners will walk away with permission to make hard strategic decisions, even when they feel uncomfortable.

Timestamps:

(01:50) - (04:10) - Why Shauna Lynn is scaling back one-on-one coaching and why the decision feels hard
(04:11) - (08:51) - The common pattern of “Accidental CEOs” building from passion without a clear plan
(08:52) - (13:30) - The Power Play Profit Filter and how it helps prioritize the right business decisions
(13:31) - (20:12) - Why the Real Women Real Business Mastery Program was built differently
(20:13) - (25:01) - The discomfort of shifting business models while practicing what you preach
(25:02) - (32:16) - How to make strategic changes that support your vision, values, and real life

 Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Learn more about the Real Women Real Business Mastery Program: https://realwomenrealbusiness.com
• Ep 76: The Simple Filter to Clear Your To-Do List Fast and Refocus Your Energy: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/stop-busywork