The Real Women Real Business Podcast

What if the new work coming your way is profitable, exciting, and consistent - but you are not sure whether it is a smart pivot or a slow drift away from the business you meant to build?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon shares a powerful conversation that came out of a recent Real Women Real Business Mastery Program group coaching call. When one service-based business owner realized the work she originally built her business around had gone quiet, while a different kind of work was gaining traction, it sparked an important question: should she lean into the demand or pause first?

Shauna Lynn walks listeners through a three-part gut check to help business owners decide whether a new direction is aligned, strategic, and worth building around. She explains the difference between responding to the market and being led by the market, why money cannot be the only reason to pivot, and how to update a business vision without abandoning it.

Listeners will walk away with a clear decision-making filter for pivots, offers, market demand, and business growth.

Timestamps:
(01:50) - (04:14) - Why business owners need intentional gut checks before changing direction
(04:15) - (08:57) - The difference between responding to the market and being led by it
(08:58) - (13:35) - Gut check one: would you still choose this work if money did not matter?
(13:36) - (18:09) - Gut check two: does this new direction align with your business vision?
(18:10) - (25:15) - Gut check three: do you need to update your vision or treat this as a detour?
(25:16) - (30:35) - How to follow demand with intention and stay in control of your business growth

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

What if the story you are not saying out loud is the one quietly shaping how you lead, price, decide, and show up in your business?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Jennifer Griffith, author, speaker, and host of the About Your Mother podcast. Jennifer’s work explores the relationships and defining moments that shape who people become, and her debut memoir, Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment, offers a powerful lens on motherhood, resilience, abandonment, and rewriting the next chapter without erasing the backstory.

Together, Shauna Lynn and Jennifer explore why authenticity cannot be copied from someone else’s framework, how borrowed business advice can pull entrepreneurs away from their real strengths, and why the most meaningful stories often begin in the places people have been taught to hide.

Listeners will walk away with a stronger understanding of how to use their own story as a source of clarity, confidence, connection, and business direction.

Timestamps:
(01:50) - (05:12) - Why hidden scripts shape leadership, pricing, boundaries, and capacity
(05:13) - (11:21) - Authenticity, borrowed business advice, and the danger of copying someone else’s strategy
(11:22) - (17:22) - How to use case studies, frameworks, and your own why without losing yourself
(17:23) - (24:21) - Finding the deeper origin story behind your business, passion, or creative work
(24:22) - (31:43) - Negative narratives, reframing painful moments, and using hard stories as fuel
(31:44) - (40:23) - Owning your story, identity, family history, and what empowerment really means

 Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment by Jennifer Griffith: https://byjennifergriffith.com/the-book/
• 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
• Ep 115: Why the Loudest Business Advice Is Not Always the Smartest Move: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/loudest-advice

Connect with Jennifer Griffith:

Learn more about Jennifer: https://www.byjennifergriffith.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.griffith.904/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byjennifergriffith/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ByJenniferGriffith
Email: [email protected]

Jennifer Griffith is an author, speaker, and host of the About Your Mother podcast, where she explores the relationships, family histories, and defining moments that shape people’s lives. Her debut memoir, Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment, is a candid reflection on motherhood, resilience, family complexity, and the lasting impact of the stories people inherit and choose to rewrite. Through her writing, podcasting, and speaking, Jennifer invites others to look honestly at both the beauty and the mess of their stories, find connection through shared human experience, and become more empowered by the truth of where they have been and where they are choosing to go next.

What if connection is not just a nice-to-have in business, but one of the biggest drivers of trust, performance, and growth?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Shari Leid, author, speaker, connection expert, attorney, and founder of the Flip the Box movement. Shari shares how her personal story of being found as an orphaned baby in a cardboard box shaped her lifelong search for belonging, and how that same box became the foundation for a powerful leadership framework rooted in connection.

Through her Table for 51 project, Shari traveled to all 50 states and shared meals with women she did not know, uncovering what creates meaningful connection beyond surface-level networking. She explains how disconnection shows up in teams, client relationships, and leadership, and why trust often begins with helping people feel seen.

Listeners will walk away with practical ways to strengthen relationships, improve communication, and lead with more clarity, confidence, and care.

Timestamps:
(01:50) - (04:26) - Why connection is a driver of business performance, not just a buzzword
(04:27) - (08:09) - How disconnection shows up in leadership, teams, and client relationships
(08:10) - (13:49) - Why connection matters after the pandemic and how Flip the Box began
(13:50) - (19:25) - The Flip the Box framework and how it builds trust in leadership
(19:26) - (28:00) - Simple ways to help team members and clients feel seen
(28:01) - (38:20) - Prioritizing connection, Shari’s retreat, and flipping the story you tell yourself

Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Flip the Box Women’s Retreat - Use code RWRB to save $100 off registration: https://www.sharileid.com/retreat
• Table for 51 by Shari Leid: https://animperfectlyperfectlife.com/table-for-51
• The Effective Manager by Mark Horstman: https://amzn.to/4v4RPUz

Connect with Shari Leid:

Learn more about Shari: https://www.sharileid.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sharileidbiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/an_imperfectly_perfect_life/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shari-leid-51a53b10/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sharileid
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sharileid
X: https://x.com/AnImperfectly
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/animperfectlyperfectlife
Email: [email protected]

Shari Leid is an author, speaker, connection expert, attorney, and founder of the Flip the Box movement. A former litigator, Shari brings analytical thinking, lived experience, and a deep understanding of human connection to her work with leaders, entrepreneurs, and organizations. She is the author of Table for 51, a project that took her across all 50 states to share meals with women and explore how connection shapes leadership, belonging, and life. Through her Flip the Box framework, Shari helps professionals turn disconnection into a strategic advantage by strengthening trust, improving communication, and creating relationships that support performance, retention, growth, and meaningful reinvention.

What if watching your competitors is not giving you clarity - but quietly pulling you away from your own business vision?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon explores the fine line between healthy competitor awareness and toxic comparison. For many service-based entrepreneurs, especially in industries like home staging, interior design, consulting, and coaching, it can feel like everyone is watching everyone. But when competitor research turns into obsession, it can lead to reactive decisions, scattered offers, pricing doubts, and a business that no longer feels aligned.

Shauna Lynn breaks down how to learn from others without copying them, why online success is often just a highlight reel, and how to use your own vision, values, differentiators, and client experience as the filter for business decisions.

Listeners will walk away with a healthier way to view competitors, stronger questions to ask about their own business, and a reminder that standing out often comes from leaning further into what already makes them different.

Timestamps:
(01:49) - (06:20) - Why competitor watching is normal, but can quickly become unhealthy
(06:21) - (10:36) - The difference between market awareness and competitor obsession
(10:37) - (17:22) - Why online success is often a highlight reel, not the full business story
(17:23) - (24:15) - How comparison weakens your instincts and disconnects you from your vision
(24:16) - (28:43) - Using competitors to clarify your differentiators instead of copying their offers
(28:44) - (31:40) - Building from clarity, confidence, and your own version of success

Resources:

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

Thinking about selling your home staging business but unsure what actually happens after you find a buyer?

In the final episode of this special mini-series of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon walks through the complete sale process for a home staging business, from the first buyer inquiry to closing day and beyond. While many business owners focus on valuation and preparing their company for sale, understanding how a transaction actually unfolds can make the difference between a smooth transition and a stressful experience.

Listeners will learn how information is shared throughout the sale process, what buyers expect at each stage, and why confidentiality, preparation, and timing matter more than most owners realize. Shauna Lynn breaks down key milestones, including teasers, NDAs, prospectuses, buyer conversations, letters of intent, due diligence, closing, and transition support, helping staging business owners understand what lies ahead and how to prepare with confidence.

Whether a sale is years away or already on the horizon, this episode provides valuable insight into protecting the business, preserving relationships, and creating more options for the future. Tune in to gain a clearer understanding of the journey from listing to closing and what it takes to successfully transfer the business you've worked so hard to build.

Timestamps:
(00:08) - (04:46) - Why the business sale process needs a clear deal flow
(04:47) - (09:03) - How teasers, listings, and buyer qualifications protect confidentiality
(09:04) - (13:43) - When to use NDAs and what belongs in your prospectus
(13:44) - (20:42) - How buyer conversations and LOIs move the deal forward
(20:43) - (29:52) - What happens during due diligence, closing, and transition support
(29:53) - (38:52) - How professionals, bootcamp support, and sale preparation fit together

Resources:

• Get your "Is Your Home Staging Business Sellable?" eBook free when you use promo code SELL100: https://slsacademy.com/sellready
• Learn more about the Sell Your Staging Business Bootcamp (and claim your spot): https://slsacademy.com/sellyourbiz

Is your home staging business built on solid systems or just what's stored in your head?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast mini-series, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon explains why one of the biggest drivers of business value has nothing to do with revenue or inventory. It comes down to transferability. Buyers want confidence that a business can continue without relying on the current owner's memory, instincts, or constant involvement.

From pricing and proposals to client communication, warehouse organization, and team responsibilities, Shauna Lynn breaks down the systems that create a more valuable and sellable home staging business. She also shares a simple exercise to identify where your business is too dependent on you and practical ways to start documenting the processes that matter most without creating an overwhelming operations manual.

Whether selling is years away or simply a future possibility, this episode will help home stagers build a business that runs more smoothly today while becoming a stronger asset for tomorrow. If this episode resonates, share it with another home stager who is building for long-term success.

Timestamps:
(00:08) - (04:49) - Why transferability matters more than having everything run without you
(04:50) - (09:18) - The difference between an owner-operated business and an owner-dependent business
(09:19) - (13:49) - Why systems are more than software and how they support buyer confidence
(13:50) - (18:36) - Which systems matter most when preparing your staging business for sale
(18:37) - (22:36) - How your team, contractors, and 30-day test reveal what still lives in your head
(22:37) - (25:27) - Systems resources, bootcamp support, and what to expect in the final episode

Resources:

• Get your "Is Your Home Staging Business Sellable?" eBook free when you use promo code SELL100: https://slsacademy.com/sellready
• Learn more about the Sell Your Staging Business Bootcamp (and claim your spot): https://slsacademy.com/sellyourbiz
• Get help organizing your systems with the Systems Unlocked Business Training: https://slsacademy.com/systemsunlocked

What if being rich has less to do with the number in your bank account and more to do with how your life actually feels?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Kalee Boisvert, a financial advisor, author, speaker, and founder of Kalee Boisvert Wealth Advisory. With more than 15 years in finance and an MBA in finance, Kalee brings a refreshing perspective to money, wealth, self-worth, and the pressure many women feel to always be further ahead.

Kalee shares why money is rarely just about money, how childhood experiences and comparison shape financial confidence, and why so many successful women still feel like they are behind. She also challenges the “just enough” mindset and encourages women to stop judging wealth, stop shrinking their goals, and redefine rich in a way that supports freedom, joy, and personal values.

Listeners will walk away with a new way to think about money as a tool, not a measure of worth.

Timestamps:
(01:49) - (06:43) - Why money is rarely just about money and what “enough” really means
(06:44) - (15:35) - Feeling behind, letting go of comparison, and redefining financial success
(15:36) - (23:39) - Why women are taught conflicting messages about spending, saving, and wealth
(23:40) - (30:27) - Judgment, self-worth, people pleasing, and opening up to more money
(30:28) - (37:15) - Why women may be better with money than they think
(37:16) - (43:25) - How to redefine rich and start building a life that feels wealthy now

Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Ep 95: Why Positive Thinking Isn’t Enough and What Actually Creates Breakthroughs with Rusty Osborne: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/create-breakthroughs
• Ep 27: Thriving in Business: Shell Brodnax's Secrets: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/thriving-in-business

Connect with Kalee Boisvert:

Learn more about Kalee: https://kaleeboisvert.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaleeboisvert/
Email: [email protected]

Kalee Boisvert is a financial advisor, author, speaker, and founder of Kalee Boisvert Wealth Advisory. With more than 15 years of experience in finance and an MBA in finance, Kalee helps women build wealth in a way that feels aligned with who they are and what they actually want from life. As a single mom and author of books on money, personal growth, and children’s financial literacy, she brings both practical expertise and personal insight to conversations about wealth, identity, self-worth, and abundance. Through her work, Kalee encourages women to move beyond shame, comparison, and the belief that they should settle for “just enough,” and instead create a relationship with money that supports freedom, confidence, joy, and meaningful success.

Do you think your warehouse full of inventory is the most valuable part of your home staging business?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast mini-series, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon tackles one of the biggest misconceptions in the staging industry: the belief that inventory determines business value. While furniture, artwork, accessories, and decor are essential tools of the trade, buyers are not focused on what you spent. They are focused on what those assets produce.

Shauna Lynn breaks down the difference between selling inventory and selling a business, explains why buyers evaluate earning power over furniture costs, and shares how productive inventory can support value while unproductive inventory can create drag. She also reveals why some home staging businesses sell for far more than the value of their warehouse contents and highlights the often-overlooked intangible assets that make a business truly attractive to buyers.

Whether you plan to sell in the next year or simply want to build a stronger, more profitable company today, this episode will help you start viewing your business through a buyer's lens and make smarter decisions about growth, profitability, and long-term value.

Timestamps:
(00:09) - (04:27) - Why your inventory is not the same thing as your business value
(04:28) - (08:50) - How buyers evaluate staging inventory based on revenue potential
(08:51) - (13:28) - Why selling inventory alone is different from selling an operating business
(13:29) - (17:37) - How inventory is handled in a business sale and what supports value
(17:38) - (21:45) - The invisible assets that make your inventory more profitable
(21:46) - (24:57) - How to build a more sellable business with stronger systems and assets

 Resources:

• Get your "Is Your Home Staging Business Sellable?" ebook free when you use promo code SELL100: https://slsacademy.com/sellready
• Learn more about the Sell Your Staging Business Bootcamp (and claim your spot): https://slsacademy.com/sellyourbiz

Do you know what your numbers are really saying about your home staging business?

Many home stagers focus on revenue when measuring success, but buyers look at something very different when evaluating a business. In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast mini-series, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon breaks down the financial story behind business value and explains why revenue alone does not determine what your company is worth.

Listeners will learn how buyers interpret financial statements, what profitability really means, and why understanding metrics like gross profit, net income, and Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) can dramatically impact a future sale. Even if numbers aren't your strength, this episode will help you understand the financial story buyers see when evaluating your business without getting lost in accounting jargon or complicated formulas.

Whether selling is years away or simply a future possibility, this conversation will help home stagers look at their numbers through a completely different lens. You'll also learn why preparing your financials 2-3 years before a sale can significantly impact both buyer confidence and business value. The insights shared in this episode can lead to stronger decision-making, healthier profits, and a more valuable business long before an exit is ever on the horizon.

If you're serious about building a staging business that creates both income and long-term value, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Timestamps:
(00:08) - (04:48) - Why revenue is not the same thing as business value
(04:49) - (09:31) - How buyers read your financials as a story of risk and profit
(09:32) - (14:12) - Why clean books and service profitability matter before selling
(14:13) - (20:18) - The difference between gross profit, net income, and real earning power
(20:19) - (27:08) - How buyers value a staging business using SDE instead of revenue or inventory
(27:09) - (40:00) - Add backs, valuation multiples, and how to increase buyer confidence

Resources:

• Get your "Is Your Home Staging Business Sellable?" ebook free when you use promo code SELL100: https://slsacademy.com/sellready
• Learn more about the Sell Your Staging Business Bootcamp (and claim your spot): https://slsacademy.com/sellyourbiz

What if your business is working on paper, but your body is telling a very different story?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Christina Kantzavelos, a California licensed psychotherapist, writer, chronic illness advocate, and founder of Begin Within Today and WithinMe. After severe Lyme disease and complex chronic illness forced Christina to rebuild her life, identity, and career, she developed a powerful perspective on ambition, burnout, boundaries, and sustainable success.

Christina explains how survival mode shows up in high-achieving women, including overfunctioning, people pleasing, perfectionism, freezing, and fawning. She also shares why boundaries can feel impossible to hold when the nervous system does not feel safe, and what it really takes to create a business that supports your health instead of depleting it.

Listeners will walk away with practical nervous system tools, a more compassionate lens for burnout recovery, and permission to redefine success in a way that protects their capacity, relationships, and wellbeing.

Timestamps:
(01:50) - (06:45) - Why survival mode impacts your body, business, and sense of safety
(06:46) - (12:35) - Fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and the hidden signs of chronic stress
(12:36) - (19:00) - Why boundaries fail when your nervous system is dysregulated
(19:01) - (26:30) - Nervous system regulation tools for a normal entrepreneurial day
(26:31) - (32:25) - Stress management, journaling, voice notes, and celebrating small wins
(32:26) - (47:17) - Chronic illness, identity loss, rest, support, and rebuilding with intention

Resources:

• Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
• Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
• Get 15% off any journal from Begin Within Today (Use code RWRB): https://www.beginwithintoday.com/journal
• The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy: https://amzn.to/4e6efj7

Connect with Christina Kantzavelos:

• Learn more about Christina: https://www.beginwithintoday.com/
• Begin Within Today Journal: https://www.beginwithintoday.com/journal
• WithinMe: https://www.withinmeapp.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beginwithintoday
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beginwithintoday/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Beginwithintoday
• Email: [email protected]

Christina P. Kantzavelos, LCSW, is a California licensed psychotherapist, writer, chronic illness advocate, and the founder of Begin Within Today and WithinMe. After developing severe Lyme disease and complex chronic illness while doing humanitarian work overseas, Christina had to rebuild her life, identity, and career from the ground up. Her work now supports people navigating chronic illness, trauma, burnout, identity loss, and nervous system dysregulation through trauma-informed and somatic approaches. Living nomadically between Portugal and Greece, Christina brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurship, resilience, boundaries, and creating meaningful success without sacrificing wellbeing.