The Self Made Life Podcast

You have about 10 seconds before someone decides whether they trust you online. Ashley breaks down the three brand signals buyers read before they ever read your copy (visual consistency, messaging that sounds like you, and authenticity over perfection) plus three things to do this week so people land on your page and feel like they already know you.

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Bianca DiPietro has spent her career building other people's brands — first as a professor at Humber College (where she and Ashley actually taught together), then leading creative at HelloFresh Canada and Chefs Plate, and now running the design team at Jane App, the practice management software a huge number of Ashley's own health and wellness clients use every day.

But when it came to building her own personal brand, Bianca couldn't do it alone — so she came to Monarch.

In this episode, Ashley and Bianca get into how Bianca builds design teams that move fast without losing brand personality, the "safe" branding advice she actively ignores (hint: it involves the big dramatic rebrand reveal), and why even the most experienced creative in the room is often too close to see their own brand clearly. Plus: roller derby, donuts, and running lessons that made her a better leader.

In this episode:

Connect with Bianca on Instagram @biancadipietro or on her website www.createwithbianca.com

One hundred episodes. (Technically 101, because we started at zero. Overachievers. lol)

This one's a little different. No framework, no five steps. Just me, looking back at how The Self Made Life Podcast started, everything that's shifted since, and where the show is headed next.

Here's what most people don't know: I wasn't the host of Episode Zero. It wasn't my podcast. It wasn't even my idea. It was Sydney's, and she pulled in our friend Megan and me at the end of 2018. We had no idea what we were doing. We just pressed record.

In this episode, I share:

Plus, Sydney and Megan drop in with voice notes to share what they're up to now.

If you're in the middle of your own pivot, or your brand feels like it's holding you back, I'd love to chat. Book a discovery call at themonarchdesign.co/contact.

Tell me which episodes stuck with you: DM @monarchdesignco on Instagram or email [email protected].

Here's to the next 100.

What if you're not grieving wrong? What if nobody ever told you the truth about grief?

This week I'm joined by Ashley Quenneville, a certified grief coach, end-of-life doula, and the founder of Tranquil Waters. Ashley spent eight years trying to have a baby while losing seven people she loved. Then she lost her grandmother, her best friend, in hospice. That peaceful goodbye changed everything about how she saw death, and it became the reason she does this work.

We talk about:

If you've ever laughed at the wrong moment or wondered who you even are anymore, this one's for you.

Connect with Ashley: Instagram @tranquilwaterstransition Join Navigating the Waves: her 8-week virtual grief support group (DM her on Instagram)

If you're struggling: In Canada, call or text 9-8-8 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline. For perinatal mental health support, Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773. If you're in immediate danger, call 911.

If your website looks fine but isn't converting, the problem probably started long before launch day.

Ashley Wyatt, founder of Monarch Design Co., breaks down the order of operations for building a brand that books: brand strategy and identity, then messaging and copy, then the website. She explains why skipping steps leads to expensive redos, why copy has to come before design, and how to phase the investment if doing it all at once isn't realistic.

In this episode:

🎧 Share this one with a friend who's about to build a website. It might save them from a very expensive mistake.

Book a discovery call: themonarchdesign.co/contact Instagram: @monarchdesignco

Mentioned in this episode:

If your website looks fine but isn't converting, the problem probably started long before launch day.

Ashley Wyatt, founder of Monarch Design Co., breaks down the order of operations for building a brand that books: brand strategy and identity, then messaging and copy, then the website. She explains why skipping steps leads to expensive redos, why copy has to come before design, and how to phase the investment if doing it all at once isn't realistic.

In this episode:

🎧 Share this one with a friend who's about to build a website. It might save them from a very expensive mistake.

Book a discovery call: themonarchdesign.co/contact Instagram: @monarchdesignco

Mentioned in this episode:

Elyse Berendson is back on the show, and she's in the middle of another pivot. We talk about starting over at 38, her new It Girl quiz, why women still feel uncomfortable talking about money, and how to build a business and brand that fits who you actually are instead of copying someone else's strategy.

Connect with Elyse: @elyseberendson | stan.store/elyseberendson

I recently sat down with my business coach Kelsey Kerslake on her show, The Aligned Business Podcast, and I'm resharing it here because it's honest in a way I don't always get to be.

We talk about rebuilding Monarch Design Co. after two babies, a job loss, and a fixer-upper renovation all hit at once and what it took to go from "98% not profitable" to booking out months in advance. I also open up about how I use an AI coach called Soul to work through the moments that don't fit neatly into a Tuesday coaching call: sick kid weeks, soccer field meltdowns, pricing conversations, the whole mess of running a business and a household at the same time.

The doors to The Art of Becoming, the program built around Sol, are open right now. Keep listening, I share exactly what it is and how to join partway through.

You don't need to detox. Your liver's already handling it.

This week I'm talking with Dr. Liz Dalglish, a naturopathic doctor and gut health specialist practicing in Barrie (Rooted and Blue Haven Wellness) about what's actually behind chronic bloating and constipation, why so much of the wellness advice online is garbage, and why letting go of "doing it perfectly" might be the most useful health advice you get all year. We also talk motherhood, running a practice with a five-month-old at home, and what self made really means when you can't do it all alone.

Follow Dr. Liz: @dr.liz.nd

Most people know a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. What most people don't know is that it has to completely dissolve first.

Ashley Wyatt, founder of Monarch Design Co., uses this metaphor to explain the "mush stage" — the messy middle where established service providers feel like they've outgrown their brand but haven't figured out what's next. She breaks down why that discomfort is a sign something is working, not a sign you're doing something wrong, and why the fix isn't a fast rebrand but finding the blueprint that was already there.

🦋 themonarchdesign.co/contact