What if the key to growing your business was actually less time online? That’s exactly what we’re diving into with today’s guest, Sarah Erickson, the intentional brand designer behind Sarah Ann Design. Sarah helps creatives build unforgettable brands without living on Instagram. 

We chat about the systems she uses to stay mostly offline while still booking dream clients, her Pinterest-first strategy that works 24/7, and the magic of personalized client experiences. If you’ve ever felt like visibility equals value, this episode is your loving but firm wake-up call.

3 Key Takeaways:

• The secret to an evergreen marketing strategy that doesn’t rely on social media
• How to build a systems-driven brand experience that speaks for itself
• The mindset shifts that help you resist the scroll and reclaim your time

Find It Quickly

• 00:14 - Meet Sarah Erickson: Intentional Brand Designer
• 01:25 - Collaborating on Templates: A Fun Project
• 03:18 - Assistive Reboot: Getting Out of a Bad Mood
• 05:51 - Running an Online Business While Staying Offline
• 10:38 - Effective Systems for Client Communication and Marketing
• 18:01 - Reclaiming Attention and Time from Social Media
• 21:28 - Promoting Sarah's Courses and Offerings
• 23:43 - System Shutdown: Romanticizing the Boring

Connect with Sarah

• sarahanndesign.co
• Pinning with Purpose
• Pinterest
• shop.sarahanndesign.co

When you think of templates, do you picture robotic emails that suck all the personality out of your client experience? In this episode, we're joined by Colie James, a Disney-loving client experience strategist and host of the Business First Creatives podcast.

Colie shares why templates get such a bad rap (hint: it’s not the template, it’s how people use them), how to infuse your brand personality into even the most automated workflow, and why voice of customer research is your secret weapon for sounding relatable instead of robotic.

From her favorite must-have templates to the genius way she makes her automated emails feel like a high-touch experience, Colie proves that systems don’t have to mean stiff communication. Templates can actually help you be more personal, consistent, and stress-free.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why templates often feel cold—and how to fix that
• How to capture your authentic voice (hint: start by talking out loud)
• The three templates every creative needs to have on hand

Find It Quickly

• 00:45 - System Reboot: Fun and Personal Questions
• 02:38 - The Power of Templates
• 04:15 - Infusing Personality into Templates
• 11:38 - Essential Templates for Creatives
• 15:50 - Encouragement and Final Thoughts
• 19:00 - Disney's Operational Excellence 

Mentioned in this Episode

• Dubsado
• HoneyBook 

Connect with Colie

• coliejames.com
• Email Like You Mean It
• Business-First Creatives
• instagram.com/coliejames

Waiting to adopt is its own kind of emotional limbo—equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking. And if you think you can Google your way through the process? Think again.

Adoption comes with more moving parts than most people realize. Even the most organized parents can quickly find themselves overwhelmed. That’s where Caitlin Phillips comes in—a licensed clinical social worker, adoption specialist since 2009, and co-founder of Hello Baby Adoption Consultants. Caitlin isn’t just a guide; she’s a lifeline for families navigating the uncertainty, paperwork, and emotional weight of domestic infant adoption. She was also the consultant who helped bring our daughter Ellie home.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why even the most Type A parents can feel petrified in the adoption process
• The difference between an adoption consultant and an agency—and why it matters
• Tools and systems to simplify every step, from home studies to profile books

Find It Quickly

• 00:14 Meet Our Special Guest: Kaitlyn Phillips
• 00:48 System Reboot: Parenting Confessions
• 02:30 Navigating the Adoption Process
• 09:22 Understanding the Home Study
• 18:02 The Emotional Journey of Adoption

Connect with Caitlin

• hellobabyadoptionconsultants.com
• instagram.com/hellobabyadoption

What do a falling skirt, a Love Island soundbite, and a sick emoji have in common? According to storytelling strategist Akua Konadu: everything. They're stories that make an impact.

In this episode, I sit down with Akua—host of the Unbreakable Business Podcast and a master of making micro-moments unforgettable. We talk about how the smallest, most awkward, or most seemingly mundane stories are often the ones that create the deepest connections in your brand. Akua shares why authenticity trumps aesthetics and gives tactical prompts to help you turn everyday moments into powerful content that moves your audience.

Today’s episode will show you that no story is too small to make an impact. 

3 Key Takeaways:

• The smallest stories often resonate the most 
• The questions that Akua asks when deciding to share a story
• How to relate any story back to your business

Review the Show Notes:

The system reboot (1:12)

Sharing something small that became significant (5:53)

How business owners can notice the moments worth sharing (8:30)

Connecting your story to your audience (10:42)

Shaping a story into content (12:30)

Turning stories into content on the spot (15:58)

Is your story too small to matter? (24:02)

The system shutdown (27:33)

Mentioned In This Episode:

Akua Konadu Website: akuakonadu.com

Akua Konadu Instagram: instagram.com/akuakonadu_

The Unbreakable Business Podcast: podcast.honeybook.com

Julie Instagram: instagram.com/dallasgirlfriday

What if your biggest flaw was actually your best feature? It’s a question Molly McCauley had to ask herself—not just once, but repeatedly—on her journey as a neurodivergent entrepreneur. 

Molly spent years navigating a system that never quite fit. Once she was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety as an adult, she realized it's time to flip the script. Now she's helping others do the same.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why being "too much" might be your competitive edge
• How to create flexible, neurodivergent-friendly business systems (or anti-systems)
• How to advocate for yourself and redefine productivity on your terms

Connect with Molly:

Wedding Website: mollymccauley.com

Wedding Instagram: instagram.com/mollymccauley_photo

Make Pretty Workshop Website: makeprettyworkshop.com

Make Pretty Workshop Instagram: instagram.com/makeprettyworkshop

Be the calm in everyone else's chaos. Then cry in your car—like a professional. Right? Just kidding. In this episode, I sit down with Julian Leaver, luxury wedding planner and etiquette expert, to talk about what it really takes to stay grounded in a high-pressure, high-image industry. With decades of experience and a client list that spans from Aspen to Paris, Julian is known for delivering elegance with empathy while setting firm boundaries in a world that resists them.

We go deep into sobriety, burnout, boundaries, and why the wedding industry could use a collective breath and a bit more grace. Also, you’ll hear about the wedding trend Julian wants to kill (amenity bags beware), why Murphy Brown would make a great assistant, and what it means to stop comparing and start competing with yourself.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why getting sober was the turning point in Julian’s professional (and personal) life
• How the luxury wedding industry normalizes self-neglect—and how to resist it
• The mindset shift that can help burned-out planners take their first breath again

Connect with Julian

• julianleaver.com
• instagram.com/julianleaver
• [email protected]

Ever opened your content calendar, sighed dramatically, and closed the tab? Same. For solopreneurs and small business owners, marketing often becomes the thing we push to the bottom of our to-do list. But what if there was a better way?

In this episode of The System for Everything, I sat down with Tayler Cusick Hollman, marketing consultant turned founder of Enji, to talk about the emotional and practical realities of DIY marketing. We dug into why we avoid it, how to fix it, and how to build a plan that doesn’t make you want to scream.

In this episode:

• Why we ghost our marketing—and how to stop
• The mantra every overwhelmed marketer needs to hear
• Why “consistent” doesn’t mean “constant” when it comes to content

Connect with Tayler:

• Enji
• instagram.com/enji_co
• instagram.com/taylrd_designs

Ever wish your team just got each other? What if the secret to a balanced, high-performing crew was hiding in plain sight—like in their temperament?

In this episode of the System for Everything podcast, I talk with Ashley Ebert, a powerhouse in the wedding industry and the founder of The Abundance Group. After scaling her own wedding planning company into a multi-market million-dollar business, she now helps entrepreneurs do the same—by leading with empathy, not ego.

Ashley introduced me to a centuries-old but surprisingly modern leadership tool: the team temperament model. And once she laid it out? It was like I could finally see why some hires worked out beautifully and others... didn’t.

Connect with Ashley:

theabundance.group

instagram.com/theabundancegroup

Hot tip for maintaining adult friendships: Move to different cities, never ask who texted last, and consider a blood pact. That’s more or less the system Lauren and I have followed for 17 years—and it’s worked. Today, we’re breaking down how.

In this episode of The System for Everything, I’m joined by one of my longest-standing friendships: Lauren Smart. She's a journalism professor, an arts writer, and someone who's had a front-row seat to my entire adult life. We became friends at 22, and somehow—through new jobs, new cities, a lot of karaoke, and one of us (me) developing a codependent relationship with Google Calendar—we’ve stayed maintained a friendship for nearly two decades.

We unpack what it really takes to maintain friendships through your 20s, 30s, and beyond, including:

• The secret to surviving "Boyfriend Island" seasons
• Why meme-sharing and sending that “Hi!” text really matter
• What makes a friendship worth the effort as you grow older

What if your business could keep running even when life hits pause? In this episode, I sit down with Dahlia Orth, a systems strategist and HoneyBook Pro, who shares how building intentional workflows helped her reclaim her time and design a business that supports her life... not the other way around.

We talk about building boundaries you won’t feel guilty about, systems that run while you rest, and how to prepare your business for growth before you desperately need it.

Key Takeaways:

• Why automations are only as good as the templates behind them
• How to make time for joy, grief, and travel without compromising your client experience
• The key mindset shift every entrepreneur needs to make when setting boundaries

Mentioned in this Episode:

• dahliaorth.com
• instagram.com/dahlia.orth
• System Scalability Quiz
• Wow Factor Workflow