Host Nicole Butts talks with former USAID colleague Erikka Cullum about leaving the U.S. for Albania after USAID’s shutdown created career uncertainty. Erikka shares navigating ambiguity and income uncertainty through fractional project work and leaning on curiosity, faith, and self-trust. She also explains why she self-published a relocation guide built from her TikTok, research, and planning tools, emphasizing that moving abroad isn’t permanent and doesn’t require others’ validation.

Link to Erikka's Book, "The Soft Exit: From Overwhelmed to Overseas - A Practical Guide to Starting Over Abroad" which can be found on Amazon: https://a.co/d/06v0GJqm

MADabolic Gym: Ready to join an amazing community and try something new? Anytime in the month of April, visit https://form.typeform.com/to/LvRUZhLG show an active gym membership at a local gym and get 4 free weeks of unlimited classes! Tell them you heard about it on the This May be a Bad Idea Podcast! New clients only.

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out on Instagram to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman 

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

Editing By: Design by Vito

In this final bonus episode of the interviews recorded live at the Made By Her event, host Nicole sits down with Reina, a Filipino-American artist, creator, and community builder. Reina is the founder of Ateh Kuya Creatives, a collective she built to bring together Filipino creatives across the DMV area.

Reina opens up about growing up as a shy child who followed her creative dreams, and what it means to stop second-guessing yourself and just go for it. Her story is a testament to the power of showing up, for yourself, your community, and the people who are waiting for someone to build the space they've needed all along.

• Instagram: @atehkuya.creatives
• Website: www.atehkuyacreatives.org

If these stories of bravery resonate with you, here's how you can support the show:

• Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts
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Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman 

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

In this live bonus episode recorded at the Made By Her event, host Nicole Butts sits down with Victoria, the founder of Twelve Twenty Coffee a mobile coffee shop serving the DMV area. Victoria shares her 15+ year journey from barista to coffee shop owner, including the painful lessons of her brick-and-mortar location, and how she found her true calling as a mobile coffee experience. She opens up about living with Type 1 diabetes and chronic illness complications, the physical toll each event takes on her body, and why giving up has simply never felt like an option. Her story is one of relentless grit, community-building, and defining success on your own terms even when that means trading a storefront for a trailer.

• Instagram: @twelve_twenty_coffee
• Website: www.twelvetwentycoffee.com

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman 

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

In this live bonus episode, recorded at the Made By Her event, Nicole sits down with Natalie, founder of Paper Crane + Lotus, a handmade semi-fine jewelry business that started not with a business plan, but with a leukemia diagnosis, art therapy, and a mom who bought her daughter her first set of tools.

Natalie opens up about the anxiety of pricing her work, the fear that nobody will buy something she made with her own hands, and the moments, a mom and daughter buying matching necklaces, two best friends choosing rings, that remind her exactly why she keeps going. She also shares her dream: a community maker space with a coffee shop attached, where abundance is shared and other creators are lifted up.

This one is for anyone who has ever undercharged because they were scared, over-explained their worth because they doubted it, or wondered whether their passion was practical enough. Natalie's answer: worth it.

• Instagram: @papercrane.lotus
• Website: www.papercraneandlotus.com 

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Know someone who is brave, and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show! Doing a pop-up in the DMV and like to have your makers discuss their journeys of bravery on the This May be a Bad Idea podcast reach out to @TMBBIPodcast and let me know!

Music By: Bryan Freeman 

• Instagram: @scheeminfreeman
• TikTok: @bsharpfreeman

In this bonus episode of This May be a Bad Idea, recorded live at the Made By Her event, Nicole sits down with Keena, the founder of Forever Blooming — a floral design business rooted in artistry, resilience, and the belief that we are always growing. Keena is a 21-year veteran educator, currently teaching 8th grade English, who launched her business during COVID and has been blooming ever since. Her story is one of quiet courage: showing up every day with full-time dedication to both her students and her craft, refusing to see obstacles as reasons to quit, and leaning into the idea that every season of life holds something new to offer.

• Instagram: @nomanualmom
• Website: nomanualbloom.squarespace.com 
• Personal IG: @kdaymyway423

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Know someone who is brave, courageous, and forever blooming? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that they are always, forever blooming.

What does it look like to start a business in the middle of a pandemic, while caring for a dying parent, at age 22? For Marris, co-owner of Matelna Bakes, that impossible combination of circumstances became the unlikely origin story of a bakery born from love, necessity, and loss.

In this bonus episode of This May Be a Bad Idea, Nicole sits down with Marris at the Made by Her event for a raw and tender conversation about what real bravery looks like when life forces your hand. From Instagram orders in 2020 to a recently purchased food trailer, Marris shares the winding, hard-won path of entrepreneurship — the grief that nearly derailed everything, the comparison trap of social media, and the quiet courage it took to walk back into the kitchen after losing her father and biggest supporter.

• Website: matelnabakes.com
• Instagram / Facebook: @MatelnaBakes

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Host: Nicole Butts

Know someone who is brave and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

Clay, Courage, & Community: A Brave Conversation with Ezrah of Pinwheel Clay

This first special bonus episode was recorded live at the Made by Her event — a celebration of women makers putting their creativity and courage on display. Host Nicole Butts sat down with Ezrah, co-owner of Pinwheel Clay, a women-owned handmade polymer clay jewelry company. What makes Ezra's story particularly resonant for this podcast? She didn't just choose entrepreneurship — she chose joy, on her own terms, before the world shifted around her. In a room full of brave women showing up for their work, although she didn’t know it, Ezrah was a natural first guest.

• Website: pinwheelclay.com
• Instagram / TikTok / YouTube / Pinterest: @pinwheelclay

• Instagram: @TMBBIPodcast
• Host: Nicole Butts

Know someone who is brave and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything? Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show!

Music By: Bryan Freeman

Note from Nicole: This episode was recorded live at an in-person event — which means you might hear some background noise, a few technical hiccups, and the kind of spontaneous energy that only happens when you show up and just go for it. In other words, it's a perfect fit for this podcast. 

In this episode of This May Be a Bad Idea, host Nicole Butts interviews Elizabeth Bellardo, founder of Good Works Endeavors. Elizabeth shares her journey from leading humanitarian efforts at USAID to launching her own coaching and consulting business. She discusses her motivations, the importance of experiential living, and offers insights on leadership and resilience. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on bravery and transformation and find more about Elizabeth on her LinkedIn and Website.

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodworkendeavors/posts/?feedView=all

Website:  https://www.goodworkendeavors.com/

Follow me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast!

Know someone who is brave and courageous? Someone who continues to move forward in-spite of everything?

Drop me a note and let me know in the comments or you can reach me on Instagram @TMBBIPodcast, I would love to have them on the show!

Music By: Bryan Freeman @bsharpfreeman on TikTok

Editing by: Design by Vito

In the inaugural episode of This May Be a Bad Idea, host Nicole Butts talks with entrepreneur and writer Annie Leverich about the courage it takes to change direction. Annie shares how she went from working in humanitarian communications at USAID to building First Light Coffee and First Light Media. They talk about fear, vulnerability, resilience, and why storytelling and connection matter. 

Website:  https://www.firstlightcoffeemd.com/

Promo Code:  Use the code TMBBI15 for 15% off your first order!