Unlikely Choices by Stacy Mikulik

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here. I've got two big announcements for you in this episode. First, this is the end of season one of the podcast! Thank you so much for listening along the way. I'll be back in a few weeks with season two. Second, I'm giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how the business building process has been going on my brand new business - and the big tweak I'll be making to it in the next few weeks! If you want to start your own business someday, or maybe you already have, today's episode contains a really important lesson - you rarely get it right on launch day. Testing, tweaks, and patience are part of the process if you want to build a business with long-term potential and staying power.

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here. If you want to start your own business in 2026 (or maybe you already have), you may be tempted to think "going viral" will solve all your problems and immediately result in a million dollar business. Well, I'm here to tell you why that couldn't be further from the truth. If you want to build a solid, long-term business, virality can help you, but it will not save you. And you don't want it in the early days - you want it only after you've built a solid foundation for your business. Are you ready to go behind-the-scenes on what's true and what's false about going viral these days? Listen in!

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here. If you want to start your own business in 2026 (or maybe you already have!), this episode about patience is a must-listen. Too many people go into entrepreneurship thinking they're going to make six figures within 90 days, and that's not reality for 99% of new business owners. It's so important to have patience during the phase when you're building, tweaking, and testing, or you might give up on your business idea before it's had a fair chance to succeed. It's also common to feel invisible during this time. But I promise you, you are not invisible - you are just early in the process of building.

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here! If you want to start a product business in 2026, this episode is for you. Today I'm sharing what it actually looks like to build a product business, and I have a lot to say because I've had a jewelry business since 2017. Whether you want to sell clothing, toys, peanut butter, or furniture, there are big picture decisions that every new business owner needs to think about upfront. And this episode will help you do just that.

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here! If you want to make a big shift in your career and start your own business in 2026, but you're strggling with confidence and anxiety, this episode is for you. We'll discuss a real psychological principle called "liminal space" and I hope it sheds so much light on what you're feeling. You'll walk away from this episode saying, "Wow, this explains so much. What I'm feeling is completely normal."

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here! If you want to start a service business in 2026, this episode is for you. I'm sharing how it actually looks to build a service business from scratch - so whether you want to start a consulting business, a coaching business, a styling business, a solo therapy practice, or any other service-based business, you'll learn what elements you need to launch. And spoiler alert: you don't need a website.

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here! If you're stuck in a job that you don't like, and you can't seem to escape, this episode might unlock the root cause. If external changes haven't fixed the issue (new company, new role, new boss), it's time to look within. I hope this episode unlocks your next career chapter!

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here! If you want to start a business in 2026, this episode is for you. I'm sharing 3 free things you can do this month to get started. If you do these things in the next 2 to 3 weeks, I promise you will end January with some real momentum.

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here! Have you ever said to yourself, "Why does quitting my job and starting a business feel so incredibly hard?" This episode might hold the key. I'm sharing the identity crisis we feel when we go from employee to entrepreneur. And unfortunately it can be painful at times. If you aren't aware of the identity shift that needs to happen when you make this career shift, you might interpret the pain as "I'm not meant for this", when really your identity is simply going through a big transition.

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!

Welcome to Unlikely Choices! I'm Stacy, the former lawyer turned jewelry designer, and I am so glad you're here! In this episode, I'm talking about New Year's resolutions and what I think yours should be if your goal is to quit your job and start your own business like I did. I think this episode will help take all the pressure off. Cheers to becoming an entrepreneur in 2026!

If you loved this episode, please hit the follow button or plus sign in your podcast app. This will subscribe you to the show so you never miss an episode, and it also happens to be the best way to support the show!

Want more? For over two years, I wrote almost every week about how I quit my lawyer job and started my own business. I call it "My Journal" and you can find it on my website here: https://graceandhudson.com/blogs/jewelry-blog. It's full of lessons and insights!

To stay in touch, subscribe to the Unlikely Choices email list! Get notified of new episodes, receive interesting and inspiring content, and be the first to hear important news about the podcast. Subscribe by clicking here.

I love to hear from my listeners! Send me a DM over on Instagram at any time. My handle is @stacymik.

Thank you for being here!