Where's Your Humanity

This week, Gail welcomes Erin Pash of Pash Company!

Erin Pash is a therapist-turned-serial entrepreneur, author, and professional starter of things. After founding Ellie Mental Health and growing it from one Minnesota clinic into a national brand with 270+ locations, she launched Pash Company, a venture studio where she builds businesses across mental health, tech, consumer products, real estate, and cannabis.

Her first book, Everybody Sucks Sometimes, comes out in December 2026, tackling the hard stuff with humor, honesty, and a healthy rejection of pretending we all have it together. When she’s not building companies or trying to change broken systems, Erin is traveling, creating, and navigating the beautiful chaos of a big blended family.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of community and friendship, the self-help tools we love (including her book, now available for pre-order on Amazon) and the ones we hate, not being able to narrow down to just one passion, and we bond over being two ADHDers who can't help but ask "if we could be doing this better, why aren't we?"

You can learn more about Erin at her website, www.erinpash.com, as well as on Instagram and Tiktok. You can learn about all the different ventures under Pash Company at pashcompany.com and you can preorder Erin's book, Everybody Sucks Sometimes, now on Amazon.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

This week, Gail welcomes Erin Kuester of After Dark Copy.

Erin is a copywriter + content writer for sex-positive brands, businesses, and content creators. She specializes in helping businesses talk about taboo, sensitive, and often misunderstood topics with clarity, personality, and zero shame. She's always been drawn to topics that people struggle to talk about, whether that's sexuality, stigma, identity, pleasure, or other complicated human experiences. Good copy can make people feel understood, and I think that's especially important when your business lives in a space that's often misunderstood. She also has an unhealthy obsession with Diet Pepsi and dachshunds (and yes, I made her show me her dogs before we hit record).

In this episode, we talk about Erin's journey from your average "run of the mill" industry copy to writing hot copy for taboo topics like sex work, elderly care, and more. We talk about the humanity behind one of the most misunderstood industries, why spicy copy is relevant for any brand, and about how the adult industry is really just another industry full of entrepreneurs trying to figure it all out.

You can find Erin at her website, www.afterdarkcopy.com, or on Instagram or Threads sharing all of her hot takes.

Our theme music is by Emily Bjorke, whose debut solo album, Are You Going to Heaven or Hell, is out everywhere you listen to music on October 16th!

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

This week, Gail welcomes Edila Stace-Smith, a URL + IRL experience curator and community builder devoted to the art of gathering.

Her work centers around bringing people together in real-time - around dinner tables, inside URL group spaces, and at international IRL gatherings designed for friendship making and having big fun. Because she will forever believe that communities aren’t stumbled upon, they’re intentionally cultivated and actively participated in.

In this episode we talk all about how to build REAL community. Like the kind you can depend on and feel supported by during and after the event is over. We talk about overcoming the voices that tell you you can't, or that it's too uncomfortable, or that it needs to be more serious than it is. Because meeting new people isn't that serious—but building a community is like the air we breathe.

This episode is an actionable breath of fresh air in an era where we feel more disconnected than ever.

You can connect with Edila on Instagram and Threads, at her website, or at her next IRL gathering.

Our music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, TOONIE, is available anywhere you listen to music.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

This week, Gail welcomes Braden Drake of Not AVG Law.

Braden is a California licensed attorney and tax professional. He works with online and creative small business owners through his law firm, Not AVG Law, and with wedding pros through The Aisle Advisory. He and his team provide support through 1-on-1 services, memberships, signature programs, the Contract Club and Unf*ck Your Biz.

When not doing business things, you can find him preparing for a CrossFit competition. He is a weightlifting enthusiast and home cook. When not doing those things, you can find him on the couch watching women's basketball with his dogs and his hot husband.

In this episode, we talk about what to include in your business contracts, how to protect yourself and your clients, trademarks, and why Rollercoaster Tycoon is an underrated way to learn about running a business.

You can join Braden's new mastermind, Besties HQ, get all the contracts you could ever need for a single cover fee in The Contract Club, or learn all things protecting your wedding business through The Aisle Advisory. You can also continue to listen to Braden's wisdom, through his own podcast, Unf*ck Your Biz.

To learn more about Braden, you can go to his website, or follow him on Instagram, Tiktok, and Threads.

Our music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, TOONIE, is available anywhere you listen to music, and will be releasing her debut album, Are You Going to Heaven or Hell on October 16th.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

This week, Gail welcomes Emma Jaeger of Midsummer Knits.

Emma Jaeger is a San Francisco-based knitwear designer, who cares about the small details so you don’t have to! A lifelong knitter, she released her first pattern, the Groovy Tank, in 2023 and has since then amassed over 63k followers and had one of her patterns, the Heartless Top, featured on Jeopardy. She officially left her full time job this year to become a full-time pattern designer.

In this episode, we talk about why now could be the best time to pursue that creative passion, as the security of corporate jobs continues to wane with the rise of AI and massive layoffs in the tech sector. Emma shares her experience quitting her six-figure tech job to go full time as a knitting pattern designer, the pros and cons of being an entrepreneur, and why knitting being a "grandma hobby" should be cherished instead of mocked. Oh, and we also talk a lot about our shared love for knitting.

You can find Emma on Instagram and Tiktok @midsummerknits, and you can view and purchase her patterns on Ravelry and at her website, midsummerknits.com.

Our music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, Skeletons in Toronto, is available anywhere you listen to music.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

And SUPER SECRET BONUS, you can also find Gail at her knitting alter ego @gail.at.home on Instagram, and purchase her patterns on Ravelry.

This week, Gail welcomes Maddy Aucoin (she/her), a brand and messaging strategist for service providers who need the strategy and language to talk about why they do and why people should choose them. In a world where cool and smart professionals feel like they constantly say "trust me, I'm different!", Maddy helps them prove it with brand strategy, messaging, and copy. After 6+ years as an entrepreneur, she's also an experienced educator public speaker, and podcast guest, and loves nothing more than teaching other service providers how to stand out with their messaging and positioning.

In this episode, we talk about how to make your brand feel like YOU, why "just be yourself!!" doesn't get you there, setting business boundaries on social media, and so much more! So much of what we want out of our branding is to get to be ourselves and connect with our ideal client. But if your brand doesn't stand out, it's hard for your people to find you. We dive into our mutual love of pink, our loud af brands, and we break down our strategies for brand visibility, showing your personality online, and where the lines should be for the public container of your business.

You can learn more about Maddy and her work at her website, bymaddyaucoin.com, on Instagram, and Threads.

Our music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, Skeletons in Toronto, is available anywhere you listen to music.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

This week, Gail welcomes Megan Upperman of SCRATCH for Growth – a marketing agency that provides Really Good Small Business Marketing for by People Who Really Care About Your Business. After a decade of leading teams at marketing agencies and venture capital-backed startups, she wanted to pursue work that made more of an impact on her community. Now, she leads a top-notch team that drives big results for businesses on tight budgets.

In this episode, we talk about why no, wanting to make money as a small business owner does not mean you are on a fast track to becoming a capitalist overlord. Small businesses are the cornerstone of our communities, make up 50% of the private sector, and are increasingly the place where people want to PUT THEIR MONEY. Megan talks about why this economy is the perfect time to go all in on marketing to the audience you want to attract by sharing your values and advocating for the things you care about. We also gush A LOT about our shared Minnesota pride.

To learn more about Megan and SCRATCH for Growth, you can go to their website, or connect with them on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Our music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, No Angel, is available anywhere you listen to music.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

This week, Gail welcomes Asia Lareau of Aligned LLC and Girl, Grab the Mic.

Asia Lareau is a Los Angeles raised, Minneapolis-based visionary who partners with individuals and teams to align their purpose, power, and potential. She is a passionate people-first leader who doesn't believe in gatekeeping - she enables and empowers her communities with the knowledge she's acquired from corporate, MIT, and the Ivy League. Asia is the founder of Aligned LLC and the creator of the women's empowerment platform Girl, Grab the Mic.

In this episode, we talk all things embracing your personal evolution, even when they scare the shit out of you.  From portfolio careers to networking tips, a peek into Gail's many career pivots, to getting to know yourself and others. This is also a total love fest about Asia and the incredible communities she builds!!

To learn more about Asia and her work, you can find her on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about Girl, Grab the Mic for Twin Cities locals, you can go to her website or follow @girlgrabthemic on Tiktok.

Our music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, No Angel, is available anywhere you listen to music.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

This week, Gail welcomes Kalyl Kadri of Words Hurt copy for a theatrical, silly, and deep conversation about how the rise of AI slop is driving people toward analog hobbies, in-person connection, and human-made work.

A former theatre-maker turned creative director, Kalyl writes brands with bite, identities that feel alive under the skin, messaging with vertebrae, and stories that refuse to sit quietly in the corner.

He has a decade and a half of experience directing performers onstage and nearly as long directing founders and creators on the page. He runs Words Hurt, where provoked businesses to put more FUN in their fundamentals, and get booked out while causing a scene.

You can find some of Kal on Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, and at their website, www.words-hurt.com.

Our music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, Skeletons in Toronto, is available anywhere you listen to music.

You can find Where's Your Humanity on Instagram, or listen on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.

What does being evil and blocking your mom have to do with being a good steward of humanity? I guess you'll just have to listen to find out! 

This week, Gail welcomes Kim Lech of Oinopo Studio. Kim is a former brand designer, turned brand strategist & world builder, who creates cult leaders out of creatives & helps them become the person they need to be to say and do polarising things without melting into a puddle of anxiety. All with a personality packed visual identity & branded experience to support it.

In this episode, Kim breaks down what it means to be an obsession-worthy brand with a cult following, by leaning into your weird and owning your most polarizing takes. We also discuss launches gone wrong, corporate bullshit, and having a love-hate relationship with education.

You can find Kim on their website, Instagram, and Threads, and you can get their free Cult-Thinking Masterclass here.

Our theme music is by Emily Bjorke, whose new single, Skeletons in Toronto, is available anywhere you listen to music!!

To stay up-to-date on Where's Your Humanity episodes, you can follow me on Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, and subscribe on Youtube.

To learn more about Gail and her work, you can go to her website, worksimple.io, or connect with her on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok.