Conversations with artists and entrepreneurs about the creative hustle. A weekly podcast about the ups and downs of owning your own business, from paying your bills, to staying inspired and maintaining your sanity throughout the week. Let’s talk about how to keep it together.
I invited over the core brain-trust from the retreat: Lisa Frank, owner of Rettlers, Kara Larson CEO & Editor-in-chief of Make Minnesota, and Lauren Callis Erickson Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Curiosity Studio; and owner of The Upcycled Closet. Together we chatted about their thoughts post retreat: what surprised them, what inspired them, and what they are taking away. We also dove into a discussion around the consistent themes we observed bubbling to the surface thanks to stories shared by the participants and the work they all did throughout the weekend at the Makers Retreat.
Today you get to meet Amy Mester. Amy is a resonance Maker of the highest degree. In our conversation we take on stuck by discussing the importance of letting go of expectations, allowing yourself to create just for the sake of creating, and finding yourself along the way.
In this episode you get to meet the amazing Sara Kube. Today we're going to explore how giving yourself permission to go outside yourself can be key to getting unstuck. We’ll chat about how letting go of the expectations of what we ‘should’ and ‘ought’ to be doing can throw the doors wide open to our creativity and can bring forth new parts of ourselves that were hiding just below the surface.
In this episode you get to meet Rebekah Morris who is a writer from greater Minnesota. Today we’ll look at how creating space has helped her during those moments of being creatively stuck. We discuss some different ways the need for space can manifest itself in our lives and how, for Becca, changing up her environment can be a source of creative inspiration.
In this episode you get to meet Betsy Dorrow, owner of Sketchy Betsy. Today we’ll look at how self-care can be a great tool in keeping yourself from getting stuck or spinning out of control. We’ll talk about how Betsy has developed a deep practice of setting clear boundaries for herself in both her professional and personal life and how the results of this practice has helped her to stay on track even at times things seem to be swirling all around.
In this episode you get to meet artist and teacher Tessa Weyhe. Today we focus on the importance of getting out of your head, especially at times when you’re feeling lost or stuck. Tessa will share her own story of losing everything, picking herself up, and making the decision to continue forward. We’ll also look at how reframing a situation can be the key to breaking the thought cycles that can keep us prisoner in our own heads.
In this episode you get to meet Emily Carlson, owner of Righteous Digs. Today we look at the importance of community and why it’s one of the most powerful ways to help us get unstuck and moving again. We’ll chat about how feelings of disconnection and loneliness informed Emily’s own search for community and helped her to commit to creating new opportunities within the Twin Cities for creatives to come together and make new connections.
In this episode you’ll meet Lauren Callis Erickson. Lauren is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Curiosity Studio and is the owner of Upcycled Closet. Lauren, through Curiosity Studio, was responsible for designing and implementing the curriculum for the two-day Makers Retreat. Today, we’ll take a closer look at creative dissonance in order to wrap our heads around what exactly it means to be stuck and examine how it can manifest itself, both in our minds and in our bodies. Along the way we’ll learn about Laurens approach to helping people when they’re stuck and how movement can be key in helping to get your creative juices flowing once again.
Today we’ll begin our season by chatting with three of the four main brains behind the Makers Retreat: Lisa Frank, owner of Rettlers; Kara Larson, CEO & Editor-in-chief of Make Minnesota; and Naomi Gamble- Zupfer proprietor of Crooked Creek Retreat. Together they’ll set the scene for the retreat and we’ll learn how Lisa’s own experience of feeling lost after an unexpected career shift led to her to take the leap and start her own dream company.
We conclude our conversation with Kathryn Sterner, owner of Winsome Goods. Today we focus in the strategies Kathryn uses to stay nimble and resilient when things don’t go as smoothly as she hoped. We’ll also chat about healthy debt, stubbornness, unicorns, and what she sees as the best part of owning her own business.
We conclude our conversation with T Mychael Rambo Regional Emmy Award winning performer, educator, and public speaker.Today we look at what happens when you fall flat on your face and how to get back up, dust yourself off, and try again. We also talk about how being grounded in who you are and clear about what you need can be the highest form of resiliency.
We conclude our conversation with Jackson Schwartz, co-founder and creative director of Hennepin Made and Parallel Café. Today we discuss what drove him to expand the companies’ impact and why he wanted to build a more visible space to grow community. Along the way we’ll talk about reinvention, the ability of craft to connect, and what Jackson sees as the thread that holds it all together.
We continue our conversation with Kathryn Sterner, owner of Winsome Goods. Today we take a closer look at how the value of sustainability helps her to navigate life as an entrepreneur, where burnout is real, and fear and anxiety can be a daily challenge. We’ll also chat about shifting unhealthy narratives; setting boundaries around social media, and figuring out how to do the best we can with the pieces we’re given.
We continue our conversation with T Mychael Rambo, Regional Emmy Award winning performer, educator, and public speaker. Today we’ll chat about how T Mychael dealt with fear during his the leap to becoming a fulltime actor and performer, despite having no formal training. Along the way we’ll talk about choosing to learn through listening, making integrity your calling card and how a simple gesture can validate your presence in a space when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
We continue our conversation Jackson Schwartz, co-founder and creative director of Hennepin Made and Parallel Café. Today we’ll discuss how his drive has helped to expand the scope, footprint, and impact of his business. Along the way we chat about letting go in order for things to grow, creating a framework for others to lead, and how the desire to move things forward sometimes gets in the way of appreciating what’s happening right in front of us.
We begin our conversation with Kathryn Sterner, owner of Winsome Goods. Today we talk about what drove her to take the leap to start her own sustainable clothing design studio. Along the way we’ll discuss aligning your contribution to the world with your own values, flying by the seat of your pants, and how sometimes we need to jump out of the pot we’re in to gain perspective on what needs to change.
We begin our conversation with T Mychael Rambo, Regional Emmy award winning performer, educator, and public speaker. Today we’ll talk about his journey to reinvent himself and how sobriety helped him to stop, reassess, and start him down an unexpected path. We’ll also talk about the work it takes to change lanes, the importance of showing up, and the payoff of taking the risk and saying ‘I can do that’.
We begin our conversation with Jackson Schwartz, co-founder and creative director of Hennepin Made and Parallel Café. Today we look closely at risk and break it down to its brass tacks. Jackson shares the strategy behind some of his early career risks, and we discuss the process he takes for dreaming up and sketching out future leaps for his company. We’ll also talk about spinning plates, how hesitation affects confidence, and how to learn from mistakes along the way.
Today we preview the second part of Season 2. For this part of the season I wanted to stay close to the larger theme of resiliency, and wondered what we could learn when you look at it through the lens of risk. I was curious about how these two principals related to one another and how this relationship can play out in the lives of entrepreneurs. Our guest will include: Jackson Schwartz, T Mychael Rambo, and Kathryn Sterner.
We conclude our conversation with Ryan Garza founder and creative director of NONPOD. Today we focus on the now, now… How can we stay grounded in the present moment when the future seems unclear? Together we’ll discuss the illusion of control, autopilot decision making, connecting to the infinite, and my favorite movie of all time Spaceballs!!!
In this episode we conclude our conversation with Hannah Barnstable, founder of Seven Sundays Muesli. Today we’ll talk about weathering the storms of chaos, stress, and emotions that try to throw us off balance. Hannah will share her tricks and practices for grounding herself during these storms and together we’ll chat about the power of taking a step back and gaining perspective.
In this episode we conclude our conversation with Cana Potter, Owner of MuseFlora. Today we take a closer look at resiliency, and talk about how falling on our butts and picking ourselves up again can help us to understand who we truly are, and can clarify where we want to go. Along the way we’ll chat about putting the pieces back together, how eating Dove Chocolate can help, and what it means to show up as the best version of yourself.
In this episode we continue our conversation with Ryan Garza founder and creative director of NONPOD Nonprofit Podcast community. Today we’ll chat about the power of the ‘yes, and…’ A practice that allows you to accept whatever life throws your way then gives you the chance to choose what comes next. We look at how this concept can be used by leaders as they build and manage their teams, as well as solo entrepreneurs as they work to grow their business. Along the way we’ll talk about primate brains, everything happening for a reason, and that magic moment things come together in unexpected ways.
In this episode we continue our conversation with Hannah Barnstable founder of Seven Sundays Muesli. Today, we’ll talk about navigating the No’s and how optimism can serve you when you feel like that lonely voice in the wilderness. We’ll also talk about the power of passion, holding things closely, remembering ‘I quit my job for this.’
In this episode we continue our conversation with Cana Potter; Owner and Founder of the subscription floral studio MuseFlora. Today we’ll chat about opening yourself up to help when you need it and learning how to get out of your own way in order to discover a more balanced way forward. We’ll also talk about structure, the work it takes to recraft old habits, and one of my favorite topics…neuro-pathways!!!
In this episode we begin our conversation with Ryan Garza founder and creative director of NONPOD "the" Nonprofit Podcast community. Today we’ll learn more about Ryan, his business, and how trusting his gut has helped him to create a company that is centered on his values. We’ll also chat about the need for adventure, risking everything, and what Rocky Balboa and Miley Cyrus can teach us about accepting who we are while practicing gratitude along the way.
In this episode we begin our conversation with Cana Potter, Owner and Founder of the subscription floral studio MuseFlora. Today we’ll get to know a bit more about Cana, her business and how she prepared herself to take the leap. We’ll also chat about personality quizzes, wild successes, and that moment you realized, yes….this is what I’m supposed to do.
In this episode we begin our conversation with Hannah Barnstable founder of Seven Sundays Muesli cereal. Today we talk about how grit, perseverance, and finding the right time to pivot have helped her to solidify her core values and chart a direction for her company. We’ll also talk about healthy tension, businesses as children, and the choice to do things differently.
In this episode we conclude our conversation with jewelry designer Yen-Ying Chee. Today we discuss dreaming big for your business and how visualizing the path forward can help you take the leap.
In this episode we conclude our conversation with Multimedia performance artist Ifrah Mansour. Today we look at taking care of ourselves, identifying unhealthy patterns, and the personal cost of putting your whole self into your art and business.
In this episode we conclude our conversation with artist, designer and illustrator Ashely Mary. Today we talk about changing unhealthy patterns, asking for help and the importance of making real connections.
In this episode we focus on creating healthy partnerships with guests Roger Barrett and Sam Beberg, owners of Pharmacie. We’ll discuss what its like for them as a married couple to run a business together. From finding ways to balance each other out, to bringing work home, and navigating those vulnerable conversations when money is tight.
In this episode we’ll talk about feeling isolated. What happens when we let fear write the narrative? And how can we let go of those fears, and gain traction in our business and in our life? All this and more with multimedia performance artist Ifrah Mansour.
In this episode we discuss what it's like raising a family while growing a business. From multitasking and shifting priorities, to being present with your kids and with yourself. All this and more with jewelry designer Yen-Ying Chee.
In this episode we chat about different approaches to filling your week and finding balance. From trusting the gigs will come to generating your own work while you wait. With artist, designer, and illustrator Ashley Mary.
In this episode we begin our conversation with Roger Barrett and Sam Beberg, owners of Pharmacie. Today, we’ll chat about what it's like to own a brick and mortar shop and how being grounded in your 'why' can help your business grow.
In this episode we begin our conversation with jewelry designer Yen-Ying Chee. We talk about what drives her as an artist and entrepreneur, the lessons she has learned from her parents, and the struggle to give ourselves permission to be bold.
In this episode we begin our conversation with artist, designer and illustrator Ashley Mary. Today we talk about the concepts of leaving space and holding things loosely, and how your career can unfold when you let these principles guide your path.
In this episode we begin our conversation with multimedia performance artist Ifrah Mansour. Today we’ll discuss what drive looks like, struggling with art and capitalism, and how bearing witness to our ancestors can inspire us to pass on the love.