The Joyful Freelancer

Brand strategist and business coach Austin Church discusses effective freelance habits, how he markets himself, and what you should know about your pipeline. Austin's bio:Austin L. Church is a writer, brand consultant, and online entrepreneur. After finishing his M.A. in Literature in 2008 and getting laid off from a marketing agency in 2009, Austin started freelancing. He got into iOS and Android apps and eventually sold his portfolio of 30+ apps. In 2013 he co-founded a tech startup called Closeup.fm (touring, ticketing, and communication software for performing artists). In 2018 he co-founded a branding and marketing studio called Balernum. When Austin isn't helping online creators and entrepreneurs build real brands and make a positive impact, he teaches freelance creatives how to have a record year doing their most joyful, profitable work. Austin, his wife Megan, and their three children live in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can learn more at FreelanceCake.com.Links:Austin on LinkedIn Austin on TwitterAustin on Instagram

Freelance copywriter Megan Rose talks about the many ways freelancers can define success, why flexibility is vital to her happiness, and how naps and fresh air are key to crafting the life she wants.Megan's bio: Megan is a tea-drinking copywriter based just outside London. She specialises in brand voice and creative B2C retail copy. She also likes plenty of variety so she mixes all that with the odd writing project for service-based businesses and not-for profits. Megan has nearly twenty years of professional writing experience across the business, public and charity sectors and has worked as a freelance copywriter since 2017. She loves it!Links:Find Megan online at https://meganrosefreelance.com/

Helen Jane Campbell, coach to independent creatives, talks about how we can all "create our own little prisons for ourselves," the importance of showing up for yourself, and how our bodies can tell us what's really going on.Helen's bio: Helen works as a life and business coach for ambitious and creative entrepreneurs. Clients seek her help to bring more joy, energy and abundance into their lives, to create space and reconnect with their self-worth and creative freedom.Prior to becoming a coach, Helen spent two decades of her career in PR and comms strategy, with a focus on building and leading effective teams and working directly with decision-makers and CEOs. She lives in the famous book town of Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh border and enjoys working with artistic clients around the world, bringing her authenticity and energy to all she does. As well as writing and coaching, she also enjoys being in nature, festivals, food, music and art.Helen, along with her good friend Graham Nolan are co-launching Hay-on-Wye's first ever LGBTQ+ Pride event, which takes place at Hay Castle and The Globe at Hay on Sunday 12 June 2022. Follow Hay Pride on Instagram here   Photo credit to Billie Charity https://www.billiecharity.com/ Links:Find Helen online at www.CoachingByHelen.comThe book that Helen recommends creative people “do”: The Artist's Way

Randy Ojeda, a freelance music lawyer, discusses how freelance lawyering works, the importance of choosing who he represents, and why and how to build a network of others  in your field.Randy's bio: Randy Ojeda is a freelance lawyer living in Tampa, Florida. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, he is licensed to practice law and is a member in good standing with The Florida Bar. As a lawyer, Randy understands the struggles and needs of independent artists, as well as what motivates the major music industry players, via not only his legal education but his practical experience as an artist manager, A&R, record label owner, and musician. He prides himself as a music lawyer who understands the full picture, and not just one small aspect of the industry. Outside of his law practice, Randy Ojeda is the CEO and Co-Founder of Cigar City Management LLC, a Tampa based Artist Management company. Cigar City Management has hosted official showcases at festivals like SXSW, CMJ Music Marathon, and Brooklyn's Northside Festival. As an artist manager, Randy assists clients with all aspects of the music industry, including marketing, design, recording, touring, merchandising, and more. In addition, Randy provided business development and A&R to Symphonic Distribution in Tampa, FL. He is an Associate Member of the Florida Chapter of the Recording Academy. Find Randy online at randyojedalaw.com and on social networks as @realrandyojeda.

Melanie Marconi, founder and CEO of VIDA coworking space in Portland, Oregon, discusses why she went all-in coworking, why women need particular types of support, and why she feels it's important for freelancers to be with other people.Find VIDA at www.vidacoworking.comMelanie's bio: A longtime entrepreneur, philanthropist, and passionate advocate for change, Melanie Marconi is committed to helping women achieve their most ambitious personal and professional goals. Melanie launched her first company, BDI Development Group, at the age of 23. This mission-driven company is a boutique consulting firm that provides fundraising, event planning, and strategy services to nonprofit organizations across the country. Since taking on the leadership role at BDI Events in 2004, Melanie has achieved annual business growth of 10% to 30% while setting and achieving long-term strategic goals, developing nationwide partnerships, and managing day-to-day company operations. Three years ago, she and her partners launched a spinoff business, Where Will They Stay?, to help clients find and secure custom hotel room blocks for their guests.In 2017 Melanie was seeking a space for her growing team and realized that there was nothing available to support the day-to-day needs of working women like her and her colleagues. In early 2018, after receiving much social validation of her concept and vision, she committed to building and launching VIDA.Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Communication, with an emphasis in Public Relations, from the University of Oregon. She is also active in the nonprofit community, having served as a volunteer, donor, and board member for several different nonprofit organizations around the country. She has also presented on productivity and work/life integration to a range of different audiences at workshops, conferences, and through podcasts and webinars.Since becoming a single mom six years ago to her daughter, Ellie, Melanie has been searching for innovative ways to get the most out of each day. VIDA stemmed from her desire to have all of life's daily needs in one beautiful space, surrounded by other inspiring women entrepreneurs. Notable quotes from the episode: "There's like this energy and productivity vibe that is created when a bunch of people are doing their thing in the same space, even if it's completely different things." 

Gage Mitchell, graphic designer and brand strategist, discusses why a good brand is like a movie, why work-life balance is a waste of time, and how "I can't" is really "I'm scared" in disguise, among many other things.Gage's bio: Design has the power to bring about massive change. That power comes with a responsibility. Whether designing an object, a business, a community, or anything in between, Gage believes that both the process and the solution must aim to bring about a better world – for all. His work, thought leadership, and commitment to this ethos have garnered countless awards, features, interviews, and speaking engagements. Gage's passion lies at the intersection of design, business, sustainability, and food.A few current projects: Modern Species: helping better-for-the-world brands launch, evolve, and grow through strategic branding, packaging, and web design.Evolve CPG: a podcast and community for purpose-driven leaders of CPG brands who not only believe in a better, but actively pursue it.Path to Impact: guiding design, business, and community leaders through an inclusive process of designing for measurable, sustainable impact.Kindship Group: a collaborative full-service marking agency elevating purpose-driven brands and helping them grow for good. Notable quotes from the episode:"I've been a big advocate for life design. Design your life to be more fulfilling.""My theory is that the most time-saving thing you can do is to marry your passions with your work, so that every hour you spend working benefits your life, and every hour you spend making your life rich and fulfilling benefits your work.""When you have to say no to a project that's not ideal, you create space for a more ideal project to show up." 

Digital nomad and future-of-work strategist Lauren Razavi talks about how she lives and travels, how she crafted a life that works just right for her, and what a "country on the Internet" would look like. Lauren's bio: Lauren Razavi is a writer, speaker and strategist working at the intersection of technology, business, policy, and human behaviour.  She is author of the book Global Natives and writes the Counterflows newsletter about borderless living. Lauren was an early adopter of remote work and has lived as a digital nomad since 2013. Currently, she is executive director of Plumia, the mission to build an internet country for digital nomads, at the Y Combinator alumni company  SafetyWing.Choice quotes from the podcast:"For me, it's never an ambition to make a separation between my work and the rest of my life. But instead, to make sure that those two things are very much  in balance, in harmony, and I'm able to feel really fulfilled, whatever I'm doing.""The rise of freelancing and self employment is really interesting, if you consider it in part as a response to traditional companies lack of flexibility around remote work." "It's all about priorities. What do you want to spend your mental energy and time optimizing for?" 

Independent communications consultant Christina Monaco reflects on switching from a corporate career to self-employment in the midst of the pandemic.Christina's bio: Christina Monaco is an independent consultant and communications specialist who collaborates with clients to develop executive messaging, company narrative, and employee engagement programs.After her most recent corporate position was eliminated in the Fall of 2020 as a result of a company reorganization, Christina founded Christina Monaco Communications LLC in early 2021 and serves as Principal consultant. As part of her role leading a consultancy, she partners with leadership teams in a variety of sectors to support them with developing the communication needed in order to create connectivity throughout an organization, inspire employees, and inform audiences.Christina has a wide range of experience that includes Communications, Event Marketing, and Public Relations roles at some of the world's most recognized global brand organizations, including LVMH, Condé Nast, and Hearst. During her time at LVMH she worked within the Mot Hennessy North America portfolio of Wines & Spirits brands to create and deliver corporate programs and company messaging for internal colleagues and external stakeholders. Christina has led the Communications and Event Marketing strategy for champagne brands Veuve Clicquot, Dom Pérignon, and Moët & Chandon, as well as for Belvedere Vodka, Navan Cognac, and 10 Cane Rum. Throughout her 16 years working at Mot Hennessy North America she received awards for outstanding performance in Teamwork, Innovative Partnerships, Connection to Employees, and Best in Class Events. She was also an integral part of the company's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives where she co-led the Women @ MHUSA Employee Resource Group that offered inspiring programs to advance equity and equality in the workplace. Christina has held creative services and promotional marketing positions at renowned consumer magazines including GQ, Harper's BAZAAR, Talk, and BRIDE's where she created initiatives for beauty, fashion, jewelry, and lifestyle advertising partners. In addition to developing multi-platform programs to increase revenue, Christina was a national magazine spokesperson where she commentated events, videos, and branded commercials to showcase advertising partners to consumer audiences. Christina began her career at Chiat/Day Advertising in New York in the Media Buying Department.Originally from Long Island, NY, Christina is an ongoing participant of memoir writing workshops and enjoys spending time with friends and taking walks with her dog. Find Christina online at on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/christina-monaco-4a88201a/ or on Instagram at @christinamnycNotable quotes from the interview:  "At a certain point in my life, I realized that I can do whatever I set my mind to do, no matter what people either thought of me in terms of my entrepreneurial ability, or what expectations I have on myself.""I was always told I didn't have a mind for business... So for me, one of the most joyful things was knowing I could start my own business."“All it takes is one person, one new client, one job, and then you're on your way."

Stockholm-based sales coach for creatives Ivy Malik discusses how selling is not only beautiful but sexy, and offers advice on how to express the joy of your business.Ivy's bio:  Ivy Malik is a Stockholm-based sales coach for creatives. She started her business career by owning a restaurant in East London, which she sold to start her own coaching business to help creatives learn to sell without being salesy.Find Ivy on social at @ivymalikofficial and online at ivymalik.comNotable quotes from our conversation:“If you want to be showing up in your marketing and in your business in a way that's really true to you, then you have to start with your values.”“We're always dealing with people. And if we're dealing with people, then we're only having conversations. We never have to sell. We never have to pitch.” “I want people to really love selling because it's beautiful. Because when we sell something, we're really helping the other person.”“When people come to me and talk to me about my money mindset, I feel the difference is the inherent belief that money exists. I believe that there is a client out there at any point that will want to work with me, and they will pay what I want to charge.” “If we say, ‘I believe there are clients out there who are going to want to work with me,' then I'm going to subconsciously speak in a way and show up in a manner which is so different from when I believe that nothing is going to happen.”“If we don't sell, we're going to deprive others of our gift.” 

Freelance graphic designer and coach Morgan Overholt discusses how she's built up a lucrative career, how the sky's the limit for freelancers, and why it would take at least a million-dollar salary to lure her back to work as a full-time employee. Morgan's bio: Morgan Overholt is a freelance graphic designer, owner of Morgan Media LLC, freelance coach and co-founder of TheSmokies.com. Morgan transitioned into the role of freelancer and small business owner after spending nearly a decade in the traditional corporate world left her feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Today, Morgan is passionate about sharing her story with other hopeful entrepreneurs who hope to follow in her footsteps. She has been featured on Upwork.com, Refinery29, and Business Insider.Notable quotes from the episode: “I think that we need to normalize six figures. We need to normalize bringing these big salaries. And I think we also need normalize talking about those numbers so that we can know those kinds of things are possible.”“I would probably personally never go back to a full-time job ever again. We could start the conversation at a million dollars a year, and I'm not kidding. That's the kind of conversation it would take to retain me full-time.”“And I love the fact that post-pandemic, companies are waking up to the idea that you can have the best talent and only employ them when you absolutely need them.”“My goal is to have a million-dollar a year. That's my goal. I don't want to be the six-figure freelancer anymore. I want to be seven.”Links: Morgan Media LLCTheSmokies.comMorgan featured on Upwork 

Business coach Justine Clay talks about the importance of meaning and purpose, what questions we can ask ourselves to discover them, and how we can define our own businesses to fit ourselves. Justine's bio: Justine Clay is a speaker, writer, and business coach for creative entrepreneurs and freelancers.  Using her actionable Profitable by Design framework, Justine helps established creative professionals, and business owners identify and articulate their unique value, position themselves to high-quality, well-paying clients, and build a fulfilling, efficient and profitable creative business. Sign up for Justine's free guide: How to Find High-Quality Clients and Get Paid What You're Worth and start making monumental changes in your creative business or career today.Check out the Creative Business Accelerator, the group coaching program I did with Justine:Find Justine at https://justineclay.com/, on Facebook, or on LinkedInNotable quotes from Justine: “Being independent — whether that's a freelancer or being a CEO of your of your own small business —there are things that drive us to make that decision, to go out on a limb, to take the risk. It's more freedom, more fulfillment, more money.”“If you have a six-figure business and 80% of it is going into Facebook ads, then it's not a profitable business.”“Money is the thing that buys you the freedom that you need; that's what gives you the freedom to live the life that you want to live, whatever that looks like for you.”

Writer, motivational speaker, and author L'Oreal Thompson Payton discusses the challenges of parenting while freelancing, what it's like to write a book while raising a baby, how to think about impostor syndrome, and what it means to have an abundance mindset, among other things.L'Oreal's bio: L'Oreal Thompson Payton is a lifestyle and wellness writer, motivational speaker and author of the forthcoming self-help book, Trust Your Dopeness. Her byline has appeared in publications such as Bitch, Bustle, SELF, Shondaland, Well + Good and ZORA, just to name a few. When she's not busy writing, she can usually be found reading, riding her Peloton or relaxing on her yoga mat. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Jeff, daughter, Violet and an ever-growing book collection.Get L'Oreal's weekly motivational newsletter: Subscribe at LTintheCity.com Find L'Oreal online at her website, www.LTinthecity.com, or on Twitter and InstagramWebsite: https://www.LTinthecity.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LTintheCity  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltinthecity/ Notable quotes from L'Oreal during our conversation: “They say it takes a village to raise a kid, and I'm a firm believer in it takes a village to raise a mom as well. Because we cannot do this alone.”“If I waited for the perfect circumstances — with my oat milk latte and the window seat at the cafe and the perfect soundtrack — it would never happen. The book would never happen. Writing would never happen.”“Just trust that there is more out there. There is bigger, there's better. Don't settle.”Books/things we talked about: Jenni Gritter's coachingYou are a Badass by Jen SinceroYou Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

Steve Folland, founder of a thriving freelance community in the UK and the long-running Being Freelance podcast, discusses the nature of successful freelancers and where the joy in our work comes from. Steve's bio: Steve is a freelance video/podcast producer, running his business whilst also looking after his two kids.His other babies are the long running Being Freelance podcast where Steve chats to freelancers from around the world about their story. And co-hosting the award-winning Doing It For The Kids podcast - a fun Q&A for those parents freelancing 'with kids in the mix'.Steve spends a lot of time hanging out in his Being Freelance Community where he brings together self-employed creatives for support, fun and biscuits. He's also brought together his own experience and that of 250+ guests to help new freelancers with the course “How to get started being freelance.”Notable quotes from the episode:“I do think what helps a successful freelancer is if you do kind of fall in love, not just with the skill that you originally tried to sell, but with the art of selling itself, like with being a business.” “As freelancers we get to explore what is success to us. You get to decide. And so then you also get to decide what makes you happy.” “I quite like the not knowing. I think for some people, that would drive you nuts, not knowing what's around the corner. But I quite like that, that sort of element of surprise.” “In the past, when I worked for companies, I might absolutely bust my gut and might not even get a thank you, let alone more financial reward. Whereas now there is a correlation between the amount of work I do and the amount of money I make.”“One of my favorite quotes [from my podcast] is ‘don't freak out.'… And another guest said, ‘Just keep meeting people.'” “I think it's really useful to listen to others and pick up on little productivity tactics and things. Also, though, I think it's important to crack on and do things.” Links:Being Freelance website Steve's professional websiteDoing It For the Kids PodcastBeing Freelance CommunitySteve's course: How to get started being freelanceBeing Freelance on Twitter or Instagram

Freelance Melanie Padgett Powers talks about what exactly it takes to be your own boss, why it's worth striving for, how to get in an empowering mindset, and why she loves going to conferences so much.Choice quotes“I really believe that we should adopt the mindset that we are all business owners. We're not ‘just' a freelancer.”“You should not charge hourly because hourly penalizes you for being faster, and it also doesn't acknowledge the value that you bring to the client and the talent you have. My clients are paying for 20+ years of experience; they're not paying for an hour of my time."“Steer yourself into trying new things and realizing that failure is fine. Failure is lessons.” Melanie's bioMelanie Padgett Powers is the owner of MelEdits. She is a freelance writer and managing editor for health care membership associations in the Washington, D.C., area. She regularly writes about public health, COVID-19, hemophilia, optometry, radiology and interventional radiology, and issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. She has a journalism degree and was previously a newspaper reporter in her home state of Indiana. Melanie is also the creator and host of the Deliberate Freelancer podcast, which focuses on the business side of freelancing. Find Melanie at www.MelEdits.com and connect with her on Twitter @MelEdits.

The second part of the intro to the podcast about mindset and meaning in freelancing, work, and life, in which I discuss what exactly makes a freelancer. LinksFind The Joyful Freelancer online at www.thejoyfulfreelancer.com.Find Katherine online at www.katherinegustafson.com or on LinkedIn.The episode of Megan Williams's podcast Black Freelance in which she lays out her definition of freelancing is here.

The first part of the intro to the podcast about mindset and meaning in freelancing, work, and life. Meet your host Katherine Gustafson and learn what this show is about.LinksFind The Joyful Freelancer online at www.thejoyfulfreelancer.com.Find Katherine online at www.katherinegustafson.com or on LinkedIn.