Podcasts about namastream

Jeni Barcelos is the Co-Founder and CEO of Marvelous, the world's most beautiful all-in-one teaching platform. Chad talks with Jeni about what makes Marvelous different from other teaching platforms out there, the importance of elevating women to leadership positions, and why applying for and getting accepted into an accelerator program was the right path for the company. Marvelous (https://www.heymarvelous.com/) Follow Marvelous on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJZ_kWoBcXJuSKP1iofXsAw), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/heymarvelous/), or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/marvelous-software/). Follow Jeni on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenibarcelos/). Follow thoughtbot on Twitter (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel. And with me today is Jeni Barcelos, the Co-Founder, and CEO of Marvelous, the world's most beautiful all-in-one teaching platform. Jeni, thank you so much for joining me. JENI: Thank you for having me, Chad. I'm excited to be here and excited for our conversation. CHAD: So I'm really excited to dig into more about Marvelous as well. So why don't we start there? What makes Marvelous different than other teaching platforms that are out there? JENI: Marvelous is different in that we prioritize design, I would say more than any other competitive platform. And we also prioritize live events in a way that I think is pretty unique. So we started in the wellness space. We primarily are serving wellness creators, although all kinds of other creators use our tool as well. So we specifically built Marvelous with the goal of serving their unique needs, which involves a lot of teaching live classes and having a really great community space where students and clients can build relationships with each other. And then, because our audience has a particular design aesthetic and is non-technical, we've created the tool in a way that makes it really easy to make something look beautiful very quickly and simply. CHAD: So what caused you to differentiate yourself based on design? JENI: I think just personal preference and aesthetic, to be honest. As we were building the platform, I realized very quickly that people were choosing us...one of the big reasons people were choosing us was because of the simple nature of the user interface and because of the design that it produced. And so we decided really early to prioritize that. And I would say it's also just I care deeply about design, and I don't like the idea of using tools that make that an afterthought. And so I thought if I'm going to use it, and I do, I mean, we definitely dogfood our own platform and teach our own courses, we run our own communities there, I want it to look beautiful. [laughs] I want it to be a place that people enjoy spending time. We all spend more time, I think, than we want looking at screens. And so when you are going to engage in that practice and engage with other people on the internet, I think it's really nice to do it in a space that feels welcoming, and gentle, and beautiful. CHAD: So you have a co-founder, Sandy. Are either of you designers or have a background in design? JENI: Nope, not at all. Although I was one course away from minoring in art history in school. [laughter] No, I'm a lawyer. So I'm the opposite of a designer, although I think there's a part of me that thinks of myself as an artist. I wish that were my identity. CHAD: So, given the importance of design that you discovered, how did you go about executing on that? JENI: Hiring really great people, I would say, and having a really critical eye. And so, there's a tremendous amount of feedback that goes into our process. And now we have a head of brand in our company, and she can hold space for that design across both marketing and within product. So that hire, I think, has been critical for us to be able to maintain that as a priority. CHAD: Where were you in the product life-cycle and business stage where you were able to hire really great people? JENI: I would say within the last two years. So we are one of these startups that was in the right place at the right time when COVID hit. So luckily and unluckily, maybe we grew really fast in the wake of the pandemic, the beginning of the pandemic. And so that positioned us to hire pretty rapidly over the last two years. And that's when we really had the resources and the capacity to bring in that level of talent. I'll say our creative director was working with us for many years before that but just in a part-time capacity so, you know, running her own agency. And we were hiring her out as we could because we were bootstrapped. And so it wasn't until we reached a certain level of growth where we could bring her on as a permanent fixture in the company. CHAD: Yeah, that's often a way that I hear from founders to help get things off the grounds, particularly if you know of someone and would love to work with them and you know what they can produce, but you just can't afford to bring them on full-time as a member of the team at that point. Contracting with them, working with them part-time can be a great way to get that started. So let's rewind even further and tell me about the fateful day where you and Sandy first met each other. JENI: Yeah, so we first met in Colorado Springs at an entrepreneurship event. And it was for an online program we had both been in that was teaching us how to start a SaaS company. And we are two of the only people that had actually done it and gotten to paying customers within six months, which was a pretty audacious goal, I would say to go from being non-technical and having no experience in the startup world to having a product or at least an MVP with paying customers within six months and no funding. So we were 2 of maybe 5 or 6 people out of 550 in the program who did that. So we automatically kind of gravitated towards each other. And we were two of the only women also in the program. So we met at that event and got to know each other over the course of a number of days and retreated together. And then we just started really being accountability partners to one another as we were each building our own companies independently. And then that went on for another year, year and a half before Sandy joined my company. CHAD: Okay, so you were already working on Marvelous? JENI: Yeah. It had a different name at the time, but yes, I was six months into it when I met her. CHAD: How did you convince her to do that? JENI: We were actually growing...for a solo founder, we were growing to the point that I couldn't manage the company really on my own anymore. And so I applied to an accelerator just because I felt like I had other kinds of career experience but had, again, zero background in tech startups. And so, I came from teaching at a law school and building and scaling a nonprofit. And my background was in politics prior to that. So I had no idea what I was doing. Like, I didn't know what I didn't know, and so that thought scared me. And I just wanted to go immerse myself in an environment where I could ask a lot of questions and have access to resources and mentorships. So anyway, I applied to an accelerator and got accepted contingent on having a team and having co-founders. And I was like, [laughs] well, that's why I need to come here because I don't know how to do that. Like, I don't know how I would do that. And so I reached out to Sandy because I mean, she had been more closely involved in the company than anyone else because we were constantly working together online and going on Zoom and helping each other build our companies. She knew more than anyone else really what was involved. And she was always commenting how she wished she had started [chuckles] a company like this because it's just in the sector. Her background is in clinical wellness, and Marvelous really was serving yoga and wellness teachers. And so I said, "Well, why don't you come on board? I need to have at least one co-founder." Well, I was told I needed to have two, but I convinced them actually to accept me into the program with just one. So Sandy and I went into the accelerator together. CHAD: I feel like that's a great sign that you were able to convince them to bend the rule. [laughs] JENI: Yeah, I mean, I think that's actually my MO in life. So I also applied and got into graduate school at Yale without taking the GRE. So I have a history of these kinds of convincing arguments, I guess. CHAD: [laughs] JENI: And I'm a lawyer, right? So I was made for this. [chuckles] CHAD: Yes. You sound like a very enjoyable person, though. So I find it hard to believe that you're... [laughs] No, I'm kidding. JENI: I'm a human rights lawyer. So the only person I've ever represented in court was a pod of killer whales. So I'm a human rights and environmental attorney. So I'm not a corporate attorney by any means. CHAD: So some people might describe going after things, bending the rules as ambition. And I was reading some of the things that you've written, so I'm not pulling this out of thin air. But I know that you talked before about how sometimes ambition, particularly from female-identifying people, can be seen as a problem. Why is that? JENI: I mean, the short answer to that is the patriarchy of which we're all a part. Both men and women and non-binary people are all impacted greatly by the patriarchy. I mean, I think it's how girls are socialized. So that's a whole, I think, a whole other podcast conversation to have. But I mean, just even recently, I have a young daughter, and she was told not to raise her hand as much in school because she was so eager and raises her hand for every question that's asked. And that's unacceptable to me. But I was also told those things. And I think just men and women are judged very differently in our culture, and that's just a fact of life. I mean, just look at, I mean, this is maybe opening up a can of worms. But if you just look at the way the Elizabeth Holmes trial played out versus so many other startup stories, and yes, there are differences, but it's really common in our culture to villainize female ambition and to look at it as problematic. CHAD: Yeah, you're absolutely right that this is a whole podcast topic in and of itself, but I think it's an important one. But I'm curious; it can feel angering and powerless when something like that happens at school or in a system where it's very hard to control it or change it. But when it comes to your own company, you are in charge. So what have you done to try to make this different at Marvelous? JENI: Well, I would say elevating women to leadership positions to the extent that we've been able, I mean, we're definitely a female-run company. We make decisions. Also, just even the way we provide benefits and salaries, it's in my mind done from a more holistic standpoint than I would say a lot of other small startups are doing. We prioritize people and their families and try to treat people like human beings versus just kind of pawns in our scheme to build a company, I would say. It's not perfect. But I really think that so much of what goes on around kind of the women in tech stories so much of that and the women in fundraising stories has to do with women or non-binary people really having to prove themselves to a degree that is unrealistic in order to have the same treatment or the same opportunities as white men. So we are obviously very acutely aware of that. And so, in our own company, we're still very small but always trying to elevate the opportunities that women and people of color have in our company. CHAD: And as you said, this permeates. It's systemic. And so, what might you do when you have a male manager with the best of intentions in a female-led company? I'm of the opinion that it's not enough to just assume that, oh, well, in that environment, this stuff won't happen because it is so ingrained. So are there other things that we can do as founders, as people, and leaders, as a company to create an environment where it's better for everybody? JENI: I definitely don't have all the answers for this. But I would say we've put a lot of attention into coming up with core values that we really strongly affirm and reaffirm in the company and make sure that everyone is aware of those. I also just I'm constantly watching what's going on and noticing subtle cues when people start to pull back from contributing or some voices are much louder than others; just trying to notice that and not wait for something to be brought to my attention. I think so much of it is also the culture, and it's hard in a situation like ours where we're a fully remote team with people across the world with their own different, you know, they're bringing their own cultures and their own values to the company. I mean, it's definitely hard. It's harder than I ever would have expected to get people on the same page. And, I don't know, I don't have really good advice other than to say the founders should really agree on the core values. And then, those core values should be shared constantly. And I think it starts with the founder or the co-founder and the leadership team holding everyone to those values and standards. CHAD: So as someone who, like you said earlier, you're not a software developer, you're not a designer, yet you are working on this idea and bringing it out into the world. How did you manage to do that? What did the very early steps look like for you? JENI: So I started a company when I was essentially on maternity leave. I naively thought that that would be like a fun, little hobby project for me to start a tech company. Partly because I was spinning off what had really been a research project that was funded and incubated at a major university. I was spinning that off into a nonprofit with another co-founder, another lawyer. And I spent a great deal of time and energy fundraising and was constantly going and having meetings or drinks or dinner with people or even flying out to different foundations and meeting with donors. And I was like, this is for me who...I have a body of work and have developed expertise as a climate change expert. And that word is problematic but, you know, someone who knows quite a lot about climate change in the law, edited one of the major textbooks in the area, taught some of the first curriculum on energy and the environment. I was constantly having to just go out and raise money all the time and mostly from people who had cashed out of tech companies. So I was in Seattle at the time, you know, Microsoft and Amazon. There are a lot of people with significant wealth, and those are the people that are donating to organizations. And so I just thought I'm as smart and capable as these people. Like, why don't I have a revenue source that helps to fund the work that I want to do in the world? Which was a lot of human rights law and environmental law that's really underfunded really at that intersection of climate change and human rights. And so I thought, well, I'm on maternity leave. I'm really interested in the wellness industry. I see it really being broken. I had gone through yoga teacher training like right at the tail end of law school just for my own mental health and wellbeing. And I just saw all of these friends and colleagues of mine struggling, and I just thought something wasn't quite right. So the first thing I did was I decided I'm going to try to build something to help them. And I set out to interview 75 yoga studio owners or managers in North America and did some research on the biggest markets at the time. CHAD: Why 75? JENI: Because I just thought that was a good number. If I talked to 75 people, I'd be able to have some good information. And I will say I had just come off of a couple of major projects where I had put together a big international conference in my field in climate justice. And I had also put together sort of a retreat of leaders in the field of scenario planning around that. So I had really learned a lot and elevated my real career at the time by reaching out to people who I thought were thought leaders and experts in the field across different disciplines and having really honest, frank conversations and interviews with them. And I had been able to essentially tease out an entire field of work for myself from doing that. So I brought my research and academic skills to bear, which was like, if I talk to enough people, I'm going to start to find some patterns. And I was curious, like, I couldn't quite understand. This wellness industry had been growing for over a decade at that point. It was this massive industry, and yet no one I knew who worked in the industry made any money. And I thought that was really weird. And I'm like, why is all the money going to apparel companies or a couple of big brands? Something is really broken in this model. I don't think the technology...tech hadn't really arrived to wellness at that point. I came up with the idea to start doing this at the end of 2013, and so it was a long time ago. So I was just like, I'm going to talk to as many people as I can who are running businesses in the major metropolitan areas that are big yoga centers and just see what I can figure out. And so that's what really started it. And then, the idea for what was then called Namastream and is now called Marvelous came from those conversations. And it wasn't long; it was maybe six weeks into the research that I really started to...like, there were three or four ideas that I thought, well, here are product ideas that could really make a difference. And so what I did is I sent out about 200 cold emails, and I had 74 interviews from that. And then I agreed to create a report like a white paper because, again, this is what I knew how to do as an academic is like I'm going to do a bunch of interviews, and then I'm going to write a report about it. And I'm going to share it with people. So I agreed to share the research with everyone who agreed to an interview. And so I think that's part of why they agreed to talk to me. So yeah, so that's where the idea came from. And then again, I had no background in tech. I watched some trainings on how to do UX design, I think, like YouTube videos and stuff, and then I just did it. And I made the first prototype like a clickable prototype in Keynote because I knew how to use Keynote. CHAD: Yeah, that's so great. Talking to people, using whatever tool you're comfortable with, Keynote, PowerPoint, that kind of thing to do clickable prototypes that's the exact kind of thing I encourage, we encourage our thoughtbot early-stage founders to do. So you were spot on. I don't know if you realized it at the time. But that's really great. What problem did those 74 or some strong subset of them have that streaming helped them with? JENI: It was really interesting because there were a couple of studios. There were two studios at the time in Southern California that were doing this, and the bigger studios in these other major cities knew that. And so because there were so few, they were very well known way back. I mean, most of those conversations were in 2014 that I was having. Some of the studios, I mean, one of them is still a major company now. You know, most studios had like 2,000 members. Like, a studio that I would interview had 2,000 customers on their list, like, possible customers. Some of those were people who were drop-ins or punch cards or whatever. And then the studios that were streaming had like 30,000 customers. And so that was starting to be known. And people had no idea how to do any of that themselves. And so the problem that we are solving was when I would interview studios in the Boston area because that was one of the metropolitan areas I targeted; there were certain days out of the year that for snow closures like the studio would just lose all their revenue that day. In the south, there were studios that were impacted by hurricanes that were trying to figure out...and I'm a climate change lawyer, so I see this trend. I was looking at it from a disaster response scenario planning lens which was this is only going to get worse. I had no idea about the pandemic. CHAD: Little did you know. [laughs] JENI: Right? [laughs] I just thought like, wow, okay, the hurricanes are increasing in severity and duration. That's not going to change. Sea level rise is happening. Storms are becoming more unpredictable. Like, places that are cold are getting colder and have more snow on average. So all these people were complaining about lost revenue for these cataclysmic weather events. I just thought that as being a huge opportunity for a solution. So that was one reason why this idea really stood out to me. And then also just knowing that...this actually goes back again to my own story. I used to work for Al Gore. I was one of the people that led his environmental outreach on his presidential campaign when I was a teenager. And then I ended up being one of the first people trained to give the climate presentation that he made famous in An Inconvenient Truth. And so, I had been developing presentation materials in my legal and academic career that I was sharing with that organization. And I had to figure out how to record myself and then try to get it on a thumb drive and then send it to Nashville so they could watch it and learn how to present the slides that I was making. And so I actually had this very different use case where I was like, it was really hard. I was on the board of another nonprofit that was bringing together environmental leaders once a year to learn new training materials and then go back out across the world to disseminate them. Again, the same thing. I was like; there is going to be such a need for some kind of streaming tool that's accessible by whoever wants to use it to be able to share knowledge and information. So both as a business tool, but it also kind of scratched this other itch that I had seen in my previous career, like, the career I thought I was taking a short break from. And so I just was like, this is the future. And I had moved during this time across the country for my husband's job and had a new baby. And I missed my own yoga teacher. And so I thought, like, wow, I'm in North Carolina in this small town, and I really miss the Seattle community. And I miss my teachers there. I wish I could take these classes. So for all of those reasons, I saw this as being a trend that wasn't going away, and that was only going to be more in need. And it was really early adopters at that point, like definitely not 74 studios telling me they needed this. But it was a big enough chunk of early adopters that I thought this is when you get to make something new that changes the industry. Mid-Roll Ad: I wanted to tell you all about something I've been working on quietly for the past year or so, and that's AgencyU. AgencyU is a membership-based program where I work one-on-one with a small group of agency founders and leaders toward their business goals. We do one-on-one coaching sessions and also monthly group meetings. We start with goal setting, advice, and problem-solving based on my experiences over the last 18 years of running thoughtbot. As we progress as a group, we all get to know each other more. And many of the AgencyU members are now working on client projects together and even referring work to each other. Whether you're struggling to grow an agency, taking it to the next level and having growing pains, or a solo founder who just needs someone to talk to, in my 18 years of leading and growing thoughtbot, I've seen and learned from a lot of different situations, and I'd be happy to work with you. Learn more and sign up today at thoughtbot.com/agencyu. That's A-G-E-N-C-Y, the letter U. CHAD: So you have the clickable prototype, and you feel like this is something here. What was the next step for you? JENI: So I went back to everyone that had validated that idea, and I tried to sell it to them. [laughs] I had people PayPal.Me money in order to build it. I said, "You can become a founding customer, and you'll get access for a year included and with a payment." I think I was charging people; I don't know, a couple of thousand dollars. I don't even remember. It was a long time ago. It was under $2,000. "So you can get in now. You'll have a 20% discount on anything we make forever. If you want to participate, you can be in this founding member circle with me. And as it's getting developed, you can provide feedback and help to shape exactly what it becomes." So I had enough people throw some money into the pot PayPal.Me money. I also had no idea how to take money from anyone. It was sort of like pre-Stripe being a normal thing. So I just had random people PayPal.Me money. And I took the money, and I hired a developer to build a prototype. CHAD: How did you find that developer? JENI: That was hard. So through this entrepreneurship course that I ended up meeting Sandy in, there was somebody who was a classmate, sort of like a mentor-level classmate who had done the course before who was an engineer at Microsoft. So I asked him to help me. I reached out and asked him to. And if I hadn't reached out to him, I would have reached out to other developers that I knew, just people in my extended circle of friends and stuff. CHAD: So how long did it take from that point to get a product that people could actually use for their classes? JENI: Early use, I would say like four months. So it was very, very, very beta. It's humiliating what it was. CHAD: It should be. It should be humiliating. JENI: Yeah, it should be. So it was like kind of a WordPress plugin. It was basically a glorified WordPress plugin, and that took about four months. And so I onboarded our early adopters who had given me the money, the checks, the PayPal money. That was the beginning of the summer that year. And I said, "You're the only people that are going to have access to it for the first three months," and that was part of the deal. So I really worked around the clock helping them, working with my developer to solve any problems that were coming up, making changes. And then, in September, about three months later, I just figured out how to run Facebook ads. [laughs] So I just made up Facebook ads that ran to a one-on-one demo and let people book one-on-one demos with me through Facebook ads. CHAD: So in those early days, if you had to do it over again, is there a lesson you learned that you might do it differently? JENI: I don't think so, honestly. I feel like that first year; I feel pretty good about everything that I did. I mean, obviously, it would have been great to have someone like Sandy come in early on. But, I mean, I needed to figure some stuff out that I didn't need another person around to figure out, I guess. And I guess now, in like 2022, we're having this conversation. I wish I had dumped money into Facebook ads to have more demos because they were so cheap. [laughter] CHAD: Right. Right. JENI: It was so cheap for me to run ads. It was the golden days of online advertising, I guess. So I was probably paying like 40 cents a lead or something. [laughs] So yeah, maybe that. Because I was very much not wanting to put my own money into it. Like, once I raised the money to fund the prototype, I think I maybe in that first year put in like seven grand or something, but by the end of the year, I paid myself back. CHAD: That's great. JENI: I could have maybe put in a little more money. But I didn't know if it was going to work. Like, I wasn't really willing for...again, I wanted something that was very validated. And I expected fully to be going back to my career as soon as I got this thing launched. I was like, oh, this is just like a side hustle. This is going to be passive income. I did not understand that building a software company was not at all passive. I think I really bought into this idea that, like, oh, it's the internet. It will be passive income. CHAD: When did it become clear to you that it wasn't? JENI: Oh, I mean, I would say, you know, so I had a moment to go back to work, not my exact same job but to do work in my field between one month and two months after I launched and started running ads. I turned down a really incredible job offer, and I think that's when I knew it. I was like, if I take a job, if I go back to work full-time...and I have the kind of career that's all-encompassing, and I sort of, whatever, I'm going to give 150% to whatever I'm doing. And so I knew that this thing would kind of die, but it was taking off. And so, I think I knew at that point I had to make a choice. CHAD: And is that when you decided to apply to the accelerator? JENI: No, it was like another nine months of growing it on my own before I applied to the accelerator. And I just kept doing what I was doing, and it was working. But I was doing things that didn't scale, so that was the problem. And so I didn't know, I mean, there's only so many one-on-one demos that the founder can do before you start to realize [laughs] you need to make some changes because I was doing them around the clock. And then, at some point, I switched to webinars. I taught myself how to do webinars. And so then I was trying to do demos to multiple people at a time, but also, I didn't understand email marketing. I didn't understand copywriting. I was figuring everything out myself as I went, and I was burning out. So that's when I decided, like, oh, not everyone does this. I can't grow Microsoft or Amazon by doing this. I can't become that company. So obviously, I need to figure out how to scale. So that was when I decided to apply to the accelerator. CHAD: Why apply to an accelerator as opposed to start fundraising, for example? JENI: Oh my God. Well, so the whole reason I did this was so that I didn't have to go out for drinks with people and ask them for money. [laughter] I mean, I was not interested in that at all. And then I soon realized that that's what happens when you join an accelerator [laughs] is you basically just start learning to fundraise. But I didn't know that. I knew nothing. And so, I knew nothing about startups. I knew nothing about anything like this. I literally had no idea. So the idea of going and sending emails to wealthy people to go have a drink with them was actually the last thing I was willing to do. And I don't think any VC fund would have met with me. I didn't even really know what that was. Like, I had no idea. So it didn't strike me as something that there was a lot of money that somebody would pour into it. That, honestly, wasn't even an option to me in my mind at that time. CHAD: How did the accelerator help you? JENI: It helped me bring on a co-founder, which I would say was invaluable. [chuckles] And I learned a lot. I mean, I'm a person who's super curious and asks lots of questions. And so there was always somebody I could ask questions to, which was great, saved me a lot of time. And I also got to be in a cohort with other founders and see how they were growing their companies. So if you've never been around that stuff before, it's super helpful, I think, to just learn what other people are doing, like what other models there are, what other teams look like. And I also realized, like, we were one of the only companies that had any revenue. I had no idea how we compared to anything else. And so I realized, oh, we're growing, and we're making money, and we're profitable. And it's really different than what a lot of other people are doing. So I knew that there was something to it also. I knew that we were really onto something. And then I will also say that fast forward a number of years, and our leader, one of the directors of our accelerator, I ended up hiring him to be our Chief Product Officer. So that was also very fortuitous [chuckles] and really an amazing story and outcome as well. CHAD: Did you end up raising money coming out of the accelerator? JENI: Nope. We soft circled around and had an opportunity to take an additional tranche from the accelerator, and we walked away from that at the time. And it was a really hard decision. Mostly because Sandy is Canadian, I don't know if that was made obvious, and I'm American. And we never envisioned wanting...like, building a remote company still in 2016 was not normal. And there was no way we were going to be in the same place. And the potential investors we were talking to, one of them in particular, was pretty adamant that we needed to be in person and have an actual office set up. And that was not negotiable for us. And so we had been doing this fine. I mean, we were fine building a company together. And our first developer was in Asia, and then our designer at the time was in another part of the United States. So I was like, why would we do that? Why would we spend money and have to buy things like a fax machine and chairs? Why would we do that? CHAD: [laughs] JENI: That doesn't make any sense. And so that was one kind of red flag for me. And then also in the accelerator, I pitched to tons of people because you're sort of pitching, but also it's kind of practice. And I don't know how much of that was actual pitching. And I don't know how many of those investors were actually considering making investments, or they were just being nice and giving you their time and feedback. But I pitched a ton, and the only people that we had soft circled were women. And I just had some negative experiences with some of the investors that we had pitched to, which that's also another podcast episode. And I was really bothered by, in particular, one conversation that I had. It was like a situation where someone said something really inappropriate to me, and I just absolutely did not want to do that. So that all factored in. CHAD: Have you ever taken any investment? JENI: Yeah. So this year, we have...because we have a situation where it makes sense to pour fuel on our...it made sense from a marketing standpoint to pour some money in. So we've just taken a small investment from angels, and we may take a little more as well. We're open-minded, I would say, right now about fundraising. I have, in the last two years, taken a lot of meetings. So I've talked to lots of firms and lots of angels and get emails every day and so take a number of those meetings. So I've just tried to be really open-minded about it. So yeah, I would say I don't have such a negative association as what I had before. But I also would say my company is in a really different position now, and fundraising means something else to us. CHAD: It sounds like you're in a little bit more control over the situation. And by working with individual angels probably, you're able to maintain that, I would guess. JENI: Yeah. And it's definitely something where I think that there are...you know, I don't think it's helpful to be closed off to fundraising because I see that there are absolutely opportunities especially to go into new markets where being bootstrapped isn't practical because of the cost to go into those markets. And so, if it's something that's heavily regulated, for example, it's not a feasible option. So allowing us to have options and actually to be able to think through those options is important to me. CHAD: So now that you've done that, what's next for Marvelous? What's the next challenge you're ready to tackle? JENI: I would say we had this tremendous growth early in the pandemic, which really kind of unearthed, not really unearthed, I mean, I knew it was there [laughs] but really publicly unearthed a lot of technical debt. And that's, I think, normal for bootstrapped companies as well who are growing slowly and up to a point that they're not anymore. And so we spent a solid 18 months, I would say. Up until the end of 2021, there was a solid 18 months of really rebuilding the platform from the ground up. And so we've done that, and now we're in growth mode. We're focusing on letting people know that we exist because I think we're quite well known in the wellness industry and in the yoga space in particular, but we're not as well known outside of that in other creator niches. And so it's about brand awareness. It's about really showing up as thought leaders in the space as well. We do a lot of writing and a lot of blogging and podcasting. And in particular, we serve women and non-binary creators in a way that I think no one else does. And so it's about disseminating the information that we have and the teachings that we have and letting people know we exist, and we're a resource for them. CHAD: Yeah. Well, like you said, you have a strong reputation, and you have those roots in the wellness space, but you've expanded beyond that. If someone's out there listening, what would make them a potential customer or an ideal customer for Marvelous? JENI: So anyone who's teaching, training, or coaching online, the software is really industry agnostic. And so we're just, again, not as well known yet in those other spaces. But especially someone who's integrating any cohort-based learning, or really heavily integrating coaching and live streaming, or group programs, or one-on-ones into an online course or a membership, for example, Marvelous is really second to none with all of that. Because again, live streaming and the integration of live teaching with on-demand content was what we started with and what we are known for. And so it's not an afterthought the way that I think a lot of online teaching platforms and edtech companies have slapped on live streaming as like, oh, now you can integrate with Zoom or whatever. And for us, we have an integration with Zoom that's not like anything else. And then we have other WebRTC-based live streaming options, and everything is very well thought out and makes it really easy for the end-user so for the students and clients to be able to use the tool, which I think our audience really cares about that it's easy for their clients. CHAD: I'd be remiss, and since this is a podcast, if I didn't mention that you and Sandy have a podcast. JENI: We sure do, yeah. Thank you so much. laughs] CHAD: It's called the And She Spoke Podcast, and where can folks find it? JENI: So obviously anywhere that they listen to podcasts, but our website for the podcast is andshe.co. So I would love it if you're interested in conversations about women in tech, female founders, women, money and power, online business resources, and training. And that's mostly what we talk about. We're doing a crypto series right now, sort of like exploring crypto and the intersection of women and crypto, so that's going to be coming out shortly as well. CHAD: Cool. If folks want to try out Marvelous or find out more or get in touch with you, where are all the places that they can do that? JENI: So our website is heymarvelous.com. And we are @heymarvelous on Instagram. That's where we hang out the most. But we're also on TikTok, and Pinterest, and Facebook, and pretty much everywhere else as well. But Instagram, I would say, is the best place. CHAD: That's great. Jeni, thanks so much for joining me and sharing your story and your advice. I'm sure people will really appreciate it. JENI: Yeah, thank you so much for your time, Chad. I appreciate you having me. CHAD: And you can subscribe to the show and find notes for this episode along with a complete transcript at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. And you can find me on Twitter at @cpytel. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks for listening, and see you next time. ANNOUNCER: This podcast was brought to you by thoughtbot. thoughtbot is your expert design and development partner. Let's make your product and team a success. Special Guest: Jeni Barcelos.

A term known as "languishing" has been coined by a sociologist named Corey Keyes. Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It is the neglected middle child of mental health. An antidote to this "meh" attitude is a concept called, "flow." We can move from languishing to flourishing when we give ourselves blocks of uninterrupted time inviting ourselves to be present in the moment. A regular yoga and meditation practice can give us opportunities to practice present-moment awareness. Click here to read the New York Times article on Languishing. Practice yoga with Mary and learn about her classes and special offerings online at www.mary-mccarthy.comFollow Mary on social media @yogabymaryThis episode wraps up season #3. Mary will begin season #4 later this summer after she has launched her updated website and online class platform with Namastream. 

Winter for some can be hard.We just want to curl up in a ball and hibernate.It's drizzly. It's cold. It's dim and dark. The days are SHORT.But it's really important to find ways to function and lift any low mood you experience so you can do your best to avoid unnecessary depressive states.Mentioned in the episode: Namastream - an online teaching platform Brooke Castillo's Monday Hour One The Heart of the Revolution: The Buddha's Radical Teaching on Forgiveness, Compassion, and Kindness by Noah Levine Yoga Punx Unite Book Club Yoga Punx Unite LIVE with additional practices. 18 Science-Backed Reasons to Try Loving-Kindness Meditation 【4K HDR】Night Walk in Tokyo Red Light District - Shinjuku Kabukicho(歌舞伎町散歩) - Japan Walking Tour See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If a friend, colleague or employer asks us to do something, commit to a task, we tend to do it without question (depending on the request of course!)However, committing to ourselves seems all the more difficult.In this episode, I share what personal power + commitment is, and why self-commitment is beneficial to all who we surround ourselves with.I also share ways in which you can start to easily commit to yourself and your wellbeing to discover the joy and avoid resentfulness.If you'd like to join these sessions live, then you can for FREE! Sign up via the Yoga Punx Unite Online Studio on Namastream.Resources Mentioned in this EpisodeAtomic Habits by James Clear See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are thrilled to bring you today's guest, Michelle Olson. Michelle is the creator of the Layers body/mind/spirit method of movement. She is an authentic vibrant soul, a seeker of spiritual healing connections, and an accomplished yoga instructor who has been building a loyal following since 2008. Michelle's career in movement began in modern dance in New York City. She is a Reiki practitioner and is experienced in various traditions of yoga (Kundalini, Vinyasa, Hatha), breath-work, therapeutic dance, mindfulness meditation, gemstone therapy, earth medicine, and is a perpetual student of integrative healing arts. In today's episode we dive into the art of the yoga practice. We discuss how a yoga practice is an opportunity to get curious. How it allows one to go deeper into listening to his/her own body and voice and find the path toward self-love. We love Michelle's calming yet fun nature and we love her yoga classes! You can find Michelle on: https://www.layersyoga.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/layersyoga/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/layersyogafb  Special Offer:  Sign-up for my Live-Stream classes on Namastream.com Special Events: 1) We are starting our own "Art of Living Well" Book Club. Please join us in reading the book The Last Law of Attraction Book you will ever need to read  by Andre Kap who was on Episode 45 of our podcast. We will be hosting a one hour discussion on the book on Nov. 12 at 11:30 central time. Sign-up here. This is a free event. 2) Save the date for our upcoming 30-Day 'Thrive During the Holiday Season' program How to Stay Festive, Fun and Feeling Fabulous This Holiday Season.  Join our private community where you will receive mindset tips, recipes, weekly lives and much, much more with a group of other like minded people. Program starts Nov.16th and ends Dec. 13th. Sign-up here; message us with any questions. Rate and Review Us!  Please head over to Apple Podcasts and give the Art of Living Well Podcast a rating and review. We would so appreciate it and it helps our podcast get found in searches. Thank you! Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast so that you can uncover strategies, tips and resources from a variety of experts and our own banks of knowledge as you progress on your journey to living well.  Please share this podcast with a friend or anyone who you think could benefit from this information. Join our private Art of Living Well Podcast Facebook Community: This is a community where you can directly interact with us and ask us questions and suggest topics for future episodes. Shop our Favorite Products:   https://www.theartoflivingwell.us/products Shop Clean-crafted wines! Instagram: @theartofliving_well FB: theartoflivingwell Sign-up for our Art of Living Well Podcast email list. (We promise not to bombard you with email). Marnie Dachis Marmet's Website (Zenful Life Coaching) Stephanie May Potter's Website  

Picture this.  Your life and business are both stuck in a rut and you know you need someone’s guidance to get out of it.    Someone who looks, talks, and acts like you and who’s been through similar struggles.  So, you decide to get the help of a female lifestyle coach and log onto their website.  And are immediately greeted by: A website with a background of pastels A slim, white woman in a sheath dress and with shiny white teeth at the centre of it A background of a perfect, sunny, customized kitchen in a large, airy house As you continue to browse, you see something odd - at every page you’re being sold empowerment and are being advised to ‘embrace who you are’. But, all of that is coming from someone who is wealthy, attractive, and socially acceptable.  Someone who shows none of the physical or emotional flaws that they’re teaching you to embrace.  That is what Kelly Diels calls ‘The Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand.’ Kelly is a feminist marketing consultant and coach who helps people build businesses that break age-old oppressive cycles.  And defining ‘The Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand’ archetype is her life’s work.  Kelly clarifies that most women who embody the archetype aren’t always inherently misogynistic, or even aware of the conflicting messages their branding is putting out.  However, they are ultimately selling patriarchy in a pretty pink bow. After all, the archetype involves wealthy, conventionally attractive women leveraging their white privilege to exert power over other women by making them feel inadequate or lesser than.  And buying into it isn’t going to do much to help other women (especially those from minorities). We all need to check ourselves (and who we choose as role models), take a deeper look at how businesses operate, and analyze what kinds of messages we’re sending out into the world.  Especially right now.  And Kelly is more than happy to help us down that road! In today’s episode Kelly goes deeper into the Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand, discusses how and WHY we should shun traditional ways of operating a business, the differences between business and capitalism and much more! We always love having Kelly around because we walk away from our conversations with a different perspective on things we took for granted.  And we’re sure she’ll have that effect on you too!   Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Why you always need to jump before you're ready The financial benefits of adopting feminist practices to your business How you can break the cycle of leveraging an oppressive system What makes a business different from ruthless capitalism How we can realize the power we hold to change the culture around us How ‘business as usual’ is implicitly oppressive RESOURCES Kelly Diels - Website Kelly Diels - Instagram The Body is Not an Apology - Sonya Renee Taylor Rachel Rodgers - Website Christy Harrison - Website Bookshop.org   This Week’s Joy: Kelly’s joy this week is an answer to all our Amazon problems - bookshop.org.  Much like Amazon, It’s a website where you can order books to be shipped to your doorstep.  The catch? A commission goes into supporting indie bookstores around you!   This Week’s Hustle: Kelly isn’t a fan of the traditional business and copywriting formula of Problem - Aggravate - Solution. Instead, she proposes her ‘5 Step Messaging Model’ which initiates a shared vision or value with your customer and helps them make deliberate decisions to purchase your product, instead of being forced to do so from a place of shame.  Kelly is also working on an audit (or quiz!) which helps assess businesses and see if you’re either lining up with the Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand, or if your coaches and teachers are. Watch her website to be the first to know when it drops!   This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com   Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months

Who is a leader? What is leadership? Can you only lead if you’re an owner, founder or a C-suite executive? According to today’s guest, Claudia Chan, absolutely not.  And as a leadership and culture change expert, she’s made it her mission to provide the world with a more holistic, inclusive, and purpose-driven definition of leadership.  One that doesn’t discriminate against gender, race, economic background, or even your job title.  In the cut-throat world of business, entrepreneurs are taught to be ruthless, cold, and enigmatic to be successful. In the white male-dominated view of leadership, there’s no room for spirituality, empathy, or humility.  Clearly, in our present day, these definitions just don’t work. Businesses all over the world are learning the importance of inclusive workplaces and empathetic messaging.  And leaders simply cannot thrive by embracing outdated ideals and definitions of ‘effective’ leadership, taught by an overwhelmingly male and caucasian demographic through books, TV appearances, and conferences. In today’s episode, listen in as Claudia describes how opportunities to lead are all around us, why women need to embrace their intuition in business, and why it’s so important to change the definition of what makes a good leader in our society.  Claudia’s message is an important one right now. We NEED new forms of leadership in a world that’s going through metamorphosis.  And we hope this episode might steer our listeners to it.    Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Why 2020 is the year of innovation How current definitions of leadership can be rectified Why analyzing your past is important to be a good leader How being aggressive in internal growth helps The people who are most affected by the pandemic Why intuition and ‘gut instincts’ aren’t poor business decisions How to relabel mistakes RESOURCES This is How We Rise - Claudia Chan She Globl - Website Wayne Dyer Audiobooks Claudia - Instagram She Summit - Website   This Week’s Joy: Like many during this time, Claudia has been finding joy in the small moments she spends with her husband and two kids, tickle monster and all! This Week’s Hustle: Claudia’s hustle comes from a Wayne Dyer audiobook - don’t sell a product, sell what you love.  The true hustle comes from doing what you love so it doesn’t feel like work at all!   This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships, and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant, and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!

Lately, we’ve been paying a lot more attention to bias around us - gender bias, wealth bias, and of course, racial bias.  As white women, we’ve never really had to face the burden of racial bias. It’s on us to check our privilege, continue having these important conversations, and educate ourselves on how to dispel bias by being the best allies we can.  And do ALL of that in a way that goes beyond posting a black square on social media.  Today’s guest, Femily, has made it her mission to help businesses get allyship right.  A feminist thought leader, management consultant, and organizational change expert, Femily is familiar with teaching male-led and majority male organizations about gender equality, inclusiveness, and gender allyship.  And with her work studying whiteness and white privilege, it felt natural for her to also advise white-led businesses on how to do things right in the current racial climate.  In today’s episode, Femily talks about why silence is violence and the danger of thinking you’ve done your part by just posting a black square on social media.  She also breaks down how white businesses should make allyship a long-term process ingrained in the core fibre of their operations instead of simply trying to slap ‘anti-racist lipstick on a racist pig.’  The conversation we had with Femily, while empowering and inspiring, was not an easy one to have.  But these conversations rarely ever are.  While serious discourse around white allyship should’ve happened a long time ago, it’s better late than ever. The onus is on us to continue it.  And this episode is the perfect place to start.    Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Femily’s education and how it’s helped her What changes she’s noticing in protests and activism now How female and male white-led companies greatly differ in their response to #blacklivesmatter The immediate business reaction female (especially WOC) entrepreneurs have to the pandemic How to balance social media and real world activism Femily’s anxieties despite all the positive changes in allyship right now RESOURCES Femily  - Website Femily - Instagram Future Thought Leaders - Webinar This Week’s Joy: Like many of us, Femily has been loving the new season of Queer Eye and the commitment of our Fab Five to helping people and making the world the best it can be.    This Week’s Hustle: Femily’s Hustle is a nugget of wisdom courtesy of her ‘Future Thought Leaders’ webinar: Get people clapping.  Oftentimes, the most nerve wracking part of public speaking is those first two minutes where it’s maddeningly silent and everyone in the audience is just staring at you. So if you can get them to clap and put a smile on their faces in any way, public speaking becomes a lot easier! This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months

Who would’ve thought rose farms could teach you important lessons about money.  But our guest, Denise Duffield Thomas, has us converted.  A money mindset mentor and author, Denise is passionate about teaching women about money, helping them charge the right amount for their work, and getting them over that dreaded income plateau.  Oh, and she also purchased a rose farm 18 months ago.  As one does. And those money mindset and purchasing a rose farm have more to do with each other than you’d think. Denise first had an urge to purchase a country home in sunny Australia while she was pregnant with her second daughter.  She then decided to go to open houses for the fun of it with her husband.  And then promptly proceeded to fall in love with the first rose farm she saw.  It wasn’t easy making that property hers.  The biggest problem wasn’t a mysterious 3-year curse (true story!) or that her brokers and advisors discouraged her from the purchase. The biggest problem was herself.   She felt like she wasn’t allowed to have a home purely for rest and relaxation. She wasn’t allowed to buy a weekend getaway property when she already had her dream beach house. And she sure wasn’t allowed to have a space in the countryside as a female entrepreneur.  And it took a lot to get to a point where she was okay with taking the plunge.  This relates to the work Denise does with women where she gets them to stop thinking of money in strict boxes and start asking themselves questions like ‘how much joy am I allowed to have?’ and ‘how does the money I make fit into that.’ It also relates to Denise’s teachings about women charging what they’re worth and then getting to enjoy the benefits of having that money.   In today’s episode, Denise takes us through the lessons the farm taught her in setting goals, balancing them with excess desire, and how you ALWAYS need to jump before you’re ready.  Not bad for a simple rose farm!   Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Why Denise operates as a mentor and not as a coach. How Oprah was her biggest inspiration in her mission for helping people Her early business experiments and what she learned from them Her goals for her Money Bootcamp course Her mother’s money mindset and how it still impacts her The importance of paying taxes  Her current business struggles and hardships  Her concept of the ‘chustle’ RESOURCES Denise’s Website Denise’s Instagram Her rose farm’s Instagram! Lucky Bitch - Denise Duffield Thomas  Get Rich, Lucky Bitch! - Denise Duffield Thomas Chillpreneur - Denise Dufflied Thomas Money Bootcamp   This Week’s Joy and Hustle: It comes as no surprise that this week’s joy and hustle are both about Denise’s rose farm!  She’s been finding joy, and hustling hard, partnering with people and creating micro-businesses in her farm. So far, she’s partnered with florists, beekeepers, cafe owners, and local wedding planners. And she doesn’t plan to stop! This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!

‘Who is she to tell me what to do?’ ‘Her tone is too abrasive’ ‘Is she even qualified to say this?’ Being a woman in corporate is tough.  Especially if you’re working to challenge ideas and beliefs as old as the company you’re working for.  Meet Joy Altimare, Chief Engagement and Brand Officer at EHE Health, an NYC based healthcare company specializing in preventative employee health.  EHE partners with other businesses to help them understand how best to provide their employees with a holistic healthcare experience and make sure they’re the healthiest they can be.  That includes helping ALL employees, regardless of gender, age, or color, and catering to their unique needs. In fact, inclusivity and a life-stage approach to health is one of the pillars of EHE’s philosophy.  But it wasn’t always that way.  When the company was founded by a white male in 1907, it was designed to keep other white males healthy.  Yep, you read that right.  Needless to say, the organization had to evolve.  The men in the company’s old executive team weren’t too keen on the way Joy spoke, or the way she acted, and regularly questioned her expertise in her field.  Even earning her title was a constant battle with her CEO.  In today’s episode, listen in as Joy breaks down her struggles as a WOC in corporate, the innate conditioning in women to be ‘well-liked’, and why that needs to change.  Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Why working from home is hard for her The Life Stage Approach to health Her unconventional journey toward working in healthcare Why men and women need to come together to change the environment in corporates for women Why she chose not to start her own business The most important part of any negotiation Her female role models The importance of mentorship RESOURCES EHE Health - Website Tiffany DuFu (Drop The Ball) - Website Joy Altimare - Instagram Joy Altimare - Linkedin   This Week’s Joy: Spending time with her family has helped Joy realize that she’s raising a smart, intuitive, and funny 5-year old! Her greatest joy right now is knowing that her daughter’s generation are already vessels for immense positive change.  All gleaned from listening in on her daughter’s Zoom classes when she wasn’t supposed to!   This Week’s Hustle: Joy’s hustle is simple. 4 words only: get off your ass.  There’s a world of opportunity out there! And though things can seem bleak right now, there’s always something you can do to improve yourself. So get moving! This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships, and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant, and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!  

As business owners, we’ve spent a lot of time with finance coaches, gurus, and budget advisors. And that’s why we can confidently say, we’ve never met someone quite like Allison Baggerly.  Allison is a blogger, influencer, and the founder of Inspired Budget where she combines her passion for teaching and finance to help other women learn about managing their money.  In our conversation with her, Allison was warm, funny, and seriously easy to talk to.  But what really stood out to us was her honesty and vulnerability.  Allison’s own struggle with debt as a young newlywed expecting her first child is front and centre on her website and it’s one of the first things she spoke about with us - no reservations and no holds barred.  She also got real about her tendency to overspend and how, like many women, she used to associate shopping and spending with happiness.  And how it’s a cycle she has yet to break out of completely.  This honesty means that whenever Allison does give you advice, it never feels patronizing, judgy, or holier than thou.  Allison’s financial advice comes from a place of ‘I’ve been there, I know what it feels like, and I got you.’ Which is exactly what people new to budgeting and financial planning need to hear, especially right now.  In our latest episode, Allison gets candid about her experiences with student loans, overspending, and how Inspired Budget came about. She also delves into her incredible (and beautiful!) ‘cash envelope system’, which trust us, will change the way your family thinks about money. Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: How Allison and her husband had the difficult conversation about debt Allison’s experiences with debt growing up The psychology behind overspending and retail therapy How the cash envelope system changed her family’s finances Why you shouldn’t be boxed in by the financial expectations of your industry How Inspired Fitness has helped women deal with the COVID-19 crisis How honoring your own budget rules makes you feel like a queen! RESOURCES Inspired Budget - Website Inspired Budget - Instagram Inspired Budget - Cash Envelope System Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine - Mike Michalowicz Full Focus Journals   This Week’s Joy: Like many of us, Allison is spending the quarantine at home. So, she’s finding joy in spending time with her family in their backyard! This Week’s Hustle: There’s nothing we love more than a good planner and Allison is no different. She recommends the quarterly Full Focus planners by Michael Hyatt to organize your life (and have something pretty to look at!). This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships, and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant, and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!

All around us, businesses are changing due to COVID-19.  The pandemic is forcing us to pivot, to really take a look at ourselves, reflect, and ask what can be a pretty scary question: ‘Why am I doing what I’m doing?’ Jenny Gaither, our guest for today, is no different. Like so many women we know and admire, Jenny wears many hats — she’s a business and life coach, a SoulCycle instructor, and the founder of ‘The Movemeant Foundation’ - a non-profit organization that uses the power of movement to teach young girls to be more comfortable in their own bodies.  And like many business owners, Jenny has had to move her business entirely online (she now works out of her small apartment in NYC’s Upper East Side) and restructure all her carefully planned goals.  Most of The Movemeant Foundation’s work was based in schools, because Jenny wanted to reach girls early. After COVID-19, The Movemeant Foundation has had to pivot to really focus on the backbone of the organization, its instructors. Instructors have been struggling to pay rent and find the resources they need to fully digitize their offers. Sounds familiar?  We spoke about what these pivots mean for the industry and whether digital is going to become the new normal. While business owners (and some of the newer members of our audience) are struggling, this week, our goal is to remind you that this struggle is temporary.  If you’re ready to hear Jenny’s insight into where the industry is headed and what this means for business owners, as well her own journey with body positivity and perspectives on movement, grab those AirPods, this is a good one.  Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: How Jenny realized the power of movement at age 7 How she built her non-profit from the ground up The impact SoulCycle has had in her life Her relationship with dancing The incredible female team that helped her build her non-profit Her impulse lighting buys RESOURCES The Movemeant Foundation - Website Jenny Gaither - Website Jenny Gaither - Instagram   This Week’s Joy: Jenny’s history with dancing is complicated. She fell in love with it at age 7 and fell away from it when the visual aspect of dance took a toll on her mentally, leading to a bad eating disorder and a fractured relationship with her body.  Now that she has learnt to fully embrace her body, one of her greatest joys has been embracing dance again! This Week’s Hustle: Studios are being set up in people’s bedrooms with enough lighting equipment to rival an indie film set. Jenny recommends a 10-foot adjustable selfie ring light from Amazon for those at-home workout livestreams!   This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!

When we re-launched The Soulful MBA as And She Spoke, we wanted to really lean in and dig deeper into the different paths female entrepreneurs take, and that meant sharing stories other than our own. And that’s why we’re so excited to host Marlo Ellis, the founder and CEO of The Uncommon Woman with us this week.  After just having come out of an abusive relationship, Marlo decided to turn her passion for fitness into her very own brick-and-mortar gym. As she worked with her clients, she spotted a pattern: One thing so many of these women had in common was pain.  Not a physical pain, not something she could fix in her studio. But something that went deeper than that.  Marlo’s gym became their safe space.  Wanting to help more women, Marlo decided to open an online business. Thus, the Uncommon Woman was born.  Marlo’s is a story of perseverance, community, and confidence.  Tune in to learn more about her journey, the importance of community, and how Marlo tackles the underbelly of pain that often lies beneath shiny surfaces.  Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Marlo’s journey with pain and fitness The two legs to The Uncommon Woman now How live events and conferences are massively different from online ones Setting boundaries on social media Training women to be leaders Why every woman’s story matters The future of Marlo’s business Her hunt for the Ideal Client RESOURCES Elizabeth Gilbert - Big Magic The Uncommon Woman - Website This Week’s Joy:  This week’s Joy and Hustle are both from Marlo herself! Her joy is simple (and many of you are gonna agree with her here) - dogs! On her many travels, she rescues dogs and finds them great homes when she gets back to Canada.  This Week’s Hustle:  A ‘Dump List’ was something nearly all of Marlo’s mentors and coaches recommended, so it has to work! Whenever inspiration strikes, Marlo reaches for the ‘Dump List’ (aka a notebook) and puts it down on paper.   This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com   Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!  

When you think of a leader, what voice immediately comes to mind? A cisgender, white, male news anchor? A politician? Or a popular old- Hollywood actor? Culturally, these male symbols have been associated with leadership and authority. And that extends to their voices too.  So what does this mean for those whose voice varies greatly from this definition of authority? In other words, what does it mean for women? Actress and singer Casey Erin Clark started Vital Voice Training to help change the conversation around what women are supposed to sound like to be taken seriously. In one of our most thought-provoking episodes yet, Casey takes us through voice types that women often get criticized for (like vocal fry or upspeak), how voice matters when telling your story, and makes a serious case for voice positivity! Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Casey’s background as a theatre artist The importance of paying attention to your voice The concept of ‘superpowers and evil twins’ How definitions of authority need to expand What causes vocal fry and upspeak Speech and Maslow’s 4 stages of learning Where she sees her business in the next decade Her wonderful partnership with co-founder Julie Fogg RESOURCES The Food Psych Podcast - Christy Harrison Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness - Melissa Dahl In a World - Lake Bell Freedom Fries (The American Life podcast) - Ira Glass Some Days, It’s Harder (Vital Voice Training Blog) - Casey Erin Clarke  The Age of Instagram Face - Jia Tolentino  Understanding the 4 stages of learning (Maslow) The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia - Julia Sugarbaker  The Broadway Inspirational Voices   This Week’s Joy:  Casey’s background is in musical theatre - she went on an 18-month tour for Les Miserables! So it makes complete sense that her joy is music and singing, be it belting in a Grammy-nominated and Tony-winning choir (the ‘Broadway Inspirational Voices’) or in a cabaret in her dad’s living room! This Week’s Hustle:  Casey’s hustle is a powerful one - our wonderful community of female entrepreneurs. Moving from theatre to business, Casey was in awe of how welcoming her fellow female entrepreneurs were and how open they still are to sharing their knowledge. This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!

Picture an auctioneer. If you’re like most people, you just pictured an elderly, bespectacled British gentleman, with a gavel in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other. Not a 20-something woman in a brightly colored dress with heels et al. That’s where Lydia Fenet comes in. Lydia is the Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships at Christie’s in New York by day and auctioneer extraordinaire by night. Lydia’s incredibly inspiring story began when she interned at Christie’s as a 21-year old. She quickly rose through the ranks creating her own brand of auctioneering, one that didn’t make her feel like she needed to fit into an old British man-shaped mold. She embraced her natural sense of humor, her femininity and learned to walk up on stage and command millions of dollars. All by the time she was 24. Tune in to today’s episode to get a behind the scenes look at the glamorous life of an auctioneer, her book, and her recent TV and film deal, but more importantly, to learn from Lydia’s journey of learning to draw her confidence from within. Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: How Lydia was introduced Christie’s Auction House How her tenacity finally got her a job there Lydia’s advice for young women at their first jobs The series of events that led to her TV and book deal Her experiences being one of the few women in a male-dominated field How humor and femininity became Lydia’s best friends The importance of being authentic   RESOURCES Princess Diana Auction - Christie’s Auction House The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You - Lydia Fenet Stand Up For Heroes 2015 Auction - Bruce Springsteen Lydia Fenet - Instagram Lydia Fenet - Website This Week’s Joy: Lydia has three kids and nothing brings her more joy than spending time with them. Even if that means just falling asleep with them after a long day at work. This Week’s Hustles: Lydia believes every day is a hustle and that you are your own biggest tool to get things done.   Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months! This podcast is brought to you by Namastream. This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com  

It’s been a long few weeks.  And full disclosure, they’ve been some of the worst for us and our business. We’ve had to process the fact that our partnership with our work, our business’s core values, and our day-to-day operations have been shaken up, maybe even permanently.  All in the span of a few days.  Our business has always stood for sustainability, digital artisanship, and slow growth. It’s what we’re passionate about and we’ve worked very hard for over the years.  But, a few weeks ago, we had to scale our business incredibly fast. And that meant having to make some very difficult decisions - ones that sometimes went against our core values and caused us to have mini breakdowns at our desks.  Of course, we understand that in many ways, we’re hugely lucky. At a time of immense turbulence for so many businesses, the mere fact that we’re growing is nothing short of incredible. We’ve also had to hire people to meet our demand, and we’re glad we can provide our new employees with job security and a sense of stability.  But, this kind of quick scaling has never been what we’ve envisioned for our business, which was built on the idea of humane growth.  Our business was this beautiful, living, breathing, evolving experiment that the two of us were sharing with the world.  And it feels a little bit like we lost control of that.  The past few days, we’ve just focused on showing up, powering forward, and holding each other up through this. Of course, we’re aware that we’re a couple of weeks behind on releasing new episodes, only because we felt that the episodes we had in queue were a bit insensitive for right now and because we’re still trying to process everything around us.  Moving forward, we’ll be talking about some actionable strategies, tips, and industry trends we’ve been noticing to help stabilize your business and pivot if you need to.  But today, we just felt like sharing a very real conversation between two business partners and friends.     Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Our anxieties about the structure of our business moving forward How we had expected these circumstances, but never this soon The intensity and scarcity of these times The beautiful ways businesses are pivoting to help out How to start new conversations about the future of our planet RESOURCES Namastream - Instagram Namastream - Website   This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses, memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like.   Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!

We’re a female-owned software company, and take a LOT pride in what we’ve built.   And we love supporting other woman-owned ventures, which is part of the reason we were both big fans of THINX. This was a product developed by women, for women, and it helped to change the public conversation about women’s bodies.   Good for women, and good for the environment? Consider us sold.    So when we heard about what went down with THINX and Miki Agrawal, we knew we needed to talk about it.    Investigative journalists did a little digging and found that both THINX underwear, and their work environment, were toxic.    As consumers, we felt duped. But as business owners, we were curious to see how this would pan out.    As female business owners, this sparked a lot of conversations about the ethics of branding, the reality of female-owned business, and why being female-owned doesn’t necessarily imply feminist.   Here’s a peek at what else you can expect:   The strict standards for female business owners Cancel culture and the space to fail Our main takeaways from THINX Taking ownership of our failures The ripple effect of the failure of one female-owned business Can you be a feminist company and still be aiming for rapid growth?   RESOURCES   Patriarchy Proof: Thinx and the Perils of Emphasizing Female Founders The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes A Culture of Failure: The Story of Elizabeth Holmes: Episode 119 of And She Spoke My Menstrual Underwear has Toxic Chemicals In It Taylor Swift - NPR Tiny Desk Concert Disrupt Her: A Manifesto for the Modern Woman   Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.    What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like.   Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months!   This podcast is brought to you by Namastream   This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com This Week’s Joy: We’re big fans of Taylor Swift as a person (‘Shake it Off’ is still the best advice ever) which is why this week’s joy and hustle are all about her!    We recommend watching Taylor’s NPR Tiny Desk concert, especially with your little girl if you want to show her what a great role model looks like.   This Week’s Hustle: Seriously, we cannot get enough of Miss Americana, Taylor’s Netflix documentary. We love that we get to see Taylor evolve from this people-pleasing girl, to a woman who’s  not afraid to speak her own mind. 

Remember when you’d work your tush off just so that you get handed a shiny gold star in front of the whole class?  Yeah, us too. Our theory is that this behavior is why so many women in business identify as perfectionists today.  When we had a show of hands in our community, there were SO many of you who identified as loud and proud perfectionists. And, we can definitely relate.  But, perfectionism has a dark side. And that’s what we’ll be exploring in today’s episode. Tune in to learn more about how to reign in your perfectionism and find the courage to fail (with pride).   Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: Our own struggles with perfectionism  How the quest for perfection can damage your business Baby-steps to help you get over wanting to be perfect 24/7 Why we embrace the ‘B minus’ Method  Why the perfectionism you picked up at school and uni might not work in business  RESOURCES Seth Godin - Linchpin (and the concept of ‘Ship It’) Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months! This podcast is brought to you by Namastream   This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com   This Week’s Joy: It’s Peloton Bike! (Tune in to hear about Jeni’s newfound love)  This Week’s Hustle: Two words - Inbox. Zero. This week, we finally cleared out our inboxes to zero and are actually surprised by how clean and visible our mailbox looks. Mental peace is an added bonus.

With more and more women getting into online business, we decided that it was time  to have an honest conversation about what it means to grow an online business in 2020. Running an online business has its advantages: you can work when you want, where you want, while wearing what you want. But...there’s a downside.   People who work a 9-5 can switch off at the end of the day, but as business owners that’s a habit we need to intentionally cultivate (and it isn’t easy!). When your entire business can be accessed on your iPhone, the urge to check-in can be almost impossible to resist. If you aren’t militant about safeguarding your boundaries, all of a sudden it can feel like you’re working all the time. Tune into this week’s episode to hear about setting boundaries and maintaining work-life balance as an entrepreneur.   Here’s a peek into what else you can expect: How to spot the time-sucks in your day. The importance of disconnecting and taking that vacation! Seth Godin’s work-life philosophy.  The challenge of being truly anonymous in the age of Instagram. The pressure to always promote your brand or voice a public opinion.  RESOURCES   ‘What if surfing was your job?’ by Seth Godin   ‘Workaholics’ by Seth Godin   This Week’s Joy:    Move towards a more sustainable lifestyle by thinking about your lifestyle and recycling by trying out zero-waste products from https://notoxlife.com/.  This Week’s Hustle:  Our upcoming retreat in Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada and all our photo and video content we’re planning to do there. Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months! This podcast is brought to you by Namastream. This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com

On an average day, we make 35,000 decisions. It can be as simple as deciding what to wear, or what to eat for breakfast, or something a little consequential like deciding to diversify your business revenue streams, or as tense as dealing with conflict. As entrepreneurs, our power comes from being decisive. Making a decision, following through, and knowing when to pivot.  Tune in to this week’s episode to learn more about the mindset shifts to help you take the stress out of decision-making. Here’s a peek at what else you can expect: How decisions affect the way you live and feel Learning to rely on your intuition Why there is no such thing as a wrong decision How to stop spinning out from a place of indecision  The elements of decision-making Decisions, choice, and victim-mentality Why grit’s a character-trait  RESOURCES ‘5 ways to make tough decisions faster (and not regret them later)’ by Elizabeth Grace Saunders    Joy: Cleo Wade  Hustle: Bonnie Christine’s Flourish Planner   Know Your Numbers In our business, we're big fans of financial literacy and accountability. Knowing your numbers is an essential aspect of building a successful business and inherent responsibility for any entrepreneur.  What you focus on grows, so pay attention to your money. We use Bench for our bookkeeping. It's simple, elegant and saves us so many hours that would otherwise be spent neck-deep in receipts on the other side of a spreadsheet. Each month our transactions are automatically imported into Bench and we get on-demand financial reports. We even enjoy opening up our profit and loss statement to review each month. When tax time comes around, we are up to date and ready to go. And this is what Financial Empowerment feels like. Use this link to save 20% off your Bench Accounting plan for the first six months! This podcast is brought to you by Namastream This podcast is brought to you by the Namastream software platform. Namastream is an easy to use platform that helps you build and sell your own courses memberships and live-streamed programs. Go from idea to open for business in just minutes. Unlike other startups, Namastream was created by women for women. If you're looking for a simple, streamlined way to build and grow an online business. You can learn more at Namastream.com

#147 An Intentional Approach to Your Numbers It is a common misconception that numbers are out of a business owner’s control. This pervasive thinking is not only untrue but also lends itself to a passive financial approach. Jeni and Sandy want you, as the powerful entrepreneurs you are, to take charge and be intentional about your numbers. During this episode, they debunk this passivity myth and discuss why it is so important to realize that you have financial agency as well as what you can do once you make this pivotal mindset shift. They also move past the conventional understanding of profit and offer an alternative lens. Profit should be the ultimate goal of every business endeavor, so changing current thinking unlocks unlimited potential. They have used this model to great success in their own businesses and they share these stories today. Ultimately, in shifting thinking about profit and numbers, you change your approach to business entirely.   Key Points From This Episode:   Why moving from financial passivity to realizing you have agency can fear-inducing.   Learn why it is not a good idea to start a business with the ultimate goal of getting a salary.   Profit and financial freedom should be the motivators of any business.   Women carry their experience as employees over into their roles as business owners.   The long game: why it is crucial to have an overarching vision to drive business decisions.   Unpacking the conventional understanding of profit and an alternative suggestion.   By adopting a ‘profit-first’ mentality, you gain clarity on the tools you need to get you there.   Learn how Jeni used a profit-first approach in her family business and how it succeeded.   Discover how Jeni and Sandy handled their salaries with Namastream.   A look at the suggested percentages of salaries, taxes, and revenue from Profit First.   Find out why the snowball effect gives you the psychological momentum to keep going.   Words of Wisdom: “When you hold agency for your outcomes, you’re responsible both for your successes as well as for your failures.”   “We are not the victim of our businesses.”    Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Bench — https://soulfulmbapodcast.com/bench Namastream — https://namastream.com/   Joy: Hilma af Klint at the Guggenheim — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHdud9km7bQ Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future — https://amzn.to/2MPHz02 Hustle: Profit First — https://amzn.to/37uV1hV

Far too often business owners either fear or dread looking at the numbers or simply find it impersonal and boring. This is not an empowering way to approach your financials and does not have to be the case! Looking at the numbers can become a sacred monthly ritual where you take time to pause and reflect on all that you have accomplished and where you have room to improve. If this sounds like something you’d like to incorporate into your business, today’s show is just for you! Jeni and Sandy believe that what you track grows, not only because these numbers are in your consciousness, but also because you can create systems based on the data you uncover. There is often shame around small numbers, but every business has to start somewhere, so take time to understand and appreciate them. Every lesson the numbers teach you can be put to use to grow your business or make informed choices for how to move forward. Jeni and Sandy share two aspects of tracking numbers. They first talk about bookkeeping, what it is and the bookkeeping tools that they have found most useful for their businesses. Then they move onto a different aspect of tracking – the other metrics they use to measure their business performance. Tracking the numbers puts you back in the driver’s seat and empowers you to make decisions that align more closely with your goals. Don’t fear the numbers, embrace them! Key Points From This Episode:   Some of the reasons why what you track will grow.   Numbers are simply neutral data and not an indication of your worth.   Tracking can be separated into bookkeeping and other kinds of non-financial metrics.   Bookkeeping options: do it manually, hire a bookkeeper, or use an online bookkeeping tool or software tool.   How to choose a bookkeeping tool based on the specific needs of your business.   Insights into some advantages of using bookkeeping software.   Discover the specific reasons that Sandy and Jeni love using Bench for Namastream.   Learn more about the way that Sandy and Jeni track their sales goals.   Knowing your numbers allows for better decision-making and goal alignment.   Why it is useful to see differentiated product sales that comprise the total revenue.   If you have different products, differentiate goals and allocate energy accordingly.   Further expenses that Sandy and Jeni keep track of in their business.   Business performance metrics: numbers other than money that matter.   Make time to go over your numbers and let it be part of the ritual of running your company. Words of Wisdom: “The more you analyze and understand how you made that first dollar, the easier it is going to be to make your next dollar.” “If you’re not looking at this stuff, you’re really shooting from the hip and making decisions whimsically. And I love whimsy but not when I am talking about my business.”  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:  Bench Accounting — https://soulfulmbapodcast.com/bench Namastream — https://namastream.com/ QuickBooks — https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ FreshBooks — https://www.freshbooks.com/ Stripe — https://stripe.com/ Tezza on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tezza/   Joy: Tezza App — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tezza/id1393061654 Hustle: Start Finishing on Amazon — https://amzn.to/2LBeR2n

Goddesses of the Week: Jennifer Barcelos & and Sandy Connery Co-Founders of Namastream SoftwareWebsite - https://namastream.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/namastream/ Jennifer Barcelos is an attorney, a changemaker, a mother, and an entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of the Namastream software platform, the Soulful MBA course and community, and the climate justice nonprofit, Three Degrees Warmer. She’s working everyday to disrupt the wellness industry, making it easier for health and wellness practitioners build and scale their businesses online.Sandy Connery is the co-founder of Namastream Software, Soulful MBA and Connectable.Biz Software. After an amazing twenty-year career in footwear and gait analysis, Sandy sold a traditional brick and mortar retail business and clinic. She now brings her business experience to the online space where she loves to create community, teach and inspire other healers to find the freedom and impact they desire.What we chat about: How to identify your money storyUsing money as an agent for social changeThe sky's the limit on your earning potentialTaking action on your dreamsEntrepreneurship as a path to freedomTaking ownership of your financial security Politics and Women in the corporate worldLimiting beliefs around moneySpecial thanks to our sponsors! THE MOON DECKGet 10% Off Your Order: https://themoondeck.com/goddessThe Moon Deck is a healing oracle deck of 44 cards + an in depth guidebook filled with insights and rituals to enhance intuition and self-love. Inspired by the cycles of the moon and emotional wellbeing, this oracle set has reached women around the globe and has become a favorite amongst card collectors and newbies alike. It can be worked with as an oracle guide, as a daily tool for reflection and meditation, or in tarot-inspired spreads.Sister Support: Get 30% Off your all natural cleaning starter kit at www.claryti.com/goddessJoin The Goddess Life Membership by visiting https://www.iamgoddesscollective.com/membershipFor more Goddess conversations join our women's facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1078258585615424/?ref=bookmarks) Receive 25% off A Yoga Wake Up subscription by using code bit.ly/goddessyogawakeup See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you’ve ever worried that you need a massive email list or social following to successfully  launch as online program, this week’s guest is living proof that you absolutely do not.   Ericka Thomas, founder of Elemental Kinetics LLC, joins us on the show to share the juicy numbers from her first-ever online launch. As a recent graduate of our new Beta Launch Lab course (our Inner Circle clients got first dibs!), Ericka has truly embraced a new entrepreneurial mindset and found well-earned success right out of the gate. Ericka breaks down her real numbers for us on the podcast—including the size of her email list, and the number of sales she saw come in during her launch. This episode is really about embracing the very beginning of the business journey—when it’s all about those first sales, the three- and four-figure launches, and the tiny email list. There is SO much emphasis on the six-figure launches, but this is not where any of us start. We all start small and this is such a thrilling place to be! Fundamentally, Ericka’s story is about embracing a new identity and transitioning from employee to entrepreneur. If you have ever doubted your readiness for starting your own online because you aren’t experienced enough, famous enough, technical enough, big enough—Ericka’s story will help you to see that you are probably more ready than you think. Key Points from This Episode:     How Ericka transitioned from an independent yoga practitioner to starting her own business.   Ericka’s passion for trauma-informed yoga and tension-release exercise (TRE) and how she is working to weave this into her online business.   The process of figuring out what your clients want: Who to ask and what to ask them?   How to take the information your clients have given you and use it to expand your network.   Shift Under Pressure: Learn more about the product Ericka launched for her Beta Course.   The importance of the 27-word persuasion sentence for your first product launch.   16 sign-ups by midnight: Discover the surprising results from Ericka’s first launch.   Dealing with an identity crisis in the middle of your launch and realizing your self-worth.   How to get at least half the people on your email list to buy your Beta program.   Connecting with your clients and the value of launching to an audience that knows you.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom:   “You just need to pick your people and stick with them.” —@namastream [0:08:20]   “Sometimes if you want something different, you have to let the other thing go.” — Ericka Thomas [0:26:20]   “You can’t quit before you start.” — Ericka Thomas [0:28:20]   “Before, I never looked at what I did as a business.” — Ericka Thomas [0:28:50]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Elemental Kinetics LLC — http://www.elementalkinetics.com Elemental Kinetics on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/elementalkineticsmovewell/ Ericka Thomas on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericka-thomas-282060b7/ ConvertKit — https://convertkit.com/ Beta Launch Lab — http://betalaunchlab.com/ Namastream — https://namastream.com/ Joy: salad for breakfast! Hustle: Inner Circle (which includes Namastream, Beta Launch Lab, + lots more!)

On this episode of the show, we talk about mindset triggers that may be holding you back from making the kind of money you’re looking to make online. This episode is an important next step in our Women and Money Series, where we share the tough-love lessons we’ve learned about our own mindset traps and how limiting beliefs can drastically affect your ability to make money. We see these patterns, these excuses, these victim mentalities play out all the time online and in this episode, we take the opportunity to address the common thought patterns that get so many of us stuck in a rut. Here, we break down the Top 7 limiting beliefs/excuses we hear way too often:1. I can’t do what everyone else is doing.2. There’s so much free stuff out there...who’s going to pay for mine?3. Not embracing your inner salesperson.4. I won’t be able to figure it out.5. I’m not techie enough!6. Always telling old stories.7. I don’t really believe yoga teachers (or health coaches or spiritual teachers or personal trainers or ______ ) can make money.If any of these excuses ring true to you, we’re going to help you kick them to the curb!   Key Points From This Episode:   Failure to launch: The two types of dreamers you don’t want to be.   Why you need to take action and take a chance on yourself.   The comparison game and how to finally stop playing it.   Why you should still charge a fair price even though everything already exists for free.   Discover how to embrace your inner salesperson.   How to actively start believing that you CAN do hard things.   Find out why your excuses about technology are not helpful.   A shout out to the softer skills: empathy, communication, compassion.   How to break the “belief ceiling” and stop telling yourself old stories.   The importance of writing a new story and acting on it every day.   The value of building a scalable teaching/coaching business online today.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom:  “Keep your eyes on your own page and do the work.” “Saying you’re ‘not technical’ is not a valid excuse. Of course you can do it.”    Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Soulful MBA — https://www.soulful.mba/ Namastream — https://namastream.com/   Joy: TAXA Cricket — https://taxaoutdoors.com Hustle: Apple Watch — https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-series-4/

Today's theme is all about business — expanding your money mindset, balancing your business and family, and getting the support you deserve as a female entrepreneur!   My guest today, Sandy Connery, is the co-founder of Namastream Software — an online digital platform that enables yoga instructors and wellness practitioners to take their knowledge into the online space by teaching various courses. It's a user-friendly technology, super amazing, and game-changing for people in that industry!   On today's podcast, Sandy and I talk about what it actually means to be a woman in business; what it means to think bigger, what it means to set higher standards — and not in the traditional online business way — but to do it uniquely, as a woman. Part of female leadership is being able to step into our role — not to do it like men in a female body, but to do it like women from the values and mindset that women bring to the table.   Be sure to tune in to hear all of Sandy's knowledge bombs on the types of skills and mindset we need to leverage in order to be able to effectively navigate the entrepreneurial world as a woman!   Key Takeaways: [1:17] About today's episode with Sandy Connery! [1:35] Welcoming Sandy to the podcast! [3:03] Sandy explains her deep passion for supporting female entrepreneurs. [3:40] Sandy tells us all about her business, Namastream Software, that she co-founded with Jennifer Barcelos. [4:41] What compelled Sandy and Jennifer to start their business, Namastream? [7:50] What does Sandy bring to the table as a woman in a space that's traditionally dominated by men? [9:55] How do these ideas literally manifest in Sandy's company? [12:18] What is the thinking behind Sandy's platform being focused on wellness practitioners? [14:28] What Sandy sees a lot in regard to the money mindsets of female entrepreneurs. [20:08] How do wellness practitioners/yoga instructors maintain that level of intimacy that an in-person class brings onto an online platform? [24:05] How Sandy balances family and entrepreneurship! [28:19] If Sandy could do it all again, what would she do differently? [30:17] Sandy's KPIs! [32:44] Where to learn more about Sandy online!   Mentioned in This Episode: Namastream Software The Digital Artisan: A Manifesto for Crafting A New World Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less, by Tiffany Dufu The Life Coach School (Brooke Castillo) Kelly Diels Bulletproof Coffee   More About Sandy Connery Sandy is the co-founder of Namastream Software, Soulful MBA, and Connectable.Biz Software. After a twenty-year career in footwear and gait analysis, Sandy sold her million-dollar brick and mortar retail business and clinic. She now brings her business experience to the online space where she loves to create community, teach, and inspire other women to find the freedom and impact they desire.   Connect with my Guest: Websites: Namastream software, Soulful MBA, and Connectable.Biz software Social: LinkedIn and @Namastream on Instagram   If you enjoyed our conversation and would like to hear more: Please subscribe to The Entrepology Podcast on Stitcher or iTunes. We would also appreciate a review!   Join our badass Women's Facebook Group, Legacy Performance Labs If you want to be something amazing, you need to surround yourself with amazing people! The Legacy community is made up of badass women living — not leaving — their legacy every single day. If you are on a mission and get it that your health is the key to your unlimited potential — Join us on Facebook!   BRAIN HEALTH CHECKLIST! What if I told you that your brain biochemistry can help amplify your mindset and your capacity to be effective and help accelerate your mission in the world? Well, I've pulled together a very quick checklist so that you can have a better understanding of the things you're doing every single day to amplify your nervous system or downregulate it in a way that isn't necessarily serving your mission. If you want access to this information and want to learn a little bit more about how you can optimize your brain health for success, visit: MeghanWalker.com/BrainHealth to grab your handout now!   CALL TO ACTION Don't be afraid to expand your money mindset! It's always good to reevaluate your prices and make sure you are charging what you're worth! Let us know what you're doing to expand your money mindset and follow up with us on The Entrepology Podcast Facebook page — because when you're accountable, you're helpable.

Continuing with our women and money series, we are thrilled to share this recent interview with Claire Pelletreau—a Facebook Ads expert who runs a six-figure online business and hosts The Get Paid Podcast.   As you may infer from the name of her show, Claire loves to talk about all things money. Once a week, she sits down with entrepreneurs and asks them tough and very personal questions about their businesses. A standout from these episodes is her tradition of asking guests what they pay themselves—a question that most people would admit is quite uncomfortable.   In this episode, Claire shares insights about her own business journey and reveals what it’s like to ask her guests about money. We also get into why Claire believes paid ads are so important and how she manages her own success.   We absolutely love Claire's work and we both listen to EVERY episode of her show. It is so affirming and enlightening and we are grateful for her contribution to the broader money conversation. Enjoy the episode!   Key Points From This Episode:     Asking the questions that no one seems to want to ask on a podcast.   How Claire started work as a freelancer while employed elsewhere.   Finding early guests for the podcast who were comfortable talking about money.   Why Claire still gets nervous asking what people pay themselves.   Unpacking a particular person's story and looking beyond a snapshot.   Claire's younger years, career dreams, and how she came into entrepreneurship.   Discovering money mindsets and how important this moment was for Claire's journey.   Claire's current money goals; why she is currently focussing on income over revenue.   Business scaling and why ads are so essential.   Claire's family, friends and social community; their reactions to her success.   The divide between online entrepreneurs and the rest of the world.   The most surprising elements of hosting a podcast about money.    This week's top of mind question round with Claire!   Claire's joy and hustle recommendations.   And much more!   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Become and Online Teacher — https://www.soulful.mba/teacher Namastream — https://namastream.com/ Brooke Castillo — https://thelifecoachschool.com/ Brooke Castillo on The Get Paid Podcast — https://clairepells.com/63/ Nathan Barry — https://nathanbarry.com/ ConvertKit — https://convertkit.com/ Denise Duffield Thomas — https://denisedt.com/ Get Rich, Lucky Bitch — https://www.amazon.com/Get-Rich-Lucky-Bitch-Release-ebook/dp/B00BSG124I Crazy Rich Asians — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16085481-crazy-rich-asians     Joy: Show Your Work Podcast — https://laineygossipentertainment.libsyn.com/ Hustle: Instagram + Facebook Ads   Connect with Claire Claire Pelletreau — https://clairepells.com/ The Get Paid Podcast — https://clairepells.com/category/podcast/

Welcome to another episode of the Soulful MBA Podcast! Inspiring us today is feminist marketing consultant and writer, Kelly Diels, who joins us for the next episode in our Women and Money series.   When we first came across Kelly’s website, we could not stop reading through her refreshing  body of work on the intersection of feminism and online business. What struck us in particular was her focus on women and their finances and her own personal story, which she shares with us today.   Kelly helps feminist entrepreneurs and culture makers sell to women without selling out by teaching feminist principles, including how they apply to marketing and other facets of business. She talks openly about controversial topics, including the false perceptions that exist around poor people and money.   As a busy mom of five kids and a thriving entrepreneur, Kelly’s story is motivating and her message is profoundly important.    Key Points from This Episode:     How growing up shaped Kelly’s relationship with money.   Dispelling the myth that poor people are “bad” with their finances.   The need for more narratives around stabilizing your revenues before attempting to scale.   Research that proves female entrepreneurs are incredibly capital resource efficient.   Teaching, coaching, and self-development as necessary skills for any culture.   Women filling in the gaps and doing uncompensated labor as a societal expectation.   Why you should charge someone for ‘picking your brain!’   Fast fashion and being more mindful with your purchasing decisions.   Shifting her business model after a family crisis required her to increase her income.   Raising capital and using credit to build a business.   Defining what the Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand (FLEB) is and aims to do.   Signing with a literary agent and writing a book about culture making.   Kelly’s tool for calculating your break even, thrive, and stretch numbers.   And much more!   Words of Wisdom: “There’s this idea that women are risk averse and not good entrepreneurs and they need all this extra training. In fact, we get to profitability faster and we are way more capital resource efficient.” — @KellyDiels [0:07:08]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   The Soulful MBA — https://www.soulful.mba/ Kelly Diels — http://www.kellydiels.com/ SheEO — https://sheeo.world/ Namastream — https://namastream.com/ PayPal — https://www.paypal.com/ Stripe — https://stripe.com/ Gloria Steinem — http://www.gloriasteinem.com/ Bell Hooks — http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com/ Adrienne Maree Brown — http://adriennemareebrown.net/ Soraya Chemaly — http://www.sorayachemaly.com/home.html Linda Bacon — https://lindabacon.org/ The Myth of Capitalism on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Capitalism-Monopolies-Death-Competition/dp/1119548195 Sister Citizen on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Citizen-Shame-Stereotypes-America/dp/0300188188 Audre Lorde — https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde       Joy: lemon oil / Donte Colley on Instagram / favorite mug Hustle: business spreadsheet

In this episode, we’re getting vulnerable and sharing our money stories with you. This is not always an easy topic to discuss publicly, yet we need to start having these conversations in order to remove some of our collective shame about money—shame that is not helping any of us, particularly women. Going back to our memories of childhood, we share some of the difficult circumstances that shaped our understanding of—and relationship to—money. We hope that our experiences will give you the courage to confront your own stories about money. Don’t miss out on this heartfelt conversation!   Key Points from This Episode:   What growing up with a single mom taught Sandy about hard work and owing money. Why Sandy decided to transition from the medical field to business and entrepreneurship.  Jeni’s father: a musician, a brilliant mind and the drug problem that ruined him.  An unstable financial life of alternating between being wealthy and poor.  Jennifer’s experience of money as something you can’t control.    The additional financial strain when Sandy’s mom took in a paraplegic foster child.   Jeni leaving home at 16 and applying for financial emancipation from her parents.   Losing her father and deciding to postpone grad school for fear of student loan debt.  The common problem of women not having their own money (and therefore little agency).   How Jeni felt like she needed to prove her worth through success in her work.   Why hustling and working really hard do not always equate to success.   Having to still recognize and address mindset problems about money.  Holding on to money versus investing it in real estate and the fears around it.  Views on retirement, saving toward it and preparing for the unknown future.  The need for women to build wealth for themselves and become investors.   And much more!   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Soulful MBA — https://www.soulful.mba/ Namastream — https://namastream.com/ FreshBooks — https://www.freshbooks.com/ QuickBooks — https://quickbooks.intuit.com/   Joy: Bench Hustle: points-based business credit card (like this one)

Today on the show, we will be giving you seven tips for creating captivating and impactful social media videos! Video has been the format for social content for years and it shows no signs of letting up.   So what better way to master your social media skills than to brush up on your video creation strategy? These tips apply to both live and recorded video, and we touch on video primarily for Facebook and Instagram.   It is very important to keep your video content and each individual video within the larger picture of your social media strategy, so be sure to consider your audience and you can reach them in the most appropriate spaces and ways.   The tips we run through in this episode include having a clear goal and purpose for a video, deciding on a platform, headline creation, content and message preparation, calls to action, captions and subtitles, and lastly, thumbnail selection.     Key Points From This Episode:   Making sure you have a clear goal and purpose for your video. Which platforms should you use to share a video? How to create a compelling headline. Outlining your content while steering away from full scripting. Your all important call to action! Captions, subtitles and adding supplementary text to your videos. Selecting an amazing and compelling thumbnail. The joy and hustle for this week! And much more!   Words of Wisdom:   “You should really consider how a single video fits into your larger editorial calendar.”   “You audience is a little bit different everywhere!”   “You must drill down and figure out where your people are spending their time and how to reach them best in that space.”   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Namastream — https://namastream.com Namastream on Twitter — https://twitter.com/namastream Soulful MBA — https://www.soulful.mba Audible — http://audibletrial.com/soulfulmba Clipomatic — https://www.apalon.com/clipomatic.html Handbrake — https://handbrake.fr     Joy: Benro Let’s Go Selfie Stick + Tripod Hustle: The Social Media Video Checklist

In this episode, we take a look at some of the current trends in online business we’re noticing in the Spring of 2019. From Facebook groups to the “new” Pinterest to shifts in membership and subscription model businesses to the rise of nanoinfluencers and IGTV.   We dive into five exciting trends that we’ve been noticing, both on social media and in online business in general, over the past few months. We give you our take on what’s working, what’s not, and how you can embrace some of these changes, rather than be overwhelmed by them.   By the end of this episode, you’ll have some concrete evidence of the powerful role Facebook groups still play in connecting us, as well as what to make of the new ads that are going to be popping up all over your Pinterest feed! In addition, we take a look at the exciting shifts big brands are taking toward nanoinfluencers and WHY you should consider becoming an early adopter of IGTV.   Key Points From This Episode:      Why many women are only on Facebook for the groups.    Why we still recommend Facebook groups.    Pinterest recently went public: what does this mean?    What the next wave of Pinterest means for bloggers and podcasters.    Why we are getting back in the Pinterest game.    Shifts we’re noticing in membership and other subscription model businesses.    Why your audience really just wants to connect with you.    The rise of nanoinfluencers and how this model works.    The benefits of being a nanoinfluencer and how to become one.    Why are we seeing so much more IGTV?    How Instagram is rewarding early adopters of IGTV.    And much more!   Words of Wisdom:   “If it’s difficult for you to be on social as a business owner, there’s a mindset shift that has to happen.” — @namastream   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Audible Free Trial — https://www.audibletrial.com/soulfulmba Pinterest — https://www.pinterest.com Namastream — https://namastream.com/ Namastream on Twitter — https://twitter.com/namastream Tailwind — www.tailwindapp.com/ Obvious.ly — www.obvious.ly/ Soulful MBA — www.soulful.mba/ Soulful MBA on Instagram — www.instagram.com/namastream/ Become and Online Teacher FREE Course — www.soulful.mba/teacher   Joy: Felix Gray Glasses — https://shopfelixgray.com/ Hustle: Are You Ready for the Nanoinfluencers? — www.nytimes.com/2018/11/11/business/media/nanoinfluencers-instagram-influencers.html These Women Are Only on Facebook for the Groups — www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/facebook-private-groups-online-abuse

In your messaging it’s one thing to take a stand for something. But a lot of times, how we show up doesn’t actually match the stand we took. Sometimes we don’t realize it. And sometimes we aren’t quite sure how to put it into practice because we don’t have role models for how that would look. My guests on today’s Unforgettable ep are actively being those role models, not just for having strong values, but for implementing those values in their business. Jennifer Barcelos and Sandy Connery, co-founders of the online education software Namastream (like a Teachable for the wellness industry) and co-hosts of the Soulful MBA podcast, are two seriously smart women - a Yale-educated lawyer with a grad degree in Environmental Science and a former owner of a million-dollar brick-and-mortar business & clinic. In this episode we explore how they put their values into practice while nurturing their loyal following -- including why they turned down venture capitalist money for their tech startup, the real reason they don’t offer free trials, and their new ‘Digital Artisanship’ manifesto.      Listen in.  Listen in and you’ll learn: What virtual biz owners can learn about building an ultra-enthusiastic, loyal community from craft breweries, jewelry designers, pastry shops, and leather workers How they find the words to use in their marketing that resonate with their customers (and their copywriting process that I nerded out on) Why they see their business and platform as promoting an underlying feminist message How to leverage the power of automated marketing without dehumanizing the sales process The way their unique voices create a balance between human scale and big picture thinking in their copy, their podcast, and running their business Deeper support from me: I privately coach & message for select clients to realign, define, & refine your messaging to reach your next level of impact. Book a Clarity Call to explore the possibility of working together. Follow me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes and deeper stories around this conversation. Links From the Episode Namastream Website Soulful MBA Podcast Instagram Business Facebook page (Namastream) Podcast Facebook page (Soulful MBA) Jennifer Barcelos // LinkedIn Sandy Connery // LinkedIn Twitter Pinterest The Digital Artisan: A Manifesto for Crafting a New World Warmth, Adria

This week I chatted with Sandy and Jeni from Namastream and our conversation got me thinking about how people approach things they feel like they "can't" do. It was eye-opening to me that neither Sandy nor Jeni had a software engineering background, yet here they are, creating an incredible software company. Like, have you told yourself your entire life that you "can't" do something for one reason or another? I know I have. I've told myself "I'm not athletic" "I can't draw" "I'm not smart enough/experienced enough to do XYZ" While I'm certainly not going to be the next Michael Jordan or Picasso, I can, in fact do some of these things, I just don't try because I won't be the best or the expert at it. Of course, this is perfectionism peeping it's ugly head into my subconscious again and I'm sure many of you may feel the same. It's uncomfortable to do new things but to quote marketing expert Seth Godin, "fear is a compass, not a barrier. It becomes a way to know what to do next, not an evil demon to be extinguished."Tune into this episode to find what you can do to start doing that one thing you feel like you "can't" do, but have always wanted to.   Full show notes at: http://dayinthelifepodcast.com/minisode28     Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or Google Play Leave an honest review on iTunes. The ratings and reviews help for two reasons: 1) Most importantly, I get to know you, the listener, and what content you enjoy the most. 2) The more reviews the podcast has, the better chance it has at getting in front of new listeners. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Join the Facebook group to interact with guests and other listeners Join the Day in the Life newsletter

Today's interview is special because it's another double interview! We haven't had one of those since interviewing World Travelers Lisa & Peter Hoppe. Anyways, I'm interviewing Sandy Connery & Jeni Barcelos who are the founders of a software company called Namastream. Sandy & Jeni did NOT have software engineering backgrounds at all when they started Namastream and as two female founders of a tech company, I thought it'd be great to get their insight on their struggles, successes and a peek inside what it's really like to run a software company. We chat about the major challenges bootstrapping a tech company (they did not get venture capital funding), the specific challenges facing female entrepreneurs in tech, the biggest barriers they've had to overcome, misconceptions people have about working in the tech industry, advice to young women who want to work in tech and so much more. As always, you can join in the conversation with other Day in the Life listeners in the Day in the Life Facebook group!   In today’s episode, you'll find out:   The major challenges of bootstrappng a tech company with no venture capital funding. Why they ultimately decided to not seek out venture capital funding. The specific challenges female entrepreneurs in tech face. The biggest barriers they've had to overcome. Misconceptions about what it's like to work in the tech industry. Advice to young women who want to work in tech. What lights them up the most in their career as founders of a tech company. Full show notes at: http://dayinthelifepodcast.com/064 Links mentioned: StartUp podcast Day in the Life of World Travelers Lisa & Peter Hoppe   Follow Sandy & Jeni: Website Soulful MBA Podcast Instagram Like the show? There are several ways you can help! Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or Google Play Leave an honest review on iTunes. The ratings and reviews help for two reasons: 1) Most importantly, I get to know you, the listener, and what content you enjoy the most. 2) The more reviews the podcast has, the better chance it has at getting in front of new listeners. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Join the Facebook group to interact with guests and other listeners Join the Day in the Life newsletter

Sandy Connery is the co-founder of Namastream, an e-learning platform designed for wellness entrepreneurs to help them take their teachings online and quickly create courses and membership sites, which she runs with her business partner, Jeni Barcelos. On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Sandy gives us an inside view of what it takes to launch a tech company, especially as two women who were previously outside of the technology space, and why she and Jeni decided to bootstrap Namastream and walk away from investors. She also shares why it takes courage to know when it’s time to move on, how to know your next move and how to choose a business partner who shares your vision for the impact you hope to have in the world. 

Maura Manzo began to practice yoga to “learn to breathe” after a fire destroyed her home in 2006 and has been on a journey to share yoga with others ever since. Following her yoga teacher training, Maura raised $20,000 for HIV/AIDS programs in South Africa in collaboration with Off the Mat into the World. She considers that project a defining moment in her life and in taking her practice to the next level, both as a student and as a teacher. Maura has extensively studied trauma informed practices and the intersection of social justice and yoga and she is dedicated to making the practice of yoga more inclusive and accessible for all people. Maura’s deep commitment to building community shows up in all that she offers. Maura has been invited to teach at Wanderlust Philly, has been named one of Be Well Philly’s Top 5 Yogi’s to Watch, and was featured in Origin Magazine. She teachers classes, workshops, and trainings at her studio, Yoga Home, which also offers online classes through Namastream. Joy: Basketball Games / Travel / Netflix Binges Hustle: Soulful MBA Podcast (blush) / loom / Off the Mat Into the World  / CTZN Well / Paper Planner

In this episode of the Marketing in Yoga Pants Podcast, Brit interviews Sandy Connery and Jeni Barcelos, Founders at Namastream and Soulful MBA. Sandy and Jeni are online educators, providing wellness instruction to customers and business courses to their instructors to help them succeed through their software and education platforms. Learn how they are opening up the world of wellness to consumers and practitioners. Links: Sandy and Jeni's Website Namastream Website Sandy and Jeni on Instagram

Today’s episode features an interview with Jess Frank, who serves as the Program Director for Yoga Behind Bars (or YBB for short). YBB is a Washington State-based nonprofit that has been sharing trauma-informed yoga and meditation with thousands of incarcerated youth and adults since 2008. Starting this month, September 2018, the organization’s comprehensive trauma-informed training will be available online for the very first time. (Full Disclosure: YBB is working with us via Namastream to host this program and we’re so humbled that Jess and her team have chosen to use our platform). Jess’s passion for providing transformative opportunities to incarcerated people sparked at the start of her career and has only grown since she became a YBB instructor nearly 5 years ago. As a program coordinator for the Post Prison Education Program and University Beyond Bars, Jess became both intimately acquainted with the challenges facing people in the criminal justice system and deeply inspired by the dedication of the students. As YBB’s program director, Jess co-facilitates trauma-informed trainings, manages and mentors volunteers, oversees program creation and growth, and conducts site visits and evaluations. Jess shared with us that the highlight of her week is teaching yoga to 25 students at the men’s prison in Monroe, Washington. Connect with Yoga Behind Bars: YBB / YBB Online Joy: deflect judgement with self loveHustle: movement, being in the body

“The fitness industry needs this invitation towards embodiment.” - Brooke Tyler In this episode of the podcast, we interview powerhouse Namastream client Brooke Tyler about her experience growing her Asheville, NC-based acupuncture and pilates studio online. After growing her local studio and clinical business to a 4,000+ ft location with twelve employees, you’ll learn why Brooke chose to pursue the online growth path (rather than opening up an additional studio location). Brooke discusses her decision to incorporate seasonality into her online program, how she balances single motherhood with her business, and the specific way that she schedules her time each week and month to fit everything in.  Connect with Brooke: Clasique Acupuncture & Pilates Studio / Core Self Online / Instagram 1, 2, 3 Other Mentions: Dorothee VandeWalle Joy: You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life / You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth Hustle: blank journal + favorite pens

In this episode, we interview beloved Namastream client, Nikiki Estrada, about her transition to online business. Nikki, who lives in Northern California with her husband and two daughters, has more than 20 years of teaching experience and has been leading 200- and 300-hour teaching trainings for more than a dozen years. She is YA500hr E-RYT and was Director of Trainer Development for YogaWorks for more than 7 years, where she supported and mentored teacher trainers. She leads intensives, immersions, and workshop series in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. In addition to offering her own yoga membership on Namastream, Nikki contributes to Yoga International, served as a 2016 Athleta Ambassador (for embodying the Power of She), was sponsored by Zobha, has presented at Yoga Journal conferences, and was voted best yoga teacher by Marin Magazine in 2016. In our conversation, Nikki shares her opinion on the relationship between yoga and tech and offers tactical insight for building a thriving virtual studio. Connect with Nikki: Nikki Estrada Yoga / Instagram / Nikki’s Membership on Namastream Joy: look into your Dosha / Ayurveda by Siva / Monica Yearwood / Mark HalpernHustle: How I Built This Podcast

“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.” - Leonardo da Vinci In this episode, we interview Namastream client, Kate Case. At the intersection of Eastern wisdom and Western science, Kate's body of work combines twenty years of experience as a professional yoga therapist, yoga teacher, Thai massage therapist, Eastern medicine (Chinese medicine and Ayurveda) practitioner, women’s wellness leader, women’s moon circle facilitator, and eastern energy anatomy expert. Kate is a Nature-based Yogini, Moon Maven, Ritual Queen, Anatomy Geek, and Hormone Whisperer specializing in women's health, cycles, rhythms, body wisdom, and soulful integration. You can learn more about Kate’s company, SHE Collective (the “SHE” stands for soulful, holistic, and embodied) here and her Ritual Box subscription here.  Connect with Kate: www.shecollective.ca / www.ritualbox.ca / Instagram Other Mentions: The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope Joy: Red Hot and Holy: A Heretic's Love Story, NatureHustle: High Speed Internet, Journal

Many online teachers and coaches don’t realize that live-streaming can be a fantastic way to build the foundation for a new online business. If you leverage live-streaming wisely, you don’t have to have a single piece of pre-made content ready prior to taking your business online. So long as you have a basic website or Namastream site up and running, you can start offering live-stream sessions immediately. There are multiple way to leverage live-streaming, but these three are the most common and effective, which is also why we’ve built them into Namastream: One-on-One Private Sessions Collaborative Small Group Sessions Broadcasts  You need far less equipment for a successful live-streamed class that you’d need to create high-quality pre-recorded video content. Whenever you use Skype or go live on Facebook, you just use your webcam, right? Well, it’s exactly the same for live-streaming. As long as you have a built-in camera, you’re good to go live! (With that said, our very favorite live-streaming tool, the Logitech C920 webcam, provides an unbelievably crisp picture quality for around $50.) Other Mentions: Blue Yeti, Rode RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System

Welcome back for Season 3 of M.B.Om! I am so excited to kick off this season with an interview with Namastream co-founders Sandy Connery and Jennifer Barcelos. Sandy and Jennifer share how they got into the yoga industry, what inspired them to create Namastream, and what Namastream does for yoga teachers. In this episode, we chat about the struggles of developing an online software business, as well as what Sandy and Jennifer see the Namastream teachers struggle with when it comes to creating an online business. We touch on imposter syndrome, producing content even though it's not perfect, putting yourself out there, and how to create and market a successful online yoga business. Enjoy! This episode of the podcast is brought to you by bookyogaretreats.com! I used bookyogaretreats to book my very first retreat and loved it. It's a great platform for people who want to book a retreat or training and for yoga teachers who want to lead a retreat. Check it out here! I've also launched a private community on Facebook for yoga teachers who want to learn more about business. Join me here!

In this episode, Michelle speaks to Jennifer Barcelos of Namastream about creating a virtual yoga studio and steering your career in a new direction. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: How bringing your teaching online creates freedom in your life and career 2 key questions to ask yourself when starting an online biz and finding a... The post 012: Creating A Virtual Yoga Studio on Namastream w/ Jennifer Barcelos appeared first on LOVE TEACHING YOGA.