In this episode, host Kelsey sits down with Lauren Murdoch, founder of Murdoch Marketing, a fractional marketing consultancy based in Burlington, Ontario. Lauren shares the raw, messy, and ultimately inspiring story of leaving a burnout-inducing corporate career, taking her family to New Zealand for four months, and coming home to build a business rooted in clarity, community, and genuine strategy. This is a must-listen for marketers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who has ever felt the pull toward something more aligned — but wasn't sure how to get there.

• How Lauren went from corporate marketer to fractional marketing consultant after 15 years
• The 1:00–3:00 AM panic attacks that finally pushed her to quit
• Why she spent months saying yes to everything — and what it unlocked
• The real story of how her family made four months in New Zealand happen (no big bank account required)
• Her first fractional client — and why he showed up at a golf simulator
• Why going viral is NOT the goal — and what actually generates revenue
• The simple marketing moves most small business owners skip entirely
• How co-hosting workshops became her most powerful visibility strategy
• Why she hopes she never goes viral

1. It's never the right time to take the leap — but if the desire is there, dig in and figure out how to make it work. The right conditions rarely just appear; you have to engineer them.
2. In the early days of a new business, saying yes to everything isn't reckless — it's research. Clarity comes from doing, not planning.
3. The best marketing starts with one thing: being relentlessly clear about who you are, what you offer, and telling people exactly what to do next.
4. Optimize before you add. Before building a new offer or platform, look at what you already have and ask if it's been given a real chance to work.
5. Getting out of your office and into rooms — events, coffee chats, workshops — is still one of the most underrated business development strategies that exists.

• "You will always find reasons not to do something. It's never a good time."
• "Don't go try to do five to ten channels. Pick two. Get really good at those."
• "I genuinely hope I don't go viral — because that's not the fastest path to building a real business."

• Murdoch Marketing website:murdochmarketing.ca
• Lauren’s Instagram:@itslaurenmurdoch
• Kelsey's Website: www.KelseyReidl.com
• Kelsey's Instagram: @KelseyReidl
• July 23rd Burlington Event: Cocktails, dinner & speakers on inner self and outer style — checkmurdochmarketing.ca for details
• New Zealand Work From Heart sabbatical program (mentioned in context of Lauren's employer's policies)

Lauren Murdoch is the founder of Murdoch Marketing, a fractional marketing consultancy helping entrepreneurs and small business owners build clear, effective marketing strategies. After 15 years scaling companies in corporate marketing, she left to build a business and life that actually fit — including a four-month family adventure in New Zealand. She's based in the Burlington/Hamilton area of Ontario and works with clients across Canada.