What if the way you’ve been taught to plan your year is actually setting you up to fail? That’s exactly what we’re diving into with Megan Sumrell, a time management and productivity expert who helps women entrepreneurs create schedules and plans that actually work.

After more than 20 years in IT and project management, Megan realized traditional planning systems built on masculine structures don’t account for women’s realities: biological cycles, caregiving responsibilities, and unpredictable schedules.

She developed a new framework designed specifically for women entrepreneurs, so you can finally set goals and stick with them without burning out.

In this episode, Megan and I explore why conventional annual planning fails, how to shift your mindset so your plans feel achievable, and the exact steps you can take to design a realistic roadmap for your year ahead.

If you’ve been avoiding annual planning because it feels overwhelming, or your goals never survive past March, you’ll want to press play on this conversation.

• [2:32] – Why annual planning can feel overwhelming (and why so many women avoid it).
• [3:09] – Megan’s backstory: from IT project management to time management for women.
• [7:08] – The biological and mental load differences that affect planning.
• [13:26] – Why “planning in a vacuum” leads to failure.
• [18:39] – How to create appropriately scaled plans that match your season of life.
• [28:57] – Aligning the idea of 10x growth with realistic planning.
• [38:52] – A reflection exercise to jumpstart your 2026 annual plan.
• [44:13] – Inside look at Megan’s annual event, Planapalooza.

1. “When we try to apply masculine planning techniques in a feminine reality, we end up thinking something’s wrong with us, when in fact, the system just doesn’t work for our lives.”

2. “Annual planning isn’t about writing rules in stone. It’s about creating a roadmap that allows you to pivot intentionally when life inevitably shifts.”

3. “Most people plan in a vacuum, assuming they have wide-open calendars. But the truth is, your time has a budget just like money does.”

4. “Wouldn’t you rather accomplish one realistic goal this year than abandon five because they weren’t sustainable?”

5. “Life is never going to stop throwing curveballs. The sooner we learn to plan with flexibility, the more progress and peace we create.”

• Planapalooza – Megan’s annual planning event (I'll be there!)

• FREE TRAINING: HOW TO PLAN, MANAGE, AND ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE... Even With a Crazy and Unpredictable Schedule!

• Connect with Megan on Instagram: @megansumrell

• Download The Pink Bee app (free on iOS + Google Play) for productivity tools and training

If this episode helped you rethink annual planning, I’d love if you shared it with another entrepreneur who needs this encouragement.

And don’t forget to follow, rate, and leave a review! Your support helps us reach more business owners ready to plan and grow smarter, not harder.

If you’ve ever wondered why your audience is engaging but not buying, this episode is going to shift everything. I’m sharing a powerful new framework I introduced during a recent training that had our live attendees and NBA students buzzing, and I knew I had to bring it to the podcast.

Inside this episode, I walk you through the Avatar Elevation Pyramid: a framework that helps you identify exactly who you’re attracting in your business right now... and whether they’re actually ready to buy from you.

We’re going way beyond traditional “ideal client avatar” talk, because let’s be honest, vague demographics and surface-level pain points just don’t cut it when it comes to attracting premium buyers.

I’ll show you the five types of audience members you're likely speaking to — from the “sleeper” to the “seeker” to the “solver” and beyond — and help you determine which ones are draining your energy and which ones will actually invest.

Whether you’re brand new to business or 10 years in, chances are your messaging is attracting the wrong people… and this episode will help you shift that today.

• [0:00] - Why your avatar might be the #1 thing holding your business back

• [3:09] - Introducing the Avatar Elevation Pyramid: what it is and why it matters

• [5:21] - Pain vs. pleasure motivation: how psychology shapes buyer behavior

• [8:19] - Level 1: The Sleeper — why you should never build your business around this audience

• [11:21] - Level 2: The Struggler — the “rescue me” energy that drains your business

• [14:12] - Level 3: The Seeker — they love your freebies… but never buy

• [18:29] - Level 4: The Solver — your best entry-point client (and how to attract them)

• [22:21] - Level 5: The Succeeder — the ultimate client for premium, high-level offers

• [26:47] - The bottom line: stop trying to convert, and start speaking to the right people

1. “Your job is not to turn a struggler into a solver. Your job is to speak to what they already want.”

2. “Most of the engagement in your audience is going to come from the seeker and the struggler, but they rarely, if ever, buy.”

3. “The less hesitant someone is to invest, the less work you have to do to convince them, and that’s the energy we want in our business.”

4. “It’s not that you’re not good at what you do, you just might be speaking to the wrong audience entirely.”

5. “Speak to the solver who wants to become the succeeder. That’s where your best sales and your best client outcomes will come from.”

• Want to dive deeper into your client attraction strategy? Learn more about the NBA (Nourished Business Accelerator)

• Connect with me on Instagram: @lauraschoenfeldrd

I hope this episode gave you some serious clarity around who you're actually speaking to in your business, and what needs to shift if you want to attract clients who are ready to invest.

Remember, we’re not here to convince anyone.

We’re here to call in the people who are already motivated and just need the right support to move forward.

If you got value from this episode, please take a moment to rate, review, and share the show.

It helps more amazing coaches and practitioners like you find this content, and it truly means the world to me.

Thanks for tuning in and I’ll catch you in the next one!

What if the overwhelm you’re feeling in your business isn’t just burnout—but undiagnosed ADHD? In this episode, I sit down with business coach, mom of three, and author Mariah Scrivens to talk about her late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and how it reshaped the way she sees herself, her motherhood journey, and her business.

We dive into the very real signs of ADHD in high-achieving women—like hyperfixation, executive dysfunction, and rejection sensitivity—and how these show up inside entrepreneurship. Mariah shares her story of building and burning down businesses, balancing twins and coaching, and learning how to embrace her neurodivergent brain rather than fight against it.

If you’ve ever struggled with forgotten emails, following through, or felt like your brain just works differently, this conversation will be both validating and encouraging.

• [2:12] – Mariah’s journey from kindergarten teacher to six-figure business owner and then coach.
• [6:50] – Why she walked away from her first business after a family health scare.
• [7:54] – The surprising path to her ADHD diagnosis and what testing really looked like.
• [11:18] – Everyday signs of ADHD: hyperfixation, executive dysfunction, fidgeting, and the “hobby graveyard.”
• [13:09] – How ADHD shows up in business, especially around consistency, offers, and even bookkeeping.
• [16:16] – Why ADHD and rejection sensitivity can make sales and follow-ups so difficult.
• [27:53] – Creating ethical urgency and supportive sales structures for neurodivergent clients.

1. “I’m trying not to make it my entire personality right now, but on the other hand, it kind of is my entire personality.”

2. “For me, it just started clicking about my childhood—things I thought were normal weren’t actually ‘normal’ at all.”

3. “Sales are education. All you’re doing is providing people the opportunity to make a decision.”

4. “Rejection sensitivity means every ‘no’ feels like the end of the world, which makes following up feel impossible.”

5. “Giving people parameters and clear deadlines is actually very caring—it removes ambiguity without being manipulative.”
   
   

• Connect with Mariah on Instagram: @mariahmakesithappen

If you enjoyed today’s conversation, I’d love it if you could rate, follow, and review The Nourished CEO Podcast on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps more amazing entrepreneurs like you find the show, and it means the world to me!