Today's episode is part behind-the-scenes case study and part live hotseat coaching — and it's such a powerful one for anyone who doesn't want to be someone they're not to grow their business successfully.

I'm sitting down with my client Liz Dornian to break down the exact shifts she made over the last year in her business: clarifying her niche, repositioning her offer, increasing her pricing, building a real sales funnel, and hiring support.

We talk about what changed, what finally clicked, and how she grew in a way that actually fits her personality and values as a Consistent CEO.

Then we pivot into live coaching around something I know so many of you wrestle with: how to make your content more attention-grabbing and sales-effective without becoming pushy, manipulative, or someone you don't recognize.

If you've ever felt stuck between wanting to grow and wanting to protect your integrity, this episode will challenge you in the best way.

TIMELINE:

[00:00] A behind-the-scenes case study + live coaching on creating attention-grabbing content that still feels like you.

[02:12] Liz's CEO Type: what it means to be a Consistent CEO and how being relationship-focused shows up in business decisions.

[06:17] Why Liz invested in coaching even though she wasn't "struggling" — and the blind spots she knew she couldn't see on her own.

[08:41] The big shifts: clarifying weight loss for moms as the core promise, renaming and repositioning the offer, and increasing prices.

[20:50] Adding structure inside the program (private podcast, check-ins, recordings) so clients can succeed even if they can't attend live calls.

[27:11] Building a real sales funnel — free training, running ads, and creating consistent lead flow beyond DMs.

[31:45] Why short-form content isn't doing the heavy lifting anymore and the importance of increasing time on brand.

[37:05] Live Instagram audit: how "nice" content can dilute your message and how to create content that actually moves people to action.

[49:04] The hidden cost of vague calls to action like "DM me curious."

[1:06:09] The goldfish analogy and why your business can only grow into the container you create.

[1:14:10] The next-level shift: speak to your audience like they're ready.

TOP 5 QUOTES:

"I cannot see what I can't see. And I've been doing the same thing. And I think if I just keep doing this exactly the same way, I'm just gonna continue to get exactly the same result."

"People don't pay thousands of dollars to be more consistent. They don't say, 'Oh, I just wish I could be more consistent. Let me go drop $1,500 on being more consistent.'"

"If you're optimizing for conversations with people that are not ready to buy yet or that don't really want to have a sales conversation, you're going to get what you're asking for."

"If you want the goldfish to be bigger, you have to create the bigger container first. The goldfish isn't going outgrow of the container — the goldfish grows into the container. Your business is the same way, and the container needs to grow first."

"Would I be doing this if my business was five to ten times the size? If it's a "heck no, I would hate that," then that's an indication that we don't want to be growing that way."

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Take the free CEO Type Quiz: lauraschoenfeld.com/quiz

If this episode got you thinking differently about your messaging, your sales process, or how you're showing up as a CEO, make sure you're following the podcast so you don't miss what's next.

And if you enjoyed this conversation, I'd love it if you'd rate, review, and share the show with another entrepreneur who's trying to grow without compromising who they are.

If you're the kind of expert who cannot do surface-level… this episode is for you. In the final part of my 4-part CEO Types series, I'm breaking down what it really means to be a Strategic CEO—the thoughtful, systems-minded leader who sees nuance, builds frameworks that actually work, and refuses to sell "quick fix" nonsense just to keep up with the internet.

We're talking about why your depth is a genuine advantage and the sneaky ways it can keep your best ideas trapped in development while other people (with way less expertise) ship faster, sell faster, and get the credit.

You'll learn how to get your brilliance out of your head and into the world without dumbing it down and without waiting for perfection. We're also diving into the shifts that help your strategic mind translate into sales, client results, and real impact—because being smart isn't the goal… being effective is.

[02:39] - Why your depth and intelligence are rare—and why that's not automatically an advantage if people never experience it

[03:27] - The brutal truth: "brilliant in development" doesn't create impact (or revenue)

[04:11] - What defines a Strategic CEO: task-oriented, intentional, systematic, and research-driven

[09:10] - The opportunity: standing out in a sea of oversimplified "garbage advice" by accounting for reality and complexity

[21:30] - The biggest blind spot: strategic thinking vs. analysis paralysis (and how "ready" becomes a moving target)

[26:05] - Why nitty-gritty explanations can backfire in sales: clarity is emotional, not just logical

[33:44] - The Strategic CEO game plan: launch before perfect, lead with conclusions, make clear recommendations, and time-block your thinking

• "Your brilliance doesn't actually count if no one ever gets to experience it."
• "A lot of the advice being given online is oversimplified garbage, and you know it."
• "Thinking things through can end up becoming paralysis by analysis."
• "Clear does not mean that they're understanding everything that you do… clear just means that they can make a confident decision to move forward."
• "There's a big difference between strategic thinking and strategic avoidance."

• Take the CEO Type Quiz: lauraschoenfeld.com/quiz
• Mentioned client story/interview: Chris Sandel

If this episode hit home, I'd love it if you'd follow the show and leave a rating + review so more CEOs can find this series. And if you know a Strategic CEO who needs permission to ship the thing already… send them this episode!

In today's episode, I'm diving into the Consistent CEO — the steady, relationship-driven leader who builds trust over time, delivers with integrity, and keeps showing up long after the trend-chasers burn out.

If you're the person who does what you said you'd do, week after week, and your clients stay for years because they know they can count on you, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

But I'm also asking the question that matters if you're this type: Is your consistency building momentum… or just keeping you safe?

We're talking about the difference between strategic consistency and fear-based stagnation, why "playing it safe" can quietly shrink your business in a fast-moving market, and how to channel your steadiness toward growth — without burning everything down in the name of change.

• [00:00] - Why the Four CEO Types series exists (and why mainstream advice isn't built for everyone)
• [02:38] - Introducing the Consistent CEO + the core question: growth momentum or staying safe?
• [04:28] - The Consistent CEO wiring: relationship-focused + slow-paced decision-making
• [05:00] - Your superpower: reliability, routine, and trust that compounds over time
• [10:15] - Why dependable leaders win in a low-trust market (2025/2026 and beyond)
• [20:47] - The blind spots: when steadiness turns into stagnation and "accommodate-first drift"
• [32:39] - Strategic consistency vs fear-based stagnation (and how to tell the difference)
• [35:05] - Practical game plan: boundaries in offers, bolder positions in messaging, more structure in sales
• [43:44] - Example story: Steph Gaudreau and the "alignment adjustment" that restored growth
• [47:21] - The key takeaway: channel steadiness toward growth, not just safety

• Take the CEO Type Quiz
• Mentioned example/interview: Steph Gaudreau

If this episode helped you reframe your steadiness as a true advantage, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with a friend—especially someone who's "slow and steady" and needs a path to grow without burning it all down!

In today's episode, I'm breaking down what it really means to be a Relational CEO—the fast-moving, people-first leader who builds trust quickly, creates a magnetic community, and can grow an audience almost effortlessly.

If you've ever been told "you just need better boundaries," but that advice feels like it's asking you to become colder or less you… this conversation is for you.

We're talking about how your warmth is a competitive advantage (not a liability), why it can quietly turn into burnout as you scale, and the simple shift that keeps your business profitable and sustainable: structure that protects your connection so you can keep serving powerfully without leaking your energy everywhere.

• [00:00] - Why this CEO Types series exists (and why mainstream business advice doesn't fit everyone)
• [03:00] - The Relational CEO core wiring: people-oriented + fast-paced decision-making
• [05:02] - The superpower: building trust fast, creating safe spaces, and growing loyal audiences naturally
• [07:08] - How relational energy fuels referrals, collaborations, and long-term client retention
• [09:46] - The "dark side" of being magnetic: attracting fans who love your vibe but won't buy
• [22:14] - Common blind spots: pricing swings, unclear deliverables, and over-delivering into exhaustion
• [30:21] - The big shift: structure isn't the opposite of warmth—it's the container that protects it
• [31:12] - The candle metaphor: why your "flame" needs a holder to stay sustainable
• [32:50] - Practical structure: clear offer scope, Voxer boundaries, and client expectations that prevent resentment
• [37:19] - Messaging that filters: getting clear on who you're not for (so you attract buyers, not just followers)
• [38:42] - Sales leadership: creating decision containers so you stop getting ghosted
• [40:06] - Delivery discipline: structure that supports transformation (not endless expansion)
• [41:27] - Calendar protection: building systems so your energy isn't the engine of the business
  [45:31] - Real-world example: Cory Ruth / The Women's Dietitian and scaling warmth + authority with PCOS content

• Take the CEO Type Quiz
• Mentioned example: Cory Ruth (The Women's Dietitian)

If this episode helped you, I'd love it if you'd follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with a friend, especially someone who leads with warmth and connection and needs permission to protect their energy while they grow.

I'm kicking off my four-part series on the four CEO types, and we're starting with the one I know very well: the Decisive CEO.

If you're the kind of leader who makes high-stakes decisions fast, holds your standards without flinching, and doesn't waste time dragging dead offers into the ground… you're in the right place.

I'm breaking down why your speed, intensity, and directness are not problems to "fix"—they're competitive advantages.

But I'm also sharing the one place where decisiveness can backfire: when your momentum outruns trust.

We'll talk about how to build trust infrastructure (without becoming "softer" or handholding people one-by-one) so your leadership lands, your clients feel supported, and your business grows faster without draining you.

[00:00] - I introduce the four-part CEO types series and why most business advice only works for two "popular" operator styles

[02:38] - The Decisive CEO profile: fast decisions, strong pricing energy, and bold leadership—plus the "you're too much" conditioning

[04:22] - Core wiring: task-oriented + fast-paced (and why that's an asset, not a liability)

[08:23] - Why decisive leaders win: quick decisions, no dead-offer loyalty, strong boundaries, and results-driven thinking

[13:31] - How Decisive CEOs naturally make more money: aligned pricing, strong qualification, boundaries, quick pivots, and clear messaging

[22:47] - The biggest blind spot: hype-first marketing (and how decisiveness can accidentally override buyer readiness)

[32:01] - The solution: build trust infrastructure that creates connection automatically—without turning into a "hey girl bestie" brand

[35:21] - Practical trust assets: credibility-driven content, pre-sale sequences, onboarding that creates safety, and clearer expectations

[39:35] - Your game plan: design offers for experience (not just outcomes), demonstrate expertise, automate trust-building, protect your energy, and build for the life you want

• "Your intensity is a huge asset for your business."

• "You do not have to soften yourself… but what you do have to do is build systems."

• "Protect your energy like it's a business asset because it is."

• "You should not be working with people who drain you or make you resent your business."

• "Your decisiveness and your directness is an asset, not a liability."

• CEO Type Quiz: lauraschoenfeld.com/quiz

• DM me on Instagram: @laura.schoenfeld

• Mentioned interview: Lindsey Lusson

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast, leave a quick rating and review, and share it with a friend who's also a fast-moving, high-standards kind of CEO.

And if you're a Decisive CEO, come DM me on Instagram! I'd genuinely love to hear what clicked for you.

In this episode, I sit down with multi–seven-figure CEO and top 1% former network marketer Stefanie Gass, host of the globally ranked business podcast God Led Business.

Stefanie spent years building her business "the world's way" — hustling, striving, and burning out — before hitting what she calls her "bathroom floor moment" and rebuilding everything with God leading the process.

We talk about what it actually looks like to surrender your business to God when your old hustle wiring is still screaming at you, how Stefanie now runs a multi–seven-figure company in roughly 16 hours a week, and why she believes podcasting is still one of the most powerful, sustainable ways to grow a business without relying on social media.

If you've been feeling that holy restlessness that tells you something about the way you're building isn't aligned anymore, this conversation is going to give you both language and practical direction for your next step.

[0:00] – Why this episode is for anyone who believes in a higher power and is tired of carrying their entire business alone.

[2:24] – Stefanie's first 7 years of entrepreneurship: hustle, burnout, identity rooted in money, and the "quicksand" of building the world's way.

[4:43] – The bathroom floor moment: losing her business, borrowing from her kids' savings, struggling with health and alcohol, and finally fully surrendering to God.

[8:29] – Starting over with $150, the gym she "couldn't afford," and learning to fight old wiring while slowly trusting God with her business.

[14:25] – "Discernment alarms," holy restlessness, and how God uses discomfort with kids, work, or even your phone to get your attention.

[19:22] – How Stefanie practically creates balance: her annual CEO retreat, habit tracking, Sunday planning, and building a dream life in 16 hours of work per week.

[28:23] – Why she doubled down on podcasting, how it quickly outperformed social media, and why she believes audio is making a comeback as people detox from short-form content.

1. "Funny enough, when you build with the world's way and not God's way, it's quicksand."

2. "I shifted from just doing more on my own to trusting God more so that I can do less."

3. "I'm literally building the business that God created for the people it's meant to serve."

4. "Whenever God's trying to get our attention, it creates a holy restlessness in you."

5. "Audio consumption is healing. It's something that allows you to be at peace in your day and not overstimulated and chaotic."
   
   

• 🎧 Stefanie's Podcast: God Led Business

• 🎁 Free 5-Day Podcast Clarity Bootcamp

• • Learn how to get clarity on your podcast idea, whether podcasting could work for you, and how it can make money in your business

  • Use code: LAURA at checkout to get it for FREE!

Today's episode is personal, partially because it's my second baby's first birthday (Happy birthday Mabel!)

And since this episode lands on that day, I wanted to share what the last year has actually looked like for me: going from one kid to two, navigating a birth experience that didn't go the way I expected, and rebuilding my business around the reality of motherhood (not the fantasy version).

This isn't a full birth story, but I do open up about what I learned the hard way: self-trust under pressure, boundary-setting when it's wildly uncomfortable, and why protecting my energy is not optional… because it's part of what my clients are paying for.

If you're a mom (or future mom) building a business and want to protect your own peace and power as you grow your profits, this episode will hit hard.

[00:00:00] - Why I'm recording this on Mabel's first birthday and why this episode is more personal than usual

[00:02:19] - The shift I'm making: more privacy, more separation between "me" and "my business"

[00:08:24] - Walking into the hospital expecting a chill birth… and getting blindsided by dangerously high blood pressure

[00:10:18] - Magnesium, restrictions, stalled labor, and the pressure to accept interventions I didn't want

[00:15:03] - The moment everything escalated: conflict with a midwife, boundaries drawn, and firing part of my care team

[00:21:00] - The core lesson: trusting my intuition in extreme circumstances and what that unlocked in me

[00:31:05] - The past year of motherhood + CEO life: protecting my energy, redefining priorities, and refusing to perform online

[00:40:56] - "My business is not my baby." Building a business around my life is non-negotiable

[00:46:50] - The new rule: I don't owe anyone an explanation and I'm done being palatable

1. "My business is not my baby. My babies are my baby."

2. "My birth experience told me I could trust myself and my intuition and my gut instinct, even in very difficult circumstances."

3. "I know that I can piss people off, and it can still be the right thing to do."

4. "Part of what my clients are paying for is access to my powerful energy."

5. "I am no longer available for shrinking myself or for choosing somebody else's comfort at the expense of what I know is right."
   
   

If you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes episode, I'd love it if you'd follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a fellow CEO-mom (or future CEO-mom) who needs the reminder to trust herself and protect what matters most.

What if instead of trying to "stop the scroll," you started talking to your audience like they already care about what you have to say?

I'm sitting down with Mackenzie Heflin to talk about how coaches and experts can use storytelling to build real community and make sales, without gimmicky hooks, performative content, or feeling like you have to constantly be "on" online.

We talk about what it actually looks like to treat platforms like Threads, TikTok, and Instagram like a private community instead of a stage, and why that shift changes how people connect with you, trust you, and decide to work with you.

Mackenzie shares how to educate without overwhelming, how to use client stories when it's not your lived experience, and how storytelling becomes one of the most effective long-term sales tools for experts.

[00:00] Why "stop the scroll" marketing isn't building community or sales
[00:03] Mackenzie's origin story and building a high-trust Facebook community
[00:06] Losing her platform overnight and the storytelling realization
[00:11] Treating social media like a private community, not a stage
[00:18] Educating without overwhelming (and why more info doesn't convert)
[00:24] Using client stories when it's not your personal experience
[00:32] Storytelling as a business owner vs. a content creator
[00:45] AI, storytelling, and why your voice still matters
[00:55] Invitation to the Nourished Business Accelerator (NBA)

"You'll never catch me trying to convince people why they should learn storytelling. I just teach people how to story tell."

"The simplest shift I have my clients make is changing how to into how I—because it makes your audience care about you, not just the information."

"When you give people too much information before they're ready, that doesn't lead to conversion—that leads to confusion."

"There's a difference between a storyteller as a content creator and a storyteller as a business owner."

"Using chat is like using a backup camera in your car. You still have to know how to be able to drive your car."

Mackenzie's Storytelling Membership

Apply For The Nourished Business Accelerator (NBA) - Applications close January 31 (this is the FINAL round before my offer suite changes!)

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share it with a coach or expert who's ready to build community and sell in a way that actually feels aligned.