Ever wondered why you dread building your email list? What if I told you it's not about spam—it’s about showing up with heart, humor, and strategy?

In this episode, I chat with Dawn Richardson—the product education manager at Flodesk, former software engineer, wedding photographer, and all‑around tech‑meets‑creative powerhouse. She shares how she helps entrepreneurs build email systems that feel authentic, not icky.

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3 Key Takeaways:

• Reframing email marketing from sleazy to service: it lives in your subscriber’s inbox (not the public feed), and they're asking to hear from you.
• Tools you’ll love: why Dawn’s Mac‑chooser quiz and countdown‑timer opt‑ins outperform generic freebies—and what you can do today to start using them.
• Automation with personality: welcome sequences, segmentation, and cleaning your list—done with your voice, so it always feels human.

Find It Quickly:

• 01:16 - System Reboot: Fun and Personal Questions
• 03:03 - Email Marketing Fears and Misconceptions
• 05:06 - Personal Experience with Email Marketing
• 08:36 - Effective Email List Growth Strategies
• 13:23 - Email Marketing Frequency and Best Practices
• 17:42 - Cleaning Your Email List
• 18:29 - The Entrepreneur's Death Folder
• 19:04 - Bringing Your Voice into Automations
• 19:29 - Creating an Engaging Welcome Sequence
• 22:56 - Segmenting Your Audience Effectively
• 26:41 - Building Real Relationships with Subscribers
• 31:09 - Getting Started with Flodesk
• 33:56 - Systems Shut Down

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Flodesk - Use Julie's Affiliate Code for 50% Off Your First Year of Flodesk
• @flodesk

Connect with Dawn:

• @itsdawnrichardson
• Techsavvycreative.com

Some episodes entertain. This one will change you. Dr. Gregory Fried’s story is not just about surviving 9/11—it's about everything that came after. As the Executive Chief Surgeon for the NYPD, he wasn’t just a witness; he was a first responder standing at the very edge of collapse. What he saw, what he carried, and what he still remembers is etched into every word of this conversation. Let me introduce you to my father-in-law.

Find It Quickly

• 01:15 - Early Career and Becoming a Police Surgeon
• 02:45 - Rising Through the Ranks
• 07:13 - September 11th: The Day That Changed Everything
• 11:48 - Surviving the Collapse
• 20:33 - Escape and Rescue
• 27:00 - Arrival in Jersey City
• 27:15 - Hospital Recovery and Miscommunication
• 29:21 - Transfer to NYU and Initial Challenges
• 30:37 - Return Home and Medical Diagnosis
• 31:26 - Involvement in Recovery Efforts
• 33:46 - Health Concerns and Documentation
• 35:26 - Exposure to Toxic Dust
• 38:10 - Long-term Health Impacts
• 48:26 - Decision to Retire
• 52:02 - Reflections on 9/11 and Its Legacy

Connect with Dr. Greg

• gfriedmd.com
• Life on The Thin Blue Line

What if the key to growing your business was actually less time online? That’s exactly what we’re diving into with today’s guest, Sarah Erickson, the intentional brand designer behind Sarah Ann Design. Sarah helps creatives build unforgettable brands without living on Instagram.

We chat about the systems she uses to stay mostly offline while still booking dream clients, her Pinterest-first strategy that works 24/7, and the magic of personalized client experiences. If you’ve ever felt like visibility equals value, this episode is your loving but firm wake-up call.

3 Key Takeaways:

• The secret to an evergreen marketing strategy that doesn’t rely on social media
• How to build a systems-driven brand experience that speaks for itself
• The mindset shifts that help you resist the scroll and reclaim your time

Find It Quickly

• 00:14 - Meet Sarah Erickson: Intentional Brand Designer
• 01:25 - Collaborating on Templates: A Fun Project
• 03:18 - Assistive Reboot: Getting Out of a Bad Mood
• 05:51 - Running an Online Business While Staying Offline
• 10:38 - Effective Systems for Client Communication and Marketing
• 18:01 - Reclaiming Attention and Time from Social Media
• 21:28 - Promoting Sarah's Courses and Offerings
• 23:43 - System Shutdown: Romanticizing the Boring

Connect with Sarah

• sarahanndesign.co
• Pinning with Purpose
• Pinterest
• shop.sarahanndesign.co

When you think of templates, do you picture robotic emails that suck all the personality out of your client experience? In this episode, we're joined by Colie James, a Disney-loving client experience strategist and host of the Business First Creatives podcast.

Colie shares why templates get such a bad rap (hint: it’s not the template, it’s how people use them), how to infuse your brand personality into even the most automated workflow, and why voice of customer research is your secret weapon for sounding relatable instead of robotic.

From her favorite must-have templates to the genius way she makes her automated emails feel like a high-touch experience, Colie proves that systems don’t have to mean stiff communication. Templates can actually help you be more personal, consistent, and stress-free.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why templates often feel cold—and how to fix that
• How to capture your authentic voice (hint: start by talking out loud)
• The three templates every creative needs to have on hand

Find It Quickly

• 00:45 - System Reboot: Fun and Personal Questions
• 02:38 - The Power of Templates
• 04:15 - Infusing Personality into Templates
• 11:38 - Essential Templates for Creatives
• 15:50 - Encouragement and Final Thoughts
• 19:00 - Disney's Operational Excellence

Mentioned in this Episode

• Dubsado
• HoneyBook

Connect with Colie

• coliejames.com
• Email Like You Mean It
• Business-First Creatives
• instagram.com/coliejames

Waiting to adopt is its own kind of emotional limbo—equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking. And if you think you can Google your way through the process? Think again.

Adoption comes with more moving parts than most people realize. Even the most organized parents can quickly find themselves overwhelmed. That’s where Caitlin Phillips comes in—a licensed clinical social worker, adoption specialist since 2009, and co-founder of Hello Baby Adoption Consultants. Caitlin isn’t just a guide; she’s a lifeline for families navigating the uncertainty, paperwork, and emotional weight of domestic infant adoption. She was also the consultant who helped bring our daughter Ellie home.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why even the most Type A parents can feel petrified in the adoption process
• The difference between an adoption consultant and an agency—and why it matters
• Tools and systems to simplify every step, from home studies to profile books

Find It Quickly

• 00:14 Meet Our Special Guest: Kaitlyn Phillips
• 00:48 System Reboot: Parenting Confessions
• 02:30 Navigating the Adoption Process
• 09:22 Understanding the Home Study
• 18:02 The Emotional Journey of Adoption

Connect with Caitlin

• hellobabyadoptionconsultants.com
• instagram.com/hellobabyadoption

What do a falling skirt, a Love Island soundbite, and a sick emoji have in common? According to storytelling strategist Akua Konadu: everything. They're stories that make an impact.

In this episode, I sit down with Akua—host of the Unbreakable Business Podcast and a master of making micro-moments unforgettable. We talk about how the smallest, most awkward, or most seemingly mundane stories are often the ones that create the deepest connections in your brand. Akua shares why authenticity trumps aesthetics and gives tactical prompts to help you turn everyday moments into powerful content that moves your audience.

Today’s episode will show you that no story is too small to make an impact.

3 Key Takeaways:

• The smallest stories often resonate the most
• The questions that Akua asks when deciding to share a story
• How to relate any story back to your business

Review the Show Notes:

The system reboot (1:12)

Sharing something small that became significant (5:53)

How business owners can notice the moments worth sharing (8:30)

Connecting your story to your audience (10:42)

Shaping a story into content (12:30)

Turning stories into content on the spot (15:58)

Is your story too small to matter? (24:02)

The system shutdown (27:33)

Mentioned In This Episode:

Akua Konadu Website: akuakonadu.com

Akua Konadu Instagram: instagram.com/akuakonadu_

The Unbreakable Business Podcast: podcast.honeybook.com

Julie Instagram: instagram.com/dallasgirlfriday

What if your biggest flaw was actually your best feature? It’s a question Molly McCauley had to ask herself—not just once, but repeatedly—on her journey as a neurodivergent entrepreneur.

Molly spent years navigating a system that never quite fit. Once she was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety as an adult, she realized it's time to flip the script. Now she's helping others do the same.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why being "too much" might be your competitive edge
• How to create flexible, neurodivergent-friendly business systems (or anti-systems)
• How to advocate for yourself and redefine productivity on your terms

Connect with Molly:

Wedding Website: mollymccauley.com

Wedding Instagram: instagram.com/mollymccauley_photo

Make Pretty Workshop Website: makeprettyworkshop.com

Make Pretty Workshop Instagram: instagram.com/makeprettyworkshop

Be the calm in everyone else's chaos. Then cry in your car—like a professional. Right? Just kidding. In this episode, I sit down with Julian Leaver, luxury wedding planner and etiquette expert, to talk about what it really takes to stay grounded in a high-pressure, high-image industry. With decades of experience and a client list that spans from Aspen to Paris, Julian is known for delivering elegance with empathy while setting firm boundaries in a world that resists them.

We go deep into sobriety, burnout, boundaries, and why the wedding industry could use a collective breath and a bit more grace. Also, you’ll hear about the wedding trend Julian wants to kill (amenity bags beware), why Murphy Brown would make a great assistant, and what it means to stop comparing and start competing with yourself.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Why getting sober was the turning point in Julian’s professional (and personal) life
• How the luxury wedding industry normalizes self-neglect—and how to resist it
• The mindset shift that can help burned-out planners take their first breath again

Connect with Julian

• julianleaver.com
• instagram.com/julianleaver
• julian@julianleaver.com