Deliberate Freelancer

On today's show I share two timely new resources: Introducing Deliberate Freelancer Clarity Calls! These are 45-minute Zoom video chats to talk through 1-2 challenges with podcast host Melanie Padgett Powers.   Are you feeling stuck in your business and need help reigniting your momentum? Do you have a million ideas but need help zeroing in on the best one for you? Are you overwhelmed with your to...

Today's guest is Michelle Rafter, who lives in Portland, Oregon. Michelle is the owner of WordCount Editorial Services. She is a former journalist who is now a ghostwriter of books, research reports and articles for CEOs and management consultants. She's a former newspaper staff writer, wire service columnist and freelance reporter who covered business, enterprise technology and workplace issues. ...

Download transcript of episode 205 . Today's guest is Sara Kobilka, who lives in New York state. Sara is the owner of Renaissance Woman Consulting. Sara has an insatiable curiosity that has driven her career in many different directions that she's been able to connect in her freelance work. She primarily works in the STEM space.  Sara is also a career coach, primarily for people looking to change...

In today's episode, I recap what my business looked like in January and February. This includes: Why I got a slow start to 2025.  Why I've been focusing only on current clients and not marketing. How much I earned in January and February. How much I worked in January and February. The number of clients I did and the types of work. How I'm thinking about so-called "low-paying clients." How I offere...

Today's guest is Matthew Fenton, who lives in Oregon wine country with his wife and two cats. Matthew is the founder of Three Deuce Branding, a one-man consultancy with a simple mission: "to help good people build great brands." Since 1997, he has helped hundreds of clients — including Fidelity Investments, Wrigley and Valvoline — to achieve what he calls "brand clarity" by better positioning, str...

Today's guest is Alan Heymann. Alan is the owner of Peaceful Direction. He is an executive coach and facilitator and is the author of two books on leadership analogies: "Don't Just Have the Soup" and "Embrace Your Inner Peaches." Alan is also a faculty member of the Georgetown University Institute for Transformational Leadership.  In this episode, we talk about:  How we're dealing with the uncerta...

On today's show I discuss my favorite books I read in 2024 and share my most anticipated books of 2025, plus some popular authors coming out with new books this year. A few statistics first. In 2024:  I read 67 books. I did not finish (DNF) 16 books. 67% of my books were fiction, with 33% nonfiction. All but one book was for adults; I read one young adult book. I read 21 debuts, or first-time-publ...

On today's show I discuss the rough start to 2025 and share my 2024 end-of-year review, which includes: My gross and net income for 2024 My expenses for 2024 My income goals and whether I hit those each quarter How I landed a new client How many hours I worked  The importance of vacations, mental health days, spontaneous days off, and staycations A client mistake I made — you would think I'd know...

Today's guest is Rosanna Campbell, a freelance content writer who writes "non-boring content" for B2B SaaS clients like Dock, Lattice, and monday.com. She lives in Madrid, Spain, with her husband, son, and their beagle who eats her furniture. Rosanna's been freelancing for eight years. In this episode, we chat in-depth about six tips she shared in a recent LinkedIn post that helped her get clients...

In today's episode, I recap what my business looked like in November. This includes: How much I worked in November. Why I got behind and how I dealt with it. The types of work I did and how I charged. My total monthly earnings. Why I offered to help a new client for "free." What I Learned This Week:  How Poet James A. Pearson (and his friend) look at burnout: " The Hidden Invitation of Burnout " P...

Today's guest is Melissa Hobson, who does business as The Ocean Writer Ltd. Her writing focuses on marine science and conservation. Melissa lives in Hastings, England. She has written for National Geographic, Scientific American, BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, New Scientist, the Guardian and more. She also does some content and copywriting for NGOs and companies, but still focuses on the ocean and...

I'm excited about Bluesky! Are you on the platform too? Let's create a Deliberate Freelancer starter pack — more on that in this episode — but follow me at @MelEdits . On today's show, I share five questions to help you wrap up your year to create a "fresh start" in January. I explain the difference between these five questions and larger questions to ask yourself later in a solo business retreat...

On today's show, I talk about how hiring a business coach for a few months helped me get excited about my business again.  Here's what I share with you in this episode: Why I hired a coach. The initial goals I had with coaching and how that changed.  How outlining who my "core self" was helped me with my business direction.  Insights that my coach had that helped me.  Why you should ask yourself i...

On today's new regular monthly episode I recap what my business looked like in October. This includes: How much I worked in October. The types of work I did and how I charged. Why a lower-paying passion project can be worth it. My total monthly earnings. How I landed a new anchor client. Why I sometimes break the "freelancing rules" and charge hourly and per word.  What I Learned This Week: I am n...

Today's guest is Reyna Gobel, MBA, MPH, a New Yorker who is a purpose-driven freelance writer. She writes journalism and content on personal finance, travel, pets, and health and nutrition.    Reyna is a personal finance and health expert and award-winning author. Her articles and quoted advice have appeared in over 300 publications and websites, including Forbes, Money, Reuters, NPR, Harvard Heal...

I am finally back! I know, I know — this was way longer than that a "summer" hiatus. I'm sorry for the delay, but to be honest, I wasn't sure I was coming back. I'll talk about that in today's episode and share why I did come back (mainly because of you, my wonderful listeners).  Here's what I share with you in this episode: A few minor changes to the podcast. How my income goals are going. Why my...

I will be on summer hiatus from June to September. This episode gives you a quick update about my summer plans and provides a sneak peek into what I'm looking forward to talking about in September.  Resources: Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn Melanie's other podcast, A...

Today's guest is Austin L. Church, who returns to the show to talk about his book "Free Money."  Austin lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He helps e-commerce founders stand out online with their brand strategy. Lately, he's been working as a fractional chief marketing officer, consulting for creator economy companies. He also coaches freelance creatives. Austin returned to the podcast to talk about h...

Today's guest is Rachel Meltzer. Rachel lives in Massachusetts after doing the "van life" thing for a few years. She is a freelance writer for software as a service companies or SaaS. She's written for Lenovo, Grammarly, Loom, FarOut, Six Moon Designs and more in the tech and outdoor recreation industries. She's also a coach. She's coached over 100 freelance writers on launching their businesses a...

Today's guest is Louis Tinsley, a DC-based commercial photographer.  Louis has been working in the industry professionally for more than 10 years and sits on the board of the DC chapter of American Photographic Artists, where he runs the annual Photo Assistant Workshop. He also recently joined the Northern Virginia Community College Photography & Media Curriculum Advisory Board. His clients have i...

Today's guest is Kelly McSweeney, a content marketing writer. Kelly works from her home office in Massachusetts with a small dog by her side. She has been a self-employed writer for nearly eight years, with clients that include research institutions, big tech companies and marketing agencies. Kelly explains cutting-edge science and emerging technology to intelligent, curious audiences. In recent y...

Today's guest is Annemie Tonken. Annemie lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has been a professional photographer since 2010 and is the owner of Megapixie Photography. She also teaches creative entrepreneurs how to run profitable, sustainable businesses they love, by focusing on how they can develop helpful business systems and strategies. And, she's the host of a business podcast for photog...

Today's guest is Abby Nieten. Abby lives in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area, with her husband and three sons. A year ago she launched her freelance business, Shining Waters Editorial, where she is a copy editor and proofreader specializing in business content and nonfiction manuscripts.  Abby also recently launched a monthly newsletter called  Stream of Confidence , which is for authors, writers a...

Today's guest is Brionna Ned, a former big-law lawyer and in-house counsel for tech companies. She is now a legal educator and a writer. Her company, The Lawless Lawyer, is a legal education and consulting service for small business owners that provides you with the legal knowledge you need to create solid foundations in your business. She has a free workshop, " Legal Risk and Why it Matters ," th...

On today's show, I discuss the current state of freelancing, which includes massive layoffs and shuttered clients in the media and tech world. But even if that isn't affecting you — maybe you're even having your best year yet — you need to be prepared for the lean times and to set up your business to lessen the risk of feast-or-famine. That includes setting yourself apart, diversifying, always mar...