Build Your Own Fairytale

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show What happens when the career path you originally planned no longer fits the life you actually want? In this episode, I’m joined by Jamie Hass, whose journey has taken her from corporate marketing, to co-owning a childcare center for 13 years, to building a virtual coaching business designed to support women in the realities of everyday life. Th...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show  ​As summer gets underway, I've been asking myself a different question: not "What needs to get done?" but "What can stop depending on me?" In this episode, I'm sharing the hidden costs of being the person who remembers everything in your business. We'll talk about the financial leaks that happen when things f...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show What looks like a “perfect” business on the outside is rarely accidental. In this episode, I’m joined by Brooke Kromer, a luxury real estate agent based in 30A, Florida, who works with athletes, high-net-worth buyers, and investors to help them find not just a property—but a lifestyle. Brooke shares her unconventional path from growing up in th...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show This one took me a while to process. A few months ago, I ran my first-ever half marathon: the Disney Princess Half Marathon. And while I expected the experience to be about running, I realized pretty quickly it was actually about something much bigger. Trust. Trusting yourself before certainty exists. Trusting the ordinary reps. Trusting that c...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show What does it take to build something parents trust—and kids actually love? In this episode, I’m joined by Andrea Barbalich, Editorial Director of The Week Junior , a weekly news magazine designed to help kids ages 8–14 understand what’s happening in the world in a way that’s thoughtful, engaging, and age-appropriate. Andrea shares the behind-th...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show 👯‍♀️ Special Guests: Sammy & Gracie (my twin daughters) 🗓️ Recorded after Take Your Kids to Work Day 2026 This has quietly become one of my favorite episodes to record every year.  My daughters—11-year-old identical twins—have been on the podcast a few times now, and each year the conversation shifts a little as they get older, more indepe...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Lynn Harris, a culture-shifting producer, award-winning journalist, and founder of GOLD Comedy, shares her non-linear path from journalism to comedy to building a community-driven business.  We talk about what it really looks like to run a business when you don’t fit the typical “founder” mold — from testing and growing an idea over time to the...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show You’ve had this happen before. A potential client says yes.  You send the quote, contract, or invoice… And then things go quiet. Suddenly the questions start creeping in: Did they change their mind? Did they forget? Should I follow up? This moment is incredibly common in service-based businesses — and it’s where a lot of deals quietly stall. In...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Running a business comes with a mental load that most people don’t talk about. Not the big projects or strategic decisions — but the constant background tracking: Who still needs a follow-up. Which invoice hasn’t been paid. Whether someone signed their contract yet. Remembering when a client said they’d “get back to you.” None of these tasks ta...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Spring cleaning isn’t about crisis. It’s about circulation. In this episode, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at recording during a literal New Jersey blizzard, the decluttering session that unexpectedly boosted my energy, and a confession: I procrastinated this episode harder than I’d like to admit. Because here’s the truth — dust is just...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show You don’t always get the full five-year blueprint in business. Sometimes you get a clear season. Sometimes you get a quiet one. And sometimes you hit a speed bump and think… okay, now what? This 10-minute solo episode is a grounded reframe for those moments. Not a checklist. Not a dramatic pivot. Just a steadier way to think about uncertainty,...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show February is the season of love — and this year, I want you to turn some of that attention toward your business. ❤️  In this episode, we’re talking about what it really looks like to love your business long-term — not the honeymoon phase, not the Instagram highlight-reel version, but the kind of relationship that actually lasts. Because most bus...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Running a business can feel a lot like working on a puzzle. You’ve got pieces everywhere — ideas, tools, workflows, client needs — and you know they’re supposed to fit together… but sometimes the picture just doesn’t feel complete. With National Puzzle Day coming up, I’m leaning into one of my favorite metaphors and breaking down how puzzles an...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show This is a special bonus episode of Build Your Own Fairytale , recorded live, in real life, while I was in Nashville with two of my favorite fellow systems strategists and business friends. What started as a casual “let’s finally get together in person” trip quickly turned into something much bigger — real conversations, honest pushback, whitebo...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show What if the hardest part of building a business isn’t the beginning… or the end — but the middle? In this episode, I’m sharing a powerful lesson that hit me in the middle of a long, sweaty run while training for my upcoming half marathon. My instructor introduced the concept of No Man’s Land — the point in a long run where you’re too far from t...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show As we wrap up 2025, I wanted to take a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate — both the growth of Build Your Own Fairytale and the incredible conversations we shared this year. In this special Best of 2025 episode, I’m revisiting some of the most powerful moments from the podcast — blending guest wisdom with highlights from my most-downloaded...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Cinderella might have had a fairy godmother—but Megan Lewis built her own magic. ✨ At just 24, Megan founded Dreamland Nannies, an Orlando-based childcare company that helps families enjoy the Disney parks stress-free. In this episode, we talk about how she turned her love for kids and theme parks into a growing business serving hotels and fam...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show It’s Thanksgiving week — the season of gratitude, chaos, & calendars that somehow manage to fill themselves. If you’ve ever said, “I can’t use an online scheduler… my schedule’s always changing!” or “I don’t want to be boxed in!” — this one’s for you. I’m busting the biggest myths about online scheduling & showing you how a scheduling l...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Author and entrepreneur Charity Alyse shares the heartwarming story behind Austen’s Shelf, her tiny bookshop on wheels — a Jane Austen–inspired mobile bookstore bringing literary magic to communities across New Jersey. After a health scare reminded her that “someday” isn’t guaranteed, Charity decided to stop waiting and start building. Within w...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show It’s National Checklist Day , which might as well be my personal holiday! In this episode, I’m sharing the tools that keep my solopreneur business organized, my brain calm (mostly), & my systems running smoothly. From my digital checklist in Asana , to client management made easy with 17hats , to two years of weekly newsletters powered by F...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Vlada Bortnik, co-founder & CEO of Marco Polo, the video messaging app, shares what it really means to build technology that helps people feel close , not just connected . Vlada’s journey—from growing up in Ukraine to working at Microsoft to creating one of the most intentional, human-centered apps in tech—reminds us that business can be bo...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Use October Theory to end 2025 strong & step into 2026 ready! October is the “Second New Year” — the perfect time to reflect, reset, and realign before the year ends. In this solo episode, I share 4 simple steps to make October Theory work for your business: review your 2025 goals, refresh your systems, refine your content calendar, and pro...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Email marketing is the most powerful tool in your business toolkit as a solopreneur—but most people overcomplicate it. In this solo episode, I’ll show you why email matters, how to start your list, and how to stay consistent so your subscribers look forward to hearing from you. 🫶  We’ll cover: Why email beats social media (40× more effective!)...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Spoiler alert: I learned a lot being part of my very first collaboration— not just about launching, but about how even the best laid plans can change AND how important the client POV is.  In this solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what it was like to contribute to a recent collaboration bundle that I was genuinely excited about! I’ll...

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show Josh Hall shares his inspiring journey from building a successful web design agency to becoming a sought-after business coach for creative entrepreneurs. Today, Josh is a web design business coach, podcast host, and course creator who helps creatives build businesses that give them freedom and flexibility. We dive into how showing up as your au...