Crystal Uncorked

25 episodes are certainly something to celebrate. My boyfriend, Dustin Peyser, flipped the script and interviewed me, Crystal Vilkaitis. We enjoyed a few bottles of wine while we took a trip down memory lane. Cheers! This podcast has become such a labor of love for me. I have so many listeners from near and far. It’s such an honor for me that anyone listens to the show, but especially my dear frie...

Last week, we talked all about my three-day strategy meeting with my mentor, Patricia Norins. I’m back to finish up with the remaining four of the seven lessons I learned during this incredible meeting. Lesson Four: Compete with Yourself I had to admit I was spending way too much time looking at other creators and businesses and comparing myself to them. Patricia really helped me see this was such...

Recently I spent three days all about strategy with my mentor, Patricia Norins. I have been working with her for 7 or 8 years. In this episode, I am sharing three of the seven lessons I learned over the course of this meeting. I am sharing behind-the-scenes takeaways that are relatable but also really personal. I am drinking a 2014 Merlot from Mount Palomar Winery, located in Temecula. Cheers! Let...

We are shaking things up this week. Today, I am pretending we are at a dinner party together, and I am sharing some of my favorites and things I would talk about with my friends. The wine I am “enjoying” today will be that of my future self when I am drinking at dinner, enjoying the view with my friends just a few hours after recording this episode. If you were a friend at my house for dinner, we...

Some stuff came up for me on my vacation surrounding anxiety. We are back from Maui and I started to have some serious anxiety come up during our trip. I am not sure if it's getting worse as I am getting older or it's all that is going on in the world, but it's at a high level for me right now. have some serious anxiety come up during our trip. I am not sure if it's getting wor...

Once upon a time before I started Crystal Media, I had the honor of working with Ted Teele. My mentor and friend Ted is here today to share his wealth of wisdom. Ted is a Harvard BA and MBA and an expert in digital marketing. In this episode, you get a snippet of his brilliant business mind with information on marketing, building a business, and the importance of strategy. Building and growing a b...

You’re not always perfect in business and in life. That’s okay! I talk about a real fear that holds some of my clients and people that I know back. One thing about me is that I definitely put myself out there. I love to do videos and go live. I like to have that personal online presence. Many people are afraid to join me on the podcasts or even utilize Facebook live for their own business. Why is...

What was once a photo pinned to the wall like a dream and a goal, is now the reality of Akash Winery. I am talking with Akash, the owner, and namesake of this Temecula, CA winery. His family bought the land in 2010 and 9 years later in 2019, Akash opened their doors only for COVID shutdowns to begin 6 months later. Now on the other side of the pandemic, I am able to sit with him in the vineyard an...

I am finally introducing you to my dear friend, team member, and integrator, Pauline Blasetti. Pauline has been working with me for 8 years, bringing me balance and pushing our business to the next level with her anything is possible attitude. You wanted to hear from my integrator, and she tells us about how her job came to be. Years ago, Pauline told me I was a “Bad Manager” and she was right. As...

I got to chat with Rusty Sutton about how he is changing the retail shopping experience with The Green Monkey. Between his bright personality and the well-placed bar in his store, he created a one-of-a-kind gift shop experience. Rusty set out to create a new way to shop. Instead of a traditional gift shop, he built a community in Raleigh, NC. Customers may initially come in to purchase an item fro...

Today we are celebrating me! This is my birthday episode and I’m going to share 5 things that I’m hoping to achieve over the next year. I always ask friends celebrating their birthday what they want to achieve. What’s in store for them this year? It can be a tough question but it’s worth taking time to think about it. Here are my five things: 1. To Write More This past year, I’ve been writing more...

In this episode, I’m so excited to be talking to my doctor and friend, Dr. Michelle Wolford. Dr. Wolford runs a successful private practice treating children and adults for a variety of acute and chronic conditions. She combines her training in western medicine with her profound knowledge of eastern medicine, including plants, energy medicine, nutrition, body movement, meditation, breathwork, and...

We all struggle to maintain balance and productivity in our business lives, as well as our personal lives. Today I discuss the tips and tools I use to stay organized and productive in my home and professional life. People define success and freedom in different ways. I define success and freedom as more time. Staying organized means that I buy myself more time in the day to do things I want and ne...

When so many businesses were considered non-essential last year, many business owners turned to Josh Orr to finally help them get online and still reach their customers. Like it or not, the last year has dramatically changed consumers’ shopping habits, and “Retail Josh” has been guiding business owners through this transition. A beautiful website is the bare minimum online presence for a retail bu...

For me, when I’m at Disneyland, I have space to think. It’s always fun and playful there, and I just get so much inspiration there. Today I’m tackling the topic of giving yourself time to think. I’ll be sharing some strategies for how you can reclaim some precious time so that you can return refreshed to your business, with new ideas or maybe even a completely inspired pivot. I totally understand...

I recently took a Strengths Finder test, and found out that I’m competitive and like to achieve things. Which is really no surprise to me. When you’re competitive like I am, you always want to win. But that’s not realistic. When I knock out my to-do list and am crushing my achievements, I feel like I’m on top of the world. But that’s also not realistic. Then add into all of these things the absolu...

I have known Tami Staker for years, and you’re going to love this real and honest look into the toy retail business. A toy store owner who drops the F-bomb every now and then? Yes, and now you’ve been warned. For 12 years, Tami has run Whimzy in Albert Lea, Minnesota as a part-time business owner, while also working as a full-time employee of a Fortune 500 company.  When she first purchased the st...

July 4th, 2017, Rob and Leah Davis had their lives completely turned upside down when their completely healthy son Blake just passed out. One minute they were buckling him into the car seat, and the next minute they realized he had stopped breathing. I’ve seen their journey from the outside since Leah works for me, but she invites me in to hear how she and Rob navigated one of the hardest periods...

There are three big goals that haven’t worked out for me. I let obstacles get in my way. And in a way, that’s failing. I’m going to walk you through some of the lessons I’ve learned, plus uncork one of the most delicious bottles of wine from my absolute favorite winery, and I want to hear from you. What’s one of your unexpected failures, and what’s something you haven’t succeeded at....yet? My bac...

Patricia Norins is a 4th generation retail owner, and she likes to say it’s in her blood. She sold her company to ISCS and stayed on to grow the company internationally. She started her company Blue Butterfly to help companies implement strategic plans to grow, and she works with Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs. And of course, she’s been my personal mentor for years. I am so happy and hono...

My favorite wine is a bold red. I love Cabernets, Syrahs, Malbecs, Petite Syrah and everything in between. The bolder, the better. I would consider myself to be like my fav wine, I would say I'm a bold, confident person, most of the time. I've always felt that my superpower is confidence, or at least seeming confident, and helping others find it from within.  I feel like when we're...

I've been a business owner for over 8 years and have been profitable every single year. I'm sharing the three things that have built my business and have given me freedom, fun and success. Grab a glass of wine (or drink of choice!), and let's open up! Mentioned in this episode: Crystal Media , http://crystalmediaco.com and specifically our Insider membership group, http://crystalmed...

This is a really special episode. ❤️ My first guest is my boyfriend of over 10 years, Dustin Peyser.  We open up about the secret to a long-lasting relationship and the ingredients needed for us to have such a strong and fun partnership. We talked about Dustin losing both of his parents and the impact that has had on his life, and the perspective it's given him. We discussed creating a legacy...

Stand-up comedy, a messed up yet supportive Christmas gift, and questions to ask to find the things that light you up and make you jump out of bed. Grab a glass of wine (or drink of choice!), this...is Crystal Uncorked. 🍷 Follow Crystal on Instagram at http://instagram.com/crystaluncorked If you'd like to get the show recap for this episode, head to http://crystaluncorked.com/blog/stand-up-c...

Welcome to the first episode of Crystal Uncorked! 🥳 It's time to open up and talk about how this show came to life. It's been a 3.5-year journey from concept to creation, but after overcoming fears discussed in this podcast, Crystal Vilkaitis grabbed a bottle of Austin Hope Cabernet and hit record! So, grab a glass of Austin Hope Cab, or your favorite wine (or beverage) and hit play to...