Inspired Ideas

In this episode, we’re diving into the three essential mindsets that every creative entrepreneur needs to thrive: an experimental mindset, healthy detachment, and blind stubborn belief. Learn how to embrace experimentation as your superpower, let go of the grip of perfectionism, and commit to your vision—even when the path ahead feels unclear. When you’re building a brand, launching a new offer, o...

How did six months go by so quickly? Time flies when you get divorced and run two creative businesses. Here are a few updates from The Inspired Foundry on what’s going on and where we’re going.

A (nearly) 5-minute pep talk to encourage you in your creative work. This is a part of The 12 Days of Inspiration -- hop on my email list to get the rest of the 12 Days! Sign up here! The Inspired Foundry

Bringing you an off-the-cuff episode about three eras you might find yourself in as a creative entrepreneur, and what to focus on in each era. Being able to name where we are in our own evolution allows us to focus on our present moment while looking to the future, but not skipping ahead and working on things that will keep us stuck. For more of a deep dive into your entrepreneurial era, book a fr...

When you decide to build your brand a little deeper, to take it to the next level or refine it, “authentic” shouldn’t be at the top of your list for how you want your brand to feel. Not only is it a bit overused, but it just doesn't mean anything -- when it comes to branding, you need other keywords to help define what is actually authentic for you. So skip the word "authentic" and d...

In this episode, I'm chatting with myself about how easy it is to get attached to our businesses, to have expectations for how things should go, and how that easily leads to disappointment and burnout. From a branding perspective, there are a few things we can do to help our brains relax a little, even when things feel hard, so we can keep doing this work we love to do. The Inspired Foundry

Let's dive into the compelling reasons behind the Tiny Brand movement. In this episode, I'm sharing the intimate journey of how Tiny Brands have reshaped my approach to branding—turning minimal elements into a powerful force for clarity and impact in the business world. We'll walk through the Tiny Brand Framework Guiding Principles—focused, intentional, inspired, sustainable, and perso...

Dive into the heart of where craft meets commerce in this enlightening episode, a collaboration between myself and ChatGPT. We explore the transformative power of decisive creativity, drawing inspiration from the poetic wisdom of John O’Donohue, and uncover the unique advantages of being a multi-passionate entrepreneur. Plus, we'll chat through how the simple act of decision-making can elevate...

After a non-intentional long break, I'm back with a new season of episodes all around this idea of blending beauty and business in a way that feels good to you. Explore this idea with me here and over on Instagram! The Inspired Foundry on Instagram www.theinspiredfoundry.com

Today I'm digging into what I'd focus on to build a creative business that makes money in a way that's sustainable over the long-term. For us creative folks, having a business is about so much more than just making money (even while needing the money, lol). We need it to both look amazing and feel amazing from the inside out, and we need it to create impact on the other side of our wor...

I'm on a bit of a soap box today and encouraging you to be a terrible designer. Why? Because you don't need to be a great designer -- that's my job. Instead, join me as I talk through the three things I'm hearing from my audience that keeps them from having the brand they *actually* want, and why being a "good designer" is the last thing to help you get there. Mentions: T...

In this episode, we’re chatting through the fourth and final part of building a tiny inspired brand: the practice of keeping everything running smoothly. I call this practice engaging your brand vision. It’s a way to hold the vision of your inspired idea while knowing exactly what to be working on everyday to get closer to it. Because this is the work, the sitting down at your desk every morning....

In this episode, we're talking through what it looks like to set your business up for success. Based on your client experience, what do you need in place to make everything happen, from people discovering you to purchasing and beyond? Join me as we talk technology, systems, and software, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of my own business setup over the last 8 years. Mentions: No...

There is so much wrapped up in your brand experience — we’re talking brand personality, your visuals, customer or client journey, and even down to the little details like how you’re packaging your offers, your copy, and the systems and tech you implement as a part of your experience. Tune in to get your brand up to snuff with the experiential side of things! The Inspired Foundry

Step one of building your tiny brand is having a solid plan. We're chatting through what that looks like, what to include, and why having this foundation makes running your creative business so much easier. This episode is perfect for creatives who are ready to do more than just come up with good ideas and make good art -- you're ready to take things seriously, focus more, and build someth...

Don't get me wrong, I love logos. But if something isn't working with your brand, it *might* not be the logo's fault. Tune in to learn more about why the logo is just the tip of the iceberg, the four pieces of your brand that create cohesion, consistency, and clarity, and also listen to me attempt to relate a car metaphor to branding. It's a good one. Mentions: Tiny Brands Tiny Bra...

This week I'm bringing you a car conversation with my Swedish friend, Harald Nilsson -- guitar slayer in Jaerv, photographer, videographer, and teacher. On our way to Gullbrannafestivalen (near Halmstad, Sweden with Jaerv and my duo, The OK Factor), we spent an hour talking about his creative business and the shape his career has taken, as well as tackling a branding exercise in real time. The...

If you’ve ever struggled with pricing yourself as a creative, this is the perfect episode for you. Mostly for solidarity because I also struggle with pricing myself, lol. But the good news is that branding can provide a bit of a framework for the kind of price range we should be in. If you want to get paid well for your creative work; raise the bar for your creative business; reflect the value of...

A recent poll on my Instagram suggests that the most important thing for creatives to get support in is not visuals or backend streamlining. Surprisingly enough, it's vision. Understanding your vision for the long haul, your creative work, how to get there, and what to work on first. In this episode, I dissect the results of this poll a bit deeper and share how The Inspired Foundry is *the* pl...

Inspired by this post by my friend Jen Fieldman on Instagram , we're talking about how branding can hold you back. If branding or creating a website or any other brand-related activity is causing you hesitation when it comes to sharing your work, then you simply don't need it. Yet. This episode is perfect for you if how something looks has ever stopped you from sharing your inspired ideas...

I know you don't really want to be thinking about the holidays just yet. But trust me when I say that you'll be so happy you did! I've got a very simple 3-step strategy for figuring out how you want to run your business during the holiday season, and it really does pay to start thinking about the holidays as early as possible. Preparation is key, so let's get prepped. Mentions: Tin...

As the creative industry continues to expand, people have more choices than ever for who to work with. The one thing that makes you stand out above the rest as the *right* choice for your people? Your client experience. Your CX. (It's like UX/UI but for your client relationships rather than digital interfaces.) You need your CX to be solid, engaging, and dripping with your brand personality. L...

Today’s episode is all about how to make selling feel less terrible. In my own entrepreneurial journey, selling has often felt like the worst -- my mindset was all I don’t want to ask people for their money or be a burden . But the truth I’ve discovered over time is that in order to make money doing what we love, we have to treat it like a business — because it is. That means making the ask, telli...

Stepping out of the starving artist mindset and stepping into a more profitable and successful version of your business means acquiring good branding. But what exactly is it that good branding gives us that will lead to a profitable and successful business? In this episode, we're chatting about all the incredible benefits of good branding -- and getting down to business about how you can make...

This episode is a love letter to you, my creative friend. You've joined the ranks of entrepreneurs because you wanted to make money and do what you love at the same time - using your creativity to bring change and goodness to the world. Most likely you weren't trained in the art of business (neither was I), but you're here anyway and I applaud you for that. Tune in for some encourageme...