The Self-Employed Life

Inspired by a week of events and conversations, I talk about acceptance within ourselves and from others. Similar to my TEDx Talk where I suggest that when we allow ourselves to see what others see in us, that it can help us expand beyond our self-limiting expectations, when we are accepted by others it helps us accept ourselves.  The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. The T...

Welcome to the 500th Episode of Creative Warriors! In just under five years, we have over a million downloads and 500 episodes. I was planning on getting a "big name" or celebrity to celebrate this milestone, but I realized that none of that really matters. What matters is the community of warriors we have built in over 200 countries and all the people behind-the-scenes who make this all possible....

This question, "What do you own?", is both practical and philosophical. I cover multiples sides of the importance of ownership from why it's important for your business to knowing how what you own can help you carve out a place for yourself in the world. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of the conversation - Join our community Facebook group, Creative Warriors...

A lot of us Creative Warriors have lots of passion but no initiative. We have a dream and a talent, but we often don't know where to put our energy. We can't tell the difference between passing fancies and things that are worth doing. Fear can also hold us back from putting all of our energy into something because we're scared that we'll get stuck on the wrong path. If taking the first step to all...

After last week's Talking Stick episode when I suggested that the reason Warriors experience so many ups and downs is that parts of their entrepreneur ecosystem are not functioning well, I received a few inquiries asking about the entrepreneur ecosystem. In this episode, I explain the many elements of a healthy entrepreneur ecosystem. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. B...

Do you show up "salesy" or committed? If you're passionate, you can be direct and demanding without coming off as a pushy salesman. Get people on your team by having a clear message that is both easy to communicate and easy for others to adopt. In today's world, people are bombarded with messages constantly; you need to have a catchy, direct "hook" to get them to notice. Keep it around 2-5 words,...

Are the ups and downs of entrepreneurship inevitable? The nature of the beast? Or do we cause it? It's a little bit of both but I believe the biggest culprit is that specialization has caused fragmentation. Find out how to get out of this loop of running around all over the place to support what should be an integrated ecosystem of entrepreneurship. The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us h...

You never need insurance until it's a bad time . Do you really want to make a stressful scenario worse? Probably not. If you can understand that you're going to need to be in the best state of mind that you can be to handle that future crisis, you'll be able to effectively prepare. I personally am a huge insurance buyer. My father passed away without health insurance, so I've had health insurance...

If systems and structure seem rigid or you feel might inhibit your creativity, here's a different way to look at systems. Find out how setting the environment for what you want can make miracles happen. You'll hear how setting the environment is the current way of doing business and how you can apply the idea of setting the environment in your daily business life. The Talking Stick is in your hand...

It's very hard to imagine retirement- it can feel like a far-off dream. It's difficult to save for something that you can't even imagine. Because of this, a lot of us avoid thinking or talking about money at all. It doesn't feel good. Like a diet, budgets are something we have negative feelings toward and ultimately end up abandoning. It's better to put your finances in a positive light. Instead o...

Often, as creative professionals, we don't put much thought into the idea of company culture. But even when your team is working remotely, you can build a successful culture. It all begins with you. If you have a clear idea of your company's values, you can make sure everyone you work with is aligned with those values. Having a good company culture isn't just about having fun- it is also insurance...

Have you ever considered the role you play as a connector? In other words, you create something for someone so that they can reach the audience or people they want to reach. When you think about it that way, it increases the level of responsibility and possibility for impact. I talk about how this can even change the world.  The Talking Stick is in your hands now. Let us hear from you. Be part of...

I've never had a guest on to talk about a memoir, but I thought Jane Pollak's journey would be beneficial for the Creative Warrior community. Jane was a successful artist decorating eggs bought by people like Steve Jobs and featured at The White House, but ultimately she wasn't happy. She decided that she could no longer settle for a life of not enough. As creative professionals, we have to be pro...

Being a warrior is courage on steroids. It takes so much courage to put ourselves out there, to risk failure as well as the risk of the burden of responsibilities of success. Courage has been on my mind because of the recent Netflix special with Brene Brown. A fantastic show that I highly recommend. I break down what courage means as a warrior and expand on a couple of the ideas that Brene talks a...

Making your creative business profitable is a constant struggle for artists. Because our services are often something we've done for free, we feel guilty charging a lot of money.  We get stuck in the loop of doing work at lower rates for friends and family and undervaluing the skills we bring to the table. To change how much money you make from your hobby, you have to change your mindset. You need...

Ever have that feeling that you're working really hard but hardly getting ahead? You know....running on a hamster wheel? It's likely because you're applying a lot of effort and strategy but getting in your own way with mindset blocks. In this episode, I lay out the three components you need to be truly successful. The trifecta of success. It's a framework that I believe will work for you. The Talk...

A lot of times we set intentions, but we don't get the results we want. This is because we are out of alignment. We have a vision, but we don't actually believe our goals could come true. Manifestation is a powerful tool, but you have to align your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in order for it to work. Manifestation isn't just "woo-woo" new-age thinking. It has been proven to be effective. We si...

When I had back surgery, my doctor told me everything that would happen except for one thing: there would be machines on my legs pumping my blood. I woke up and immediately thought I was paralyzed. If my doctor had told me this was going to happen, it would have saved me that moment of fear. It's true in business, too. Expectations have to be clear on both sides. What is common knowledge to you, i...

Entrepreneurs don't often think of themselves as leaders. Thinking like a leader will help you think bigger and step into creating the impact you want on your community and in the world. When you think of people like Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey, do you really think of them as business owners? They are leaders. There's a latent leader in you waiting to come out! The Talking Stick i...

Balance is impossible to find. There are always challenges and unexpected responsibilities that throw off this fictional ideal. There is no perfect ratio of work life and home life that will magically solve your problems. Consonance, however, is achievable. Consonance is when all of the parts of your life line up for the same purpose. If the person you are at work is the same person you are at hom...

Within many languages, there are accents. Similarly, when you speak the lingo of your ideal customers, there are different personalities. So while you want to attract and appeal to the narrow audience of ideal customers, you can also appeal to the broadest segment of ideal customers as possible by understanding their different personalities. Learn specific strategies to do just that on your websit...

So often we disempower ourselves because we look through a lens of excuses. When our businesses aren't doing well, we'll say, "The economy is bad" or "Email marketing is dead" instead of looking for ways we can do better. It's time to stop depending on others and find strength within ourselves. My guest today calls this "Self-Directed Empowerment." We have to have personal accountability to be abl...

I talk all day long. Speaking is my profession, so I take care of my instrument by steaming my throat every morning and doing vocal warm-ups. It's no different than the drills I would practice if I were an athlete- talking is my sport. But vocal training isn't just important for professionals. It's for everyone. When you're working on vocal awareness, you're not just doing it for a big presentatio...

There are many business models based on a frictionless experience for the customer--rideshare apps, food delivery, etc. In this episode, I reverse the thinking. How about as businesses we concentrate on attracting frictionless customers? Those that are the easiest to work with. Those that make every day a pleasant working experience for you and your entire company. What makes a frictionless custom...

People often say to me, "I don't have enough time." This is a scarcity mindset. If you don't have enough time, what else do you not have enough of? You actually do have enough time, you just might be feeling powerless to choose how you spend it. A big shift I made was when I started to think of time as a resource. I realized that I'm very environmentally conscious, but I didn't place the same valu...