Dear Handmade Life

It's a new year and that means a fresh start, not just for you but also for your business. What do you want to do differently for your business this year? Join Nicole for this solo episode where she shares why proactive work is key to getting your goals and guides you through breaking down your big goal into manageable tasks and how to get accountability and support. P.S. Enrollment opens soon for The Club, our Members-Only community for creatives and passionate small business owners to get the tools, mindset, accountability and support to take your next big leap. Membership only opens a few times a year and our next enrollment period is February 1-15, 2022. You can join the waiting list at https://dearhandmadelife.com/theclub/

Leveling up and standing out with Lauren Keplinger, small business owner, Etsy shop consultant and mom of four. Lauren and I talk about analyzing and streamlining your business to increase profits and decrease your working hours, outsourcing, how to stand out in crowded market, mistakes she made early on, shifting your mindset, her advice for my mom guilt and more.

Running Your Business Like a CEO with Agency+Team Operations Coach Tatiana O'Hara. Tatiana and I discuss what first steps you can take right now to begin to be the CEO of your business, the roadblocks that may be standing in your way, how to start assessing your business using KPI’s, how to give critical feedback and more.

Make a Life with Melanie Falick, independent writer, editor, and creative director—and a lifelong maker. Melanie and Nicole talk about Melanie's career in publishing, why making is so vital and valuable in the modern world, slowing down and making for the sake of making rather than selling or sharing, what a good life looks like and more.

Authenticty & following what makes you come alive with musician, director and educator Kathryn Lounsbery. Kathryn and I talk about that that painful but necessary space between what we want to make and what we’re capable of making, being authentic, life as a c, bad-assery and more.

Marketing for Creatives with Christina Loff, a marketing strategist. Christina and Nicole talk about Christina's big leap to starting her own business after working at big brands like CreativeLive, Minted and Chronicle Books, content strategy, the current social media climate, uncovering your unique brand story, how she helps creatives and more.

Time management, Trauma & Productivity with Naché Snow, a podcaster, online educator, and maker. Naché and Nicole talk about the accident that led Naché to stop caring about what other people thought of her and to go after her dreams, their favorite tools, tips, platforms and strategies for time management and productivity and more.

"The Genius Zone with Gay Hendricks, psychologist, author and a leader in the fields of relationship transformation and bodymind transformation for more than 45 years. Gay and Nicole talk about how let go of things you can't control, bring more joy into your life, fail forward, access all the time you need, find and live in your Genius Zone, Upper Limit Problems and so much more. "

Creating your purpose with Quinn Tempest, a color-loving business mentor & brand strategist. Quinn and Nicole talk about the distinction between finding and creating your purpose, how to analyze opportunities to make sure they align with your "why", the first steps to uncovering your purpose, how to unearth and distill your unique story and more.

Healing your way to a purposeful life with Nakeia Homer, a well-being educator, mental wellness advocate, and author. Nakeia and Nicole talk about Nakeia's powerful story of healing, how trauma that you don't deal with holds you back from your highest self, mindset work, the first steps to begin to heal and much more.

Creativity as a Way Through with Lisa Bardot. Lisa and I talk about how drawing helped her through a difficult time, the importance of expressing yourself through creativity, the effect the pandemic and its trauma had on making, how to get started tapping into your creativity or a daily practice, courage, vulnerability and how she keeps it all together while juggling her art, business and raising three kids.

Building an engaged audience with writer and artist Nica Tanaka of Kwento by Nica. Nica and I talk about creating an emotional connection with your audience, figuring out your ideal of successful growth and engagement, how your worth is not your work and she shares tips and secrets she’s used to build an audience that always has her back and can’t wait to see what she does next.

There’s so much I had to learn the hard way because the resources that we have now just didn’t exist when I started. I want you to learn the easy way, gleaning lessons from my missteps and success. That's why in today’s episode, I'm sharing three things that were instrumental in helping me build several six-figure businesses over the years.

Thinking like a CEO with Mentor Mama Bear and Creative Strategist Ana Manzano of Go Forth and Hustle. Ana and I chat about scaling up your business, the grant she won that changed her business, delegating, working towards a growth mindset and more. P.S. - Ana is teaching a class on scaling your business at the Camp Dear Handmade Life Virtual Summit this summer. Take a tour of Camp DHL here: https://dearhandmadelife.com/camp-dhl/

With our Camp Dear Handmade Life around the corner, I wanted to share some tips for you to make meaningful connections at virtual events. While we do everything we can to help you grow your community at Camp DHL, we can’t do everything, so here’s my advice to get you from ”what if there’s an awkward moment?” to “I can’t believe we just met, I feel like we’ve been friends forever” that you can use at Camp DHL and beyond!

Discovering and loving your style with painter and sewist Katie Kortman. Katie and I chat about discovering and embracing your style, dealing with criticism, sourcing inspiration without copying, motherhood, how to be an example of self-love for your children and her mother’s mantra, “Weird is different and different is good.”

In this solo episode I’m sharing four secrets to goal-getting that have helped me make big and small but meaningful transformations in my life and business. I’m also sharing about some highlights of Camp Dear Handmade Life, our six-week at-home craft, business, goal-getting and community-building virtual summer camp experience for creatives. In just a few hours a week, you can start working towards your next bold beautiful transformation at Camp DHL.

Embracing fear with artist and author Meera Lee Patel. Meera and I talk about using fear as a tool & teacher and embracing it, what it’s like to be a first-time mama, living with anxiety and OCD, how to push past fear in your creativity and business and more.

The Secret I've Been Keeping & 5 Ways to Build Your Brand Through Events (Bonus episode) In this solo episode I’m sharing about the how attending events has impacted my life and business and been my biggest growth accelerator. I’m also letting you in on a secret.. our new event, Camp Dear Handmade Life, a six-week at-home business, craft, goal-getting and community retreat! Join the waiting list at dearhandmadelife.com/camp-dhl