Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way

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Can you build a business you love and keep your day job—without burning out?

I sit down with Chelsey Newmyer, behavior change specialist and founder of From Overwhelmed to Under Control, to unpack what it really takes to do both. From redefining productivity to letting go of the shame around evolving your offers, Chelsey offers insight-rich stories and strategies for creatives who are done with hustle culture and ready...

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When your inbox values don’t align with your ethics... it’s time to change the rules.

In this conversation, Jacki sits down with Bev Feldman—email strategist, tech fairy, and outspoken advocate for human-first systems—to unpack what it really means to run email marketing through a lens of consent, clarity, and care.

Bev isn’t here to shame your funnel. She’s here to reframe it.

We talk about walking away from “bro market...

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When your business demands more than your body can give, what do you do? In this episode, I sit down with Taina Brown—personal and professional development coach, somatic facilitator, and strategy whiz—for a powerful conversation on sustainable business practices, values alignment, and how Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown transformed the way she leads.

After a health crisis forced her to pause her business ent...

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What if staying solo didn’t mean staying stuck?

This episode is your permission slip to step out of the client-work grind without adding to your payroll. Whether you’ve tried hiring and hated it, aren’t financially ready, or just like flying solo—there’s another path. And it starts with systems.

This isn’t about tech for tech’s sake or hustle culture hacks. It’s about building a business that actually works for you.

If y...

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I spent years absorbing corporate “best practices”—how to write emails, how to hold meetings, how to pretend I wasn’t a full human while working. It wasn’t until I started working with creative, values-driven solopreneurs (like you) that I realized: a lot of those norms don’t actually serve us.

 In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the corporate habits I’ve consciously unlearned—and how replacing them with ...

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What if your social media presence didn’t feel like a chore? In this candid conversation, I’m joined by Jayci Trujillo—founder of Happy Girl Marketing—for a refreshing chat on building flexible businesses, posting like a real human, and designing a social media strategy that works for you. We unpack everything from sourdough starters to sustainable client engagement, content creation myths, and what it actually means ...

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In this episode of Here’s What I Learned, I sit down with podcast strategist and founder of Galati Media, Alesia Galati, to talk about building a values-first business, scaling intentionally, and why it's okay to burn it down and start again. We dive into doing business your way, creating sustainable systems, and overcoming imposter syndrome—especially when launching a podcast or trying to grow one without sellin...

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I’m sharing how I’ve been using ChatGPT as a judgment-free, burnout-aware sounding board. Not to write content or automate my business systems, but to help me think clearer and make values-aligned decisions without spiraling into overthinking or dumping thousands on a coach every time I hit a fork in the road.

 I’ll walk you through how I use it like a meditation app for my business brain:

• to process decisions about...

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In today's episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on four small (but mighty) systems tweaks that have made my business feel smoother, calmer, and way more me. These aren’t shiny new tools or complicated funnels. I’m talking about simple shifts that helped me stop fighting my own energy and start designing a business backend that supports the way I actually work. 

What next?

• Follow Here's What I Learned on y...

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What happens when an HR pro leaves the corporate grind to build a business rooted in ethics, empathy, and real talk? In this episode, I sit down with Kirsten Ziegler, an HR consultant who’s rewriting the rules of people management for small business owners. From navigating the difference between contractors and employees (without a legal headache) to building better hiring practices from the inside out, Kirsten breaks...

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What if everything you’ve been taught about work, success, and professionalism is actually holding you back? In this episode of Here's What I Learned, I sit down with Becky Mollenkamp, an accountability coach and intersectional feminist, to unpack the hidden ways oppressive work norms shape our businesses—and how to break free from them.

Becky shares her journey of unlearning corporate conditioning, rejecting the ...

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Show Notes:

In this episode of Here's What I Learned, I’m flying solo to talk about one of my favorite nerdy rabbit holes: personality typologies—and how they’ve helped me design a business that actually works with how I’m wired.

I share what it’s like to be an INTJ, Enneagram 5w6, and Manifesting Generator (4/6 profile, sacral authority), and how these frameworks gave me language for my over-analysis, craving for ...

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In this episode of Here's What I Learned, I'm joined by Melody Johnson, founder of The Course Consultant, to talk about creating courses, redefining success, and designing a business that truly fits your life.

Melody shares her journey of taking a 10-month break from business after adopting two special needs children—and what it meant to return with a new perspective on offers, availability, and boundaries. W...

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In this episode of Here's What I Learned, I sit down with Casey Eade—connection strategist, professional friend-finder, and advocate for low-capacity business owners—to dive deep into authentic engagement, values-driven marketing, and creating sustainable business relationships. Casey shares her fresh take on collaborations, slow business growth, and why engagement strategies should actually work for you, not aga...

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Welcome back to Here's What I Learned! We’re kicking off Season 8 with a solo episode (because apparently, I like talking to myself). It’s been two years since I started this podcast, and I’m reflecting on the lessons I’ve learned over three years of running my business.

This episode is part storytelling, part real talk, and part “what would 2021 Jacki say if she knew what was coming?” Spoiler: She’d probably be b...

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Season 8 is coming soon!

I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for eight seasons, but here we are! Here’s What I Learned is back, and this season brings more of the real, no-fluff conversations you love—plus some new twists.

🔹 More incredible guests sharing their expertise on ethical business, sustainable growth, and doing things your way.

🔹 More solo episodes where I pull back the curtain on what’s working (and what’s ...

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In this special wrap-up episode, I’m reflecting on the biggest lessons from Season 7 of Here’s What I Learned. This season was all about authenticity, alignment, and building businesses that don’t just work—but work for you. From simplifying services and trusting intuition to creating work-life balance and embracing creativity, the conversations this season were packed with insights and inspiration.

Tune in as I highli...

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In this episode, I chat with Rachel Lee, an artist and brand stylist, about her journey from following traditional branding playbooks to creating a business that’s truly her own. Rachel shares how she transitioned from long, exhausting branding projects to offering one-week, live co-creation sessions that bring efficiency and joy back into the process. This pivot has transformed not only her client relationships but a...

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In this episode, I talk with Lauri Smith, speaker and creator of the Vocal Presence Path, about embracing intuition in business. Lauri shares how joining a marketing program that didn’t sit right led her to rethink her approach and shift her content strategy. Guided by intuition, she launched the Speakers Studio, an intentional offer that aligns with her values and focuses on purpose over traditional metrics.

Lauri’s a...