What if the thing you’re calling “chaos,” “overwhelm,” or “not enough time” is actually a sign that your life is running on someone else’s definition of success? In today’s episode, I’m joined by New York Times bestselling author and Slow Living advocate Stephanie O’Dea for a conversation that will make you rethink how you work, plan, parent, and build your business, especially if you’ve been craving a calmer pace but don’t know where to start.

Stephanie shares how a single New Year’s resolution turned into 11 books, a massive online brand, and a completely different way of designing life, one rooted in intention, capacity, and tuning out the noise. We talk about redefining productivity, creating a three-year plan that actually feels doable, why journaling changes everything (even if you hate journaling), and how to build a business without burning out your brain, body, or joy.

If you’re heading into a new season wanting more peace, more purpose, and less rushing, this episode is your reminder that slow isn’t stagnant, it’s sustainable. And it may be the very thing that moves you forward the fastest.

Today you’ll hear:

• 01:48 – The truth about holiday overwhelm and why acknowledging “this is too much” is the first step toward slowing down
• 04:48 – How a crockpot, a New Year’s resolution, and consistency built an accidental empire (plus what she learned about working in her true capacity)
• 07:54 – The power of finding your pockets of time, why hustle seasons are personal, and what slow living actually looks like in different life stages
• 09:58 – The S.L.O.W. acronym
• 12:13 – Why Stephanie walked away from Instant Pot culture, what happened when her publisher dropped her, and the voice of intuition that redirected her business
• 14:48 – Real-life slow living examples
• 16:08 – How to begin slow living when your life feels too full
• 17:48 – Why she swears by a 3-year plan (and why 1-year and 5-year goals often fail humans in real life)
• 19:40 – The “sleep, creep, leap” model and how to use it for business, health, relationships, finances, and long-term life design
• 21:08 – The one small daily shift to start today
• 23:00 – Stephanie’s most-requested crockpot recipe (and why her kids still make it in college)
• 25:00 – How thinking three years ahead creates stability, peace, margin, and resilience — even when life gets unpredictable

CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE:

Website: stephanieodea.com

Instagram: @stephanieodea

FREE daily journaling and goal setting worksheet: stephanieodea.com/daily

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Take the FREE CEO Week Challenge → www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

We’re wrapping up the year with your most-downloaded episodes—the ones that helped you grow smarter, simplify faster, and work less without losing momentum.

This week's pep talk kicks-off a replay of our very first ever live CEO Week series. In this series, we'll be breaking down actionable tips to help you design your dream schedule and bring your business vision to life without burning out. Each week, you'll learn three crucial shifts to focus your efforts, attract the right customers, and create a balanced life you love. Today, we begin with Shift #1: Finding your focus.

In today's episode, I share:

• What a CEO Week actually looks like (spoiler: it’s more than just blocking off time)
• How to prioritize the right tasks based on your season of life and business
• The 3 key categories that should always be on your CEO calendar
• Why traditional to-do lists are failing you—and what to do instead
• Real-life examples you can model (even if your schedule feels crazy)

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Take the FREE CEO Week Challenge → www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

What if the reason planning never seems to stick isn’t your willpower, your discipline, or your color-coded calendar… but your identity? In this episode, I’m joined by subconscious success alchemist Mindi Heubner for a conversation that will completely shift how you approach the new year — especially if you’re tired of setting goals that look good on paper but fall apart in real life.

Mindi breaks down why traditional planning still leads so many women straight into hustle, burnout, and over-responsibility… even when we think we’re choosing ease. We dig into the real drivers behind your habits, why your subconscious identity always wins, and how to step into the calm, confident CEO version of you who plans sustainably — not stressfully.

If you want 2026 to feel different, more grounded, and more you, this episode will help you release the pressure, rewire the patterns that keep you stuck, and plan from your true capacity — not unrealistic expectations.

Today you’ll hear:

• 02:48 – What “life-first business” looks like for Mindi this season — and how identity creates capacity
• 04:36 – The pressure of December, why reflection triggers your inner critic, and how to plan without hustling
• 06:53 – Why traditional SMART goals miss the mark when your subconscious identity isn’t aligned
• 09:28 – How to recognize the identity patterns driving your habits: the Prover, Performer, Over-Responsible One, and Chameleon
• 12:38 – How to shorten the identity gap and plan for 2026 from who you’re becoming, not who you’ve been
• 15:12 – What fear of success actually sounds like — and simple ways to prove to your brain that growth is safe
• 20:03 – Why “how you do one thing is how you do everything” needs a rewrite — and what’s actually true
• 22:58 – The biggest red flag in year-end planning and how to shift into a self-led, sustainable approach
• 25:41 – How 1% identity shifts create the biggest results (plus the tiny change Mindi is making herself)

CONNECT WITH MINDI:

Website: mindihuebner.com

Instagram: @mindihuebner

FREE Identity Quiz: mindihuebner.com/ceoquiz

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Take the FREE CEO Week Challenge → www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

We’re wrapping up the year with your most-downloaded episodes—the ones that helped you grow smarter, simplify faster, and work less without losing momentum.

Still relying on Instagram to bring in leads? You might be missing out on 65% of your potential clients. In 2025, most buyers start their search on Google—not social media. That means if you’re spending all your time posting and hoping the algorithm works in your favor, you’re leaving money on the table.

In today’s episode, I share:

• Why Instagram alone won’t cut it anymore (Hint: Your content disappears too fast!)
• How to make SEO, Pinterest, and YouTube do the heavy lifting
• How to use AI to streamline your content and get found faster
• Simple tweaks to rank on Google instead of fighting for engagement

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Take the FREE CEO Week Challenge → www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

What if protecting your business didn’t have to feel overwhelming, scary, or “something you’ll get to later”? In this episode, I’m joined by trademark attorney and online business owner Sarah Waldbuesser, founder of Destination Legal and Twist Law. After more than a decade of helping entrepreneurs safeguard their brands, Sarah knows exactly how legal protection becomes confidence—powerfully shifting how you show up and lead.

We dive into what it actually means to own your brand, why waiting to trademark can cost you big, and how a solid legal foundation helps you sleep better at night (literally). If you’ve ever felt intimidated by contracts, trademarks, or choosing the “right” name, this conversation will give you clarity, direction, and simple next steps you can take today.

Today you’ll hear:

03:18 – What “life-first business” means to Sarah now—and how she built a location-independent lifestyle

06:35 – Why she resisted doing legal work at first…and how the online business world pulled her back in (hard)

07:53 – The mindset shift that turns legal from “boring paperwork” into personal power and protection as a CEO

09:25 – What it really means to own your brand—and how trademarks protect your intellectual property long-term

11:35 – The biggest myths about trademarking (including why you don’t need to be Nike to get one)

12:48 – Why DIY trademark searches miss critical details—and what to check before you name anything

14:13 – The #1 legal document every business owner needs from day zero (hint: it’s not a trademark)

15:40 – What makes a contract actually protective—and why random templates often cause more harm than help

17:38 – Why so many entrepreneurs delay legal protection—and the real risks of waiting too long

19:00 – What to do if you’re rebranding or pivoting (and how to avoid a costly cease + desist)

20:38 – How often you need to review contracts and maintain trademark paperwork over time

24:15 – Sarah’s reminder about how legal protection boosts confidence—and why your clients expect it

CONNECT WITH SARAH:

Website: destinationlegal.com / twistlaw.co

Instagram: @sarahwaldbuesser

FREE RESOURCE: The AI Legal Starter Pack: https://thelegitcoach.com/ailegalpack

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Take the FREE CEO Week Challenge → www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

We’re wrapping up the year with your most-downloaded episodes—the ones that helped you grow smarter, simplify faster, and work less without losing momentum.

What if you could make MORE money while posting LESS on social media? Sounds impossible, right? But here’s the reality—social media engagement doesn’t always equal revenue (and most of the time, it doesn’t!).

In today’s episode, I share:

• Why posting daily isn’t a business strategy (and what actually makes you money!)
• The biggest myth keeping you stuck in an Instagram-first marketing strategy
• Where your dream clients REALLY are in 2025 (hint: they’re searching for you, not scrolling past you!)
• The 3-part framework to marketing smarter, not louder

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Take the FREE CEO Week Challenge → www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

What if staying fully booked didn’t require posting every day, chasing trends, or hustling on Instagram? In this episode, I’m joined by Jessica Freeman, award-winning designer, SEO strategist, and founder of Jess Creatives. After 10+ years in business, Jess has built a multi-month waitlist—without launches, ads, or the algorithm dictating her success.

We dive into how she intentionally designed a life-first business (including 10 years of work-free Fridays), what actually drives her consistent referrals, and why SEO still beats social in longevity and ease. If you’re craving stability, sanity, and predictable revenue as a service provider, this conversation is a breath of fresh air.

Today you’ll hear:

• 02:30 – What “life-first business” looks like for Jess today—and how Fridays became sacred space
• 04:05 – Why she left hustle-heavy tactics behind and embraced SEO + referrals for long-term stability
• 05:50 – The Facebook-group scramble that made her rethink her entire marketing approach
• 08:51 – How she built a waitlist in her first month—and why it’s remained a core part of her business mode
• 10:25 – Why her waitlist fluctuates (and why a “shorter” waitlist still triggers anxiety every year)
• 11:25 – The power of payment plans for predictable revenue—no launches required
• 12:39 – How Jess books clients months ahead by simply educating and sharing real-time availability
• 13:53 – Why SEO is her #1 organic strategy—and how a single 2020 blog post still brings clients today
• 15:20 – How she uses scarcity ethically by sharing true capacity (not manufactured urgency)
• 16:34 – The referral system that brings in most of her clients—with bonuses clients actually use
• 17:55 – How she stays top-of-mind with just a few personalized check-in emails a year
• 19:18 – Why sharing other people’s offers boosts her referrals and relationships
• 20:45 – The easiest next step to grow referrals (set a recurring reminder—seriously)
• 22:30 – The boundary that changed everything: no more “quick little projects” squeezing into her calendar
• 23:38 – The one marketing channel she’d keep: why Instagram still works for personality-driven brands
• 25:10 – Why Threads feels refreshing—and how it’s helped her book clients, too
• 26:20 – The grounding ritual that began after losing her mom—and still centers her today

CONNECT WITH JESSICA:

Website: www.jesscreatives.com

Instagram: @jesscreatives

Free Resource: How to Find Keywords for Your Website - https://jesscreatives.com/keywords/

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Learn more about the Collective Co-Op → www.holllymariehaynes.com/coop

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme

In this week's pep talk, I am sharing how we’re using custom AI bots inside our programs to simplify office hours, streamline prep work, and help clients get faster, deeper results without overwhelming their schedules.

In today’s episode, I share:

• 02:30 – Why office hours often feel repetitive and how AI helps students show up more prepared
• 04:00 – The real reason we rebuilt Antisocial School using micro-topic bots
• 05:12 – How AI now handles the “prep work” so live calls can focus on strategy and deeper coaching
• 07:03 – What Layla the Layout Legend does and why clients get instant momentum with her
• 09:23 – The simple system for training each bot with curriculum, FAQs, examples, and voice
• 10:58 – How Betty the Blogger turns transcripts into SEO-friendly posts + carousel content
• 12:30 – Why bots must be integrated into the workflow—not offered as optional extras
• 14:41 – How Principal Paige creates a custom roadmap that eliminates overwhelm
• 17:21 – The ripple effect: more confidence, faster progress, and higher-level questions
• 19:32 – Your next step: identify one repetitive question and build your first bot around it

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Learn more about the Collective Co-Op → www.holllymariehaynes.com/coop

🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme