The Back Office

Why Businesses Struggle to Attract and Keep Great People

Why does hiring feel harder than it’s ever been? In this episode of The Back Office, Dalayna Dillon sits down with Carrie Corcoran, founder of Unbreakable Light and a leading voice in employer branding and talent strategy, to unpack one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses today — attracting and retaining the right people. Carrie brings a powerful perspective to the conversation, combining her experience as a keynote speaker, consultant, and communicator with her deep understanding of leadership and organizational culture. Together, they explore why traditional approaches to hiring are no longer working, and what businesses must do differently to build teams that last. This conversation goes beyond job descriptions and compensation. It challenges the way businesses think about leadership, communication, and the experience they create for employees — both inside and outside the organization. From the role of employer branding to the expectations of today’s workforce, this episode offers a clear look at what it actually takes to build a team that is aligned, engaged, and committed. If you’re a business owner, leader, or operator navigating growth, this conversation will reshape the way you think about hiring and retention. No one has it fully figured out.  But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Guest: Carrie Corcoran Business: Unbreakable Light Focus: Employer Branding, Leadership, Talent Strategy Carrie Corcoran is a keynote speaker, consultant, and founder of Unbreakable Light, where she works with businesses to strengthen their internal culture and improve their ability to attract and retain high-quality talent. Through her work, Carrie helps organizations understand how their brand, leadership, and communication directly impact their ability to build strong teams. She is known for her ability to challenge assumptions, inspire change, and bring clarity to complex organizational challenges. Her approach emphasizes the importance of authenticity, alignment, and intentional leadership in creating workplaces where people want to stay and grow. Find her online:  Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/globalkeynotespeaker/?skipRedirect=true [https://www.linkedin.com/in/globalkeynotespeaker/?skipRedirect=true] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carriecaresunbreakablelight [https://www.youtube.com/@carriecaresunbreakablelight]  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieTulsaTime [https://www.facebook.com/CarrieTulsaTime]  About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

Building Something That Feels Like Home

What does it really take to turn something you love into something that lasts? In this episode of The Back Office, I sit down with Alexandra Coppinger, co-owner of Common Tart—a Tulsa-based pie shop she built alongside her mom. What started as a shared love for baking turned into a leap of faith in 2020… and has grown into a brand known not just for its pies, but for the feeling it creates. We talk about the realities behind the scenes—what changes when your passion becomes your business, how to stay true to your brand, and what it actually looks like to build something meaningful with family. This conversation is honest, thoughtful, and full of lessons for anyone who’s ever felt the pull to create something of their own. Show Notes Alexandra Coppinger Co-Owner, Common Tart (Tulsa, OK) Mother-daughter pie shop focused on creating warmth, comfort, and connection through baking. In This Episode, We Cover: * The story behind Common Tart and launching in 2020 * Turning a passion into a sustainable business * How to protect the joy of what you love * Building a brand that feels like something * The realities of working with family * Lessons learned through risk, growth, and uncertainty * Defining success beyond just expansion * What it looks like to keep building—even without all the answers Connect with Common Tart: 📍1717 E. 17th St., Tulsa, OK, United States, 74104 https://www.commontart.com/ [https://www.commontart.com/] https://www.facebook.com/commontart [https://www.facebook.com/commontart] https://www.instagram.com/commontart [https://www.instagram.com/commontart]  About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

Building a Business That Solves a Real Problem

What happens when you see a problem in your industry — and decide to build a solution instead of accepting it? In this episode of The Back Office, Dalayna Dillon sits down with Elliot Mooney, founder of Mooney Cardiac Screening, to explore what it looks like to build a mission-driven business rooted in accessibility, affordability, and real-world need. After years working in healthcare, Elliot saw firsthand the challenges patients face — from rising costs to lack of insurance coverage to the fear and inconvenience associated with traditional medical settings. Those experiences led him to create a different kind of solution: a mobile cardiac screening service that brings testing directly to patients, removing barriers and making preventative care more accessible. This conversation dives into the realities of launching a business in the healthcare space, the risks involved in challenging traditional systems, and the discipline required to build something that prioritizes both impact and sustainability. At its core, this episode is about seeing clearly — identifying a gap, trusting your perspective, and taking action to create something better. No one has it fully figured out. But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Guest: Elliot Mooney Business: Mooney Cardiac Screening Industry: Healthcare / Preventative Care Elliot Mooney is the founder of Mooney Cardiac Screening, a mobile healthcare business focused on providing accessible, affordable cardiac testing directly to patients. With a background in healthcare and experience working in various facilities across the country, Elliot developed a deep understanding of the barriers many patients face when it comes to receiving care — including cost, lack of insurance, and discomfort with clinical environments. Mooney Cardiac Screening was created to address those challenges by offering convenient, in-home testing designed to give patients a clearer picture of their heart health without the need for insurance or traditional hospital visits. Elliot’s work is centered on prevention, accessibility, and creating solutions that meet people where they are. Find them online: https://mooneycardiacscree.wixsite.com/mooneycardiacscreeni [https://mooneycardiacscree.wixsite.com/mooneycardiacscreeni] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573167891390 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573167891390] https://www.instagram.com/mooneycardiacscreening?igsh=MTBkNmpkcmkwaTZ4dw%3D%3D [https://www.instagram.com/mooneycardiacscreening?igsh=MTBkNmpkcmkwaTZ4dw%3D%3D]  About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

The Strategy Session: How to Make Smarter Marketing Decisions

In this episode of The Back Office, Dalayna Dillon is joined by photographer and business owner Traci Baker in a slightly different format — a strategy session designed to help business owners think more strategically about their marketing. Instead of reacting to trends, posting randomly, or chasing visibility, this conversation walks through a simple four-part framework for making intentional marketing decisions. Together, Dalayna and Traci unpack the difference between reactive marketing and strategic marketing, using real examples from service-based businesses to show how clarity, messaging, and customer experience all work together. If your marketing has ever felt scattered, inconsistent, or overwhelming, this conversation will help you reset your approach. No one has it fully figured out. But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Host: Dalayna Dillon, Signify Marketing [https://www.signifymarketing.social] Guest Co-Host: Traci Baker, Traci Baker Photography [https://www.tracibaker.co] Topic: Strategic Marketing vs Reactive Marketing This episode introduces a new style of conversation on The Back Office — a collaborative, practical discussion focused on the real decisions behind running and marketing a business. Joined by photographer and entrepreneur Traci Baker, Dalayna walks through a four-step framework used to guide marketing strategy and eliminate guesswork. Drawing from real client experiences and day-to-day business operations, the conversation highlights how clarity around goals, customer behavior, and messaging leads to stronger marketing outcomes. The Framework: A Guide for Strategic Marketing Decisions 1. What is the actual objective?  Not more visibility.  Not more engagement. What outcome matters right now? If the objective isn’t clear, the marketing will feel scattered. 2. Where is the friction in the customer journey? If people are discovering you but not converting, the issue may be trust or clarity. If people inquire but don’t buy, the issue may be positioning, offer structure, or pricing communication. If people buy once but never return, the issue may be experience or retention. Marketing should solve specific friction — not create noise. 3. What message actually moves someone forward? At this stage, the question becomes: What does the audience need to understand before they’re ready to act? That might be:  • Education about the problem  • Proof that the solution works  • Clarity around the process  • Confidence in the result The best marketing removes uncertainty. 4. What format best delivers that message? Now you decide the tactic. Maybe that’s:  • Short-form video  • A client story  • A breakdown of the process  • A myth vs. truth post  • A behind-the-scenes explanation Content format should serve the message — not the other way around. Find Traci: Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/tracibakerphotographer] | Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/tracibakerphotographer] | Website [https://www.tracibaker.co/] About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social

Building a Premium Client Experience That Keeps People Coming Back

In this episode of The Back Office, Dalayna Dillon sits down with Cameron Cooke, founder of Skintopia Studio + Spa, to talk about building a premium, experience-driven brand in the wellness space. With over 20 years of experience in skincare, education, and spa leadership, Cameron has built a business that blends advanced treatments with a deeply personalized, holistic approach. From working alongside dermatologists to training beauty professionals across Oklahoma, her perspective on the industry goes far beyond surface-level trends. This conversation explores the realities of running a spa, the challenges most people don’t see, and what it actually takes to create a business that clients trust, return to, and recommend. If you’re building a service-based business — especially in a competitive industry — this episode will give you insight into positioning, client experience, and long-term growth. No one has it fully figured out. But we’re building anyway. Show Notes Guest: Cameron Cooke Business: Skintopia Studio + Spa Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Cameron Cooke is a Master Esthetician, educator, and spa consultant with over two decades of experience in advanced skincare and holistic wellness. She is the founder of Skintopia Studio + Spa, a Tulsa-based skincare and massage studio known for its highly personalized, experience-driven approach. Cameron’s background includes working alongside a dermatologist, serving as an educator for Eminence Organics, and training beauty professionals across the state. Her work blends clinical expertise with intuitive, holistic techniques, creating treatments tailored to each client’s physical, emotional, and energetic needs. Skintopia is designed to be more than a spa — it’s an environment where every detail is intentional, and no two services are ever the same. In This Episode, We Discuss • Cameron’s journey into the skincare and spa industry • Challenges in the spa industry that people don’t see • The biggest shifts Cameron has made in her business • The hardest parts of running a service-based business • What makes the spa industry unique • Marketing strategies spa owners often overlook • Common mistakes estheticians and spa owners make • What the future of the spa industry may look like • A real look at what Cameron is still building and figuring out About Skintopia Studio + Spa Located in Midtown Tulsa, Skintopia Studio + Spa offers advanced skincare and massage services with a holistic, personalized approach. Each treatment is designed to meet the individual needs of the client — physically, emotionally, and energetically — creating a one-of-a-kind experience that goes beyond traditional spa services. Follow Skintopia Tulsa Website [https://skintopiatulsa.com/ ] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/cameron.cooke.7] Skintopia Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/skintopiaspatulsa ] Cameron Cooke Spa Coach Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/spacoachcc] About The Back Office Hosted by Dalayna Dillon Founder & Creative Director of Signify Marketing The Back Office invites listeners into honest conversations about marketing, growth, leadership, and the real decisions shaping active businesses. Facebook/Instagram: @signifymarketingsocial  www.signifymarketing.social