A Category of One

How to Let Your Authentic Voice Lead in Business and on Stage with Paula Friedland

In this episode of A Category of One, I sat down with Paula Friedland, licensed counselor, certified life coach, actress, singer, and creator of Soul Speaks, a program she's been teaching in some form for nearly 20 years. Paula's work starts with public speaking but doesn't stay there. It opens into something most people don't expect: a practice of being fully yourself, with one person, in any room. We talked about where Soul Speaks came from. A stand-up comedian with stage fright, a grassroots method, and Paula's own background in musical theater and therapy that she eventually stopped trying to keep separate. We got into what it actually means to find your voice versus find your words, why experienced speakers are often the hardest to teach, and what happens when a room full of people breathes together. There's also a moment in this conversation about showers of appreciation, a practice Paula uses where an audience reflects back the essence they see in a speaker, not the content. It's about receiving. And how hard that is. And why it matters. In this episode: * Why finding your voice matters more than finding your words * The Soul Speaks method: speaking to one person at a time, even in a crowd * How the "landing breath" changes everything about presence * What showers of appreciation reveal about self-worth and receiving * Why experienced speakers are sometimes the hardest to reach * How authentic networking and authentic speaking come from the same place Connect with Paula Friedland: FB: https://www.facebook.com/paula.friedland [https://www.facebook.com/paula.friedland]LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulafriedland/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulafriedland/] Website: https://www.soulspeaks.biz/ [https://www.soulspeaks.biz/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:00 The Birth of Soul Speaks 02:45 The Intersection of Performance and Authenticity 06:00 Transformational Experiences in Public Speaking 09:02 The Journey from Acting to Coaching 11:52 Growth Mindset and Self-Expression 14:48 The Role of Breath and Somatic Practices 17:50 Receiving Appreciation and Building Connection 21:00 The Importance of Self-Love and Positive Self-Talk 23:44 Competing in Speaking Contests 26:51 Finding Your Voice Over Your Words 29:55 Soul Speaks Salons: A New Networking Approach

How to Stop Outsourcing Your Worth and Feel at Home in Your Body with Gabby Jockers

Gabby Jockers is a boudoir photographer based in Colorado, but that description doesn't really cover it. What she actually does is help women figure out what's standing between them and feeling at home in their own bodies, and then create an experience built around that. Not around what a boudoir shoot is supposed to look like. Around what each person actually needs. This conversation goes a lot of places. We talk about how Gabby built a business by asking different questions than her industry was asking: the cookie-cutter shot lists, the heavy editing, the assumption that every woman wants to feel "sexy" in the same way. We talk about body neutrality versus body positivity, and why the difference matters more than most people realize. And we talk about something Gabby brings into her work that most photographers don't: the embodiment practices that help women quiet the inner critic long enough to actually be present for the experience. We also get into what Gabby figured out when she scaled back her bookings. More space didn't mean less. It meant more energy, more creativity, and more passion for the work itself. And why she thinks the pressure to constantly produce is something worth questioning, not just managing. In this episode: * Why "empowering" became a word Gabby stopped using and what she does instead * The difference between body positivity and body neutrality, and why it matters * How meditation and embodiment practice became part of a photo shoot * What happens when women see their images and realize the session was for them all along * Why your worth isn't measured by your output and how to actually live that way Connect with Gabby Jockers: Website: https://embodiedartboudoir.com/ [https://embodiedartboudoir.com/] The Body Deck: https://embodiedartboudoir.com/the-body-deck/ [https://embodiedartboudoir.com/the-body-deck/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/embodiedartboudoir/ [https://www.instagram.com/embodiedartboudoir/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:00 Understanding Boudoir Photography 03:13 The Unique Approach to Boudoir 06:02 Gabby's Origin Story 12:14 Empowerment and Body Image 17:56 The Body Deck and Affirmations 25:00 Work-Life Balance and Intentional Living

How to Grow Your Business Through Strategic Partnerships and Referrals with Marie Mack

Marie Mack showed up to one online networking event, and that's where Leslie met her. One time. The universe was paying attention. In this episode of A Category of One, Leslie sits down with Marie Mack, a business strategist, partnerships expert, and operations consultant who runs two complementary businesses entirely remotely. This conversation covers a lot of ground: how Marie went from blogging in 2014 to building a partnerships methodology, why she stopped copying what worked for other people, and what it actually looks like to show up as yourself in business when the platforms and strategies everyone else is using feel flat. Marie's two businesses reflect two sides of the same instinct. Powerful Online Partnerships (POP) helps consultants, coaches, speakers, and authors grow their visibility through strategic referral partnerships, not ad spend, not cold outreach. Her consulting firm works at the operations level inside larger companies, where she functions more like a chief of staff than a COO: getting the whole orchestra to play together. What runs underneath both is a specific kind of thinking: the belief that abundance is the operating system, not scarcity. That a referral you send out comes back. That the right collaboration doesn't cost you a lead; it multiplies them. In this episode: * Why Marie tried every business model that was working for others, and why none of them fit * What strategic partnerships actually are (and what they're not) * How referrals, list swaps, and podcast swaps work as a visibility strategy * The difference between a chief of staff and a COO, and why it matters * What it takes to be ready for partnerships, and the honest signs you're not yet Connect with Marie Mack: Website: https://powerfulonlinepartnerships.com/ [https://powerfulonlinepartnerships.com/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-mack/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-mack/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:00 Embracing Change: The Move to Idaho 04:57 The Power of Purging: Creating Space for New Beginnings 08:02 Building a Business Ecosystem: Marie's Entrepreneurial Journey 14:00 Finding Your Flow: The Importance of Intuition in Business 19:56 Powerful Online Partnerships: Collaborating for Success 26:53 Navigating Business Relationships: Referrals and Collaborations 31:45 Conducting Business: The Role of Operations in Success

How to Embrace Your Natural Hair and Stop Treating It Like a Problem with Sadie Hessing

In this episode of A Category of One, I sat down with Sadie Hessing, a curly hair specialist based in Boulder, Colorado, whose work goes far beyond hair. This conversation started with curls, but it quickly opened up into something deeper. Sadie shares how so many people grow up seeing their hair as something to fix, and what begins to shift when that narrative changes. Not just in how it looks, but in how someone feels walking through the world. We talk about the emotional side of hair, the identity tied to it, and why something that seems surface-level is often anything but. Sadie also walks through how she’s built her business in a way that doesn’t follow the typical path. From evolving her services, to questioning industry norms, to continuing to learn even when there isn’t a clear roadmap to follow. There’s also a thread throughout this conversation around transitions. Hormonal changes, aging, health shifts, even the process of growing something out or letting something go. And how much support people actually need in those in-between stages. If you’ve ever felt like you were supposed to “fix” something about yourself to make it work, this conversation goes there in a real way. In this episode: * Why so many people grow up thinking their hair is a problem to solve * What changes when you start working with your natural texture instead of against it * The emotional and identity layers tied to hair * Supporting people through transitions like gray hair, hormonal shifts, or post-chemo regrowth * How Sadie built her business by questioning industry norms and continuing to evolve * The gap in hair education and why she’s exploring trichology Connect with Sadie Hessing: IG: https://www.instagram.com/naturescurlssalon [https://www.instagram.com/naturescurlssalon] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@naturescurlssalon [https://www.tiktok.com/@naturescurlssalon] Website: https://www.naturescurlssalon.com [https://www.naturescurlssalon.com] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] 00:00 Introduction  02:39 Embracing Natural Curls: Sadie's Journey 05:33 The Emotional Connection to Curly Hair 08:33 Supporting Transitions: Hormonal Changes and Hair 11:49 Navigating Societal Expectations and Self-Expression 14:35 Innovative Ideas: Education for Parents and Eco-Friendly Practices 17:33 The Passion for Learning and Evolving in Business 20:27 The Importance of Holistic Approaches to Hair Care 23:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

How to Find Your Why and Use It as a Decision-Making Tool with Danette Shaifer

In this episode of A Category of One, I sit down with Danette Shaifer, a coach and certified Why Discovery facilitator through Simon Sinek’s Optimism Company, to explore what it actually looks like to get clear on your why—and then live from it. This conversation started from a shared experience. Danette guided me through my own why discovery process, and what stood out wasn’t just the clarity—it was the permission. Permission to use language that already felt true. Permission to trust what had been there all along. We talk about what happens when you stop “shoulding” yourself, step away from the expected path, and start making decisions from a place that feels aligned instead of prescribed. There’s also an honest look at the in-between. The moments where things don’t feel clear. The pause that feels counterintuitive but ends up being the thing that moves everything forward. In this episode, we talk about: * What the why discovery process actually looks like in practice * Why clarity often comes from someone else reflecting patterns back to you * Leaving a successful corporate career without second guessing it * The difference between pushing forward and taking a meaningful pause * Letting go of what you thought your business “should” look like * The role of intuition vs. structure in decision making * How self-awareness shows up in both business and personal relationships * Working through triggers instead of reacting to them * The shift from hustle into a more intuitive way of working * Why alignment makes decision making simpler Connect with Danette Shaifer: Website: https://www.florishion.com/empowher [https://www.florishion.com/empowher] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaiferd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaiferd/] Connect with Leslie Silverman: IG: https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ [https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/] LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/] FB:  https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman [https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman] Website: https://lesliesilverman.com [https://lesliesilverman.com] Hive180 Branding Agency: https://hive180.com [https://hive180.com] Chapters: 00:00 Embracing Authenticity: The Journey Begins 02:55 The Power of Why Discovery 05:54 Navigating Career Transitions 08:55 Empowering Women in Leadership 11:55 The Importance of Self-Discovery 14:49 Integrating Personal and Professional Growth 17:47 Resilience Through Adversity 20:48 The Role of Parenting in Personal Growth 24:01 Evolving as Entrepreneurs 26:51 The Power of the Pause 30:01 Embracing Feminine Energy 33:07 Connecting Generations 35:49 Calling in Women Leaders