the scary side of creative freedom

trust the hawk

Have you ever given a friend advice so good they looked at you and said, "how much do you charge for this?" In this episode, Marisa and Gabby get real about something a lot of people in the helping professions quietly wrestle with ... the gap between the value you give away for free and what you actually put on a rate sheet. They dig into what it really means to "help the person" (hint: it's not a Canva tutorial), why traditional coaching models feel off for both of them, and what a different kind of offer might actually look like. Plus: Marisa shares details on her upcoming women's retreat, Gabby counts her rejection tally, and a hawk almost flies into the window and somehow becomes the most spiritually on-point moment of the episode. If you've been giving away your best thinking and wondering when it's okay to call that a business, this one's for you. A weekend retreat for leaders who are ready to step out of constant motion and reconnect with how they actually want to lead, live, and make decisions. Learn more about the Aligned & Affirmed Winter Retreat: https://bepresentllc.com/winter-retreat-2027

the trap

One hundred downloads in, and Marisa and Gabby are getting real about the thing nobody wants to admit: comparison doesn't disappear when you get more successful — it just changes shape. In this episode, they dig into what it actually feels like to watch a peer win while you're still in the building phase, why your brain spirals into a full business pivot every time someone else gets engagement, and how to catch yourself before you do. They also get into the practical stuff — Marisa's challenge to finally get her offerings out of her head and onto paper, and Gabby's plan to stop talking about her superpower and start showing it. Pull up a card, filter the noise, and post it anyway.

plan the room

Marisa and Gabby are back after a whirlwind stretch of travel — and they hit record mid-brainstorm. In this episode, you're getting a front-row seat to their actual planning session for Eventastic, the largest virtual event for event marketers, where the two of them are leading the soft skills networking room together. From "give the wrong answer only" poll prompts to red flag/yellow flag scenarios and their signature sports desk energy, they break down how to design a networking space that actually gets people talking — and why the best rooms aren't scripted, they're sparked. If you've ever wondered what goes into making a virtual networking session feel like something people don't want to leave, this one's for you.

invested

Marisa's heading to Frankfurt for IMEX once again; all because of a connection she made two years ago at a show, bonding over grief, not business. That's where this episode starts, and it's the whole point. Networking has a bad reputation, and honestly, it's earned one. When people treat it like a transaction — collect contacts, maintain relationships, wait for work — they're missing the step that actually matters: creating the opportunity. Marisa and Gabby get into what that really looks like, and why it's the piece nobody teaches you. Gabby comes with receipts from her own week: she showed up to an event, got pulled into roles by people she hadn't seen in a decade, held her own, and then, when those same people asked what she's doing now, froze. Didn't say a word about the business she's building. And that's the real conversation: what does it mean to invest in your network if you won't invest in yourself enough to say it out loud? This one's for anyone good with people but somehow still not getting the work. You might just be skipping the last step.

proof of life

Marisa and Gabby get real about the social media struggle every solopreneur knows too well — you post, you wait, and the only likes come from the same five people (and your mom). In this episode, they break down why confusing marketing with sales is the trap most people fall into, and why visibility — not virality — should be the only expectation you set for yourself online. They dig into the power of silent lurkers, the authenticity arms race taking over LinkedIn, and why your social feed is really just a billboard people drive past before deciding to walk through your door. The takeaway? You don't have to do more — you just have to show up enough to prove you're human.