the scary side of creative freedom

rooms you're not in

We're talking follow-up, friends. Marisa ran her emails and meeting notes through AI to see who fell through the cracks over the last few months — and it cracked something open for both of us: those "random" conversations that don't turn into anything right away? They're not wasted. They're compounding. We get into Rob's 10K-friends project (one hour-long, no-agenda conversation landed him on three speaking stages years later), why chasing the "ask" makes networking feel gross, and the shift from "can this turn into work" to just... showing up as yourself. Plus: a Mark Morrison rabbit hole nobody asked for, and an 11:11 tarot card that closed the episode better than we ever could've planned. The real goal isn't the follow-up email. It's being the name someone says in a room you're not even in. Who's a name you want said in rooms you're not in? Tell us — we might just say it. 🤍

not content for content's sake

We just went official, y'all — chinwag.live is LIVE. 🎉 In this one we're pulling back the curtain on how Marisa built our entire website in about a half hour (yes, with AI help, no, it doesn't look like it), what a brand kit actually is and why you might need one even if you're "just" a podcast, and the real behind-the-scenes of turning two years of building in public into an actual website with a real domain. But the bigger conversation? We get real about the trap of creating content for the sake of creating content — the one-sheets, the reels, the behind-the-scenes clips that just sit in the ether if you're not intentionally getting them in front of the right decision-makers. Gabby gets a much-needed gut check, we talk sponsorships that aren't just about a check (hosted gigs count too), and we start mapping out what it actually takes to bring Chinwag to events IRL. Go check out the site, leave us a comment if you want to be our next testimonial, and let us know — are you guilty of creating content that just... sits there?

head on a swivel

You landed the client — congrats! Now what? Marisa and Gabby get into the part nobody warns you about: managing the relationship once money's actually involved. They get into imposter syndrome, why "hard" and "uncomfortable" are not the same thing, and why checking in with clients (even when you're terrified of the answer) will save your nervous system. Plus Gabby confesses a corporate onboarding fail that'll make every freelancer feel weirdly seen. Bring your mantra and unclench that jaw.

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.