proof of life

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.

empathy, full stop

Gabby came into this episode with something she'd been sitting on after back-to-back meetings — two separate conversations where people said they wanted to be empathetic, but worried it would make them look weak or force them to compromise their values. That moment sent her and Marisa down a rabbit hole on what empathy actually is (acknowledging someone's feelings — full stop) versus what people confuse it with (sympathy, people-pleasing, or losing yourself entirely). They dig into why empathy has become a corporate buzzword that people claim without fully understanding, how to regulate your emotions when you're two seconds away from a Real Housewives table-flip moment, and why practicing empathy is less of a checkbox and more of a muscle you have to keep building. Plus a surprisingly on-point card pull to close it all out.

the scary side of creative freedom

Marisa and Gabby get real about the Sunday morning spiral that hits when you're fully independent — the kind where total creative freedom feels less like a gift and more like standing at the edge of a cliff. They dig into the paradox of being a builder with no ceiling and no boss, where the only thing pushing you forward is your bills and your vision. It's an honest, unfiltered conversation about what it actually feels like to be able to create anything — and why that's equal parts exciting and absolutely terrifying