What "Ready" Really Means (And Why 2,500 Cookies Don't Lie)

Murder, Muffins, & Owning Your Identity: A Conversation with Bakeshop Mystery Author Ellie Alexander

What do a cozy murder mystery and a real-life cookie shop have in common? More than you'd think. This week I'm sitting down with Ellie Alexander, author of the beloved Bakeshop Mystery Series — 25 books deep and still going strong — to talk about what it really looks like to build a creative career around the world you love. Whether you're a baker, a reader, or a creative entrepreneur, this conversation will hit home. In This Episode: * How Ellie went from a second-grade mystery writer to a published author with 25+ books * The cozy mystery genre and why the baking details matter just as much as the murder plot * Why Ellie spends real time in real kitchens — shadowing professional bakers, baristas, and pastry chefs — to get the details right * The reader rule: readers will forgive the most outlandish murder plot, but get the bake wrong and you'll hear about it * How baking and writing share the same superpower: presence * The moment Dani told her husband "I think I'm a baker now" — and what it means to own your creative identity * Why comparison is the thief of joy, and how to step into who you already are * Grief, growth, and the character of Jules Capshaw — and why coming home to run the family bake shop is more personal than it looks * What keeps a 25-book series fresh (hint: secondary characters finally getting their moment) Guest Bio: Ellie Alexander is the author of the long-running Bakeshop Mystery Series published by Macmillan, which follows pastry chef Jules Capshaw as she returns home to run her family's artisan bake shop, Torte, in Ashland, Oregon. With more than 22 books in the series (and counting), every title includes original recipes tested by Ellie herself — because in her world, the baking is just as important as the mystery. Resources Mentioned: * The Bakeshop Mystery Series by Ellie Alexander — start with Meet Your Baker * Ellie's website: https://elliealexander.co/ [https://elliealexander.co/] * Ellie on Instagram: @ellie_alexander * Dani's Kitchen Shop: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Follow along on Instagram: @daniskitchenshop

Why I Planted 398 Dahlias This Year

Hobbies don't show up on your P&L — but they might be some of the most important infrastructure in a well-built life. In this episode, Dani gets personal about working from home more this summer, why her dahlia garden has gotten "a little big," and what happened when she almost talked herself out of planting this year. In This Episode: * Why hobbies aren't a luxury — they're load-bearing when you're building a business around your life * What the research actually says about hobbies, gardening, and your mental health * How Dani stumbled into dahlias seven years ago — before she even knew it was a trend * The honest math: 398 tubers planted, 150 given away, zero organizational system — on purpose * Why Dani applies systems to everything in her business but refuses to apply them to her garden * The internal argument she had about water shortages in the Pacific Northwest, and the conversation with her husband Herbie that settled it * What she hopes her daughter Winnie takes away from growing up in the dahlia rows * A shoutout to Jen at The Flowering Farmhouse and the Dahlia Design Summit this September Resources Mentioned: * The Flowering Farmhouse (digging, dividing, and dahlia resources): https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com [https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com] * Dahlia Design Summit — September 13–18, 2026 (tickets open July 6th) * Dani's Kitchen Shop: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Follow along on Instagram: @daniskitchenshop Connect with Dani: * Website: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Instagram: @daniskitchenshop

Done Over Perfection: The Episode I Almost Didn't Record

Ever sat down to do something and scrapped it... two or three times before finally just going for it? Same. In this episode, Dani gets real about ditching the polished, scripted version of things and embracing "good enough to ship" as a genuine business skill. In This Episode: * Why perfectionism often disguises itself as "high standards" when it's really fear of being seen before you're ready * The truth behind Dani's "imperfect" moments — typos, rustic pop-up displays, recipe cards revised after posting — and why none of it actually hurt her * Why your first version of anything (your first table, price list, or post) is a draft, not a debut * How "done" gives you real feedback while "perfect" gives you nothing but anxiety * The "perfection budget" trick: set a timer, and when it goes off, it ships * How this all connects to the Foundation stage of A Bakery of Your Own — and why no one is supposed to have it all figured out before they start Resources Mentioned: * Dani's Kitchen Shop: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Follow along on Instagram: @daniskitchenshop Connect with Dani: * Website: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Instagram: @daniskitchenshop

The $15,000 Reason I Cut My Work Week in Half

Every summer, Dani Annala runs the childcare numbers — two kids, ten weeks, up to $15,000 — and every summer those numbers remind her exactly why she built her bakery the way she did. In this episode, she walks through her full summer operating system: the Friday retail model, the production schedule she sets in April, how her kitchen manager Mercedes makes it all possible, and why a lemonade stand changed everything. In This Episode: * Why Dani runs her childcare math every June — and what it tells her about her business * Summer is never about profit — it's about breaking even and being with her kids * Closing for July 4th week and giving her team a paid week off * The Friday sale model: one day open, themed cookies, fresh baked goods, and lemonade * How 200–400 cookies get decorated in one kid-free Tuesday * The April theming system that removes all summer decision fatigue * What Mercedes owns — and what that kind of trust makes possible * The lemonade stand: how Aatto and Winnie run a real business on Fridays * Attention blocks + independent play blocks: the home work rhythm that actually works * Two camp weeks that reset everyone — and why timing matters Resources Mentioned: * The Business of Baking: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/business-of-baking [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/business-of-baking] * Dani's Kitchen Shop: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Follow along on Instagram: @daniskitchenshop Connect with Dani: * Website: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Instagram: @daniskitchenshop

You're Not Behind. You're in the Stage.

If you've ever taken a quiz, found your result, and immediately wondered why am I still here — this episode is for you. Dani opens up the full A Bakery of Your Own framework, walks through all five stages of a bakery business, and delivers the honest, direct encouragement that Dreamers and Foundation Stage bakers need to hear right now. This is the episode she wishes someone had made for her. In This Episode: * The A Bakery of Your Own Stage Quiz — what it is, why Dani built it, and what the results from hundreds of takers revealed * A clear breakdown of all five stages: Dream, Foundation, Recipe, Proof, and Rhythm — and exactly what each one asks of you * Why the Dream Stage is not stagnation — it's preparation that doesn't look like preparation yet * Dani's real Dream Stage story: four years of keeping the vision in a drawer while building her family and her skills at the same time * The three traps that keep bakers stuck in the Dream Stage — and how to recognize which one is yours * How Dani entered the Foundation Stage on January 1, 2019 with a product and a decision — and the one critical mistake she made immediately * Why she raised her prices 260% over six years, and what it cost her to get there the slow way * A direct message to Dream Stage bakers: you are building the person who will run the business * A direct message to Foundation Stage bakers: price your work correctly now — not someday, now * What's waiting on the other side of these stages — a teaser into the Recipe Stage and what scaling actually looks like Resources Mentioned: * A Bakery of Your Own Stage Quiz: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/a-bakery-of-your-own [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/a-bakery-of-your-own] * Stage 2 Foundation Pricing Guide (free download): https://daniskitchenshop.myflodesk.com/foundation-pricing-guide [https://daniskitchenshop.myflodesk.com/foundation-pricing-guide] * Price It Right Course: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/price-it-right [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/price-it-right] * The Mel Robbins Podcast * Dani's Kitchen Shop: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Follow along on Instagram: @daniskitchenshop Connect with Dani: * Website: https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/ [https://www.daniskitchenshop.com/] * Instagram: @daniskitchenshop ----------------------------------------