Gratitude Geek

Are you waiting to feel "ready" before launching that next offer, raising your prices, or making a major pivot in your business? As Gen X women solopreneurs, we often fall into the trap of over-preparing out of fear, managing endless responsibilities in isolation, and letting unspoken expectations quietly stall our progress. In this episode of the Gratitude Geek Podcast, leadership coach Crystal Bell shares how to shatter this paralysis by mastering the art of "starting scared" and shifting from a clenched scarcity mindset into open, relationship-driven collaboration. By treating gratitude not as a passive cliché, but as an active, strategic "appreciation practice," you’ll discover how to get out of your head, put yourself back on your own business maintenance checklist, and build unstoppable momentum through small, courageous daily choices. If you are ready to stop playing small and start driving real business growth through authentic connection, this conversation is your ultimate roadmap. You will hear: Confidence Follows Action (Start Scared): Readiness and confidence do not arrive before you begin a new project; they are built after you take action. Stop waiting to feel fully prepared, and instead build your "starting muscle" by embracing the unknown and taking the first step anyway. "Unclench" to Embrace Abundance and Collaboration: Operating from a scarcity, fear-driven mindset blocks your ability to receive new opportunities. By physically and mentally "unclenching," you release tension, shift to an appreciation practice, and open the door to expansive business collaborations. Speak Your Expectations Out Loud: An expectation that you do not actively share is merely a silent thought. To land top-tier podcast guests, secure raises, or establish boundaries in business and life, you must advocate for yourself and explicitly ask for what you want. Put Yourself on the Business Maintenance Checklist: You cannot run your business on an empty tank. Just like a car needs oil changes and fuel, or a vacuum cleaner needs its bag emptied, solopreneurs must actively maintain their own energy, mental health, and physical well-being to avoid sudden burnout. Beat the "Stuckness" Cycle in Two Practical Steps: Losing momentum is a normal, cyclical part of the entrepreneur journey. When you hit a rut, first give yourself a "permission slip" to slow down and rest without self-shame. Second, write down everything to declutter your brain, isolate the single task you have been avoiding, and commit to just one small action to trigger a dopamine reset. Resources & Links Mentioned Allan Dib Interview: https://kandasrodarte.com/250 Nikki the Death Doula Interview: https://kandasrodarte.com/271 Creator Collab Mixers for Women: https://kandasrodarte.com/mixer Crystal Bell is a Michigan-based leadership coach, speaker, and founder of Clarity with Crystal, where she helps female entrepreneurs build momentum through small-group coaching circles called Clarity Collectives. Her own career journey is defined by significant pivots, having transitioned from her original training as a music teacher to becoming a software executive, a yoga studio owner, and an executive coach. Connect with Crystal Bell: Website: https://Clarity-With-Crystal.com LinkedIn: https://Linkedin.com/in/clarity-with-crystal Gratitude Geek is the business education podcast for Gen X women solopreneurs who weave gratitude and appreciation into their business strategy. Hosted by metastatic breast cancer thriver, Kandas Rodarte, who co-creates spaces, opportunities, and conversations for women business owners. Subscribe to weekly emails: https://kandasrodarte.com/subscribe Join the Co-Lab: https://kandasrodarte.com/lab Gratitude Geek is a member of Marketing Podcasts Network. For network wide advertising options visit: https://marketingpodcasts.net/advertise Want to be a guest on Gratitude Geek? Send Kandas Rodarte a message on PodMatch here:  https://kandasrodarte.com/podmatch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lesle Lane wasn't supposed to take over her family's photography business. Her brothers were the obvious choice. Commercial and industrial photography in the early 90s wasn't considered women's work — and her family wanted her shooting weddings instead. She said no. And then she spent the next 33 years proving that was the right call. Lesle is the owner of Studio 13 in Indiana, and someone in her family has been taking pictures for 95 years. In this conversation, she talks about what it actually looks like to inherit a family business without a real succession plan, survive every disruption thrown at a small business in one lifetime — recessions, a pandemic, the digital revolution, the sudden death of her longtime employee — and build something flexible enough to outlast all of it. We also get into the real cost of cheap photography (and what it means for your business when the low-bid vendor bails three weeks before the event), how she transitioned from one W-2 employee to a team of 15 specialized 1099 contractors, what woman-owned certification has — and hasn't — been able to do for her business in the current climate, and why gratitude isn't a mindset practice for Lesle. It's just the only logical response to still being here. "When you've been on your knees, there's no place to look but up." Connect with Lesle Lane:Website: https://studio13online.com LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/studio-thirteen Mentioned in this episode: Olan Mills Photography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olan_Mills Episode with Adam Zuckerman on Succession Planning for Solopreneurs: https://kandasrodarte.com/256 Show notes: https://kandasrodarte.com/320 Gratitude Geek is hosted by Kandas Rodarte — business education for Gen X women solopreneurs who want sustainable growth without the hustle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you think your story is too boring to share? PR strategist Lauren Kwedar Cockerell has spent 23 years helping purpose-driven businesses uncover the story only they can tell — and she's here to help you do the same. In this episode of Gratitude Geek, Lauren breaks down what public relations for small business owners actually means (hint: it's not social media), how to stop leading with the surface-level answer everyone else in your industry gives, and how to build a "why now" hook that gets media and podcast hosts to pay attention. We cover: Why earned media is worth 3–10x more than a paid ad Lauren's Thread methodology for excavating your real story The one question that unlocks your most compelling pitch 5 reasons to actually send a press release How to pitch podcasts the right way — and what not to do If you're a Gen X woman solopreneur who's ready to get visible without feeling like you're bragging, this one's for you. 🎁 Lauren's free podcast pitch guide: https://www.kwedarco.com/freebies🔗 Connect with Lauren: https://www.kwedarco.com📖 The 5 Whys method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrlYkx41wEE🎧 Full show notes: https://kandasrodarte.com/319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices