In this episode, I’m joined by negotiation expert Alex Carter and executive presence coach Anne Marie Nest for a conversation about what it really means to lead with presence. We talk about the myths around confidence, how to interrupt negative self-talk, and why executive presence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you can learn and practice. Alex and Anne-Marie share personal stories, practical tips, and simple strategies you can start using right away. If you want to show up with...
Jun 30, 2025•55 min
If you’ve ever felt stuck in your pricing, messaging, or marketing — this episode is for you. We’re digging into the real difference between confidence and competence, and why clarity is the missing link for so many creative entrepreneurs. You’ll hear why “fake it till you make it” rarely works in the long run, how competence builds true confidence, and what to focus on if you want better inquiries, stronger sales, and more aligned clients. Ready to stop guessing and start growing? Let’s get int...
Jun 23, 2025•16 min
What happens when a luxury brand scales without losing its heart? In today’s episode, I’m sitting down with Eleanor Scola and Pablo Oliveira from Nuage Designs to explore exactly that. You’ll hear how a hospitality setback led to the founding of one of the most beloved names in high-end event rentals—and how trust, humility, and shared values have shaped a thriving leadership dynamic. This one’s a masterclass in growing with integrity and trusting your team. Let’s dive in....
Jun 16, 2025•47 min
Success doesn't happen by accident. It’s done on purpose, when someone decides what they want with clarity and then maps out a plan to make it happen. Today's guest, Twah Dougherty, started her career as a wedding photographer with a very specific intention. If you asked her, she would say it was her vision - and a big part of it relied on building expertise in a few key areas for her business. Today, Twah shares her story of stacking those skills she needed to grow her business into the powerho...
Jun 09, 2025•46 min
Social media strategy is more than just posting pretty pictures. At least that's what we say at Duet Social Media, the new agency, Abby Jiu and I cofounded during the winter. I had Abby on a few months ago to discuss 2025 social media trends, and we had an outstanding response from the audience. On today's episode, we talk about how to create a strategy for mid and long-term success based on more than just showcasing your portfolio in your IG grid. You'll take away from the conversation: Core co...
Jun 02, 2025•39 min
Everyone in the wedding industry wants to level up their business. So it's not a matter of if, it’s more how. How do you pick the right kind of client? How do you align yourself with the right kind of professional in your network? How do you prioritize all the different tasks that need to be done as the boss? How do you allocate your time, money, energy, and resources to get from where you are to where you want to be? Today I bring on my friend and client Julian Leaver, to talk about his journey...
May 26, 2025•56 min
Many business owners in the wedding industry got their start accidentally. Others found their way here because of a passion for creativity or art, and wanted to express it as a profession. But there are a handful of others who had a dream of being an entrepreneur, and found the wedding space as fertile ground for planning the seeds of their business ideas. Today's guest, Brittany Lo, founder and owner of Beautini and Beia, joins me on the podcast to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur over th...
May 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Who wants more time back for personal life? Or maybe you want to spend more time doing things you love with your business rather than things you don't or things that are difficult? The key to making these things happen is freeing up room in your calendar by getting other people to do work for you. One of the best ways to bring in somebody to help take care of miscellaneous tasks that are under your pay grade or you don't like doing - or both - is to hire a VA. Where do you begin? And how do you ...
May 12, 2025•59 min
When I ask clients: What does success look like to you? I get a variety of responses. The two most popular are, 1) I want to move into the luxury market, and 2) I want to scale my business to include a team. We spend a lot of time on the podcast talking about how to move into the luxury market, but not nearly as much time exploring what it looks like to scale your business with the team. This week I bring in Taryn Blake, one of our clients who found wild success in all the places most people ten...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Many of you work directly with your spouse - and if you do, you know it’s not always easy. Today, I chat with Jessica and Michael Masi, who co-lead Masi Events, one of the top wedding planners by Over the Moon. We explore: Why they decided to partner in business, not just life How they divide client-facing and BTS work What they learned about themselves over the years to make it better to work together Specific recommendations to release pressure when times get tense Even if you don’t work with ...
Apr 28, 2025•45 min
The recent and current market conditions are tough to navigate. I wish things were different for the wedding industry right now, but they are not. I always provided advice on how to market and sell your services to book more ideal clients at higher prices, and I know many listeners benefit from the tactics that we talk about. It’s not “business as usual” right now - and so I’m taking a break from regular programming to address the elephant in the room more directly. Trial and error is very very ...
Apr 21, 2025•38 min
Wouldn’t it be great to get inside the mind of couples doing research for their wedding plans? Until that happens, monitoring their online behavior is the best we can do. Today, I bring in co-founder and CEO of PartySlate, Julie Novack, to share insights and data based on millions of visitors to their site. She shares: What kind of content to share in the early stages of the buyer’s journey What couples want to see immediately when they land on your site And we discuss the current market conditi...
Apr 14, 2025•51 min
Today's wedding client is not interested in yesterday's celebrations - and today's wedding business owner should adapt accordingly. But how do you change things up? What areas do you focus on? How do you know if it will work? Well, there's not one simple answer for any or all businesses to these questions. It depends very much on a number of different factors, but they all start with knowing yourself and what you stand for and what you want. If you don't know these things you can’t take the firs...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Too many wedding pros spend their time trying to fake it till they make it. Not only is it a slow way to success, it’s stressful - what if “they” find out? One problem - and I mean only one of the many many many problems with “winging it” as a business owner - is that you end up guessing your way through important situations. How do you raise your prices? When and how do you rebrand? When and how do you talk about pricing? What’s your social media strategy? And where do you focus your limited en...
Mar 31, 2025•35 min
People don’t want information, they want transformation. And the best way to do that is to share a story with a beginning, middle and end that follows a narrative arc. It hooks them, draws them in even more, and then builds desire to learn the outcome. In today’s attention economy, stories are a very successful way to communicate with potential customers. To market and sell your services. In this episode, I’ll share: 3 key elements of a great story 6 ways you can implement stories in your own ma...
Mar 24, 2025•31 min
Last week I sat down with Rock Paper Coin for a conversation about pricing. We covered a range of topics, including how to talk about budget with potential clients. It reminded me how hard it can be to talk about the topic of money - from both sides of the conversation: couples and vendors. Money matters are hard for most people. So today I thought it would be a good idea to bring back this oldie, but goodie from the podcast way back in 2021. Originally episode 12, this podcast is the one I refe...
Mar 17, 2025•27 min
Katy and I want to take a minute to provide a PSA to business owners, copywriters, and VAs. Don’t steal other people’s stuff. In our world as copywriters, that means intellectual property. Art. Writing. We see businesses crib our clients’ website copy all the time, which is baffling. It’s like taking someone’s photo and passing it off as your own in a portfolio. Who does that? You’d be surprised. Tune in to today’s podcast for a conversation on a topic no one wants to talk about: Plagiarism....
Mar 10, 2025•25 min
Sway Mastermind Alumni Panel
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 6 min
What’s holding you back from reaching your full potential as a business owner? From getting more inquiries? From booking better clients? From charging more for your services? From success at the next level of luxury? In today’s episode, Katy and I talk about what is NOT holding you back - and what is really at the root of the issue for most wedding business owners. Quick note before we begin, February 24, 2025 is the opening day for enrollment in Sway, our 12-month mastermind that walks you thro...
Feb 24, 2025•59 min
One of my favorite parts of being a business coach is hearing success stories from our clients. No journey is the same as another, but they tend to follow a similar arc. Feel the call of something more in your professional life Boot strap to get the business started DIY it until you hit a ceiling or find the courage to invest in your business Bring in an expert to guide you through the tough stuff Gain confidence in yourself and competence with your skills See success and feel satisfied Today, I...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min
I’ve obsessed about marketing and selling weddings for over 18 years now. Here’s one thing I’ve learned: Your pitch is important. Unfortunately, most wedding professionals don’t offer a proper proposal for their services. The most common approach is a menu of services, like a McDonald’s ordering kiosk. Many others use a brochure - basically a bunch of information. But couples and the BTS decision-makers don’t want information, they want transformation. They want to know how you’re going to get t...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr
I’ve coached hundreds of wedding pros over the years, and the #1 area for improvement is always always always the discovery call. Why? It’s so difficult to do well. So many moving parts. So much pressure for both people. So many ways it can go wrong. Here are five ways to know if your discovery call needs improvement: You think of it as a “sales call” You share your screen or talk through a brochure You currently use or want to buy from someone a “script” You ask the same questions in the same o...
Feb 03, 2025•35 min
We started the year with a simple road map for success based on five milestones. Do the activities in key areas to make it easy for couples to travel the buyer’s journey. We’ve focused on knowing, understanding and messaging to your ideal client Created a content strategy and putting it up on IG with Abby Jiu Today we talk about website fixes you can make in key areas Next week I’ll share discovery call questions you can use to guide the conversation Follow up with direction on what to include o...
Jan 27, 2025•24 min
Most wedding pros I talk to have a love-hate relationship with social media. You love scrolling your own feed, but hate posting on your own account. Kidding. But not really. Social media is hard. What do you post? How do you write the caption? What cards do you drop in your Story? What images look good in this Carousel? Do you put your face on the screen? If so, what do you talk about? How much of your personal life do you include? How often do you go through this cycle of pain and misery every ...
Jan 20, 2025•41 min
A few weeks ago I did an episode about how wedding business owners are being sold a single version of luxury and told it’s the only version available. It struck a chord with many of my clients and others who reached out, because I busted this myth that if you want to find success you have to do it a certain way - usually represented the way the people on top have done it themselves. I think that road to success is well-paved and well-travelled by people who want the same kind of success. Million...
Jan 13, 2025•43 min
What’s the difference between simple and easy? It’s pretty nuanced, but the distinction is important. Here’s what a quick search turned up on Google: While simple and easy can sometimes be used interchangeably, simple refers to something that is not complicated or complex in its structure, while easy refers to something that requires minimal effort to accomplish. Let me say that again, because, as I said, the distinction is essential. Simple refers to something that is not complicated or complex...
Jan 06, 2025•18 min
Welcome to part two of my top 10 Engage takeaways. The first five aired last week, so if you haven’t listened to them yet, you should go back and start with that episode. I provide useful context to the conversation, and it’s all done in my most gravelly, shot out, baritone voice in 173 episodes. Here’s a quick summary of the first set of takeaways: Go in with no plan Pay attention to those who pay attention to you Pick your priorities Don’t trip over dimes to pick up pennies There isn’t enough ...
Dec 30, 2024•20 min
11 years ago I attended my first Engage. It was like a roller coaster. At first I was scared to got, but then once I was on it was the time of my life. And when I was done, I wanted to jump in line and go again. Engage has been a big part of my life since that first one in Scottsdale, Arizona. I met my wife, Katy, at my 3rd Engage, in Grand Cayman. I got a job running Todd Fiscus’s companies at that same one in Grand Cayman. Katy and I got engaged on a birthday trip we piggybacked on to an Engag...
Dec 23, 2024•24 min
Here’s the uncomfortable truth. The wedding industry pushes an unrealistic version of what it means to work in “luxury.” Million-dollar budgets? Amangiri and the Amalfi Coast for every wedding? Couples who look like models in every photo? Sorry, but that’s not the luxury wedding market. That’s ultra-luxe. The top 1%, not 10%. And that pie-in-the-sky version of “luxury” is a lot harder to achieve than most industry leaders let on. The simple fact is you have to make it to the next level of luxury...
Dec 16, 2024•21 min
We’ve all heard of “growth mindsets,” but what does it really mean? Here’s a definition: A belief that intelligence, abilities, and talents can be developed through effort, hard work and guidance from others. I first heard about it in the book Mindset by Carol Dweck, a Stanford professor who coined the term back in 2006. In her research, she found the growth mindset was the #1 predictor of long-term success. Now you might think, well duh, of course people believe they can improve themselves. Ahh...
Dec 09, 2024•53 min
