Marketing For The Uninhibited

Jenni Zielke is the owner and creator at Illuminate Space. She loves to create multi-sensory experiences for people through handcrafted soy candles, essential oil roller bottles, and decor vignettes. She believes beauty is everywhere; sometimes we just need to throw some light on it! Find out more at https://illuminate-space.com/ 

Nick Vera is the owner of Impulse Entertainment, a successful DJ company located in the western suburbs of Chicago. Nick has been providing 5-star entertainment services throughout the Chicagoland area since 2008. Nick attests the success of his business to not only his hard work, dedication and no-days-off approach, but also to his amazing wife and unbelievably support family.    You can find more about him and his company here: www.impulseentertainmentdjs.comor www.facebook.com/impulseentertainmentdjs.

Patricia is the founder and editor at Cozy Cat Press, a publishing company established in 2010 that produces "cozy (or "gentle") mysteries." Prior to her second career in publishing, she worked in academia, served for two years as editorial assistant at Communication Monographs, and edited and published the Louisiana Communication Journal for eight years. Her Bachelor's and Master's degrees are from the University of Nebraska and her Doctorate is from the University of Arizona.

Michele Kelly is co-founder of K+L Storytellers, a B2B storytelling and content company. She has ghostwritten three books and joyfully cranks out more than 10,000 words each month for culture-driven companies who use story to create believers. Fact: At least once a day, Michele cries. The emotional lens is her muse in business and in life. She regularly speaks about story, but her favorite stage is being a mother to three children who, every day, define her narrative storyline, along with husband and business partner Roderick Kelly.   

Debi Estopellan was following her heart when she created Be in AWE of You, a mentoring program for at-risk Young Adults. Because of her troubled young adulthood, she shares tools to equip, empower, and uplift young adults.    You can find more information at her blog at www.debiestopellan.com ,www.beinaweofyou.com or via email at debiesto@gmail.com

Alexis Cervantes Koslovsky has been an entrepreneur since the age of 14 when she and her dad started their lawn care business. Since then, she has expanded her business ventures to include owning a health, wellness and fitness business that involves zumba, bootcamps, and health and skin care lines.  Sarah Cervantes is the owner and lead graphic designer at Seven Brighter and is responsible for creating my logo and branding (yay!). In addition to her graphic design company, she also runs an Etsy shop, is the mother of two, and has a goal of creating one thing new every day.  Fun fact: Sarah and Alexis are cousins and all three of us grew up and now live in Aurora, Illinois.

Mary Wu, social media maven, helps small business owners keep up with the rapidly changing world of social media. She tracks the changes and lets you know what is relevant to you and your business. Among other things, Mary and I talk about different social media strategies and tactics and the importance of having a close group of friends. 

Lyn is currently a financial advisor after retiring from a full career in corporate human resources. Using her corporate connections, she has built a full second career for herself planning, advising and managing retirement funds. Lyn offers career advice for women (and in general), discusses how much authority an HR department actually has, and talks about how she built her financial planning business through word of mouth marketing (she's not a big fan of networking en masse). 

Stephanie Michelle is an independent wedding hair stylist and single mom in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked hard to develop her hair cutting, coloring and styling skills which has earned her the reputation as an incredibly talented and reliable wedding hair stylist. She used strategic brand partnerships and word of mouth to grow her own business in a niche market (she was willing to travel when no one else would) over the past couple of years while overcoming some of the darkest moments in her life to date. Please note, this is our first time doing a virtual podcast so the sound quality is not as great as we hoped it would be. We will improve that next time!

Shannon is the owner and curator at the Wyckwood House, a local artisan market in Aurora, Illinois. We discuss how she got to where she is (literally how she got to her storefront), using your network to build your brand, and how her earlier fertility issues played a role in who she is today (and what to say during those tough moments). 

Harold Montgomery is the founder and president of Midwest Global Group, Inc. a company that specializes in authentic, hand-crafted professional and social stoles (much like one that you or someone you know has worn for graduation). As the sole empoyee of his company for the past 30 years and having worked in corporate prior to that, Harold's story is that of a true hustler who prides himself on the quality of his work. He holds the standard for the stoles he designs and all others alike. 

Rachael Kay Albers is a marketer who hates marketing. As the founder and creative director of RKA ink, a branding, web design, and digital marketing studio based outside Chicago, Rachael has helped hundreds of thought leaders and visionary entrepreneurs all over the world stand out online without selling their soul or playing the manipulation game. Also joining us on this episode is Rachel's eight week old, Alice. We had a lot of fun talking all things marketing and entrepreneurial. 

Emely Rodriguez is a recent college graduate from Loyola University Chicago. She also happens to be my sister! She graduated with a bachelor's in sociology and is currently, like so many college graduates before her, trying to figure out what's next. Among other things, we discuss the feelings associated with closing one chapter and starting a new one, our family history, and the importance of finding and maintaining true friendships.  Editor's Note: Around the 45 minute mark you're hear her mom knock on the door and ask if she can come in, to which we both laugh. I left it in the podcast because this is real life and it was too funny to take out. Enjoy!

Tammy Helfrich is coach, speaker, writer, and host of the Right Where You Are podcast. After almost 20 years in Corporate America, she walked away from a successful sales career to pursue a deeper meaning in life. Find our more on her website tammyhelfrich.com In this episode, we discuss shifting your mindset from corporate to entrepreneurial, honest networking, and the importance of  focusing on your heart not your work (just to name a few). 

Stacey Montgomery is a talented illustrator, writer and guided journal creator. Her guided journals for children are called "What's Your Super Power?" and can be found on her website, stacemydesign.com In this episode we discuss the importance of self confidence, questioning yourself in your business (sometimes daily), and sticking to what you're passionate about. 

We have an announcement to make about the company! And, some free trademark advice for all you entrepreneurs out there. 

THE Laura from Aurora, Laura Saltijeral, joins me on this episode to discuss her Real Estate career, word of mouth, customer service, and making sacrifices. 

In this week's episode, I have the chance to talk business with my mama! It's not often that I get to sit down and have a one hour conversation with her, or anyone else for that matter, about how she got to where she is and what lessons she's learned along the way. Talk about heart and hustle, this woman's got it!  The opions expressed are those of Mary Rodriguez and do not express the views or opions of her employer. 

In the very first episode of Let Go & Listen, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Edward Rodriguez, a personal trainer in Chicago (find him on Insta @blacksmith_training1). We discuss the importance of defining your niche and sticking to it, how to separate yourself from your brand (or not) and how to weed out all of the slackers along the way.

Let Go And Listen Intro by Miranda, Owner and Marketing Consultant