On a typical evening, you’ll find my husband, Sean, and I on the sofa. We eat dinner and crack up watching the latest Good Mythical Morning episode. After, we move on to whatever television show we’re binging–currently The 100. I work on a crossword puzzle or...
Let me guess: you're feeling a bit stretched, fried, or tired? You had high hopes after your last reset. You took time away from the pile of projects, tactics, and commitments—only to fall back into the same trap when you got back to work. Why does this happen again...
I need time to focus. I'd say it's actually one of my most basic needs in terms of quality of life. Food, shelter, focus. I'm easily overwhelmed by what seem to be conflicting needs or priorities. To be happy, I absolutely cannot do two things at once—let alone...
Before there were egg beaters, there were women with whisks and spoons beating eggs. As a woman who bakes and also owns a KitchenAid Pro stand mixer, the thought of doing everything my mixer does with my own two hands is a bit horrifying. I can combine my flour, milk,...
We spend money on lots of tools designed to save us time and work. But all too often, those tools just end up raising our expectations. Why do work in less time when you could do more work in the same amount of time?! In this episode, I examine “the egg beater effect” and why we should, just maybe, lower our expectations a bit.
I took the last couple of weeks—thanks to the more flexible schedule of the holiday season—to work on bread-baking. I made a sweet potato challah bread, two different types of swirly brioche, and a multigrain sandwich bread. I’m sure you know this—but baking bread...
Today, you’re going to hear from 4 other business owners who have also found that slowing down has helped them operationalize their values in their businesses.
You’ll hear from Sarah Cottrell, the founder of Former Lawyer, Gracy Obuchowicz, a self-care consultant for companies & organizations, Yvette Ramos-Volz, a glass artist & aromatherapist, and Jennie Morris, the founder of Vegology.
Each one is finding ways to create the necessary space to check in with their core values before making decisions about their business—big or small. By slowing down, they make their values a core operational consideration, instead of merely good copy on a website.
“I need to create some systems for my business.” It’s one of the key needs we hear from small business owners. Recognizing that they have something that works on some level, they’re looking to make it work better. Systems seem to be the way to do it. But then a...
This month, I indulged myself a bit with our focus on the podcast. I wanted to talk to other neurodivergent business owners about how they leverage their strengths in their businesses. It’s part personal research project and part public service.
The public service part is the part where, even if you’re not neurodivergent, you start to see how your own strengths can give you creative direction in how you build your business. You can filter how you build your business through what truly makes you feel effective, alive, and capable.
You can adapt your business instead of always adapting yourself.
I could think of no one I wanted to kick off this series with more than Brittany Berger. Brittany’s personal leadership and advocacy was some of the first that made me think, “huh.”
Brittany is the founder of Work Brighter, a platform that provides resources and encouragement for neurodivergent, disabled, and chronically ill people who want to make productivity techniques work for them.
Brittany and I talk about how she manages her energy, how she structures her day, and why self-disclosure has been key to finding her way, as well as—and this is crucial—why she can write about the intersection of pop culture, productivity, and content marketing like no one else.
Now, let’s find out What Works for Brittany Berger!
The quest for greater productivity is one of internet culture's longest-lasting and most influence trends. “Life hacks” teach us how to shave a few seconds off of common tasks so we can fit more work into our days. Even my daughter became enamored with life hacks...
Host of What Works
Tara is a podcaster, small business community leader, strategist, and speaker. She’s been helping small business owners build stronger businesses for over a decade.