Founder, Unfiltered

Natasha Maxwell

5.0 (1)
Entrepreneurship
Updated Weekly

Founder, Unfiltered is a reflective podcast for women building businesses — and building themselves at the same time. Each episode shares real-time perspective on identity, self-trust, and the emotional reality of the messy middle. themaxwellmethod.substack.com

2d ago

Nothing Is As Expensive As You Think It Is

Happy Fourth of July Weekend! This week I’m digging into something that’s been on my mind as we head into America’s 250th birthday: resourcefulness, and why so many of the things we assume are out of reach actually aren’t. If you’re new here, follow along at themaxwellmethod.substack.com so you never miss an episode. In this episode, I talk about: * Why building a business is a lot like the frontier mentality this country was founded on: no map, no guidance, just moving forward and adjusting as you go * How I used university internship programs in my early business years to get real help without blowing my budget, and how that was a win for everyone involved * The photographer friends who shot my work for a fraction of their rate because they wanted to build their portfolio and see me win * A story from LinkedIn about a beauty founder who couldn’t afford a $25,000 photographer and got resourceful enough to find comparable work for an eighth of the price The throughline: don’t talk yourself out of all the ways you can get help. Whether it’s asking, trading skills, hiring a VA, using Upwork, or reaching out to universities like I did, the help you need is almost always more findable and more affordable than you think. Resource of the week: The Resourcefulness Audit Before you decide something is too expensive or out of reach, try this. Grab the worksheet and list one task you’ve been avoiding, three places you haven’t checked yet, and one person you could ask this week. Grab the worksheet here: Resourcefulness Audit and click File > Make a Copy to save your own editable version. Ready to stop building alone and start building smart? Let’s talk: themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk xo, Natasha Come say hi on Instagram: @themaxwellmethod Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

5 min
Jun 26

They Make Millions and They Still Called Me

This week I’m sharing something that genuinely caught me off guard. A potential client reached out about building a brand. I didn’t know much about them going in, just that they wanted to connect. So I showed up the way I always do on discovery calls: curious, open, no agenda other than listening. About 20 minutes in, I realized who I was actually talking to. A major fitness equipment distributor who’s been in the wellness industry for 25 years, selling to Equinox, the Four Seasons, clients around the world. We’re talking hundreds of millions in sales. And they called me. Here’s what hit me: this is exactly the type of company I would have talked myself out of cold emailing. The narrative in my head would’ve been “Oh they’re already really established… and they clearly already have someone for this. What would they need me for?” Except they did need someone. And they found me. So this episode is really about two things. The story I almost let stop me before it started. And the reminder that the narrative you create about a potential client might be the only thing standing between you and the best call you’ve ever had. Stop pre-rejecting yourself. The big fish are out there and sometimes, they’re looking for you too. If this hit close to home, let’s talk. I work with wellness founders and service providers who are ready to stop playing small and start building a brand that actually does the selling for them. Book a free discovery call at themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk And if you want more of this — the unfiltered behind-the-scenes of building a brand strategy business — come hang with me inside The Deep End. It also includes twice a month, live group sessions to pick my brain about your brand/biz/new idea. Natasha Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

5 min
Jun 18

You're Allowed to Change Your Mind: Your Brand Isn't Supposed to Stay the Same

There’s a version of decision-making that feels like life or death and then there’s the version that actually serves your business. In this episode, I’m talking about one of the quietest growth blockers I see founders run into: the paralysis of trying to get it perfect the first time. Whether it’s your brand colors, your logo, or your website, the decisions you’re making right now are the right ones for right now. And that’s enough. I’ve seen this come up again and again in client sessions lately: founders stalled out over a color palette or a homepage layout, not because they don’t care, but because they care so much they’ve forgotten that everything evolves. Your brand is a living thing. So is your business. So are you. The goal isn’t to build something permanent. It’s to build something that moves you forward, knowing it will look completely different in three years, and that’s exactly the point. In this episode: * Why the decisions that feel like life or death rarely are * How I think about visual identity work with clients (logos, colors, websites) * Why your brand is like a baby — it grows, and that’s the whole idea * The permission slip you didn’t know you needed Give yourself some grace. You’re making the right call for where you are right now. Follow along on Substack for more: themaxwellmethod.substack.com Ready to work together? themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk This episode is brought to you by BrandMate AI If you’re in that early stage of building your brand and you just need a starting point, something to pressure-test your ideas against, BrandMate AI was built for exactly that moment. It’s a one-time $29 tool that helps you get out of your own head and into a clearer brand direction, fast. No subscription. No overwhelm. Just a smarter starting point. 👉 Grab BrandMate AI here Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

4 min
Jun 8

Your Yap Style Is a Business Strategy. Here's How to Find It.

Show Notes By now you’ve probably seen it. Millennial creator Jessi Jean (@jessijean) just launched a Yap Challenge that brought in over $1.2 million, organically, with over 4,000 students buying into a course priced just under $300. And the internet had feelings about it. I’m not here to add to the noise. I’m here to talk about what it actually means for the rest of us, specifically the founders and creators who watched that and thought “okay but could I do something like that?” The short answer is yes. But not necessarily by copying her playbook. In this episode I’m breaking down what yapping actually is as a business strategy, why it’s bigger than just talking on camera, and how to figure out what your own version of it looks like. Because if you’re someone who lights up in writing, or in long LinkedIn articles, or in voice notes, or in Substack posts about sandcastles, that counts. That’s your yap style and it’s worth building on. I also talk about how I’ve been using long-form writing on LinkedIn to connect with integrative medicine clinic founders, and why I see all of it as top of funnel even when I haven’t figured out how to directly monetize every piece of it yet. This is a shorter one but it’s one I really wanted to get out while the moment was still hot. What Jessi Jean pulled off is remarkable and I think more of us should be paying attention to the right lessons from it. If you’re not subscribed yet, come find us at themaxwellmethod.substack.com Ready to build a brand that actually sells? Book a call at www.themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk Action steps: finding your yap style 01 Figure out where you already yap. Do you write long texts? Send voice notes? Fill journals? Post long captions? That’s your natural format. Start there, not with what’s trending. 02 Know the formats available to you. On-camera is one option. Long-form writing on LinkedIn or Substack is another. Podcasting is another. Yapping is the content, the format is your choice. 03 Start before you’re ready. Order the mic, get the ring light, and record something just for yourself. You don’t have to post it. The point is to get comfortable enough to find out if camera is actually your thing or not. 04 Think of it as top of funnel first. You don’t need to know how to monetize your yapping right now. Consistency builds trust, trust builds an audience, an audience is where every offer eventually sells. 05 Don’t copy the playbook, extract the principle. Jessi Jean proved that unfiltered, unpolished, consistent content can convert at scale. The principle is authenticity plus volume plus an offer. Apply that to your own style. Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. Connect Follow Natasha on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Substack Work with Natasha: www.themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

5 min
Jun 1

Stop Job Searching Alone: The Consulting Collective Model That Changes Everything

Show notes What if the answer to surviving this job market wasn’t to search harder, but to stop going at it solo? This week I’m diving into a concept that has been showing up in my algorithm on repeat and honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it: the consulting collective. I first came across the term in a reel by Janel Abraham (@janelabrahami) and it immediately clicked for me in a big way. A consulting collective is a small, intentional group, ideally two to three people max, where each person brings a distinct skill set to the table. Together you market and sell your services as a package to clients or companies. It’s not a partnership in the traditional sense. It’s more like a built-in force multiplier, where everyone does what they’re actually best at and no one person has to carry the whole thing. I’m already doing a version of this with a partner focused on integrated medical clinic marketing. We have two doctors on our roster and we’ve divided the work exactly where our strengths are: I handle the website and the brand aesthetic, she handles the systems, the logistics, and the automation side. Two people, two skill sets, one clean offer. In this episode I walk through: What a consulting collective actually is and why the two-to-three person max rule matters How to think about skill set division so you’re doubling down on what you’re best at, not just splitting tasks The passive income angle, including how my partner and I are building self-paced workshop resources for doctors so we’re not trading time for every dollar How to use LinkedIn to find the right collective partners, not just clients Why this model is worth seriously considering if you’re mid-career, in between roles, or tired of building alone This isn’t about being everything to everyone. It’s about pairing up with the right people so that together you can offer something more valuable than either of you could alone. If this landed for you, I’d love to know. Come find me and let’s keep the conversation going: LinkedIn: Natasha Maxwell Instagram: @themaxwellmethod Substack: themaxwellmethod.substack.com Ready to talk about your brand? Book a call with me at www.themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

8 min
May 20

Why I'm Doubling Down on LinkedIn After 12 Years on Instagram

After 12 years of building my personal brand on Instagram, I made a decision that surprised even me. I’m doubling down on LinkedIn. Not abandoning Instagram. But getting really honest about where the people I actually want to work with are spending their time... and what they’re looking for when they get there. This episode is about the shift. I share what finally moved the needle for me, starting with a video from LinkedIn strategist Kasey Brown featuring a founder who spent three years on Instagram and converted one client, then moved to LinkedIn and brought in close to $400K in her first year. I’ll be real, that hit different. I also talk about why the market I’m going after right now, integrative medicine clinics and high-level physicians, just isn’t reachable the same way on Instagram. These are people who show up on LinkedIn with intention. They’re there to grow their practices, build connections, and find the people who can actually help them do that. And then I get into what I’ve actually been doing. Posting every single day on LinkedIn. Sharing the three times I was laid off over the last 20 years. Talking about how a career that looks like a zigzag from the outside actually makes complete sense when you see the full picture. Building the know, like, and trust factor with the people who matter most right now. I also share where Threads fits into all of this, why Instagram stays as my curated portfolio of real life, and what it feels like to finally put on the founder cap instead of the creator cap. If you’re a founder trying to figure out where to put your energy... this one’s for you. 🔗 Kasey Brown video mentioned: _ Work with me: www.themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

6 min
May 4

The Loneliest Part of Being a Founder Isn't What You Think

Hi Founder Fam, I’m recording this one from Lisbon. I just got in yesterday after eight weeks in Madrid, and I want to be honest with you about something that’s been sitting with me. The past three months have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve been a founder for six years, but only recently have I actually started thinking of myself as one. And as I keep building this business from international cities, I’ve been sitting with how often I feel misunderstood. Not by strangers. By the people who love me the most. That’s the part that surprised me. In this episode I’m getting into: * The Madrid sublet scramble that ended my eight weeks there, and the visa context behind why I’m not signing a long-term lease yet * The “vagabond” comment from my mom that sat with me, and why I didn’t get triggered by it but also didn’t ignore it * Why my dad’s reaction was completely different, and what reference points have to do with how the people closest to us interpret our choices * The difference between family love and family understanding, and why the absence of one doesn’t mean the absence of the other * Why I’ve been committing to two and three month windows in cities like Lima and Madrid before deciding anything long-term * The bigger takeaway I keep coming back to about why community isn’t a nice-to-have when you’re building something non-traditional. It’s mental health infrastructure. If you’re a founder building something the people closest to you can’t quite picture, this one is for you. Long-form written version of this episode coming later in the week. 🖤 If anything in this episode resonated and you want to talk through what you’re building, I offer Single Strategy Sessions designed for exactly that. You can book one here: www.themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk 🎧 Also on Apple Podcasts | 🎥 Watch on YouTube Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

9 min
Apr 27

How to find the one thing that pulls you out of spin-out

A short follow-up to last week’s deep dive on nervous system regulation. After six weeks of nonstop build mode in Madrid, I got invited to Denia Beach (in the region of Alicante) and the second I sat in front of the water, I remembered: this is the tool. The ocean isn’t just something I love. It’s the thing that pulls me out of spin-out and into presence faster than anything else. This episode is a challenge: figure out yours. In this episode: * Why six weeks of “go, go, go” mode made the ocean feel like a revelation, not a routine * The difference between something you enjoy and something that actually regulates your nervous system * Why proximity isn’t the point (I lived 10 minutes from the ocean in LA and rarely went) * How sound can be a backdoor to your tool when you can’t physically get there * Journal prompts to help you identify your own anchor 5 journal prompts to find your tool: * Where am I when I feel the most like myself; not performing, not producing, just being? * What activity or place makes me lose track of time in a good way? * When was the last time I noticed my breath naturally slow down without trying? * What did I love as a kid that I’ve quietly stopped making space for? * After spending time with what (or whom), do I feel most regulated for days afterward? A few tips once you’ve identified yours: * Don’t wait until you’re depleted to use it. Most of us only reach for our tool after we’ve already spun out. Build in proactive access, even small doses, before the breaking point. * Find the backdoor version. You won’t always have access to the real thing. If yours is the ocean, save a wave-sounds playlist. If it’s a forest, keep a window seat with a tree view. The sensory shortcut is 70% as effective as the real thing and infinitely more available. * Stop confusing “things you like” with “things that regulate you.” A glass of wine, a scroll session, a shopping cart. Those are dopamine hits, not regulation. Your real tool leaves you calmer for days, not minutes. * Proximity isn’t the point. Intention is. I lived 10 minutes from the Pacific for 15 years and rarely went. You can be next door to the answer and still ignore it. Schedule it like a meeting. * Notice what makes you forget your phone. That’s usually the tool. If you naturally stop reaching for the scroll, your nervous system is already doing the work. Connect with me: * Instagram: @themaxwellmethod * Website: www.themaxwellmethod.com * Work with me: www.themaxwellmethod.com/lets-talk Get full access to Natasha Maxwell at themaxwellmethod.substack.com/subscribe

5 min

Founder, Unfiltered is a reflective podcast for women building businesses — and building themselves at the same time. Each episode shares real-time perspective on identity, self-trust, and the emotional reality of the messy middle. themaxwellmethod.substack.com

Creator

Natasha Maxwell
Years Active

2K
Episodes

21
Rating

Clean
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© Natasha Maxwell
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Founder, Unfiltered