The Self Made Life Podcast

Ashley Wyatt
  • 3.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Entrepreneurship comes with a lot of ups and downs. I‘m here to share my journey of pivoting, running and scaling a successful creative business from the ground up. I‘ll also share inspiring stories from my branding clients in different industries, and of course share my favourite tips of everything branding, productivity and mindset to leave you feeling inspired and not alone on this rollercoaster of a journey that entrepreneurship can be.

  1. Jul 28

    EP 93: SEO Isn't a One and Done. Here's What Actually Gets You Found on Google in 2026

    You did the SEO audit. You filled in the meta descriptions. You felt good about it. And then not much changed. I want to clear up the biggest misconception about SEO today, because I think it's why so many service providers put in the work and feel like nothing happened. We talk about: The two layers of SEO, foundational and ongoing, and why most people stop at the first one Why Google trusts the business that's actively showing up over the one with a beautiful, untouched website What AI search means for your content strategy right now Whether blogging still works (spoiler: it's not dead, it's the long game) The four things that actually make SEO content work The simplest way to start if you've been avoiding this 🎧 Listen, send this to the business owner friend who keeps saying they'll start blogging and never does, and come find me on Instagram @monarchdesignco or online at www.themonarchdesign.co . Ready to get your website actually working for you?

  2. Jul 21

    EP 92: From Accidental Business to Booked-Out Shopify Studio with Heidi Ewert from Endswell Studio

    I've known Heidi for years, long before either of us were running the businesses we actually have today. We met building handmade businesses, lost touch a little, and reconnected once we were both deep in the world of creative entrepreneurship. Since then we've collaborated in both directions: she's brought me in for branding, I've brought her in for Shopify development. Most recently we worked together on a project for Libs Elliott, where I built the brand and Heidi turned it into one of the most detailed websites she's ever created. Heidi's the founder of Endswell Studio, and her origin story is one of my favorites. She built one Shopify website for a friend, went to bed, and woke up to 22 requests to build more. She wasn't trying to start a business. She just said yes to the next thing, and then the next. In this episode, we get into: Why Heidi's "accidental" business start is actually a pretty common entrepreneurial story What she'd tell her younger self about trusting her gut over doing what's expected Why we've never once felt competitive with each other, even working in overlapping spaces How a website functions as a 24/7 team member for product-based businesses specifically — automations, customer forms, and hosted courses included Real, unfiltered conversation about parenting through business ownership, including built-in village support, flexible hours, and knowing your own limits Heidi's most underrated business investment (it's cheap, it's easy, and most people skip it) This one's for you if you've ever wondered whether working alongside someone in your industry means competing with them. Spoiler: it doesn't have to. 🎧 Find Heidi on Instagram @workswithendswell or at endswellstudio.com, and come hang out with me @monarchdesignco.

  3. Jul 14

    EP 91: 5 Signs You've Outgrown Your Brand, Even If It's Not Embarrassing You Yet

    That quiet feeling where your brand still "works," but you don't reach for it the way you used to? That's what this episode is about. I'm walking through five signs you've outgrown your brand, before it ever gets to the point of embarrassment. This is for service providers who are booked, respected, and doing great work, and still feel a strange friction they can't name. Inside this episode: The hesitation test: what it means when you pause before sending someone to your site Why mismatched touchpoints (Instagram, website, proposals, email) quietly cost you trust What happens when you raise your prices but your brand still reads like three years ago The difference between needing a refresh and needing a full rebrand My own experience stepping into more of myself after two babies and a postpartum fog Come find me on Instagram @monarchdesignco or over at themonarchdesign.co

  4. Jul 7

    EP 90: AI Won't Replace You. It'll Force You to Become More You with Kelsey Kerslake

    What if AI doesn't replace you, but forces you to become more you? That's the question at the center of this conversation with Kelsey Kerslake, CEO of The Align Business and creator of Sol, an AI coaching tool. Kelsey scaled a coaching business past seven figures, then had to step back from most of it after a rare immunodeficiency diagnosis. We talk about the grief of losing an identity built around a business, how she started using AI as a coach and emotional outlet during her hardest health season, and what it actually means to build something that doesn't rely on you having consistent energy every single day. Inside this episode: Using AI as a processing tool, not just a task manager The identity shift of stepping away from a business at its peak What Sol is, and how it's built differently than a general chatbot Why creative point of view becomes more valuable, not less, as AI advances Designing a business model around energy you don't always have 🎧 Listen now and find Kelsey on Instagram @kelseykerslake, or check out https://thealignedbusiness.com/become

  5. Jun 30

    EP 89: The Placeholder Brand & Why It's Keeping You Stuck

    You're good at what you do. You've been doing it long enough to prove it. But your calendar is full of the wrong people, and you keep saying yes because the alternative is scary. In this episode, I want to talk about something I see constantly with established service providers: the placeholder brand. The brand that got you here, that said "I'm a real business" just enough that people didn't think you were a scam. The one that's past its expiration date, but hasn't been replaced yet. I'm pulling from a real discovery call I had recently (with all the details changed, of course) to walk through exactly what this looks like, why it happens, and most importantly, what it actually takes to fix it. We talk about: What a placeholder brand is and how to know if you have one The gap between knowing who you're not for and being able to say who you are for Why a prettier website without strategy underneath it is just a prettier placeholder The order of operations that actually works: brand strategy → visual identity → website → SEO and content What SEO really means when it's built in properly (not just a box you check) The magic wand question I ask at the end of every discovery call — and what it reveals This episode is for you if you love your work most of the time, but that other 20% is slowly draining you. 🎧 Listen, share it with the friend whose website is also past its expiration date, and come find me on Instagram @monarchdesignco. Ready to figure out your next steps? Book a discovery call at themonarchdesign.co/contact and let's chat about whats possible

  6. Jun 23

    EP 88: You're Wasting Hours on Content That Isn't Working and Here's Why with Rebecca Stanisic

    You're not behind. You're just creating content without a clear direction and that's the thing that's burning you out. In this episode of the Self Made Life Podcast, I'm talking with content strategist Rebecca Stanisic about what it actually means to show up online with intention rather than just pressure. Rebecca has been in the content space since 2009 and has spent years helping small business owners cut through the noise, stop chasing vanity metrics, and build a content approach that works in real life not just on a good week. We get into the real mistakes that make content feel so exhausting (hint: you're probably creating way more than you need to), why long-form content like blogs and podcasts are anchor pieces that keep working long after you publish, and how to plan your content in a way that actually connects back to your goals. Rebecca also shares her 3-1-1 planning method — quarterly, monthly, weekly — and why knowing your messaging first makes everything else click. If you've been feeling stuck, scattered, or just over it when it comes to content, this episode will help you reset. Connect with Rebecca at rebeccastanisic.com or @bitofmomsense on Instagram — and book her free 20-minute call if you want to figure out your next content move.

  7. Jun 16

    EP 87: I Run a Business With Two Kids Under Two. Here's the Only System That's Actually Working.

    If you've ever felt like there's just not enough hours in the day—you're not behind. You're just building a business in a season that doesn't look like the highlight reel productivity gurus are selling. In this episode, I'm sharing the habit stacking system that's completely changed how I run Monarch Design Co. as a mom of two under two. No 5 a.m. wake-ups required. We talk about: What habit stacking actually is (and why it works better than trying to build brand-new routines from scratch) The brain dump method I use with AI to get out of my own head and create a realistic plan for the day Real examples from my actual life — nursing and meditating, car commutes, nap time CEO work, and evening resets Why your business has to support your life — not the other way around Three takeaways you can start using today, even if your pockets of time are tiny This one is for every business owner mom who's wondering how to keep the momentum going when the workday happens in 60–90 minute windows. 🎧 Listen, share with a friend who needs it, and tag me on Instagram @monarchdesignco so I can see you listening. And if your brand and website no longer reflect where your business is headed? That's exactly the work we do at Monarch Design Co. → themonarchdesign.co

  8. Jun 9

    EP 86: From Canva Logo to $25K Project: How a Rebrand Changed Everything with Shannon Littlehale of Make Space Organizing

    Shannon Littlehale built Make Space Organizing from a dream she'd been sitting on since college—and almost walked away from it entirely in 2023. After years of showing up with branding she knew didn't reflect her skill set, she made the decision to go all in. Weeks after her rebrand launched, she sent a $25,000 proposal to a client she'd never met — and got the deposit before she finished weeding her garden. In this episode, Shannon gets honest about the moment she nearly quit, how perfectionism and anxiety create executive dysfunction (and what she's doing about it), and why a slow Q1 turned into one of her most strategic quarters yet. We also talk about what it actually looks like to stop following the industry playbook and start building the business you actually want  including her expansion into commercial and small business spaces. If you're building intentionally and wondering when it's going to start feeling like it's working, this one's for you. 🔗 Book a call with Shannon — $99 for Self-Made Life listeners (reg. $150): makespacenj.com 📲 Follow along: @makespaceNJ Shannon went from a Canva logo she couldn't explain to booking a $25,000 project just weeks after her rebrand launched. That's what the right brand foundation can do. If you're ready for that kind of shift, I'd love to work with you. Visit themonarchdesign.co to book a discovery call.

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About

Entrepreneurship comes with a lot of ups and downs. I‘m here to share my journey of pivoting, running and scaling a successful creative business from the ground up. I‘ll also share inspiring stories from my branding clients in different industries, and of course share my favourite tips of everything branding, productivity and mindset to leave you feeling inspired and not alone on this rollercoaster of a journey that entrepreneurship can be.

Information

  • Creator
    Ashley Wyatt
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019 - 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Self Made Life Podcast