Jenny Blake
363: 🌈 Taking a Quiet Sabbatical and ...

As I round the corner into this ninth year of podcasting, after over 700 episodes today, I’m announcing a pause for both shows.

Listen in to hear what factors helped me reach this decision across time, money, energy, depressing industry articles, the pace of both shows’ growth, and mix of additional business factors that make this an important moment to pause and regroup. You might also appreciate the even deeper dive with my longtime friend (and first coach) Adrian Klaphaak in Pivot episode 360: 📦 Unpacking a Big Business Decision and Dissolving Related Doubts.

Jenny Blake
362: Setting Creative Intentions Instead of ...

“Expectations are the enemy to the creative process. Sometimes you have to let go of the known to see the unknown.”

Today I’m speaking with James McCrae, an author, poet, and meme artist based in Austin, Texas. He is the founder of 🌻 Sunflower Club, a global school and community dedicated to conscious creativity.

Jenny Blake
361: On Decision Engineering and Evaluating ...

Good decision-making is not about omniscience or clairvoyance—it's more about resilience, according to today’s guest, decision engineer Michelle Florendo. “Decision-making is harder than ever before, and it's not your fault,” Michelle says. “People feel like they ‘should just know’ how to decide.”

Today we’re talking about a framework more helpful than pro-con lists, tuning into your head, heart and gut; why the quality of your decision is not equal to the outcome—did good or bad things happen; keeping a decision journal to evaluate the quality of your decisions regardless of the outcome; and how to drop the guilt of “bad” past outcomes.

Jenny Blake
360: 📦 Unpacking a Big Business Decision ...

What happens when you make a big decision but still have lingering doubt, fear, and even despair? How do you know when a “download” from the universe is worth following, and what does test-driving a decision look like? What happens on the other side or when a pivot is taking far longer than planned?

We’re unpacking all these topics in today’s twelfth and final (for now) conversation for the Pivot x Career Pathfinder series with Adrian Klaphaak.

Jenny Blake
359: “You can’t give what you don’t have” — ...

“You can’t give what you don’t have.” That’s just one of the powerful lessons that Nataly Kogan learned the hard way seven years ago, after suffering a debilitating phase of burnout. As a former refugee from the former Soviet Union, she began her American journey in the projects and on welfare, then going on to build an impressive career as a finance and tech executive and serial entrepreneur over the next 25 years. Until she crashed at thirty-eight years old and needed to find a new way of moving forward.

As part of her healing process, Nataly began to paint when she was 40 by signing up for a painting retreat in Tuscony (that turned out to be for semi-professional watercolorists), and now her paintings are on the cover of her books—front and center as part of her bold self-expression.

Behind the Book

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260: Everyday Rituals and the 'Sparkling of the Sacred' with Casper ter Kuile

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260: Everyday Rituals and the 'Sparkling of the Sacred' with Casper ter Kuile

Casper ter Kuile is helping to build a world of joyful belonging. He is the author of The Power of Ritual and the co-host of the award-winning podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Casper is a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and the co-founder of startup Sacred Design Lab - a research and design consultancy working to create a culture of belonging and becoming. He also co-authored “How We Gather” and collaborated with Holstee on his new Ritual Life Planner.

❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to say thank you is leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call:

💸 Enroll in the complimentary Free-up Founder Time mini-course before the price goes up

❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny

💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter

💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey

🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes

🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts

📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned

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258: Big Things Brewing + the Power of Tiny Sprints

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258: Big Things Brewing + the Power of Tiny Sprints

Hi Friends! I’m back with another “staycation” solo episode on what I’ve been up to. It’s a quick take on systems to support seasons of retreat for creativity and rest, my favorite books of the year so far, and a peek into my forthcoming projects.

Key questions:

📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Wintering, Who Not How, Clockwork, The Power of Full Engagement

💸 Enroll in the complimentary Free-up Founder Time mini-course before the price goes up

❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny

💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter

💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey

🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes

🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts

📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned

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254: The Practice—On Generosity, Peculiarity, and Showing Up with Seth Godin

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254: The Practice—On Generosity, Peculiarity, and Showing Up with Seth Godin

"The marketing-industrial complex has been on a tear for a hundred years to make almost everyone feel inadequate, because it's the single best way to sell you something. If that game isn't giving you joy, don't play that game.”

My next guest needs no introduction — though he deserves one nonetheless! Seth Godin is an inventor, thought-leader, contrarian, mentor, mensch, and an ongoing inspiration to so many of us. He is the author of 19 bestselling books, and this week we are celebrating his latest! The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, one that inspired me to get back on the mic after a two-month hiatus, to record this interview in early September.

Listen in as we celebrate our (almost) ten-year friendiversary and discuss a range of topics for those in the business of playing with ideas: shipping creative work even when tired, generosity and building with word-of-mouth in mind, choosing which information “rooms” to hang out in online, Tik Tok and social media tourism, and speaking to (and selecting for) the yearning of the people you seek to serve.

Although I’m at my awkward finest when interviewing my biggest heroes, Seth chief among them, I hope you enjoy this conversation on all things leadership and creativity :)

Links Mentioned:

❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider

💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist

💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076

📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/254

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250: Staycation in the City

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250: Staycation in the City

Solo episode on a sanity-saving strategy for #2020 on the perks (and quirks!) of staycationing in the city you live in . . . especially when hotel rates are at record lows :) Pardon the mic noises — it’s a travel mic and therefore part of my #PerfectlyImperfect audio that gets the episode out at all.

Key questions: What makes your soul sing? What is most important to your spirit? Remember, Radical Reimagining means everything is up for grabs.

HotelTonight: Use my code JBLAKE9 to get up to $50 back after your first HotelTonight booking.

Heart-Based Business Owners: Join us in the private Momentum Community

❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insider

📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/staycation

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245: Radical Reimagining (and Recovery)—Everything is Up For Grabs

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245: Radical Reimagining (and Recovery)—Everything is Up For Grabs

Peeking out from another plateau with my first solo episode since June 19’s 5 Reorienting Inquiries for Revolutionary Times. It’s been a rough ride on the #CoronaCoaster these last few months — even with so much to be thankful for. I’m grateful for our physical health (knock on wood), but mental health has been another story! This episode is a bit of a rambler; more for longtime listeners looking for an update (and perhaps something to relate to). Even if there aren’t clear templates or takeaways, I invite you to ponder on my summer theme: Radical Reimagining—everything is up for grabs.

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237: 16+ Software Tools Behind the Pivot Podcast

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237: 16+ Software Tools Behind the Pivot Podcast

Software geeks, rejoice! In today’s show I’m sharing every tool I use to produce the Pivot Podcast. This episode builds on 233: Stepping up Systems—How I Shifted to Daily Podcasting (across five key areas: mindset, motivation, systems, skills, and software).

Both are in preparation (and to give you a head-start) for my upcoming LIVE (He)art of Podcasting masterclass! I have the ambitious goal of taking you from zero to show, because the world needs your voice, and we need it now.

I’m facilitating a 3-hour workshop on June 25 where you can ask me anything, get my best templates for visioning, interview prep, and post-production, and request walkthroughs of the most confusing aspects of podcasting and systems. Learn more at http://pivotmethod.com/heart »

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/237 and the full Pivot podcast archive at http://pivotmethod.com/podcastarchive »

I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey and submit a question for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

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228: How I Run My Business Without Social Media

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228: How I Run My Business Without Social Media

If social media drains you, yet continues to dangle itself as a “sexy should,” this episode is for you. I share my own process—mindset shifts and business focuses—that allow me to keep moving, even without platform-building or posting on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Tik Tok.

From a business perspective, social media is a means to two primary ends: social connections and media (consuming and contributing). I share how I work toward both of those in ways that energize me, even without directing my attention toward the platforms above.

This episode ties in to topics covered in 142: Creative Economy Lessons from “The Great Race to Rule Streaming TV” and episode 219: Swimming Upstream—A tale of two platforms.

Subscribe to my weekly(ish) curated PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist »
I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/228

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223: Stepping up Systems—How I Shifted to Daily Podcasting

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223: Stepping up Systems—How I Shifted to Daily Podcasting

Today I’m peeling the curtain back on the shifts I’ve made to move from weekly to daily podcast publishing during the pandemic across five key areas: mindset, motivation, systems, skills, and software.

Interested in learning more? Join me LIVE for a much-requested update on my (He)art of Podcasting course!

I’m facilitating a 3-hour masterclass on June 25 where you can ask me anything, get my best templates for visioning, interview prep, and post-production, and request walkthroughs of the most confusing aspects of podcasting and systems. Learn more at http://pivotmethod.com/heart »

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/223 and the full Pivot podcast archive at http://pivotmethod.com/podcastarchive »

I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

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209: On Seinfeld, Sensitivity, and Trend Spotting

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209: On Seinfeld, Sensitivity, and Trend Spotting

This riff is inspired by the synchronous confluence of two things: re-reading a note to self on “sensitivity as a tool for trend spotting” and a recent NYT interview with Jerry Seinfeld (who I also highlight in the chapter on pilots in Pivot), Jerry Seinfeld Is Making Peace With Nothing: He’s ‘Post-Show Business.’

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://www.pivotmethod.com/209

I’d love your help tipping Pivot over the 200 reviews milestone! If you’ve read the book, please share your honest thoughts at http://www.bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

What’s on your mind? Take the Pivot listener survey at http://www.pivotmethod.com/survey and/or submit a question at http://www.pivotmethod.com/ask

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208: Your Book and Big Idea (Part 2)

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208: Your Book and Big Idea (Part 2)

Part two of my recent Momentum Masterclass on Your Book & Big Idea (recorded 3/3/20). Whether you’re creating a course, a speech, or a book learn how to map the transformation you’re trying to create, and the difference between different stages such as harvesting, thinking, outlining, writing, editing, and launching. As Richard Bach says, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

Listen to part one at http://pivotmethod.com/207

I’d love your help tipping Pivot over the 200 reviews milestone! If you’ve read the book, please share your honest thoughts at http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

To dive deeper into these topics: join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum or take the week-long course, He(art) of Book Publishing. Be sure to also check out the free Author Toolkit (the tools and templates that were most helpful for writing, editing, and marketing Pivot).

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/207

What’s on your mind? Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

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207: How to Develop Your Book and Big Idea (Part 1)

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207: How to Develop Your Book and Big Idea (Part 1)

In this replay of a Momentum Masterclass on Your Book & Big Idea (recorded 3/3/20), I’m walking you through how to hone in on a powerful, resonant message that will connect with and help you build your ideal community, as well as next steps to getting it out into the world.

As one of my earliest book mentors Michael Larsen said to me, "It's not a question of if you'll get published, but when and how."

I’d love your help tipping Pivot over the 200 reviews milestone! If you’ve read the book, please share your honest thoughts at http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

To dive deeper into these topics: join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum or take the week-long course, He(art) of Book Publishing. Be sure to also check out the free Author Toolkit (the tools and templates that were most helpful for writing, editing, and marketing Pivot).

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/207

What’s on your mind? Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

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201: Strengthen Your Systems (for Solopreneurs)

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201: Strengthen Your Systems (for Solopreneurs)

Do your systems spark joy, or are they cluttering your mind and creating bottlenecks in your business?

Are you telling yourself unhelpful stories like, “I’m not good at technology?” If so, or even if you love systems (like me!) and want to improve your systems-thinking mindset and muscles even further, this episode is for you.

This episode is excerpted from a 90-minute lesson within the Pivot to Profit bonus course in Momentum ($997 value). To access the video version with detailed walk-throughs of how I use apps like TextExpander, Asana, Google Drive, Dropbox, Kajabi, etc — join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum.

The investment is just $220 per month (you can cancel at any time), and you’ll get access to the entire Pivot to Profit course, along with 5+ years of archives and a private Facebook group with heart-based business owners.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/201

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197: Should You Start a Podcast? "It's A Love Game" — Interview by Petra Kolber

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197: Should You Start a Podcast? "It's A Love Game" — Interview by Petra Kolber

Is the market too saturated? Have people stopped listening to podcasts given that they no longer have a commute? Is it worth all the effort? How do you know if you have something meaningful to say?

Building on yesterday’s Listener Q&A around Agile Public Original Thinking, I’m sharing the interview from Petra Kolber’s recent Re-Imagine summit on the pros and cons of podcasting.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/197

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🦠 184: Reinventing You + Pivoting in the Crisis with Dorie Clark {LinkedIn Live Replay}

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🦠 184: Reinventing You + Pivoting in the Crisis with Dorie Clark {LinkedIn Live Replay}

(Recorded 4/9/20) Join me and business bestie Dorie Clark as we discuss how we’re reinventing and navigating our way through the unknowns of this crisis on a day-by-day basis.

In our recent LinkedIn Live session we covered a range of topics including: When is it time to pause, and when is it time to double-down? How can we create offerings during this time in a way that is sensitive and respectful, not salesy? What about those who are furloughed and feeling in a state of limbo?

If you haven't already, listen to our previous episodes together on how to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following, How to Monetize Your Ideas, and Creating Multiple Streams of Income. Check out Dorie's Recognized Expert Evaluation Toolkit and her Entrepreneur Self-Assessment, which we mention in this episode.

Get full show notes and links from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/184 »

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🦠177: Pivot Method as 4-Stage Coaching Framework [Workshop Replay]

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🦠177: Pivot Method as 4-Stage Coaching Framework [Workshop Replay]

How do we help others navigate change, particularly during moments of crisis?

In this episode, I’m including a replay from another recent workshop I delivered on March 25: Pivot for Managers, Mentors, and Coaches. This mirrors the keynote I give within organizations around helping managers and coaches improve their career conversation capabilities, but I have shifted (ahem—pivoted) the content to more directly address what we’re all going through now.

Listen for strategies and reflection questions on how to apply the Pivot Method as a coaching tool, even just to help others envision one day, one week, or one month from now. To watch the video version of this session, with slides, visit http://pivotmethod.com/watch.

Submit follow-up questions or audio notes for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/177

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🦠176: Daily Pivots—Map What's Next [Workshop Replay]

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🦠176: Daily Pivots—Map What's Next [Workshop Replay]

How do we map what’s next when the ground underneath us shifts on a daily, if not hourly, basis? How do we navigate change when change is accelerating so quickly?

In this episode, I’m including a replay from the recent Map What’s Next workshop I ran for individuals. This mirrors the keynote I give within organizations and my annual “Set Your Strategy” podcast episode, but I have shifted (ahem—pivoted) the content to more directly address what we’re all going through now.

Listen for strategies and reflection questions on how to adapt the Pivot Method to envisioning even just one day, one week, or one month from now. To watch the video version of this session, with slides, visit http://pivotmethod.com/watch.

Submit follow-up questions or audio notes for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/176

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164: Fix This Next (And Stop Keeping Up With The Entrepre-Joneses) with Mike Michalowicz

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164: Fix This Next (And Stop Keeping Up With The Entrepre-Joneses) with Mike Michalowicz

I’m elated to bring you another one of my favorite friendtors, Mike Michaelowicz. He’s the author of several books that have dramatically improved my business: Profit First, Clockwork, and now this week we’re talking about his latest upcoming release, Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change that Will Level Up Your Business.

Mike was last on the show in episode 37, Surge: How to Spot and Ride Trend Waves.

This is also our second round of the live Pivot Podcast + Momentum Book Club, so you’ll hear a few Mo’ members ask questions at the end.

Reminder that doors for this round of Momentum enrollment close today! Join us here »

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/161.

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🦠 160: 11 Ways to Maintain Momentum for Solopreneurs

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🦠 160: 11 Ways to Maintain Momentum for Solopreneurs

“Don’t buy in to the fear / media hype” is something I’ve heard more than once this week. No matter how calm you are staying (or not) there is no doubt our lives are already significantly impacted by the spread and precautions around coronavirus, far beyond fear itself.

I feel an urgency to keep this conversation going, with real-time content that addresses what’s going on around us, particularly at the intersection of mind, body, and business (my website mission in 2013-2014 before I started this podcast).

Acting like nothing is happening and it’s all just “business as usual” strikes me as out of touch, and certainly not Truth While It’s Fresh (a JBE team value). It’s not business as usual for any of us, and I don’t have to tell you that. There are very real impacts we are all navigating daily.

For that reason, I have scrapped or postponed several already-scheduled episodes, and am going to release podcasts more frequently for this series, Pivoting Around a Pandemic.

This is something unique in most of our lives — the shuttering of broadway, sports, schools, businesses, — not to mention travel bans, self-quarantine, and the very real possibility our family members or we could get sick before year’s end. This episode is for solopreneurs, but I’ll be doing a range that speak to entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and parents throughout the series.

In odd, but maybe perfect timing for some of you, Momentum doors are opening this week (3/17 - 3/20) — which partly inspired the theme for today’s episode. I debated postponing the launch (one we’ve planned around since the end of 2019) but with all that’s going on, now is the time small businesses need community, smart systems, and support more than ever to weather this storm.

Listen toward the end of the episode for bonuses just for podcast listeners, and there’s a free workshop coming up on Tuesday March 17 on 10 Scalable Streams of Solopreneur Income to learn more. Register to join us here »

For full show notes from this episode, visit http://pivotmethod.com/160

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150: Pivot Insider Preview—Jenny's Favorite Things & Strategic Coach's "80% Approach"

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150: Pivot Insider Preview—Jenny's Favorite Things & Strategic Coach's "80% Approach"

This week’s episode is a special behind-the-scenes preview from my live monthly Pivot Insider community Q&A call. In our December call (last one of the decade!) I shared my favorite things Oprah-style, why I launch everything in an “imperfect,” incomplete state, my go-to workouts from home, and questions submitted from the group on side hustles and staying motivated.

Enjoy more intimate conversations like this one? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider at just $8/mo and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call on Zoom in real-time, and the chance to submit questions in advance even when you can’t make it live.

You’ll also get instant access to over six months of archives and special bonuses, including the two-hour Upgrade Your Energy workshop.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/150 »

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138: How Can You Earn Twice as Much in Half the Time with Joy and Ease? Momentum Doors Open!

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138: How Can You Earn Twice as Much in Half the Time with Joy and Ease? Momentum Doors Open!

If you are a heart-based business owner, and you want to learn how to earn twice as in half the time, with ease and joy while serving the highest good, then I invite you to join us as an official Momentum Member! Visit http://PivotMethod.com/Momentum to learn more about my private community for side-hustlers and solopreneurs, and how we can support you with systems and strategies to build your ideal six- (or seven!) figure business in 2020 and beyond.