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PODCAST

The Speak Easy Podcast

Jen Estill and Karen Stefl — creative studio entrepreneurs, brand and video experts, boss ladies, moms

Hi. Jen Estill and Karen Stefl here. In The Speak Easy Podcast, we share years of expertise in marketing, branding, video production, strategy—not to mention management, employee development, mentoring, sales, creativity, maintaining life balance, managing money, and.. you get the idea. It takes a lot to keep a couple of creative studios thriving. We developed this podcast after years of "how do you..." boss lady conversations. It was clear that if we were both in such similar places with regard

business

All Episodes

00:32:52

112: Kelly Blake - Protecting Children and Their...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/12/08

School districts aren’t always the easiest things to manage, pandemics aside, but when you need to keep kids safe while ensuring their education the job gets even trickier. Fortunately for Waverly Community Schools, their superintendent is a seasoned educator and administrator. This week we sat down with Superintendent Kelly Blake who’s in her 34th year of educating. (33 of those years being spent in Waverly.) She talks about making game time decisions, getting students at-home internet access, and

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00:21:10

111: A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/11/19

Tis the season for gratitude, but, in fact, it’s healthier to practice grateful thinking all year long. When we think about what’s missing, rather than what’s present, we invite anxiety, frustration, and bundles of other negative emotions to flood our minds. Brains are like kindergarten classes: without some discipline, chaos will ensue and somebody is gonna end up in tears. A daily gratitude practice, however simple, can significantly improve your outlook. Everyone’s practice looks different,

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00:18:54

110: Telling the Truth — With Great Power Comes Great...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/11/09

If you read it on the internet it must be true, right? Um, no — we all know that's not the case by now. There is so much misinformation on the internet, it's gotten to the point that users must be savvy consumers of information. And as content creators and marketers, we have a responsibility to tell the truth in the creative we develop. Often, it can be so easy to nip and tuck the truth: taking words out of context, omitting facts to hide the full story, or generally bending the truth in your or

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00:23:43

109: Planning Your Next Year Like a Boss

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/10/26

Yeesh. 2021 is coming to a close. Another year down, but 2022 is gonna be a great one. How do we know this? Because we’re going to be prepared. Planning is the key to success, and it starts with articulating what is important to you — laying out your goals and setting markers for success. This goes for both business and personal growth. Join us this week as we discuss the key elements of planning, from risk-taking to spreadsheet-making to plain out failing. It’s all part of the process,

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00:17:12

108: Building a Brand, Running Retail, and...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/10/12

One of the principal tasks of starting a business is buying and developing a commercial space. Recently, Jen bought a new building for her marketing shop, Redhead, and an exciting new endeavor — Nelson Gallery. Redhead took the upstairs and Nelson lives below. Starting a new commercial project is never a cake walk, but when you factor in a global pandemic, well, it gets a tad more challenging. This episode we talk through the challenges faced and lessons learned from inventing, branding, and

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00:35:13

107: Linda Vail - Leading Through Crisis

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/09/29

Our guest this week couldn’t be more relevant. As COVID-19 cases continue to fill hospital beds around the country, Linda Vail, director of the Ingham County Health Department, joins us to discuss leading through the COVID-19 pandemic. As Ingham county residents, we’re quite thankful to have someone like Linda leading the fight against COVID-19 in our community. She’s been a public health officer for 15 years, worked in public health for four more, and previously worked as a biomedical researcher

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00:17:37

106: Women in Leadership - Where We Have the Edge

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/09/14

We know so many inspiring women leaders, and we can see the very qualities that make them effective. High emotional intelligence. Humility. Self-control. Vision. Though men and women alike can be great leaders with these qualities, women are more likely to exhibit them. That’s right. Join us as we discuss why this is, why women tend to start their own businesses, and what women leadership looks like in effect.

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00:20:32

105: Top 10 Things to Do When You Can’t Sleep at 3 in...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/09/01

Some days — no matter how much coffee you consume — it’s a struggle to keep your eyes open. But that same night, you crash hard just to find yourself wide awake at 3 am. Instead of spending emotional energy being frustrated, try to get something done. Catch up on a book, some work, the news, or the ever-fleeting task of cleaning your baseboards.

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00:18:04

104: Things That Make Us Cry — Crying is a...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/08/19

Crying is important. As babies, we’re not yet equipped with useful tools such as words, so crying is how we communicate our needs. And boy does it do the trick. Even as tweens, teens, and adults, crying remains a vital form of communication. Sad cries, ugly cries, tears of frustration, and tears of joy — they're all part of what makes us beautifully human. Crying even provides physical and emotional relief by releasing a nifty little endorphin called oxytocin. The more you know! Tune in as we

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00:30:36

103: The Value of Small Businesses and...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/08/03

We’re happy to be joined by Chief Strategy Officer Amanda Blondeau from Northern Initiatives — a nonprofit, Community Development Financial Institution. They work with businesses that can’t get access to traditional financing and provide them with coaching and support that small businesses don’t get from typical lenders. According to the Small Business Administration, 49% of people in Michigan work for a small business. Of course, the past 18 months have placed a great strain on businesses across

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00:20:35

102: Ego—When It Serves You and When You Stick It in...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/07/21

“Your ego is showing” is a phrase uttered when someone is getting a little too full of themselves. Or in other words, a little too egotistical. Ego, on the other hand, is simply your sense of self. Everyone has one and as long as we’re cognizant of it, we can use it to be inspirational leaders, collaborative team members, and overall good humans. The pretty side of ego is often overlooked, so join us as we go beyond the ills of swollen egos and how we can harness our own ego to capture big ideas

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00:20:03

101: I don't want your entitled kid to become my...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/07/07

As parents, the last thing we want to do is raise entitled people. The kind of people who never clean up after themselves and expect the red carpet to unfold everywhere they go. As employers, the last thing we want to do is work with entitled people. The kind of employees and clients that have a “me, me, me!” mindset. Most commonly, these types of people are the products of helicopter parents. Or lawnmower parents — a new term that Karen shares with us. Join us as we discuss how to deal with

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00:33:41

Our 100th Episode: Burning Questions

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/06/22

100 rapid fire questions for our 100th episode. We’re talking everything from mom jeans to aliens to weird food combinations. (Jen’s is really weird.) (Honestly, Karen’s is too.) To be fair, we do dabble in some industry-related questions and heavier topics, but mostly we learned a lot of new interesting things about each other — and ourselves. Thank you for listening to 100 episodes of our musings and making Speak Easy possible. Now make yourself a La Pina, enjoy our antics, and we’ll see you

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00:16:42

99: The One That Got Away

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/06/08

We all have one. That potential hire with a stunning resume and agreeable ethos. The one that you just need in your organization. Sometimes, it’s a client — a project or bid that your organization didn’t get. For whatever reason, it just doesn’t work out. Such is business. Whether they’re a potential hire or client, the one that got away can be more than just a faded photograph on your dresser. If you treat these situations right, they can provide valuable opportunities to introspect your

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00:20:03

98: From Cashiers and Counselors to Entrepreneurs:...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/05/25

Our first jobs humble us. They teach us humility and hard work and help us decide where we want to end up down the line. The lessons we learn from our first jobs are skills we still use to this day. So, what were our first jobs? This episode, we're delving into the past and chat about the first jobs we ever worked. From cashiers to camp counselors, we've done a lot of odd jobs between the two of us — and the lessons we've learned from them have taken us far. Take a moment to reflect on your past

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00:36:26

97: Building Strong Relationships In Business and...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/05/12

This week we're welcoming a friend, advocate, and fierce feminist to our show: Barb Byrum, Ingham County Clerk. Barb has worked as state representative for the 67th District and is now serving as the Ingham County Clerk. Barb is also a champion for advocacy, and officiated the first same-sex marriage in the state of Michigan While we’ve known Barb for years through our children all attending the same school, she's never ceased to amaze us with her hard work and dedication to social change, all

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00:07:45

Strategy Series 20: Creating Vs. Launching Your Brand

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/05/05

Creating a brand and launching a brand are exciting and important moments for your business. They present opportunities to elevate your work, change direction if necessary, and take new steps forward. But these monumental and transitional tasks require a strategic approach. What's the difference between new brand creation and the actual brand launch? How can we think outside the box when it comes to releasing our new brand to the public? Jen breaks down the difference between creating your brand

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00:17:27

96: Hiring Freelancers: When, Why, And How

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/04/27

Freelancers have become increasingly popular in the creative industry. Not only are clients relying on them more, but agencies also outsource to freelancers in order to offer additional services to contracted clients. Freelancers often offer a niche skill set for work that is completed on a limited timeline, while agencies have the capacity to take on larger scale projects and offer a broader range of services. But, when surveying which would be best for the task at hand, getting to know an agency

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00:08:12

Strategy Series 19: Edutainment – Creating...

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/04/20

From Sesame Street, to cooking videos on YouTube, or even the information you get from TikTok, educational entertainment is all around us. It's become a staple for educating people young and old, and is also a great way for organizations to get their own messages across. So, how can your brand or company's edutainment stand out in a sea of content? This Strategy Series, Karen discusses the ins and outs of edutainment. Using her own first-hand experience and videography knowledge, she breaks down

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00:17:37

95: Burnout and Boredom — How to Handle Feeling Blah

The Speak Easy Podcast ·

2021/04/13

The last year has been a case study in how fatigue and boredom have a ripple effect across every area of our lives: at work, at home, and with our families. Most of us have battled with both of these feelings, whether we were aware of it or not. The pandemic and work from home life brought with it a new kind of monotony, and after a year of being confined to a very limited number of safe activities, we are beginning to feel the effects of this past year more than ever. But where is the line between

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234 results

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