Ep.87 Creating Content Without Self-Sabotage: Two Practices to Get Comfortable on Camera

Host Ivana Ivanek explains how turning on the front camera can heighten self-awareness and trigger insecurities that lead to self-sabotage and inconsistency in social media content while building a personal brand. She shares two solutions: a quick, on-the-spot practice and a long-term self-love practice. Gran your favourite note taking device and get inspired.

Host Ivana Ivanek argues that personal branding is essential for small business owners who want to succeed in the future, because people choose who they feel aligned with even when products, prices, and reviews are the same. She addresses common concerns about social media and explains that consistency is simple but difficult because it requires showing up on hard days. From Curaçao, she shares how a long-time volunteer known as “Kunukuman” built a trusted brand over 20–25 years of weekly island cleanups; a well-funded couple then launched a large recycling initiative under his name, allowing the project to gain traction quickly. Ivana concludes that personal brands create belonging, trust, and flexibility to pivot offers, and she promotes her Magnetic Influence Accelerator group program for building visibility and a personal brand strategy beyond trends and constant posting. Gran your note taking device and get inspired!

Ivana Ivanek interviews speaking mentor Tricia Brouk about building thought leadership and a personal brand through public speaking. Tricia shares her journey from a global dance career to training leaders to amplify their voice and create legacy, explaining that stage fear never fully goes away—you learn to coexist with it by making the talk about serving the audience. They discuss how speaking boosts credibility, acts as advertising for your offers, and can generate significant ROI beyond speaker fees. Tricia advises starting public speaking now, vetting speaker coaches, and mastering delivery rather than winging it. She also explains why she wrote The Influential Voice and Being Smart Is Stupid, emphasizing wise leadership grounded in Buddha nature. Grab your favourite note taking device and get inspired!

Host Ivana Ivanek discusses how new, bigger goals often feel “impossible,” especially around consistent content creation and personal branding, and argues that action—not overthinking—compounds results. She shares her own journey of believing it was impossible to live by the ocean, delaying for 10 years, then committing to opportunities that led her from Greece to Southeast Asia to living in Curaçao, while acknowledging imperfect realities like bureaucracy, fatigue, and shifting priorities. Ivana reframes consistency as something that must be redefined with changing identities and circumstances, like adjusting an exercise routine from her athlete days to now. Grab your favourite note-taking device and get inspired.

In this episode, Ivana Ivanek connects with leadership expert Navid Nazemian to unpack what really happens when high performers step into leadership roles. Drawing from decades inside global companies like Adidas, GE, and Vodafone, Navid reveals why even the most capable leaders struggle when the stakes rise—and what’s missing in how we prepare them. Together, they explore the inner and outer game of leadership, the six qualities that define extraordinary leaders today, and why burnout is more common at the top than we think. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone growing a business, building a personal brand, or stepping into bigger responsibility. Grab your favourite note taking device and enjoy the listen.

In this episode, Ivana Ivanek shares a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at her recent move to Curaçao and the deeper lessons it revealed about business, identity, and personal branding. She breaks down why personal branding is no longer optional in today’s saturated market and why most people aren’t held back by strategy, but by fear, self-judgment, and identity blocks. If you’ve been struggling to show up online, feel “weird” on camera, or worry about what people think, this episode will help you understand what’s really holding you back and how to move through it. Grab your favourite note taking device and get inspired.

Host Ivana Ivanek welcomes Robin J. Emdon to the Online Business by Design podcast to unpack chronic procrastination and how it quietly blocks progress, growth, and energy, especially for entrepreneurs building an online business and personal brand. Robin shares how he recognized his own long-term procrastination after taking 10 years to finish a part-time degree, then connected it to costs across health, finances, relationships, and career. He explains procrastination as an “inside job,” driven by survival wiring (limbic system) overriding rational planning (prefrontal cortex), and describes three “ingredients” for productivity. They discuss practical momentum-building through understanding energy patterns, using a toolbox of strategies, and relying on external accountability—particularly for solopreneurs without a boss—to stay consistent on long-term projects and a personal life vision. Grab your favourite note taking device and get inspired.

Host Ivana Ivanek welcomes hypnotherapist and Magic and Miracles podcast founder Jennifer Schlueter to discuss traveling while building an online business, staying grounded, and doubling down on full potential. Jennifer shares her path from a small town in Germany to studying and working in the US, feeling inspired by the “anything is possible” mindset, and deciding after a hypnosis session to quit her job and travel. She explains hypnotherapy as a relaxed state that helps access and release unhelpful patterns and fear, making decisions feel clearer. The conversation covers handling parental and societal judgment, reducing comparison by limiting social media and focusing on people you serve, and practical burnout prevention.

Host Ivana Ivanek debugs social media myths by explaining what engagement is, why it matters, and best practices to improve it. She shares a personal story about moving from Barcelona to Austria and deciding to return to the Caribbean, emphasizing taking responsibility for decisions despite others’ judgment. Using a client example, she explains how focusing only on lead generation can create a large follower count but near-zero engagement, which undermines trust for potential clients, collaborators, podcast hosts, and speaking opportunities. Grab your favourite note taking device and get inspired.

Podcast host Ivana Ivanek interviews Australia-based marketer Mariah McInnes about content marketing, what makes good content, and how to tell better stories while building a personal brand online. Mariah shares her path from corporate marketing to freelancing and digital nomad life, including quitting her job during COVID, a major surgery after discovering rare neuroendocrine cancer, and how recovery led her to meet her partner, who now complements her business skills. They discuss living and working from a car and then a bus, resilience through business setbacks, and Mariah’s practical storytelling approach: align content to a sales goal and content strategy, build a story bank, and use a simple framework, while focusing on connection over vanity metrics. Grab your favourite note-taking device and get inspired.