What If We Stopped Optimizing Everything? [SOLO Episode]

This week, we’re thinking about what happens when something in your life doesn’t feel right anymore, but you have no idea what comes next.I’m welcoming back one of my favourite guests (and someone I could genuinely talk to forever), Gloria Eid. Gloria is a life and leadership transition coach and change mentor based in Calgary, who works with people through the sacred, uncomfortable moments of life that ask us to let go of who we were and step into who we’re becoming.This conversation found me in my own in-between, and it’s one of those episodes where we both cried! Gloria shares the loss of her dad and how she carries sadness every day alongside joy. If you’re questioning what you want, or you feel somewhere between your old self and your next one, I really hope this makes you feel as sane as it made me feel.In this episode, we’re talking about:How Gloria defines a season of lifeBuilding the readiness to acknowledge that something has changed, and letting “what I know to be true right now” be enoughAsking “how is it a gift to not know?” and what the in-between can give us: curiosity, permission to play, and a chance to be presentAmbition withdrawal: the difference between burnout and simply outgrowing what you’ve been striving towardsWhy the career ladder is over, and the new metaphors we can use insteadWhy we can’t skip autumnGrieving the things we chose, from marriage to moving to success, and why grief and joy can sit side by sideSelf-trust when you don’t have evidence yetLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with GloriaGloria’s websiteInstagram: @gloria.unlimitedSubstack: Between Good and TrueLimited podcast series: Fully Divine, Fully HumanGloria’s book of poetry about grief, Waves: Poems on GriefWork with GloriaLinks from the episode:Gloria’s first Thinking About episode: How To Work Alongside Your Inner Critic To Create A Life Of Alignment With Gloria EidThis episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.Send us Fan Mail

This week, we’re thinking about what happens when something you worked really hard for stops feeling like yours.I’m joined by Monique Hutson, founder of Dom Productions, a six-figure content marketing agency specializing in corporate photography and video production. Since taking her business full-time in 2019, Monique has worked with brands like Intuit, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, and Skechers Canada, shot a national campaign that landed on billboards across the country, received a Rising Star Award from the Canadian Black Standard, and was named one of BMO’s celebrating women grant recipients.She also spent two years building The Stew, a Toronto creative studio, before making the hard decision to close it. Monique is so honest about what that was like: the grief, the embarrassment, going back into corporate while keeping Dom Productions going, and what it took to remember that she had personal goals before she had businesses.If you’re in a season of asking yourself what you actually want now, I think you’ll relate to this one.In this episode, we’re talking about:How Monique started thinking she’d be shooting music videos and destination weddingsUnlearning the idea that going back to a 9-5 means something didn’t workThe best advice she’s ever gotten: “don’t let anybody stop you from paying your bills”Buying a studio business off of vibes, realizing it was basically running an Airbnb, and closing it two years laterWhy it’s okay to change your mind, even if you change it again laterSeparating Monique the individual from Dom Productions Inc.Saying yes to a new corporate role because she wants to travel, buy a home and get a puppy (perfect goals, if you ask me!)Her definition of success: going to sleep at night knowing she tried her best and was herselfAI, creativity and “slop”Storytelling for small business ownersManifestation without the woo-wooLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with MoniqueDom Productions websiteDom Productions on InstagramMonique Hutson on LinkedInLinks from the episode:The Serviceberry by Robin Wall KimmererConfessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine SteffansBeyond the Blinds on InstagramWatch What CrappensSexy Unique Podcast on YouTubeMore Life with Carl RadkeThis episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.Send us Fan Mail

I did my own wedding makeup in Greece last year, which I admit is a bold choice for someone who wanted it to survive a million photos and one very hot day.And the only reason why I had the audacity to do that was that, before I left, I sat down with Chris. We went through my enormous makeup basket, and she taught me how to work with my own face, using mostly products I already had. Can you believe that for my wedding makeup, I only had to buy THREE new products?!?Chris has spent more than 19 years in the beauty industry, and after a stint in corporate, came back to what she truly loves, helping people feel like their most confident selves. She's multi-certified across skin therapy, brows, and makeup artistry, which means she sees the whole picture of a face rather than just one part of it.In this episode, we get into everything from what it really takes to do bridal makeup (sometimes waking up at 1:30am!!!) to why your skin isn't as bad as social media wants you to think.We even get philosophical because, yes, beauty is so much deeper than you’d think!In this episode, we’re talking about:What most people don't see about the bridal makeup industry"Good skin" has become an impossible, filtered, AI-generated standardThe specific ways TikTok and Instagram have distorted how people shop for productsConsistency, not constant product-switching, is the key to skin healthWhy a $600 skincare haul can damage your skin barrierThe relationship between skincare and makeupBuilding beauty confidence from the inside out, and why the most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourselfRapid-fire beauty favoritesLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with ChrisFollow Chris on InstagramCheck out her websiteFind all her important links hereThis episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.Send us Fan Mail

Erin Rothstein reached out to her old painting professor the same day we recorded this episode. He's the one who told her, years ago, that she'd need to paint 100 bad paintings before she ever made one masterpiece. She said the impulse just hit her that morning: she wasn't sure if he even knew the impact he'd had on her, and she wanted him to know. It's the kind of lesson she's turned into a whole philosophy for her life, one she keeps returning to any time the fear of being bad at something starts creeping back in.Erin is an artist known for her incredibly detailed hyperrealist paintings, but her new book, Watch Me, coming out this November, goes so far beyond art. We got into confidence versus self-trust, how other people's limits so easily become our own, what it actually means to build in the dark, and why being bad at something might be the whole point. This one made me think differently about what it means to build a life that feels like mine, and I think it'll do the same for you.In this episode, we’re talking about:The difference between confidence that's performative and self-trust that's realWhy courage feels terrifying every time, even when you've done it beforeHow to tell the difference between someone's actual wisdom and someone's fear getting projected onto youWhat it means to "build in the dark”The professor who told Erin she had to paint 100 bad paintings to get to one masterpieceApproaching 100 galleries and getting two yeses, twice, and how she keeps rejection from becoming evidence that she isn't good enoughLetting yourself have the tantrum instead of pretending rejection just "rolls off you"Why Erin believes everyone is creative, and where most of us lose touch with itAmbition then versus now, moving from "watch me make this happen" to building from the heartHer recent experiment in silence, and what an hour-long walk with nothing in her ear taught herLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with ErinErin's websiteErin on Instagram (@erinrothstein)Erin's book, Watch MeThis episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.Send us Fan Mail

I've been going to the library a lot lately, picking books off the shelf based on vibes, the way I used to when I was a kid. It's a small thing, but it's felt like proof of something I keep noticing everywhere lately: we've spent the last decade making everything more convenient and more digital, and now we're all trying to find our way back outside.This week I'm sitting down with Leanna Rosenberg-Lee, an event producer and co-founder of Outerstellar, a creative storytelling studio specializing in event and video production. Leanna's spent the last eight years building her career around the simple belief that events are one of the most powerful ways to tell a story and build a community. She's produced everything from brand activations to sober curious meetups to her own 30th birthday party over Zoom during lockdown.We get into why IRL is having such a moment right now, what actually makes people feel like they belong the second they walk into a room, and why brands might want to spend a little less time creating for the internet and a little more time creating for the people standing in front of them.In this episode, we're talking about:Why IRL events are booming right nowHow Leanna designs events with introverts in mindWhat it really takes to host events beyond the highlight reelWhy some of the smartest brands are pulling back from influencer-only marketing and turning toward community insteadThe shift toward more analog, tactile event experiencesHow to get people to show up (not just buy a ticket)Leanna's advice for anyone thinking about hosting their first community eventHow Leanna stays creative in an industry where everyone wants to copy whatever's already workingLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with Leanna DaCunha:Follow Leanna on Instagram: @leannamariarleeOuterstellar: Leanna's creative studioOuterstellar on InstagramSubscribe to her SubstackLinks from the episode:Creative Courage by Welby AltidorOne of Us by Elizabeth DaySweet Tooth on NetflixThis episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.Send us Fan Mail

I spend a lot of my time thinking about content and how exhausting it can be to constantly create new things to stay visible online. It's something I talk to clients about all the time, which is part of why I wanted to sit down with my friend Guadalupe Calderon, a Pinterest strategist and the founder of Haus of Horizon.While so many of the platforms we use every day ask us to post more and feed the algorithm, Pinterest works differently. Your content keeps getting discovered for months, even years, after you post it!We're all looking for ways to make our marketing work harder without us having to work harder ourselves, and this makes Pinterest definitely worth exploring.In this episode, we’re talking about:Why Pinterest works more like a search engine than a social media platformWhat matters (and what doesn't) when it comes to keywords, boards, posting frequency, and metricsHow to repurpose the content you're already making instead of creating something new for PinterestSetting up your account the right way: boards, keyword placement, and claiming your website and InstagramHow far ahead to plan for seasonal content, product launches, and holidaysIs AI content taking over Pinterest?What a realistic testing timeline looks likeWho Pinterest isn't the right fit forLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with Guadalupe:Check out her website, where you can find her Pinterest Strategy AuditFollow Guadalupe on InstagramFollow her on ThreadsLinks from the episode:Tailwind - Pinterest scheduling toolMetricool - social media scheduling and analytics toolPin Inspector - Pinterest keyword research softwarePassion Project by London SperryThis episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.Send us Fan Mail

Three years ago, Gabrielle Scout told me something I've quoted probably 500 times: when you don't know what to say, think about the woman you were two years ago and create for her. It's advice I still lean on every time I sit down to figure out what we should talk about on this show.So when I realized it had been three years since that first conversation, I knew it was time to bring her back. Life has changed a lot for Gabrielle since then. She became a mom, left her marriage, sold her house, stepped away from parts of her career, and rebuilt her business almost entirely from scratch.Gabrielle is the founder of Scout's Agency, a leading podcast visibility firm that's booked nearly 6,000 interviews and executed over 400 podcast tours for founders, authors, and thought leaders. Client results have included six-figure launches, thousands of books sold in a single month, and quarter-over-quarter revenue growth. She pioneered the podcast tour model seven years ago, long before podcast guesting became mainstream PR. She's also Editor-in-Chief of REVUE, and her work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Business of Fashion.In this episode, we're talking about:What Gabrielle would tell herself three years ago, after her business, marriage, and home all fell apart at onceThe visibility gap: why the most qualified women are often the most invisible, and what it has nothing to do withThe three lies that keep women from pitching themselves as podcast guestsWhy Gabrielle believes the audience isn't actually the ROI of a podcast tourThe story behind her pitch templateWhat makes a guest memorableThe difference between being "authentic" online and just being honestLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with Gabrielle ScoutScout's Agency websiteScout's Agency on InstagramREVUE on SubstackThe Emotional Entrepreneur (book)Free pitch templateGabrielle's original episode on Thinking AboutThis episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.Send us Fan Mail

The person I'm about to introduce you to is the reason you're listening right now. She's the one who takes the messy, beautiful, rambling conversations that happen in this little corner of the internet and turns them into something worth pressing play on. She's also the person I picture every single time I sit down to do a solo episode.This week, I finally got Adrienne Cruz behind the mic and not behind the scenes, where she usually lives. Adrienne is my podcast manager and a podcast launch strategist who helps online business owners create the shows they’ve been dreaming about. She doesn’t call herself the Fairy Podmother for nothing!Whether you've been saying "I want to start a podcast" to yourself for six months (or four years, like me), or you already have one, but need to get excited about it again, you’re gonna want to tune in to this one.In this episode, we're talking about:What keeps people stuck before they ever hit record — the overwhelm, the tech, the fear of commitment, and the "why me?" intrusive thoughtsThe difference between an audience and a community, and what it really takes to get people to feel like your podcast belongs to them tooWhy your download numbers will mislead youThe mentor text method: how studying your favorite podcasts the way Adrienne once taught her students to study essays can completely change how you approach your own showHow to build a sustainable podcast when you don't have unlimited time, money to outsource, or the energy to play by everyone else's rulesInsider language, giving your community a name, and the small things that make listeners feel like they're in on somethingWhether it's still a good time to start a podcast (YES)Let's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with Adrienne CruzFollow Adrienne on Instagram and Threads @adriennecruzpodWebsite: adriennecruz.comGrab her freebie, The Podcast Starter, to create a unique podcast conceptCheck out her podcast launch group program, Saturday Morning Launch PlanSign up for her newsletter, Sounds Like BrunchBlog post: How to Build a Podcast Community of People Who Love Your ShowLinks from the episodeSpeakPipe (website for listeners to submit audio recordings)Podcasts mentioned: Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Diabolical Lies, Wild Geese, My Favorite Murder, Point of the Story, Giggly SquadPodcasting Business SchoolBunny by Mona AwadWidow's Bay on Apple TVObsessionSend us Fan Mail

There are certain people you meet and you just think, “I want everyone to know this person exists." Jess Janz is one of those people. She's an author, community facilitator, and the founder of Dinner with Strangers, a concept she started in her friend's hair studio in 2017 with one simple rule: no work talk. Since then, she's hosted over 60 dinners and connected more than a thousand people!She also has a book coming out July 14th called The Table Where We Meet, and if the poems she shares on Instagram are any indication, it's going to be the kind of book you press into the hands of every person you love.In this episode, we're talking about:How Dinner with Strangers started with crock pot meals, no tickets, and a hypothesis about what happens when strangers can't talk about workThe reasons behind the "no work talk" ruleWhat over 1,000 dinners have taught Jess about human connectionThe questions that never fail to get people connectingWhat it really feels like to hold space for a room full of strangers, and the adrenaline crash that comes afterRethinking small talk ("lighthearted" doesn't have to mean "shallow")What writing The Table Where We Meet revealed to Jess about art, witnessing, and why we need each otherOne small thing you can do today if you're craving more real connection in your lifeLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Connect with Jess JanzFollow Jess on Instagram: @jessjanz and @withstrangersco Pre-order The Table Where We Meet Subscribe to her SubstackSend us Fan Mail

I read something on Substack recently that I haven't been able to stop thinking about: our grandmas didn't optimize everything. How have I never thought of that?!?I'm someone who has fully bought into optimization — the Garmin, the protein goals, the sleep scores… I love checking things off and feeling like I’ve succeeded. And yet somewhere along the way, I started to wonder: are we actually living better, or are we just living from a distance?I'm currently in what I can only describe as a whimsical, choose-your-own-adventure spring, and something shifted when I was in Guatemala and forgot my Garmin. I was just moving, eating, resting, and doing a sunrise hike that nearly ended me. And I felt more like myself than I had in a long time!In this episode, I'm talking about:Why I think we're living in peak optimization culture and what it's costing usLearning to trust yourself again after outsourcing all your data to devices and appsMoving and eating intuitively — what that actually looks like for me right nowWhy not knowing my sleep score is genuinely making my days betterYou're allowed to take a break from optimizingLet's ConnectIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who could use a little more mindfulness in their life. Your support helps Thinking About reach more listeners and grow our community of thoughtful, intentional individuals.Continue the conversation with me on IG / Tiktok @thinkingaboutpodcast and @kirstimcnabney. Follow along on Substack for more conversations on the things that keep us thinking.Links from the episode:The Substack post about grandmas not optimizingSend us Fan Mail