2025 BUSINESS Year in Review: Rejecting Endless Growth, Spacious Launches, and How My Sabbatical Changed Everything

I'm pulling back the curtain on my 2025 business insights... nosy bitches, this one's for you! I share the ultimate the plot twist: I made almost the exact same money as 2024, while taking a 3-month sabbatical, working essentially part-time, and living like an eccentric writer.I break down my Pitch Perfect launches (including a surprising feeling I had with my first $20K month), why I'm retiring from being "The Podcast Queen," and the creative possession that birthed SUPERNOVA — my new thinking lab for people who want to build intellectual frameworks that shape culture instead of learning more tactical skills. Plus: why I'm choosing restraint as my 2026 word, and why I'm actively exploring capped business models and circular economies instead of scaling into outer space.Themes from the episode:Making the same money while living exponentially better - I generated $143K (basically what I made in 2024), but took almost 3 months off, worked Tuesdays-Thursdays, and traveled to 10+ cities, which honestly feels more successful than any revenue goal ever could.From reactive hot takes to restrained discernment - I'm retiring the knee-jerk cultural commentary and choosing thoughtfulness over Threads wars, because not everything needs my opinion and frankly, discernment is sexy as hell.Why SUPERNOVA exists and why I refuse to be the podcast queen forever - The sabbatical revealed I don't want my legacy to be "she taught people to pitch/podcast," I want it to be "she taught people to build worlds," which required creating a 4-month thinking lab for intellectual frameworks that transcend your current business reputation.Ditching cold pitching for relational EVERYTHING - I stopped teaching extractive tactics and started focusing on nurturing your actual circle, which resulted in my most collaborative Pitch Perfect cohorts and proved that relationships always win over spray-and-pray strategies.Exploring capped income and circular economies because endless growth is a scam - I engaged in 8+ swaps/trades for high-ticket programs, I'm capping SUPERNOVA at 10 people, and I'm actively researching what it means to redistribute resources instead of building a team-run empire I don't even want.My 2026 themes: CREATE. PLAY. PHILOSOPHIZE. EXPLORE. UNEARTH. ASK BIG QUESTIONS. SIMMER. PONDER. WONDER. THINK.What are yours?!Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Grab your tissues and your matcha - we're doing a full 2025 emotional autopsy.Today I'm taking you through my personal year in review: space-cowgirl birthday parties, devastating loss, AI-induced mental glitches, and finally learning how to stop abandoning myself in relationships. This was one of the most plot twist-filled years I've ever had - like WTF happened?!Themes from the episode:The Cape Town summer that was pure lightning in a bottle - and why watching my entire friend group simultaneously couple up while I navigated complex relational issues sent me into an existential spiral about missing invisible boats.Setting the container and having THE scary conversation - how I stopped swallowing feelings to avoid looking "too sensitive," ugly-cried through total honesty, and learned that vulnerability won't actually kill you (even when your nervous system disagrees).When my friends passed in a rafting accident and grief rewired everything - and how loss demolishes your understanding of what actually matters.The AI creativity binge that nearly broke my brain - what happens when you're alone with no friends, no language skills, and only ChatGPT validating your 47th brand iteration until everything you're obsessed with feels boring and nothing matters anymore (scary AF)Maturity as staying put instead of booking another escape flight - why I'm extending in Lima, joining local studios, and forcing myself to deal with shit instead of using travel as emotional avoidance (growth! so sexy!).My 2025 was an invitation to stop performing identities that don't fit me anymore, start saying what I mean, befriending my demons, and contemplating my 200 year plan. Let's spiral together :)Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Put on your spacesuit - we're headed to the moon with this conversation.Today, I get INTO IT with Giana Cerasia about anti-binary leadership, rejecting niche culture, long-term inner work, and creating containers that hold the full complexity of being human. Giana walks listeners through her work all rooted in playing with paradox. Sexy as fuck.Themes from the episode:How businesses function like nervous systems, and why most leaders unintentionally exile the parts of themselves that hold their best answers.The myth of “either/or” thinking in strategy, and how giving yourself space to download and take risks creates better products and better leadership.Why Giana refuses to niche down, convince people, and chooses to work only with those who deeply get it. Very "IYKYK" energyThe evolution of Ravish and how it helps people build capacity, face discomfort daily, and integrate complexity over time.The heart of Kitchen Table Sauce: conversations that simmer, shift, and unfold in real time, inviting listeners into taboo, messy, nonlinear, non-clarity-seeking dialogue. HOT.If you crave leadership that honors your complexity, business that mirrors your humanity, and community spaces where nothing gets bypassed (bye 2020), this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Giana’s work is an invitation to jump into abyss and have a damn good time doing it.Connect with Giana:InstagramKitchen Table Sauce Podcast on Spotify + Apple PodcastsRavish WaitlistFree Women's CircleAnd/Also Strategy StudioMore portalsConnect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Today I sit down with digital nomad + "U.S. dropout" Bianca Lynch to talk about ditching the matrix, living abroad for less than half the cost of the U.S., finding flight deals that seem fake, and redefining what “freedom” really means. Bianca breaks down the hacks, mindset shifts, and lived experiences that help her cross borders without breaking the bank.Episode highlights:The best travel experiences usually cost $0, seriously How to rack up reward points WITHOUT credit cards (WTF?!)Why the "look up flights on Tuesdays" is a total mythAddressing the elephant in the room of digital nomad life -- is it bad for the countries we're traveling to?The travel hacks you've never heard of (I've traveled for 5 years and never heard of some of the tips Bianca shares)If you’ve ever dreamed of living abroad, fleeing the USA, or simply taking a trip without taking out a loan, this episode is for you. Bianca shows you how accessible global travel really is, and why the world is way more affordable, expansive, and welcoming than you’ve been led to believe. Tune in, take notes, and maybe… open Google Flights.Connect with Bianca:TikTokInstagramBudget Travel Masterclass - use code PODCAST25 for 25% off!Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Two Chelseas jump on a mic and proceed to dismantle everything you thought you knew about sales, pricing, and running a business under capitalism.Chelsea Quint (aka The Business Whisperer) joins me for a conversation about the stuff most business coaches won't touch: how to price yourself without losing your soul, why that $5/hour VA in the Philippines isn't the flex you think it is, and what the hell was going on in 2020 when every coach had a money gun and used predatory tactics to sell.Themes from the episode:Black Friday rules: No bundling random shit, no fake price slashing, and for the love of GOD don't sell your TIMEThe sustainability test: Are you undercharging if YOU'RE paying the cost instead of your clients?Overcharging vs. the integrity gap — and why Boss Babe coaches charging $50K for vibes is a problemHow to be anti-capitalist while literally running a capitalist business The body knows: Using somatic pricing to find your resentment threshold and your "oh shit this feels unsafe" ceilingWhy talking about pain points isn't manipulative — it's human (when done right)The secret to feeling good about selling? Fall back in love with your offersConnect with Chelsea Quint: Instagram & Threads: @chelsea.quint Podcast: The Resonance Effect on Spotify and AppleWebsite: businesswhisperer.comWant her to de-influence your Black Friday purchases? Slide into her DMs—she's literally offering "Un-Black Friday" support to help you make regulated decisions instead of panic buys!Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Maia Benaim is back for PART TWO on expanding your capacity - this time for deeper love, romance, traveling to new environments, how to cultivate patience, and so much more.She shares her journey with her partner and how committing to one person after polyamory required expanded capacity to hold her own depth, why we don't want partners who idolize us and why that's a hard switch to make, how she's house-hunting but in zero rush, and how to let life lead you vs. bulldozing your way through. Surrendering is a power move.As our queen Rosalía says "Yo manejo, Dios me guía" - I drive, God guides me.This one is JUICY. Make sure you listen to Part 1 before tuning in.Connect with Maia@maiaben on Instagram@maiaben on ThreadsExpansion WebsiteExpansion Application (make sure you mentioned I referred you!)Thought to Thing Podcast on Apple and SpotifyHeart Drips SubstackAll other resourcesConnect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

In the last year, I've been able to expand my capacity for wealth, visibility and holding more. How? Expanded capacity. Creative powerhouse, writer, business coach and head witch of Expansion mastermind Maia Benaim held the space for me to expand into new spaces I never thought possible, and today, we're breaking down exactly how to hold more without brute force.We have 2 part conversation, and today we get into money, energetics, and the art of letting GO. Together, we unpack what it REALLY means to release control, trust timing, and hold more.Themes from the episode:Why expansion can’t be forced, it’s built through safety and embodimentWhy true wealth starts with neutrality, not hustle or guilt, and how to find neutrality if you're in a scarce placeLetting your next chapter unfold without rushing to define it My own expanded capacity journey, which led to two back to back record launches for Pitch Perfect WHILE frolicking around Europe for 2 months not workingHow we are both able to take sabbaticals without freaking TF outSO much more!This one’s for the visionaries learning to loosen their grip. Take a deep breath, soften your timeline, and remember: life expands when you stop trying to outsmart it with your mind.Connect with Maia@maiaben on Instagram@maiaben on ThreadsExpansion WebsiteExpansion Application (make sure you mentioned I referred you!)Thought to Thing Podcast on Apple and SpotifyHeart Drips SubstackAll other resourcesConnect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

This is essentially one long voice note I'm sending you, sharing everything I've been going through these last few months, including:The whiplash of logistical planning every few weeksWhy settling down feels like a "downgrade"How the fear of committing to a location mirrors my fear of intimacy in relationshipsTBD on motherhood and realizing I should at least have options (aka egg freezing is now on the table)Why I want to learn Spanish and how a Netflix show fueled this desireThe tarot card readings that doubled as 5 years of therapyMore ramblings on travel, commitment, energy, friendship and more!Can you relate to any of the above?! Please say yes so I don't lose my mind. 🙃Drop me a line on Instagram @chelseariffe or email me [email protected] with your thoughts! Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

In this episode, I dive deep into the cultural firestorm surrounding Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny — two modern day titans who've become lightning rods for conversations about identity, belonging, and makes me wonder all the things we project onto celebrities. I'll be honest: I outlined this episode about 40 different times because I kept realizing this isn't really about music quality or whether you're a "Swiftie" — it's about how these artists have become permission slips for different parts of our identity.As someone who's both a white woman and Puerto Rican, watching the discourse around Taylor's "Life of a Showgirl" album and Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl has activated something in me about representation, cultural space, and the uncomfortable idea around paradoxes and simultaneous truths.I'm not here with final answers (honestly, I'm suspicious of anyone who claims to have them), but I am here to explore why we become such fierce defenders of celebrities we've never met (including my own story of kneeling at the altar of wellness influencers for YEARS), what our reactions reveal about our own identities, and how multiple truths can exist simultaneously. This one's messy, it's vulnerable, and I'm genuinely inviting dialogue, so come find me in the DMs because I want to hear what this brings up for you!Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

PLOT TWIST EPISODE: You're listening to a full episode from Chelsea's limited series podcast: The Art of the Ask. Get ready to learn HOW TO ASK FOR MONEY!I'm breaking down why money is such an anxiety-inducing topic, and the different ways to ask for money, including asking for a raise, a family investment into your biz, a refund from an airline and more!PLUS, I spill the tea on the time I was in Australia and BROKE AF. I'm talking "living off a tax refund with maxed out credit cards and nannying for accommodation" broke. This experience taught me how feeling shame wasn't a luxury I could afford.What You'll Learn:Ancient anxiety: How THOUSANDS of years of money evolution hardwired financial insecurity into your DNAWhy It's So WEIRD to talk about money: The psychological mess of tying your net worth to your self-worth, plus cultural taboos that make salary talk feel like a federal crimeThe trust factor: Every financial transaction is a tiny negotiation of power, status, and "will this person screw me over?" - asking for money is about trustHow to ACTUALLY ask: stop with the "just wondering if maybe possibly..." passive word salad and start using active language like you mean itThe Harvard hack: One word that increases compliance by 60% My Rock Bottom Era: That time I was so broke in Australia I DM'd literally everyone I'd ever met to sell $15 yoga classes (and it worked)!If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:⁠⁠The Witch Wound - Taking Down the Patriarchy Through Putting Yourself Out There⁠⁠⁠⁠Shoot Your Shot - Or Miss Out On Life's Biggest Opportunities⁠⁠⁠⁠Rejection Won't Kill You - What It Means & How to Deal With It⁠⁠P.S. ⁠⁠Pitch Perfect⁠⁠ is down to the final 2 spots! We start October 13th 👀Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website ☄️SUPERNOVA 5 spots left - DOORS CLOSE FEB 4TH! 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 📲 Instagram 📲 ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE