Meredith Crawford is the founder and editor of the blog One Sheepish Girl. She loves knitting, crochet, photography, travel and so much more. She recently published her first crochet pattern book, Crochet with One Sheepish Girl. It is available for purchase on Amazon.com! In addition to her work with One Sheepish Girl, Meredith is also the communications director at a non-profit in Dallas, TX. In today’s episode Meredith opens up about how she struggles with self esteem, how she started a blog her junior year of college as a creative outlet for knitting, crocheting, and all things yarn. She shares how she used her blog as a way to document her journey to work on her confidence with a series called “blogging for confidence.” She describes the series as “silly challenges” to push her out of her comfort zone -things like wearing red lipstick and going to see a movie alone. We dive right in and talk about what success means/is for Meredith. “I think success for me is more than a list of accomplishments. It’s really understanding who you are, appreciating who you are and then putting that into what ever it is that you do.”   “You are not your resume. You are not your instagram profile.”- @onesheepishgirl   Meredith goes into detail about her journey after graduating college. She was in search of a full-time job but instead found herself with a book deal. While she fully admits the book deal is and was an amazing thing, she didn’t feel successful. She desperately wanted to find a job that would allow her to move out of her parents’ house.  She wanted to feel like she was doing what she was supposed to do, find that job after college and show she had made it and show that she was successful. She did find a job and quickly realized it wasn’t going to bring her to where she wanted to be. “I did all the things I thought were going to make me feel successful or accomplished and it kind of did the opposite. It sort of brought a lot of these insecurities to the surface and just tore me to shreds.”

She Percolates with Jen Hatzung & Danielle Spurge

155: Meredith Crawford of One Sheepish Girl, Summer Rebroadcast Series

154: Loneliness, Summer Rebroadcast Series, Friday Coffee Talk

Kara is the owner and creator of Kara’s Vineyard Wedding, a handmade boutique that focuses on one-of-a-kind wedding decor such as custom place card holders and Premium DIY supplies. She is also the creator of the Wedding Planning Podcast. After graduating with degree in Mass Communications and English, Kara worked in financial planning, and saw success through the corporate lens of earning promotions & making money. She recognized her passion for entrepreneurship in 2011, & built her handmade business while “on-the-clock”. Two years later, the birth of her daughter was the push she needed to make the leap to self employment, and she hasn’t looked back! Kara treasures the ability to work for herself while providing a second income for her family, AND raising her two children full-time. She also loves spending time with family and friends, drinking wine, & reading US Weekly. In today’s episode Kara shares a definition of success we think so many of our listeners will appreciate and understand. “As long as my family has everything that we need and some of the things that we want I feel successful.” Kara goes into detail about what gave her the nudge to leave her full-time job and take her online shop from a side business to her family’s second income while staying at home with her young children.  She shares the steps she took to feel comfortable and confident about leaving her full-time job including financial financial goals to meet before she walked away from the corporate world! “I became compulsively driven to get this business grown to a point where I could leave that corporate job and have the freedom to be home full time with Stella” Kara also talks about how she had a major shift in her way of thinking.  She was constantly comparing herself to people who were still in the corporate world, or other WAHMs who had a different schedule/situation. She realized she need to stop comparing herself to others and focus on what she was doing. “Success isn’t about material things. It’s about being happy at the end of the day.”

153: Kara Lamerato, Wedding Planning Podcast, Summer Rebroadcast Series

Our Friday Coffee Talk episodes are a time for Danielle and I to chat about anything and everything. We are so happy this community enjoys hearing us talk about things that often get discussed at a coffee shop, the things you tell your girlfriends. For our summer rebroadcasting series we're sharing episode 66, FOMO, aka fear of missing out! p.s If you would be so kind as to leave us a review on iTunes, we would be forever appreciative.

152: FOMO, Summer Rebroadcast Series, Friday Coffee Talk

As part of our summer rebroadcast series we're sharing with you a few extra shots of fun with some of our 2016 guests! Hear never before questions with Jen Carrington, Jess Connolly, & Rach Wheatley. Listen to Jen Carrington's episode here. Jen Carrington is a content coach and creative mentor who helps purpose-driven creatives make things happen in their creative work and life on their own terms, in their own way, and by their own rules. Jen is based in Manchester, UK where she lives with my better half Alex and their two pesky cats, Marcy and Lila. Jen has a degree in social work, but after graduating she discovered her heart belonged in the online world of content strategy and creative coaching. When she’s not working with her game changing clients or behind the scenes on her business you’ll either find her lost in a good book, spending time with the people she love, or planning her next adventure and travels to come. Listen to Jess Connolly's episode here. 

151: Extra Shots with Jen Carrington, Jess Connolly, & Rach Wheatley

Our Friday Coffee Talk episodes are a time for us to chat about anything and everything. We are so happy this community enjoys hearing us talk about things that often get discussed at a coffee shop, the things you tell your girlfriends. Today we are sipping coffee and talking about comparison. This is part of our summer rebroadcast series. We were looking back at our first episodes and realized there were some really good topics we wanted to share again. p.s. If you would be so kind as to leave us a review on iTunes, we would be forever appreciative.

150: Comparison, Summer Rebroadcast Series, Friday Coffee Talk

Kim is the creator and designer behind Daisy Faye Designs. Kim has always had a passion for fashion and anything creative and DFD allows her to bring together these two loves. Kim loves coming up with original ideas and combining unexpected fabrics and colors to create something beautiful. Kim graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Marketing and worked in retail management and merchandising after college. Six years ago, Kim took a sewing class and and fell in love - DFD was born. She started selling military aviation appliqués because she couldn't find the perfect gift to give her military friends who were having babies. "Those first customers is really what the business has been built on." In today's episode we chat with Kim about being a mom, wife, and small business owner. How she felt like she was working for nothing in her merchandising job because thanks to the military she was living in a smaller town that didn't have the growth she needed. She tells us how her current definition of success is doing the best she can with everything in her life. She knows that in the future, when her son goes to school full time, she will be able to spend more time focusing on DFD, but until then she is happy to focus on being a mom, wife, and then business owner {in that order}. "Success for me right now is doing the best I can with everything in my life, mom, wife, then business. For me being successful is balancing these things the best I can."

149: Kim Chapman, of Daisy Faye Designs, Summer Rebroadcast Series

Our Friday Coffee Talk episodes are a time for us to chat about anything and everything. We are so happy this community enjoys hearing us talk about things that often get discussed at a coffee shop, the things you tell your girlfriends. Today we are sipping coffee and talking about self-doubt. This is part of our summer rebroadcast series. We were looking back at our first episodes and realized there were some really good topics we wanted to share again.

148: Self-doubt, Summer Rebroadcast Series, Friday Coffee Talk

July Sponsors: Plan Your Gram: Plan Your Gram is a powerful social media tool for visually planning + scheduling your instagram feed. Drag and drop images before you post and schedule the best time to post them. Best of all, no on-going monthly fees, it’s just a one time purchase for the life of your business. Unlike other schedulers that lock you into $10-$50 a month, Plan Your Gram is just $15.99, once. Plan Your Gram is brand new Instagram planning tool, for iOS and Android. Learn more at planyourgram.com Sign up for Amazon Prime! Free Two-Day Shipping, unlimited photo storage, plus exclusive access to movies, music and Kindle books. shepercolates.com/amazonprime Dr. Monica Rysavy is an educator, instructional designer, and faculty trainer. She recently became the Director of instructional research and training at Goldey-Beacom College in Delaware. Monica loves to travel, her favorite place to visit is Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic and is where her husband, Peter is from. Monica is also a huge Penn State fan. She loved every moment of her time there and continues to work with the department where she completed my graduate assistantship. Success for Monica: I've accomplished something that I've set out to do in a positive and a meaningful way. I feel personally, I am the most successful when I've been able to help someone at the college learn something new and apply it to their circumstances in a positive way. Things we chat about with Monica: teaching for 15 years summer of 2008: defended her dissertation for her first Ph.D while teaching high school Big transition in 2011 realizing she had the wrong Ph.D for what she wanted to do next applying to Penn State as her reach school and then getting in and also getting a free assistantship needing external validation to feel successful and having impostor syndrome walking away from a pension to get her second Ph.D and taking a 60% pay cut stuggled to take ownership of success always focused on the next big thing, that next big thing would bring the success the confidence code for women 

147: Dr. Monica Rysavy, Director of Institutional Research & Training

July Sponsors: Plan Your Gram: Plan Your Gram is a powerful social media tool for visually planning + scheduling your instagram feed. Drag and drop images before you post and schedule the best time to post them. Best of all, no on-going monthly fees, it’s just a one time purchase for the life of your business. Unlike other schedulers that lock you into $10-$50 a month, Plan Your Gram is just $15.99, once. Plan Your Gram is brand new Instagram planning tool, for iOS and Android. Learn more at planyourgram.com   Sign up for Amazon Prime! Free Two-Day Shipping, unlimited photo storage, plus exclusive access to movies, music and Kindle books. shepercolates.com/amazonprime

146: Networking, Friday Coffee Talk

July Sponsors: Plan Your Gram: Plan Your Gram is a powerful social media tool for visually planning + scheduling your instagram feed. Drag and drop images before you post and schedule the best time to post them. Best of all, no on-going monthly fees, it’s just a one time purchase for the life of your business. Unlike other schedulers that lock you into $10-$50 a month, Plan Your Gram is just $15.99, once. Plan Your Gram is brand new Instagram planning tool, for iOS and Android. Learn more at planyourgram.com Sign up for Amazon Prime! Free Two-Day Shipping, unlimited photo storage, plus exclusive access to movies, music and Kindle books. shepercolates.com/amazonprime   Vivian Greentree, Ph.D., joined First Data as a Senior Vice President and Head of Military and Veteran Affairs in February 2014. In this role Vivian created First Data Salutes, a company-wide military engagement strategy to provide the military community with access to career opportunities and best-in-class education resources, while offering premier business solutions to veteran-owned businesses. Before joining First Data, Vivian helped to found Blue Star Families, the largest chapter-based military support organization in the country, where she most recently served Director of Research and Policy. While at BSF, Vivian created and oversaw BSF’s groundbreaking Military Family Lifestyle Survey, which examines a broad spectrum of issues affecting modern-day military families. The survey was referenced in Presidential Directive-9 “Strengthening Our Military Families,” the precursor to the Obama Administration’s Joining Forces initiative and continues to be cited in military policy discussions nationally. She is also the creator of the Blue Star Spouse Employment Toolkit, the first of its kind military spouse employment resource, written and tested based on the unique career needs of military spouses. The Spouse Employment Toolkit has since evolved into a suite of military spouse professional development initiatives known as Blue Star Careers, including educational, employment, and mentoring programming and has been adapted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce into an online military spouse resume engine, Career Spark. Before joining BSF, Vivian served as a Supply Corps officer in the Navy, on active duty and in the Reserves. After serving in the Navy, she used her G.I. Bill to attain her Ph.D. in Public Administration and Urban Policy from Old Dominion University, where she earned several awards, including Ph.D. Outstanding Student of the Year, Phi Kappa Phi, The Pindur and the Ted Constant Scholarships, and a University Fellowship. She holds a masters degree from the University of Maryland University College and undergraduate degrees in Journalism and Public and International Affairs from the University of Georgia. Vivian’s research on civic engagement, the military community, and public policy has been published in peer-reviewed journals like Public Administration Review and the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, along with mainstream media outlets. She has appeared as a subject matter expert on panels, advisory boards, conferences, and national media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, and NPR. And, she is a Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University. In 2012, Vivian was named a Daily Point of Light by the Points of Light Institute for recognition of her volunteer work and a "Top 40 Under 40” alumni by the University of Georgia’s Alumni Association. In 2013, she was appointed to the University of Georgia’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and designated as an Ally Spouse by the Military Partners and Families Coalition. A strong supporter of civic engagement, Vivian serves on the selection committee for the prestigious Lincoln Awards and is the Quality of Life Sub-Committee chair for the Virginia Military Advisory Council, a position she was appointed to by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2014. Vivian is married to a Naval Officer and they have two young boys, ages 9 and 12. Vivian's definition of success: personal success is rooted in knowing each day I've used my skills and my resources to help at least one person and then get to go home to a family where I know we are raising our children to have empathy and sociological imagination. Things we chat about with Vivian Greentree: Success and growth wasn't a straight line Being a realist, believing in the best of humanity Doing a Ph.D program at night while husband was deployed for a year and having 2 kids under 3. opportunities are often wrapped up in a disguise. Helping found a non-profit for military families because there was a need in the military community for a military family group empowering others Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cutty 

145: Dr. Vivian Greentree, Senior Vice President, Head of Military and Veteran Affairs, First Data

July Sponsors: Plan Your Gram: Plan Your Gram is a powerful social media tool for visually planning + scheduling your instagram feed. Drag and drop images before you post and schedule the best time to post them. Best of all, no on-going monthly fees, it’s just a one time purchase for the life of your business. Unlike other schedulers that lock you into $10-$50 a month, Plan Your Gram is just $15.99, once. Plan Your Gram is brand new Instagram planning tool, for iOS and Android. Learn more at planyourgram.com Sign up for Amazon Prime! Free Two-Day Shipping, unlimited photo storage, plus exclusive access to movies, music and Kindle books. shepercolates.com/amazonprime Our Friday Coffee Talk episodes are a time for us to chat about anything and everything. We are so happy this community enjoys hearing us talk about things that often get discussed at a coffee shop, the things you tell your girlfriends. Today we are sipping coffee and talking about our favorite things from the month of June! Danielle's list: The Wild Wander Print Kind Bars Carmax Jen's List: Brookstone Bluetooth speaker another brookstone option and Bose option Daisy Faye Designs Clutch China Rich Girlfriend

144: June Favorite Things, Friday Coffee Talk

June Sponsors: KimArt Designs If you are a mom, expecting mom, or just want a unique and personalized gift for someone you love, KimArt Designs can create a piece of art specialized just for you. Kimber is a hand embroidery artist & designer who creates intricate and one of a kind pieces that you will cherish forever. Her embroidery art is perfect for nurseries, weddings, and housewarming gifts. You can personalize the size, shape & colors to make the perfect gift for yourself or someone you love. To see all of Kimber’s embroidery hoops, or to request a custom piece of art, please visit kimartdesigns.com All orders within the United States ship free and arrive gift wrapped at kimartdesigns.com. Sign up for Amazon Prime! Free Two-Day Shipping, unlimited photo storage, plus exclusive access to movies, music and Kindle books. shepercolates.com/amazonprime Hayley Morgan is a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur who inspires women to create lives of more passion and less fuss. She and her husband started Wildly Co., an ethical children’s clothing line, and she is also the co-founder of the Influence Conference and Network. Hayley lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband and their four sons. She blogs at www.thetinytwig.com and www.hayleyemorgan.com. We don't want to repeat how we felt when his job was dictated by somebody else. It became super important to us to define success on our own terms and then to really protect that definition and really go after that version of success. Not a different version or what ever version looked attractive that week. Things we chat about with Hayley: Busy and pressed season of life. Trying to do business, ministry, and family well.  Feeling over-scheduled.  Currently trying to rest and gather herself. reflecting on summer of 2008: pregnant with second son. Still figuring out being a mom. Felt discontent. was understanding and learning what it felt like to have interests outside of being a mom life/success is always an evolution being an over-analyzer and big thinker feeling pressured to self-sacrifice or be a servant having your inner thoughts and monologue match up with what you are putting out there Barrett Ward of Fashionable and how he inspiring Mike and Hayley Benchmarks in work/business are sometimes life driven and sometimes profit driven Let go of the shoulds 2014, prided herself in not having help, but realized that she and her family needed support, having her kids well taken care of while she gets work done is important! Wildly Co. --> kids capsule wardrobe Spending 6 weeks of summer resting and refueling books Hayley mentions The Nightingale you are a badass 

143: Hayley Morgan, Author & Entrepreneur

June Sponsors: KimArt Designs If you are a mom, expecting mom, or just want a unique and personalized gift for someone you love, KimArt Designs can create a piece of art specialized just for you. Kimber is a hand embroidery artist & designer who creates intricate and one of a kind pieces that you will cherish forever. Her embroidery art is perfect for nurseries, weddings, and housewarming gifts. You can personalize the size, shape & colors to make the perfect gift for yourself or someone you love. To see all of Kimber’s embroidery hoops, or to request a custom piece of art, please visit kimartdesigns.com All orders within the United States ship free and arrive gift wrapped at kimartdesigns.com. Sign up for Amazon Prime! Free Two-Day Shipping, unlimited photo storage, plus exclusive access to movies, music and Kindle books. shepercolates.com/amazonprime Our Friday Coffee Talk episodes are a time for us to chat about anything and everything. We are so happy this community enjoys hearing us talk about things that often get discussed at a coffee shop, the things you tell your girlfriends. Today we are sipping coffee and talking about the word busy, and the myth behind thinking busy means being productive. We mention again Tim Ferriss's book, 4-Hour Work Week  

142: Being "Busy", Friday Coffee Talk

June Sponsors: KimArt Designs If you are a mom, expecting mom, or just want a unique and personalized gift for someone you love, KimArt Designs can create a piece of art specialized just for you. Kimber is a hand embroidery artist & designer who creates intricate and one of a kind pieces that you will cherish forever. Her embroidery art is perfect for nurseries, weddings, and housewarming gifts. You can personalize the size, shape & colors to make the perfect gift for yourself or someone you love. To see all of Kimber’s embroidery hoops, or to request a custom piece of art, please visit kimartdesigns.com All orders within the United States ship free and arrive gift wrapped at kimartdesigns.com. Sign up for Amazon Prime! Free Two-Day Shipping, unlimited photo storage, plus exclusive access to movies, music and Kindle books. shepercolates.com/amazonprime   Megan Burns lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Tom, and their five kids -- Micah, Noah, Stella, Shiloh, & Eliza. She founded She Does Justice in 2012 as an adoption fundraiser and continues to be passionate about empowering women to make a difference in their everyday lives. Megan's thoughts on success: "I recently went through a space where I realized my priorities were all messed up...we fell into the trap/lie that it is ok to sacrifice everything now to hit your goal {financial or business}, what ever your goal is. I had a realization this was completely backwards." Things we chat about with Megan 5 kids, 9 and under never planned to adopt how much life can change in just a few years The Lord makes me bold, nothing to lose and anything to gain having kids young when the rest of their friends were not, having to babies close together 16 months apart thoughts on balance and if it is something we ever find taking ownership of being a mom of a special needs child navigating a special needs child and knowing you have to parent them differently empowering and encouraging women you can make a difference by doing something small consistently small things make a big impact Books Megan mentions Spirit Driven Success Be Successful Wild & Free 

141: Megan Burns, Founder of She Does Justice

Serving up a fresh perspective on success. Our mission is to introduce you to interesting and inspiring women who live all different versions of success. We believe success is an ever evolving concept - it is different for everyone. We believe life is about finding happiness despite detours and imperfections. Embracing the reality that you aren’t always going to have it together and quieting the voice in your head that says you haven’t “made it yet.” Appearing to have it all is not as important as feeling fulfilled for the day, week, month or year. Accepting and celebrating that what will make you feel fulfilled can and will change over time - and it's not the same for everyone. We believe that authenticity is more important than perfection. Our most meaningful relationships and connections are created based on authenticity.

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She Percolates with Jen Hatzung & Danielle Spurge

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