This is a special, intimate, informal storytelling episode. After a full season of sharing other peoples' stories of finding Joy First ways of working, I thought I would share mine - especially since as of tomorrow I am now officially celebrating 20 years in business!!

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I can't wait for you to meet today's guest. Jennifer Waters and I first connected nine years ago when she joined one of my very first online programs. She had a pet photography side-hustle, and she was desperate to escape a toxic marriage and build financial independence as a single mom

I knew I really liked Jennifer straight away. But what I couldn't have known, was the profound journey she was about to embark upon, that I would witness first-hand. Over the course of a decade, through high highs, and the lowest of lows, Jennifer transformed not just her business, but her entire life.

Jennifer's story isn't your typical entrepreneurial success tale. It's much deeper and more beautiful. Jennifer is here today to share what happens when life strips away everything you think you know and love, and forces you to discover (and build) something entirely new.

Spoiler Alert: She's not a pet photographer anymore, but she's just picked up the keys to her third location expansion in only 18 months for her current business, which is one she never intended to start.

How did she get here? One thing that makes this conversation really special, is our exploration of grief.... something none of us ever really want to talk about. Jennifer lost six dogs in three years. Six heart dogs. Her business, her brand, the book she was writing... her entire identity disappeared along with them.

What emerged from that grief will change how you think about business, creativity, and what's possible when you stop trying to force things to work and fully commit to what brings you joy.

Jennifer, who now runs her unexpected business from her dream house on Lake Superior (the same lake house she once believed was impossible for a single woman to afford), ships her products worldwide, has a 75% customer loyalty rate and still hasn't even written a business plan.

I love this story of joy first working, because it's so rare to talk to someone who has built something from a place of pure love and trust... which in our day and age of reason and cynicism, is the most radical strategy of all. But Joy First works. And Jennifer is living, smiling proof.

• How Jennifer navigated six devastating losses in three years without losing herself
• The moment she realized pre-grief was stealing her present joy
• Why her most successful business has no business plan (and never will)
• How she went from $24 in her bank account to a thriving company in just a few months
• The ancient principle that explains why clearing grief creates space for joy
• Why building from love instead of market research can work better

• Dogkind Candle Company website: dogkindcandles.com
• Jennifer's social media: @dogkindco (Instagram and Facebook)
• My book "Million Dollar Dog Brand" (referenced in our conversation)

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In this beautifully revealing, intimate conversation, Carrie Green opens up about the darkest period of her business journey. In this episode Carrie shares with us the most generous and honest reflection on entrepreneurial burnout that I've ever heard.

Having founded the Female Entrepreneur Association (FEA) in 2011 (which she grew into 7-figure business with a network of almost 1 million women) Carrie is an international bestselling author (She Means Business, Hay House) and an online business trailblazer. But today we're stepping back from the shiny stuff in her list of incredible achievements to talk burnout, motherhood, and the darker sides of business success.

"I'd be getting home from work every night saying to my husband, I don't think I can do this anymore," she reveals. "I felt so trapped by it all."

While Carrie's body was screaming at her to slow down... she pushed on through... until she physically, mentally and emotionally could not go on. But that's not the end of our story: we discover that Carrie's just closed out her best launch of all time, after slowly having found her way back to her health, wellbeing and magic.

In this episode we explore the complex reality of managing a team for a multi-million pound online business, the weight of avoiding difficult conversations, and how hiring full-time "experts" to solve your problems can backfire spectacularly. Carrie's brutal honesty about the real challenges she's faced as a leader and the emotional toll of getting some of it wrong, is so wildly refreshing.

If you've ever felt trapped by your success, questioned whether you're cut out for leadership, or wondered how to rebuild when everything feels broken, this conversation is for you!

• The physical warning signs Carrie ignored before her body forced her to pay attention
• Why hiring "experts" to solve your problems often creates more chaos than clarity
• How avoiding difficult conversations with team members nearly destroyed her business
• The specific work and practices that helped her rebuild
• How energy and frequency directly impact business results
• Why Carrie believes success should equal joy and what happens when it doesn't

• Carrie's Instagram: @IAmCarrieGreen
• Female Entrepreneur Association
• Patrick Lencioni's leadership books (especially "The Motive")
• Her podcast (recently hit #59 in Apple's business charts!)

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