Shows
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsADHD-ish: Building a business for how your brain is wired with Diann WingertMost business advice assumes you're wired like everyone else. What if you're not?In this episode, we sit down with Diann Wingert—former therapist, business coach, and host of the ADHD-ish podcast—to talk about what it really means to build a business that works with your brain, not against it.We unpack the myths around ADHD, how to radically accept your own wiring, and what happens when you finally stop trying to “fix” yourself and start designing systems that fit you.Jessica and Meg share their own neurodiverse workarounds (including why their assistan...2025-06-191h 00
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsStaying Solo: Staying true to yourself, your values, and your voice with Maggie PattersonWhat does it really mean to “stay solo” in a world that won’t stop telling you to scale? That’s the question we explore with Maggie Patterson, whose new book Staying Solo challenges the endless drumbeat of “bigger is better.”In this episode, we dive into Maggie’s journey from agency owner to solo business advocate, the messy parts of writing (and marketing) a book without turning it into a performative launch, and the very real tension between wanting to build a sustainable business—while feeling pressure to do it in a way that exploits your time or other pe...2025-06-1254 min
The Art Biz22 Tactics to Thoughtfully Invite People to Visit Your Art Website (228)It’s easy to assume that people will visit your artist website once it’s built. But websites don’t always attract attention on their own. You have to give people reasons to show up. In this solo episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield shares 11 simple, low-effort strategies to guide more people to your site—plus a way to download the full list of 22 ideas. These are real, artist-friendly actions that work in the background of your art business to increase traffic over time. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why waitin...2025-06-0512 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsFramework-Free Zone: Life Updates, AI, and A Little FunIn this riffy, delightfully unstructured episode, Jessica and Meg ditch the outlines, frameworks, and “polished” content in favor of a real-life check-in, some AI trivia, and a sneak peek at Jessica’s summer program, Relationship Rhythms.We talk about how building relationships is about more than just dropping into people’s inboxes—and how Relationship Rhythms is designed to bring playfulness (and prizes!) back into the process. Jessica shares why she’s finally running an asynchronous offer and how Relationship Rhythms is different from her usual programs, plus what happens when you go from dreaming to launching.We also...2025-06-0546 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsMake a Scene and Embrace Your Stories with Mike GaninoHave you ever sat through a slide deck that felt like death-by-bullet-point? Or tried to sound like a LinkedIn thought leader only to bore yourself?Have you ever struggled to consider yourself “interesting” when you haven’t gone to space or climbed a mountain?Most importantly, how can you tell a story that AI cannot replace?Story coach and speaker whisperer Mike Ganino joins us to talk about how to actually connect with other humans through storytelling, public speaking, and intentional presence. We talk about what’s missing when AI writes your copy, how to m...2025-05-2950 min
First Dates & Soulmates55 | Rockstar Romance with Jessica TopperThis week Nikki and Meg sit down with author Jessica Topper to dive into the world of rock star romance. A librarian-turned-romance-writer, Jessica shares how her real-life concert experiences and love of music shape her stories — including her beloved Love & Steel series.They explore:* What makes musicians such compelling romantic leads* Why found family dynamics hit differently in fictional bands* The behind-the-stage drama of redemption arcs, messy characters, and their thoughts on bodyguard and manager relationshipsDon’t worry, there’s enough fictional eyeliner to last you a life...2025-05-2853 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsFriendship isn't a KPI with Kat Vellos“And a lot of people say, oh gosh, you know, friendship is so hard because everybody's so busy. I'm so busy, our schedules don't align. Therefore, “friendship is hard”. And I'm like, are you sure about that?Or is it actually that scheduling with busy calendars is hard. Prioritization is hard. Saying no to things so that you can say yes to the things you actually want to say yes to is hard. Those things are hard. But those things aren't friendship and those things are a part of every other part of life as well.” - Kat2025-05-2257 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsCold Outreach Doesn’t Have to Suck with Jess Lorimer“If you want a sales pipeline, you are responsible for creating it. What we've been told and what we see online is the kind of constant content creation that is designed to bring you clients…so that you can essentially do a lot of marketing to avoid ever having the sales conversation.But the quickest way to make a sale though is to get to that sales conversation as soon as you can and to make sure that it's as qualified as possible."Most of us have been on the receiving end of a terrible cold...2025-05-151h 03
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsSilly rabbit, Play *isn't* just for kidsIn this episode, we’re talking about play. Hear us riff on the power of play and personality in our lives and businesses. We explore our different expressions of play as children and how it impacts our businesses today (hint: Meg was a dancer and playwright and Jessica loved to tinker with her Erector sets and handwoven crafts. Totally on brand for both of us). We talk we both experiment in our businesses (once we have the foundations in place), including our plans for the summer. We look at play as a regenerative act: one that requires en...2025-05-081h 02
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsPick Up the Damn Phone: Max Traylor on Selling like a HumanAutomation. Funnels. AI-generated content. Scale at all costs. New leads.You’ve been sold a load of garbage about what it takes to grow a business today. And in this episode of Aggressively Human, we’re getting back to the truth about sales.Max Traylor—agency churn physician and LinkedIn truth-teller—joins us to break down why so much of what passes for “sales strategy” today was never actually working. (It just didn’t matter when money was cheap.)We talk about how most of us have never learned (or needed to learn) real sales ski...2025-05-0151 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsThe Case For Curation before Creation“Nickelback had the last big rock song of our generation because songs just aren't counted the same way. So I feel like this is actually a fairly good example of: what is popular is Nickelback, but it's not the best music. It's not the critically acclaimed music. This is what gets played on the radio because it can be played while you're barbecuing and it's non-offensive.And that's what AI-curated content is, it's the Nickelback of content.” - MegThere’s a lot of pressure in online business to be original. To create someth...2025-04-2448 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsOwning Your Work in the Age of AI: Intellectual Property with Erin AustinIn the age of AI-generated content, content repurposing, and ideas being “created” with a screenshot of your site, the question of ownership is more urgent than ever:How do you protect what you’ve created when so much of what you’re creating lives online?In this episode of Aggressively Human, we’re joined by Erin Austin, founder of Think Beyond IP, to dig into what intellectual property really is, what you can protect, and how to turn your expertise into an asset—not just a deliverable.If you’ve been asking, “How do I protect my...2025-04-1757 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsWhat's "enough" for you? Exploring the Zone of EnoughnessMore money. More growth. More scale. It’s not enough to be a six-figure business, you have to be a “seven-fig mentor” and even a billion-dollar creator. The online business world feeds us a constant stream of messages about needing to do more, earn more, and be more.But what if you don’t want a million-dollar business? What if you want a smaller business that’s satisfying?In this episode, co-host Jessica shares her framework for the “Zone of Enoughness”—a way to reimagine business growth not as endless expansion, but as aligned sustainability. Jessica and Meg...2025-04-1045 min
The Art BizWhat Artists Need to Know About SEO with Meg Casebolt (222)You work hard on your art. You want people to discover it. But if you’re relying entirely on social media to be found, you're building on shaky ground. Search engines like Google, YouTube, and even Pinterest remain powerful tools for helping people find you and your art—but only if you’re strategic about how you show up there. In this episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield talks with her go-to SEO coach, Meg Casebolt, about what artists need to know about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to take ownership of your c...2025-04-1045 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsStay or go? Social media, compromise, and contradictions with Illana BurkShould we stay or should we go?Leaving social media has been an increasingly popular choice in the past few years. But is leaving always the most impactful choice?In this episode, we sit down with Illana Burk, business coach and advocate for human-first business, to talk about the messy middle of visibility, values, and doing business inside systems you didn’t build.Illana shares why she’s choosing to stay on social media; not because she’s ignoring the harm, but because of how social media is an important place our voices can be...2025-04-0359 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsThe myth of "set it and forget it": The realities of launching with Dusti ArabYou have the right offer. The right audience. A launch plan you’ve run before. So why… isn’t it working?This week, we go behind the scenes of a real launch with Dusti Arab, founder of Referral Worthy and longtime marketing strategist, to talk about what happens when a launch starts strong—and then doesn’t go to plan. Dusti walks us through what she planned for her latest launch, what actually happened, and how she adapted in real time by listening to her audience, adjusting her messaging, and staying rooted in what actually matters: relationships and referr...2025-03-2748 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsThe Requirements for Real Community with April MacLeanReal community isn’t just a forum full of brand users—it’s something deeper, more intentional, and, if done wrong, more likely to fail. So what does it actually take to build a community that works, one that people want to return to again and again? And more importantly, should you even be building one at all?April MacLean joins Aggressively Human to break down what real community building looks like in 2025. * Why most business communities fail (and why just starting a Facebook group won’t cut it).* What must be present in a bus...2025-03-2049 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsCut out the (Meta) Middleman: Creator-Led Newsletter Growth with Dylan RedekopNo matter your relationship with social media and Big Tech… you can’t argue that it’s become more saturated, more based on the algorithm (bye bye followers, hello “for you” feed), and more “pay-to-play”. So, you decide to focus on your newsletter and stop building on rented land. But in order to grow, you’re told to give even more money to the platforms for ads, or spend time every day posting and engaging - ultimately paying with your attention.What if there was another way to grow your newsletter, without relying on social media or paying high rate...2025-03-1356 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsBeyond "Not Spam": Heart-Centered Email Marketing with Bev FeldmanEmail automation specialist and Kit Ambassador Bev Feldman believes that we can use email marketing software as a way to build relationships while giving your subscribers agency over their inbox experience.There are the illegal “no-nos”: the most egregious email practices that make us want to throw away our phones or hit the spam button. There are the morally gray areas of more manipulative email marketing, or just even a sub-par experience.But in an aggressively human fashion, we can actually not just maintain but enhance our relationship with subscribers by incorporating consent-based practices like land...2025-03-0650 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsEscaping Default Decisions: Designing a Calmer Business with Susan BolesIn the constant push for growth, productivity, and squeezing every ounce of output from our businesses, we rarely stop to ask: What if the goal isn’t to do more? What if it’s to create more space?Operating at 150% capacity might feel like the norm, but that’s only because we’re operating with what Susan Boles calls “default decisions.” Instead, what if we focused on building businesses with margin. Yes financial margins, but going beyond those margins to include emotional and energetic margins?“When you broaden your definition of margins, it gives your business a lot...2025-02-2753 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsDepth as a Feature, Not a Bug: Winning clients through genuine care with Jeremy EnnsIn a sea of marketing advice and growth hacks, let’s address the elephant in the room. What if the product is the problem?If your product - your podcast, your service, your course - isn’t good enough, no amount of marketing is going to make that product grow. And yet, most courses, cohorts, or even higher-priced coaching programs don’t get into the actual experience of your work. Many providers are just not in the business of experiencing your business and your product (because it’s not as scalable).And so podcast strategist Jeremy E...2025-02-2045 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsWho gets human thoughts? The Fight for Trust in Content with Jessica Mehring“It's because even if you end up completely rewriting it, it starts out without the human soul. And it's really hard to add the human soul. But if you can start with even the messiest human written draft, and then use AI to make it better, it has human soul to begin with, and it just ends up a much more human and resonant piece of writing.” - Jessica MYou’ve probably noticed it—the emails that don’t sound quite right, the sales pages full of word salad, the content that feels like it was written by...2025-02-1346 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsSoftware in Service: Simplicity over Systems with Nikki McKnightWho hasn’t set up a system (or hired someone else to do so) that seems to make your efficiency dreams come true... and that just didn't happen. Or worse? Broke your business.The alternative? Embracing Simplicity over Systems. Embracing Simplicity over Systems, another core Aggressively Human pillar. How can we be thoughtful about where and how we use systems to be in service, instead of just buying systems as a service.And who better to bring in our episode is fellow Ops brain Nikki McKnight. Nikki McKnight (she/her) is an operations and systems st...2025-02-0655 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsWhen a week feels like a year: January 2025 State of Play“So maybe we're leaving or maybe we're staying, but we're staying as a person versus as a business owner. But then everyone is scattering. As a business, how are we marketing to people when it's diffuse? And then as a person, it's like, well, where's everyone going now? And how can I be there with my friends?” - JessicaEvery year, it feels like January is just the longest month ever.But this year has felt like a whiplash between the beginning of the year until recording on January 24, 2025. Meta policy changes, TikTok ban and un-b...2025-01-301h 01
First Dates & Soulmates38: An Interview with K. StirlingOn today’s episode of First Dates and Soulmates, we are welcoming author K. Stirling! Listen in as Meg, Nikki, and K talk:* how K’s writing career started as a dare* whether or not billionaires deserve romance * navigating the ever-changing social media landscape* when you’re stuck, you just need characters to fight and fornicate! About Our Guest:K. Sterling writes like a demon and is mother to Alex, Zoe, Stella, and numerous queer superheroes. She’s also a history nerd, a Lord of the Ring...2025-01-2952 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & Automations"PIVOT!!" How to navigate a changing business landscape with Lacy Boggs“AI cannot come up with new ideas. It can paste things together in new ways perhaps, but it's still it's still the monkeys on the typewriters, right? It's still the infinite monkey thing. It's just mashing together old ideas in new ways perhaps, but it can't come up with truly unique new ideas.” - Lacy BoggsThis week, we’re talking with Lacy Boggs, founder of the Content Direction Agency but also has done every business model in the online entrepreneurship space. We talk pivots, thought leadership, and how to stand out in the age of more conten...2025-01-2348 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & Automations"Where everybody knows your name": the power of community over commodity“I don't want to calculate my churn without knowing every single person who leaves.” - MegFor businesses like ours, community is the lifeblood of a strong business. And when we are talking about community, we’re not just talking about an online platform where you can post in a forum. We’re talking about, as Meg says, “people who give a sh*t about each other”.In today’s podcast, we dive into the Aggressively Human philosophy of Community > Commodity.- Why being part of a community where everybody knows your name is a business...2025-01-1649 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsReal voices in your ears: Human-centered podcasting with Amelia HrubyThe act of podcasting - recording it, editing it, and listening to it - is one of the most embodied acts in content creation. Because no matter how good the AI bots sound, there’s something simply human about listening to someone else’s authentic voice in your earbuds.Today’s interview is with amelia hruby, founder of Softer Sounds podcast production studio and host of the Off the Grid podcast. Amelia has some strong points of view about AI in the podcasting industry, and the power of a human-oriented podcast process.In today’s episode...2025-01-0945 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsStop yelling into the echo chamber: Engage in Dialogue over MonologueDialogue over Monologue: Our next Aggressively Human pillar.AI and automations can make it easy to have “faux-dialogue”: where you’re sent tons and tons of “personalized” emails, or you think you’re having a conversation with someone but you’re really just talking to an AI agent or a bot. And dialogue comes with risk: when you open up your world for real conversations, you might hear “no” or get people disagreeing with you.In today's podcast we dive into:- Why we might shy away from dialogue, but why Meg and Jessica chose this...2025-01-0248 min
First Dates & Soulmates34: The First Annual Tingly AwardsWelcome to 2025 and our first annual Tingly Awards!Join Nikki and Meg as they look back at the books that made them blush, tingle, squee, and smile. Then, check out https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo for a link to the official First Dates & Soulmates 2025 book bingo card. Be sure to tag us @firstdatesandsoulmates on your socials as you fill yours out. Meg’s List of Categories & Winners:Best Space Odyssey* Earth Boys are Easy by C. Rochelle* Ruby Dixon’s Risdaverse series* Good Deeds by K...2025-01-0158 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & Automations"But that won't scale!": High Touch (without High Pressure) Community Sales with Dr. Michelle MazurDr. Michelle Mazur - messaging strategist and community builder for experts - has a point of view about sales for experts and other service-based businesses. Because the lower-touch approach to sales that might have worked a few years ago isn't working as well anymore.In today’s episode, you’ll hear about how Michelle is taking a human-centric approach to sales and community building.- Private tours, 80% conversions, zero sleaze—hear her sales process that is part college tour, part vibe check.- “But it doesn’t scale!!” How to think about sales...2024-12-1945 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsIt's not the size, it's what you do with it: a human approach to audience and list growthBig audiences mean big revenue.... right? Maybe. But maybe not.What if the money isn’t actually in your list, but instead in the relationships with the people on your list?What if for service providers, it’s about the right people on your list, versus more people on your list?What if it’s not about contacts and conversion rates, but instead about connections and conversations?In this episode, hear our Aggressively Human philosophy #1: Conversations over Contacts.- When the money isn’t in the banana stand (o...2024-12-1248 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsDe-scaling isn't just for Keurigs! Selling her social media agency with Andréa JonesWhen your family expands, the goal should be to automate more, to delegate more, and keep business as usual, right? Not for today’s guest.Andréa Jones is a marketing and social media strategist that recently left the high-pressure agency world behind after the birth of her second child, focusing now on marketing strategy and a marketing strategy membership. In this episode, learn her aggressively human approach to marketing, community management, her business model and oh yes - doing business while being a parent.- The shift from the Savvy Social brand to the Min...2024-12-0542 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsOur radioactive spider bite: The origin story of Aggressively Human“I'm just a girl looking around the internet trying not to stare at my own reflection on Zoom all day.”What does being Aggressively Human mean? And why would two very busy service-based business owners start yet another podcast, when we could be instead posting 5 times a day on social media?Tune in to hear the origin story of the Aggressively Human idea: what it is and where it came from and why we're collaborating on it.- The Birth of “Aggressively Human”: How Jessica and Meg met, and the turn of phrase that got...2024-12-0531 min
Aggressively Human: Online Business in the Age of AI, Algorithms & AutomationsTeaser: What does it mean to be 'Aggressively Human'?Our world is becoming increasingly automated & AI-generated. What does that mean for your business? For experts & service-based businesses, the answer isn’t always to chase the trends … it’s to be Aggressively Human.Join co-hosts Jessica Lackey, business strategist, and Meg Casebolt, search marketing specialist, as we share behind-the-scenes of running our own businesses by embracing connection and discussing how we can use technology to be more human. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aggressivelyhuman.substack.com2024-11-2402 min
First Dates & Soulmates17: Sensitivity Readers 101 with Sydney FowlerIs it true that we should only write what we know?In this episode of #FirstDatesAndSoulmates, Meg & Nikki sit down with Sydney Fowler, a sensitivity reader who also worked on Meg’s debut novel Peppermint Bark, No Bite. We ask Sydney so many questions including:✏️ the role of a sensitivity reader (and what they are NOT)✏️ the importance of dialogue between author & any type of reader✏️ how Sydney helped shape Meg’s book content and storytelling ✏️ when and why an author should engage with a sensitivity readerAbout Ou...2024-08-281h 09
The Autonomous CreativeHow to find clients and build your audience without relying on social media, with Meg CaseboltWhat happens to your business when you take an extended break from social media? Will it fall apart? Wither on the vine?
What if the answer is…not much?
Meg Casebolt is an SEO expert and the founder of Love at First Search, an agency that helps online businesses get found in search results, and to turn new readers into leads, subscribers and sales.
Meg’s business used to be super active on social media, until a few years ago when she took a 100-day social media brea...2024-01-1155 min
Social Slowdown: sustainable digital marketing for entrepreneursChoose a Business Model That Is Set Up to Pay Your Bills With Jessica AbelJessica Abel's background as an author led her to assume that mass marketing and a large audience was the ONLY way to succeed as a business owner; Thankfully, she finally figured out that her business models needed to first pay her bills, and THEN she could make decisions about audience and marketing style.In this week's episode, Jessica (she/her) and I discuss:How to think about choosing a business model, and why/when you may choose one over anotherChoosing a business model that allows you to make more money in less timeWorking with fewer clients f...2023-09-1936 min
Social Slowdown: sustainable digital marketing for entrepreneursWhy a Traffic-Based Business Model May Not Be Right for You With Jessica LackeyBy now we know that what works for one, may not work for another. And in this week's episode, I'm talking with Jessica Lackey all about business models, and how sometimes what makes sense for other people may not make sense for you and your business. Maybe the traffic-based business models that we're sold can actually be less profitable than a lower, slower pace of business. Jessica Lackey is a strategy and operations advisor who is on a mission to radically disrupt mainstream business culture in an effort to create sustainable businesses with a human-centric approach. With a...2023-09-1237 min
The Content Experiment Podcast035: 8 Ways to Elevate Your Online VisibilityThere are so many ways to elevate your visibility, but one strategy alone isn’t going to get you much traction. Instead, you need to use multiple tools and strategies in your business, regularly, to continue to get you and your business noticed. But that’s often where business owners hit pause. They don’t want to put themselves out there because they’re afraid of what others will think or say. They don’t like how they look on camera or they think they’re a bad writer. It’s time to get out of your own wa...2020-04-1326 min