In a delightful episode of “Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself,” I sat down with Liz August, a name many of you might recognize as a beacon of light and magnificent web design for small business owners. Our conversation veered from expected pathways into a rich dialogue on business, life, and the intersections between the two. It’s weird to think that before this we had only talked once, because both times it felt like I was sitting down with an old friend to catch up on all of the things.

Liz opened up about the concept of the user journey, a term so often glossed over by buzzwords and business jargon, but frankly a completely ignored step by most business owners. If you’re a long time listener, you know that is the #1 issue plaguing business owners today, that masquerades as lack of clients. She stripped it back to its core: understanding your audience deeply, beyond the surface transactions and recognizing that there are some deep but simple reasons your audience isn’t converting. We discussed how businesses could truly resonate with people by considering their emotional and psychological engagements, not just their wallets.

One of the profound insights from our talk was the importance of strategy over tactics. Liz shared how her background in education shapes her current practices—a reminder that our past roles often inform our present successes in unexpected ways. This was super killer for me because I am such a fan of jumping careers, but we’re conditioned to believe that leaving one type of job for another is a sign of failure, not an expression of wonder and interest in the unknown. Liz emphasized looking at the big picture and staying connected to the ‘why’ behind your actions, which can often get lost in the hustle of daily tasks.

This conversation is a powerful reframing of many of the stories we tell ourselves every day about success, failure, money, and the sometimes simple solutions behind it. If you’re on the go, be sure to catch this episode on Buzzsprout. And don’t forget to follow Liz on all of the things (links below) so that you can continue to hear from this incredible human long after you’re done listening to the podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPlfcyk06l0

Liz August has simplified the businesses and lives of more than 100 coaches and online service providers, giving them back much-needed time and bandwidth. She’s a Business and Tech Strategist that helps her clients stay in their zone of genius with her one-stop shop for their tech and admin needs.

Liz and her team are responsible for organizing, streamlining, and slaying the to-do lists of notable coaches, authors, and visionaries such as Lynne Twist from the Soul of Money Institute and Jenna Arnold, one of the organizers of the 2017 Women’s March. Basically, she is the “Get Shit Done Girl” for fempreneurs.

What sets Liz and her outsourcing team apart is that they don’t just check off items on your to-do list. Liz and her team first strategize with you, which helps you avoid the pitfalls of delegating, and then they get done what you can’t (or shouldn’t) be working on, giving you the freedom to do what you do best.

By Minessa

With over 20 years of experience, Minessa Konecky has worked with small startups and hospital systems and academic centers in managing a variety of Federal, private and industry awards. They are comfortable with the entire life cycle of awards and have worked with investigators to secure and extend their research funding. They see themselves as the facilitators of the research business enterprise, and approach all solutions from that lens. Their passion is helping people find joy and fulfillment in their work using a human-centric approach to efficiency and optimization. They host of the Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself Podcast, and hold the position of Research Administration Process Improvement and Training Director at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Minessa takes great pride in their desi heritage and being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. They live in their seaside cottage on unceded and occupied lands of the Wampanoag and Pokanoket people in Plymouth, MA with 3 dogs and their partner, Alex.