This week’s topic is all about appreciation. After all, who do we love more than our clients? Their trust, collaboration, and vision make our work possible, allowing us to take on impactful projects that drive real change. Beyond just delivering services, we’re deeply invested in their success, fostering relationships built on communication and shared goals.

Listen in as we dive into the ripple effect of small business support, how each investment circulates through communities, and why working with bold, mission-driven clients makes our work so fulfilling. From economic development to transformative initiatives, we’ll explore how these partnerships create lasting impact — and why we’re so grateful to be part of the process.

Clients You Can't Help But Love

Many organizations rely on small, overburdened marketing and communications teams, expecting them to do it all and inadvertently setting them up to fail. In this episode, Jen and Karen challenge the traditional hiring model and explore why a fractional or agency-based strategy could be a smarter, more cost-effective solution.

Tune in as we break it down: why the “comms department of one” is never a magic fix; why adding another full-time hire isn’t always the answer; and how leveraging agency expertise can provide more value, creativity, and strategic support. From avoiding burnout to accessing top-tier talent across multiple disciplines, we offer a fresh perspective on rethinking capacity and maximizing marketing impact.

Fighting Words: ‘Fire Your Comms Person’

Whether you’re crafting a brand message, delivering a speech, or simply trying to make an idea stick, the way you tell your story matters. Knowing your audience, embracing personality, and making messages actionable ensures that stories don’t just entertain — they inspire and drive real impact.

Using Gustav Freytag’s classic story arc as a guide, Karen takes us through Render's process for engaging an audience from start to finish. Join us as we dissect how the right storytelling approach can transform communication and leave a meaningful impression.


Case Study: Storytelling Essentials with Render

As entrepreneurs, creatives, and business leaders, we’re constantly making decisions — about strategies, budgets, and even where to focus our energy. But how often do we pause to ask: "Do I need this, or do I just want it?" In a world filled with tempting new tools, trends, and shiny distractions, knowing the difference can be the key to growth — or the reason we stay stuck.

In this episode, we put that question to the test with a mix of lighthearted and thought-provoking scenarios. From the practical to the absurd, we explore the gray areas of what truly counts as a necessity. Tune in for an entertaining and insightful conversation that just might change how you prioritize what really matters.

Lightning Round: What's Important

No one likes a boss breathing down their neck — but when you're the one in charge, knowing how much oversight is too much can be tricky. In this episode, we dig into the blurry line between healthy control and full-blown micromanagement. From trust issues to outcome-based leadership, we explore how leaders can maintain structure and accountability without disempowering their team.

Drawing on insights from Harvard Business Review's “The Anxious Micromanager,” we look at how anxiety and lack of preparation often fuel micromanaging behaviors — and what you can do instead. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just stepping into a management role, this episode offers a thoughtful and practical take on how to lead without smothering.

Read "The Anxious Micromanager" here: https://hbr.org/2023/09/the-anxious-micromanager

#growth #micromanging #lettinggo #smallbusiness #creativeindustry #podcast #midwestpodcast #michiganpodcast #workpodcast #marketing #videography #career #cocktail

Micromanaging and Control: When To Let Things Go

Every brand has its own unique challenges — but not every brand should be approached the same way. In this episode, Jen shares four brand categories she and her team at Redhead work with most often: corporate, place-based, boutique, and entrepreneurial. From the layers of stakeholder input in corporate branding to the emotional nuance of placemaking, we break down how each type calls for a tailored approach to strategy, voice, and visual identity.

We talk about how understanding your brand’s category can help you choose the right creative partner, avoid costly missteps, and ultimately build something that resonates with the people who matter most — whether that’s leadership, customers, peers, or influencers. Inspired by Redhead’s blog post “The 4 Types of Brands We Build (and Why the Distinction Matters)”, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the world of brand strategy or rebranding.

For more on this topic, read the blog post here: https://redhead.studio/blog/4-types-brands-we-build-and-why-distinction-matters

What Type of Brand Are You? (And Why the Distinction Matters)

In our latest episode, we talk about why social media ads might not be delivering, when they can be effective (hint: brand-building > promotion), and why it’s critical to stop thinking of social media as your only marketing plan. We also challenge you to consider how you’d communicate your message if social media didn’t exist at all. From Super Bowl spots to smart, scrappy strategies — this one’s full of tough love and practical insight.



It Doesn't Work!

You know the feeling: You look forward to plopping into bed all evening, but once you're finally there you can't seem to turn off your brain. Everything you could ever possibly contemplate suddenly seems to worry you. What is your sales pipeline looking like? How are the kids doing? Why is the world...the way that it is?

Whether it's something personal, professional or regarding the large grey area in between, we all lay awake at night worrying from time to time. For entrepreneurs, that might be more often than not. While we've all heard study after study about how important a good night's rest is to our success and well being, worrying about not getting enough sleep just, ironically, keeps us up longer.

Our consensus? Chances are, if it enters your brain while you're laying in bed, it's not as big of a deal as it seems. Still, how can we tell our brain to chill out (for just a few hours, at least) so we can get some rest?

Mentioned in this episode: Buddhify, the meditation app: https://buddhify.com/

57: What Keeps You Up At Night?

Hi. Jen Estill and Karen Stefl here. In The Speak Easy Podcast, we share years of expertise in marketing, branding, video production, strategy—not to mention management, employee development, mentoring, sales, creativity, maintaining life balance, managing money, and.. you get the idea. It takes a lot to keep a couple of creative studios thriving. 

We developed this podcast after years of "how do you..." boss lady conversations. It was clear that if we were both in such similar places with regard to business growth, and personal growth, and work/life/motherhood/bossland balance, then other women may be, too. We'd been sharing confessions over cocktails for quite a while—solving problems, asking for advice, and whispering the secret fears and disappointments that successful women are never supposed to have. (You've had those, right? It's not just us?)

Thus, Speak Easy was born. Our goal and our promise is to speak with honesty about the challenges that experienced women in the creative industry face. To create a community where we can support one another and abandon the mantra that we put on a good face and make it look like we have it all together, even when we don't. You can expect honesty, complete vulnerability and even a good laugh.

And cocktails. You can expect cocktails.

57: What Keeps You Up At Night?

The Speak Easy Podcast

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