Consider the Wildflowers – Details, episodes & analysis

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get swept up in the hustle, the late nights, and the constant pressure. Before you know it, you’re scrolling social media at 8 PM because you and your spouse have seemingly run out of things to say or simply numbing out from the exhaustion of it all. Sound familiar?

The reality is, building a business takes a toll—especially on relationships. I’ve been at this entrepreneur thing for the past 13 years, more than 80% of my married life. Today I’m spilling the tea on what it takes to keep the romance alive amidst busy schedules, gymnastics, burning the midnight oil, budgeting talks, and feeling broke… and trust me, a few date nights a year isn’t going to cut it!

3 Simple Strategies to Strengthen Your Marriage While Growing Your Business — that you can implement TODAY! (Plus, 15 Fun Ways to Say 'I Love You' on a Budget!)

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : CLICK HERE.

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Asana

Boomerang 

Butterfly Puzzle

True South Puzzles (this Dolly Parton one is 😍)

Monopoly Deal 

xoxo notes 

Conversation cards 

Welcome back to the show one of our favorite past guests, renowned surface pattern designer Bonnie Christine, for our second encore episode!

In today’s episode, Bonnie is sharing how she scaled her business to multi-seven figures, built a thriving community of 185k creators, and did it all—mostly from her spare bedroom. From time management hacks that’ll have you scribbling notes faster than your kids can ask for a snack, to productivity tips that actually stick, Bonnie’s giving us the real scoop on what’s worked (and what hasn’t) when it comes to balancing business growth, family life, and everything in between.

Tune in for a real conversation about how to keep it all afloat without losing your cool. 

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES: shannaskidmore.com/encore-bonnie-christine

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Your Best Year

Mark Makers Mastermind

Shanna on Bonnie’s podcast, The Professional Creative

Free Five Day Workshop— Your Pattern Design Playbook

Immersion Course

It’s officially the holiday season & we are so excited to have one of our first holiday-based entrepreneurs on the show. Kate Stewart is the founder of Bauble Stockings. From family tradition to a thriving holiday company, hear how Kate has scaled a business by creating lasting memories in households across the country.

Creating global impact, pricing for wholesale, saying yes to the things you truly love in business & no to the things you don’t— all inside.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES 

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Shop Bauble Stockings!
Ashley Schoenith
Bauble Stockings x Heirloomed
Alibaba
Ready Fire Aim
Good Threads

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This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

According to many sources, most businesses fail within the first 5-10 years. How do you beat the odds and build a business that withstands the test of time? Through the economic recession of 2008 to the global pandemic of 2020, KT Merry has seen a lot during her 20 years in the photography industry. From the introduction of digital photography, the start of Instagram and rise of social media, to life before fancy website platforms. She remembers the days when business was built on making phone calls and knocking on doors. 

Early in her career, she learned the power of perseverance, persistence, and good ole’ fashioned hard work. Through everything the past two decades have thrown her way, she has learned to roll with the evolving landscape and continue to push the boundaries toward excellence.

How to build a business that withstands the test of time? An inside look in today’s interview with world renowned photographer, KT Merry.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/kt-merry

“We don’t get more than one lifetime to create these big visionary ideas. We have to take the years that we’re given and just go for it.” 

As an art student she was given the expectation that a career in art would be a constant struggle. “Struggling artist” is a social norm that Emily Jeffords just doesn’t believe. And though she set out on her art career journey with a tenacious attitude and audacious dream to beat the odds, at the height of success she was met with a mental battle she didn’t expect. 

I’m not worthy of this. Am I worthy of this? A need to constantly prove her worth. 

We are taught to hustle. We are taught to expect to struggle. But we aren’t often taught what to do when we succeed! 

If you’ve ever felt you were not old enough or mature enough to accomplish some of your big, audacious dreams. Today’s interview with Emily Jeffords will challenge you to dream even bigger even before you feel quite ready or qualified.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/emily-jeffords

“That’s not a real job”. 

As entrepreneurs it’s a thought that simmers underneath the surface that many of us have to battle against. When “replace corporate salary” becomes the goal less out of financial need and more to prove to ourselves (or a family member) that it's “ok” to pursue our dreams. It’s far too easy to find our identity in our resume and believe we have to do something important, social proof our way to Forbes magazine, and have a list of metrics a mile long before others will take us seriously—let alone take our own selves seriously.

Owning our story, believing our worth, pursuing dreams and overcoming limiting beliefs. Well. That’s a storyline today’s guest, Mary Marantz, knows all too well. From a trailer in rural West Virginia to graduating from Yale Law School, her story is captivating and will help us all find more comfort in our own skin. 

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/mary-marantz

As entrepreneurs it’s easy for life to become Eat. Sleep. Breathe. your business. We wake up to the sounds of “you’ve got mail” (not in the romantic Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks) kind of way but more in the Dolly Parton working 9-5 kind of way. Without even realizing it, our identities become wrapped up in the work we do, leaving no room for identity (or hobbies) outside of work! 

In today’s interview, Hope opens up about what it’s like to literally grow up with her business. Starting her photography career as a 16 year high school student, it’s taken years for her to learn how to create healthy boundaries for work and life.

As I’m sure most of us can attest: working is a habit that can be hard to break. And while “work” isn’t to be vilified, not being able to turn off work is a fast pass to burnout. I am so grateful for the insights Hope shared in today’s conversation about protecting her mental wellness and practical ways she promotes healthy work/life balance. 

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/hope-taylor

Have you ever felt you were so busy working in your business, there was no time to work on your business. And all God’s children say, Amen! 

“It takes a village” isn’t just true when it comes to parenting. If you’ve ever said to yourself ‘but, I can do it better than anyone else” (ahem, guilty as charged), today’s interview was the kick in the pants I needed to really think about how building a team can not only accelerate a companies growth but also give the business owner more time outside of work. 

As someone who has had a team of six and breaks out in a cold sweat at the thought of managing people EVER AGAIN, Brenna’s story was so inspiring and truly eased my anxiety around the thought of hiring help. 

Learn how this self-proclaimed workaholic learned to let go of her micromanaging ways, built a team around her, and grew her ecommerce company to 300xs her original goal…. All in today’s interview! 

From humble beginnings in the spare room of her home to products being sold in every Buc-ees franchise across the country, listen in as Brenna shares how her christian apparel company became a nationally recognized brand in less than ten years. 

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/brenna-milleville

Ever wondered how to pivot your offers, diversify revenue streams, or be both a present mom AND a great CEO?! If so, today’s interview with Abby Grace is a must listen! Real talk Abby showed up and delivered an in depth look at how she pivoted her successful (but all encompassing) wedding photography business into a business model that better aligned with  a new season of life and motherhood.

If talking about money makes you want to bury your head in the sand (or cry into your pinot noir), don’t tune out today! Abby is right there with you, as a self-confessed “I hate money” person, she sweated it out and dropped some incredible gems on how she learned to divorce the finances from the feelings and gain financial literacy, in order to make more strategic moves in her business that allowed more time with her family without sacrificing the income her family relied upon.

“My business has to serve my clients, but it also has to serve my family.” 

How to step into abundance, sift the good from the great, and let go of fear … all in today’s interview! Press play to hear the incredible conversation with Abby.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/abby-springmann

How this self-proclaimed “accidental entrepreneur” built a multi-million dollar business in less than ten years and what she did after realizing the successful business she’d created no longer aligned with how she wanted to live her everyday life. 

“Don’t let anyone trick you into chasing a dream that isn’t yours. It’s important to constantly reevaluate what you need, what you want, and how you can show up in your business. The reality is, the business doesn’t decide what kind of life and work we want for ourselves; we decide. We get to determine the why, and there’s so much freedom in that.”

✓ A permission slip to design a business on your own terms, I’m here for it! 

✓ A reminder that if something feels off, we can stop and course correct at any time.

✓ A rallying cry to get back to the basics, put energy where it counts, and show up in a way that only you can! 

I laughed. I cried. I nodded in agreement.  This episode is pure gold!

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/jen-olmstead/