The Manuka Sunday Podcast

So you may be listening to this thinking — I’m ready to leave my nine to five, I’m ready to build my own passion, I’m ready to put all the hours I’m putting in for someone else’s dream into my own... Where the heck do I start...

If you’re thinking this — I was in the exact same spot as you are and I want you to take a moment to acknowledge that you’re in control. Even though your days may be hectic, you feel like you’re not doing what you want to be doing, you feel like there’s more for you out there but don’t know what it is — you’re still in control.

Today we're diving into my experience leaving my 9-5, my tips and takeaways, what I would do differently, hitting your tipping point, and having the belief in yourself to go after what you truly want.

Today we're diving into part two of attracting clients & opportunities. We're going to chat about where I started vs where I am now, what it looks like to train confidence, building a portfolio, networking, how to prepare for success, and more.

When I first jumped into the world of freelancing - I had one question that floated around in my heard all day long: "How do I start working with an elevated clientele"  Its not an easy feat to build a high rolling client list of businesses that are putting their full trust in you with the front end of their business! You have to start somewhere. 

So thats just what we're going to talk about - the steps I took to building a client list that I am so proud to be working with and how I'm attracting the next level of business. A few things we get into are: 

Hope you enjoy! 

LINKED: 

If you can execute it well, visual content has the ability to send a powerful message without having to use so many words.

Whether you're creating your social media assets, building your website, or just creating a simple brochure, design matters and holds a lasting impression on your current / potential clients.

Today we're diving into our top tips for levelling up your design and, in turn, building a stronger brand presence.

Enjoy! 

My top resources that I ACTUALLY use to run my online business - Our SOP's, content creation tools, mindset habits, and more. 

Wondering how to grow your social media following as a business? or how to start booking out your services? Time to start building a strategy for your health and wellness business to stand out on social media. Here are a few tips that we build into our clients strategy in order to create strong, engaging content that builds trust with their audience – which is (in our opinion) the secret sauce to standing out in your industry.

Here's what we run through: 

- How to start looking at content as research rather than consuming it all

- How to build strong relationships through your social media platforms

- Tips to start speaking your mind and staying consistent with your brand messaging

- Why you should have a omni channel marketing approach

- How to put value into your content to better the quality

- And why you should be humanizing your brand. 

I added some prompts for you to think about throughout this episode for future planning so grab a journal, grab your pen, and enjoy the episode! Let me know if you have any great takeaways -- these episodes aren't made to give you all the answers but they ARE created to help any entrepreneurs start thinking about what they can do to boost strategy and think outside of the box when it comes to your social media game. 

2022 hit me like a ton of bricks if I'm being honest with you. There were ups, downs, and everything in between. In this episode we're going to get honest about how I'm reflecting on a year that didn't go as planned and what I'm taking from it going forward. We get into my planning exercises to get ready for a new year, my expectations, and how I want to show up as my best self. 

We're breaking down: 

Thank you so much for tuning in! Subscribe to here more episodes on building your brand, managing a healthy mindset with business, and life chats with Mel. 

No matter what industry you're in social media is crucial for customer relationships, building trust, and most of all - sales. And whats the more crucial part of this equation? Posting consistently and authentically. Today we break down my process on how I build out months of consistent content for my clients and my personal pages. With this strategy, I'm confident you'll walk away with some tools to keep an authentic brand voice throughout your content without hitting the burn out. 

In this episode we cover;

Hope you enjoy! Chat soon - xx

Mel

The founder of The Wilds Skincare, Ronak Brahmand, joins us today to chat about how she built her Clean, Genderless Non-Toxic Skincare line from a just a dream to hitting 5 million views through instagram and being named a finalist in the Pure Beauty Global Awards for Best New Clean Skincare  all in the span of 4 months post launch.

Episode breakdown; 

Enjoy! 

Today we’re talking about something i think will be valuable to anyone in the creative / entrepreneurial space - whether you're running a business, working on a side hustle, working in the the marketing field, or just wanting to ramp up their views  - you’re in the right place. Today we’re being schooled by the founder of Life Goals Magazine and pinterest / blogging extraordinair, Coley Lane Bouschet. 

As I mentioned Coley is the Founder & Editor of Life Goals Mag - a blog built to support productivity and optimization. When she's not running Life Goals, she's helping creatives get more visibility and clients through blogging and Pinterest. 

Here’s a breakdown of what we dive into: 

Why blogging isn’t dead 

How to revamp your website & blog to get seen How to build your Google SEO 

A deep dive into Pinterest - Where to start, how to optimize, and get found. 

How to start repurposing your content 

How to build income through Pinterest Staying consistent with blogging 

The Struggles of being a solo entrepreneur 

How to understand your enneagram and let it improve your work schedule. 

Check out Coley’s blog post all about how you can use the enneagram test to make the most out of your workday.

There are so many things that go over my head and I was to keep learning about — one of those things is getting investors on board with ideas I have to create something bigger than I could handle on my own.. This is why I was so excited to get to talk to Melissa Bentavoil, the Founder and CEO of Form Fitness. Melissa is a classically trained ballet dancer turned pilates enthusiast and a mother of 3.

In this episode we talk about how she went from being a pilates instructor and ambassador to leading her company to a 5 million dollar round in seed funding with some of the most iconic names in the fitness world. She’s designed her own studio in Toronto which houses her personally designed Frame Fitness Reformers. As the pandemic hit, she saw a gap in the market and visuallzed her reformers becoming a household name. They went back to the drawing board and designed a sleek reformed that can sit aesthetically in your living room or be tucked away to make sure you have access to the coaches and classes you need on demand.

I’m so excited for you to listen to this episode - one of my favourite parts was how Melissa has built this beautiful life through creative visualization along with her points of staying true to what you believe in while chasing a wild dream.

SHS'S A WIFE!? This week on the Manuka Sunday Podcast Joey (aka my HUSBAND) joins me to chat about the day of our very intimate wedding, feelings around the day, stress, guilt, family, friends, and everything in between. This is a snippet of our special day - hope you enjoy! 

xx, Mel

From a 6 figure corporate burnout lifestyle to helping thousands of people change their lives through wellness consulting. I had the pleasure of chatting with Nicole and Manoli from The Living Fuel on this weeks episode. The Living Fuel is a wellness consultancy founded for the sole purpose of improving lives. 

We walk through all things home health, workspace optimization, hacks to feel more energized, how to test your home (and yourself) for mold, the steps they took to build their impressive client base, the ups and downs of building a business from scratch and more. 

Today we're talking productivity mindset. Because  at the end of the day, you can have all the tricks, hacks, and tools in the book, but if you don't have your mindset in the right place, nothing will get done. So lets chat about it and hold ourselves accountable. I speak on a few examples that I ran into in the past few weeks that really helped push myself into the right direction, comparison, staying focused on your vision and more.

Enjoy this chat on productivity mindset!

Celeste Bouchard is a sustainable fashion designer, an entrepreneur, corgi lover, espresso martini enthusiast and a long time friend. This week we got to chatting about how Celeste built her sustainable fashion brand La Leur, the in's and outs of running a sustainable business, future plans for the brand, and some wise words on how to start overcoming the fear of failure. We dive into the importance of taking control of your own health, the power of visualization while healing, creating a capsule wardrobe, feeling confident in your clothes and SO MUCH MORE. We really jam packed it with as much as we could. So enjoy this episode with Celeste Bouchard!

Enjoy this Episode with Celeste! 

In this episode Shania and I spoke about mindset, owning the practices in your daily life, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, re-writing inner dialogue for a better future, the future of health literacy, creating discipline for yourself when you're lacking motivation, friendships, travel, accountability and MORE.

As a creative agency owner, I work with clients to lock in on who their audience is, how to grow a following, and how to create trustworthy, engaging content. So this week, I went to the polls of Instagram to see if the Manuka Sunday audience would be interested in learning more about this. With a ton of excitement and some great questions; I've wrapped up a social media episode chatting about the following: 

REELS strategy, how to edit engaging video, call to actions, finding your voice in a very loud market. We also dive into delivering for YOUR audience while staying confident in your niche, plus where to find that audience. I run through what I would be doing right now as a small business social media manager with a retail example. And of course, keeping things authentic.

A quick questions to ask yourself if you're running an account and looking for direction: What are you missing from other brands? How can you close that gap?

BIG 2022 Mood: Organized and Automated. In this episode Mel dives into all the systems and tools she used to automate not only her creative agency but her daily life. Check out the notes below for a quick recap -- Enjoy!

Key points of this Episode:

Welcome back! On today's episode we have Nikki, from @its_nicolettemarie on Instagram - she started her Instagram account as a way to write, express her thoughts and share some amazing food - this soon grew into something much more. It grew into an outlet that helped her and her followers heal. In this episode Nikki and I touch on disordered eating, leaving a career that was unsuited for her, connecting prayer to meditation along with some stepping stones to get into meditation, how she created her adaptogenic granola brand, Remedium, we even chat about her experience with micro-dosing.

My apologies on the sound - it gets a little funky throughout - so bear with us, we’re making due!

I hope you enjoy this chat with Nikki as much as I did - Enjoy!

Today on the show is Kayla Christian (@havinghealthyhabits), a mindset and wellness coach who helps women build confidence through daily habits that make it easier for them to tap into a life they love.

Today we got to talking about inner child work, developing compassion for yourself, how traveling alone gave Kayla a new perspective, and how to start cultivating more awareness throughout your life.

Kayla has a new free guide out now called The 7 Habits You Won’t Believe Can Change Your Life to help you tap into the daily habits you can do to improve your wellbeing. Check it out - I have a link down in the show notes for you!

Welcome back! This week on The Manuka Sunday Podcast I had the pleasure to sit down with Co-Founder of STUNN Collective, Ash Depass. Growing up, Ash had the dream of becoming an actress. She soon found that there was a bitter and toxic trait that came along with the beauty standards within the industry. After speaking to other women and knowing that she wasn't alone in holding unrealistic standards for herself. This triggered a dark space in her life that eventually hit showed up as depression, anxiety and serious self doubt. 

Ash wanted a change and new she needed something different that a "bandaid" fix. So she teamed up with her husband to create STUNN supplements. A brand that focuses on holistic health and mental wellbeing to showcase true beauty. With the healing properties of extracts, adaptogens, antioxidants, and polyphenols STUNN creates the shift from depending on medication to adding in nutrients that nourish the gut to mind connection. And in turn, elevating other aspects of our lives such as skin, sleep, energy, hair, and more. 

In this episode we talk about how it all started, wins and loses while creating a product, the benefits of specific ingredients, the vicious cycle of social media, business inspiration, and more. 

Ash leaves us with her mission for STUNN - To empower women and make then believe in their own beauty, and believe in their own potential. Because when you find your own path, you can do anything. Harnessing that inner potential is the first step to finding your inner glow. 

On this week of the Manuka Sunday Podcast we take a look behind the curtain of social media and see what it takes to make Holistic Health a career. This week's guest, Kayla Pomponio, the Founder of @bewellwithkayla, was diagnosed with leaky gut when she was younger. Some could look at this as a destiny of upset stomaches, medication, and no end in sights. Kayla did the exact opposite. She took her health into her own hands, found the help she needed to dive deeper into the issues she was facing. She was then faced with a decision. To either go through with a law degree that was applauded by her friends and family; OR make a career path shift into the world of Holistic Health.

She found herself enrolling into INN and the rest was history. Now Kayla is a successful Holistic Health Coach that believes each human has a healing path that is unique to them. With a strong brand and team behind her, we jumped into entrepreneurial topics such as cultivating an abundance mindset, acting on your intuition, and how to surround yourself with passionate people. Kayla's 'just do it' attitude has lead her to create merch, open her own practice, developed a viral smoothie blend that will actually get you excited about drinking greens, and has even launched a grocery box to make sure your fresh ingredients come straight to your door each week. 

Later in the episode we get to chatting about mindless snacking, lifestyle changes, and why it seems as though everyone and their sisters hormones are off. No ready to take your health into your own hands? This just might be that push you need. Kayla is a wealth of knowledge and her tips and tricks to help get on the right track was exactly what I needed to hear. 

Welcome back!! This week we dive into a solo episode where Mel chats with the one and only, Amanda DiMarco; a creator, podcast host, blogger, and mother. Womanhood, stress, and confidence are the main topics we get into in today's episode. We walk through how it feels to become a little closer to our feminine side, how Amanda tapped into finding her true confidence, and how slowing down can contribute to our overall mental health. 

Enjoy! 

In the latest episode of Songs For Your Sunday, we sit down to talk with Jackie Koudys. Jackie Koudys is a Naturopathic Dr. certified by the Naturopathic Medicine School of Canada and the founder of FZN - Jackie's online Virtual Care Practice. 

During our time with Jackie, we discussed finding inspiration and motivation through the practice of visualization. Furthermore, we touched on how visualization is an effective tool not only for athletics but also for test-taking

Within the general topic of learning Jackie shared her personal learning styles, how she began to level up her productivity, tips on stress management or even using stress to your advantage along with building a structured routine. 

Would you be doing what you do if you didn’t have an audience?

It's difficult to understand what our soul purpose is as we go about our daily lives. In a world where a follower count can dictate our mood when do we stop to ask ourselves the question, what is this all for?

This week we had an honest conversation about our social media intake, finding our purpose again, and looking inwards to get to the root problems. Tune in and come get uncomfortable with us. 

Ever feel like you need that reset to get you moving smoothly through your days again? Yea, us too. It's only human! This week we're walking through getting organized and back on track. We chat about how much of an impact your daily rituals can have on your overall confidence, the 60-second rule, and little tips on how to prepare for your day/week. We hope you enjoy! 

In this day and age, we have sensory overload. Screens, multimedia, working from home, the list goes on for the number of things in our lives that demand attention and response. In this week's episode, we'll be discussing disconnection; from our phones to be exact. We dive into why it's so important, why we choose to prioritize time away from our phones, and some helpful tips to get you motivated to start your "phone fast".

Enjoy! 

This week on Songs for Your Sunday, we invited Alena Luciani, Strength and Conditioning Coach, to join us in a conversation about finding your why and what it means to create impact over influence. We dive into the world of leadership, how to own your own approach, and creating a legacy throughout your mentorship. Find out some in's and out of the coaching world along with some lifelong lessons that can contribute to any part of our lives. Enjoy!

On this week's episode of Songs For Your Sunday, we are talking all about friendships. This includes what makes friendships great, toxic, worthwhile, or a waste of time. Friendships can be very difficult to navigate when you are unable to take a step back and view your interactions objectively. We try to draw our opinions on effective and non-effective friendships from past experiences to give you an idea of what a good friendship should and shouldn't be! Enjoy the conversation, rambling, and rants, because this episode has it all!

Happy Sunday!

In this episode of Songs for your Sunday, we dive into all things Valentine's day and dating. We discuss some potential good and bad first date conversation ice breakers, turn-ons, and turn-offs, discuss our first date, give out first date advice, and talk about the danger of idealizing your love interest before you get to know them. What is your number one piece of dating advice that you would tell a young you? 

Enjoy the pod, and happy Sunday!

This week on Songs For Your Sunday we dive into the touchy topic of burnout. In the age of influencers and Instagram entrepreneurs, we are bombarded by highlight reels of "hard workers" who never seem to take any time to rest. In our conversation, we discuss the signs, symptoms, and general understanding of burnout and discuss the best ways to keep a healthy and consistent approach to our work. We also discuss the benefits of discovering your own limits. What do you think the best way to avoid burnout is?

Ever wonder where to start when launching your social media strategy?? Tune in to this week's episode and find your direction, your niche, core values, how to create engaging content, and understand why community is so important while creating your brand. We give away our tips and tricks from learning through 6+ years of professional experience in the social media and marketing world. 

Hello! Welcome to this week's episode of Songs For Your Sunday, where we take a deep dive into the world of relationships. Joey and I chat about our experiences after being together for 6 years  (good & bad!). From our top 3 priorities in a relationship, what we look for in a partner, the importance of intentional listening, love languages, and more. Enjoy the episode! 

Today we're talkin' all things habits. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly. For us, 2021 is all about turning our resolutions into a lifestyle SO we have to break those resolutions down into daily tasks. When we fire up our good habits, confidence builds and there's no stopping us... right? Not so true for most of us.  There's that feeling of derailing back into old habits and suddenly you're right back where you started. WE FEEL YOU ON THIS. 

Tune in to get some tangible take-aways from Episode 003 of Songs For Your Sunday. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the first official episode of Songs For Your Sunday, hosted by Manuka Sunday. 

We welcome in the new year with a fresh outlook, a strong sense of alignment, and structure to hold ourselves accountable to our goals. In this episode, Joey and Mel chat about habits (the good and the bad), what daily movement can do for your mental state, morning routines, burnout season, how to keep on top of their goals, and how they are staying accountable. 

Enjoy & Happy Sunday!

Welcome to Songs For Your Sunday! A Manuka Sunday Podcast created to build community, thrive on positivity, and grow together. 

We introduce ourselves, Joey and Mel, to the world and the hosts of Songs For Your Sunday. Join us as we take on the good, the bad, and the ugly conversations of life. In this episode, we'll be chatting about who we are, how our journey has brought us here, and what to expect from the weekly podcast. 

Tune in every week as our episodes will be airing every Sunday at 10 AM EST.