What if the leadership skills that built a winning team could also build a more profitable, sustainable business?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Lauren Miles, Owner of Modern by Miles, a full-service interior design firm based in Alabama. After 10 years as a competitive swimming coach, including serving as Associate Head Coach of Women’s Swimming at Auburn University, Lauren found a new creative path after building her family’s forever home in 2020.

Lauren shares how coaching shaped the way she makes decisions, leads her team, builds trust with clients, and creates a strong business culture. She opens up about growing from solo designer to a small but mighty team, why thoughtful leadership matters more than simply paying people well, and how one pivotal pricing moment led her to declare, “this price no longer exists.”

What if the biggest cost in your business is not showing up on your profit and loss statement?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon breaks down what she calls the Accidental CEO Tax - the hidden cost women pay when they build a business from passion without a clear plan. For many “Accidental CEOs,” the business starts with excitement, talent, and momentum, but over time it begins to grow in response to demand instead of intention.

Shauna Lynn explores how this tax shows up through lost time, scattered energy, unclear processes, underpriced work, reactive decisions, and the gradual fading of the passion that started it all. She also shares a personal story from the early years of her home staging business, when stepping back, rebranding, and rebuilding her foundation helped her grow to five times the previous year’s sales.

What if you are not starting over at all - you are finally starting from experience?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Rohanna Doylida, founder of The TrueVoice Brand Mentorship and creator of the Wisdom Bridge Method. Rohanna works with second-career women, especially highly driven women building something new in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, who want their message, positioning, and brand presence to reflect the depth of what they already know.

Rohanna shares how her own path from Chicago stages to running a gluten and dairy-free bakery to teaching in classrooms shaped the work she does today. She explains why women often feel like beginners again when they reinvent themselves, how “starting over” can erase credibility, and why your real-life experience may be the very thing that makes your brand powerful.

What if the success you worked so hard to build still does not feel like the life you actually want?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Steph Ramirez, strategic marketing consultant, certified identity coach, speaker, and Founder and CEO of Steph Ramirez Consulting & Coaching. After more than 15 years in corporate leadership and marketing, Steph left the traditional path to build a more aligned version of success, and now helps ambitious women strengthen their visibility from the inside out.

Steph shares why high-achieving women often carry perfectionism, people pleasing, overworking, and self-sacrifice from corporate into entrepreneurship, and how those patterns can quietly shape pricing, marketing, client choices, and personal branding. She also explains why visibility is often less of a marketing problem and more of an identity and self-trust challenge.

What if the thing you love doing in your business is also the thing keeping you from building what you actually want?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon shares a behind-the-scenes look at a strategic decision she is making in real time: scaling back one-on-one coaching to create more space for the Real Women Real Business Mastery Program. While one-on-one coaching is something Shauna Lynn deeply loves and excels at, she explains why loving the work does not always mean it is the right model for the next stage of business growth.

Shauna Lynn walks listeners through the patterns she has seen with “Accidental CEOs” who start with passion, take on everything, and eventually find themselves running a business that no longer reflects their goals, strengths, or values. She also revisits the Power Play Profit Filter from Episode 76 and explains why decision-making tools only work when the deeper business foundation is clear.

What if recovery is not just about addiction, but about the patterns, roles, and coping habits that keep high-achieving women disconnected from themselves?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Jeanne Foot, Founder and CEO of The Recovery Concierge. With lived experience, credentials as an International Certified Alcohol and Drug Counsellor, and training in hypnotherapy, NLP, and somatic work, Jeanne brings a grounded and compassionate lens to recovery, resilience, and sustainable change.

Jeanne reframes recovery as something every human can relate to, from people pleasing and overgiving to overworking, numbing out, and abandoning personal needs in the name of productivity. She explains why emotional sobriety is not about never being triggered, but about having the tools to stay connected to yourself when life feels demanding.

What if success is not supposed to feel this heavy?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Dr. Rosenna Bakari, an empowerment psychologist, leadership consultant, author, and founder of Seven Exits. With more than 30 years of experience studying and teaching human behavior, Dr. Bakari helps high-performing women and leaders bridge the gap between outward success and inner ease.

Through her Seven Exits framework, Dr. Bakari challenges the idea that achievement, credentials, and talent are enough to create sustainable success. Instead, she explores the emotional maturity, self-awareness, joy, and personal mastery required to build a life and business that does not cost women their wellbeing.

What if the new work coming your way is profitable, exciting, and consistent - but you are not sure whether it is a smart pivot or a slow drift away from the business you meant to build?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon shares a powerful conversation that came out of a recent Real Women Real Business Mastery Program group coaching call. When one service-based business owner realized the work she originally built her business around had gone quiet, while a different kind of work was gaining traction, it sparked an important question: should she lean into the demand or pause first?

What if the story you are not saying out loud is the one quietly shaping how you lead, price, decide, and show up in your business?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Jennifer Griffith, author, speaker, and host of the About Your Mother podcast. Jennifer’s work explores the relationships and defining moments that shape who people become, and her debut memoir, Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment, offers a powerful lens on motherhood, resilience, abandonment, and rewriting the next chapter without erasing the backstory.

Together, Shauna Lynn and Jennifer explore why authenticity cannot be copied from someone else’s framework, how borrowed business advice can pull entrepreneurs away from their real strengths, and why the most meaningful stories often begin in the places people have been taught to hide.

What if connection is not just a nice-to-have in business, but one of the biggest drivers of trust, performance, and growth?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Shari Leid, author, speaker, connection expert, attorney, and founder of the Flip the Box movement. Shari shares how her personal story of being found as an orphaned baby in a cardboard box shaped her lifelong search for belonging, and how that same box became the foundation for a powerful leadership framework rooted in connection.

Through her Table for 51 project, Shari traveled to all 50 states and shared meals with women she did not know, uncovering what creates meaningful connection beyond surface-level networking. She explains how disconnection shows up in teams, client relationships, and leadership, and why trust often begins with helping people feel seen.

What if watching your competitors is not giving you clarity - but quietly pulling you away from your own business vision?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon explores the fine line between healthy competitor awareness and toxic comparison. For many service-based entrepreneurs, especially in industries like home staging, interior design, consulting, and coaching, it can feel like everyone is watching everyone. But when competitor research turns into obsession, it can lead to reactive decisions, scattered offers, pricing doubts, and a business that no longer feels aligned.

Shauna Lynn breaks down how to learn from others without copying them, why online success is often just a highlight reel, and how to use your own vision, values, differentiators, and client experience as the filter for business decisions.

Thinking about selling your home staging business but unsure what actually happens after you find a buyer?

In the final episode of this special mini-series of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon walks through the complete sale process for a home staging business, from the first buyer inquiry to closing day and beyond. While many business owners focus on valuation and preparing their company for sale, understanding how a transaction actually unfolds can make the difference between a smooth transition and a stressful experience.

Listeners will learn how information is shared throughout the sale process, what buyers expect at each stage, and why confidentiality, preparation, and timing matter more than most owners realize. Shauna Lynn breaks down key milestones, including teasers, NDAs, prospectuses, buyer conversations, letters of intent, due diligence, closing, and transition support, helping staging business owners understand what lies ahead and how to prepare with confidence.

Is your home staging business built on solid systems or just what's stored in your head?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast mini-series, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon explains why one of the biggest drivers of business value has nothing to do with revenue or inventory. It comes down to transferability. Buyers want confidence that a business can continue without relying on the current owner's memory, instincts, or constant involvement.

From pricing and proposals to client communication, warehouse organization, and team responsibilities, Shauna Lynn breaks down the systems that create a more valuable and sellable home staging business. She also shares a simple exercise to identify where your business is too dependent on you and practical ways to start documenting the processes that matter most without creating an overwhelming operations manual.

What if being rich has less to do with the number in your bank account and more to do with how your life actually feels?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Kalee Boisvert, a financial advisor, author, speaker, and founder of Kalee Boisvert Wealth Advisory. With more than 15 years in finance and an MBA in finance, Kalee brings a refreshing perspective to money, wealth, self-worth, and the pressure many women feel to always be further ahead.

Do you think your warehouse full of inventory is the most valuable part of your home staging business?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast mini-series, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon tackles one of the biggest misconceptions in the staging industry: the belief that inventory determines business value. While furniture, artwork, accessories, and decor are essential tools of the trade, buyers are not focused on what you spent. They are focused on what those assets produce.

Shauna Lynn breaks down the difference between selling inventory and selling a business, explains why buyers evaluate earning power over furniture costs, and shares how productive inventory can support value while unproductive inventory can create drag. She also reveals why some home staging businesses sell for far more than the value of their warehouse contents and highlights the often-overlooked intangible assets that make a business truly attractive to buyers.

Do you know what your numbers are really saying about your home staging business?

Many home stagers focus on revenue when measuring success, but buyers look at something very different when evaluating a business. In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast mini-series, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon breaks down the financial story behind business value and explains why revenue alone does not determine what your company is worth.

Listeners will learn how buyers interpret financial statements, what profitability really means, and why understanding metrics like gross profit, net income, and Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) can dramatically impact a future sale. Even if numbers aren't your strength, this episode will help you understand the financial story buyers see when evaluating your business without getting lost in accounting jargon or complicated formulas.

What if your business is working on paper, but your body is telling a very different story?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Christina Kantzavelos, a California licensed psychotherapist, writer, chronic illness advocate, and founder of Begin Within Today and WithinMe. After severe Lyme disease and complex chronic illness forced Christina to rebuild her life, identity, and career, she developed a powerful perspective on ambition, burnout, boundaries, and sustainable success.

What makes a home staging business truly sellable?

Many home stagers assume that if their calendar is full, their inventory is moving, and revenue is strong, their business must be valuable to a buyer. But what if that's not the whole story?

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast mini-series, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon breaks down one of the most important concepts business owners need to understand before they ever think about selling: a busy business is not always a sellable business.

Could your home staging business be sold if life, burnout, or a major opportunity forced you to make a move sooner than expected?

In this first episode of a special mini-series for home stagers, How to Sell Your Home Staging Business, Shauna Lynn Simon opens an important conversation for stagers who have wondered what happens to their business when they are ready to step away. She explains why exit readiness is not the same as selling, and why preparing now can make a staging business stronger, more profitable, and easier to run today.

In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon explores how money pressure quietly influences pricing, boundaries, client decisions, follow-ups, and the way entrepreneurs show up in their businesses. Instead of focusing only on money mindset or affirmations, Shauna Lynn breaks down the practical decision-making patterns that cause business owners to discount, overdeliver, accept poor-fit clients, or avoid revenue-generating actions.

Shauna Lynn shares why not all revenue is good revenue, how urgency can create expensive choices, and why survival mode is not the same as strategy. Through real examples around pricing, overdue invoices, unexpected expenses, and cash flow pressure, Shauna Lynn helps listeners reframe financial decisions with more clarity and confidence.