What if you stopped waiting for opportunities to find you and started creating your own?

Join me as I sit down with Tam Smith, founder of Studio 349 and host of Sales for Service podcast. Born from a global pandemic, family health crisis, and a hospital room Google search for "how to make money working from home," Tam's entrepreneurial journey is anything but conventional.

Our conversation explores what it means to say yes to yourself, separate your self-worth from your work, and embrace sales as a tool for creating the opportunities you actually want - not just being grateful for what comes your way.

You'll Learn:

⭐ The importance of going after what you want (not just waiting for what finds you)

⭐ How to separate self-worth from work

⭐ The power of raising your hand and asking for help sooner

⭐ Why building a business is "cheaper than therapy"

⭐ How to throw your own dinner party (aka: be intentional about your business)

Key Insights:

From Crisis to Clarity: Sometimes it takes a global pandemic and family health crisis to push you into entrepreneurship - and that's okay. Your path doesn't have to be perfect.

The Dinner Party Principle: You don't throw a dinner party by opening your front door and saying "everybody come in." Be intentional about who you invite and the experience you want to create.

Sales Isn't Sleazy: The negative feelings around sales often come from how we've been sold to - but proactive client acquisition doesn't have to feel icky when done right.

Ask for Help Sooner: The one thing Tam would do differently? Raise her hand and ask for help earlier in the journey. Working with a business coach was a game-changer.

Say Yes to Yourself: Women are great at taking care of everyone and everything - except ourselves. For Tam, building a legacy means enabling as many women as possible to say yes to themselves first.

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] - Introduction and the power of LinkedIn connections

[00:02:00] - Meeting through Réland Logan and building community

[00:03:00] - Introducing Studio 349 and Tam's entrepreneurial journey

[00:04:00] - Named after her father (born September 1934)

[00:05:00] - The hospital room Google search that started it all

[00:06:00] - From virtual assistant to digital marketing during COVID

[00:07:00] - The business coach conversation that changed everything

[00:39:00] - Why she started the Sales for Service podcast

[00:40:00] - Leading by example: the importance of consistent digital presence

[00:41:00] - Separating self-worth from work to avoid sales sabotage

[00:42:00] - Sales as exposure therapy: getting comfortable being uncomfortable

[00:44:00] - The special community of women cheering each other on

[00:45:00] - Building a legacy: enabling women to say yes to themselves

Resources and Links:

Find host Kirstin Belden on LinkedIn or at Beldenstrategies.com

Sign up to receive more insights and inspiration at Beldenstrategies.com/newsletter

Connect with Tam

• Studio Three 49

• Sales As Service Podcast

• Find Tam on LinkedIn

Mentioned in episode:

• Réland Logan (previous guest)

• Book: The Gap and the Gain

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What if every system you engage with is just a story someone told - and it's up to you to decide if you want to build a new one?

Join me as I sit down with Genevieve Anderson, a filmmaker and social entrepreneur whose work lives at the intersection of creativity and social impact.

Genevieve has spent her career asking deeper questions about how we tell stories, who gets left out of the systems we build, and what it means to keep creating and caring over the long haul.

Our conversation explores storytelling as an act of creation, how creativity shows up in unexpected forms, and what it takes to stay human and hopeful without burning yourself out.

You'll Learn:

⭐ Why storytelling is literally creation - not just something you do for children

⭐ How to synchronize head and heart in your work

⭐ The power of narrative change in shifting systems

⭐ What it means to build something that can grow beyond you

⭐ Why slowing down in January isn't weakness - it's wisdom

Key Insights:

Stories Create Systems: Every system we engage with - marriage, money, social services - is a story somebody told. If we only look at what's already there, we're not engaged in storytelling.

Head and Heart Synchronization: Working only from your head in "go, go, go" mode means you're not meeting the moment in your fullness. Real impact requires both.

From Actor to Activist: Genevieve's journey from theater arts to directing plays with people experiencing mental illness shows how creativity can be a tool for social change.

Social Enterprise as Solution: Private sector partnerships with social enterprises create win-win scenarios - corporations need impact, and social enterprises need scale.

Legacy as Kernel: Building a legacy means creating something that can continue to operate and grow without you—a kernel that feeds humanity in ways you might not even imagine.

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] - Introduction: Conversations that invite you to slow down

[00:01:00] - Welcoming in the new year with ease and grace

[00:03:00] - The shift from "go, go, go" to synchronizing head and heart

[00:05:00] - How Kristin and Genevieve met through LEAP Academy

[00:07:00] - Early career: From acting and theater to social impact

[00:08:00] - Working with people experiencing mental illness in LA

[00:47:00] - Why private sector needs social enterprise

[00:48:00] - Harnessing the power of storytelling for narrative change

[00:50:00] - Storytelling as creation—bringing new realities into being

[00:52:00] - Building a legacy: Creating systems that can grow beyond you

Resources and Links:

Find host Kristin Belden on LinkedIn or at Beldenstrategies.com

Sign up for Kristin's newsletter at Beldenstrategies.com/newsletter

Connect with Genevieve Anderson on LinkedIn

Find Genevieve's work at Genevieveanderson.com

Check out Wunz and MakeitworkLA

LEAP Academy (coaching program mentioned in episode)

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! And if you're interested in more stories and tools for women leaders, sign up for my newsletter at Beldenstrategies.com/newsletter.

What if the secret to 17 years of success is in staying nimble, and widening the table instead of protecting your seat?

Join me as I sit down with Meghan Phillips, founder of Honey and one of the most respected leaders I know.

Over nearly two decades, Meghan has built a thriving creative business while launching initiatives shaping how our region thinks about food and impact. Our conversation explores what it means to lead with humanity first, build cultures people actually want to be part of, and navigate the tension between ambition and contentment.

You'll Learn:

⭐ Why continuity in storytelling matters (and how it built Honey)

⭐ How to hold ambition and contentment at the same time

⭐ What it takes to build a team that stays for 10+ years

⭐ Why mentoring others became her greatest joy

⭐ The power of "widening the table" instead of protecting your seat

Key Insights:

Human-First Leadership: Creating work cultures where people can show up as their whole selves isn't just good ethics - it's good business.

The Infinity Symbol Strategy: True impact comes from connecting visual design with marketing storytelling - making something beautiful AND telling people how to use it.

Living in the Tension: Ambition and contentment don't have to be opposing forces - both can coexist without constantly swiveling between extremes.

From Self to Others: The shift from thinking about your own career to investing in others' careers is where true fulfillment lives.

Connection as Legacy: Real legacy isn't about big monuments - it's about fostering human connection, breaking bread, and remembering what it means to be human.

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] - Introduction

[00:02:00] - How Kristin and Meghan met over a decade ago

[00:04:00] - Meghan's reputation as a human-first leader

[00:05:00] - Starting Honey while pregnant (17-18 years ago)

[00:06:00] - The missing continuity in storytelling and why Honey started

[00:07:00] - The power of Sacramento's food and beverage community

[00:48:00] - Living in the tension between ambition and contentment

[00:49:00] - Both things can be true: perfection isn't required

[00:50:00] - What younger Meghan would find surprising: loving mentorship

[00:51:00] - Team longevity: 10-11 years with key team members

[00:53:00] - Building a legacy through human connection

Resources and Links:

• Find host Kirstin Belden on LinkedIn or at BeldenStrategies.com
• Sign up for Kristin's newsletter at BeldenStrategies.com/newsletter
• Connect with Meghan Phillips and her businesses
  • Meghan on LinkedIn
  • Honey Agency
  • Food Frontier
  • Simple Summers
• Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub
• Center for Land-Based Learning
• Soil Born Farms
• Oobli
• Visit Sacramento
• Terra Madre

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! And if you're interested in more stories and tools for women leaders, sign up for my newsletter at Beldenstrategies.com/newsletter.