What if the secret to building a high-performing team wasn’t in your systems, but in your sense of humour? In this episode, Hayley Bohan is joined by the always-energizing Michael Kerr — international speaker, author, and “Workplace Energizer” — to unpack how small businesses can lead with intention, laugh more, and create cultures that don’t suck the soul out of their people.

If you’re a small business owner juggling all the hats and hiring your first few team members, this one’s for you.

Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame speaker, founder of Humour at Work, and the author of nine books — including his latest, Small Moments, Big Outcomes: How Leaders Create Cultures That Fuel Extraordinary Results. For over 25 years, he’s been travelling the globe to help organizations create more collaborative, humane, and hilariously effective workplaces. Learn more at mikekerr.com.

• Why humour is a leadership superpower (even if you don’t think you’re funny)

• Michael’s leap from senior leadership to solo-preneur speaker — and what made it stick

• The difference between managing and leading culture (yes, even with just 2 employees!)

• What happens when values are just words on a wall — and how to bring them to life

• The ROI of culture: retention, trust, and brand reputation

• Why a sense of purpose makes employees stay (even when they get better offers)

• The one value that transformed a company’s culture: “100% Jerk-Free Workplace”

• Plus: Michael’s practical tips on building culture without spending more money or time

• Michael’s book: Small Moments, Big Outcomes

• Michael’s Website

• Michael on LinkedIn

• Michael on YouTube

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

If you’re building a brand that’s rooted in purpose and people, don’t just focus on the outside perception. Start from the inside — and lead with humour.

• (00:00:01) - Daring Heart and Strategy in Small Business Marketing
• (00:01:41) - How to Change a Soul Sucking Workplace
• (00:06:01) - Why Leaders Should Lead With Humor
• (00:10:22) - How to Build a Culture of Excellence in your Business
• (00:17:31) - Importance of values in a small business
• (00:21:25) - The Value of Humor at Work
• (00:24:59) - How to Train Your Dog to Sleep
• (00:26:48) - Building a Business on a Slow Start
• (00:31:50) - Do You Get Any Repeat Jobs?
• (00:33:06) - How to Think of Yourself as a Culture Leader
• (00:35:26) - A sense of purpose in the workplace
• (00:42:15) - Valuing your Employees: The 2
• (00:43:22) - How to Build a Culture of Excellence
• (00:45:14) - A message about leadership and culture
• (00:46:38) - Daring Dreams

What if a life-changing diagnosis became the start of your biggest impact?

At just 33, Jessica Baladad found a lump that would set her on an entirely new path. In this powerful and heartfelt episode, host Hayley Bohan sits down with Jessica to hear how she turned a breast cancer diagnosis into a mission-driven business that’s helping people around the world take control of their health.

With no tech background, Jessica taught herself how to build an app, and ended up creating Feel For Your Life, a globally downloaded, free resource for self-exams, reminders, and even AI-powered pathology report support.

This is entrepreneurship rooted in purpose. It's about turning pain into power, and a personal story into a global movement.

Jessica Baladad is a six-year breast cancer survivor, self-taught app developer, and founder of Feel For Your Life — the first self-exam and breast health tracking app built by a patient, for patients. Her app has been downloaded tens of thousands of times across 147+ countries and includes a first-of-its-kind AI feature to help users interpret complex pathology reports.

Jessica has been featured on Good Morning America, USA Today, Upworthy, and more — and has even partnered with the NFL's Crucial Catch Campaign. Beyond the app, she’s become a powerful voice in healthcare advocacy, working on state legislation, speaking before members of Congress, and pushing for access, equity, and transparency in the healthcare system.

✅ How Jessica turned a personal health crisis into a global mission
✅ The origin story of Feel For Your Life — and how it started in the shower
✅ How she taught herself to build an app (and rebuilt it from scratch after a server fire!)
✅ Her mindset shift from “Why me?” to “Use me.”
✅ Why storytelling — not just strategy — was key to media visibility
✅ The AI tool helping patients understand pathology reports
✅ How she keeps the app free through sponsorships and speaking
✅ What to do when someone says “you can’t” (hint: her answer is “watch me”)
✅ Advice for anyone who wants to turn a difficult experience into advocacy or impact
✅ Her personal story of catching a precancerous mole during a recent self-exam

• Feel For Your Life App (available on App Store + Google Play)

• Breastfriend AI: in-app tool to interpret pathology reports

• How to find Jessica:

  • Instagram: @jessica.baladad

  • LinkedIn: Jessica Baladad

  • Twitter: @jessica_baladad

  • Facebook: Jessica Baladad

Download the Feel For Your Life app and start your monthly self-exams today.
Share this episode with a friend, sister, or partner — it might just save a life.
Want to build something meaningful from your story? Let Jessica’s journey inspire your first step.

Subscribe to Daring Dreams: Heart & Strategy in Small Business Marketing to hear more stories where purpose meets entrepreneurship. Follow Hayley Bohan on Instagram @hayley_bohan and connect at marketingonpurpose.ca for marketing coaching, branding insight, and more.

• (00:00:00) - Can You Defeat The Negative?
• (00:00:19) - Daring Dreams: Jessica Baladad
• (00:01:50) - I Found A Lump in My Breast When I Was 18
• (00:06:36) - Jessica Jones on the Fight for Your Life
• (00:11:00) - Breast Cancer Care: Feel for Your Life App
• (00:14:49) - How the Self-Examination App Got Viral
• (00:18:41) - The 'Self-Examination' App
• (00:21:53) - So what would you say to somebody else who maybe wants to do
• (00:23:08) - The Secret to Making Money in Business
• (00:27:10) - Susan Boyle on Her Fight Against Breast Cancer
• (00:28:34) - Feast for Your Life: The App

What happens when you combine marketing strategy with radical empathy?

In this episode of Daring Dreams: Heart & Strategy in Small Business Marketing, Hayley Bohan sits down with Kerri Carroll, founder of KC’s Clutter Cure, to explore how real connection, clear differentiation, and genuine purpose can drive a business forward even in the most non-traditional of niches.

Kerri didn’t set out to become a decluttering expert. But through a background in psych nursing, a passion for people, and a curiosity about human behaviour, she built a business that helps clients navigate hoarding and squalor with compassion and strategy. And she did it all in her 50s, by leading with service, leaning into visibility marketing, and identifying a differentiator most others would avoid.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to identify a market gap and confidently niche into it even if it's emotionally sensitive
• What it really means to build a trauma-informed, service-based brand
• Why word-of-mouth and visibility are still your best marketing tools
• What to do when someone disses your clients on social media (or disses you)
• The mindset shift every solopreneur needs when starting later in life
• How in the depths of despair, you too can rise.

This isn’t a “build your business in 30 days” kind of episode. It’s a real, honest look at what it means to show up for your clients, build trust, and stand out in a deeply human way.

Meet Kerri Carroll Founder | Speaker | Coach | Advocate for Transformational Change

Kerri Carroll is the founder of KC’s Clutter Cure, a professional organizing and coaching business that helps people move beyond physical, emotional, and lifestyle clutter. With a background in psych nursing and executive leadership, and a sharp eye for human behaviour, she brings empathy and practicality to one of the most overlooked service sectors in small business.

KC’s Clutter Cure specializes in hoarding, squalor, and chronic disorganization — but what Kerri really helps her clients declutter is shame. And she’s building a standout brand while doing it.

Learn more on Kerri's Facebook page.

Mentioned in this episode:

1. Hayley’s Book: Brand-Worth-Loving: How to Build an Authentic Small-Business Brand that Inspires
2. Build Your Buyer Persona Course

Takeaway Thought: If you’ve ever wondered whether your business is “different” in a way that might make it harder to market, this episode will show you how that difference can become your greatest strength.