What happens when two business coaches attend a major national music conference?

In this episode, Michelle and Sara share their experience from the 2026 Music Teachers National Association conference in Chicago. From the fun and energizing moments to the deeper patterns they observed in how musicians approach business, money, and growth.

They go beyond the highlight reel to unpack the mindset shifts required to move from “artist” to confident business owner.

• The highs (and exhaustion) of attending a national conference
• The problem with vague goals like “more students”
• Scarcity mindset and fear around investing in your business
• The shift from “pick me” to taking ownership of your career
• Why financial literacy is a game changer for music teachers

You don’t just have a business – you need to learn how to run one.

How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss is the podcast for creative entrepreneurs and service-based business owners who want to thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity. Michelle and Sara share the hard-won wisdom you won’t find in generic business coaching or “just follow my simple formula” advice.

➡️ Join SECO

If this episode resonated with you:

• Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen
• Share the episode with a fellow business owner who needs to hear it
• Let us know what topics, myths, or rants you want us to tackle next — we love hearing from you

• Dr. Joe Welch doing amazing work at Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois. Blackburn is the only work college with a student-managed work program.

🎙️ Episode 8: Is Your Business Eating You Alive?

The problem isn’t your workload. It’s who’s in charge.

In this solo episode, Michelle gets real about what it feels like when the business you built starts running you. Not always in dramatic, burnout fashion, but in the quieter, more dangerous ways: constant mental load, reactive decisions, and the slow erosion of your time, energy, and identity.

Including one very real moment: trying to take a break over Christmas, visiting family, intentionally leaving the laptop behind… and coming back to a messy business. When your business is running you, it follows you, quietly taking up space in your mind no matter where you are.

If you’ve ever felt like your business owns you, like you can’t step away, can’t think clearly, and definitely can’t “just take a break” this episode is for you.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• What it really looks like when your business is “eating you alive”
• How lack of clarity turns your business into a reactive machine
• The identity trap of creative entrepreneurship — and why it’s so hard to separate yourself from your work
• Why over-giving and under-protecting your energy leads to long-term burnout
• The difference between reacting to your business and actually running it

This is about taking back control. Because the truth is, most business owners were never taught how to run a business. You were handed a machine with no manual and expected to figure it out while also doing the work itself.

Grab your notebook and pencil, grab your coffee, your tea, or whatever else helps you cope with your business-induced anxiety… and let’s get started!

🎧 About the Podcast

How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss is the podcast for creative entrepreneurs and service-based business owners who want to thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity. Michelle and Sara share the hard-won wisdom you won’t find in generic business coaching or “just follow my simple formula” advice.

➡️ Apply for the Accelerator Program: https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/how-to-run-your-business-without-hating-your-boss-accelerator/

➡️ Join SECO: https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/

⭐ Support the Show

If this episode hit home:

• Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next
• Leave a rating or review to help other creative entrepreneurs find the show
• Share it with someone who needs this reminder

Boa Constrictor by Shel Silverstein

Oh, I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor A boa constrictor A boa constrictor I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor And I don't like it - one bit.

Well, what do you know? It's nibblin' my toe. Oh, gee, It's up to my knee. Oh my, It’s up to my thigh. Oh, fiddle, It's up to my middle. Oh, heck, It's up to my neck. Oh, dread, It's upmmmmmmmmmmmfffffffffff…

🎙️Episode 7: Getting Off the Hobby Horse (and Building Something Stable)

At some point, every self-employed creative has to decide: Is this a hobby… or is this a business?

In this episode, Michelle and Sara unpack what really happens when you treat your business like a side project instead of the legitimate, revenue-generating entity it actually is. From loosey-goosey bookkeeping to guessing at pricing, ignoring legal responsibilities, and hoping taxes will magically sort themselves out, these “little” habits can quietly sabotage your success.

And if you’ve ever had someone imply your work isn’t a “real job”? Yeah. We’re talking about that too.

This episode is a loving but firm wake-up call, as well as practical, no-nonsense steps to move from “holy crap, what have I done?” to “I am an official badass business owner!”

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• The difference between hobby energy and CEO energy
• Why “I just want to help people” is not a business strategy
• Getting surprised by taxes (and why that keeps happening)
• The realities of liability, insurance, and data responsibility
• Why independent teachers, coaches, and creatives deserve real business respect
• How subtle self-sabotage becomes habitual
• The mindset shift required to move into legitimate business ownership

If you want sustainability, respect, and actual profit, you have to act like a business owner. It’s time to step out of “hobby land” and into real ownership. Grab your notebook and pencil, grab your coffee, your tea, or whatever else helps you cope with your business-induced anxiety… and let’s get started!

🎧 About the Podcast

How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss is the podcast for creative entrepreneurs and service-based business owners who want to thrive professionally without sacrificing their values, peace, or creative integrity. Michelle and Sara share the hard-won wisdom you won’t find in generic business coaching or “just follow my simple formula” advice.

➡️ Join SECO: https://thespeakeasycooperative.com/speakeasy/

📝 Mentioned in This Show:

• Blog: How to Know if You Should Become an LLC
• Apply for The How to Run Your Biz Without Hating Your Boss Accelerator Program

⭐ Support the Show

If this episode resonated with you:

• Rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen
• Share the episode with a fellow business owner who needs to hear it
• Let us know what topics, myths, or rants you want us to tackle next — we love hearing from you