Left Standing cover art

Left Standing

Left Standing

Written by: Cara Kovacs
Listen for free

About this listen

 A space for healers, witches, goddesses, and radicals who do meaningful work in a system that makes it more difficult than it needs to be. This is where you come to remember your why and reclaim your story.

carakovacs.substack.comCara Kovacs Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Hot takes on the state of our industry in 2026

    Hot takes on the state of our industry in 2026
    Jan 14 2026

    I’ve spent a truly embarrassing amount of money on bad marketing support.

    Agencies. Contractors. “Experts.” People who promised to scale my work, optimize my ads, automate my infrastructure, and generally turn my business into a smooth, passive-income machine.

    What happened instead was I flushed over $20k down the toilet on IP that didn’t even feel like me.

    Not because marketing doesn’t work — it does.But because most marketing agencies are built on outdated strategies, soulless aesthetics, and zero understanding of the people they’re supposedly helping.

    And frankly? A lot of them are wildly out of touch with the current market and the politics of the people they serve. (Not all of them—I should say I have worked with some great people…I just had the sneaking suspicion I could do it better if I built the team myself…)

    So today’s episode of Left Standing is a conversation I’ve been wanting to have publicly for a long time.

    This Episode Is About Marketing — Plus You Can Hire Me and My Faves To Do It For You

    In this episode, I sit down with three women who have been in my world for years — not just as collaborators, but as friends. They also built my website, my ad campaigns, and did the same for half my clients.

    We are joining forces. And you can hire us here.

    Together, we talk honestly about what it’s actually like to market an online service business right now — in a landscape shaped by algorithm chaos, AI saturation, burnout, capitalism, and constantly shifting attention.

    Some Things We Say Out Loud (That Most People Won’t)

    We talk about:

    * Why so many people are lighting money on fire hiring agencies too early

    * Why “one-stop shop” marketing agencies don’t get radicals the way we do

    * How DIY tools and AI have made marketing faster but often way worse

    * Why Ads Manager keeps changing and who that actually benefits

    * Why solopreneurs are being asked to do the work of full marketing teams (and how unsustainable that is)

    * Why authenticity isn’t a brand trait — it’s a survival strategy

    * And why most marketing advice completely ignores capacity, disability, grief, and real human limits

    Why We Built Something New

    This conversation also marks the launch of something we’ve been building quietly behind the scenes:

    Waxing Moon Media 🌒

    A boutique marketing agency for online service providers who:

    * Don’t want to sell their soul to scale

    * Want ads that actually convert without manipulation

    * Want design that builds trust instead of screaming “2021 Canva template”

    * Want copy that reflects their values, politics, and humanity

    * Want strategy that’s grounded in this market — not three algorithm updates ago

    We built this because we were tired of watching smart, ethical people get burned by bad advice, bloated retainers, and agencies that didn’t understand them at all.

    🎧 Listen to the episode here and share it with your online business owner friends.🌑 Learn more about Waxing Moon Media: https://waxingmoonmedia.com

    As always: take what resonates, leave the rest, and trust that you’re allowed to build something that actually works for you.

    — Cara 🖤



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • The Astrology of 2026 with Torrence Tremayne

    The Astrology of 2026 with Torrence Tremayne
    Jan 7 2026
    Let’s get something straight right out of the gate:2026 is not a “soft launch”.It’s a fuck around and find out year.And my favorite astro bestie Torrence Tremayne gives a very specific and direct break down of everything you need to know.After half a decade of grief, dissociation, therapy-speak, spiritual bypassing, and late-stage capitalism catastrophes, the astrology of 2026 signals something potent:🔥 MovementTorrence—mystic linguist, archetypal astrologer, and longtime co-conspirator in naming the patterns beneath the chaos—and I connected to talk about what’s actually coming. Not in platitudes. Not in horoscope fluff. But in the kind of language that acknowledges power, systems, and the fact that the world most of us grew up in feels both present in our cultural nostalgia but functionally dead in our lived experience.What we explore:From Water 💧 & Earth 🌍 to Air 🌬️ & Fire 🔥For over a decade, we’ve been swimming in water and earth dominance:* Neptune in Pisces (since 2011)* Saturn in Pisces (since 2023)* Uranus in Taurus (for the last 8 years)* Pluto in Capricorn (from 2008-2024)Translation?Collective themes of:* Emotional processing, an increase in themes around mental health (both for better ie. more of us in therapy and worse ie. Jonah Hill, social media removing all nuance from mental health, bypassing, MAHA, Me Too etc)* Material survival and corporate greed (monopolization from corporations, exploitation of the earth’s resources, fast fashion, environmental collapse)This era taught us how to feel more deeply. How to name what has hurt for generations.But it also trapped many people in delusions, dissociating and mindlessly participating in the very things that are killing the planet.2026 changes the elemental game entirely.We move decisively into air and fire:* Neptune enters Aries* Saturn enters Aries* Uranus moves into Gemini* Lunar Nodes shift into Aquarius/Leo* Pluto continues its long march through AquariusAir and fire don’t feel their way forward.They move.Air spreads information. (Both the facts and the misinformation…)Fire ignites action. (Both of righteous justice and impulsive anger)This is not a gentle transition. It’s volatile by design.Neptune in Aries: The End of the Dream, The Start of the FightNeptune rules illusion, fantasy, culture, collective myth-making.Aries rules action, conflict, youth, revolt.When Neptune moves into Aries, the dream becomes militant.We already saw a preview in summer 2025:* Youth-led uprisings across the globe* Masked Gen Z protesters overthrowing governments* State power responding with militarization* The illusion of “normal” cracking under pressureWhen Neptune briefly retreated back into Pisces (Sept of 2025 until the end of this month), the collective retreated too.Cue:* Aggressive nostalgia* 90s reboots* Y2K aesthetics* “Can we just go back?” energyNot that things have been peaceful, but there was a palpable energetic shift.Neptune in Aries returns in 2026 and says:You don’t get to go back.Pluto in Aquarius: Power Loses Its MaskPluto doesn’t whisper.It exposes.The last time Pluto moved through Aquarius, we saw:* Revolutions (both the American and French)* Monarchies collapsing* Power structures rewritten, though still rooted in colonialism, patriarchy and white supremacy This era is not subtle. And it’s not just political—it’s technological, cultural, and social.What was once dismissed as fringe is now showing up in court documents, leaked emails, and Congressional records.And 2026?The truth will become unavoidable by people on all sides of the aisle.Uranus in Gemini: Information CorruptionUranus rules disruption.Gemini rules communication, tech, networks.This isn’t abstract. It’s already happening:* An increase in hacking* The collective realization that all of our information is being monitored closely, without our consent* AI-generated scams that mimic real institutions* A boom of tech stocks that may collapse under its own weightUranus in Gemini doesn’t mean “cool new apps.”It means reality itself becomes harder to authenticate.The AI Bubble: 2026 Is the Dot-Com MomentLet’s say the quiet part out loud.The U.S. economy is currently over-leveraged on AI speculation.This mirrors the dot-com boom almost perfectly:* Untested technology* Inflated promises* Massive capital concentration* Little to no regulation* Cultural pressure to “get in early”Astrologically, this checks out.When Uranus (tech) destabilizes Gemini (markets, communication) and Pluto (power) exposes Aquarius (systems), bubbles pop.Not because the technology disappears—but because the fantasy collapses.The Titanic moment always happens after peak confidence.2025 Was the Fuck Around Year.2026 Is the Find Out Year.2025 closed chapters.2026 opens consequences.The coping strategies that kept people afloat—denial, nostalgia, spiritual bypassing, hyper-consumerism—stop working.And here’s the part that actually...
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
  • What Does it Mean To Be A Feminist Leader in Business with Susanna Barkataki

    What Does it Mean To Be A Feminist Leader in Business with Susanna Barkataki
    Dec 17 2025

    There’s something rare about a conversation that reminds you not just what’s possible in business, but what should be possible. On the latest episode of Left Standing, Susanna Barkataki — founder of Ignite Institute and Yoke Yoga, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and social justice educator — shares how she’s built a business that balances abundance with integrity.

    “I do think how you define success and constantly reevaluating what that success looks like… you can have a super values-aligned business practice and be successful,” Susanna says. “My goal initially was just to replace my teaching salary… But then the possibilities for abundance surprised me, and the question became: What do I do with that abundance?”

    For Susanna, success isn’t a number on a spreadsheet — it’s a moral and spiritual question. She’s committed to changing the face of yoga. “If people of color, queer folks, trans folks, different abilities aren’t seeing themselves as yoga teachers… it’s hard to imagine it. So I make programs that make that possible.”

    We also discuss practical frameworks for building a business with heart: listen to the market, anchor your offerings, and don’t discount yourself. And when it comes to scaling ethically? Teamwork is essential. Susanna shares the importance of investing in people: “My best investments are in my team. Having a tech VA, social media manager… I could not have gone as far as I’ve gone without the right people.”

    Susanna’s approach is a masterclass in aligning purpose with profit — proving that you can build a thriving business while staying true to your values.

    Listen to the full episode of Left Standing to hear Susanna’s story, her insights on defining success on your own terms, and her advice for anyone trying to create impact without compromise.

    About Susanna Berkataki: Susanna Berkataki is the founder of Ignite and Yoke Yoga, bestselling author of Ignite Your Yoga and Embrace Yoga’s Roots, a TEDx speaker, and an advocate for social justice through yoga. Her work integrates spirituality, psychology, and community-based healing, helping people and organizations thrive ethically and sustainably.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
No reviews yet