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Not because marketing doesn’t work — it does.But because most marketing agencies are built on outdated strategies, soulless aesthetics, and zero understanding of the people they’re supposedly helping.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

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.

On this episode of Left Standing we explore the topic of life coaching as a cult.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know this is one of my favorite things to talk about/poke fun at. For example…

I love critiquing the coaching industry, partially because I think it is necessary (we need people to educate from within our space) and partially because as a woo-loving, astrology-obsessed millennial in Los Angeles, one of my insecurities is that people think I am like these folks. So, I attempt to make it abundantly clear I am not by being the vocal example of a coach who knows there’s some sketchy shit in our industry…and that this is not that.

So many of my clients feel cringe about calling themselves coaches…and I think that is the fault of the co-opting of this word for bad faith business practices that give our business a bad rep…not because there is anything bad about coaching.

In this episode I attempt to distinguish between trauma-informed, ethical coaching and some weird ass shit people have commodified under the moniker of “coach”.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts…because this is a controversial topic and deeply personal to the lived experience of those of us who have been swindled (hello!).

Also, the word “cult” doesn’t have a well-defined scope. It is sort of subjective what a cult is…see this episode’s cited resources for more information on this.

Which is why I would love to have an open dialogue with folks! Tag me in your thoughts!

If you want non-cult, trauma-informed, ethical coaching tools, you can sign up for free emails and get an ethical sales guide here.

Cited Resources:BBC — Life Coaching Industry BoomA data-driven look at the rapid growth, lack of regulation, and financial stakes of the coaching industry.https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230418-life-coach-self-help-industry-growth

New York Times — “They Spent Their Life Savings on Life Coaching”An investigation into predatory sales tactics, high-pressure upsells, and financial exploitation in popular coaching programs.https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/02/business/life-coach-debt-savings.html

The Guardian — Lighthouse Coaching Group ShutdownReporting on the closure of Lighthouse after allegations of isolation, coercion, and financial pressure on members.https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/11/lighthouse-global-life-coaching-group-ordered-to-close-cult

U.S. Department of Justice — Nxivm Conviction SummaryOfficial documentation of the criminal case against the founder of Nxivm, originally marketed as an executive success coaching program.https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/leader-nxivm-sex-cult-sentenced-120-years-imprisonment

Inc. Magazine — “The Cult Language Coursing Through Business”An analysis of cult-adjacent messaging, aspirational manipulation, and the rise of unregulated coaching culture.https://www.inc.com/sam-blum/the-cult-like-language-thats-coursing-through-business.html

Britannica — Definitions & Characteristics of CultsA scholarly overview of what constitutes a cult and the key behaviors associated with high-control groups.https://www.britannica.com/topic/cult

Kate Belew and I met in July of 2018 on Governors Island in New York City. We were both members of The Poetry Brothel-an immersive art, esoteric, and burlesque production that still exists internationally today. Kate, a poet in the show, and me the card reader for the brothel’s monthly productions.

I was just starting my business and Kate was doing social media consulting for a witchy shop we both frequented in lower Manhattan.

All these years later I wanted to celebrate the launch of Kate’s second book Word Witch with an episode where we get into our favorite ritual magick! As Kate’s first business coach when she decided to go out on her own all this years ago—Kate was int he very first round of my mastermind—it is so exciting to get to watch the iterations of her work. From co-conspirators as “poetry whores” in the brothel to badass business owners and friends, our journey is one I cherish!

I hope you love this episode! Guest episodes are always my favorite (because I don’t have to research anything and I just get to talk to cool people!)

Follow Kate on Substack and Instagram

Buy Word Witch

As a reminder, guest and feminist exploratory episodes are free of charge. To get mini-lessons (and to support a small, women-owned business!) consider becoming a paid subscriber (some archived episodes with Kate are also available with your subscription!)

In a world of wild contradictions multiple truths I hold as a feminist business owner who hates, but wants to thrive in spite of late-stage capitalism include:

* It is insane that we have to work to make money to live in a culture that doesn’t even afford many people basic needs AND there is no one more deserving of being paid for their labor than feminist care workers.

* I have resented having to work in my business during personal tragedy, but have had no choice because of capitalism AND I am deeply grateful/privileged to make a high salary doing meaningful work with people I respect and admire.

* It feels bizarre to have to advertise on platforms that support authoritarianism and the destruction of the environment AND I know so many of my friends, collaborators, peers and mentors exclusively thanks to social media…

* People are facing extreme economic hardship due to unfair and unsustainable rising costs AND I am unapologetically having my second highest year in business, with my eye on funding my mother’s retirement even in a broken economic system.

* The online services industry has changed dramatically as people require more trust building to invest than ever before AND I think this is a good thing—even though it makes selling harder—because we should have to earn people’s trust in an industry that has abused it.

In our first mini-business episode, I share about these contradictions and how to make money anyway. Both because we need to AND because we get to do the work we love as we do it. It is a mind fuck and having conflicting feelings about that makes sense.

A regulated nervous system is your most important tool for making decisions in this moment from the headspace of a CEO—which is what you are at work, not your inner child, anxious self saboteur, or procrastinating perfectionist.

On November 18 for $33 I am teaching a workshop called Regulate to Rise which will both regulate your nervous system and give you my favorite tools I use both with clients and for myself to come to the work from CEO headspace while protecting and honoring all of our parts in times such as these. 1/2 the proceeds will be donated.

Additionally, when you subscribe to this space you get access to all archived episodes and once-a-month mini business lessons like this one. Please note this is the only mini business lesson that will be free. To continue to access this kind of content, please consider becoming a paying subscriber and supporting a small woman-owned business.

In a potent dose of pragmatic hope, Cara sits down with visionary author Natasha Hakimi Zapata to alchemize our collective political grief. Natasha reveals how a better world isn't a fantasy—it’s already being practiced in countries that have solved many of the crises plaguing the US, from universal healthcare to paid parental leave. This conversation is a powerful reminder that our darkest moments can be portals to radical, life-affirming transformation.

Connect with Natasha:

• Website

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