“How do you decide who has the power to judge you? Who are you seeking to please? Is that validation... more

Hi Friends! Although the podcast is still paused, I'm dropping into the feed this week and next with two very... more

As I round the corner into this ninth year of podcasting and after over 700 episodes, today I’m announcing a... more

“I don’t get on the airplane—and definitely not the stage—unless all invoices are paid in full.” When my friend and fellow... more

What mysterious ingredients make a book launch successful? What number of first-week and first-year sales truly make a difference to... more

Laura Mae Martin has a fascinating role as the Executive Productivity Advisor at Google in the Office of the CEO—one... more

While the title of this episode, The Framework Framework™ is tongue-in-cheek, I’m pulling this out of the BFF bonus vault... more

What do you do when you lose your biggest client? If you haven’t already, listen to part one for some... more

What do you do when you lose your biggest client? That was my Spotify search query for podcast episodes on... more

“I am great in the early, messy days and I know that about myself, so I designed my business around... more

“Things today are waaayyyyy better than Things have ever been. Cavemen had sticks. In the Middle ages they had typhoid. We... more

If you’re anything like me, you may find conducting online launches for your programs or events exhausting and sometimes even... more

“Whenever you have a choice of what to do, choose the more interesting path." In honor of our upcoming Free Time... more

Before you post anything, ask: Why am I posting this? Is this within my brand guardrails? Even still, you may... more

What’s on your business owner to-do list? Here’s a peek at mine, full of items large, small, and existential. This... more

“We don’t want our time to be spread thin like peanut butter on a slice of toast. You will have... more

I'm so excited to bring you a listener submission today from Renee Rubin Ross about my summer Voxer coaching pop-up.... more

“It wasn’t about being better than others, it was being ourselves, and true to our ideals in our work.” That’s... more

Today is a crossover episode from the Pivot podcast celebrating eight lessons learned from over eight years of podcasting. The Free... more

“’Something I always say: at the very least, do it for the plot. Do it for the story. Be bold... more

”In a society that glorifies titles, visibility, reach, and the grind, taking a beat to opt out of all that... more

Just because you use pretty words that sound nice doesn’t mean they are effective. Although we know what we do... more

The phrase is emblazoned at WeWorks across the globe: in large neon lights across lobby walls, bedecking laptops via swag... more

“The biggest breakthroughs came from the random side projects that I had no expectation would turn into anything.” Josh Kaufman... more

Are you running a Franken-Brand? A quick, inexpensive logo here. And then someone a few months later tries to write... more

Has your business brand become stale, perhaps to the point of being a liability? After a few years, especially with... more

What do you do when a business area becomes energetically draining, or the income isn’t flowing? Today’s guest has many... more

How can you get paid for who you are, not just what you do? Today’s guest, Terry Rice, is teaching... more

“What am I pretending not to know?” There is tremendous power in asking better questions, whether it comes to ideal... more

"For the first time in a decade, I feel free again." That’s how one of my earliest blogging friends, longtime... more

“The world doesn’t need another expert.” So says today’s guest, Andrew Davis. Experts rely on hacks, tips, tricks, teaching, preaching,... more

“You do not need to cannibalize your healing for content.” Today, I’m in conversation with longtime blog-turned-IRL friend Nic Antoinette,... more

If you have been in business for any amount of time, then you know the feeling when a launch just... more

“I only write books for problems I can’t otherwise solve,” Nir Eyal says. “I don’t write my books for my... more

Abundance was my word of 2019. I’d love to tell you I meant abundance in the broadest possible sense, appreciating the bounty... more

What is your relationship to rest? How about your caretakers’ relationship to rest while you were young? What examples did... more

“Startup CEOs should not play the odds. When you are building a company, you must believe there is an answer... more

You can calm chaos at work, but it starts with a reality check from Charlie Gilkey, delivered with his signature... more

“As long as we settle for thinking inside the brain, we’ll remain bound by the limits of that organ. But... more

I’m excited to bring you this crossover episode with Rose Cox, founder of The HSP Business School and host of... more

Intuition is always speaking to you in subtle ways. Are you listening? Intuition isn’t a gift that is only bestowed on... more

“Let’s build ESPN.com for strength, and convince everyone they can lift weights.” With this mission in mind, the first six... more

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” —Maya Angelou Earlier this summer, I arrived late... more

When we say trusting ourselves, which self are we talking about? Which parts of ourselves can’t be trusted? That’s what we’re exploring... more

This is a free preview of this month's bonus episode for paying Free Time subscribers. Listen to the full episode... more

“I’m at my wit's end.” That was the conclusion of a text message that broke my heart a little bit.... more

“Nobody’s soul is moved by swag.” So says longtime friendtor of the pod, John Ruhlin, founder of strategic gifting company... more

I used to refer to myself as a hot mess often in the early blogging days circa 2008, until someone... more

“A book is not about something. A book is for someone.” That’s the mantra that drives AJ Harper’s work, that... more

Do you already have an elegant way of wrapping up with clients? If you work with people one-on-one, it's important... more

“Have you ever looked at someone else, someone you admire, who has accomplished a lot, and just assumed they must... more

Now that I’m one month into Rolling in D🤦🏻‍♀️h, I’m sharing my reflections on Substack as a software platform for personal writing (and potentially... more

“I see in books,” says today’s guest. “Every book is, at its heart, an argument for something—for a belief, a... more

I broke one of my own big rules this summer. For the last few weeks, I've been kicking myself, saying,... more

Since launching this show in September 2015, the podcasting landscape has grown and changed tremendously. What was once a niche... more

“Cultivate 12 people who love you, because they are worth more than 12 million people who like you.” That’s just one... more

Self-doubt isn’t all bad. It means you’re stretching outside of your comfort zone, that you’re willing to learn, and that... more

As “recovering people pleaser” Natalie Lue opens her book, The Joy of Saying No, “Suppressing and repressing my needs, desires,... more

I'm super excited to pilot a "what would we invent if anything were possible" experience this quarter—and you're invited! Join me and... more

Today’s solo riff is on a three-word phrase that has helped quell countless waves of anxiety in the decade since... more

Who is sitting in the boardroom of your brain? Who is sitting around the table, challenging your decisions, making noise,... more

As the saying goes, “Worrying is praying for what you don’t want.” A close cousin is future-tripping: projecting and living... more

Attending conferences can be overwhelming — even for the most excited extroverts among us—let alone the introverts who challenge their... more

“My little pirate.” That’s the nickname Michael has given me this summer, as it feels like many of my corporate... more

“When you’re in debt to the truth, the interest rate sucks.” That’s just one of many so-true-it-hurts gems in Rand... more

What do Manuka honey, brown M&Ms, chocolate milk, vanilla gelato, rose petals, fair trade bananas, and Twizzlers have in common?... more

The best systems aren’t cumbersome sources of frustration collecting dust in the cloud—they save you so much time, that creating... more

In 2021, I paid nearly a thousand dollars to hire a plumber to fix something that wasn't absolutely necessary and... more

From a certain outside perspective, turning down a $200,000 two-book deal from a traditional publishing house makes no sense. But... more

Today, I’m sharing eight reasons I really appreciate having a team inbox using HelpScout. They’re not paying for this episode;... more

Today we’re going behind the scenes of book launching, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly (cries) resulting from... more

Welcome to our #200 celebration...part two! 🎉 These next 20 permission slips all about mindset, staying in the game, and the spiritual... more

You’ve heard of buyers remorse—but what about new hire’s remorse? That is the feeling of worry, regret or uncertainty that... more

Hey, hey, Free Timers, we have arrived at episode 200! 🎉 To celebrate, I’m giving you the ultimate permission slip compilation... more

What’s the daily free time sweet spot? Between two to five hours, according to today’s guest, professor and researcher Cassie... more

When you catch a wishie, what do you yearn for? Today’s book club episode might shift your “wish” hereafter to... more

“Liking is the great fog of the mind.”—Todd Herman You’ve heard the adage that people need to know, like, and trust... more

What’s it like to be at a conference with “fancy” people, when you’re the one feeling like you snuck in... more

Does the world really need this? This is one of the inevitable existential dilemmas of creative work. You have to... more

Today I'm sharing ten more of my favorite recent GPT4 prompts and experiments for creative business owners. This episode originally aired... more

The average American worker gets 11 days of paid vacation per year. Among those with unlimited paid time off (PTO), the... more

Today I'm sharing five creative ways to better organize your phone contacts. I hope it’s helpful and time-saving toward a... more

“Small hinges move big doors.” That one thought helped Karen Allen pick herself up from the depths of grief after... more

Hi friends! A quick in-beteween-isode to let you know about a special opportunity to work with me 1:1 :) Back by... more

Time- and money-based targets don’t always serve the purpose we intend. In fact, sometimes, they actively work against us. Today... more

In episode 181: Be Irreplaceable, you heard from my creative coach, Jay Acunzo about how to prioritize resonanceover reach. I’ve been working with Jay for... more

When today’s guest, Kelli Thompson, was overwhelmed by opportunity—a level of success she had been dreaming of and working diligently... more

Today’s episode is the second half of an in-depth Licensing Q&A prompted by BFF Al Dea, host of the MBA Insider podcast. If you haven’t... more

“A shoe is just a shoe until my son steps into it.” —Deloris Jordan When negotiating Michael Jordan's famous shoe deal with... more

I'm excited to bring you an episode from the Pivot podcast vault today—this is a conversation with a longtime friendtor,... more

It was a hot summer day, and I’m grumbling while dragging a rolling carry-on suitcase full of books to sign... more

“You have to live spherically—in many directions. Never lose your childish enthusiasm—and things will come your way.” —Federico Fellini This week’s... more

📣 We’re publishing this week’s solo episode a day early as a friendly reminder that the Free Time podcast is nominated... more

Hi Friends! I'm re-airing this announcement as a friendly reminder that the Free Time podcast has made it to the... more

📣 The Free Time podcast is nominated for a Webby Award, the "Oscars of the Internet!" Please visit http://itsfreetime.com/webby to cast... more

📣 The Free Time podcast is nominated for a Webby Award, the "Oscars of the Internet!" Please visit http://itsfreetime.com/webby to cast... more

📣 The Free Time podcast is nominated for a Webby Award, the "Oscars of the Internet!" Please visit http://itsfreetime.com/webby to cast... more

📣 The Free Time podcast is nominated for a Webby Award, the "Oscars of the Internet!" Please visit http://itsfreetime.com/webby to cast... more

Friends!! I can't believe it!! The Free Time podcast has made it to the nomination stage of the Webby Awards,... more

I’m delighted to welcome Daniel Doyon to the pod this week, co-founder of one of my favorite software services, Readwise.... more

“Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It's that simple, and it's that hard.” —Danny Meyer,... more

“You are making a choice every time you undercharge.” How’s that for a splash of cold water to the face?!... more

🎉 This week marks the one-year bookiversary of Free Time making its way into the world, and the two-year podiversary of... more

“How did you go bankrupt?" Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” —Ernest Hemingway That’s the kick-off quote from returning guest Khe Hy’s... more

Free Time. The phrase connotes, leisure, fun, time off, vacation—as if we're skipping through meadows with butterflies! 🦋and unicorns!🦄 But if... more

“What’s the highest level I can serve?” That’s one of the driving questions that today’s guest, Melissa Hughes, helps business... more

Feeling slow, stuck, uncertain, or in the midst of a morale dip? If so, today’s minisode is for you—or for... more

Stephen Shapiro is a quintessential Free Timer. Throughout his 20+ year self-employment tenure, he has run a variety of experiments... more

One of the biggest lessons I learned from author Nassim Taleb is that whenever he finds himself bored with what... more

How do we use technology to facilitate real relationships? That’s the big question driving Gina Bianchini’s epic entrepreneurial quest. Today... more

How many times have you gone skidding into vacation, arriving exhausted from trying to “earn” it before you leave? Then... more

Here are a few food-for-thought reflection questions, inspired by today’s guest: Are you working with amateur clients or ones who... more

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “A book is a business card.” That’s because what you don’t hear is that a... more

Prolific punchy pontificator Khe Hy—creator of the $10K work accelerator and Supercharge Your Productivity—returns to the pod to share his... more

Should you self-publish? This is a big debate among aspiring authors, and there is no one right answer. Today I’m... more

Processing email and social media inboxes is overwhelming enough for one person — can you imagine creating an entire company... more

Do you ever feel like you’re just not good with systems? If so, then this episode is for you. The... more

Juggling a schedule for one person is tricky enough; for a two-entrepreneur household with kids, it’s another thing altogether! Learn... more

One of the most common questions from those accessing the Author Toolkit (an assembly of my best-open-sourced templates and processes... more

What type of business would you build if you no longer needed the money? After a life-changing exit from her... more