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Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way
Welcome to Here's What I Learned, the podcast for progressive entrepreneurs ready to grow their businesses without sacrificing their values, creativity, or sanity. Hosted by me, Jacki Hayes—a systems strategist, unapologetic smutty romantasy fan, and D&D geek—this show is your go-to space for honest conversations about what it really takes to create a business and life you love.
Each week, we dive into relatable stories and actionable lessons from values-driven leaders who’ve figured out how to scale sustainably while staying true to themselves. Whether you’re managing growth, navigating overwhelm, or rethinking hustle culture, this podcast is here to show you that success doesn’t have to mean burnout.
If you value integrity, autonomy, and time freedom—and you’re looking for inspiration that’s as practical as it is empowering—you’ve found your people. Hit play, and let’s rewrite the rules together.
Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way
Redefining “Done Right” in Business with Sarah Gemmell
What if the way you’re “supposed to” grow your business… doesn’t actually work for you?
In this episode, I’m joined by marketing strategist and entrepreneur Sarah Gemmell for a conversation that goes beyond funnels and frameworks. We talk about what it really means to build a business around your strengths, your season of life, and your capacity—especially if you're neurodivergent, caregiving, or just done with the noise.
Sarah gets real about breaking up with the industry norms around offers, marketing, and communication—and how embracing synchronous support and simplified strategy completely changed the game for her and her clients.
If you’ve been trying to follow the “right” path and still feeling stuck, this episode will give you the clarity and permission to do things your way.
Here’s what we cover:
- Starting and scaling while parenting full-time (5:03)
- How life challenges create unexpected business clarity (6:45)
- Redefining what a “successful” offer looks like (8:44)
- Why asynchronous communication doesn’t work for everyone (12:25)
- The difference between coaching frameworks and true strategy (20:47)
- The root of most marketing problems: unclear messaging (25:10)
About Sarah Gemmell:
Sarah Gemmell is a marketing strategist who helps small business owners—especially those who are experts in their field—start marketing like it. She guides her clients from scattered to strategic using custom approaches that work with their brain, business model, and bandwidth. Through her DIY workbooks, 30-day lead generation challenge, and high-level one-on-one consulting (with both done-with-you and done-for-you options), Sarah makes it easier to build marketing that actually lands.
You can find Sarah at:
Website: sarahjeanco.com
Instagram: @sarahgemmell_
What next?
- Follow Here's What I Learned on your favorite podcast player
- Leave a review so the podcast is seen by more people like you
- Share this episode with a friend
Say hi!
- Follow me on Instagram at @jackihayes_obm
- Tell me what you loved about the episode at jackihayes.co/contact
Credits:
Intro and Outro Music: Atomic by Alex-Productions |https://onsound.eu/
Music promoted byhttps://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
Thinking about starting a podcast—but not sure where to begin?
At Podfox Media, I help business owners launch podcasts that reflect their voice, values, and goals. We’re offer a free 90-minute strategy session to help you clarify your concept, define your audience, and map out your next steps—with no pressure and plenty of space for your questions.
Visit launchmypodcast.com.
