Franklin Taggart's Virtual Coffee Break and Unconventional Life School
426 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsWelcome to the break room!
Take a 10-15 minute break with coach Franklin Taggart to stretch, recharge, and get some encouragement, inspiration, and motivation. Franklin coaches people who want more satisfaction from their creativity, business, work, and life.
Curious? Schedule a FREE one-hour session at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall and see what's possible!
The Unconventional Life School offers tools, processes, and tutorials - sometimes practical, sometimes whimsical - for people who are convention intolerant.
I promise to be consistently inconsistent - and possibly interesting.
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Episodes
Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, and Connection
June 04, 2024 14:08 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBSince the public launch of ChatGPT 3 in late 2022, the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence into the mainstream of every aspect of human living has been a central topic of conversation and concern. AI tools have spread across the creative industries like wildfire and have been inserted into every level of task from ideation to packaging. Where we had hoped the robots would take over the mundane tasks of life, instead, we've seen the technology pointed at the big red target on the f...
3 Things to do When Business Slows Down
May 08, 2024 23:14 - 13 minutes - 12 MBHave you noticed a slowdown in your business in the last year? You're not alone. A client I was talking with yesterday asked an increasingly common question, "Is it always this hard to find new business?" She opened her consulting business early in 2023 after being laid off from her job in the post-COVID months. She landed a major contract within a month of opening that kept her in the black for most of the year, but that contract isn't being renewed, and now she needs to find new clients...
I Suck at Relationships, Why Should Business Be Any Different?
April 16, 2024 19:26 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBRelationships are hard. One of my supervisors used to say that when I did crisis intervention work. I believe it. The same theme has frequently emerged in recent conversations with friends and clients. We've noticed similarities as the relationship patterns from personal and family life play out in career and business situations. And why wouldn't they? The challenges I face in marketing, selling, and delivering in my business have the same root as the challenges I have as a spouse, dad, s...
The False Promise of a Better Me
December 08, 2023 20:27 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBI've been a #selfhelp #selfimprovement #selfdevelopment junkie for decades. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on books, programs, curricula, behavior modification, weight loss, smoking cessation, discipleship training, and seeking my vision in the wilderness. If I had invested that money in making more money, I would be comfortably retired by now. For all the time, money, and effort, I would have hoped for a better result. As Jamie Smart says, shouldn't light be streaming from al...
Coming Back After a Hiatus
October 06, 2023 21:59 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBI've had more than a few people contact me for coaching as they navigate new twists and turns in their career and business paths. Most recently, three find themselves having a Rip Van Winkle moment - waking up from a long nap to find that everything is different for them than before. One has been taking care of a dying parent, another has been sending the last of her children to college, and another has rekindled a music career after taking several years off to start another business. They'v...
How to Find and Listen to Podcasts
September 10, 2023 00:55 - 10 minutes - 9.39 MBIf you've been interested in listening to podcasts but have found the medium and apps to be difficult and confusing, this episode is for you. The good news is that you probably already use an app where you can find and enjoy podcasts, and it's most likely the same app you're using to watch or listen to this show. In this quick overview, we'll learn some of the most popular apps for podcast listening, how to find the podcasts you'll enjoy, and I'll tell you about a new free mini-course I'm o...
From Podcast Movement 2023
August 27, 2023 19:07 - 18 minutes - 17 MBWhen Podcast Movement announced that their annual conference was going to be held in Denver this year, I got excited. I've wanted to attend this conference ever since it started, but the timing and finances never seemed to line up. This year, thanks to the generosity of Buzzsprout and the close proximity of the venue, I was able to attend. Here are some of my highlights. Podcasting is Still Growing And it appears to be growing even more rapidly with YouTube's new commitment to podcast supp...
Changing Directions - Franklin Taggart
August 21, 2023 23:15 - 13 minutes - 12 MBThis is the 100th and final episode of Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart. I started the podcast in May of 2021 during the height of the quarantine. Many people were faced with working alone for the first time, while others like me relished it. I wanted to encourage and celebrate working alone as an excellent option for people who don't enjoy working on teams or managing others. I'd like to say thanks to all who listened. We reached over 31,000 viewers and listeners in the show's ...
Working With the Rhythm of Life - Laura Livingston
August 04, 2023 18:00 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBIs your tank empty? Do you need some time for solitude, recharge, and to reconsider how you've been living, loving, and working? Is willpower not enough to do everything that you've committed to doing? That's the jumping-off point for this visit with coach Laura Livingston on the Your Own Best Company podcast. This conversation follows up on our last, which was on the topic of listening to your body. In this episode, we cover: ** Health and business sustainability. ** The difference bet...
The Deliberate Creator - Camille Miller
July 28, 2023 18:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBIf the job you love were to suddenly end, would you rather try to find another similar job, or would you try to build a business that brought together your best gifts with people you care about serving? Camille Miller was faced with this kind of decision, and she opted for the latter. Not knowing exactly what she was going to do, she started experimenting with different ideas and found her direction, leading to the role of coach, then community builder, and now she's adding soulful adventu...
Escaping the "Fine" Trap - Lauren Lefkowitz
July 26, 2023 20:27 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MBAs an executive, is it often easiest just to take on more responsibility and then work the extra hours that others don't see just to get things done? And is "fine" your stock answer when people ask you how you're doing? Lauren Lefkowitz knows the feeling, and she is here to offer another set of options. When an encounter with a rogue Roomba led to a freak accident, Lauren was forced to stop working long enough to take a good look at her compulsion to take on more responsibility than she had...
More Creative Marketing - Monique Eckes
July 21, 2023 16:09 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBIf you need some creative inspiration for how to reach your customers with valuable and memorable marketing tools, Monique Eckes is back on the Your Own Best Company podcast with some of her latest and greatest ideas. She's also bringing an update on some of the past year's successes and lessons. Monique is the founder and owner of Silver Paw Studio and has become a well-known pet photographer throughout the Northern Colorado region. She is also an active video maker on YouTube, contributin...
From Conservation to Copy Conversations - Sheena McInnes
June 21, 2023 00:48 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBA Frequently Asked Question for 2023 from people I talk to is - Is it too late to start a creative freelance career? With all the talk about AI, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and whatever the AI flavor of the day is, these friends are rightfully wondering if they've waited too long to get into the game. I don't think it's too late at all. In fact, people getting started now may have an advantage over people who've been at it a while. Enter Sheena McInnes. Sheena is a copywriter who just got into the...
Improve Creative Focus - Jessica Abel
June 09, 2023 01:49 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MB▼▼▼▼▼ Time-sensitive announcement: Jessica Abel will be offering the Prioritize Like a Pro workshop live online at 1 pm on June 13. Registration information is here: https://jessicaabel.com/prioritize-like-a-pro/ Great, free opportunity to learn about the Weighted Decision Matrix we talked about in the interview! The evergreen version of the Prioritize Like a Pro workshop is here: https://jessicaabel.com/notion-mastery/ ▼▼▼▼▼ One of my biggest challenges as a creator is having more ide...
Sharing Your Gift Through Stories - Lori Robertson
June 02, 2023 02:31 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBHumans are wired to connect through telling stories. It's been our primary way of communing with each other for thousands of years. Storytelling is so built into the design that we often don't recognize when it's happening or when we're doing it. Lori Robertson, the SpeakHer Coach, joins Your Own Best Company today to talk about the power of story as a way to encourage, uplift, inspire, and transform. In her work with professional women, organizational leaders, and emerging influencers, Lo...
Mental Health Connections - Kim Pratt
May 29, 2023 22:17 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBDepression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns are common experiences for many solopreneurs, freelancers, and self-employed. Kim Pratt from the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County is the guest on this episode of Your Own Best Company. Kim shares early warning signs, symptoms, and support resources if you are concerned about your mental health. Her go-to suggestion is to program the number 988 into your phone. This national crisis hotline offers support and services 24/...
The Entrepreneurial Rebel - Michelle Nedelec
May 16, 2023 04:54 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBBeing her own boss seemed like the best option after being fired from a job working for someone else - her sister. 28 career pivots later, Michelle Nedelec has gathered a toolbelt full of business experiences that she draws from as she helps other business owners and executives navigate their marketing challenges. She's also a sought-after speaker, the host of five podcasts at last count, and a wickedly wise business strategist. In this episode of Your Own Best Company, Michelle opens up ab...
Light Up Your Messaging - Billy Broas
May 06, 2023 01:51 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBPersuasive communication is a cornerstone skill for every business owner, and many have never learned effective ways to consistently present influential messages. They may have a compelling offer but haven't established a strong enough connection to support it. Or the reader may be skeptical of claims after trying solutions that haven't worked, but the message doesn't acknowledge their experience. Billy Broas has gathered messaging wisdom from some of the greatest marketing communicators in...
The Godfather of Online Marketing Video - Lou Bortone
April 24, 2023 20:09 - 45 minutes - 42 MBIf you want to increase online visibility for your business, the universal advice is that you need to post videos. Everywhere, all the time, videos. Algorithms love videos, Kids love videos. Grandmas love videos. Videos, videos, videos! I was a slow starter when it came to posting videos for my music and my businesses. I've had a YouTube channel for a long time and it sat for years while I worked up the nerve and figured out how to use my camera. A few years ago, I heard about a class calle...
Putting Small Towns on the Map - Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer
April 08, 2023 22:10 - 43 minutes - 40 MBFreelance writer Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer started her Heiditown blog over 15 years ago to share her experiences, interests, and point of view. It grew from a personal blog into a valued resource for tourists in Colorado looking for a more personal experience than all those on the beaten path. Heidi expanded her services in the direction of destination marketing and festival promotion, building her reputation as she and her husband and various pets traveled from small town to small town, one roa...
Becoming a Game Changer - Brooke Monaghan
April 03, 2023 15:00 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBI love what Brooke Monaghan has to say about entrepreneurship: "...this is what I always have to break down for people. Listen to anyone who has anything to say about entrepreneurship, and what they're going to tell you is, if you can figure out a way that people in your community are not being served, innovate some solution for them. That is the foundation for creating a business. So when I talk to people who are part of a community, and really care about some weird little niche thing, and...
What Are We Really Working For? - Audrey Holst and Erica Holthausen
March 22, 2023 17:46 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBAs 2023 started, I invited Audrey Holst of Fortitude and Flow and Erica Holthausen from Catchline Communications to come back for a conversation on the topic of why we do the work we do and all the smaller questions attached to that. The chats we three enjoy are some of my favorites, and this one raised the bar even higher. We had much to talk about, including: ** What becomes possible when basics are taken care of? ** Redefining the rich life. ** What the gym can teach us about business....
If You Host Zoom Meetings, You Need This Book!
March 13, 2023 19:44 - 7 minutes - 6.54 MBThe first online networking mixer I ever attended in 2021 had over 100 attendees. The hosts had to pay for the extra space and had inadvertently disabled the breakout room assignments when they did. As the event ground to a halt, the host apologized and then asked, "Is Robbie Samuels here?" From one of the many screens and rows of faces came the reply, "Yes, I'm here." With a couple of his brief suggestions, the problem was solved and the rest of the meeting went off without a hitch. I spe...
ChatGPT Plus KDP Equals Self Published Book in Six Days
March 08, 2023 23:47 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBI've wanted to write and publish a book since I was a kid. I'm old now, so that's a long time to have a dream. I've started books many times in my life, but the determination and persistence to finish them have eluded me. I've had a lot of questions and concerns about AI. I know - I'm not alone. I've heard so many rumors, speculations, panic, and misinformation about all of it these past few months. Will it take jobs? Yes, it will. When? I don't know for sure. Some sooner, some later. Will ...
My Body Had Other Plans - Laura Livingston
March 04, 2023 23:46 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MB#Solopreneurs and #freelancers business success depend on their staying healthy. And we don't tend to plan for undesirable circumstances. We almost always plan according to ideal situations. And then the #calamities of life arrive. Then what? Laura Livingston is back to talk about her experience of business being interrupted by some unexpected physical challenges. Franklin has a few stories of his own in this area. Here are some of the twists and turns in this conversation: ** Building a...
Relearning How to Want
February 19, 2023 19:07 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBIf you've been taking care of others for a long time, it may take a while to reawaken and recognize your own desires. Pay attention to your body. Give yourself time to relearn how to use your want muscles. They haven't had a workout in a while. My friend was taking care of other people from the time she woke until the time she fell into bed. When I asked her if she knew what she wanted, she said that was the wrong question to ask. She was struggling with how to want. Developing new habits ...
Bringing Local Businesses Together - Nick Armstrong
February 16, 2023 00:31 - 57 minutes - 52.2 MBFounded in FoCo is a three-day event for businesses of all sizes, from solopreneurs to large companies to non-profit organizations. It's a collaborative community effort that offers peer-to-peer education, inspiring speakers, networking, and more. This year's event is coming up at the Front Range Community College Harmony Campus in Fort Collins on March 1-3, 2023. If you're a business owner located within 100 miles or so of Larimer County, you're welcome to attend this free event. These kin...
The Career Toolkit - Mark Herschberg
February 02, 2023 02:03 - 45 minutes - 42 MBWhen did you learn important career-building skills like networking, finding mentors, interviewing, and finding great work opportunities? Most people didn't learn these skills in college or high school. We learned them when we had to - when we were searching for our first jobs or starting our first businesses. MIT alum and teacher Mark A. Herschberg saw this gap and decided to create a solution. His career success accelerator class teaches students the basic skills they need to navigate and...
Getting Time Back From The Family
January 22, 2023 21:28 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBFor many people ages 50 and up, we're adapting to a part of our life in which our normal roles are going through significant changes. Some of us are shifting into caretaking for aging parents while shifting away from the caretaking role we've had with our kids. The norms we've been used to, sometimes for decades, are undergoing great changes. Some of my friends and clients in this age group talk about the difficulty they have in regaining their own sense of priority and desire apart from th...
What Are You Being Paid For?
January 15, 2023 03:31 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBIn this video about pricing your freelance services, I challenge some of the things people think they're paying for. When it's all said and done, you're not being paid for your time, talent, knowledge, expertise, or qualifications. In truth, you're not being paid for your product or service. You're only being paid for one thing. Watch the video to find out what that one thing is, and join the conversation about how to price your work fairly so that you and your customer both feel great abo...
Imagination and Emotion
January 12, 2023 02:03 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBThanks for the supportive notes and calls after my video the other day talking about seasonal depression. I was telling a friend that one of the things that is hard when I'm feeling that way is that other people see it as a problem to solve or something broken to fix. That usually just makes it feel worse. Those of you who were able to just let me have the time I needed and my own process to work it out are appreciated beyond words. I've mentioned these people before: Sydney Banks - The b...
Seasonal Depression and Me
January 09, 2023 20:58 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MB2022 ended for me with a round of depression. This isn't a new thing and is likely seasonal, but it is still depression, and it's not exactly comfortable. After finishing the year and achieving what I'd set out for, I was at a loss for what I wanted to do next. When desires seemed out of reach, I knew it was a visit from my well-known companion. Recognizing the signs, the first thing I did was allow myself a week off. I did a bare minimum of work-related activities and binge-watched a few s...
Building a Creative Movement - Perry Knoppert
January 07, 2023 22:02 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBWhen his research led to finding a link between multi-passionate people and neurodiversity, Perry Knoppert ultimately created a movement. The Octopus Movement is, in Perry's words, a gathering of curious misfits. Now numbering over 2500 members from 60 countries, The Octopus Movement is a celebration of people who don't fit neatly into well-defined social structures and who share the common characteristic of nonlinear thinking. In this episode of Your Own Best Company, Perry tells his story...
2022 Recap
January 01, 2023 06:49 - 9 minutes - 8.48 MB2022 has been a good year for me. My commitments were kept and my goals exceeded. I'm changing things a little in 2023. See the recap report here: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/12/2022-recap.html See my 2022 Reading List here: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/12/2022-book-list.html And see the podcasts I listened to most: https://www.franklintaggart.com/2022/12/2022-favorite-podcasts.html Thank you for your contribution to my satisfaction in 2022. I'll see you next year, tomor...
Guided By Intuition - Fran Gallaher
December 30, 2022 20:52 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBJody has risen to the highest levels of her company ladder, but she's frustrated that she's been getting passed over for promotion to the C-Suite. She's done the work, brought innovative ideas to the table, and has seniority over all but the CEO and COO of the company. It doesn't make sense that she is not being considered for advancement. This is a perfect situation in which to call Fran Gallaher. Fran is an intuitive guide who helps individuals and organizations supplement their data, log...
Maybe Less Pressure Will Help?
December 30, 2022 00:14 - 10 minutes - 9.69 MBI made a video the other day asking the question, "What if you can't find your why?" I've had some strong reactions to that idea. There were a couple of people who treated it as a condition on par with a disease, quickly prescribing things to do to solve the problem. Why are we so adamant that life has to have a purpose? Where did we get the idea that it needs to mean something, and that we're less than if we don't land on that purpose that gives our life meaning? I wonder if my food will ...
What if TikTok and Twitter Go Away?
December 29, 2022 06:00 - 10 minutes - 9.46 MBThe town where I spent many growing up years had a thriving local mom-and-pop-based business economy when I was young. The big stores back then had outlets in our town, but most of the commerce that happened, took place between people who lived there and whose families owned the businesses. My Aunt Lue was one of them. Our family helped Aunt Lue run her hotel until after she died, then they sold it to make way for a new post office. WalMart moved into town in the 1990s and Main Street store...
Where Did My Courses Go?
December 28, 2022 06:00 - 8 minutes - 7.48 MBThis year I released a handful of new courses and have had over 300 people join my Teachable school. After some recent pricing and service changes announced by Teachable, I've made the difficult decision to leave their service and host my courses on another platform. I'm working on the last-minute details of that switch and will be sending out announcements to all my subscribers as soon as I have a place for you to access your courses. This trend of slashing services and increasing prices h...
Solopreneurship and the Spiritual Path
December 27, 2022 01:16 - 11 minutes - 11 MBContinuing the theme of spirituality and faith. - I want to reiterate the proposition that entrepreneurship is as viable a path for spiritual development as meditation, yoga, and religion. I think we compartmentalize life more than we need to, and we ascribe sacredness to certain activities and secular to others when it seems closer to Peter Mayer's observation that everything is holy now. Check out his song https://youtu.be/ua0PE1zulD4 Entrepreneurship and solitude work reveals our limit...
Let Love Be Born Tonight
December 26, 2022 05:22 - 9 minutes - 8.83 MBOn this Christmas day, 2022, I remember a holiday season from many years ago when my faith had started to self-destruct. All the things I had believed in were called to question, and I was left without anything to stand on. At the time, there was a huge uproar in the community where I lived about displaying religious and spiritual symbols on city property, particularly a menorah for Hanukah and a manger for Christmas. I remember laughing myself to tears over this issue, realizing that I wou...
The Night Before Christmas
December 24, 2022 20:15 - 6 minutes - 6.06 MBSharing a handful of childhood Christmas Eve memories, and featuring one of them in greater detail. If you've never watched Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, my sisters and I are looking at you wondering how that could have happened. Go watch it and always remember that if you meet somebody who don't like soul food, they still got a soul. If you'd like to download a copy of the poem read here, click this link, and you should be able to download it. Feel free to share with anyone who you th...
Finding Fulfillment Through Work You Love - Laura Livingston
December 24, 2022 03:28 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBA few years before her 18-year corporate HR career ended, Laura Livingston started allowing herself extended time off to travel. As her travels unfolded, she became aware of a growing need and vision for her life to undergo a radical change, but she wasn't exactly sure what that change needed to be. While still working full-time, she started to explore other interests and experiences to see if any of them would show themselves to be her next direction. When her career came to an end due to ...
When You Can't Find Your "Why"
December 22, 2022 23:40 - 11 minutes - 10.8 MBI've had a few conversations recently centered on the difficulty of identifying one's purpose. And I'm reaching a point in my work where the next expression of my purpose isn't clear. I've had some well-meaning friends suggest the book Start With Why, by Simon Sinek. I've read this book a couple of times and I've found Sinek's insights helpful, but they aren't a universal answer to people who are struggling to identify what their why is. There are times in life when considering the future i...
The Problem With Books About Creativity
December 21, 2022 22:29 - 9 minutes - 8.78 MBI'm reading two books on the topic of creativity, Creative Quest, by Questlove, and The Rise of the Creative Class, by Richard Florida. Creative Quest is a fairly recent release and it's a personal exploration of his creative process as a musician, a creator, a DJ, and other roles the Roots drummer plays. The Rise of the Creative Class has an updated second edition that was released within the past few years. It's more about the segment of our economy and labor market that is made up of crea...
Does Paying Your Dues Ever Pay Off?
December 21, 2022 06:26 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBWe have a strange set of cultural norms around how creative people are supposed to become successful. The common tropes of the starving artist, suffering for your art, and paying your dues need to be made a thing of the past IMHO. In the folk music world that I've been a part of, I've seen people show up year after year, volunteering for menial jobs at festivals, playing free gigs and open mics, agreeing to play for "exposure", and finding a hundred other ways to chip away at their soul in ...
When Core Values Aren't Clear
December 19, 2022 21:48 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBI was talking with a client yesterday about her feeling about not knowing what is next for her and her art business. She's had a few very successful years but has started to experience a slowing down and a level of dissatisfaction with the work she's doing now that suggests she's ready for a new level of development both as a creator and an entrepreneur. It's tempting at times like this to try to restructure what you're already doing, but I had another direction in mind. I asked her to tell...
Holiday Thoughts
December 19, 2022 00:53 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBI made a TikTok video a while back about this, but I thought I'd add to it here. I had a client recently ask me what I believe as far as spirituality and religion are concerned. The best I can say is I really don't know. In my life, I've been a Mormon, Christian, skeptic, seeker, dabbler, and devotee. I've learned meditation, reflection, scripture, and yoga. I've read hundreds of teachings and listened to hours of lectures and silence. I've had a handful of breathtaking awe-inspiring experi...
Getting Used to Getting Paid - Bronwyn Jane
December 18, 2022 06:50 - 2 minutes - 2.18 MBI was reminded today of one of my favorite podcast interviews. Bronwyn Jane is an intuitive and medium who shares life insights and messages with people that come to her through her intuitive senses. In this segment, we talk about the difficulty some people experience when accepting payment for using their gifts. Bronwyn shares her experience of learning to acknowledge the value of what she does and finding a rate that helped her clients perceive her work with the highest value. The entir...
Owning Your Power and Worth - Sabrina Victoria
December 16, 2022 19:53 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBFrom a struggling single mom to escaping a 13-year narcissistic abusive relationship, Sabrina’s tenacity and optimistic spirit have inspired fans worldwide and helped endless amounts of people break through and discover their own untapped talents and immense potential. Now, creator and CEO of Human Better 365, a human transformation company, creator of the Her Version Podcast, and founder of the Sober Society Community. Speaker, entrepreneur, and author. Today on Your Own Best Company, Sabr...
Seventeen
December 16, 2022 05:22 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBCelebrating my son's birthday and my wife's return home from three weeks away today. Seeing my son at seventeen and remembering myself at that age is the fodder for today's Coffee Break. Like father, like son is not a very accurate prediction. Bodhi is so far ahead of where I was at his age. I was a timid, socially awkward kid who tried to make up for my insecurities by showing off and other displays of bravado, none of which had any substance to back them up. I was a late starter as far a...