Outlast - A podcast for authentic photographers: Recent Episodes
Elle Michele Photography
So AI on like a big broad brush level is a set of software basically that is mimicking human intelligence. AI is artificial intelligence. A way for computers to feel more human, more or less. And AI tools are pieces of software that we can use in some way to make our lives easier or better or more efficient, that allow us to take some of the weight off of the tasks that we do and put it in the hands of a computer to allow us to be better, basically.
How that looks in our industry, both photography and just the larger solopreneur, entrepreneur, small business, is that it can be a great tool for a saving time, which you already touched on and ideation, and it can be a great tool to help us take to the next level, I think a lot of people are feeling fears of like, oh, it's gonna replace careers and like copywriters, designers, I just saw. headshot AI where it's generating like hundreds of headshot for people. And I was like, dang, those are good. Like, I was impressed. But I think where the power lies is that an entrepreneur who's using AI is going to replace an entrepreneur who's not. It's not that AI is going to replace the entrepreneur, and so if we can harness these really powerful tools that can take us to the next level, we're going to just see so much growth and so much development throughout that.
I agree. And AI is still being controlled and generated by a human. So I agree. It's not going to replace people, but I mean, the world is constantly evolving and you have to stay up with the times or you're gonna be left in the dust.
- Links mentioned in this episode -
Cameron & Tia’s Instagram
Cameron & Tia’s Website
Podcast Freebies
- Other Links -
Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)
Flodesk referral link (50% off your first year)
Cloudspot referral link (20% off your first year)
Imagen AI referral link (get 1,500 photo edits on me)
My first year as a full-time photographer was kind of a crapshow, not going to lie. Honestly, even before I went full time it was kind of a disaster. I didn’t set money aside for taxes, I couldn’t even give you a ballpark amount of how much I “paid myself” or put back into my business. To be honest, I don’t know where all the money went. I just know how much I grossed (way more than my teaching days) but I had nothing to show for it.
I wish I would have sought out a coach a lot earlier on to get me set up on the right track. That’s where someone like Val comes in.
Meet Val: She is a creative business coach and financial guru based out of the midwest. She also started as a photographer and just like you and me, she learned a lot about business and finances the hard way. After years of money mistakes and stress she built a finance routine that finally made sense to her creative brain. Now she’s made it her mission to empower women creatives to take back control of their money!
Freebie Val has this awesome Starter Spreadsheet to help creatives like you organize their business expenses and simplify taxes, you can download it here!
How can people work with you or find you? There are a couple of different ways you can work with me – I have a finance group coaching program called Creative Income Cure where I walk you through every step to get your finances under control. If you feel like you’re a quick study and just need the right resources to make it work – my finance tools and templates in my shop are a great way to get started on your own! I also take a few 1:1 clients twice a year for those who need a bit more hand-holding or more advanced coaching!
– Links mentioned in this episode –
Val’s Instagram
Val’s Website (with a super awesome resource shop)
Creative Income Cure (Val’s finance group coaching program)
– Other Links –
Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)
Flodesk referral link (50% off your first year)
Cloudspot referral link (20% off your first year)
Imagen AI referral link (get 1,500 photo edits on me)
I’m so excited to have Lauren share all of her decision-making expertise with you! I met Lauren earlier this year at Laylee Emadi’s creative educator conference in dallas and was blown away by the talk she gave! This is where I was formally introduced to the idea of Decision Fatigue.
Everyone meet Lauren: "I’m a decision coach, so I help overthinkers make easier, more confident decisions through 1:1 coaching and strategic decision guides." You can find her on Instagram here.
As a thank you for listening to this episode, Lauren has a free printable to help you decide what to eat or what to wear when you’re struggling with decision fatigue. You can download that at the special link, laurenblack.com/outlast
What Is Decision Fatigue?
How Do We Know If We Have It?
Have you ever renovated a house and had to make a ton of decisions... which tile to go with, what color for the walls, which hardware for the cabinets, squared edges or round. Or perhaps you've had to pack for a trip and had to decide what to pack if it's cold, what if it's hot, what special activities will you be doing and need to pack for, and if you're a parent, what will the kids need? And by the end of the day when your hubby asks what you want for dinner, you just literally can't make one more decision... just pick something for me! I am DONE!
That is decision fatigue… when you’ve had to make so many decisions that your brain capacity for making decisions diminishes over the course of the day and leaves you overwhelmed and empty or just unable to make any more rational decisions.
Research shows that the average adult makes 35,000 decisions a day! Most of those are subconscious, but they all contribute to decision fatigue.
I spend a good amount of time on social media (thank you iPhone for reminding me exactly how much with my weekly report every Sunday). As I’m scrolling stories and posts, I often see people share things about their business that might not reflect so well on them. Have you ever found yourself sharing that you’re too busy? Or so busy? Or have you apologized for taking too long to do something? Stop that!
That reminds me about Rachel Hollis’s book Girl, stop apologizing (links to both of her awesome books are here: Stop Apologizing & Wash Your Face) I used to find myself talking about those things, and while I didn’t see it as a bad thing myself, I never thought about how other people were viewing me on social media. You have to treat every single post like it’s someone’s very first time seeing your account (because it might very well be!)
Now, I’m not saying you have to be perfect 100% of the time. I mean, part of my brand is embracing the fact that I’m a hot mess express but I own it, and I make sure I’m always growing from it.
Do you know how many potential clients you may have inadvertently driven away by saying you’re too busy? Or admitting you’re behind in something? If you share that publicly, potential clients are going to think you can’t handle the workload. And if the truth of it is that you actually can’t handle the workload, maybe you should reevaluate your business structure.
Get the full shownotes here
- Links mentioned in this episode -
Book: Girl, Stop Apologizing
Book: Girl, Wash Your Face
Questionnaire for requesting feedback
Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)
Photowalk Nashville
Photowalk Scottsdale
Nash Bash Experiences
Engaged and Anxious
Gina Co Photography
Photowalk Your Travel
- Other Links -
Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)
Flodesk referral link (50% off your first year)
Quickbooks referral link (50% off your first 3 months)
Be the first to hear when my beach course launches!
Corrin’s Weekly Reels Education Newsletter
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. Keep in mind that I will only ever share about companies that I truly believe in.
If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media over the last 2 years, you’ve probably noticed that short form video has taken center stage. Google describes shortform video as any video content under 10 minutes, but Insta and TikTok have their own agenda. Their videos have a 60 second limit, although most hit around the 30 second mark. Creating a trendy, catchy, hooky, educational, inspirational 30 second video can be pretty hard!
On Today's episode I'm joined by IG Reel & TikTok guru Corrin Jasinski who is sharing all her secrets about showing up as your authentic self on IG Reels!
See the full shownotes here
www.ellemichele.com/outlast-podcast-instagram-reels
- Links mentioned in this episode -
Corrin’s Weekly Reels Education Newsletter
Get on the list to hear when Corrin launches her course
- Other Links -
Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)
Flodesk referral link (50% off your first year)
Quickbooks referral link (50% off your first 3 months)
Be the first to hear when my beach course launches!
Are you still struggling to figure out what you should charge for sessions? In this episode, I’m going to open up about all my secrets to figuring out what to charge for your sessions. Want to know the best part? They aren’t really secrets! There are so many resources on the internet to help you, but most of them involve a lot of math. It might seem like I’m just throwing one more thing out into the internet universe, but I have taken those other resources, and have made one that does all the annoying parts for you (AKA mathing)!
Get the official shownotes here: ellemichele.com/outlast-podcast-004-cost-of-running-business
- Links mentioned in this episode -
CODB Calculator
$25 off first Stich Fix order
- Other Links -
Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)
Flodesk referral link (50% off your first year)
Quickbooks referral link (50% off your first 3 months)
Be the first to hear when my beach course launches!
After hitting all these awesome milestones in my business, I've gotten a little better at just saying thanks! and maybe backing it up with an "I worked really hard to get here".
You are worth it. what you do is amazing. You put the effort in, now you can bask in your glory! I want to share 4 tips to humbly own your success without seeming like some self-centered, self-absorbed loser that nobody wants to be friends with.
- Links mentioned in this episode -
Flodesk referral link (50% off your first year)
My flodesk welcome email
Be the first to hear when my beach course launches!
Feedback questionnaire request
- Other Links -
Honeybook referral link (20% off your first year)
Quickbooks referral link (50% off your first 3 months)
As a thank you for tuning in to this episode I want to share a freebie with you! If you find yourself totally overwhelmed with your workload, you should consider outsourcing it. Outsourcing is when you delegate tasks to someone else or find ways to streamline tasks so you aren’t stressed to the max! I made an Outsourcing Guide with 4 things In my business that I let other people handle (I know, shocker because I’m such a control freak), in order to give myself more time.
This is when I really started to depend on Honeybook as my client manager and was using it to schedule out emails and keep all my projects organized. Honeybook has been theeeee biggest life saver for me and my business! I’m not overbooking myself or forgetting about sessions that I scheduled anymore! And i’m super embarrassed to admit that i USED to forget about sessions, but I haven’t since using Honeybook! If you’re curious whether honeybook can work for you or not, i’d love to give you 20% off your subscription! Just head over to the link at the bottom of the shownotes to sign up.
There was one point that I thought “ok honeybook is great, but there has to be something better right?” Wrong. I tried other CRMs like dubsado, sprout, and 17 hats, and they just didn’t compare! I liked the layout and aesthetic of honeybook and couldn’t imagine switching.
Theyve got me for life.
View the full shownotes here
______________ Links Mentioned In This Episode ______________
Outsourcing Freebie
HoneyBook 20% Off Your First Year
My Start In Photography
My First Official Week Blog Post
Cassie's Blog
So... Why exactly did I decide to launch a podcast? To be honest, I hate the sound of my voice. But the thought of hosting a YouTube channel and actually having to get myself ready and presentable whenever I want to record was an instant turn-off, so here we are!
In this episode I share my favorite podcasts, why I like podcasts, and how I came up with the name for this podcast.
Launching a podcast is a little scary! But you won't know what you can do until you do it!
As a thank you for making it to the end of this first episode I want to share a discount that you can use in my Resource Shop! The Promo code will get you 10% off any item I have listed! If you haven't had the chance to look at my shop yet you can find it at ellemichele.com/resource-shop.
Thank you so much for listening! Be sure to tune in next week where I'll share how I opened a photography studio only 5 months after I quit my teaching job.
View the full shownotes here: https://ellemichele.com/im-launching-a-podcast/