76: The 100% Definitive Guide to Mastering Motherhood (JK!), with Rachel May
Wedding photographer Rachel May talks to Megan about motherhood, and they come up with the definitive guide to how to be an amazing mother, be ever-present with your kids, run your business well, be always put-together, give your kids the right amount of screen time and social media, and never feel guilt about anything. With...
75: How to Get on Preferred Vendor Lists, with International WIPA President Kevin Dennis
Kevin Dennis has been in the wedding industry for 30 years (!!) as the owner of Fantasy Sound Event Services near San Francisco and the Napa Valley. He’s also the international president of WIPA, the Wedding International Professionals Association. He’s also involved in NACE and many other network associations. So needless to say, he knows his networking....
Six Reasons Your Business Needs a Podcast
Over the past couple of years, you’ve probably been in a meeting or two where someone on the team brings up podcasting. “We should be podcasting!” they say with excitement. And why not? Everyone seems to have a list of podcasts that they recommend to you, and the popularity of podcast listening is growing every...
74: Imposter Syndrome, with Fancy This Photography’s Nikki Whitt Belch
Imposter Syndrome: a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. Sometimes as creatives, we experience this, and it can be crippling to our success and our mental state. So what do we do? Megan talked to Nikki Whitt Belch from Fancy This...
73: Relator, Analyzer, Boss, and Dreamer: How to Sell To and Work With the 4 Types of Wedding Clients, with Ideaction’s Sam Jacobson
Sam Jacobson, founder of Ideaction Consulting, has found that there are 4 types of buyers in the wedding market – The Relator, the Analyzer, the Boss, and the Dreamer. And today, Sam gives some ways to identify what each of your clients are, how to sell them, how to work best with them, and how...
72: YouTube Videos to Market Your Business, with Wedding Photographer Cavin Elizabeth
When Cavin Elizabeth moved to the San Diego market, she was wondering if making educational videos and sharing them on YouTube would be a way to attract clients and grow her business. After 140 videos and over 1,700 subscribers, YouTube has been a resounding success. But why aren’t most of us taking advantage of video...
71: Toxic Stress and How It’s Killing Your Business, with Therapist and Executive Coach Andy Maurer
At the Engage Luxury Wedding Summit in June, therapist and entrepreneurial coach Andy Maurer gave the most impactful and self-reflective speech at a breakout session – “Toxic Stress and How It’s Killing Your Business”. Many people left that session crying. I told as many people I could about it but could never do the speech...
70: Do’s and Don’ts of Styled Shoots, with Color Pop Events’ Leah Weinberg
Styled Shoots. You get your friendors together and create a completely unique pretend wedding that you don’t have to plan out for months. They seem easy right? Well, not exactly. Styled shoots can cost money, time, and sanity, so today, Leah Weinberg from Color Pop Events in New York City comes on to share her...
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WWD13: Back in the Closet with Megan and Jason
Weekend Wine Down Time! Megan and Jason talk about the live show coming up in August, where to spend a long weekend, and 9 years of A Southern Soiree! The host of Weddings for Real is Megan Gillikin, owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning. She’s also available for wedding...
69: Individuality in a Saturated Wedding Market, with Photographer Julia Wade
In a wedding market already filled with planners, photographers, videographers, DJs, florists….every wedding vendor you can possibly imagine, how can you possibly stand out? Raleigh-based wedding photographer Julia Wade is one of a kind, and she shares her tips for individuality in a saturated market! Support this show by supporting our sponsors: Visit MyPinkPartyBox.com for...
68: How to Weigh the Financial Risks of Your Big Business Decision, with Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros
Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros is a wedding business consultant with a mind for numbers and a passion for business plans! Today she comes on the show to talk all about how to make your big business decisions, and it can’t be just because your competitors are doing it. Sage Wedding Pros on...
67: Opening a Wedding Venue 101, with Kinsey Roberts from the She Creates Business Podcast
Kinsey Roberts is the owner Vista View Events on Open Heart Ranch in Colorado, but you probably know her best as the fabulous host of the She Creates Business Podcast! Today, Kinsey comes on the show to talk all about opening up a wedding venue! What are some tips and recommendations to help you through...
66: Top Ten Takeaways from Engage! Luxury Wedding Business Summit
The latest Engage! Summit was June 10-13th in the Bahamas, and Megan was there for the full luxury wedding and event education experience! And today, she shares her top ten takeaways from the speakers she heard. Tips are from: 1) Hayley Paige (14:10) 2) Amirah Kassem (18:40) 3) Cindy Novotny (22:30) 4) Duncan Wardle...
65: Marketing to Generation Z, with Analytics and Wedding Marketing Expert Christie Osborne
Generation Z is the next generation of consumers and (wedding) clients. Christie Osborne from Mountainside Media is an expert on analytics and marketing, specifically for the wedding industry. And today she comes on to talk about what’s different about Generation Z, what’s the same, and what we as wedding vendors should be doing to get...
64: The House of Creativity, with Wedding Photographer Perry Vaile
Some believe the creative path is a winding road from zero to (one-day) reaching your full creative potential. But for destination wedding photographer Perry Vaile, that didn’t work for her. Because as creatives, some days are more productive than others, and sometimes we have feel like everyone else is doing so much more than us, and sometimes...
63: LGBTQ Weddings and Equality-Minded Content, with Brittny Drye (Love Inc) and Sha’Quitta Brown
Brittny Drye started Love Inc Magazine in October 2013 as the first equality-minded wedding publication. And although the wedding industry has come a long way, we still have so much further to go to make sure that LGBTQ couples aren’t discriminated against. Part of that is looking into our content – are we using bride-...
6: Palliative Care Hospital Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator Heidi Gessner
Heidi Gessner is the palliative care hospital chaplain and bereavement coordinator at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill NC. Today she talks about what a hospital chaplain does, her personal story on how she got into the industry, different ways people can grieve, and some of her favorite stories from her 17 years as a chaplain....
Episode 010. The Competitive Edge in Communication, Decision Making and Problem Solving
In this episode, your host, Donald Thompson is interviewed by podcaster and producer, Max Trujillo, about his second recently released eBook, All Hats On Deck. Max and Donald discuss his journey to success and this eBook, where Donald shares his perspective on using the Six Thinking Hats methodology in multiple businesses to get a competitive...
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62: How to Respond to Negative Online Reviews
If you’ve been in business long enough, you’ve probably had a negative online review (or several). Whether the review was fair or not, you NEED to respond. Not so much to the person who wrote the review, but for the potential clients who are reading your reviews. So how do you do it? We give...
Episode 009. Leading the Diversity Initiative in Today’s Business Climate
In this episode, the host becomes the guest as podcast producer, Jason Gillikin, interviews Donald Thompson on the first of two recently released eBooks, Driving Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace which tackles this topic from both sides providing insights for c-suite leaders and minority professionals. Learn what inspired Donald to write this book and what...
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61: Pricing for Profitability, with Lindsay Longacre from LVL Academy
Lindsay Longacre from LVL Events (Southern California) and LVL Academy comes on the show today to talk all about pricing for profitability, a vision for creating pricing standardization, whether or not she takes on partial planning (or is it day-of coordination? or month-of? or wedding management), and the best way new vendors can connect with vendors...
5: Owen Preston, 4/2/08-4/29/17: Touching Lives While Battling Brain Cancer
On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to get a better sense of who those people were who have passed on. What were some of the stories that define them? We’ll hear from the people who loved them because they are so much more than a...
WWD12: Happy Mother’s Day! Interviews with Megan and Megan’s Mom, plus Invisible Pants?
On this Mother’s Day Weekend Wine Down, we have interviews with Megan, Megan’s mom, and oldest daughter Emma. Happy Mother’s Day! The host of Weddings for Real is Megan Gillikin, owner and lead consultant at A Southern Soiree Wedding and Event Planning. She’s also available for wedding and hospitality business consulting and can be reached...
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60: Moms for Real – A Vulnerable and Hilarious Look at Balancing Business and Motherhood, with 5 Entrepreneur Moms
Happy Mother’s Day! Today we give a real, honest, vulnerable, and hilarious look at the balancing act of being a mom and a business owner. Our guests today are Ginny Corbett from Ginny Corbett Photography, Kim Holderness from the Holderness Family Podcast and all those crazy YouTube videos, Grace Beason from Grace Leisure Events, Perry Vaile...
59: How to Promote Your Wedding Business, with PR Expert Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting
Meghan Ely, Wedding PR and Marketing Expert at OFD Consulting comes on to share the best ways to promote your business. Most of us creatives have very little time, so we need to figure out the most efficient strategies for maximizing exposure. And with the craziness of the past year or so – with WeddingWire...
4: Sharon Delaney McCloud on Her Baby Daughter Macie, 10/1/04-8/5/05
On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to get a better sense of who those people were who have passed on. What were some of the stories that define them? We’ll hear from the people who loved them because they are so much more than a...
6: Behind the Music at DPAC with Wayne Leechford, DPAC Music Coordinator
Wayne Leechford, Music Director at DPAC, is responsible for hiring all of the musicians when concerts, comedy shows, or Broadway tours need them. And sometimes he gets to play in the shows too! Find out how it all works – what shows usually bring their own musicians, how long the contract musicians at DPAC have...
58: Mental Health Tips for Creative Entrepreneurs, with Root & Restore’s Catrina Ballard
Life is stressful. Owning a business is stressful. Clients are stressful. Parenting is stressful. Relationships are stressful. As a creative entrepreneur, it’s not possible to be all things to everybody at all times. Sometimes it feels like life is in complete disarray. Catrina Ballard from Root and Restore has been both a creative entrepreneur AND a...
Danielle Summons from “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”, on her Difficult Journey to Broadway
Like Carole King, Raleigh NC native Danielle Summons’ road to stardom hasn’t always been “some kind of wonderful”. From 2011 to 2017, Danielle struggled finding her place in New York City. But she always new that acting was her calling – and now, she’s in the cast of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”, which will...
57: Creative Dining in Weddings, with Snap Pea’s Jacob Boehm
Jacob Boehm, owner and head chef of Snap Pea Creative Dining, doesn’t run a typical catering company. He caters a few weddings, but not many. He doesn’t do menu tastings. In fact, if you’re working with him for your wedding, the menu that you pick…well, he might change it by the time your wedding comes...
3. Robin Simonton, Executive Director of Historic Oakwood Cemetery
On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to share memories of loved ones who have passed on. We’ll also hear from some people in the death industry – hospital chaplains, therapists, clergy, and (like today’s guest) cemetery directors. Robin Simonton, executive director of Historic Oakwood Cemetery...
Jonathan Weir, Jafar in Aladdin, on Playing Some of the Most Hated Disney Characters On Stage
From Scar to Jafar, Jonathan Weir has played some of the most evil and most hated Disney characters! So if he gets booed at the curtain call, he knows he’s done his job well! We talk to Jonathan today about his early acting experiences, keeping the show fresh after 700+ performances (!!), being the youngest...
56: Eva Clark on Compassion in Weddings
International Wedding Planner Eva Clark from Eva Clark Events has planned over 400 events. Some of those clients have been more difficult to work with than others. But still, she wants to make sure that everyone getting married has a memorable experience in a positive way. How does she do that? By making sure she...
WWD11: IndyWeek Best Local Podcast Nomination, One-Year Anniversary, Weddings on Mars, and More!
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us over the past year plus! And we’re so excited to announce that we’ve been nominated for Best Local Podcast on IndyWeek! Even though we have very little chance to win, we would love for you to vote for us (starting Monday April 8th)! And on today’s...
DPAC 2019-2020 Broadway Season Announce Special with Michael James Scott, Tee Boyich, and Jacob Holland
The 2019-2020 Broadway Season at DPAC has been announced, and we’re so excited to share this season of magic with you. On the podcast today, we have two stars from the shows, Michael James Scott, who plays the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway, and Tee Boyich, original cast member of Mean Girls. Both of them...
55: Rachel Sheerin on Preventing Burnout and the 80-20 Rule
Rachel Sheerin is a keynote speaker and trainer focused on helping hospitality professionals sell more and be happy! Featured in Inc. Magazine for her unorthodox, high energy style, Rachel has been an advocate for authentic sales and preventing burnout in our industry. Today she talks all about the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80-20...