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Ever hire talented people, set up strong systems, and still feel like something in your team just isn’t clicking? We bring you into the messy middle of team building, the part no one warns you about. The part where miscommunication, awkward conversations, and unmet expectations creep in… even when you’re “doing everything right.” We share a real story from behind the scenes, one that every business owner will instantly relate to.

We break down why soft skills (not software) are the foundation of every successful team. We why communication gaps turn into frustration, why assumptions derail projects, and how simple shifts in clarity, boundaries, and emotional intelligence can transform your entire work environment. Whether you’re a team of one or leading a full department, this conversation will help you understand the human side of business and how it impacts performance, culture, and long-term growth.

What to Listen for in This Episode

Why your systems aren’t the problem; your soft skills are: Discover the real reason talented teams experience tension, missed expectations, and burnout even with strong SOPs, tools, and workflows.

Three shifts that immediately improve communication: Learn how clarity, psychological safety, and active listening can dramatically change how your team interacts and performs.

How soft skills shape culture, trust, and leadership: Hear how one business owner transformed her team by adding soft skills into her culture and why your leadership sets the tone for everything.

Reflection: Where is a lack of soft skills creating friction in your business or with your clients and what skill do you need to strengthen to lead with more ease?

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/

Send us a text

Have you ever had one of those days where something small sets the tone, your tech isn’t cooperating, you're behind schedule, and suddenly a simple question from someone feels heavier than it should? That’s exactly how we kicked off this episode. But instead of brushing it off, we leaned into the moment. Because if we’re honest, those little flashes of irritation or overwhelm often reveal something deeper: sometimes we are the ones creating the friction in our own business without realizing it.

We unpack how self-awareness quietly shapes the way we lead, communicate, and run our day-to-day operations. We talk about those unexpected emotional reactions—tightening up when a client emails, feeling bothered by a teammate’s question, or reading tone into a message that wasn’t there.

Together, we explore why these patterns show up, how they impact our relationships and results, and why developing self-awareness doesn’t require a personality overhaul, just small, intentional shifts. By understanding how we operate internally, we get to build businesses that feel lighter, smoother, and more aligned with who we want to be as leaders.

What to Listen for in This Episode

Self-awareness as a foundational leadership skill: How understanding our own patterns, energy levels, and triggers helps us lead with more clarity and confidence.

The ripple effects of our reactions: Why tone, tension, and miscommunication happen, and how they affect our clients, teams, and business growth more than we realize.

Simple shifts to become more grounded leaders: Practical ways we can pause, reflect, ask for feedback, and create open communication that strengthens trust and relationships.

A question for to reflect on:

Where is a lack of self-awareness creating friction in your business right now and what reaction do we keep having that we haven’t taken the time to explore?

Let’s sit with that one together. Our next level of leadership might start right there.

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/

Send us a text

There’s a moment every entrepreneur knows too well, the instant when you realize the chaos you’re experiencing could have been avoided with one simple thing: clarity. We’ve lived it ourselves. Like the time one of us confidently marched toward a Friday deadline… only to find out the client thought everything was due on Monday. Cue the panic, the late-night scramble, and the unnecessary stress that stole time we’ll never get back. And the truth is, that moment didn’t happen because we didn’t work hard—it happened because we didn’t confirm what was said. That single disconnect changed everything, and it’s exactly why we wanted to have this conversation today.

In this episode, we dive deep into confirmation as a skill, one that touches every corner of our personal and professional lives. Together, we unpack how easy it is for “yes ma’am” moments, assumptions, and mismatched expectations to slip into our work and relationships and cost us time, money, and sanity.

We explore active listening, communication methods, boundaries with clients, systems that prevent miscommunication, and even how confirmation helps us build trust with ourselves as entrepreneurs. From parenting to project management to navigating big goals, we talk honestly about the moments we’ve gotten it right… and the many times we absolutely didn’t.

This episode is packed with stories, practical tools, and reminders that overcommunication isn’t micromanaging, it’s leadership. It’s clarity. And it’s what keeps us from having to clean up messes that never needed to happen.

What to Listen for in This Episode

1. Why active listening is the foundation of confirmation: We break down what it really means to listen (not just wait for your turn to talk) and how restating or clarifying what you heard instantly strengthens trust and prevents misunderstandings before they snowball.

2. Matching the message to the method: We talk about choosing the right communication channel for the situation, when something needs an email instead of a DM, why project management tools matter, and how written follow-up can save hours of cleanup later.

3. How confirmation builds trust with clients, teams, and ourselves: This episode goes deeper than communication strategy. We explore how confirming expectations helps us stay accountable to our goals, create more honest systems for ourselves, and avoid the overwhelm that happens when we rely on assumptions instead of clarity.

If you’ve ever had a client or team misinterpret instructions, found yourself repeating tasks, or felt overwhelmed because things weren’t cle

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/

Send us a text

Ever had that moment where you’re waiting, waiting for someone to notice your hard work, waiting for the “right” opportunity, waiting for permission to finally take that next big step? We’ve all been there. In this episode, we get real about those moments of hesitation and how taking initiative, rather than waiting for validation, can change everything. Through honest stories, laughs, and lessons learned, we unpack what it means to stop seeking the green light and instead be the green light for your own success.

You’ll hear how to spot opportunities, act on them with confidence, and simplify the way you show up daily so you can make progress without the burnout. Whether you’re an early-stage entrepreneur or a seasoned creative, this conversation is your reminder that no one’s coming to save your business, you are.

What to Listen for in This Episode:

The truth about initiative — why it’s not about doing more but about deciding not to wait for permission to act.

Turning hesitation into momentum — how taking even micro-steps builds your confidence and keeps you moving forward.

Creating opportunities instead of waiting for them — how we turned “what if” moments into sustainable growth for ourselves and our clients.

🎧 Tune in now to hear how you can build trust, take ownership, and create the opportunities you’ve been waiting for, all without waiting for anyone else’s approval.

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/

Send us a text

Ever had one of those weeks where it feels like you’re just putting out fires?

You start your day ready to tackle a big project, and suddenly your inbox explodes, software issues, client “emergencies,” and endless messages that derail your focus. Before you know it, your day is gone, and that important task is still sitting there, untouched. In this episode, we get real about how we unintentionally create chaos in our own workdays and what it takes to finally escape that cycle of constant urgency.

We unpack the difference between what’s truly urgent and what’s actually important in your business. From setting better boundaries and redefining responsiveness to building systems that prevent last-minute chaos, we share personal stories, lessons learned, and practical tools that help shift from reaction mode to intentional action. You’ll hear how to stop living in your inbox, how to plan buffer days that protect your energy, and why slowing down long enough to reassess your priorities might be the most productive thing you do all week.

What to Listen for in This Episode

The Urgent vs. Important Breakdown – Learn how to use the Eisenhower Matrix to identify which tasks deserve your immediate attention and which should be scheduled, delegated, or deleted altogether.

Boundaries That Build Freedom – Hear how redefining responsiveness, setting clear office hours, and using scheduling tools can reduce stress and help you lead your business with confidence instead of chaos.

Buffer Days & Delegation – Discover how strategic downtime and sharing the “grunt work” allow you to operate from calm leadership instead of crisis management, so you can get back to the kind of work (and life) that fuels you.

Ready to stop running your business like a 24/7 emergency room?
Tune in to learn how small shifts in structure and mindset can create lasting calm and help your business thrive without burning you out.

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/

Send us a text

We’ve all been there, sitting in a meeting halfway through, realizing it could’ve just been an email. We’ve been in those meetings, too, lots of motion, zero progress. In this episode, we decided to change that narrative by pulling back the curtain on the system that’s helped us transform our own meetings from time-wasters into powerful, productive sessions that actually move the needle forward. Spoiler alert: it involves one of our favorite tools from the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework: the Level 10 Meeting (L10).

In this episode, we not only break down what an L10 meeting is and why it’s so effective, but we also let you sit in on one of our real podcast meetings, unfiltered, transparent, and fully in action.

You’ll hear how we track metrics, set goals, review wins, and tackle challenges without the chaos. Whether you’re leading a business, running a team, or managing your own projects, this conversation will show you how structure and soft skills can turn your meetings into meaningful collaboration time and how to carry that same intentionality into your business (and even your family life).

What to listen for in this episode:

Turning structure into freedom: How a simple meeting framework (the EOS Level 10) helps you focus, prioritize, and make progress without micromanaging.

Real-world application: A behind-the-scenes look at how we run our own meetings, what we track, how we hold each other accountable, and why data matters more than emotions.

Soft skills that shift everything: How clarity, communication, and accountability help you strengthen relationships and create real momentum in your work.

If you’re tired of meetings that go nowhere, this episode will show you how to bring intention back into collaboration, so every conversation drives results.

Resource Mentioned:

What the Heck Is EOS? by Gino Wickman & Tom Bouwer

Tune in, take notes, and let’s make your next meeting actually mean something.

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/

Send us a text

You know that moment when you realize leading a team feels a lot like parenting? You’re guiding, teaching, and sometimes repeating yourself a hundred times but this time, the “kids” have deadlines and invoices. In this episode of Entrepreneur Encounter, hosts we share an honest conversation about what leadership really looks like behind the scenes. From letting go of control to building trust and boundaries, we unpack the messy, rewarding, and often funny realities of becoming a first-time manager or business owner.

If you’ve ever struggled with delegation, avoided tough conversations, or tried to be everyone’s friend, this episode will feel like a sigh of relief. We get real about the mistakes we made early on, the lessons that shaped us, and how we learned to lead with both empathy and accountability. Whether you’re managing a team, clients, or a growing business, this episode will help you navigate leadership without losing your mind (or your sense of humor).

What to Listen for in This Episode:

From Doer to Leader: Why the biggest shift in management is learning to let go of control and trust the process; even when it’s uncomfortable.

Boundaries Build Better Leaders: How empathy and accountability can coexist, and why setting boundaries isn’t cold—it’s actually an act of respect and love in leadership.

Leadership Lessons (the Hard Way): The story of having to fire someone without guidance and a confession about overpromising to clients reveal the importance of feedback, boundaries, and self-awareness as a manager.

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/

Send us a text

Have you ever looked through your LinkedIn connections and realized you don’t actually know most of them? You’re not alone. In this episode, we peel back the layers of what authentic networking really means, beyond the surface-level messages, cold pitches, and “Hey, just checking in” DMs. From stories about awkward online connections to the real magic of building genuine relationships, this conversation will make you rethink how you approach networking both online and in real life.

We open up about our early misconceptions around networking, thinking it was all about pitching and selling. Also breaking down the difference between marketing and true connection. Together, we explore how to build deeper relationships that lead to collaboration, trust, and long-term success. Whether you’re growing your business, managing a team, or simply trying to connect more meaningfully, this episode will inspire you to slow down, be intentional, and bring your humanity into every interaction.

What to Listen for in This Episode

The Real Difference Between Networking and Marketing – Why genuine connection, not promotion, is the foundation of effective networking.

How to Build Authentic Connections Online – Simple, practical ways to start meaningful conversations that don’t feel forced or salesy.

The Power of Vulnerability in Networking – How showing up as your whole self, even when life’s messy, builds stronger, longer-lasting relationships.

🎧 Challenge from Sara & Dana:
This week, reach out to three people in your network with no agenda. Just check in, say hello, and start a genuine conversation, no sales pitch, no ulterior motive. Then, send us a message and tell us how you introduced yourself!

Support the show

Whether you’re looking to grow your visibility through Pinterest Marketing or streamline your Podcast Operations and Team Management, we help business owners and creatives build sustainable systems that work for them, not against them.

Want to learn more about how this can work for you and your business, reach out to us!

Connect with Entrepreneur Encounter:

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/3azyca95

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneur_encounter/

Host Sara Lowell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youarerembert/

Website: https://www.youarerembertllc.com/

Host Dana Johnson:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danas.desk.nc/

Website: https://ddvirtualmanagement.com/