Entrepreneur Encounter
byEntrepreneur Encounter
BusinessEntrepreneurshipEducationHow-To
Entrepreneur Encounter is a weekly podcast designed to support creative business owners in developing the soft skills that lead to lasting, values-aligned growth.Hosted by Dana Johnson, founder of a boutique Pinterest marketing agency for wedding pros and creatives, and Sara Lowell, a consultant specializing in business management & team leadership along with podcast management, each episode explores the mindset shifts, communication skills, and leadership habits that empower entrepreneurs to grow sustainably—without the burnout.Through real stories, practical frameworks, and transparent conversations, Dana and Sara offer a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to run a purpose-driven business in a...
Episodes(40 episodes)
Why Solving the Same Problems Over and Over Again Is a Leadership Red Flag | EP 38
Send us Fan MailSomething goes sideways in your business and within seconds, your brain is already racing. Whose fault is this? How do you fix it right now? You know that spiral intimately. Maybe it’s the moment a client messages you saying results have completely stalled, and before you’ve even had your coffee, you’re already deep in your own head, running through every possible cause and absorbing the problem emotionally before you’ve even opened the account. That mental weight, that reflexive panic or blame, is something almost every entrepreneur experiences. And it’s also exa...
Published: May 8, 2026Duration: 20m 41s
Why Feeling Like a Fraud Is Actually a Sign You're Growing | EP 37
Send us Fan MailYou landed the client. You got the opportunity. Someone called you an expert and instead of feeling proud, your stomach dropped. That quiet voice that whispers you're about to get found out is a common experience entrepreneurs face, and yet most people suffer through it in silence. You’ll hear the moment she landed her first client and, instead of celebrating, spent an entire week convinced she was going to disappoint them.It's a feeling many creative business owners know all too well and it usually shows up not when things are...
Published: May 1, 2026Duration: 10m 16s
From Resentful to Intentional: How to Set Boundaries Without Blowing Up Your Relationships | EP 36
Send us Fan MailYou're on a call. Someone asks for a favor, a rush turnaround, a scope addition you didn't plan for. And even as the word "yes" is leaving your mouth — you already know. You didn't want to say it. You were already stretched. But the discomfort of disappointing them felt heavier than the cost of overextending yourself. Again. For a lot of creative entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, that moment happens quietly, repeatedly, and often feels like just being a good business owner. Being flexible. Being client-focused. But underneath it, something is running the show that ha...
Published: Apr 24, 2026Duration: 25m 16s
Why Reacting to Business Problems Instead of Analyzing Them Is Keeping You Stuck | EP 35
Send us Fan MailIt's early morning, you haven't had your coffee yet, and a message comes in that makes your stomach drop. Something went sideways overnight and before you've even opened your laptop, your brain is already spiraling. Whose fault is this? Is it me? Do I need to fix everything right now? Dana knows this feeling intimately. She describes sitting with the weight of a client's stalled Pinterest results before she'd even looked at the account, already absorbing the problem emotionally, already running through a mental checklist of everything that could be wrong, already exhausted...
Published: Apr 17, 2026Duration: 22m 34s
Why "We've Always Done It This Way" Is Quietly Killing Your Business Growth | EP 34
Send us Fan MailHave you ever followed the same process, made the same decisions, and done things the exact same way, only to feel like something just isn't working anymore? That nagging feeling isn't failure. It's awareness. And it might be the most important signal in your business right now.We dig into how unquestioned assumptions quietly shape the way you run your business and how the phrase "this is how we've always done it" can slowly limit your growth, your team, and your revenue. They break down where these assumptions come from (hint...
Published: Apr 10, 2026Duration: 16m 54s
Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving Skills Every Small Business Leader Needs | EP 33
Send us Fan MailYou sat down to finally work on something that actually matters, the strategy, the vision, the thing that could really move the needle in your business. Then your phone rings. A client has a question. A team member needs a decision. A process broke. And before you know it, the day is gone, you solved twelve problems that weren't on your list, and the one thing you actually needed to think through is still sitting there, waiting. Sound familiar? That moment - that exhausting, draining, "what did I even do today?" feeling — isn't a y...
Published: Apr 3, 2026Duration: 27m 4s
The 5 C's Leadership Framework Every Entrepreneur Needs to Build a Team That Thrives | EP 32
Send us Fan MailYou started your business with a vision, the strategy, the hustle, the late nights figuring out the marketing funnel. But somewhere between onboarding your first client and managing your growing team, a quiet panic set in. Nobody taught you this part. Not the people part. Not the "why is everyone moving in different directions and why does everything feel like a fire to put out" part. You read the books, you followed the gurus, and yet here you are, leading by default instead of by design — and wondering why your best efforts still fe...
Published: Mar 27, 2026Duration: 26m 38s
How to Pivot Your Business Without Panicking: A Strategy Guide for Entrepreneurs | EP 31
Send us Fan MailYou've been building something real. You've put in the hours, made the sacrifices, and shown up even when it was hard. But lately, something feels off - the offer isn't landing the way it used to, the calendar isn't as full, or the direction you were so sure about six months ago has started to feel foggy. You know something needs to shift, but every time you get close to making a move, that little voice in the back of your head pipes up: What if I blow everything up trying to fix...
Published: Mar 20, 2026Duration: 20m 52s
Growth Mindset for Leaders: How Entrepreneurs Build Real Confidence Without Having All the Answers | EP 30
Send us Fan MailYou're running a business, and people are looking to you for answers. Your team needs direction. A client asks something you didn't see coming. And in that split second, instead of saying "I don't know yet," you feel the pressure to perform certainty because leaders are supposed to have it all figured out, right? Sara knows that pressure firsthand. Five years into building her business, she's still navigating real-time decisions, learning from mistakes, and choosing transparency over performance. And what she's discovered is this: admitting you don't have all the answers isn't what...
Published: Mar 13, 2026Duration: 17m 13s
Why Leaders Get Stuck: Overcoming Fear of Change in Business Growth | EP 29
Send us Fan MailYou built something from nothing, your systems, your team, your entire identity wrapped up in the thing you call your business. And then one day, quietly, something stops fitting. Maybe it's a role on your team, a service you've been offering for years, or the way you've been showing up as a leader. You can see it clearly. You could draw a diagram of exactly what needs to shift. And yet... you don't move. You reorganize your desk. You answer emails. You tell yourself you'll get to it. Sound familiar? That frozen feeling...
Published: Mar 7, 2026Duration: 20m 34s
Stop Micromanaging: How Entrepreneurs Can Delegate, Build Trust, and Scale Without Burnout | EP 28
Send us Fan MailYou've poured everything into this business — late nights, early mornings, every decision running through you. You send the follow-up, review the contractor's work, loop yourself into every conversation. But somewhere between checking in for the fourth time and rewriting a message someone else already drafted, a question creeps in: Am I leading this business, or am I suffocating it? That moment is exactly where this conversation begins. In this episode, we dig into one of the most uncomfortable truths in entrepreneurship: the difference between communicating to lead and communicating to control. Thr...
Published: Feb 27, 2026Duration: 18m 11s
Written Communication in Leadership: How Remote Teams Build Clarity and Trust | EP 27
Send us Fan MailYou hit send on a quick Slack message, short, efficient, to the point. "Can you fix this today?" Simple enough, right? But minutes later, the reply comes back feeling off. Maybe defensive. Maybe stressed. And you're left wondering: Wait, why did that land wrong? It's a moment every leader knows too well, when the message you meant to send isn't the message they received. In remote and hybrid workplaces where most leadership happens through typing, not talking, the stakes of written communication have never been higher.In this episode, we discuss...
Published: Feb 21, 2026Duration: 23m 1s
Active Listening Skills for Leaders: Transform Your Business Communication and Build Trust | EP 26
Send us Fan MailYou're nodding along in a conversation about your business, doing everything a "good listener" should do. But internally? You're thinking "I know where this is going" or "I've explained this before." When the conversation ends, you don't feel clear or connected. You feel tense, maybe annoyed, definitely misunderstood. At that moment, listening breaks down. And it's costing you more than you realize.Today, we're discussing why active listening isn't about your personality. It's an important leadership skill that requires intention and practice. What's the difference between listening to respond versus listening...
Published: Feb 13, 2026Duration: 14m 4s
How to Create Clear Business Messaging That Converts | EP 25
Send us Fan MailYou've updated your website. You've rewritten your offers. You've posted about your service's countless times. But somehow, people still ask questions you thought you already answered. They hesitate during discovery calls, saying "I think I get it, but I'm not sure." Sound familiar? That frustration isn't about your expertise, it's about clarity. Along with the gap between what makes sense in your head and what actually lands with your audience. Which can cost you clients, revenue and momentum. Today, we're going over overlooked challenges. Those assumptions that sabotage your messaging. We e...
Published: Feb 6, 2026Duration: 22m 3s
Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: How to Navigate Conflict Management Without the Drama | EP 24
Send us Fan MailIt happens. You’re halfway through your workday and feel drained. Drained from all the decisions, the client's work and everything else that has come your way. Now you see you need to discuss a difficult situation and you’re not ready. You end up rehearsing what you’ll say but may feel stuck. We have been there with this internal battle of thinking it’s going to be quick. We share our stories of those hard conversations with team members and clients. Conflict isn’t the problem; it's our relationship with it. In thi...
Published: Jan 30, 2026Duration: 22m 14s
Building Psychological Safety Through Emotional Intelligence in Leadership | EP 23
Send us Fan MailYou've walked out of meetings wondering why something felt off, right? The agenda was clear, expectations were set, projects were outlined but somehow, your team seemed distant. Not resistant, just... quiet. No pushback, but no questions either. That subtle disconnect where you can't quite put your finger on what's wrong, but you know alignment didn't land the way you hoped. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone, and you're definitely not imagining it.In this episode, we discuss the often-overlooked leadership skills that exist between the words we say and the...
Published: Jan 23, 2026Duration: 26m 55s
Emotional Regulation for Leaders: How to Turn Emotional Intelligence into Actionable Leadership Skills in Stressful Moments | EP 22
Send us Fan MailSo, you’ve just stepped away from a tough conversation with your team. In your head, you’re rerunning every word you said, every tone you used, and you think I knew better than that. That inner dialogue many of us experience after a stressful moment is exactly where today’s episode begins. We navigate the space between who we intend to be as leaders and how we actually show up when pressure spikes, the reality of emotional regulation after the moment has already passed. We dive deep into emotional intelligence, especia...
Published: Jan 16, 2026Duration: 20m 33s
What does it mean to Lead with Emotional Intelligence: How Self-Awareness Transforms Leadership & Business Performance | EP 21
Send us Fan MailOne thing we see leaders struggle with lately is this quiet disconnect between who they want to be and how they actually show up under pressure. They care about their clients. They care about their business partner. They care about their teams. They’re capable. They’re driven. And yet, stress hits and suddenly they’re snapping, shutting down, or taking everything back on themselves. This isn’t about being a bad leader. It’s about self-awareness, and it matters now because it directly affects trust, time, clarity, and team health.In this ep...
Published: Jan 9, 2026Duration: 16m 25s
Soft Skills Are the New Competitive Edge in a Tech-Driven World | EP 20
Send us Fan MailImagine sitting down to work with your laptop, coffee sitting off to the side and suddenly realizing you’ve forgotten the one thing that makes your work truly matter: people. “Wait, how do we even do this again?” is this thought and eye opening conversation that we have. We know there’s more success than software and AI that makes your business run. Today, we’re talking about the human side of business, the emotions, connections, resilience, and understanding where these are the things that stick around when platforms and automation shifts. We break...
Published: Jan 2, 2026Duration: 25m 38s
How to Run Effective Meetings That Save Time and Boost Clarity (Meeting Productivity Tips for Leaders) | EP 19
Send us Fan MailImagine logging into a Zoom call, coffee in hand, with great hope... only to sit through 45 minutes of aimless chatter about last week’s “updates,” wondering why you’re even there. That’s the experience discussed: the silent time-sucker we all dread, pointless meetings. With humor, frustration, and real-world examples, we narrate those meetings where nothing gets resolved, energy drains, and you’d rather be knocking out tasks on your to-do list.In today’s conversation, we walk through what makes meetings feel like a waste and how to turn them into purposefu...
Published: Dec 19, 2025Duration: 15m 33s