As we head into the final weeks of 2020, Jaime and I are checking in with each other to compare notes on our families, businesses, and alllll the feelings during this holiday season. In this episode, we share the highs and lows of business ownership right now, and talk about how we are planning ahead (or not) and handling the transition into a new year. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

We are now 8 months into the COVID-19 pandemic; that makes 8 months of pivoting, adapting, and overcoming challenges both at home and at work. I'm checking in once again with co-host Jaime Lawrence, owner of Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services, and we're sharing updates on family life, business ownership, and ourselves in general as we continue to be affected on all fronts by the pandemic. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

A lot has changed since I last spoke with my co-host, Jaime Lawrence (owner of Harmony Garden Music Therapy), back in April. The pandemic is still in full force, which has greatly impacted just about every aspect of our lives. In this follow-up episode, we're discussing the current state of our businesses since reopening our physical doors, and we also tackle the very timely issue of returning to school. Jaime and I both share our families' decisions for our own children. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

It's been over a year since I released an episode of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast, but when my co-host from last season, Jaime Lawrence, suggested recording one to chat about how we are managing during this global pandemic, I was immediately on board. In this special COVID-19 edition of the podcast, we talk about how we have pivoted our businesses, the ways in which we are providing services, and what life with kids at home 24/7 looks like. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

This is the final episode in our current season, during which I’ve been so lucky to have Jaime Lawrence as a co-host. I hope you’ve enjoyed her added perspective here on the podcast just as much as I have! Since we’re making our way towards the end of 2018, Jaime and I thought it would be fun to share our favorite accomplishments of the year, both personally and professionally. This was such a fun episode to record, and it made me excited to think about all that I want to accomplish in 2019. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at http://guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

Halloween is coming, and we are ready! So of course we had to dedicate an entire episode to how we celebrate this special day at home -- including decorations, our family’s costumes, and favorite traditions -- and at work -- the songs we sing, how we integrate Halloween into our groups and sessions, and ways we get festive in our workplaces. To be honest, Halloween is not my favorite day of the year, as I share in the episode, but when you have kids and work with children, you really just have to embrace it. If you’re like me, I hope this episode helps you do that, and if you are already a Halloween enthusiast, then you’ll be even more pumped up after listening! Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at http://guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

This week, Jaime and I are sharing our favorite working mom “hacks” -- big and little ways in which we’ve discovered make life just a little bit easier, both in terms of work and home. We actually ran out of time recording this episode, and have already planned a part 2 so that we can give you the rest of our hacks. In the meantime, we hope you find these just as helpful to your life as they are to ours! Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at http://guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

As we approach the fall season, Jaime and I are both busy preparing for new sessions of our early childhood music classes. Since this topic is top of mind for us right now, we thought we’d take this opportunity to do a deep dive into our role as early childhood music class instructors. In this episode, we talk about what led us to providing these classes, the evolution of them within our business, how we’ve grown enrollment over the years, and how we handle the tough issues that come up. As you can imagine, we have a whole lot to say on this topic! Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at http://guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

We talk pretty often here on the podcast about running our own businesses and the challenges associated with it. One of the BIGGEST challenges is being a boss -- deciding when the time is right to grow our team, conducting interviews, completing the hiring process, and then managing a team. In this week’s episode, we tackle this tough subject matter and share our own experiences when it comes to being bosses. We also touch on some typically taboo topics, including how we pay our employees, how much we pay for our business space, and more. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at http://guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

This week’s topic was a no-brainer for two moms who also work with school-aged children. It’s back to school time, which comes with a whole lot of excitement, overwhelm, challenges, and planning. In this episode, I’m talking about what it’s like as a total newbie with my son getting ready to start kindergarten, and Jaime gives a whole lot of great advice having been through the back-to-school transition a couple times already. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at http://guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

I never fully appreciated the proverb “necessity is the mother of invention” until I became a business owner. It didn’t take long to realize that there are busy seasons in a private practice and teaching studio, and then there are slow seasons. Very, very slow seasons. Summer just happens to be the slowest of all, which has made it absolutely necessary to create new revenue streams in the form of programs, classes, and online courses. In this episode, Jaime and I are talking all about the opportunities we’ve created in our businesses...what’s worked, what’s completely failed, lessons we’ve learned, and how we’ve been able to fill in the gaps during otherwise slow seasons. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments of the show notes page over at http://guitarsandgranolabars.com or email me, [email protected]. Thank you for listening!