Lay the Course Podcast

Monique Allen, Founder, CEO, & Creative Director of the Garden Continuum, is a master creator, interactive employer, published author, and fierce industry advocate. Over the last three decades, Monique watched as the growing commercialization and commoditization of the landscaping trade undermined the benefits of its increased accessibility to those looking to improve their land and their mental states. With this in mind, she founded the Life-Scape Method. In this episode, you’ll hear: Monique’s aha moment to start her own business over 30 years ago The way nature can act as a powerful tool to regulate one’s self How Monique developed the Life-Scape method “How can we look at business as something that feeds us, as opposed to something that depletes us?” —Monique Allen  As a lifelong gardener, business developer, and educator, Monique has dedicated her career to creating an alternative approach and sharing actionable information on how to spread a positive message, about how we can all improve our land, our lives, and our professional satisfaction through Life-Scaping and compassionate business building.  To learn more about Monique Allen and the Garden Continuum, you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and her website. Follow us for more inspiring stories from women in business at: Instagram: @laythecoursepodcast Facebook: Lay the Course Podcast Website: www.laythecoursepodcast.com Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller and Trevor Stine, Artwork by Alyssa Tanner

In 2014 Catherine Greseth was hired as the first Executive Director of the Workforce Diversity Network of the Black Hills. An organization that educates businesses on hiring and retaining people that are, or have, become disabled. Through these efforts, Rapid City, South Dakota, is now ranked 3 in the Nation for the employment of people with disabilities. Catherine received the 2018 - 2019, South Dakota Governors award for Outstanding Citizen. In this episode, you’ll hear: Catherine’s journey to becoming an advocate for people with disabilities. The work she has done to create inclusion in the workplace. The importance of seeing people’s abilities beyond their disability when hiring. “Inclusion is not just being hired, it's being a part of everything.” —Catherine Greseth She has been the president of the Rapid City Mayor's Committee for People With Disabilities, has been appointed by the Governor to Chair the Governor's Board for Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired. She also serves on the Governor's Board for the State Independent Living Council; out of 100’s of applications, the ADA has selected Catherine as the Rocky Mountain ADA Ambassador for South Dakota. To learn more about Catherine’s work with Workforce Diversity of the Black Hills, you can visit Workforce Diversity Network of the Black Hills' website. Follow us for more inspiring stories from women in business at: Instagram: @laythecoursepodcast Facebook: Lay the Course Podcast Website: www.laythecoursepodcast.com Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller and Trevor Stine, Artwork by Alyssa Tanner

Catherine Manangu is the owner/operator of Chu Sweet, a specialty Bakery in Box Elder South Dakota. Catherine was born and raised in the Philippines, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management with a specialization in Cruise Line Operations in Culinary Arts. After moving to America with her family, and meeting her husband, she and her husband moved to Rapid City South Dakota where her husband is stationed in the United States Air Force. Catherine took the leap and started her own bakery from her home in 2019 and has seen an explosion in growth over the last two years. In this episode, you’ll hear: How Catherine honed her culinary skills and found her love for baking The work she has done to be confident in herself and her business. The power of community and making connections that open new doors for opportunity. “Keep going, even if no one notices you.” —Catherine Manangu Catherine specializes in custom cakes, macarons, holiday specialty boxes, and more. She sells her sweet treats locally in the Black Hills, across the state of South Dakota, and Wyoming, and you can also find her creations Antuñez grocery in Spearfish. She has her eyes set on growing and opening a full storefront for her Bakery in the future. To learn more about Catherine and Chu Sweet, you can find her on Facebook and Instagram Follow us for more inspiring stories from women in business at: Instagram: @laythecoursepodcast Facebook: Lay the Course Podcast Website: www.laythecoursepodcast.com Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller and Trevor Stine, Artwork by Alyssa Tanner

Ciara Stockeland has owned and operated businesses since her early teens. As a serial entrepreneur, her business mindset and tenacity led her to open her first store, Mama Mia, a high-end maternity store located in Fargo, ND in 2006. Shortly after, she developed and opened MODE, a designer outlet store located next to Mama Mia. In 2008, Ciara chose to merge her two concepts into MODE and developed the concept into a franchise. In this episode, you’ll hear: How she created a space for retail entrepreneurs to ask questions and find community The freedom in choosing to change your business concept. The power in buying with a purpose and managing inventory in your business “It’s okay to change concepts or to downsize if that’s what you feel a lot more joy in.” —Ciara Stockeland Her vast experience in both retail and wholesale industries led her to launch the first to market wholesale subscription box for boutique retailers, which she built and sold within 18 months. Most recently Ciara has launched the Boutique Workshop, a coaching program for retailers. To learn more about Ciara and her coaching program, you can find her on Facebook, Instagram,  and her website.

Molly Goin is a licensed massage therapist who started her practice in 2020. After a year in business, she shares with us what it was like to establish a new practice and become a full-time business owner, and the way she has built community care into her work from day one. In this episode, you’ll hear: How a curious mindset helps Molly operate from a place of confidence versus a place of insecurity. How setting boundaries helps create a safe space for her and her clients. The work Molly does to give back to the local community. “Choosing where to lead from was powerful for me.” —Molly Goin Molly offers a uniquely therapeutic bodywork experience in Rapid City, SD. Blending deep tissue modalities with eastern techniques, Molly's work focuses on pain management, functional movement, and energetic flow. She incorporates numerous tools into her sessions, including hydrotherapy, handmade herbal compresses, & cupping. To learn more about Molly and her practice, you can find her on Social Media platforms at @massagewithmolly

As owner and creative director for Tout Advertising, Tracy provides strategic media planning, negotiates media acquisitions, determines marketing endeavors, oversees design and production, and ensures brand integrity. She is passionate about supporting locally owned businesses, and in addition to this has launched and run 3 magazines during her career, spanning over a decade of successful publishing. In this episode, you’ll hear: Tracy’s path to being named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by Prairie Business Magazine. The ripple effect her work with Black Hills Women’s Magazine has had in the community and beyond. Advice for anyone looking to be truly successful in the field of marketing.  “You’re helping small businesses survive, and really thrive.” -Tracy Bernard Prior to starting Tout Advertising, Tracy was an intern at the White House Office of Public Liaison, an account executive for the largest ad agency in the world (at the time), McCann-Erickson Worldwide. She is married and a mother to three grown boys. She is an avid runner and dabbler of mixed media art and interior design. To learn more about Tracy and her work, you can visit her website Follow us for more inspiring stories from women in business at: Instagram: @laythecoursepodcast Facebook: Lay the Course Podcast Website: www.laythecoursepodcast.com Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller and Trevor Stine, Artwork by Alyssa Tanner

Kristin Burke is a goal achievement coach who collaborates with women, entrepreneurs, and leaders to help them maximize their potential and achieve their definitions of success. After gaining over a decade of experience in a Fortune 200 firm, Kristin set out on her own to launch a coaching practice. She is passionate about advancing women professionally and holds a curiosity for work-life integration. This blossomed in graduate school where she authored a thesis on women and work-life balance. After concluding that the word balance communicates an unrealistic reality, she is now on a quest to help women thrive both personally and professionally. In this episode, you’ll hear: How Kristin achieved her own goal of becoming a coach and owning her own practice. Tips and techniques for reaching that next goal in life, professionally and personally. The power of writing down your vision. “Grow the courage to write down a long term vision.” –Kristin Burk Along with Kristin’s coaching practice, she is also a co-facilitator of the Honor Your Ambition Mastermind–a 12-week program designed to create a community of ambitious women, and give them the tools to trust in themselves, believe that they can, and achieve what matters. To learn more about Kristin’s work, you can find her at @meetkristinburke on Instagram & Facebook, or you can her website at www.kristinburke.com Follow us for more inspiring stories from women in business at: Instagram: @laythecoursepodcast Facebook: Lay the Course Podcast Website: www.laythecoursepodcast.com Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller and Trevor Stine, Artwork by Alyssa Tanner

Kim Fischer is the founder of 13 Emeralds Marketing with an MA in digital marketing. She helps business owners optimize their SEO so they can achieve long-term results with ease. Kim’s goal is to help business owners gain more clients, grow their businesses, and give them the ease of having leads come to them. In this episode, you will hear: Kim’s course of her entrepreneurial journey SEO tips for both local and global leads How you can optimize your website today "Being able to help small businesses make big changes is the biggest win to me,” said Kim. Kim is passionate about making SEO accessible for everyone, and she walks her clients through ​​balancing intuition with data to make data-driven decisions in their business. She believes in community over competition and emphasizes the importance of finding your people in the business landscape. Learn more about Kim on her website, 13emeraldsmarketing.com, and on Instagram @13emeraldsmarketing. Follow us for more inspiration to take your business to the next level at: Instagram: ⁠@velacreativeco⁠ | ⁠@laythecoursepodcast⁠ Facebook: ⁠Vela Creative Co.⁠ | ⁠Lay the Course Podcast⁠ Website: ⁠www.velacreativeco.com⁠ Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: ⁠Vela Creative Co.⁠ Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller, and Trevor Stine

Shara Ruffin is an independently licensed clinical social worker, a board-certified tele-mental health provider, and a former psychotherapist from Philadelphia, PA. She specializes in grief, personality disorders, family trauma, compassion fatigue, military counseling, mindfulness meditation, ADHD, and anxiety. Joined by our host Kelsey Stine, Shara discusses what fostering mental health in the workplace looks like for business owners today.  In this episode, you will hear: Shara’s mental health advice for business owners Techniques for mitigating burnout The human aspect of reaching and achieving goals “When you aren’t pouring into yourself–you can’t pour into others what you don’t have,” said Shara.   Shara is the Founder and CEO of a consulting company called Journey To Licensure—combining wellness, clinical supervision, and professional development coaching to support social workers through licensure examinations. To learn more about Shara's work, you can find her on most social media platforms. Follow us for more Inspiration at: Facebook: ⁠Vela Creative Co.⁠ Instagram: ⁠@velacreativeco⁠ Website: ⁠www.velacreativeco.com⁠ Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Sarah Miller, Kelsey Stine, and Trevor Stine

Quinn Driscoll, CPA/ABV is a money management coach for small business owners. As the founder of Value Gal, she teaches successful business owners how to follow a money management system so they can stop feeling confused, anxious, or broke. In this episode, you will hear: The peace of mind that comes with having a clear view of your finances Balancing your growing business and paying yourself Quinn’s C.L.E.A.R. strategy “Wherever you are, you can have a great grasp on your finances, and that’s going to take you so far,” said Quinn as she talked about the range of clients she works with, both big and small. Prior to Value Gal, Quinn spent more than a decade as a sought-after financial expert witness who worked in the high stakes world of litigation consulting. She is a frequent speaker and guest expert on financial topics including building a valuable business, money mindset, and goal setting for business owners. Accidental entrepreneurs, creatives, and former 9-to-5ers love Quinn’s calming presence and simple methods that empower them to replace money guilt and dread with clarity and confidence. Learn more about Quinn at www.thevaluegal.com. Download and utilize Quin's free planner here! Follow us for more Inspiration at: Facebook: ⁠Vela Creative Co.⁠ Instagram: ⁠@velacreativeco⁠ Website: ⁠www.velacreativeco.com⁠ Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Sarah Miller, Kelsey Stine, and Trevor Stine

After finding that her values in life didn't connect with the social media tech industry she was working in, Izzy Waite decided to ditch the normal 9-5 to pursue a passion-filled career aiming to help driven entrepreneurs get seen and heard. Izzy joined our host Kelsey Stine for a conversation diving into the details of her work as a brand designer. In this episode you will hear: The power of branding in today’s business landscape Showing up, front and center, in your brand Izzy’s passion for diving deep with her clients to bring their personalities to life “I love helping people make sure their personality shows up, front and center, in their branding,” said Izzy, sharing what brought her to work in branding.  By blending her graphic design and business degrees with her natural skill of seeing what makes people special – Izzy has been able to create strategic, stand-out brands that capture her clients’ souls, goals, and values. Izzy specializes getting to know her clients on a deeper level from the start so she can better understand their values and energy and make it shine through their branding and website. Learn more about Izzy on her website and find her on Instagram. Follow us for more Inspiration at: Facebook: ⁠Vela Creative Co.⁠ Instagram: ⁠@velacreativeco⁠ Website: ⁠www.velacreativeco.com⁠ Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Sarah Miller, Kelsey Stine, and Trevor Stine

With a decade of experience in People Operations within the corporate world, Kira La Forgia is no stranger to the sensitive issues involved in the human side of running a business. There’s a lot to learn from hiring, onboarding, training, and managing the performance of over 500 employees for a multimillion-dollar business. She joined host Kelsey Stine to discuss the strategy behind growing your team to grow your business. In this episode you will hear: Kira’s experience with burnout that led her to start her own company, Paradigm Advice for strategizing a holistic approach when hiring for your business The growth you gain from hiring your first employee “Your people are going to help get you to where you want to go, and it’s so much more fun to run a business with a functional team,” said Kira explaining the power of hiring for your overall goals to grow. Kira founded Paradigm to bridge the gap between corporate HR policies and the modern needs of entrepreneurs. Google might have almost all the answers, but it doesn’t have what your unique business needs. Learn more about Kira on her website and find her on Instagram. Follow us for more Inspiration at: Facebook: Vela Creative Co. Instagram: @velacreativeco Website: www.velacreativeco.com Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Sarah Miller, Kelsey Stine, and Trevor Stine

Ellen Pustejovsky is a Black Hills based entrepreneur, content creator, creative director, portrait specialist, and landscape artist who is passionate about sharing ways on building a lifestyle by design. She believes that a life lived simply is a life worth living, and she helps clients create simple yet effective high-quality branded content.  In this episode you will hear: Ellen’s path to becoming a full-time content creator Advice for pushing through barriers to grow in your field The power behind branded content for your business “You are showing up for your audience; you’re creating value for them, and that is what they are going to thank you for,” said Ellen as she disclosed that content creation can feel awkward in the beginning. She is an award winning photographer showcased in publications such as Outside Magazine. Through her 13 years of experience, she has produced content for big brands all around the nation including, Fabletics, Born Shoe, C4 Fabrication, and more. Her teachings and mindset derive from the concept that time is the most valuable thing as it is the only non-renewable asset. Since beginning her first business as a sophomore in high school, her long-term mission is to help other aspiring solo-pressures to achieve their goals in a fraction of the time. Learn more about Ellen’s work on her website and Instagram.

Vickie Leuenberger is a nomad freelancer currently living in the Caribbean on a yellow sailboat. She is passionate about teamwork, the human mind, and making every day special and fun. Vickie is trained in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), pedagogy, body language, and more.  She collaborates with other entrepreneurs, hosts retreats and workshops, and assists clients in addressing their daily mindset for long-term success.  In this episode you will hear: Vickie’s background in sports, and how she transitioned into mindset coaching How living on a sailboat lets Vickie embrace her own challenges and apply mindset practices on a daily basis And the ways Vickie is helping her clients create a mindset practice that works for them  “A good business coach is the coach that helps you feel safe when you aren’t doubling profits monthly,” said Vickie as she explains what a positive mindset in the world of business means to her.  Vickie is passionate about building a strong network and finds inspiration from connecting with others through her passions. To connect with Vickie, you can find her on Instagram at @vickie_leuenberger. Follow us for more inspiration to take your business to the next level at:  Instagram: @velacreativeco | @laythecoursepodcast Facebook: Vela Creative Co. | Lay the Course Podcast Website: www.velacreativeco.com Host: Kelsey Stine Produced by: Vela Creative Co. Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller, and Trevor Stine

Bridgett has been working with fabrics since a young age, originally taught in the art of sewing by her mother. As she grew older she pursued a degree in Fashion Design at Kent State University. After graduating, she returned back to Rapid City, where she met her future husband, Stephan, and together they started the Seraphim Theatrical Entertainment Company. Through this company, they have created a variety of theater programs in-house, for all ages, as well as hold a season of plays and murder mystery dinner parties every year. In this episode, you’ll hear:Bridgett’s passion for sewing and costume design How she has incorporated her skills and passions to open a theaterHer love for cosplay and the community she has found in it“Even though it gets hard, it's so much easier because it's your passion.”Along with working as the costume designer, set designer, and many other hats that come along with owning a theater company, Bridgett also sews custom costumes, wedding dresses, and more for clients, and is highly sought after in the Cosplay world. She has a love for cosplay and the joy and friendships it has brought into her life. To learn more about Bridgett’s work as a costume and clothing designer, Seraphim Theatrical Entertainment, and more, you can find her at @euphoria.bjc on Instagram, as well as @seraphimtheatrical on Instagram & Facebook. You can also visit Seraphim Theatrical Entertainment’s website at www.seraphimtheatricalentertainment.comFollow us for more inspiring stories from women in business at:Instagram: @laythecoursepodcastFacebook: Lay the Course PodcastWebsite: www.laythecoursepodcast.comHost: Kelsey StineProduced by: Vela Creative Co.Credits: Production & Editing by Kelsey Stine, Sarah Miller and Trevor Stine, Artwork by Alyssa Tanner