Good Ideas + Bad Decisions

In this episode of ‘Good Ideas + Bad Decisions,’ hosts Kat and Ellen welcome their first married-couple guests, Tyler and Emily Hinsley, the duo behind Hinsley Circle in Napa. Between them, they’ve worked harvests, hit a professional ceiling, and built something new from the ground up. Tyler shares how his hospitality and wine background led to launching Hinsley Consulting, and how the two teamed up to create a private membership that plans vetted, customized Napa itineraries and brings people together through monthly virtual tastings with winemakers. They also get candid about who their ideal clients are (honeymooners to bachelorettes), why fewer wineries per day is the secret to a better trip, and how to connect with them. Tyler and Emily Hinsley are the founders of Hinsley Circle, bringing together their shared passion for wine, travel, and meaningful hospitality. With backgrounds spanning Napa Valley hospitality, vineyards, winemaking, and storytelling, they believe the best wine experiences are rooted in the people, places, and relationships behind the bottle.Together, they created Hinsley Circle, a private membership designed to help people experience wine country more personally while creating a place to learn, connect, discover, and share a deeper appreciation for wine. Join Emily and Tyler for "Napa and France Through the Lens of Grenache," a Hinsley Circle virtual wine tasting on October 27th, 2026.Kat is the Founder of kat&co, helping interior designers create streamlined, sustainable businesses. She is also the Founder of Back Office Design Support, providing flexible, behind-the-scenes operational support to interior design studios, and the Co-Owner and Director of Operations at Benchwork Fabrication, a custom furniture and millwork company serving the design industry. With a background in psychology and deep experience in creative business operations, Kat is known for navigating the intersection of creativity and systems with both strategy and empathy. Join her newsletter, The kat&co Download. Ellen Hockley is a three-time entrepreneur, small business consultant, community builder, and the founder of Ellen Hockley Consulting and SAGE Women. She guides female founders to build intuitive, values-driven businesses aligned with the life they want for themselves and their families. Join her Substack newsletter, ⁠The Quiet Wins⁠.00:00 Podcast Welcome01:00 Meet the Guests01:30 How They Connected03:40 Napa Banter04:22 Meet Cute to Business06:29 What Is Hinsley Circle08:48 Napa Culture and Craft10:07 Tyler Wine Journey13:19 Ideal Members and Offers14:56 Virtual Tastings Explained17:24 Texas Wine Surprise19:50 Consulting Origin Story21:34 From Texts to Hinsley Circle23:48 Bridge Between Guests and Wineries25:13 Napa Trip Planning Reality Check26:33 Locals Nights and Perks27:57 A La Carte Itineraries and Add Ons30:37 Wine Collection Chaos31:33 Parting Wisdom Show Up36:00 Where to Find Hinsley Circle37:33 Final Wrap Up

In this mini-episode of 'Good Ideas + Bad Decisions,' Kat and Ellen tackle the week’s question: what business advice do they choose to ignore? Ellen shares why she tunes out people whose businesses and lives look nothing like hers, while Kat explains why she rejects “pick one lane” in favor of her interconnected ecosystem of overlapping businesses. They close by encouraging listeners to shrug off irrelevant opinions and build a business that fits their life.Don't forget to⁠ submit your business questions⁠ for future episodes! Kat is the Founder of kat&co, helping interior designers create streamlined, sustainable businesses. She is also the Founder of Back Office Design Support, providing flexible, behind-the-scenes operational support to interior design studios, and the Co-Owner and Director of Operations at Benchwork Fabrication, a custom furniture and millwork company serving the design industry. With a background in psychology and deep experience in creative business operations, Kat is known for navigating the intersection of creativity and systems with both strategy and empathy. Join her newsletter, The kat&co Download. Ellen Hockley is a three-time entrepreneur, small business consultant, community builder, and the founder of Ellen Hockley Consulting and SAGE Women. She guides female founders to build intuitive, values-driven businesses aligned with the life they want for themselves and their families. Join her Substack newsletter, ⁠The Quiet Wins⁠.

In this episode of ‘Good Ideas + Bad Decisions,’ Kat and Ellen introduce their virtual assistant, Emma Martin, and dig into her career path and her approach to work. Emma shares how she left an academic track after earning an English master’s at the University of Chicago, discovered a love of archival work, and went on to earn a library science master’s at UT Austin while working as an archivist, including for the Texas State Bar. After moving to Chicago just as COVID-19 hit and facing uncertain prospects in archives, she temped, then landed in corporate telehealth marketing, where she realized her responsiveness and encouragement weren’t valued the way metrics were. That led her to start her own VA business (and an art practice), where she finds fulfillment in process-building, copywriting, and supporting a variety of clients. Emma also explains why she prefers to stay solo rather than scale, why relationships and soft skills matter so much, and how to reach her at emmamartin.biz.Emma Martin is a Virtual Assistant, artist, and steadfast champion for her clients. She manages their Substack and LinkedIn presence so they don’t have to, helps them find the right words when they’re elusive, and brings order to the proverbial junk drawer. She creates and follows up on the to-do lists that so often become mental roadblocks. Emma does everything from editing podcasts to running Instagrams to sending the emails that fall through the cracks. She has supported solopreneurs, coaches, and consultants across the arts, wellness, academic, and political sectors, clearing their calendars so they can focus on the expert work they love.Kat is the Founder of kat&co, helping interior designers create streamlined, sustainable businesses. She is also the Founder of Back Office Design Support, providing flexible, behind-the-scenes operational support to interior design studios, and the Co-Owner and Director of Operations at Benchwork Fabrication, a custom furniture and millwork company serving the design industry. With a background in psychology and deep experience in creative business operations, Kat is known for navigating the intersection of creativity and systems with both strategy and empathy. Join her newsletter, The kat&co Download. Ellen Hockley is a three-time entrepreneur, small business consultant, community builder, and the founder of Ellen Hockley Consulting and SAGE Women. She guides female founders to build intuitive, values-driven businesses aligned with the life they want for themselves and their families. Join her Substack newsletter, ⁠The Quiet Wins⁠.00:00 Podcast Intro00:47 Meet Emma01:40 Academia Burnout03:04 Archivist Life05:06 Texas State Bar06:36 Pandemic Move09:52 Temp to Telehealth11:43 Becoming a VA14:32 Autonomy Talk16:48 Names and Origins17:45 Entrepreneur Parents19:34 Mom’s Creative Hustles20:29 Craft Store at Home21:15 Paint and Sip Reality Check22:24 Keeping Art and Money Separate24:06 Scaling Without Buzzwords26:19 Favorite VA Tasks28:21 Career Wisdom Soft Skills33:46 How to Hire Emma35:45 Hosts Hype Emma and Farewell38:03 Episode Outro and CTA

In this episode of "Good Ideas + Bad Decisions," hosts Kat and Ellen talk to Brittany Martin Déjean, a speaker and coach who helps people break free from FOMU, the fear of messing up, which shows up as perfectionism, overthinking, self-punishment, and "superficial confidence." Brittany explains how she helps clients map their unique "FOMU fingerprint" and interrupt the cycle through awareness, body-based noticing, and accepting outcomes as they come. She also shares her coaching offerings, including a reported 73% reduction in time lost to FOMU within one group, and talks about her "Intentional Joy Club," which is hosting a throwback '90s karaoke Zoom dance party on September 30.Brittany Martin Déjean is a keynote speaker and coach who helps high achievers interrupt FOMU (Fear Of Messing Up), the cycle of overthinking, self-criticism, and shame around mistakes. Her work grew from 6.5 years at Airbnb, where she trained over 1,000 employees and hosts in disability inclusion and coined the term FOMU. A recovering perfectionist and Harvard alum, Brittany now helps clients reclaim their time, energy, and peace, with clients reducing time lost to FOMU by an average of 73%. She has spoken for organizations including Andersen, NBC Universal, and Deutsche Bank.Check out Brittany's Spotify playlist! Kat is the Founder of kat&co, helping interior designers create streamlined, sustainable businesses. She is also the Founder of Back Office Design Support, providing flexible, behind-the-scenes operational support to interior design studios, and the Co-Owner and Director of Operations at Benchwork Fabrication, a custom furniture and millwork company serving the design industry. With a background in psychology and deep experience in creative business operations, Kat is known for navigating the intersection of creativity and systems with both strategy and empathy. Join her newsletter, The kat&co Download. Ellen Hockley is a three-time entrepreneur, small business consultant, community builder, and the founder of Ellen Hockley Consulting and SAGE Women. She guides female founders to build intuitive, values-driven businesses aligned with the life they want for themselves and their families. Join her Substack newsletter, ⁠The Quiet Wins⁠.00:00 Podcast Welcome00:54 Ghost in the Computer02:46 Meet Brittany Martin Déjean03:59 Fear of Messing Up06:11 Superficial Confidence Explained10:40 White Knuckling and Body Stress14:49 Breaking the Spiral Cycle19:51 Rewriting What Mistakes Mean21:05 Who Brittany Helps and How25:16 Proof FOMU Works26:14 Joy Through Line28:13 Backstreet Boys Breakthrough30:15 Karaoke Zoom Party Plan31:09 Nostalgia Mini Experiments33:36 Joy Club Invitation34:45 Being Yourself Publicly39:04 Make Joy Nonperformative42:15 Parting Wisdom43:41 Where To Find Brittany45:06 Podcast Sign Off

In this mini episode of “Good Ideas + Bad Decisions,” Kat and Ellen ease into mid-September, comparing fall routines, back-to-school chaos, and their opposite work rhythms. Kat shares how business cards left at a coffee shop turned into a local Napa magazine feature. They get honest about the awkward side of business development, such as cold outreach, follow-ups, unsubscribes, and Ellen's small-steps approach to getting back into it. Don't forget to⁠ submit your business questions⁠ for future episodes! Kat is the Founder of kat&co, helping interior designers create streamlined, sustainable businesses. She is also the Founder of Back Office Design Support, providing flexible, behind-the-scenes operational support to interior design studios, and the Co-Owner and Director of Operations at Benchwork Fabrication, a custom furniture and millwork company serving the design industry. With a background in psychology and deep experience in creative business operations, Kat is known for navigating the intersection of creativity and systems with both strategy and empathy. Join her newsletter, The kat&co Download. Ellen Hockley is a three-time entrepreneur, small business consultant, community builder, and the founder of Ellen Hockley Consulting and SAGE Women. She guides female founders to build intuitive, values-driven businesses aligned with the life they want for themselves and their families. Join her Substack newsletter, ⁠The Quiet Wins⁠.