Don't Miss The Conversation

What would you do if a STEMI patient suddenly started crashing during a cardiac catheterization? How would you handle a physician who clearly doesn’t want you in their case? And what happens when you’re assigned to work an entire shift with a coworker you don’t get along with? In this episode of Don’t Miss the Conversation, Samantha sits down with experienced cath lab professionals and sisters Kat and Jess Santiago for an interactive conversation about cath lab emergencies, healthcare teamwork, workplace conflict, clinical confidence, patient safety, and decision-making under pressure.Kat and Jess both began their careers through cardiovascular technology, gaining experience in cardiac, vascular, and structural heart procedures, but their careers evolved differently. Jess later returned to school for nursing, took on travel assignments, and expanded into additional areas including EP and device work, while Kat developed broad experience across cath lab roles and high-risk interventions.Throughout the episode, Samantha gives them realistic cath lab scenarios and assigns them different roles to explore how responsibilities change depending on whether you're scrubbing, circulating, monitoring, or supporting the team.They discuss:-Responding when a STEMI patient begins deteriorating-Anticipating emergency medications and equipment-Communication during cath lab emergencies and codes-Scrub tech vs. circulator responsibilities-Developing clinical intuition and situational awareness-Working with difficult physicians-Building confidence as a new cath lab professional-Supporting inexperienced coworkers without taking over-Navigating coworker conflict professionally-Keeping personal feelings from affecting patient care-Why patient advocacy has to remain the priority-How experience changes your response under pressureOne of the biggest themes throughout the conversation is anticipation. Experienced cath lab professionals aren't simply reacting to what is happening. They're watching the patient, reading the room, communicating across roles, and preparing for what could happen next.The conversation also gets into the human side of healthcare careers: difficult personalities, workplace tension, feeling underestimated when you're new, and learning that you don't have to be friends with everyone on your team to work together effectively and safely.If you're a cath lab tech, cardiovascular technologist, cath lab nurse, radiologic technologist, nursing student, cardiovascular student, travel healthcare professional, or anyone working in a high-pressure clinical environment, this episode offers an honest look at the situations that textbooks and orientation can't fully prepare you for.Subscribe to Don't Miss the Conversation for more practical conversations about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, healthcare, and the lessons Samantha is learning while building companies in real time.Connect with Samantha: Website: dontmisstheconversation.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmisstheconversationSamantha's Businesses Cath Lab: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissabeat/EP Lab: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissthehisTextbooks: https://dontmissabeat.store/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

How do you price a product for profit? If you're starting a product-based business or e-commerce brand, calculating your manufacturing cost is only the beginning.In this episode of The Propper Perspective, Samantha explains how to price a product by calculating the true cost of goods, landed cost, fulfillment expenses, payment processing fees, shipping, packaging, tariffs, app fees, customer acquisition costs, and other hidden business expenses that can quietly destroy your profit margin.You'll learn why a product that costs $5 to manufacture may actually cost $15.50 by the time it reaches your customer, how to calculate a more realistic profit margin, and why pricing too low at launch can create major problems as your business grows.Samantha covers:• How to calculate the true cost of a product• Manufacturing cost vs. landed cost• Shipping, freight, tariffs, duties, and taxes• Packaging and fulfillment costs• Payment processing and platform fees• Third-party logistics (3PL) expenses• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)• Hidden Shopify and e-commerce app fees• How damaged inventory can affect profitability• Why product costs should be recalculated regularly• How to build healthier margins before you scaleWhether you're launching your first physical product, building a Shopify store, growing an e-commerce business, or trying to figure out how much to charge for your product, understanding your true costs is essential.Pricing isn't just about making the sale. It's about creating a business model that can survive rising costs, growth, promotions, and everything that comes with scaling.Subscribe to Don't Miss the Conversation for more practical conversations about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, healthcare, and the lessons Samantha is learning while building companies in real time.-----------------------------------Connect with our host Samantha at:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversation/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Podcast Website: www.dontmisstheconversation.comExplore more about Sam’s Businesses: https://linktr.ee/dontmissabeat--------------------------------Podcast produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/ Connect with Samantha: Website: dontmisstheconversation.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmisstheconversationSamantha's Businesses Cath Lab: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissabeat/EP Lab: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissthehisTextbooks: https://dontmissabeat.store/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

When should you hire someone for your business, and when should you DIY?For new entrepreneurs and small business owners, knowing when to outsource vs. do it yourself can be one of the hardest decisions to make. Hiring too early can drain your profits, but trying to do everything yourself can consume the time you need to actually grow your business.In this episode of The Propper Perspective, Sam shares practical advice for early-stage founders, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and side hustlers trying to decide where their money and time are best spent.She breaks down when to DIY and when to hire for areas including business legal services, CPAs and business taxes, Shopify website development, customer service, sales, marketing, and business operations.You’ll learn why founders should understand the basics of their operations before outsourcing, how doing something yourself can help you evaluate future hires, why customer service and sales can provide invaluable early customer research, and what questions to ask before paying someone thousands of dollars to solve a problem.Sam also explains why legal and tax support are two areas where professional expertise can be especially important and why understanding your website, customers, sales process, traffic, and conversion data gives you greater leverage when hiring contractors, agencies, or employees later.  Being a scrappy entrepreneur isn’t about doing everything yourself forever. It’s about learning enough to make informed decisions, recognize great talent, protect your business, and spend your money where it creates real value.If you're starting a business, growing a side hustle, deciding what to outsource, hiring your first contractor, or learning how to delegate as a founder, this episode is for you.Follow Don’t Miss the Conversation for conversations about business, growth, leadership, medicine, and the lessons you don't always hear while building in real time.-----------------------------------Connect with Samantha: Website: dontmisstheconversation.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmisstheconversationSamantha's Businesses Cath Lab: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissabeat/EP Lab: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissthehisTextbooks: https://dontmissabeat.store/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

Shopify vs Etsy in 2026: which platform is better for selling online? If you're starting a small business, launching a product, or trying to decide where to sell online, this episode breaks down the real differences between Shopify and Etsy.In this episode of The Propper Perspective, Sam compares Shopify vs Etsy for small businesses, including fees, customer ownership, sales tax, marketplace traffic, branding, customer data, email marketing, repeat purchases, advertising costs, and long-term scalability.Shopify gives business owners more control over their brand and customer relationships, but that ownership comes with additional responsibilities. Etsy makes it easier to get started and provides built-in marketplace traffic, but you're building your store inside someone else's ecosystem.But what if the smartest strategy isn't Shopify or Etsy?Sam explains how an omnichannel ecommerce strategy can allow product-based businesses to use Etsy for product discovery and customer acquisition while building long-term loyalty and repeat purchases through Shopify.In this episode:Shopify vs Etsy pros and cons Where to sell products online in 2026 Etsy fees sellers need to understand Shopify costs and responsibilities Why owning customer data matters Etsy marketplace traffic vs Shopify ownership How Etsy off-site ads can affect profit Pricing products across multiple platforms Building an omnichannel ecommerce strategy How to turn buyers into repeat customers Why platform diversification can protect your business Whether you're opening your first online store, growing an Etsy shop, building a Shopify website, or expanding an existing ecommerce business, this conversation will help you think beyond simply choosing a platform and start building a smarter sales ecosystem.Follow Don’t Miss the Conversation for conversations about business, growth, leadership, medicine, and the lessons you don't always hear while building in real time.-----------------------------------Connect with our host Samantha at:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversation/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Podcast Website: www.dontmisstheconversation.comExplore more about Sam’s Businesses: https://linktr.ee/dontmissabeat--------------------------------Podcast produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/ Connect with Samantha: Website: dontmisstheconversation.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmisstheconversationSamantha's Businesses Cath Lab: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissabeat/EP Lab: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissthehisTextbooks: https://dontmissabeat.store/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

How do you scale a handmade business without sacrificing the quality that made customers love it in the first place?Charlotte, founder of Perfectly Pressed Nails, joins Don’t Miss the Conversation to share how she turned $20 and a teenage passion for nail art into a growing press-on nail business with thousands of sales and an incredibly loyal customer community.Her entrepreneurship journey started in high school, when licensing requirements forced her original nail business to shut down. Instead of quitting, Charlotte pivoted to handmade press-on nails and eventually built a brand known for custom designs, reusable salon-quality nails, seasonal product drops, and intricate hand-painted artwork.Then a post from a well known fitness creator (when she was on a business break!) changed everything.  Charlotte suddenly faced viral demand, rapid sellouts, production challenges, and the question nearly every product-based entrepreneur eventually encounters: Do you scale faster and cheaper, or protect the quality and values that built the brand?In this conversation, Charlotte shares how she scaled a handmade product business, built customer loyalty, creates successful and thoughtful product launches, uses social media to generate anticipation, manages viral growth, hires and trains a small production team, and intentionally chooses brand longevity over mass production.If you're building a small business, handmade business, e-commerce brand, beauty brand, or product-based business, this episode offers an honest look at what sustainable entrepreneurship actually looks like behind the scenes.In this episode:Starting a business with only $20 Pivoting after your original business model fails Going from student-athlete to full-time entrepreneur What happened when an influencer shared Perfectly Pressed Nails Managing viral demand and rapid sellouts Scaling a handmade product business Creating successful seasonal product drops Turning first-time buyers into repeat customers Why Charlotte starts marketing weeks before launch Knowing what products your customers will actually buy Choosing quality over cheaper mass production Why bigger isn't always better in business Building a brand for longevity instead of short-term profit Subscribe to Don’t Miss the Conversation for more conversations at the intersection of business, leadership, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.-----------------------------------Connect with Charlotte Kouyoumjtian and buy your first set of Perfectly Pressed Nails!Perfectly Pressed Nails: https://perfectlypressednails.com/Order your nails in the shape, length and design you want.You will get a sizing kit shipped to you.Enter or email your sizes - and your nails are custom made for your size and shape!Note: Healthcare worker? No problem! Make sure you grab some sticky tabs so you can wear them for a day or weekend!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectlypressednails/-----------------------------------Connect with our host Samantha at:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversation/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Podcast Website: www.dontmisstheconversation.comExplore more about Sam’s Businesses: https://linktr.ee/dontmissabeat--------------------------------Podcast produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/ Connect with Samantha: Website: dontmisstheconversation.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthanicolepropper/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmisstheconversationYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dontmisstheconversationSamantha's Businesses Cath Lab: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissabeat/EP Lab: https://www.instagram.com/dontmissthehisTextbooks: https://dontmissabeat.store/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/