Your Truth Shared

Everyone says hosting or speaking at a summit will “explode your audience” — but do they really work?

In this episode, marketing strategist and Making Good podcast host Lauren Tilden pulls back the curtain on what summits actually deliver, what most people get wrong, and how to use them as a powerful, intentional growth strategy — not just another marketing experiment.

Whether you’re summit-curious, collaboration-shy, or simply ready to grow your email list without social media burnout, this conversation will change how you think about marketing forever.

💡 You’ll Learn

• What makes a summit succeed (and what instantly kills results)

• How Finola used a summit to grow her email list and convert new clients

• The one thing every speaker must have to turn visibility into subscribers

• Why intentionality beats hustle every single time

• The 3 jobs every piece of marketing must do if you want consistent sales

⏱️ Episode Chapters

00:00 – Why Summits Beat Social Media for Growth
Lauren shares how virtual summits skyrocketed her email list and why email remains the highest-converting marketing channel.

02:15 – From Corporate Burnout to Purpose-Driven Marketer
Lauren’s leap from corporate America to small business owner — and what she learned about authentic marketing along the way.

07:24 – The Power of Intentional Marketing
Stop copying others — here’s how to clarify your goals, focus on results, and design marketing that feels good and works.

14:20 – Why Marketing Feels Scary (and How to Do It Anyway)
How courage and repetition build confidence — plus Finola’s sea-swim metaphor for showing up bravely.

18:09 – What a Virtual Summit Really Is (and Isn’t)
The anatomy of a summit: how it works, what it costs, and why it’s still one of the smartest list-building tools around.

24:46 – Should You Host or Speak at a Summit?
Lauren’s checklist for finding the right summit to join or the right audience to host for.

29:24 – Collaboration Over Competition
Why being in a room with “competitors” is actually one of the fastest ways to grow your brand.

32:34 – Finola’s Summit Results: What Actually Worked
Finola shares how alignment, intention, and a clear freebie turned her summit appearance into conversions.

36:17 – The Clear Next Step That Converts
Lauren’s top advice: give every viewer a reason to join your email list — and nurture them well once they do.

38:23 – Avoiding Summit Overwhelm
How Lauren designed shorter, more actionable summits to keep participants engaged and excited.

42:33 – The Three Jobs Every Piece of Marketing Must Do
Lauren’s final framework: reach new people, build relationships, and make the sale — intentionally.

🔗 Resources & Links

What if the missing piece in your business isn’t another plan, but the feeling that drives it?
In this milestone solo episode, Finola Howard shares the 20-year journey behind the Joyful Annual Planner — and the deeper belief that changed everything.

This isn’t just about planning. It’s about why you plan. It’s about what happens when joy stops being an afterthought and becomes the very foundation of your business strategy.

If you’ve ever wondered how to stay connected to your purpose while actually hitting your goals, this episode will show you. By the end, you’ll see that the only way to build a business worth having is to follow the joy that makes you brave enough to do it your way.

🎧 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• The true purpose of planning (and why most people get it wrong)

• How to connect long-term vision with day-to-day action

• Why clarity comes from connection, not more information

• The belief shift that will change how you see your business

• How joy fuels the courage to finally build what you were meant to create

🌟 TRANSFORMATION:

You’ll walk away with a renewed sense of what your business can be — not a to-do list, but a living expression of your purpose. You’ll feel clearer, more courageous, and ready to plan from a place of joy, not pressure. Because joy isn’t the opposite of bravery — it’s the source of it.

🕰️ EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 – The Joyful Heart of Business Strategy
How Finola connects story, strategy, and soul to build authentic, resonant businesses.

02:15 – From 1999 to Now: The Vision That Wouldn’t Let Go
A 20-year journey from the Get Strategic, Get Results system to the Joyful Annual Planner.

05:40 – Why Fragmented Thinking Kills Momentum
The hidden danger of “niching down” too far — and how to see your whole business clearly.

08:45 – Clarity Comes from Connection, Not More Information
Discover how connecting the dots creates exponential growth and peace of mind.

10:03 – A Vision 20 Years in the Making
How a conversation with OnePageCRM founder Michael Fitzgerald sparked the launch of Finola’s dream project.

11:46 – The Power of Deadlines and the Domino Belief
How a single deadline and a simple framework turned vision into reality.

14:20 – From Courage to Joy: The Shift That Changed Everything
How Finola’s anchor word evolved from courage to joy — and how it redefined success.

19:48 – Becoming the Woman Brave Enough to Build It
What it means to embody your next stage — and why your old dreams never die.

20:37 – A Question That Changes Everything
What would you create if you planned from joy, not pressure?

🧭 LINKS AND RESOURCES

AI can help you move faster, think clearer, and create better — but if you start letting it decide for you, you risk losing the very reason you became an entrepreneur in the first place: your freedom to choose.

In this solo episode, Finola shares a powerful story from inside her SOAR program that triggered a gut-level “No, no, no!” reaction — and sparked this exploration of what happens when we hand over too much power to AI.

You’ll learn how to collaborate with AI without surrendering your strategy, your originality, or your voice. Because while AI can support you — it should never be the decision-maker in your business.

💡 You’ll Walk Away With

• A grounded understanding of how to use AI as a collaborative tool — not a strategist.

• The real reason entrepreneurs hand over agency (and how to stop doing it).

• The 3 growth stages of decision-making every entrepreneur moves through.

• Insight into why AI’s “people-pleasing” nature is a danger to your strategic clarity.

• A renewed confidence in your human creativity and instinct — the parts AI can’t replace.

🕒 Episode Chapters

(Keyword-rich for SEO and listener navigation)

00:01 — Welcome to Your Truth Shared
Finola introduces her mission: to help entrepreneurs share their truth through aligned marketing and strategic clarity.

01:20 — How AI is Transforming Growth Inside SOAR
Discover how AI helps SOAR participants align customers and offers — and create what Finola calls Grand Slam Offers.

03:45 — The Gut Reaction: When AI Crosses the Line
Hear the moment that sparked this episode — a powerful reminder that AI should never decide your next strategic move.

06:15 — What ‘Agency’ Really Means in Business
Drawing from the American Psychological Association, Finola defines agency as “the capacity to act independently and make free choices” — and explains why it’s central to entrepreneurial freedom.

08:30 — The Old Pattern: Handing Over Power
From consultants to formulas and now AI — how entrepreneurs keep outsourcing decision-making, and why it slows growth.

10:45 — The People-Pleasing Problem with AI
A real boardroom story that reveals the danger of people-pleasing advisors — and why AI’s design to “please” mirrors the same trap.

13:00 — Why Entrepreneurs Hand Over Agency
Fear of failure, fear of being wrong, and overwhelm all lead to one thing: giving up decision-making power.

14:50 — The Growth Path of Decision-Making
The evolution from early hesitation to a natural rhythm of decide → test → learn → adjust — and how that rhythm fuels true growth.

17:30 — Mark Schaefer’s Story: “I Fear AI is Making Me Dumber”
A timely reflection from a 21-year-old student that captures the danger of dependence and the erosion of confidence.

18:45 — The Human Advantage: Reinvention Over Remix
Finola challenges the idea that there are “no new ideas,” celebrating the unpredictable creativity only humans can generate.

19:27 — Closing: Mind Your Agency
A final reminder to entrepreneurs: AI can accelerate your business, but you must still hold the steering wheel.

✨ Key Quote

“AI is designed to people-please. But if you hand over power to a people-pleaser, where is the architect of your future? You might as well get a job.”

🌟 About This Episode

This episode is for every entrepreneur experimenting with AI — and wondering how far to let it go.
Finola shares why the greatest gift of entrepreneurship is your agency — your ability to choose, to act intentionally, and to be the architect of your own future.

AI can support that.
It can accelerate it.
But it should never decide for you.

🔗 Connect & Continue

If you’ve ever felt stuck wondering when (or if) you should start running ads, this episode is your roadmap. Paid traffic can feel overwhelming—but the truth is, 95% of seven-figure businesses use ads to grow and sustain their results. Melissa Litchfield, Founder of Litchfield Media, breaks down how to confidently move beyond organic reach, design a funnel that actually converts, and reverse-engineer the math so your ad spend brings consistent returns.

After listening, you’ll walk away knowing:

• How to design a funnel that nurtures, converts, and eliminates wasted ad spend.

• The real numbers behind ad campaigns (and how to calculate if ads will work for you).

• Where to start if you only have $200 a month—and when to scale bigger.

• Why ads aren’t a “dirty word” but a growth tool used by nearly every seven-figure business.

Whether you’re running your first campaign or preparing to scale, this conversation will give you the clarity and confidence to invest in ads wisely.

Episode Chapters

[0:01] The Traffic Truth: Why Ads Fuel 7-Figure Growth
Melissa shares why consistent traffic is the lifeblood of every seven-figure business.

[2:12] From Agency to Accelerator: Melissa’s Entrepreneurial Journey
How she built and reshaped her agency, and why “small but mighty” teams thrive.

[6:28] Funnels as Foundation: What to Build Before You Run Ads
Why a funnel is more than a landing page—and how it maps the entire customer journey.

[10:42] Lead Magnets that Convert (and What’s Wasting Your Ad Spend)
The difference between throwaway downloads and assets that attract ready-to-buy clients.

[11:18] Anatomy of a Funnel: 5 Essential Steps to Move Leads to Sales
Melissa breaks down landing pages, thank-you pages, email sequences, and nurture strategy.

[15:46] The Fear Factor: Why Entrepreneurs Hesitate on Ads
Overcoming the overwhelm of Ads Manager and building confidence to start small.

[18:55] Where to Start: Budgeting $200 a Month for Ads
How to grow reach and test conversions without blowing your budget.

[23:28] Beyond Instagram: Using Ads to Amplify Your Content
Practical micro-campaigns that drive podcast listens, blog traffic, and list growth.

[24:53] The Math Behind Scaling: Reverse-Engineering Your Funnel Goals
Step-by-step calculation of ad spend, registrants, conversions, and ROI.

[29:13] The Hidden Truth: 95% of 7-Figure Businesses Run Ads
Why successful entrepreneurs don’t always share their paid traffic strategies.

[31:22] Done-With-You Support: Inside Melissa’s Traffic Support Accelerator
How her live program helps business owners set up, optimize, and scale campaigns in real time.

[34:26] Final Takeaway: Ads Don’t Have to Be Scary
Melissa leaves you with a simple mindset shift to start running ads strategically.

Melissa’s Accessible Conversion Formula

Let’s say you want 500 people registered for your next webinar:

1. Registrants Goal → 500 people

2. Cost per Registrant (CPR) → $8

   • 500 × $8 = $4,000 ad spend

Now work forward:

3. Show-up Rate → Assume 20% attend live

   • 500 × 20% = 100 live attendees

4. Conversion Rate on Webinar → 4–5% typically enroll live

   • 100 × 5% = 5 sales live

5. Total Sales (including replays & follow-up emails) →

   • Around 10 sales total from 500 registrants

6. Revenue → If your program is $997

   • 10 sales × $997 = $9,970 revenue

7. ROI → Revenue ÷ Ad Spend

   • $9,970 ÷ $4,000 = 2.5x Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

👉 Takeaway: For every $1 you spend on ads, you can expect $2.50 back—once you know your numbers. 

Resources and Links