It's no secret that of my favorite parts of hosting a podcast for entrepreneurs is hearing all the twists and turns that others' entrepreneurial paths have taken. But what's surprised me to no end are the stories my friends have shared that I had no idea were part of their journey.

Today's interview is no exception. Not only is he one of the very best podcast hosts in the business with a ridiculous number of episodes under his belt, Jody Maberry is also one of the kindest gents you'll ever hope to meet.

We met many years ago at a conference for entrepreneurs. I've appeared on a few podcast episodes of his to talk about SEO for solopreneurs, hassle him about his unfinished books, and - most recently - to share my experience of narrating an audiobook - a project I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be part o and was only able to work on due to Jody's generous recommendation.

I cannot wait for you to hear Jody's story. We had a good time on this one and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it.

You might be a lonely entrepreneur if you sometimes hear opening strains of "The Sound Of Silence" start to play as you head to the corner of your guest room to start working on your business after everyone else in your home has gone to bed.

ASK ME HOW I KNOW. ;)

Listen: 2 things are true.

1. There is nothing in the world I'd rather do to make a living than build online courses and record podcasts.
2. Some days the lift is so heavy that it feels like a curse to be entrepreneurially minded.

And, to make matters more confusing, I sometimes feel this at the exact same time.

It can be crazy making. But what makes it uncrazy are the people I'm lucky enough to call my entrepreneurial friends. I love that I don't have to contextualize everything for them. I don't have to explain what I mean in the way I do for folks who don't work for themselves.

And - here's the reality - the way I've met most of them is by attending entrepreneurial conferences. Or, in the case of Teri Holland, our second guest here on The Digital Entrepreneur's Toolkit Podcast, by guesting on other folks' podcasts via the matchmaking service PodMatch*.

So if you'd like to start expanding your community to include a few people with whom you don't have to translate everything into something that makes sense to folks who have never wrestled with Zapier API integrations or double-opt-in configurations, I highly recommend carving out some time to attend a conference for entrepreneurs or heading to PodMatch* to share your expertise on someone else's platform.

Who knows! You just might make a new friend in the process.

*This is my PodMatch affiliate link. You will not be charged extra by using it but I will receive a small commission should you choose to sign up for the PodMatch service.

Today's episode of The Digital Entrepreneur's Toolkit, we have an incredible conversation with entrepreneur. podcast host, and NLP expert, Teri Holland.

Teri is an incredibly agile entrepreneur who has tapped into her intuition as much as she's developed her skillset over the years. She's done some incredibly impressive things in her career - like founding a profitable theater company and launched her podcast Success In Mind in one week - all while learning to honor her body's need for rest.

If anyone tells you success in the online business world necessarily comes at a personal cost, Teri is here to shine a light on how we can create more balance in our businesses so we can thrive while building a business and life we love.

Also, apologies for my sound on this one. Unbeknownst to me, my computer switched up my microphone settings between interviews. Ever so grateful to my talented podcast producer Jeff Sieh for cleaning it up as much as possible!

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” - Walt Disney

It should come as no surprise to you after my interview with Lou Mongello that I am a big Disney fan. And while I love Disney parks and movies (yes, even as an adult), it's the history of the House That Walt Built that really gets me.

Because it would have been so much easier for the Disney empire to simply not exist.

It would've been a lot easier for Walt to have given up entirely and very early on. He faced devastating setbacks. A lot of them. But he didn't give up. He persisted. And, more than just persist, he innovated.

Walt Disney collected a team of geniuses around him and pioneered new technology that would bring his visions to life - the multiplane camera, audio-animatronics, and the tubular rollercoaster to name a few.

When others laughed at Walt's ideas or refused to give him funding, he stuck to his guns...and sent Roy to collect.

Say what you want about the Disney empire, there is also something really inspiring about Walt's level of commitment to his vision in the face of naysayers.

But here's the thing: you don't get to do the impossible if you don't do the hard, heavy, uncomfortable first repetition.

While Snow White, the world's first feature-length animated film, is beautiful and charming, it's also clunky when you set it alongside today's animation.

But we can't to today's level of digital animation without that first stepping stone.

In fact, without Walt, who knows if some of the advances in computer animation that we so casually enjoy today in our movies and video games would've ever been developed at all.

We entrepreneurs can sometimes stop ourselves before we start or judge our first steps too harshly. But the truth is that we never really know where our work might lead.

So if you're struggling right now or judging your first draft against the polished, perfect vision in your head, I'm here to remind you that you can't get to where you want to go by thinking yourself to the finish line.

Take the big leap. Share your heart. It's going to feel awkward and difficult.

That's good. It means you're doing something new. It means you're growing.

Fight inertia. Take your next hard, right step.

I'm cheering you on.

Now - if you're really stuck in your head and want a little extra support and guidance, you're always welcome in my stop-by-when-you-have-time online mastermind for entrepreneurs.

Your first group coaching session is just $25 when you use the discount code FRIEND.

Just head to laurengaggioli.com/mastermind to learn more.

When the going gets tough, the smart take action. And nobody takes action in the podcasting and online business space quite like speaker, coach, and Disney podcast host, Lou Mongello.

(Believe me. I've seen his calendar and it nearly gave me a heart attack.)

Our conversation explores the big leaps of faith he's taken throughout the years to saying yes and branching out into new and interesting lines of business.

I am so grateful for Lou's friendship and mentorship over the past decade and can't wait to see where the years ahead take him and his business. And I'm honored to be sharing his story with you today.

I hope you have as much fun listening to it as we had recording it.

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Curious to know how I run my online business as a solopreneur? Head to laurengaggioli.com/toolkit to get my free mini-course - The Digital Entrepreneur's Toolkit - and a downloadable list of my favorite online business tools.

Hooray! It's here! This podcast has been a long time coming and I am thrilled to be hitting publish on this, the very first episode of The Digital Entrepreneur's Toolkit.

Thank you so much for being here.

The Digital Entrepreneur's Toolkit is here to help inspire and motivate you to take hellbent for glory action in your online business each and every day by sharing the good, the bad, and the honest from other entrepreneur's business journeys.

I am beyond grateful for the folks who have joined me in this first season and cannot wait to share their stories.

Their candor, kindness, humility, and humor is going to knock your socks off.

To learn make sure you don't miss an episode and to receive my free mini course in which I share the tools I use to run my online business, head to laurengaggioli.com/toolkit.