Hint of Hustle with Heather Sager

Episoade

• 256. Get Momentum With Your Message [Part 2 of the Yap Challenge Breakdown] 30.06.2026 1h 17min

  This is Part 2 of my Jessi Jean Yap Challenge breakdown and this week it’s about YOU. You're not trying to become social media famous, but you would like to be known for your work, and for your reputation to do the heavy lifting for your brand. This week we're digging into the three gears that create TRACTION when you’re an expert sharing your ideas. I also get into the time I lost all my confidence after maternity leave even though the skill never left me, why your second launch is more like...
• 255. A Speaking Expert’s Take on the $1.2M Yap Challenge Launch [Part 1] 24.06.2026 1h 15min

  Jessi Jean's $1.2 million Yap Challenge launch is a marketing case study for the record books, and in this episode I’m sharing my vantage point as a 24 year pro speaking veteran and communication expert (and it's probably not what you think). We’ll drill into the three intangible qualities that I believe led to her massive success (none of which have anything to do with positioning, offer design, or marketing tactics). Plus I share my own "curse of the expert" moment and what 24 years of spea...
• 254. Messaging, AI, and the Skill Everyone Is Trying to Skip with Laura Schoenfeld 09.06.2026 1h 11min

  In this episode I'm joined by Laura Schoenfeld, strategic advisor and founder of The Nourished CEO, for a conversation about messaging, and it turned into an incredible discussion about so much more. This episode gets into: – why messaging is the skill most experts try to shortcut and why that always backfires – the "good student trap" and how it's quietly draining people's businesses – Laura's take on where the industry is going and why the competitive edge is going to b...
• 253. Your Inner Critic Is Costing You More Than You Think 02.06.2026 41min

  The pressure of being a visible leader, the second-guessing before a launch, the vulnerability hangover after a big talk, the spiral when something doesn't land… all of that lands on you. Nobody's coming to save you in your business. Not a mentor, not a mastermind, not the next program you buy. So if you don't know how to manage what's happening between your ears, it will burn you out faster than a full calendar. This episode is about self-leadership. Specifically, the three inter...
• 252. What Every Leader Needs to Work On (That Isn't a Marketing Strategy) 26.05.2026 58min

  Many visible leaders are focused on the wrong thing when they think about growth. They're asking about which platforms to show up on, tweaking their messaging or chasing AI tools. All external. All tactical. And meanwhile the thing that's quietly running every room they walk into, every video they record, every pitch they make, goes completely unaddressed. That thing is executive presence. And in this episode, I'm breaking down what it actually means, why it matters whether you're a soloprene...
• 251: Stop Letting Your Mood Run Your Business 19.05.2026 26min

  You can be doing all the right things in your business and still feel like you're running out of air. Not because your strategy is off or the market is broken. But because somewhere along the way, the thing you built stopped feeling good to be inside of. The work became a task. The content became a checklist. And you've been white-knuckling through it, wondering why nothing seems to land the way it used to. Joy isn't a luxury you earn after the work is done, it's the engine. And in this episo...
• 250. Failure, Comparison, and The Bitter B Trap 12.05.2026 39min

  You're not failing. But I'd bet good money you walk around feeling like you are. I’m not talking about the obvious kind of failure… a flopped launch or a missed goal… today we’re talking about the quieter kind of failure: A low-grade hum of "I should be further along by now." The spiral that starts the second something doesn't go the way you planned. The way you measure your right-now self against the highlight reel of your past self AND the fantasy version of your future self, simultaneo...
• 249. Trust “Recession” Hype & The Real Truth About Why Talking About Yourself Feels Awkward 05.05.2026 45min

  Last week, we had a spicy convo about getting back to basics and doing the *real* work that moves the needle. And if you listened, you probably felt a little called out 😅. This week, we’re going a layer deeper because how you show up while doing that work matters. You can post more, sell more, all the things more… but if people don’t trust you, it’s not going to work.. And TRUST seems to be a hot topic right now with many claiming we’re in a “trust recession” which I call BS. Here's wha...
• 248. Newton’s Law & The Hustle Reframe We All Need Right Now 28.04.2026 31min

  We’re BAAAACK! Whew, after an on again off again podcast return post maternity leave, I’m THRILLED to be back in your ear holes every TUESDAY. In this episode, I'm breaking down why I brought back the name Hint of Hustle and we’re digging into stagnation in business and how to consciously choose your outcomes. We're also digging into what happens when you sacrifice long-term strategy with your marketing (spoiler: your sales suffer), and how Newton’s First Law of Motion might...
• 247. Why Trying Too Hard to Be Different is Hurting Your Business with Megan Yelaney 28.12.2025 1h

  Okay friends, we are inching dangerously close to the New Year. And if you are anything like me, you’re probably sitting there with your fresh 2026 planner, feeling that creeping pressure to "reinvent" yourself. You might be thinking, “I need a totally new angle,” or “I need to burn it all down and start fresh to get noticed this year.” Before you do anything drastic, listen to this episode. Originally recorded in August of this year, I hit pause on the podcast before releasing… and I’m so gl...
• 246. What I Wish More Experts Knew About Being A “Good Speaker” 24.07.2025 29min

  You probably are a good speaker. You share helpful info. You care about serving. You’ve got stories, maybe even a little humor. But what does good actually mean? That people liked it? That you hit all your points? That someone clapped? The truth is — you’ve never been taught what “good” really is. Beyond vague feedback or a gut feeling… how are you supposed to know? That ends today. In this episode, I’m pulling a private training out of the vault — a breakdown of the 5 Levels of Speaking I t...
• 245. Your Brain Called. It Wants Its Job Back 17.07.2025 48min

  You already know AI is everywhere right now — but here’s what no one’s really saying: When business owners start outsourcing their thinking to AI, their actual ideas suffer. In this episode, I’m calling out the creative atrophy that happens when you stop flexing your own brainpower. Think about it: we’ve already outsourced our memory to Google Maps and our friends’ birthdays to Facebook. But your IDEAS? That’s your last line of defense as a thought leader. I share: Why defaulting to AI before...
• 244. Why I Don’t Cold Pitch (And How I Actually Book Stages) 10.07.2025 39min

  “Heather, how in the world do I book more stages?!" It’s the #1 most asked question I get from you all. You see the advice everywhere—research, send a million cold pitches, fill out every speaker application you can find. But what if that whole approach just feels…exhausting and not quite right for you? So what if you didn’t have to cold pitch… and could still land stages? Well, that was the question I set to answer for myself years ago when I realized that pitching was not my jam...
• 243. What’s Missing From Your Talk (And How to Fix It) 03.07.2025 24min

  Ever feel like you’re dropping pure fire—sharing your best, most advanced stuff—and all you get back is…polite nods? Your audience tells you that you’re brilliant, they loved your talk and that your stuff is amazing…but then they don’t actually do anything with it. So what’s the deal? In this week episode of The Ramble Refinery, I’m breaking down the #1 reason your ideas aren’t sticking—and the simple shift to fix to help your audience actually take action. It's the difference between being i...
• 242. Why I’m Ditching the Perfect Plan [Spring Refresh Series] 26.06.2025 36min

  Final Episode of the Spring Refresh Series After a little break from the podcast (because life + business, you know how it goes), I’m back— and bringing you a personal reflection and an honest convo to wrap up the Spring Refresh Series. In this episode, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes peek at what’s been going on in my brain (and life ) — the pace changes, the unexpected clarity, and the messy in-between where decisions don’t come easy. We talk about the illusion of slowing down, ...
• 241. What If Stress Is Driving Your Business Decisions? With Rebecca Vigelius [Refresh Series] 22.05.2025 1h 6min

  Episode 4 of the Spring Refresh Series You already know when it’s time to make a change. But what if the way you’re deciding is the real problem? In this episode of The Ramble Refinery, I’m joined by my client and friend Rebecca Vigelius, a former VP turned copywriter turned certified neurosomatic intelligence practitioner and stress coach. We dive into the untold truth behind her bold business pivot—one that was less about courage and more about capacity. This isn’t just another “follow your...
• 240. How Kristina Bleiler Broke Her Own Rule and Started Teaching DIY Design [Refresh Series] 15.05.2025 1h

  Episode 3 of the Spring Refresh Series What if refreshing your business isn’t about changing everything — but simply making room for more of what you’re being called to do? In this episode of The Ramble Refinery, I’m sitting down with brand designer and strategist Kristina Bleiler of Gem Creative Co. to unpack what it really looks like to expand your service-based business without walking away from what’s already working. Kristina didn’t blow up her brand design studio. Instead, she added a w...
• 239. When It’s Time to Pivot: A Real Talk with Ellen Yin [Spring Refresh Series] 08.05.2025 49min

  Episode 2 of the Spring Refresh Series This week's episode of The Ramble Refinery is your permission slip to pivot boldly and follow your curiosity. I pulled one of my fave throwback interviews with the brilliant Ellen Yin, founder of Cubicle to CEO out of the vault—and it could not be more relevant for anyone feeling a little burn-it-all-down-but-make-it-strategic about their business. You’ll hear: What it really means to pivot with purpose (hint: it’s not about starting from scratch)How Ell...
• 238. Before You Burn It All Down [Spring Refresh Series] 01.05.2025 48min

  Episode 1 of the Spring Refresh Series Ever feel like blowing up your entire business? Same. But before you start rewriting your offers, scrapping your website, or launching into a full rebrand, this episode is your gut check. In the first episode of the Spring Refresh Series (happening the entire month of May), I’m walking you through one of the most common (and misunderstood) urges business owners face: the need to burn it all down. I’ll share why that urge shows up, what it might really be...
• 237. Want More Speaking Gigs? Rethink Your Approach 24.04.2025 42min

  If you’ve been googling “where to find speaking gigs” trying to land more opportunities by pitching every event you come across, it’s probably feeling...exhausting. And if you’re still hoping there’s a magical list that’ll land you a dozen dream stages overnight — I’ve got to be honest, that’s not how it works. In this episode of The Ramble Refinery, I’ll show you why that approach rarely gets you what you’re actually after — and what to do instead. I’ve talked about this before o...