CHATS with GiGi

Hosted by GiGi Diaz

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183

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Oct 2026

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About the show

CHATSwithGiGi is a casual (sometimes heated) conversation between journalist GiGi Diaz and her guests; covering everything from entertainment to political, to social topics and more. New episodes each Thursday. Follow on IG @CHATSwithGiGiPodcast

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60 recent

October 22, 202618 min

#190 Why your AI Sounds Like Everyone Else

WHY YOUR AI SOUNDS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE’S Your AI can’t use knowledge it doesn’t have. In this episode of Chats with GiGi, GiGi breaks down why so many business owners spend more time correcting AI than getting results from it, and what it takes to build a business brain that knows your offers, speaks your language and thinks the way you do. She also walks through the numbers on women’s AI adoption, why being outside the rooms where AI gets built costs women more than money, and how she used AI agents to turn her assistant into a role that makes money for the business. Key Topics & Timestamps Still using AI like a glorified Google (0:00) If you can write an email, you can use AI (2:51) The AI gender gap: what the 2023 and 2024 numbers show (4:30) Who’s being encouraged to learn AI at work (5:12) Why women make up less than 20% of AI engineers, and why that matters for all of us (6:15) Letting go of the fear, including what to do if an agent goes rogue (8:37) Dropping the “I’m not technical enough” story (9:51) Why AI can’t use knowledge it doesn’t have (10:52) Building your business brain inside your AI (11:28) Why agents you buy won’t work until they’re trained inside your business (12:10) The moral concerns about AI, and why sitting out gives away your power (13:35) AI Companywide, Black Friday pricing and the podcast listener code (14:56) How AI agents made GiGi’s assistant profitable (16:35) Resources & Links Yajaira Morell, Commercial Lending & Business Financing: when the bank says no, Yajaira finds the path that fits your business. SBA loans, commercial real estate, equipment financing, mergers and acquisitions. Call 786-226-5963. AI Companywide: Build your business brain inside AI, train it on your offers, language and thinking, then create the skills and agents that run inside your business. Podcast listeners get $700 off with code PODCAST through Sun Nov 22, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. https://seizinghappy.com/aicompanywide Seizing Happy Hybrid Community: Biweekly live coaching, office hours, and community. https://community.seizinghappy.com/ Coaching with GiGi: https://gigidiaz.com/work-together Connect with GiGi Instagram: @GigiDiazLive Instagram: @SeizingHappy Website: seizinghappy.com Send this episode to the friend who keeps saying she’s not techy enough for AI.

October 15, 202635 min

#189 When and how to raise prices in business

January, you need to say it out loud in November. In this episode, we break down exactly why November is the deadline for announcing January price increases, how to do the math on raising your rates (even if a client leaves), whether or not to grandfather existing clients, how to communicate the increase without over-explaining, and how AI is changing what clients will pay premium prices for.Key Topics & Timestamps The one thing you need to do: Say it out loud in November — 0:00 Why underpricing makes you look less experienced — 7:40 Why November is the deadline (not December or January) — 8:07 The math of raising prices: the 6-client example — 10:24 Should you grandfather pricing for existing clients? — 11:17 When a restructure is more powerful than a price increase — 16:16 Client success story: 57% sales increase in under 6 months — 18:36 How to communicate your price increase (email & sales call scripts) — 19:03 Handling pushback without discounting — 20:25 How AI changes what clients pay premium for: proximity, judgment, implementation — 24:15 Your business is about YOU: serving from overflow, not scarcity — 26:56 Yajaira Morell, Commercial Lending & Business Financing: when the bank says no, Yajaira finds the path that fits your business. SBA loans, commercial real estate, equipment financing, mergers and acquisitions. Call 786-226-5963. Resources: The Coaching Room: Bring the one question you're wanting an expert to help you answer and get live coaching. Whatever you're navigating, this is the space to work through it. www.seizinghappy.com/coachingroom Simple Business System™ - Bring your genius into a signature program and learn how to message, market and launch it live with my support. www.seizinghappy.com/sbs Seizing Happy Hybrid Community — Biweekly live coaching, office hours, and community https://community.seizinghappy.com/ Coaching with GiGi — https://gigidiaz.com/work-together Connect Instagram: @seizinghappy and @gigdiazlive Leave a review and share this episode with a business bestie who needs to hear it.

October 8, 202642 min

#188 Q4 Business Audit before 2027

Before you pile on new goals for 2027, it's time to audit what you've been carrying all year — and decide what stays and what gets released. This episode walks you through a three-bucket Q4 audit (Financial, Personal, and Spiritual) to help you enter the new year lighter, clearer, and more profitable. Resources & Links Ready for your first hire? Open a free account today. Post your first job listing for $1 and every other listing for 50% off using the code MBG50 https://worklatam.com/ Clarity Kickstart Assessment — A ~5-minute measure to find the leak in your business https://seizinghappy.com/diagnosis Seizing Happy Hybrid Community — Biweekly live coaching, office hours, and community https://community.seizinghappy.com/ Coaching with GiGi — https://gigidiaz.com/work-together GiGi's Business Attorney — Recommended business attorney for contracts and agreements https://mlesquire.com/ Connect with GiGi Instagram: @GigiDiazLive Instagram: @SeizingHappy Website: seizinghappy.com

October 1, 202623 min

#187 Honey Test

THE HONEY TEST: 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOUR NEXT MOVE What if the path to your goals didn’t have to feel exhausting? In this episode of Chats with GiGi, GiGi breaks down what she calls The Honey Test — a simple three-question filter designed to help you make business and life decisions that feel aligned, supported, and sustainable. Instead of building your business around what other coaches are doing, what someone else is earning, or what looks successful online, GiGi shares why the process should begin internally: with your intuition, your purpose, and the season of life you’re actually in. She also gets personal about navigating business six months postpartum, restructuring her team, preparing for future projects, and recognizing that just because you can do something doesn’t mean now is the right time to do it.In this episode, you’ll learn: Why your business goals should start with internal guidance before strategy The difference between your capacity and your season Why being capable of doing something doesn’t automatically mean you should do it right now How your current season of life should influence the way you build your business Why optimizing only for the outcome can lead to burnout and distraction How to avoid chasing “shiny objects” that pull you away from your actual goals How tapping into your future self can reveal options you may not see from your current perspective How to create a path toward success that feels easier, more supported, and sustainable Why success shouldn’t have to cost you your rest, well-being, or time with your family Resources & Links Ready for your first hire? Open a free account today. Post your first job listing for $1 and every other listing for 50% off using the code MBG50 https://worklatam.com/ Clarity Kickstart Assessment — A ~5-minute measure to find the leak in your business https://seizinghappy.com/diagnosis Seizing Happy Hybrid Community — Biweekly live coaching, office hours, and community https://community.seizinghappy.com/ Coaching with GiGi — https://gigidiaz.com/work-together

September 24, 202622 min

#186 Loosing Your Cheerleader

Sometimes the people who love you the most won’t understand the dream you’re building. And if you need their belief before you move forward, you may never move at all. In this episode, GiGi gets personal about what happened when she walked away from a successful career in radio to go all-in on Seizing Happy®. For most of her life, her mom had been her biggest champion — through television, journalism, radio, and every career move along the way. But when GiGi chose entrepreneurship, that support changed. Not because the love disappeared, but because the path no longer made sense to someone who couldn’t see the vision yet. That experience taught GiGi something every entrepreneur eventually has to learn: proximity does not equal capacity. The people closest to you may love you deeply and still not have the experience, perspective, or belief system to understand what you are building. That is why believing in your own vision — and intentionally surrounding yourself with people who understand the realities of entrepreneurship — matters so much. In this episode: Why the people who love you most may not be capable of supporting your entrepreneurial dream in the way you need How to use self-doubt as information instead of allowing it to stop you Why rest, quiet, and stepping away can actually lead to better ideas and decisions The importance of building a community of entrepreneurs who can understand the challenges you’re navigating How surrounding yourself with people doing big things keeps you connected to bigger possibilities You don’t need everyone around you to understand the magnitude of your dream. You need to believe in it deeply enough to keep moving — and find the people who can remind you what’s possible when that belief gets a little harder to hold onto. If you’re looking for that kind of support, GiGi also shares how the Seizing Happy® Hybrid Community gives women entrepreneurs access to live coaching, expert trainings, practical business support, and a community of women who understand what it takes to build something of their own. Resources & Links Ready for your first hire? Open a free account today. Post your first job listing for $1 and every other listing for 50% off using the code MBG50 https://worklatam.com/ Clarity Kickstart Assessment — A ~5-minute measure to find the leak in your business https://seizinghappy.com/diagnosis Seizing Happy Hybrid Community — Biweekly live coaching, office hours, and community https://community.seizinghappy.com/ Coaching with GiGi — https://gigidiaz.com/work-together

September 17, 202618 min

#185 What Motherhood Taught Me About Business

You can love your business, love your family, and still feel like trying to give 100% to both is slowly pulling you apart. In this episode, GiGi gets personal about what motherhood changed in the way she sees business, ambition, and success. She talks about the pressure to keep every part of life perfectly balanced and why she no longer believes balance is the goal. Instead, she shares what she calls the integration revolution: building a life where motherhood, business, ambition, rest, and identity are allowed to exist together instead of constantly competing for attention. Because more hours don't always mean more success. More hustle doesn't always mean more progress. And sometimes the smartest thing you can do for your business is create enough space to hear yourself think again. This conversation explores what happens when you stop measuring your value by how much you can fit into a day and start building your business around the life you actually want to live. In this episode: Why GiGi stopped chasing the idea of perfect work-life balance and started thinking about integration instead How motherhood changed her relationship with time, productivity, ambition, and what success actually looks like Why constantly doing more can disconnect you from your intuition and make it harder to make clear business decisions How creating moments of stillness can help you recognize what your business — and your life — actually need from you Why building support around yourself isn't a sign that you're doing less, but a way to create more capacity for what matters A few moments worth the listen: GiGi on motherhood and business: becoming a mom forced her to question the belief that more hours, more hustle, and more sacrifice automatically meant more success. GiGi on integration: business and motherhood don't always need to exist in separate boxes. Sometimes the goal is learning how to let both be part of the same life without expecting yourself to perform perfectly in either one. GiGi on stillness: when you're constantly moving from one responsibility to the next, it becomes harder to hear your own intuition. Creating space isn't wasted time — it can be where clarity begins. GiGi on success: growth isn't only about adding more. Sometimes it comes from deciding what deserves your energy, what can be supported by someone else, and what no longer needs to be carried at all. Resources & Links Ready for your first hire? Open a free account today. Post your first job listing for $1 and every other listing for 50% off using the code MBG50 https://worklatam.com/ Clarity Kickstart Assessment — A ~5-minute measure to find the leak in your business https://seizinghappy.com/diagnosis Seizing Happy Hybrid Community — Biweekly live coaching, office hours, and community https://community.seizinghappy.com/ Coaching with GiGi — https://gigidiaz.com/work-together

September 10, 202623 min

#184 Your Business Needs More Than Money to Grow. Yajaira Morell

You think you need more clients. More leads. More sales. More money coming in. But what happens when the money finally comes — and your business isn't built to handle it? In this episode, GiGi sits down with Yahaira to talk about the part of growth that too many business owners overlook: how to fund the business you already built. Yahaira breaks down what it actually looks like to use outside capital to grow, from SBA loans and lines of credit to private lending and bridge funding, and why using your own money forever can quietly become one of the most expensive decisions you make. We get into what banks are actually looking for before they hand you money, why keeping your business “in the red” to save on taxes can hurt you later, and why pouring borrowed money into marketing isn't always the smartest first move. Sometimes the answer isn't more leads. It's better infrastructure, more people, more production capacity, or simply having your books clean enough to prove that your business can handle the next level. In this episode: • The different ways you can bring outside capital into your business, and how to know which option makes sense for where you are right now • What banks and lenders actually look at — cash flow, credit, P&Ls, bank statements, revenue consistency, and your ability to repay • Why you should build the infrastructure to handle more customers before spending thousands on marketing to get them • The financial red flags that can make lenders hesitate, including constantly negative bank accounts and mixing personal and business finances • Why getting funding isn't something to be afraid of — and how simply asking the right questions can help you prepare to grow About Yahaira Yahaira is a business finance and funding expert who helps entrepreneurs understand their options when it comes to accessing capital and growing their businesses. With experience as a business owner herself, she knows firsthand what happens when entrepreneurs try to fund everything with their own money. Today, she works with business owners to understand their financial position, prepare their documentation, build projections, and find funding strategies that actually fit their business. A few moments worth the listen: • Yahaira on using your own money: eventually, you can completely drain yourself trying to keep your business running. Outside capital can give you the room to hire, expand, increase working capital, and actually grow. • GiGi on marketing: if someone gave you $100,000 tomorrow, would your business actually be able to serve 20 new clients? If the answer is no, more leads aren't your first problem. Your infrastructure is. • Yahaira on asking for funding: don't be afraid. Make the phone call. Ask the questions. You don't have to take the money just because you qualify for it, but you should understand what's available to you before you need it. Come meet Yahaira in person Yahaira will be joining us as a speaker at Move, Breathe, Grow™ 2026 on September 19th at the Rusty Pelican in Miami, where she'll be talking about funding, financial readiness, and how to position your business for its next level of growth. If you can't make it to MBG, you can still find Yahaira's contact information in the show notes and connect with her directly.Because scaling your business isn't just about getting more customers. It's about being ready when they come.

September 4, 202634 min

#183 Self-Care Is a Business Strategy: Why Taking Care of You Matters. Gretell Alfonso

You can build a business, take care of everyone around you, and still forget to take care of the person holding it all together: you.In this episode, GiGi sits down with Greta to talk about the part of entrepreneurship that rarely makes it onto the to-do list: taking care of yourself. From Botox and facials to IV therapy and hormone health, Greta shares why self-care is not something you earn after everything else gets done. It has to become a line item in your budget and a block on your calendar. Because when you are constantly solving problems, answering messages, and carrying everyone else's needs, you are not just running out of time. You are running out of mental space.And that matters for your business. Your creativity doesn't only show up when you're making Reels or creating content. It shows up when you finally have enough stillness to think differently about your next offer, your customer experience, your sales strategy, and the way you grow. In this episode: Why self-care keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list, and why treating your health like a non-negotiable changes that How stillness creates the mental space for better ideas, better decisions, and more creative ways to grow your business Why "common" doesn't always mean "normal" when it comes to women's health, and why asking better questions about hormones and symptoms matters About GretaGreta brings together aesthetics, wellness, and a deeper approach to women's health. At her spa, she works with patients on everything from Botox and advanced facials to IV therapy and hormone-related care, with a focus on understanding what each person actually wants before recommending a treatment. Her approach is intentionally less-is-more: listen first, customize the experience, and never assume that the same treatment should look the same on everyone.A few moments worth the listen: GiGi on self-care: your health needs to be a line item in your budget and a block of time on your calendar. If you don't make it intentional, time will find a way to disappear. Greta on stillness: the two hours she blocks for her own hair are not just about her hair. They're two hours without someone needing an answer, a decision, or a solution — and that space gives her brain room to breathe. GiGi and Greta on women's health: there is a difference between something being common and something being normal. Women deserve to understand what is actually happening in their bodies instead of being told to simply live with it. Come meet Greta in personThis conversation is a preview. The full, interactive experience happens live at Move, Breathe, Grow™ 2026 on September 19th in Miami at the Rusty Pelican. You'll leave the same day with things you can put into your business and your life right away. Grab your ticket before they're gone (they sell out every year): http://www.seizinghappy.com/mbg

August 27, 202634 min

#182 HR Is Your Prenup: Protecting Your Business Before It Breaks feat. Elizabeth Gonzalez

GiGi sits down with HR professional Elizabeth Gonzalez to break down the biggest misconceptions small business owners have about human resources — and why getting HR support early is one of the smartest investments you can make. What We Cover: Redefining HR — Elizabeth reframes HR not as the "scary department" from corporate, but as the bridge between business needs and employee wellbeing. Why passion can hurt your team — How a business owner's intensity and emotional investment can unintentionally damage company culture, and why having a buffer matters. HR isn't just for big companies — Even with 1–5 employees, you need HR support. Compliance issues (payroll, classification, hours) don't become problems until they become expensive problems. The danger of relationship-based teams — When systems are built on trust and vibe alone, and what happens when life changes for your employees. Documentation protects friendships — If it's not documented, it never happened. Offer letters and clear agreements protect both the business owner and the employee. Hiring is harder than firing — Elizabeth walks through the full hiring process (screening, interviews, culture fit, onboarding) and why it's a massive time drain when the business owner does it alone. The "buffer" concept — Having HR as a buffer protects your team from reactive decisions made in moments of stress or passion. Don't stall your own momentum — In high-growth sprints, the business owner needs to be free to ideate. Offloading HR lets you stay in your zone of genius. The prenup analogy — HR documentation is the ultimate act of care — protecting everyone when things change. Flight risk detection — Elizabeth's team can spot cultural shifts and potential turnover before it impacts the business. Affordable HR options — Membership packages starting at $200–$250/month for businesses with 1–5 employees. No excuse not to have support. Case study — A small team with a massive pipeline went from ~$50K/week to ~$500K/week in billing after bringing Elizabeth's team on board and growing from a 3-person operation. Contact Elizabeth: www.instagram.com/specialtyhrconsulting/ Get your tickets for Move, Breathe, Grow: Florida’s #1 Event for Womenpreneurs

August 13, 2026Episode 18146 min

#181 It Costs Money to Make Money. The Hidden Cost of How Money Moves in Your Business with Nikki Piedra

You watch your revenue like a hawk. The sales, the percentage bump, the next launch. And the whole time, money you already earned is leaking out the back of your business through fees you stopped noticing years ago. In this episode, GiGi sits down with Nicole "Nikki" Piedra, a serial entrepreneur who built and sold a multimillion-dollar handmade wedding business before moving into payment processing. Nikki pulls back the curtain on the part of business almost no one audits: junk fees, statement fees, PCI fees, and the slow bleed of transaction costs that chips away at everything you work to bring in. One small switch made a single school an extra $8,000 a month they already had. We get into how that happens, why running your business on Zelle is keeping you small, and why it is never your job to decide how a client chooses to pay you. In this episode: The real cost of doing business, and the fees you've been trained to accept as "just how it is" The difference between a cash discount and passing the fee to the client, and how to do either without losing the sale Why your payment setup is a trust signal, and how Zelle, missing invoices, and a tangled software stack make you look smaller than you are About Nicole Piedra Nikki is a serial entrepreneur who spent eight years building a handmade, personalized wedding-gift business from an Etsy shop into a multimillion-dollar operation with a full team and warehouse. After selling it, she stepped into the payments world alongside her husband, bringing the relationship-first, nurture-first approach the industry was missing. She works with business owners across many industries to plug the leaks in how they get paid, and treats every client like a partner, because when you win, she wins. A few moments worth the listen: Nikki on merchant fees: if someone handed you back $100 today, and again tomorrow, and again the next second, you'd take it every time. That is what cleaning up your fees actually is. GiGi on getting out of your client's wallet: people pay with an Amex for the points, with cash because of old money trauma, with a card because they want to spread it out. Their financial life is theirs. It is not yours to manage. Nikki on Zelle: it was built for splitting a pizza or paying back a friend for concert tickets, not for running a business. No buyer protection, no seller protection, no paper trail. Come meet Nikki in person This conversation is a preview. The full, interactive experience happens live at Move, Breathe, Grow™ 2026 on September 19th in Miami at the Rusty Pelican. You'll leave the same day with things you can put into your business and your life right away. Grab your ticket before they're gone (they sell out every year): www.seizinghappy.com/mbg