Small Business Straight Talk

Hosted by Amber De La Garza

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432

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Jun 2026

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About the show

If you're a successful, busy small business owner who wants the straight talk on self-leadership, personal productivity, financial clarity, operational efficiency, team leadership, and business strategy to maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most, this top 1% podcast is for you! Tune in and subscribe to hear Amber deep-dive into business topics, provide actionable strategies, and interview guests about their expertise and business insights, so you can get results and succeed in business.

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60 recent

June 8, 2026Episode 42436 min

425 | Productive Procrastination: Why Staying Busy Keeps You Stuck

Productive procrastination keeps you busy but stuck, and it's one of the sneakiest patterns in business because it doesn't feel like avoidance. It feels like a good day. It feels like achievement. But it's not. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm breaking down why your brain craves the easy win, what's really happening when you avoid the important work, and the one shift that gets you back on track. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why Productive Procrastination Feels Like A Good Day But Keeps You Stuck ✔ The Brain Science Behind Why We Default To Easy Wins Over Important Work ✔ How To Tell The Difference Between Avoidance And Actually Being In The Project ✔ The One Question To Ask Yourself The Moment You Catch The Pattern ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/425 P.S. If productive procrastination is just one of the patterns keeping you from the growth you know your business is capable of, let's talk. Schedule your Discovery Call

May 27, 2026Episode 42457 min

424 | Breaking The 'Do It Myself' Habit: A Client Case Study With Lauren Vallario

You hired help, but you're still the one answering every question, checking every detail, and catching up on work after hours. Ready to finally stop doing everything yourself in business? In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with my client, Lauren Vallario, who shares her journey of creating boundaries, systems & team growth. We also talk about what two years of coaching has looked like for her business. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why Hiring Help Didn't Solve The Problem Lauren Expected It To ✔ How Removing One Detail From Her Email Signature Changed Everything ✔ What The Time Tracking Data Revealed That She Never Would Have Guessed ✔ What It Took To Break The "I Can Just Do It Myself" Habit After Eight Years ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/424 P.S. I invite you to take my Next Level Business Owner Quiz! What's more productive than taking a short quiz to help you find out what's most holding you back and getting a personalized playlist to help you solve those pain points? Seriously, go take the quiz so you can take your leadership and business to the next level! Head on over to AmberDeLaGarza.com/QUIZ And… If you're tired of being the bottleneck in your business and you're ready to build boundaries, lead your team, and finally stop doing everything yourself, let's talk. Schedule your Discovery Call

May 11, 2026Episode 42358 min

423 | The Science Of Success: Why Confidence Comes After Action With Sara Connell

Is a fear of taking action holding you back? Sara Connell reveals the neuroscience behind why you freeze and how to take strategic action before you feel ready. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with 5x bestselling author and founder of Thought Leader Academy, Sara Connell, to flip everything you thought you knew about confidence on its head. Spoiler: it does not show up first. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why Your Brain Is Wired For Safety, Not Success ✔ The Three A's That Move You From Frozen To Free ✔ How To Build Confidence By Doing The Opposite Of What You Think ✔ The One Reframe That Changes Sweaty Palms Into A Green Light ✔ What To Do The Moment You Feel Yourself Freezing ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/423 P.S. Sara created a free guide just for Small Business Straight Talk Podcast listeners called 7 Steps To Write A Revenue-Generating Bestselling Book. If becoming an author is something you have been quietly circling, grab it here. And... Take the Quiz to find out what is most holding you back as a business owner and get your personalized playlist to solve those pain points. Head on over to AmberDeLaGarza.com/QUIZ.

April 27, 2026Episode 42244 min

422 | Holding The Line: When Growth Is Not The Most Strategic Move

Business growth isn't always the right move! But how do you know when not to grow your business? In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm breaking down how to honestly assess whether your business is in a growth season or a hold the line season, why holding the line is active work not passive maintenance, and the six specific activities that keep your business intact while you do it. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ When Growth Is Not The Most Strategic Move ✔ How To Recognize The Signals That Should Make You Assess Your Capacity ✔ The Honest Question That Tells You What Season You're In ✔ What Holding The Line Actually Is And Is Not ✔ The Six Activities That Keep Your Business Intact During A Hold The Line Season ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/422 P.S. I created a resource perfect for this season. Grab my Slowing Down To Speed Up podcast playlist. It's 11 episodes on strategic action during slower business periods Download The Playlist Here And… Take my Next Level Business Owner Quiz to find out what's most holding you back and get a personalized playlist to help you solve those pain points.

April 13, 2026Episode 42158 min

421 | The ADHD Brain In Business: Why You're Not Broken With Diann Wingert

If you're an ADHD business owner who feels broken, you're not. In this episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with ADHD business coach Diann Wingert to discover why your wiring isn't the problem and how to build a business that works with your brain. What You'll Discover: ✔ Why The Fastest Growing Group Being Diagnosed With ADHD Might Surprise You ✔ The "Default Yes" And How It Quietly Sabotages Your Boundaries And Commitments ✔ How To Tell The Difference Between A Real Opportunity And A Distraction Dressed Up As One ✔ Why Radical Self-Acceptance Has To Come Before Self-Awareness ✔ The Boredom-Burnout Cycle That Leads Business Owners To Destroy What They've Built ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/421 P.S. Check out Diann's private podcast, Brilliantly Wired: Making the Most of Your ADHD Advantage, for targeted strategies to leverage the gifts of your ADHD brain in business. Get access at bit.ly/brilliantly-wired-private-podcast

March 30, 2026Episode 41735 min

420 | The Real Reason I Created The Decision-Making Series

Making hard business decisions hits different when you're changing something that already works. In this episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm pulling back the curtain on the real reason I created the three-part decision-making series. While I was teaching you the framework, I was using it myself on a major business decision. Tune in as I share what held me back, which tools actually moved me through, and the moment I finally trusted what I already knew. What You Will Discover: ✔ The Big Business Decision I Was Working Through Behind The Scenes ✔ The Fear-Based Delays And Calibration Problems That Showed Up For Me ✔ How I Used 10 Of The 16 Tools And The 3 That Made The Biggest Difference ✔ The Breakthrough That Came From My Own Balanced Decision-Making Matrix ✔ Why The Way You Ask The Question Already Tells You The Answer ✔ What I Ultimately Decided And How I'm Testing It ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/420 P.S. If you've been sitting on a decision you know you need to make, let's talk. AmberDeLaGarza.com/Call And... Not sure what's holding you back? Take my Next Level Business Owner Quiz and find out. AmberDeLaGarza.com/QUIZ

March 23, 2026Episode 41917 min

419 | Decision-Making Part 3: You Have The Answer

Trusting your gut in business decisions isn't reckless. It's your expertise distilled down to a feeling. So why do so many business owners keep overriding it? In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm wrapping up the Decision-Making series with the one thing no framework can hand you, and it's been with you all along. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why The Real Problem Was Never About The Decision ✔ How Seeking More Opinions Can Actually Work Against You ✔ The Difference Between Preparation And Outsourcing Your Own Authority ✔ What To Do When You Can't Explain Why You Just Know ✔ The One Question That Cuts Through Every Decision You've Been Avoiding ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/419 P.S. If you haven't grabbed the free Balanced Decision-Making Matrix PDF yet, it's the complete framework from Part 2 of this series, with decision timeframes, real business examples, and Power Sheets to help you apply it immediately. No opt-in required. Download it free at AmberDeLaGarza.com/DecisionMaking And... If this series revealed that the patterns keeping you stuck go deeper than one decision, I'd love to talk to you. Schedule a discovery call so we can see if we're a fit to partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits. AmberDeLaGarza.com/Call

March 20, 2026Episode 4181 hr 3 min

418 | Decision-Making Part 2: Stop Delaying, Start Deciding

You know the decision you've been avoiding. The one that keeps showing up on your mental list week after week. Today we fix that. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm sharing practical, immediately usable tools for every decision-making delay pattern: fear-based delays, thinking traps, calibration problems, and avoidance patterns. Plus a framework I created to help you match your effort to what each decision actually deserves. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ How To Counter The Fear Story Your Brain Keeps Telling You ✔ The Question That Reveals If You're Researching Or Just Hiding ✔ Why Matching Your Effort To The Decision Actually Matters ✔ Why Not Deciding Is Still A Decision With Real Business Consequences ✔ The One Test That Removes The False Safety Of Staying Stuck ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/418 P.S. If today's episode revealed that the decisions you've been avoiding are costing your business more than you realized, and you're ready to stop navigating that alone, I'd like to talk to you. Schedule a discovery call so we can see if we're a fit to partner together to help you get unstuck, reduce stress, and determine a clear path to increased profits. Head on over to AmberDeLaGarza.com/Call to schedule. And... Don't forget to download your free Balanced Decision-Making Matrix PDF with decision timeframes, real business examples, and Power Sheets to help you apply today's framework immediately. Grab it at AmberDeLaGarza.com/decisionmaking.

March 8, 2026Episode 41746 min

417 | Decision-Making Part 1: The Hidden Cost Of Delaying

If you're drowning in unmade decisions, it's costing you more than time. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm breaking down what's really going on when you can't seem to pull the trigger and why "just decide already" has never helped anyone. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ The 4 Categories Of Decision Delay And Which One Is Likely Your Default ✔ Why Fear Shows Up In More Ways Than You Think ✔ How Your Brain Lies To You About What Deserves Your Attention ✔ The Hidden Cost That Follows You Home And Sits At The Dinner Table ✔ Why Treating Every Decision The Same Is Draining You ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/417 P.S. Not sure what's holding you back? Take my free Next Level Business Owner Quiz to find out exactly where to focus. No fluff, just clarity. AmberDeLaGarza.com/QUIZ And… If you're tired of carrying the weight of unmade decisions and ready to get unstuck, I'd love to talk. Schedule a discovery call at AmberDeLaGarza.com/Call

March 2, 2026Episode 4161 hr 4 min

416 | Exploring The Effect Of Emotional Intelligence On Your Success With Alex Resnick

Can't hold a boundary without getting frustrated? You're not alone. One of the biggest struggles I see with business owners is setting and holding boundaries with their team, their clients, and their time. And here's what most people miss: you can't hold a boundary effectively if you can't manage your own emotions. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm bringing back one of my favorite conversations with Alex Resnick, Founder of Evolve Leadership. We dig into why emotional intelligence isn't soft skills fluff — it's actually the skill that allows you to communicate with confidence, lead your team, and hold boundaries without your emotions hijacking the message. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why You Can Be Successful On Paper But Still Feel Stuck And Frustrated ✔ The Real Reason People Don't Hear You When You Try To Hold A Boundary ✔ How To Be Firm And Confident Without Coming Across As Angry Or Emotional ✔ The Low-Stakes Practice That Prepares You For High-Stakes Conversations ✔ Why Alex Calls Emotional Intelligence A Superpower For Business Owners ✔ So Much More! To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/416 P.S. If you're tired of struggling to hold boundaries, communicate with confidence, or lead your team without constantly feeling frustrated, I'd love to help. Let's talk about what it would take to finally lead with clarity instead of chaos. Schedule your Discovery Call And... Take my Next Level Business Owner Quiz to find out what's most holding you back and get a personalized playlist to help you solve those pain points!