The Messy Success Podcast

Hosted by Elizabeth Henson

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Episodes

240

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the Messy Success Podcast. Our host, Elizabeth Henson, is an expert in community based marketing with a focus on leadership and self development. She helps entrepreneurs, artists, and creative leaders grow and scale communities so that marketing is easy. She used her experience helping seven figure business owners to build out her own unique methodology in community building and marketing. The Messy Success Podcast combines business tips and real life experiences in being a creative entrepreneur. This podcast will leave you feeling confident, and normalizes the day to day struggles we all experience as business owners. We can't wait to connect with you!

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60 recent

June 10, 20261 hr 13 min

240: Grow Your Business on TikTok with Will Harris: The Live Strategy That Made $500K in 6 Months

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast, and this one is a good one. If you've ever struggled to show up online the way you show up in a room full of people, this episode is going to feel like a direct answer to that problem. Elizabeth sits down with Will Harris, founder of Fitness Beyond 40 and one of TikTok's most compelling live creators, to talk about the TikTok live strategy that took him from three viewers to over 250,000 followers and half a million dollars in revenue in just six months. Will is not just dropping theory here. He breaks down exactly how he built his daily live format, how he thinks about casting a wide net while still attracting the right audience, and why going live every day at the same time is the single most important thing you can do right now. Elizabeth is 12 days into her own 30-day TikTok live experiment as they record, so you're getting real questions, real coaching, and real results in real time. This episode is for creative entrepreneurs and small business owners who know they have something powerful to offer but keep hitting a wall when it comes to translating that in-person magic into something that works online. Whether you've been curious about TikTok or completely skeptical, you're going to walk away with a clear picture of why live content is changing everything and a simple framework to start today. Go live. Be consistent. Build your tribe.

June 3, 202625 min

239: Building Annual Events That Scale: Behind the Scenes of Elevate and Inspire 2026

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast, where we pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like to build a business over time. This episode is a full debrief of Elizabeth's third annual in-person event, Elevate and Inspire 2026, and it is one of the most honest and useful conversations she has had on the show about how to host a live event for your business. In-person event planning for entrepreneurs is no small task, and Elizabeth walks you through everything: what changed from year one to year three, how the new venue shaped the entire attendee experience, what she did differently with programming, and how sponsorships completely transformed the financial picture. For the first time ever, the event was profitable on the front end before a single post-event sale came in. This one is for you if you host live events, want to host them someday, or simply need a reminder that repeating what works in your business is where the real growth happens. Elizabeth talks about what it means to build anchor moments into your year, why consistency is key, and how you genuinely cannot improve what you do not repeat. She also gets into alumni strategy, swag bag decisions, and what she is already considering for 2027.

May 27, 202643 min

238: Mundane Magic: How to Turn Everyday Chores into a Daily Practice You Actually Enjoy with bestselling author Molly Donlan

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast! This week Elizabeth is sitting down with Reiki master, bestselling author, and all-around magical human Molly Donlan to talk about her book Mundane Magic, a lazy witch's guide to hacking your brain, building a daily practice, and actually getting stuff done. If you have ever stared down a pile of laundry or a sink full of dishes and felt your soul leave your body, this episode is for you. Molly came into the energy and Reiki world as a full blown skeptic, burned out from nearly a decade of advocacy work for survivors of sexual violence. What started as her own healing journey became a thriving online business, a community with an 88 percent course completion rate, and now a book that is making people cry in the best possible way because they finally feel seen. In this conversation Elizabeth and Molly talk about what it really looks like to build a business by following your gut instead of a formula, why consent based marketing actually converts better than pressure tactics, and how turning your most dreaded household tasks into intentional daily rituals can unlock creativity, focus, and a whole lot more peace. Molly also shares the free download she has available and where to find the book.

May 20, 202646 min

237: Sponsorships for Small Businesses: What's Actually Possible When You Stop Pitching Wrong

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast! This week, Elizabeth is sitting down with sponsorship coach and author Justin Moore of Creator Wizard to talk about what sponsorships are, why so many small businesses and creators are leaving money on the table, and how to completely change the way you pitch brands. If you have ever wondered whether sponsorships are even worth pursuing, or if you have sent a pitch and heard nothing back, this episode is for you. Whether you are a brick and mortar, an event host, a podcaster, or a local content creator, Justin breaks down why the problem is almost never your audience size. It is the approach. Elizabeth and Justin go deep on the ROPE method for writing a sponsorship proposal that actually lands, why affiliates are not the same as sponsorships, and what happened when Elizabeth applied Justin's framework to her own in-person event and made more money than ever before. They also do a live coaching moment using a real brand, so you can hear exactly how this thinking works in practice. This is the kind of conversation that makes you look at your business and think, I have been sitting on so much opportunity. Take a listen and start seeing what is already possible for you.

May 13, 202650 min

236: The Power of Presence, Energy Work, and Self Trust with Rocky Kitzmiller

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast. Today's conversation is one of those episodes that feels both deeply grounding and expansive at the same time. Elizabeth is joined again by transformational guide, hypnotherapist, Reiki master, and meditation teacher Rocky from Tune Into Wellness for a conversation about energy, intuition, healing, self trust, and what it really looks like to create space for yourself in the middle of business, life, and leadership. Rocky shares her journey from personal trainer to loan officer to building a business centered around subconscious work, Reiki, meditation, hypnotherapy, and community. Together, Elizabeth and Rocky talk about the power of slowing down, protecting your energy, understanding what's truly yours versus what you've absorbed from others, and why so many entrepreneurs are craving spaces where they can finally breathe again. They also dive into past life regressions, ancestral healing, storytelling, and the deeper purpose behind the work Rocky now leads through her Soul Garden Sisters community and Soul Knowledge podcast. Whether you're deeply into energy work or simply curious about what it means to reconnect with yourself on a deeper level, this episode offers a thoughtful and approachable conversation around intuition, growth, and becoming more present in your own life. If you've been feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or like you've been operating on autopilot, this episode might be exactly the pause your nervous system has been asking for.

May 6, 202646 min

235: From $40 in the Bank to Six Figures and What Came After

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast. Today's episode is one of those honest, behind the scenes conversations that reminds you what building a business really looks like. Elizabeth sits down with business coach and creative strategist Hannah Boeck to talk about the full journey… from being broke with $40 in the bank to building a six figure business, and what happens after you hit those milestones. They dive into the reality of scaling, the pressure that comes with growth, and the unexpected challenges that show up when your business actually starts working. From hiring a team to navigating identity shifts, burnout, and self worth, this conversation pulls back the curtain on the parts most people don't talk about. If you've ever felt like you should have it all figured out by now… or wondered why success doesn't feel the way you thought it would… this episode will meet you right where you are.

April 29, 202644 min

234: The Smarter Way to Grow: Systems, Content, and Letting Your Audience Lead

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast. This conversation felt like one of those moments where everything just clicks into place. Doc Williams joined me to talk about YouTube, tech, and building a business that actually works… but what we really got into was something deeper. How to stop guessing, start listening, and let your business evolve based on real data, real people, and real conversations. We talked about live streaming, industry reports, and why repeating yourself in your content might actually be the smartest thing you can do. And honestly, it just made me think about business in a completely different way. If you've ever felt stuck between creating content and running your business… or wondered if there's a more sustainable way to grow… this episode is going to meet you right where you are.

April 22, 202622 min

233: How to Create an Experience People Can't Stop Talking About

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast. Today we're talking about something that most people think they already have figured out, but it might be the very thing holding your business back. Client experience. Instead of asking "how can I get more clients," this episode invites you into a different question… how can you create an experience so good that people can't stop talking about it? Elizabeth breaks down why your best marketing doesn't happen before the sale, but after, and how referrals, relationships, and real human connection will always outperform any strategy or trend. She shares real-life examples, including moments where client experience fell short, and how those situations shape the way we lead, communicate, and show up in our businesses.

April 15, 202653 min

232: The Truth About Failure, Pricing, and Building Something Bigger

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast. This episode is a special one for the big visionaries. The ones who know they are meant for more, even if they cannot fully explain what that looks like yet. Elizabeth sits down with her mastermind coach, Darrell Vesterfelt, for an unfiltered, unscripted conversation about what it actually takes to build something meaningful over time. From starting a blog in a college dorm room to leading multiple companies, Darrell shares the real behind the scenes of growth, including the mistakes, the mindset shifts, and the systems that make it all possible. They dive into the conversations most people avoid. Pricing, failure, self-awareness, and the emotional weight we attach to results. You will hear why raising your prices is not just a strategy, but an identity shift, and how many entrepreneurs unknowingly hold themselves back through misalignment and fear. This episode is for the business owner who is ready to think bigger, take ownership of their results, and step into a new level of leadership. If you have been feeling stuck, overthinking your next move, or questioning your value, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are and challenge you to move forward with more clarity.

April 8, 202622 min

231: The Missing Piece in Your Marketing Might Be Your Story

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast. If your marketing has been feeling off lately or you're second guessing what to say, this episode is your reset. Today, Elizabeth is breaking down why storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you already have and how it can completely shift the way you connect, build trust, and convert. Through a real-life experience at a recent event, she shares what happened when she stopped trying to "market" and focused on giving people a genuine experience of her. This episode is for the business owner who feels stuck in their content, unsure what to share, or tired of trying to keep up with strategies that don't feel natural.