Creatives Rule the World

Hosted by Tracy Matthews

Business Marketing

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625

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Oct 2026

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About the show

This show is for creators who are done playing small, the ones who know their ideas aren’t just a passion… they’re a portal Here, we’re rewriting the rules of entrepreneurship. Forget cookie-cutter blueprints and burnout culture, I’m here to help you grow a business that feels good, pays well, and the kind of personal freedom that only comes when you’re brave enough to do things your own way. Through solo episodes and honest conversations with creative entrepreneurs, artists, and founders, I’ll give you the mindset shifts, marketing moves, and business tools you need to grow with clarity, flow, and profitability. You’ll learn how to build wealth on your terms, show up with confidence, and finally trust that you don’t have to choose between creativity and success, you get to have both. So if you’re ready to step into your next level, grow your income, and build a business that actually works for your life, you’re in the right place.

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60 recent

October 20, 202615 min

If I Had a Tiny Audience and Wanted My BIGGEST Holiday Jewelry Sales Season Ever, Here's Exactly What I'd Do

What if you had to start your jewelry business from scratch today, with barely any Instagram followers, a tiny email list, and the goal of having your best holiday sales season EVER ? Where would you start? Here's a hint: It wouldn't be with a brand-new jewelry collection or spending hours trying to beat the Instagram algorithm. In this episode, I'm sharing my personal six-step holiday sales playbook, including the strategies I'd use to generate cash flow, attract customers, and create irresistible holiday offers without constantly discounting my jewelry. I'm also sharing a story about the time I discovered I had over $150,000 in inventory sitting on my shelves when I thought I only had $50,000. That experience completely changed how I think about inventory, cash flow, and selling jewelry. And it might change how you think about your holiday sales strategy, too. In this episode, you'll discover: How to make holiday sales with a tiny audience: Why I'd start with my existing network instead of chasing thousands of new followers. The holiday wish-list strategy: A creative way to grow your email list, discover what customers want, and create gifting opportunities. How to create irresistible VIP offers: Why you don't need to wait until Black Friday to start generating sales. How to turn old inventory into cash: My favorite ways to move slow-selling jewelry, including mystery boxes and sample sales. How to sell more without discounting everything: Creative holiday offers designed to increase average order value while protecting your brand. Why your holiday sales calendar matters: How to give customers compelling reasons to buy throughout the entire season. The Miracle Hour: The one focused hour I'd spend every single day creating sales opportunities instead of waiting for customers to find me. Ready to build your own holiday sales machine? If you're tired of scrambling to figure out what to promote, what emails to send, and how to make more sales during the holidays, I created something for you. The Black Friday Sales Machine is my step-by-step system for planning your holiday promotions using the inventory, products, and opportunities you already have. Inside, you'll learn how to: Set a clear holiday sales goal. Find potential cash flow in your existing inventory. Choose from 10 holiday deal types, most of which don't require discounts. Create offers that fit your brand and protect your margins. Map your promotions onto a simple holiday sales calendar. Use email templates and AI prompts to market your offers without starting from scratch. No new collection required. No race to the bottom on price. Just a plan to sell what you already have. Get the Black Friday Sales Machine here One last thing... You don't need a massive audience to start making holiday sales. You need the right offers, a plan to get them in front of potential customers, and the willingness to consistently create opportunities to sell. Your best holiday sales season might be closer than you think. And some of the money you're looking for might already be sitting on your shelves. Now go make your jewelry irresistible! Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Founder, Flourish & Thrive Academy Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

June 25, 202622 min

Episode #589: The Financial Stability Number Every Creative Business Owner Needs to Know with Megan Hale

What if more revenue was never the thing standing between you and financial peace? In this episode I sit down with my friend Megan Hale, a former psychotherapist turned financial leader and the creator of Dream Money, a financial operating methodology and software platform built for solo CEOs. Megan and I get honest about the moment she opened a spreadsheet for the very first time, during one of the hardest seasons of her life, and how answering a few simple questions about what she actually needed and wanted changed everything. We dig into why you, the business owner, have to be the one who knows your numbers, and why a bookkeeper or accountant alone is not financial leadership. Megan walks us through her seasonal framework for growth, the three financial seasons every business moves through, and why most of us stay stuck in scale, scale, scale and underpay ourselves for years. She also breaks down the seven financial needs every business has to fund, including the two most people never track, and the one that adds meaning to every dollar that comes in. I'm also really open in this one about my own pivot, learning a new business model as I build Desire AI and the Wealthy Creative. In this episode, you’ll learn: [01:34] The hardest year that became the birthplace of Dream Money, and the one offer that funded a full year of stability [04:17] Why having a bookkeeper does not mean you have financial leadership [06:28] The first number every founder needs to know before anything else [08:53] The three financial seasons of a business, and how to tell which one you are in [10:57] The fortifying season most of us never give ourselves, and why it is where you finally get paid [14:49] Why “just enough” is a trap, plus the seven financial needs you have to fund (two of which almost nobody tracks) Here are the resources mentioned in the show: Follow @meganhaleco on Instagram Follow @dreammoneyco on Instagram Learn more about Dream Money Join Desire AI Join the Wealthy Creative Society The Creative Frequency by Tracy Matthews Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

June 18, 202635 min

Episode #588: Why Your Nervous System Is Capping Your Income, with Dr. Farya Barlas

Have you ever pushed harder, bought the course, built the funnel, and still hit the exact same income ceiling you have been bumping up against for years? In this episode I sit down with my friend Dr. Farya Barlas, a chartered psychologist who has spent more than two decades helping entrepreneurs, founders and leaders work with the invisible barriers that mindset hacks and business strategy simply cannot reach. She calls it trauma-led success, and the way she defines trauma might surprise you. It is not one big event. It is every small moment you had to abandon or betray yourself to be accepted, and how those moments quietly shape the way you lead, sell and price today. We get honest about what survival mode actually looks like in a business (think undercharging, procrastinating, or that mysterious cap on your revenue), why you cannot affirm your way out of a nervous system that does not feel safe, and how women in particular carry intergenerational patterns around being seen and earning money. I also open up about realizing I built Flourish & Thrive out of a trauma response after my 2009 bankruptcy, and what it took to change my relationship with my own business. If you are a seasoned creative entrepreneur who senses there is another level available to you, this conversation is your map. In this episode, you’ll learn: 1:38 -- What trauma-led success really means, and why working with your trauma responses can unlock so much more 6:22 -- The definition of trauma most high achievers get wrong, and why you cannot affirm your way out of it 9:59 -- Why this hits women differently, and why so much success advice does not fit your nervous system 11:01 -- Survival success vs reparative success, and how your nervous system caps your income 14:15 -- The first real step from survival into thriving 24:11 -- Tracy on building a business from a trauma response after bankruptcy Here are the resources mentioned in the show: Follow @faryabarlas.psychologist on Instagram Dr. Farya’s podcast: From Trauma to CEO Dr. Farya’s Website The Method by Farya Barlas (her signature framework) The Creative Frequency by Tracy Matthews Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

May 27, 202636 min

Episode #587: The Miracle Hour with Kelly Roach

What if one focused hour a day was all it took to double your revenue? That's the premise behind The Miracle Hour, the framework from eight-figure entrepreneur Kelly Roach, and in this episode, she breaks it all down. Kelly built a seven-figure business from her car on her lunch break, with zero paid ads, using nothing but intentional relationship-building. In this conversation, she walks us through the exact framework: setting your goals, picking your five to seven daily activities, and building what she calls the Dream 1000, a relationship rolodex that compounds over time. What hit me hardest in this conversation is how much revenue creative entrepreneurs are leaving on the table by chasing new customers while ignoring the gold in their current and past client lists. Kelly breaks down the four buying inflection points in the first 30 days after a sale, and explains why most business owners miss every single one of them. Whether you're a jewelry designer, a creative entrepreneur, or a founder of any kind, this episode will permanently change how you think about sales and what you do with that one hour you already have. In this episode, you’ll learn: [00:00] Introduction: What is the Miracle Hour? [06:00] Why people buy from people: creatives and faceless branding [08:22] The four buying inflection points in the first 30 days [14:55] Start in the center: why your current customers are your fastest revenue [20:20] The five steps of the Miracle Hour framework [28:08] How to track your activities and build your Dream 1000 Here are the resources mentioned in the show: Follow @kellyroachofficial on Instagram! The Miracle Hour Book by Kelly Roach The Miracle Hour Free Toolkit The Creative Frequency by Tracy Matthews Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

May 21, 202622 min

Episode #586: Why Curiosity Is Your Greatest Manifesting Superpower (and the Simple Askfirmation Practice That Changes Everything)

What if the reason your affirmations are not working has nothing to do with how hard you are trying, and everything to do with how your brain is wired? In this birthday special solo episode, I am pulling a teaching straight from inside the Creative Frequency to introduce you to one of the most powerful mindset tools I have ever used: askfirmations. These are not affirmations. They are curiosity-driven questions that hijack your Reticular Activating System and send your brain on a search for evidence, opportunities, and possibilities it was literally filtering out before. I am breaking down the real neuroscience behind why curiosity works better than forced belief, including how it activates dopamine, lowers nervous system resistance, and bypasses the identity blocks that keep you stuck. I also walk you through the full askfirmation practice so you can start using it today. This one is a gift, literally. It is my birthday, I am turning 55, and I am giving you access to the kind of teaching I usually only share inside my paid programs. Do not skip the show notes. There is a birthday gift waiting for you there too. In this episode, you’ll learn: 00:27 -- Austin, Birthday week, and what is coming this summer 01:06 -- Why so many people are in a hard season right now and what curiosity has to do with it 02:19 -- What the Creative Frequency is and why I pulled this teaching for the show 04:59 -- What askfirmations are and why they work where affirmations fall short 07:25 -- The neuroscience: RAS, identity, nervous system, and how curiosity rewires all of it 13:39 -- How curiosity activates dopamine and shifts you from desperation to energized pursuit 16:49 -- How to practice curiosity daily and the stillness ritual that makes it land 19:19 -- Your askfirmation exercise: how to write, record, and use your list every single day 20:48 -- Birthday gift announcement: free visibility activations from The Breakthrough Here are the resources mentioned in the show: Birthday Gift - Free Visibility Activations The Creative Frequency The Wealthy Creative Society Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

April 16, 202637 min

Episode #585: Community, Ceremony, and the Art of Evolving: A Conversation with Chelsea Renee

I have been on a healing journey with plant medicines and ceremony for years, and when I get to sit down with someone like Chelsea Renee, someone who facilitates transformation for others for a living, I am fully in my element. Chelsea is a serial entrepreneur, community architect, ceremony facilitator, and the creator of Fempire, a biannual business summit for wild female entrepreneurs with a dress code of business to Burning Man. She also channeled her own breathwork technique, Activate Breathwork, to help people connect with their ancestors and spirit guides, and leads a nonprofit supporting women-owned businesses. We talk breathwork, the power of getting in rooms, the shadow side of evolving, and how Chelsea built a movement so much bigger than herself that she sold it to her own nonprofit for a dollar. This one is deep, joyful, and genuinely life-giving. In this episode, you will learn: [02:10] Chelsea's multi-passionate entrepreneurial path and the through line connecting all her companies [07:10] What Activate Breathwork is and how it connects you with your ancestors and spirit guides [11:00] Why breathwork is one of the fastest ways to step into your next-level identity [16:50] The deep power of in-person events and what you can never replicate online [22:30] The shadow side of evolving: what happens when your identity wants to stay comfortable [31:10] What makes Fempire different and why the masterminding format is a game changer Here are the resources mentioned in the show: Follow Chelsea on Instagram Activate Breathwork Fempire Events: May 16-17 and November 7-8 Join the 10K in May Challenge Desire AI The Wealthy Creative Society Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

April 15, 202627 min

Episode #584: How to Stretch Yourself to Make 10K (or More) This May and Bring Your Clients Along for the Ride

What would happen if you set a big, unreasonable sales goal for May and actually brought your customers along for the ride? In this episode, I am breaking down the stretch goal mindset that has helped hundreds of jewelry designers hit $10K months and beyond, even when it felt completely impossible. I share the real story of Lindsay, a student mentor inside the DBE Sales Accelerator, who had never crossed $8,000 in a month before setting a $10K goal and ending May with $12,000 in sales. I also share the story of Twyla Dill, a multiple six-figure jewelry designer who enrolled her audience in a five-week $100,000 challenge and made it one of the most fun seasons of her business. This episode is packed with practical strategy: how to shift from desperation energy to invitation energy, how to share your goal without it feeling cringe, and the three revenue-generating activities that drive real results. Plus, I am talking about the 10K in May Challenge and how Desire AI can help you execute all of it without spending hours staring at a blank screen. In This Episode, You Will Learn: [00:00] How spending too much time on marketing (instead of making jewelry) is costing you , and what Desire AI was built to fix [04:59] Why playing it safe with your goals is actually doing your customers a disservice [06:30] The stretch goal mindset: why realistic goals don't motivate and what to do instead [09:48] Lindsay's story: from $30 in sales on day three to $12,000 by the end of May [12:10] Twyla's story: how she enrolled her audience in a $100K challenge and made it feel like a celebration [14:48] Why keeping your goals private is the biggest mistake most creatives make Here are the Resources Mentioned in the Show: Join the 10K in May Challenge Desire AI The Wealthy Creative Society Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

April 7, 202636 min

Episode #583: Why You Keep Ghosting Your Audience: The Nervous System Truth About Fear of Visibility with Anna Holtzman

Have you ever said you want to be seen, that you want to sell more, that you're ready to show up, and then found yourself hiding again without even knowing why? That's the question at the center of this episode, and my guest Anna Holtzman has the answer. It's not a discipline problem. It's not laziness. It's your nervous system. Anna is a therapist-turned-coach who helps sensitive creatives move through the fear of visibility and finally launch the work that feels most true to them. After 15 years in TV and publishing, including a decade editing reality TV for MTV, and her own battle with chronic pain and burnout, Anna discovered the nervous system tools that helped her unlock her voice. Now she helps others do the same. In this conversation, we get into why going blank, losing interest, or suddenly feeling 'meh' about your big idea is actually your nervous system in disguise. Anna breaks down her journaling method for dialoguing with fear, what co-regulation is and how to use it, and the exact moment she realized that one anonymous blog review had made her unconsciously abandon her own film. If you keep ghosting your own business, this episode is your wake-up call. In this episode, you’ll learn: [01:15] The question that opens everything: why do creatives keep ghosting their own audiences? [02:30] Tracy on the reticular activating system, subconscious fear, and what true wealth actually means [04:57] Anna Holtzman: therapist, coach, MTV editor, and nervous system expert [05:50] Anna's journey from architecture to publishing to reality TV (yes, including MTV's MADE) [08:01] The documentary, the David Lee Roth interview, and the anonymous blog review that changed everything [12:24] How one pebble to the heart made Anna unconsciously disappear from her own work, and why it became a pattern Here are the resources mentioned in the show: Anna's free visibility workshop Follow @anna_holtzman on Instagram Anna's podcast: How to Trust Yourself Desire AI The Wealthy Creative Society Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

April 1, 202644 min

Episode #582: Human-First AI: How to Stay Creative, Free, and Ahead of the Curve with Callan Faulkner

Let's just say it: the AI conversation is getting loud, and a lot of what you are hearing is flat-out wrong. Is AI destroying creativity? Is it stealing jobs? Is it guzzling all the water? My dear friend and AI powerhouse Callan Faulkner is back on the show to cut through the noise and give it to you straight. Callan is the founder of The Uncommon Business, where she runs a multi-million dollar company with a team of seven, a 48% profit margin, and zero sales staff. Her secret is not hustle. It is how she orchestrates AI. In this episode, she breaks down the real difference between someone who uses AI and someone who architects it, and why that gap is the competitive edge creative entrepreneurs cannot afford to ignore. We also get into the truth about AI and the environment, why Callan thinks an MBA is one of the worst investments you can make right now, and what the future of work actually looks like for humans who are paying attention. In this episode, you will learn: 00:01 Why the AI conversation has reached a new level of urgency in 2026 06:22 Callan's background and how she built a multi-million dollar company with no sales team 08:13 The real role of humans in an AI-powered business world 14:49 Why Callan believes an MBA is one of the worst investments right now 18:16 The $5M job offer she turned down and what it revealed about purpose 21:53 The actual data behind AI's environmental impact 26:56 What happens to people who get AI training after a layoff 30:18 What a fully AI-powered business actually feels like day to day Resources Mentioned: Follow @callanfaulkner on Instagram! Callan Faulkner's AI Bootcamp (April 21) Superhuman Work recorded course Desire AI The Wealthy Creative Society Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

March 27, 202628 min

EP581: The War on Creative People (And Why the Wealthy Creative Wins)

For generations, we've been fed a lie: that real artists starve, that creatives are bad at business, that making good money means you're selling out. I call this the createriarchy, and I am done letting it have power over you, over me, or over the next generation of creative entrepreneurs. In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly why this war is happening, how AI is reshaping the creative landscape, and most importantly, what it means for the founder who's ready to lean into their human-first brand and win. Because here's what I know: AI cannot manufacture your creativity. It cannot replicate your voice, your founder lore, your unique point of view. And the creatives who understand this right now are going to be leap years ahead of everyone else. We also dig into the 4V Founder Frequency, why consistency is not about volume but identity, and how the Wealthy Creative Society is a completely new model of coaching designed to move you every single day. In this episode, you’ll learn: 00:00 What true wealth really means for a creative entrepreneur 02:15 Welcome and the war on creative people 04:30 What the createriarchy is and where it comes from 08:43 Tara Silverberg, the Clay Pot, and why buyers always want the artist 12:50 Why AI makes human connection more valuable, not less 18:36 The one thing AI cannot outsource: your creative genius 21:00 The algorithm economy, comparison trap, and consistency problem 25:10 The 4V Founder Frequency breakdown 27:20 What the Wealthy Creative Society is and how it works Here are the resources mentioned in the show: Join The Wealthy Creative Society (formerly The Launchpad) Desire AI (For Jewelry Designers) OBSESSED 21-Day Sales Challenge Story Selling Workshop, New York City Are you enjoying the podcast? We’d be so grateful if you gave us a rating and review! Your 5 star ratings help us reach more businesses like yours and allows us to continue to deliver valuable content every single week. Click here to review the show on Apple podcast or your favorite platform Select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” Share your favorite insights and inspirations If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and on Apple Podcast for special bonus content you won’t get elsewhere. xo, Tracy Matthews Follow on Social: Follow @Flourish_Thrive on Instagram Follow @iamtracymatthews Instagram Follow Flourish & Thrive Facebook

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