The Self-Employed Life Podcast

In this episode of The Self-Employed Life, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Emily Paul, a member of my High Achievers year-long coaching group. We explored the concept of alchemywhat it really means and why it's essential for entrepreneurs. Emily shares how she helps high-achieving individuals dissolve old patterns, tap into deeper intuition, and reconnect with their authentic selves through the transformative power of alchemy. She also explains how her work goes beyond traditional coaching, why energy healing can be just as powerful remotely, and why now is the time for changemakers to fully embrace their brilliance. This episode is for anyone ready to begin their journey to true freedom and step into who they were meant to be.

Rather than letting health challenges, diagnosis, and perceived expectations from others define who she is, from an early age Emily committed to blazing her own path including:

Completing her senior year of high school in the Iowa town where she lived while her parents and two younger siblings moved a seven hour drive north...

Declining a teaching career in her early twenties to instead follow her heart andpassion and move to an island in the Caribbean to pursue a path of humanitarian

service...

Realizing why shed been dying her hair for a decade did not reflect her true self, she chose to gray naturally at age 35.

Emily revels in the sacred space beyond what weve experienced or been led to believe is our truth

The potency of Emily's work lies in decades of her own dedicated self-cultivation and the mastery with which she walks clients through their own internal maze to access latent energy and wisdom. Daoist-infused Alchemy is one means she uses to ignite profound and lasting transformation. Customized integrative coaching/mentoring, ceremony and group facilitation are further means she engages to invoke newfound freedom for her clients.

With a Masters of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Bastyr Universityand a Women and Gender Studies -BA- from Macalester College, Emily has sought outteachers, mentors, and healers - both within the United States and internationally - whohave guided her exploration of meditation, mindfulness- based practices,coaching/mentoring, leadership development, somatic acuity, energetic healing, andperennial wisdom for well over twenty-five years.

All Services and Programs are geared toward personal transformation and cultivating calm confidence in order to show up in an unprecedented way AND find fun in playing a bigger game with life.

Guest's Contact

Contact Jeffrey

Valuable Resources

Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGOand The Self Employed Life(May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

I've spent the past five weeks in Paris with one week left. When I left the U.S., I had some very clear intentions. One of them was to explore all the aspects of #TheArtOfLivingWell. I'd like to share what I learned so that you can consider these "luxuries" in your own life.

Sell to the Rich: The Insiders Handbook to Selling Luxury –

Contact Jeffrey –

Valuable Resources –

Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

In this episode of the Self-Employed Life, I had the great privilege of speaking with Nesha Pai, author of the book “Overcoming Ordinary Obstacles”. Nesha shared how she transitioned from running a fully remote accounting firm to empowering others to pursue their boldest dreams.

 She further explains how personal tragedies deepened her mission. We explored the difference between courage and bravery, the “Four C’s” framework she uses to guide dreamers into bold action, and how cultivating personal style and daily confidence practices can help us show up as the person we’re becoming. Nesha’s story is a great reminder that taking courageous, intentional steps—especially through life’s hardest seasons—can lead to extraordinary transformation.

Nesha Pai is the founder of Pai CPA, PLLC, a fully remote bookkeeping firm in Charlotte, NC.  

She started her firm in February 2011,  and was one of the first in the industry to create a fully remote office model, along with giving employment opportunities to primarily to stay-at-home moms. As a single mom, sole owner, she grew from one client on her kitchen table to over 72 with revenues in the multiple six digits.

In January 2020 , Nesha published her book “Overcoming Ordinary Obstacles”, which won the award in the Multicultural Non-Fiction category by the 2020 competition of the American Book Fest.  She is currently known as an international speaker, activating women and entrepreneurs to go boldly into the life of their dreams by cultivating the right tools to overcome the obstacles in their way.

Nesha is a recent breast cancer survivor and was named one of the Top 50 Infulential Women in The Mecklenburg Times (2020 and 2024), on of Charlotte’s biggest media publications.

Guest's Contact –

Contact Jeffrey –

Valuable Resources –

Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

In this episode of The Self-Employed Life, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Annette Mason, sabbaticalist and Succession Architect at Trilogy Design Works. Annette shared how intentional sabbaticals can be powerful tools for self-employed individuals to regain clarity, spark creativity, and build sustainable success. We discussed the difference between a vacation and a sabbatical, how to structure one even while running a business, and the importance of designing time away with intention. Annette also introduced her framework of Compass, Maps, and Constellations to help people align with their values, plan with vision, and lean into the support systems around them. Annette uses her background in corporate innovation and personal experience with burnout in order to encourage others to rethink how we work and to embrace sabbaticals as a meaningful part of a resilient and fulfilling self-employed life.

Annette Mason, Sabbaticalist and Succession Architect at Trilogy Design Work We help forward-thinking CEOs turn under-leveraged benefits-like flexible paid time off and sabbaticals-into strategic tools for building resilient people - individuals, teams, and organizations.

Guest's Contact –

Contact Jeffrey –

Valuable Resources –

Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

In this episode of the Self Employed Life, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Heather Holloway, founder of Holloway Media Services. Heather shared her journey of personal and professional emergence, emphasizing the importance of stress reduction and serving more. We further discussed her social media strategy, focusing on the significance of LinkedIn for business networking and personal branding. Heather highlighted the need to set boundaries on social media consumption. She also touched on the evolving role of social media in business and the importance of having a support system to facilitate personal growth and business success. Heather's message encourages individuals to embrace their potential and seek support to navigate their path to emergence and recognition.

Heather Holloway is one part entrepreneur and one part inspirational speaker. She is the founder of Holloway Media Services, a social media marketing agency dedicated to helping women and LGBTQ+ CEOs leverage their personal brands to grow their business. Through powerful talks, engaging workshops, and strategic consulting, she empowers others to lead with authenticity, mindfulness, and confidence– showing up as their most genuine, inspired selves.

Guest's Contact –

Contact Jeffrey –

Valuable Resources –

Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.