Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show

Running a business can feel a lot like working on a puzzle.

You’ve got pieces everywhere — ideas, tools, workflows, client needs — and you know they’re supposed to fit together… but sometimes the picture just doesn’t feel complete.

With National Puzzle Day coming up, I’m leaning into one of my favorite metaphors and breaking down how puzzles and business are surprisingly similar — especially for solopreneurs navigating the messy middle of growth.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

• Why January can feel overwhelming (even when nothing is “wrong”)
• A simple PUZZLE framework to help you figure out what’s missing
• Three different ways people naturally approach building a business
• Why support systems don’t replace your thinking — they protect your progress
• How to stop feeling scattered and start placing the right next piece

If your business feels heavy, incomplete, or just slightly off right now, this episode will help you zoom out, get grounded, and move forward with more clarity.

ICYMI
Ep 140: No Man's Land: Why the Messy Middle Isn't the End of Your Fairytale

🎁 17hats Giveaway (through January 25, 2026)
If leads, contracts, invoices, or client follow-up feel heavier than they should, this is a great time to explore what better backend support could look like.
Details & enter here.

🧩 Completing the Puzzle Subscription
Looking for a fun, low-pressure way to unwind?
A subscription with Completing the Puzzle could be a great fit! They send you a puzzle, you enjoy it, send it back, and move on to the next one (no clutter, no stacks collecting dust).
Use code FAIRYTALE for $6 off your first month.

🎁 January Giveaway: 1-Year 17hats Membership + 1:1 Support

I’m partnering with 17hats to give away a 1-year membership (open to new and existing users), plus a private 1:1 strategy session with me to help simplify your systems and create breathing room again.

✨ Entries close January 25, 2026.

👉 Enter the giveaway here.

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show

This is a special bonus episode of Build Your Own Fairytale, recorded live, in real life, while I was in Nashville with two of my favorite fellow systems strategists and business friends.

What started as a casual “let’s finally get together in person” trip quickly turned into something much bigger — real conversations, honest pushback, whiteboard brainstorming, and one brand-new business idea that went from thought to action in under 24 hours.

If you listened to the previous episode about consistency and being stuck in no man’s land, this conversation is the natural next chapter.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How three “competitors” became genuine business besties
• Why being in the room together still matters (even in an online world)
• What actually helps ideas move out of no man’s land and into momentum
• And what happens when smart women give each other honest, supportive pushback

You’ll also hear how this Nashville trip sparked early conversations around creating intentional space for business owners — part strategy, part systems, part breathing room — and why we’re inviting listeners into that conversation from the very beginning.

If you’ve ever felt stuck between knowing what you want to do and actually doing it, this episode is for you.

P.S. If the mention of my new offer to support marketing and strategic content planning sparked something for you, join the waitlist here.

Learn more and connect with my guests here:

Deb Mitzel: debmitzelcreative.com and @debmitzelcreative on IG
Nicole Larson: letnicolehelp.com and @letnicolehelp on IG

🎁 January Giveaway: 1-Year 17hats Membership + 1:1 Support

I’m partnering with 17hats to give away a 1-year membership (open to new and existing users), plus a private 1:1 strategy session with me to help simplify your systems and create breathing room again.

✨ Entries close January 25, 2026.

👉 Enter the giveaway here.

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show

What if the hardest part of building a business isn’t the beginning… or the end — but the middle?

In this episode, I’m sharing a powerful lesson that hit me in the middle of a long, sweaty run while training for my upcoming half marathon. My instructor introduced the concept of No Man’s Land — the point in a long run where you’re too far from the start to feel excited, but too far from the finish to see the payoff.

And honestly? It felt exactly like solopreneurship.

We talk about:

• Why the “messy middle” is where so many business owners get stuck
• The mindset shifts that help you keep going when motivation dips
• Why discomfort doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong — it often means you’re growing
• How working smarter (not harder) becomes essential as your business grows
• The systems that help reduce mental load and create breathing room again

And to kick off the new year, I’m excited to be partnering with 17hats on a giveaway designed to support solopreneurs in this exact season. One winner will receive a one-year 17hats membership (open to new and existing users), plus a 60-minute 1:1 session with me to help you figure out the best place to start.
Enter here.

✨ Because the messy middle shouldn’t be the thing that stops you from building your fairytale.

🎁 January Giveaway: 1-Year 17hats Membership + 1:1 Support

I’m partnering with 17hats to give away a 1-year membership (open to new and existing users), plus a private 1:1 strategy session with me to help simplify your systems and create breathing room again.

✨ Entries close January 25, 2026.

👉 Enter the giveaway here.