April 2, 2026
Power in the Uncomfortable
Every major decision I’ve made in my life has come out of something traumatic. I guess it’s why I tell people: Trauma may have built you, but it doesn’t define […]
October 16, 2025
The Trauma that Built Me
I have the phrase “find comfort in the uncomfortable” tattooed on my arm; it’s a reminder that growth happens in the uncomfortable, and while this is true, it’s also my […]
May 16, 2025
We Don’t Do Marketing
(If I hear this one more time, I’m gonna throat punch someone.) If I had a dollar for every time a technical or contracting company said, “We don’t do marketing*,” […]
May 4, 2025
I Can Do All Things Through Adderall & Shaken Espressos
“Can a person live on iced, shaken espressos only?” I texted my best friend, Sue. “Yes,” she responded. That, right there, is why Sue is my best friend. The past […]
April 22, 2025
You Are the Face of Your Business—Start Acting Like It
It was standing room only. Business owners packed into a room to talk about something most of us avoid like the plague: ourselves. Not our services.Not our logos.Not our team’s […]
March 24, 2025
Reality TV: The Bode Edition
Imposter syndrome won this past weekend. I think I spent most of Sunday staring at a wall, contemplating all of my failures. What a great time. Highly recommend spending your […]
March 3, 2025
The Sisterhood: show up, speak up, and lift up
For years, I saw my gender as a weakness. Working in manufacturing and medical devices industries dominated by men with egos the size of Texas—I did everything I could to […]
August 19, 2024
The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders & Gratitude
“What on earth are you watching?” I ask Josh as I crawl onto the bed in our motorhome (in our driveway) and lie down next to Frank*, the office dog […]
June 24, 2024
The bear, the misogynist, and the feminist
December 22, 2023
Stop taking us for granted.
The holidays, am I right? What a shitshow. I like to give so much I have nothing left, then I’m resentful and bitter. Good times. I should point out it […]
July 24, 2023
Sharkie Poo: A Cautionary Tale
Perhaps by calling it Sharkie Poo, it was a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. All seven dogs have a nickname – Millie is Millie Vanilli, Noodle, Silly Millie…I’ll spare you […]
February 22, 2023
Bode’s Life Lessons (From 16 Years in Business)
I started writing this blog last year, and then Imposter Syndrome took over and I killed it. So now it’s more like 17 years but who the hell is counting […]
November 14, 2022
I’m Kind of a Big Deal: Thought Leadership
I am not a fan of the phrase “thought leadership,” but I have yet to come up with a better term, so here we are. It’s why I titled this […]
November 2, 2022
Too Much
If I had a dime for every time someone referred to me as “too much,” I’d have a pretty decent chunk of change. Like…what does that even mean? Often-used words […]
May 2, 2022
Back from Vacay Vibes
Coming back from vacation is so overwhelming that it’s tempting to just never take one. That’s basically been my approach for 2022. To state the obvious, that is not healthy. […]
April 15, 2022
Exhausted
I spoke to several female business owners/professionals in the past few weeks and they all have one thing in common, they’re exhausted. Just absolutely burned out. Their mental health is […]
March 4, 2022
Oh the places you’ll go and things you’ll learn.
Dear Little Bode, We’ve been watching you the past several months as you’ve dealt with loss, grief, growth, conflict and so much more. You’re gonna be alright kid, you’re tough, […]
February 8, 2022
Know Your Worth
Someone reached out to me last week needing marketing support for a new business and said the budget was $300 a month. I went back and forth on how to […]
September 7, 2021
What are you so afraid of?
I’m irrationally mad about the “return to office” discussion/debate/controversy. It’s probably because it is bringing back memories from early on in my career when a bunch of old guys were […]
June 1, 2021
Cut yourself some slack
Coming back from a holiday weekend is kind of a nightmare. I woke up this a.m. completely overwhelmed with all the things I needed to get done and a foreboding […]
May 24, 2021
Find comfort in the uncomfortable
Many of you reading this know I have this saying tattooed on my arm, it is my reminder that growth is never easy and requires all of us to push […]
March 8, 2021
The brash, the bold, the unapologetic
Today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women and their achievements internationally. It’s nice we get a day, isn’t it? The 2021 theme is “Choose to challenge.” In […]
May 18, 2020
Pivot Part 2: Assess and Educate
Let’s get back to where we left off in Part 1: Pivot!, I wanted to go into more detail about the steps we took, the organizations that stepped up in […]
April 12, 2019
Let it go! Let it go!
Now that the frozen song is stuck in your head, I will get to my point. There have been a few things bothering me, I just can’t seem to get […]
March 8, 2019
Listen up ladies
I just got back from a relaxing vacation with my girlfriends, we spent our days laying on the beach, sipping cocktails and reading. Instead of fully enjoying my vacation, I […]
January 24, 2019
Be comfortable with change
Be comfortable with change is the best piece of advice I can offer you. Life is going to throw a lot of curve balls your way, so line up to […]
December 27, 2018
Leadership is…RBG
I have been thinking about leadership quite a bit this week, probably because I am in the middle of the woods with 6 dogs and a shitty wifi connection. I’ve […]
August 9, 2018
Leadership lessons from an accidental leader
Most entrepreneurs and business owners fail terribly a leading. No one tells you when you start your business, that you will someday have to manage an entire team. At the […]
July 9, 2018
Be the leader you wish you had
The worst bosses I ever had…were women. I know I am not alone, many share the same experiences. These experiences have driven me to be a better leader and to […]
July 2, 2018
Pessimism and success
I was labeled a pessimist the other day and my first reaction was to be defensive. Let’s be honest, pessimism is not viewed favorably; we are considered the Eeyores of […]
June 21, 2018
Are we all mean girls?
I originally wrote this article for Huffington Post over a year ago and I doubt it will ever lose its relevance. “There are two kinds of evil people in this […]
May 20, 2018
Stop worrying about being liked
Why, as women, do we feel the need to be liked by everyone? Why are our feelings hurt when we aren’t included? Is high school still haunting us? I won’t […]
April 24, 2018
Don’t forget the soft skills
It seems all you hear talk about these days is the need for skilled, STEM and high-tech candidates. A recent article by the Washington Post titled, Forget coding. It’s the soft […]
April 10, 2018
Becoming the best boss
I’ve made a lot of mistakes along this small business journey and leadership is at the top. No need to rehash for the purpose of this blog, don’t worry they […]
February 5, 2018
Superbowl: A lesson in leadership
I couldn’t help rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles last night, Nick Foles’ story is just amazing and who doesn’t love a great underdog story? As everyone by now knows, Foles almost […]
January 15, 2018
Leadership cannot exist without truth
“Leadership that is not deeply rooted in a foundation of truth is leadership destined to fail.” – Mike Myatt of Innovation Excellence. As a leader, you are only as good […]
January 9, 2018
Small Biz Musings Top Blogs of 2017
My top blogs of 2017 were incredibly personal and a bit painful to write. I narrowed last year’s blogs down to the top 5. In each of these my passion […]
November 27, 2017
Being a female leader
Back in September the news out of D.C. was the reversal of the pay gap rule put in place by the Obama administration. After reading about it, I started thinking […]
August 21, 2017
Is gratitude extinct?
Is gratitude lost in todays society, never to be found again? Am I jaded in thinking that younger professionals want things handed to them without first working for it? It […]
August 10, 2017
Let’s negotiate
Negotiation is a part of every aspect of our life. In your personal life it could be trying to get your spouse to do a chore or run an errand. […]
July 31, 2017
Everyone wants to be a leader
Everyone wants to be a leader, until you are and then you most definitely don’t. There are a lot of misconceptions on leadership, like you will have minions to do […]
July 20, 2017
It’s cool to be a quitter
Quitters never prosper. Don’t be a quitter. We’ve all heard it before, but when is it time to throw in the towel? As a small business owner, when do you […]
July 17, 2017
Setting boundaries
When do you put the phone away for the night? When do you close your laptop? Boundaries is something a small business owner will never have. We don’t shut it […]
June 26, 2017
The crazy that is small business
It will be 10 years for 834 Design & Marketing this fall. Some of those years I would like to forget, there was a lot of failure, frustration and drinking […]
June 2, 2017
It sure is lonely
Being a business owner is incredibly lonely. I am reminded of this daily, when I have no one but myself to turn to when it comes to tough decisions. No […]
May 22, 2017
Being the leader your team deserves
If your team is struggling, that is on you. Don’t look to place the blame on someone else, it is your team. Leadership starts at the top. I was reminded […]
May 24, 2016
Moving sucks and other brilliant insights
This past week I moved an entire house, 4 dogs and a husband. I came to several realizations while packing, unpacking and drinking multiple bottles of wine. Life is short. […]
