The Self Made Life Podcast

What does ambition really look like when life gets full?

This week, I'm sitting down with Puja Malhotra—founder and creative director of Roop Creative Agency, for one of the most honest conversations I've had on the show. Puja is a brand strategist and website designer (yes, she does exactly what I do), and instead of keeping our cards close, we put everything on the table.

We're talking about redefining what success looks like after motherhood, building a business around your life instead of the other way around, and how Puja's Indo-Canadian identity has shaped the way she shows up as a creative and a leader.

And because Puja and I are in the same lane? We're also getting real about community over competition, why it matters, what it's looked like for us as two designers who could easily see each other as threats, and why we believe there's enough out there for everyone.

In this episode we talk about:

• Letting go of the version of ambition that no longer fits
• Why Puja doesn't believe in balance—and what she does instead
• How cultural identity can be your biggest business asset
• What happened when she stopped treating people in her industry as competition
• The one shift that brought more clarity than any strategy ever did
• Why community is the thing that changes everything for mom entrepreneurs

If you're a creative entrepreneur, photographer, wedding pro, or small business owner trying to build something real without burning out — this one's for you.

Puja Malhotra — Roop Creative Agency

Website: roopcreativeagency.com

Instagram (Business): @ROOPCreativeAgency

Instagram (Personal): @ThePujaMalhotra

Threads: @ThePujaMalhotra

Ashley Wyatt — Monarch Design Co.

Website: themonarchdesign.co

Instagram: @monarchdesignco

Showit Website Templates: themonarchdesign.co/showit-template-shop

Mentioned in This Episode

This Mother Means Business (community mentioned by Ashley + Puja): thismothermeansbusiness.com

Have you ever shown up everywhere online and still felt invisible?

In this episode of The Self-Made Life Podcast, I’m sharing Lesson 6 in my 7 Lessons in 7 Years of Business series — and this one changed everything for me.

For years, I thought more visibility was the answer.
More posts. More platforms. More consistency. More noise.

But what I discovered the hard way is this:
Visibility without alignment doesn’t build confidence. It builds pressure.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

• Why more content isn’t always the solution

• How misaligned messaging attracts the wrong inquiries

• The shift that helped me move from performing online to communicating clearly

• Why referrals and relationships are still powerful growth drivers

• A simple question to ask before you post this week

If your marketing feels heavy, exhausting, or disconnected from the business you actually want — this episode is for you.

Links & Resources

Work with me at Monarch Design Co.
https://themonarchdesign.co

Explore the Showit Website Template Shop
https://themonarchdesign.co/showit-template-shop

Connect with Ashley:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monarchdesign
Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

In this episode of The Self-Made Life Podcast, Ashley Wyatt (Monarch Design Co.) sits down with Laura Sinclair—strategic business mentor, podcast host, and founder of This Mother Means Business—to talk about what it actually looks like to build a profitable business alongside motherhood.

Laura shares her story of owning a brick-and-mortar gym, how the pandemic forced a major pivot, and why “success” had to be rebuilt around capacity, support, and self-trust. We also get into the invisible mental load so many moms carry, the guilt around childcare support, and why collaboration and relationships are about to matter even more going into 2026.

In this episode, we cover:

• The “boss or bust” reality of trying to be everywhere at once

• Why hiring support can be the turning point (and why it doesn’t make you a “bad mom”)

• Self-trust: how to filter business advice and make it work for your real life

• Capacity conversations at home (and why “I can’t” is a complete sentence)

• The mental load, partnership, and the “it has to be me” story

• Laura’s take on what will drive growth in 2026: relationships + collaboration

Links & resources

• Monarch Design Co.: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: @monarchdesignco

• Showit Template Shop: https://themonarchdesign.co/showit-template-shop

Connect with Laura Sinclair

• Website: https://thismothermeansbusiness.com

• Instagram: @itslaurasinclair

• Instagram: @thismothermeansbusiness

• Threads: @itslauracinclair

• Podcast: This Mother Means Business (search it in your podcast app)

• This Mother Means Business Live 2026: Get your tickets here (use code MONARCH40 to save)

If you loved this conversation, take a screenshot while you’re listening and tag @monarchdesignco + @itslauracinclair so we can say hi.

Freedom in business doesn’t come from working less — it comes from deciding once.

In Lesson 5 of my 7 Lessons in 7 Years series, I’m breaking down how systems completely changed the way I run my business — not because I was scaling, but because I was exhausted.

For a long time, every client was custom, every email was written from scratch, and every process lived in my head. The result? Constant decision fatigue, mental overload, and feeling busy without actually moving the needle forward.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why decision fatigue quietly kills momentum

• How structure can actually make you more creative

• The shift from reinventing the wheel to deciding once

• How VIP-style offers brought clarity to my time and delivery

• Using CRMs like HoneyBook and Dubsado to support your client experience

• Why SOPs, canned emails, and automation aren’t impersonal — they’re supportive

• How AI tools like Fyxer AI can reduce mental load and inbox overwhelm

• Building boundaries into your systems so they work even when you’re offline

If your business feels chaotic, it’s not because you’re doing it wrong—it’s because nothing is holding it together.

This episode is an invitation to stop carrying everything in your head and start building systems that support your real life, your energy, and your next season.

🎙 Tune in, then pick one thing this week to decide once — and let it work harder for you.

Episode Links

• Showit Template Shop: https://themonarchdesign.co/shop
• Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonarchdesignco

Bookkeeping for small business owners doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, embarrassing, or confusing.

In this episode of The Self Made Life Podcast, Ashley sits down with Anora Weste, financial consultant, mom of two, and founder of WMS Bookkeeping, to talk about how entrepreneurs can understand their business numbers, build real financial clarity, and stop avoiding their books.

Anora shares what small business owners should actually be looking at each month, the difference between profit and cash flow, and why financial confidence is built in stages — not overnight. This conversation is especially helpful if you’ve ever felt behind, unsure, or stressed when it comes to bookkeeping and money management.

You’ll learn:

• Why bookkeeping for small business owners often feels harder than it needs to be

• What numbers actually matter each month (and which ones don’t)

• The difference between profit and cash flow — explained simply

• Financial priorities at different stages of business growth

• How support (at home and in business) impacts your bottom line

• Where to start if you’ve been avoiding your books altogether

If you’re ready to stop guessing, stop stressing, and start feeling confident with your finances, this episode is for you.

Links & Resources

• Monarch Design Co.
• Shop Showit Website Templates

• WMS Bookkeeping

• Anora’s DIY Bookkeeping Spreadsheet

• Follow Anora on Instagram: @anorawest | @wmsbookkeeping

What happens when the business you built no longer fits the life you’re living?

In Lesson 4 of my 7 Lessons in 7 Years series, I’m sharing the moment I realized my business was competing with my life and why motherhood forced me to rethink what success actually looks like.

For a long time, my business looked successful on paper. I said yes to opportunities, filled my calendar, and proved I could handle more. But when life changed, everything shifted. My capacity looked different. My priorities changed. And the structure I’d built no longer supported my real days.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why pushing harder isn’t always the answer

• How motherhood reshaped my definition of success

• What it really means to build a supportive business

• Why ambition doesn’t disappear—it gets clearer

• How to restructure your work to fit your current season

If you’re feeling stretched thinner than expected, juggling work and life, or wondering why what used to work doesn’t anymore—nothing has gone wrong. You’re simply being invited to build differently.

This episode is a reminder that success isn’t about how much you can juggle—it’s about how supported you feel while doing the work.

Episode Links

• Showit Template Shop: https://themonarchdesign.co/shop
• Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonarchdesignco

Showing up confidently online doesn’t start with perfect photos — it starts with clarity, connection, and permission to be seen.

In this episode of The Self-Made Life Podcast, Ashley sits down with Susy Robson, a brand photographer and marketing strategist who helps entrepreneurs feel confident in front of the camera and connected to their audience.

With over 15 years in marketing, Susy shares why brand photography is about so much more than “pretty pictures” — and how intentional photos can support your website, content, visibility, and growth.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why confidence is built through action, not waiting
• Common mistakes business owners make with brand photos
• How to prep for a brand shoot without the stress
• The power of community over competition
• Why hiding behind your logo is costing you connection

If you’ve been nervous to show your face, book a shoot, or put yourself out there — this conversation will meet you right where you are.

✨ Resources & Links
Susy on Instagram: @susyrobsonphoto
Brand Photography Guide Linked here!

This episode is a candid 2025 business reflection—the kind that happens after a year that stretched you in ways you didn’t see coming.

I’m sharing what last year really looked like behind the scenes: navigating motherhood with two under two, rebuilding my business during postpartum, being the sole income provider for my family, and realizing that the structure that once worked no longer fit the life I’m living now.

As we step into 2026, I’m no longer chasing more. I’m choosing better.

In this solo episode, I talk about:

• What 2025 taught me about resilience, capacity, and sustainability

• Why being booked doesn’t always mean being profitable

• How support at home and in business changed everything

• The shift toward a micro agency model and stepping into a creative director role

• What’s staying, what’s changing, and how I’m building differently in 2026

If you’re in a transition season—where what used to work doesn’t fit anymore—this episode is for you.

Listen in, reflect alongside me, and take what you need as you head into your next chapter.

Episode Links

• Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonarchdesignco

Ever feel like you’re running a business, raising kids, and still somehow expected to keep up with social media?

In this episode of The Self-Made Life Podcast, Ashley sits down with Kat Tepylo Murphy, founder of Social Kat Media, to talk about what content creation actually looks like in real life — not the curated version we were sold years ago.

Kat is a mom of two and a social media strategist who helps small business owners sell more and scroll less. Together, we talk honestly about motherhood, postpartum mental health, self-funded mat leave, and how to create marketing boundaries that protect both your energy and your time.

Inside this conversation, we cover:

• Why screen time often skyrockets postpartum (and how to reset it)

• Simple screen-time boundaries that actually work — even if you work in social media

• Why likes and views don’t equal sales (and what matters instead)

• Easy content ideas that don’t require constant filming or editing

• How batching content can make social media feel lighter and more manageable

• What it looks like to build consistency without burnout

If social media feels heavy, overwhelming, or like another unpaid job, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

Connect with Kat Tepylo Murphy

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkatmedia

• Website: https://www.socialkatmedia.com

• Podcast: Social Goals

Explore Social with Kat Club

Learn more about Kat’s membership for small business owners who want support, strategy, and accountability without hiring a full social media manager.

Connect with Ashley & Monarch Design Co.

• Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonarchdesignco

Are you stuck between the girl boss hustle and the soft life era, wondering how you’re supposed to show up online while also raising tiny humans and running a real business?

In this episode, Ashley sits down with social media strategist and host of The Consistency Corner, Ruthie Sterrett, for part two of their conversation on content, consistency, and marketing in the messy middle of motherhood and entrepreneurship.

They talk about late school drop-offs, babies who need emergency baths before recordings, and the pressure to “should” all over your marketing… and then shift into a grounded plan for building a social media strategy that actually supports your business goals without burning you out.

You’ll hear about:

• Why social media alone is not a strategy (and what to focus on instead)

• How to define the job of your social platforms so you can ignore the noise

• Ruthie’s 5 C’s framework for consistent marketing in busy seasons

• Top, middle, and bottom of funnel content (and where Instagram fits)

• How to measure success beyond likes and viral moments

• What to outsource when you’re tired of doing it all yourself

This conversation is especially for founders who serve moms, creative entrepreneurs, and anyone tired of trying to keep up with every trend while juggling real life.

🎧 Start with part one over on The Consistency Corner, then pop back here for part two.

Find + Connect with Ruthie:
www.theconsistencycorner.com
https://www.instagram.com/theconsistencycorner/
https://www.instagram.com/ruthie.sterrett/
Networking for Founders serving moms in business

Our Website:

www.themonarchdesign.co

The Monarch Experience

VIP Days

Freebie - 50 Instagram Prompts & 12 Canva Templates

Instagram:

@monarchdesignco

@selfmadelifepodcast