Personal Archives - Elizabeth McCravy

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Thanks to our blog sponsor, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)!

CHM is a faith-based alternative to health insurance—at about half the cost. You can enroll at any time and join a proven, faith-based solution that’s both reliable and affordable.

My family has been CHM members for over 5 years, and their maternity care shared all expenses for all 3 of my children’s births—from c-section to home birth. They even shared costs for key parts of prep and postpartum care, like pelvic floor physical therapy and lactation consulting.

Beyond birth, CHM has helped us through ER visits, surgeries, and procedures. Those bills were shared by other CHM members, leaving us responsible only for our monthly contribution.

I can’t recommend Christian Healthcare Ministries enough! It’s more than financial help—it’s also spiritual support when you need it most.

Learn more here! And if you’d like to hear our full story, check out episode 305 of The Breakthrough Brand Podcast, where Adam and I dive into our experience with CHM.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

The post My Birth Story Q&A: 15 Honest Answers To Your Home Birth and VBAC Questions appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Sofia’s Birth Story: Our Dream Faith-Filled Home Birth After C-Section (HBAC Birth Story)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 4 minutes

In this episode, I’m sharing the story of Sofia’s birth (our first baby girl and my first home birth after two very different experiences with my boys). If you listened to last week’s episode, you heard about the months of prayer, mindset work, and preparation that led up to this day. In this episode, I take you right into those final days of waiting, the emotional rollercoaster of thinking “is this it?” a dozen times, and the incredible ways God answered every single prayer on my list.

I talk about the tension between faith and fear in those last few weeks: walking through sickness in our home, trusting that labor would begin at the right time, and trying to rest when all I wanted to do was make this first home birth happen. I share how my midwife’s gentle wisdom (and her very specific midwife’s orders ) helped calm my heart the night before everything finally began.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 319!

This episode is part of a four-part birth series, listen to them all here:

Episode 318: All about my pregnancy (the behind-the-scenes of my decision to have a home birth and prepare for a VBAC)
Episode 319: Sofia’s home birth story
Episode 320: A Q&A where I answered 15 questions about all things birth
Episode 321: My 13 best tips for thriving during postpartum season

In this episode, I take you through Sofia’s birth hour by hour, from the first contractions in the middle of the night to realizing how quickly things were progressing. You’ll hear how peaceful the early labor felt, how supported I was by my amazing birth team, and the moment I knew it was time to meet our baby girl. This story is full of answered prayers, full circle moments, and the quiet presence of God guiding every part of it.

Thank you for holding space and caring enough to listen to this story! Instead of blogging all the details, I'd encourage you to listen to the audio versions of episode 319 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast!

Tune in to episode 319 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast to hear me share Sofia's birth story!

In this episode, I share the story of Sofia Kate’s home birth from the very first signs of pre-labor to the full-circle moments that made this experience so special. You’ll hear how I decided to pursue an HBAC (home birth after cesarean), the spiritual preparation that grounded me, and the parallels I found between preparing for birth and starting my business years ago. See below for a detailed list on topics covered.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

[01:20]: Why I love sharing (and listening) to birth stories (here are Colin’s birth story and Ethan’s birth story)

[04:58]: Deciding to try with an HBAC (home birth after cesarean) and how I prepared spiritually (you can also find a list of home birth supplies here)

[10:40]: Signs of pre-labour starting (and why it felt like the worst timing)

[14:31]: Feeling both hopeful and nervous for labor to start

[17:00]: How preparing for a home birth reminded me of starting my business 10 years

[21:22]: The last two days before Sofia was born

[29:59]: When labor started

[38:28]: My advice for mothers planning their birth plan with other kids at home

[39:59]: Feeling like I had delayed my birth team and then having birth be so fast and different this time (with some parallels from my past births)

[51:13]: Setting up my birth space

[54:56]: A shout out to my amazing husband Adam

[56:25]: Affirmations during my first home birth

[59:00]: Sofia Kate McCravy was born and my prayers were so answered

[01:04:55]: After the birth (with the boys napping, after birth food, and Sofia’s weigh-in)

[01:10:39]: What I believe about birth (and conversations I wish more women had/were told)

[01:17:13]: Full circle moments this pregnancy and first home birth

[01:20:26]: My prayer list for my first home birth

Links Mentioned:

Read my home birth resource guide (with links)

Episodes mentioned:

Not sure which template is right for you? Take the quiz!

Thanks to our blog sponsor, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)!

CHM is a faith-based alternative to health insurance—at about half the cost. You can enroll at any time and join a proven, faith-based solution that’s both reliable and affordable.

Beyond birth, CHM has helped us through ER visits, surgeries, and procedures. Those bills were shared by other CHM members, leaving us responsible only for our monthly contribution.

I can’t recommend Christian Healthcare Ministries enough! It’s more than financial help—it’s also spiritual support when you need it most.

Learn more here! And if you’d like to hear our full story, check out episode 305 of The Breakthrough Brand Podcast, where Adam and I dive into our experience with CHM.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

The post Sofia’s Birth Story: Our Dream Faith-Filled Home Birth After C-Section (HBAC Birth Story) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

From C-Section to Home Birth: BTS of My Pregnancy, Choosing to Try For a VBAC, Finding an HBAC Supportive Provider, and the Journey to Home Birth

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 4 minutes

In this episode, I’m opening up about the journey that led me from having a C-section with my second baby to experiencing a home birth with my third. First, you’ll hear me share about the surprise of finding out I was pregnant again just seven months postpartum and the swirl of emotions that came with that news. Because of the short gap between pregnancies and my prior C-section, I found myself in the complicated space of navigating VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) versus scheduling another C-section. There were a lot of ups and downs as I navigated going from a c-section to a home birth (and there’s definitely a business lesson or two in this episode).

I also walk through the conflicting advice I received from providers with some encouraging me that I was a strong VBAC candidate, others trying to scare me out of even considering it. That contrast really forced me into deep research, lots of journaling, and long conversations with friends, podcasts, and faith reflections. If you take nothing else from this episode, I hope you can hear how much I believe in YOUR right to be an active participant in the birthing plan you choose to pursue.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 318!

This episode is part of a four-part birth series, listen to them all here:

Episode 318: All about my pregnancy (the behind-the-scenes of my decision to have a home birth and prepare for a VBAC)
Episode 319: Sofia's home birth story
Episode 320: A Q&A where I answered 15 questions about all things birth
Episode 321: My 13 best tips for thriving during postpartum season

In this episode, you'll hear me talk about the early pull I felt toward home birth, even though it seemed so out of reach at first. Many midwives flat-out rejected me because of my prior C-section and the 16-month age gap between my babies. For a time, I thought home birth was impossible, and I grieved that. But as I kept seeking, praying, and pushing forward, clarity began to form that I not only wanted a VBAC but specifically a home birth after cesarean.

I also share the very real fear I had of whether my body could handle it, and how I wrestled with thoughts of “who am I to think I could do this?” At the same time, I began to see how faith, persistence, and taking massive action worked together—I contacted 17 different midwives before finally finding the right one, someone who believed in me and also had the caution and wisdom I wanted in a provider

Throughout the episode, you’ll also hear me make it clear that my story isn’t about prescribing one “right” path for birth. I make it clear that I believe all birth is beautiful (whether by C-section, hospital VBAC, or home birth), and that the real key is being informed and supported in your choices. And ultimately, I share why I chose to pursue a home birth after cesarean, how I prepared mentally and physically, and the role faith played in carrying me through what became my dream birth story.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

Timestamps & Topics Discussed:

In this episode, I share how I moved from processing my C-section and learning about VBACs to finding a supportive midwife. Then I walk through the preparation side: the differences in prenatal care, the faith and mindset work, and how I found peace heading into a home birth after C-section. See below for a detailed list on topics covered.

[02:58]: Finding out I was pregnant with baby Sofia just 7 months after a C-section (and learning more about C-section recovery and VBAC options which I hadn’t been aware of prior to having one).

[07:10]: Feeling the desire of a home birth and quickly getting discouraged after reaching out to a few providers that it might be harder to try for than I initially realized (and prematurely grieving over the idea this would be my last baby and I was never going to have a home birth).

[09:11]: A bad experience with a nurse practitioner that spawned my research into VBACs, HBACs, and repeat c-sections (and the risks of both) and feeling undecided what the right birthing plan would be.

[13:11]: Core beliefs I have around birth (after having three very different birth experiences)

[16:38]: Some of the resources that helped my research whether or not a c-section, VBAC, or HBAC (which you can find here) and discussing with my doctor whether I personally would be a good (or bad) candidate for different options.

[23:40]: Getting clarity on the birthing plan I wanted (which was a VBAC at home) and also how clarity looked different than I expected.

[27:06]: Why I wanted to pursue a VBAC at home (HBAC) - 6 Reasons

[34:03]: Finding and assembling my birth team (there’s a business lesson in here). While it wasn’t without challenges, it was absolutely worth the effort assembling the best team possible. If you’re looking for a Nashville birth team, you can find who I worked with here.

[46:02]: What prenatal care looked like (and why I think this was my healthiest pregnancy yet)

[52:42]: Why I always recommend hiring a Doula regardless of your birthing plan

[55:00]: Preparing my body for birth (this does not get talked about enough!)

[01:09:03]: Nesting for a home birth (you can see some of the home birth supplies here)

Links Mentioned:

Read my home birth resource guide (with links)

Episodes mentioned:

Not sure which template is right for you? Take the quiz!

Thanks to our blog sponsor, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)!

CHM is a faith-based alternative to health insurance—at about half the cost. You can enroll at any time and join a proven, faith-based solution that’s both reliable and affordable.

Beyond birth, CHM has helped us through ER visits, surgeries, and procedures. Those bills were shared by other CHM members, leaving us responsible only for our monthly contribution.

I can’t recommend Christian Healthcare Ministries enough! It’s more than financial help—it’s also spiritual support when you need it most.

Learn more here! And if you’d like to hear our full story, check out episode 305 of The Breakthrough Brand Podcast, where Adam and I dive into our experience with CHM.

For a complete list of home birth supplies, links to my birthing team, and more birthing resources I found helpful (and mentioned in this episode), click here.

The post From C-Section to Home Birth: BTS of My Pregnancy, Choosing to Try For a VBAC, Finding an HBAC Supportive Provider, and the Journey to Home Birth appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Home Birth Resource Guide (Supplements, Birth Space Set Up, Birth Prep, VBAC/HBAC, and More!)

Elizabeth McCravy — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 14:43:24 +0000

Reading Time: 5 minutes

I just had a home birth VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) with my 3rd baby, also called an HBAC (home birth after cesarean), and I had my precious baby girl in a birth pool! I am so grateful for how wonderful the experience was. I truly felt God's presence and my prayers were answered. In this blog post, I'm linking resources that helped me prepare for an HBAC and home birth in general, supplements I took, what I used for pain management in an unmedicated labor, and things I used in my birth space like fairy lights. I'm also sharing my birth team, so if you're local to the Nashville, TN area and looking for a midwife, chiropractic care, doula, a birth photographer, etc. I'm sharing my team here.

Supplements I Took to Prepare for My HBAC:

Obviously, consult your midwife/doctor before taking anything new during pregnancy! I'm just sharing what worked for me.

Happy Birth-Day Homeopathic Tincture
Dr. Christopher’s Birth Prep
Iron Repair Supplement by Three Arrows
Jarrow Formulas Fem-Dophilus - Probiotic Supplement that helped me not be GBS+
Evening Primrose + Red Raspberry Leaf Tea Supplement
Earth Mama Third Trimester Tea

My birth team - for home birth and birth prep:

If you're local to the greater Nashville area, these are people worth reaching out to! I truly believe a supportive birth team who believes in you and who you TRUST is such a vital part of a great home birth experience. I found my amazing midwife, Aubrey, when I was over halfway through my pregnancy and had decided to try for an HBAC (more on that here) and I received the BEST prenatal care — better than either of my hospital births. I believe that my time working with Dr. Ashley at Plus One Pelvic Health was HUGE for helping me have a faster labor and not tearing during the pushing phase. She also was just the SWEETEST encourager each week as my pregnancy progressed. You can hear the whole story of how I prepared for an HBAC and how my birth team played into this on episode 318 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast.

Aubrey McMillan of Oak and Clove Midwifery - My amazing midwife
Viergeni White- My amazing doula
Plus One Pelvic Health (I see Dr. Ashley Carley)
Tennessee Alternative Medicine (I see Dr. Molly Stevens)
Elizabeth Nord Photography - Our birth photographer
Blessed Beginnings Lactation Consulting - My IBCLC team for breastfeeding help

Home Birth Room Set Up:

Battery-Operated Fairy Lights - I put 2 sets of these in my birth tub between the tub and the liner! (I have “warm white”)
Twinkle Lights for hanging affirmations/photos onthe wall (I have “warm white”)
Black Maternity Swimsuit for water birth - I loved this swimsuit during pregnancy, and then wore the top for my water birth. The buttons are functional too, which was great!
Pretty flower claw clips for birth
Portable Bluetooth Speaker - This is great for playing music or your hypnobirthing tracks during labor.
Essential Oils Diffuser - I had this white diffuser on our bedroom shelf during labor! I used Heart Harmony, Peppermint Oil, and Clary Sage. Heart Harmony is my favorite essential oil blend.
I did have a water birth! My birth pool was from Birth Pool in a Box, and it was provided by my midwife.

I bought my midwife's birth kit as well plus her birth list of things to purchase. I had everything organized on a shelf in our bedroom for easy access! I loved having it set up on a shelf versus bins in the bedroom. I also had a hospital bag packed with a printed list of what else needed to go in the hospital bag in case of a transfer.

Podcasts and YouTube Channels I Enjoyed for Birth Prep:

Happy Homebirth Podcast
VBAC Link
Peaceful Homebirth Podcast
Pregnancy and Postpartum TV on YouTube
MamastFit Podcast
Pregnancy and Birth Made Easy Podcast
MamasteFit YouTube
Some specific videos/episodes that were helpful for me:
- 8-Minute Pelvic Floor Release
- 9-Minute Hip Mobility for Birth Prep
- VBAC Versus Repeat C-Section Podcast Episode - This episode was such a helpful starting point for me to get knowledgeable about risks/benefits of both options.

Additionally, if you're having a home birth, I cannot recommend enough just getting on YouTube and WATCHING clips of babies being born at home. Listening to birth stories on podcasts is really helpful, but visually SEEING how home birth is different from hospital birth will help you know what to expect!

Pain Management Tools in an Unmedicated Birth:

Wooden Birth Combs - This set of 3 combs was my #1 tool for pain management in my homebirth. I would squeeze the comb during contractions, and basically had one in my hand at all times. This is not the same as a regular hair comb. It is wooden, sharper, and meant for birth.
TENS machine - I actually did not use this during my home birth, but did use it with my first baby. I had it on hand for my home birth!
Hypnobirthing Tracks by Built to Birth - I love these from Built to Birth. I purchased the set and added them to my Spotify account, but you can also listen to them free on Youtube.
Warmies Neck Wrap - I used this during birth like a portable heating pad. You microwave it, and then it stays warm for a while! I actually put it in the back of my shorts (lol) and it stayed put!
A bonus pain management "tool" - having a birth doula! Truly that support person IS such a resource for strength and comfort during the pain of labor. I love my doula, Viergeni White, if you're local to greater Nashville area.
Additionally, having a spouse who knows how to do hip squeezes, knows what you need, and knows how to comfort YOU specifically during labor is huge! My husband has been an amazing support in all 3 of my births. I've tried to help him be supportive ahead of time by telling him specific ways he can encourage me during labor. He also knew where everything was on the birth shelf, he prepped our sheets for birth once labor started, and he set up the birth tub and hose! He was busy in early labor getting things set up which was so helpful!

Random Home Birth Prep Things:

This book, “Mommy’s Having a Homebirth”, was really helpful to help my boys understand home birth. This would be GREAT if you plan to have young kids in your birth space, but is also a great book even if your kids won’t be at the birth, but will just be at birth appointments.
For snacking during labor, I recommend the foods you like when you're sick or thirsty. That's how I think about it! I specifically love having honey sticks (a great easy source of energy), electrolyte popsicles, granola bars, and Body Armour drinks.

More Birth/Pregnancy Resources:

I have so many pregnancy and birth related content on my blog and podcast — from birth stories to advice for moms in postpartum!

You can see all birth/pregnancy posts here!

And, check out the Breakthrough Brand Podcast to download episodes. Click here for Breakthrough Brand on Apple Podcasts and click here for Breakthrough Brand on Spotify.

Here are some specific blogs and podcast episodes where I share more pregnancy, birth and postpartum things:

Sofia's birth story - coming soon!
Ethan's c-section birth story
Colin's hospital birth story
How I planned and executed a 3 month maternity leave with my 2nd baby
Freezer meals to prep for postpartum
BTS of my maternity leave and c-section recovery
Maternity studio photoshoot at 34 weeks

All photo are by my AMAZING birth photographer, Elizabeth Nord Photography!

The post Home Birth Resource Guide (Supplements, Birth Space Set Up, Birth Prep, VBAC/HBAC, and More!) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

What God’s Word Says About Business, Work, and Everyday Faith (2 Scriptures to Pray Over)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 9 minutes

I believe in praying over our businesses and bringing both our struggles and successes to God, just like we do with other areas of our lives. Every time I’ve done scripture-based prayer episodes, you all have responded so positively. That’s encouraged me to create more of them and today, I want to specifically share what God's word says about business, work, and everyday faith.

Today, I’m sharing two Bible verses that I believe are important to bring before God, whether it’s about your business or other parts of your life. As you listen, I’m trusting that God will show you exactly where these verses apply to you.

If you don’t consider yourself a Christian but you’re curious about faith, and you already enjoy this podcast, I encourage you to listen to this episode. It’s not just for Christian business owners. God’s Word is for you too.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 312!

What God's word says about business

Every time I’ve done one of these episodes, the scriptures I end up sharing always vary quite a bit—in their message, their tone, and in what I believe God is trying to communicate through them. And that’s definitely true for today’s episode as well.

Leading up to recording these, I usually spend time asking God what He wants me to share with you. Often, as I’m praying or going about my day, I’ll come across a verse that just feels right—like it was meant for this moment. That’s exactly what happened this time when I looked at what God's word says about business.

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:11

When I first heard this scripture, it was actually in an audiobook I was listening to. I’ll be honest, I had a moment where I thought, Wait—this is in the Bible? It felt brand new to me, like I had never heard it before.

Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t remember hearing this verse before, and it hit me in a powerful way. But yes, it is in the Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:11. I want to acknowledge that I’m taking it a bit out of its full context as I share it with you today. Paul originally wrote this letter to the Thessalonian church to encourage them in godliness. The overall theme of the book is about clinging to God and growing in holiness throughout your life.

Now, even though this verse was written to that particular church, I think it feels surprisingly relevant today (especially in contrast to what our culture promotes). It’s basically the opposite of what we’re taught, not only by the world at large but also in the online business space and personal brand culture.

The verse says to make it your goal to live a quiet life. But think about that… quiet? That’s not what we’re told to pursue. We're encouraged to share everything, to grow a massive following, to be known, to be the best, to constantly strive, and to be seen on the stage, at the top, as “the one.”

Then it continues: minding your own business. Again, not exactly the message we usually hear. We're often pulled into gossip, comparison, and criticism (even without knowing the full context of someone else’s life).

You see a social media post, a successful launch, a great reel, and suddenly you’re thinking, “Wow, that was so clever. Why didn’t I think of that?” And just like that, you’re caught in the comparison trap, pulled out of your lane because you're not minding your own business.

In so many ways, social media culture encourages the opposite. We’re constantly looking at other people’s businesses (and their lives), and measuring ourselves against them.

That’s why this verse felt so compelling to me. Mind your own business. Pay attention to the work right in front of you instead of watching what everyone else is doing. It’s simple, biblical advice but also incredibly solid business advice.

I often tell people: if you need to unsubscribe from a competitor’s email list, do it. If you need to unfollow someone on social media, do that too. Mind your own business. Focus on what God has placed in front of you.

Then we come to the last part: working with your hands.

I spent some time reading commentaries to understand what this meant in its original context. Paul was encouraging believers to do honest work and provide for themselves. Don’t be lazy or idle, and don’t rely on others for support unnecessarily.

He was calling them to value hard, honest work. And that’s something we can absolutely apply as business owners. We’re called to avoid laziness and idleness, and to take pride in the effort it takes to build something meaningful.

Paul was urging the church not to fall into the world’s standards of work, but to exceed them as Christians. To work honestly, work smartly, and provide well for their families.

And I think it’s important to recognize that not all valuable work is paid work (especially as we apply this message in 2025).

In fact, for many of us, a lot of the “working with your hands” that we do each day (the kind that doesn’t involve a computer) is unpaid work. And I think this scripture applies to that kind of work, too.

Things like loading and unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, changing diapers, cooking dinner, cleaning up your kids’ eating area for the fifth time in a day. Comforting a crying child. Getting on your hands and knees to wipe up the milk your toddler spilled before someone slips on it.

It’s setting up a craft or activity for your kids. Preparing the coffee pot the night before. Making sure the diaper bag is fully stocked or your car is packed and ready for a family outing. Maybe this summer, you’re the one responsible for packing everyone’s things for a trip and making it feel special. These are just a few examples from my own life. I’m sure you can relate.

This kind of hands-on, often repetitive, unpaid work is still glorifying to God. It may feel small, but it is deeply meaningful. It’s kingdom work too.

Now, I want to take a brief detour from business talk and share a quote with you from Well-Watered Women. Some of you might be familiar with this ministry and shop. Years ago, early in my business journey, before I had kids, I was their marketing manager. I even got to design their website, and it was such a meaningful season of work for me.

They’ve written a lot about where the gospel meets everyday life, especially in the mundane. One phrase they use is “missional laundry,” which I love. I’ll link to the full blog post in the show notes, but I want to read you an excerpt that really captures what I’m talking about.

It speaks to how these repetitive, everyday tasks are actually a key part of our sanctification and walk with Christ. This brings us right back to that idea in Scripture of working with your hands and honoring the work God puts right in front of us—even when it feels less important than our business work.

Here’s the quote:

“If we were to add up the tasks that make up the days of our lives, most of them would be mundane, repeated, unexciting everyday tasks. We often live for the brief moments of being out of our humdrum routines, but it is in those day-to-day tasks that God brings to completion the work of sanctification in our hearts. Daily chores, such as laundry, cooking, scrubbing toilets, and taking out the trash, become an avenue for knowing Christ more fully if we allow God’s scrubbing brush to have its way in our souls rather than resisting His cleansing.”

When you fold your clothes, think about who will wear them. Will your husband wear this button-up to work the next day? Pray for him as you spray starch on that shirt and press the steaming iron on the creases. Pray that he would be a light in the darkness as he provides for your family. Will your child wear those shorts with the stain on them you are scrubbing to get clean? Pray for her heart to be soft and moldable to the Gospel as you discipline her in the ways of the Lord. Who made these clothes? Who spun the thread that made the fabric that holds each piece together? Who sewed the buttons and added the label? Pray for those hands. Pray that if they don’t yet know Jesus, they soon will.

There are a million ways to shift our perspectives and love God with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength as we go about our daily tasks.”

You can read the full article here.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I want to read this verse to you in a different translation. The Message version, which tends to be more conversational, puts it this way:

"Be cheerful no matter what. Pray all the time. Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live."

I really love how that translation gives it a bit more clarity with what God's word says about business. You’ve probably heard this verse before—it’s a popular one, and there are even songs based on it. But sometimes we just skim over it and think, “Yeah, that’s a nice idea. Rejoice, pray, give thanks.” It can even feel like a “Thanksgiving verse.” But we don’t always pause to pay close attention to what it's really asking of us.

Funny enough, I originally planned to share a different verse here, but I felt like God was leading me to this one instead. And honestly, I hear this verse almost daily because, in our house, we’re big fans of Jingle Jacqui. If you’ve never heard of her, she’s a kids’ YouTube channel that combines music and theology, and her songs are also on Spotify. Both of my boys, especially Colin, absolutely love her music. He knows all the words to just about every song.

We listen to her in the car all the time, and just last night, Colin and I were talking about this very verse as we listened to one of her songs. It’s such a great way to memorize scripture, and he was asking me questions about it.

So back to how this applies to our business — business is SO UP AND DOWN, RIGHT? You have a good day, a good month, a horrible day with a nightmare situation, and a month in the negative, a week where you want to throw in the towel, a day where you are stuck in crazy comparison mode to the other business owners you follow or know. Sometimes life outside of work adds even more weight whether it's parenting, caring for a loved one, or managing any number of other responsibilities.

So here’s the question: How can you apply this scripture—being joyful, prayerful, and thankful—to both the highs and the lows? As a business owner, but also as a wife, mom, friend, boss, daughter, and in every other role you fill?

How can you live it out on the days when you’ve been up all night with a crying baby and you're facing a day full of meltdowns and exhaustion? Or on the days when business feels especially hard and discouraging? And what about on the days when things are going really well, like after a successful launch? Can you still give glory to God instead of thinking, “This was all me”?

Rejoice in every circumstance. Be grateful. Look for where God is blessing you, even when things feel difficult. And when things are going great, recognize that blessing too and turn your thanks toward Him.

In that same Jingle Jacqui song, there's a line I absolutely love. She sings the scripture, and then she adds:

"God’s Word tells us to be thankful, for God is good. No matter what may come our way, He works all things for good, even when we don’t think He could."

That line has stuck with me ever since we started listening to it. Especially when thinking about what God's word says about business. It’s a powerful reminder. God is good, no matter what may come our way. He works all things for good, even when we don’t believe He could. Let that truth sink in.

Then we come to the part of the verse that says, “pray without ceasing.” What does that mean? It simply means to pray all the time. Be in a continuous conversation with God, much like how you might stay in touch with your spouse or best friend through a long-running text thread. You don’t need to start over every time. You just pick up where you left off, knowing that God is always listening.

Another line Jingle Jacqui sings in the song is, “God’s everywhere we go, just like the air we breathe. We can talk with Him anytime, pray with Him continuously.” And again, she repeats, “He works all things for good, even when we don’t think He could.”

Then the verse goes on to say that this is God’s will for you. This is His plan for people who follow Him. And the way I think about that, as a designer, is that this is God’s design for us as humans. This is literally how He created us to live: to pray continually, to give thanks in all circumstances, and to choose joy even when things don’t go according to our own plans or hopes.

The Message translation puts it like this: “This is the way God wants you to live.” That gives us the why behind the command.

I believe that living this way brings us closer to God. When we’re mindful of these things, choosing to rejoice always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in every circumstance, it helps us experience deeper joy, no matter what’s happening around us.

One of my favorite phrases, which you’ve probably heard me say on this podcast before, is this: God always provides, and He never wastes anything.

You might remember me saying this in other episodes where I talk about faith, but it’s something I really believe can anchor us in both life and business. Whatever you’re facing, whether it’s a headache, a hard season, or even something wonderful, God doesn’t waste it. He uses it.

And maybe He’s using it in a way you can’t see right now. Maybe your human eyes just aren’t able to see what He’s doing behind the scenes. Or maybe the purpose of what you're going through won’t be revealed for years, even generations.

Believing this truth and living it out on hard days or during long seasons can make all the difference.

Both of the verses we’ve talked about today regarding what God's word says about business are from Thessalonians, and I’ll link to them in the show notes so you can read and reflect on them yourself.

Links Mentioned:

Scripture mentioned: 1 Thessalonians 4:11 & 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Read the Well-Watered Blog

Listen to Jingle Jacqui

Become a Booked Out Designer

The post What God’s Word Says About Business, Work, and Everyday Faith (2 Scriptures to Pray Over) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Pregnancy, Projects & Podcasting: Life Update After a 3-Month Break (+ Giving Your Brain Space to Slow Down & Have a Quiet Quarter)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 2 minutes

After taking my first-ever extended podcast break in over six years (!!!), I’m back behind the mic with a big life and business update for you. If you've ever thought about taking a break and giving your brain space to slow down, this episode is for you. I’m sharing what these past three months off have looked like—from behind-the-scenes shifts in my business to some really personal updates as we get ready to welcome baby #3.

I open up about what led me to step away for a bit, what I learned from listening to that nudge, and how God’s timing showed up in powerful, practical ways during this season. You’ll hear about how I’ve been prepping for maternity leave, making some big birth-related decisions, organizing every corner of our home (nesting!), and even getting ready to launch new Showit templates—all while parenting two young kids and navigating a third pregnancy.

Plus, I’m recapping our spring adventures like buying a new van, celebrating baby girl with a sprinkle, and taking a family beach trip. I also share what’s coming next for the podcast as we move into a new season (including what to expect while I’m on leave).

Whether you're here for business insights, real-life motherhood, or a little bit of both, this is a fun, full-circle episode to catch you up and (hopefully!) encourage you in your own season of growth and change.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 308!

Tune in to episode 308 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast to catch up with me after the podcast break.

Some highlights from this episode:

Why I took my first real podcast break in 6 years
How the break impacted my creativity, clarity, and mindset
What I’ve been up to behind the scenes in my business
How taking a pause affected my business revenue
The spiritual side: trusting God’s timing and nudges in business decisions
Preparing for baby #3 and navigating a VBAC decision
What it’s been like being pregnant while parenting two little boys
Why I’ve chosen to be more private about this pregnancy (and what I’ll still share)
Moving offices, organizing our home, and lots of nesting
Selling a car and buying a new van
Celebrating baby girl with a sweet, small sprinkle
Taking our family beach trip while 30 weeks pregnant
How I created margin to work on brand-new Showit templates
What I’ve learned from parenting, working, and preparing for maternity leave
What’s coming next on the podcast + how to stay in the loop during my leave

Links Mentioned:

Hear Why I Chose To Take a Podcast Break (Episode 307)

How to Start a Podcast in 2025 (Episode 302)

Tune Into Colin's Birth Story (Episode 148)

Tune Into Ethan's Birth Story (Episode 265)

The post Pregnancy, Projects & Podcasting: Life Update After a 3-Month Break (+ Giving Your Brain Space to Slow Down & Have a Quiet Quarter) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

A Candid Conversation About Making a Shift to The Breakthrough Brand Podcast (+ a REAL Look at How I Make Big Business Decisions & a Q&A)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 03:48:06 +0000

Reading Time: 27 minutes

This episode is all about a big shift coming to the Breakthrough Brand podcast—one that I’m making very mindfully and am really excited about. I can’t wait to share it with you and give you tips when you’re making your own business decisions.

This is a behind-the-scenes look at how I’m running my business this year, and I think you’ll find some key takeaways for your own business as well. If you’ve ever wondered how others grow and maintain their businesses while balancing other responsibilities, this episode is for you.

I’ll be sharing more details about the podcast changes, and then we’ll dive into a Q&A format where I’ll answer any questions you might have about this shift. So, let’s get to it!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 307!

Okay guys, this feels really big to say, but here’s the announcement—and please don’t turn this off after I say it because I have so much more to share. For the remainder of 2025, I’m shifting the Breakthrough Brand podcast to a seasonal format instead of releasing episodes every single week (at least for now).

That means this episode will be the last one for a while. I’m taking a three-month break to start, and I’ll explain more about what these breaks will look like. After three months, I’ll be back with new episodes, then I’ll take another break, come back again, and so on. I have a full schedule planned, and I want to be really clear about why I’m making this change.

Is this a profit-driven decision? A gut decision? What will I be doing while I’m not podcasting? I’ll get into all of that.

But first, I want to make something very clear.

I know we all multitask while listening to podcasts. I do too! But I want you to really hear this: I am not closing my business. Not even a little bit. Don’t take this podcast pause as a sign that I’m stepping away from my business or taking a break from it. That’s not happening.

I’m still fully running my business as usual—just without creating new podcast content for a few months. Right now, I’m working on new template designs, I just scheduled the spring coaching calls for Booked Out Designer, and Podcast Success Blueprint is still going strong. My courses and templates are still available, and I’m staying plugged into my business—maybe even more so in certain areas as I focus on new projects.

So, to be crystal clear: This is not a business closure announcement. It’s also not a farewell to the podcast. I love this podcast, and it’s not going anywhere. I’m just taking a break from releasing new episodes.

Now, I fully support anyone who decides to close their business or end their podcast. I always admire business owners who make those bold moves, and I think it’s incredible when people make intentional decisions like that. But that’s not what this is for me.

I’m simply taking structured breaks from new podcast episodes. The podcast will return after my break, then I’ll take another pause, and then I’ll be back again. I have a full schedule planned, and I’ll walk you through what that looks like.

Why am I switching to a seasonal podcast?

So, let’s talk about why. Now that we're all on the same page—this is a break, not a stop—I want to dive into why I’m taking a break from weekly podcast episodes.

I’ll answer more questions as we go, but first, here’s a high-level explanation:
On March 5th, 2025, I’ll be celebrating six years of this podcast—which, ironically, is also my son Ethan’s birthday! I didn’t even realize my podcast anniversary and his birthdate lined up until later. So, while he’s turning one, this show is turning six.

I launched my very first episode on March 5th, 2019, after months of prep work that started back in winter 2018. So technically, I’ve been working on this podcast for over six years now. And six years is a long time to do anything in business!

Through all of the changes happening in the podcast space over the last six years, I’ve kept up with podcasting because I love it. I truly enjoy it, and I see real results from it. You’ve probably heard me say before that podcasting is one of my favorite things I do in my business—if not the favorite thing. That’s why I’ve stuck with it for so long.

Out of curiosity, I looked back at how many weeks have passed since my first episode aired on March 5th, 2019. The answer? 312 weeks. That’s 312 weeks of podcasting and content creation, which is how I’ve reached 307 episodes. That means I’ve only missed five episodes in six years!

Now, you might be thinking, “Wait, Elizabeth, I feel like you’ve taken more breaks than that.” And you’re right—I’ve had weeks without new episodes, but because there were times when I aired two or even three episodes in a single week (like for a part one and part two situation), the numbers evened out. I’ve also done recasts of previous episodes.

But for the most part, my only real breaks have been around the holidays. Every year, I take off the week of Christmas, sometimes the week before or after as well. And that’s been pretty much it—312 weeks of consistent content with barely any gaps.

The biggest break I’ve ever taken from the show was in 2021 when my first son, Colin, was born. Even then, I prepped a ton of content ahead of time, so episodes kept airing throughout my maternity leave. After that, I switched to an every-other-week schedule for about two months just to ease back into work.

And that’s the thing—you can adjust your podcast schedule however you need to. You can make it fit your life. That two-month shift helped me transition back into work because, honestly, returning to work after having my first baby was really challenging. At the time, we didn’t have paid childcare yet, and I had a lot going on in my business. So cutting back to every other week was a small change that made a big difference.

After my second son, Ethan, was born, I didn’t take any break at all. I had episodes lined up through maternity leave and just kept going. Maybe I skipped a week, but I honestly don’t even think I did.

So now, taking a full three-month break with no new episodes? This is the longest break I’ve ever taken from the podcast in six years. And that feels so crazy to say out loud!

Taking a 3-month break on the podcast

If you’re listening and feeling a little disappointed that there won’t be a new episode every week, first of all—thank you. That means a lot to me. I know it might sound silly, but I truly appreciate that you care enough to feel that way. And I hope you’ll go back and listen to some older episodes in the meantime.

This decision feels both exciting and bittersweet. I am excited to take a break, but it’s okay if you feel a little sad about it too. This was a big and difficult decision for me—even though it’s only three months. I know I might sound more dramatic than I mean to, but honestly, this shift feels huge in my business. And it’s more than just a three-month break—this is a new pattern I’m setting, where I’ll take intentional breaks between seasons.

Podcasting is still one of my favorite things I do in my business.

I know some of you might have questions, and I’ll be answering those in the Q&A section coming up. But first, let’s talk a little more about why I’m making this change.

People often ask me, “How do you come up with so many episodes? How do you keep showing up every single week, especially with a mostly solo podcast?” And I get it—interview-style shows are a ton of work, but at least the host isn’t always the one generating the ideas. For me, since I primarily do solo episodes, I’m responsible for coming up with fresh content every single week.

But here’s the thing—I do it easily because I truly love this work. When I reflect on myself as a business owner, content creation is something that has always come naturally to me. Teaching, too. I love breaking things down in a practical way that helps people learn. Maybe it’s in my blood—my mom was a teacher, my dad was an entrepreneur—so it feels like a blend of both worlds.

And I’ve said it many times before, but this podcast is probably my favorite thing I do in my business. Sitting in my office, talking to you like this—it’s a gift. It’s something I genuinely look forward to every week.

But even with things we love, we still need breaks. Even when something is working, even when it’s successful, stepping away can be a good thing. And I’ll get into this more in the Q&A, but I want to emphasize:

This show is not something that’s failing. In fact, it’s grown significantly in weekly downloads since I started, and it continues to be a major driver of revenue for my template shop and courses. I truly believe this podcast has played a huge role in building my business and making my template shop one of the top ones out there. I’ve also earned a lot through sponsorships over the years.

So it’s not that something isn’t working. It’sm more that I want to take a break from content creation and see what business looks like without constantly planning the next podcast episode.

Taking a break from something that is working

And I think that’s an important point—taking a break doesn’t have to mean stepping away from something you dislike or that isn’t working. So often, we hear advice like, “Oh, if you hate Instagram, just quit it.” And yes, that’s valid. But this is different. I love podcasting, and I’m still choosing to pause.

I’ve been observing myself, paying attention to my life, and I realized: I need a break from this. I want to experience a few months of business where I’m not focused on long-form content creation, where I don’t have a weekly commitment like this.

Instead, I’ll be shifting my attention to other projects in my business. I’ll still create short-form content for social media as I feel inspired, but without the structure of a weekly podcast episode. And I think that’s going to be refreshing.

Ultimately, I also believe this will help me create even better episodes when I return. And I’m really fascinated by this process—it feels like a personal experiment.

Because, honestly, what will it feel like to go from recording episodes every week for six years to suddenly stopping for three months? Yes, six years versus three months is a huge difference in time, but when you think about it in terms of routine, that’s drastic. And then I’ll be taking another break after that.

I’m so curious about how this shift will feel. Will I miss it? Will I feel relieved? How will it impact my business? I plan to spend a lot of time reflecting during this break and just observing my thoughts, seeing how it feels to not be thinking about the next thing to teach.

In a way, this feels a bit like a sabbatical—but just from one area of my work. Like, “Okay, I’ve done this consistently for six years, now let’s see what happens when I step back for a bit.”.

And of course, I’ll report back to you all in a future podcast episode to share the results of this experiment

This is also one of those business decisions not based on profit

So, do I think this is an especially profitable business decision? No, definitely not. This is not a financially motivated decision. My podcast brings in a lot of leads and revenue, and thankfully, I have years' worth of content that will continue to serve my business and attract new listeners even while I take this break.

And that’s one of the really cool and unique things about podcasting—and blogging too, for that matter. I’ll talk more about that in a minute.

But this decision? It’s personal. It’s about what I need right now—especially while I’m pregnant with our third baby. It’s also a decision rooted in curiosity and faith—listening to what God is leading me to do.

For a while now, I’ve been prayerfully considering cutting something back in my business—finding something to pause or take a break from. And especially in this third pregnancy, that desire has only grown.

If you missed it, back in episode 300, I shared the news that we’re expecting baby number three! So, if you’re looking for something to listen to while I’m on break, you can go back and check that episode out. But yeah, three kids, three and under. That’s about to be my life! And this pregnancy is flying by. As I’m recording this, I’m already 21 weeks pregnant, and I’m thinking, How am I already over halfway there?!

So, this break feels like the right move. Especially considering how third pregnancies can be harder when you’re also taking care of little ones.

And, like I’ve said, I love trying new things. I will always believe that podcasting is a worthwhile endeavor in every way, and it will probably always be one of my favorite things I do.

During my break, I’m actually looking forward to plugging in more with my Podcast Success Blueprint students. If you didn’t know, I have a course on podcasting—which I know might sound ironic since I’m taking a podcast break! But I hope this serves as an example that you can take a break too, if you need one.

And I’m really excited to help my Podcast Success Blueprint students during this time—guiding them through launching and growing their own shows.

So, here we go—long-form content break, podcast break… here I come!

I will miss these weekly episodes, but I’m also really excited to see what this change brings.

Answering FAQs about Seasonal Podcast Episodes (& Other Business Decisions)

Now, let’s switch things up and dive into the Q&A section. These are some of the biggest questions I know you’re probably wondering about. My podcast manager actually helped me brainstorm some of these—she’s a podcaster too, so she came at this from the perspective of a business owner with a podcast.

Some of these questions are ones I thought of myself, and some are ones she anticipated you all might be curious about. So, let’s get into it!

Why are you choosing to take a break from something that is profitable?

I know I touched on this earlier in the episode, but I want to approach it from a slightly different angle now.

This isn’t just me repeating that taking a break isn’t one of the most profitable business decisions. Instead, I want to talk about how we, as business owners, often frame the idea of quitting or stepping away from something.

Usually, when we talk about cutting things from our business, we focus on getting rid of what isn’t working—the tasks we don’t enjoy, the strategies that aren’t generating revenue, or the things that feel like a drain. And I actually have an entire episode about this called Your To Quit List—episode 260 of this podcast.

In that episode, I share things you might want to consider removing from your business. But here’s the thing—podcasting wasn’t on that list.

We rarely talk about stepping away from things that we do enjoy and that are profitable but that we simply need a break from. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need to do.

This break is one of those decisions for me. I’m stepping back from something that is working, that I love, and that brings in revenue—because I have other priorities right now.

And I also feel like I’m in a place in my business where I can do this. I have years' worth of content, and the great thing about podcasting is that the content remains valuable even if it didn’t air last week.

Now, would I have made this same decision if I were only 20 episodes into my podcast? Probably not. But at 307 episodes in, I feel confident in stepping away—not because I have to, but because I want to. I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and this is the decision that makes the most sense for me right now.

Do you think revenue will go down when you stop having weekly episodes?

That’s a great question, and honestly—I have no idea.

Will taking this break impact my business? Maybe.

For years now, my podcast has been one of the top ways customers find me, often accounting for 25 to 30% of my sales. That’s based on responses from customers who, when asked where they heard about my products, say the podcast. That’s a huge number.

Even now, it’s still consistently bringing in sales. Just yesterday, I had a new template sale, and the customer came directly from the podcast. That happens a lot.

So, will that change simply because there won’t be a new episode for three months (and then another break after that), even with over 300 existing episodes available?

I honestly don’t know. My gut says I might see a dip in revenue, but only time will tell. I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on it.

The tricky thing about financial data is that it’s always influenced by multiple factors. If I do see a decrease, is it because of the podcast break? Or would it have happened anyway for some other reason? It’s hard to say.

One area where I know I’ll see a revenue shift is in sponsorships. Since I won’t be releasing new episodes, any sponsorship deals will be on pause. But other revenue streams could balance out that loss, so we’ll see how it plays out.

That being said, it’s also worth noting that running a podcast costs money—especially when you have a long-running show with established systems in place.

For these three months, my expenses will see a decrease, mainly because I won’t be paying my podcast editor or podcast manager during this time. Since team expenses—whether for contractors or employees—are often a significant part of business costs, this is a big shift. And we planned for it well in advance, making sure they were fully prepared for the temporary pause.

I’ll also likely pause at least one of my podcast-related subscriptions, which will save me money as well.

And just as a quick tip—if you’re ever taking a business break of more than a couple of months, pausing certain software subscriptions can be a smart move. Of course, you wouldn’t cancel a membership or something crucial to your business, but pausing things like extra tools or platforms you don’t need for a short time can add up to decent savings.

For example, when I’ve taken maternity leave, I’ve stopped paying for things like Zoom for a few months, and those small decisions really do make a difference.

For this podcast break, I’ll be doing the same with some tools I don’t need while I’m not actively producing new episodes. Obviously, I won’t stop paying for my podcast hosting on Buzzsprout, because that would mean my entire podcast disappears—but there are other services I can pause temporarily.

At the end of the day, I still believe podcasting is an incredible revenue generator and a powerful way to bring in leads. That’s literally why I teach it inside Podcast Success Blueprint! Everything I’ve done to grow this show, I teach in that course.

Was this a data decision or a gut decision?

This, my friends, is entirely a gut decision and a prayerful decision—not a data-driven one.

If I were basing this solely on data, I would actually be increasing my podcasting frequency—maybe even going to twice or three times a week. That’s what the numbers would suggest because my show consistently brings in results. From a purely logical standpoint, it would make sense to double down, invest even more time, money, and energy into it.

But my gut—and more importantly, God—is telling me something different.

I keep hearing: Elizabeth, take a break. Come back stronger. You’ve literally never taken an actual break from this. So let’s try it.

And I want to emphasize something—when it comes to making decisions in your business, both data-driven decisions and gut-driven decisions are valid.

Too often in business, everything is about revenue numbers, increasing followers, scaling growth. And if you consume a lot of business content—podcasts, courses, whatever—it can start to feel like every single decision has to be driven by data, numbers, and strategy.

And yes, making decisions based on data is smart. But if that’s all you ever base your decisions on, you risk building a business that might be successful on paper but leaves you feeling exhausted, unfulfilled, or even burned out.

That’s not where I am—and I think a big reason for that is because I’ve always made decisions using both data and intuition.

My business is about to turn nine years old, and I truly believe the reason I’ve been able to sustain it for this long is because I haven’t relied solely on data.

If I had, I might have pushed myself too hard, chasing numbers instead of building a business I actually enjoy.

So this decision? It’s not about maximizing growth or optimizing revenue.

It’s about following my gut.

How do you make a gut decision like this? What was the process?

I find this really interesting, and maybe you will too—this decision wasn’t something I made overnight. It was a long process.

The idea of taking a break came to me, and honestly, I fully believe it was from the Lord. But when it first crossed my mind, I immediately dismissed it.

I remember thinking, No way. Why would I do that? I love podcasting. It’s profitable, it’s fun, it’s my favorite thing. That’s a terrible idea. If I’m going to take a break from something, it should be something else.

That was my gut reaction—a hard no.

But as time went on, I kept thinking about it. I kept praying about it. And when I really stepped back and asked myself, What’s something I could take a break from? What’s something I consistently dedicate time to every single week?—the answer kept coming back to the podcast.

And that’s when I realized—I’ve never taken a real break from this. Not once.

So the idea kept resurfacing, and I couldn’t shake it. Take a break.

And even though it made sense, it still felt like such a big decision. I actually cried when I told my husband, Adam, that I was thinking about taking a break.

We were sitting up talking after the kids went to sleep, and I just blurted out, I think I might take a break from my podcast. Saying it out loud felt huge—overwhelming, even. And honestly, just thinking back to that moment now (especially with pregnancy hormones in the mix), I could probably cry again.

Now, as I’m talking to you, it doesn’t feel quite as intense. That was months ago—probably around six months now. But when I was still in the decision-making process, it felt so emotional.

Even telling my friends about it made me tear up. It just felt like this massive shift.

And I also worried—what if people take this the wrong way?

Even now, as I’m telling you this, I still have those thoughts:

Will people think I’m not committed enough to my business? Will they see this as me pulling back too much?

When you pause or shift something in your business, it’s easy to worry about how others might perceive it. It’s a real risk.

So if you’ve ever felt that way—wondering if people will judge you, misunderstand you, or question your dedication—you’re not alone. That fear is normal.

But at the end of the day, I just have to trust that you, my listeners, will understand where I’m coming from. And I am still deeply committed to helping you grow your business—I just need this break.

To give you a bit more behind-the-scenes, I told my two podcast team members about this back in mid-December. But even before that, I had been thinking and game-planning for months. I wanted to give them plenty of time to prepare and really explain my decision before we took any action on it.

So, how do you make a gut decision like this?

For me, it took time. It took a lot of thinking, praying, and talking it through with others. And interestingly enough, talking about it actually made it feel less overwhelming.

In my head, it felt like this huge, life-altering shift. But once I started saying it out loud, I realized—Oh. This is actually way more chill than I thought.

Sometimes, a decision doesn’t make sense on paper—but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Instead, I’ve learned to give that voice space—to sit with it, reflect on it, and ask, Huh. That doesn’t seem logical, but maybe I should listen to it anyway.

For me, prayer and journaling were huge in this process. I spent a lot of time writing things out—both with pen and paper and typing things up on my computer.

I asked myself: What would this actually look like? How could this make sense?

And once I put everything down on paper and fully mapped it out, the decision started to make sense. From there, I just took the next step, then the next, until I was ready to take action.

So, that’s my answer to How did I make this gut decision? What was my process like?

It started with listening to that little voice, praying on it, journaling about it, and then finally, putting it all into motion.

Do you have any advice on making tough business decisions?

I've made a lot of tough business decisions over the past nine years. One of the hardest was closing my membership—a decision that, at the time, felt massive. I actually recorded a few podcast episodes about that (episodes 223 and 224), which you can listen to while I’m on this break.

I really want you to come back to me for this next part—because this is the best piece of advice I can give you when it comes to making tough business decisions:

Not every decision is a forever decision.

In fact, most decisions in business aren’t permanent.

If you listened to last week’s episode, my interview with Emily Conley, she talked about this—how not everything has to be a forever thing. You can try something. And I think we often overthink decisions, making them feel way more permanent than they actually are.

Instead of saying, This change is forever, try saying, I’m going to test this out for a while and see how it feels.

Even when I closed my membership, which had 165 people in it at the time, that decision wasn’t necessarily permanent. Yes, that particular membership ended, but that doesn’t mean I can’t start another membership again in the future if I ever feel called to.

So many things in business are less permanent—and honestly, less of a big deal—than we make them out to be. It’s okay to try something, take a risk, and see what happens.

Your business is a marathon, not a sprint.

Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.

And that means things won’t always look the same in every season. And that’s a good thing.

One of the most beautiful parts of running a business—especially the kind of business I have and the kind so many of you have—is that we can adapt it to fit our lives.

Seasons of life change.
Seasons of business change.
And that’s okay.

You don’t have to do everything at once.

For six years, I’ve consistently grown, monetized, and thrived with this podcast. And I’m going to keep doing that. But for six years, I’ve also never taken a true break.

Some of that time was before I became a mother. Some of it was after. But none of it has been with three kids.

So this intentional break, this shift in format—it’s good. It’s worth trying.

And the same applies to you and your business.

What I’m doing here may not be what you need, but maybe, as you’re listening, you’re feeling like there’s something in your own business that needs to shift.

And remember: it doesn’t have to happen overnight.

If you feel like there’s something that needs to change, consider doing it. Pray about it. Journal about it. Sit with it. It takes time to slow down something that’s been running full speed, but you can do it.

You can take a break.
You can pause.
You can even quit something entirely—if that’s what’s right for you.

What marketing efforts are you keeping?

That was a great question from my podcast manager, and honestly, part of my answer is—I’m not entirely sure.

For as long as I’ve had this podcast, I’ve been incredibly structured with how often I release episodes. I’ve been consistent, showing up every single week, usually batching episodes ahead of time to maintain that schedule.

But when I look at the rest of my business, none of my other marketing efforts have had that same level of structure for a while now.

So, to answer the question—I’m keeping all of my other marketing efforts, but I’m keeping them as they’ve been, which is to say, not super structured.

For example, I actually think I’ll show up on Instagram more during this break, simply because I might want a space to create and share content. But that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly committing to a strict Instagram schedule. I’m not setting a rule for myself like, I’ll post four times a week or I’ll show up on stories every day.

Instead, I’ll just continue approaching it the way I have—going with the flow and seeing what feels right.

I’ll also continue sending emails to my list as usual.

And I’m hoping to do a bit more guesting on other podcasts during this break. So if you have a podcast and would like to have me as a guest, feel free to reach out! Being on other people’s shows is such a great marketing tool, and I’d love to do more of it.

Another thing I plan to focus on during this time is blogging, which I’ll talk more about in a moment.

But overall, my goal for marketing during this break is simple: I’m stepping back from my own podcast, but everything else is staying the same.

One thing I might experiment with is finding ways to promote older podcast episodes—especially ones that were really popular when they aired but might not be getting as much visibility now.

I might pick out a few standout episodes and think, How can I get this in front of more people? Maybe that means making the blog post better, repurposing content, or finding new ways to reshare it.

So while I’m taking a break from creating new episodes, I’ll still be active in other areas—and I’m excited to see how this shift plays out!

Do you think that it’ll work fine for every business owner to take a content creation break?

I think a lot of people listening might be dreaming of taking a break from content creation. And I totally get it.

Content creation can feel like a hamster wheel sometimes—always running, always needing to keep up. It can be exhausting, especially when you’re not sure if it’s actually moving the needle in your business.

So, could this kind of break work for you?

I can only speak for my own business, but I think the reason this can work for me is because I already have a lot of content. And that’s not true for everyone.

One thing working in my favor is that podcasting has great SEO—and it’s only improving. Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms are constantly making updates to improve searchability, meaning people can find my episodes just by looking up a topic they’re interested in.

That happens all the time—someone searches for a topic, finds one of my episodes, downloads it, and then keeps listening to more episodes. It’s the same way with blogging.

So, whether or not this kind of break would work for your business depends on your content strategy and how people typically find you.

But here’s the thing—you can always try it.

Test it out. Pay attention to the data. Ask yourself:

Is this working?
How do I feel without this content being a constant part of my business?

And then adjust from there.

Not every decision has to be permanent—you can always experiment and see what works best for you!

You've shared how most of your customers come through SEO/podcast... Do you think that will be affected?

When we talk about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), we’re referring to how people find content through search engines like Google. In my business, I primarily think about SEO in relation to blog posts—people searching for something and landing on my website because of it.

And the great thing? I don’t expect this part of my business to be affected by my podcast break.

That’s because the relevance of a podcast episode or a blog post isn’t dependent on new content being released every week.

For example, if someone is searching for information on a specific topic and they find an episode I released eight months ago, it’s still just as relevant to them—even if I haven’t released a new episode that month. They’re interested in that topic, so they download it and listen.

The same goes for blog posts and web pages. When you find something on Google, you’re not checking to see if that website published a new post last week—you just care that the information is relevant to what you’re searching for.

Now, of course, keeping a website up to date and regularly creating new content does help with SEO—but that’s a slightly different conversation.

In my business, some of my top traffic-generating blog posts and pages were published over a year ago, and they’re still driving people to my site.

So when it comes to older podcast episodes—people finding and listening to them through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or even YouTube—I don’t expect this to change just because I’m not publishing new episodes for a few months.

And that’s actually one of the reasons I encourage people to just try starting a podcast. So many people want to start a podcast but feel overwhelmed by the idea of committing to hundreds of episodes.I totally get that. It can feel like a massive, never-ending commitment.

But here’s the thing—
You don’t have to do it forever for it to be worth it.

You can take breaks whenever you want. You can adjust your format. You can do whatever you want with your show.

Even if you only release 20 episodes and never touch it again, those episodes can still bring in new customers, leads, and revenue for years to come.

That’s the beauty of this kind of content—it keeps working for you, even when you step away.

How did I decide on the break format?

I'm not taking a long break—just March, April, and May. So, three months with no new episodes. Then, my plan is to come back for four to five episodes, and after that, I'll take another break for my maternity leave. I’ll be back again in the fall.

I actually teach all about this inside Podcast Success Blueprint—how to find a rhythm that works for you, your recording process, and your life. Your show’s format doesn’t have to stay the same forever. You can test things, adjust as needed, and you don’t have to make a big announcement about it (though I am, because I think this change is significant).

And honestly, this feels like a huge shift for me after going six years without a real break.

As I was planning this, I actually went back and reviewed all the options I teach in Podcast Success Blueprint—and this seasonal approach just felt right. It gives me a real pause, almost like a mini sabbatical, so that when I return, I’m showing up fully refreshed and intentional.

And yes, this format is very much based on my personal life—timed around my due date and maternity leave. But it’s also strategic.

For example, I’ll be airing episodes throughout October and November, right before Black Friday—which is a big sales season. That way, I can be actively promoting my offers at a time when people are already looking to buy.

This is something I always tell my students—you can structure your business to work for you. You don’t have to follow some artificial rule about how things “should” be done.

If you’re thinking about moving your podcast (or any content) to a more seasonal format, you can structure it however you want! It doesn’t have to be a strict three months on, three months off pattern. You can tailor it based on:

Your personal life and energy levels
Your promotional calendar and sales cycles
Your audience’s listening habits

That last one is key. Part of my break timing aligns with the fact that podcast downloads tend to dip in the summer—kids are out of school, people are vacationing, and overall, fewer people are plugged into podcasts.

So when planning your own break (if that’s something you’re considering), take into account your lifestyle, your marketing needs, and even your audience’s behavior. That way, it serves both you and your business in the best way possible.

What will you be doing with the time this podcast break frees up?

I’m really excited to spend my intentionally limited work time over the next three months focusing on other projects. Since I’m with my kids a lot these days, I only have about two and a half workdays per week, and I want to be really intentional with how I use that time.

One of my biggest focuses will be designing new templates—I’m working on four new designs right now, and one is already almost finished! Honestly, designing is going to take up a lot of my time—being in Showit, creating new templates, fine-tuning the designs, and then ultimately working on the marketing and setup so customers can start using them.

Because once a template is designed, the work isn’t done. There are still a lot of steps—getting everything finalized, creating the listings, writing descriptions, setting up previews, and planning launch strategies. So that’s going to be a big focus for me.

I’ll also be hosting more coaching and co-working calls for my Booked Out Designer and Podcast Success Blueprint students. If you’re in either of those courses, definitely check the call schedule—there are some fun things planned!

And as I mentioned earlier, I might be doing some blogging.

There are a few blog posts I’ve been wanting to write for a while, and some content ideas just make more sense in a blog format than a podcast.

For example, I want to update my postpartum freezer meal blog with new recipes I’ve been using. I even have two new recipes I’d love to share. Not that I’m trying to become a recipe blogger or anything—it’s just something fun for me.

I also have a few maternity and baby-related posts in mind—topics that wouldn’t really make sense as podcast episodes but would work well as blog content.

That said, I do want to feel like I’m truly taking a long-form content break, so if blogging starts to feel like too much, I might scale it back. But I love writing, and I enjoy creating content in that way, so I think it’s likely I’ll still do some.

But overall, the main thing I’ll be focusing on is designing templates—that’s going to be my biggest project during this break.

Are you decreasing the amount you’re working (less than two days a week)?

Another question that came up was am I taking an even bigger break from my business as a whole? Like, will I only be working one day a week or something like that?

The answer is not really—I’m still working my normal two and a half days per week, just without the podcast.

But if you’ve ever been pregnant (or gone through an adoption process), you know that the to-do list leading up to bringing a new baby home is huge.

So I will be using some of my work time for baby prep instead of business tasks.

A few things on that list:

Buying a new car—we’re getting a minivan! Someone actually asked me on Instagram if we’d get one with a third baby, and at first, I didn’t think so. But after doing tons of car research (which, yes, has sometimes happened when I have childcare time), I decided a van makes the most sense. I just test-drove a few and have narrowed down my choice, so now I just need to actually buy the car.
Selling one of our current cars—because we don’t need three cars, so that’s another big task.
Moving my office—right now, my office is upstairs, but we’re moving it downstairs to combine offices with Adam. He doesn’t really need a home office anymore, so his space will become mine. That means:
- Moving Collin’s bedroom into my current office
- Turning Collin’s old room into the nursery
- Installing new doors on my future office for better soundproofing (because right now, it's not great for recording).
- Lots of furniture moving and setup. It’s a whole project.
Buying a chest freezer for the garage—I’m planning to prep a lot of freezer meals, and our kitchen freezer just isn’t cutting it.
Going to all my prenatal appointments—including my glucose test, which is basically a half-day ordeal.
General baby prep—buying what we need, organizing baby gear, and getting everything ready for July.

So while I’m not necessarily reducing my work hours, I am shifting how I spend some of that time. Just like in my other pregnancies, I’m taking some work time and dedicating it to family and baby prep—because all of this has to get done before July, and there’s a lot to do!

Now that we’ve talked about my business decisions, what should you do while there’s a break?

First of all, I’d love to hear from you about this change! When this episode airs, I’ll have a blog post that goes with it, and if you have any thoughts or additional questions, come chat with me there. I might even do a Q&A on my Instagram Stories this week to answer more questions, because I know that as we wrap up, you might be thinking, Wait, I had a question that didn’t get covered!

So, come find me on Instagram—I’ll be sharing more there, and I might do additional Q&As while I’m not producing new podcast episodes.

Catch Up on Old Episodes!

If you’re missing weekly episodes, I highly encourage you to go back and listen to old ones!

Some of you might not listen regularly but tuned in today because you were curious about this change. If that’s the case, now is a great time to explore past episodes.

And if you’re looking for something specific, here’s a little search tip:

In your podcast app, type:
Breakthrough Brand + [your topic]
Examples: Breakthrough Brand SEO, Breakthrough Brand Motherhood, Breakthrough Brand Marketing

That will pull up all the episodes I’ve done on that subject so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.

You can also do the same thing on my blog—just use the search bar to find website tips, branding advice, or any other business-related content. Everything is well-organized and categorized, so it’s easy to find what you need!

Other Ways to Stay Connected & Keep Learning

If you want to stay in the loop, I’d encourage you to join my email list—I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes updates there, and it’s another great way to stay connected.

And if you’re looking to keep learning from me in a different format, consider joining one of my courses:

Booked Out Designer – for designers wanting to grow their business
Podcast Success Blueprint – for anyone looking to start or grow a podcast

I’ll link to both of those in the show notes, but they’re also on my website if you want more info. Or grab one of my website templates to build an incredible site for your business!

Final Thoughts… & A Thank You!

Again, I really encourage you to catch up on old episodes while I’m on this short break. And come say hi on Instagram—I’ll be sharing updates, interviews I do on other podcasts, and maybe some extra short-form content there.

Thank you for listening all the way to the end of this episode. And thank you for your support in this new season!

Links Mentioned:

Not sure which template is right for you? Take the quiz!

Thanks to our sponsor, Christian Heathcare Ministries! CHM is a health cost-sharing ministry and is a faith-based alternative to traditional health insurance. My family has been using CHM for our healthcare for 4+ years now, and we couldn’t be more pleased. As a business owner we all know healthcare is outrageously expensive with CHM you can save money on your budget and know if a medical situation ever arises CHM will be there to take care of you and share 100% of your eligible bills. Learn more here!

Thanks to our podcast sponsor, BDOW!. You can supercharge your email list growth with BDOW!. This powerful software helps you target the right visitor with the right message at the right time. Get 25% off your subscription with the code "ELIZABETH" for a limited time! Click here to grab the deal and snag a free BDOW! template I designed just for you and start building a bigger email list, faster!

The post A Candid Conversation About Making a Shift to The Breakthrough Brand Podcast (+ a REAL Look at How I Make Big Business Decisions & a Q&A) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

How We Handle Health Insurance as a Self-Employed Family (Talking Healthcare, Finances, and more!)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 10 minutes

Wondering how to choose health insurance as a self-employed family? You're in for a treat! My amazing husband, Adam, is back on the podcast—and it’s been almost a YEAR since his last appearance. Clearly, I need to have him on more often because I know you all love these episodes with him. In fact, when we announced baby #3, many of you thought we were launching a co-hosted podcast together. Maybe someday!

But today, we’re diving into a super important topic: health insurance as a self-employed family. Whether you’re self-employed, both you and your spouse are, or you simply don’t have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, we’re sharing what works for us. Plus, we’ll talk about some financial strategies we use to support our family.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

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Our Employer Health Insurance Story

To start, Adam used to work for a nonprofit ministry called Young Life, and for the first five years of our marriage, we had employer-provided health insurance through them. And let me tell you—it was excellent! Young Life really takes care of their staff when it comes to insurance, so we know firsthand what great coverage looks like.

Back then, health insurance wasn’t even something we thought much about. It was just part of Adam’s job. I was running my business, and I hadn’t been at my first 9-to-5 long enough to qualify for employer-provided insurance.

But everything changed when Adam quit his job and went back to graduate school to become a therapist. Suddenly, we were both without insurance—and without an employer plan to fall back on.

That meant we had to start looking for coverage we could purchase on our own, and let me tell you, private insurance is insanely expensive. We researched our options and ultimately found an alternative to traditional health insurance: Christian Healthcare Ministries—which we’re going to dive into today!

Keeping a Job You Hate for the Insurance

That was our story of losing employer-provided insurance. But for so many people—including many of you listening—health insurance and other benefits are the only thing keeping you in a job you don’t love.

This is especially true when kids are involved, and your whole family depends on the coverage from your employer. But even if you don’t have kids yet, the thought of leaving a full-time job to pursue your dreams can feel impossible when you think it means going without healthcare.

And honestly? That fear is valid. It would have scared us too.

As someone who loves encouraging you to chase your business dreams, this is such a personal topic for me. I’ve seen so many people stay in jobs they don’t want—not because they love them, but because of insurance.

That’s exactly why I love to shout from the rooftops about what we do for healthcare. Because if this is something holding you back, I truly believe it could be the solution you need too.

Finding Christian Healthcare Ministries

How we found CHM as a way to handle health insurance as a self-employed family.

Adam: When I started graduate school and we had to make this big pivot, I came across Christian Healthcare Ministries—and we’ve been with them ever since. From Elizabeth’s first pregnancy and birth with Colin, to Ethan, and now baby #3 on the way, our whole family has been part of CHM.

Elizabeth: And if you’ve been following me on Instagram or listening to the podcast, you’ve probably heard me talk about CHM over the past few months. It’s been so fun chatting with you all about it, and I love seeing so many of you make the switch for your families!

How CHM is Different From Health Insurance (+ A Cost Comparison With Traditional Health Insurance)

I know CHM can be a little confusing at first—it definitely was for me when we first started using it. That’s because it’s NOT insurance.

So, to be super clear: Adam, our kids, and I do not have any form of traditional health insurance. No backup plan, nothing. But that doesn’t mean we’re covering every medical bill completely out of pocket. We still receive plenty of healthcare, and we’re saving tons of money in the process.

CHM is what’s called a “health cost-sharing ministry”—or simply a “health share.” And even though it’s not insurance, CHM actually covers 100% of qualifying medical bills, which is often more than the typical 70% or 80% coverage you’d get with traditional insurance.

I know this can sound complex at first—but I promise, it’s actually really simple once you understand it. In just a minute, we’re going to break down exactly how CHM works, step by step.

But first—let’s talk numbers.

We’re going to be completely open and share exactly how much we pay per month for CHM and compare that to what traditional insurance would cost for our family of four (soon to be five!). Spoiler: The difference is huge.

And if you’re curious about what it would cost for your own family, you can get a free quote on CHM’s website here.

We pay $861 per month for our entire family—Elizabeth, our two kids, and me. CHM memberships are structured in units: one unit for me, one for Elizabeth, and one for all of our children, no matter how many we have.

So when we had just one child, we paid for one child unit. When we had Ethan, and now with baby #3 on the way, the cost stays the same because CHM charges a flat fee for all children in a family. That’s one of the biggest advantages—it doesn’t get more expensive as your family grows!

Our $861 monthly cost breaks down like this:

$255 per adult unit (me and Elizabeth)
$255 for the kids’ unit (covers all children)
$32 per unit for CHM Plus, an optional add-on that removes coverage limits

CHM Plus is a game-changer because it makes the cost-sharing limitless. Unlike traditional insurance, where there’s often a maximum payout, CHM Plus ensures that all qualifying medical expenses—even in extreme situations—can be shared, no matter how high the cost.

Of course, we hope we never face a catastrophic medical event, but if we did, there would be no financial cap on the medical expenses CHM would share.

So bottom line:

We currently pay $861 per month for our family of four
When baby #3 arrives, our cost will remain the same
That includes full CHM Plus coverage for all three units

Oh, and just for reference—a quick Google search says that insurance for a family of five typically costs around $19,000 per year out of pocket.

What It’s Like to Use CHM (The Step by Step)

1. You can join CHM anytime

Unlike traditional insurance, there’s no enrolment period. You can literally become a CHM member today. Once you join, you’ll receive a CHM membership card, just like an insurance card.

2. Choose your healthcare providers

You can visit any provider who accepts self-pay clients. This means the provider bills you directly instead of an insurance company.

One of the biggest advantages of CHM is that there are no network restrictions—a major difference from traditional insurance. With standard insurance plans, switching coverage can mean that your longtime doctor is suddenly considered “out of network,” forcing you to find a new provider.

With CHM, there’s no network to worry about, so you can continue seeing the doctors you trust. However, it’s important to note that CHM only shares costs for eligible services based on their guidelines. For example, naturopathic doctors are not covered.

3. Submit eligible bills

After receiving care, you can easily upload your medical bills through the CHM Member Portal and answer a few simple questions. However, not every visit is reimbursable.

For example, when I took Ethan to the pediatrician for an ear infection, I paid $80 out of pocket because routine sick visits aren’t eligible for sharing. That said, I still received the self-pay rate, which ended up being cheaper than what I would have paid through insurance. Personally, our threshold that determines whether or not a medical event is shareable or not is $1,250.

While smaller visits like this aren’t covered, CHM fully shares major medical expenses, including childbirth, emergency room visits, and significant medical events.

Plus, for smaller, non-reimbursable visits, CHM offers “Healthiest You”—a free virtual care service where you can talk to a doctor when you’re sick without any out-of-pocket costs.

4. Receive your reimbursement

You pay your eligible medical bills upfront (we’ll go into more detail on that in a minute). Once processed, CHM reimburses you with a check in the mail—always a fun day when it arrives!

Using CHM (Christian Healthcare Ministries)

This is a big part of how we handle health insurance as a self-employed family. We personally put all of our medical bills—and really, most of our spending—on a credit card whenever possible. The card we use is the Alliant Credit Union Visa Signature Card, and if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about it before. It’s a black card, and honestly, I think it’s one of the best credit cards out there.

What makes it so great? 2.5% cash back on all purchases. Unlike other cards that only offer higher rewards on specific categories like gas or groceries, this one gives 2.5% across the board. And here’s where it gets even better—this is actually a hidden perk of using CHM.

Because we pay for our medical bills upfront and then get reimbursed by CHM, we earn 2.5% cash back on all those medical expenses—even though CHM ultimately covers the cost. That cash back adds up fast, and we’ve been able to take family vacations completely paid for with the rewards we earn from Alliant.

Another key financial strategy we use is paying for our CHM membership through my business. Since CHM is our version of healthcare coverage, it qualifies as a business expense and shows up as a line item on my Profit & Loss statement each month. While it’s still us paying for it, structuring it this way is really helpful for taxes because it counts as a business expense rather than a personal one.

To manage this setup, I use Gusto for payroll. If you're a business owner looking to do something similar, you can sign up here and get a $100 Visa gift card when you join. It’s a great way to handle payroll and business expenses efficiently!

Cons of CHM As A Way To Handle Health Insurance as a Self-Employed Family

You guys know I’m always blatantly honest about any company I endorse or review, so we can’t talk about this without telling you the cons of doing healthshare that we’ve experienced (and then I’ll tell my pros next!).

Con #1: Submitting bills is extra work

There’s also work involved with traditional insurance, but it’s worth noting that while saving and submitting bills with CHM is easy, it’s still something you have to stay on top of. In our case, Adam handles it all for us, and I think it’s really helpful to have one person in charge to keep everything organized.

That said, CHM is very easy to work with when it comes to submitting bills. Their online portal is super user-friendly, making the process straightforward—but it is an extra step compared to traditional insurance.

Con #2: Some places do not take self-pay individuals

At least in Nashville, there are some doctors—particularly for childbirth—who won’t accept self-pay patients. They see it as a financial risk, so they simply choose not to take on self-pay clients. I personally don’t think this is okay, but it has been a reality.

That said, this isn’t the case across the board. I’ve given birth with two different providers using CHM and am likely switching providers again for my third baby. I haven’t had a hard time finding doctors overall, but I have had moments where I called a provider to inquire and was told, “We don’t take self-pay individuals.”

However, if you’re considering a home birth or birth center birth, those providers almost always accept self-pay. Many traditional insurance plans don’t cover home births, so these practices are already set up to accommodate self-pay clients.

Pros of CHM As A Way To Handle Health Insurance as a Self-Employed Family

Pro #1: Best Value for Families Having Babies

If your family is in a season of having babies, CHM truly offers the best bang for your buck. Birth is insanely expensive for most people, even with insurance, due to high deductibles—but that’s not the case for us with CHM! Plus, the cost doesn’t increase as you have more children!

Pro #2: Significant Cost Savings

CHM is actually, factually less expensive than traditional insurance out of pocket. It’s a huge money-saver compared to standard premiums, deductibles, and copays.

Pro #3: Exceptional Customer Service

CHM’s customer service is next-level, which is so different from most health insurance companies. Since it’s a ministry, they truly treat you like family instead of just another number. Every interaction I’ve had with their team has been incredibly kind and personal.

For example, when Adam called to let them know we’re expecting another baby, I received the sweetest congratulations email from their team—along with everything I needed to know about CHM’s maternity coverage. You just don’t get that kind of warmth from traditional insurance companies!

Pro #4: Maternity & Lactation Support

On the CHM Gold Program (which is what we use), you get a lactation consultant visit covered, which was so helpful. With both of my babies, it made it easier to say yes to that first $200 LC visit, knowing it was included.

Plus, fun fact—maternity is now available on all CHM levels, though the out-of-pocket expenses vary depending on the plan.

Pro #5: Newborns Are Covered for Free (First 3 Months!)

For the first three months, your baby’s medical expenses are fully shared under the same program the mom is on. This is such a relief during those early months when you’re adjusting to life with a newborn and don’t want to stress about extra medical costs.

Getting Started with CHM

I want to quickly go over how to get started with Christian Healthcare Ministries again. Like we mentioned earlier, you can join CHM at any time—there’s no enrollment period, so you don’t have to wait for a specific time of year.

Honestly, we both agree that choosing CHM has been one of the best financial decisions we’ve made as self-employed parents. Health insurance is a huge decision, and figuring it all out can be confusing. I really wish more people talked about options like this because so many families could benefit from knowing there are alternatives.

As we prepare to welcome another baby, we’re feeling so grateful to be part of the CHM family this year. It’s truly a blessing knowing that these costs will be shared and covered, which takes such a weight off our shoulders.

Thank you for listening all the way to the end of this episode and letting us share our experience with you! If you want to learn more or get a free quote, head here next.

Also, CHM is super helpful if you have any questions—they’re responsive on Instagram, email, and phone calls. I’ve posted about them several times on my Instagram, and I’ll link some of those in the show notes. You can even comment on one of my posts with a question, and they’ll respond directly to help you out!

This episode is sponsored by Christian Healthcare Ministries. To get a free quote for your family, head here next!

Links Mentioned:

Get a free quote with Christian Healthcare Ministries here

Not sure which template is right for you? Take the quiz!

The post How We Handle Health Insurance as a Self-Employed Family (Talking Healthcare, Finances, and more!) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

How to Navigate Becoming a Mom When You Already Have a Business You Love

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 05:00:29 +0000

Reading Time: 19 minutes

I am so excited about today’s episode. I honestly think this will become one of my all-time favorite episodes to record. I’ve been working on this outline for months—it’s eight pages long all about having a business before motherhood!

I hope these tips are helpful to you and make a real impact in your life. If they do, I’d love for you to share them with other moms or moms-to-be in your life. Many of you, like me, had a business before motherhood. Others started businesses after becoming moms, which is a completely different experience.

For me, I ran my business for five and a half years before becoming a mom. Over time, I built it into so many different things—my template shop, this podcast, my courses—so much happened before I had kids. Now, I’m a mom of two with baby number three on the way!

As I’ve grown my family, my journey as a mom and entrepreneur has evolved, and that’s what I want to talk about today. This episode is for business-owning women—including side hustlers—who are expecting or thinking about having a baby. If you're in your first year (or so) of motherhood, you’ll likely find this helpful too.

So whether you're trying to conceive, adopting, expecting, navigating life with a newborn, or even adding another baby to your family, this episode is for you. I hope it serves as both a pep talk and a guide with insights you may not have heard before.

A lot of what I’m sharing today is advice I wish someone had given me when I was a new mom. Now, as a mom of two (with a third on the way!), I want to share what I’ve learned—both from a mindset perspective and a practical, business-prep standpoint. I’ll cover ways to adjust your business for big changes, how to work fewer hours effectively, and so much more.

I truly hope this episode blesses you. I’ve poured so much thought and energy into it. Now, let’s get started!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 304!

Like I mentioned, this episode is all about navigating motherhood when you already have a business. These are the things I wish someone had told me as a business-owning woman stepping into motherhood.

I have six key tips for you—most of them focused on your business, but some touching on motherhood in general. But before we dive in, let me set the stage with a little context.

I’m a mom to little ones—I haven’t yet experienced motherhood with elementary-age kids, middle schoolers, or teenagers. My oldest is almost three and a half, my second is 11 months old, and I’m currently pregnant with baby number three, due this summer. That means I’ll have a 16-month age gap between my second and third, and about a two-and-a-half-year gap between my first and second.

I also ran my business for about five and a half years before becoming a mom. So when I found out I was expecting, I had to figure out how to navigate this huge life change while continuing to run a business I had poured years of energy into.

These are the tips I wish someone had shared with me during that transition. So let’s dive in—no particular order, just real, practical advice to help you prepare for this exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) new chapter!

1. Don’t assume what you’ll want for your business until after you meet your baby

One of the most important things you can do during pregnancy is have honest conversations—with your spouse, significant other, or, if you’re a single parent, with your support system. Talk about what both of your work lives will look like once the baby arrives. How will your work change? How will your partner’s work change? How will you share responsibilities? The key is to have a plan—and to prepare to adjust that plan as needed.

Now, I’m not saying don’t make a plan. In fact, I highly encourage you to. But I can’t tell you what plan is right for your family because everyone’s situation is unique. Some of you might be single moms. Maybe your partner works long, inflexible hours. Maybe you work crazy hours in your business, or you’re juggling a 9-to-5 job and a side hustle. Or perhaps you’re transitioning into full-time stay-at-home motherhood for the first time.

No matter your situation, one thing I can tell you is this: Whatever plan you come up with now, your feelings about it may change once your baby is actually here. So go into it with flexibility and grace for yourself.

For example, you might plan to do full-time daycare, thinking, I’ll take a short maternity leave and then jump right back into work. But once your leave is up, you might realize you don’t want to send your baby to daycare full-time. Maybe you decide on part-time daycare or explore other childcare options instead.

Or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe you initially think, I won’t need any childcare—I’ll just work during nap times. Then your baby arrives, and you quickly realize that’s not sustainable. You need real breaks, both for your own well-being and to keep your business running.

The point is—changing your mind is not failure. You can’t fully know what will work for you until you’re in it. And this applies to so many aspects of motherhood!

A plan might sound perfect on paper, but when you’re actually living it, you might realize it’s not the right fit. And that’s okay!

Be adaptable—not just in the newborn stage, but as your baby grows. Your needs will shift. Your baby’s schedule will change. If you have more children, your work-life balance will evolve again. Maybe what worked for you with one baby doesn’t work with two or three. Or maybe when your child stops napping or starts school, your approach shifts again.

Personally, I’ve found that before having kids, my seasons of work looked more like years. Now, as a mom, a season can be just a few months—like when a baby is on a certain nap schedule, isn’t eating solids yet, or is exclusively breastfeeding. Things change fast, and flexibility is key.

So, whatever you choose is okay. It doesn’t matter what other moms are doing, what your own mom did, or what you thought you would do. The best thing you can do is stay prayerful about what’s right for you and your family.

Be open to change. If something isn’t working, it’s okay to say, Hey, I thought I wanted this, but it’s not right for me anymore. Or, This worked great for the first six months, but now my baby’s needs have changed, and I need to adjust.

Adjusting doesn’t mean you were wrong before—it just means you didn’t have the lived experience yet, or your situation has evolved. So stay flexible, stay open to change, and most of all, give yourself grace.

2. Learn how to delegate (and let some things slide that you used to obsess over)

Moms make efficient business owners because they learn to cut out what doesn’t matter and delegate effectively. Motherhood will teach you this skill—if you allow it.

Since becoming a mom, I feel like I’ve become a better business owner, despite entering motherhood after business. Has it made business easier? No, it’s actually harder. But I’ve learned to focus on what truly matters in this season of life and in running my business. If you don’t embrace this shift, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the lack of time to obsess over details like before.

If you're preparing for maternity leave—whether you're pregnant or expecting to adopt—take time to look at your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks:

Identify unnecessary tasks: Things you do out of habit, not necessity.
Look for automation opportunities: Use tools you already have or invest in new ones.
Delegate tasks: Assign to existing team members or even consider hiring help. Becoming a mom may be the right time for your first independent contractor hire.
Increase efficiency: For tasks that can’t be eliminated, find ways to streamline them.

You may realize that your business doesn't require as much micromanagement as you once thought. When I was preparing for my first maternity leave four years ago, I went through this process very intensely. The moment I found out I was pregnant, I recognized that I needed help to take time off or reduce my workload.

At that time, we didn’t use outside childcare until my firstborn was 14 months old. My husband and I tag-teamed childcare while he was in graduate school. With my second child, things were different, and they will be again with my third.

During my first leave, I found things that:

A team member could take over.
Were honestly just a waste of time, so we could cut them.
Needed better systems in place.

Keeping a running list of things to evaluate. I like to use my phone for easy updates, and do this before the baby arrives so you have time to implement changes.

Here are a few real examples from my business:

Failed Payments – I run a digital product business, selling templates and courses. For years, I handled all failed payments myself—tracking issues, emailing customers, and following up. While this task is important, it didn’t need to be done by me. I delegated it to a team member who was already managing customer communication, and she still handles it today.

Podcast Show Notes – I used to write my own show notes for every podcast episode, even after having my first child. It wasn’t until my second pregnancy that I realized I could delegate this task. Since my blog writer, Kara, already had my outlines, it made sense for her to take over the show notes as well. Now, for this episode, she’ll use my eight-page outline to craft the notes, making my podcasting process much more efficient.

Tracking Sales Manually — I used to track every sale in my business manually. You may have heard me talk about this on the podcast before—I loved it and thought it was valuable to have that level of data. But it also took so much time and precision. Right before my second son, Ethan, was born, I cut it out completely—I didn’t delegate it, I just let it go. I realized that, in this season of life, I don’t have the capacity to track every single sale in that much detail.

These are just a few examples, but I hope they help you see the bigger picture. The key is to pay attention daily to what you’re doing in your business. Ask yourself:

Do I really need to be the one doing this?
How much time is this taking me?
Will I still have this time once the baby arrives?

It’s going to look different for everyone depending on your business, but my biggest tip is to start thinking about this for yourself while you're pregnant. Make it something you’re actively working on before maternity leave.

3. Plan for a longer maternity leave than you think you’ll want

As a business owner, you are your own boss, which means you have to give yourself time off—no one else will do it for you. Unlike a traditional employer who says, “Here’s your 12 weeks of maternity leave,” you have to structure and plan for it yourself.

So, my advice? Plan for more time off than you think you’ll want.

I can’t tell you how long that should be. Maybe you have a number in mind based on your first maternity leave, what your friends did, or the standard U.S. maternity leave. But whatever you’re thinking, set up your business in a way that allows you to take more time if you need it.

Why?

You may actually want or need more time than you expected. Birth and recovery can be unpredictable, and you may need extra time to heal or adjust to your baby’s needs. Or, you may simply love the newborn phase and realize you’re not ready to return yet.
Returning to work is often a slow process. It’s rarely a sudden shift from 100% leave to 100% back at work. Instead, it’s more gradual—maybe a nap-time work session here, a few hours while your partner watches the baby there. Planning extra time allows for that transition to happen naturally rather than feeling like you have to rush back.

In my own experience:

With my first son, Colin, I planned for a three-and-a-half-month maternity leave. But in reality, I took five and a half months before I fully came back. That didn’t mean I didn’t touch my business at all—I still ran my Black Friday sale and managed small things—but I wasn’t back in my office for a full workday until he was six months old.
With my second, Ethan, I took three and a half months off and worked right up until he was born. That worked better for me mentally, since I didn’t enjoy taking time off before the baby arrived. With my first, I had planned for two weeks off before my due date, and he ended up being born at 41 weeks! I quickly realized I didn’t enjoy “waiting” and ended up working on random projects just to keep myself busy.

Now, with my third baby, I’m planning another solid maternity leave. I don’t know exactly how long yet since I’m still early in pregnancy, but I want to give myself plenty of time.

I say all this because I don’t want you to assume that you’ll be fine with just three weeks off, only to find yourself overwhelmed and unable to step back when you realize you need more time.

Maybe you think:

“I love my business, so I’ll be excited to jump back in.”
“Newborns sleep a lot, so I’ll have time to work.”
“I saw someone else take only two weeks off, so I can too.”

But then you might find yourself locked into commitments—a client project, interviews, coaching calls—that you can’t push back, even though you want to.

So, think about how much time you believe you’ll need, discuss it with your spouse or support system, and then add a few more weeks. That extra time can be your gradual transition back into work.

Bonus Tip: Plan Time Off During Pregnancy

Don’t forget about taking breaks before the baby arrives!

For example, when you do your glucose test (around 30 weeks), that might be a good day to take off work completely. Go do the test, then treat yourself—grab lunch with a friend, get a pedicure, do something relaxing.

You’ll also have days where you just need to rest—maybe due to morning sickness, exhaustion, or just the general strain of pregnancy. Be gracious with yourself.

Growing a baby is huge work—it’s incredible how our bodies do this! If all you did today was grow that baby, you’ve done enough. And especially if you have other kids, pregnancy can be physically exhausting.

So, don’t push yourself too hard. Plan for rest, and give yourself the space to take breaks when you need them.

4. It’s ok to scale your business back, quit your business, or pause it for a season

This might be my favorite tip of all: It is okay to scale your business back, pause it for a season, or even quit altogether if that’s what makes sense for you and your family.

Quitting often gets a bad rap in the business world. We hear messages like:

“Never quit your business.”
“Always chase your dreams.”
“Stick with it no matter what.”

But I don’t agree with that mindset, and I never have. I’ve talked about this many times on the podcast—quitting, pausing, or shifting your business is actually a power move when it aligns with your life and family.

Your seasons of life will change, and your business can change with them.

The Problem with the “Hustle No Matter What” Mentality

What frustrates me is that society tells us it’s okay to change our work for any reason—except for our family.

You might hear things like:

“If you step back from your business for your kids, you’re not empowering women.”
“You’ll lose yourself in motherhood.”
“You won’t have anything for yourself.”
“You should be contributing financially.”
“You’ll get bored staying home.”
“What will you do all day if you’re home with your kids?”
“Daycare exists for a reason—you should use it.”

I’ve heard it all. And maybe you’ve heard these messages too.

But I want to tell you something different: It is more than okay to shift your business for your family. It is a great reason to change things, simply because it makes sense for you in this season.

Your Career is a Long Game

I also want to remind you that your career is not a race.

With how quickly business and technology move, it can feel like you have to hit every milestone right now—the next income goal, follower count, email list number, or pricing increase. But you actually have so many years of working life ahead of you.

If you’re in your 30s (or older or younger), and you have small children, just think about how many more decades you have to work.

Your business goals can take longer. You can pause a goal for a season.

So if you feel called to scale back right now—whether it’s a small part of your business or the entire thing—try it. Trust God's guidance. Nothing is permanent.

Pausing something doesn’t mean quitting forever.
Even quitting your current business doesn’t mean quitting business forever.

I truly believe you will never regret spending more time with your children.

My Personal Experience with Slowing Down

I’ve found that some days, playing the role of a stay-at-home mom is actually harder than running my business.

Shoutout to all the stay-at-home moms—taking care of small children is hard work. Sitting here recording this podcast in my quiet office is much easier in comparison.

But I never regret investing time in my family. I love motherhood. It fulfills me in a way that nothing else does. It’s a high calling that I’m honored to step into, even when it means shifting my business.

Sometimes that means scaling back, pausing, or even quitting—and that’s okay.

Real-Life Example: My Grandmother’s Career

A lot of the women we admire professionally didn’t follow a straight career path—we just see where they ended up.

For example, my grandmother—my dad’s mom—had an extremely accomplished career. She was the head buyer for Kirkland’s Home Store and played a huge role in growing the company. She was also an interior designer and teacher and made a great income throughout her career.

But when I visited her last year, I asked, “Were you working in those roles when your kids were little?”

And she said, “No, honey. I was a stay-at-home mom for years.”

That surprised me because I’ve always thought of her as a career woman. But when she had her four kids—who were all close in age—she stayed home.

Her career came later—and she still built something incredible.

This was such a great reminder for me that careers are a long game.

You might look at someone’s success and assume they were grinding non-stop for decades—but you don’t see the seasons where they stepped back.

It’s Okay to Step Back—And I’m Doing It Too

I’m actually making changes in my own business right now with baby number three on the way. I’ll be talking about those details in a podcast episode soon.

But for now, I just want to encourage you:

It’s okay to scale your business back to be with your kids more.
It’s okay to quit for a season—or forever—if that’s what makes sense for your family.

And if you feel that calling, follow it. Your business will always be there, but your kids will only be little for so long.

5. Motherhood is really fulfilling. And it’s really hard. It can be both. Hard isn’t the same as bad.

Motherhood is incredibly fulfilling, and it’s also really hard. It can be both at the same time. And hard does not mean bad.

This is something that’s not talked about enough. You can absolutely love being a mom, feel like it’s everything you ever wanted, and still find it exhausting. You can be fulfilled and wish for a break. You can be completely in love with your baby and want them to stop crying so you can get some sleep.

Maybe you wish potty training didn’t result in a mess all over the floor. Or that you could just eat dinner in peace without making sure everyone else is eating theirs. Or that you could schedule a work meeting without worrying about whether nap time will actually happen.

Parenthood is hard—it’s a job like no other. And in my opinion, it’s the hardest job and the most fulfilling work you can do.

Society Doesn’t Always Value Parenthood

Parenting gets a bad rap sometimes. It’s sacrificial, and we live in a world that doesn’t always value kids—or parents—enough. And when you combine all of that, it can feel like a challenging road to navigate.

And I believe that having your first baby is the biggest adjustment of all.

Going from zero to one was a bigger shock for me than going from one to two kids. Now I’m about to go from two to three, so we’ll see how that feels! But at least for us, zero to one completely rocked our world—from work, to life, to free time, to sleep.

I remember feeling, “I’ll never do XYZ again.” And at the time, it felt true. But looking back, those thoughts weren’t actually accurate. Yes, some things do change forever, but many things are just different for a season.

If you ever find yourself missing a part of your life before kids, that does not mean you don’t love your baby or that you regret becoming a mom. It just means you’ve taken on something incredibly hard.

Motherhood is so fulfilling, but it’s also exhausting. And it’s okay to acknowledge both.

My Own Experience With a Newborn

I remember a moment early in motherhood when Colin was just a few weeks old.

Adam was out of town on a trip, and my mother-in-law was visiting to help me out. Colin was struggling with breastfeeding, had colic, and sleep was rough—it was just a lot.

That night, a new episode of Law & Order: SVU was airing. I had always loved watching new episodes as they came out—it was my thing. Before having a baby, I could sit down, grab a snack, and just enjoy it, no problem.

But that night, it felt like watching a TV show was an ordeal.

Colin wasn’t ready for bed yet—newborns often stay up late with their parents. He was fussy, and my mother-in-law sweetly encouraged me, “Elizabeth, just sit down, relax, and enjoy your LaCroix. I’ll hold him.”

So I sat down, but I couldn’t relax. I remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, I’m never going to just watch TV normally again.” It felt so overwhelming and permanent in that moment.

But of course, that wasn’t true. Just a couple of days ago, I sat down after the kids were asleep, watched a new episode of Law & Order: SVU, and enjoyed some dessert—totally uninterrupted.

That night with Colin felt so long, but in hindsight, it was just a season.

Hard is Not the Same as Bad

Motherhood is both fulfilling and hard, and one does not cancel out the other.

So when you have those hard moments—when you feel exhausted, frustrated, or overwhelmed—it doesn’t mean you’re failing as a mom. It doesn’t mean motherhood is bad. It just means it’s a really hard job.

Think about your business. There are probably parts of it you don’t like, but that doesn’t mean your business is bad—it just means there are hard aspects to running a business. Motherhood is the same way.

So if you’re in a tough moment right now, just remember:

It’s hard, but it’s worth it.
This season won’t last forever.
You are doing an incredible job.

And above all, hard does not mean bad.

6. You can do this. You can do the motherhood and business thing if you want to.

I want to close this episode with encouragement: You can do this.

You can run a business and be a mom if that’s what you want to do. If you’re going to work and not stay home 100% with your kids, I truly believe that owning a business is one of the best jobs you can have as a mother.

I feel so much gratitude every single day that I built this business and that I can make money from home while being with my kids—even with minimal childcare.

Now, I’m not going to pretend to be one of those people you see in reels or on TikTok saying they work no hours, only from their phone, while making a full-time income as a stay-at-home mom. That’s not my reality.

Right now, as I record this, both of my kids are in paid childcare. But I’m still grateful because I get to do this from home, and throughout the day, I can go downstairs a hundred times to see my baby. That flexibility is a privilege, but it’s also something you can work toward and structure your business to allow for.

Your business is a gift. I believe we should see it that way.

You Are In Charge—Not Your Clients, Not Your Calendar

One of the biggest advantages of running your own business is that you have control.

You can scale it up or down based on your family’s needs.
You can work from home or on the go.
You can choose your maternity leave length instead of having an employer decide for you.
You can set your own work hours around your kids’ schedules.

But here’s the thing—you have to make those decisions.

Don’t let your clients, calendar, or customers dictate how you run your business—especially during pregnancy and postpartum. People are often way more understanding than you think.

I’ve seen too many business owners assume, “My clients won’t understand me taking time off for a baby.” So they don’t take the time. They try to keep their business running as if they aren’t a mom, as if they didn’t just have a baby.

You don’t have to do that.

And if a client isn’t gracious about you taking maternity leave? They’re probably not the kind of client you want to work with anyway.

Be a Better Boss to Yourself

You wouldn’t want to work for someone who never gave you breaks, right? So don’t be that kind of boss to yourself.

Take the half-day for your glucose test.
Take a full day off to rest.
Take naps when you need them.
Spend less time on a project if it means you get to rest.
Give yourself a real maternity leave—and plan it well.

You are in charge—not your clients, not your team, not your calendar.

Define Your Own “It”

You can do this—but only you can define what “this” is.

Whatever your version of success looks like, you can do it. And that definition might change over time—and that’s okay.

Your motherhood and business journey will not look like mine.
It won’t look like that business owner you follow on Instagram who seems to have it all together.
It won’t look exactly like your mom’s, your mother-in-law’s, your friend’s, or anyone else’s.

Your journey is your own.

Give Yourself Time to Learn

Something else I want to encourage you with: Motherhood is a skill—and new skills take time to learn.

Think about it:

When you first got pregnant, you didn’t know what prenatals to take.
You didn’t know what was happening at each stage of pregnancy.
You might not have known much about birth or postpartum.

You had to learn—and learning takes time.

It’s the same with motherhood and business.

I actually saw a note in my Hosanna Revival Five-Year Prayer Journal today from January 2022. At the time, Colin was five months old, we had just moved into our new house, and I was trying to work more again.

In that journal entry, I prayed, “I’m having a hard time moving between mom stuff and work stuff, and I feel like I can’t do both well.”

I remember that season so clearly. I’d get in the zone with my business, and then suddenly it was time to nurse or put him down for a nap. It felt impossible to juggle both.

But over time, I learned how to manage it. It became a skill I developed.

And now, with two kids, I’m learning the skill all over again—because it looks different. And soon, with three kids, I’ll be learning it again in a brand-new way.

It’s all a process. It’s all learning. And that’s okay.

So be gracious with yourself. You are growing and learning just as much as your kids are.

6 Tips for Running a Business While Becoming a Mom

Before we wrap up, let’s quickly review all six tips. As I read them, think about which one stood out to you—maybe one that you can take action on today.

Don’t assume what you’ll want for your business until after you meet your baby.
- Make a plan, but stay flexible. You might think you want one thing, but once the baby is here, your desires could shift.
Learn how to delegate and let some things go.
- Motherhood can actually make you a better business owner by teaching you how to be more strategic with your time.
Plan for a longer maternity leave than you think you’ll want.
- Give yourself the option to take more time if you need it, because adjusting to motherhood is a big transition.
It’s okay to scale back, pause, or even quit your business if that’s what makes sense for your family.
- Be prayerful about it, talk it over with your spouse, and know that nothing is permanent—you can always shift again later.
Motherhood is both fulfilling and hard—and hard doesn’t mean bad.
- It’s okay to miss parts of your old life while also loving your baby. It’s okay to find motherhood challenging while also finding it deeply fulfilling.
You can do this.
- Define what “this” looks like for you in this season. Know that it will change over time, and that’s okay.

I hope this episode encourages you! Motherhood and business together is a learning process, and you’re going to grow so much along the way. You can do this!

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Baby #3 Is Coming! (How We Found Out, Close Age Gaps, and Preparing for Life as a Family of Five)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 2 minutes

As the title says, WE’RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY! It’s our third! I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this incredible news with you all in the 300th episode of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast! This announcement feels extra special as it marks such a significant milestone for both my personal life and podcast journey. I recorded this at 14 weeks of pregnancy, and I can’t wait for you to hear all about how we are becoming a family of five.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 300!

Some highlights from the episode:

- The story of how I found out I was pregnant (hint: it’s wild—at a conference right before a big speaking engagement!)

- How I shared the news with Adam and my two boys

- The sweet and surprising intuition both Adam and I had about this pregnancy

- How I'm thinking about managing life with a 16-month age gap between our youngest two

- How we decided we wanted another baby—and whether this might be our last!

- My birth plans and the decision between trying for a VBAC or a repeat C-section

- How this pregnancy fits into our family’s evolving seasons—and what this means for my business as we become a family of five

- Plus, my thoughts on going from two to three kids, and why I’m embracing both the challenges and the joys of this new season as a family of five

… and so much more!

Special shout out to Alli Campbell Photography who took these announcement photos! I love them so much!

Whether you're a mom, a mom-to-be, or simply curious about balancing being a mom of 3 and entrepreneurship, my hope is that you'll love this behind-the-scenes episode.

I can’t wait to hear what you think. Come find me over on Instagram, where I’m sharing even more behind-the-scenes moments and updates.

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The New Elizabeth McCravy Brand (BTS of my Business Rebrand & New Website!)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 11 minutes

If you are reading this, I have a brand new website and a new brand for my business, and it’s finally live! I'm talking about new fonts, colors, patterns, logos, and a completely new website that I started completely from scratch. This business rebrand has been in the works since LAST October, and so we’ve been working on it for almost a year (and I’ve been dreaming of sharing it with you ever since!).

I’m going to share:

Exactly why I chose to rebrand my business
My experience working with a branding agency (as a designer myself!)
Design decisions we made for the brand (and the why behind those decisions)
The process we went through (including the nitty gritty of working to redesign and reimagine 100+ pages of my giant website from the ground up).

Plus, before you dive in, I’m celebrating the launch of my new website with a SALE. Head here to find out how you can get 15-25% off my Showit Website Templates and Courses!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 282!

Why Did I Choose to Rebrand My Business?

Simply put, I’ve had my business for almost 9 years. In those 9 years, there has been a ton of evolution of what I do and offer, but my Elizabeth McCravy brand hasn't changed at all!

A little history lesson (in case you’re new around here!):

When I started my business almost 9 years ago, I was under a brand name (Every Whim Creative) that I kept for a little less than a year. I had a brand/website I built for that on WordPress.
Then I rebranded. I made a new logo, brand, and a new WordPress website with a new name (Speak Social Agency)! Some of you may remember those days! Thank you for being here so long!!
Then I redesigned that website on Showit, when I switched to designing websites on Showit.
Finally, in August of 2018, I rebranded AGAIN to Elizabeth McCravy. I said “let’s stop with the made up fictitious/created names and use my name”. I was showing up as a personal brand and I just wanted to do that all the way.

I feel like sometimes we forget truly how many changes and growth that happens in the early years. It’s funny looking back on it now thinking how many times I changed things in a short period.

Business as Elizabeth McCravy

I rebranded to Elizabeth McCravy six years ago already. And in those 6 years, I’ve been using the same logos, even though I didn’t like them anymore and didn’t feel like they represented me well. Instead, I kept adding new courses and products and the overarching visual identity for the brand was the same in these 6 years!

It got to the point where I didn’t like the logos so much that I avoided using them anywhere (they weren’t really on the website at all). Then, in 2022, I set out with the goal to do a rebrand myself. New logos, fonts, colors, website, everything!! It was my big THING for that year.

Truthfully, I did not even consider hiring anyone else because I am a designer myself. So my thought was, “I should do this, because I can do this.” With this business rebrand attempt, I got as far as new fonts and colors that I really loved, that I felt suited the brand well, but I never created new logos. I did do some brand strategy for sure, but it was all done SOLO, with no one to bounce ideas off of. Just me and me! Not super effective!

Also, it always fell to the back burner for me behind other projects. I felt like I struggled to get out of my own head and out of my way. It’s hard designing for yourself as a designer!

So basically, since January of 2022, I have been using the rebranded vibe that I created, while trying to not use any of my old logos. And it did work. I want to emphasize that. My business has grown and done really well in those years. But that whole time, “completing the business rebrand” has been on my to do list and I just kept not getting it done or getting stuck.

It’s also harder because I have a lot of sub-brands underneath my business name. I have Booked Out Designer, The Template Shop, Breakthrough Brand Podcast, and now Podcast Success Blueprint. They are different and unique, so figuring that out how they could all come together cohesively too was tough at times.

I think in reality, I needed someone else’s perspective as a designer myself!

Fast Forward to January 2023

I had done a power hour call with Veronica Romney! She’s wonderful. She’s a team building expert and a podcast host herself. I’m going to have her on this show soon! A big thing that came out of the call is that I was holding onto things in my business that I needed to delegate.

She helped me see ways I could focus more on my genius, on the things only I can do, which is especially important for me in this season of working so few hours and being with my kids more than working typically. I’m not a stay-at-home mom, but I am not working 40 hours, or even 25 hours a week, either!

So after that call, I had ideas and direction, and I decided enough is enough. I needed to step into my CEO role more in my business and let a brand designer do the rebrand, while I did the website after! Because truly, websites are my passion. I love website design, and felt confident that I could take a brand and implement it into a new website for myself. And that regardless of if it was a good use of time or not, I would adore the process. And it would be fun for me, and business is supposed to be FUN!

I will be honest: I had some doubts/imposter syndrome at first about the idea of hiring a designer (as a designer myself). But I realized that was not how I should run my business, and it was not how I was running my business in other areas that I was seeing success.

For example:

I don’t do my own customer support and haven't for years.
I don’t write the blog posts that go with these episodes.
I don’t create every single Canva graphic to promote launches/sales.
There’s a lot I don’t do that I can do or did do at one point.

So I applied to be a client of another designer who I admired. I knew she was familiar with my brand, and had listened to my podcast before. We had been online acquaintances for some time, but she wasn’t overly involved in my brand, which I felt was something I wanted actually. Some familiarity but not too much.

Hiring Cember Studio for My Business Rebrand

That person was Kelsea from Cember Studio! I do plan to have her on the podcast to talk about branding at some point, because she’s wonderful. I reached out to her, she had never worked with another designer before, but was game! I promised that I would trust her with the process and let her be the design lead. Which was actually really easy for me to do!

I booked her, then we started the project in October of 2023. And guys — it was exactly what I needed to create a powerful brand for this business and powerful sub-brands, and a vibe built to LAST! Plus, I felt like I had a really strong foundation for the website I was going to build!

We finished up the rebrand in December of last year, and of course, I was closing in on having a baby at that point. I started designing the new website then but I struggled to really get GOING on it until after my maternity leave was over. I had some pages done prior but not much.

I implemented the finished branding on my current site first, which I know is not necessarily the best way to do it, but I knew with the size of my site and all the different things that needed updating, I couldn’t launch it all at once.

Before I went on leave, I updated the logos everywhere on the website, updated all my checkout pages, receipts/invoices, Dubsado settings, email signatures, things for students in Kajabi, and our freebies to be the new look!

Then post-leave, I got going quickly. After we started to get some momentum, it was like BOOM - HERE IT IS!

About the Business Rebrand

I love it all, and I hope you do as well! Kelsea was great to work with. It was truly just a fun, fun project. I love when I hire contractors in my business and get to see how other people run their business and work with them and get to be a client myself. Kelsey's process (at least her process with me) was that she ended up presenting two brands that were similar.

They had the same color palette and some similar elements, but the logos themselves for my main brand were completely different. we actually did the brand presentation in person, which is really cool because I live in Nashville and she lives in Alabama fairly close by, and she was coming here for their team retreat. She then asked me, “Would you want to meet at a coffee shop and do the brand presentation in person?” I was like, yes, that would be so fun. I was so excited and nervous leading up to it though! But it was so nice having her explain her vision and show me everything in real time.

When she showed me the options, there were things I loved from both of them and things I didn't like about both of them. So the ultimate brand we ended up going with was a combination of both things she presented to me, even down to some of the submarks. I really, really love the final result and the whole process with her!

Brand Words and Visuals

Beyond visuals, the brand words that we went with to describe the new brand identity, are: bright, friendly, authentic, inspiration, supportive, and powerhouse. I really love all of those words and I hope those words resonate and feel accurate for you too. A lot of them are actually words that I've gotten from podcast listeners and other customers who have filled out my end of the year survey.

Truthfully, I had a moment in the business rebrand process where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue to embrace color. My brand has literally from day one embraced color — from pinks to yellows, blues, purple. I have always been a color gal, and loved bright and vibrant colors. However, one of the goals for me was to “grow up the brand” while keeping it fun, and I briefly was like… wait, do I ditch the bright colors? Really quickly I decided (with Kelsea’s help) that the answer was NO. This is something that is my style and there’s a way to stay bright, but mature with the brand,

For the final colors, you’ll see some shades of pink, yellows, a poppy reddish pink, a purple color, and shades like that. The yellow and poppy colors are almost the same as what I had been using from that half-way rebrand, but lots of the other colors were new! I actually started using the new colors on social media last year and in the freebies! I did things in phases.

Overall, my favorite parts of my new branding are the colors, having a cohesive brand look, and having so many patterns/logo variations.

Updating and Launching the New Website

I’ve been on Showit for many years now, and hadn’t created a new site for myself since 2018 when I switched to my Elizabeth McCravy brand from Speak Social. Overtime, I’ve ended up building a huge website of over 100+ pages, some not using the design settings in Showit, which made it hard to update. It wasn’t the best organized, which is why I chose to START FRESH instead of duplicating my current website and going from there. I wanted to start with a complete blank slate.

If that sounds daunting to you, especially for you designers listening… it was!

I’ve learned so much from this design process that I plan to create more content around Showit for template customers and fellow designers, because yeah… designing for yourself is hard. And staying organized and motivated and getting started is hard too!

So anyway, I started with a blank website last December in Showit. And I did make some progress before Ethan was born. I got everything set up in Showit with the brand colors and I started on the homepage and the menus, but then I halted at baby time and had to pick up after. I picked up the project again for real in June of this year, and now we’re launching, so that feels FAST. Once I got the momentum and systems, it moved a lot quicker.

Help From My Team Redesigning the Website

At first, I was doing it all completely alone because I had a vision of reimagining every single page. Then, I realized that I really only needed to reimagine the older pages and the bigger/most important pages (for example, the home page, resources, blog, etc).

But then there were some pages (like all 30ish email marketing freebie landing pages) that I have that I didn’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel on myself! My team member, Stacey helped me with those pages, and y’all she is one of my favorite business people ever. I just adore her! She was a huge blessing in this project. I’d assign her pages in ClickUp and give her some direction, and then she reworked them on the new website by bringing those pages in and editing them (so not every page was done from scratch).

New Website Rebrand Changes

Here are a few of the pages/things that I am most excited about with the new brand and website:

About page (finally - I didn't have one for like a year!!)
Freebies only page
Resources page
Blog that’s more easy to navigate (now that it’s so large)
Logos for all my products and podcast that feel more cohesive and branded than they did prior
My site menus (head to the hamburger menu at the top or the footer to see them!

Design Decisions For The Blog

While there were a million decisions that went into the new website and business rebrand, I want to walk you through just a few design decisions I made for the blog.

For pages like the blog pages, I had a process where I mapped out all of the possible things that could go on those pages. Then, I thought about what should go where (and in what order). So, for example, I have a bio at the end of all single posts, but not on the blog “home” page.
I chose to get rid of the sidebar on my blog, because with over 400+ posts, I wanted to go “full screen” with it.
I redid the categories for all 400+ blog posts I have to make things more organized. That took hours in WordPress! There is a big emphasis on search and categories for the new design to accommodate all the content.
I also created a blog search bar and think it’s sooooo cool. Have a look here!

Updates I Did With the Business Rebrand Nobody Will See/Notice

Here are a few more changes I made with the new business rebrand and website that nobody will see/notice (but make my life easier and business better!)

I started using Universal Site Canvases! Yay! I never implemented these on my old site, even though I did in all my templates as soon as the feature came out in Showit. My old site felt too massive and unorganized to do it. Now, I am using universal canvases really well and intentionally and it’s so nice!

All of my pages are sorted in the sidebar into groups (which I already had that way) but now, within the groups, everything is alphabetically organized. This is going to make it so much easier to find a page quickly.
There’s no more “Em Shop” branding (what I used to call my template shop). Now, everything has been updated to Elizabeth McCravy.

Favorite Things On My New Website

Thank you for reading this post all the way until the end! To close, here are a few of my favorite things on my new website:

My Resources Page
My About Page
Flashing text throughout
Moving icons for subtle animation
Patterns in the backgrounds
My 404 page with Phoebe
My new menus!

To Celebrate, I Am Having a Sale!

Like I said before, I’ve been dreaming about sharing this with you all for more than a YEAR. For a limited time, until September 3rd, grab some seriously stunning website templates at a sweet discount (25% off!). Whether you're a coach, creative, or small biz owner, I’ve got Showit Website Templates that will make your online space feel like home.

Plus, if you’ve ever thought about diving into one of my courses (Booked Out Designer or Podcast Success Blueprint), you can join those here at 15% off. I would love to teach you everything I know to support YOUR business vision!

Thank you so much for celebrating with me! Grab all the launch sale details (and find out what you get for FREE with every purchase) here.

Links Mentioned:

Built to Birth "Powerful Active Labor" Meditation

The post The New Elizabeth McCravy Brand (BTS of my Business Rebrand & New Website!) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

An Unfiltered Week BTS with a Newborn, Toddler, and Business: What I Planned, What Got Done, and All the Messy Moments in Between

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Today, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look into a very typical work week for me as a mom, as a business owner who works from home, and as a woman in the new baby and toddler phase of parenting. This is a true, BTS with a newborn, toddler, and business kind of episode.

When I asked you guys what you want more of on the podcast, these kinds of episodes are always a favorite. It was actually one of the first 10 episodes of The Breakthrough Brand Podcast (which is fun to think about – because life was so different back then!).

I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes (from what I do on my full work days to what I’m doing in “mom mode”. Personally, I love when people pull back the curtain and just really share the raw and real of what this looks like to run their business. And so that is truly what this is.

You'll hear me check in every morning to say what I have planned for that day and then check in the evening as well to let you know how the day actually went. Now, let's dive in!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 281!

Products/Resources Mentioned:

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Nourish Move Love YouTube Channel
Muffin recipe to do with your toddler (coming soon!)

Everything You Need to Start a Book Club (+ a BTS Look Into My 2 Year+ Book Club!)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 21 May 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 9 minutes

At the time of recording this, I’ve been a part of a monthly book club since December of 2021 and we’ve met a total of 31 times since we started! Last year, we even had a “book club retreat” where we got to hang out outside of our usual meetings and honestly, it was so much fun. Being able to start a book club and just have FUN with it has been such a blessing, so if you’ve been looking to start something like this (or you’re part of a book club already and want some tips for keeping it fun and still going strong!), you’re going to love today’s episode. I’ve made some really strong friendships in it too. I feel like everybody needs a book club like this (regardless of whether or not you are a “big reader” yet and I know my friends agree!

My goal for this episode is to show you how to start a book club and keep it going so that it quickly becomes a favorite part of the month for everyone!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 268!

Why Start a Book Club?

In case you are curious (or just need a little extra motivation), let me first tell you WHY I think it’s so important to start a book club. First of all, it encourages you to read more and explore different genres than maybe what you would usually gravitate to. I also think that reading is more fun when you have people to discuss what you read with!

Additionally, I find that having a book club is a great way to make new friends and strengthen your existing friendships. In adult life, let’s be real, making plans with friends is hard. In that way, having a book club sets you up with a consistent once-a-month hang-out with friends!

How Our Book Club Started

I’m actually not the one who started our book club, so I asked my friend Gracie (who did) what her advice was. It all started with a group text to me and our other friend Tori about how she was thinking about starting a book club and wanted to know if that would interest us!

When I asked her what she was thinking as she reached out, she said she recommended you ask the friends who you find yourself already talking about books naturally and start there. That’s all it took. I said “Heck yes! I love reading!!” and Tori also said, “Heck yes, I want to start reading more!”

From there, the three of us messaged about what day of the week, week of the month, and time of day would work best for us. We set up a meeting based on that, and then each invited a few more people to join. In my opinion, it’s easier to pick the day/time first and then invite people because this way you don’t have “too many cooks in the kitchen” trying to figure this stuff out. Having a consistent day of the week and time is helpful!

For our group, we do Thursdays at 7 pm. We used to do 7:30 but moved it earlier because we tend to talk and hang out for so long. We have changed what time of the month we meet a few times for various reasons, but for a while, it was always the last Thursday of the month.

From there, Gracie told us to invite anyone else we thought would be interested, and she did the same! I texted a few friends and so did Tori.

From there we had our first meeting on the calendar and our original “group”. Some people were in that first group text but never came to the first meeting, and some came for a few and then eventually just were removed. I think that’s ok! That’s the nature of starting something new. Don’t be discouraged if people drop off in the beginning, you will end up with an established group at some point.

I think Gracie just picked the first book if I am remembering correctly, and then she made a Google Form survey that she sent out asking questions about genres we liked and what we were hoping for from this group! We had a really solid start!

8 Tips to Start a Book Club in 2024

1. Have a leader!

First, I believe you have to have a leader, and that sounds kind of cheesy, but I really believe that this is so needed anytime a group is forming. If you're listening to this as someone who wants to start your own book club, then you are probably that leader. For us, Gracie is the leader as the one who started it. And again, that probably sounds more intense and cheesy than it should. She might not even think of herself as the leader, but truly she's the one that had the energy behind it starting and was able to make sure it kept going.

You need someone calling the shots who will host when no one else will and things like that. It's the same kind of dynamic in our businesses. If you're a business owner, for example, if you have a peer-led mastermind, it does not work if no one is willing to be the one managing the schedule and making sure everyone knows when things are happening.

It's the same way for a book club. Even though everyone's contributing and everyone's equal, you still need someone calling the shots and making the plans. Again, in our case, we're over two years into this, so she's not doing as much leading now, but early on, you need someone to keep that energy going.

Don't be afraid to lead. I truly believe that when you have groups like this, it ends up not being as great when you have a small group and no one will just stand up and be in charge a little bit to lead the discussion. It just fizzles out when that happens.

2. When you think about starting your group, remember you don’t all have to know each other first.

I think that starting a book club is an excellent way to make new friends, and I’d argue that our group is BETTER because we weren’t just a group of “best friends” coming together to read every month! Everyone knew someone, but we didn’t all know each other.

In my group, for example, we are all in different seasons of life which can be really cool for hearing different perspectives on what you just read. We often gravitate towards people in the same season as us, and I’d recommend resisting that and getting some variety.

On top of that, I also recommend keeping the group small-ish if you really want to cultivate deep friendships and make everyone accountable to show up and read the books. Ultimately, you have to create the book club that sounds best to YOU. You may want a big group dynamic where the people change every week and people come and go frequently, and that can work awesome too. I’ve heard of some book clubs that are like 15-30 people and at that point, it’s so huge that it's hard to get to know people and probably really hard to discuss the books well.

Our group is made up of just seven people, and one of those people recently moved away! She sometimes facetimes in, but for the most part, it’s just six of us and that feels like a great number! In my experience, having fewer people makes it easier to plan things (because there are fewer schedules to consider) and it also makes it easier to pick the books. It also makes conversations strong because we can have one BIG conversation about the book versus it needing to be tons of little side conversations. After all, it’s such a large group.

3. Take turns hosting and have the host be in charge of the food and drinks.

My next tip for how to start a book club that you enjoy is to switch up who hosts and try to make sure that everyone who wants to host gets a chance to! For us, we usually decide on the date and who is hosting the next book club at the end of each book club just to keep things easy.

Whoever hosts is in charge of the food and drinks, which means they are spending some money on wine, or a cocktail, and some food too! No one brings anything extra usually, it’s all on the host, but it evens out, as we all take turns hosting. We often do themed food and drinks too, which is so fun! I love when I’m hosting and I try to figure out how to incorporate subtle or not-so-subtle things from the book into the food/drinks.

4. Have a Structure For Your Time Together

For us, we hang out for the first hour usually just talking, and then when it’s time to discuss, we all rank the book without explaining our number! Once everyone has rated it, then we just talk about it! Usually, the person hosting will come up with 2-3 discussion questions if it feels like that would be helpful for the book, but sometimes we just truly talk about it with no structure.

I also think it’s worth noting that we don’t just talk books the whole time! We truly catch up on each other's lives and that is such a fun part of this when you consider that we’ve done this together 31 times now. You can imagine that really grows and strengthens friendships!

5. Don’t just read one genre

Okay, to be fair, this is what we do and I like it but I could also see arguments to just read what you like! We do a lot of mysteries in our group, for example, but I think it’s fun to incorporate as many genres as interest the group and try to keep it balanced and also just try new things! This year, we picked the whole year’s lineup in January and we intentionally included a wide variety (from mysteries, to rom coms, to biographies, to historical fiction).

Another example, is that we did a “novella month” last year, which was a genre that no one besides me had been into before. I’ve read more historical fiction than I ever thought I would because of book club too. Having a book club has expanded what I read personally because now I’ve read plenty of books outside of what I would typically gravitate to!

6. Choose one book a month, and plan months out so everyone can get on the library waitlist

This year we planned the whole year at once, but before that we’d plan out 2-3 books at a time to make it easier to get things from the library. We do “author months” sometimes or “genre months” where it’s more than 1 book too. I don’t mind when there is a bonus book in the month! For the novella month, for example, we ended up reading four books because they are a lot shorter. For “author months”, typically that will happen when we can’t find a book we all haven’t ready so we’ll pick a few at once and then that way everyone is at least reading ONE new book.

While I do love having bonus books, I also know it can be overwhelming so if reading one book a month sounds like enough for you then skip this.

Another thing I would say is that we ALL make an effort to read the book. It’s understood that life happens and sometimes you don’t get to it and that’s OK…you still come! I think that it’s important to make your book club low-stress and fun, but also at the same time if no one ever reads the book then this whole thing fizzles out. It’s a balance!

7. Keeping track of communication outside of the meeting time

For our communication, we have a shared note doc with the book plan that only one person edits and we have a group text. The notes doc has what’s coming up to read (organized by each month) and all the past books we’ve read. It also has an “ideas list” for things we want to read that get mentioned every now and then.

8. Go to interesting locations or add book club events

Last but not least, consider trying new locations or adding in some “book club” events to the calendar. It doesn’t always (or ever) have to be at someone’s home, especially now that I’m 2.5 years into this. For example, we did a high tea last fall just for fun in addition to our usual book club. We also did a Christmas dinner together last year (potluck style). We are planning to go to a winery soon for one book club. The options are endless.

I mentioned how we went on a retreat at the beginning of this episode and that’s an option too! We originally had a house booked in Gatlinburg because we all live in the Nashville area so it was a little drive away. Then, we actually got snowed out and the weather was so bad that we almost couldn't even travel just to each other's houses during that time, so we ended up all hanging out at Sarah Clark's house. We had a one night sleepover and then basically spent the whole first day together and the whole second day after the sleepover together hanging out and it was so fun.

We played games, we make cocktails, we went for dinner, and then we also had a PowerPoint with a book club draft. The draft was kind of funny, basically what we did is we all suggested 2-5 books we’d love to pick for the year. Then, Gracie made a PowerPoint with all of those books on it. We'd put up the PowerPoint and then it might say on the screen, “these are Sarah Clark's book recommendations”, and then she could talk to us about why she’s picked certain books, for example. Then we ended up voting on all the books and deciding for the year!

Some Of My Favorite Book Club Books

If you are looking to start a book club, here are some of our favorites:

A History of Wild Places (this one was on everyone’s list!)
Go as a River
The Test
The Great Alone
It Ends With Us
Daisy Jones and the Six
Hello Beautiful

Plus, if you’re looking for books that will lead to really great discussions, these were some of the best:

Starting a Book Club

I know this is a business podcast and I normally am here delivering marketing, productivity, and website tips, but I just think that this is something for my personal life that's brought me so much joy. I know my friends in our book club would agree. Life is about so much more than work. This is something that has really been a key thing in my life for the past few years, and it has brought me a lot of joy. I hope that you start a book club that does the same for you!

Links Mentioned:

Shop our Showit Website Templates (use code BBPODCAST for 10% off!)

Join me inside Booked Out Designer

Want the insider scoop? Join my Free Facebook community!

Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram

The post Everything You Need to Start a Book Club (+ a BTS Look Into My 2 Year+ Book Club!) appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

Ethan’s Birth Story: How My Unmedicated Labor Turned into an Unplanned (and Peaceful!) C-Section

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Hi friends! I’m so excited to share Ethan’s birth story with you! I’m a new mom again (and we are officially a family of four). Baby number two, Ethan Daniel McCravy, is absolutely so wonderful and amazing and it’s been fun doing this all again (but with more experience than my first go around).

If you haven’t listened to Colin’s birth story (and you’re curious), you can listen to that here. I personally relistened to it before I started outlining this one partly out of curiosity and partly to relive that experience as I thought about this one. The TL;DR version of that one is: Colin’s birth went so NOT according to my plans or hopes, but God showed up in so many ways. It’s definitely worth a listen

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

Subscribe & download the episode to your device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Search for episode 265!

Ethan’s birth also did not go according to plan, and in fact, I ended up having an un-planned c-section, which I share about on this podcast episode. I really believe it’s so important to share stories like these because we often only hear birth stories that are glamourized: the “quick births”, the “unmedicated births” and “the ones that went according to plan”. The truth is that despite parts of the birth being disappointing, I still love my birth and I believe so much of it was really beautiful. Plus, at the end of it all, I ended up with a perfect and special baby boy!

Thank you for holding space and caring enough to listen to this story! Instead of blogging all the details, I'd encourage you to listen to the audio versions of episode 265 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast!

Tune in to episode 165 of the Breakthrough Brand Podcast to hear me share Ethan's birth story!

Some highlights from this episode:

What my biggest hope was with going into labor
Why I chose a hospital over a birth center or home birth
Why I recommend typing out your birth story
What it was like going into labor naturally (at home)
The precious video Adam made with Colin (to show me during my labor)
Why my birth was always going to be a C-section (despite what the nurses and midwives thought)
When I decided to get an epidural (and how it went)
How I felt about my C-section and a message for fellow C-section moms
The first moments of meeting baby Ethan
How Colin has adjusted to meeting his precious baby brother
Ways God showed up and answered prayers in Ethan’s birth
A few key things from my postpartum c-section recovery

Links Mentioned:

Tune Into Colin's Birth Story (Episode 148)

What a Walking Epidural Is (From Very Well Parent)

The post Ethan’s Birth Story: How My Unmedicated Labor Turned into an Unplanned (and Peaceful!) C-Section appeared first on Elizabeth McCravy.

4 Ways to be BOLDER in Your Faith as a Christian Business Owner (Part Two)

Elizabeth McCravy — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Let’s talk about bringing your faith into your work, or your business, as a Christian business owner. Perhaps you’re a personal brand business or at the least, your business is not a ministry. You’re not selling devotionals and Bibles, and what you do may have NOTHING to do with your faith on paper.

But, you’re a Christian and your faith is an important part of who you are and how you show up in the world. It informs the decisions you make in your business - big and small.

But that said, maybe you feel like your faith is a secret because you don’t know if it’s ok to share it as a business owner, you’re worried you’ll alienate clients/customers who disagree with you, or maybe you feel God calling you to share but you’re like “what does that practically look like when I’m a photographer? Or a designer? Or a copywriter? Or bookkeeper?” Don’t worry - that’s what we are talking about today.

If you missed last week’s episode, go back and listen because they go together! I shared four ways to bring your faith into your business there, and I am sharing four MORE ways today (that are completely different from last week). So let’s get to it!

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1. Start a prayer time with fellow believers who also own businesses

I wish I could give you this advice and say “I do this and it’s amazing!”, but I don’t do this. I wish I did, and this is one of my goals honestly for later this year when I’m not in new baby land (since I’m actually trying to take fewer meetings right now).

But if you do have the time and want to bring your faith into your business, consider starting up a prayer group with other business owners. Maybe you decide once a month or once a week, to all get on Zoom (you could even cap it at like 30 minutes!). You could let it be a time where you share prayer requests with each other and then pray together. It could even just be an accountability thing where you all get on Zoom, check in with one another, and then pray silently together but by all being there you’re keeping yourself in check to have focused prayer time for your business, your clients, your customers, for God’s insight in your life. I really feel like this would be SO powerful.

If I were doing this right now personally, I’d start with like 2-3 other friends, and keep it small to start. I don’t say this to be exclusive, but more to actually make it happen and get people committed, which tends to be easier with fewer people.

From there, find a date and time that works for everyone. Set up a recurring event/meeting that everyone puts on their calendar and commits to showing up. Have a vision in mind for the first meeting with how you want it to go and then be prepared to lead. Then maybe after the first one, you ask your friends to invite a few more people (or keep it tight-knit if that’s the vibe you want!).

But I love this idea, so let me know if you do it. YOU CAN START THIS. I want to emphasize that this is not something that you need to be at a certain point in your business. You need to be a strong leader. Don’t wait for someone else to start it for you. Go for it, you have what it takes. Share this episode if it would be helpful!

2. Ask yourself often: How can I show Jesus’ love for people in the way I run my business?

Aim to be an example for Christ. I talked more about this last week but I believe we’re not all called to be ministers as Christians but we are all called to ministry in our lives which includes our work. How can you show Christ’s love in the way you run your business?

I think what this looks like will vary a lot depending on your unique business, so only you can know what this could look like for you., but I would just encourage you to pray about it. Ask God for wisdom. I know if you talk to him and say “Lord I want my faith to become a part of my business in a way it hasn’t been yet… what could that look like?” you’ll get some answers.

3. Pray for your team

We talked about praying for your clients and customers in the last episode, and while this is similar, it is different so I wanted to separate it. But praying for your team is a huge way you can integrate your faith into your business! You have a connection with your team that is different from with clients/customers. It’s likely more intimate where you can know what’s going on in their lives.

For example, with my team (which is just contractors!), we have a Slack “check in” once per week where we all comment in a thread answering a few questions, mainly related to what we’re working on, but it ends with “What is happening in your life this week? What’s something you’re excited about? And/or what’s something you could use prayer/support in?” And not everyone is answering it like “Please pray for me about this”. In fact, my team is not exclusively Christian. But I can still pray for them and just be attuned to what’s going on in their life based on how they answer this question!

You can also more directly ask a team member in a one-on-one meeting or over email or Slack and say something like, “Hey, I'm thinking about you today. How can I pray for you?” and then actually pray for them.

4. Talk about your faith in God

I’m ending on the most obvious, yet also least obvious one, here. Just talk about your faith. Plain and simple. No bells and whistles. You likely have a platform in some way, your own “stage”. whether that’s a podcast, social media, an interview on someone else’s podcast, YouTube channel, email list, or your website, the list could go on. You have places in your business where people come to listen to you.

In addition to that, you have people you talk to one-on-one about things. I would encourage you to simply talk about your faith, the way you would if it wasn’t work. Of course, you’ll want to approach it in a no-pressure way, not an “I’m trying to convert you!” way.

For example, I’ve been interviewed on a lot of podcasts over the years about my business story and a variety of other things. There was a time in my journey when if it was a non-faith-based podcast, I might try to leave out parts of my story that related to God’s provisions, because it felt like “that’s not the vibe of the show, that’s not what the host wants, I don’t want to offend.”

I’ve stopped doing that. I answer questions with the truth, which sometimes involves me talking about my faith. You can do this too! And guess what? No one has ever been offended.

Another way you can talk about your faith is on your website’s About page. Sharing your faith there is a great opportunity.

There are so many ways to talk about your faith in God. Whatever you choose, I would just encourage you to do it in a way that feels organic and authentic versus forcing things. You know your own heart and your relationship with God. It used to be really trendy in Christianity to share your coffee and Bible and perfect looking quiet time. Don't feel like you need to be performative.

Sharing Your Faith in God in Your Business

Now, are these all the ways you can talk about God in your business? Absolutely not! There are so many others, but these come up for me and I hope to inspire and encourage you to try them too.

Like I said last week, ask yourself now… which ones resonate with you? Pray about which ones God could be calling you towards and DO IT. Listen to last week’s episode for FOUR more ways to share your faith in God in your business too.

Links Mentioned

Tune Into Episode 42 with Jena Viviano about Sharing Your Faith as a Business Owner

Tune Into Episode 236 with Brooke Jefferson on How We Can Share Boldly in Our Faith