If your brand feels like a money pit or a mute button on your real voice, you might be building from your loudest wound—perfectionism, people-pleasing, shame—rather than your highest wisdom. In this episode, I break down how neurosomatics (applied nervous-system work) becomes the most unlikely, wildly effective brand strategy: it gives you the safety to be honest, polarizing, and prolific—aka a brand with a pulse, not just a presence. What we cover The “loudest wound vs. highest wisdom”...

If you’re dodging decisions because you “might change your mind,” you’re not broken—you’re human. This episode digs into how fear of judgment fuels commitment-phobia in branding, why shame makes visibility feel unsafe, and how to move from survival brain to self-led brand decisions you can actually stand behind. Evolution isn’t a branding liability—it is the brand when you honor it out loud. What you’ll learn Why “I’m scared to commit” is usually fear of judgment (and how your nervous system ...

If you’re a solopreneur coach or creative in a pivot, a custom website is probably not your next best move. In this tell-it-straight episode, we talk about visibility > vanity, why community beats cosmetic upgrades, and the exact order of operations to build a brand people feel (not just follow). I share the hard-won lessons (hi, $35k ad experiment with basically zero ROI) and map the simple path: pick one platform, show up consistently, build your email list, and get crystal clear on your...

The algorithm didn’t kill your brand—loneliness did. In this episode, I break down why community is the trend that isn’t a trend (it’s a return to what actually works), how irrational loyalty is created, and why being a person beats playing a persona. We talk real relationships, energetic resonance, and simple ways to turn your corner of the internet into a room people want to enter. You’ll learn: Why “community, not just presence” is winning right now—and how to start without a giant audienc...

The Difference Between a Personal Account and a Personal Brand Ever feel like you’re walking a tightrope between being real and being strategic? Between sharing too much and saying nothing at all? This episode is your permission slip to stop performing and start creating from your pulse — not for the algorithm, not for approval, and definitely not for perfection. In this week’s episode, Kelli gets raw about the confusion solopreneurs face when building a personal brand that actually connects....

If your business feels stuck, it might not be your niche or your website—it might be your identity. In this episode, Kelli shares the messy middle of evolving from “designer” to voice-and-identity activator, why you can’t out-brand not knowing yourself, and how nervous-system safety, self-acceptance, and honest preference-finding turn a boring brand into a magnetic one. We dig into functional freeze, shame, rest, heart-rate variability, and why dialing up the hidden 20% of you does 80% of you...

Feeling stale, over it, and wildly under-engaged? This episode is your nudge to stop creating for palatability and start creating from play. We delve into why repeating the same message on seven platforms can drain your life force, how “self-expression vs. oppression” manifests in everyday choices (yes, even in leggings), and why the energy you create in content is the energy your audience receives. You’ll hear simple, human ways to re-spark momentum—think “dress the brand,” use an alte...

In Episode 8 of Kelli Was Here, we’re ripping the muzzle off and talking about the power of saying the quiet parts out loud—in life and in branding. If you’ve been feeling like the best kept secret or watching your engagement dry up while posting polished, palatable content… this is why. I share stories of how truth-telling (even something as silly as showing kale in my teeth on Instagram) creates real connection, while over-curated brands are getting crickets. You’ll hear: Why your audience ...

Feeling stuck in a “functional freeze”? In this episode, Kelli shows female solopreneurs how to uncover the 20% that does 80% of the brand’s heavy lifting—so your brand stops blending in and starts bleeding out. Episode summary If your brand looks polished but feels flat, this one’s for you. Kelli unpacks why so many smart women are operating in a functional freeze—going through the motions while feeling disconnected—and how that freeze shows up as safe, palatable, ultimately boring bra...

What do you do when your old tricks stop working? When Instagram engagement tanks, referrals dry up, and even posting feels like pulling teeth? In this episode of Kelli Was Here, I dig into the invisible gap that shows up when you’ve outgrown the version of yourself your business was built on. Spoiler: the thing you’re stuffing down—the 20% of you that only your inner circle gets to see—is the very thing doing 80% of your brand’s heavy lifting. We’ll talk about: Why repeating what used ...

RIP to the “soft girl era.” The internet has declared her dead—and in her place? A messy mashup of “anti-hustle” and “anti-soft-girl” takes that all kind of miss the point. Here’s the truth: It’s not about hustle vs. softness. It’s not even about hustle vs. hard work. It’s about fear vs. love—and how your nervous system responds when you’re creating, selling, or simply trying to post an Instagram caption without spiraling. In this episode of Kelli Was Here, I share: Why the so-called ...

The shame script behind analysis paralysis, course debt, and why you’re still stuck Episode Summary If your business currently feels like an expensive hobby with a side of panic, this one’s for you. We dig into the silent operator under your burnout, pricing wobble, perfectionism, and “maybe one more course” habit: shame. Not the buzzy kind—the embodied, nervous-system kind that quietly hijacks decisions, keeps you over-researching, and convinces you visibility is dangerous. In short, you don...

Not Lost, Just Answerless — And Why That’s Okay You know that limbo where you’re not exactly lost… but you couldn’t GPS your next move if someone paid you? Yeah. I’ve been renting space there for the last six years—zero plans to renew the lease. This episode is for the women with a whole damn furnace of passion inside, but no clear door to let the heat out. You’ve got ideas, fire, talent—and every time you try to “figure it out,” it either feels 10 sizes too big or like an itchy wool sweater ...

Welcome to Episode 2 of “Kelli Was Here”! In this raw and honest episode, your host Kelli dives into one of the most difficult and important topics in entrepreneurship, especially for women: business debt and our complicated relationship with money. Kelli opens up about her lifelong journey with financial shame, inherited beliefs, and the realities of growing up with a trust fund but little understanding of how money actually works. She recounts her early experiences of never having to worry...

Welcome to the very first episode of "Kelli Was Here," hosted by Kelli Preston—a podcast for women who are done being "digestible" and ready to reclaim their messy, authentic selves. In this passionate and deeply personal debut, Kelli, recording on her 45th birthday, shares her journey of stepping into the woman she truly wants to be, embracing vulnerability, and finally using her voice after years of holding back out of fear of criticism and judgment. Kelli opens up about her decision to cl...