If you’re an artist with big dreams and a limited amount of energy (hello, real life), this episode is for you. We’re joined by singer/songwriter, vocal coach, and goals-group-organizing wizard Allie Moss to talk about how to set meaningful creative goals without falling into hustle-culture burnout.

We dig into:

• How to tell the difference between “I don’t want to do this” vs. “I’m scared to do this”

• Why your inner critic needs a nap while you’re making things

• The beauty of quantity over perfection

• Gentle approaches to time management, including Allie’s streaks habit app and her color-coded calendar system

• The power of community and accountability (without the shame)

Whether you’re writing songs, books, or to-do lists on the back of receipts, this one’s full of practical advice for showing up to your creative life with intention—and a little grace.

Where to Find Allie:

Website: www.alliemoss.com
Coaching Website: www.alliemosscoaching.com/
Instagram: @Allie Moss
Apple Music: Allie Moss
Spotify: Allie Moss
TikTok: Allie Moss

Thinking Outside the Blocks:
Website: www.thinkingoutsidetheblocks.com
Instagram: @thinkingoutsidetheblocks

References:

• Quarterly Quests from Ali Abdaal’s free workshop - see his work here

• The 12 Week Year - book by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington

• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - book by James Clear

• The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, book by Julia Cameron

• Streaks - habit-forming to-do list app
  

TIMECODES
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Meet Allie Moss
10:52 - How to know what you actually want (vs. what you “should” do)
16:51 - Why quarterly goals work better than yearly resolutions
18:41 - How to chunk down
25:45 - Becoming the kind of person who does the thing (identity-based goals)
29:51 - How to hush your inner editor
35:19 - Calendar blocking, creative energy, and realistic planning
47:34 - Accountability that doesn’t suck (and the power of community)

Money—just the word can trigger a storm of guilt, shame, confusion, or scarcity. In this episode, we crack open our complicated histories with cash: growing up with little, being raised in churches that equated poverty with holiness, and internalizing a belief that joy and money should never mix.

We cover:

• Growing up in financial lack

• Church culture’s weird relationship with money, guilt, and perceived “worth”

• The deeply internalize message: If you love it, you shouldn’t charge for it.

• How money wounds show up in creative careers

• The fear of being seen as “bad” or “greedy” for charging what you’re worth

• Reframing money as energy—not evil—and leaning into circulation, not hoarding

Whether you’re a freelancer, artist, teacher, or simply someone who’s ever hesitated to name a price—this episode is for you. There’s healing in honesty. And humor. And yes, maybe even in money.

References:

• You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth - book by Jen Sincero

• Rich as F*ck: More Money Than You Know What to Do With - book by Amanda Frances
  

TIMECODES
0:00 - Intro
1:20 - Emily’s money origin story
7:55 - Effects of growing up the way Emily did
10:18 - Carrie’s money origin story
20:01 - Wrong beliefs about money
29:03 - Do we think people with money are bad?

Have you ever felt like everyone around you seems to have a creative identity—but you’re just… a bunch of puzzle pieces that don’t fit into any one box? Maybe you’re multi-passionate, maybe you’ve been told to “pick a lane,” or maybe you’ve spent years trying to be a Tide Pod on a shelf—marketable, palatable, and definitely not too much.

In this episode, we talk about what creative authenticity actually feels like in the body, how to recognize when you’re betraying yourself, and why saying “I’ll think about it” might be the ultimate boundary-setting magic trick. And we are joined by a guest who’s lived all of it.

Lizzy McAvoy is an award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who traded the cornfields of Central Ohio for the creative chaos of Nashville. Her songs have been recorded by Jo Dee Messina, Home Free, The Shires (certified silver), Sondr (certified gold), and Tenille Arts—whose album featuring their collaboration “Butterfly Effect” was nominated for CCMA Album of the Year.

You’ve probably heard her work on FOX, Netflix, fashion campaigns, or even a car commercial without realizing it was her. She’s also taken home honors at the Production Music Awards and the Mark Awards two years in a row—including Best Folk Production Music Track and Country/Americana Track of the Year.

Where to find Lizzy:

Website: www.lizzymcavoy.com
Instagram: @lizzymacattack
Apple Music: Lizzy McAvoy
Spotify: Lizzy McAvoy

References:

• Behind the Act Podcast with Seth Schaeffer

• Read Carrie’s Substack here!
  

TIMECODES
0:00 - Intro
16:42 - Meet Lizzy!
21:06 - Living outside of our identity
30:59 - How do we know we’re living outside of who we are?
40:40 - Lizzy’s secret phrase when you can’t say no
43:51 - How do we know when something is a fit?