Leonie Dawson's Blog
October 17, 2025
Creative Business Growth in an Economic Downturn
My sparkly possums,
Today’s podcast episode is a BIG one. Like, grab-your-notebook-and-a-cuppa big.
I sat down with my dear friend + creativity coach, Tamara Protassow, to talk about something most entrepreneurs don’t want to admit out loud: business can feel weird right now. Sales are wobblier, customers are choosier, and the post-COVID cash flood? Yeah, that’s well and truly dried up.
But here’s the good news: downturns aren’t the end of your business. They’re part of the natural seasons of business. Think of it like harvest vs. fallow time — both are needed. And YOU?
You can absolutely grow a resilient, profitable, values-aligned business even in a downturn.
In this raw + practical convo, we cover:
📈Why this matters now & why downturns are normal in business cycles.✨Why “coasting” won’t cut it anymore (and what to do instead)
📝The marketing + copywriting skills that will set you apart
💰How to reset your profit margins + set healthy prices
🧠Nervous system hacks for when money stress hijacks your brain
⚡Why you need to stop doom-scrolling + reclaim your energy
🌱The truth about business cycles
💰How to protect future you with savings + retirement contributions
This episode is for my amazing women entrepreneurs who want to keep growing without burning out. We’re talking grounded strategies + compassion all the way.
Because here’s the thing: you’re built for this. With the right tools, you can weather the dips, skill up, and keep building the business (and life!) that makes your soul sing!!!
🎧 Listen here!
You can also to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCast.
🎧 Listen away, lovebug!
big love,
???? FREE GOODIES ????
Weekly love lettersPodcast: Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be CategorisedA library of free treasuresCash Crunch – FREE workshop on how to make more & save more when times are tough!
???? BOOKS ????
???? COURSES ????
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseCreative MagicCreative Goddess EmbodiedBig Money Big ImpactThe post Creative Business Growth in an Economic Downturn appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
October 10, 2025
Should You Hire Friends or Family in Your Business?
My glorious unicorns,
I’ve got a doozy of an episode for you! I sit down with my longtime friend + collaborator Tamara Protassow to talk about the gloriously messy topic of hiring friends or family in your biz. Spoiler: it can get sticky, sparkly, and sometimes disastrous.
We’re serving it up with plenty of laughs, brutal honesty, and the emotional lessons we’ve learned— sharing our own stories, the emotional truths, and the rare magical moments when it actually works. You’re in for a treat!
You can expect these ear-gasm goodies:🦄Tam shares her journey as a creativity coach and long-time collaborator in Leonie’s world.
🩵How we met: The fateful tea meetup that led to years of collaboration (and some chaotic planner adventures).
❓The Big Question: “Should you hire friends or family?” (can you guess my answer? It rhymes with smabsolutely smot!)
✨I share stories of heartbreak, lost friendships, and the painful lessons that followed.
😔Why it fails: misaligned expectations, power dynamics, blurred boundaries, and emotional baggage.
👁️Tam’s insider view: How she separates roles, keeps boundaries clean, and treats employment as a privilege rather than a power play.
⭐How I make it work now with clear communication and an exit strategy that keeps friendships in tact
🫰The emotional cost: Why mixing love, money, and work can trigger every wound you’ve ever had.
💎The rare exceptions: Brene Brown and Denise Duffield-Thomas—proof it can work, but only with deep self-awareness and constant effort.
🔥My gratitude for the lessons learned and the friendships that survived the fire.
Not into clicking links? I’ve got you covered, babes! Just push play below!
You can also to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCast.
🎧 Listen away, lovebug!
big love,
???? FREE GOODIES ????
Weekly love lettersPodcast: Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be CategorisedA library of free treasuresCash Crunch – FREE workshop on how to make more & save more when times are tough!
???? BOOKS ????
???? COURSES ????
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseCreative MagicCreative Goddess EmbodiedBig Money Big ImpactThe post Should You Hire Friends or Family in Your Business? appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
October 3, 2025
3 Star Book Club
Brilliant hoomans,
I am SO BLOODY EXCITED about today’s podcast episode — because we’re kicking off a brand new segment that I’ve been itching to share with you…
✨ Welcome to… The Three Star Book Club! ✨
This is not your typical “every book is life-changing” book club. Oh no no no. We’re diving into the perfectly average, the deeply mediocre, the “eh, it was fine” books — and we’re going to talk about them with unfiltered honesty and a lot of laughs.
I’m joined by my glorious co-host Dara Paddy — part-time business coach, full-time bookworm, and someone I could talk books, TV, and stories with for *daysss*. We met a month or so ago and basically talked our arses off until we realised… this needed to be a podcast.
In this first episode, we’re chatting all about:
📚 What a “3 Star Book” even is — and why those reads often spark the best conversations.
💡 How we each decide what earns three stars (and why it’s not always a bad thing!).
🎙️ Why we’re sparing with giving out 5 star book reviews
😂 The joy of honest, nuanced book talk — with no literary snobbery allowed.
📖 Some of our recent 3-star reads (and whether they’re still worth your time!).
If you’re a fellow book nerd, or just love a good, giggly, no-holds-barred chat about reading, this episode is going to feel like a cosy cuppa with friends. ☕📖
Oh look, you can push play below and listen straight away! How lucky are you???
You can also to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCast.
🎧 Go have a listen now — and welcome to the most delightfully average book club on the internet. 😄
big love,
???? FREE GOODIES ????
Weekly love lettersPodcast: Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be CategorisedA library of free treasuresCash Crunch – FREE workshop on how to make more & save more when times are tough!
???? BOOKS ????
???? COURSES ????
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseCreative MagicCreative Goddess EmbodiedThe post 3 Star Book Club appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
September 25, 2025
September 12, 2025
Elevate Your Business Meditation
Darlinghearts,
A lil while ago, I was running a group coaching call… and led this meditation to help everyone connect with the spirit of their business and find out what their business is needing next from them to grow and thrive. It ended up being so powerful and profound, and the feedback was so divine.
So I thought I’d give it to you as a gift. It feels like a good indicator of some of the new/old ways my work is shifting into… weaving the sacred and intuitive into the business and strategy.
Give yourself the gift of listeningIt’s just under 30 minutes long. Give yourself the gift of a soft blanket, some horizontal time, and some time connecting with your spirit and business… it could be the most valuable, illuminating 30 minutes of your week.
You can watch it here :
You can also to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCast.
Watch on YouTube
with love + gratitude,
🦄 FREE GOODIES 🦄
Weekly love lettersPodcast: Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be CategorisedA library of free treasuresCash Crunch – FREE workshop on how to make more & save more when times are tough!
📚 BOOKS 📚
🌟 COURSES 🌟
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseCreative MagicCreative Goddess EmbodiedThe post Elevate Your Business Meditation appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
A special presentation
Gorgeous ones,
Palms and back sweaty, I offer you one of my most vulnerable shares yet. My keynote speech at the 2025 Ausmumpreneur National Conference.
What if your business isn’t just a hustle… but the greatest spiritual quest of your life? 🌈✨
This talk is my heart cracked wide open — the mistakes, the miracles, the burnout + the re-enchantment.
👉 Come watch. The best is yet to come.
You can watch it here :
You can also to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCast.
with so much love,
🦄 FREE GOODIES 🦄
Weekly love lettersPodcast: Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be CategorisedA library of free treasuresCash Crunch – FREE workshop on how to make more & save more when times are tough!
📚 BOOKS 📚
🌟 COURSES 🌟
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseCreative MagicCreative Goddess EmbodiedThe post A special presentation appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
A heart-opening, tear-soaked adventure
Hey lovely souls,
Last month I had one of the most heart-soaked adventures of my life at the AusMumpreneur National Conference. I wanted to share it all with you — the tears, the magic, the healing, the wild synchronicities — so I recorded a brand new video podcast episode all about it.
You can watch it here :
You can also to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCast.
Prefer to read? Check out the blog post here.
🔍Exploring Geelong with my dearest friend Tam.
✨Meeting my Momentum Mastermind clients in person for the first time.
💎Crystal shops, pink lights, and hippie treasures galore.
🤗The terrifying beauty of speaking vulnerably on stage.
💗Meeting three sisters from my hometown wove grief, love, and family threads together.
😊Leaving braver, softer, and more alive than I arrived.
If your heart needs a reminder that vulnerability is strength, belonging can appear in unexpected places, and growth is always worth the tears — this episode is for you.
big love,
🦄 FREE GOODIES 🦄
Weekly love lettersPodcast: Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be CategorisedA library of free treasuresCash Crunch – FREE workshop on how to make more & save more when times are tough!
📚 BOOKS 📚
🌟 COURSES 🌟
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseCreative MagicCreative Goddess EmbodiedThe post A heart-opening, tear-soaked adventure appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
a 7 figure illustration empire!?!?!?
Loves,
Once upon a time, in the olden days of working in a cubicle, I used to invent lunchtime adventures. I’d send an email around midmorning, and invite a hodge podge of people I knew who worked in the city. I’d give them the lunchtime mission, if they chose to accept it, and told them to bring a random friend.
We’d gather, this motley crue of delightful humans, and have absurd adventures like picnics to celebrate the first 25 degree celsius day after winter, and secrets lunches where everyone wrote anonymous secrets on post it notes to be passed around and read out loud.
Walking back to the office today from one of these shenanigans, my friend David would tell me:
“You’re like one of those social supernodes. You like to link people together.”
And it was true. There amongst the crew would be people I’d met on the bus, sacred womens circles, at work and anywhere else I could find them. I’d merrily introduce everyone to everyone, sure that if I loved them, they’d love each other. I can’t keep a secret to save my life, and I can’t gatekeep good humans from good humans.
Looking back through my blog archives as I write this, I find this post on taking a grace walk with David and our friend Andrea, and my heart skips a beat.
I wrote:
“we talked about our secret selves.
i am georgina, the artist by the sea. andrea is angela, the greek cafe owner. dave is bjorn, viking forest man with muse.
and i delight in the sharing of our secret selves. i delight in walking in spring, with no cares in the world. good conversation, dear friends, a sweet stroll and miracles.”
I included in it this photo taken on that grace walk:
My friend David made his journey over the rainbow bridge earlier this year.I hope in the afterlife, he is living his best life as Bjorn, living in the forest with his muse, enraptured in spring’s blossoms as always, remembering how remarkable he is.
I feel enormously lucky to have had so many incredible friendships, and to be so seen in them. And I also feel so very lucky I’ve been blogging about it all for 21 years now… so I can travel back through time to remember and have my heart skip a beat and think what a miracle this whole thing of life is.
And this isn’t what I meant to write you about tonight. But here is where I am, anyway. And it’s all too precious and soaked with synchronicity to not share.
[image error]I had a ticket to go to the Heart Centred Biz Conference in Noosa this week. And leading up to it, I had a knowing deep in my bones that it wasn’t my time to go. That I was being called to stay home. And so I trusted, and I stayed home.And I’m glad I did, because it’s been a week where both my daughters needed me. I’ve been in emergency rooms and ongoing tests with one daughter, and holding my other daughter’s hair back as she hurled with fevers. I’ve sat still as one daughter snuggled her sick, weary head on my shoulder, unwilling to move lest I disturb her. This, I think, is right where I need to be, and I’m glad I am here.
And all week long, my phone pings with messages from all my beautiful friends who are at conference together. They send me photos together, tell me they miss me, give me play by play accounts of what is happening, and we fangirl each other and all our friends so hard.
One of them even surprises me by sneakily ordering a Leonie designed t-shirt to wear at conference so I feel energetically a part of it.
I want to travel back in time to that young primary school self of mine… the Autistic kid with no friends who would hide in the library at lunchtimes… that one day her life soon would be brimming with the most beautiful friendships.
[image error]And now we get to the part of what I really meant to tell you today… before we went on some merry (but important) storytime side quests.Like the social supernode I am, as David would say, I want to foist one of my friends upon you. Clasp you both together and say:
I LOVE YOU! SO YOU TWO WILL LOVE EACH OTHER!
because I’m chill like that.
I wanted to introduce you to my friend Katie.
I met Katie online in 2020. And we met in kind of a hilarious, wonderful way. She took my Money and E-course programs. Then she’d share her gorgeous illustrated notes she’d taken during them with me. We started chatting on Instagram and never really stopped.
Then earlier this year, Katie flew over to come to our business mastermind retreat.
You know how there’s three things that can happen when you meet an online friend for the first time in real life?
It can feel completely flat… your online chemistry just doesn’t connect IRL.It’s pretty much how you expected it to be.In rare cases, it’s even BETTER.With Katie, it was #3.
As evidenced by me texting her this while we were at retreat together.
So much aligned for us at retreat. One glorious night, while everyone else was out to a fancy dinner by the beach, Katie and I sequestered away together to sing Alanis Morisette, draw together and giggle uproariously for hours. Total kindred spirits, and we revelled in it.
And, I wanted to share Katie’s story with you more. Because not only is she a thoroughly good and fun human, but she also is crazy talented artistically AND has a brilliant business brain.
She has crafted something remarkable with her creative businesses, and has completely smashed the Starving Artist Myth.
So I invited her to do a podcast episode with me. This is only my second interview in… 215 episodes (!!!!!) so that’s how much you know I love Katie.
Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCast.
Watch the episode on Youtube
In it we talk about:
how Katie got started as a live illustrator (and what live illustration even is!)her three successful creative businessesthe scary moment she knew she had to close down her agencyhow she’s crafted a 7 figure business with her creative giftswhere I rank in her friendship scale (important)why we discuss bowel movements on elevators (also v important).It was blooming inspiring and I’m still thinking about it days later.
Friend! Meet Other Friend! I know you will love each other!
Let me know what you thinky winky. I’ve been thinking of having more of my friends on my podcast lately. Waddya reckon?
I’m so glad I wrote this tonight. So glad it got me time travelling to remember all my friendships… past, present and future. It really is a miracle to be seen by other souls, to get to love them and be loved for being just as you are. I feel so blooming lucky.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you.
Big love,
🦄 FREE GOODIES 🦄
📚 BOOKS 📚
🌟 COURSES 🌟
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseCreative MagicCreative Goddess Embodied Big Magic, Big Impact Momentum MastermindThe post a 7 figure illustration empire!?!?!? appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
September 3, 2025
The Email Experiment: How to build and nurture your list with Leonie Dawson
My loves,
I just had the BEST chat with Sarah Cousins — The Ideas Girl™ — marketing strategist extraordinaire! We went deeeeep on one of my absolute favourite topics: email lists.
If you’ve been hanging around me for a while, you’ll know this: my business (and the millions it has made over the years) is built on email. Not social media. Not algorithms. EMAIL. Full stop.
Sarah has created something bloody brilliant: The Email Experiment 2025™ — a practical, no-fluff program to help you build, grow, and nurture an email list that actually works.
In our chat, I shared why nurturing your list is non-negotiable if you want long-term business success. In fact, if you listen to just ONE thing from me this year, make it this conversation. It’s a must.
Here’s a taste of what we cover:
⭐Why your email list is your most valuable business asset (and how to treat it that way).🤯The biggest mistakes people make with email (and what to do instead).💖How to actually nurture your subscribers so they stick around, love you, and buy from you.💵The simplest, most effective strategies I’ve used to build a multi-million dollar biz with email as the backbone.and MORE!Sarah’s Email Experiment 2025™ gives you a clear plan + accountability so you stop overthinking and start sending and I am all the way here for it!!!! If you want in, you can check it out and register with my handy dandy link HERE!
My interview with Sarah is a BONUS private poddy episode available as an add-on to Email Experiment 2025™. But for my glorious, brilliant humans, you can have a listen right now! Just push play below CLICK HERE!!!!
Big love + bright ideas,
🦄 FREE GOODIES 🦄
Weekly love lettersPodcast: Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be CategorisedA library of free treasuresCash Crunch – FREE workshop on how to make more & save more when times are tough!
📚 BOOKS 📚
🌟 COURSES 🌟
Brilliant Biz & Life Academy (get everything I offer at a wildly generous price!)Midas TouchGet Organised!Work Less, Earn MoreBehind The Scenes of a Multi-Millionaire’s Finances (only $7!)Sales StarMarketing Without Social MediaMoney, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income40 Days To A Finished Book40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-CourseADHD & Autism Biz and Productivity Success2025 Dream QuestCreative Goddess EmbodiedBig Money Big ImpactMomentum MastermindBackstage PassThe post The Email Experiment: How to build and nurture your list with Leonie Dawson appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
August 27, 2025
Elevate Your Business – Free Meditation
Precious humans!
I have a something delicious to give to you!
A lil while ago, I was running a group coaching call… and led this meditation to help everyone connect with the spirit of their business and find out what their business is needing next from them to grow and thrive. It ended up being so powerful and profound, and the feedback was so divine.
So I thought I’d give it to you as a gift. It feels like a good indicator of some of the new/old ways my work is shifting into… weaving the sacred and intuitive into the business and strategy.
Give yourself the gift of listeningIt’s just under 30 minutes long. Give yourself the gift of a soft blanket, some horizontal time, and some time connecting with your spirit and business… it could be the most valuable, illuminating 30 minutes of your week.
Download as an audio file here.
Important Note! ✍️The next round of Momentum Mastermind begins next week.
Only around 30 spots are available.
17 spots have already been taken.
If you’d like to experience 8 week incredible weeks of personal & business growth, make sure you grab your spot now!
May you know, today and always…That the secrets you seek are inside you.
That there is a treasure trove of wisdom buried within, ready to be opened.
That you are ready, and able, and have all you need.
That this journey of growth, healing and evolution… can be the most delicious adventure of our lives.
That the world is waiting for us.
Let’s go… together.
Bright shining love,
Time left to join Momentum Mastermind
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE IN MOMENTUM
The post Elevate Your Business – Free Meditation appeared first on Leonie Dawson | Goals, Marketing + Creativity For Glorious Humans.
