Behind the Scenes of a Maker Business (and Announcing our 2025 Retreat!) with Chereen Leong Schwarz
Release Date: 03/13/2025
Your Micro-Actions Matter: Add Them to Your Everyday | 12 Weeks of Wintering Week 7
Creatives In The Wild
Welcome to Week 7 of ! We're exploring Values: the concepts that drive us forward and the principles we want to honor in our lives. Hear about my own value of autonomy and how it's shaped everything from my career choices to my daily life. But you'll also learn about something I've recently discovered: the power of honoring values in tiny, everyday moments. You'll learn: Why values serve as powerful compasses for decision making The difference between big overarching values and small, daily applications How tiny micro-actions can create a sense of fulfillment and alignment 12 Weeks of...
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What's Essential, Urgent, or Important as a Creative Business Owner? | 12 Weeks of Wintering Week 6
Creatives In The Wild
Welcome to Week 6 of ! We're exploring Essentialism: the practice of ruthless prioritization and figuring out what truly matters most. Hear about my own struggle with trying to pack too much into my calendar — both personally and in my business — and the toll it took on my energy and sense of aliveness. You'll learn: Why creatives and business owners are particularly vulnerable to non-essentialism The difference between what's essential, important, and urgent How saying no can take you further than saying yes 12 Weeks of Wintering is a practice I’m sharing while I’m on parental...
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Your Self-Identity Can Be a Tool AND a Trap | 12 Weeks of Wintering Week 5
Creatives In The Wild
Welcome to Week 5 of ! We're reflecting on Identity and the creation of our sense of self. It’s a paradox: A strong sense of identity can be incredibly powerful, but it can also become a trap. Hear my own story about how identifying as a "good snowboarder" kept me from taking risks, learning new things, and evolving in the sport I loved. You'll learn: Why we're sometimes afraid to change or evolve, because we're scared of leaving the old version of ourselves behind How rigid identities, especially ones given to us by others, can hold us back Why it's important to mourn old...
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Why It's Hard to Find Alignment as a Business Owner | 12 Weeks of Wintering Week 4
Creatives In The Wild
Welcome to Week 4 of ! This week, we're exploring Alignment: the place where your being meets your doing. Alignment is a word that gets tossed around a lot, but few of us know how to truly define it, even when we know we’re feeling out of alignment. You'll learn: Why alignment is especially challenging for business owners It’s a lifelong journey, not a one-time achievement How to give yourself grace as you continue refining what alignment means to you 12 Weeks of Wintering is a practice I’m sharing while I’m on parental leave. Each week offers a Wintering theme, with a minisode like...
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Embrace Seasonality in Outdoor Industry Work (and Life) | 12 Weeks of Wintering Week 3
Creatives In The Wild
Welcome to Week 3 of ! We're diving into the power of Seasonality: both the natural rhythms of the outdoor industry and the cyclical nature of growth itself. Hear about my past work as an events producer in the skiing and snowboarding industry, when seasonality dictated everything about my business. You'll learn: Why seasonality is a pattern, especially in the outdoor industry How to anticipate highs and lows to plan strategically (or give yourself permission to rest) The difference between linear growth and cyclical growth 12 Weeks of Wintering is a practice I’m sharing while I’m on...
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You Can't Out-Optimize Your Calendar: What's Your Capacity? | 12 Weeks of Wintering Week 2
Creatives In The Wild
Welcome to Week 2 of ! We're diving into the power of Capacity: understanding the time, energy, money, and space you actually have available to accomplish your goals (before taking action). Hear about my own reckoning with capacity when I became a mom, and the struggles I often see clients face around their capacity. You’ll learn: Why you can’t out-optimize your calendar A multi-step approach to managing your workload Why capacity and vision work best together 12 Weeks of Wintering is a practice I’m sharing while I’m on parental leave. Each week offers a Wintering theme, with a...
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Set a Clear Vision for 2026 and Beyond | 12 Weeks of Wintering Week 1
Creatives In The Wild
Welcome to Week 1 of ! We're diving into the power of Visioning: not just setting goals, but creating an expansive picture of the life and version of yourself you want to become. Hear my own story of building a "successful" freelance events business that checked all the boxes on paper, but didn't align with who I actually wanted to be. You’ll learn: Why it’s helpful to set goals that actually feed your vision Permission to be super expansive in your vision How freelancers can use visioning when times are tough 12 Weeks of Wintering is a practice I’m sharing while I’m on parental...
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Your Business, Your Way: How to Design Your Work Around Your Values
Creatives In The Wild
What does it mean to build a business that truly reflects who you are? Chereen Leong Schwarz of Smeeny Made Wild joins me to chat about how she integrates her core values into her maker business, including: How to integrate your values into every aspect of your business The role of intentionality in creative entrepreneurship Giving yourself permission to do things your way The importance of community and connection in staying inspired Why creativity and business don’t have to exist in isolation Creative business retreat meets all-women’s river trip in...
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Weaving Strategy, Soul, and Sales in the Outdoor Industry with Darren Josey
Creatives In The Wild
Darren Josey is an outdoorsman, bird watcher, spouse, father of two, and the founder of First Seed Sown. First Seed Sown is a sales and marketing agency serving fellow BIPOC-owned businesses, brands looking to improve their DEI initiatives, and municipalities with environmental justice communities who want to make the outdoors more equitable for everyone in their city. Connect with DJ or join his "Marketing on a $0 Budget" class: This is a longer episode than usual, but it's FULL of helpful perspectives for freelancers. Here are some timestamps so you can find parts to...
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Your Dreams are Allowed to Evolve as a Business Owner or Maker
Creatives In The Wild
What if the goal you set ends up being something you don't want, after all? Chereen Leong Schwarz of Smeeny Made Wild joins me to share her winding path of entrepreneurship, including: How dreams evolve and why alignment is a process, not a destination The challenge of letting go of past versions of yourself Making big career shifts and embracing uncertainty Recognizing when it’s time to realign your business with your values The power of community and support in creative entrepreneurship Retreat update: We're pushing the British Columbia Retreat to 2026! Curious...
info_outlineYou're invited— I'm teaming up with Chereen to build an incredible community retreat this August 2025 in Squamish, BC!
Chereen Leong Schwarz (she/her) is the founder and chief-everything-officer behind Smeeny Made Wild. Chereen taught herself to knit with a pair of thrifted knitting needles and YouTube videos, and what started as a hobby quickly became a passion.
Today, Smeeny Made Wild is more than a brand; it’s a community of adventurous creatives, artists, and small business owners who are rewilding life and business by slowing down and reconnecting with nature, creativity, and what truly matters.
We talk about:
- How Chereen shifted from being a chef to a self-taught knitter and business owner
- The growth and impact of Smeeny Made Wild
- The challenges of building a maker based business
- Honoring our core values within our businesses
- Supporting sustainability and ethical business practices
- A 2025 retreat rooted in our love of community and intentional gathering
Connect with Chereen:
- smeenymadewild.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smeenymadewild
- Discord: https://smeenymadewild.myflodesk.com/e3k82ll1h3
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/smeenymadewild
Retreat update: We're pushing the British Columbia Retreat to 2026! Curious about future retreats? Get on the interest list here: https://aeoykafl.paperform.co