289. Become the CEO Your Life May Need in 2026
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
Release Date: 12/01/2025
318. Navigating the “Messy Middle” of Business Growth
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what it feels like to be in the messy middle of making big, important changes in a business. My friends, I am in the middle of it! So let’s talk about it: In this episode, I’m sharing the challenges (and major wins) I’ve been facing while upgrading my own business, from competing priorities and projects taking longer than expected to learning new things and asking for help. I also share what has helped me move through the mess. I’m reminding myself to take action, invest...
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317. Take Control of Your Time as a Business Owner
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview Of course you love what you do - and that’s why you started your business. But perhaps you also took this leap because you wanted more control over your schedule and more freedom to do the things you love outside of work. This episode centers around answering a question that has come up countless times in my years as a retail coach and that I have even grappled with in the past as a business owner: where should I be spending my time? As business owners, we have three major resources to manage: time, money, and capacity or energy. Time...
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316. How to Build a Business That Works for Your Life
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview I’m back after taking a longer-than-expected summer pause from the podcast! That pause gave me space to think about what I want next for my business, what I want my life to look like, and how those two things fit together. After years of building, coaching, and running a business, I’ve been thinking a lot about what deserves my energy and what no longer needs to come along for the climb. In this episode, I’m sharing some of the questions I’ve been working through with clients and myself. I talk about business seasons, celebrating...
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315. What Really Happens at a Mastermind Retreat and Why It Matters for Business Growth
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach A profitable, smooth holiday season is not a lucky accident. It’s what happens when someone who actually prepared gets to execute. And the best time to prepare? July. Camp begins with a fireside chat (opening coaching) on July 13th. Grab your sit-upon (fellow Girl Scouts unite!) and join me! Episode Overview I recently hosted my Level Up Mastermind members for a retreat in my town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. I received so many questions about what actually happens during a retreat like this so I’ve decided to pull back the curtain and share...
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314. The Memento Generation: Creating More Meaningful Buying Experiences in Retail
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview Fresh off my Level Up Mastermind retreat with retailers from around the world, I'm reflecting on something that feels increasingly important in retail right now: experiences. Your customers are looking for connection, meaning, and events they can remember. In this episode, I’m sharing my thoughts on some of the findings from a research report from the Portas Agency titled “”. The concept explores how many younger consumers are placing greater value on memories, shared experiences, and stories over simply acquiring...
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313. Why Community Is the Future of Retail with Guest Expert Mark Schaefer
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I sit down with best-selling marketing author and speaker Mark Schaefer to talk about what matters most for independent retailers in a world that’s being increasingly shaped by AI. While technology continues to change how customers find the places they love to shop, Mark makes a compelling case that the strongest advantage for brick-and-mortar retailers is still something AI cannot replicate: a completely human experience. We talk about the role of personal branding, community, experiences, and transcendent...
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312. Midyear Business Review: Are You Building a Business or a Passion Project?
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview We have officially reached the middle of the year, and now is the perfect time to pause for just a few minutes to take an honest look at what we're building. Beyond reviewing numbers and planning for the months ahead, I want to pose a bigger question: is your business becoming a valuable asset, or have you simply created a job (that you love!) for yourself? In this episode, I share my thoughts around long-term business value. Could you sell your business right now? Whether selling your business feels years away or not something...
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311. Why Real Connection Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI with Deanne Fitzpatrick
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I sit down with my friend Deanne Fitzpatrick of for an honest and raw conversation about AI, authenticity, and what it means to run a meaningful business. We talk about the parts of AI that feel helpful, the parts that feel icky, and why trust and real connection matter more than ever for small business owners. As business owners who have both embraced technology over the years, neither Deanne nor I are anti-AI. But we are cautious and curious about how it’s changing what feels like pretty much everything. We...
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310. 7 Things That Might Be Holding You Back in Your Retail Business
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode of the Creative Shop Talk Podcast, I’m sharing seven common patterns I see repeatedly with independent retailers who are working hard but still feeling stuck. These are habits, mindset patterns, and blind spots that can keep us from reaching the goals we truly want. As I was making this list from conversations with clients, I realized I’ve experienced every one of these things myself throughout my years in business. Some of the highlights: vague goals, overthinking, avoiding difficult conversations, staying...
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309. From Good to Great: Dream Bigger Now
Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten
With host retail coach Episode Overview In this episode, I’m sharing details of a conversation that challenged me to think differently about what’s possible in business and life. I’ve been reflecting on the ways we can reach a point where things feel “good” so we stop stretching toward what could feel even better: more alignment, more joy, and being more fulfilled. Through personal stories and examples from my clients, I’m exploring the idea that growth is not always about doing more: sometimes it’s about raising our standards, reimagining what is possible,...
info_outlineWith host retail coach Wendy Batten
https://wendybatten.com/podcast-intro/
In This Episode:
Season Five wraps with a heartfelt, honest conversation you don’t want to miss. In this final episode of the year, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing the real-life alignment shifts, boundaries, and mindset resets that shaped my 2025 - and how you can step confidently and intentionally into 2026.
If you’ve ever felt out of sync with your business, overwhelmed by hustle culture, or unsure whether your decisions still match the life you want today… this episode will feel like a deep breath. Wendy talks openly about anxiety, intuition, “right-fit” clients, protecting your energy, and designing a business that actually supports your life - not the other way around.
Grab a cozy drink, settle in, and get ready to reflect, recalibrate, and realign for the year ahead.
Insights to Guide Your 2026 Planning
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Why your business can only grow as sustainably as you can
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The difference between chasing clients vs. attracting aligned ones
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Intuition whispers before it screams
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Why a full calendar isn’t the goal – spaciousness is
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The power of boundaries as leadership
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How to identify fuels vs. drains in your business
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The importance of checking whether your business still aligns with who you are today
Your Next Steps:
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Revisit your 2025 experiences: What felt aligned? What felt heavy?
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Review your client base: Who energizes you? Who doesn’t?
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Set or reinforce boundaries that support your CEO role
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Explore deeper support if you’re ready – whether that’s joining the Level Up Mastermind, or finding coaching or community.
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Need help with your 2026 business planning? Grab my Best Year Ever standalone masterclass. It’s available for free for Inner Circle members and for purchase from non-members. Members and non-members alike will meet with me live on Zoom on January 13th at 2pm ET. A replay will be available for those who cannot make it live.
Related podcasts we think you’ll like:
Episode 136: Coffee Break Chats with Wendy: Annual Planning That Fills Your Life Buckets
Episode 186: Choose Joy: Reframe Your Mindset and End Your Retail Year Happy
Episode 197: A Monthly Debrief: A Simple Activity All Retail Shop Owners Should Be Doing
About your host, Wendy Batten
In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Wendy Batten, retail business coach and founder of the Retailer’s Inner Circle. With over 30 years of experience running successful businesses, I now help independent shop owners grow profitably and sustainably—with more confidence and joy.
I’ve had my own business columns in featured magazines, such as What Women Create and other top publications, worked with some of the top industry brands as retail care manager, and I’ve supported hundreds of retailers through coaching, speaking, my programs, and this podcast.
For more support from Wendy
Retailer’s Inner Circle - Join Wendy inside the best retailer’s community
Free resources for shop owners
Hang out and connect with Wendy on IG
All of Wendy’s current programs and services for shop owners can be found HERE.
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