993: Katie Keller Wood - Busting the Myth of Work-Life Balance
Release Date: 07/16/2025
The Final Episode: Lessons Learned From 1000 Episodes
The Self-Employed Life
The final episode after 1000 episodes and 11 years! To close out this epic journey, I share some background on the starting and growth of the show as well as the biggest lessons I've learned from interviewing so many people. I hope you'll take these lessons to heart! I believe there's a lot of value in them for you. Let's stay connected on social and be sure to check out and join me on my next show, Selling Luxury launching on September 16th! Sell to the Rich: The Insiders Handbook to Selling Luxury – Contact Jeffrey – Valuable Resources – You know...
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999: LuAnn Nigara - A Well-Designed Business
The Self-Employed Life
A lot of creatives think we are doomed to a life without systems because that’s not our natural inclination. Our business is “us,” which makes it difficult to scale. I know that I personally have trouble making the connection between who I am as a photographer and my branding. Whether or not systems come easily to you, it’s time to put on our “big-boy pants.” All businesses need to revisit the fundamentals of mission statements, values, systems, and customers. You have to believe in your business and your ability to run it. Yes, it’s all Business 101, but it works. To remind us...
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999: LuAnn Nigara - A Well-Designed Business
The Self-Employed Life
A lot of creatives think we are doomed to a life without systems because that’s not our natural inclination. Our business is “us,” which makes it difficult to scale. I know that I personally have trouble making the connection between who I am as a photographer and my branding. Whether or not systems come easily to you, it’s time to put on our “big-boy pants.” All businesses need to revisit the fundamentals of mission statements, values, systems, and customers. You have to believe in your business and your ability to run it. Yes, it’s all Business 101, but it works. To remind us...
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998: Tony Martignetti - The Illumination Framework: Discovering Your True Potential
The Self-Employed Life
In this episode of The Self-Employed Life, I had the pleasure of speaking with leadership advisor and host of The Virtual Campfire, Tony Martignetti. Tony shares what it means to live as a multidimensional person in a one-dimensional world, explaining how we are too often asked to compartmentalize or suppress parts of ourselves. Together, we explore why people feel trapped in narrow roles, how integrating hidden passions can unlock our true potential, and why embracing our multidimensional selves may be the key to solving today’s most pressing challenges. Tony also introduces his...
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997: The One Thing That Can Change Everything
The Self-Employed Life
As we're getting close to the last episode of The Self-Employed Life podcast, I wanted to leave you with something helpful and actionable. Here it is! Pretty common advice that I offer to many coaching clients and it's certainly a big part of the conversation with prospective members of my High Achievers group. What is the one thing that can change everything? Sell to the Rich: The Insiders Handbook to Selling Luxury – Contact Jeffrey – Valuable Resources – You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is...
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996: Tom Roberts - From Fear to Flow
The Self-Employed Life
In this episode of The Self-Employed Life, I had the great pleasure of speaking with the author of the forthcoming book From Fear to Flow: Transcending the Ego and Living the Life You Were Meant to Live, Tom Roberts. Tom uses his experience on the racetrack and in dentistry to challenge the conventional view of flow as simply a performance tool and instead presents it as a natural, authentic state of being that emerges when we learn to quiet the ego. We explore how flow mirrors deep meditative states, why the ego is often the biggest obstacle to our growth, and how to move...
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995: Christina Guthier -Joyfully Exhausted: The Bright Side of Giving Your All
The Self-Employed Life
In this episode of The Self-Employed Life, I had the great pleasure of speaking with occupational health psychologist Dr. Christina Guthier, author of Joyfully Exhausted, about the often misunderstood concept of burnout. We discuss the idea that not all exhaustion is bad, explore the difference between joyful and harmful exhaustion, and examine the effort-reward imbalance that many self-employed people face. Christina emphasizes the importance of managing our energy and recovering from hidden efforts we may not even realize are draining us. Our conversation is a refreshing reminder that...
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994: The Power of Paradox in Business and Life
The Self-Employed Life
People are typically very uncomfortable exisitning in what appears to be a paradox. I think where we often get tripped up is when we believe we have to resolve these tensions—pick one truth and discard the other. But what if wisdom and life comes from learning to stand in the paradox? To hold both truths at once. Sell to the Rich: The Insiders Handbook to Selling Luxury – Contact Jeffrey – Valuable Resources – You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where...
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993: Katie Keller Wood - Busting the Myth of Work-Life Balance
The Self-Employed Life
In this episode of The Self-Employed Life, I had the pleasure of speaking with Katie Keller Wood, Montessori educator, TEDx speaker, and author of the upcoming book Alignment: A Montessori Approach to Reimagining Work-Life Balance. We challenge the myth of work-life balance and instead explore the powerful metaphor of a life mosaic—how different aspects of our life can align without rigid separation. Katie shares how purpose-driven work, often viewed with guilt or skepticism, can actually be a vital source of personal meaning and fulfillment. She draws from Montessori principles in order to...
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992: Julia Phelan - Understand the Science of Learning to Truly Change Lives
The Self-Employed Life
In this episode of The Self-Employed Life podcast, I had the great pleasure of speaking with learning scientist, curriculum expert, and the “Workshop Whisperer”, Julia Phelan. In this episode we explore how well-intended coaches, consultants, and course creators can unknowingly do harm when they don’t understand how people actually learn. Julia shares insights into why oversimplified advice discourages learners and how to design effective experiences for people at all levels. We also dig into the myth of learning styles, the difference between good content and good delivery, and...
info_outlineIn this episode of The Self-Employed Life, I had the pleasure of speaking with Katie Keller Wood, Montessori educator, TEDx speaker, and author of the upcoming book Alignment: A Montessori Approach to Reimagining Work-Life Balance. We challenge the myth of work-life balance and instead explore the powerful metaphor of a life mosaic—how different aspects of our life can align without rigid separation. Katie shares how purpose-driven work, often viewed with guilt or skepticism, can actually be a vital source of personal meaning and fulfillment. She draws from Montessori principles in order to emphasize the importance of not losing oneself in their meaningful work, but instead cultivate awareness, alignment, and joy in all areas of life. This episode is for anyone wanting to do their purpose work and create a meaningful life without burning out.
Dr. Katie Keller Wood grew up in the world of education, and delights in helping people find new ways of thinking about the world. Discovering Montessori education, both as a pedagogy and a philosophy, was pivotal for her, and she is on a mission to bring a Montessori perspective of work to everyone.
Katie has had the great honor of working with hundreds of middle and high school Montessori teachers from all over the world through the training program she runs, called CMStep. She is recognized as a leader in Montessori programming for adolescents and adults. Any given semester might find Katie teaching undergraduates at the University of Virginia, where she earned both her bachelor’s and her doctorate degrees, master’s students at Xavier University, or doctoral students at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is active in the Montessori research and teacher education communities.
Katie does her work because she believes that a more peaceful, just, equitable, and sustainable world is possible, and that it takes all of us leading our aligned lives to bring this world forward.
Katie lives in Richmond, Virginia, and is a TEDx and keynote speaker and a sought-after presenter for workshops and conferences. Alignment: A Montessori Approach to Reimagining Work-Life Balance is her first book.
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The Self-Employed Business Institute You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out!
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Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.