Branding expert Ashia Amavé shares how showing up as your full, authentic self serves community.

For our last episode of Season 3 — wowza! — we sit down with personal brand expert Ashia Amavé. She shares why it’s important to both your career and your community to show up as your whole self and blows our minds by describing the personal brand as your story with context. 

We also discuss getting the most out of boring jobs (psst — networking), the way persistence pays off and the importance of merging or blending your skills, jobs and interests rather than keeping them siloed.

Finally, we stand in awe as she describes repeatedly cold calling Gayle King for some face time. Spoiler: she succeeds. We’re now two degrees from Oprah, folks.

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It’s hard out there for an entrepreneur — but it doesn’t have to be hard and lonely. That’s the perspective of our next guest, Laura Zug, who works tirelessly to help her clients strategically and organically build community. In short, she helps people find, communicate and nurture their biggest fans.

In this episode, we dig into the many aspects of community building, including how community building has become the buzzword du jour and the way it requires slow and organic growth to succeed. 

Laura also shares her favorite communities for community builders (meta!) like Talkbase (she loves their founders, Tiffany Oda and Klara Losert) and the Communough community, started by consultant Yurii Lazaruk. 

Finally, Kelsey asks Laura about a rumor she heard, and Laura reveals the news. (Spoiler: It involves fellow community expert Bri Leever.)

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Valerie Gangas, author and founder of Juniper Holiday + Home on creating experiences through hospitality and community.

Simply put: Valerie Gangas is a powerhouse. She owns and runs 50 — soon to be 100! — short-term rental properties through Juniper Holiday + Home, and she’s also penned two amazing books on life, empowerment and spirituality. (In Deep Shift should be on everyone’s nightstand.) 

So, we’re thrilled that Val sat down with us on the latest episode of “No Surprises.” We discuss blending her love of hospitality and real estate, finding and creating moments of magic, and how watching Chip and Joanna Gaines ultimately led Valerie to start her business. 

She also teaches us about Culture Index and discusses the importance of bringing in specialists early in your business-building journey. 

Finally, after Kelsey asks the age-old question, “did it involve goats?” we learn that this animal lover once saved a deer from a fence. What can’t she do?

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The duo behind the vibrant network talks about why community matters.

In this episode of No Surprises, we add to the nesting dolls of the season — the community of people who have recorded our podcast about community — with Sarah Greisdorf and Sam Zelitch. This dynamic duo helms Squarespace Circle, a network of Squarespace creatives, designers and developers, and executes the annual Circle Day conference. (Our favorite day of the year!)

We discuss the beautiful ouroboros of community engagement and company success, how not to take things personally, and why it’s better to have a community that’s loud — and possibly upset — than one that’s too quiet. We also hear the Circle Day origin story, and learn why Kelsey and Mal believe running a tech agency is like Chicago improv. 

Finally, we reminisce about Argo Tea shops and learn that Sam’s firing may or may not have brought down the company. 

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As two of our favorite Squarespace community members, we love to sit down with Will Myers and Christy Price, whether in person at Circle Day or logging on from far-off locales like Texas (Christy) and Italy (Will). Cue the wanderlust!

In this edition of No Surprises, Kelsey and Mal talk to these Squarespace leaders about their individual skill sets — including design, coding, plugins and education — and why they believe in sharing them widely. We also learn about their work partnership and how they handle issues like competition and inevitable friction. (“If you don’t have friction, you’re doing something wrong,” says Will.)

We also discuss the arrival of the new guard, the downfall of discounting, and staying nimble with the ever-evolving Squarespace platform. Plus, Christy gives a masterclass on respectful boundary setting, as Kelsey plays the role of a difficult client.

(Don’t forget to check out Will and Christy’s own podcast, Somewhat Useful.)

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The community engagement expert talks global giving — and taking care of yourself along the way. 

Kristin Lewis’s career journey starts over pancakes — as many great journeys do — and follows a twist-y path to United Airlines, where as Senior Manager of Global Community Engagement and Partnership, Kristin manages the brand’s non-profit portfolio, including Miles on a Mission and the Special Olympics. You know, big stuff.  

In this episode, Kristin sits down with Kelsey and Mal to discuss corporate responsibility, starting with a big, overarching question: Why does United care? 

They also dip into the idea of everyday magic as they discuss the miracle of aviation and the brand’s partnership with Sesame Workshop. (Is there anything more eternally magical than the Muppets?)

She also shares her Lead with Joy philosophy and why it’s important to fill yourself up to keep fighting the good fight.

Finally, we learn Kelsey’s next-level trick to getting out of gym class. (Do not recommend.)

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As both Community Lead for the education platform and in his everyday life Max Pete is all about bringing people together. 

You know how there’s that person who you keep intersecting with on your career path? For Kelsey, that’s Max Pete. As two people in the Squarespace design and tech space, their work has woven along their respective journeys, connecting in part through all of the talented people they’ve met along the way. 

At long last, Kelsey and Max get to sit down — with Mal, too! — for an extended conversation. We discuss what it means to build and be part of an online community, how Max’s natural gifts for bringing people together led to his business, and how the pandemic helped his business explode.

We also discuss necessary and essential self-care protocols, like overcommunicating, unplugging from the internet and setting essential boundaries. 

Finally, we bond with Max over the way work skills spill into your personal life. Be warned: if you go out for drinks with Kelsey, you just might end up filling out a Discovery Survey.  

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Marketing guru Lindsey Pinchuk on how a community-centered approach leads to success.

Community is so hot right now — but it’s always been a part of Lindsey Pinchuk’s ethos. From her very first business to her current work as creator of Dear FoundHer, building and cultivating community is central to everything she does. Meaning that she’s a community trendsetter — in so many ways.

After sitting down with Lindsey on her own podcast, we’re thrilled to turn the tables and hear her story on No Surprises. She discusses creating her first business, Bump Club and Beyond, as a way to bring moms together, and how taking time to build a community that believes in you and trusts you leads to authentic, long-lasting success.

We also discuss how sharing experiences — especially the shitty ones — brings people closer together, and also bond over the reality of not taking home a paycheck while building a business.

Finally, we finish with a little gratitude fest — sometimes, you just can’t help it.

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