Podcast
The Speak Easy Podcast
Hosted by Jen Estill and Karen Stefl — creative studio entrepreneurs, brand and video experts, boss ladies, moms · EN
Hi. Jen Estill and Karen Stefl here. In The Speak Easy Podcast, we share years of expertise in marketing, branding, video production, strategy—not to mention management, employee development, mentoring, sales, creativity, maintaining life balance, managing money, and.. you get the idea. It takes a lot to keep a couple of creative studios thriving.
We developed this podcast after years of "how do you..." boss lady conversations. It was clear that if we were both in such similar places with regard to business growth, and personal growth, and work/life/motherhood/bossland balance, then other women may be, too. We'd been sharing confessions over cocktails for quite a while—solving problems, asking for advice, and whispering the secret fears and disappointments that successful women are never supposed to have. (You've had those, right? It's not just us?)
Thus, Speak Easy was born. Our goal and our promise is to speak with honesty about the challenges that experienced women in the creative industry face. To create a community where we can support one another and abandon the mantra that we put on a good face and make it look like we have it all together, even when we don't. You can expect honesty, complete vulnerability and even a good laugh.
And cocktails. You can expect cocktails.
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Outgrowing Your Dreams
Mar 1100:14:40Tap to summarizeWe're not startups anymore — we're seasoned professionals who've had the opportunity to achieve a lot of dreams. But here's what nobody tells you: Sometimes you achieve what you thought you wanted and realize it doesn't fit anymore. Success can start to feel like a cage when the dreams that got you here were dreamed by a version of you that no longer exists. In this episode, we get honest about outgrowing the goals that once defined us. We talk about the shift from proving yourself to protecting your time, from chasing multiple targets to doing one thing fully and completely. We explore what it means when what you have right now was once your dream but doesn't feel like enough anymore — not because you're ungrateful, but because you've evolved. Tune in as we explore how to celebrate where you are, acknowledge what got you here, and get moving on the next thing with intention and clarity.
Transcribe →
Case Study: Review by Committee Has Hidden Costs
Feb 2400:17:04Tap to summarizeCollaboration is a powerful creative tool, but it's a terrible feedback methodology. When everyone is in charge of feedback and no one protects the vision, great projects lose their edge — and the process becomes a budget-draining, timeline-exploding mess that waters down your work and pulls you off-message. In this case study episode, Karen breaks down the three major pitfalls of review by committee: dilution (too many voices lead to safe, thin content), delay (disconnecting from a project kills momentum and drains budget), and drain (repeated revisions cause creatives to lose buy-in and work mechanically). So what's the solution? Tune in to learn how to protect your projects, budgets, and creative teams from committee-driven chaos.
Transcribe →
What Marketers Wish Producers Knew
Feb 1100:18:29Tap to summarizeThere's often an invisible divide between the agency world and the video production world — not because people don't respect each other's expertise, but because they don't always understand the full scope of what the other side is managing. Marketers aren't just asking for a video; they're asking for pipeline alignment, brand awareness, and behavior change. Producers aren't just delivering footage; they're architecting a process that makes creativity feel effortless. In this episode, we dig into what each side wishes the other understood. We explore why protecting the work matters, how the process is the product, and why skipping pre-production usually means paying for it later. It’s not about “staying in your lane”; it's about appreciating why the other lane exists. Tune in as we unpack how understanding each other's full scope of work creates smoother projects, stronger partnerships, and better outcomes for clients and creatives alike.
Transcribe →
Q5 Thinking
Jan 2700:19:37Tap to summarizeQ5 isn't an official quarter on any calendar, but it might be the most important one for business owners. It's the strategic reset period — the time you invest in thinking about your business from a higher vantage point rather than getting lost in the day-to-day grind. We credit this concept to RevCommunity and Tim Thompson, who's known for his work consulting agency and studio owners on how to build sustainable, intentional businesses. In this episode, we break down what Q5 thinking really entails and how to make it work for you. We explore when to implement it — whether at the end of the year, the beginning, or layered throughout as an ongoing practice of working on your business versus in it. Tune in as we explore how this strategic pause can transform the way you approach your business and help you start each year with clarity, purpose, and renewed energy instead of just hitting repeat.
Transcribe →
Case Study: Campaign Launch Strategy with Redhead
Jan 1300:20:13Tap to summarizeYou can have all the creative brilliance in the world, but without the right framework to support it, your campaign risks falling flat or never reaching the people it's meant to move. In this episode, Jen walks through the essential elements every successful campaign needs before launch. Drawing from Redhead's proven approach, we explore how to craft creative storytelling that stands out in a crowded landscape, the importance of realistic budgets and timelines, and how to build feedback loops that keep projects moving forward instead of stalling out. We also tackle the often-overlooked topic of success metrics — both the numbers and the narratives that tell you whether your campaign truly delivered. Tune in to discover how the best campaigns balance creative vision with operational reality, and why both matter equally.
Transcribe →
The 2% Rule
Dec 1700:13:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we break down what the 2% looks like in our respective crafts and why it matters more than you might think. This extra effort is often what differentiates premium work and justifies premium pricing — it's the invisible layer that turns "thanks" into "wow." We explore how to protect that 2% margin in your workflow and culture, why it becomes part of your brand expectation over time, and how it compounds into longevity for both your deliverables and your business. We also talk about the difference between extra polish and scope creep, because knowing where to stop is part of mastery. The 2% rule is what separates seasoned professionals from those just checking boxes — and it's the most profitable investment you can make in your reputation.
Transcribe →
When Your Clients Want to Phone It In
Dec 200:17:03Tap to summarizeThere's a special kind of frustration that comes when you realize you're working harder on someone else's project than they are. The meetings where they're distracted, the feedback that arrives three weeks late, the sudden flood of opinions after months of silence — these aren't just annoying inconveniences. They're symptoms of a deeper problem that impacts everything from creative quality to team morale to actual ROI. In this episode, we explore the uncomfortable reality of working with disengaged clients and why it matters more than you might think. We break down the root causes — from burnout and fragmentation to simple lack of understanding about what good collaboration requires — and examine how disengagement creates a ripple effect that damages the work, the process, and the people involved. But this isn't just about venting frustrations. Tune in as we share practical approaches for reigniting client engagement, from reframing conversations around outcomes to establishing clear decision-makers and structured review phases, and most importantly, how to protect your team's energy and the project's integrity.
Transcribe →
Case Study: Making the Most of a Production Team with Render Studios
Nov 1900:19:15Tap to summarizeWhen you're working with an expert production team, you should expect them to ask you hard questions — particularly upfront in the planning stages. Those difficult questions aren't obstacles; they're what lead to a better final product. But knowing what to look for in a production partner and how to navigate the process can make all the difference between simply checking a box and creating work that truly resonates. In this episode, Karen breaks down how to approach video production with clarity and purpose. Drawing insights from Render Studios' approach to partnering with clients, we explore the importance of starting with strategy first, understanding the different skill sets involved in production, and building trust throughout the process. Tune in as we demystify the production process and how to find the right creative partner to maximize the value of your investment.
Transcribe →
Get Out of Your Zip Code
Nov 400:15:48Tap to summarizeIn a creative slump? Hit the road - seriously. New places and new experiences stimulate your brain. They expose you to different ways of thinking, new cultures, and alternative approaches to solving problems. In this episode, we dig into why it's important to leave your zip code, both for personal growth and for your community's reputation. We share stories about how traveling can spark creativity, provide cultural awareness, and help you see the bigger picture beyond your usual context. But there's another layer: when you leave, you become an evangelist for where you're from. No one can choose your town if they don't know about it. By getting out and sharing your story, you're putting your community on the map. Tune in as we make the case that sometimes the best creative strategy is a road trip.
Transcribe →
10: Cautionary Tales
Dec 5, 2017Tap to summarizeWhat do you wish you would have done 10 years ago? What are your regrets? What great piece of advice would you give a friend or colleague? Well, what are you going to do about it now?
Transcribe →