I invited over the core brain-trust from the retreat: Lisa Frank, owner of Rettlers, Kara Larson CEO & Editor-in-chief of Make Minnesota, and Lauren Callis Erickson Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Curiosity Studio; and owner of The Upcycled Closet. Together we chatted about their thoughts post retreat: what surprised them, what inspired them, and what they are taking away.  We also dove into a discussion around the consistent themes we observed bubbling to the surface thanks to stories shared by the participants and the work they all did throughout the weekend at the Makers Retreat.

Today you get to meet Amy Mester. Amy is a resonance Maker of the highest degree.  In our conversation we take on stuck by discussing the importance of letting go of expectations, allowing yourself to create just for the sake of creating, and finding yourself along the way.

In this episode you get to meet the amazing Sara Kube. Today we're going to explore how giving yourself permission to go outside yourself can be key to getting unstuck. We’ll chat about how letting go of the expectations of what we ‘should’ and ‘ought’ to be doing can throw the doors wide open to our creativity and can bring forth new parts of ourselves that were hiding just below the surface.

In this episode you get to meet Rebekah Morris who is a writer from greater Minnesota. Today we’ll look at how creating space has helped her during those moments of being creatively stuck. We discuss some different ways the need for space can manifest itself in our lives and how, for Becca, changing up her environment can be a source of creative inspiration.

In this episode you get to meet Betsy Dorrow, owner of Sketchy Betsy. Today we’ll look at how self-care can be a great tool in keeping yourself from getting stuck or spinning out of control. We’ll talk about how Betsy has developed a deep practice of setting clear boundaries for herself in both her professional and personal life and how the results of this practice has helped her to stay on track even at times things seem to be swirling all around.

In this episode you get to meet artist and teacher Tessa Weyhe. Today we focus on the importance of getting out of your head, especially at times when you’re feeling lost or stuck. Tessa will share her own story of losing everything, picking herself up, and making the decision to continue forward. We’ll also look at how reframing a situation can be the key to breaking the thought cycles that can keep us prisoner in our own heads.

In this episode you get to meet Emily Carlson, owner of Righteous Digs. Today we look at the importance of community and why it’s one of the most powerful ways to help us get unstuck and moving again. We’ll chat about how feelings of disconnection and loneliness informed Emily’s own search for community and helped her to commit to creating new opportunities within the Twin Cities for creatives to come together and make new connections.

In this episode you’ll meet Lauren Callis Erickson. Lauren is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Curiosity Studio and is the owner of Upcycled Closet. Lauren, through Curiosity Studio, was responsible for designing and implementing the curriculum for the two-day Makers Retreat. Today, we’ll take a closer look at creative dissonance in order to wrap our heads around what exactly it means to be stuck and examine how it can manifest itself, both in our minds and in our bodies. Along the way we’ll learn about Laurens approach to helping people when they’re stuck and how movement can be key in helping to get your creative juices flowing once again.

Today we’ll begin our season by chatting with three of the four main brains behind the Makers Retreat: Lisa Frank, owner of Rettlers; Kara Larson, CEO & Editor-in-chief of Make Minnesota; and Naomi Gamble- Zupfer proprietor of Crooked Creek Retreat. Together they’ll set the scene for the retreat and we’ll learn how Lisa’s own experience of feeling lost after an unexpected career shift led to her to take the leap and start her own dream company.

We conclude our conversation with Kathryn Sterner, owner of Winsome Goods.  Today we focus in the strategies Kathryn uses to stay nimble and resilient when things don’t go as smoothly as she hoped.  We’ll also chat about healthy debt, stubbornness, unicorns, and what she sees as the best part of owning her own business.