What if you could build a wildly successful business with under 1,000 Instagram followers? Nicole Otchy, founder of The Styling Consultancy, is living proof it's possible—and she's breaking all the industry's outdated rules to do it.

In this episode, Nicole shares her journey from styling presidential advisors and power players to coaching stylists to build six-figure businesses. We dive deep into the uncomfortable truths about creative entrepreneurship, why perfectionism keeps talented people broke, and how to price your services like the leader you are.

[01:51] Handling "You're Too Expensive" Objections Nicole's game-changing advice: put your prices on your website and own them with confidence. If someone says it's out of budget, respond with "Yeah, it is. It may not be right for you."

[03:21] Earliest Sign of Being Allergic to Ordinary Growing up feeling "different" in a negative way, and how that evolved into a superpower in her 40s.

[06:48] What's Broken in the Styling Industry Why styling has been pigeonholed as a "little dress-up business" instead of recognized as serious consulting work.

[14:54] What Powerful People Have in Common Lessons from 14 years styling CEOs and political advisors: they all did it scared, had excellent emotional regulation, and cultivated networks of advisors.

[18:44] Perfectionism: The Silent Business Killer The biggest thing holding creative entrepreneurs back and why the obsession with being perfect keeps people from launching and showing up.

[21:36] The Identity Shift to Six-Figure CEO How to baby-step your way from fear to confidence without jumping into the deep end.

[24:34] The Social Media Myth How Nicole runs a multiple six-figure business with under 1,000 Instagram followers. Her secret? Deep relationships over vanity metrics, with her podcast doing the heavy lifting.

[28:36] Visibility vs. Profitability Stop chasing followers and start focusing on your bank account. Understanding the numbers that actually matter in your business.

[31:22] Advice for Small Followings Ask specific, limited-scope questions and take real client conversations online. Quality engagement beats quantity.

[35:08] Common Pricing Mistakes Why pricing is a form of leadership and how to stop outsourcing your authority to what's on other people's websites.

[38:16] The Career Pivot at 40 The voice that asked "Do you really want to do this when you're 60?" and choosing impact over comfort.

[45:22] Rapid Fire: What's Normal That You Don't Subscribe To? Stop asking "what is everyone else wearing?" and other wisdom bombs.

Connect with Nicole: Instagram: @stylingconsultancy Podcast: The Six Figure Personal Stylist Podcast

If ordinary has ever felt suffocating, you’re in the right place.
Follow Allergic to the Ordinary for conversations on identity, ambition, and designing a life that doesn’t play it safe.

Hosted by @jamiegasparovic

A Studio Gaspo production

What if losing everything you built on social media was actually the beginning of something bigger? Jen Szpigiel is the Editor in Chief of Iconic Magazine and Founder of Becoming Iconic. She's helped thousands of women build over $100 million in sales. In this conversation, Jen gets raw about giving her power away to goals, clients, team members, and social media—and what happened when she lost her entire Instagram following in 2022, then built her first million in six months with less than a thousand followers.

What We Cover:

[01:18] The lesson Jen wishes she'd learned earlier: taking personal power back [04:19] The most recent thing Jen gave her power away to (team members she kept too long) [06:35] When being copied feels fresh—and the maturity that comes with it [11:20] Success isn't saying a million things—it's saying your thing a million ways [16:17] Don't talk about the wound while it's bleeding: when to share your story [18:27] Being seen was petrifying: Jen's divorce story and the mean girls [25:10] Why action creates the feeling, not the other way around [31:54] The selfish desire that became Iconic Magazine [37:53] Losing her social media and making a million with <1K followers [42:23] What actually drives reach? It's not what you think [45:00] If you feel invisible, here's the hard truth you need to hear [47:32] The weirdness that makes you successful [52:02] Emma Greed: the woman ripping doors off the hinges

Quotes Worth Saving:

"I wish I had known to consistently take my personal power back. I gave power over to goals, income, potential clients, and social media."

"The first million dollars I reached in six months came off of losing my socials with less than a thousand followers."

"Women wait for the feeling to come first, not realizing that action creates the feeling. Your feeling of being ready will not appear first."

"Nobody's coming to your rescue. Not a mentor, not a team member, not your spouse, not even the followers on Instagram."

"The very thing that makes you weird is the very thing that will make you successful."

About Jen:

Jen Szpigiel is Editor in Chief of Iconic Magazine and Founder of Becoming Iconic. She's helped thousands of women build successful businesses, resulting in over $100 million in sales. After losing her social media in 2022, she launched Iconic Magazine—described as Forbes meets Vogue—which has garnered over 10 million impressions and reached 48+ countries.

Connect: @iconicmagazine__ & @becomingiconic | The Iconic Podcast

Your Turn:

Where are you giving your power away? To metrics? People-pleasing? Waiting for validation? This week, identify one place where you're holding back—and fully commit. Be more of yourself. We're all craving more of YOU.

If ordinary has ever felt suffocating, you’re in the right place.
Follow Allergic to the Ordinary for conversations on identity, ambition, and designing a life that doesn’t play it safe.

Hosted by @jamiegasparovic

A Studio Gaspo production

What if the screenless camera everyone's obsessing over, the VHS tapes making a comeback, and your sudden urge to buy a record player are all symptoms of the same thing...we're exhausted by optimization?

In this solo episode, Jamie breaks down the pattern she's been noticing: the pendulum is swinging hard toward analog, friction, and nostalgia. But it's not really about the VHS tape or the 90s. It's about craving a time when you weren't mainlining terrible news every hour, when everything wasn't AI-generated slop, when effort and time created meaning instead of just being inefficiencies to eliminate.

From her four-year-old asking if she's ever been inside a grocery store (answer: basically no) to teaching her kids to sit through an entire vinyl record without skipping songs, Jamie makes the case for intentional friction. Not performative analog aesthetics, but actual choices about where to automate and where to protect presence. Because complete optimization? It makes us hollow.

What We Cover:

[00:00] The Camp Snap camera phenomenon: why people are swarming over a basic screenless camcorder [02:30] The pattern: VHS tapes, kids' landlines, Ralph Lauren Christmas, and millennial nostalgia marketing [04:45] What we're really craving: not the 90s, but being unreachable and protected from the chaos [06:30] AI slop fatigue: when fascinating became suffocating in record time [08:15] The nuance: it's not about rejecting technology—it's about intentionality [09:00] The grocery store story: Jamie's son asks if she's ever been inside one (basically no) [10:30] Adding friction where it matters: vinyl records as events, handwritten notes, presence with kids [13:00] Design application: the two-queen bedroom that took 16 weeks instead of 2 [15:30] Collecting art over time vs. filling walls instantly from Wayfair [17:00] The invitation: where should you automate and where should you add friction?

Quotes Worth Saving:

"The VHS tape, the Camp Snap camera, 90s nostalgia—all of that is showing this desire to disconnect and have protection from the firehose of chaos we're living in."

"When you come across something that feels genuinely human—with personality, mistakes, a strong point of view—it stands out because most of what we're consuming doesn't have that anymore."

"My four-year-old asked me, 'Mom, have you ever actually been in Publix?' And the answer is basically no. I'm happy to automate groceries because I don't care about them."

"When you put on a record, you can't skip to whatever song you want. You commit to the full experience. That friction creates meaning that telling the robot to play music doesn't have."

"You're investing a lot of money either way. Would you rather wait 16 weeks and have it be exactly right, or rush it in 2 weeks and regret it 5 minutes later?"

"Complete optimization makes us hollow. We think we want everything instant and frictionless, but when we get that, something's missing. Friction is where the growth lives."

"Being allergic to the ordinary isn't about doing everything differently. It's about knowing what matters to you and refusing to let convenience steal it."

Your Turn:

Jamie's challenge: Ask yourself these questions:

1. What's one thing you're rushing through that you actually want to savor?
2. What's an area where you've optimized away the experience?

Start with one area. Add the friction back. See what happens.

If ordinary has ever felt suffocating, you’re in the right place.
Follow Allergic to the Ordinary for conversations on identity, ambition, and designing a life that doesn’t play it safe.

Hosted by @jamiegasparovic

A Studio Gaspo production