Ever notice how being underestimated can light a fire under you? Too young. Too old. Not the right look. The wrong box. It’s frustrating. And it’s also fuel, if you know how to use it.

In this episode, I sat down with Trevor Storm, a student entrepreneur running Media Wolf Marketing while earning his finance degree at Butler University. Yes, you read that right. And no, he’s not waiting for permission.

We talked about what happens when clients look at you sideways and wonder if you can really do the job. Spoiler alert. That doubt can work in your favor.

Here are a few moments that stuck with me.

• Say yes, then earn it. Trevor’s mindset is simple. Say yes to the opportunity, then do the work to make that yes pay off. Not reckless, just confident enough to learn fast and own the outcome.

• Use what they doubt as your advantage. Youth. Flexibility. Fewer layers. Trevor reframes all of it. More time. More focus. More care. When clients are your whole world, they feel it.

• The magic lives in the final 5 percent. Anyone can start strong. Credibility shows up in the follow through. The details. The batteries charged. The checklist signed off. That last little bit is where trust is built.

If you’ve ever worried that you don’t look experienced enough or polished enough, this conversation is a reminder that credibility isn’t about age or titles. It’s about showing up, doing the work, and finishing strong.

Sometimes the best way to prove them wrong is to simply do the job better than anyone expects.

There was a time when conferences felt a little bit magical. You’d show up, coffee in hand, and before the first session even started, you’d be deep in a hallway conversation that changed how you thought about your work. Those little moments, sitting on the floor near an outlet, laughing over lunch, that’s where the real magic happened.

But somewhere along the way, that magic started to fade. Big events got flashier. More sponsors, more VIP packages, and a lot more “networking opportunities” that felt like thinly disguised sales pitches. It stopped being about connection and started being about clout.

I found myself missing the kind of conversations that left me inspired instead of exhausted. So, with a few fellow podcasters, Lisa Mitchel and Jenn Edds, we started dreaming about something smaller, more human. A gathering for women behind the mic who aren’t chasing followers but chasing meaning.

That’s how Beyond the Mic was born. Not a conference, but a conversation. A cozy afternoon in Indianapolis this March, no panels, no presentations, just 10 or 15 women sharing stories, scars, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

We’ll talk about the messy parts of podcasting, burnout, creativity, community, and how we can keep making something meaningful, one episode at a time.

So if that sounds like your kind of magic, come join the conversation at talkbeyondthemike.com.

Because maybe the best conference isn’t in the ballroom, it’s in the hallway, over coffee, between two people who get it.

Join me for Beyond The Mic in Indianapolis on March 26 - https://talkbeyondthemic.com

You know that feeling when you spend half your day chasing trends, tweaking hashtags, and wondering why your brilliant post is showing up three days late in someone’s feed? Yeah, me too.

That’s why I sat down with Alice Seba, a content marketing pro who’s been helping online publishers turn persuasive content into real revenue for more than twenty years. She’s sold millions of dollars’ worth of content — and she swears the secret isn’t outsmarting the algorithm. It’s out-connecting it.

As Alice put it, “You don’t need the algorithm to notice you if your community does. When you connect, collaborate, and share stories, you build something the algorithm can’t touch — real relationships.”

And that’s the magic. When you stop trying to please the algorithm gods and start showing up for actual humans, you get noticed by the people who really matter — even when the social media winds shift.

Here are a few big takeaways from our chat:

Stop chasing the algorithm. Your business isn’t with code; it’s with people. Spend your energy on conversations — comments, DMs, collaborations — the kind that build real community and loyalty.

Build your own audience. Social platforms change faster than fashion trends, but your email list is forever. Offer something useful, keep it conversational, and land in their inbox where you actually belong.

Make your offers sound human. Ditch the sales pitch. Mention your freebie or toolkit the same way you’d share a good book recommendation with a friend. Helpful, not pushy.

Use social time wisely. Ten intentional minutes beats an hour of doom-scrolling. Pop in, connect, and get out before you start comparing your breakfast to someone else’s curated lifestyle.

When you strip away all the noise, the algorithm might be unpredictable, people aren’t. They remember who shows up, who listens, and who actually cares.

Because no algorithm can replace a genuine connection — and honestly, that’s the best kind of marketing there is.