Let’s stop romanticizing “just make it work” energy and start choosing the kind of spacious expansion that feels WILDLY fulfilling
I know what it’s like when your business needs your full creative brilliance and all you currently have is one decent hour, a reheated coffee, and a fully hostile relationship with your inbox.
So no, I’m not here to tell you to try harder.
I’m here to help you rebuild the parts of your business that are asking for WAY too much and giving back way too little.
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Bringing the lived experience of building multiple six-figure businesses, pivoting, burning out, rebuilding, and figuring out what works in real life.
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Creating the action plan by examining what’s not working in your business, what’s getting in the way of bigger income and deeper impact, and what needs to shift next.
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Reflecting, observing, and asking the questions that help you tap into your own inner guidance so you can determine your way forward.
I’m Samara, and I help creative entrepreneurs and coaches build big, beautiful businesses that support the big, beautiful life they’re living
I will not hand you a ‘one-size-fits-all’ business model and wish you luck. For one, that kind of advice usually flops the second real life gets involved. And two, I don’t exactly fit into a neat, one-size-fits-all role either.
Think of me as part…
You can be proud of the business you’ve built and still admit it doesn’t fit anymore
I know, because I’ve been there
I’ve rebuilt my business through big moves, big identity changes, and times when “just be consistent” was laughably unhelpful advice. I’ve had seasons where my business felt easy and expansive. And seasons where it felt like every part of it needed to be re-met, rethought, or lovingly dragged into the present.
js-hero-timeline
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2017: CHOIR ERA || your magic makes the money
I was finishing my third music degree when I started leading a choir of twenty-five wonderful women. What began as one Wednesday night rehearsal quickly grew into multiple choirs, 150+ members, and eventually a full arts organization that my husband and I ran full-time.
The magic of this wasn’t lost on us. We would look at each other at least once a week and say how lucky we were to spend each day doing what we love.
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2020: PANDEMIC ERA || you have permission to pivot
Then the pandemic hit. We pivoted hard, but Zoom choirs were never going to replace what we’d built in person. Around the same time, Andrew got accepted into a doctoral program, and we moved to Edmonton.
So I closed one chapter, went all in on the web design studio I’d been growing, and gave myself permission to build something new.
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2020: DESIGNER ERA || learn the rules, then break them
The early days of my design business were…humbling. I undercharged, chased shaky leads, and tried to make myself fit the mold of what I thought a “real” designer should be. Investing in mentorship changed everything. I learned how to market myself and build a business around my strengths.
Before long, I was booking out with $6k+ brand and website projects — and noticing that the strategy side of my work lit me up just as much as the design itself.
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2022: COACHING + MENTORSHIP ERA || your energy is your greatest asset
When I launched 1:1 coaching + mentorship as its own offer, it took off. My clients were getting incredible results, and my business was growing fast: first a $10k month, then a $22k month, then a six-figure year.
But behind the scenes? I was running on fumes. Between design work, coaching, launches, pregnancy loss, IVF, and growing a baby, I was stretched way too thin. By the end of 2023, it was painfully obvious that a business can look successful on paper and still ask way too much of the person living inside it.
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2024: SPACIOUS ERA || build the business, keep the life
These days, I’ve rebuilt my business around feeling good in it. I work twenty-ish hours a week, keep Fridays for my sons, travel often, and support my clients deeply.
I still care about growth. I care about money. I care about doing meaningful work and doing it well. But I’m no longer available for hustle, comparison spirals, shaky boundaries, or anything that asks me to trade my integrity, energy, or freedom for more business success.
(tap for the voice-note edition)
That’s also how I learned to part ways with a LOT of typical “business coach” advice —here’s what I believe instead:
Your business should adapt to your life, not the other way around. Period.
More income should not require you to lose yourself in the process.
Selling gets to feel honest, useful, and deeply human.
Self-trust is built by actually doing the brave, stretchy stuff.
Sometimes the most responsible move is to slow. the. f*ck. down.
Your values should shape how you show up more than trends ever will.
And because the whole point of this business is having a life…
You can find me:
At choir rehearsals in between dog walks and voice notes
I’ll always say yes to:
Toddler cuddles, a half-caf latte, and rewatching New Girl
Trust me to ask…
What’s your human design, enneagram, and big three?
The vibe here is…
Doing good work, living a good life, and not choosing between them
The Lead With Heart Podcast
Want to keep hanging out with me?
Inside Lead With Heart, I share the conversations, shifts, strategies, and honest behind-the-scenes pieces that help you build a business with more intention.
Some episodes are just me. Some are conversations with INCREDIBLE humans I think you’ll love. All of it is here to support the way you want to work, live, and lead.