The Freak Show

Eva Couto

Welcome to The Freak Show, a podcast for the weirdos of the service-provider world ready to go all-in on their brand — brought to you by Eva Couto, Ringleader at Flying Colours Creative. Gather round & step right up as we turn your unique personality into your biggest brand asset, and celebrate the bold, quirky & unconventional.

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#56
July 28 · 1 hr
056. Building an Ordinary Business When You're Tired Of The Scale Talk, with Jessica Freeman
Throughout my design career, I've been told what a successful business is supposed to look like: a fancy studio, a full team, a packed speaking schedule, and a founder who's basically a full-time manager instead of a creator. Then, I read Company of One by Paul Jarvis, and it changed everything I thought I knew about what "success" was allowed to look like for a one-woman show like mine. Enter today's guest, Jessica Freeman, a web designer, SEO strategist, and the founder of The Ordinary Business, a community and podcast for the small but mighty business owners doing the work instead of chasing flashy numbers. Jessica believes that being an ordinary business owner is the whole point, and once you stop trying to look like an agency, you get to build a business (and a life) that's actually yours. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why the "successful business" blueprint never fit for either of us ✦ How one snarky Threads post accidentally turned into an entire community and business ✦ The "shoulds" Jess let go of: the perfect email strategy, chasing every podcast feature, vanity metrics ✦ Why followers don't equal income, and what community looks like once you strip away the buzzwords TAKE THE STAGE Open a note on your phone and ask yourself: what does "enough" actually look like for my business? Not the version you think you're supposed to want, the one that fits the life you're actually trying to build. —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ The Ordinary Business: Jess's community, summit, and podcast for solopreneurs and tiny teams who'd rather be sustainable than scale ✦ Company of One by Paul Jarvis Follow & Connect with Jessica: ✦ Follow her on Instagram ✦ Check out her Website Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 03:34 Jess's Freak Show Audition 14:30 Building The Ordinary Business Movement (Accidentally) 21:18 Letting Go of the "Shoulds" 37:35 What Real Community Looks Like 54:11 Jess's Final Bow
#55
July 21 · 27 min
055. You’ve Just Booked Your Rebrand… Now What?
This Sunday marks my seventh brandversary, so what better way to celebrate seven years in business than by giving you an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look on my signature service, the Extravaganza? It's my done-for-you, 12-week rebranding project for online service providers who want a brand that looks the part, acts the part, and sells like it too, and it's also the one thing I've offered since day one. A lot of people ask me why 12 weeks, why not a VIP day or a quick sprint, and after seven years, I've learned that a rushed rebrand is rarely the one that actually sticks. Real transformation, the kind that changes how you show up and how your audience experiences you, takes a little more room to breathe than a weekend does. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why a 12-week container beats a rushed VIP day ✦ The exact steps between "I want to rebrand" and becoming a client ✦ Inside the strategy workshop: Pinterest boards, mood boards, and the questions that get real answers ✦ What you walk away with, from the master folder to the grand finale call TAKE THE STAGE Ready to see if the Extravaganza is right for your brand? Start your inquiry here! —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ THE EXTRAVAGANZA: All-inclusive rebrand to finally look as legit as the business you've already built. Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:27 What Exactly Is the Extravaganza? 04:44 How the Rebrand Process Kicks Off 09:34 Strategy, Mood Boards & Design 18:10 Building the Website & Brand Assets 23:53 Handover, Launch & What's Next
#54
July 7 · 16 min
054. How You’re Gonna Build A Personal Brand By Summer
I think we've become a little too obsessed with blank slates, starting the year strong, mid-year resets, ending the year with a bang… you know the drill! The truth is, that “new year, new me” energy from January has worn off by now, and what you're left with is your endless to-do list and a goal-setting doc you wrote once and never looked at again. So instead of another reset, I'm giving you a summer deadline to work out why your personal brand doesn't feel like it's fully you yet, whether that's the name you show up under, the content that doesn't quite match your polished brand shoot, or the pressure to answer some deep "what makes you different" question you don't actually need to solve. Because your brand is a work in progress, not a finished product, and it's about noticing what's not pulling its weight and adjusting from there! SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why mid-year "resets" are overrated, and what to do instead ✦ The brand name mistake that's making it hard to be personal online ✦ How to design a container for your low-lift content so it doesn't clash with your polished brand shoot ✦ Why "what makes you different" is the wrong question to ask about your brand TAKE THE STAGE Send me a DM saying you just listened to this episode, and I'll review your profile and post design and send back one thing you can improve from a design point of view, no strings attached! —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Episode 022: Time For Your Brand’s Mid-Year Check-In: Here’s How To Do It ✦ Episode 045: Your (Personal) Name Isn’t Your Brand, with Katie Pannell Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:35 Why I'm Skipping the Mid-Year Reset 02:55 Step One: Figuring Out What's Not Working In Your Brand 06:57 Step Two: Designing A Container For Your Low-Lift Content 08:55 Why "What Makes You Different" Is The Wrong Question 11:34 Your Authenticity Feedback Loop and Summer Deadline
#53
June 16 · 9 min
053. The Permission Slip You've Been Waiting For To Finally Rebrand
You've made the Pinterest boards, had all the conversations with your business besties, stalked every rebrand in your industry, and you still haven't pulled the trigger. Because it never feels like quite the right time. In this episode, I'm handing you the permission slip you've been waiting for, because I believe staying where you are isn't the "safe" option, as it may feel. It's actually the bigger risk! SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why the people who wait the longest to rebrand are the ones who care the most ✦ What's actually costing you by NOT rebranding ✦ Why measuring a rebrand's ROI in sales is the wrong metric entirely ✦ The signs that tell you it's genuinely time to make the move TAKE THE STAGE Grab your journal and write down one opportunity you didn't go after because you didn't feel like you "looked the part." —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ THE EXTRAVAGANZA: All-inclusive rebrand to finally look as legit as the business you've already built. Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:25 Why You Keep Putting Off Your Rebrand 05:43 What Not Rebranding Is Actually Costing You 07:08 Your Permission Slip to Finally Go For It
#52
June 9 · 17 min
052. Stop Trying To Please Your Ideal Client
Somewhere along the line, we all created an Ideal Client Avatar: defining the age, income, Saturday morning routine, what keeps them up at night... the whole shebang. And yes, knowing who you're talking to matters! BUT There's a point where this exercise stops being a strategy tool and starts becoming a people-pleasing spiral, where you're trying to make every single brand decision based on how every single person in your audience *might* react. So much so that you pull yourself out of your own brand, try to please everybody, and end up with something... safe & forgettable. But your "ideal client" doesn't want the safest, most palatable version of you. They want the real you, with the jokes, quirks, weirdness, and personal tastes that make YOU different from everyone else. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How the ICA exercise sneaks up as people pleasing ✦ The Venn diagram your brand decisions should actually live inside ✦ What happens when you filter yourself out of your own personal brand ✦ Why "inclusive" doesn't mean your brand has to appeal to every person alive —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ THE EXTRAVAGANZA: All-inclusive rebrand to finally look as legit as the business you've already built. Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:25 The Ideal Client Avatar Exercise, Revisited 05:11 When Audience-First Thinking Becomes People Pleasing 13:50 What Your Ideal Client Actually Wants 15:46 Closing Thoughts & The Extravaganza
#51
May 26 · 1 hr 1 min
051. How To Create Content That Looks Good Without a Full Production, with Olivia Bossert
Getting in front of a camera is scary AF, and I'm saying that as someone who remembers the first time I talked on Instagram Stories, legitimately terrified that my college friends and family would see me and think I was some kind of stuck-up know-it-all... Today I'm joined by the incredible Olivia Bossert, a fashion photographer turned personal brand photographer, content coach, artist, and founder of the "It Girl" movement — which, just so you know, is way less about that mean girl energy and way more about reclaiming the phrase as something empowering, loving, and kind. She's worked with literal Vogue models, and now she's helping online service providers like us show up visibly and confidently in our content without the full production or existential crisis. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Even Vogue models apologise for their appearance on set ✦ The Taste Gap & why your content looks nothing like what you had in mind ✦ What the “It Girl” movement is really about (mean girls not allowed) ✦ Carpe Diem Method vs. Intentional Batching: build your content system ✦ The Red Theory, the voyeuristic shot, and other low-effort ways to shoot visuals that stop the scroll TAKE THE STAGE Find one corner in your home with good natural light, set your phone up on a tripod, and film three minutes of yourself just doing what you'd normally be doing. Don't fix your hair. Don't change your outfit. Just hit record and see what happens. Your future content bank will thank you! —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ It Girl B-Roll Course: 7 easy Reels you can film in 30 minutes that actually look good (freebie) ✦ Listen to this past episode: “016. Dopamine Dressing, Unexpected Red Theory & The Hidden Power of Colour” ✦ Listen to this past episode: ⁠“017. Rebranding The Word ‘Performance,’ with Sarah Kleist” Follow & Connect with Olivia: ✦ Follow her on Instagram ✦ Check out her Website ✦ Subscribe to The It Girl Journal Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 03:16 Olivia's Freak Show Audition 11:45 Why Getting On Camera is Non-Negotiable 15:07 Even Vogue Models Have Hangups About How They Look 21:43 The Taste Gap and How to Close It 25:57 What the It Girl Movement Is Really About 32:10 How Showing Your Face Actually Converts 34:33 Building a Content System That Works for You 42:28 Stop Overthinking and Start Repeating 48:37 The Visual Details That Make You Stand Out 54:50 Olivia's Final Bow
#50
May 19 · 19 min
050. Listen To This If You Keep Changing Your Branding Every Few Months
Episode 50, Troupe... FIFTY!! 🎉 We hit 1,000+ downloads, listeners in over 40 countries, and somehow, this little passion project became the marketing platform I've been most consistent with? So before we dive in, THANK YOU! None of this makes sense without you freaks on the other side. Now, let's talk about that itch... the one where you fall down a Pinterest rabbit hole, suddenly hate everything you've ever made, and start eyeing a completely new colour palette like it's going to change your life. I know a clean slate sounds really appealing, but if you keep finding yourself in love with new colours and fonts each month (perhaps each week), changing your look isn't the magic wand you think it is. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why the urge to rebrand is usually avoidance disguised as strategy ✦ The taste gap: and why it's making you hate your bran ✦ What happens to your brand recognition every time you start over ✦ The difference between an intentional rebrand and a shiny-object makeover ✦ How to know if it's time to actually rebrand TAKE THE STAGE Open your notes app and answer this honestly: What problem are you actually trying to solve by changing your brand? Is it a visibility problem? A messaging problem? A confidence problem? Write it down. Because until you name it, no new colour palette is gonna fix it. —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ THE EXTRAVAGANZA: Show up online with a brand that looks as legit as the business you've already built. Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:26 Episode 50 & 1,000+ Downloads! 01:51 Why Changing Your Visuals Isn't the Fix 04:13 The Taste Gap, Imposter Syndrome & Other Culprits 06:33 What Constantly Rebranding Actually Costs You 10:51 What Brands You Admire Do Differently 12:18 When a Rebrand Is Actually Worth It 15:12 Closing Thoughts & The Extravaganza
#49
April 28 · 47 min
049. Cooking Up Controversy: Branding Hot Takes, with Aiza Cheung (Part 2)
Two brand designers discussing design hot takes? That’s what I call a front-row-worthy show! Aiza, from Studio Coya, & I got together to discuss 6 different opinions we see clowning around the online business space, and spoiler: you’ll hear “it depends…” A LOT. You’ll want to tune into Part 1 on Nourish Your Brand to get the full spectacle, and in this second part, you’ll hear why playful doesn’t mean “childish”, how to use colour as a tool, and why your social media doesn’t need to be either 100% curated Canva carousel or random photo dumps. As always, we believe the real answers are a more nuanced (and much less one-toned) than we’ve all been led to believe. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How premium brands can absolutely still be playful, colourful & fun ✦ The problem with “professional” being code for beige, bland & personality-free ✦ When colour psychology becomes marketing fluff ✦ Why branded social media templates still matter (when they actually support your content) —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Listen to part 1 on Aiza’s podcast! Follow & Connect with Aiza: ✦ Follow her on ⁠Instagram ✦ Check out her Website ✦ Listen to the Nourish Your Brand podcast Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:46 Meet Aiza Cheung, from Studio Coya 01:59 Hot Take 1: “Premium Brands Shouldn't Be Playful & Fun” 13:19 Hot Take 2: “Colour Psychology’s Just Marketing Fluff” 26:55 Hot Take 3: “You Don't Need Branded Social Media Templates Anymore” 46:20 Closing Thoughts & Next Steps
#48
April 21 · 12 min
048. The “Tortured Artist” Myth Is Sabotaging Your Creativity
Picture this: A sleep-deprived, mildly unhinged, misunderstood genius is surrounded by half-finished masterpieces with a dramatic cigarette in his hand. Locked away in a dimly lit studio, fuelled by heartbreak, existential dread, and maybe a questionable amount of red wine (or opioids). Bonus points: you dramatically stare out of a window waiting for a creative lightning bolt to hit you. Let’s be serious for a second. This whole “tortured artist” thing might sound just like any other ridiculous stereotype… but it’s also one of the most damaging beliefs STILL floating the online business space, even if you don’t see yourself as a creative. So we’re taking to Art History (I’m a Fine Arts graduate, after all) to understand how exactly this narrative shows up in your day-to-day as a service provider: — Questioning your ideas when they come “too easily” — Wearing all those late nights as a badge of honour — Pushing yourself to the edge to prove you care Plus, we can agree we should all stop romanticising burnout… right? SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How the “tortured artist” stereotype was born in the Arts ✦ Why we romanticise burnout & where it shows up daily ✦ What this means for you (even you’re not a creative) ✦ The real reason you keep overworking & striving for more —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Listen to “What The Art World Taught Me About Branding” for more Fine-Arts lore ✦ “BIG MAGIC: Creative Living Beyond Fear”, by Elizabeth Gilbert Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:47 The “Tortured Artist” Stereotype That’s Still Alive, And Well 03:55 Art History Lesson, Brought To You By Van Gogh 05:37 Why It’s Easier To Romanticise Suffering Over Discipline 07:04 The Modern-Day Version: Burnout As a Badge Of Honour
#47
April 14 · 1 hr 9 min
047. How To Make Instagram Content Easier Without Overthinking, with Michelle Ong
“I look awkward on camera” “I don’t sound smart enough” “This looks terrible” “I’ll do it later” Yeah… familiar, right? Welcome to the content creation sh*t show: where nothing works as it’s supposed to, you’re constantly glued to your phone & end up feeling like full-time content creator / part-time business owner, and overall clown 🤡 You’ve been there. I’ve been there. Which is why I took a workshop called Spill The Stories back in October, to start to regain some control & confidence over ho I show in the platform that’s been my main lead-generator for the past 6 years. And you can’t even imagine my face of surprise when in this workshop I bought there’s a screenshot of my “Good mornin’” stories as an example of what good content looks like. Meanwhile I was sitting there thinking I was doing it all wrong?? So in this episode, I’m joined by Michelle from Hello Lemon (aka the queen of turning your not-so-boring everyday life into easy content and the host of said workshop) to talk about just how much we’re overthinking content creation — from how you look, to what you say, to whether your life is even “content-worthy” in the first place. Spoiler: it is. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why your normal life was never “too boring” to share ✦ There’s more to “free value” content than educational content ✦ How to think more like a creator to stop overthinking ✦ Finding the balance between low-lift vs. designed content —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ SPILL THE STORIES: Make your Instagram Stories impossible to skip with a simple system and creative ideas. Follow & Connect with Michelle: ✦ Follow her on Instagram ✦ Check out her Website Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 02:28 Michelle’s Freak Show Audition 10:41 Why you think your life isn’t content-worthy 21:17 Thinking like a creator (instead of comparing yourself to them) 30:41 Low-lift vs. designed content & the Instagram grid debate 42:39 Navigating the messy middle of a rebrand 57:24 Online vs. offline: where your best ideas actually come from 01:05:24 Michelle’s Final Bow
#46
April 7 · 11 min
046. Why Designing For “10 Years From Now” Is Holding You Back
“Why are designers so obsessed with timelessness?” This was the question Sarah Kleist asked on her newsletter, which sparked this whole episode in the first place (yes, episode 017 Sarah Kleist). Did I feel slightly called out? Yes. Was I deeply intrigued? Also yes. ‘Cause listen: I’m the first to preach consistency. Recognition matters. Repetition matters. A brand only works if you actually use it. But I can also acknowledge that “timelessness” is the branding equivalent of being someone’s “good girl”… And you know how I feel about advice that’s served on a silver platter with a side of superiority. Besides, “timelessness” might’ve been how my Communication Design degree described a strong & durable visual identity. But they also based that analysis on case studies of big corporations and household name brands. YOU (and the clients I work with) are a creative service provider. A personal brand. An online business owner. A living, evolving human whose thinking sharpens, positioning shifts, prices rise & opinions get bolder over time. Which is a completely different design problem. I already knew the world of personal brand building was paradoxical at best (and mildly unhinged at worst), but I invite you to listen in & find out how both of these views can be true at the same time! SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How “timeless” branding became the morally superior choice ✦ Rebranding too frequently vs. never rebranding at all ✦ Why corporate case studies are solving the wrong problem for personal brands ✦ How to build a brand system that flexes without boxing you in TAKE THE STAGE Instead of wondering if rebranding’s worth it when you’re changing & growing all the time (it is) OR if you’ll ever outgrow your brand (you will), think about it this way: ✦ Is my brand flexible enough to grow with me & help me achieve my goals? ‘Cause the only job your brand’s required to do is grow with you. It’s a living, evolving thing just like the human behind it. —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Listen to Ep. 017 “Rebranding The Word ‘Performance’, with Sarah Kleist” ✦ Subscribe to Sarah’s “Act Break” newsletter ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:12 Why Are Designers So Obsessed With Timelessness? 03:56 The Corporate Branding Case Study Trap 06:10 Two Paradoxical Truths: Recognition vs. Evolution 08:38 Building The Sandbox to Anchor Your Brand
#45
March 31 · 1 hr 6 min
045. Your (Personal) Name Isn’t Your Brand, with Katie Pannell
The Freak Show would 100% NOT exist if it weren’t for a couple of people. And one of them is Katie Pannell. Besides being a naming expert (and literally the person behind EVERY SINGLE NAME of my brand world & theme), she’s the reason Flying Colours Creative® isn’t called Eva Couto Design anymore, a name I definitely panic-picked at 2am, and that had zero personality. So today we’re talking precisely about that: Should you keep using my personal name… OOOR is it time for something bigger than me? Not just because you’re seeing everyone online shift towards a brand name, but because the internet has changed. When personal branding first exploded, “behind the scenes” felt intimate & cool. Now? We’re overstimulated, trying to dramatically reduce our screen time, and “building in public” isn’t new anymore. Plus personal names (whether intentionally or not) trained audiences to expect access as part of the value exchange. If your name IS the brand, the brand starts becoming you, which is a lot of unwanted pressure most of the time. There’s a lot of nuance, which is why this episode is on the longer side: ✦ There are strategic reasons to use your name. ✦ There are strategic reasons to outgrow it. ✦ There are emotional triggers, identity shifts, SEO, trademark considerations, boundary conversations… And we’re breaking it all down for you! SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ How personal names train your audience to expect personal access ✦ What Brand Theming actually does for memorability ✦ What your brand name is NOT responsible for ✦ Naming “kill switches” you need before you commit to one —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ “Company Of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business”, by Paul Jarvis ✦ Case Study: Brand Naming Flying Colours Creative ✦ Read Katie’s “Deciding on your Naming Criteria” blog post ✦ Read Katie’s “Chill the f*ck out - your name doesn't have to do everything” blog post ✦ THE EXTRAVAGANZA: A 12-week, all-inclusive brand transformation that gives you all the visuals, website and marketing assets it takes to succeed with Flying Colours ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Katie: ✦ Follow her on Instagram ✦ Check out her Website Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 02:58 Katie’s Freak Show Audition 13:54 2026: The Year We Retire Personal Names 30:02 What Makes A Strong Brand Theme 44:38 Why You Should Never Poll Your Audience On Your Name 47:15 Naming Criteria Checklist 53:54 What Your Brand Name Is Not Responsible For 01:04:01 Katie’s Final Bow
#44
March 24 · 12 min
044. My Spring-Cleaning Guide To Pull Your Brand Out of Hibernation Mode
After what felt like a never-ending storm here in Portugal (and my nervous system clinging on for dear life), the SUN finally came out, and I swear I turned into a new woman overnight. Turns out, I just needed the right energy to come out of my winter season. And so does your brand. Except we have this tendency of mistaking seasonal slumps for full-blown identity crises. We assume our brand isn't working anymore, or that we're doing something wrong and that we lost all our creativity. When, in reality… we’re just tired. Overstimulated. Running on outdated systems. ✦ If creating content feels heavier than it should… ✦ If opening Canva puts you on edge… ✦ If you’ve been avoiding visibility altogether… It might be time for some brand spring cleaning! SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why I love a reset moment over forcing output ✦ How branding exists can be the system that supports your visibility ✦ Stop scrambling for assets to create consistent-looking visuals ✦ Why fun is the sustainability energy you’re missing TAKE THE STAGE Carve out 30 minutes this week (without your phone!) and be honest with yourself: ✦ Why have you been avoiding posting? ✦ What visuals are you proud to say feel like you? Then pick the moment where you feel the most resistance, and declutter the related platform, so you can stop avoiding your own brand! —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Listen to “The Marketing Marathon: How I create a month of marketing on all platforms in three days” (Episode 186 of Brand Your Way To a Million, by Jasmine Haitalani of Highflier Powerhouse) ✦ GOING STEADY: Take your relationship with creating consistent content from casual to committed ✦ SWIPE FILE: Never worry about what to write in your newsletter again (*affiliate link) ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 02:43 Why Your Brand Might Just Be In Winter 04:15 Step 1: Identify Where Branding Is Holding You Back 06:19 Step 2: Reorganise Your Brand System 08:13 Step 3: Bring Fun Back Into Your Routine
March 17 · 51 min
043. Branding Your Offers To Become The Go-To Service Provider In Your Industry, with Ceels Lockley
What do you get when two organised freaks obsessed with label machines and strong opinions about the online business world get on a mic together? I’ll tell you: a deep-dive into why your offers sometimes feel heavier than they should, and how to fix it without burning your whole brand to the ground! Because Ceels Lockley isn’t just an Offer Strategist & Business Coach. She’s the woman you call when your service suite turns into a grab bag of “well… I guess I could offer that too?” and you’re one Canva tab away from that quarterly business crisis. So, if you’ve ever: ✦ Felt like your offers are evolving faster than you can keep up ✦ Been tempted to rebrand instead of refine ✦ Added “just one more” service because everyone else is doing it ✦ Or struggled to actually talk about your offers without cringing Then this conversation was MADE for you to listen in! SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Using branding to amplify offer positioning & confidently sell it ✦ What happens when your offers look & feel disjointed ✦ The impact of consistent messaging & visuals on your offers ✦ When your offers evolve faster than your brand (and vice versa) —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Keep listening to us on Ceels’ podcast, Sold Out Offers: "How to Inject More Personality In Your Business Brand" ✦ Listen to Ceels’ episode "Positioning Your Offers To Become The Go-To Service Provider In Your Industry/Niche" ✦ THE LINE UP: Map out your offer ideas with Ceels’ free training ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Ceels: ✦ Follow her Instagram ✦ Check out her Website ✦ Listen to the Sold Out Offers podcast Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Instagram ✦ Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 03:26 Ceels’ Freak Show Audition 10:04 How Your Offer Suite Informs Your Brand As A Whole 13:48 “My Business Doesn’t Solve A Problem”: Solution Vs. Transformation 23:35 Theming Your Offer Won’t Fix Your Offer 26:44 Price Is Positioning (And Why Hiding It Backfires) 39:36 Pokémon Syndrome: Chaotic Offer Suites Explained 44:59 When Your Offers Evolve Faster Than Your Brand 49:40 Ceels’ Final Bow
#42
March 3 · 13 min
042. iOS-Core vs. Analogue Trend: What They Say About Design & Online Business Today
Have you noticed how social media & content design have been shifting from Notes app screenshots to journalling collages? Pinterest’s 2026 Trend Report called it first with PoetCore & Penpals. Still, after seeing everyone shift from using iMessage bubbles in their carousels to using paper texture backgrounds, I wanted to understand how design trends influence (or are influenced by) the larger cultural movement. This episode isn’t about telling you which trend to follow or to ditch them altogether. It’s more of a reflection on how there will always be a dominant aesthetic & its rebellious little sibling. And how, as online business owners building our own personal brands, and claiming aesthetics as “on-brand”, understanding how culture shifts (and it will), means we can adapt with intention. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why iOS-core worked (and why it feels so relatable) ✦ The cultural exhaustion behind the analogue comeback ✦ From faking screens to faking paper ✦ How to build a brand that survives aesthetic cycles TAKE THE STAGE ✦ If we stripped away every trend tomorrow, would your brand still make sense for YOU? ✦ What does designing like yourself look like? ✦ When (and how) do you find yourself jumping on trends? —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ Read Pinterest Predicts™ 2026 & explore all 21 trends! ✦ The original Reel that sparked this episode! ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 00:56 The Rise of iOS-Core & Apple As Aspirational, “Clean-Girl” Design 02:29 Nostalgia, Familiarity & “Attainable Virality” 05:20 Digital Exhaustion & The Cultural Backlash 07:43 The Analogue Counter-Movement (How To Make Pixels Feel Tangible) 08:29 The Paradox Of Digitally Faking Paper 11:03 Designing Beyond Trends & Owning Your Visual Language
#41
February 17 · 1 hr 3 min
041. Branding, Marketing & Messaging Walk Into a Bar, with Emelie Sanders
Branding, marketing, and messaging walk into a bar… and this whole episode turned out to be the punchline. ‘Cause if you’ve been spiralling down the “Do I need a rebrand? Do I need more marketing? Or is my messaging just… bleh?” rabbit hole, me & Emelie Sanders, aka Head Honcho of Pass The Queso, are here to explain who’s responsible for what… and probably tell you to get over yourself (sorry not sorry). We hear all these terms thrown around the oNLine sPaCe, like everyone’s got a marketing degree tucked behind their Canva templates. The reality is we’re all just winging it. And even if we do know what they mean, we rarely stop and ask ourselves: “How do I make branding, messaging & marketing work together to grow my business?” Ironically, this isn’t really an episode about copy (although yes, we do talk about sales pages & emails, and how to tell if your words are doing their job). But the conversation got wayyy bigger, since we found ourselves coming back to clarity. The point isn’t to sound clear OR clever. It’s to be relevant to those who matter, so you can get paid. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Branding vs. Marketing vs. Messaging (vs. positioning too) finally explained ✦ Why “your theme is YOU” sounds cliché but it’s actually just about self-trust & self-awareness ✦ How going back to your foundations, strategy & messaging strengthens your brand ✦ What “good” sales copy actually looks like: relevance > pretty words ✦ Humour in your brand voice without forcing it (includes fart analogy) ✦ When to write copy yourself, when to outsource & when co-creation matters —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ “ZAG: The #1 One Strategy of High-Performance Brands”, by Marty Neumeier ✦ STAND UP COPY: Cut your copywriting time in half — without sacrificing conversion. ✦ PRODUCTISE YOUR NEWSLETTER: Skip the freebies and position your newsletter for list growth with the best way to pre-qualify your subscribers. ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Emelie: ✦ Follow her Threads ✦ Check out her Website ✦ Subscribe to The Big Melt Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 02:33 Emelie’s Freak Show Audition 09:35 Making your “multi-hyphenate” personality make sense as a personal brand 18:35 Branding vs. Marketing vs. Messaging (vs. positioning too) 22:39 Why you should be building messaging per offer, not per brand 25:55 How to tell if your sales copy is good before you get the data 31:28 Using humour without forcing yourself to become someone you’re not 42:34 When outsourcing copy works (and when it absolutely doesn’t) 59:03 Emelie’s Final Bow
#40
February 3 · 15 min
040. If Your Brand Is Bold, Your Emails Should Be Too: Meet Flodesk
You can have the boldest brand on the internet. The juiciest colour palette. A vibe so strong it makes beige, boring brands sweat. But your emails are more of an afterthought… Consider this your sign to change that! In this episode, I’m telling you about all the details you should NOT overlook when it comes to sending on-brand newsletters. And more specifically, the platform that’s become the only choice for brand-led business owners who are serious about their visuals *everywhere*: Flodesk. As a brand designer who can’t unsee bad spacing (and with a guilty pleasure for pointing out misprints in restaurant menus…), I need you to know that if your emails are hard to read, visually chaotic, or look nothing like the brand you’re so proud of everywhere else… your audience feels that too. So I’m breaking down the specific design choices that make emails easier to read, nicer to look at, and far more likely to convert, without turning your newsletter into a giant image ‘cause no one wants inaccessible, right?! Beyond making your emails “pretty”, we want them scannable & unmistakably on-brand. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why your brand falls apart the second your tools can’t carry it ✦ The biggest deliverability myth about visual emails ✦ How to structure emails for humans (not algorithms) ✦ The design tips behind emails your audience wants to open ✦ Why waiting until you’re “ready” is the fastest way to never send the email TAKE THE STAGE 1. Set up your Flodesk account branding with your fonts & colours. 2. Build a simple freebie workflow (it can literally be just one email!) 3. Create a template to make sending your newsletter easier. 4. Then SEND. THAT. EMAIL. —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ FLODESK: Get 25% off your first year (*partner link) ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:11 I used to hate sending my weekly newsletter 04:40 Deliverability depends on your design 07:47 Creating an end-to-end on-brand email experience 12:25 Stop waiting for the perfect moment 13:48 So… is Flodesk actually worth it?
#39
January 19 · 39 min
039. On-Brand Client Experience: Where Creativity Meets Systems, with Harriet Evans
Are you a creative person? Whether your answer was an instinctive “yes” (or a suspiciously quick “no”), then I invite you to tune into this conversation. ‘Cause somewhere along the line, we were sold that creativity is messy and chaotic and that systems look like boring, rigid, soul-sucking spreadsheets… And Harriet and I are here to flip that right-brain vs. left-brain script! In this episode, we’re pulling creativity and systems out of their opposite corners of the ring and letting them work together: since that’s when brands & client experiences become spotlight-worthy. We talk about how systems can be playful, how data fuels better creative decisions, and why the best client experiences don’t come from doing more, but from designing smarter, clearer & more human processes. From onboarding emails that don’t suck the joy out of your brand, to automations that hype YOU up as much as your clients, if you’ve ever felt like you had to choose between being organised or creative, this one’s for you. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ The myth of “I’m just not creative” (and how it hurts your business) ✦ How to design onboarding that builds trust & **excitement ✦ Why one-email-one-task prevents overwhelming your clients ✦ Adding your personality & tone of voice to automations ✦ Why automations aren’t just about saving you time —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ THE SECRET SET: The free monthly event for service pros, by Ceels Lockley ✦ WELCOME PACK TEMPLATE: Get your clients onboarded in style. ✦ FREE DUBSADO EMAIL TEMPLATES: Set yourself up for success with smart fields ready to use in Dubsado. ✦ OVERHAUL YOUR ONBOARDING CHALLENGE: Look like you’ve got your sh*t together. ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Harriet: ✦ Follow her Instagram ✦ Check out her Website Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:28 Harriet’s Freak Show Audition 10:34 The Common Ground Between Design & Systems 12:54 Creativity’s a Muscle & Requires Practice 16:00 Overthinking Tools, Systems & Shiny-Object Syndrome 18:52 What Great Client Onboarding Actually Requires 23:55 Injecting Personality Into Confirmations & Default System Emails 28:35 Why People Remember How Working With You Felt 36:52 Systems Aren’t About Time, They’re About Headspace
#38
January 6 · 14 min
038. 3 Ways To Reset Your Brand That Don’t Include a Rebrand
New year. Clean slate. Loud internet. Word of the year, vision boards, goal setting, reflection prompts… If January already has you feeling behind & scattered, you’re NOT alone. And whenever I start feeling out of control, I look at my circus & my monkeys. In this episode, I’m walking you through 3 simple, practical ways to reset your brand without a full-on rebrand. “Spring cleaning” belongs in the Spring, so think of this as an opportunity to clear the clutter and make your brand feel usable again right now, as it is. Because when your brand is easier to use and lighter to show up with, you feel prouder to share it & visibility stops feeling like such a heavy lift. Think of it as brand maintenance: Less “new year, new you.” More “same you, but with fewer tabs open.” (Also, take a shot every time I say “off-the-cuff”. Or don’t. We’ve got monkeys to manage.) SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Why you’re never “too late”, no matter the time of year ✦ Why creating a brand maintenance habit keeps momentum going ✦ The brand folder system that’ll save you hours of faffing ✦ How to reset your website in under 15 minutes (no overhaul required) ✦ Creating social templates that make showing up feel lighter, even on low-energy days TAKE THE STAGE Pick one of the 3 resets from this episode and do it this week: Organise your brand assets (Quickly) update your website Simplify your social templates That’s it. One task. Then DM me and tell me which one you’re starting with: I’ll be cheering you on from the front row. —— Mentioned in this episode: ✦ ORGANISE YOUR CANVA WORKSPACE: Have your brand assets, templates and projects at your fingertips & save a lot of time! ✦ TUTORIAL: Automatically update the year in your website (in Webflow) ✦ BROKEN LINK CHECKER: Easily find broken links & get them fixed ASAP. ✦ UPDATE YOUR LINK IN BIO: Capture subscribers right from your social media profile (*affiliate link) Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:32 You’re Not Behind (And There’s No Prize For Starting on Jan 1st) 03:22 Reset #1: Organise Your Brand Assets 07:17 Reset #2: (Quickly) Update Your Website 08:54 Reset #3: Design Social Media Templates To Support You 12:10 Closing Thoughts & Next Steps
#37
Nov 28, 2025 · 12 min
037. How To Sleigh Holiday Content Without Looking Off-Brand
The holidays are here, Mariah's singing "All I Want for Christmas" on loop, and the internet's a snowstorm of slapped-on Santa hats & Canva snowflakes. You want your content to feel festive too (and take advantage of this massive sales season), but your branding doesn’t exactly scream "eggnog and elves"… In this bite-sized, actionable episode I’m answering the question I get every single year: “How can we sprinkle our visuals with a bit of holiday cheer without it being off-brand?” I’ll walk you through 5 designer-approved ways to bring some holiday cheer into your Instagram posts, so you can plan your content for December in a way that feels creative, festive and intentional while staying unmistakably YOU. No rebrand. No last-minute panic. No meltdown required. SPOTLIGHT MOMENTS ✦ Starting with your brand to keep holiday content intentional ✦ How to nod to the season without going completely off-brand ✦ Using fonts & colours as your non-negotiable to anchor your visual identity ✦ Taking advantage of seasonal & playful language to give that Christmas feel ✦ Getting inspired by holiday themes to turn everyday posts into seasonal ones TAKE THE STAGE DM me your one of your holiday posts @flyingcolorscreative on Insta, and I'll slide in with feedback on how to improve it. Or if Canva's sounding like your idea of a nightmare before Christmas, join my free community The Colour Circle, and we’ll get it sorted together! —— Mentioned in this episode ✦ THE COLOUR CIRCLE: Bring the Canva design you’ve been (over)fiddling with for hours Follow & Connect with Eva: ✦ Say hey on Instagram ✦ Check out my Website ✦ Get my Uncaged emails —— TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to The Freak Show 01:48 Brand Consistency Isn't About Being Samey All Year Long 03:26 Tip No.1: Start With The Story 04:25 Tip No.2: Subtlety Wins 06:14 Tip No.3: Keep Your Original Fonts & Colours 07:22 Tip No.4: Add Festive Cues in Your Copy 08:48 Tip No.5: Bring The Season Into Your Concepts 10:13 Closing Thoughts & Next Steps

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