Corporate Habits I Ditched to Build a Life-First Business Artwork

Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way

Welcome to Here’s What I Learned — the podcast for progressive entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses without sacrificing their values, creativity, or capacity. I’m Jacki Hayes: systems strategist, unapologetic smutty romantasy fan, and D&D geek. Around here, we get real about what it actually takes to build a business that fits your life.

Every episode offers something to take with you — sometimes through conversations with values-driven founders, sometimes through solo episodes where I dig into the lessons I’m learning inside my own business. We explore the choices we’re testing, the questions that create clarity, the experiments that move us forward, and the systems that stay simple on purpose.

If you value integrity, curiosity, and time freedom—and you’re looking for inspiration that’s as practical as it is empowering—you’ve found your people. Hit play, and let’s rewrite the rules together.

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Here's What I Learned: Ditching Biz-as-Usual for Values, Freedom, and Doing It Your Way

Corporate Habits I Ditched to Build a Life-First Business

May 20, 2025 • Jacki Hayes • Season 8 • Episode 11

0:00 | 10:35

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I spent years absorbing corporate “best practices”—how to write emails, how to hold meetings, how to pretend I wasn’t a full human while working. It wasn’t until I started working with creative, values-driven solopreneurs (like you) that I realized: a lot of those norms don’t actually serve us.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the corporate habits I’ve consciously unlearned—and how replacing them with more personal, intuitive approaches has helped my business feel more human (and a lot less exhausting).

If you’ve ever questioned whether you really need to respond to emails within 30 minutes, or wondered if you’re “unprofessional” for protecting your boundaries, this one’s for you.

Topics:

Why “quick response = good business” is a trap I no longer fall for
How I replaced meeting-heavy schedules with async communication and clear workflows
The harm of defaulting to “professional” tone over authentic voice—and what I use instead
How rethinking urgency changed my client experience (and my nervous system)
Why ditching these norms isn’t lazy—it’s values-led and sustainable

What next?