welcome to the podcast

Weddings For Real has officially rebranded to
For Real: Life, Leadership, and Unlearning

After 7 years and 300+ episodes, the podcast has evolved... because so have you! What started as a show for wedding pros has  has evolved into a bold, no-BS space for high-achievers to unpack identity shifts, quiet the inner critic, set boundaries that stick, and navigate the messy (but powerful) moments of growth and change.  

For Real is still hosted by Megan Gillikin, and it’s here to meet you in this next chapter as a whole human, not just a business owner.

Click the button below to check out the latest For Real episodes, or scroll down to dive into the archive of Weddings For Real, featuring 300+ episodes on client experience, team building, social media, SEO, branding, and the real-life lessons of entrepreneurship in the wedding industry.

For Real Podcast
wedding industry podcast
podcast episodes icon

300+ Episodes

5 star reviews

Over 250+ five star reviews

Podcast downloads

350,000 Downloads

POPULAR EPISODES:

290

10 Life Hacks for Squirrel Brain Entrepreneurs


239

219

279

What You Need To Know About Growth + Burnout (Part 1)


Use This Strategy For Standing Out In A Crowded Market


5 Truths Every Business Owner Needs To Hear

listen now on

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT EPISODES

Search For Your Favorite Episode

Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

60: Moms for Real - A Vulnerable and Hilarious Look at Balancing Business and Motherhood, with 5 Entrepreneur Moms

Happy Mother's Day! Today we give a real, honest, vulnerable, and hilarious look at the balancing act of being a mom and a business owner. Our guests today are Ginny Corbett from Ginny Corbett Photography, Kim Holderness from the Holderness Family Podcast and all those crazy YouTube videos, Grace Beason from Grace Leisure Events, Perry Vaile from Perry Vaile Photography, and Jessica King from Happily Ever After. These ladies share funny stories, best and worst advice, what they would tell their moms, and more!

Read More
Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

59: How to Promote Your Wedding Business, with PR Expert Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting

Meghan Ely, Wedding PR and Marketing Expert at OFD Consulting comes on to share the best ways to promote your business. Most of us creatives have very little time, so we need to figure out the most efficient strategies for maximizing exposure. And with the craziness of the past year or so – with WeddingWire and The Knot merging, with Southern Weddings shutting down, with Style Me Pretty shutting down and opening back up – it’s hard to know if we should be focusing on the bigger publications. So I asked Meghan what we should all be doing, and she shares some great tips!

Read More
Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

58: Mental Health Tips for Creative Entrepreneurs, with Root & Restore's Catrina Ballard

Life is stressful. Owning a business is stressful. Clients are stressful. Parenting is stressful. Relationships are stressful. As a creative entrepreneur, it's not possible to be all things to everybody at all times. Sometimes it feels like life is in complete disarray. Catrina Ballard from Root and Restore has been both a creative entrepreneur AND a counselor, and she comes on the show today to give some tips for managing stress!

Read More
Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

57: Creative Dining in Weddings, with Snap Pea's Jacob Boehm

Jacob Boehm, owner and head chef of Snap Pea Creative Dining, doesn't run a typical catering company. He caters a few weddings, but not many. He doesn't do menu tastings. In fact, if you're working with him for your wedding, the menu that you pick...well, he might change it by the time your wedding comes around. And for his clients, that's one of the reasons he's so unique and in-demand. Find out more about what makes Jacob and Snap Pea special by tuning in!

Read More
Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

56: Eva Clark on Compassion in Weddings

International Wedding Planner Eva Clark from Eva Clark Events has planned over 400 events. Some of those clients have been more difficult to work with than others. But still, she wants to make sure that everyone getting married has a memorable experience in a positive way. How does she do that? By making sure she infuses compassion into her professional and personal life.

Read More
Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

WWD11: IndyWeek Best Local Podcast Nomination, One-Year Anniversary, Weddings on Mars, and More!

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us over the past year plus! And we're so excited to announce that we've been nominated for Best Local Podcast on IndyWeek! Even though we have very little chance to win, we would love for you to vote for us (starting Monday April 8th)! And on today's Weekend Wine Down, we talk about our one year anniversary, weddings on other planets, wedding season, podcast recommendations, and more!

Read More
Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

55: Rachel Sheerin on Preventing Burnout and the 80-20 Rule

Rachel Sheerin is a keynote speaker and trainer focused on helping hospitality professionals sell more and be happy! Featured in Inc. Magazine for her unorthodox, high energy style, Rachel has been an advocate for authentic sales and preventing burnout in our industry. Today she talks all about the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80-20 Rule, and how it applies to wedding vendors. If you're making the world better, then she's your sales whisperer. Rachel currently serves as International Director of Education for WIPA, is a long time NACE member and takes her margaritas on the rocks. 

Read More
Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

54: SEO for Wedding Vendors, with Jason Gillikin

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about making sure your website is found instead of your competitors' websites, when people are searching on Google for your service or product. In today's episode, digital marketing veteran Jason Gillikin gives four basic tips (Keyword Research, Google Business, Title Tags, and Content) to improve your website's rankings in Google, plus a few bonus tips.

Read More

WHAT LISTENERS THINK

Thinking About Being a Guest?

JOIN US ON THE PODCAST

Our podcast has evolved into For Real, a show for women who are navigating leadership, identity shifts, emotional intelligence, and the messy middle of growth.

If you feel your story or expertise aligns with those themes, we’d love to hear from you.