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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
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300+ Episodes

5 star reviews

Over 250+ five star reviews

Podcast downloads

350,000 Downloads

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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

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

90: Impactful Gifting Strategies for 2020, with Margaux Fraise

Today's guest is Margaux Fraise from Harmony Creative Studio in Los Angeles. Margaux has been planning weddings and events for 8 years. She's also a cancer survivor, which in 2014 knocked her out of running her business for about two years. Through that experience, she learned to appreciate life, the little things, and the gestures that go a long way. So today we talk about gifting for both clients and vendors – why that’s the right thing to do but can also be used as a strategy to get more business.

On the episode, you heard Margaux talk about a Client Gifting for Wedding Pros Cheat Sheet, and you can find that at bit.ly/weddingprogifting!

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

89: Shared Values and Different Personalities: Building an A-Team with Aneesa Glines

Aneesa Glines can best be described as a force of nature with a huge smile and even bigger laugh, whose kind nature is matched by her business drive and desire to grow professionally. She's the owner and lead consultant of Harmony Weddings and Events, the owner of Forest Hall at Chatham Mills, AND the owner of the upcoming venue The Graham Mill. And she only got into weddings - while still in college - in 2015! So with the growth, she has become a master at building her team - all very different, but all with shared values

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

88: A Kick in the Pants from Cindy Novotny, The Radical Mentor

Cindy Novotny has been called "The Radical Mentor" for good reason. She is a no-nonsense, call-it-like-it-is, whether-you-want-to-hear-it-or-not speaker and hospitality consultant. Today she comes on the show to talk about her upcoming book, The Secret to My Stamina, and her previous work, Living with No Balance and Loving It.

Cindy has run her consulting business Master Connection Associates with her husband for over 30 years and tours internationally 50 weeks out of the year. She is a keynote speaker at events like Engage, Wedding MBA, and many more conferences (not just in the hospitality field). 

In the episode, you heard about the She Creates Content Calendar from Kinsey Roberts. By clicking on this link and entering coupon code WFR at checkout by December 1st, you get 10% off an already ridiculously priced $127 for a year-long content calendar! With the calendar, you get:

- 10 Page Welcome Guide with Your 10-page welcome guide that includes marketing channel ideas, best practices, daily prompt ideas, and monthly themes to keep in mind as you're creating content.

- 365 Days of Content Prompts for Wedding Business Owners. If you're in the wedding industry, serving engaged couples, this content is for you.

- 30 Day Sample Strategy Prompts to boost your creativity when it comes to creating a consistent marketing strategy for your wedding business.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

87: The Power of Enneagram: How to Grow Professionally and Personally by Knowing Your Number, with Joanna Kenney

If you're anything like Megan, 2019 has been all about personal and professional growth - how to be a better boss, friend, partner, and mom. And one of the most fascinating ways that she has found to analyze how she can improve overall is the Enneagram personality assessment. So on today's show, Megan talks to Joanna Kenney (also of Jo's Paper Kitchen in Montgomery TX) about what makes the Enneagram different from other personality tests, the nine numbers, their strengths and weaknesses, and how you can use your number to better yourself!

In the episode, you heard about the She Creates Content Calendar from Kinsey Roberts. By clicking on this link and entering coupon code WFR at checkout by December 1st, you get 10% off an already ridiculously priced $127 for a year-long content calendar! With the calendar, you get:

- 10 Page Welcome Guide with Your 10-page welcome guide that includes marketing channel ideas, best practices, daily prompt ideas, and monthly themes to keep in mind as you're creating content.

- 365 Days of Content Prompts for Wedding Business Owners. If you're in the wedding industry, serving engaged couples, this content is for you.

- 30 Day Sample Strategy Prompts to boost your creativity when it comes to creating a consistent marketing strategy for your wedding business.

Jo's Paper Kitchen on Social Media:

Instagram: @JosPaperKitchen

Facebook: @JosPaperKitchen

Pinterest: @JosPaperKitchen

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

86: Does Working With a Wedding Planner Make Your Job More Difficult? Danielle Pasternak from the Put A Ring On It Podcast Has Opinions

If you’re a member of the Rising Tide Society Facebook Group, you might have seen a post (since deleted) a few months ago from a photographer who said that when a wedding planner is involved, it makes other wedding vendors’ jobs more difficult and it messes up the flow of a wedding day. From his perspective, it’s better to have a wedding WITHOUT a planner. Well as you either saw or can imagine, this sparked a lot of debate, and shockingly, many people agreed with his perspective. Danielle Pasternak, wedding planner at DPNAK and co-host of the Put A Ring On It Podcast, has some thoughts, and she shares them on the show today!

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

84: Brand Building Through Mentorship, with 42 North's Francie Dorman and Britt Cole

Among other incredible accolades, Francie Dorman and Britt Cole of 42 North Weddings in New England have been named one of the top planning companies by Brides Magazine in 2019. With their success, they wanted to mentor up-and-coming wedding planners in the New England area. And so they founded a completely separate brand to do just that - Mavinhouse Events.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

83: On the Couples' Therapy Couch with Christian Charette, Part 2: Tips for Better Communication

Megan and Jason went onto the couples' therapy couch and got some amazing advice from their own therapist, Christian Charette from Couple Forward in Raleigh NC. This episode is part two of a two-parter. Last week, Christian shared what roadblocks in a relationship can lead to tension.  This week, it's all about tips for better communication.

About Christian Charette:

Christian specializes in helping couples navigate their relationships. Christian has 15+ years of experience guiding others through their journey. Married for 25 years, and having raised three daughters has uniquely prepared him for being a reflective therapist with whom clients feel connected. Specifically trained and licensed in Marriage & Family Therapy, Gottman Couples Therapy and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Christian combines his creative personality to bring clients lasting solutions.

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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.