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
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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

144: Tips for Handling Difficult Conversations in the Wedding Industry, with Beth Kramer

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, before we can experience love, we need to feel safe and secure.  But with racial unrest, homophobia, a pandemic, and the "do we only invite guests who are vaccinated?" debates, unfortunately sometimes our couples and guests, and even us as vendors - we actually don't feel safe at all.  As wedding vendors, part of our job is to provide guidance and clear communication to our couples and guests that make them feel safe and secure… yet sometimes we just don’t have all that answers.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

143: Do You Need a Workcation? Yes, You Do!

On this solo episode, Megan Gillikin dives into all things workcations - what it is, who you should go with, what you can accomplish, and next steps to getting started. For her, The Planner's Vault all started with a workcation and baby goats - and now it's time for you to get your big idea off the ground as well.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

142: Avoid These Business Mistakes, from Lawyer and Accidental Entrepreneur Kunbi Odubogun

You probably started your business because you had a special passion or a superpower. Maybe you were amazing at logistics so you became a wedding planner. Or you knew how to get people on the dance floor so you became a DJ. But most of us didn’t start your business because we were passionate about entrepreneurship. We’re all kind of accidental entrepreneurs - who make a lot of mistakes! So we talked to Kunbi Odubogon, business lawyer, mistake maker, and accidental entrepreneur as well!  

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

141: The Client Experience Starts Before the Couple Books - Tips for Adding Value, with Lynne Reznick

If you’re in the wedding industry, there's a high probability that you're a people pleaser. But as much as we want to take care of our clients 24/7, we also want to take care of our kids, our partners, our friends, and our mental and physical well-being. So if I can’t be working on our clients at all times, how can we amaze and delight them? How can we underpromise and overdeliver?

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

140: Daily Routines and Personal Growth for Wedding Pros, with Gurminder Banga

Do you ever find yourself working your butt off, just go go go, working weddings, fixing problems, moving the business forward...and then you never stop to think why you’re doing all these things?  Is it because you want to be the best vendor in your category? Is it because you like working with your clients? Is it because you like building teams?  Or have you just been doing it without really knowing why? Today, Gurminder Banga from Banga Studios shows us how to slow down and look inside ourselves.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

139: How to Deal with Pride and Ego in Weddings, with Leah Weinberg

We’ve all seen it happen – ego and pride get in the way of the best wedding experience. And it’s not just from the couples or their parents. As wedding vendors, sometimes we think we know what’s best for the couples instead of truly listening to what they want. Today, Leah Weinberg talks about how we can get past that ego and pride, and truly find a place of empathy for their wedding journeys.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

138: 3 Tips to Change Your Mindset for More Sales, with Maria Bayer

Do you feel like you’re on the way to achieving your goals and making the money you deserve? Or…is there something holding you back?

Maria Bayer is a sales & mindset strategist, coach & wealth builder. She is the creator of Irresistible Selling – a transformational program and community that helps wedding business owners create a million-dollar mindset, stand confidently in their worth, and book high-paying clients they love.

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Megan Gillikin Megan Gillikin

137: Using Enneagram for Your Business Strategy, with Kristen Edwards

Enneagram. For a better understanding of people we work with, people we’re in relationships with, and most importantly, a better understanding of ourselves. We’ve covered the basics before on episode 87, but today, we’re going a little bit deeper – does your personality come from nature or nurture, if it’s ingrained in you from childhood, how there are healthy and unhealthy versions of each type, and most importantly, how you can use this information to grow your business.

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