Episode #18
Stop Eating the Frog: How ADHD, Diabetes, and a Baby Changed Everything About How These Photographers Run Their Businesses
Ten days before my wedding, I sat down with the two women who are going to be there capturing every moment of it. Mariah Gale and Andrea Schwanbeck aren't just my wedding photographers. They've been part of the Chronic Boss community since the very beginning. Mariah shot our first brand shoot before we even launched. Andrea was there at our launch party (yes, including the moment her hair caught fire). They've watched this whole thing grow, and I've watched them grow too, through studio closures, a new baby, insulin pod emergencies in the middle of Boston, and some really hard questions about who they are outside of their work. This episode is going to air while I'm on my honeymoon, which feels right. Because this conversation was one of those ones I'll be thinking about for a long time. We got into: What ADHD actually looks like inside a business, and why Mariah had to stop eating the frog and start doing the opposite The difference between an ADHD superpower and an ADHD superpower in the right container Why Mariah closed two studios in two years, and how she finally separated her identity from her square footage Andrea's experience managing type one diabetes through pregnancy, and the medical team that made it feel possible The "pump bump" and what it means to show up visibly as a chronic illness founder in front of your clients How Andrea restructured her pricing and her client list after having her son Sam, and why she doesn't apologize for it Mariah's new project, Boston Content Club, and how she listened to what her clients kept telling her they needed What it means to be a chronic boss, in their own words Mariah said something that I keep coming back to: "It's not failing. It's just learning and growing in an accelerated way." And Andrea's definition of chronic boss might be the most honest one I've ever heard on this show. This one is for anyone who has ever tied their worth to their work, or wondered whether they can have a business AND a chronic condition AND a full life. You can. These two are proof. Connect with Mariah 🖤 / instagram.com/mariahgalecreative 🖤 / linkedin.com/in/mariahgale 🖤 / mariahgalecreative.com Connect with Andrea 🖤 / instagram.com/brasstacksphotography 🖤 / linkedin.com/in/andrea-schwanbeck-brass-tacks-photography 🖤 / brasstacksphotography.com Connect with Chronic Boss: 🖤 / https://chronicboss.com/ 🖤 / instagram.com/chronicbossco/ 🖤 / https://www.linkedin.com/company/chronic-boss/ 🖤 / https://www.tiktok.com/@chronicbossco Connect with Lilly: 🖤 / https://lillystairs.com/ 🖤 / https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillystairs/ 🖤 / https://www.instagram.com/lillystairs
