Episodios

  • Magic Is Everywhere with Xenia Viray

    Magic Is Everywhere with Xenia Viray
    Mar 18 2026

    This week’s episode is a conversation with Xenia Marie Ross Viray, who is the creator of the platform and iterations of Myths of Creation, an interdisciplinary artist who—quite literally—gets paid to be herself.

    Not in a “personal brand” way.

    In a devotional to creativity, consciousness, and resonance kind of way.

    We talk about what it actually looks like to build a body of work—and a business—without contorting yourself for the algorithm.

    Inside the episode:

    * Why your “content” might actually be your laboratory, not your marketing

    * The difference between authenticity and unmasking (and why one of them is much scarier)

    * How trying to “perform for the algorithm” quietly erodes the very thing that makes people choose you

    * What it means to create from resonance instead of strategy—and then translate it into something people can understand

    * The trap of constant visibility, especially now

    We also go deeper than business.

    Into the emotional, political, and psychological reality of being online right now:

    * The dissonance of building a business on social media while being harmed by it

    * What it means to be a sensitive, creative person in a time of constant crisis and information overload

    * How algorithms fracture reality—and why it’s getting harder to actually talk to each other

    * The grief of losing intergenerational understanding (and the question: where are our elders?)

    And then—because we can’t not—we go cosmic.

    We talk about:

    * Creativity as a portal for new consciousness

    * Art, music, and even the Olympics as evidence that joy and expression can shift collective energy

    * The idea that we’re not just resisting broken systems—we’re being asked to create entirely new ones

    One of the most grounding threads throughout the conversation:

    You don’t have to do it all the same way.

    Some people are here to resist.Some are here to rebel.Some are here to create.

    Most of us are doing all three—just in different proportions, at different times.

    And none of those roles are more valuable than the others.

    If you’ve been feeling:

    * burnt out by social media

    * confused about what to share (or whether to share at all)

    * caught between wanting to grow your business and wanting to opt out of the noise

    * or quietly craving a more human, more magical way of moving through your work

    this episode will meet you there.

    Not with a formula.

    But with a reorientation back to yourself.

    PS. At the end of this episode I got a push notification that reminded me it was recorded on my grandfather’s birthday. When you get to the end, you’ll be glad I mentioned that.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
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    46 m
  • A peek inside my $108,500 month

    A peek inside my $108,500 month
    Mar 11 2026

    This week on the podcast, I’m breaking down the most profitable month I’ve had: $108,500 in sales.

    But this isn’t a “here are my secrets to making money while you sleep” episode. Because sure, the money came in over the course of a month, but it is because of the systems, community and IP I have spent years building.

    This is a conversation about what it actually looks like to build a profitable business when you’re a feminist, a service provider, and someone with complicated feelings about capitalism.

    Inside the episode, I talk about:

    * Why getting money into the hands of marginalized people is an important part of our political work

    * The strange reality of being good at capitalism while actively critiquing it

    * The long, messy path from not qualifying for an apartment lease to being approved for an $800k mortgage

    * What most people get wrong about “six-figure months” in the coaching industry

    * The less glamorous truth behind this launch—including personally reaching out to 400 people and still getting ignored by most of them

    I also share the real throughline behind my results: not viral content, not hacks, not a brand-new offer.

    Just relentless iteration, deep attention to what clients actually need, and a business model built around making people feel seen at every stage—from first contact to long-term client relationships.

    If you’ve ever wondered:

    * whether making money while critiquing the systems that force you to work without protecting your basic rights can coexist

    * why your offers aren’t converting even when the work is good

    * what ethical selling actually looks like in practice

    this episode pulls back the curtain.

    Not on a fantasy version of entrepreneurship—but on the slow, strategic work that actually builds a sustainable business.

    Listen to the episode and join my email list to get first access to the next time I launch.

    Grab a sneak peek into my business model here.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
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    25 m
  • The Fine Print You’re Ignoring (And Why It Might Cost You)

    The Fine Print You’re Ignoring (And Why It Might Cost You)
    Feb 18 2026

    This week on Left Standing, I’m joined by Taylor Tieman, founder of Legalmiga — and one of the few internet-savvy attorneys actually translating legalese into language you can understand. (She also loves astrology! Big plus!)

    If you’re a creator, coach, course seller, influencer, or small business owner… this episode is basically your gentle (but firm) legal wake-up call.

    Taylor breaks down:

    * Why securing the Instagram handle is not the same thing as protecting your brand

    * What most entrepreneurs forget to check before naming a podcast, course, or program

    * How trademark issues usually only come up after someone gets a scary letter

    * Why legal documents are written to be confusing — and who that benefits

    * The checklist every online business should have (even though no two businesses are the same)

    We also get into the reality creators don’t talk about publicly:

    * Speech clauses in brand contracts that can legally restrict what you say online

    * The financial consequences of breaching a sponsorship agreement

    * Why some creators stay silent during political moments (and why it’s not always cowardice)

    * The real tension between personal values and contractual obligations

    Taylor also shares her perspective as a lawyer navigating a time when the legal system feels slow, reactive, and often outpaced by harm — including her thoughts on corporate PR language (including statements from companies like Home Depot) and the mishandling of sensitive document releases related to the Epstein Files.

    If you’ve ever thought:

    * “I formed an LLC, so I’m good, right?”

    * “I’ll deal with trademarks later.”

    * “That clause probably won’t apply to me.”

    This episode is your sign to listen first and Google later.

    Because sometimes the most radical thing you can do as a business owner… is read the fine print.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
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    37 m
  • It’s Not Them. It’s You. (And That’s Actually a Relief.)

    It’s Not Them. It’s You. (And That’s Actually a Relief.)
    Feb 10 2026

    * “No one signed up.”

    * “My audience doesn’t engage.”

    * “People can’t afford to work with me.”

    * “The algorithm hates me.”

    You’re spiraling about whether your content is cringe, too political, too woo, too much.

    In this episode, I make a bold (and admittedly spicy) claim:It’s not your people or the algorithm, babe. It’s you.

    Not in a shamey way.In a liberating way.

    The real problem with most marketing

    Most people aren’t thinking about their clients when they post.

    They’re thinking about:

    * their ex’s mom’s opinion of their content

    * that girl from high school who may see you calling yourself a coach and judge

    * former coworkers who could be lurking

    * their MAGA aunt

    Basically, people who would never hire you anyway

    If you’re contorting your message to avoid being judged by people who aren’t your clients, you’re not doing marketing—you’re doing reputation management for an imaginary audience.

    And that is a terrible business strategy.

    The relief no one talks about

    Here’s the exhale:Your marketing isn’t about you.

    Yes, people will misinterpret you.Yes, parasocial weirdness will happen.Yes, someone will project something untrue onto you.

    They’d do that anyway.

    So tell me again why you want a business on the internet if you’re unwilling to be seen by the people you’re actually trying to help?

    Being a business owner ≠ just doing the work

    If your dream is to open your laptop and have clients magically appear so you can stay in your zone of genius all day, there are jobs for that. Truly.

    But owning a business means:

    * helping people find you

    * giving them a reason to trust you

    * showing up even when it’s uncomfortable

    * understanding that being “in service” also requires visibility

    You don’t get to skip the part where you’re the one steering the ship.

    The bottom line

    You get to be scared.You get to be uncomfortable.You get to be annoyed, frustrated, and triggered.

    But if you want impact, untapped income, and actual autonomy?

    It’s not the algorithm.It’s not your audience.It’s not “them.”

    It’s you.

    And if you want it—I believe in you.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode for the unfiltered version, the metaphors, and the tough love that makes this all land.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
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    15 m
  • What the data says about how political stance impacts business revenue

    What the data says about how political stance impacts business revenue
    Feb 4 2026
    If you’ve ever thought:“I care deeply about what’s happening in the world, but I’m terrified of saying the wrong thing and nuking my business”—this episode is for you.This episode is not a call for everyone to start posting infographics between launch emails. It’s a reckoning with a harder question:What does it actually mean to operate from your values under capitalism—and what happens when you don’t?First: let’s talk about scroll rage (s/o @hottranslifecoach for coining this term)You know how road rage works? You’re behind someone driving ten under the speed limit, you’re swearing, spiraling, projecting. Then you pass them and it’s a 92-year-old woman gripping the steering wheel for dear life. And you feel terrible.Social media is that—but no one ever passes the car.People don’t know you. They don’t know your context, your history, your lived experience, or what unprocessed trauma is showing up in a tiny bit of screen that can’t possibly hold nuance. They just see a fragment and unload their nervous system onto it.This is the water we’re all swimming in when we talk about “showing up consistently” online. Whether that’s political, as a business owner, or to hopefully make your ex feel bad when you post a thirst trap. Scroll Rage is the offloading a troll has into that space that makes you feel like the 92-year old driver—like you’re hanging on for dear life.An obvious reminder: Everything is political.Being a woman is political.Being white is political.Being chronically ill is political.Providing healthcare is political.Providing therapy is political.Running a business under capitalism is political.The question isn’t whether your business is political.It’s whether you’re conscious about how.In this episode we discuss what it means to front your politics in business.Plus I give you some tea about how this played out for big companies who had a lot more money to throw around, and therefore a lot more to lose (and gain) by sharing their politics online.The point is not to make a case for performative ally ship (quite the contrary, as most of the research showed that if a brand seemed to be performing it negatively impacted sales) but more to explore how activism impacts capitalism…ya know, just for funnies.What the research actually showsA University of Arizona study on corporate sociopolitical activism analyzed hundreds of activism events across 150+ U.S. firms and found:* When a company’s political stance aligned with its stakeholders, stock value increased (~0.7%)* When it misaligned, stock value dropped (~2.45%)* Sales followed the same pattern: alignment = growth, mismatch = declineTranslation:People don’t punish values. They punish incoherence. But honestly—by a really nominal amount…Another 2025 study in the Journal of Business Research confirmed that:* Consumers are not a monolith* Political ideology shapes brand loyalty* Activism polarizes—but not randomlyYou don’t lose “everyone.” You lose people who were never actually aligned with you in the first place.So… should you be political in your business?Here’s the actual answer:* If your politics are integrated into why and how you work → yes, probably.* If your politics would actively prevent people from accessing essential care or services → maybe not front loaded in your marketing, but still privately of course.* If you’re posting to look “on the right side” without education or action → absolutely not.* If your value is privacy and you do your activism offline → that is still a value.Being political doesn’t mean being loud.It means being in integrity with yourself.A note on education and responsibilityHaving a take means doing the work.Paying educators. Reading. Learning. Being wrong and repairing.Not outsourcing your conscience to Instagram slides.Creators and educators I deeply respect who are POC and more qualified to teach you about social justice than I am:* Adrienne Maree Brown* Patrisse Cullors* Susanna Barkataki* Jenan Matari* Rachel Cargle* Blair ImaniThere is no excuse for being uninformed. There is grace for being in process.Final spicy truthStaying “neutral” in public while privately benefiting from systems of harm is still a political choice.People saying that their value is “protecting their nervous system” are not anyone I would hire to help me heal via way of spiritual bypassing.Resources Cited:Academic Sources (Politics & Consumer Behavior):* NBER Working Paper — The Musk Partisan Effect on Tesla Sales (2025). https://doi.org/10.3386/w34413* University of Arizona — The Price of Taking a Stance… https://news.arizona.edu/story/price-taking-stance-how-corporate-sociopolitical-activism-impacts-bottom-line* Journal of Marketing — Corporate Sociopolitical Activism and Firm Value https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920937000* Journal of Marketing Research — Should Your Brand Pick a Side? https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720947682News &...
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    52 m
  • A pep talk for making 2026 your best year in business

    A pep talk for making 2026 your best year in business
    Jan 21 2026
    Here’s a story a lot of values-driven business owners are telling themselves right now:I don’t have the capacity.I’m overwhelmed.I’ll do it when things calm down.And listen — that story makes sense. We’re living in late-stage capitalism during a genuinely destabilizing moment in history. Of course you’re exhausted. Of course your nervous system is fried. Of course everything feels harder than it used to.But here’s the uncomfortable truth I unpack in this episode: that story is also keeping a lot you stuck.Not because it’s wrong — but because it’s incomplete.👉 Before you read any further, if you want the practical version of this conversation (not just the philosophical one), come to Burn It Down and Build It Better on Feb 2–3. It’s free, it’s live, and it’s where I teach the systems that actually support sustainable, ethical growth in 2026.Systems Aren’t the Opposite of Care — They’re What Make Care PossibleOne of the biggest myths I see in feminist, healing-centered spaces is that systems are somehow antithetical to artistry, intuition, or care.They’re not.They’re just the boring part.And entrepreneurship does require doing boring, annoying, sometimes frustrating things — the same way having a body requires stretching, or having good dental hygiene requires flossing, or having a long-term relationship requires staying when it would be easier to bail.You either decide you’re willing to do things you don’t love in service of what you do love — or you outsource your power to circumstance and call it “capacity”.“I’m Not a Tech Person” Is Not a Personality TraitIn the episode, I talk about how often “I’m not a tech person” or “systems just aren’t my thing” is less about truth and more about gendered conditioning.Caretaking, healing, emotional labor? Feminized.Infrastructure, logistics, systems? Masculinized.And opting out of the latter doesn’t make you more values-aligned — it often just keeps you dependent, underpaid, exhausted, without leads, and resentful.Learning the practicalities of business is a self loving choice.It doesn’t mean you have to be a content creator or coder…but it means you understand what you need to know to grow.You Don’t Need Infinite Capacity — You Need DirectionI’m not telling you to work yourself into the ground. That’s not trauma-informed, and your nervous system matters here.I am saying that waiting for a mythical future where you suddenly have more time, more energy, and fewer responsibilities is a losing strategy.What actually changes things is making a non-perfect choice that moves you closer to the long-term solution you want:* Investing before it feels fully comfortable* Asking for support instead of white-knuckling it* Building systems once so you’re not reinventing the wheel every monthMost people burn more energy avoiding action than taking one strategic step.2026 Is About Real Connection, Not TricksAI isn’t killing service-based businesses. If anything, it’s raising the bar on how we show up—in a way I think is ultimately good for the consumer.People are more discerning. More skeptical. More tired of vague promises and generic “value.”Which means:* You have to know why your work is different* You have to communicate like a real human* You have to market like you actually give a shit about the person on the other sideIf you don’t know what makes your work different, it’s not a marketing problem — it’s a clarity problem.And that’s fixable.If This Episode Hit, Here’s Your Next StepThis episode is about stopping the self-abandonment disguised as burnout — and choosing to build something that actually supports you and the people you serve.If that resonates, join me in class. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
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    25 m
  • Hot takes on the state of our industry in 2026

    Hot takes on the state of our industry in 2026
    Jan 14 2026

    I’ve spent a truly embarrassing amount of money on bad marketing support.

    Agencies. Contractors. “Experts.” People who promised to scale my work, optimize my ads, automate my infrastructure, and generally turn my business into a smooth, passive-income machine.

    What happened instead was I flushed over $20k down the toilet on IP that didn’t even feel like me.

    Not because marketing doesn’t work — it does.But because most marketing agencies are built on outdated strategies, soulless aesthetics, and zero understanding of the people they’re supposedly helping.

    And frankly? A lot of them are wildly out of touch with the current market and the politics of the people they serve. (Not all of them—I should say I have worked with some great people…I just had the sneaking suspicion I could do it better if I built the team myself…)

    So today’s episode of Left Standing is a conversation I’ve been wanting to have publicly for a long time.

    This Episode Is About Marketing — Plus You Can Hire Me and My Faves To Do It For You

    In this episode, I sit down with three women who have been in my world for years — not just as collaborators, but as friends. They also built my website, my ad campaigns, and did the same for half my clients.

    We are joining forces. And you can hire us here.

    Together, we talk honestly about what it’s actually like to market an online service business right now — in a landscape shaped by algorithm chaos, AI saturation, burnout, capitalism, and constantly shifting attention.

    Some Things We Say Out Loud (That Most People Won’t)

    We talk about:

    * Why so many people are lighting money on fire hiring agencies too early

    * Why “one-stop shop” marketing agencies don’t get radicals the way we do

    * How DIY tools and AI have made marketing faster but often way worse

    * Why Ads Manager keeps changing and who that actually benefits

    * Why solopreneurs are being asked to do the work of full marketing teams (and how unsustainable that is)

    * Why authenticity isn’t a brand trait — it’s a survival strategy

    * And why most marketing advice completely ignores capacity, disability, grief, and real human limits

    Why We Built Something New

    This conversation also marks the launch of something we’ve been building quietly behind the scenes:

    Waxing Moon Media 🌒

    A boutique marketing agency for online service providers who:

    * Don’t want to sell their soul to scale

    * Want ads that actually convert without manipulation

    * Want design that builds trust instead of screaming “2021 Canva template”

    * Want copy that reflects their values, politics, and humanity

    * Want strategy that’s grounded in this market — not three algorithm updates ago

    We built this because we were tired of watching smart, ethical people get burned by bad advice, bloated retainers, and agencies that didn’t understand them at all.

    🎧 Listen to the episode here and share it with your online business owner friends.🌑 Learn more about Waxing Moon Media: https://waxingmoonmedia.com

    As always: take what resonates, leave the rest, and trust that you’re allowed to build something that actually works for you.

    — Cara 🖤



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carakovacs.substack.com/subscribe
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    49 m
  • The Astrology of 2026 with Torrence Tremayne

    The Astrology of 2026 with Torrence Tremayne
    Jan 7 2026
    Let’s get something straight right out of the gate:2026 is not a “soft launch”.It’s a fuck around and find out year.And my favorite astro bestie Torrence Tremayne gives a very specific and direct break down of everything you need to know.After half a decade of grief, dissociation, therapy-speak, spiritual bypassing, and late-stage capitalism catastrophes, the astrology of 2026 signals something potent:🔥 MovementTorrence—mystic linguist, archetypal astrologer, and longtime co-conspirator in naming the patterns beneath the chaos—and I connected to talk about what’s actually coming. Not in platitudes. Not in horoscope fluff. But in the kind of language that acknowledges power, systems, and the fact that the world most of us grew up in feels both present in our cultural nostalgia but functionally dead in our lived experience.What we explore:From Water 💧 & Earth 🌍 to Air 🌬️ & Fire 🔥For over a decade, we’ve been swimming in water and earth dominance:* Neptune in Pisces (since 2011)* Saturn in Pisces (since 2023)* Uranus in Taurus (for the last 8 years)* Pluto in Capricorn (from 2008-2024)Translation?Collective themes of:* Emotional processing, an increase in themes around mental health (both for better ie. more of us in therapy and worse ie. Jonah Hill, social media removing all nuance from mental health, bypassing, MAHA, Me Too etc)* Material survival and corporate greed (monopolization from corporations, exploitation of the earth’s resources, fast fashion, environmental collapse)This era taught us how to feel more deeply. How to name what has hurt for generations.But it also trapped many people in delusions, dissociating and mindlessly participating in the very things that are killing the planet.2026 changes the elemental game entirely.We move decisively into air and fire:* Neptune enters Aries* Saturn enters Aries* Uranus moves into Gemini* Lunar Nodes shift into Aquarius/Leo* Pluto continues its long march through AquariusAir and fire don’t feel their way forward.They move.Air spreads information. (Both the facts and the misinformation…)Fire ignites action. (Both of righteous justice and impulsive anger)This is not a gentle transition. It’s volatile by design.Neptune in Aries: The End of the Dream, The Start of the FightNeptune rules illusion, fantasy, culture, collective myth-making.Aries rules action, conflict, youth, revolt.When Neptune moves into Aries, the dream becomes militant.We already saw a preview in summer 2025:* Youth-led uprisings across the globe* Masked Gen Z protesters overthrowing governments* State power responding with militarization* The illusion of “normal” cracking under pressureWhen Neptune briefly retreated back into Pisces (Sept of 2025 until the end of this month), the collective retreated too.Cue:* Aggressive nostalgia* 90s reboots* Y2K aesthetics* “Can we just go back?” energyNot that things have been peaceful, but there was a palpable energetic shift.Neptune in Aries returns in 2026 and says:You don’t get to go back.Pluto in Aquarius: Power Loses Its MaskPluto doesn’t whisper.It exposes.The last time Pluto moved through Aquarius, we saw:* Revolutions (both the American and French)* Monarchies collapsing* Power structures rewritten, though still rooted in colonialism, patriarchy and white supremacy This era is not subtle. And it’s not just political—it’s technological, cultural, and social.What was once dismissed as fringe is now showing up in court documents, leaked emails, and Congressional records.And 2026?The truth will become unavoidable by people on all sides of the aisle.Uranus in Gemini: Information CorruptionUranus rules disruption.Gemini rules communication, tech, networks.This isn’t abstract. It’s already happening:* An increase in hacking* The collective realization that all of our information is being monitored closely, without our consent* AI-generated scams that mimic real institutions* A boom of tech stocks that may collapse under its own weightUranus in Gemini doesn’t mean “cool new apps.”It means reality itself becomes harder to authenticate.The AI Bubble: 2026 Is the Dot-Com MomentLet’s say the quiet part out loud.The U.S. economy is currently over-leveraged on AI speculation.This mirrors the dot-com boom almost perfectly:* Untested technology* Inflated promises* Massive capital concentration* Little to no regulation* Cultural pressure to “get in early”Astrologically, this checks out.When Uranus (tech) destabilizes Gemini (markets, communication) and Pluto (power) exposes Aquarius (systems), bubbles pop.Not because the technology disappears—but because the fantasy collapses.The Titanic moment always happens after peak confidence.2025 Was the Fuck Around Year.2026 Is the Find Out Year.2025 closed chapters.2026 opens consequences.The coping strategies that kept people afloat—denial, nostalgia, spiritual bypassing, hyper-consumerism—stop working.And here’s the part that actually...
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    58 m