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Most business advice assumes you're operating at full capacity. But what happens when life doesn't cooperate — not for a week, not for a month, but for the better part of an entire year?

In 2025, I went from working 25 hours a week to about five. My parents needed more care than they could safely manage at home. My mom moved into memory care. There were hospital stays, doctor visits, Social Security calls, house sales — and ultimately, her passing in December. It was, without question, the hardest year of my life.

And yet, my business stayed intact. We kept our clients. We kept our revenue. I didn't have to walk away from the livelihood that supports my whole family.

That didn't happen by accident. It happened because I had a system — the Client Growth Engine — that was built to keep running even when I couldn't. In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes into the exact decisions my team and I made so the business could work around my life instead of the other way around. If you've ever wondered what your business would look like if you had to step back for a long stretch, this one is worth your time.

In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

• Why making strategic decisions before a crisis hits is the difference between steady revenue and panic mode — and how I did that when I saw what 2025 was going to require
• A breakdown of the Client Growth Engine framework (attract → engage → nurture → invite → delight) and why designing it around your life matters just as much as designing it around your clients
• How 10+ years of one core attract strategy meant I had systems in place that could absorb my stepping back — and what I swapped in when I couldn't keep it up
• The surprisingly simple marketing shift that kept things moving without requiring much from me at all
• Why I stopped creating new sales assets and just repurposed what already worked — and how that made launches actually manageable
• The new direction I'm taking with on-demand offers — what prompted the shift and what it means for how you can access this work

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

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From hiding behind NDAs to leading a thriving book writing business, Amanda Edgar's journey proves that embracing visibility can transform your entrepreneurial path. In this candid conversation, the ex-professor shares how she escaped the constraints of third-party platforms, built a strong team, and developed a unique framework for helping others write books. Her story demonstrates how the right business systems and community support can help you scale while staying true to your values. Amanda's evolution from reluctant expert to confident CEO offers a refreshing perspective on building a business that thrives even through personal challenges.

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Send a text

If you've been wondering whether a marketing framework like Client Growth Engine could actually work for your business, this episode is going to answer that question.

I'm walking through three real client stories — a product-based business, a service provider who was stuck on a third-party platform, and a concierge medical practice — and what they all had in common might surprise you.

None of them needed more marketing.

They needed a repeatable system that fit how their businesses actually work. I've watched the feast-or-famine cycle wreck the confidence of brilliant women who are genuinely excellent at what they do.

These case studies show what shifts when you stop running on inspiration and start running on a plan.

I'm not promising overnight results — this framework takes three to six months to implement and another three to six to fully integrate. But the women I'm sharing about today are now predicting their revenue within 10%, working the hours they want to work, and building asset libraries they'll use for years.

If any part of your marketing feels chaotic, exhausting, or like you're always starting from scratch, this episode is worth your time.

In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO

• Gabi (Bright Body) went from marketing-by-mood to a 12-month calendar that lets her predict revenue within 10% — and actually support a team
• Why repeating yourself is the point — and how the belief that everything must be new is quietly killing your conversions
• Amanda (Page & Podium Press) broke free from a third-party marketplace that took 20% of her fees and controlled her client relationships, then built a scalable team
• The "learning without implementing" trap that keeps smart entrepreneurs spinning — and how a framework finally gave Amanda a path to run on
• Dr. Libby (Best Life Functional Medicine) redesigned her client experience so she went from 24/7 availability to working 9–4, Monday through Friday
• Why marketing and operations have to grow together — and what happens when you scale sales without the infrastructure to back it up
• How to turn "couch potato content" into a reusable asset library that compounds over time instead of dying in your archives

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!