This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, hosts Erin Madeley and Ronnie Motroni chat about the powerful link between creativity and mental health. In a world of fast-paced living and doom scrolling, we explore how making with your hands slows you down, boosts dopamine, lowers stress, and helps you drop into that restorative “flow” state. From pottery, knitting and scrapbooking to makeup, gardening, cooking, Lego and even rearranging your furniture, they unpack why creativity is for everyone—not just “arty” types—and why the process matters far more than a perfect end result.

You’ll hear:

• Practical ways to swap your phone for a short, creative moment
• How boredom and repetition build neuroplasticity and better problem-solving
• Gentle permission to start small, not finish every project, and keep some things just for you
• Tips on finding community—DIY craft clubs, workshops, online groups
• Budget-friendly supplies from op shops and Kmart
• Personal stories of burnout, recovery and using creativity as a genuine antidote to stress

Tune in for science-backed insights, real talk and easy habits to help you feel calmer, more present and more inspired—one small creative act at a time.

TED Talk on How Boredom Can Lead to Your Most Brilliant Ideas with Manoush Zomorodi: https://youtu.be/c73Q8oQmwzo?si=lbkM-oGkois-w975

This week's Creative Business Spotlight: Fremantle Pottery Instagram: @fremantlepottery Stocked at Common Ground Collective in Fremantle

This week on the Creative Business Community Podcast, Erin sits down with Tracey, founder of Margaret River Made — a natural skincare and haircare brand born in Margaret River and now based in Perth. Tracey shares how a love of plants, sustainability and wellness took her from soap-making to salon-quality shampoo and conditioner bars, including a chemo-friendly formula created for a friend, and an anti-dandruff bar that transformed her own scalp health.

We dive into what it takes to build a values-led brand: choosing effective, nature-inspired ingredients, why pH matters for skin and scalp, proteins that protect colour (hello, quinoa), and the blend of botanicals and green chemistry behind her products. Tracey opens up about navigating her husband’s life-changing accident, scaling production without losing soul, and the moment she stepped away from wholesale to obsess over an exceptional direct-to-customer experience. Expect candid lessons on branding, markets, websites, team-building, and the number-one rule: don’t give up.

By the end, you’ll have practical, no-fluff takeaways on choosing smarter ingredients, protecting coloured hair with bars, simplifying sustainable packaging, and crafting an unboxing experience that keeps customers coming back. If you’re keen to build a values-first brand without burning out, this one’s for you. Press play and let’s dive in.

Creative Business Spotlight: The Mulberry Pig. You can find them on:

Instagram: @the_mulberry_pig Facebook: @mulberry_pig Website: https://themulberrypig.com/

This week on the Creative Business Community podcast, we’re diving into how to talk about what you do—with confidence, not arrogance.

Struggle to answer “So, what do you do?” without cringing? This episode gives practical ways to talk about your creative business with confidence—without tipping into arrogance.

If you’ve ever stumbled over “So, what do you do?”, felt the pinch of imposter syndrome or Tall Poppy culture, or downplayed your creative work as “just a hobby”, this one’s for you. Erin and Ronnie share simple tips for accepting compliments, a practical way to build your elevator pitch, and tips for tailoring your answer to different audiences — whether you’re at a market, a meeting or a networking event.

We also unpack how to show up online authentically (face, voice or even just hands), why sharing wins — big and small — matters, and where to draw the line between honest transparency and oversharing. You’ll hear real-world examples, mindset reframes, and confidence boosters that help you take up space without feeling salesy.

Tune in for permission to own your expertise—and the tools to talk about it with ease.

Mentioned in the show: Drew Awfualo: Instagram: @drewafualo Natterdoodle: Instagram: @natterdoodles

Creative Business Spotlight: Jotterbook Flowers. You can find them on:

Instagram: @jotterbookflowers Facebook: @jotterbookflowers Website: https://www.jotterbookflowers.com/