The Bubbles Effect

What if your biggest advantage in business right now isn’t "better marketing" … but a clearer, more authentic personal brand?
In this Wednesday Power Hour, I’m joined by Nat Schooler, founder of Monday Influencer and former IBM Futurist, whose career journey spans everything from working in a family wine business to building authority in tech, branding, and AI. 🍷🤖
This conversation really centers around one key idea: in a world where AI can create almost anything, being real and clearly understood is more valuable than ever.
We talk about why personal brands often outperform business brands, how to actually stand out in a crowded space, and why so many entrepreneurs overcomplicate their messaging without even realizing it. 😤
Nat shares simple, practical ways to start building your brand today, along with insights on credibility, consistency, and how to take control of your online presence instead of letting it happen by default.
We also dive into:
• Why simple messaging is one of the most powerful tools you have
• The three things every strong personal brand needs: clarity, differentiation, and credibility
• How authenticity is becoming a competitive advantage in an AI-driven world
• Why you already have a personal brand (whether you’ve built it intentionally or not)
• How to move through imposter syndrome and start showing up with confidence
If you’ve been overthinking your brand, second-guessing how to show up, or feeling like you’re blending in… this is a really helpful reset.
Grab your coffee and join us for this real, practical conversation.
You can learn more about Nat and Monday Influencer at: https://mondayinfluencer.com

👉 Ready to put this into action? Grab this week’s corresponding Power Hour Playbook here: https://nb.marketing/podcast

Hey y'all, it’s Monday, March 16th, and you don't want to miss today's short episode!
I dive into one of the biggest shifts happening in marketing right now: entity-based SEO. If you’ve been hearing that phrase pop up lately, you’re not alone. I shared an article about it in Saturday’s newsletter (which, by the way, goes out bi-weekly if you want in), and it ended up being the most clicked link so clearly this is something we all need to be paying attention to.
Here’s the simple version: SEO is no longer about just using the right keywords, it’s about being understood.
Search engines and AI are now asking:
Who are you?
What do you do?
And how do you connect to everything else online?
I chat about how Google is essentially building a “map of the world” through entities (think: people, brands, ideas), why keywords still matter (but aren’t the whole strategy anymore), and how the future of SEO is really about topic authority, depth, and connection.
If your content still feels like a collection of random posts… this episode is your sign to shift into building a true content ecosystem.
Because the businesses that are going to win?
They’re not the ones using the “right” words.
They’re the ones that become known for something.
Then we shift into a little Monday mindset moment, because, real life.
I’m sharing a very real behind-the-scenes of recording this episode… multiple times… with my microphone off 🙃 and how that kind of perfectly reflects the season I’ve been in lately.
Transitions. Friction. Things not going as planned.
And just a reminder that not every week is going to be perfectly dialed in, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely off track either!
Sometimes it just means you’re in a different season. Or in between seasons.
So this is your reminder to give yourself a little grace, take a breath and remember how strong you are ❤️
As always, if you need someone to talk it out with, marketing or mindset, I’m here!
And I’ve got two really good episodes coming out this Wednesday and Friday, so stay tuned for those.
Thanks for being here, have a great week and I’ll talk to you soon 🥂
Read the full article here: https://neilpatel.com/blog/entity-based-seo
Get the newsletter here: https://nb.marketing/resources

What happens when a recovering attorney becomes a tech founder…and builds a business around celebration? 🥂
In this Friday Bubbly Convo, I’m joined by Jessica Lerner Halperin, founder of Swankey, a party-planning app designed to bring more ease, joy, and calm back to life’s celebrations.
Jessica shares her journey from a lifelong legal career into entrepreneurship after navigating deep grief, the loss of her mother, the pandemic, and a major life pivot she never saw coming. What started as a frustration with how chaotic party planning had become turned into a bigger mission: helping people celebrate the small things, the big things, and everything in between. ❤️
We talk about resilience, building a business later in life, stepping outside your comfort zone, why founders today have to show up online, and how social media and marketing have changed so much in just the last few years. We also get into the emotional side of celebration, why perfection is overrated, and how people remember how you made them feel far more than the napkin color.
Jessica is thoughtful, funny, wildly smart, and yes… she also gave us some unexpectedly helpful “party therapist” legal wisdom along the way.
In this episode, we cover:
Jessica’s pivot from corporate attorney to tech founder

How grief and the pandemic reshaped her path

The story behind Swankey and why she built it

What founders need to know about marketing today

Why people want to connect with the face behind the brand

How to celebrate meaningfully without the pressure of perfection

A few smart things to keep in mind when working with vendors

This one is for the entrepreneurs, the hosts, the pivots-in-progress, and anyone who could use a reminder to celebrate life while we’re living it.
Connect with Jessica + Swankey here: www.swankey.com

What if the real edge in business, leadership, and life isn’t moving faster… but slowing down?
In this conversation, I’m joined by Morgan Rich, coach and author of The Invitation Beyond: Reclaiming Healthy Masculinity. Morgan’s work focuses on helping people reconnect with what they already know to be true, by stepping out of the noise, building daily practices, and learning how to navigate uncertainty with presence and clarity.
We talk about what he calls “training for the unknown,” and why learning to be present in everyday moments can become one of the most powerful tools for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone trying to navigate a busy, complicated world.
Morgan shares how small daily practices, even just five minutes of quiet reflection or breathwork, can help us regulate our nervous systems, make clearer decisions, and reconnect with the person we actually want to be.
We also dive into:
• Why awareness is the first step to meaningful change
• How simple practices can build resilience in uncertain moments
• The surprising connection between slowing down and better leadership
• Why modern culture makes presence harder, and more important, than ever
• Practical ways to start reconnecting with yourself today
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, stretched thin, or like you’re constantly moving but not always aligned with what matters most… this conversation is a powerful reminder that clarity often comes when we pause long enough to listen.
Grab your coffee (or your bubbles 🥂) and join us for this thoughtful, grounding conversation.
You can learn more about Morgan and access his resources at: https://morganrich.com

In this quick Monday episode of The Bubbles Effect Podcast, I’m sharing a little marketing update and one mindset reminder that stuck with me this week.
On the marketing side, there’s been a lot of chatter in the AI world over the past few days. Apparently more than a million users left ChatGPT over the weekend after news that OpenAI will allow the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its AI models within classified networks. That sparked a pretty big reaction online, with a lot of people exploring other tools like Claude and a few others.
Since I talk about AI quite a bit, and even built my custom GPT, Stella, inside ChatGPT, I think it's interesting to watch how quickly things can shift in the tech world. I share a little about the differences I’ve noticed between ChatGPT and Claude, especially when it comes to things like messaging, content ideas, and brand voice.
Then on the mindset side, I share something that really stuck with me during my run this morning while listening to the classic book As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. It’s a really short read from 1903, but the message is timeless. ✨
One line in particular stood out to me: “The world is your kaleidoscope.”
It’s a reminder that while the world can feel pretty chaotic sometimes, the perspective we choose to take still matters. Our thoughts shape our emotions, our habits, and ultimately the direction of our lives.
So this episode is just a quick check-in to start the week with some marketing news, a little mindset, and a reminder that even small perspective shifts can make a big difference.
And quick note: the Bubbles Effect Newsletter will now be going out every other Saturday instead of weekly. If you want to join, you can sign up at nb.marketing/resources
Thanks for listening, and I hope you have a great week!