Hi! I’m Netty, three-time founder, mom, and your host of Anxiously Ambitious. Welcome to the podcast where we embrace imperfection, honour our humanity, and prove you don’t have to have your sh*t together to build something amazing.
This is for my fellow deep feelers, sensitive souls, and anxious go-getters trying to grow without completely losing it. Together, we’ll dive into the messiness of ambition, how to balance big dreams with actual self-care (hint: it’s not easy, but it’s worth it) and how to thrive without sacrificing your sanity.
Every week, I bring you honest conversations with entrepreneurs, experts, and other beautifully flawed humans who’ve walked this path. We’ll share real stories, practical advice, and maybe even a few laughs, all to help you build a business and a life that feel like you.
If this sounds like your kind of space, hit follow and join me as we rewrite what success looks like: messy, meaningful, and entirely your own.
Hi! I’m Netty, three-time founder, mom, and your host of Anxiously Ambitious. Welcome to the podcast where we embrace imperfection, honour our humanity, and prove you don’t have to have your sh*t together to build something amazing.
This is for my fellow deep feelers, sensitive souls, and anxious go-getters trying to grow without completely losing it. Together, we’ll dive into the messiness of ambition, how to balance big dreams with actual self-care (hint: it’s not easy, but it’s worth it) and how to thrive without sacrificing your sanity.
Every week, I bring you honest conversations with entrepreneurs, experts, and other beautifully flawed humans who’ve walked this path. We’ll share real stories, practical advice, and maybe even a few laughs, all to help you build a business and a life that feel like you.
If this sounds like your kind of space, hit follow and join me as we rewrite what success looks like: messy, meaningful, and entirely your own.
In this episode of Anxiously Ambitious, I’m joined by Ellie Steinbrink — Expert Stylist, Personal Brand Coach & Speaker, and the founder of Style Decoded.
Ellie spent over 20 years in marketing and branding before realizing she was on the wrong path. In the messy middle of burnout, part-time work, and even insomnia, she followed a nudge she couldn’t ignore: start posting one outfit a day on Instagram. That daily ritual awakened a new career, a new sense of confidence, and eventually became the foundation of her business helping women entrepreneurs align their inside with their outside.
We get into what it means to stop hiding behind your clothes, why self-trust is at the core of style, and how the way you get dressed in the morning changes more than your outfit — it changes your day.
In this episode, we explore:
Guest Bio
Ellie Steinbrink is an Expert Stylist, Personal Brand Coach & Speaker. After two decades in marketing, she founded Style Decoded to help women entrepreneurs define and embody their authentic style. Blending psychology, branding, and fashion, she empowers women to stand out, simplify their closets, and feel magnetic in both business and life.
Connect with Ellie
Website: elliesteinbrink.com
Instagram: @style.decoded
LinkedIn: Ellie Steinbrink
Podcast: The Visibility Shift
✨ Freebie: The Style Mindset Reset
What’s holding you back from your next-level self? This free resource helps you uncover the hidden rules you’ve been following about style — and guides you to let go of what no longer serves you, so you can make an incredible and lasting style transformation.
Keywords
personal branding, women entrepreneurs, self-expression, authentic style, enclothed cognition, confidence, midlife empowerment, brand alignment, personal growth, less is more
If you loved this episode:
Share it with the friend who always says “I have nothing to wear” — and remind her it’s not about the clothes. It’s about becoming who she already is.
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if the bravest business move isn’t a new offer, but finally listening to yourself?
In this episode of Anxiously Ambitious, I’m joined by Jana Boyko: entrepreneur, business coach, and creator of the guided journals Bedside Business Plan and Employee to Entrepreneur. Jana shares how she walked away from a shiny advertising career, navigated a painful early partnership breakdown, and rebuilt a business by choosing boundaries, integrity, and self-trust.
We get into what it means to design a business that doesn’t abandon you, how to include yourself in your plan, and why the first step is often to simply start.
In this episode, we explore:
Guest Bio:
Jana Boyko is an entrepreneur and business coach, and the creator of the guided journals Bedside Business Plan and Employee to Entrepreneur. Her work helps people start and grow businesses in a way that honors both the plan and the person.
Connect with Jana:
Website: bedsidebusinessplan.com
Instagram: @bedsidebusinessplan and @janaboyko
LinkedIn: Jana Boyko • Bedside Business Plan
Mentioned products:
Keywords: entrepreneurship, self care, business planning, personal growth, women in business, holistic entrepreneurship, overcoming self doubt, guided journals, success, leadership
If you loved this episode:
Share it with the friend who keeps saying “one day.” Then write your first next step. No perfect plan required.
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What happens when success starts to feel like a performance instead of a life you actually want to live?
In this solo episode, I reflect on a recent headline about Lil Nas X and what it reveals about the impossible standards we place on celebrities, on each other, and on ourselves.
When he faltered publicly, the world turned his humanity into entertainment. But beneath the scandal was a simple truth: he was overwhelmed, fragile, and apologizing for being seen in his lowest moment. And haven’t we all done that?
This episode is about the quiet ways we exile parts of ourselves in the name of ambition. It’s about the performance of success versus the presence of being human. And it’s about what changes when we stop apologizing for our fragility and start honoring it as part of the whole.
In this episode, I explore:
If you’ve ever felt like your ambition demanded you hide the most fragile parts of yourself, this one is going to land deep.
Links For You:
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What does it really mean to “own your story” and how do you decide what’s worth sharing online?
In this special live episode of Anxiously Ambitious, recorded at the stunning Greenhouse on Strawberry Lane in Nova Scotia, I sit down with my friend and mentor, Caley Dimmock. Caley is a digital ads expert, educator, and mentor who has built a thriving personal brand rooted in radical transparency, intuition, and storytelling.
Together, we dive into what it actually looks like to build a personal brand in 2025. Not just the glossy version, but the vulnerable, messy, deeply human side. Caley opens up about her own process of self-acceptance, how she decides what to share (and what to keep private), and why authenticity isn’t about telling everything but about telling the right things.
In this episode, we explore:
– Why “owning your story” is less about arrival and more about process
– The difference between authenticity and full transparency
– How to share online without re-traumatizing yourself
– The role of intuition in business decisions (and how to trust it again)
– Why every founder benefits from a personal brand and how it creates freedom to pivot
– The power of future-self visualization for pushing past fear
Guest Bio:
Caley Dimmock is a digital ads strategist, educator, and mentor who helps brands and service providers thrive online. Known for her honesty, transparency, and big-picture thinking, Caley works across Meta, Google, TikTok, and more while also teaching others how to take control of their own marketing. She’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs own their stories and create businesses that feel aligned.
Connect with Caley:
Website: https://caleydimmock.com/
Instagram: @cjdimmock
Venue:
The Greenhouse on Strawberry Lane
Website | Instagram
Sponsors:
– Made With Local
– Benjamin Bridge
– Kali Cakes
Links For You:
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What happens when you leave corporate to find freedom—but end up hustling harder than ever?
In this episode of Anxiously Ambitious, I’m joined by Evie Tavares, a copywriter, brand photographer, and creative marketing expert who helps entrepreneurs sell with empathy and show up in a way that feels true.
After walking away from a decade in banking during her second maternity leave, Evie set out to build a business on her terms. But like many of us, she found herself repeating old patterns—working late, missing moments, and carrying the guilt she thought she left behind.
We explore what it really means to build something sustainable, how to show up without burning out, and why empathy might just be your best marketing tool.
In this episode, we explore:
– The subtle ways we recreate hustle culture in our own businesses—and how to shift
– How Evie found her way back to real freedom (and why it took nearly 3 years)
– What empathy-led copywriting actually looks like—and why it works
– The power of showing up before you feel confident
– Sharing your story online without overexposing yourself
– Why your “ordinary” life might be your most powerful brand asset
Guest Bio:
Evie Tavares is a copywriter and brand photographer helping entrepreneurs market themselves with empathy, clarity, and heart. She’s a mom of two, a former banker turned creative, and passionate about helping others build aligned, human-first businesses.
Connect with Evie:
Instagram: @evietavaresbranding
Website: https://www.evietavaresbranding.ca
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What happens when you walk into a room before you feel ready, not with confidence, but with curiosity?
In this episode of Anxiously Ambitious, I’m joined by Crystal Shadwell. Award-winning educator, speaker, podcaster, and co-founder of Something Beyond Mom for an honest conversation about identity, burnout, and the quiet bravery of saying yes before you feel fully prepared.
We talk about what it means to hold multiple roles, how motherhood changes the way we show up in every space, and why asking for help (and saying no) can be the most ambitious thing you do.
If you've ever felt the tension between wanting more and trying to do it all… this one will land deep.
In this episode, we explore:
– The identity shifts no one prepares us for
– Why stepping into rooms before you're ready is often exactly what you need
– How Crystal reframed ambition without guilt
– What she’s learned about confidence through discomfort
– Motherhood, work, and the myth of “balance”
– Why you're allowed to want more — and have fun while doing it
Guest Bio:
Crystal Shadwell is an educator, speaker, and podcast host dedicated to empowering women to reconnect with themselves beyond the demands of motherhood. As the co-founder of Something Beyond Mom, Manager of Student Support & Engagement at Laurier, and co-host of The Team Crew Podcast, Crystal creates spaces where self-reflection and ambition can coexist — without the mom guilt.
Connect with Crystal Shadwell:
Website: www.crystalshadwell.com
Instagram: @crystalshadwell
Podcast: @teamcrewpodcast
Something Beyond Mom: @somethingbeyondmom
Links For You:
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if your skincare routine was more than self-care, it was a radical act of self-respect? In this episode, I sit down with Rebecca Ogilvie, founder of Detour Co., to explore how slowing down, embracing imperfection, and building true community can transform your life and business.
What We’ll Cover:
✨ Why your skincare routine might be the most important ritual of your day
🌿 The real difference between self-care and self-respect
🥰 How to build meaningful, real-life community in a curated online world
🫶 The shift from hyper-independence to letting people in
🥾 Why protecting your time, energy, and joy matters more than ever
This episode is a heartfelt reminder that you don’t have to do it all alone and that sometimes, the biggest growth happens when we slow down and let people in.
Find Rebecca Ogilvie:
📲 Instagram: @thedetourco.muskoka
🌎 Website: thedetourco.com
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Subscribe to my newsletter!
• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if the path to healing and purpose isn’t about fixing yourself but remembering who you’ve always been? In this conversation, contemporary artist and certified Practitioner Chanelle Jefferson joins me to explore how embracing softness, stillness, and even our “weirdness” can become our greatest strengths.
What We’ll Cover:
-Why your “weird” is worthy and how to reclaim the parts of yourself you’ve buried
-How slowing down, spending time in nature, and meeting a dog changed Chanelle’s life
-What processing pain actually looks like
-Why following your own creative rhythm is the key to meaningful work
How to build a life that makes no sense to anyone else but feels like home to you
If you’ve ever felt out of place in a fast-paced world, like you’re “too much” or “not enough” to belong, this conversation is an invitation to return to yourself and redefine what a meaningful, successful life looks like on your terms.
Find Chanelle Jefferson:
📲 Instagram: @chanellejefferson_
🌎 Website: chanellejefferson.com
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if sales didn’t have to feel icky, pushy, or inauthentic? In this episode, I sit down with Kirsten Schmidtke, sales coach and former tech sales leader, to talk about how to build a more honest, empowering relationship with selling. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling your business, Kirsten shares a radically refreshing perspective on how to approach sales with more heart and less hustle.
What We Cover:
💡 Why most of us are thinking about sales all wrong—and how to shift from "ick" to integrity
🧠 The stories we tell ourselves about money, worthiness, and receiving, and how to rewrite them
📈 The difference between revenue and real profit—and why it matters more than you think
🔑 The essential sales skills every entrepreneur should practice (yes, even the introverts!)
Ready to stop dreading sales calls and start showing up with clarity and confidence? Tune in to learn how to sell in a way that actually feels good.
Find Kirsten Schmidtke:
📲 Instagram: @kirstenschmidtke
🌎 Website: kirstenschmidtke.com
Want to explore your money mindset? DM “MONEY” to Kirsten on Instagram to get her free guide on money mindset shifts.
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if your productivity is actually your body’s survival response? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Kathryn Spears to unpack how nervous system dysregulation fuels burnout, perfectionism, and dissociation especially for high-achieving women.
What We Cover:
If you’ve been stuck in loops of overdoing, emotional exhaustion, or quiet inner chaos, this is the conversation that will help you finally connect the dots.
Find Kathryn Spears:
📲 Instagram: @kathrynspears.co
🌎 Website: kathrynspears.co
🌟 Take the Quiz: Silent Saboteur Quiz
Links For You:
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
In this joint episode of Anxiously Ambitious and The Community Podcast, Janette and Kristina are joined by Jodie Heffren, founder of Rooted Woodland. Jodie shares her inspiring shift from nursing to entrepreneurship, where she now curates powerful experiences in nature that foster healing and connection. Through breathwork, hot and cold therapy, and the grounding energy of the forest, Jodie is helping women step into their inner strength and overcome fear.
What We Cover:
✨ Jodie’s first cold plunge experience and what it taught her about resilience
🌲 How intentional cold exposure helps build mental and physical strength
🧘♀️ The role of nature in grounding and personal transformation
💡 Why discomfort is the gateway to growth—and how to embrace it
💖 How Jodie’s nursing background supports safe, healing experiences
If you’re feeling stuck in a shift, navigating the messy middle, or just need a nudge to move forward, Rooted Woodland is a space for deep healing and empowerment.
Connect with Jodie:
📓FREE GUIDE: https://rootedwoodland.com/mindfullyunwind
📲 Jodie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodieheffren-rootedwoodland/
📲Rooted Woodland’s Instagram: @rootedwoodland
🌎Website: https://rootedwoodland.com/
Jodi is offering a special opportunity for listeners! Book a stay at her off-grid cabin and receive a complimentary 1 hour one-on-one session with her for hot and cold exposure. Reach out to her through Instagram or her website for more details!
Mentioned in Episode:
• Don’t miss the October Boss Mode Retreat: https://anxiously-ambitious.com/retreat
• January 2025 Boss Mode Retreat Recap
• October 2025 Boss Mode Retreat Preview
• The Social Business Club -use the code PODCAST for your first month for just $1.
• Piggybank Legal: https://piggybank.legal/
Don’t miss the October Boss Mode Retreat: https://anxiously-ambitious.com/retreat
Find Kristina Bartold:
📲 Instagram: @kristina.bartold
🌎 Website: thesocialsnippet.com
🎙️Podcast: Community
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
• Follow me on TikTok
• Subscribe to my newsletter!
• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if the signs you’re ignoring are actually guiding you to something better? In this episode, I chat with Laurie Hawkins, coach, strategist, and soulful entrepreneur, about learning to listen to life’s gentle nudges before they become impossible to ignore.
What We Cover:
Laurie's wisdom is a testament to the power of listening to your inner voice, trusting the small nudges, and allowing yourself the permission to change direction when something doesn't feel right. If you’re craving alignment and the courage to follow your own path, tune in to this beautiful, raw, and transformative conversation.
Find Laurie Hawkins:
🌎 Website: https://hawkinspired.com/readyformore
📲 Instagram: @hawkininspired
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriehawkins/
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
• Follow me on TikTok
• Subscribe to my newsletter!
• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What does it mean to truly take up space in rooms not built for you? In this inspiring conversation, I sit down with Puja Malhotra, founder and CEO of Roop Creative Agency, to explore how culture, motherhood, and resilience have shaped her journey as a branding expert and entrepreneur.
What We Cover:
Puja’s journey is a testament to the power of showing up fully, no matter the barriers. If you’ve been waiting for permission to take up space, consider this it.
Connect with Puja 1:1 at https://www.roopcreativeagency.com/booknow
Find Puja Malhotra:
📲 Instagram: @roopcreativeagency
🌎 Website: roopcreativeagency.com
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What happens when the business you built to slow down starts to speed up? In this conversation, I’m joined by intuitive entrepreneur and podcast host Jenna Goodhand, founder of Cafèzia Coffee, to explore the tension between ambition and alignment—and what it really means to grow a business that honours your wellness.
What We Cover:
✨ The story behind Cafèzia: an anti-hustle coffee built on ritual and reconnection
🧠 Navigating burnout, hustle culture, and the evolution of identity as a business owner
💛 The difference between the dream you have for your business and the dream you have for your life
🌿 Building a business as a neurodivergent entrepreneur and why it might be your superpower
Jenna’s honesty and insight offer a powerful reframe on success and growth, especially for those of us craving freedom, purpose, and peace in how we work. This episode is a permission slip to stop forcing the path—and trust your pace.
Find Jenna Goodhand:
📲Instagram: @cafecziacoffee
🌎Website: cafeczia.ca
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if the biggest shifts in your business, and your life, happen when you finally let yourself be fully supported? In this episode, I’m joined again by my good friend Kristina Bartold, co-founder of The Social Snippet and High Vibe Women, to reflect on the magic of our first Boss Mode Retreat and share all the details about what’s coming next!
What We Cover:
✨ How building real community accelerates your growth (and keeps you accountable)
🧠 Why space, nourishment, and rest are key to sustainable success
💛 The transformations that happen when women gather—with intention and heart
🔥 What to expect from our next retreat at the stunning Drake Devonshire in Prince Edward County
If you’ve been craving deep connection, powerful support, and a place to dream bigger without burning out, this is your sign!
Don’t miss the October Boss Mode Retreat: https://anxiously-ambitious.com/retreat
Find Kristina Bartold:
📲 Instagram: @kristina.bartold
🌎 Website: thesocialsnippet.com
🎙️Podcast: Community
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if the joy you're craving doesn’t come from doing more but from finally allowing yourself to do less? In this heartfelt and eye-opening conversation, I’m joined by Andrea Parker, conscious leadership coach, keynote speaker, and co-founder of FunX, who shares how reconnecting to joy and fun isn’t just possible, it’s powerful.
What We Cover:
✨ Why we lose touch with joy—and how to find it again
🧠 How childhood patterns shape our approach to success, pressure, and fun
💛 The real reason joy often feels unsafe (and how to shift it)
🔥 A surprisingly simple question that can change everything: What would make this more fun?
Andrea invites us to see joy not as a reward for hard work, but as a vital part of how we lead, live, and show up in our everyday lives. Through her own story, from burnout in policing, to running a joy-fuelled business, she reminds us that “letting it be fun” takes courage, not carelessness. This episode is your permission slip to make things lighter, more aligned, and a little more you.
Find Andrea Parker:
📲 Instagram: @andreaparkerspeaks
🌎 Website: andreaparkercoaching.com
Links For You:
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
Have you ever felt like the sidekick in your own story?
Like you’re doing all the things but still shrinking, still playing small, still waiting for someone to hand you permission to shine?
This episode is your sign to stop waiting.
Recorded live at High Vibe Women, this conversation with Monique Bryan was a true moment — packed room, big feelings, no filter. We laughed, we cried, and we went deep into what it really means to take up space, even when you're still healing or figuring it out.
What We Cover:
✨ How to own your story, even when it’s still unfolding
🧠 Why building a personal brand starts with how you want to feel
🎙️ The power of showing up and creating visibility while staying aligned with your values and energy
👶 Navigating identity shifts through motherhood and life transitions
🧰 The tools, systems, and AI strategies Monique uses to scale sustainably
🔥 How to embody “main character energy”, even if you're the quiet one
Monique shares how surviving cancer stripped away the filters and gave her the clarity to build a brand that’s rooted in purpose, not performance. From the challenges of showing up online after motherhood, to building systems that protect your peace, this episode is an honest invitation to redefine success on your terms. Whether you’re a loud creative or a quiet powerhouse, you’ll walk away with a reminder that you don’t have to have it all figured out to start and your voice deserves to be heard.
Find Monique Bryan:
📲 Instagram: @moniquebryan_co
🌎 Website: moniquebryan.com
Links For You:
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
What if the hardest thing you ever did... was stop pushing?
In today’s solo episode, I’m talking about a belief that gets wildly misunderstood: slowing down in business. Somewhere along the way, we started equating hard work with self-destruction. But what if there’s a third path? One where you’re still ambitious, still working hard — but you’re not abandoning yourself in the process?
We’ll dive into:
This one’s for the ambitious souls who crave peace, softness, and success — all at once.
If this episode hits…
Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s also navigating ambition and anxiety in their own way.
Links For You:
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website
In this episode I’m joined by Carly Ottaway—brand storyteller, founder of Web of Words, and a voice of calm clarity in the noisy world of creative entrepreneurship. After years of helping others shape their stories, Carly is now embracing her own, letting go of perfection, and leaning into presence, purpose, and personal truth.
What we cover:
✨ Letting go of control and learning to trust the process
🌀 The uncomfortable magic of surrender, uncertainty, and growth
🔥 How meditation, subconscious work, and walking through fire transformed her inner world
🎙️ The emotional weight of telling your story, and why it’s worth it
💛 Raising kids while staying connected to your own values and dreams
Carly reminds us that you don’t need to have it all figured out to make an impact, and that your story, especially the messy parts, deserves to be seen. This conversation is an invitation to show up as your favourite version of yourself and let the rest unfold.
Find Carly:
• 📲 Instagram: itscarlyottaway
• 📲 Business Instagram: webofwords_
• 🌎 Website : webofwords.ca
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
• Follow me on TikTok
• Subscribe to my newsletter!
• Anxiously Ambitious Website
In this episode, I sit down with Bridgitte Mallinson, founder and CEO of GutPersonal, to talk about gut health, burnout, and why feeling terrible all the time is NOT normal. Bridgitte spent years exhausted, on meds, and getting zero answers—so she took things into her own hands. Now, she’s on a mission to help women feel amazing with personalized gut health solutions.
We get into:
⚡ Why you don’t have to live with low energy and bloating
🔥 How burnout messes with your body and what to do about it
✨ Micro-alignment: small shifts that make a huge difference
👩👧👦 Juggling business, motherhood, and self-care—without guilt
💛 Why asking for help isn’t weak (it’s actually a game-changer)
If you’ve ever pushed through exhaustion thinking it’s just part of success, I encourage you to take a listen. It’s time to feel GOOD while building the life you want!
Use my code JANETTE10 to save on your GutPersonal orders! The Miracle Worker Magnesium is a life changer.
Find Bridgitte:
• 📲 Instagram: bridgittemallinson
• 📲 Business Instagram: gut.personal
• 🌎 Website : https://www.gutpersonal.com
• 🌎 Website : bridgittemallinson.com
Links For You:
• Follow me on IG
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• Anxiously Ambitious Website