A twelve-month residency for creatives & coaches stepping into their IDGAF era, ready to build freedom THEIR WAY
This is the year, and these are the people, that make building it your way more easeful, more effective, and more fun.
Apply NowApplications open August 18 - August 24. All Access is capped at 25.
If you've been following along then you already know the reasons that this room exists:
Because when you are stable and filled-up on joy, you are a lot harder to control and manipulate through fear.
We refuse to keep bending to a system that feeds off our fear
Twelve months inside a room built for a brain and business like yours, with people who share your values utilizing a set of tools, resources and habits that have been getting our clients huge wins for over 15 years. A place where we truly care about the success of those around us, and are building our own freedom, wealth and security, while helping others do the same.
Where you can show up knowing that despite living in a world that wants us to feel bad, your attention, energy and success is contributing to something good.
This isn't just another course, mastermind, or coaching program...
We are combining decades of successful business results, thousands of happy clients served, a vault of resources, tools, templates and shortcuts, some strong shared values, and enough experience to know that all of these things mean nothing if you don't have a clear step-by-step plan and real support to help you build the habits of actually showing up and getting it done.
We're not building this for you, we're building it WITH you.
Because we've not just got our sights set on your amazing results... but on how all our combined success, stability and creativity compounds into a truly remarkable, measurable impact for others too.
Groups just like this one are how real change happens.
In fact, a few committed people gathering over and over in private rooms, working together for shared outcomes, is how real change has always started.
5% RIPPLE: No matter which way you join, your investment will contribute to our 5% Ripple fund, We are committing 5% of our annual profits to community-led organisations creating greater economic power, agency and opportunity for women, girls and gender-diverse people. Together as a group we will decide which organizations and projects to allocate the funds to.
A community-driven experience for creatives and coaches who have zero fucks left to give about the way it's 'supposed' to be done and ready to take all those scattered pieces and build them into BOTH a life and business that feel like joy and freedom. The Residency is built around setting and working towards three goals over 12 months:
Supported by only the systems we know work for us sensitive, caring, creative and (often) neurospicy founders:
If you're in a season where you know you need to move through a new build, a refresh, a pivot, an up-level, more clarity, or some big barriers before you can just 'show up and do the work'... the All Access Pass was built for you:
It's based on the pieces our most successful clients invested in one at a time (a real brand refresh, a pricing overhaul, one-to-one mentorship, design support) bundled into one clear, step-by-step, integrated year of big work like:
Best of all, All Access gives you a totally bespoke 12 month plan built around your desired business outcomes AND your desired freedom lifestyle (you shouldn't have to pick only one), with extensive one-to-one support to help you set and achieve the three goals over a realistic timeline.
Applications close August 24. We start together on August 27.
Brand, colour psychology, design, and the joy-first way.
Pricing, revenue streams, systems and the freedom math.
Our in-house coach and 'fixer', specializing in neurodivergent and creative founders (and making simplification, delegation and outsourcing actually happen).
Our in-house Tech Director (Woven Websites): sites, software, automations, and your way out of tech hell.
PLUS... you'll have unlimited access to a huge vault of our courses and programs (with ongoing access that outlasts your residency year), but you'll also get a very specific, curated step-by-step list of only the resources you'll need to achieve your goals. Because this is not learning, procrastinating or homework... it's about momentum.
While everyone out there wants to promise you a quick 8 week fix, we've learned that in reality it takes about 12 months to change a business and a person. It's a lot more boring and slow than most marketing pitches would have you believe.
Testing and landing on pricing that holds. Creating and curating a portfolio of work you're proud of. Building a brand that feels like the best version of you AND magnetizes dream clients to you. Systems that give you your time back. Marketing you can keep running even when you're on holiday, tired, unwell or just aren't feeling it.
None of these things get created or perfected by committing to a six-week sprint (but you'd be amazed what four focused 90 day sprints can add up to!!)
When artists go 'on residency' they get time, resources, a place to work, and typically, other artists working nearby. It's a container for support and focus, and it's not about consuming curriculum or getting graded on performance. It's like a creative incubator. When you're 'in residence' it's because someone has noticed you're onto something, and they remove the obstacles between you and making, and give you time, focus and resources to go all-in. Residency is the closest word we could find for what we do inside this space.
All these things are useful, and have their place in our growth:
A course teaches you a thing.
A membership gives you access to a community of like-minded people.
A mastermind gives you a room to up-level in.
Creative Freedom Rebellion is a hybrid. It has elements of all three, plus four one-to-one mentors (plus some VERY exciting in-person opportunities that you get to help us build).
The Residency is the room: the community, the planning rhythm, the coaching, co-working, the planner, and a few useful tools.
The Residency, All Access is all of that, plus a custom four-phase plan built for you, one-to-one time with each of the four mentors, and ongoing access to the vault of valuable group programs Nic and Nicole have built. For capacity reasons, this tier is capped at 25 people.
This is a space to do the reps, not an escape hatch.
What we can promise you though, is that you won't be doing it alone... or without a map... which we know drastically increases your chances of that discomfort turning into something really, really fruitful.
And you'll finally be able to step out of that vacuum of spin, stuckness, unmade decisions and old guilt... and step into something new that looks and feels like support, solidarity, ease and excitement:
"The combination of physical planner, planning calls, co-working calls, and a supportive community have helped me to (finally!) stop operating from a place of overwhelm and panic. Instead, I've started actually, you know, planning. Operating from a mindset of 'Where is the joy?' and 'What would be easy?' I have been able to map out the small, interim steps that I need to accomplish each week, month, and quarter. And that has helped me meet deadlines and reach goals. Finally!"
Jennifer, Kentucky (readpurr.com)Nic, Nicole and Heather build it with you at the start of your year: where you actually are, where you want to be in twelve months, the three goals you'll focus on to achieve it, and the four phases you'll use to get there. This isn't a vibe, it's a real, actionable, measurable plan.
From there, you and Heather own the plan. She's the one who notices when the bottleneck you named isn't the bottleneck you have... and helps you decide what to move through, what to pivot, and when to book in for your other one-to-one resources.
No pressure to: stick to it when your life changes. It adjusts. That's the point of having a person instead of a robot or a PDF.
With Nic, on your joy makeover: your brand, your 'why', your colours, your designs, your story. 1x 90 min, plus 4 Design Time sessions in Canva.
With Nicole, on freedom structures like revenue streams, pricing, and systems. 1x 90 min.
With Heather, who owns the plan and helps move you through whatever's getting in your way. 4x 90 min.
With Tracey, on tech. Websites, software, automations, domains, GDPR (and all the other annoying acronyms), the AI thing that broke, the plugin nobody can explain. Tracey is your 'get out of tech hell free' card. 1x 1 hr. (You can always top up more time if this is not enough, but by then Tracey will already know you and your tech stack.)
No pressure to: arrive polished. Bring the mess. That's what we're here for.
Two longer workshops each year (December or January, and June) to set the three goals, look honestly at what the last six months taught you, and plan the next six around the season you're actually in.
At least 90 minutes each month with Nic and Nicole for Design Time, Money Talk and Face Time. Bring a strategy to review, a half-formed question, or nothing at all. A good portion of the value is listening to somebody else's problem and recognising your own inside it... or simply 'talking it out' with someone who will no doubt have genuinely useful feedback.
These are drop-in sessions, so there is zero pressure to: speak, turn your camera on, or even attend. Use as needed, nobody takes attendance.
Ninety minutes with Heather, every month. She starts with breathing and grounding, moves into journal questions or reflections, and each quarter holds a longer session for looking back at the entire phase you've just completed. This is the rhythm most of us never manage to hold on our own, but it makes an unreasonably big difference when we do. These sessions with Heather are one of the main reasons members describe finally finishing things that have sat on a list for years.
"I love the planning calls! Setting these goals at the start of the year has really helped me stay specific with my focus. Checking in monthly on the calls has helped me see all the progress I have made and the work I'm putting in. I've finally accomplished so many things this year that I have had on my to do list for ages. The accountability has been awesome to help me do this."
Tara, North Carolina (taralynnandco.com)Monday and Friday, live on Zoom, two hours. Drop in, say hi, then it's cameras off for 90 minutes of focused work. Members who have built the most consistency and success assign a recurring task to each day (Monday for the newsletter and Friday for the blog, for example) and they show up each week and do exactly that.
No pressure to: attend both, or either. Some people use it every week for a year. Some people use it only in the seasons when they need it.
"The co-working is such a great way to focus and have a little interaction before and after getting loads done. Love it."
KellyEach month Nic holds a Design Time session (free for all to attend), but if you cash in one of your Design Time credits (4 included in All Access, otherwise available for purchase) you can get Nic to work on your project. Just fill out a form, drop in a Canva link, and during your design 'hot seat' Nic will re-work whatever you brought: your brand, your pitch deck, your marketing assets, your website, signage, a brochure... anything. You'll be amazed watching her work (and what she can achieve in 15-20 minutes), and you leave with the file.
In the Vault of programs, you'll find everything Nic and Nicole sell that isn't one-to-one: Citrus, Whyfinding, CPPA, Freedom Focus Formula, CPI, Hair of the Dog Academy craft education, Colour Joy, plus a handful of extremely powerful custom GPTs.
All of this is available to you, but it isn't just dumped on you. Your plan will highlight the piece(s) you need, when you need them, and we suggest you ignore the rest until you need it.
No pressure to: finish anything. There are no completion certificates here and never will be. All we care about is getting you useful templates, resources and info to help you meet your goals.
Our brand new home is in Circle. Gone are the days of the Facebook Group. Now the entire experience is built around the community: where we can connect on our own timelines, celebrate with each other, learn from each other, and share inspiration and laughs. Real connection, gentle accountability, parallel play, and safe space-holding, with people who understand why this is hard because they're in it... and who genuinely want to see you succeed. Use the member directory to find members near you, and (coming soon) you can help build in-person meetups in the US, Canada, Europe, UK and Australia.
No pressure to: be visible. Lurking is a totally valid form of membership. Some of the people who got the most out of the last twelve months barely posted at all until they showed up to share big wins. You can connect in whatever way suits you.
"Having a community for accountability has been very useful for me but my big aha moment was working smarter not harder: scheduling time off every single week at a regular time and automating systems."
ErinWe have a beautiful, spiral-bound 6 month printed planner that holds the rhythms of everything outlined here, on paper. The three goals, the weekly, monthly, quarterly rhythms. When you finish one you can fill out a form to get sent the next. Start anytime, as the calendars are fillable.
We're building something big for us to share in-person. But you're going to help us decide, and do it. We have plans for this that we're not announcing yet, because the first cohort is going to get a say in what they are.
We are committing a portion of proceeds to fortify women around the world building their freedom footing. We're still deciding on the exact 'how' and 'how much', so the details will come inside the room, but this is a huge beating heart at the center of our mission: None of us are free until we all are, and we want any success we achieve to be shared.
The only homework is your own plan. That's it. The stuff you'd be working towards anyway, but now you have a complete support system to do it.
No replays to catch up on, no modules to complete, no busy work. If it isn't tied to something you actually want, you ignore it.
It's a 12 month container, but you can stay as long as you like.
There's no cohort marching in step, so there's nobody to be behind. There are no modules, so there's nothing to finish. There are no attendance records. Your plan is built around your capacity in your season, and when the season changes (a health thing, a family thing, a wedding season that eats your autumn), you and Heather restructure to meet your goals. No guilt, no shame, no apologizing.
All we ask of you is that you show up for yourself. Commit to a couple of co-working sessions a month. Try the thing you said you'd try. Tell somebody when you're stuck. The room can hold you through almost anything except total silence.
"This program helped me establish consistent habits (something I had always struggled with). What I love most is the ability to replay the coaching calls. With my busy schedule, being able to catch up at my own pace has been crucial."
Nuria, New York (honeypooch.net)You're established enough to know that another course is not the answer. You've bought plenty... some were worth it. Some were disappointing. Some are tabs you keep open in Chrome, but haven't looked at in ages.
You want growth, but you have conditions: not at the cost of your health. Not at the cost of your important relationships. Not by doing a cringe dancing trend on social media. Not by using 'bro marketing' tactics that exploit and manipulate.
You know the key is consistency, and you've worked out that just trying to double down on discipline isn't going to get you there.
You want mentors who are 'doing' partners, not just good listeners who add to your to-do list.
You want a room where you don't have to perform being fine when you're not, or dull down your success or achievements to make other people 'less threatened'.
You're willing to look at your own patterns, but it'd be helpful to have someone hold space for the new habits you know will take time to establish.
You have your own definition of success, and it might look nothing like anybody else's. Whatever your version is, it is totally welcome here.
If your goal is to scale as fast as possible, at any cost, you'll find us frustrating.
If any of these statements make you uncomfortable, this might not be your room
If you want a course to binge and be finished with, this is not it.
If being in service to others, or contributing to a real community that supports you back, isn't for you, you probably won't like it here.
If you want to throw money at another thing to solve the problem, but aren't actually interested in showing up to do the work, we're not your gals.
None of that makes you wrong or bad, it just makes you somebody who needs something else. We'd rather you spend your money on the right room, and this one probably isn't it.
Brand architect, author, artist, design & colour psychology expert. Started as a pet photographer and designer, spent 20 years building brands with joy at the centre: from startups to billion-dollar companies. Co-founded Dog is Good® and scaled it into the millions. Masters in Marketing. Author of Million Dollar Dog Brand and Puppyhood (Abrams). Creator of CPPA, the Colour Brand® method and the Joy First® way. American living in England with the man of her dreams. Late-diagnosed AuDHD. Mum of 3 girls: two human, one Frenchie.
Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman. In business since 2010, over 1,000 dogs photographed, over 1,000 photographers mentored. Founder of Hair of the Dog (Academy, Elevate, CPI), Freedom Focus Formula, and the Hair of the Dog Conservation Fund. Speaker at Imaging USA, Shutterfest, ClickAWAY and Shutterhound. Started with $197 all-inclusive sessions shot around naptimes; her first $5,000 sale changed what she believed was possible, and she's been teaching the math behind it ever since.
Focus coach and fixer. Works with solo founders and small teams, most of them neurodivergent, most of them stuck on something other than what they think they're stuck on.
"I don't just listen, guide breathing techniques, or ask questions: I also roll up my sleeves and get in the muck alongside you. I specialize in cleaning up the mess so you can focus on your big vision."
Woven Websites. Tech, websites, software, automations, and the AI troubleshooting that eats a Sunday when you're doing it alone.
What already exists and is tested: the community, the planning rhythm, the co-working, the planner, the coaching structure. That's been running for years, and the testimonials on this page come from it. On their own, all the programs and courses included have seen their students create stellar ROI and results.
What's new: the in-person component (coming soon), and combining each of the separate support systems: the four-phase custom plan, the four one-to-one containers, plus design hot seats with Citrus brand refresh and Whyfinding, and all the other programs (not to mention the giving component). The All Access tier is running in this format for the first time this year (but it's based on what we noticed our most successful clients were purchasing and completing separately in order to get their superior results)... we've simply bundled it all to make it an easier and more integrated experience for you.
What founding does not mean: that you're paying to test an incomplete product. The programs are not in beta. They have all been tested and refined for years. Everything is built, ready and waiting for you inside Circle and Kajabi.
Everything in the Residency, plus:
Dates: applications open August 18 and close August 24. We start together on August 27.
Your purchase contributes to our 5% Ripple fund: We are pledging 5% of our top-line profits directly to community-led organisations creating greater economic power, agency and opportunity for women, girls and gender-diverse people.
We're not going to do that, because you're a grown-ass adult who can decide for themselves whether For context, what we charge separately for the All Access contents comes to well north of $12,000, and some of it isn't for sale at any price. People we know and respect are charging $15,000 to $50,000 a year for high-end masterminds that include considerably less.
It is part of our mission to keep these prices as accessible as possible:
12 mo. Residency + All Access: $599/mo x12 or $5,999/year USD
12 mo. Residency: $99/mo or $999/year USD
Why All Access is capped at 25. Four sets of one-to-one calls and four design hot seats each, multiplied by more than 25 people, starts becoming a waiting list. The cap isn't a pressure tactic. It's just a capacity limitation.
Why is there an application? Because a capped room should hold the right 25 people, not the fastest 25. The application helps us make sure you're in the right tier (or that this is your year at all) before any money moves. If we think it isn't, we'll say so, and point you toward a better next step.
If you're nervous about the money. That's a reasonable thing to be nervous about, and we'd rather you sit with it than get talked past it. Email us. We'll be honest about whether this is your year. Sometimes the answer is no, and we'd rather say so now than take your $5,999 and watch you struggle come January. We always think through investments like this one for our business based less on cost and more on ROI: what is the reasonable return you expect you can get from your investment in this space? Is it more or less than the cost of entry? If it's more, then it's probably a good investment (and that's only the money side of the equation!)
These members were part of the Joy First Founders' Circle, which is now the Residency. Their experience covers the planning, co-working and community side, which carries forward. The All Access tier is new this year, and we'll have its own stories to share in twelve months.
The minimum is a couple of hours a month for working 'on' the business instead of in it... things like planning and brand building. All Access members add their 1:1s, which is 10 hours for the year. The rest is work you're working on anyway (but if you're anything like our existing members, this structure will help you be more efficient AND more effective in less time!)
Planning calls and group coaching calls are recorded and are easy to 'play along with' later. Your 1:1s are booked around you. We believe if you can attend at least one live call and 1-2 co-working sessions a month, that's enough for you to see significant results.
Then you're in good company. The systems here were built by people who needed them to work for our brains, our relationship with time, hyperfocus and then no focus, and our (sometimes extreme) commitment to our ethics and values.
Then your plan will look completely different from somebody starting out, and you'll both get the exact support you need. There isn't a level. There's a plan built around where you are, and where you want to go... it probably won't match anyone else's exact plan.
The launch cohort is photographer-heavy because that's where Nicole's community lives. The work applies to any business really, but we focus on supporting creatives and coaching businesses: service-based businesses straddling in-person and online expansion. If you're a designer or a coach, right now you'll be in a room that's mostly photographers. Our hope is to have a whole collection of 'sub-communities' moving forward. But we have to start somewhere!
No. There's no set curriculum and nothing to complete except your own goals and 12 month plan. The courses are inside All Access as tools your plan will point you towards.
Partly. It's also brand work, pricing work, tech support and community, with a little hint of collective liberation. It's a hybrid of what we've seen work for our most successful clients.
Your plan changes. That's what Heather is for. Nobody is going to make you feel bad about a quarter you spent surviving. Better to have us to help you through!
We can't promise you a number. What we can say is that you'll set three measurable goals at the start, and you'll know at the end whether you hit them. Members of the previous program most often report increases in consistency, finished projects, met deadlines, and less overwhelm, with revenue improvements and other remarkable personal achievements alongside that. Your outcome depends on your market, your capacity, your effort, and your commitment.
The Residency is Founders' Circle, continued and renamed, with the same planning rhythm, co-working and community. The All Access tier is new, and Nicole is joining us for the first time, bringing her education and expertise with her. The custom 12 month plan, the four one-to-one relationships, the design time included and the giving component are all fresh additions to the original Founders' Circle program.
Because artists' residencies give people time, tools, space and each other, and don't hand out grades. We thought it was the best name to describe our little hybrid.
Your 1:1s, the group calls, the planning sessions and the community. Not unlimited, but we think you'll find our interactions quite generous.
You can stay. The community continues as long as you want it to, and your access to course content continues under our Ongoing Access terms. Your custom plan is designed to be complete at twelve months, and if you want another year of All Access support, we'll talk about what that looks like when you're closer.
No bonuses, countdown timers, threats of price increases or false scarcity to spark your FOMO.
Here are the facts: applications close on August 24, and they close because we start on August 27. All Access caps at 25 because that's where our current capacity is. Once we figure out how that looks and works, we may plan to open the doors for more All Access members.
Beyond that, there's no hurry. You don't have to prove anything to us. You don't have to already be good at this, or further along than you are.
The only thing worth working out is whether this is how you want to build, and whether these are people you want to build alongside. And if you think you'll get further with us than without us, and can afford the investment without hardship.
If something in you already answered that long before you got all the way down here, then go ahead and apply.
We can't wait to see where this 12 month journey will take us!
Applications close August 24 · We start together August 27
xx nic and nicole
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