Welcome back to Re-imagining Online Business! In this Season 2 opener, Tristan and Brooke reunite with a raw, reflective, and real-time check-in—and preview what’s ahead.

This episode blends casual conversation with deeper questions about what it means to be entrepreneurs, facilitators, and humans in an increasingly unstable, violent, and extractive world. We talk about the business patterns we’re noticing (and resisting), what it feels like to be in a visibility-scarcity cycle, and the impossibility of showing up “strategically” while also advocating for liberation.

Here’s what we get into:

A peek at what’s coming this season: topics like the nuances of ChatGPT, visual branding with integrity, and the “is Instagram dead?” convo.

A sincere and vulnerable exchange around gender identity and personal evolution

The deep tension between capitalism and the grief of witnessing more and more state violence

Questions of responsibility, urgency, and sustainability in business right now

If you’re sitting with the both/and of business and grief, strategy and uncertainty—you’re not alone. This season, we’re exploring it in more detail.

Mentions & Resources:

Alex Iantaffi & HOLDING GROUND

@veritas_22 on Instagram

Couples Therapy (on Showtime)

Pee-wee as Himself (on HBO)

Devon Price’s article, If You *Must*, Here is How to Be a Content Creator Without Crashing Out or Losing Yourself

Call to Action:

Enjoyed this episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know how these insights are helping you in your work, or share this episode with someone who might benefit from it!

+ Episode Transcript

In the season finale, Tristan and Brooke reflect on what they’ve learned over the course of Season 1 of Re-imagining Online Business. From shadowbanning myths and evolving content strategies to watching too much true crime and smoking cannabis on mic (yes, really—content warning!), this episode is as honest and unfiltered as it gets.

We talk about:

- Why our podcast release schedule turned out to be less than “strategic”

- What’s actually going on with Instagram engagement (spoiler: it’s not always the algorithm)

- The value of low-engagement content, and why we’re okay with it

- What’s working in marketing in 2025—and what’s not

- Creating business sustainability beyond the six-figure fantasy

- Taking real risks in our messaging and naming systemic harm

- Why relationship-building always matters more than reach

And yes, we also spend a solid 25 minutes talking about Netflix thrillers, Channing Tatum, and voting scandals involving Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions. You’re welcome.

Mentions & Resources:

Our free workshop: Instagram, Stay or Go: Navigating Marketing Beyond Social Media — replays available!

Foundations to Fruition (formerly Biz Camp) — beginning May 2025: A 12-session experience to get back to basics, gain foundational business knowledge, receive coaching to apply it to your work, and ultimately gain the information you need to create your own business strategy.

Call to Action:

Enjoyed this episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know how these insights are helping you in your work, or share this episode with someone who might benefit from it!

+ Episode Transcript

In this thought-provoking conversation, Tristan and Brooke dive into the complexities of claiming to run an "anti-capitalist" and "ethical" business. What do these terms actually mean, and how are they being used in today’s discourse? Is capitalism becoming a catch-all term to describe everything broken in our systems? This episode unpacks the nuance of these claims and discusses the implications of using the language of resistance without deep engagement with the systems at play.

Rather than opting out of capitalism—a system we are all entangled in—this conversation explores what it means to work within and against the system simultaneously. Brooke and Tristan critique how terms like "capitalism," "late-stage capitalism," and "anti-capitalism" are often used without specificity, serving as a surface-level virtue signal rather than a call to real, actionable change.

Key discussion points:

The importance of precise language when critiquing capitalism and business ethics.

Why vague claims of anti-capitalism can sometimes be a form of bypassing deeper systemic analysis.

The impossibility of truly "opting out" of capitalism and what ethical business practices might look like within the system.

How business owners can meaningfully engage with systemic change while still running a sustainable business.

Mentions & Resources:

Free webinar:ChatGPT & Your Work with Patricia Grenseman

Learn more about Patricia’s ChatGPT programs

Scene On Radio podcast season on Capitalism

Brooke’s conversation with Tara McMullin on the What Works podcast, What is an ethical business?

VERY IMPORTANT: VOTE ON WHO DID A BETTER ARNOLD IMPRESSION

Links:

Visit joinfruition.com for more programs and resources, including the upcoming FREE workshop, Instagram: Stay or Go? Navigating Marketing Beyond Social Media on Friday, March 28th

And of course, you can also get more info about Brooke and Tristan on their websites: brooke-monaghan.com and katz-creative.com

Call to Action:
Enjoyed this episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know how these insights are helping you in your work, or share this episode with someone who might benefit from it!

+ Episode Transcript