In this episode, I sit down with Marline Paul — founder of Enilram Creative Solutions (yes, her name spelled backwards) and a former teacher who spent 17 years in the classroom before betting on herself. As her business celebrates its five-year anniversary, Marline gets honest about the leap from education to entrepreneurship, the very real struggle of charging what you're worth, and why community has been her saving grace.

We talk about redefining success on your own terms, leading with your why, and building a business that's about legacy and character just as much as it is about revenue. If you're a woman somewhere in the middle of your own reinvention, this conversation is for you.

A few things you'll take away:

• Why nothing on your path — even the "wrong turns" — is wasted
• How to hold your price without shrinking (and why discounting hurts more than it helps)
• The systems that actually stabilize a business: rest, self-care, and permission to take things off your plate
• How to find your people when the obvious ones don't show up

Timestamped key moments

• [00:00] Welcome to Empowered by AI — what Season 7 is all about
• [00:50] Meet Marline Paul and Enilram Creative Solutions — the five-year anniversary, the AI summit coming in November, and her research on women in AI
• [02:20] Leaving 17 years in the classroom: the transition to founder, the coaches who helped, and taking the leap in 2022
• [05:50] Owning the entrepreneur identity — and the real struggle of charging what you're worth
• [07:40] "Was it wasted time?" Why Marline sees every early step as necessary, not a mistake
• [11:00] Mistakes as life lessons — and the growth-mindset habits she still lives by
• [12:30] The systems that stabilize a business: self-care, rest, and giving yourself (and your team) permission to pause
• [13:55] Community as a saving grace — why you can't carry the entrepreneurial burden alone
• [15:50] What Marline wishes more women understood before making the leap — and where not to look for support
• [17:45] Begin with your why: her son, her legacy, and the picture that keeps her going
• [18:50] How her definition of success has changed — from money to legacy and character
• [23:45] Money as a "certificate of appreciation" — releasing the fear around getting paid
• [25:00] What's next: growing the team, a South Florida coffee-and-co-working hub, and a new passion for AI-governance advocacy
• [27:50] Coffee, chocolate, and advocacy — plus how to connect with Marline

Mentioned in this episode

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People / …Highly Effective Teens (Stephen Covey) — the framework Marline still carries from her teaching years

Connect with Marline Paul

Founder of Enilram Creative Solutions (Marline, with an I — M-A-R-L-I-N-E — spelled backwards). Former educator, business mentor, and advocate for women in AI, based in South Florida.

• All platforms: Coach Marline Paul
• Business: Enilram Creative
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmarlinepaul/

Before you go

If something in this conversation clicked, don't let it stop here — take one idea and try it out this week.

And if you loved this one, you're in good company: there are 100+ episodes of Empowered by AI waiting for you, full of women building what's next and using AI with intention. Subscribe so you don't miss what's coming, then go binge a few more.

Watch & subscribe on YouTube: Empowered by AI — the SLAI Effect Connect with me, Michelle Muncy-Silva:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-muncy-silva-70388914a/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmpoweredbyAISLAI

All the links and resources are in the show notes. I'll see you next time. 💗

— Michelle