Shownotes
S3E2 Build a Business on YOUR Strengths, Not Cookie-Cutter Advice - Guest Arielle Morten
Change the Reel website
80% of women-owned businesses don't exceed $100K in revenue—even when they're doing everything "right." Business growth strategist Arielle Morton knows why, and she's not holding back. In this episode of Change the Reel, Arielle breaks down why cookie-cutter marketing fails marginalized communities, how to build a business around YOUR strengths (not someone else's playbook), and why showing up authentically on video is the fastest way to attract your people and repel the ones you don't want. About Arielle Morten: Arielle is a business growth strategist who helps women entrepreneurs move from inconsistent income and overwhelm to sustainable, confident growth. After being laid off during maternity leave (yes, really), she built a thriving coaching practice focused on strengths-based strategies and real-world marketing—no hustle culture, no bro marketing, no one-size-fits-all BS. She's a certified Hello Seven coach and co-hosts the podcast "Behind the Buzzwords." What You'll Learn: → Why traditional marketing advice doesn't work for underrepresented entrepreneurs → How to identify your strengths and build a business model around them → The real cost of code-switching and hiding your authentic self online → Why video is critical for overcoming barriers to trust (especially for BIPOC/LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs) → How Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show modeled authentic representation → The biggest mistake women make when trying to scale past $100K → When to show up authentically vs. when fear is holding you back TIMESTAMPS: [00:00] Cold Open: "I'm angry enough to slap someone" [01:07] Introduction to Arielle Morton [02:04] How they met: Hello Seven certification in Puerto Rico [03:04] Giving credit where it's due: Who shaped Arielle's journey? [03:21] Laid off during maternity leave during the pandemic [03:50] The "get rich quick schemes" phase (we've all been there) [04:36] Winning a year of coaching after finding Lauren Golden online [05:32] "I couldn't see it for myself" - The 8 years of experience she didn't recognize [06:07] Why women of color entrepreneurs face different barriers [07:15] The heart of the work: Client wins and what keeps her going [07:53] "I got into law school" - The text that changed everything [10:00] CLIP: Strengths-based coaching explained [11:18] "If someone tells you there's only one way, they're lying. Run." [12:13] When representation was missing and she stepped up [12:33] Serving the women who served her during postpartum [14:32] THE TURNING POINT: "I got pissed off" [14:52] "We're doing all the things... why aren't we getting paid?" [15:36] Finding people "just as pissed" and getting certified [16:25] Monique on changing the reel about what success means [17:21] The 80% revenue blockade for women-owned businesses [18:21] Why inclusion and representation in media matters [19:38] "So that little girl or little boy isn't feeling excluded" [20:04] When writers call Latino photography "not edgy enough" [21:15] The 2050 tipping point: Majority/minority demographics shifting [22:09] What good representation looks like: Owning the stage unapologetically [23:38] Shoutout #1: Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show [24:21] Authentic representation from Puerto Rican streets to global stage [24:51] Shoutout #2: Leslie Dean, local wellness coach [26:24] The challenge of weaving inclusion into business [26:47] "Your ignorance can be extremely detrimental" [27:18] Educate yourself: Open a book, turn on a TV screen [28:14] The fear of showing up authentically online [28:33] "You're doing a disservice when you fit into a whitewashed box" [29:15] How to talk to clients about using video authentically [29:28] Confusing fear and strengths: "Do it scared anyway" [30:47] "It shows real quick on video how inauthentic you're being" [31:22] Examining who told you that story about being less than [32:14] Attract what you want, repel what you don't [32:42] "Writing online, you can be a bot" [33:27] Working with Velasquez Media on authentic marketing [34:15] Piper: "You were like, no, don't pretend to be that person" [35:25] How to work with Arielle [35:38] StrengthsPowered.com and LinkedIn [35:58] Who Arielle wants to work with: Purpose-driven women entrepreneurs [37:01] Outro
CHANGE THE REEL with Piper and Monique
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Executive Producers: Monique Velasquez and Piper Kessler
Producer: Arielle Morten
Director/Editor: Simon Beery/Meredith Sause
Copyright 2026 Monique & Piper
