Freelance chaos, mum life, side gigs, and the glorious mess in between. I’m Smaragda - a tech freelancer, mum, and professional button-presser - sharing the wins, fails, and reality behind the “flexible” work-from-home life. No scripts, no guests, just honest stories, sarcasm, and the occasional snack.
I had plans
Claim This Podcastby Smaragda Vavakaris
31 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors
Podcast Overview
Freelance chaos, mum life, side gigs, and the glorious mess in between. I’m Smaragda - a tech freelancer, mum, and professional button-presser - sharing the wins, fails, and reality behind the “flexible” work-from-home life. No scripts, no guests, just honest stories, sarcasm, and the occasional snack.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/15/2025
1 verified contact email on file for I had plans
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Recent Episodes
May 19, 2026
#31 The 5-Minute Upgrade: Why People Get Weird When You Look Good
<p><strong>"I’m just not a presentation person."</strong></p><p>If you’ve said this lately, I have a secret for you: You don’t have a capability problem. You have a <strong>frame problem.</strong></p><p><strong>What we’re translating today:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>The Grooming Premium:</strong> The cold, hard statistics on why effort (not DNA) drives competence perception.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Messy Bun Disruption:</strong> Why people get genuinely awkward when you upgrade your look and take control of your environment.</p></li><li><p><strong>Your Background is Your Outfit:</strong> How fighting your physical environment drains your professional energy.</p></li><li><p><strong>The 5-Minute Fix:</strong> Simple, no-fluff ways to change the frame so people actually listen to your expertise.</p></li></ul><p><strong>👉 RECENTLY OBLITERATED SOME TECH JARGON?</strong>If your plans are constantly getting derailed by the tools you use, you need to fix your digital house, too. Catch up on our last Tech Translation session here: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.ihadplanspodcast.com/episode30" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Listen to Episode #30: The Cloud is Just Someone Else’s Computer: SaaS Explained Simply</a></p><p><strong>Let's Connect!</strong></p><p>If you are listening to this on your browser right now, <strong>hit that follow button!</strong> Then, head over to my socials and send me a message: Have you noticed people treating you differently just because you put a 5-minute effort into your appearance or background? Are you team messy bun or team lipstick? Let's talk about it.</p><p></p>
May 11, 2026
#30 The cloud is just someone else’s computer: SaaS explained simply
<p><strong>"I’m just not a tech person."</strong></p><p>If you’ve said this lately, I have a secret for you: You don’t have a tech problem. You have a <strong>jargon problem.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of I Had Plans, I'm pulling back the curtain on the words the industry uses to make you feel like a guest in your own office. </p><p>I'm doing a <strong>Tech Translation</strong> on the "Big Two" that run our lives: <strong>The Cloud</strong> and <strong>SaaS</strong>.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What we’re translating today:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>The Cloud:</strong> Why your files aren’t in the sky (they’re in a warehouse in a desert).</p></li><li><p><strong>SaaS:</strong> The "Sass" behind your monthly subscriptions like <strong>Xero, Netflix, and Gmail.</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>The DVD Era vs. Now:</strong> Why we traded control for convenience.</p></li><li><p><strong>Quick Tips:</strong> Practical steps to make sure you—not the software landlord—always own your data.</p></li></ul><p>Stop blaming your brain and start mastering the tools. It’s time to move from "tech-confused" to "tech-confident."</p>
May 4, 2026
#29 Systems vs. Souls: The Human Side of Change
<p><strong>"The system just doesn’t do that."</strong></p><p>It’s the most common phrase heard in change management, and it’s almost always a lie. But it’s not a malicious lie - it’s a survival tactic.</p><p>In this episode, we peel back the corporate curtain to look at the "Human Comedy" of digital transformation. I’m sharing a story from the front lines of a recent project where I walked in as the "contractor invader" to digitise a messy, manual world.</p><p><strong>We dive into:</strong></p><p>Whether you're a leader trying to implement a new SaaS platform or an admin wondering why your weekends are disappearing into manual data entry, this episode is a deep dive into the 90% of change management that has nothing to do with code and everything to do with the human soul.</p><p></p><p><br></p>
31 total episodes available
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