What Would Sheila Say? // Helping Create Joyful Careers & Businesses based in Clear Expectations & Professional Boundaries (An Original CreativesEd® Podcast)

About What Would Sheila Say? // Helping Create Joyful Careers & Businesses based in Clear Expectations & Professional Boundaries (An Original CreativesEd® Podcast)

Sick of clients asking for "just one more thing"...again and again? Feel like you're constantly overdelivering, undercharging, and saying yes when you really want to scream no? Maybe you've Googled "how to fire a client" or "contract for services" more times than you'd like to admit. You started working on your own to do work you love but now you're stuck in a cycle of revisions, red flags, and resentment. Sound familiar? Welcome to the Managing Client Disputes - the podcast for Service Providers who care - and the podcast that helps you set boundaries, protect your energy, and confidently handle the messy, awkward, and overwhelming parts of working with clients. Whether you're dealing with scope creep, ghosting, or clients who don't care about your values (or your value), this show is your permission slip to stop people-pleasing and start protecting your peace (and your pay). Hosted by Sheila Wilkinson - licensed attorney, social worker, and patron saint of troublemakers - this is where punk rock therapy meets badass business advice. Sheila combines legal clarity, emotional depth, and conflict resolution smarts to help you feel less alone and way more empowered in your work. Her mission is to help you attract the right people, projects, and pay you really want - without sacrificing your sanity. This podcast is for you if you're a direct service provider - whether that's a freelance designer, developer, artist, engineer, lawyer, social worker, or other professional who: ✅ Is overworked, underpaid, and starting to question if this is what work is supposed to feel like ✅ Worries about saying no or raising your rates because you don't want to seem "difficult" ✅ Keeps attracting clients who don't care about your values or your boundaries ✅ Wants to do meaningful work, earn enough to live comfortably, and still have the headspace to enjoy your life ✨ You'll get straight answers to questions like: - What should I include in my contract to protect myself? - How do I set boundaries with clients without sounding rude? - Can I actually fire a client… and how do I do it professionally? - How do I stop people-pleasing and still get hired? - What are the red flags to look for in a new client? Each episode helps you connect the dots - intellectually and emotionally - so you can take action with more clarity, confidence, and courage. You don't need to figure it out on your own (or scroll Reddit at 2am looking for legal advice). Sheila's got your back. Let's build you a more Joyful and Thriving™ life! ------------------------- 🥰 Find out more about what working with me looks like at sheilawilkinson.com and follow me over on Instagram @sheilamwilkinson 💌 Grab my FREE Plug and Play Email Templates for telling people what you need without burning bridges at sheilawilkinson.com/scripts "Managing Client Disputes" is an Original CreativesEd® and What Would Sheila Say?® Podcast. All Rights Reserved, Worldwide.

Publisher

Sheila M. Wilkinson, LMSW, Esq. | Business Coach & Consultant

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Jul 2021

Latest episode

16 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

25 of 96 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   16 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Taking a Break Without Losing Momentum: Boundaries, Health, and Client Expectations {Ep. 94}

   Sheila Wilkinson discusses the importance of taking breaks for service-based business owners, emphasizing how boundaries and managing client expectations can prevent burnout and benefit both the business and its clients.

2. 

   2 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Is it Scope Creep? What to Do When Clients Keep Asking for Changes {Ep. 93}

   Are you struggling with clients who ask for too much and want constant changes? In this episode, we're diving into the challenges of handling clients' change requests and the importance of setting clear boundaries. I'll share my experiences, explain why clients make such demands, and offer practical advice on how to guide clients effectively. Learn how to: - communicate expectations about changes, - establish guidelines in your contracts and interactions to maintain control over projects, and - ultimately, reduce everyone's stress! 00:27 The Challenge of Client Requests 01:00 Personal Experiences with Client Demands 02:32 Understanding Client Behavior 03:41 Setting Boundaries and Expectations 05:17 Importance of Clear Communication 06:50 Real-Life Client Stories 09:47 Mapping Out Processes RESOURCES 🎧 Episode 1 - You're in Control 🎧 Episode 5 - Managing Expectations Others Have Of You 🎧 Episode 85 - When Your Client Wants Unlimited Revisions 📲 Schedule a Roadmap to Freedom Strategy Session 🙋🏽♀️ Which client-pleasing pattern is holding you back? Take the Quiz (https://sheilawilkinson.com/quiz4creatives)! 📝 Free Interactive Guide: "12 Simple Tweaks to a Clearer Client Contract" (https://sheilawilkinson.com/tweaks/) >>> Hi! I'm Sheila, your guide to a Joyful and Thriving™ creative life! I have lots of titles: attorney, social worker, coach, consultant, keynote speaker, educator. And while I'm proud of those titles, I am a human first and a title second – just like you. I want to help you reset expectations, set boundaries, and make aligned decisions, so you can streamline and focus your energy on the people, projects, and pay that actually matter to you. Instagram: @sheilamwilkinson | LinkedIn Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts, or leave feedback here, and be sure to leave me a voice note with a question for me to answer in a future episode!

3. 

   19 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   The Creative Freelancer’s Guide to Handling Clients Who Don’t Pay Back Expenses {Ep. 92}

   What should you do when clients don’t reimburse you for out-of-pocket expenses? Today, we’re talking about the importance of managing out-of-pocket expenses for clients to protect your financial stability and business operations. I'll share my own personal experiences of being left unreimbursed, highlight the distinction between service fees and expenses, and I offer some legal insights on setting clear boundaries and payment terms in client contracts. Key issues include creating enforceable agreements, understanding opportunity costs, and avoiding financial risks by establishing up-front payment practices and clear consequences for nonpayment. 00:00 Free Resource for Managing Clients 01:51 Personal Story: Learning the Hard Way 03:04 Understanding the Real Cost of Fronting Expenses 04:04 Setting Boundaries and Clear Expectations 06:29 Legal Insights and Practical Tips 10:10 Final Thoughts and A Plan for You Resources Which client-pleasing pattern is holding you back? Take the Quiz (https://sheilawilkinson.com/quiz4creatives)! Free Interactive Guide: “12 Simple Tweaks to a Clearer Client Contract” (https://sheilawilkinson.com/tweaks/) >>> Hi! I’m Sheila, your guide to a Joyful and Thriving™ creative life! I have lots of titles: attorney, social worker, coach, consultant, keynote speaker, educator. And while I’m proud of those titles, I am a human first and a title second – just like you. I want to help you reset expectations, set boundaries, and make aligned decisions, so you can streamline and focus your energy on the people, projects, and pay that actually matter to you. Instagram: @sheilamwilkinson | LinkedIn Rate this podcast/episode on Apple Podcasts, or leave feedback here, and be sure to leave me a voice note with a question for me to answer in a future episode!

Inside a recent episode

Taking a Break Without Losing Momentum: Boundaries, Health, and Client Expectations {Ep. 94}

Published 16 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And to pretend that we don't need a break, sometimes even from things we love, it hurts us, right? It hurts our business, it hurts our productivity, it hurts our clients. A lot of service -based business owners feel worried, like they're worried about slowing down or they're worried about taking a break, right? They get they get like caught up and they panic because they think that if they slow down, that will mean that business slows down too. But that's because we've been taught that if we're not always on, that somehow that means off, right? Like the light switch was just click, switched. So if you are feeling this way or you have been or you ever did feel this way about taking a break or shifting in your business, I want you to stop giving yourself grief over it and instead start giving yourself some grace. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

17 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

85

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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