CreativeFreelanceLife

Martyrdom: Clients Don’t Care if You Fell on Your Sword to Deliver

October 8, 2025 by AlisonP Leave a Comment

Let’s talk about martyrdom.
Sounds a little dramatic, right? But in freelancing (and in fitness) it shows up more often than we think. Especially when people broadcast all the sacrifices they’re making to hit deadlines.

Honestly? I don’t think anyone really cares.

Fine. Your loved ones care. But your clients? Not really. They’ve got their own worries and deliverables. Whether you give them a long speech about how you stayed up all night to finish their project, or whether you suffer silently in hopes of some karmic reward, it’s really unlikely that it moves the needle on how they perceive you.

The myth of the overworked freelancer

There’s a common belief that in order to succeed as freelancers we have to prove we work the longest hours, that we’re always available, that we’ll put clients above our own health and family. But let’s be honest: clients don’t hand out brownie points for sacrifice.

No one’s giving you a medal for averaging five hours of sleep. No bonus points for posting selfies of yourself hunched over a laptop at the beach or at the playground while your kids are playing. Some people might click “like,” but they’ll scroll on and forget it a second later.

What clients actually care about is that the file lands in their inbox on time, with quality that meets or exceeds expectations. That’s it.

The cost of falling on your sword

Occasional late nights? They happen. But if working until 4 a.m. becomes your brand, you’re only creating exhaustion.

For freelancers working across time zones (voiceover artists like me know this all too well), it’s tempting to believe you have to be “always on” because it’s always 9 a.m. somewhere. But running on little sleep, skipping meals, or sacrificing family time is not a sustainable long-term strategy. Burnout doesn’t just hurt your health—it hurts your business, your creativity, and your relationships.

Sleep is not optional. Sleep is critical: for recovery, for focus, and for showing up at your best. I tell my teenagers they’ll know they’re real adults when they actually look forward to going to bed. And you know what? They’ll find out I’m right.

Personally, I’ve learned that I need at least 6 hours of sleep to function, and ideally 7-8. If I try to push through with less, I’m not more productive. I’m grouchy, unfocused, and not doing my best work. Clients don’t hire me to be a zombie. They hire me to bring fresh energy and creativity to their projects.

Professionalism ≠ martyrdom

Performative overwork is a trap. If your most productive hours are at midnight, fine. But ask yourself: what message are you sending when you make a show of it?

Many freelancers think “going above and beyond” will wow the client. But often, the client just assumes that level of sacrifice is your baseline…which sets you up for unrealistic expectations.

Look, we’re creative freelancers, not brain surgeons. We don’t need to be available 24/7. What earns repeat business and referrals isn’t suffering, it’s systems. Reliable processes. Clear communication. Consistent delivery.

So go play with your kids. Have dinner with friends. Get some sleep. Post about that if you want to share something. Clients don’t want martyrs. They want partners who can deliver good work over the long haul.

Instead of proving how much you endured, prove how enduring you work.

For music, exercise and business tips, listen to my podcast Freelance Fitness.

Don’t Let the Numbers Run Your Business: Why Stats Matter—but Perspective Matters More

October 1, 2025 by AlisonP Leave a Comment

We talk a lot about numbers in freelance creative businesses.
Income. Leads. Followers. Website traffic.

Just like in fitness: weight, reps, or heart rate.

And yes, those numbers matter. They help us track progress and see if the plan is working. But here’s the thing: any one number never tells the whole story.

You can have a spike in social followers with no paying clients.
Or hit a new fitness goal and still feel sluggish.

Numbers are a tool, but they aren’t the whole truth.

The Role of Metrics

Numbers give us feedback. They show whether a strategy is moving us closer to our goals.

When I launched my podcast Freelance Fitness, I didn’t just hit record and hope for the best. I made a list of every step required to produce an episode: writing, recording, editing, mixing, publishing. I refined that plan as I went. That’s how consistency happens—through process.

But a process without metrics is blind. You need clear, measurable, and attainable goals to know if your efforts are paying off. Otherwise, you’re just guessing.

Has your monthly income increased since you made a change?
Are you closing more deals?
Has that new software saved you time?

Metrics help answer those questions.

The Danger of Obsession

The problem comes when we obsess over one number.

I’ve fallen into that trap myself. I got hooked on impressions and likes. A viral post gives you a rush, but in my world (voiceover), impressions almost never translate into clients.

It wasn’t until I shifted focus to writing posts directly for my target audience, the people actually in a position to hire me, that I saw real results. Fewer likes, but more clients.

Here’s why any one number is misleading:

Numbers don’t measure quality. 10,000 impressions aren’t worth much without real engagement.
Context matters. Ten demo listens from the right clients beat 100 random website views.
One metric can distort your focus. You risk ignoring the bigger picture.
Business health is multidimensional. Income, repeat clients, efficiency, reputation—it all counts.
Numbers fluctuate naturally. Algorithms change, seasons shift. Don’t tie your mood to a rollercoaster.

A Balanced Approach

So how do you balance the usefulness of numbers with not letting them control you?

Track the basics. Choose 2–3 meaningful metrics. Not everything needs measuring.
Check in regularly, not obsessively. Weekly or monthly reviews are enough.
Pair numbers with reflection. Does the data align with how you feel about your business?
Stay flexible. Running a business is like hitting a moving target: trial, error, adjustments.
Seek perspective. Ask peers how they measure their progress. Sometimes you need an outside view.

At the end of the day, numbers should act like a dashboard, not a single flashing warning light.

They guide you, but they don’t define you.

Freelancing is iterative, like creating a recipe: you try, adjust, and improve. Even if something doesn’t “work out,” you’ve learned, collected data, and moved further ahead than where you started.

So yes, keep track of your numbers. But don’t let them run the show.

What’s the one metric you find hardest not to obsess over in your freelance business?

Long-Form Projects Aren’t Just a Pile of Short Ones

September 10, 2025 by AlisonP Leave a Comment

You know those quick creative projects you can knock out in a day or two?
They’re fun, fast, and satisfying.

But then comes the big one: a long-form project that stretches over days or even weeks. And here’s the truth—long-form projects are not just a bunch of short ones stuck together. They’re a whole different beast.

I learned this the hard way.

Early in my voiceover career, I landed my first long-form project: an audio version of an ophthalmology article for a professional journal. About 30 minutes of finished audio. At the time, that was many times longer than anything I’d tackled before.

Up until then, my jobs took an hour—tops. Suddenly, I had a 30-minute script of dense medical text. I underestimated how long it would take me. So, I worked late into the night, cramming to reach the unrealistic deadline I’d given the client and as a result, delivered audio that showed how exhausted I was. The client wasn’t thrilled, and I had to re-record. Ouch.

That project taught me lessons I wish I’d known sooner. Today, I can do the same job in an afternoon—with better energy, better editing, and a better result. And if you’re stepping into long-form work (whether voice, writing, design, animation, or film), here’s how you can avoid the pitfalls I stumbled into.

Pitfall 1: Underestimating the Time

Why it matters: Long projects always take more time than you think.
How to avoid it: Break the project into manageable chunks. Create milestones and celebrate small wins. Also, this helps you fit it in around all the other tasks you have to do.

Pitfall 2: Burning Out Too Soon

Why it matters: A sprint at the start leaves you sloppy and tired at the end.
How to avoid it: Pace yourself. Treat creative work like a workout—short, focused sessions beat one frantic all-nighter. Tools like Pomodoro timers or blocked-off “deep work” hours help maintain energy.

Pitfall 3: Losing the Thread

Why it matters: Without a compass, your project drifts off course and loses clarity.
How to avoid it: Anchor to the brief. Choose 3–5 keywords that capture the project’s essence (tone, audience, purpose) and keep them visible. Before you deliver, ask: Does this align?

Pitfall 4: Client Misalignment

Why it matters: If you and the client aren’t checking in, small misunderstandings snowball into big rewrites.
How to avoid it: Build in regular checkpoints. Map out when you’ll deliver updates and what you’ll show. This creates alignment and keeps the client engaged without micromanaging.

Pitfall 5: Chaotic Systems

Why it matters: Losing files or missing deadlines damages trust faster than anything else.
How to avoid it: Use consistent file naming, automated backups, and a clear deliverables timeline. Even a simple shared calendar makes a world of difference.

The Takeaway

If you can deliver short, punchy work, you can also succeed at long-form projects—it just takes a little more structure and strategy. With pacing, systems, and client communication, long projects stop being overwhelming monsters and become opportunities to create something deep, polished, and lasting.

So if that big project comes your way? Don’t be afraid to take it on.
You’re more ready than you think.

And if you like mixing creative freelance tips with a dose of fitness, check out my podcast Freelance Fitness!

Having Standards: Why Your Integrity Shows Clients They Can Rely On You

September 3, 2025 by AlisonP Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, I was working out and started thinking about integrity. Strange combination? Maybe. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense: integrity is to a creative freelancer’s business what core strength is to exercise. Invisible at first glance, but essential to stability.

When you’re a freelancer—whether in voice-over, copywriting, design, or video production—no one’s looking over your shoulder to check your work. There’s no manager to double-check your deadlines or ensure you’ve done proper quality control. It’s tempting to slack when there’s no external accountability.

But what happens when you start phoning it in? Rushing through projects? Copy-pasting old work instead of delivering something fresh? Cutting corners because “the client won’t notice”?

That’s where integrity comes in.

What Integrity Really Means in Freelancing

Integrity is simple to define but harder to live out. It’s:

Doing what you said you’d do.
Delivering consistent quality.
Being transparent when something goes wrong.

In freelance life, it’s tempting to say yes to everything. After all, more projects mean more income, right? But when we overcommit—bit off more than we can chew, get sick, or face equipment delays—it’s easy to rationalize rushing the job. The client may never know.

But integrity isn’t just about the deliverables. It’s about the trust, and reliability that form the foundation of every client relationship.

When freelancers act with integrity, clients feel safe, respected, and understood. That builds long-term trust.
When integrity is missing? Missed deadlines, broken trust, damaged reputation—and no repeat work.

Trust is the currency of freelancing. Integrity is how we earn it.

A Voice-Over Example: Pickups and Integrity

Here’s an example from my own work as a voice actor.

Let’s say a client sends me a pickup request—“just a couple of words” to be re-recorded because of a last-minute script update. Easy, right?

Except, I know it’s not that simple. To make it sound seamless, I often need to re-record the entire phrase, sometimes multiple takes, matching intonation, volume, speed, and emotional tone perfectly so it blends into the original recording. I also need to ensure my studio setup is identical to the original session—mic placement, preamp settings, recording levels.

Could I do less? Absolutely. Especially if there’s a music bed underneath that might mask the difference. But I know the audio engineer or producer will hear the mismatch. And I don’t want to give them extra work fixing something I could have done right.

For me, integrity means giving clients something they don’t have to fix. Something that’s one less worry on their overflowing plate.

How to Stay Aligned With Integrity

So how do we make sure our work stays up to our highest standards—whether the client notices or not?

Here are a few strategies I live by:

Manage time and energy like training for a run. Don’t sprint at the start only to crawl at the finish line. Pace yourself with realistic deadlines.
Promise late, deliver early. Clients may want everything tomorrow, but many don’t need it that fast. Give yourself flexibility. And if you can deliver it sooner, you look like a hero!
Be transparent when life happens. Sick kids, rescheduled meetings, or even your own flu aren’t the conditions for your best work. Ask for extensions when you need them.
Know your limits. Say no when you can’t realistically deliver. Expanding your skillset is great, but give yourself margin as you learn.

It’s not about being flashy. It’s about being consistent.

Why It Matters

At the end of the day, only you know if you gave it your all or just coasted. Clients may only see the polished final result, but they’ll feel the difference in how you communicate and in the consistency of the work you deliver.

Integrity is the quiet force that builds lasting client relationships—the kind that generate repeat work, referrals, and a solid reputation in industries like e-learning, explainer narration, commercial, animation, dubbing and beyond.

And just like strengthening your core muscles, building integrity takes daily practice. Small, consistent actions compound over time.

That’s how you sustain your freelance business—not just for the next project, but for the long run.

What about you? How do you make sure your work reflects your integrity—even when no one’s watching?

Reach out to me to talk about your next voice over project, listen to my podcast Freelance Fitness or follow me for creative freelance tips and musings.

When You Fail a Client in the Creative Freelance World — and How to Bounce Back

August 20, 2025 by AlisonP Leave a Comment

Mistakes Happen — Even to the Pros

Look, we’ve all been there — salaried or freelance. Sometimes, inadvertently, we screw up.

Back in my IT days, I managed to shut down an entire inbound call centre… twice. Once by rebooting the wrong server. Another time by accidentally leaning on the main power switch in the server room. Beeooooooo. Silence.

No, I didn’t get fired.

Fast-forward to my voice over career. One day, I recorded way more of a client’s e-learning script than I was supposed to. The script had colour-coded lines for multiple voice actors. My lines were in dark grey, and unassigned lines were in black. I should have double-checked. I didn’t. And I ended up recording four times as much narration as required.

The result? My audio files were unusable. The client was on a tight deadline. I’d dropped the ball.

This Could Happen to Any Freelancer….and It’s Not the End

When we’re on a creative freelance contract — whether it’s a commercial voice over, audiobook narration, explainer video, or video game — the stakes feel higher. There’s no boss protecting your job. You might think, “One mistake and they’ll replace me.”

This happens to everyone.

But here’s the truth:

Clients are under pressure too. They care about their deliverables, deadlines, and their own stakeholders.
Replacing you mid-project isn’t easy for them — it’s more trouble than it’s worth if you can fix the problem.

What they need most in that moment is reassurance and solutions — not excuses.

In my e-learning script mishap, I didn’t blame the text colours. I didn’t ramble. I simply told the client:

“I’m re-recording the correct version right now and will send you the updated file shortly.”

And then I did it. Fast. Professionally. No drama.

The client thanked me. We moved on. And here’s the important part: we’ve worked together since.

The Three Keys to Bouncing Back

The difference between a one-time mistake and a reputation-killer isn’t the mistake itself — it’s how you handle it.

1️⃣ Own It
Acknowledge the problem. Keep it short and professional:

“Hi [Client], I’ve realized I made an error on the project. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I’m already working on a fix and will update you shortly.”

2️⃣ Fix It Fast
If you can, deliver the correction immediately. If not, come prepared with options:

A revised timeline
A small discount if appropriate
Alternative solutions that still meet their needs

3️⃣ Focus on Their Needs, Not Your Feelings
Skip the lengthy explanations. Avoid defensive language. Show that your priority is their project’s success, not saving face.

The Long Game

Listen.

Handled well, a small failure can actually strengthen a client relationship. Why?
Because people remember how you show up under pressure. They remember you didn’t disappear. They remember you kept your focus on them.

And if you step in to fix a problem — even one you didn’t cause — you become their go-to problem solver. That’s how long-term loyalty is built in the voice over industry, and in any creative freelance field.

Mistakes happen. Professionalism is what makes clients stay.

Reach out to talk about your next project, to chat about voiceover or fitness, or Follow me for more tips.

Let’s engage. DM, comment, and why not arrange a discovery call?

Subscribe to my podcasts for fun and functional business and exercise talk.

Link to podcast: Ep 15: Failure doesn’t have to be the end of your client relationship

Fuelling Your Fire: Motivation Tips for Freelance Creatives

August 13, 2025 by AlisonP Leave a Comment

The Why Behind the Work

This time a year ago I was struggling creatively.

I’d been kicking around the idea of launching a podcast for years, but it never seemed like the right time. This time, though, I was sure I’d hit on the right formula. A clear log line.

Except I also had all the excuses, recent car accident, family obligations, work…you know, life.

But the idea wouldn’t go away. Heck, wanting to produce a podcast is what got me into voiceover in the first place. I then diverged, quite happily, I might add, into commercial, narration and e-learning voiceover, but that podcast thing, because I’m such a big fan of them, never really left me.

The problem was, I always had some excuse not to take action:

How am I even going to juggle this new recording project with everything else I have going on?
How am I going to come up with new podcast topic ideas every week?
What if it sucks? Isn’t it better not to try than be publicly messy as I navigate this new skill set?

I didn’t say these were good excuses.

And if you go look up my podcasts Freelance Fitness and Pigiste pas Figiste, you’ll see that it was an entire year more before the trailer dropped. I spent that time not planning or creating, just…wallowing.

What I wasn’t willing to face was that I lacked the motivation to begin my podcast project. I was taxiing around in circles instead of lining up with the runway and taking off.

It’s not just personal projects that can sit on the sidelines due to a lack of motivation. We can be unmotivated by client projects as well. Maybe it’s decent money, but we’re bored. Or maybe unforeseen snags in production have us feeling frustrated, so we don’t want to look at it. Or maybe we’re frozen in panic as the deadline approaches.

Especially when we have colleagues and clients counting on us to be reliable, to deliver on time, the fruits of our creative labours.

When we lack motivation, we feel guilty, we self-reproach, we feel overwhelmed and unproductive. We hide our heads in the sand hoping it will go away on its own because we are creatives! What’s wrong with me? How can I not be inspired at every moment?

Let me reassure you that you are not the first, the last, or the only creative freelancer who has felt this way. It happens to us all. It’s normal.

But it is a problem, so let’s try to get our heads around it.

Fuelling your Freelance Fire

What opportunities are we missing out on when a lack of motivation weighs us down?

Growth. Learning new skills pushes us out of our comfort zone.
A display of our creative skills that could resonate with other like-minded individuals, leading to a collaboration that benefits both.
Connection to others. We tend to close in on ourselves instead of opening up.
Joy! Creation brings me joy. Sharing my experience in voiceover and fitness with you all brings me joy (see the point about connection above)

What sorts of things might be holding us back?

Imposter Syndrome

You’re waiting for the right circumstances to manifest before taking action for your next creative endeavour.
Not comfortable learning and becoming in public.

I am constantly experimenting and evolving this podcast, seeing what resonates with my listeners, what’s working, and what doesn’t. I’ve made changes along the way, almost from day 1, because it’s a living, breathing work in progress.

Yes, I listened to many tutorials first and went in with a plan, but there are so many things that can only be learned by experience. Things that someone can tell you, but that you can’t really know until you’re doing it yourself.

If I let the fear of not being perfect on Day 1 get in the way of starting, I never would have started! And then I wouldn’t be where I am today! What new learned skills might I have missed out on? (Confession time: I didn’t figure out how to mix down in stereo instead of mono until episode 3! I didn’t even realize it was a thing I’d be able to do. But, I do now!)

I chose to have a video exercise guide accompany each audio podcast episode, so I’ve had to learn how to edit video (imperfectly–I like to think of it as naturalistic and charming) but I get to practice my voiceover video dubbing skills when I narrate the videos I’ve made!

By giving myself permission to play and experiment in my podcast, I gain voiceover performance skills for auditions and jobs.

So, even if all your ideas are terrible that day, at least they’re out of the way. It’s still progress, it’s still getting the juices flowing. In the end, it’s still an accomplishment, even if it’s a little ugly and rough.

This realization also helps me in directed voiceover recording sessions. I don’t fear feedback anymore. I’m not worried that when they ask me to do it again, but differently, that I’ve done something wrong. I’ve comfortable now to explore and experiment to find the right read without thinking about sounding silly or amateur. Because if I’ve gone too far (too loud, too pushed, too bright, too sing-songy, too…whatever) I know that after we laugh it off, we’ll just try something else.

It’s part of the process.

You can always pull it back, but if you’ve never explored your edges, you will never know how big a space you really have to work in. Allow yourself a child’s grace of experimentation and evolution. How can you get better if you don’t practice? Each person is unique. Each space shape will be unique. You’ll have to discover your shape by yourself. No one can tell you what it is.

And what an invaluable tool it will be for you!

Lack of Inspiration

You’ve run out of original ideas.
Just thinking of this project drains what energy you have left.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t even motivated to write this post. There was a sense of obligation, of course, I have a publication schedule I do my best to respect. But I didn’t sleep at all well the night before so it was really tough to get my thoughts organized.

Besides coffee and exercise to wake me up. I had few other tricks I could lean on to help get this post going.

I keep a running list of ideas. A document of random thoughts and ideas that might make for a good post or podcast subject. Some weeks I’ll add five to it, other times I need take one or two out because I’m drawing a blank. So I always have a pool to draw from if I need to.
Proper sleep, proper breaks like weekends, evenings, and vacations are great ways to recharge your batteries and allow you to get out of the home or office to engage in experiences that can inspire your work down the line.
If time is short, a quick walk around the block or a trip to the local cafe might help shake things up a bit. Inspiration comes from connection, openness and grounding. Get out of your head. Look, feel, sense around you, the other people sharing this space with you, observe and respond.
Be inspired by music. I sometimes use music I feel matches the tone of the script I’m reading. I also have a have a feelings wheel, and list of archetypes to try on for different reads.
If all else fails, pick your ideal customer, agent, whoever you want to be engaged with this idea of yours. What do they need from you? I use this trick all the time when voicing commercials and narrating videos. I speak to one specific person out of my imaginary audience. Someone I know needs to hear what I’m saying. I’ll even make up some extra dialogue that’s not in the text to help me get into the right tone and style for the read.

What about you. Who needs to hear your message the most? Imagine yourself talking to them. The conversation will flow naturally!

No Time for Creativity

Too many tasks on your plate so there’s no time for anything but a template cut and paste.
Too many tasks and not knowing where to start.
Tasks that are part of your job, but are your least favourite so you keep putting them off.

I’m juggling a lot of responsibilities, voice-acting, podcasting, marketing, family life, etc. It’s a real balancing act to organize my day. And an unexpected event can easily upset the balance.

Staying focused is a challenge, especially since I work from home and so does my husband, because we share an office. There’s a lot of distraction around me above and beyond even the other voiceover business related tasks clamouring for my attention.

And speaking of those other voiceover business tasks, you know, the ones that aren’t the creative, fun recording jobs and auditions ones? I think I’ve mentioned in a previous post how I feel about them.

Sometimes I’m just not motivated.

OK. So you’re so choosing to take action, and not wait for motivation. Perfect. Because we don’t always have the luxury of time. Now, which of the 18 tasks should you focus on first? What to do when your motivation problem is an overwhelm problem and that clock is ticking?

Here are some things that work for me.

Schedule things even if you’re the only one involved in the task. Book it out like it’s a meeting. It always makes me feel more accountable somehow when I see it in my calendar.
Leave extra time for the unexpected. If you get it done faster, great! If not, at least the tasks won’t start piling up like a log jam.
Small, quick tasks first, checked off and out of the way, leave me feeling more productive! Instead of doing the long one first and running out of time for the others.
Have a process. I know I’ve mentioned this before regarding hiring external help, but this is still true for the tasks we must do ourselves. You should have a process to triage your various tasks to help you choose which to do first so you don’t waste time having to figure it out each day.

Turn Energy Into Action

We stall when we don’t feel like we’re making progress. But holding steady, grinding it out works most days. Inspiration comes in fits and starts; some days it flows like water, other days it’s like wading through waist-deep mud. I think only those outside the creative industry believe that creative life means staring at your screen while your muse flows through your fingers. I only wish that were true.

Whenever you’re feeling stuck, remember this…

Lots of folks talk about making a movie one day, writing a script, or a novel, animated series, song, podcast, stand up special…but how many actually do? You are already doing it, you’ve taken that hardest of all steps, the first one.
We have choices, because we’re the boss. We are freelancers because we like to decide our own fates. So choose your next challenge. If it’s boring, then maybe choose that first and reward yourself with a fun task later. If you lack inspiration, choose to shake things up. If you’re scared of disappointing your client, then choose confidence.

Life isn’t always filled with unicorns.

What else can we do to pull out of that stall and get soaring again?

Reach out to talk about your next project, to chat about voiceover or fitness.

Or, let’s schedule a discovery call so you can hear my booth in action!

Subscribe to my podcast for fun and functional business and exercise talk: Motivation: What to do when you don’t want to do

ALISON PENTECOST