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March 31
What happens when a self-taught, multi-passionate entrepreneur builds a six-figure Etsy business from scratch—while homeschooling on a farm and running multiple income streams?
You get Lizzie Smiley.
Known for her hot-mess mom humor and contagious high energy, Lizzie is the host of How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy, where she helps creative entrepreneurs build thriving online businesses. But behind the success is a story many ADHD women will find deeply familiar: years of self-doubt, people-pleasing, and the constant feeling of being “too much.”
In this conversation, Lizzie opens up about her late realization that she likely has ADHD, how it shows up in her personal and professional life, and the mindset tools that help her stay grounded amidst the chaos.
Tracy and Lizzie dive into everything from hyperfocus and imposter syndrome to business pivots, family dynamics, and anxiety spirals. Lizzie also shares how delegating, tapping into joy, and leaning on her strengths helped her 10x her income—and build a life that works with her brain, not against it.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing too much and still not enough, this one’s for you.
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"The first time I sold something on Etsy, I thought, ‘Oh, I can do this.’ And I scaled it because I refused to give up."
- Lizzie Smiley
"You’re never starting over when you start a new business. You’re stacking skills—and that makes each new chapter more efficient and successful."
- Lizzie Smiley
"Mindset is everything. I’m obsessed with it."
- Lizzie Smiley
"Anxiety shuts everything down. I’ve learned tools to come out of it—and now I’m teaching those tools to my daughter."
- Lizzie Smiley
"You don’t do it all. And if you’re smart, you’ll stop trying. Pick one thing, focus, get it working—then leverage. That’s how you grow."
- Lizzie Smiley
"My brain is so good at seeing connections and patterns. I can take what worked in one business and apply it to another in a totally different space—that’s an ADHD gift."
- Lizzie Smiley
- Lizzie Smiley shares her ADHD journey, explaining how she never considered herself to have ADHD because she was successful and could hyperfocus, only recognizing traits after her sister's diagnosis and conversations with Tracy.
- She discusses her high-energy personality, which can sometimes come across as "too much" in social settings, and how her interpersonal intuition allows her to read the energy of a room even when people aren't speaking.
- Lizzie reflects on her childhood experiences of feeling insecure and being a people-pleaser, contrasting with her current confidence and self-acceptance of her eccentricities.
[11:00 - 27:00] Building Multiple Businesses with an ADHD Brain
- Lizzie Smiley explains her business evolution from social media management to blogging to becoming a multiple six-figure Etsy seller creating farmhouse-style wood signs, before transitioning to digital products and coaching when she became pregnant with her second child.
- She describes how her podcast about Etsy "blew up" quickly, allowing her to expand into consulting and course creation, recently pivoting to a more successful model of selling low-ticket micro workshops rather than large comprehensive courses.
- Lizzie emphasizes that entrepreneurial skills stack with each new venture, making each subsequent business more efficient and faster to build, noting that "you're never starting over" even if a business fails.
[27:00 - 1:03:00] Managing ADHD, Anxiety, and Work-Life Integration
- Lizzie Smiley shares her approach to balancing multiple businesses while homeschooling her children on a farm, revealing that she recently began delegating tasks to a nanny, virtual assistant, and housekeeper after her income multiplied tenfold.
- She discusses her struggle with anxiety and the tools she uses to manage it, including Heart Math coherence training, meditation, and listening to educational content that helps ground her thinking when she's feeling overwhelmed.
- Lizzie attributes much of her success to creating systems that work for her ADHD brain, including using multiple detailed lists to stay organized, establishing a structured daily schedule with her husband, and focusing on one business at a time rather than trying to do everything simultaneously.
- Website: howtosellyourstuff.com
- Instagram: smiley_lizzie
- How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy Podcast: howtosellyourstuff.com
