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The
I had plans
Podcast
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.
About I had plans
Welcome to I Had Plans, the podcast that tells the truth about freelancing, side gigs, and working from home while pretending to have it all together.
Each episode is short, real, and recorded somewhere between client calls, school pick-up, and a cold cup of coffee. You’ll hear about projects that went well, the ones that didn’t, and everything that happens when “flexible work” meets real life.
If you’ve ever said “I’ll do it tonight” and then fallen asleep instead — this podcast is for you.
Smaragda Vavakaris
Host
New Episodes Weekly
Live Every Tuesday
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About me
I’m Smaragda — a tech freelancer, learning designer, and mum who’s been pressing buttons online for nearly two decades. I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in training and digital learning, but honestly, most days still feel like organised chaos.
After years of juggling deadlines, side gigs, and life in general, I realised that the messy middle is where all the best stories live. So instead of pretending it’s all balance and bliss, I started sharing the truth — the good, the bad, and the snack-fuelled.
Because work-from-home life isn’t perfect. But it’s real, it’s funny, and it’s definitely worth talking about.
#27 The Manual Tax: Is your business paying for a $500 filing cabinet?
Most small biz CEOs find me on LinkedIn because they have a gut feeling their business should be running faster. They had plans for a scalable digital system, but they’ve ended up with an expensive digital filing cabinet. In this episode, I share a story from the...
#26 The cost of staying silent
There’s a version of being “easy” that people don’t talk about enough. It looks like being kind.It looks like being respectful.It looks like staying in your lane. You don’t interrupt.You don’t challenge.You don’t say the thing that might make someone uncomfortable....
#25 Q1 is done. Use it or repeat it
Q1 is done. Not your goals — your actual work. What you repeated.What slowed you down.What you avoided. That’s your data. In this episode, I’m not going through “lessons learned” or resets.This is about using what actually happened in Q1 to make better decisions for...
#24 The industry you didn’t know existed (LMS work)
Most people have never heard of the LMS industry – even though millions of people use learning platforms every day. In this episode, I explain what LMS work actually looks like. From platform setup and migrations to troubleshooting and automation, I share the...
#23 You will not have a plan. And you will not feel ready (IWD)
This International Women’s Day, I’m sharing the story behind a simple mantra that’s shaped my career: you don’t know if you don’t try. No perfect plan. No clear roadmap. Just curiosity, long nights, and the willingness to experiment. From working from home before it...
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I had plans
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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.