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You post consistently. You make the carousels, show your face, and give real value. And your reach keeps shrinking anyway. If you’ve started tying your worth to those numbers, you’re not alone, and I’ve been there too. This week, I’m joined by my dear Australian friend, Kylie Kelly, for one real conversation between two creators, moms, and solopreneurs. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, we talk about walking away from the platform that built your business and putting your energy into the one thing you actually own. If you’re ready to stop renting your audience, this episode is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: Why 124,000 Instagram followers now means reels that barely reach 5,000 peopleHow I ran three multi five-figure launches without posting about them on Instagram onceHow Kylie went from zero to 600 subscribers with one virtual summitWhy relationship-based list building only works when you choose aligned bundles and summitsThe takeaway one-sheet that brought me 150 new subscribers in three weeksWhy a show notes URL that is just an episode number does nothing for searchHow to bring the fun back into your business, treasure hunts includedResources & Links mentioned in the episode: 🥡 The Takeaway one-sheet for this week's episode with all the most important to-dos since I know you're busy!The One Good Freebie Method trainingKylie Kelly’s podcast, The Email Growth Show, where this same conversation also livesKylie’s Your Next 1,000 Subscribers quiz Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Your email list looks big on the dashboard, but how many of those people still open it? If you have a list you haven't touched in a while, and cleaning it feels overwhelming (or a little mean), you're not alone. I hate removing people too. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm sharing the exact monthly routine I use to keep my list healthy, the numbers I pulled from my own Flodesk account, and why I'd take a smaller list that gets opened over a bigger one that doesn't. If you've been meaning to deal with your list, this episode is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: The difference between cleaning your list and warming it up, and which one you needWhy emailing people who stopped opening makes your emails harder to find for fansThe four-step monthly routine I use, including the one-click segment I leave off every sendWhy I archive instead of delete, and how people can find their way backMy real numbers: unsubscribes down 70% and an open rate in the mid-50s to low 60sThe re-engagement idea I've never tried, and the one time I sent a single emailThree mistakes to avoid, including cleaning your list in a panicResources & Links mentioned in the episode: 🥡 The Takeaway One-Sheet for this episode (the full monthly routine on one page)Flodesk (my email platform and the deliverability center that builds the unengaged segment; I'm a partner and affiliate, 25% off your first year): Heartbeat (this episode's sponsor & the platform I use for my membership; code BODEGA for 20% off your first three months, 14-day free trial, no credit card)Email List Starter Kit (my free mini course, five short lessons to start your list)Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Download the one-page website audit checklist for solopreneurs: the 5 checks to run on your site this week. Grab it here Your business changed. Your website might not have. After a DM from a follower, I audited my own site and found my newest offer hidden from Google, a homepage still talking about social media, and a Canva workshop button for a date that already passed. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I walk you through the five checks I’d run first, and why I’m giving my website a new home after six years. If your site has been growing in layers, this one is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: The 10-minute site: search that shows which pages Google knows about your websiteThe one hidden “hide from search” setting that kept my newest offer invisibleFive checks to run in order, from diagnosing first to cleaning up your menuA simple page title formula: what you do, who it’s for, and your nameSEO versus GEO, plus homework to see if ChatGPT or Perplexity mention youWhy your website and email list are the two places no algorithm stands in the wayWhy I’m redesigning on a new platform, and what to do before you switch🛠️ Resources Download the Takeaway OneSheet for this week's episode: website audit checklist for solopreneurs: the 5 checks to run on your site ASAP. Google Search Console: free, and where I looked at the pages reportShowIt: the platform I’m moving toSpicy Margarita template from Tonic: the template I fell forEpisode 81: where I said I’m going all in on emailEpisode 1: the margarita story (& the entire story behind The Creative Bodega)Update (October 21, 2026): Since publishing, Podia has clarified a few things. You can set H1 headings, SEO titles, and descriptions in the editor, and Podia added XML sitemaps on October 19, 2026. Podia has also shared that text on Podia sites is readable by AI tools, which differs from what I said about AI readability. I shared that based on what I'd learned, and I'm not an SEO or website expert. Podia helped me get started, and I'm grateful. Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Grab the one-page cheat sheet on how to write a newsletter with AI and still sound like you, plus my cleaned-up banned phrases list: Download it here You tried AI for your newsletter, hated the result, and wondered if everyone else is just better at prompts. You’re not alone, and the tool usually isn’t the problem. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I’m showing you how I use AI to write my newsletter, what I give it so the draft sounds like me, and where it still gets things wrong. You’ll also hear my real numbers on time saved and what it did (and didn’t do) for my open rate. Check out the full show notes for this episode: CLICK HERE Things I cover inside this episode: Why most AI-written newsletters sound generic, and what’s usually missing from the promptThe three things I give my AI project so every draft starts closer to meHow my newsletter went from up to an hour and a half to 30 to 40 minutesMy real open rates from 2024 to 2026, and why I won’t credit AI for the jumpHow I edit every draft: five to six rounds, then reading it out loudThe three mistakes that make AI writing sound robotic, and my coffee test for catching themWhat I said back to the commenter who called AI hustle cultureResources & Links mentioned in the episode: My “Let’s normalize” Instagram post about deleting 39 out of 40 pages of AI freebie ideas (the one that started the comment thread)Anna Kornick, my podcast launch coach who first showed me how to use AI for my podcast transcriptsMy content trifecta episode (referenced as the system that feeds all my content from one transcript)Join the waitlist for The Newsletter System coming in mid-January!Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Want to grow your email list without adding more social media? SAME! If your list growth has stalled and you're one click away from signing up for another platform, you're so not alone. In this episode of The Creative Bodega Podcast, I share the 5 things I'm changing to make the content I already create work a lot harder, including the opt-in that brought me 53 new subscribers in 8 days. 📝 Grab this episode's FREE takeaway cheat sheet: RIGHT HERE 💻 Check out the full show notes for this episode: CLICK HERE Things I cover inside this episode: Why my new subscribers dropped from 329 last August to just 97 this August. The week I almost signed up for every platform with a login screenThe show-notes opt-in that brought in 53 subscribers in just 8 daysWhy I'm leaving my website host after six years, and what GEO means for AI searchHow podcast guest swaps inside The Coven get us all in front of new audiencesThe one-line question that got me 25 newsletter replies in a single weekA quick audit to find the list growth hiding in what you already makeResources & Links mentioned in the episode: Grab this episode's FREE takeaway cheat sheet: RIGHT HEREEpisode 86, optimizing your Instagram to grow your email listEpisode 87, the one Pinterest automation that got me a pin with 50,000 impressionsFlodesk (where I pulled my month-by-month subscriber numbers). Snag 25% off, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGAHeartbeat (where The Coven lives now) I absolutely love this membership & course hosting platformWant to swap podcast guest spots? Reach out here: [email protected] correction: in this episode, I compare my list growth to summer 2023, but those numbers weren't accurate. The real year-over-year comparison is 329 new subscribers in August 2025 vs. 97 in August 2026, about a 70% drop. Update (October 21, 2026): Since publishing, Podia has clarified a few things. You can set H1 headings and SEO titles and descriptions in the editor, and Podia added XML sitemaps on October 19, 2026. Podia has also shared that text on Podia sites is readable by AI tools, which differs from what I said about AI readability. I shared that based on what I’d learned, and I’m not an SEO or website expert. Podia helped me get started, and I’m grateful for it. Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

📝 Grab this episode's one-page cheat sheet, [the 4 steps to one freebie that converts], right here! → https://thecreativebodega.myflodesk.com/podcastonesheet Made freebie after freebie and still nobody's opting in? Or maybe you've got a 40-page guide you know is good, and your list hasn't budged. I've been there. I've made over 45 freebies in six years, and most of them cost me way more time than they ever gave back. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I walk you through The One Good Freebie Method: the foundation only you can build (AI can't touch it), plus the 4 steps to create one freebie that converts and keeps working for you. If you're tired of building freebies nobody downloads, this episode is for you. For the full blog post show notes, CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: The question that stumped me: what can you create that AI can't?Why your freebie should serve your whole umbrella, not one tiny sliceHow to find your freebie in the one question people always ask youWhy a 10-minute win beats a 40-page guide nobody ever opensThe stranger test for naming your freebie (and why clear beats cute)How my simple opt-in page converts at just over 69% with one buttonThe 8 places I promote one freebie every single weekResources & Links mentioned in the episode: Ash McDonald, my business strategist (her question sparked this whole episode)The One Good Freebie Method, free training replay (the full hour with slides and Renee's build)Episode 69: my content pillars episode (referenced when talking about pillars under your umbrella)Flodesk, my email platform (use code THECREATIVEBODEGA for 25% off your first year)Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

📝 Grab this episode's one-page cheat sheet with all four moves and the exact steps to implement them right here! Ever pull up your own Instagram profile and realize a total stranger would have no idea what to do next? You post, you show up, you pour hours into it, and then you cross your fingers and hope the algorithm sends the right people your way. If you're tired of building your business on rented land you don't own, you're in the right place. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm walking you through four low-lift, mostly free moves that make Instagram actually pull its weight for your email list. No new apps, no new subscriptions, nothing added to your already-full plate. If you want your list to grow without living on the app, this one is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: How to rewrite your Instagram bio so one clear next step points to your listThe three-pin grid audit that turns your profile into a list-building invitationWhat to do the moment a post takes off (hint: edit the caption)Adding a simple comment keyword so a post delivers your freebie automaticallyTurning on free auto-publishing so Instagram feeds Pinterest and Facebook for youThe one free setting that pushed a single pin past 10,000 Pinterest impressionsResources & Links mentioned in the episode: The takeaway (this week's one-page cheat sheet): all four moves and the exact steps, free.My pinned freebie post (the one I said I'd link so you can see exactly what a clear list-building pin looks like)The Email List Starter Kit (my freebie, referenced as the clearly named opt-in in my bio)Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

✨💌 DOORS ARE OPEN: The Newsletter System: my 6-week program for building a newsletter you'll actually keep writing. Doors are open this week only. Limited spots, we begin Sept 24th! Have you ever felt called to change direction in your business, but froze because you were terrified of what people would think? You are not the only one. I spent six years known for one thing, quietly sensing I was meant for another, and doing almost nothing about it. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I walk you through the real story behind my pivot from Instagram and Canva to email marketing: the tiny signals I ignored for years, the moment two out of forty women broke my brain, and the trust recession that makes a weekly newsletter the smartest bet you can place on your business right now. If your gut has been tapping you on the shoulder, this episode is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: Why a pivot that looks sudden from the outside was six years in the makingThe trust recession, and why a weekly newsletter is your best answer to itWhat made me stop being the posting girl and go all in on emailWhy I shrank my list from past 25,000 down to 11,000 on purposeThe five minutes I froze at the confirm button before changing my handleWhat owned versus rented means for your business, and why it changes everythingWho The Newsletter System is built for, and who it honestly is not forResources & Links mentioned in the episode: The Newsletter System: my 6-week program for building a newsletter you'll actually keep writing. Doors are open this week only. Start and Grow Your Email List From Scratch: my original email course, the one that came straight out of that two-hands-out-of-40 moment. Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

✨💌 Join the Newsletter System waitlist - hop on for first access when the doors open September 14th You keep meanIng to start the newsletter. Or you started one, then quietly let it go. And every time you think about picking it back up, a little pile of excuses shows up first. No one will read it. I don't have the time. This probably isn't for a business like mine. I've had every one of those thoughts myself, so there's zero finger-pointing here. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I pick up the five biggest excuses one at a time and hold them up to the light, because most of them fall apart the second you look at them straight. If an email list has been sitting on your someday list, this one is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: Why "no one will read it" is the wrong fear to haveHow the platform you send from matters way less than you thinkWhy an email list works whether you sell a product or a serviceThe reason a newsletter is subtraction, not another plate to spinWhat I'm doing right now to grow my list without relying on InstagramWhy the people most likely to buy are quietly drifting away right nowResources & Links mentioned in the episode: The Newsletter System waitlist — hop on for first access when the doors open September 14thEpisode 81, my pivot episode — the full story of why I went all in on email after six years of teaching Instagram and CanvaFlodesk — the email platform I use and recommend (my code THECREATIVEBODEGA gets you 25% off your first year)Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

✨💌 CLICK HERE to hop on The Newsletter System waitlist (join for first dibs on the limited spots plus a behind-the-scenes tour of my full newsletter process) You want to email your list. You know you should. Maybe you even have the list sitting right there, ready to go. But you sit down, the cursor blinks, and your brain goes completely blank. So you close the laptop and tell yourself you'll figure it out next week. And next week? Same exact thing. If that loop feels familiar, you are not broken, and you are not out of ideas. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I break down why the blank page was never a creativity problem in the first place, and the shift that made "what do I even write?" stop being a question I dread every single week. If staring at a blank newsletter makes you want to throw your laptop out the window, this one is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: Why the blank page is a structure problem, not a lack of ideasThe free assignment I give every week: subscribe to newsletters and study which ones you openWhy the section that connects most is almost never the strategic oneWhere my 3-2-1 format came from, and why borrowing a structure is the pointThe reframe that ends the panic: you are your own ideal client, one problem aheadWhy an unsure email that gets sent beats a perfect one stuck in your draftsResources & Links mentioned in the episode: One of my early newsletters sent 4/7/21 via Flodesk (referenced when talking about her short, unsure first j)James Clear's 3-2-1 newsletter (the original format Em's 3-2-1 traces back to)Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

You started an email list. You were proud of it. And then...you never emailed it. 😅 Now every time you think about sitting down to write, the cursor blinks, your brain goes blank, and you tell yourself you'll do it later. Later never comes, and the guilt just keeps stacking. If that's the loop you're stuck in, you're not lazy, and you're not flaky. You're missing one thing. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I break down why consistency with your email list was never a discipline problem, why a small list of people who trust you beats a huge silent following, and the one small move that breaks the blank-page spell. If your list has been collecting dust, this one is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: Why creators with huge accounts and silent lists are quietly losing moneyHow a list of 100 people who trust you out-launches 50,000 followersThe real reason the weekly blank page keeps beating you (it's not you)Why Instagram is a slot machine, and what owning your list changesThe two-creator test that shows exactly why the inbox wins the saleThe reframe: consistency is a system problem, never a willpower problemYour one small move this week to break the blank-page spell for goodResources & Links mentioned in the episode: 💌 The Newsletter System waitlist. My 6-week program doors opening September 14th, built to take the blank page out of your weekly email for good. Getting on the list means first word when doors open: join the waitlist.🎙️ Listen to last week's episode (81) on why every solopreneur needs an email list, not just a personal brand. It sets up everything in this post, so start there if you missed it!Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

💌 Join The Newsletter System September Waitlist — first access when doors open September 14th, limited spots available! Have you ever been genuinely good at something, even known for it, and still felt a quiet pull that it is not the thing you want to keep doing forever? For years, I couldn't name that feeling. I just felt scattered and a little off, pouring most of my energy into the platform that gave me the least back. It took three weeks completely off Instagram to finally see it clearly. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I share the biggest pivot I have made in nine years, why I am going all in on email, and what my two fiddle leaf fig trees have to do with all of it. If you have felt scattered too, this one is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: Why I am walking away from teaching Instagram after nine years of postingWhat three weeks off the app made impossible to unseeThe difference between rented attention and an audience you truly ownWhy Instagram tactics keep expiring while email stays a durable skillThe moment in Nashville that quietly cracked this whole decision openWhat is changing, what is staying, and what it means for youResources & Links mentioned in the episode: The Newsletter System September Waitlist — first access when doors open September 14th, limited spots available!Flodesk — the email platform I use and swear by. Grab 50% off your first year with code THECREATIVEBODEGAClick here to see what a fiddle leaf fig is! Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

You've poured hours into a post, hit publish, and watched it land with a thud. Just crickets. And in that moment, the question creeps in: is something wrong with me? Should I just pivot to something else? If you've ever wondered why you're still showing up when the growth is slow and the engagement is low, you're not the only one. In this final episode of my Nobody Told Me series on The Creative Bodega, I'm sharing the one thing nobody told me would end up being my superpower: consistency. I'm getting honest about the numbers, the near-burnout seasons, and the two things that actually keep me going when motivation is nowhere to be found. If you're building something online and quietly questioning it all, this one is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: The real numbers behind 80 episodes, 290+ newsletters, and nearly 2,000 Instagram postsWhy I took my first-ever three-week break from Instagram, and what I was scared ofThe reason it always comes back to the women I serve, not the metricsWhy most people quietly disappear online, and how the gap compoundsSystems first: how to stop relying on motivation that runs outPurpose second: finding the why that carries you through the low-everything daysThe full-circle truth about reps that I opened this whole series withResources & Links mentioned in the episode: The Messaging Edit won't be taking place in the fall as planned! I've switched gears, totally pivoted, and am building a brand new program called The Newsletter System. You can hop on the Sept 2026 waitlist HERE!Connect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Episode 79: Why You Think Everyone's Watching You (And Why They're Not) You've got that post sitting in your drafts. The one that feels a little too loud, too niche, too much you. You keep telling yourself everyone's going to see it and judge it, so you don't hit publish. I've been there more times than I can count, and this episode is for you. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm telling you about the first time I learned this lesson (a CrossFit gym in 2008, terrified everyone was watching my every move) and the second time it showed up years later, running a business people can actually see. Both taught me the same thing from two completely different angles. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: The CrossFit gym story that taught me nobody was watching me as closely as I thoughtWhy the fear of judgment never fully goes away, even at 125,000 followersWhat happened when I called talking head reels "effing stupid" onlineThe real reason visibility attracts people who want to knock you downWhy the algorithm isn't showing your post to everyone who follows youWhat I want you to do with the post you've been sitting onA quick preview of next week's episode on messagingConnect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Do you ever feel like you're doing everything "right" online, posting, following the tips, showing up consistently, and still getting completely ignored? It's not your strategy. It's not the algorithm. It's a handful of small, sneaky habits quietly keeping you invisible, and once you spot them, they're easier to shift than you'd think. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm walking through exactly what those habits look like, why personality gets remembered while generic content gets ignored, and the small moves that actually change things. If you've ever wondered why people aren't opening their wallets for you yet, this episode is for you. Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE. Things I cover inside this episode: Why generic content gets ignored while personality is what actually gets rememberedThe real reason people need to trust you before they'll ever buy from youThe one habit to notice first: which accounts quiet your brain versus fuel itWhy muting or unfollowing the noisy accounts is the first small shift to makeClosing the app and making something instead of scrolling past someone else'sThe habit of sitting on your ideas instead of posting them, and why that stops nowWhy asking for help and joining a community moves you faster than doing it aloneConnect with me: 📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors 💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership 💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!