Explore every episode of the podcast Build With Becky: Smart Strategies To Grow Your Community-Driven Business
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| 5 Steps To Give Your Membership A Makeover | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:10:35 | |
Want the full checklist? DM me MAKEOVER on Instagram @buildwbecky and I’ll send it your way. If your membership feels a little messy, like members are ghosting, your forum is quiet, or your content feels bloated, this episode is your fix-it guide. I’m walking you through the exact 5-part audit we use with our Affinity Collective clients to improve retention, engagement, and outcomes inside their programs. You’ll learn how to simplify onboarding, clean up your content, and refresh your programming so your members actually want to stick around. Let's be friends:
DM me MAKEOVER on Instagram @buildwbecky to grab the checklist from this episode. | |||
| You Need To Try Bully Marketing If You Don't Have A Huge Audience | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:05:07 | |
When your audience is small, the rules are different. In this episode, I break down the real strategy that helped me fill the Make Smart Retreat — and it wasn’t just email blasts or passive waitlist conversions. It was what my clients lovingly call “bully marketing”: personal, intentional outreach that connects with your people human to human. If your first launch isn’t selling the way you hoped, this episode is your reminder to get scrappy, get personal, and go all in on the people you believe in most. Let's be friends:
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| Helping My Friend Design Her Beta Program | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:07:13 | |
Your first launch won’t be perfect — and it’s not supposed to be. In this episode, I walk through a real conversation with a friend who’s building a new offer. We talk about how to approach beta testing, why you should teach and deliver live the first time around, and how to use feedback to make your product better with every round. If you're stuck trying to map the “perfect” offer before you’ve even sold it, this one’s for you. Let's be friends:
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| What Story Is Your Data Telling You? | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:09:21 | |
Most people collect data they never use or worse, they’re flying blind, relying on gut instinct and assumptions. In this episode, I’m walking you through the exact prompts and data audit process we used on Day 1 of the Make Smart Retreat. You’ll learn how to spot the story your data is telling you, the difference between qualitative and quantitative insights, and how to identify what’s actually working across your funnel from lead magnet to checkout page. If you’ve ever launched something and thought, “Why didn’t this work?”, this episode is for you. Let's be friends!
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| Let's Be Friends? My Journey To Entrepreneurship | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:09:23 | |
I’m handing you the real behind-the-scenes look at how I went from fancy architecture school to building community-driven products for creator-led brands. I’ll walk you through my (very nonlinear) seven-part journey — including the moment I realized I was never meant for the corporate life, my unexpected side-gigs and cross-country moves, and how teaching UX led me to obsess over online education and membership strategy. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fit neatly in a box… you’ll feel right at home here Let's be friends:
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| Introducing Build With Becky | 27 May 2025 | 00:00:41 | |
Introducing the Build With Becky Podcast: Smart Strategies To Grow Your Community-Driven Business Your membership, course, or program should be working better than this. You’re proud of what you’ve built — but members are ghosting, engagement is low, refund requests are creeping in, and let’s be honest... it’s harder than it should be to scale. That’s where this podcast comes in. Think of Build With Becky – that’s me – like a voice note from your smart friend to help you tweak your programs, get better student outcomes, and make more money along the way. You can expect practical strategies, real client stories, and zero B.S. advice. We’ll talk product strategy, member experience, onboarding, retention, and how to turn your community into your biggest growth engine — all in under 10 minutes. You don’t need a bigger audience. You need a smarter product. Let’s build it — together. | |||
| What Does Your Community Feel Like? | 06 Jun 2025 | 00:05:46 | |
What does it actually feel like to be part of a great digital community? In this episode, I share a powerful question my friend Julian asked me that sparked a conversation about group chats, stickiness, and how strong community design creates a sense of home. If you’re building a space for transformation, connection, or creativity, this is your reminder that feelings matter — and that people stick around when it feels good to be there. Let's be friends:
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| Community Moments In Everyday Life | 06 Jun 2025 | 00:05:15 | |
A recent CreativeMornings event reminded me how powerful it is to put yourself in the room... to follow the pull toward people, conversations, and spaces that expand you. In this episode, I reflect on how in-person connection sparks creativity, builds momentum, and supports your business in ways no algorithm ever could. If you've been feeling stuck or isolated, this is your invitation to step outside your usual routine and follow your curiosity. Let's be friends:
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| The Lab Offline Day 2 – Facilitating Connection | 11 Jun 2025 | 00:05:48 | |
Steal This Simple Event Format to Spark Real Connection Live from Boise, I’m recapping Day 2 of the Lab Offline retreat hosted by Jay Clouse — and specifically, one powerful mastermind structure you can replicate in your own programs or in-person events. We did a mix of solo reflection and small group hot seats, and it gave me surprising clarity on my next offer at Affinity. I’m also sharing why in-person connection is becoming essential for digital communities and how to start simple with meetups that drive retention. Let's be friends:
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| The Lab Offline Day 1 – Notes From Nathan Barry | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:06:53 | |
This episode was recorded from my hotel room in Boise, fresh off Day 1 of Jay Clouse’s retreat for Lab members, and I had to share one big takeaway that hit hard. During a fireside chat, Nathan Barry reminded us that if you’re not interested in what you’re creating, your people can feel it. I talk about how this applies to building community, what it means to co-create with your members, and why your energy is one of the most important growth levers in your business. Let's be friends:
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| The 5 Reasons Most Communities Fail | 16 Jul 2025 | 00:11:06 | |
Thinking about starting a community? Or wondering why yours isn’t working the way you hoped? In this episode, I break down the top five reasons I see communities fail, based on real conversations with founders and the patterns I’ve seen across dozens of clients. From pricing mistakes to missing transformation, these are the lessons I wish every creator and coach knew before launching a membership. Let's be friends:
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| How To Have Your Europe Summer & Still Serve Your Community | 10 Jul 2025 | 00:10:58 | |
Community leaders deserve a vacation too. In this episode, I’m sharing real strategies for stepping back without sacrificing connection. From member-led calls to pivoting your programming, you’ll learn how to build a culture where the community supports each other, not just you. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or just ready to take a summer break, this one will help you lead your people while protecting your energy. Let's be friends:
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| How Primary Persona Development Can Skyrocket Your Business | 02 Jul 2025 | 00:07:04 | |
At a retreat earlier this year, I got to meet Ayman Al-Abdullah, former CEO of AppSumo. He shared the growth strategy that took their business from $3M to $84M in six years. And it all started with a Persona. In this episode, I’m breaking down what that actually means, why your “best” customer isn’t always your biggest, and how to build products, programs, and communities in true partnership with the people you most want to serve. Let's be friends:
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| Smart Ways Community Builders Are Using AI | 25 Jun 2025 | 00:08:36 | |
I haven’t talked much about AI publicly — until now. In this episode, I’m sharing the creative ways I’ve seen community builders use AI to improve member retention, automate high-touch experiences, and connect people in more meaningful ways. From custom renewal reports to member matchmaking and searchable private content libraries, I’m walking through real ideas you can borrow or build. If you feel overwhelmed... same here. But I’m finding a lot of potential here, and this episode is a peek at where things are headed. Let's be friends:
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| A New Way To Think About Community Engagement | 09 Oct 2025 | 00:09:14 | |
We talk a lot about increasing engagement, but not enough about defining what meaningful engagement actually looks like. In this episode, I break down a smarter way to think about engagement beyond likes, posts, and comments. You’ll learn how to:
If you’ve been wondering how to move your members from passive to active participation, this episode will help you rethink your approach to engagement entirely. Want to work on this strategy with my team? Book a discovery call here. Mentioned on this episode:
Let's be friends:
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| The Simple Survey Question That Can Boost Engagement | 02 Oct 2025 | 00:08:46 | |
When I’m working with a client on engagement and retention, one of the first things I like to do is run a member survey. There’s one deceptively simple question I always include: What’s your favorite part of the membership? In this episode, I share why this question is so powerful, a story from my time at Bossbabe when it completely changed our retention strategy, and how you can use the answers to shape both your short-term programming and your long-term membership design. Sometimes the insights point to easy wins... and sometimes they reveal that it’s time to rebalance your entire strategy. Let's be friends:
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| People Don't Buy For Community | 29 Aug 2025 | 00:06:40 | |
A Slack group isn’t a community. Just opening a forum and inviting people to “connect” doesn’t create meaningful results. In this episode, I’m breaking down why people don’t buy for community — they buy for transformation. I’ll walk you through how programming, onboarding, and carefully designed touch points create the conditions for connection, and why community is the thing that keeps people sticking around, not the reason they join. If you’ve ever wondered why “like-minded individuals” isn’t enough of a promise, this one will give you a new lens on how to design your member journey. Let's be friends:
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| Do Big Launches Harm Community Culture? | 22 Aug 2025 | 00:09:25 | |
I was in a mastermind call last week when someone shared their goal to grow their community by a significant number of new members within one month. That opened up a deeper discussion: what happens to culture when you bring in a big wave of new members at once? If you’ve ever wrestled with whether to go all-in on open-cart campaigns or lean into evergreen trickle-in growth… this episode will help you think more clearly about how those choices shape the member experience. Let’s be friends:
Need help with your evergreen marketing funnel? I highly recommend Cheyenne Buttrey (aka CopyGirl) | |||
| Don’t Build A Fan Club, Build A Community | 13 Aug 2025 | 00:08:21 | |
This episode started as a voice note for my friend Cheyenne, who asked a great question: How do I make sure my program doesn’t just become a fan club for me? If your community is built entirely around you, your time, and your personal brand, you’re going to hit a growth ceiling... and burn out in the process. In this episode, I break down why you shouldn’t build a “fan club” and how to design a community that thrives without you being in the center of every interaction. You’ll hear:
Whether you’re running a service membership, program, or transformational community product, this episode will help you start thinking about growth beyond you – while keeping members happy and engaged. Let’s be friends:
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| Changing Community Leadership From You | 07 Aug 2025 | 00:10:28 | |
If you’ve built your community around your own presence, what happens when you want to step out of the hot seat? In this episode, I share lessons from my time at Bossbabe and from client work on how to successfully transition leadership to coaches, facilitators, and other community members ... without sacrificing member satisfaction. We’ll cover:
If scaling your community is the goal, letting go of the reins is a must. Here’s how to do it without losing the magic. Let’s be friends:
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| Listener Q: "My Community Is Dead – Should I Move It To Facebook?" | 30 Jul 2025 | 00:09:39 | |
In this episode, I’m answering a question from a longtime newsletter reader who asked, “Should I move my community to Facebook? It feels dead where it is now.” She’s not alone in wondering this so I recorded this voice note for Tina, and for anyone trying to breathe life into a quiet group. We cover:
If you’re running a smaller community and wondering how to create more meaningful connection, this one’s for you. Let’s be friends:
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| The Membership Growth Strategy That Backfired | 23 Jul 2025 | 00:06:50 | |
What’s working right now to grow a membership? And how do you avoid growing in the wrong direction? In this episode, I share one of the biggest lessons I learned while leading community and product at Bossbabe — the mistake that led to our best growth month ever and a wave of churn the very next. This is a story about good growth vs. bad growth, why urgency-based campaigns work only when they’re aligned with your membership’s transformation, and what to do instead if you want both new and long-term members to thrive. Whether you’re gearing up for your next community campaign or building your marketing strategy from scratch, you’ll walk away with clear guidance for sustainable growth. Let’s be friends:
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| Listener Q: Pricing Models and Churn Rates for Memberships | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:10:31 | |
Cheyenne asked me two questions: what’s a normal churn rate for a membership, and do I recommend monthly, quarterly, or annual pricing? In this episode, I walk through how to decide on pricing models based on the transformation your program delivers, why quarterly pricing can sometimes backfire, and what red flags to look for in your retention charts. I also share the churn benchmarks I use with clients and examples of when monthly, annual, or seasonal pricing makes the most sense. Let's be friends:
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| Listener Q: How to Get Members to Share Knowledge | 23 Sep 2025 | 00:07:41 | |
Today I’m answering a question from Cepee, founder of She Hit Refresh. She asked how to encourage members to share knowledge with each other beyond the community chat. In this episode, I walk through practical examples of peer-to-peer events like Lunch & Learns, roundtables, and member-led AMAs. I also share ways to incentivize participation using social currency, recognition, and rewards. If you’ve ever wondered how to get members contributing more actively, this episode is for you. Let's be friends:
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| Listener Q: Using AI In Your Programs | 18 Sep 2025 | 00:08:45 | |
In this episode, I answer Amanda’s question about how to use AI inside your programs. I share real examples I’ve seen like surprise and delight GPTs, prompts that support programming, and creative tools that make content stronger, as well as the risks and caveats you need to consider. As community builders, our job is to help members reach their goals as quickly and safely as possible, and AI can play a powerful role in that if we design it with care. Let's be friends:
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| Listener Q: How do you put your health first AND build your community? | 16 Sep 2025 | 00:13:08 | |
In this episode I’m answering a listener question from Leslie, who asked how I prioritize my health while running a business. Over the past 18 months, I’ve been on a major health journey that’s transformed not only my body but also my energy, confidence, and ultimately my business growth. I share my personal routines, the boundaries I’ve set with my calendar, and the tactical practices that keep me regulated and focused. This isn’t medical advice – I’m not a health coach – but I walk you through what’s worked for me, from movement and meal prep to nervous system regulation and saying no to false urgency. For community builders especially, prioritizing your health matters, because you can’t create a thriving member experience if you’re drained and running on empty. Let's be friends:
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| Listener Q: Restructuring Courses Into a Membership Model | 11 Sep 2025 | 00:08:07 | |
Enzo asked me whether he should restructure his large software courses into smaller trainings inside a membership. I love this direction, and in this episode I share why. If you’re teaching something that evolves quickly, like software, AI, or social media, a membership model creates space for live teaching, troubleshooting in real time, and faster wins for your students. I also share how to avoid overwhelm with too much content, the gym-style free trial model that can drive long-term retention, and what to prioritize in onboarding. Let's be friends:
Checkout Circle App with a free trial here (using this link supports my business, thank you!) | |||
| Listener Q: Community Strategies to Grow Your Service Business | 09 Sep 2025 | 00:07:32 | |
This week’s listener question came from Vidy, who asked how to get back into community building and networking to grow her design business. I share my favorite ways to find “the right rooms” — whether that’s free local events, intentional coffee chats, or bigger conferences worth investing in. I also talk about the difference between peer communities and client-facing communities, why volunteering has been such a powerful way for me to connect, and how to make networking a consistent priority instead of an afterthought. Let's be friends:
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| Listener Q: How Do You Price Your Community Offers? | 04 Sep 2025 | 00:11:27 | |
Today I’m answering a question from Leslie: how do you decide what to charge, and do you use sliding scales? Pricing is never one-size-fits-all, so in this episode I share the key factors I consider when setting prices. We’ll talk about experience value, product purpose, your customer’s budget, street credibility, and audience size. I also share real examples of how different models — from memberships to masterminds — can shape your pricing decisions, plus how I think about scholarships and sliding scale options. Let's be friends:
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| Listener Q: How to Structure Onboarding for 3 Paid Levels | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:06:02 | |
This episode kicks off my new listener Q series, where I answer your real questions about building community-driven businesses. Audrey asked: if you’re running a three-tier membership, should onboarding live in one central place or be separated by tier? I share why onboarding is the most important driver of retention, how to design quick wins that actually match the promise of each offer, and why I always recommend customizing the onboarding journey for each tier. You’ll also hear how I use Circle’s features to make this simple for clients, and why onboarding is not just a welcome email — it’s a long-term strategy for engagement and success. Checkout Circle App with a free trial here (using this link supports my business, thank you!) Let's be friends:
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| How I Design A Community Strategy | 06 Nov 2025 | 00:09:36 | |
Every client we work with at Affinity starts with a Community Strategy Intensive. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what actually goes into that process and how we design strategies that drive both engagement and business results. I’ll walk you through the core questions we ask to uncover the right focus, how we collect member data to inform decisions, and why every great community strategy needs to connect member goals with business goals. You’ll hear exactly what happens inside our 90-minute strategy session, what you walk away with, and how it becomes the roadmap for every build or upgrade we take on. If you’re ready to improve or launch your community, this episode will help you start asking the right questions. If you'd like to see if a Community Strategy Intensive is right for you, book your discovery call with me here. Let's be friends:
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| The Future Of The Membership Model | 31 Oct 2025 | 00:07:12 | |
Memberships are shifting — and the old evergreen sales model isn’t converting like it used to. In this episode, I share what’s actually working right now: blending cohort-style programs with ongoing community memberships. This hybrid model gives you the best of both worlds — urgency for conversions and momentum for retention. I break down why this approach works, examples from client strategies, and how to layer a short program or challenge into your own member journey to create stronger activation and long-term engagement. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| The Launch Strategy Behind A 1000+ Member Community | 24 Oct 2025 | 00:10:18 | |
This week I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how we recently migrated more than 1,000 members into a new custom Circle app for a client. If you’re getting ready to launch a new community or move your existing customers onto a new platform, this episode walks you through exactly what to plan for. I share the full list of what we did to make this migration a success — from member interviews and beta testing, to communication plans, onboarding emails, DM automations, and how we used ambassadors to model engagement. Whether you’re scaling an existing program or adding community to your offer suite, these are the steps that make members excited to log in and stay engaged. Links: Let's be friends:
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| Future Of Community Summit – My Take On Circle's Trends Report | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:14:33 | |
Today I’m breaking down the trends Circle shared at the Future of Community Summit and what they signal for community-driven businesses in 2026. After listening to hours of presentations and digging through their new report, I pulled together the themes that matter most to your work: why member transformation is becoming the number one growth strategy, how retention-first communities are winning, what flexible participation models mean for your programming, and why emotional safety is emerging as a non-negotiable design choice. I also share small but powerful examples you can apply right away, from personalized onboarding to identity-based milestones and success pathways. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Checkout Circle App with a free trial here (using this link supports my business, thank you!) Let's be friends:
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| Maybe Don't Call It A Course? | 14 Nov 2025 | 00:07:46 | |
Courses are getting harder to sell, not because people do not want to learn, but because they want results faster than ever. I talk about recent conversations with clients, why even leaders like Amy Porterfield are shifting away from traditional courses, and how the market now expects fast track systems, short actionable lessons, and coaching experiences that prioritize time to value. I also share how we are redesigning onboarding, personalizing member journeys, and rethinking the word course entirely. If your course sales have slowed or your completion rates are stalling, this episode will help you rethink your positioning. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| Why Rituals Matter in Memberships | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:07:38 | |
In this episode, I’m diving into the idea of your membership becoming a true third space for your people. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the concept to describe the places we gather outside of home and work. Today, community builders have the opportunity to create those spaces online and in-person. I share a personal story about a Denver dive bar that became my own third place, plus an example from my friend Ellen Frost, whose members start their day with “bloom scrolling.” We talk through why some members naturally log in every day, how to identify those daily active users, and what their behavior can teach you about designing rituals that make your space feel like home. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| The Two Types Of Memberships | 11 Dec 2025 | 00:09:06 | |
I have been seeing the same pattern across so many memberships this year. Community builders are trying to offer everything at once and accidentally blend two very different product types. It always leads to overwhelm, both for the members and the people running the program. In this episode, I break down the two core membership models I see most often, how to tell which one you are actually building, and why mixing them almost always creates retention and engagement challenges. If your membership feels heavy, complicated, or hard to maintain, this framework will help you get clarity fast. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| Your 2026 Community Glow-Up Starts With This | 07 Dec 2025 | 00:07:35 | |
January is always the strongest growth month for memberships, programs, and community-driven offers. People come in with fresh momentum, new goals, and a desire to recommit to the things they said they would do in the fall. The best thing you can do to capture that momentum is walk into the new year with a refreshed, data-backed plan. In this episode, I share the exact research process I use with my clients and how I applied it to the CreativeMornings Baltimore volunteer retreat. I break down how I structure year-end surveys, what metrics I review, and the “quick, scrappy” research sprint any community builder can run to design smarter programming and reengage members going into 2026. Interested in a 2026 review & strategy? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| Drive Engagement With 8 Types Of Programming | 12 Feb 2026 | 00:13:19 | |
Your rigid community calendar is quietly killing your engagement. In this episode, I break down why over-prescriptive programming actually hurts engagement and how to design experiences that balance ritual and variation. I share lessons from my time at bossbabe, explain why generic Q&As and coaching calls quietly fail, and walk through programming formats that are easier to run and more valuable for members. We talk about topic-specific coaching calls, responsive Q&As, socials, co-working sessions, challenges, roundtables, and welcome calls and how each one serves a different member need. I also explain why lower attendance doesn’t always mean lower value and how measuring the right feedback helps you iterate your programming without rebuilding everything from scratch. If you want stronger engagement, better retention, and programming that actually reflects what your members need right now, this episode will help you rethink how you design your calendar. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| It's A Great Year To Be Building Community | 07 Feb 2026 | 00:08:17 | |
Education has never been easier to access. Answers are instant and content is everywhere... but people feel more isolated than ever. In this episode, I unpack why that tension is exactly why 2026 is one of the best years to be building community. As AI and technology continue to flatten access to information, the real differentiator for businesses is no longer content or education. It’s connection, belonging, and shared experience. I talk about why content subscriptions and standalone courses are getting harder to sustain, what we can learn from companies like Kit that invest deeply in community beyond their software, and why people are choosing where to spend their money based on values, relationships, and trust. I also share why I believe community is the antidote to isolation and why businesses built on community are the ones that will last. This is a bit of a soapbox episode, but if you’re building a business right now and wondering what actually creates longevity, this conversation will help you zoom out and see the bigger shift that’s already underway. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| The Design Problems Blocking Your Membership Growth | 30 Jan 2026 | 00:09:16 | |
This week I’m sharing the 3 problems that show up right before you scale If growth has plateaued and selling feels harder than it should, engagement is inconsistent, or you’re feeling burned out because everything depends on you, these are not marketing or motivation problems. They’re design problems. I walk through how stalled growth is usually tied to member progress, why engagement drops when there’s no clear path forward, and how burnout shows up when the system relies too heavily on the founder. Whether you’re just getting started or running a large, established membership, these patterns surface at every level. The good news is they’re fixable when you focus on structure, member momentum, and designing journeys that work without you carrying all the weight. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| The 3 Components Of A Sticky Membership | 24 Jan 2026 | 00:11:00 | |
In this episode, I’m breaking down the three core components every sticky membership needs in 2026. By sticky, I mean the kind of membership people naturally return to again and again because it feels like part of their routine. I’m sharing what I’m seeing across dozens of membership strategy sessions at Affinity, and why personalization, quick time to value, and human connection are the real drivers of engagement and retention right now. We talk about why onboarding matters more than ever, how to design for fast wins without overwhelming your members, and what it looks like to intentionally build belonging and connection instead of leaving it up to chance. If you’re building or updating a membership and want people to stay, participate, and actually get results, this episode will help you rethink what “value” really means in 2026. Join my free training on Thursday Jan 29 – Future-Proof Your Membership Let's be friends:
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| Podfest Recap + The Community Opportunity For Podcasters | 18 Jan 2026 | 00:08:35 | |
Podcasting is one of the most powerful relationship-building tools we have. Listeners feel deeply connected to hosts, but the relationship is still mostly one-to-many. In this episode, I talk about the opportunity podcasters are missing when they stop at downloads and ads, and why community and membership models can turn listeners into connected, supported groups working toward shared goals. I also share why so many podcast memberships fall flat, what makes a transformational membership different from bonus content or a Patreon-style model, and how podcasters can create recurring revenue and deeper impact without burning themselves out or becoming the bottleneck for everything. If you’re a podcaster thinking about community, membership, or how to make a bigger impact with the audience you’ve already built, this episode will spark some ideas. Want to chat about building a membership model for your podcast audience? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| 2026 Membership Predictions | 08 Jan 2026 | 00:15:24 | |
Every year, my predictions issue is one of the most shared pieces I publish, and this year I wanted to bring it to the podcast with more context, examples, and real-world nuance. In this episode, I break down my five predictions for how memberships, programs, and community-driven businesses need to evolve in 2026. I talk about why shorter, more personalized programs are replacing long courses, why unique frameworks matter more than ever in an AI-heavy world, why innovation is no longer optional, and why retention and trust are the real growth levers moving forward. I also dig into flexible programming, async engagement, and what platforms like Circle are seeing in terms of emerging community trends. This episode is about building better products, not just more content, and designing experiences that actually respect your members’ time. Check out the free 7-figure connected community assessment here Let's be friends:
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| Use The IKEA Effect To Scale Your Community | 23 Dec 2025 | 00:07:32 | |
I was reminded this week of one of my favorite cognitive biases: the IKEA effect. It’s the idea that we place a disproportionately high value on anything we helped create. And in community, this explains everything. When your members shape the programming, contribute ideas, share feedback, or help build the experience, they stay longer. They feel ownership& they feel belonging. And those two things drive retention more than any piece of content ever will. In this episode, I break down how the IKEA effect shows up inside community products, why co-creation is the ultimate retention strategy, and the simple ways you can give your members more authorship over their experience in 2026. I also share how we’re using this exact approach inside CreativeMornings Baltimore and why it works every time. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| The 5 Things Everyone Is Missing In Their Onboarding Process | 26 Feb 2026 | 00:08:00 | |
What most founders don’t realize is that onboarding is directly tied to retention. If your members do not see value quickly and understand exactly how to engage, they are far more likely to disengage and cancel. In this episode, I walk through the five elements I believe every strong onboarding experience needs:
Throughout the entire experience, personalization matters. The more tailored the path feels to the member’s goals, the stickier your community becomes. If you want stronger engagement and longer retention, your onboarding flow is one of the highest leverage places to start. Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| Everything You Need To Know About A Community Migration | 19 Feb 2026 | 00:11:36 | |
If you’re thinking about migrating your community, I want you to think about it as a strategic redesign, not a tech project. A migration should significantly improve the member experience. If it doesn’t, it’s not worth the risk. But if it does, it can unlock better onboarding, clearer upsells, stronger engagement, and a much stickier subscription product. At Affinity, we handle a lot of community migrations, most often to Circle. But we don’t recommend migration for everyone. In this episode, I walk through how I evaluate whether a migration is necessary, what makes one successful, and why this is actually one of the biggest opportunities you’ll ever have to improve your member experience. I share case studies from moving course creators off Teachable and Facebook into one streamlined ecosystem, migrating actor communities out of Slack and ThriveCart, and redesigning a contractor membership that previously lived on Hivebrite. Considering a migration? Book a free discovery call here Let's be friends:
Checkout Circle App with a free trial here (using this link supports my business, thank you!) | |||
| Why Most Courses Fail (The Feedback Loops You're Missing) | 05 Mar 2026 | 00:07:19 | |
I recently went on my friend Joe Casabona’s show Streamlined Solopreneur and he shared a story about teaching a university class where the students were supposed to have certain prerequisites… except they didn’t. He had built the entire curriculum based on assumptions that simply weren’t true. It’s such a perfect example of what I see happening inside memberships and online programs all the time. We pre-build the curriculum, map out the syllabus, and record all the videos. And then we never stop to ask: Are people actually getting it? In this episode, I’m sharing why feedback loops are the most overlooked growth lever inside your community, how I learned to build real-time iteration into my teaching at General Assembly, and why treating your community like a product is the key to better engagement, stronger retention, and faster member results. I also share why I believe this is the core issue with most on-demand courses and why so many creators are shifting from course models to membership models in 2026. If you’re teaching live, running a membership, or designing a program right now, this one will help you rethink how you measure what’s actually working. Listen to my interview on Streamlined Solopreneur: Your Members Don't Want More Content Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends:
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| Let's Talk About Membership Revenue | 30 Apr 2026 | 00:07:41 | |
Memberships are often positioned as the ultimate recurring revenue solution, but what most people don’t realize is how long it actually takes to replace existing income. In this episode, I break down why memberships are not a quick win, how to think about revenue projections, and what’s really happening in those early months after you launch. I walk through the innovation adoption curve, why only a small percentage of your audience joins at first, and how to use your early members to build momentum toward sustainable growth. Interested in working with my team on your launch or growth strategy? Book a discovery call here Let's be friends!
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| The 5 Types of Emails Membership Founders Should Be Sending | 23 Apr 2026 | 00:12:37 | |
You should probably be sending more emails to your members. In this episode, I break down why email is one of the most powerful tools for driving engagement, retention, and growth inside your membership. I walk through the five types of emails I recommend every community or program includes, from onboarding sequences that build habits to curated newsletters that reduce overwhelm and bring members back into the experience. I also share why email matters more than your platform when it comes to attention, and how even simple, consistent communication can dramatically improve your member experience. Get Our Communication Strategy & Email Templates: Book a free discovery call here Let's be friends:
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