Dear Bri: Community Strategy, Fiascos, and Drama – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we’re hearing from Constrained in Columbus. Our letter deals with creating a vibrant and engaged community under the pressure of big business goals.

To better help Constrained in Columbus, I invited Jelani Memory as my guest expert. He’s not our typical guest because he doesn't consider himself a community creator or community manager. But as you will find in this episode, he has an incredible amount of insight and wisdom to share with community builders, as he essentially takes a community-centric approach to everything that he does.

So, tune in for a powerful episode that will have you rethinking how to deal with people who disagree with you, inspired to walk the walk, and ready to better connect with your community.

In this episode:

(04:47) The importance of engaging and creating bridges to make change

(10:28) Jelani’s process to help other people access their own stories

(18:28) Leading your community culture by example

(23:26) The communitea: Constrained in Columbus’s letter

(24:49) 3 principles for the caretaking of your community

(31:23) Insights into Jelani’s own acquisition experience

(34:44) Being clear and true to the mission and values of your community

Expect: Heart-centered community strategy and thoughtful community engagement tactics.

Resources Mentioned:

👦 👧 Learn more about A Kids Co. at akidsco.com

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“A community can't go further than you can take them. They will do what you do. You can say all sorts of stuff, but culture is what you do, not what you say. And they will act like you act. If you step all over people, if you try and be the most talkative person in the room, [if] you dismiss people's ideas, they will do that.“ - Jelani Memory

“[Community]'s an incredibly powerful model, especially when partnered with business and, to your point, when it's not coming from a place of authenticity and vulnerability and you setting the pace for that connection, it will crumble faster than your cookie possibly could.“ - Bri Leever

Jelani Memory

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, the inspiration stems from a late-night LinkedIn DM from a distressed community manager handling a tumultuous Discord community. They felt overwhelmed and discouraged by all the suggestions and criticism constantly coming from community members.

To better help Discordant on Discord, I invited Ami Defesche as my guest expert. She's currently the community director at Wildcard Alliance—and formerly at Intuit and Blackbaud. Ami is a community builder with a passion for helping dreamers and doers in small businesses. So, if you're looking for community strategy for online businesses, look no further.

As an experienced community builder, Ami shared strategies and tools for managing overwhelming feedback and toxic behavior in rapidly expanding communities. So, tune in to learn about the importance of mission statements, setting boundaries, and self-care practices for community managers.

In this episode:

(03:01) The Communitea: Discordant on Discord’s letter

(04:43) The Challenges of Managing a Discord Community

(06:15) Strategies for Managing Community Feedback

(12:48) Tools and Techniques for Community Management and Moderation

(20:29) What to Do if You’re Starting a Discord Community Today

(23:52) Self-Care for Community Managers

Expect: Community strategy, online community building best practices, and community growth strategies.

Resources Mentioned:

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“If you're going to start a community anywhere, start as best as you can with the thought that one day it's going to have 10, 000 people in it […] What would you want in place to make sure that was a productive group?” - Ami Defesche

“You have quite a bit of agency as the moderator, as the community manager to set the framework for how members behave in this space and what you expect of them.“ - Bri Leever

Ami Defesche

Ami Defesche is a community builder with a passion for helping the dreamers and doers in small business. Currently the Community Director at Wildcard Alliance, formerly Intuit and Blackbaud.

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

Bri got her start building a community and growing it to a multi-million dollar revenue stream for a social enterprise in Portland, OR. Now, she supports folks used to running their business on content, coaching, and consulting to create their community offer. She's a Community Strategist by day and a Campervan host by night on the Big Island of Hawaii and you'll usually find her on, in, or under the water.

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Community in a Conundrum. Our letter today deals with the question of where to host a new online community. Specifically, as it relates to Facebook, Slack, and all-in-one community platforms like Heartbeat.

To better help Community in a Conundrum, no one better to talk about whether or not to host your community on Slack than the Slack-slayer, herself, Noele Flowers. I thought of Noele specifically after reading a newsletter she sent out with the subject ‘Why are we still using Slack to run communities?”

We’ll go over all the different variables you should consider when selecting the best place to host your community, and the pros and cons of the most popular community platforms out there. So, tune in for a fun and light episode that’s filled to the brim with really good community strategies.

In this episode:

(03:43) The joys of keeping an eye on the Nextdoor chaos

(06:09) The communitea: Community in a Conundrum’s letter

(08:08) The dilemma of wanting the benefits from both social networks and all-in-one community platforms

(09:46) Why we are still building community on Slack and Facebook

(17:06) The differences between Facebook, Slack, and all-in-one community platforms

(23:09) Intentional onboarding and community engagement strategies for all-in-one community platforms

(30:25) The learning-to-connection ratio and what it means for your platform choice

(33:06) Community Builders & Community Managers: Go beyond connection!

Expect: Community building best practices, marketing strategy, and practical advice around community strategy.

Resources Mentioned:

🎬 For examples of great Slack communities, watch these community dissections: When a Newsletter Becomes a Community: A Study of Lenny’s Community and A World-class Example of a Cohort-based Community: The Community Community hosted on Slack.

🤝 Check out Tightknit if you want to layer more community functionality over your Slack community.

📩 Subscribe to Noele’s Newsletter here.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noele Flowers:

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever:

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome to The Dear Bri Podcast, an advice column for community conundrums, fiascos, and drama. In this episode, we’re hearing from Frazzled Fairy-Marketing-Godmother. Our letter today comes from someone who clearly has a big heart for their online community, but is also really struggling to draw boundaries and recover from a very common mistake in community management (listen to find out which one).

To better help Frazzled Fairy-Marketing-Godmother, I invited Taylor Harrington —Head of Community at Dreamers & Doers— as my guest expert. I knew this letter would be perfect for Taylor because this is a topic we’ve discussed often behind the scenes as community builders.

So, tune in for a remarkable episode as we talk about making tough calls and standing by them, some awesome practical ideas for how to create boundaries to protect your time and energy as a community manager and creator, releasing the identity of the community leader who has to be everything for everyone, and much more.

In this episode:

(03:56) Taylor’s dicey sunset scenario

(11:41) Bri’s worst leadership failure

(15:31) The communitea: Frazzled Fairy-Marketing-Godmother’s letter

(18:25) Boundaries for ourselves, coworkers, and community members

(23:32) The cost of saying yes to something

(29:37) Shifting away from the identity of being the person who's there for everyone

(32:46) The importance of establishing boundaries upfront

(35:00) The “Yes, and/No, but” concept

(39:50) The secret ingredient for asserting boundaries

(42:19) Giving yourself grace and being willing to pivot

Expect: Community management best practices and lots of support for community builders and community managers.

Resources Mentioned:

🙌 Ready to start Grooving and building meaningful relationships from home? Use the code BRILEEVER for 30 days free on Groove.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s favorite all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“When you are someone who loves to run an experiment and try new things, and not commit to it being something that's going to happen forever, that means that you're going to fail. Things are going to flop. Things are going to be learning moments that you weren't expecting.“ - Taylor Harrington

“ In community work, going above and beyond… there are certain seasons for it, I will say, but as a practice, it's unsustainable.“ - Bri Leever

Taylor Harrington:

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever:

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Crumbling in Kansas, a dedicated community manager navigating a seismic shift: their EdTech company is transitioning from a beloved cohort-based program to a full-blown membership model. The move promises recurring revenue—but at what cost to community engagement?

To better help Crumbling in Kansas, I invited Marie Schacht — CEO of Akimbo— as my guest expert. I thought of Marie because back when everyone was just starting to create online courses, Marie, Seth Godin, and the team at Akimbo were trailblazers in the education-centric community design space, specifically for the cohort-based model.

Whether you’re managing a team-led transition, testing community strategy for online businesses, or wondering how to evolve your own digital communities, this conversation is for you. You’ll leave with practical tools, fresh perspective, and the reminder that experimentation is the name of the game in this ever-shifting world of online community building.

In this episode:

(02:56) A major tech fail during a live conference with 1,500 attendees
(06:21) The communitea: Crumbling in Kansas’ letter
(08:44) Defining cohort-based communities vs. membership communities
(12:08) The fears, grief, and power of letting go of a model you’ve mastered
(17:01) What to ask before pivoting your community strategy
(21:30) Can you test community retention strategies without burning it all down?
(26:45) Marketing engines and their impact on your paid community model
(30:57) When your CEO makes a decision you don’t agree with
(35:11) Designing inclusive online communities through dual formats
(40:13) The role of alumni in testing new models
(44:50) Having the hard conversation: a leadership guide for community creators
(50:20) The explosive growth of the community industry—and what that means for you
(55:48) Marie’s experiments: blending cohort energy with flexible design
(59:35) Staying grounded in your values while adapting your community leadership

Expect: Marketing strategy, community engagement tactics, and lots of support for community builders and community managers.

Resources Mentioned:

❤️ Signup for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Marie Schacht:

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever:

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome Dear Bri, an advice column for community conundrums, fiascos, and drama. In this episode, we’re hearing from Anxious in Atlanta. Their dilemma? They launched a free, private online community as a test—engagement was strong, but now they’re left wondering: Did they use up their one shot at launching a paid community?

To help Anxious navigate this transition, I brought on Evan Hamilton, the incredibly thoughtful and seasoned community manager behind programs at HubSpot, Reddit, and Nextdoor. He’s spent 15+ years in the digital communities space and brings deep wisdom around community building, discovery, and what to test (and when).

If you're in the early launch or discovery phase of a brand community, this episode is packed with insights to help you avoid the most common mistakes in community building—especially when moving from free to paid. You'll also hear why the key to a successful community strategy for online businesses might be focusing less on "community" and more on the actual outcomes your members want.

In this episode:
(05:11) The communitea: Anxious in Atlanta’s letter
(07:29) Evan’s own flop in launching a community strategy that didn’t land
(11:45) The 10/30/90 framework for better internal alignment
(15:06) The difference between testing engagement vs. willingness to pay
(19:12) The emotional pitfalls that cause builders to stay in free mode too long
(24:22) Micro-testing paid community management tips with events
(27:31) Why connection is the most mis-marketed part of a community-building offer
(37:43) Transitioning from free to paid without losing trust
(40:25) Boundaries in paid communities
(45:18) The growing trend of curated, smaller online communities
(49:37) How to set transparent standards for community roles and responsibilities

Expect: Online community building best practices and practical marketing strategy for communities.

Resources Mentioned:

📕 Check out the book Evan mentions: Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.

📩 Subscribe to Evan’s Newsletter Community Manager Breakfast.

❤️ Signup for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Evan Hamilton

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome to Dear Bri, an advice column for community strategy, fiascos, and drama. On this podcast, I collect anonymous letters from real-life community creators and bring on an expert from the community space to help you feel a little less alone and a lot less crazy.

Should I build my community on Slack?

Is membership the way to go?

How do I create a test?

I feel so bitter and burnt, how do I recover?

My community is out of control, what do I do?

How do I build for acquisition?

If I build it, will they come?

Expect: Online community building best practices, marketing strategy, community growth tactics, and lots of support for community builders and community managers.

These are just a few of the questions we’re answering on season one of Dear Bri. Episodes drop on Tuesdays, hit the follow/subscribe button so you never miss out on the community gossip!

About your host: Bri Leever

Bri got her start building a community and growing it to a multi-million dollar revenue stream for a social enterprise in Portland, OR. Now, she supports folks used to running their business on content, coaching, and consulting to create their community offer. She's a Community Strategist by day and a Campervan host by night on the Big Island of Hawaii and you'll usually find her on, in, or under the water.

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

And before you go…

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

💚 Leave a review on Spotify

That helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Eager Beaver in Baltimore. Our writer today fell into the age-old myth: build it and they will come. Thankfully, they’ve since switched their mindset and realized that it takes a heck of a lot of consistent marketing to get people in their community and would like some advice.

To better help Eager Beaver in Baltimore, I invited Alli Ball, founder & CEO of Food Biz Wiz, as my guest expert. I couldn’t think of a better person for this episode than someone who has successfully marketed their paid community program for 10 YEARS, which is basically unheard of. Never mind that in that program, she teaches people how to market their products in the food industry. So, tune in for some insights about how to market your community effectively.

In this episode:

(03:52) When your free community turns out to be a mistake

(11:10) The free + paid community conundrum and Alli’s pop-up group solution

(16:50) The decision to create a community on Facebook

(20:14) The communitea: Eager Beaver in Baltimore’s letter

(27:23) The importance of setting clear expectations and strong boundaries in your online community

(38:44) Retail Ready®: a transformative community

(41:03) The drip sprinkler system marketing strategy for communities

(47:25) Layering in live launches with an evergreen sales system

(52:11) The evolution of Retail Ready®

Resources Mentioned:

🎙️ Listen to the Food Biz Wiz Podcast here!

🎧 Catch up with Episode 2 | Am I crazy to resist going from a cohort-based to a membership community model? to learn more about these two models.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“If you are the leader of your community and you are the first person to respond to every post, first person to put a comment in there, to give advice, that's a dictatorship. That's not actually a community.“ - Alli Ball

“If the goal here is that I serve my community members with the best possible advice, most thoughtful responses, what boundaries do I need to put in place so that I can realistically deliver that?“ - Bri Leever

Alli Ball

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

🤳 Instagram

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Toxic Member in Toronto. Our letter today deals with a toxic community member stirring up trouble to revolt against the community manager.

To better help Toxic Member in Toronto, I invited Andrea Middleton **as my guest expert. She is a seasoned veteran of the community space who loves finding paths to productive and powerful collaborations with opinionated and skeptical communities, which is perfect for our letter today.

So, tune in for a lot of wisdom from someone who’s dealt with a toxic community member or two and some really practical tools on what to do when your community turns against you.

In this episode:

(03:34) When Andrea fanned the flames without a gameplan

(06:21) 3 strategies for conflict de-escalation in online communities

(11:57) The communitea: Toxic Member in Toronto’s letter

(15:08) How to protect yourself against toxic community members

(17:49) Having a strong code of conduct in place and tips to get there

(28:32) The diagnostic phase and possible plans of action

(34:44) Fighting fire (conflict) with a vacuum

Expect: Community management best practices and community strategy for conflict resolution.

Resources Mentioned:

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“You don't need to agree with someone to understand where they're coming from. But without understanding her goals and motivations, you're never going to be able to form a strategic plan for how to address her behavior.“ - Andrea Middleton

“You don't need to arm yourself with all of these rigid guidelines and rules when really, as “the protector” of the community, your job is to bring forth the spirit of the community, not to just enforce the things people aren't supposed to do.“ - Bri Leever

Andrea Middleton

Andrea is a veteran community organizer who loves finding paths to productive and powerful collaborations with opinionated, skeptical communities. She spent 10 years working in community efforts in the WordPress open source project, and joined Reddit in 2021.

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

Bri got her start building a community and growing it to a multi-million dollar revenue stream for a social enterprise in Portland, OR. Now, she supports folks used to running their business on content, coaching, and consulting to create their community offer. She's a Community Strategist by day and a Campervan host by night on the Big Island of Hawaii and you'll usually find her on, in, or under the water.

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Sensitive in Seattle. Today’s letter deals with how to grow a community where joining that community might in and of itself be taboo.

To better help Sensitive in Seattle, I’m bringing in the big guns. I invited Murtaza Bambot as my guest expert. He is the Founder & CEO at Heartbeat — the all-in-one platform for community businesses (also the sponsor of this podcast!) that has served has served over 5, 000 communities.

So, tune in for an episode packed full of wisdom where Murtaza guides us through the process of finding those initial community members, even in a sensitive community, from a place of empathy and authority.

In this episode:

(05:51) Having a customer community when everything is going wrong

(10:55) The only way out is through

(14:40) The communitea: Sensitive in Seattle’s letter

(15:41) Why community exists in the first place

(18:23) Immediate boots-on-the-ground strategies to find your initial members

(22:52) Prime advice on sales calls

(24:43) Murtaza’s advice on using paid ads

(26:27) The power of a paid waitlist to launch your community

(31:16) You deserve to be paid for your work

(34:45) Focus your marketing on the transformation

(45:17) Be ready to constantly research, test, and implement

(46:40) Leveraging ChatGPT as a thought partner

(49:25) What makes a great salesperson

Resources Mentioned:

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“When you have 0 customers, your job is just to get to 1. And when you have 1 customer, your job is to get to 10. You don't have to think about what 100 customers, 1,000, 10,000 customers look like. Don't build these things to scale at the start.“ - Murtaza Bambot

Murtaza Bambot

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.