The Membership Podcast with Claire Mitchell – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode 1: Why I'll never start from zero again 

Every month, whatever you earned last month stops counting. This month you're starting again from scratch - finding the next client, the next sale, the next bit of income to keep things moving. 

Most small business owners have been doing this for so long it just feels normal. It isn't normal. And it doesn't have to be. 

In this first episode, Claire talks about what starting from zero every month actually costs you - not just financially, but mentally - and how recurring income through a membership changes that. She shares the story of how her marketing agency collapsed in 2010, how she rebuilt from scratch with a two-year-old at home, and the specific moment - £200 already in her account before she'd done a single thing that month - when she understood what had really changed. 

She also covers: 

• What your meaningful monthly number is and how to find it
• The maths of how many members you actually need at different price points
• Why most people think memberships are harder to start than they are
• The Light Touch Method - the four principles behind everything she teaches

If you've ever looked at your bank account on the first of the month and felt that familiar lurch - this episode is for you.
 
Download the free membership calculator here to work ou

One of the biggest reasons people put off starting a membership is because they think they'll have to create endless content every month.

The good news? That's simply not true.

In this episode, Claire shares the story of Anne, a horse-riding confidence coach in Canada who built a successful membership without creating courses, training videos or monthly content. Instead, she runs two simple Zoom calls each month where members can get support, share experiences and learn from one another.

You'll discover:

• What a "calls only" membership looks like
• Why some audiences value access and support more than content
• How Anne created recurring income without adding lots of extra work to her business
• Why community and conversation can be more valuable than a content library
• How a no-content membership can naturally build a valuable resource library over time

If you've been thinking about starting a membership but keep getting stuck on the content creation side of things, this episode will show you a much simpler way to get started.

When people think about memberships, they often assume they need a huge content library, endless trainings and a busy community to keep members happy.

What if that's not true?

In this episode, Claire shares the story of Tonya, a yoga teacher in New Zealand who built a membership around something she was already doing every day. Instead of creating more work for herself, she simply invited people to join her daily yoga practice.

The result? Around $2,000 a month in recurring income from a membership that's incredibly simple to run.

You'll discover:

• What a "do-along" membership is
• Why people often pay for accountability, structure and consistency rather than more content
• How Tonya turned an existing habit into recurring income
• Why your membership doesn't need to be complicated to be valuable
• How to design a membership around what you already enjoy doing

If you've been putting off starting a membership because you think it will take too much time, content or effort, this episode might change the way you think about memberships altogether.

This week on The Membership Podcast, Claire chats with Anne Gage about creating a simple, low-maintenance membership that helps horse riders build confidence, trust themselves, and strengthen their relationship with their horses.

Anne has over 30 years' experience as a riding coach and horse trainer. After losing her own confidence following a serious riding accident, she discovered mindset tools, NLP and hypnosis that helped her get back in the saddle. Today, she helps horsewomen around the world overcome anxiety, enjoy riding again, and make better decisions for themselves and their horses. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  How a riding accident completely changed Anne's career path 
•  The journey from riding coach and trainer to confidence specialist 
•  Why confidence issues affect so many horse riders, especially women in midlife 
•  Using NLP, mindset work and hypnosis to overcome fear and anxiety 
•  Creating a membership that requires almost no content creation 
•  Why Anne chose a calls-based membership model 
•  The power of community and shared experiences 
•  Supporting horse owners with everything from riding confidence to horse welfare 
•  Building trust and confidence in your own judgement 
•  Helping members navigate major life changes alongside horse-related challenges 
•  Creating a business that allows freedom, flexibility and travel 
•  Running a successful membership with a small number of highly engaged members 

What Is The Horse Riding Confidence Club?

The Horse Riding Confidence Club is a membership for horsewomen who want support, guidance and encouragement around riding, horse care, confidence and mindset.

Members receive:

•  Live group coaching calls every two weeks 
•  Support from Anne and the wider community 
•  Access to recordings of previous sessions 
•  Guided meditations and hypnosis recordings 
•  Opportunities for one-to-one support when needed 
•  Access to selected masterclasses and additional resources 

The focus is on helping members become more confident, knowledgeable and empowered horsewomen while always prioritising horse welfare. 

Key Takeaways

•  Memberships do not have to rely on huge content libraries. 
•  Group coaching memberships can be simple and highly effective. 
•  Small memberships can create meaningful recurring income. 
•  Community is often the biggest reason people stay. 
•  Confidence challenges rarely exist in isolation from the rest of life. 
•  You can build a membership around expertise you already have. 
•  Launching before you feel completely ready is often the best approach. 

About Anne

Anne Gage is a horse riding confidence coach, horse trainer, mindset practitioner and author of the book Confident Rider, Confident Horse.

She helps horse riders overcome fear, improve performance, deepen their partnership with their horses, and develop greater confidence both in and out of the saddle.

Based in Ontario, Canada, Anne works with clients around the world through coaching, hypnosis, masterclasses and her Horse Riding Confidence Club membership. 

Member Success Stories

One member joined feeling completely overwhelmed and unable to trust her own judgement around her horse's care and management. Through the support of the membership, she rebuilt her confidence, moved her horse to a more suitable environment, returned to riding, and developed the confidence to make decisions independently.

Another member successfully prepared both herself and her horse for a major relocation across states, overcoming anxiety around transport, settling into a new environment, and adapting to significant life changes. 

What You'll Learn

By listening to this episode you'll discover:

•  How to create a successful calls-based membership 
•  Why "no-content" memberships can work so well 
•  Ways to build recurring income from coaching expertise 
•  How community contributes to member retention 
•  Why confidence is often the key to solving bigger problems 
•  How Anne combines horse expertise with mindset coaching 

Links Mentioned

• Confident Horsemanship
• Instagram - Anne Gage Coach
• Facebook - Anne Gage Horse Riding Confidence Coach

Connect with Claire

For more membership and recurring income strategies, visit:

• Recurring Income Academy
• Claire Mitchell Coach

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who thinks they need hundreds of videos before they can launch a membership. Anne's story is proof that a simple, community-focused membership can be powerful, profitable and life-changing.

This week on The Membership Podcast, Claire chats with Rhiannon Relfe from The Epsom Bakehouse about her membership, The Bakehouse Club.

Rhiannon teaches people how to bake great bread at home and has built a thriving membership around live bread-making classes, a growing recipe library, and a friendly community of fellow bakers. What makes her membership particularly interesting is how simple it started and how she has kept it sustainable for more than five years. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  How Rhiannon turned her in-person bread-making classes into an online membership during lockdown 
•  Why she launched with a very simple offer rather than waiting for everything to be perfect 
•  How she got her first members from her existing email list 
•  The structure of The Bakehouse Club and what members receive each month 
•  Why live classes create a strong sense of community 
•  How she teaches bread-making online without complicated tech 
•  The surprising benefits of pre-recording class tutorials rather than sharing live recordings 
•  Building a membership around a hobby and shared interest 
•  Creating recurring income from knowledge and expertise 
•  Keeping members engaged with new themes, seasonal recipes, and breads from around the world 
•  The role of community in long-term membership retention 
•  Lessons learned from running a membership for over five years 
•  Advice for anyone sitting on a membership idea and wondering whether to launch 

Key Takeaways

•  You don't need a huge amount of content to start a membership. 
•  Existing customers are often your best first members. 
•  Simple memberships can be incredibly effective. 
•  Community doesn't have to mean a busy Facebook group. 
•  Memberships can evolve naturally over time. 
•  Live teaching can create stronger relationships than endless content libraries. 
•  A membership can become a valuable recurring income stream while supporting a wider business ecosystem. 

About Rhiannon

Rhiannon is the founder of The Epsom Bakehouse, where she teaches people how to bake delicious bread at home through online classes, courses, and her membership, The Bakehouse Club.

Having started as a home baker selling bread locally, she now helps bread enthusiasts build their skills and confidence through relaxed, friendly online teaching. 

Links Mentioned

• The Bakehouse Club
• The Epsom Bakehouse Website
• Instagram - The Epsom Bakehouse
• Facebook - The Epsom Bakehouse

Connect with Claire

For more membership and recurring income strategies, visit:

• Recurring Income Academy
• Claire Mitchell Coach

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who is thinking about starting a membership.

This week on The Membership Podcast, Claire chats with Tracey McLennan about building a successful membership in a highly specialised niche.

Tracey runs The High Prey Drive Club, helping dog owners whose dogs chase wildlife, disappear on walks, become fixated on scents, or seem impossible to trust off lead. What started as a personal struggle with her own dogs has grown into a thriving membership supporting dog owners around the world. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  What "high prey drive" means and why so many dog owners struggle with it 
•  How Tracey's own dogs led her into this specialist area of dog training 
•  Leaving a career in IT and building an online dog training business 
•  The research, qualifications and expertise behind her work 
•  How she launched her membership with a simple free challenge 
•  Why she chose an annual membership model rather than a monthly one 
•  The difference between her standard and VIP membership tiers 
•  Creating a membership community without relying heavily on Facebook groups 
•  Building custom membership technology to better support members 
•  The realities of pricing, discounting and attracting the right members 
•  Why low prices don't always lead to better members or better results 
•  The importance of ongoing support when helping people solve complex problems 
•  How memberships can provide flexibility and freedom during difficult life events 
•  The challenges and opportunities of running an evergreen membership 

Key Takeaways

•  The best memberships often solve a very specific problem. 
•  You don't need a huge audience to build a successful membership. 
•  Free challenges can be an effective way to introduce people to your membership. 
•  Long-term support often delivers better results than short courses. 
•  Pricing matters, not just for revenue but for attracting the right members. 
•  Memberships can create flexibility and stability in both business and life. 
•  Listening to member feedback helps your membership evolve and improve over time. 

About Tracey

Tracey McLennan is a dog trainer and behaviour specialist based in Scotland. She helps owners of high prey drive dogs enjoy more relaxed, successful walks and stronger relationships with their dogs.

Drawing on years of study, practical experience, published research, and work with her own challenging dogs, Tracy has created a unique membership that combines expert guidance with ongoing support. 

Links Mentioned

• Best Dog Learning & Stuff Website
• Facebook - High Prey Drive Dogs
• Instagram - Train High Prey Drive Dogs
• YouTube - High Pre Drive Dog Training

What You'll Learn

By listening to this episode you'll discover:

•  How to build a membership around a very specific niche 
•  Why annual memberships can work exceptionally well for transformational outcomes 
•  The role of community and personalised support in member success 
•  How Tracy uses technology to create a better member experience 
•  Lessons learned from launching, pricing and growing a specialist membership 

Connect with Claire

For more membership and recurring income strategies, visit:

• Recurring Income Academy
• Claire Mitchell Coach

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who is thinking about creating a membership around their expertise.

This week on The Membership Podcast, Claire chats with Lhamo Lotscher about building a membership around deep transformational work, shadow work, ancestral healing and feminine wisdom.

Lhamo has spent more than a decade developing and teaching her original body of work, MotherQuest, helping women heal family patterns, deepen self-awareness and navigate life's transitions with greater authenticity and freedom. Through Her Wisdom Circle, she has created an online home for these teachings and the community that surrounds them. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  The origins of MotherQuest and how it emerged through a series of powerful visions 
•  Healing mother-daughter relationships and family patterns 
•  What feminine shadow work really is and why it matters 
•  Building an online business while raising children 
•  The evolution from simple email courses to a thriving membership platform 
•  Why Lhamo moved everything into one community space 
•  The benefits of ongoing memberships versus one-time courses 
•  Creating a business that supports both freedom and family life 
•  Developing original intellectual property and transformational teachings 
•  The importance of trusting yourself and your work 
•  Why spiritual work deserves to be properly valued and paid for 
•  The future of training facilitators and teachers in her methodologies 

What Is Her Wisdom Circle?

Her Wisdom Circle is an online community and learning space that brings together Lhamo's various teachings and transformational programmes.

Inside members can access work focused on:

•  MotherQuest 
•  Feminine shadow work 
•  The Empowered Shadows programme 
•  Mother-daughter healing 
•  Ancestral healing and "Ancestracy" 
•  Embodied spirituality 
•  Women's circles and personal growth 
•  Live teachings and ongoing community support 

The membership is designed to provide a safe, nurturing space for women exploring deeper personal transformation while remaining connected to like-minded people. 

Key Takeaways

•  Memberships can become a home for your life's work. 
•  You don't need to fit a traditional business model to build a successful membership. 
•  Creating original intellectual property takes time, patience and trust. 
•  Memberships allow your work to evolve alongside your members. 
•  Freedom is often just as valuable as income. 
•  Communities built around shared values can create powerful transformations. 
•  Women no longer need permission to create businesses around their wisdom and expertise. 

About Lhamo

Lhamo Lotscher is a body-based psychotherapist, holistic counsellor, family constellations practitioner and creator of MotherQuest.

For more than a decade she has guided women through transformational work focused on shadow integration, healing family patterns, reclaiming feminine wisdom and creating lives that feel deeply aligned and authentic. 

The Little Book of Shadows

One of Lhamo's most popular bodies of work is based on her book, The Little Book of Shadows, which explores 52 common shadow behaviours and offers practical ways to recognise and transform them.

The book has become a gateway into her wider work, with many readers going on to join her membership and deeper programmes. 

Member Success Stories

One of Lhamo's proudest moments came when a group of women who had worked with her more than a decade earlier returned to continue their journey through her advanced MotherQuest teachings.

Many members describe Her Wisdom Circle as a place where they reconnect with themselves, deepen their self-understanding, and find the support they need to navigate major life transitions with greater confidence and clarity. 

What You'll Learn

By listening to this episode you'll discover:

•  How to build a membership around transformational work 
•  Why memberships can be the perfect home for evolving intellectual property 
•  The benefits of gathering all your courses and resources in one place 
•  Ways to create community around personal growth and healing 
•  How Lhamo has balanced motherhood, business and spiritual practice 
•  Why trusting yourself is often the most important step in building a membership 

Memorable Quote

Links Mentioned

• The Little Book of Shadows
• Facebook 
• Substack - Sacred Human Wisdom

Connect with Claire

For more membership and recurring income strategies, visit:

• Recurring Income Academy
• Claire Mitchell Coach

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who has a body of work, methodology or expertise they would love to turn into a membership. Lhamo's story shows how a membership can become a living home for your life's work while creating both freedom and recurring income.

This week on The Membership Podcast, Claire chats with Tonya Russell about building a beautifully simple membership that generates recurring income while helping women prioritise themselves, improve their health, and create lasting habits.

Based in New Zealand, Tonya teaches live online yoga classes and has built a thriving membership around consistency, community and self-care. What started during lockdown has grown into a business that gives her flexibility, freedom and recurring income, all while doing work she genuinely loves. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  How lockdown led Tonya to completely rethink her business model 
•  Moving from a physical yoga studio to an online membership 
•  Why she believes yoga is about far more than flexibility 
•  Helping women become the kind of person who keeps promises to themselves 
•  Overcoming fears around filming and showing up online 
•  Launching with simple equipment and imperfect videos 
•  Creating a membership that feels like doing yoga with friends 
•  Why community matters more than fancy technology 
•  Building recurring income from something you already do 
•  The mindset shifts required to create a successful membership 
•  Time freedom, location freedom and lifestyle design 
•  The surprising transformations members experience through regular practice 

What Is Yoga Circle?

Yoga Circle is an online membership for women who want to make yoga and movement part of everyday life.

Members receive:

•  Live online yoga classes several times each week 
•  Access to a supportive community 
•  Flexible attendance options 
•  Classes designed for real women with real lives 
•  Guidance on strength, flexibility, balance and wellbeing 
•  A sustainable approach to self-care and movement 

The membership is designed to fit around busy schedules while helping members build a consistent practice they can maintain long term. 

Key Takeaways

•  Memberships can be built around something you're already doing. 
•  You don't need expensive equipment to launch online. 
•  Consistency creates bigger results than perfection. 
•  Community is often more valuable than content. 
•  Small recurring payments add up to meaningful income. 
•  A membership can provide freedom without adding complexity. 
•  The stories you tell yourself are often the biggest obstacle to starting. 

About Tonya

Tonya Russell is a yoga teacher, business owner and founder of Yoga Circle in New Zealand.

For more than two decades she has helped women use yoga and movement to improve their physical wellbeing while developing greater confidence, resilience and self-trust. Through her membership, she helps women create sustainable habits that support them both on and off the yoga mat. 

Member Success Stories

One member in her seventies joined believing she was someone who always started things but never stuck with them. Through regular attendance inside the membership, she completely changed that story and has now maintained a consistent yoga practice for over a year.

Another member, who had undergone shoulder replacements, regained enough mobility and strength to do everyday tasks independently again, including fastening her own bra, something that had previously required assistance.

Other members have experienced improved posture, greater mobility, increased confidence and a stronger sense of self-care through consistently showing up for themselves. 

What You'll Learn

By listening to this episode you'll discover:

•  How to create a successful do-along membership 
•  Why simple memberships often work best 
•  The mindset shifts needed to launch online 
•  How recurring income changes the way you think about business 
•  Ways to build a membership around community rather than content 
•  How small daily actions create powerful long-term results 

Memorable Quote

Links Mentioned

• Yoga Circle
• Yoga Circle Facebook Page

Connect with Claire

For more membership and recurring income strategies, visit:

• Recurring Income Academy
• Claire Mitchell Coach

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who thinks they need lots of tech, expensive equipment or a huge audience before they can start a membership. Tonya's story proves that sometimes the simplest memberships create the biggest impact.

This week on The Membership Podcast, Claire chats with Charmaine Champ about building a membership that helps families tackle one of the most common, yet least talked about, childhood challenges.

Charmaine is the founder of ClearSteps Consultancy and supports neurodivergent and neurotypical children with toileting, continence, sleep and emotional wellbeing. Her membership, How to Get the Pee and Poo in the Loo, provides practical support, resources and community for families navigating toileting difficulties. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  Why toileting difficulties are far more common than most people realise 
•  How Charmaine moved from community nursing into her own specialist consultancy 
•  The connection between toileting, sleep, emotions and behaviour 
•  Why families often struggle for years before finding the right support 
•  Creating a membership to help more families without relying solely on one-to-one work 
•  Launching a membership before everything was finished 
•  Building resources as members joined and questions emerged 
•  The importance of community and peer support 
•  Using memberships to provide affordable, ongoing help 
•  How live support sessions complement self-paced resources 
•  Creating a safe space for families dealing with sensitive challenges 
•  The realities of launching and growing a specialist membership 

What Is "How to Get the Pee and Poo in the Loo"?

The membership is designed to support families whose children are experiencing difficulties with:

•  Daytime wetting 
•  Bedwetting 
•  Soiling 
•  Toilet refusal 
•  Delayed toilet training 
•  Constipation 
•  Emotional barriers around toileting 
•  Neurodivergent toileting challenges 

Members receive:

•  Access to a structured resource library 
•  Step-by-step guidance 
•  Downloadable resources 
•  Video training 
•  Live support sessions 
•  A private community of families experiencing similar challenges 
•  Direct access to expert guidance and support 

Everything is designed to help families understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what practical steps they can take next. 

Key Takeaways

•  You do not need to create everything before launching a membership. 
•  Community can be just as valuable as content. 
•  Memberships allow specialists to help more people in less time. 
•  Small memberships can still make a significant difference to both income and impact. 
•  Some of the most successful memberships solve highly specific problems. 
•  Families often benefit enormously from knowing they are not alone. 
•  Launching before everything is perfect can lead to a better membership because members help shape it. 

About Charmaine

Charmaine Champ is a continence, sleep and emotions consultant and the founder of ClearSteps Consultancy.

Drawing on her background as a community nurse specialist supporting children with learning disabilities and complex needs, she now helps families, schools and professionals understand and address toileting, continence, sleep and behavioural challenges in a practical, compassionate way. 

Member Success Stories

One family joined after years of hospital appointments, specialist referrals and ongoing toileting difficulties. Within just a couple of weeks of working through the membership resources and support, they began seeing significant progress and a much calmer home environment.

For many families, the biggest transformation is simply realising they are not alone and finally having a clear plan to follow. 

What You'll Learn

By listening to this episode you'll discover:

•  How Charmaine turned specialist expertise into a scalable membership 
•  Why founding-member launches can work so well 
•  How to build resources alongside your members 
•  The role of community in supporting behaviour change 
•  Ways to structure a membership around education, support and accountability 
•  How memberships can reduce pressure on one-to-one services while increasing impact 

Links Mentioned

• ClearSteps Consultancy
• Facebook - ClearSteps Consultancy

Connect with Claire

For more membership and recurring income strategies, visit:

• Recurring Income Academy
• Claire Mitchell Coach

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who thinks their expertise is too niche for a membership. This episode proves that some of the most successful memberships solve very specific problems for very specific people.

This week on The Membership Podcast, Claire chats with Jo Fellows about creating an online art membership for young people and building a business from a small village in rural France.

After leaving her career as a secondary school art teacher in the UK and moving to France, Jo found herself missing teaching and the creativity that came with it. Rather than returning to the classroom, she built Arts Instruct, a membership designed to help young people develop artistic skills, creativity, resilience and confidence through project-based learning. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  Moving from the UK to France and building an online business abroad 
•  Why Jo missed teaching after leaving the classroom 
•  The journey from digital downloads to creating a membership 
•  Launching a membership with a simple lead magnet and Facebook marketing 
•  How the membership has evolved since launching in January 2025 
•  Creating project-based art lessons for children aged 11-14 
•  The balance between teaching curriculum-based skills and encouraging creativity 
•  Why resilience is just as important as artistic ability 
•  Using affordable and recycled materials instead of expensive art supplies 
•  Supporting both home-educated students and children in traditional schooling 
•  Teaching art online to students around the world 
•  The opportunities for scaling memberships into schools and educational organisations 
•  Lessons learned from building a membership as a perfectionist 

Key Takeaways

•  Memberships don't have to be aimed at adults. 
•  You can build a successful membership around your professional expertise. 
•  Creativity often grows when people work with limitations. 
•  It's important to launch before everything feels perfect. 
•  Teaching online can create opportunities far beyond your local area. 
•  Memberships can evolve significantly once real members start using them. 
•  A strong educational background can become a unique selling point rather than a limitation. 

About Jo

Jo Fellows is a former secondary school art teacher who now lives in southwest France. Through Arts Instruct, she helps young people develop artistic skills, confidence, creativity and resilience through engaging project-based learning.

Her membership combines curriculum-aligned art education with the freedom to experiment, explore and create independently, making art accessible and enjoyable for students around the world. 

Member Story Highlight

One of Jo's favourite success stories involves a young student in Texas who didn't have all the materials needed for a project. Rather than giving up, she searched around her home, found alternative materials, adapted the project, and created her own version.

For Jo, this perfectly captured the real purpose of the membership: not simply teaching art techniques, but helping young people become creative problem-solvers who think independently and confidently. 

What You'll Learn

By listening to this episode you'll discover:

•  How to turn teaching expertise into a membership business 
•  Ways to structure educational content for self-paced learning 
•  How Jo combines projects, skills training and personalised feedback 
•  Why creativity and resilience are valuable life skills 
•  How online memberships can create international opportunities 
•  The potential for expanding a membership into schools and educational settings 

Links Mentioned

• Arts Instruct
• Instagram - Arts Instruct Tuition
• Facebook - Arts Instruct Tuition

Connect with Claire

For more membership and recurring income strategies, visit:

• Recurring Income Academy
• Claire Mitchell Coach

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who has expertise they could turn into a membership.