The Creative Bodega with Em Connors | Email & Content Marketing for Solopreneurs

You post consistently. You make the carousels, show your face, and give real value. And your reach keeps shrinking anyway.

If you’ve started tying your worth to those numbers, you’re not alone, and I’ve been there too.

This week, I’m joined by my dear Australian friend, Kylie Kelly, for one real conversation between two creators, moms, and solopreneurs.

In this episode of The Creative Bodega, we talk about walking away from the platform that built your business and putting your energy into the one thing you actually own.

If you’re ready to stop renting your audience, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why 124,000 Instagram followers now means reels that barely reach 5,000 people
• How I ran three multi five-figure launches without posting about them on Instagram once
• How Kylie went from zero to 600 subscribers with one virtual summit
• Why relationship-based list building only works when you choose aligned bundles and summits
• The takeaway one-sheet that brought me 150 new subscribers in three weeks
• Why a show notes URL that is just an episode number does nothing for search
• How to bring the fun back into your business, treasure hunts included

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• 🥡 The Takeaway one-sheet for this week's episode with all the most important to-dos since I know you're busy!
• The One Good Freebie Method training
• Kylie Kelly’s podcast, The Email Growth Show, where this same conversation also lives
• Kylie’s Your Next 1,000 Subscribers quiz

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Your email list looks big on the dashboard, but how many of those people still open it? If you have a list you haven't touched in a while, and cleaning it feels overwhelming (or a little mean), you're not alone. I hate removing people too. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm sharing the exact monthly routine I use to keep my list healthy, the numbers I pulled from my own Flodesk account, and why I'd take a smaller list that gets opened over a bigger one that doesn't. If you've been meaning to deal with your list, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• The difference between cleaning your list and warming it up, and which one you need
• Why emailing people who stopped opening makes your emails harder to find for fans
• The four-step monthly routine I use, including the one-click segment I leave off every send
• Why I archive instead of delete, and how people can find their way back
• My real numbers: unsubscribes down 70% and an open rate in the mid-50s to low 60s
• The re-engagement idea I've never tried, and the one time I sent a single email
• Three mistakes to avoid, including cleaning your list in a panic

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• 🥡 The Takeaway One-Sheet for this episode (the full monthly routine on one page)
• Flodesk (my email platform and the deliverability center that builds the unengaged segment; I'm a partner and affiliate, 25% off your first year):
• Heartbeat (this episode's sponsor & the platform I use for my membership; code BODEGA for 20% off your first three months, 14-day free trial, no credit card)
• Email List Starter Kit (my free mini course, five short lessons to start your list)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Download the one-page website audit checklist for solopreneurs: the 5 checks to run on your site this week. Grab it here

Your business changed. Your website might not have. After a DM from a follower, I audited my own site and found my newest offer hidden from Google, a homepage still talking about social media, and a Canva workshop button for a date that already passed. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I walk you through the five checks I’d run first, and why I’m moving my site off Podia after six years. If your site has been growing in layers, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• The 10-minute site: search that shows which pages Google knows about your website
• The one hidden “hide from search” switch that kept my newest offer invisible
• Five checks to run in order, from diagnosing first to cleaning up your menu
• A simple page title formula: what you do, who it’s for, and your name
• Why your website and email list are the two places no algorithm stands in the way
• Why I’m leaving Podia after six years and what to do before you switch

🛠️ Resources

• Google Search Console: free, and where I looked at the pages report
• ShowIt: the platform I’m moving to
• Spicy Margarita template from Tonic: the template I fell for
• Episode 81: where I said I’m going all in on email
• Episode 1: the margarita story (& the entire story behind The Creative Bodega)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Grab the one-page cheat sheet on how to write a newsletter with AI and still sound like you, plus my cleaned-up banned phrases list: Download it here

You tried AI for your newsletter, hated the result, and wondered if everyone else is just better at prompts. You’re not alone, and the tool usually isn’t the problem. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I’m showing you how I use AI to write my newsletter, what I give it so the draft sounds like me, and where it still gets things wrong. You’ll also hear my real numbers on time saved and what it did (and didn’t do) for my open rate.

Check out the full show notes for this episode: CLICK HERE

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why most AI-written newsletters sound generic, and what’s usually missing from the prompt
• The three things I give my AI project so every draft starts closer to me
• How my newsletter went from up to an hour and a half to 30 to 40 minutes
• My real open rates from 2024 to 2026, and why I won’t credit AI for the jump
• How I edit every draft: five to six rounds, then reading it out loud
• The three mistakes that make AI writing sound robotic, and my coffee test for catching them
• What I said back to the commenter who called AI hustle culture

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• My “Let’s normalize” Instagram postabout deleting 39 out of 40 pages of AI freebie ideas (the one that started the comment thread)
• Anna Kornick, my podcast launch coach who first showed me how to use AI for my podcast transcripts
• My content trifecta episode (referenced as the system that feeds all my content from one transcript)
• Join the waitlist for The Newsletter System coming in mid-January!

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Want to grow your email list without adding more social media? SAME! If your list growth has stalled and you're one click away from signing up for another platform, you're so not alone. In this episode of The Creative Bodega Podcast, I share the 5 things I'm changing to make the content I already create work a lot harder, including the opt-in that brought me 53 new subscribers in 8 days.

📝 Grab this episode's FREE takeaway cheat sheet: RIGHT HERE

💻 Check out the full show notes for this episode: CLICK HERE

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why my new subscribers dropped from 329 last August to just 97 this August.
• The week I almost signed up for every platform with a login screen
• The show-notes opt-in that brought in 53 subscribers in just 8 days
• Why I'm leaving Podia after six years, and what GEO means for AI search
• How podcast guest swaps inside The Coven get us all in front of new audiences
• The one-line question that got me 25 newsletter replies in a single week
• A quick audit to find the list growth hiding in what you already make

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• Grab this episode's FREE takeaway cheat sheet: RIGHT HERE
• Episode 86, optimizing your Instagram to grow your email list
• Episode 87, the one Pinterest automation that got me a pin with 50,000 impressions
• Flodesk (where I pulled my month-by-month subscriber numbers). Snag 25% off, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA
• Heartbeat (where The Coven lives now) I absolutely love this membership & course hosting platform
• Want to swap podcast guest spots? Reach out here: emily@thecreativebodega.com

Quick correction: in this episode, I compare my list growth to summer 2023, but those numbers weren't accurate. The real year-over-year comparison is 329 new subscribers in August 2025 vs. 97 in August 2026, about a 70% drop.

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

📝 Grab this episode's one-page cheat sheet, [the 4 steps to one freebie that converts], right here! → https://thecreativebodega.myflodesk.com/podcastonesheet

Made freebie after freebie and still nobody's opting in? Or maybe you've got a 40-page guide you know is good, and your list hasn't budged. I've been there. I've made over 45 freebies in six years, and most of them cost me way more time than they ever gave back. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I walk you through The One Good Freebie Method: the foundation only you can build (AI can't touch it), plus the 4 steps to create one freebie that converts and keeps working for you. If you're tired of building freebies nobody downloads, this episode is for you.

For the full blog post show notes, CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• The question that stumped me: what can you create that AI can't?
• Why your freebie should serve your whole umbrella, not one tiny slice
• How to find your freebie in the one question people always ask you
• Why a 10-minute win beats a 40-page guide nobody ever opens
• The stranger test for naming your freebie (and why clear beats cute)
• How my simple opt-in page converts at just over 69% with one button
• The 8 places I promote one freebie every single week

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• Ash McDonald, my business strategist (her question sparked this whole episode)
• The One Good Freebie Method, free training replay (the full hour with slides and Renee's build)
• Episode 69: my content pillars episode (referenced when talking about pillars under your umbrella)
• Flodesk, my email platform (use code THECREATIVEBODEGA for 25% off your first year)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

📝 Grab this episode's one-page cheat sheet with all four moves and the exact steps to implement them right here!

Ever pull up your own Instagram profile and realize a total stranger would have no idea what to do next? You post, you show up, you pour hours into it, and then you cross your fingers and hope the algorithm sends the right people your way. If you're tired of building your business on rented land you don't own, you're in the right place. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm walking you through four low-lift, mostly free moves that make Instagram actually pull its weight for your email list. No new apps, no new subscriptions, nothing added to your already-full plate. If you want your list to grow without living on the app, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• How to rewrite your Instagram bio so one clear next step points to your list
• The three-pin grid audit that turns your profile into a list-building invitation
• What to do the moment a post takes off (hint: edit the caption)
• Adding a simple comment keyword so a post delivers your freebie automatically
• Turning on free auto-publishing so Instagram feeds Pinterest and Facebook for you
• The one free setting that pushed a single pin past 10,000 Pinterest impressions

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• The takeaway (this week's one-page cheat sheet): all four moves and the exact steps, free.
• My pinned freebie post (the one I said I'd link so you can see exactly what a clear list-building pin looks like)
• The Email List Starter Kit (my freebie, referenced as the clearly named opt-in in my bio)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

✨💌 DOORS ARE OPEN: The Newsletter System: my 6-week program for building a newsletter you'll actually keep writing. Doors are open this week only. Limited spots, we begin Sept 24th!

Have you ever felt called to change direction in your business, but froze because you were terrified of what people would think? You are not the only one. I spent six years known for one thing, quietly sensing I was meant for another, and doing almost nothing about it. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I walk you through the real story behind my pivot from Instagram and Canva to email marketing: the tiny signals I ignored for years, the moment two out of forty women broke my brain, and the trust recession that makes a weekly newsletter the smartest bet you can place on your business right now. If your gut has been tapping you on the shoulder, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why a pivot that looks sudden from the outside was six years in the making
• The trust recession, and why a weekly newsletter is your best answer to it
• What made me stop being the posting girl and go all in on email
• Why I shrank my list from past 25,000 down to 11,000 on purpose
• The five minutes I froze at the confirm button before changing my handle
• What owned versus rented means for your business, and why it changes everything
• Who The Newsletter System is built for, and who it honestly is not for

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• The Newsletter System: my 6-week program for building a newsletter you'll actually keep writing. Doors are open this week only.
• Start and Grow Your Email List From Scratch: my original email course, the one that came straight out of that two-hands-out-of-40 moment.

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

✨💌 Join the Newsletter System waitlist -hop on for first access when the doors open September 14th

You keep meanIng to start the newsletter. Or you started one, then quietly let it go. And every time you think about picking it back up, a little pile of excuses shows up first. No one will read it. I don't have the time. This probably isn't for a business like mine. I've had every one of those thoughts myself, so there's zero finger-pointing here. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I pick up the five biggest excuses one at a time and hold them up to the light, because most of them fall apart the second you look at them straight. If an email list has been sitting on your someday list, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why "no one will read it" is the wrong fear to have
• How the platform you send from matters way less than you think
• Why an email list works whether you sell a product or a service
• The reason a newsletter is subtraction, not another plate to spin
• What I'm doing right now to grow my list without relying on Instagram
• Why the people most likely to buy are quietly drifting away right now

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• The Newsletter System waitlist — hop on for first access when the doors open September 14th
• Episode 81, my pivot episode— the full story of why I went all in on email after six years of teaching Instagram and Canva
• Flodesk— the email platform I use and recommend (my code THECREATIVEBODEGA gets you 25% off your first year)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

✨💌 CLICK HERE to hop on The Newsletter System waitlist (join for first dibs on the limited spots plus a behind-the-scenes tour of my full newsletter process)

You want to email your list. You know you should. Maybe you even have the list sitting right there, ready to go. But you sit down, the cursor blinks, and your brain goes completely blank. So you close the laptop and tell yourself you'll figure it out next week. And next week? Same exact thing. If that loop feels familiar, you are not broken, and you are not out of ideas. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I break down why the blank page was never a creativity problem in the first place, and the shift that made "what do I even write?" stop being a question I dread every single week. If staring at a blank newsletter makes you want to throw your laptop out the window, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why the blank page is a structure problem, not a lack of ideas
• The free assignment I give every week: subscribe to newsletters and study which ones you open
• Why the section that connects most is almost never the strategic one
• Where my 3-2-1 format came from, and why borrowing a structure is the point
• The reframe that ends the panic: you are your own ideal client, one problem ahead
• Why an unsure email that gets sent beats a perfect one stuck in your drafts

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• One of my early newsletters sent 4/7/21 via Flodesk (referenced when talking about her short, unsure first j)
• James Clear's 3-2-1 newsletter (the original format Em's 3-2-1 traces back to)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

You started an email list. You were proud of it. And then...you never emailed it. 😅 Now every time you think about sitting down to write, the cursor blinks, your brain goes blank, and you tell yourself you'll do it later. Later never comes, and the guilt just keeps stacking. If that's the loop you're stuck in, you're not lazy, and you're not flaky. You're missing one thing. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I break down why consistency with your email list was never a discipline problem, why a small list of people who trust you beats a huge silent following, and the one small move that breaks the blank-page spell. If your list has been collecting dust, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why creators with huge accounts and silent lists are quietly losing money
• How a list of 100 people who trust you out-launches 50,000 followers
• The real reason the weekly blank page keeps beating you (it's not you)
• Why Instagram is a slot machine, and what owning your list changes
• The two-creator test that shows exactly why the inbox wins the sale
• The reframe: consistency is a system problem, never a willpower problem
• Your one small move this week to break the blank-page spell for good

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• 💌 The Newsletter System waitlist. My 6-week program doors opening September 14th, built to take the blank page out of your weekly email for good. Getting on the list means first word when doors open:join the waitlist.
• 🎙️ Listen to last week's episode (81) on why every solopreneur needs an email list, not just a personal brand. It sets up everything in this post, so start there if you missed it!

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

💌 Join The Newsletter System September Waitlist— first access when doors open September 14th, limited spots available!

Have you ever been genuinely good at something, even known for it, and still felt a quiet pull that it is not the thing you want to keep doing forever? For years, I couldn't name that feeling. I just felt scattered and a little off, pouring most of my energy into the platform that gave me the least back. It took three weeks completely off Instagram to finally see it clearly. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I share the biggest pivot I have made in nine years, why I am going all in on email, and what my two fiddle leaf fig trees have to do with all of it. If you have felt scattered too, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why I am walking away from teaching Instagram after nine years of posting
• What three weeks off the app made impossible to unsee
• The difference between rented attention and an audience you truly own
• Why Instagram tactics keep expiring while email stays a durable skill
• The moment in Nashville that quietly cracked this whole decision open
• What is changing, what is staying, and what it means for you

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• The Newsletter System September Waitlist— first access when doors open September 14th, limited spots available!
• Flodesk— the email platform I use and swear by. Grab 50% off your first year with code THECREATIVEBODEGA
• Click here to see what a fiddle leaf fig is!

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

You've poured hours into a post, hit publish, and watched it land with a thud. Just crickets. And in that moment, the question creeps in: is something wrong with me? Should I just pivot to something else? If you've ever wondered why you're still showing up when the growth is slow and the engagement is low, you're not the only one. In this final episode of my Nobody Told Me series on The Creative Bodega, I'm sharing the one thing nobody told me would end up being my superpower: consistency. I'm getting honest about the numbers, the near-burnout seasons, and the two things that actually keep me going when motivation is nowhere to be found. If you're building something online and quietly questioning it all, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• The real numbers behind 80 episodes, 290+ newsletters, and nearly 2,000 Instagram posts
• Why I took my first-ever three-week break from Instagram, and what I was scared of
• The reason it always comes back to the women I serve, not the metrics
• Why most people quietly disappear online, and how the gap compounds
• Systems first: how to stop relying on motivation that runs out
• Purpose second: finding the why that carries you through the low-everything days
• The full-circle truth about reps that I opened this whole series with

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• The Messaging Edit won't be taking place in the fall as planned! I've switched gears, totally pivoted, and am building a brand new program called The Newsletter System. You can hop on the Sept 2026 waitlist HERE!

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Episode 79: Why You Think Everyone's Watching You (And Why They're Not)

You've got that post sitting in your drafts. The one that feels a little too loud, too niche, too much you. You keep telling yourself everyone's going to see it and judge it, so you don't hit publish. I've been there more times than I can count, and this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm telling you about the first time I learned this lesson (a CrossFit gym in 2008, terrified everyone was watching my every move) and the second time it showed up years later, running a business people can actually see. Both taught me the same thing from two completely different angles.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• The CrossFit gym story that taught me nobody was watching me as closely as I thought
• Why the fear of judgment never fully goes away, even at 125,000 followers
• What happened when I called talking head reels "effing stupid" online
• The real reason visibility attracts people who want to knock you down
• Why the algorithm isn't showing your post to everyone who follows you
• What I want you to do with the post you've been sitting on
• A quick preview of next week's episode on messaging

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Do you ever feel like you're doing everything "right" online, posting, following the tips, showing up consistently, and still getting completely ignored? It's not your strategy. It's not the algorithm. It's a handful of small, sneaky habits quietly keeping you invisible, and once you spot them, they're easier to shift than you'd think. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm walking through exactly what those habits look like, why personality gets remembered while generic content gets ignored, and the small moves that actually change things. If you've ever wondered why people aren't opening their wallets for you yet, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why generic content gets ignored while personality is what actually gets remembered
• The real reason people need to trust you before they'll ever buy from you
• The one habit to notice first: which accounts quiet your brain versus fuel it
• Why muting or unfollowing the noisy accounts is the first small shift to make
• Closing the app and making something instead of scrolling past someone else's
• The habit of sitting on your ideas instead of posting them, and why that stops now
• Why asking for help and joining a community moves you faster than doing it alone

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

You know you're supposed to share parts of your life online. But what, exactly? You're private. Your kids don't want to be content. And you have zero interest in crying on camera for engagement. I hear some version of this from the women I work with every single week, so if that's you, you're not alone. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm introducing you to a concept I call your core story bank: the 4 to 5 stories and personal themes that make you relatable without making you an open book. If you're the private one, the introvert, the one who cringes at performed vulnerability, this episode is especially for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why "be authentic online" has spiraled into performing pain for views
• The "share your scars, not your wounds" rule and how I apply it
• What a core story bank is and why 4 to 5 stories is plenty
• My own core stories and themes (the CrossFit gym era, NYC, Blitzy the pit bull)
• How to find the bridges between your life and your ideal client's
• Why I pulled back from showing my kids online, even though those views spike
• The private-person path to a personal brand (dog walks and morning coffee count)

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• EP 13 - The past episode where I tell my NYC-to-meeting-Rob story(referenced when discussing core stories)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Your Canva templates are perfectly on-brand. Your color palette is locked. So why does your content still feel a little cold when you hit record? You're not imagining it, and you're definitely not alone in wondering why the visuals aren't translating to connection. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm getting into the part of visual branding nobody talks about: the energy you bring to camera, and why it might matter more than any font pairing you've ever agonized over. If your branding feels done on paper but flat on video, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why my own visual branding started with a color I borrowed from another creator
• How my palette evolved from muted and safe to bold as my confidence grew
• The 2017 video I almost couldn't watch back, and the one shift that changed it
• Why smiling before you hit record changes how your content actually feels
• What "done" really means for your visual brand, and why it doesn't exist
• Why your energy on camera matters more than your font choices right now

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Do you ever wonder if the discomfort of putting yourself out there is ever going to go away? You post, you wait, you check the numbers, and some days it still feels like nobody's out there. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm kicking off a new series called Nobody Told Me, six honest truths about what it actually takes to build a personal brand. We're starting with the one nobody warns you about: how long everything really takes. If you're deep in the reps and wondering when it starts feeling easier, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why I still cringe when someone tells me they watch my Instagram stories, even five years in
• What building an audience from zero at my CrossFit gym in 2017 actually taught me
• Why posting into a void with 12 story views is where everyone starts, no exceptions
• The 3 non-negotiables for showing up consistently without burning out or overcomplicating it
• Why sporadic brilliance always loses to small, sustainable systems repeated for 90 days
• Why I talked a close friend out of chasing $1,000 a month as an influencer
• What's changing with The Content Coven, and why now is the time to join

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

If your Canva account is a complete disaster — designs floating in space, uploads you've had since 2017, and templates you used once and can never find again — you are not alone. Most solopreneurs are working inside a cluttered Canva account without realizing how much time and mental energy it's costing them. The good news? Getting organized doesn't have to be a full weekend project. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm joined by fellow Canva Verified Expert Brenda Cadman, whose entire expertise is Canva organization. She breaks down where to start, what to delete, how to structure your folders, and the one navigation trick most people don't know about. If you've ever re-uploaded the same brand photo six times because it was faster than finding it, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episodeCLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why your uploads folder is probably a dumping ground, and how to fix it
• The purge-first approach: why creating folders before deleting is the wrong order
• How to use Canva's "Your Projects" view to actually see what still needs to be filed
• The star folder trick for projects you're accessing constantly
• The difference between designs and templates, and why mixing them up is costing you time
• Why naming your files matters more than you think (and what to name them)
• How to make progress in small chunks without overhauling everything at once

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• Brenda Cadman's website (where to find her and learn more)
• Brenda's Canva organization course, evergreen and updated when Canva changes

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!

Have you ever posted something, checked back an hour later, and felt your stomach drop? You poured real energy into it. And the response was...crickets. If you've been using your follower count, your likes, or your email list growth as proof that you're good at this, I want you to know you are so not alone. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I get more vulnerable than usual. I share what happened when I finally got on a call with my business coach and therapist, Ash McDonald, what she said that stopped me cold, and why I'd been white-knuckling the completely wrong numbers for months while ignoring the one that actually tells you the truth about your business.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why follower count and likes are the easiest numbers to track, not the most important ones
• The question Ash McDonald asked me that I couldn't answer (and why that was the real wake-up call)
• How I'd been avoiding my revenue check-ins and what that avoidance was actually costing me
• Why someone else's massive launch triggered a spiral, and what was really going on underneath it
• The difference between vanity metrics and the numbers that tell you if your business is actually healthy
• Why leadership isn't about having it all together, it's about being relatable
• What I'm doing differently now, including restarting monthly check-ins with my husband Rob

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• Ash McDonald, therapist and business strategist(therpist/biz coach referenced throughout the episode that I love & have worked with a number of times).
• Ash McDonald's podcast (how Em originally found her and built trust before hiring her).
• EP 13: Em's episode with her husband Rob (referenced as one of her most-listened episodes).

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!