Howdy Reader!

Ever tried to drink from a firehose... for four straight days? That was me last week.

I just wrapped up my first-ever marathon training sprint for Ecamm (which is why we missed our regular Friday show). Four days, countless slides, and enough coffee to fuel a small country later, I emerged with some serious insights.

So, I thought I'd pull back the curtain and share some real talk about what I learned. Because let's face it, sometimes the best lessons come from jumping in headfirst, right?

Here are my top takeaways that might help you on your creator journey:

• It ACTUALLY gets easier.​
  The stress difference between Day 1 and Day 4 was like night and day. Seriously, it was like going from "help, what am I doing?!" to "hey, I've got this!" Real talk: if you're nervous about doing extended virtual training, you CAN do it.
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• Value brings people back.​
  You know what was amazing? Seeing the same faces in the chat every day, asking questions, helping each other out. Ecamm's community-first approach really showed me something powerful here.
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• You have more value than you think.​
  Let's get real for a minute. So many of us struggle with thinking we have anything worthwhile to say (myself included). But something Pat Flynn said at Craft & Commerce really stuck with me: "To a kindergartner, the first grader is king." During this training, I saw this truth play out again and again. We really do forget how much we know and how far we've come. Listen, everyone reading this right now – you REALLY DO know more than you think. And people want to hear from YOU specifically – your unique knowledge, your personal insights, your hard-won tips. Don't let that imposter syndrome hold you back.
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• Mistakes happen (and transparency wins).​
  Quick story: I tried to be clever with my landing pages for freebies, funneling people into a nice email sequence to warm them up (thanks, Paul Gowder for that great strategy!). BUT then I completely messed up the settings, and people got THREE copies of each welcome email (oops!). But here's the thing, owning up to it actually brought me closer to my audience.
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• The helper's high is real (and worth saving!)
  ​Those messages saying "I implemented this!" or "This helped me speed up my process!" they're better than caffeine when you're in the middle of a content marathon. Here's a pro tip that's helped me tremendously: Keep all those encouraging notes, emails, and messages where people have thanked you in one special place. When you're struggling or that imposter syndrome kicks in, pull them out and remind yourself of the impact you're making. For everyone who's sent me those notes during this training – thank you, thank you, thank you! They really did give me the juice I needed when things felt like a grind.
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• Vulnerability isn't weakness – it's connection.​
  During the training, I took a step and shared something that's been weighing on me. I opened up about how I worry that my Friday live show might actually hurt my speaking opportunities because, honestly, I don't feel like I'm a very eloquent speaker when I go live. It was scary to admit that. But you know what happened? The responses flooded in from people feeling exactly the same way about their own content. That moment of real, raw honesty created deeper connections than any polished presentation ever could. Being real and vulnerable isn't just okay, it's where the magic happens. IMHO, it's the foundation of genuine connection in our increasingly digital world.
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• Having friends who support you gives you superpowers.​
  This one makes me feel truly wealthy, and I'm not talking about money. One of the most precious parts of my life is the relationships I have with my friends and colleagues. Want proof? When I needed prize packages for this training, I reached out to my friends. They didn't just help, they showed up in a BIG way. And you're going to hear me harp about this a lot because it matters more than ever.
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  Listen, I love all the AI stuff as much as the next person, but because of the rise of these tools, genuine human connections are becoming even more precious. Don't sleep on building these relationships. Whether it's joining masterminds, showing up at in-person events, or just taking a moment to send an encouraging email to someone you met at a conference, these connections are your real superpower.
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  This is one area of my life that I want to continue to cultivate and help flourish. Because when you have friends in your corner, you can accomplish things you never thought possible.

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Now it's your turn! What did you learn last week? I'd love to hear about it. And if you're one of our new friends who joined from the Ecamm training... Welcome! I read and respond to every email, so don't be shy.

See ya around the interwebs,

-Jeff

P.S. Missed the Ecamm training? No worries! You can still access all the sessions by clicking here.

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