The Power of Strategy Meeting the Soul

Hi everyone,

I know, you haven’t heard from me in a while. It's not because I have nothing to say now that my Masterclass (which was a blast) has come and gone. The truth is, I needed to catch my breath from the weekend before that—a weekend I jokingly call my ‘East Coast Tour.’

Before I get to that, I want to say a quick ‘thank you’ to everyone who signed up and participated in the working session. Your energy and commitment were incredible.  👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾. I was genuinely wowed by your excitement to do the work, dig in, and see what jewels we’d come up with, and boy, did we! Honestly, seeing your 'aha' moments made the session for me. I’m already planning for the next session in February, so keep an eye out for details.

Right, let’s get back to what I’m STILL processing, weeks after the fact…

My East Coast Tour: Finding Honesty, Vulnerability, and Bearing Witness.

I went on my whirlwind, three-day trip to Washington, D.C., and Virginia, ready to work, promote, and make a case for my business. I was armed with the business cards, flyers, QR Codes, and presentation, ready to convert conversations into new community members, y’all!

And I figured the two events, The Gathering (a summit for creative business owners) and The Resonate Podcast Festival (a creative podcast festival), were two different worlds that would scratch different itches. Turns out I was…

BOOP!

OK, well, look. They WERE different worlds, and both of them feed two sides of my creativity. But on this trip, they gave me so much of the kind of ‘food’ I was looking for.

And no, I don’t mean hot dogs (get it?! OK. fiiiine.) I mean, these very different communities, with different goals, shared a palpable hunger for honesty, vulnerability, and for creating space to bear witness for everyone who attended. Folks there were serious about getting to know each other, growing, and building together to create new opportunities for themselves AND each other.

The result? I found more true collaborators I could trust, bounce ideas off, learn from, and get excited with. I saw, more clearly than ever before, how deeply I bridge these two worlds - of brand strategy, editorial development, and storytelling.

‘The Gathering’ was a place where strategy met the soul.

At ‘The Gathering,’ hosted by the team at ‘The Riveter,’ I walked into a room of 100 invited mission-driven women leaders ready to give inspiring speeches, only to be met with a wave of honest curiosity, respect, and excitement about my work, and WHO I was. The folks in this group didn't just have heads for numbers; they had a passion for supporting each other's businesses, serving their audiences meaningfully, and INVESTING in their growth. It was a ‘No BS Zone’ that also embodied the ethos "What do you need, and how are we gonna make it happen?” And it was also a space where I felt safe to share my business journey with others. Honestly, it felt like a deep exhale.

The RESONATE Podcast Festival: My warm, familiar, comforting maker space.

So, when I arrived at RESONATE, less than 24 hours later, ready to catch up with old friends, nerd out on storytelling techniques, listen to mission-driven creators talk about their process, and lean into that familiar space of mentoring, supporting, and (shhhh) colluding about ways to make the podcasting industry more inclusive.

But this year, things felt different. It was like after four years, RESONATE was starting to hit its stride. And its edge. And it’s bite. And I was here for all of it.

Performers told new creative stories about trying to sustain a career in a system that wasn’t built for you, living in multiple worlds, and the bitter frustration of navigating an industry that wants your talent to build their thing, but not your voice. But these audio stories were told in refreshing and really creative ways that didn’t feel like people were being stripped of their autonomy. There was a lot of LAUGHTER in these rooms. And as I learned about how the work of past Pitch Party podcast winners (the podcast prize that I was a judge on this year) had found homes on platforms, I honestly marveled at how special it was to be part of a community that could effect change, one step at a time.

Different Rooms. Same Magic.

In both spaces, every time someone shared a little something of themselves, eyes got a little moist, backs got a little steelier, and people became more inspired to write it down, speak on it, and try it.

Over the course of those three days, I was constantly reminded of the power of investing fully in your vision, using what you’ve got. Time. Money. Brain power. Community. Because, by truly investing and taking the lumps and bumps that come with it, you’ll become open to meeting new people, having your expectations challenged, seeing your ideas grow, and getting feedback you didn’t expect. You’ll also find new communities and homes in spaces you never knew existed.

That weekend, I walked away with a renewed sense of understanding the beauty of standing in this intersection of deep storytelling, strategy, and community. And to double down on my commitment to not just show you how to use podcasting as a tool to amplify your voice, but to stop you from shrinking it.

But in the meantime, if you’re in the Americas, enjoy your time off, and with the people you love.

Keep an eye out for this newsletter, which will now drop on Sundays, and for details about the next Masterclass in upcoming editions.

Christabel

Your Podcast Pipeline | Claim Your Story. Own the Mic.