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If you’ve ever tried shopping for a business owner or creator, you know we’re impossible—because we “don’t need anything”... until we do. This episode gives you the actually useful gift ideas that make creators’ lives easier, content better, and brains less fried.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction

03:00 – Why holiday episodes are hitting on Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s
 05:45 – The best low-cost tech upgrades for creators (lights, mics, tripods & more)
 13:00 – Practical lifestyle gifts that reduce decision fatigue
 20:30 – Personal care gifting for service-based business owners
 29:45 – Education gifts: books, apps, subscriptions creators genuinely appreciate

References & Resources

• Lume Cube Edge Light 2.0: https://lumecube.com/products/edge-light-2-0-black-led-desk-lamp
• Cord & Iron Candles: https://cordandiron.com/collections/candles
• Hello Fresh: https://www.hellofresh.com/
• Wireless Microphones: https://store.hollyland.com/products/lark-m2 
• Yeti Microphone
• Bose Noise canceling headphones: https://www.bose.com/p/headphones/quietcomfort-acoustic-noise-cancelling-headphones/QC-HEADPHONEARN-...
• Kindle Unlimited
• Blinkist: https://www.blinkist.com/en

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📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

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This week, Joanna and Michelle break down what Wicked, Dancing with the Stars, and reality TV villains can teach you about building a magnetic personal brand. Plus: the content formats dominating 2025 (and how to use them to get real traction).

What You’ll Learn:

• How to use personal branding the way Hollywood franchises and reality TV stars do
• The content formats currently outperforming everything else — and why
• How to improve watch time, hooks, POV angles, and “thought reversal” content to boost conversions
  
  

Timestamps:
 00:00 – Introduction
 02:45 – The business lesson behind Costco’s $4 Culture Pop moment
 05:58 – What to give away for free (and what not to) in 2025
11:52 – Wicked’s two-part rollout & why it’s a personal branding masterclass
18:40 – Why reality TV villains dominate attention (and how to replicate it ethically)
27:15 – The content formats popping off right now
39:10 – Why your content isn’t performing (and how to fix it)

References & Resources:

• Wicked (movie)
• Dancing With the Stars
• Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
• Alex Hormozi
• Culture Pop
  
  
  

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📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

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From a $300 Starbucks cup to talking dogs powered by AI — this week’s episode unpacks what happens when creativity, culture, and smart positioning collide.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why you are not your customer — and how that shift can 10x your offer strategy.
• The secret behind Starbucks’ ability to sell “premium” without premium ingredients.
• How brands like Dove and Crumbl use unexpected collabs to revive relevance and reach.
• The viral AI dog campaign that proves entertainment still converts.
  
  

Timestamps:

00:00- Introduction

04:52 – You Are Not Your Customer: Building Offers Beyond Your Own Preferences
 08:45 – Starbucks’ $300 Bearista Cup: Scarcity, Positioning, and Premium Perception
 13:10 – Cold Foam Economics: How Starbucks Rebranded Whipped Cream into a $2 Add-On
 17:00 – Dove x Crumbl: Turning Cookies into Soap and Collabs into Cash
 24:45 – Cutting Through Holiday Noise: Standing Out During Black Friday Chaos
 33:00 – AI Dogs, Real Impact: How Dog Pack Used Humor + Honesty to Win 20M Downloads

References & Resources:

• Starbucks “Bearista” Holiday Cup
• Crumbl Cookies
• Dove
• Dog Pack App
• Black Friday Statistics (2024)
  
  

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
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From Sephora’s “striking” elves to Calvin Klein’s viral thirst traps — Joanna and Michelle unpack how brands are losing (and winning) consumer trust this holiday season. Plus, how you can turn this chaos into marketing gold.

What You’ll Learn:

• What the Sephora x Mariah Carey ad got wrong — and how to avoid tone-deaf marketing during hard times
• Why humor, relatability, and repetition are the real keys to shareable content
• How subscription boxes became a $40B business model (and how coaches and creators can steal their strategy)
  
  

Timestamps:

 00:00- Introduction
 03:35 – The controversial Sephora holiday ad: “elves on strike”
 07:50 – When “no press is bad press” doesn’t work anymore
15:20 – Uber Eats and Calvin Klein: ads that actually nailed storytelling
25:30 – Double standards in advertising: Sydney Sweeney vs. Calvin Klein
27:45 – Why people share content: the psychology behind “contagious” marketing
31:10 – Real estate agents and car dealerships making viral, personality-driven content
39:10 – Subscription boxes: recurring revenue, retention, and brand loyalty goldmine

References & Resources:

• Sephora — Mariah Carey holiday ad
• Calvin Klein — Jeremy Allen White & Jungkook campaigns
• Contagious by Jonah Berger (book)
• Wildgrain — subscription bakery doing $31M/year
• HelloFresh, Stitch Fix, ButcherBox, Above the Bar
• HubSpot’s The Hustle newsletter

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com

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 What Pringles, Cracker Barrel, and Instant Pot can teach you about marketing missteps, cultural backlash, and knowing when to stop scaling before it breaks your business.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why “more” customers, followers, or products might be killing your brand faster than you think
• The surprising story behind the bot-driven Cracker Barrel controversy — and what it means for online perception
• How grassroots marketing and in-person connection are outperforming viral posts and influencer deals
  
  

Timestamps:

 00:00 – Introduction
 02:30 – Halloween banter & book-to-brand storytelling lessons
 09:00 – Subscriber story: how in-person events still outsell Amazon
 11:30 – Pringles rebrand: why “Once You Pop, The Pop Don’t Stop” works for Gen Z
 16:00 – Borrowing big-brand tactics for small business wins
 23:00 – Cracker Barrel backlash: when bots shape public opinion
 31:00 – The influencer bubble is bursting — here’s what’s next
 41:00 – Instant Pot’s $500M fall: growth gone wrong
 47:00 – “More” isn’t more — the profit leaks killing your business

References & Resources:

• Marissa Molson on Substack: https://substack.com/@marissamalson
• Cracker Barrel Outrage Driven in Part by Bots: https://www.wsj.com/business/the-cracker-barrel-logo-mess-c57d23e8?st
• Instant Pot Bankruptcy: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/06/instant-pot-bankrupt-private-equity/674414/

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📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com

Send us a text

✅ Subscribe to our companion Substack:
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 When the internet breaks, your customer service shows its true colors. Joanna and Michelle unpack how to turn outages into opportunities — and what Count Chocula, Coke Zero, and cinnamon rolls can teach you about seasonal offers and brand loyalty.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to turn tech outages and customer frustration into trust-building moments
• The secret behind seasonal scarcity — and how legacy brands like General Mills use it to create FOMO
• The “Coke Zero” framework for refreshing your offers without burning down your business
  
  

Timestamps:
 00:00 - Introduction

04:00 – AWS outage chaos and what it exposed about online business dependency
 07:00 – How to handle customer meltdowns with empathy (and why refunds aren’t the enemy)
 13:00 – Building loyalty through human-to-human connection
 15:00 – Count Chocula & the power of seasonal scarcity marketing
 20:00 – Maeve’s Top Buns: the $1M cinnamon roll case study in organic storytelling
 31:00 – What Coca-Cola Zero teaches us about positioning and audience segmentation
 35:00 – Pivot permission: why it’s okay to change your offer (strategically)

References & Resources:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• General Mills — Count Chocula, BooBerry, Frankenberry cereals
• Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
  
  

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com

Send us a text

✅ Subscribe to our companion Substack:
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What happens when influencer entitlement meets AI perfection? From “Pastrygate” to the comeback of messy, human marketing—Joanna and Michelle unpack why imperfection, honesty, and story-driven content are winning online.

What You’ll Learn:

• How “Pastrygate” exposed the dark side of influencer culture—and what brands can learn from it
• Why AI-polished content kills trust and how to re-humanize your marketing
• The storytelling frameworks that convert curious scrollers into loyal buyers
  
  

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction
 03:00 – The “Pastrygate” influencer meltdown explained
 09:30 – When negativity becomes a brand strategy (and backfires)
 16:00 – Why drama and gossip drive virality
 25:00 – AI perfection vs. human imperfection: the new trust factor
 38:00 – How to tell stories that sell (without sounding salesy)
 46:00 – Document, don’t perform: making authenticity easy

References & Resources:

• Aurora “Glamor” (Influencer involved in Pastrygate)
• Masters of Marketing (HubSpot newsletter)
• AI actress “Tilly”
• Google “Parisian” Ad (YouTube)

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
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Send us a text

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 Is email marketing finally losing its edge? Joanna and Michelle unpack why social-first creators are outperforming inbox campaigns—and what Taylor Swift’s newest album rollout teaches us about storytelling, polarization, and pre-launch mismatches.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why “storytelling content” now outperforms how-tos and tutorials—and how to shift your messaging to match.
• What Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl reveals about audience expectations, brand alignment, and staying polarizing on purpose.
• How to adapt your marketing when your email list stops converting—and why on-platform sales are the new frontier.
  
  

Timestamps:

 00:00 - Introduction
 03:15 – The blurred line between business and personal life for creators
 10:42 – Storytelling vs. teaching: the new era of content marketing
 14:25 – Learning YouTube ads in-house (and why most agencies miss the mark)
 22:10 – The fall of email marketing for creators and rise of on-platform sales
 42:00 – Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl: pre-launch mismatch and fan expectations
55:20 – The power of polarization and authenticity in personal branding

References & Resources:

• Ramit Sethi
• ManyChat
• The Life of a Showgirl — Taylor Swift

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📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com

Send us a text

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Pitching yourself, borrowing audiences, and staying ahead of platform drama — this episode shows you how to diversify your reach and protect your brand. Plus, the latest on TikTok’s uncertain future and Taylor Swift’s launch playbook.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to use podcast guesting and collaborations to “borrow” authority and grow faster
• Why practicing pitching and content delivery beats waiting for perfection
• Ways to protect your business from TikTok’s turbulence and jump on trending culture
  
  

Timestamps:

 04:55 – Audience Borrowing: Leverage other people’s platforms
 08:20 – Pitching Yourself: Practice, iterate, improve
 13:40 – Facing the Cringe: Why bad content leads to better content
 18:00 – Presence on Camera: What your listening face says
 26:40 – Creativity vs. Views: Content that actually makes impact
 33:10 – TikTok Update: Algorithm shifts and platform uncertainty
 43:00 – Diversify Channels: Protect your business beyond TikTok
 44:30 – Taylor Swift Strategy: Album drops and cultural hijacks

References & Resources:

• Taylor Swift – Life of the Showgirl album launch
• Danielle Fishel (Topanga, Boy Meets World, Dancing With the Stars)
• Blue Sky Social & Skylight app

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com

Send us a text

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What happens when TikTok’s magic algorithm gets rewritten in the U.S.—and Jimmy Kimmel gets yanked off air for poking fun at politicians? This week, we unpack how censorship, content, and creator strategy collide.

What You’ll Learn:

• What TikTok’s U.S. algorithm split could mean for your reach, engagement, and sales
• How the Jimmy Kimmel vs. Disney fallout reveals bigger branding and censorship lessons
• A practical framework for choosing when (and how) to engage with cultural conversations in your content

Update: After filming this episode, ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel would be back on air starting September 23rd. This goes to show that we can vote with our wallets to effect the change we want to see in the world. 

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction
 04:00 – TikTok’s U.S. takeover: what the algorithm shake-up means
 08:30 – Jimmy Kimmel pulled: censorship, Disney backlash & brand trust
 13:00 – Ethics in marketing: propaganda, press, and personal branding
 19:00 – Diversifying platforms: protecting your business beyond TikTok
 27:00 – Core values + content pillars: deciding when to join the conversation
 34:00 – Playing to your strengths: finding the right content medium for growth

References & Resources:

• TikTok
• Disney / Hulu / Disney+
• Jimmy Kimmel
• Ted Cruz
• Saturday Night Live (SNL)

EOS model / Traction (book)

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📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: [email protected]
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com