If you’ve ever wondered why some creators stay consistent, grow their work, and keep loving the process while others quietly burn out, this episode will show you the difference.

In this solo reflection, Shawn Buttner shares his initial case for enthusiasm as the true currency of creativity, why sustained excitement for your craft predicts long-term success better than hustle, algorithms, or luck. Drawing from his own journey from business school to Walmart, Apple, and finally coaching, Shawn shows how enthusiasm guided every major pivot and how losing it nearly ended his creative drive.

You’ll also hear what Shawn learned from studying dozens of “I Quit” creator videos and how fading enthusiasm, not failure, was usually the real reason people walked away. He then unpacks five lasting benefits of protecting and amplifying your enthusiasm: clearer career decisions, creative freedom, contagious energy, sustainable motivation, and deep personal satisfaction.

If your spark has dimmed or you’ve been pushing through out of obligation, this episode will help you reconnect with why you started.

The two questions from the episode are:

Feel free to email [email protected] with your answers or thoughts.

To see a creator enthusiasm journey, check out Kev Michael's interview here: https://youtu.be/u3mvOCXj5xU

Tired of overthinking? Doubting your work and letting fear hold you back? Mindset can only get you so far. What you really need is the resilience to show up and build real confidence.

Resilience coach Carlos Garcia is an expert in resilience training and performing under pressure — especially when you're stuck in a cycle of anxiety and self-doubt. In this episode, he shares actionable tools and real-world practices you can start using today to rewire your nervous system, get out of your comfort zone, and feel confident in your content.

You'll learn how to face the fears keeping you stuck and manage the discomfort of being a creator!

Topics discussed:

Carlos is co-founder of True Progress Lab, where he helps people get calm under pressure, get bold, and go after big opportunities. He’s also an attorney by trade, an Army reserve JAG, and an Army certified resilience trainer where he trains soldiers and leaders on tools to stay calm and resilient under stress.

Links:

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

 Feel like you're creating but your content isn’t landing? The solution could be as simple as treating your content like a product.

Not sure what that means? In this episode, Diana Ordoñez explains how to define the “job” of your content, clarify your audience, and create content that connects. You’ll learn a simple exercise to discover your core values and how to use empathy as a strategic tool for growth.

If you want to turn your content from a hobby into a business, this episode is for you!

Topics discussed:

Diana Ordonez is an Executive & High Performance Coach (CHPC, BCC) with a Master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. She draws on her decade of experience as a corporate product management director, along with her journey of personal resilience and growth, to help leaders lead with clarity, purpose, and confidence.

Connect with Diana Ordonez:

https://www.lifeonpurpose.coach/thrive

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzBVp_swZl5Mqx_nVCi6fFQ

https://instagram.com/lifeonpurpose.coach/

Listen to Creators That Crush on Apple: https://apple.co/3duh0xG

Listen to Creators That Crush on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zm76yT667pFBQfvPYhDl8?si=7f0267d0366742f7

Follow us on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPYGHMT5cuFigp3efE8FwNw/

Connect with Shaw Buttner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnbuttner/

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

If your publishing feels heavy, your positioning probably is. In this episode, Shawn shows professional creators how to define their audience using AAM—Audience, Aspiration, Method—and a 10-second one-liner you can actually say out loud. When AAM is crisp, creation gets easier, outreach lands, and platform changes don’t shake you.   

You’ll hear clear AAM examples (Creator Science, Calm is the New KPI, GrowthDay) and Shawn’s own pivot from fuzzy messaging to a weekly outreach process and product clarity (premise/promise/delivery).   

Then we run a timed AAM Drill: 5 minutes on audience identities/psychographics, 5 minutes on concrete aspirations, 5 minutes on the transformation (your method). Cap it with the Flow / Memorability / 10-Second checks so you can use your AAM this week.   

Topics discussed:

Links:

Free 30-min Strategy Session: www.shawnbuttner.com/30

You know your stuff... so why are you still struggling as a creator? Are you undervaluing your work or confused about your message? In this episode, branding coach Christine Blosdale breaks down how confidence (not talent) is holding you back and what it takes to own your expert power.

If you're afraid to charge more for your services or call yourself an expert in your niche, her tips will help you overcome imposter syndrome, build your brand, and reach the right audience!

Topics discussed:

Christine Blosdale is The Expert Authority Coach — and for over 25 years, she's helped entrepreneurs, coaches, and business leaders stop playing small and start commanding the attention they deserve.

As a five-time #1 bestselling author and award-winning media personality, Christine has contributed to major platforms like America Online and Microsoft - and now she helps entrepreneurs amplify their message with high-impact branding, marketing via podcasting, and bold visibility strategies that get results.

Her mission? To help you master your message, magnetize your brand, and become the go-to authority in your niche. For more information visit ExpertAuthorityCoach.com

Connect with Christine Blosdale:

Get your free gift: https://mailchi.mp/4bbbfb0a3de4/survivalguide

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

Most creators are told the answer to slow growth is more output, more tactics, or more courses. But what if the real breakthrough comes from looking inward?

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on my own podcast and walking you through the nine things I believe are wrong with Creators That Crush. From a name that might be sending the wrong signal to unclear episode expectations, inconsistent quality, and engagement issues — I’m sharing it all.

You’ll hear how I gathered feedback, spotted patterns, and boiled it all down into three big changes that will help me (and maybe you) create better, faster, and with more joy:

Refocus on the show’s core promise.

Lean into a consistent, transformation-driven episode structure.

Invest more in pre-production to tighten clarity and packaging.

If you’ve been creating for a while and feel stuck, this episode is your step-by-step example of how to use self-reflection to move forward. Listen in, then try this process for yourself.

Check out the previously mentioned episode with Kev Michael Here:

https://www.shawnbuttner.com/podcasts/creators-that-crush/episodes/2149073093

Apple: https://apple.co/3duh0xG

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zm76yT667pFBQfvPYhDl8?si=7f0267d0366742f7

Free 30-min Creator Strategy Session: https://www.shawnbuttner.com/30

Remember when podcasting used to be fun? If you're feeling uninspired or like your show is running on autopilot, you may be due for a creative reset.

Kev Michael of Grow the Show is a podcast growth expert, but even he found himself stuck in the 7-year creator burnout cycle. In this episode, he shares what he did to get excited about being a creator again and why he decided to reverse his podcast rebrand. You’ll learn how to keep creating without burning out, get your mojo back, and start crushing it as a creator!

Topics discussed:

Kev Michael is a podcaster and podcast coach. His first podcast, Philly Who?, was launched in 2018 as a side hustle while he was a corporate software developer. Within 18 months, Philly Who? surpassed 100,000 downloads and more than six figures in monetized revenue. In 2020, Kevin launched Grow The Show, a podcast, and the Grow The Show Accelerator, an intensive podcast accelerator program. Since then the Grow The Show has impacted over 50,000 podcasters, and the Grow The Show Accelerator has helped over 500 podcasters grow and monetize.

Connect with Kev Michael:

Check out the episode on skyrocketing your confidence here: https://www.shawnbuttner.com/podcasts/creators-that-crush/episodes/2149061066

 Join me for a 30 minute free creator strategy session here: https://www.shawnbuttner.com/30

 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://podcastboutique.com

Free Strategy Session: If you want help breaking through creative burnout, grab a free 30-minute strategy call at www.shawnbuttner.com/30

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You were the creative star — the ideas, the voice, the energy that made it all happen. But somewhere along the way, success turned your spark into caution. And here’s the truth: caution kills creativity. In this episode, I’ll share why even the most talented creators can get stuck after success and what you can do to reignite your creative fire.

I’ll walk you through my own story — how a silly, low-stakes Instagram reel about my coffee routine became the best-performing content I’d ever made, and what it taught me about overthinking, experimentation, and joy in the creative process. You’ll also hear lessons from creators like Jay Klaus, behind-the-scenes insights from Saturday Night Live, and a surprising pottery class study that proves why quantity often beats perfection.

From there, I’ll break down five focus shifts that can get you unstuck fast: focus on effort, not outcomes; show up for the work instead of waiting for magic; embrace learning over perfection; think in terms of long-term growth rather than single hits; and choose intrinsic goals over external pressure.

We’ll also talk about the balance between strategy and joy, why repeating what works can be useful (until it isn’t), and how to recognize when mental health challenges might be the real creative block. By the end, you’ll have a clear, practical framework for getting back to the kind of work that made you the creative star in the first place — and the confidence to let success follow naturally.

Creative burnout isn’t about laziness or lack of ambition—it’s a signal that your creative process is out of alignment. In this episode of Creators That Crush, Shawn Buttner breaks down why the standard advice of “just push harder” isn’t sustainable, and introduces the one path that actually works: finding your performance edge.

You’ll learn:

What a performance edge is (and what it feels like)

The 3 major causes of creative burnout: delay, detachment, and doing it alone 

How to recognize when you’ve slipped out of alignment with your creative work

How to use 5 high-performance metrics—clarity, energy, courage, productivity, and influence—to diagnose and fix burnout

Why micro-habits and flow states are essential for sustainable momentum

 Shawn also shares personal stories—from his own burnout journey to client breakthroughs—to help you reconnect with your purpose and create with confidence again.

Links & Resources: 

Free 30-min Creator Strategy Call: https://www.shawnbuttner.com/30

Watch on YouTube: YouTube Channel

Subscribe on Apple: Apple Podcasts

Subscribe on Spotify: Spotify

What if the reason you’re stuck isn’t what you think?

In this solo episode of Creators That Crush, certified High Performance Coach Shawn Buttner shares a powerful 10-minute diagnostic that has helped hundreds of creators and professionals get unstuck, reclaim their energy, and take real action. Drawing on a decade of coaching and his own YouTube journey (700 videos before things started to click), Shawn walks through the five critical areas that determine momentum—and what to do if one is lagging. The last 4 minutes of the episode talk about how to use the assessment the most effectively.

If you’ve been feeling stalled, spinning your wheels, or just plain overwhelmed, this episode offers a straightforward way to identify where things are breaking down—and how to fix it. Don’t miss the free quiz and coaching tool at shawnbuttner.com/quiz to get your personalized results.

Listen now and discover the exact reason you’ve been stuck—and how to get back in motion.