Input/Output: The Creator System For Experts | with Shawn Buttner

700 videos. 430 landing pages. 170+ podcast episodes. And a decade of newsletters. So why wasn't anything sticking?

In this mini update episode, Shawn gets real about what's been happening behind the scenes, and the common thread he found running through all of it.

If you've ever felt like you're putting in the work but not getting the traction, this one's for you.

Topics discussed:

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

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

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

The best thing YouTube does for creators has nothing to do with views — it's the 1% improvements you make every single time you hit record.

In this episode, freelance videographer Joseph Burda shares what that growth looked like as a stay-at-home dad and how a no-niche sandbox approach helped him avoid burnout as a new creator. You'll learn how to escape the sunk cost trap that keeps so many creators stuck, find your creator cohort, and actually enjoy the journey.

Topics discussed:

Introduction (00:00)
What 1% looks like for creators (01:42)
The impetus to finally get on YouTube (05:45)
How YouTube grows you as a person and creator (07:11)
Joseph’s creative process (15:18)
The sandbox approach to avoid burnout and just get started (17:28)
Finding your YouTube cohort (19:06)
Why so many creators lose their agency (23:37)
How to live a regret-free life as a creator (27:09)
Why you should lean into your interests (32:45)
Closing (38:12)

Joseph Burda is a creative director, editor, and dad. The Bham Burdas is where he documents real-life experiments with money, mindset, family, and living a regret free life... Among other things.

Connect with Joseph: 

https://www.youtube.com/@CreatorControlGroup

https://www.youtube.com/@B-hamburdas

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 Shawn Buttner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnbuttner/

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

Your creator identity is the foundation of every creator system. If your content sounds like everyone else's, more tactics won't fix it. This conversation explores the creative DNA behind sustainable creator growth.

Jeremy Enns joins me for a deep conversation about what actually makes a creator unique. We break down the three forces that shape creator identity: your experiences and beliefs, how you relate to other people, and the knowledge you contribute beyond common best practices. Together, these create the perspective that separates memorable creators from interchangeable ones.

Jeremy shares how seemingly unrelated childhood interests—from Lego to video games—became clues to the way he thinks, teaches, and builds today. We explore why creative growth often comes from following curiosity rather than forcing a predefined path, and how repeated practice helps creators discover their own voice.

We also discuss why many creators get stuck trying to find the "right" answer instead of developing their own point of view. Jeremy explains how writing, reflection, and paying attention to recurring interests helped him move beyond imposter syndrome and build a creative system grounded in his own observations. If you've ever wondered whether your unique perspective actually matters, this episode makes the case that creator identity is the input behind creative performance, sustainable content creation, and long-term creator growth.

Creators That Crush is the show for creators, coaches, and entrepreneurs building a creator system that supports meaningful work and sustainable growth. Hosted by Certified High Performance Coach Shawn Buttner, each episode explores creator identity, creative performance, content systems, and the habits that help creators build businesses around their expertise.

Chapters:
1. The three parts of creative DNA
2. What childhood interests reveal about creator identity
3. How game design influences creative work
4. Why following creative curiosity matters
5. The compounding effect of writing and publishing
6. Escaping the search for the "right" answer
7. Developing strong opinions about your craft
8. How creator identity shapes long-term growth

About our guest:
Jeremy Enns | Founder, Podcast Marketing Academy
Helps expert-based businesses grow through stronger positioning, audience development, and creative voice.

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.

What are your thoughts on enthusiasm?

The two questions from the episode are:

When is a time when your enthusiasm helped lead you to success?
When is a time when your enthusiasm dropped and it caused you to quit something?

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://www.shawnbuttner.com/podcasts/input-output-the-creator-system-for-experts-with-shawn-buttner/episodes/2149073093

→ Make your AI sound like you, not like everyone else's AI. Free 30-minute setup: shawnbuttner.com/voiceprint
→ The written version is in my newsletter, The Output: shawnbuttner.com/joinus

Input/Output is the creator system for experts: people who built a track record in another career and are now turning that into a creator business. Hosted by Shawn Buttner, certified high performance coach. The premise is simple. You are the ultimate input into your creator system. Get yourself clear, and the tools, team, and content follow.

This episode is about creative performance and the creator habits that sustain it.

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:

The product manager mindset for creators
Why creators need to niche down
The "jobs to be done" concept
How to create content that connects (and sells)
How to define your values and build a business around them
What it takes to sustain a creative business

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/

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

→ Make your AI sound like you, not like everyone else's AI. Free 30-minute setup: shawnbuttner.com/voiceprint
→ The written version is in my newsletter, The Output: shawnbuttner.com/joinus

Input/Output is the creator system for experts: people who built a track record in another career and are now turning that into a creator business. Hosted by Shawn Buttner, certified high performance coach. The premise is simple. You are the ultimate input into your creator system. Get yourself clear, and the tools, team, and content follow.

This episode is about content strategy for experts and treating your content like a product.

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:

What is AAM and examples from other creators
The 10-second test, and how you can accomplish it
Where creators get tripped up

Listen to Susan Boles's episode here: https://www.shawnbuttner.com/podcasts/input-output-the-creator-system-for-experts-with-shawn-buttner/episodes/2149041136

→ Make your AI sound like you, not like everyone else's AI. Free 30-minute setup: shawnbuttner.com/voiceprint
→ Feeling the gap? Book a Creator Diagnostic: shawnbuttner.com/clarity-call

Input/Output is the creator system for experts: people who built a track record in another career and are now turning that into a creator business. Hosted by Shawn Buttner, certified high performance coach. The premise is simple. You are the ultimate input into your creator system. Get yourself clear, and the tools, team, and content follow.

This episode is about creator clarity, positioning, and creator identity.

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:

Common mistakes creators make
How imposter syndrome holds you back
How to define your message and your audience
Six ways to overcome imposter syndrome
Why you should embrace failure

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:

https://www.youtube.com/@ChristineBlosdale
https://www.expertauthoritycoach.com/

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

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

→ Make your AI sound like you, not like everyone else's AI. Free 30-minute setup: shawnbuttner.com/voiceprint
→ Feeling the gap? Book a Creator Diagnostic: shawnbuttner.com/clarity-call

Input/Output is the creator system for experts: people who built a track record in another career and are now turning that into a creator business. Hosted by Shawn Buttner, certified high performance coach. The premise is simple. You are the ultimate input into your creator system. Get yourself clear, and the tools, team, and content follow.

This episode is about creator confidence and owning your expert power as a creator.

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/input-output-the-creator-system-for-experts-with-shawn-buttner/episodes/2149073093

→ Make your AI sound like you, not like everyone else's AI. Free 30-minute setup: shawnbuttner.com/voiceprint
→ Feeling the gap? Book a Creator Diagnostic: shawnbuttner.com/clarity-call

Input/Output is the creator system for experts: people who built a track record in another career and are now turning that into a creator business. Hosted by Shawn Buttner, certified high performance coach. The premise is simple. You are the ultimate input into your creator system. Get yourself clear, and the tools, team, and content follow.

This episode is about creator identity, creative performance, and improving your show.

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:

Why Kev rebranded his podcast (twice)
What the 7-year burnout cycle looks like
How podcast growth strategies have evolved
Balancing your creative side and business side
Rebranding and reinventing as a creator
How to define your audience the right way
Tips to build confidence and creativity

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:

https://twitter.com/kevinchemidlin
https://instagram.com/kevinchemidlin
https://linkedin.com/in/kevinchemidlin
https://www.youtube.com/@growtheshow

Check out the episode on skyrocketing your confidence here: https://www.shawnbuttner.com/podcasts/input-output-the-creator-system-for-experts-with-shawn-buttner/episodes/2149061066

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

→ Make your AI sound like you, not like everyone else's AI. Free 30-minute setup: shawnbuttner.com/voiceprint
→ Feeling the gap? Book a Creator Diagnostic: shawnbuttner.com/clarity-call

Input/Output is the creator system for experts: people who built a track record in another career and are now turning that into a creator business. Hosted by Shawn Buttner, certified high performance coach. The premise is simple. You are the ultimate input into your creator system. Get yourself clear, and the tools, team, and content follow.

This episode is about creator burnout and sustainable content creation.