If you’re heading into 2026 thinking, “I need a better marketing plan,” this episode will challenge that.

Most consultants and service providers assume their slow marketing results are about visibility…consistency…or needing to “do more.”

But there’s a single shift — a foundational one — that quietly determines whether your marketing works or feels like guesswork.

In this short episode, I break down:

• The invisible bottleneck that stalls even the smartest experts
• Why doing more marketing rarely solves the real problem
• The hidden reason your audience isn’t taking the next step
• What changes when you make this one shift heading into the new year
• How 2026 can finally be the year your marketing feels simpler (and more effective)

This isn’t about adding more tactics.  It’s not about learning a new platform. It’s about making one change that supports everything else you do.

Give it a listen — it’s short, sharp, and it might just rewire how you think about getting clients next year.

➡️ Ready to make that shift?

If this episode hits home, your next step is simple:

Book a private tour of The Expert Up Club.

Inside the Club, we help you make this shift and turn it into real marketing assets — things like your sales page, lead magnet, signature talk, or outreach strategy — so your marketing finally works.

And if you book your tour by Thursday, you’ll also get a

1:1 Messaging Strategy Session with me (a $500 value).

Together, we’ll map out exactly how to implement this shift in your business so you’re ready for whatever the market throws at us in 2026.

👉 Book your private tour: https://expertup.club

 

The real talk: After hitting episode 400, I completely disappeared. Not because I was celebrating - but because I was DONE. If you've been marketing for a while, you know this feeling. Here's what happened and why I'm switching things up.

What we're talking about:

• Why I ghosted after episode 400 (spoiler: podcast fatigue is real)
• The question you need to ask when your marketing feels like a slog
• Why the traditional podcast format feels stale AF
• What I'm actually craving in my business 
• The new direction: treating this like a Voxer chat or coffee date with you

Want more make marketing suck less in your life? Join my newsletter: https://drmichellemazur.com/newsletter

This podcast originial aired on Real Business Connections! Thank you, Ben Albert, for letting me publish it here. 

Does marketing suck?

For many experts, yes, it does! In this conversation, Dr. Michelle Mazur joins Ben Albert to unpack why so many experts struggle with marketing. Often, their deep knowledge and skill are overshadowed by louder, less qualified voices who are simply better communicators.

Michelle explains that the core problem is not ability but communication. Experts tend to rely on their expertise to speak for itself, but in today’s noisy digital space, that’s rarely enough.

Instead of pumping out generic “how-to” content (which Michelle says devalues expertise and makes you replaceable), she urges experts to craft opinion-based or diagnostic messaging grounded in their Three Word Rebellion, a powerful concept to communicate unique value and spark curiosity.She also emphasizes identifying your ideal clients, not just choosing a niche. Once you know who you serve, you can speak directly to their needs and create a clear path for them to work with you.

Dr. Michelle Mazur is the founder and messaging strategist at Communications Rebel. Listen in to tap into her wisdom and expertise. 

If your clients can’t clearly see why your services are essential right now — not just nice-to-have — they’ll choose someone else.

In this short, ranty episode, I break down why waiting to fix your message is the riskiest move you can make heading into 2026. The economy is shifting, clients are tightening budgets, and experts who can’t clearly communicate their value are about to feel the squeeze.

You’ll learn:

• The signs your message isn’t working (and what that’s costing you)
• Why “more marketing” isn’t the answer — better messaging is
• How to position your work as essential in an uncertain economy
• What you can do right now to make your business unmistakable

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to get your messaging dialed in — this is it.

🎧 Listen now, then book your private tour of The Expert Up Club to fix your message before 2026 hits.

400 episodes.  That number blows my mind.

Most podcasts don’t even make it to episode 10 before vanishing into the internet ether.

But somehow—through algorithm changes, personal crises, recessions, and a whole lot of terrible marketing advice—I’ve made it here. And I’m still going.

To celebrate, I’m not just popping confetti. I’m sharing the four rebel truths this podcast has been built on from day one. 

These are the hills I’ll die on. If you only listen to one episode of my show, let it be this one—because these truths will radically change how you market your business (without hating every second of it.)

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

What if a recession could actually help your business grow?

Sounds bananas, right? But hear me out. In every economic downturn, some businesses thrive. And I believe yours can be one of them—if you position yourself as the expert people are desperately searching for right now.

When budgets tighten, people get picky. They’re not gambling on vague promises or “just one step ahead” service providers. They want someone who knows their stuff. That’s where we come in.

Here’s how to capitalize on this moment—without burning out, selling out, or shouting into the void.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Do you ever get that gut-punch feeling when some bro marketer suddenly “finds his zone of genius” and lands clients left and right... meanwhile you’ve got actual results, actual experience, maybe even a degree (or three), and your inbox is quieter than a library on a Friday night?

Same. And I’ve had enough.

Let’s talk about why the flashy fakes keep winning—and what we, the real experts, can do about it.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let’s be real: your offer can be life-changing, your messaging can be tight, and people can tell you they love your work—but when it comes time to buy? Crickets.

I’ve seen it over and over again (and yep, I’ve been there too).

Here’s what’s really going on: you’re saying the right thing… to the wrong person… in the wrong place.

That’s why I keep coming back to something Eugene Schwartz laid out back in 1966. It’s called the Customer Awareness Spectrum, and it’s the foundation for how I help clients inside the Expert Up Club—and in my one-on-one work—create marketing that actually moves people.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let’s be real: it is maddening to be great at what you do and still feel invisible. Years of experience, glowing testimonials, maybe even a PhD… and still, your dream clients are ghosting you.

Meanwhile, someone with half your credentials and a catchy tagline is booked out and bragging on Instagram. 

If you've ever wanted to yell, “But I’m actually GOOD at this!” — same. And that moment is exactly what led me to a major breakthrough in how I show up in my business.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let’s play a quick game. I say a thing, and you tell me if it’s:

• Essential
• A Treat
• Postponable
• Expendable

Toilet paper? Essential.

Fancy lip gloss? Treat.

A new couch when the old one still works? Postponable.

An app that teaches your cat to manifest abundance? …Expendable (sorry to my kitties cat…you manifest enough Churus).

Here’s the rebel truth:

Your clients are playing this exact same game with your offer.

Right now. Whether they realize it or not.

And if you land in the wrong bucket, guess what? They’re not buying.

So let’s talk about how to make your offer feel like a must-have, not a maybe someday—especially in a shaky economy where “nice to have” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.