Marketing #Unfiltered

 You know that panicky moment when you realize you need sales NOW but you don't have a giant audience to sell to? Yeah, that one.

Maybe renewals didn't come through. Maybe a launch underperformed. Maybe life got busy and audience growth just... didn't happen. And now you're stuck thinking: "Should I focus on growth or sales? How do I do BOTH without losing my mind?"

Here's the truth: When you need revenue sooner rather than later, proximity beats popularity. Every time.

In this episode, Sophia will be breaking down the exact 3-bucket framework for making sales when your audience feels too small without waiting months for visibility to build. These are the fastest paths to revenue that don't require more followers, more content, or more time.

Here's What We Cover:

1. Re-Engage the Warmest People in Your World. Your fastest path to sales isn't strangers, it's people who already know and trust you 
2. Past clients aren't one-and-done: Think "next step," not "start over"—what's the natural next level for people who've already worked with you? 
3. Discovery calls that didn't convert aren't forever-nos—they're usually "not right now," and following up 3-6 months later with context is how you turn maybes into yeses
4. Borrowed Audiences = Instant Sales Opportunities. You don't have to build trust from scratch, you can borrow it 
5. Affiliate-powered launches: Instead of relying on your own list, bring in colleagues and past clients to promote your webinar/challenge/training for a commission
6. Fast, Activation-Based Sales Moments. Create short, energetic sales windows that activate the audience you already have
7. Giveaways that turn into sales windows: Run a giveaway, collect applications, choose a winner, then offer everyone who applied a 48-hour special invitation

...and so much more!

Resources:

• Send Sophia a voicemail with your questions: https://www.speakpipe.com/MarketingUnfiltered

If your audience feels quiet right now, like the DMs are slow, the energy is flat, and you're showing up but nobody's really responding, this episode is for you.

Here's the truth: A quiet audience is almost never a content problem. It's not a follower count problem either. It's a connection problem, a follow-up problem, and an "I'm not creating engagement strategically" problem.

In this solo episode, Sophia will break down the exact 3-layer framework she uses to create engagement on demand, the kind that actually leads to conversations, relationships, and sales. Not viral moments. Not vanity metrics. Real, meaningful engagement that converts.

Here's What We Cover:

1.  Stay Connected to the People Already Here. Build a weekly habit of personal outreach (it doesn't have to be 100 DMs, even one intentional message matters)
2. Where to focus your connection energy. Follow up with discovery calls that didn't convert, stay close to current clients, and reconnect with people who used to engage
3. Turn Lurkers Into Conversations. Create intentional opportunities for people to raise their hands (polls, question stickers, link clicks)
4. How to use engagement as intel. When someone votes on your poll about doubling their email list, that's not just engagement, that's information you can act on
5.  Create Engagement With a Plan. If you don't know what you'll do with engagement, there's no point in creating it

... plus a simple formula for using connection that converts!

Resources:

• Free Q&A Day Strategy Guide: 
• Send Sophia a voicemail with your questions: https://www.speakpipe.com/MarketingUnfiltered

Gloria Chou is back to drop some serious truth bombs about AI search, the trust recession, and why traditional SEO is basically dead.

This episode gets unhinged in the best way as we dive into how ChatGPT is completely changing the game for discovery, why being human is your biggest competitive advantage, and the insane opportunity that's sitting right in front of us, if we're willing to grab it. Get ready to real about what's actually working in PR right now!

Here's What We Cover:

1. How AI search has fundamentally changed how people discover and buy (hint: it's not Google anymore)
2. The exact AI tools and prompts Gloria uses to write pitches, find podcasts, and monitor competitors in under 15 minutes
3. Why press mentions are 3x more effective than social media or ads for AI visibility right now
4. How to use Perplexity to do 90% of the work a PR agency would charge thousands for
5. The CPR pitching method (and how it's now trained into AI models)

... and what to do right now if you want to be discoverable, credible, and chosen.

Resources:

• Free Masterclass: gloriachoupr.com/masterclass
• DM Gloria "SOPHIA" on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gloriachoupr for bonus resources
• Tool: https://www.perplexity.ai/
• Tool: https://chatgpt.com/

Jenna Kutcher is pausing The Goal Digger Podcast. Amy Porterfield is retiring Digital Course Academy. And the internet is doing what the internet does, panicking and asking if this means podcasts are dead, courses don't work, and online business as we know it is over. Sophia is here to slow that narrative WAY down. Because what's actually happening isn't that these formats are broken, it's that two massive business owners are intentionally closing chapters they've been in for nearly a decade. There's a huge difference between "this format no longer works" and "this format no longer fits where I am." In this episode, Sophia breaks down the real industry shifts happening (spoiler: they happen every 5-10 years), why a big fish feeling a shift doesn't mean the pond dried up, and gives you three concrete actions to take instead of panicking or standing still.

Here's What We Cover:

1. The crucial distinction no one's making — "This format no longer works" vs. "This format no longer fits where I am" (and why that matters)
2. Industry shifts are fucking normal — Why this happens every 5-10 years and it doesn't mean everything stops working
3. The bigger context: from COVID to AI — How reels, short-form video, and AI have all been industry shift moments we've navigated before
4. Courses are still selling, podcasts still work — But they're being consumed differently, trust looks different, expectations have changed
5. The three things to do instead of panicking:
   • Create intentional pause — What could you pause for 30-90 days to create space for clarity?
   • Audit for revenue AND joy — Look at what makes money, what doesn't, what brings joy, and what makes you roll your eyes
   • Listen to what your audience is excited about NOW — Not three years ago, not what everyone else is selling

...and what to focus on when the industry feels loud, chaotic, and unclear.

Resources Mentioned:

• Submit Your Question: https://www.speakpipe.com/MarketingUnfiltered
• Listen to this for more ways to sell outside of 1:1 coaching: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-201-how-coaches-can-sell-in-2026-without-relying/id1644601845?i=1000742475013 
• My AI strategy for coaches and creators: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-200-my-ai-strategy-for-coaches-creators-going-into-2026/id1644601845?i=1000741533840 

Six months ago (literally the week Sophia gave birth), she and her husband, Bradley, a Peloton instructor with a built-in community, launched a podcast that got thousands of downloads immediately. No warming up. No convincing. People just showed up. It was such a stark contrast to launching Marketing Unfiltered years earlier without an audience, and it crystallized something Sophia sees coaches mess up constantly: they spend a year perfecting their program while completely forgetting to grow their community. Then they launch a webinar and ask, "who am I promoting this to?" and realize... there's no one there. This episode is Sophia's wake-up call that audience growth can't be an afterthought anymore, it needs seasons, strategy, and to happen alongside (or before) building your offers. Because if you want to be a big deal in 2026, you can't wait until your program is perfect to start growing your audience.

Here's What We Cover:

1. The biggest mistake coaches make with audience growth: Spending a year perfecting the program while forgetting to consistently grow the community
2. The order that actually works: Build the audience and relationship BEFORE or WHILE you build the thing (not after it's "perfect")
3. The difference between passive exposure and real growth: Why podcast guesting and lead magnets are great for consistency but not how you grow BIG
4. The three best ways to own your growth: Summits, Private Podcasts, and Bundles: When each strategy works best and which one matches your sales approach

…and other proven growth principles most coaches overlook.

Resources Mentioned:

• Submit Your Question — https://www.speakpipe.com/MarketingUnfiltered

Selling in 2026 doesn’t have to mean another 1:1 offer, course, or mastermind.

In this episode of Marketing Unfiltered, I’m giving you permission to think outside the box when it comes to how you sell — and walking you through six creative categories of offers coaches are using right now to generate revenue without burning out.

If you’ve felt boxed in by traditional coaching models, this episode will help you rethink what’s possible.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why coaches don’t need to rely solely on 1:1 coaching, courses, or memberships anymore
• How to sell visibility, proximity, speed, and insight — not just transformations
• Creative offer ideas like Q&A memberships, office hours passes, laser coaching, and private audio feeds
• How to reimagine VIP days with 48–72 hour sprints
• Ways to monetize your ecosystem through affiliates, licensing, and partnerships
• Trend memberships and industry insight offers that position you as the go-to expert
• How to choose offers that align with how you actually want to work in 2026

This episode is meant to spark ideas — and I think it will!

AI has changed the business landscape — fast.

In this episode, I’m sharing how I’m thinking about AI as we move into 2026, especially after a year that felt harder than expected for a lot of coaches, consultants, and service providers.

I walk you through three strategic ways I’m using AI in my own business — not as a gimmick, but as a core part of my offers, systems, and decision-making.

In this episode, I cover:

1. Why AI has temporarily shifted how people value coaching and services
2. How I use AI as a speed filter across my offers
3. Where AI has replaced certain team tasks — without lowering quality
4. My favorite AI prompt for quality control and decision-making
5. Why “just using ChatGPT to write emails” isn’t enough anymore

This isn’t about doing everything with AI.

It’s about using it intentionally so you don’t get left behind.

Got questions? 

Email [email protected]

OR 

Leave me a voicemail here so I can feature you on an upcoming episode and/or come up with creative ways to support you: http://speakpipe.com/marketingunfiltered

Kelly Sinclair took the entire summer off social media and had her highest-income summer in four years. How? By redefining visibility as a daily habit that has nothing to do with performative posting and everything to do with building actual relationships. In this refreshingly honest episode, Kelly shares why she declared 2025 "the year of only if it's a hell yes," how she got a client while working at a bookstore with a messy hair bun, and why visibility is about taking one strategic action every single day, not checking off boxes to feel productive. From building custom AI tools to help you take messy action to the reality of cycling back to "I don't know what I'm selling" eight years into business, this episode is permission to let it be easy.

Here's What We Cover:

1. Performative visibility vs. strategic visibility: Why posting on Instagram with 65 followers is literally doing nothing for your business (and what to do instead)
2. The 10-minute daily visibility habit that changed everything: How one local media pitch led to a multi-millionaire podcast guest, a speaking gig in Nashville, and collaboration opportunities that keep coming
3. Why bundles are Kelly's favorite list growth strategy right now: How she launched a bundle on her birthday, went biking and bar hopping, and woke up to 230 new subscribers
4. How to use AI for visibility without sounding like AI wrote it: Why you need a brand calibrator (not just prompts) to train AI to actually sound like you
5. Building custom GPTs: Valerie the Visibility Auditor and Sarah the Sprint Coach: Kelly's interactive AI tools that assess your visibility actions and coach you through taking strategic moves

…and the list doesn’t stop there!

Resources Mentioned:

• 90-Day Visibility Sprint Starter Kit (FREE): https://kellysinclair.thrivecart.com/the-90-day-visibility-sprint-podcast/
• Entrepreneur School Podcast: https://kellysinclair.thrivecart.com/the-90-day-visibility-sprint-podcast/?coupon=SOPHIAPOD
• Connect with Kelly: www.instagram.com/ksco_kelly/

There are 20,000 events happening TODAY that need speakers (7,500 in the US alone), and Laurie-Ann Murabito is here to show you exactly how to get booked for them. A former healthcare professional turned professional speaker who helps coaches, consultants, and service providers leverage speaking as their best form of marketing, Laurie-Ann breaks down why speaking is the ultimate trust-building strategy in this trust recession we're all navigating. From why your voice conveys confidence (or pushes people away) to the exact script for reaching out to your warm market, this conversation is a masterclass in getting on stages, virtual or live, and converting those audiences into clients. If you've been telling yourself you're not ready to speak or that speaking isn't for you, this episode will flip that script completely.

Here's What We Cover:

1. Why your voice is your secret weapon in the trust recession: How frequency, pauses, and tone convey confidence and build trust (and why AI-written content pushes people away)
2. The "get ready to be ready" principle: Why you need your speech written BEFORE you start pitching (and what happened when Laurie-Ann had answers ready during a casual coffee chat)
3. The warm market strategy that booked 4 gigs from 1 phone call: How to leverage people who already know, love, and trust you (and the exact dialogue to use)
4. How to open the door to conversation without being salesy: The questions to ask meeting planners that get you information (not rejection)
5. The daily vitamin approach to building relationships: Why reaching out to 1-2 people every day (not 14 on Sunday) actually works

... and everything else that happens when people hear you speak!

Resources Mentioned:

• Free Guide: 10 Most Downloaded Episodes: https://speakandstandout.com/Guide

Meet Mindi Huebner, a subconscious identity coach who helps high-achieving women shed conditioning and breaks down the identity gap, the space between who you're being and who you say you want to be. From why you can't check your emails without anxiety to why women are twice as likely to justify using AI, this conversation will make you realize that 95% of what you do is subconsciously automated. If you've ever felt overwhelmed looking at your calendar or wondered why success feels so hard, Mindi explains the beliefs running the show behind the scenes and how to actually close that gap.

Here's What We Cover:

1. Why your subconscious keeps you surviving, not successful — How your brain burns the least amount of calories possible to keep you in familiar patterns (even when they don't serve you)
2. Mindi's 15-minute call strategy that actually works — How she sells high-ticket offers by identifying limiting beliefs in 15 minutes (and why people have opinions about it)
3. Women and AI: the justification problem — Why men are twice as likely to use AI and zero times as likely to justify it (and what that means for the gender pay gap)
4. Your 24-carat identity framework — How to map out the version of you who has everything she wants (down to what she smells like)
5. The 5-4-3-2-1 nervous system regulation technique — Five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, one deep breath

... and so much more!

Resources Mentioned:

• 10-Episode Private Podcast from Mindi — DM "podcast" on LinkedIn or Instagram to receive it
• Connect with Mindi:
  • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindihuebner/