Sought After Educator

What educators need to focus on in 2026 to grow

In this episode of the Sought After Educator podcast, Jodie sits down with Maddi Cook, founder of Boss Your Salon, for a grounded conversation about what actually helps educators grow in 2026.

This isn’t a step-by-step launch episode.

It’s a real discussion about repetition, responsibility, experimentation, and staying close to your people long enough to build trust, authority, and sustainable growth.

Maddie brings her experience helping beauty professionals create and launch their first online courses. Jodie brings the brand, marketing, and positioning lens—breaking down why education businesses don’t grow through information alone, but through perspective, clarity, and consistency.

Together, they unpack what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where educators need to focus now if they want to build something that lasts.

1. Why growth often stalls because of hesitation, not lack of strategy
2. The difference between thinking about growth and actually creating it
3. Why teaching live (or staying close to your audience) strengthens both your offer and your marketing
4. How repetition builds trust and authority even when it feels uncomfortable
5. Why testing ideas beats waiting for confidence or clarity
6. Fault vs responsibility and how this mindset shift changes outcomes
7. Why people don’t pay for information anymore, but for perspective and pathway
8. How a clear, measurable program promise makes marketing and selling easier
9. What educators need to release in order to grow in today’s landscape

🎟️ Get your free ticket to Beyond the Chair Fest

https://maddicook.com/beyond-the-chair-fest

📲 Follow Maddi on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/maddiecookcoaching

📲 Follow Jodie on Instagram

@itsjodiebrown

Notice which part of this conversation challenged you the most.

That’s usually where growth is asking for more repetition, responsibility, or action.

Send me a DM on Instagram and let me know what you thought of this episode!

In this episode, I’m sharing a candid behind-the-scenes reflection on my year and the word I chose to guide it. What started as a commitment to discipline turned into a full season of refinement across my offers, systems, team, and leadership.

If you’re in a phase of rebuilding, slowing down, or doing the quiet foundational work that no one claps for, this episode is your reminder that it all counts.

1. Why 2025 wasn’t the year for big pushes or glamorous goals
2. How refining curriculum and offer ecosystems created stronger results
3. The leadership lesson that revealed where structure was missing
4. Why relying on systems instead of people changed everything
5. What I learned about boundaries, onboarding, and clear expectations
6. How rebuilding backend systems created more freedom and peace
7. Why sustainable growth requires space, not constant urgency
8. What it really means to build capacity in yourself as a leader

If your year felt slower on the outside but stronger underneath, you’re not behind. You’re building something that can actually hold what’s coming next.

If you’re listening in real time, send me a DM on Instagram and let me know what landed for you in this episode. I don’t usually share this much behind the scenes, but I believe seeing the real work matters.

I’ll see you next week with an incredible guest as we dive into building a brand and marketing as an educator.

Check out the Sought After Educator Accelerator

Say hi to Jodie on Instagram

In this episode, Jodie breaks down one of the most common marketing quotes in the education space and explains why it’s often misunderstood in a way that actually hurts your content instead of helping it.

If you’ve ever felt like your message is either too scattered or too repetitive, this conversation will help you understand what’s really going on and how to fix it without creating more work for yourself.

→ Why “one message, a hundred different ways” does not mean repeating the same sentence every day

→ How repetition builds brand equity and reputation over time

→ The difference between having a core message and constantly reinventing your marketing

→ Why angles are what keep repetition from becoming boring or stale

→ How different buyer motivations require different entry points into the same transformation

→ Why many launch problems are actually pre-launch messaging problems

→ How to use content on purpose through reach, nurture or activate, and convert

→ What it really means to close the perception gap in your brand

→ How educators can audit their content to ensure their offers make sense to their audience

→ A practical exercise to help you map one core message across 15 different content angles

This episode is especially relevant for educators who feel tired of being “on” all the time, who want their marketing to work more consistently, and who are ready to build a brand that people recognize, trust, and associate with a clear solution.

Repetition builds reputation. Angles make the message land. And when your content has purpose, marketing stops feeling heavy and starts feeling intentional.

If this resonated with you, you’ll love the deeper work we do inside Sought After Educator, where we focus on building brand equity, refining your core message, and creating content that actually supports your offers and your long-term growth.

If your first launch went really well and your second one felt confusingly quiet, you are not alone. This is one of the most common patterns educators experience, and it has far less to do with the quality of your offer than you think.

→ In this episode, I break down why the first round often sells effortlessly, why that early traction can actually mask missing foundations, and what shifts you need to make to build a sustainable education business that grows beyond your warmest supporters.

→ You will learn the difference between audience expansion and audience activation, how each one affects your launch results, and why focusing on only one keeps you stuck in inconsistent sales cycles.

→ We talk about what happens when you skip the foundational branding and messaging work because your audience is warm, how to rebuild trust with the people already in your world, and what to do if you haven’t been growing your audience between launches.

→ I also share examples from Escape to Elevate alumni, Sought After Educator students, and my own journey to show you how these patterns play out in real time and how to get momentum flowing again.

→ By the end of this episode, you will know exactly where to look if your launches feel unpredictable, what is actually happening behind the scenes, and how to create a marketing ecosystem that supports you long term.

If you are ready for deeper support as you build your brand and your education business, the Sought After Educator Accelerator will walk you through this work step by step.

jodiebrown.ca/sae

Twenty two years behind the chair, global brand deals, technical education director roles, sold out classes and a massive online audience. On paper, Rebecca Taylor (@rebeccataylorhair on Instagram) had the dream hairstylist educator career. In this conversation, she shares why she chose to walk away from technical education, retire from doing hair, and build a coaching and retreat-led business while preparing to move to Thailand full time.

We talk about what it actually feels like to call a chapter complete when it is still profitable and working on the outside, and the inner work required to leave the “safe bet” behind. Rebecca opens up about ego deaths, identity shifts, and the moment she realised she was going through the motions in classes she used to teach with fire.

We also dig into fear, nervous system responses, and the way our brains are still wired for village survival while we are trying to show up as visible leaders online. If you’ve ever felt terrified of being fully seen, of starting small again, or of pivoting away from what people know you for, you are going to feel very called out in the best way.

From there, we shift into social media, conscious consumption, and the difference between creator mode and consumer mode. Rebecca shares the practical ways she manages metrics, boundaries, and screen time, plus the four day digital detox that completely reset her relationship with her phone.

Finally, we get into the story of how a retreat in Thailand, a red “M” over a yoga shala, and eleven trips to Southeast Asia led to buying a house on a remote island and designing a life that prioritizes freedom, spaciousness, and experiences over hustle.

In this episode, we talk about

→ How Rebecca went from community college cosmetology school and Regis to global brand educator

→ What it looked like to leave a rigid, brand-led education model and go fully independent

→ The moment she knew technical education felt complete and why she chose to retire from hair

→ Walking away from multiple six figure brand deals when the work started to feel performative

→ Fear, ego deaths and navigating public pivots when you are known for one version of yourself

→ Why our nervous systems react so strongly to being seen online and how to work with that

→ Simple practices for conscious social media consumption and shifting out of doom scroll mode

→ The retreat experience that sparked a spiritual awakening and a completely new life vision

→ Buying a home in Thailand for a fraction of California prices and creating true location freedom

→ Why audacity and “why can’t I” energy matter more than knowing every step of the how

If you are a beauty or creative educator who is craving more freedom, a different way of living, or the courage to fully own your next chapter, this episode will give you both language and permission for what you are feeling.

Connect with Rebecca

→ Instagram: @rebeccataylorhair

→ TikTok: @rebeccataylor

→ Retreats and coaching info: www.rebeccataylorhair.com

If this episode resonated, send it to a fellow educator who is in a season of transition, and come tell me your biggest takeaway over on Instagram at @itsjodiebrown.

In today’s episode, Jodie breaks down how to audit your sales pages and website copy so your audience knows exactly what the outcome is, why it matters, and what to do next.

→ You’ll learn why strong visibility and strong content still won’t convert if your sales page experience is weak or misaligned.

→ Jodie walks through the first two seconds of the page, what belongs above the fold, and why your opening headline must speak to the outcome or identity shift your audience cares about.

→ We cover headline mapping and how your headlines should tell the full story of the page for buyers who skim first and read second.

→ You’ll hear the difference between functional and conversion-focused headlines, and how they shape decision momentum.

→ Jodie explains the biggest mistake educators make with features versus benefits and how to communicate why each part of your offer actually matters.

→ You’ll leave with a clear three-part audit process you can use on any sales page to improve clarity, trust, and conversion.

If you want deeper support and personalized sales page feedback, you can join Sought After Educator at jodiebrown.ca/sae.

Check out Sought After Educator

Connect with Jodie on Instagram

If you’ve been feeling burnt out or second-guessing yourself every time you show up to market your education, this episode is going to feel like a breath you’ve been holding for months. We’re digging into why your visibility might not be turning into sales, why marketing feels heavy or inauthentic, and the real reasons brilliant educators get stuck in doubt, burnout, or constant tweaking without seeing momentum.

→ We start with the truth most people don’t say out loud: what looks like burnout is almost always a strategy or identity gap

→ You’ll learn how to identify whether you’re dealing with a brand gap, a structure gap, or a content gap

→ I break down what makes your brand feel unclear or misaligned, why your backend might not be supporting the client journey you think it is, and what actually stops your content from building demand

→ We talk about the fear of being misunderstood, why watering yourself down stalls your growth, and how to communicate with more clarity and conviction

→ And if you’ve been relying on social media for every sale, we get into the shifts you need to make so your business isn’t dependent on being “on” all the time

This episode will help you name the gaps that are slowing your growth, understand how to fix them, and start reconnecting with the clarity and confidence you’ve been craving.

If you know you want support with your own brand, backend, or content strategy, this is the exact work we do inside Sought After Educator. You can learn more at jodiebrown.ca/sae or send me a message on Instagram and I’ll point you in the right direction.

Thanks for being here. Let’s dive in.

If you’ve ever wondered why some hair, beauty and creative educators build lasting impact while others fade after one launch, this episode is for you.

Jodie dives deep into one of the biggest things that truly sets sought after educators apart... the experience they deliver behind the scenes. From software to curriculum design to thoughtful follow-ups, she breaks down how to create a seamless, supportive experience that gets real results and builds long-term trust with your students.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

→ Why your software isn’t just tech... it’s part of your brand experience

→ How to design curriculum that’s clear, actionable, and focused on transformation

→ Why “more information” doesn’t equal more value

→ How to use follow-up and support strategies to build loyalty and legacy

→ How strong boundaries can actually make your clients feel more supported

Whether you’re running a digital course, a group program, or an in-person retreat, this episode will help you refine your systems, elevate your client experience, and create education that your students remember for years to come.

Mentioned in this episode:

→ Kajabi (Jodie’s recommended platform with a 30-day free trial)

→ Sought After Educator program

Connect with Jodie:

→ DM @itsjodiebrown and share your biggest takeaway from today’s episode

Feeling like Instagram changed the rules and forgot to tell us? You’re not imagining it. Engagement is down across the board, audience behavior has shifted, and what used to work just… doesn’t.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why your old content isn’t hitting anymore and how to refresh your Instagram strategy so your posts actually drive DMs, list growth, and sales in 2026.

You’ll learn:

→ the 5-step Instagram self-audit every educator needs to do now

→ how to use analytics for your business, not your ego

→ what to stop posting (and what to double down on)

→ why AI saturation has changed your audience’s attention span

→ how to stay ahead of 2026 content trends and build long-term brand relevance

Whether you’re an established educator or just building your education brand, this is your tactical playbook to cut through the noise, rebuild connection, and make your content convert again.

If you’re ready to create content that feels aligned and performs, hit play.

Mentioned in this episode:

→ Work with me through my boutique content agency Align Creative Co.

→ Join my signature program for educators Sought After Educator

→ DM me on Instagram @itsjodiebrown with “storyboard” to book a content audit or storyboard session

In this episode, we’re diving into what it really takes to be seen as an authority in your industry and how to create video content that actually builds trust and credibility over time.

As an educator who’s helped hundreds of creatives refine their messaging and become the go-to in their niche, I’ve seen one truth again and again: it’s not about being the loudest voice online, it’s about showing consistent proof of your expertise.

That’s exactly what we’re breaking down in today’s conversation with video strategist and former global educator Chris Sulimay. He’s worked with educators, coaches, and speakers across the country to help them turn their knowledge into high-impact content, and his approach is refreshingly simple.

→ Learn how to create proof-based video content that shows your authority without feeling forced

→ Discover why consistency builds trust faster than any viral moment

→ Understand how to transform your expertise into a body of work that compounds over time

→ Get practical tips to upgrade your video quality, messaging, and confidence on camera

We’ll cover:

• The real reason educators struggle to stay visible online
• The mindset shifts you need to stop second-guessing your content
• How to turn everyday teaching moments into evergreen video assets
• Why clarity and repetition are the foundation of a sought after brand

If you’re ready to move past the “best kept secret” phase and start creating videos that position you as the expert you already are, this episode will show you exactly how.

Connect with Chris on Instagram

Visit his website - https://sulimayproductions.com/