The Create & Thrive Podcast

It’s time for a change.

Since I started my handmade business, Epheriell, in 2008, the world has changed so much.

I have changed so much.

In 2008 I was a 27 year old tuition centre manager, living with my English boyfriend in the Brisbane suburbs, and I started making jewellery in my spare time to fulfil a creative urge I had neglected for years.

When I started Epheriell as a hobby business, I had zero idea that I would be here, talking to you, almost 18 years later, after having built a number of different businesses – all in the realm of the handmade sphere – and having turned over almost two million dollars from those businesses in those years.

Wow. I’ve never pulled that number up before! It’s a bit overwhelming to think I managed to create products with my own two hands and one brain, and have been able to make a living from them for all this time.

But.

The world has changed. I have changed. And it’s time for me to move on.

So, as of June 2026, I’ll be retiring from handmade business education, and I’ll be putting Epheriell on indefinite sabbatical.

What will I do next?

I don’t actually know yet.

But we’ve finally reached a point where we are in the financial position to allow me to take a sabbatical where I will have the space to rest, reflect, get the dosage of my MHT right (😆), and decide what’s next for me.

I’ve officially reached middle age this year – I keep joking about the fact that I got my first reading glasses and my MHT prescription in the same week!

I turn 45 in 2026, and like the elder millennial that I am, I have been obsessed with the internet since I first dove into the world of message boards, IRC, fandom, Geocities, Altavista and Ask Jeeves when I was a fresh-faced 15-year-old in 1996.

Did you know, I made my very first website (on Geocities, of course) back in 1996 or 97 – and it was an X-Files fan site? It was pretty popular too! Though of course, the internet was a much, much smaller place back then.

Since then, I’ve launched various blogs, started various businesses, worked for other people’s online businesses, been an affiliate, run a podcast, various YouTube channels, sold jewellery under 2 different brands, sold ads on my own site, launched a membership, sold ebooks and ecourses… I’ve tried all sorts of things and made money online in myriad ways since making that very first website (which, of course, made me zero dollars, but my nerdy friends thought it was cool, so…).

Suffice it to say,  I’ve been here for a long time.

30 years!

I always dreamt of making a living from the internet, and it took me about 12 years to finally crack how to do it properly – which started when I stumbled on Etsy back in 2008 and opened that first shop.

It has been an amazing journey, and I have loved so much about it.

It has enabled me and Nick to live a life we love.

To live in a place we adore.

To have so much freedom of time, to travel regularly to visit friends and family overseas, and to live a low-stress life.

But I’m ready to move on.

I’m also ready to take a break from the internet.

I have slowly faded away from most social media over the last few years.

I have no interest in instagram any more.

I pretty much only use Facebook to find events to attend IRL.

Threads I have been enjoying, because it felt like a breath of fresh air to actually talk WITH people again, but even that is growing thin for me right now.

Don’t even get me started on TikTok (ugh).

I have been putting myself and my face and my life out there on the internet since my early 20s.

But as I get older, and the changes in the online world loom, I feel the need to take a step back and just be again, without sharing things publicly with the world.

It’s time for retreat, recalibration, and reflection.

To decide what I want to do with this next phase of my life.

And to do that, I’m stepping away for a time.

Does that mean I’ll never come back online?

Not at all!

I might decide to start up my YouTube again. Or to launch something totally new.

And it doesn’t mean I’m disappearing today.

But I am aiming to be on sabbatical by the winter solstice here in Australia, which is June 21st, 2026.

Why am I telling you so early?

Because I’m going to offer a bunch of things for the last time, and it felt disingenuous to do so without being upfront about it.

I’ve always tried my best to be honest and keep firm grip on my integrity in a space where that seems to be increasingly rare.

I want you to know what’s happening, and why, so you can prepare and be aware – and if you so choose, to take advantage of my offers with full knowledge.

If you are in my community, or are one of my students, Thriver Circle members, or Epheriell customers, here’s the timeline of exactly what’s happening.

December 2025

Thriver Circle final launch – December 29th till January 7th.

If you join at this time, I will unlock the full Your Year to Thrive course, so you will have just under 6 months to work through it at your own pace during this time (which does mean doing 2 lessons a week instead of 1 should you want to). You will have full access to all other courses and workshops, and I will still be running 2 live calls each month until the end of May, and I’ll be active in the FB group community.

February 2026

Set Up Shop runs for the final time – February 9th till March 10th.

April 2026

I will offer shop critiques until April 6th, then they will no longer be available.

May 2026

I will offer the Wholesale Know-How course until May 4th, after which it will no longer be available.

June 2026

The Thriver Circle will close forever on June 8th, 2026.

Members will no longer have access to any aspect of the Circle, including the FB group, courses, workshops, podcasts. All memberships will be cancelled and all payments will be stopped by this date at the latest. I encourage members to cancel their membership when their May payment is deducted, as you will then stay an active member until the shut-down should you so wish.

I will archiving all my social media – bar YouTube (I’m leaving all my free videos up) in June.

Epheriell will be placed on sabbatical on June 8th, 2026.

This will give us time to process any final orders by the time I take sabbatical.

(I’m not ruling out opening Epheriell again in the future, but it will be a long while – probably at least 18 months – until I do so – unless Nick decides he wants to run it without my input, but he’s gotten himself a good permanent part-time government job so that will probably keep him busy enough!).

On June 21st I will hopefully be done with all the work to wrap up the businesses, and will be stepping away from all social media for at least 6 months and taking a sabbatical from work and the online world. 

I’m not going to lie, I am simultaneously elated and terrified to take this step.

I’ve been feeling the urge to move on for a while now, but the circumstances were not in alignment until now, and I know that if I don’t take advantage of this opportunity, I will regret it immensely.

I’m excited to take my first real break from paid work since I was 16, and I’m so thankful to Nick for joyfully supporting me in this choice.

I want to take a moment to thank him, publicly, for all the work he has put in since this all began back in 2008.

Not only in the business – of which he has been an employee for over a decade now (and let’s be honest, an unpaid helper before that) – but in our life together.

He has been unfailing in his support – both emotional and practical – from day 1.

He has been the main home manager – taking care of the fundamentals of life like cooking, cleaning, shopping, mowing, repairs… all of those ‘mundane’ things that most women have bear the mental load of, even when they are working as well.

He’s freed me up to manage and run the businesses – and we have assisted each other in our respective spheres all this time.

It’s going to be quite the dynamic shift as he goes ‘to work’ (even though he’ll still be mostly working from home, thankfully!) and I take on more of the domestic load for the first time in our relationship.

I couldn’t have a more supportive partner in business and life, and I am so grateful every day that we chose to travel through life together.

Thank you so much, Nick, for all that you are and all that you do. I love you, and I couldn’t have done this without you.

So – I’m not going anywhere just yet, but I wanted you all to know what 2026 has in store.

I will still be here, enthusiastically running my businesses and helping you for the first half of 2026, and I will treasure the chance to work in this space – and with you – for these last few months.

It’s been an amazing career, and it wouldn’t exist without you.

I want to say thank you to YOU.

To the 6,000+ people who’ve bought a piece of Epheriell jewellery.

Thank you for trusting us to make a treasured piece of jewellery. Particularly those of you for whom we’ve made wedding rings. Every one has been special and we’ve been honoured to make it for you.

To every person who’s read my blog posts, my emails, listened to my podcast, or watched a YouTube video – I hope something I said has helped you!

I have put so much free content out there over the years that honestly, you could have built your whole business using just that (and I know people who have, because they’ve told me!).

But, most deeply, I want to say thank you to the thousands of past and present students who have paid me actual money to teach and help you grow your businesses: all I can hope for is that I haven’t let you down.

I hope what I shared made a difference, I hope it was valuable, and I hope that you continue to chase your dreams, whatever they may be.

I have always loved the handmade community – there are still so many genuine, creative, wonderful people making things with their hands and hearts.

And in this ever-more-digital and fast-everything world we live in, I think handmade has more value than ever.

May you all continue to add your unique beauty to the world.

Now I’m going to sign off before I make myself cry.

Keep Thriving,

Jess

The Thriver Circle is open now, for the last time.

Nick and I in 2008, at the housewarming for our first rental together. This is where I started Epheriell. I made the seaglass necklace I’m wearing – some of my early jewellery incorporated seaglass found at my local beach.

This will affect both product-based businesses shipping TO the US, and product-based business IN the US who buy materials from outside of the country.

And that’s not even the worst part – because your customers might end up paying WAY MORE than just the tariff fee for the next 6 months.

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

✨P.S. Thriver Circle members, if you haven’t already, make sure to check out our newest mini-course – ​Fundamentals of Selling & Launching Online​!

If you’re not already a member, you can ​join right now​ and get immediate access to this and all our other mini-courses and workshops.

1. You make products that people want to come back for over and over again.

2. You make products that people will most likely only buy once (or maybe once or twice).

Which one are you – and are you using the right marketing channels for your business model?

Today I’ll outline the difference between these two models, and explain which marketing strategies you should use for each.

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

✨P.S. Thriver Circle members, if you haven’t already, make sure to check out our newest mini-course – ​Fundamentals of Selling & Launching Online​!

If you’re not already a member, you can ​join right now​ and get immediate access to this and all our other mini-courses and workshops.

This is a practice taught and made famous by Julia Cameron in her classic self-help book The Artist’s Way.

Written in 1992, The Artist’s Way (TAW) is actually the written version of a creativity course that Julia developed and taught – and has become a well-known book in creative circles.

I have avoided TAW for many years, because I believed it had a bit too much of a ‘woo-woo’ element for my personal preference.

However, I was moved enough by a recent feeling of creative stagnation that I decided to borrow it from the library and finally see what all the fuss was about.

To this day, I have only read the introductory section – up to the beginning of ‘Week 1’ of the course.

This beginning section is where Julia introduces the concept and practice of both the Morning Pages and the Artist’s Date – and explains what she means by the ‘creative force’ that she refers to throughout the course.

Call it what you want, she says – god, the universe, or just your own creative energy – but whatever it is, the goal of The Artist’s Way is to connect with this creative energy and move past obstacles or blocks that have been holding you back.

I decided to pause at this point in the book and simply commit to the core practices for a period of time to see what impact they would have on me, before I dove into the deeper work of the course.

I started off with both Morning Pages & the Artist’s Date – but while I stuck to the first one (mostly) religiously, the second was a bit more ephemeral for me.

I do like to get out at least once a week by myself, so that’s already a habit I have, but most of the time, I’m hiking, or going to brunch, or walking… so it felt a bit ‘forced’ to commit to the concept of the Artist’s Date for me.

I might revisit it in a more formal way when I work through the rest of the course (which I’m doing starting early May in The Thriver Circle, ​if you care to join us​!) but I didn’t feel too bad about putting that to the side.

However, the Morning Pages (MP) were a different story.

I actually struggle to articulate what it is about the MP that made me keep going.

I’ve kept journals and diaries before in my life – since I was in my early teens – but it only tends to be when I’m struggling with some aspect of my life. I have used it as an effective form of self-therapy to work through anxiety, relationship troubles, and creative struggles, but as soon as things resolved, the habit fell away.

Keeping a form of a journal when things were good is something new to my experience.

Maybe it’s the constraints around the practice?

Your only goal is to write three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts.

Something about it just worked for me – and I’ve talked more about this in today’s video and podcast.

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

✨P.S. If you would like the opportunity to work through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron in a group setting, here is your chance!

Starting on May 5th, and running for the 12 weeks of the course outlined in the book, we are going to be working through The Artist’s Way inside the Thriver Circle membership community for makers.

​Tap here to find out how you can join us.

You could ship pretty much anywhere, for just a few dollars, and the world was my oyster!

Globalisation was the theme of the time, and the internet was still in its flush of 2.0 growth – the world of online business was only just beginning to pick up momentum, and anything felt possible.

Things have changed.

Over the last few years, especially, there have been numerous laws and regulations brought in around the world that have made selling internationally more and more difficult.

And now, with the US tariff situation – throwing one of the biggest English-speaking markets into turmoil – the situation is more unsure than ever.

Today, I wanted to discuss this evolving situation, and open up discussion for you to share your experiences.

Whether you’re outside or inside the US, these changes affect you, and I believe it’s only going to become more difficult over time, as countries seem to be becoming more insular, and free trade seems to be waning.

What are we to do?

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

✨P.S. If you would like the opportunity to work through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron in a group setting, here is your chance!

Starting on May 5th, and running for the 12 weeks of the course outlined in the book, we are going to be working through The Artist’s Way inside the Thriver Circle membership community for makers.

​Tap here to find out how you can join us.

Today I’m explaining a very simple trick you can use to multiply your Etsy search traffic – without creating any new products.

This hack will work for you if you make any products that feature variations – different colours, finishes, fabrics, etc.

And, it has the potential to vastly increase your presence on Etsy, as well as get more clicks and sales coming through your shop.

Don’t miss this one…

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

✨P.S. If you would like the opportunity to work through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron in a group setting, here is your chance!

Starting on May 5th, and running for the 12 weeks of the course outlined in the book, we are going to be working through The Artist’s Way inside the Thriver Circle membership community for makers.

​Tap here to find out how you can join us.

Today’s guest – Emily Sheehan of Woolly Bear Knits – is doing exactly that.

She is a knitter and knitting pattern designer who started her business in 2019.

At Woolly Bear Knits, you’ll find cozy, modern knit accessories all hand-knit with ethically-sourced yarn to keep you warm on all your everyday adventures.

Emily entered the handmade business world with previous business experience, and we discuss how that helped her in the beginning of this journey, and how her business evolved to offer both finished knitted products, and knitting patterns over time.

We also discuss:

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

‘…Some of us just got really lucky in terms of the timing… I had two years of experience by then [Covid] and was able to scale my business a little bit more during that busy time, but if I were just getting started during that busy time, it would have been a different story.’ {Emily} 

‘…Something that I’ve learned over time is not to compare yourself too much to others. Go in trying to be who you are, you bring something unique to your craft… {Emily}

No, I’m not kidding!

I see so many people on social media complaining about Etsy fees, and perpetuating this myth that ‘Etsy fees are SO expensive’.

Well, I disagree.

And today, I’m explaining how Etsy fees actually SAVE me – both money and time.

And why I’m HAPPY to pay them.

You may disagree, but I encourage you to hear me out, because what I have to say might surprise you…

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

✨ P.S. One reason why you think Etsy fees are too high might be because your pricing is too low.

Under-pricing is a HUGE problem in the handmade industry, but I have 2 resources to help you price for profit!

First, ​watch this YouTube video​ where I break down the basic pricing formula I recommend for handmade business owners.

Second, if you want to go deeper, you might like to take the Pricing with the Head & Heart Workshop inside the Thriver Circle, where I teach you alternative pricing formulas, as well as addressing the ‘intangible’ part of the pricing equation.

Members, you can take the pricing workshop ​here​. If you’re not a member, you can ​join right now​ and access it immediately.

And of course, when we say we want more reviews, what we REALLY want is more 5-star reviews, right?

This week I’ve shared my own personal secret weapon (plus a few other important strategies I use) to get a ton of 5-star reviews from my jewellery business customers.

It’s a simple tweak that – quite frankly – I can’t believe more handmade business owners aren’t already doing.

But the old adage holds true – you don’t know what you don’t know!

This one change has revolutionised my communication with my customers.

I call it the thank-you message.

More than 50% of my customer REPLY to this email when I send it to them.

And I credit it for skyrocketing the number of positive reviews I get in my shop.

Watch or listen to this week’s video to find out how you can implement this change in your shop (and it won’t take you more than 1 minute per customer).

Keep thriving,

Jess

✨ P.S. This is just one of many things you can do to delight your ideal customer!

In fact, our March focus inside the ​Thriver Circle​ is learning how to attract, convert, and delight your ideal customer – so make sure to join us (if you haven’t already) before the start of March if this is something you need to work on!

Oh, and if you want to steal my exact thank-you message spiel, you’ll find it (and an exact breakdown of why every sentence matters) in the ‘Craft your Ideal Thank-You Message’ Workshop, available right now inside the ​Thriver Circle​ Resource Library.

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

I saw a desperate need amongst the maker community for a supportive, educational space where we could gather together and learn what it took to make our handmade businesses a success!

Fast-forward to today – and in just 2 day’s time, the Thriver Circle will celebrate it’s 10th birthday!

When it began, I had no idea what the Circle would become, and what it would mean to me – and to so many of you.

Some of you joined in that first intake – and are still in the Circle to this day! Which never fails to blow my mind (you know who you are – I love you ladies x).

Last year, I started thinking about what I wanted for the future of the Circle – and how I wanted to celebrate it turning a DECADE old!

First – I decided it was time for a glow-up.

I wanted a fresh feel & a better experience for my members.

I’ve spent the last 2 months switching over to new membership software which makes it so much easier for new members to manage their accounts. It also gives you way more payment options (no more just relying on Paypal, hurrah!).

I’ve also added a brand-new courses section inside the site – where you can take the flagship Your Year to Thrive course, as well as a whole bunch of new courses that I will be releasing throughout the year.

Each month, we’ll be focussing on a different theme related to handmade business – such as Handmade Business Fundamentals, Vision & Planning, How to Attract & Delight your Ideal Customer, Beautiful Business Branding, and SO much more!

Each theme will have a corresponding course for you to work through, as well as a couple of coaching calls with me.

I’ve also completely redone the branding, and I’m so much happier with how the Circle FEELS to me, and I hope, to you, too!

There’s so much more inside the Circle to help you grow a thriving & profitable handmade business in 2025 and beyond, and I am SO excited to open the doors to new members this coming Sunday!

Not only that – let’s talk about the CELEBRATION!

In honour of the 10 years the Circle has been in existence, I am running 10 DAYS of giveaways starting this Sunday!

Each day I’ll be popping into the new FREE C&T Community Facebook group to announce the new giveaway, as well as tell you the winner of the previous one.

To enter each day, you MUST be a member of this Facebook Group – which you can join right here.

I’ll be emailing you reminders, too, so if you’re not already on the C&T email list, make sure to hop on over here and sign up right now!

Finally – THANK YOU, Thrivers, for being here for so many years, and trusting me to help you on your handmade business journey.

Here’s to growing our businesses together in 2025 and beyond!

Jess x