You started an email list. You were proud of it. And then...you never emailed it. 😅 Now every time you think about sitting down to write, the cursor blinks, your brain goes blank, and you tell yourself you'll do it later. Later never comes, and the guilt just keeps stacking. If that's the loop you're stuck in, you're not lazy, and you're not flaky. You're missing one thing. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I break down why consistency with your email list was never a discipline problem, why a small list of people who trust you beats a huge silent following, and the one small move that breaks the blank-page spell. If your list has been collecting dust, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why creators with huge accounts and silent lists are quietly losing money
• How a list of 100 people who trust you out-launches 50,000 followers
• The real reason the weekly blank page keeps beating you (it's not you)
• Why Instagram is a slot machine, and what owning your list changes
• The two-creator test that shows exactly why the inbox wins the sale
• The reframe: consistency is a system problem, never a willpower problem
• Your one small move this week to break the blank-page spell for good

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• 💌 The Newsletter System waitlist. My 6-week program doors opening September 14th, built to take the blank page out of your weekly email for good. Getting on the list means first word when doors open: join the waitlist.
• 🎙️ Listen to last week's episode (81) on why every solopreneur needs an email list, not just a personal brand. It sets up everything in this post, so start there if you missed it!

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

💌 Join The Newsletter System September Waitlist — first access when doors open September 14th, limited spots available!

Have you ever been genuinely good at something, even known for it, and still felt a quiet pull that it is not the thing you want to keep doing forever? For years, I couldn't name that feeling. I just felt scattered and a little off, pouring most of my energy into the platform that gave me the least back. It took three weeks completely off Instagram to finally see it clearly. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I share the biggest pivot I have made in nine years, why I am going all in on email, and what my two fiddle leaf fig trees have to do with all of it. If you have felt scattered too, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why I am walking away from teaching Instagram after nine years of posting
• What three weeks off the app made impossible to unsee
• The difference between rented attention and an audience you truly own
• Why Instagram tactics keep expiring while email stays a durable skill
• The moment in Nashville that quietly cracked this whole decision open
• What is changing, what is staying, and what it means for you

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• The Newsletter System September Waitlist — first access when doors open September 14th, limited spots available!
• Flodesk — the email platform I use and swear by. Grab 50% off your first year with code THECREATIVEBODEGA
• Click here to see what a fiddle leaf fig is!

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

You've poured hours into a post, hit publish, and watched it land with a thud. Just crickets. And in that moment, the question creeps in: is something wrong with me? Should I just pivot to something else? If you've ever wondered why you're still showing up when the growth is slow and the engagement is low, you're not the only one. In this final episode of my Nobody Told Me series on The Creative Bodega, I'm sharing the one thing nobody told me would end up being my superpower: consistency. I'm getting honest about the numbers, the near-burnout seasons, and the two things that actually keep me going when motivation is nowhere to be found. If you're building something online and quietly questioning it all, this one is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• The real numbers behind 80 episodes, 290+ newsletters, and nearly 2,000 Instagram posts
• Why I took my first-ever three-week break from Instagram, and what I was scared of
• The reason it always comes back to the women I serve, not the metrics
• Why most people quietly disappear online, and how the gap compounds
• Systems first: how to stop relying on motivation that runs out
• Purpose second: finding the why that carries you through the low-everything days
• The full-circle truth about reps that I opened this whole series with

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• The Messaging Edit won't be taking place in the fall as planned! I've switched gears, totally pivoted, and am building a brand new program called The Newsletter System. You can hop on the Sept 2026 waitlist HERE!

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

Episode 79: Why You Think Everyone's Watching You (And Why They're Not)

You've got that post sitting in your drafts. The one that feels a little too loud, too niche, too much you. You keep telling yourself everyone's going to see it and judge it, so you don't hit publish. I've been there more times than I can count, and this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm telling you about the first time I learned this lesson (a CrossFit gym in 2008, terrified everyone was watching my every move) and the second time it showed up years later, running a business people can actually see. Both taught me the same thing from two completely different angles.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• The CrossFit gym story that taught me nobody was watching me as closely as I thought
• Why the fear of judgment never fully goes away, even at 125,000 followers
• What happened when I called talking head reels "effing stupid" online
• The real reason visibility attracts people who want to knock you down
• Why the algorithm isn't showing your post to everyone who follows you
• What I want you to do with the post you've been sitting on
• A quick preview of next week's episode on messaging

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

Do you ever feel like you're doing everything "right" online, posting, following the tips, showing up consistently, and still getting completely ignored? It's not your strategy. It's not the algorithm. It's a handful of small, sneaky habits quietly keeping you invisible, and once you spot them, they're easier to shift than you'd think. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm walking through exactly what those habits look like, why personality gets remembered while generic content gets ignored, and the small moves that actually change things. If you've ever wondered why people aren't opening their wallets for you yet, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why generic content gets ignored while personality is what actually gets remembered
• The real reason people need to trust you before they'll ever buy from you
• The one habit to notice first: which accounts quiet your brain versus fuel it
• Why muting or unfollowing the noisy accounts is the first small shift to make
• Closing the app and making something instead of scrolling past someone else's
• The habit of sitting on your ideas instead of posting them, and why that stops now
• Why asking for help and joining a community moves you faster than doing it alone

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

You know you're supposed to share parts of your life online. But what, exactly? You're private. Your kids don't want to be content. And you have zero interest in crying on camera for engagement. I hear some version of this from the women I work with every single week, so if that's you, you're not alone. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm introducing you to a concept I call your core story bank: the 4 to 5 stories and personal themes that make you relatable without making you an open book. If you're the private one, the introvert, the one who cringes at performed vulnerability, this episode is especially for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why "be authentic online" has spiraled into performing pain for views
• The "share your scars, not your wounds" rule and how I apply it
• What a core story bank is and why 4 to 5 stories is plenty
• My own core stories and themes (the CrossFit gym era, NYC, Blitzy the pit bull)
• How to find the bridges between your life and your ideal client's
• Why I pulled back from showing my kids online, even though those views spike
• The private-person path to a personal brand (dog walks and morning coffee count)

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• EP 13 - The past episode where I tell my NYC-to-meeting-Rob story (referenced when discussing core stories)

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

Your Canva templates are perfectly on-brand. Your color palette is locked. So why does your content still feel a little cold when you hit record? You're not imagining it, and you're definitely not alone in wondering why the visuals aren't translating to connection. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm getting into the part of visual branding nobody talks about: the energy you bring to camera, and why it might matter more than any font pairing you've ever agonized over. If your branding feels done on paper but flat on video, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why my own visual branding started with a color I borrowed from another creator
• How my palette evolved from muted and safe to bold as my confidence grew
• The 2017 video I almost couldn't watch back, and the one shift that changed it
• Why smiling before you hit record changes how your content actually feels
• What "done" really means for your visual brand, and why it doesn't exist
• Why your energy on camera matters more than your font choices right now

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

Do you ever wonder if the discomfort of putting yourself out there is ever going to go away? You post, you wait, you check the numbers, and some days it still feels like nobody's out there. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm kicking off a new series called Nobody Told Me, six honest truths about what it actually takes to build a personal brand. We're starting with the one nobody warns you about: how long everything really takes. If you're deep in the reps and wondering when it starts feeling easier, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why I still cringe when someone tells me they watch my Instagram stories, even five years in
• What building an audience from zero at my CrossFit gym in 2017 actually taught me
• Why posting into a void with 12 story views is where everyone starts, no exceptions
• The 3 non-negotiables for showing up consistently without burning out or overcomplicating it
• Why sporadic brilliance always loses to small, sustainable systems repeated for 90 days
• Why I talked a close friend out of chasing $1,000 a month as an influencer
• What's changing with The Content Coven, and why now is the time to join

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

If your Canva account is a complete disaster — designs floating in space, uploads you've had since 2017, and templates you used once and can never find again — you are not alone. Most solopreneurs are working inside a cluttered Canva account without realizing how much time and mental energy it's costing them. The good news? Getting organized doesn't have to be a full weekend project. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm joined by fellow Canva Verified Expert Brenda Cadman, whose entire expertise is Canva organization. She breaks down where to start, what to delete, how to structure your folders, and the one navigation trick most people don't know about. If you've ever re-uploaded the same brand photo six times because it was faster than finding it, this episode is for you.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why your uploads folder is probably a dumping ground, and how to fix it
• The purge-first approach: why creating folders before deleting is the wrong order
• How to use Canva's "Your Projects" view to actually see what still needs to be filed
• The star folder trick for projects you're accessing constantly
• The difference between designs and templates, and why mixing them up is costing you time
• Why naming your files matters more than you think (and what to name them)
• How to make progress in small chunks without overhauling everything at once

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• Brenda Cadman's website (where to find her and learn more)
• Brenda's Canva organization course, evergreen and updated when Canva changes

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode! 

Have you ever posted something, checked back an hour later, and felt your stomach drop? You poured real energy into it. And the response was...crickets. If you've been using your follower count, your likes, or your email list growth as proof that you're good at this, I want you to know you are so not alone. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I get more vulnerable than usual. I share what happened when I finally got on a call with my business coach and therapist, Ash McDonald, what she said that stopped me cold, and why I'd been white-knuckling the completely wrong numbers for months while ignoring the one that actually tells you the truth about your business.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why follower count and likes are the easiest numbers to track, not the most important ones
• The question Ash McDonald asked me that I couldn't answer (and why that was the real wake-up call)
• How I'd been avoiding my revenue check-ins and what that avoidance was actually costing me
• Why someone else's massive launch triggered a spiral, and what was really going on underneath it
• The difference between vanity metrics and the numbers that tell you if your business is actually healthy
• Why leadership isn't about having it all together, it's about being relatable
• What I'm doing differently now, including restarting monthly check-ins with my husband Rob

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• Ash McDonald, therapist and business strategist (therpist/biz coach referenced throughout the episode that I love & have worked with a number of times).
• Ash McDonald's podcast (how Em originally found her and built trust before hiring her).
• EP 13: Em's episode with her husband Rob (referenced as one of her most-listened episodes).

Connect with me:
📲 Follow me on Instagram: @its.em.connors
💌 Join my weekly newsletter: 321 Create
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership
💵 Snag 25% off Flodesk, or use the code: THECREATIVEBODEGA

Be sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!