The Sustainable Creator

Does SEO feel like both a buzzword and a totally foreign language? If you want to increase your website traffic but don't know where to start, you are in the right place.

In this episode, we are so excited to welcome Courtney Jones. Courtney runs Little Creative Company, an SEO-focused web design studio, and she is a master at taking tech-heavy concepts and breaking them down in a simple, digestible way. We're nerding out on how to actually get your website found on Google so you can stop hustling so hard for leads and start working smarter.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why Google is like a librarian, and how SEO is just the "Dewey Decimal System" for your website.
• The difference between technical SEO (your website's foundation) and on-page SEO (your website's framing).
• How to build a realistic 100-day SEO plan to get your site optimized without the overwhelm.
• Why writing just 1-2 SEO-optimized blogs a month is enough to see real compounding growth.
• The tools you need to find the exact keywords your ideal clients are searching for.

Join Us in The Break Room! Want to see exactly how this is done? Courtney is hosting an exclusive workshop inside our membership, The Break Room, on April 21st at 1 p.m. EST! She'll be sharing visual tutorials so you can see exactly how to apply these SEO strategies to your own website. Click here to join us: https://www.joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Keyword Tools: Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Keywords Everywhere 

Connect with Courtney Jones:

• Website: littlecreativecompany.com
• Instagram: @littlecreativecompany

Connect with Jo & Lyndon:

• Instagram: @joandlyndon
• Website: www.joandlyndon.com

Working for yourself is an absolute dream, but it can get incredibly lonely when your only coworker is your dog! If you are craving local business friends but the thought of traditional networking events makes you want to hide under the covers, this episode is exactly what you need.

Today, we are joined by the queen of community herself, Kelci Borges. Kelci is the founder of the WeAreSheRose agency and the Boise Breakfast Club, a local community that boasts over 700 members! Kelci shares her incredibly relatable story of pivoting from a burnout-inducing, multi-six-figure social media agency to building deeply impactful in-person spaces.

Whether you just moved to a new city, or you're finally ready to step out of your solopreneur silo, Kelci is sharing her step-by-step playbook for finding your people without the awkward small talk.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why Kelci is transitioning from a booming social media agency to focus on human connection.
• How to build your own "Networking First Aid Kit" so you never freeze up in a room full of strangers again.
• The psychology of connecting over feelings instead of facts (and why you should stop asking people what they do for work!).
• The hilarious and effective "Polite Snoop" strategy for joining conversations.
• A step-by-step "First 100 Days" plan to successfully plug into a new local network: Researching rooms, becoming a familiar face, and going deep.

Connect with Kelci:

• Follow Kelci on Instagram: @wearesherose
• Check out her local events: The Boise Breakfast Club & The Boro Breakfast Club (Nashville) 
• Time-Sensitive: Join Kelci’s free online event on March 18th to get a taste of the Breakfast Club and learn how to "Make Q2 Your B*tch"! 

Join The Break Room! Are you looking for a safe space to connect with other creative service providers who actually get what you do? You don't have to do business alone. Come join us in The Break Room for support, systems, and a culture that champions your growth: https://www.joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom

If you share about this, tag us @thesustainablecreator & @joandlyndon so we can cheer you on!

Lastly, we'd be over the moon if you took 30 seconds to give us a review!

Are you capped out on 1-on-1 client work but have absolutely zero desire to build a massive agency or manage a big team? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Sustainable Creator podcast, we are sitting down with Becky, a boutique agency owner and expert in all things memberships.

We are diving deep into the world of service-based membership models, the perfect pivot for creative service providers who want to scale their income and serve more people without burning out. Becky breaks down exactly why you shouldn't try to sell "community" (and what to sell instead) , how to ethically raise your prices and protect your capacity , and the exact 100-day milestones you need to hit to get your membership off the ground.

Whether you're a photographer, copywriter, or web designer, if you've been looking for a sustainable way to leverage your existing frameworks into recurring revenue, this episode is for you! 

In this episode, we cover:

• Why service-based memberships are the ultimate alternative to the traditional agency model.
• The big myth about needing to be an "educator" or "community leader" to start a membership.
• Why people buy outcomes, but stay for the community.
• How to use pre-sales and a "lead-in offer" to validate your membership before you build it.
• The critical 100-day checklist for a successful membership launch.

Connect with Becky:

• Agency: Check out Affinity Collective to see how her team designs, builds, and manages top-tier memberships.
• Podcast: Listen to the Build with Becky podcast for quick, 7-minute voice-note style deep dives into membership strategy.
• Instagram: Follow her at @buildwbecky.

Connect with Jo & Lyndon:

• The Breakroom: Ready to get in the room with other creative service providers? Join us inside The Breakroom to learn how to earn more without burning out.
• Instagram: Tag us and let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode at @joandlyndon and @thesustainablecreator.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! It truly makes our year.

Today, we are so excited to have Kendra Ashton with us to talk heavily about sales, specifically how to sell in the DMs. If you've ever wanted to make more money in your business but felt like selling in direct messages just feels gross, this conversation is exactly what you need. Kendra is a family and wedding photographer, as well as a business coach, who gets 85 to 90 percent of her sales straight through her DMs. She brings an incredibly refreshing, "human-first" approach to social selling that focuses on building genuine connections.

In this episode, we break down why pursuing humans instead of just pursuing the sale naturally leads to more business. We discuss the mindset shift of "simmering" your sales rather than forcing a stressful "rolling boil" , and why it is so crucial to remove barriers by keeping potential clients right there in the chat instead of sending them away to a website. Kendra also shares practical tips on how to start these conversations, the importance of using your unique communication skills, and how to follow up gracefully when life happens and conversations stall out.

If you loved this conversation and want to fix your cash flow slumps, Kendra is actually our guest speaker inside of The Breakroom for March! We are going to dive even deeper into the psychology of sales and share some incredible stats we couldn't fit into this episode.

You can make sure you are in the room for that by signing up for The Breakroom at https://www.joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom. We would love to hear your takeaways from this episode, so come send us a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/. You can also connect with Kendra for her photography at https://www.instagram.com/kendraashtonphotography/ or for her business education at https://www.instagram.com/kendraashtoneducation/.

Would you be willing to leave a review for the pod? It really does make a difference!

Today, we have Elisa with us, who is the founder and CEO of ZealCast Studio, a podcast management agency specifically for female creatives. We are diving deep into the world of podcasting for your business and how it can help you build authority and leverage your brand without the hustle.

Elisa shares incredible insights on how long-form audio can build a deep know, like, and trust factor with your audience in just 60 minutes. We talk about the real impact podcasting can have on your sales funnel, including a story of a client who received five-figure inquiries from just a single episode. But the best part is that you do not need to burn out or buy a fancy video studio to see these results. Elisa gives us permission to start scrappy, explaining how you can launch a show using nothing more than your phone's voice memos, a free editing tool called Audacity, and Spotify for Creators.

We also cover how to repurpose your transcripts into blog posts and Pinterest links to drive SEO traffic, and why batching your episodes is the ultimate boundary to protect your peace. Podcasting does not have to be overwhelming, and this conversation will give you the clarity you need to start sharing your voice sustainably.

If you are looking for a community of people who truly "get it," we would love to invite you inside The Breakroom. It is a safe, supportive membership with other creative entrepreneurs building sustainable businesses where you can ask for help and learn together. Join us at https://www.joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom.

You can connect with Elisa and learn more about her services on Instagram at @zealcaststudios or visit her website at zealcaststudios.com. You can also find us on Instagram at @JoandLyndon to share your thoughts on today's episode.

Ps - if you've made it this far we'd really appreciate you writing a review for the pod!

If you are sitting at your 9-5 desk right now, dreaming of handing in your notice but terrified of losing that steady paycheck—this episode is for you.

Leaving the corporate world isn’t just about logistics; it’s a massive identity shift. Who are you without the job title? How do you handle the "money scaries" without a bi-weekly deposit?

We are sitting down with Ashley Mina (aka Your Work Wife), founder of The Working Gal Co, to talk about the messy, honest reality of making the jump from employee to entrepreneur. Ashley shares her own story of navigating a layoff that forced her to bet on herself , and gives us the "cheat codes" she wishes she had when she started.

In this episode, we chat about:

The Identity Crisis: Why you have to "grieve" your corporate self before you can build your new one.

The "Scrappy" Mindset: Why getting a "bridge job" (like working the front desk at a barre studio) is a smart strategy, not a failure.

Signs You Are Ready: Why overthinking your client proposals is actually a green light to quit.

The "First 100 Days" Plan: A tactical guide to your first three months, including the "Brag Folder" technique.

Health Insurance: Practical tips on handling benefits, spousal support, and negotiating stipends.

Whether you are plotting your escape or are already in the thick of your first year solo, this conversation is the permission slip you need to build a business that actually supports your life.

Connect with Ashley Mina:

Instagram: @yourworkwifeashley

Website: yourworkwifeashley.com

Check out her communities: The Working Gal Co. & Gals Against the Grain 

Connect with Jo & Lyndon:

Website: joandlyndon.com

Instagram: @joandlyndon

Join The Breakroom: The Breakroom Membership

Work with us 1:1: Apply for Coaching

Hosted by Jo & Lyndon, coaches for creative service providers, this episode of The Sustainable Creator explores how to escape the social media churn and build a marketing engine that lasts.

If you’ve been treating Pinterest like Instagram, you might be missing out on your most sustainable traffic source. We sit down with "Pinterest Queen" Coley Lane to demystify the platform and create a roadmap for creatives who are tired of the content hamster wheel. Coley breaks down why Pinterest is the ultimate tool for longevity—where a single post can drive traffic for years rather than hours.

We dive deep into the psychology of the Pinterest user, the difference between "click-worthy" vs. "save-worthy" content, and why you need to stop planning for today and start planning for three months from now. Plus, Coley shares a concrete, step-by-step 100-day plan for beginners to go from zero to fully optimized without the overwhelm.

In this episode, we cover:

• Pinterest vs. Social Media: Why you need to treat Pinterest like a search engine (SEO) rather than a social feed.
• The Content Strategy: How to turn one blog post into 10+ pieces of Pinterest content.
• Click vs. Save: Understanding which graphics build your audience and which ones drive traffic to your offers.
• The 100-Day Plan: A month-by-month breakdown of exactly what to do when starting a new account.
• Trends & Timing: How to use Pinterest Trends to spot waves before they happen.
• Video Strategy: Is video worth it on Pinterest in 2026? 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Coley’s Website: lifegoalsmarketing.com
• Coley’s Instagram: @itscoleylane
• Free Board Mapping Exercise: Get the guide here
• Pinterest Shop (Templates & More): Shop here
• Pinterest Trends Tool: trends.pinterest.com

Join The Breakroom: Ready to dive deeper? Join our membership for creatives, The Breakroom, where you can access the replay of Coley’s exclusive masterclass, "Pinterest Like a Pro in 2026". 👉 joandlyndon.com/the-breakroom

Join the Conversation: Do you use Pinterest for your business, or has it been on your "someday" list? Let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode in the comments! 👉 www.youtube.com/@TheSustainableCreatorPod

Connect with us on Instagram: @joandlyndon