Yollab Central

How I Sold 15,000 Books Without Being ‘Big’ on Social Media #140

Most writers are terrified that AI will replace them and convinced they can’t make a living unless they “blow up” on social media, but author and entrepreneur Kern Carter is quietly proving the opposite. In this episode, Kern breaks down how he went from indie beginnings to publishing with giants like Penguin and Scholastic, selling roughly 15,000 books in a year without being popular on any platform by relentlessly building and leveraging a tight, values‑aligned writing community instead of chasing virality. Kern explains what AI still can’t touch in writing, lived experience, emotional nuance, and a unique point of view, and why art is, at its core, human expression. He shares a brutally honest look at the economics of traditional publishing (15% royalties, needing to sell tens of thousands of copies just to hit an average salary) versus self‑publishing (often closer to 50% per book), and why most authors need to think like writers with multiple income streams, not just “authors” hoping one book saves them. He also unpacks how he built his audience through projects like Cry Magazine and writers are superstars, focusing on the emotional reality of being a writer, not just craft tips. The conversation goes deep into career mindset: why progress and milestones matter more than sudden “breakthroughs,” how Kern intentionally wrote a short first book to match his skill level, then leveled up over time, and what it actually feels like to be living the childhood dream of “I want to be an author” after years of rejection, small sales, and near‑quits. If you’re a writer wondering how to stay human in the age of AI, whether to self‑publish or chase a deal, and how to build a real community around your work, this episode gives you both realism and hope. Key Topics- How AI is changing writing jobs, and why storytelling roles (storyteller, content lead, creative strategist) are actually increasing, not disappearing - What keeps writing “human”: lived experience, emotional nuance, unique perspective, and art as human expression rather than mechanical output - Why traditional publishing is so hard to break into and how low royalty rates (around 10–15%) make it difficult to live on book sales alone - How self‑publishing changes the math (much higher royalty share) but demands extreme commitment to marketing, distribution, and treating your book like a business - The trap of writing a book purely for validation today vs using books intentionally for legacy, business, or strategic career leverage - How Kern built and leveraged community through Cry Magazine and writers are superstars by focusing on the emotional reality of being a writer, not just craft - The power of realistic milestones and visible progress in sustaining a long writing career and the mindset of “I always prioritized writing even when no one was reading”Kern Carter – Former indie and now traditionally published author with Penguin and Scholastic; essayist on the intersection of publishing and pop culture; creator of writers are superstars; co‑creator/producer of multiple film projects; has sold ~15,000 books in the past year by strategically nurturing and activating his reader and writer communities. If you’re serious about building a writing career that isn’t dependent on algorithms, watch the full episode, then visit KernCarter.com to explore his work, join his community, and learn how he’s turning writing skill and owned IP into a sustainable, long‑term career.

Stop Hustling for a Life You Don’t Even Want: How to Set Real Boundaries and Manifest the One #139

Feeling like you have to crush a day job, build a business, run a podcast, and somehow still “work on yourself”? In this episode, Inner‑Abundance Coach Claudia Noriega‑Bernstein calls out the toxic hustle narrative and explains why real boundaries are not about controlling others, but about the promises you make to yourself to protect your energy, time, and future. She breaks down how to design a clear life vision by asking who you need to become, setting concrete timelines, and attaching real emotions to your goals so they’re more than vague wishes. Claudia goes deep into why you don’t get what you want, you get what you are: your habits, your self‑talk, your environment, and your “frequency” all determine what you actually attract. She shares practical steps to replace self‑sabotaging habits instead of just “trying harder,” upgrade your circle so you’re not dragged down by constant complainers, and handle setbacks without spiraling into self‑loathing by getting curious about your patterns instead of shaming yourself. You’ll also hear how to make manifestation tangible, using specifics, vision boards, and even physically visiting the life you’re calling in, so your brain starts treating your next level as normal, not impossible. Topics: - The real purpose of boundaries as promises to yourself, not tools to control others - Getting clear on who you want to become, then building a detailed life vision with timelines and attached emotions - Why most core desires (money, house, success, family) trace back to wanting to feel loved, seen, and like you matter - “You don’t get what you want, you get what you are”: raising your inner “frequency” so you can attract the life you’re aiming for - Changing habits by replacing, not deleting them, and upgrading your environment and “tribe” instead of staying around complainers - Handling setbacks without self‑loathing: noticing familiar patterns, getting curious about where they come from, and consciously redirecting - Making manifestation tangible with specifics and exposure (e.g., walking the neighborhood, vision boards, feeling as if it’s already yours) so your brain treats the goal as real and possible Guest: Claudia Noriega‑Bernstein – Inner‑Abundance Coach, three‑time cancer survivor, immigrant, mother of three daughters and two stepdaughters. She helps overwhelmed moms and women move from survival mode to a life of clarity, confidence, and purpose by rebuilding self‑worth, healing old conditioning, and creating aligned, actionable life visions. If you’re done hustling without feeling happier, watch the full episode, then connect with Claudia via her website or Instagram to book a free discovery call and start designing a life you actually want to live, not just one that looks good on paper. The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. The host is not responsible for any statements made by the guest.

Empathy Is Not “Being Nice”: How Cognitive Empathy Makes Leaders Tougher and More Effective #138

Most leaders still think empathy means “being soft” or getting lost in feelings, especially when they’re under pressure to make hard, binary decisions like layoffs or cuts. In this episode, Dr. Melissa Robinson‑Winemiller, TEDx speaker and author of The Empathic Leader, explains why that belief is outdated and dangerous. She distinguishes emotional empathy (feeling with others), cognitive empathy (logically understanding others’ perspectives), and self‑empathy (how you treat yourself), and shows how cognitive empathy in particular lets leaders anticipate impact, avoid tone‑deaf decisions, and still hold firm boundaries and make tough calls. Melissa unpacks why many leaders reach senior roles without ever being properly taught empathy, most MBA programs barely touch leadership, so people simply copy what they’ve seen, including myths like “vulnerability is weakness.” Drawing on her research and work with executives, she shows how empathy functions as a trainable skill, not an inborn trait, and how practicing perspective‑taking “through their eyes, not yours” helps leaders move from judgment to critique, navigate performance reviews more fairly, and prevent burnout and empathy fatigue by starting with self‑empathy. The conversation also explores how empathy sits alongside AI and data in modern organizations, why sympathy can backfire as quiet judgment (especially in healthcare and corporate settings), and how authentic vulnerability and story, rather than performative “sob stories”, build real trust in leadership and sales. Melissa shares practical baby steps for developing cognitive empathy, explains why leaders who avoid vulnerability actually look weaker, and points listeners to her book, podcast, and EQvia Empathy platform for leaders who want to turn “soft” skills into hard results in profit, productivity, and innovation. Topics: - Why most leaders misunderstand empathy (it’s not just feelings, and it’s not weakness) - The three key types of empathy: emotional, cognitive, and self‑empathy - Cognitive empathy as perspective‑taking “through their eyes” and why it fits hard business decisions - The difference between critique vs judgment in performance reviews and feedback - How poor leadership modeling, limited MBA training, and culture keep empathy skills underdeveloped - Vulnerability in leadership: why it signals strength, not weakness, and how myths persist - Authentic stories vs manipulative “sob stories” in sales and leadership communication Guest:Dr. Melissa Robinson‑Winemiller – TEDx speaker, EQ coach, and author of The Empathic Leader: How EQ via Empathy Transforms Leadership for Better Profit, Productivity, and Innovation; founder of EQvia Empathy; with 20+ years of cross‑industry leadership experience and two doctorates (including one focused on empathy in leadership). If you’re ready to stop treating empathy as a “nice to have” and start using it as a strategic leadership tool, watch the full episode, then visit EQviaEmpathy.com and check out The Empathic Leader and Melissa’s podcast, The Empathic Leader, to begin building cognitive and self‑empathy into your daily leadership. The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. The host is not responsible for any statements made by the guest.

How This Creator Replaced His 6-Figure Job with YouTube in 3 Months (Without Going “Viral”) #137

Most creators upload a video, pray to the algorithm, and quit when nothing happens, but Scott Curry replaced his six‑figure job with YouTube income in just three months, made $5,000 in his first full month, and crossed $300,000 by year two. In this episode, Scott shares exactly how he did it: posting at least three times a week on consistent days, treating marketing as non‑negotiable, and obsessing over titles and thumbnails first (inspired by deep study of MrBeast and other top creators), then building videos around what people actually want to click. Scott explains why your first 10 videos are basically “training data” for YouTube, helping the platform learn your niche, upload schedule, and audience, so you shouldn’t stress about views and should focus instead on making every video 1% better than the last. He breaks down how he uses SEO and descriptions strategically by pulling real search terms from Google Trends and YouTube (for example, stacking phrases like “Nvidia stock analysis,” “Nvidia price prediction,” and “Nvidia earnings”) into keyword‑rich, human‑sounding blurbs that help new channels get discovered. The conversation also tackles hot‑button creator topics: why “reviving” a dead video rarely works, how to think about niche pivots (like his move from motivational speaking to stock investing content), and why pure AI‑automation channels are now a terrible bet after YouTube’s mid‑2025 crackdown on AI‑generated videos. Scott shares his view of comments as mostly confirmation bias, especially in polarizing topics like stocks, politics, and religion, and clarifies what YouTube really wants from you: content that keeps people watching until the end and on the platform longer. He also reveals his workflow for avoiding false community‑guideline strikes by uploading as unlisted until checks clear, then going public. Topics: - How Scott replaced a six-figure job with YouTube (first month $5K, second year $300K+) - Posting frequency and consistency (minimum 3 uploads/week, same days) - Titles and thumbnails first: building videos around clickable hooks, inspired by MrBeast - Using SEO and descriptions: keyword research via Google/YouTube Trends and stacking search terms - Why your first 10 videos are “training data” for YouTube and why you shouldn’t worry about their views - Pivoting niches based on demand (from motivational speaking to stock-investing content) - YouTube’s 2025 crackdown on AI automation channels, confirmation bias in comments, and why YouTube mainly rewards watch time and session length Guest: Scott Curry – Christian businessman, speaker, author, educator, and founder/CEO of Faith Roar; owns five successful businesses; his videos have 6M+ views from 2M+ people worldwide, and he now teaches others how to achieve financial freedom through business, investing, and YouTube. If you’re serious about turning YouTube into a real business instead of a random hobby, watch the full episode, then head to faithroar.com to find Scott’s channels, resources, and upcoming training on how to start, grow, and monetize a profitable YouTube channel. The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. The host is not responsible for any statements made by the guest.

Stop Hiring “More Hands” (How to Build a Team That Thinks Like a CEO) #136

Most founders and creators think they need “more hands,” but what actually scales a business is more minds that can think, decide, and execute like the owner. In this episode, Business Growth Strategist and G.R.O.W. Methodology creator Maritza Davila walks through exactly how to build that kind of team, starting with a brutally honest audit of your own skills, what you love and hate doing, and what truly matters for the business. She explains how to use two lenses, skill/enjoyment and urgent/important, to decide what to keep, what to schedule, what to delegate, and what to delete completely. Maritza breaks down why so many entrepreneurs hire blindly for hard skills, then get stuck micromanaging, and how to flip the process: get crystal clear on expectations, show concrete examples of “good” outcomes (like podcast edits or product quality), and remember that your job as founder is to guide, not guess. She explains the G.R.O.W. framework, Guide, Research, Optimize, Win; including how “guide” starts with defining and living your own core values so your team knows exactly how they’re expected to behave while achieving company goals, not just what tasks to complete. You’ll also hear a candid discussion about top‑down vs bottom‑up culture change: why it’s far easier to lead by example than to fix a hypocritical boss from below, and how misaligned behavior (like preaching punctuality while always being late) silently destroys trust. Maritza shares practical advice on hiring for hard vs soft skills, training both, and developing leaders under you so values don’t get diluted as your org chart adds layers. If you’re a solopreneur or early‑stage founder ready to stop being the bottleneck and start growing with a team you actually trust, this conversation is a playbook. Topics: - How to audit your own work by skill vs enjoyment to decide what to keep and what to delegate - Using urgent vs important to decide what to do now, schedule, delegate, or drop - Hiring when you don’t know the role deeply: setting clear expectations and using examples instead of technical know‑how - The difference between hiring for hard skills vs soft skills, and why you always have to train one (or both) - Why founders need “more minds, not more hands” and the leader’s job is to guide, not just add people - Defining and living clear core values so team behavior matches the owner’s standards - Top‑down vs bottom‑up culture change: how leaders model behavior, and when (and how) team members can push back on misalignment Guest: Maritza Davila – Business Growth Strategist and creator of the G.R.O.W. Methodology; MBA with 10+ years in operations; she helps companies across SWFL and the U.S. accelerate revenue by building aligned, accountable teams, with client results like 5x revenue in 3.5 months and scaling from $1.7M to $4M in annual revenue. If you’re ready to move from “doing everything yourself” to leading a team that grows the business with you, watch the full episode, then visit opt360.co to access Maritza’s free resources or book a call to see how the G.R.O.W. Methodology can help your team execute with confidence. The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. The host is not responsible for any statements made by the guest.