122: Behind the Scenes: How I Grew My Email List With a Low-Lift Collaborative Event

123: Your Creativity Is Starving — Here's How to Feed It

You've been consistent. Showing up every week, delivering value, doing the work — and somewhere along the way, the creative well got quiet. Not dramatically. It didn't feel like burnout. It felt more like... flatness. Like you were going through motions. If that's you right now, this episode is for you. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN * Why consistent creators hit creative walls (and why it's not a character flaw) * How to do a simple creativity audit that reveals what's actually draining you * Six practical shifts that refill your creative tank without overhauling your life * Why lowering your output temporarily might be the most productive thing you do this month * How the rhythm of rest built into Scripture applies directly to your content business EPISODE TIMESTAMPS * [00:00] Cold open — the quiet well * [02:00] Jan's story: years of podcast-only car rides and what changed * [06:00] The creativity audit — questions to ask yourself honestly * [10:00] Six practical shifts to refill your creative tank * [18:00] The reframe: what the dry spell is actually telling you * [21:00] Collab Task — your two-part action for this week and this month KEY TAKEAWAY / QUOTABLE "The consistent creator doesn't avoid dry spells. She learns to read them — and respond before they become crises." RESOURCES MENTIONED * Psalm 23:2-3 * The Visibility Collab — [jantouchberry.com] * [Any specific book or resource Jan wants to add from her own shift] CALL TO ACTION If your website is part of your owned media strategy and it's not working as hard as it should be, let's talk. Head to jantouchberry.com to learn more about working together.CONNECT WITH JAN: Here are all the best places and FREE stuff 👇🏻 Grab your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE DOWNLOAD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.myflodesk.com/proverbs31]S: JanTouchberry.com/opt-in Subscribe to the newsletter [https://jantouchberry.com/newsletter]: http://jantouchberry.com/newsletter FIND ME HERE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.com/] - JanToucberry.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jantouchberry/] - @jantouchberry JOIN THE CONVO: We’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode and its impact on your journey. Use the hashtag #HerFaithAtWork and tag us for a chance to be featured in our next episode. ABOUT THE HOST: Jan Touchberry is a brand strategist, marketing consultant, and founder of The Brand Collaborative. She helps women entrepreneurs build profitable businesses with clear messaging, strategic funnels, and aligned visibility.

122: Behind the Scenes: How I Grew My Email List With a Low-Lift Collaborative Event

You've heard of summits. You've heard of bundles. But what if there's a simpler, lower-lift way to collaborate that still delivers real email list growth — without the two-day video marathon or the elaborate launch plan? That's exactly what the Workflow Exchange was. And in this episode — recorded live at the Grow Without Social online event hosted by Gabe Cox — I'm pulling back the curtain on how it worked, what surprised me, and how you can model something similar in your own business. In this episode you'll learn: * What the Workflow Exchange actually is and why it's different from a traditional summit or bundle * How I organized it, automated it, and kept my own involvement to 10–15 hours total * The opt-in strategy I used so every contributor gained email subscribers (not just the ones attendees selected) * Why I was so intentional about who I invited — and how that directly impacted the results * How to start small if 10 collaborators feels like too much (hint: three business besties is a completely valid starting point) * What I'd do the same — and what I'd simplify — if I ran it again Episode Timestamps: * [00:00] Introduction from Gabe Cox — what the Workflow Exchange is and why this conversation matters * [02:15] My social media journey — from waiting for my Facebook invite to getting completely off the algorithm treadmill * [06:00] The Workflow Exchange explained — the idea behind it, the format, and why I built it this way * [10:45] Results: ~200 new email subscribers per contributor, roughly 10–15 hours of total work * [14:30] The opt-in strategy that made the email growth work — and why I chose it over the traditional "select who you want" model * [17:00] What I'd keep the same vs. what I'd simplify next time (spoiler: my Google Drive folder system got a little out of hand) * [20:30] Turning it evergreen — what that looks like and why simple wins * [23:00] First steps if you want to try something like this in your own business * [26:00] The Visibility Vault — what it is and how to grab it Key Takeaway: "Find your core and then expand out as it feels right. You don't have to go big. Find three of your business besties who have businesses that complement each other and launch it that way." Resources Mentioned: * Visibility Vault Mini Course [https://jantouchberry.com] — Private podcast + companion guide with one action step per episode on organic visibility off social * Gabe Cox — Grow Without Social Event [https://gabecox.com] (host of this conversation) * FlowDesk — email marketing platform Jan uses for automation * Claude AI — used to organize contributors and determine the sequencing of workflow delivery Connect with Jan: Website: jantouchberry.com [https://jantouchberry.com] Podcast: Marketing Without Social Ready to get clients without posting? Your website is your most powerful owned media asset — and if it's not working as hard as you are, that's worth a look. Book a call with Jan [https://jantouchberry.com] to talk about what's possible. Marketing Without Social is the podcast for Christian women entrepreneurs who are done chasing algorithms and ready to build a business on owned media — podcast, email, and website — that keeps working even when life calls you away.

121: Is AI making you (and your website) boring?

You've landed on a website and felt nothing — not turned off, just... nothing. Forgettable copy, a professional tone, and zero sense of who was actually behind it. Here's the uncomfortable question: could someone say the same thing about yours? In a market flooded with AI-generated sameness, the businesses breaking through aren't the loudest or the most polished. They're the ones that feel most human. This episode is about how to be one of them. What you'll learn: * Why AI tools are flattening the internet — and what that means for your brand right now * The "you're my person" question every website visitor is secretly asking * Three specific places your personality has to show up on your website * What "uniquely you" actually means in practice (it's more specific than authentic) * Why your website and email list are the best home for a human brand * Your Collab Task: a two-part website audit you can do in under ten minutes Key takeaway / quotable: "Your website is not a brochure. It's the place where someone who has been looking for their person finally finds out if that's you." Resources mentioned: * jantouchberry.com / The Brand Collaborative — web design and branding for Christian women entrepreneurs * Ep. 102: How Your About Page Can Drive Real Business Growth - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-without-socials-strategies-beyond-the/id1724459845?i=1000746014968 Scripture reference: * Psalm 139:14 — "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Call to action: If your website isn't reflecting the real, specific, irreplaceable you — that's the work. Head to jantouchberry.com to start that conversation. CONNECT WITH JAN: Here are all the best places and FREE stuff 👇🏻 Grab your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE DOWNLOAD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.myflodesk.com/proverbs31]S: JanTouchberry.com/opt-in Subscribe to the newsletter [https://jantouchberry.com/newsletter]: http://jantouchberry.com/newsletter FIND ME HERE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.com/] - JanToucberry.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jantouchberry/] - @jantouchberry JOIN THE CONVO: We’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode and its impact on your journey. Use the hashtag #HerFaithAtWork and tag us for a chance to be featured in our next episode. ABOUT THE HOST: Jan Touchberry is a brand strategist, marketing consultant, and founder of The Brand Collaborative. She helps women entrepreneurs build profitable businesses with clear messaging, strategic funnels, and aligned visibility.

120: How I Grew My Email List 200% Without a Single Social Post

You've heard "grow your email list" a hundred times. But nobody tells you how to actually do it without posting every day and praying the algorithm cooperates. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on exactly how I grew my email list by over 200% in 75 days — and not a single bit of it came from social media. It came from something older and more powerful than any platform: relationships. I walk you through the four collaboration types I used, which one drove the most growth (and why), and the unexpected referral chain that led me from my own hosted event straight to a paid sponsorship opportunity I never saw coming. Plus the one thing I now believe is more important to your long-term business growth than any funnel, any content calendar, or any algorithm hack. In this episode: * Why podcast guesting alone wasn't moving the needle — and what I did differently * What the Workflow Exchange was, how I built it, and why it outperformed everything else * The real reason a summit sponsorship converts better than a social ad (hint: it's about trust) * How to evaluate a bundle before you say yes — because not every one is worth your time * Why building relationships might be the single most important business investment you can make EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] The result first: 200% email list growth in 75 days, no social media involved [02:00] The honest starting point — where my list actually was at the end of February [05:00] Why podcast guesting builds credibility but has limits as a list-growth strategy [08:00] The Workflow Exchange: what it was, how I built it, and why ten women's audiences became mine [12:00] The referral that changed everything — and how one relationship led to another [15:00] Summit sponsorship vs. social ads: why borrowed trust converts at a different rate [18:00] Bundles: the most accessible collaboration type and how to know if one is right for you [21:00] The big idea: relationships aren't just a nice-to-have — they're the strategy [24:00] What this means for your list right now, and your one action step this week KEY TAKEAWAY "List-building isn't a solo project. It's a community project. The relationships bring people to your door — your website has to open it." RESOURCES MENTIONED * The Workflow Exchange — Jan's hosted collaboration event featuring 10 business women sharing their real workflows * Proverbs 27:17 — "Iron sharpens iron" * jantouchberry.com [https://jantouchberry.com] — web design and branding for Christian women entrepreneurs who market without social READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP? If this episode resonated with you, here's what to do next: Share it with a Christian woman entrepreneur in your life who's tired of feeling like she has to be on social media to grow her business. This show exists for her. Subscribe so you never miss an episode — new episodes drop weekly with practical strategies for growing your business through owned media: your website, your email list, and your podcast. Work with Jan — if you're at the point where you're ready to build the online presence that makes all of this actually convert, Jan designs websites and brands for Christian women entrepreneurs who are done letting social media call the shots. Start the conversation at jantouchberry.com [https://jantouchberry.com]. CONNECT WITH JAN: Here are all the best places and FREE stuff 👇🏻 Grab your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE DOWNLOAD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.myflodesk.com/proverbs31]S: JanTouchberry.com/opt-in Subscribe to the newsletter [https://jantouchberry.com/newsletter]: http://jantouchberry.com/newsletter FIND ME HERE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.com/] - JanToucberry.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jantouchberry/] - @jantouchberry JOIN THE CONVO: We’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode and its impact on your journey. Use the hashtag #HerFaithAtWork and tag us for a chance to be featured in our next episode. ABOUT THE HOST: Jan Touchberry is a brand strategist, marketing consultant, and founder of The Brand Collaborative. She helps women entrepreneurs build profitable businesses with clear messaging, strategic funnels, and aligned visibility. Marketing Without Social is the podcast for Christian women entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses using owned media — your website, your email list, your podcast — instead of being at the mercy of social media algorithms. New episodes weekly.

119: Marketing Without Socials - Why I'm Done Letting the Algorithm Run My Business

If you've ever poured yourself into a post, hit publish, and then spent the next hour nervously checking to see if anyone cared — this episode is for you. Marketing Without Social is officially here. And this first episode is all about why — why the strategy works, why now is exactly the right time, and why building your business on social media is costing you more than you realize. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why the "if I stop posting, I'll stop existing" fear is a lie worth dismantling — and what to believe instead * What social media platforms are literally designed to do to your brain (it's not connection — it's compulsion) * The validated stats every entrepreneur needs to hear about organic reach and time spent online * The four owned-media pillars that form the foundation of a social-free marketing strategy * Why this approach is especially powerful for Christian women entrepreneurs who need their business to work even in their busiest seasons KEY TAKEAWAY "There is a difference between choosing to use a tool and feeling like you cannot survive without it. For too many Christian women entrepreneurs, social media has gone from tool to tyrant." STATS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE * Instagram organic reach in 2025: 3.5% of followers (Socialinsider / Hootsuite, 2025) * Facebook organic reach in 2025: 1.65% of followers (Socialinsider, 2025) * Average daily social media use: over 2 hours / ~15 hours per week (Statista / DataReportal, 2025) * 45% of U.S. teens say they spend too much time on social media, up from 36% (Pew Research, 2025) * Reducing social media to 30 minutes/day decreased depression symptoms in three weeks (JAMA Pediatrics, 2024) SCRIPTURE REFERENCED * Proverbs 4:23 — "Guard your heart above all else, for everything you do flows from it." RESOURCES & LINKS * Learn more about Jan's web design and branding services for Christian women entrepreneurs: JanTouchberry.com [https://JanTouchberry.com] * Subscribe to the email list for weekly owned-media strategy: JanTouchberry.com/newsletter [https://JanTouchberry.com/newsletter] IF THIS EPISODE RESONATED The best thing you can do for this show right now is share it with one Christian woman entrepreneur who needs to hear it. Text it to her. Send her the link. Word of mouth is owned media too. And if you've been thinking "I know my clients should be finding me through my website — I just don't know how to make that happen" — that is exactly what we're going to figure out together. Hit follow or subscribe wherever you're listening so you don't miss what's coming next. ABOUT YOUR HOST Jan Touchberry is a web designer and brand strategist who helps Christian women entrepreneurs build online presences that work — through their websites, their email lists, and content that keeps bringing in clients long after it's published. She is the founder of The Brand Collaborative and host of Marketing Without Social. Website: JanTouchberry.com Marketing Without Social is a podcast for Christian women entrepreneurs who are done building their business on borrowed ground. New episodes drop weekly. CONNECT WITH JAN: Here are all the best places and FREE stuff 👇🏻 Grab your ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE DOWNLOAD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.myflodesk.com/proverbs31]S: JanTouchberry.com/opt-in FIND ME HERE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://jantouchberry.com/] - JanToucberry.com JOIN THE CONVO: We’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode and its impact on your journey. Use the hashtag #HerFaithAtWork and tag us for a chance to be featured in our next episode.