10: BS Breakthrough: Build the foundation before the castle

10: BS Breakthrough: Build the foundation before the castle

You have a course idea you can see in full. Every phase, every module, the whole beautiful thing. So why does building it feel impossible? In this BS Breakthrough, Dr. Catrina Mitchum unpacks her recent conversation with Danielle Smith and digs into why being able to see the whole vision is exactly what trips so many course creators up. What We Work Through * Why seeing the entire course in your head doesn't mean you should build all of it right now * How to find the one foundational piece everything else depends on, and let the rest wait * Why "not everyone needs your course" is good news, not a problem to fix * How trying to serve everyone quietly waters the thing down for the people who actually need it * Why the platform question is the last question, never the first * What to organize and get clear on before you ever go platform shopping Most course creators don't get stuck because they lack expertise. They get stuck because they try to build everything at once instead of laying the one piece that makes everything else possible. If your course feels too big, too sprawling, or like it's trying to do everything everywhere all at once, this episode hands you the question that gets you moving again. About Danielle Smith Danielle is a mindset and movement coach collaborating with women to create sustainable health and wellness for themselves across every phase and stage of life. She is the owner of Elemental Delta. * ⁠Danielle Smith⁠ [https://elementaldelta.kit.com/profile/posts] * Instagram: ⁠@danielle_elemental_delta⁠ Referenced In This Episode: * Full conversation with Danielle Smith: Listen here [https://traffic.megaphone.fm/DMXPO3004655847.mp3] * Dr. Catrina's YouTube series on course platforms: Watch the playlist [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhY5ji6RKPJX0Ffvs8egHtEiNU-ZzA9TD] Apply to be a guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59] Connect with Catrina: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.cmlearningdesign.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/] LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design/] Subscribe to my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cut the Course Creation Crap Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/cut-the-crap] Music credit: Alex Mitchum Alex, Catrina's youngest brother, was a jazz guitarist and his family established a scholarship in his name at his alma mater. Please consider donating: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship⁠ [https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship]

09: Why Your Course Platform Doesn't Matter (Yet)

Most course platforms are garbage. There, we said it. In this episode, Dr. Catrina Mitchum sits down with Danielle Smith, mindset and movement coach and owner of Elemental Delta, to untangle a problem a lot of course creators hit: you have a massive, beautiful body of work, and now you have to figure out what is actually the course and what is everything else. What follows is a real-time consultation on scoping a course down, choosing platforms without losing your mind, and designing for how people actually do the work. What We Work Through * Finding the real boundary of your course. Danielle's original program ran clients through four phases in twelve weeks, and it was a lot. Catrina helps her see that the first phase, the identity-shift foundation, is the course, and the rest can become a resource library to pull from later. If you've ever felt like your course is trying to do everything, this is the conversation for you. * Why "what's the goal?" comes before "what platform?" Danielle came in asking about tech. Catrina makes her back all the way up to the learning first, so the platform decision actually serves the work instead of dictating it. This is the reframe that changes how you build. * Designing around the work, not the video. A lot of this course is reflection, journaling, movement experiments, and a clean-slate pantry exercise. Catrina walks through how to give learners real ways to capture and reflect, whether that's a folder, a notebook-style doc, audio prompts they can listen to on a walk, or fillable options for the people who do not own a printer. * The platform reality check. From System.io and Teachery to Circle, Thinkific, and even Google Classroom, Catrina lays out the honest tradeoffs, plus why starting in a simple organized folder protects you from a painful platform migration down the road. * Cutting video down to size. Danielle used to record ten to twenty minutes per module. Catrina makes the case for three to five minutes per task instead, and explains when an audio-only prompt actually serves the learner better than another talking-head video. * Knowing when "the foundation" ends. The course ends where the learner has a plan they have to go implement on their own. That hand-off point is also where Danielle will learn the most about what her people need next. If you're sitting on a big, sprawling body of expertise and you cannot figure out where the course starts and stops, this episode is a permission slip and a roadmap. It's about scoping down without losing the magic, picking tools that don't trap you, and building for the human who's actually going to do the work. Press play, then go look at your own outline with fresh eyes. About Danielle Smith Danielle is a mindset and movement coach collaborating with women to create sustainable health and wellness for themselves across every phase and stage of life. She is the owner of Elemental Delta. * Danielle Smith [https://elementaldelta.kit.com/profile/posts] * Instagram: @danielle_elemental_delta [https://www.instagram.com/danielle_elemental_delta] Danielle is one of the DIY warriors inside the Course Maker Membership, which is exactly what this episode sounds like in action: real feedback, a process that fits your life, and a community of people who actually give a shit about their learners. * Course Maker Membership [https://www.cmlearningdesign.com/course-maker-membership] * Website: cmlearningdesign.com [https://www.cmlearningdesign.com] Apply to be a guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59] Connect with Catrina: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.cmlearningdesign.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/] LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design/] Subscribe to my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cut the Course Creation Crap Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/cut-the-crap] Music credit: Alex Mitchum Alex, Catrina's youngest brother, was a jazz guitarist and his family established a scholarship in his name at his alma mater. Please consider donating: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship⁠ [https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship]

08: BS Breakthrough: Are your students really at different levels, or just starting from different places?

You've got college students who can scroll TikTok in their sleep but cannot attach a file to an email. You've got semi-retired folks who want to pay their gas bill online without bugging the grandkids. The gut reaction when your students look this different from each other is to build different tracks for different levels. This BS Breakthrough makes the case for a very different read on the situation, and a much simpler course structure on the other side of it. What We Work Through * Why "different starting points" and "different knowledge levels" are not the same thing, and why mixing them up sends you down a structural rabbit hole you do not actually need to go down * How to spot when your students share one skill gap, even if their tech, jobs, and ages look nothing alike, and what that means for the way you build the course * The case for letting learners pick their own technology and their own task, and why giving up that bit of control is what makes the course usable for everyone in the room * How to build troubleshooting into the course structure itself, instead of telling people to "email when you get stuck" and putting the work back on them * Two different kinds of stuck (your steps did not work vs. the technology changed on you), and why each one needs its own decision tree * A three-step gut check for figuring out whether your own course is solving for the right kind of variation in your audience If you have been trying to design a course for students who feel like they are all over the map, the takeaway is not always more tracks, more pathways, or more content. Sometimes it is one course, one skill, and a structure that lets each person plug in their own context. Press play, see if Tim's situation sounds like yours, and steal what works. Go back and listen to the full episode with Tim Maile, the live course design consultation this BS Breakthrough is pulled from. Listen there for Tim's links and the original troubleshoot. About Tim Maile Tim Maile is the owner and operator of TKM PM and IT Solutions, where he makes IT work for people, not the other way around. With over 20 years of on-the-ground experience as the unofficial IT person in the room, Tim specializes in solving tech problems and building genuine confidence in the people who use technology every day. * Website: www.tkmitpm.uk [https://www.tkmitpm.uk] * Facebook: TKM PM and IT Solutions [https://www.facebook.com/TKMPMIT] * LinkedIn: TKM PM and IT Solutions [https://www.linkedin.com/company/tkm-pm-and-it-solutions] * Book an appointment: calendly.com/tkmitpm [https://calendly.com/tkmitpm] * YouTube: The Human Side of Tech: A No Jargon Zone [https://www.youtube.com/@tkmitpm] Apply to be a guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59] Connect with Catrina: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.cmlearningdesign.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/] LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design/] Subscribe to my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cut the Course Creation Crap Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/cut-the-crap] Music credit: Alex Mitchum Alex, Catrina's youngest brother, was a jazz guitarist and his family established a scholarship in his name at his alma mater. Please consider donating: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship⁠ [https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship]

07: Are Your Learners at Different Levels? Build in Choices

If your course students keep coming back to you every time they hit a wall, the problem probably isn't them. In this episode, Dr. Catrina Mitchum works through a live course design consultation with Tim Maile, an IT solutions specialist building a course to help people stop fearing technology and start actually using it. What unfolds is a masterclass in the difference between teaching a tool and teaching someone how to learn. What We Work Through * The reframe that changes everything: why "different knowledge levels" is probably not the real problem your course needs to solve * Why confidence is a learning variable, not a bonus outcome, and how to design for it on purpose * How letting learners choose their own technology and mini task is not chaos but actually good course design * Why the "why" behind a learner's goal matters more than the skill itself, and the case for a journaling component in a tech course * How to build troubleshooting directly into your course structure so learners can work through friction without defaulting to you * The two types of troubleshooting that need two different responses: task-level roadblocks versus system-level disruption * Why naming technology realities out loud (software changes, buttons move, two-factor authentication is not going away) protects learner confidence instead of undermining it If you've been trying to figure out how to design a course that works for learners at wildly different starting points, this episode gives you a real working example of how to think through that problem without just building more content. About Tim Maile Tim Maile is the owner and operator of TKM PM and IT Solutions, where he makes IT work for people, not the other way around. With over 20 years of on-the-ground experience as the unofficial IT person in the room, Tim specializes in solving tech problems and building genuine confidence in the people who use technology every day. Website: www.tkmitpm.uk [https://www.tkmitpm.uk] Facebook: TKM PM and IT Solutions [https://www.facebook.com/TKMPMIT] LinkedIn: TKM PM and IT Solutions [https://www.linkedin.com/company/tkm-pm-and-it-solutions] Book an appointment: calendly.com/tkmitpm [https://calendly.com/tkmitpm] YouTube: The Human Side of Tech: A No Jargon Zone [https://www.youtube.com/@tkmitpm] Apply to be a guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59] Connect with Catrina: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.cmlearningdesign.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/] LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design⁠⁠⁠ [https://linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design/] Subscribe to my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cut the Course Creation Crap Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/cut-the-crap] Music credit: Alex Mitchum Alex, Catrina's youngest brother, was a jazz guitarist and his family established a scholarship in his name at his alma mater. Please consider donating: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship⁠ [https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship]

06: BS Breakthrough: 3 Signs It's Time to Cut the Crap from Your Course

If you've ever looked at your course or membership and thought, "I should probably add more," this one's for you. Dr. Catrina Mitchum breaks down a real design conversation with Amber Cherelle, founder of the Everevolution™ collective, and the counterintuitive lesson that came out of it: more options don't create more engagement. They create more ways to avoid the work. What We Work Through * Why giving learners too many ways to engage actually reduces participation and what decision fatigue has to do with it * How to identify the one thing in your learning experience that's actually creating transformation, and build around that instead of on top of it * The difference between live elements that earn their place and live elements that just add pressure without adding value * Why some of the best support structures are the ones that get out of the way * A two-step audit you can run on your own course today: map every engagement option, then ask whether each one supports the main thing or competes with it If your course or program is starting to feel like a pile of good ideas that somehow isn't working, this episode gets at why that happens and what to actually do about it. Go back and listen to the full episode with Amber Cherelle if you haven't, especially if you're building something live and experiential. About Amber Cherelle Amber is a serial business owner, founder of Everevolution™, and someone who's asking big questions about how we grow, lead, and show up in life. Amber's work sits at the intersection of personal development, leadership, and real-world application, and this work isn't about learning more stuff, it's about becoming different. She creates Living Experiments: immersive, real-life growth experiences designed to move people from insight into embodied change. Her mission? Help people become the change they wish to see — and experience the richness of life that follows. * Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ambercherelle/⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/ambercherelle/] * Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/ambah.moore⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/ambah.moore] * Podcast: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQkMmQJxFLEbFJtBZmLJj⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQkMmQJxFLEbFJtBZmLJj] Apply to be a guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59] Connect with Catrina: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.cmlearningdesign.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/] LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design⁠⁠⁠ [https://linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design/] Subscribe to my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cut the Course Creation Crap Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://www.cmlearningdesign.com/cut-the-crap] Music credit: Alex Mitchum Alex, Catrina's youngest brother, was a jazz guitarist and his family established a scholarship in his name at his alma mater. Please consider donating: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship⁠ [https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship]