Courage & Clarity Podcast Episode 156:

How to Show Up on 5x the Platforms Without 5x the Effort

Host: Steph Crowder
Date: October 22, 2025

Episode Overview

In this energetic and tactical solo episode, host Steph Crowder addresses a core pain point for entrepreneurs: How do you become visible across multiple online platforms without burning out or multiplying your workload? Steph argues for a mindset and workflow shift from mere effort and repurposing to creativity, showing listeners exactly how to amplify a single idea across several spaces effectively while keeping the process fun, authentic, and sustainable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The “Effort Trap” vs. Creative Multiplication

• Many entrepreneurs believe being visible everywhere requires working exponentially harder.
  • Steph observes how attempting to work harder often leads to burnout and a sense of being on a "content treadmill."
  • “Most entrepreneurs are trying to outwork their way to momentum. … You don’t need to grind harder in order to grow.” (03:07)
• Repurposing content in a mechanical way has become stale and ineffective; audiences recognize and disengage with lazy, copy-pasted content.
  • “Your audience knows that you’re not really there… Your audience may even read it as lazy.” (09:55)

The Central Shift: Creativity as a Multiplier

• Creativity is not about more work, but more ideas from a single spark.
  • “Creativity is your multiplier. … It’s about seeing more possibilities in what already exists.” (14:20)
• Instead of attempting to “repurpose,” Steph champions reinterpreting ideas for each platform’s unique spirit and purpose.

Real-Life Example: One Idea, Five Platforms

1. Client Call Spark:
   • Steph picks up on a theme from a client coaching call—juggling business with personal stress.
2. Instagram Stories:
   • Shares the insight immediately, conversationally, while eating lunch.
   • "Here’s what I want you to know about how you actually don’t need more time, you don’t need a clear schedule in order to launch...” (26:10)
3. Email Campaign
   • Plays back her story, transcribes, polishes, refines for email tone.
4. Threads Post
   • Uses ChatGPT to help chunk the email into tweet-style threads (with strong caution NOT to let AI take over her voice).
5. Instagram Carousel
   • Screenshots those threads or rewrites the message for a carousel, focusing on a strong visual hook.

• “It’s not about creating more time. … It’s truly about using your creativity as a multiplier.” (23:40)
• “If you think of it as like modeling clay… you shape it one way—that’s Instagram Stories. You shape it another way—now that’s in an email.” (28:50)

The Method: Create Once, Show Up Everywhere

Step 1: Catch the Spark

• Draw inspiration from real situations—client stories, personal moments, or even rants.
  • Steph highlights her client Mara, who leveraged her analysis of the new Taylor Swift album across multiple platforms with great viral success. (38:15)

Step 2: Talk It Out Loud

• Don’t overthink—record voice notes, go live, or blab in Voxer to capture unpolished ideas.
• The raw voice is more important than early drafts.

Step 3: Reinterpret for Each Platform

• Email: Narrative, story-driven

• Threads: Punchy or thought-piece style

• Instagram Carousel: Visual headline and concise story points

• Podcast: Deep context, conversation

  • “Instead of just reposting it across all the platforms and having them being homogeneous and boring, you need to instead think of it this way: instead of reposting, reinterpret.” (51:10)

Step 4: Follow Energy, Not Obligation

• Let creativity set the timeline—ideas don’t need to appear everywhere all at once or in the same order.
  • “Follow the energy, not the obligation. … If it feels fun, if it feels alive, that’s the right platform for it today.” (56:50)
• The process can (and should) feel fun and alive, not like a mechanical system.
  • “We’ve lost touch with so much of the fun of it…let’s bring some of that back.” (58:19)

The Payoff: From Exhaustion to Energized Visibility

• When you move from grind to creativity, visibility stops being draining and starts feeling joyful.
• “When you make the switch from effort to creativity… you stop feeling behind. Because there’s nothing to be behind on. Creativity’s on its own timeline.” (59:25)
• Audiences can feel your energy, and will re-engage when you do.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On mechanical repurposing:
  “The jig is up… Your audience knows you’re not really there… In my opinion, your audience reads it as lazy.” (09:40)

• On creative re-interpretation:
  “Creativity is your multiplier. … It’s about seeing more possibilities in what already exists.” (14:20)

• On the modeling clay approach:
  “If you think of it as modeling clay… you shape it one way, that’s Instagram Stories, you shape it another way, now that’s in an email, right?” (28:53)

• On audience energy:
  “If you are feeling exhausted and you’re saying you’re exhausted, your audience knows that. … You can plug back into energy, and when you do, here’s the great news: the minute you do, they’re gonna feel it.” (59:55)

Key Timestamps

• 03:07 – The myth of effort: Why grinding harder across platforms isn’t sustainable.
• 09:40 – The problem with lazily repurposed content and audience disengagement.
• 14:20 – Creativity as the force-multiplier for your messages.
• 23:40 – Steph’s real-world example: moving a single coaching insight through five formats.
• 38:15 – Catching the spark: Stories from clients who make cross-platform connection work.
• 51:10 – Reinterpretation over reposting: tailoring each idea for each space.
• 56:50 – Following the flow of energy and creativity instead of rigid process.
• 59:25 – The payoff: Less burnout, more authentic connections, and why creativity helps you stop feeling behind.

Takeaways

• Being visible “everywhere” isn’t about working more—it’s about creative re-interpretation and letting platforms breathe their unique spirits into your core ideas.
• Audiences are craving authenticity and presence. Raw, energized ideas—tailored to platform vibes—result in both greater reach and a more enjoyably sustainable workflow.
• Don’t fear AI, but use it cautiously and always preserve your authentic voice.
• Give yourself permission to break routine, follow what feels electric, and—most of all—have fun again in your content creation process.

Final Note

Steph wraps by inviting listeners to her upcoming free workshop, “Double Your Launch,” focused on building launches fueled by creativity, not chaos. Find the details at stephcrowder.com/workshop.

“Dare I say we enjoy the process, right?” (1:01:09)

This episode is a pep-talk and blueprint for creators feeling stretched thin—and offers hope that more play, more presence, and less “effort math” can multiply both your reach and your fulfillment.