The Mindful Marketing Podcast

Episode: Lessons Learned from Shutting Down My Membership
Host: Andréa Jones
Date: November 11, 2025

Overview:

In this behind-the-scenes episode, Andréa Jones candidly reflects on her decision to shut down the Mindful Marketing Lab (formerly Savvy Social School), sharing personal and professional lessons learned throughout its lifecycle. She explores why now is the time for change, the realities of running a program in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, the impact of her own life shifts, and how she's rewriting her approach to marketing support with a new product launch. This is the first in a four-part series on pivotal shifts in marketing.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Origin and Growth of Mindful Marketing Lab

• History and Intent: Launched in 2018 while running her agency, initially to house resources created for her team and to answer repeated questions from peers.
  • “Back then my goal was just to supplement my income. … And I wanted to be known for social media.” (06:44)
• Benefited from early adaptation during the pandemic, supporting businesses in transitioning their messaging, leading to a burst in growth.
  • “If I could go back in time, I would, like, take out a line of credit and run more ads. … I jumped into something really, really great in a pocket of time where people really needed that resource.” (09:35)

2. Reflections on Rebranding and Timing

• Delayed Rebrand Realization:
  • Purchased “Mindful Marketing” domains in 2020 but waited until 2024 to rebrand, feeling that the opportunity to rebrand at peak relevance was missed.
    • “My first lesson learned is when you are inspired by something, go for it. … you’ll regret if you don’t do it at the right time.” (12:50)

3. Shifting Motivations: From Want to Need

• Changes Driven by Life and the Market:
  • Admits she wished she could have continued, but personal (family, postpartum health) and market forces (rise of AI, shifting client preferences) demand a pivot.
    • “What people don’t talk about enough is making a change because you have to. … it’s not fun to talk about having to make a change.” (14:44)
  • Financial realities: declining revenue made running an expensive, expansive program impractical.

4. Product-Market Alignment and Simplicity

• Program Outgrown Its Context:
  • Outpaced by how quickly marketing—and especially social media platforms—change; her previously comprehensive approach no longer felt relevant or sustainable.
    • “I feel like I’m going against my own marketing ethos. … My new tagline, simpler, smarter marketing for busy people. … when I look at my program, I think, this doesn’t fit.” (17:40)
• Tech Stack Lessons:
  • Expensive tools (like Circle) made sense at membership’s peak, but not as it shrank.
  • “My lesson learned here is simple sometimes means starting over. … I tried to like duct tape my duct tape and it wasn’t working.” (25:11)

5. Leaning into Customer Curiosity and AI

• AI Integration Outperforms Traditional Courses:
  • Custom AI tools and actionable templates were more valued than lengthy traditional courses.
    • “I realized those were getting used more than my full length courses.” (28:37)
  • Focus is now on immediacy and tools that serve members today.

6. Rethinking Community

• Community as Feeling, Not Space:
  • Shifted from prioritizing a centralized online community to meeting clients where they are (email, DMs, LinkedIn, etc.).
    • “Community is not a space, it is a feeling. … one of the things I was noticing is my community members would DM me on Instagram, reply to emails, send me voice notes on LinkedIn…” (38:01)
  • Attempting to “force” members into a specific online space felt forced and counterproductive.

7. The Next Chapter: “Your Marketing Shortcut”

• New Product Philosophy:
  • Launching on Black Friday, “Your Marketing Shortcut” aims to provide actionable, platform-agnostic solutions that meet members’ immediate needs.
    • “You don’t need the whole course. You need to know what you need to focus on right now. … Going through the course feels like work. And you’re like, Andréa, can you just send me what I need to do today? And I’m like, yeah, I can definitely do that.” (51:16)
• Pricing with Integrity:
  • Plans to seek brand sponsorship over charging high prices to small businesses; committed to pricing resources ethically.
    • “I’d rather charge the larger businesses to sponsor something to give it to y’ all for free.” (48:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Timely Action:

  • “When you are inspired by something, go for it. … you’ll regret if you don’t do it at the right time.” (12:50)

• On Change by Necessity:

  • “What people don’t talk about enough is making a change because you have to. … it’s not fun to talk about having to make a change.” (14:44)

• On Simplicity:

  • “Simple sometimes means starting over. … I tried to like duct tape my duct tape and it wasn’t working.” (25:11)

• On Community:

  • “Community is not a space, it is a feeling.” (38:41)

• On Adaptation & AI:

  • “I started building AI tools, AI shortcuts… and I realized those were getting used more than my full length courses.” (28:37)

• On the Product Shift:

  • “You don’t need the whole course. You need to know what you need to focus on right now. … Can you just send me what I need to do today? And I’m like, yeah, I can definitely do that.” (51:16)

Important Timestamps

• 00:55 — Background & Mindful Marketing Lab Origin Story
• 06:44 — Early Intentions and Rapid Early Growth
• 12:50 — Reflection on Missed Timing with Rebrand
• 14:44 — Pivoting Out of Necessity (Personal and Market Forces)
• 17:40 — Realizing Program No Longer Fits (Ethos and Simplicity)
• 25:11 — Simplifying Systems & Tech Stack Lessons
• 28:37 — AI Integration, Shifts Toward Actionable Tools
• 38:01 — Rethinking Community; Meeting Members Where They Are
• 45:10 — Pricing Strategy and Ethical Considerations
• 51:16 — Announcing the New Product: “Your Marketing Shortcut” & Closing Thoughts

Conclusion & Call to Action

Andréa invites listeners to embrace change, ask “what if?”, and join her as she continues to simplify and humanize marketing for busy entrepreneurs. The upcoming episode will explore her strategic approach for 2026 and further details on her new professional chapter.

Final message:
“What if? That’s what I’m going to leave you with in this episode. Ask yourself, what if? What would it look like for things to end? What would it look like for things to change? What would it look like if you actually gave your customer clients what they need?” (54:12)

Next episode teaser:

• How Andréa is adopting these lessons in her own 2026 strategy
• More about her new agency role

Stay tuned!