Content That Converts: Em Connors on Building a Personal Brand and Finding Time Freedom

Summary

Podcast Summary: What Are You Made Of? with Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco

Episode: Content That Converts: Em Connors on Building a Personal Brand and Finding Time Freedom
Date: July 22, 2026
Guest: Em Connors, Founder of The Creative Bodega

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Episode Overview

In this episode, host Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco interviews Em Connors, creator of The Creative Bodega, about her journey of personal resilience, entrepreneurship, and building a personal brand that converts. The conversation explores Em’s path from the fashion industry to social media coaching, dealing with setbacks like divorce and financial uncertainty, and how embracing authenticity and consistency fueled her business success. Listeners gain insight into the changing landscape of content creation, including the impact of AI, the power of email lists, and actionable advice for anyone aiming to show up and build an audience online.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Are You Made Of?—Grit and Transformation

(Starts ~01:00)

• Main theme: Em describes "grit" as her defining trait, shaped by life’s major pivots.
• Early career path: She moved from Pennsylvania to NYC, building a fast-paced career in fashion.

Notable Quote:

• "So much has gone into what I’m made of... I came down to just grit. Like, basically, just never settling with the cards I was dealt."
  — Em Connors (01:02)

2. Overcoming Personal Setbacks and Reinvention

(02:10 – 08:51)

• Divorce after a long-term relationship and coping with the emotional fallout and sense of failure.
• Therapy, self-worth, recovery, and ultimately gratitude for painful experiences.
• Advice on perspective: Future clarity would have made earlier struggles more bearable.

Memorable Moment:

• Em recounts feeling "thrown away like a piece of trash," acknowledging how much her sense of worth was tied to her partner.
  (03:32 – 04:36)

Host Reflection:

• "All that stuff you went through wasn't created by what happened. It was simply created by the way you were looking at it."
  — Mike (05:01)

3. Career Evolution & the Pivot to Baltimore

(08:51 – 11:32)

• Burnout and stress in the NYC fashion world led her to move to Baltimore, guided by family and desire for change.
• Transition from fashion to interior design project management.
• Building community through CrossFit, where she met her husband.

4. Family Dynamics, Setbacks & First Entrepreneurial Venture

(11:32 – 14:25)

• Quick progression in her relationship, surprise pregnancies, and her husband’s layoff led to unexpected family financial stress.
• Opening a CrossFit gym together in Maryland as their first joint business adventure.

Notable Quote:

• "Four months before our son was born, he was laid off... that was a rough time, I’m not gonna lie."
  — Em (13:14)

5. Entrepreneurship, COVID, and Discovering Content Creation

(14:25 – 17:50)

• The gym's success was fueled by Em’s early use of social media and Canva (2017).
• COVID forced the closure of their gym, sparking Em’s next transformation.
• She discovered a passion for teaching content creation to other business owners.
• Investing in herself: Enrolling in Amy Porterfield’s online course as a leap of faith.

Turning Point:

• Her husband encouraged her to quit and go all-in on her content business.
  "Quit your mentoring job and go all in on this business that you want to start, The Creative Bodega." (17:50)

6. Scaling The Creative Bodega and Learning About Scarcity vs. Abundance

(18:45 – 19:52)

• Launched her first online course after six months of content creation, netting $12,000 with 45 students.
• Rediscovering the pressure and mindset shift when the business became the family’s sole income.

Host Reflection:

• "Creating from scarcity and fear and needing money versus creating because you just love it... is very different."
  — Em (19:25)

7. Personal Branding: Consistency, Authenticity, and Building an Audience

(21:05 – 23:40)

• Shifting content strategy as Instagram evolved: From curated visuals to authenticity and vulnerability.
• Emphasizes "doing it scared," putting in reps, and embracing video as a medium.

Notable Quote:

• "I just kept showing up every week feeling like a fraud, feeling embarrassed... but I had nothing to lose and everything to gain."
  — Em (22:08)

8. Mindset Shift: Identity and Imposter Syndrome

(22:26 – 23:59)

• Mike shares insights about overcoming imposter syndrome by intentionally creating a new identity aligned with desired actions, rather than “faking it.”
• Discussion of alter egos in business branding.

9. The Modern Content Landscape & Using AI

(24:40 – 26:22)

• Em explains how she incorporates AI tools like Claude into her workflows (podcast transcription, newsletters, posts), but avoids becoming a purely “AI educator.”
• Maintains a human, creative approach and builds systems that work for neurodiverse entrepreneurs.

10. Actionable Advice on Content Creation & Personal Branding

(26:23 – 29:39)

• Show your face, use your real voice, and embrace less polished, authentic content.
• Reference to the “Yapping Challenge”—talking candidly to the camera to build trust.
• Focus on consistency, even before you have anything to sell.

Advice for Beginners:

• "Pump out content for six months before I even offered a damn thing."
  — Em (29:20)

11. Building a Pipeline, Not Just Making Offers

(27:46 – 29:39)

• Mike emphasizes constantly filling the business pipeline and not over-focusing on instant sales or tweaking offers.
• Em encourages investing in yourself, citing her own leap with Amy Porterfield’s course.

Notable Quote:

• "You need to put a little money on the line to then maybe make money to learn from the expert that has walked this whole walk."
  — Em (28:46)

12. Email List Building as the Cornerstone

(29:40 – 30:11)

• Em attributes much of her success to email list nurturing and urges entrepreneurs to start early, even without a product.

Memorable Moment:

• "Just build that trust with your audience and be that go-to person... I want my face to be the first one that pops in their head."
  — Em (30:00)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "I came down to just grit... just never settling with the cards I was dealt, basically." — Em Connors (01:02)
• "All that stuff you went through wasn't created by what happened. It was simply created by the way you were looking at it." — Mike (05:01)
• "Creating from scarcity and fear... versus creating because you just love it ... is very different." — Em (19:25)
• "I just kept showing up every week feeling like a fraud... I had nothing to lose and everything to gain." — Em (22:08)
• "You need to put a little money on the line to then maybe make money to learn from the expert that has walked this whole walk." — Em (28:46)
• "My success is truly, yes, it's Instagram, but it's more my email list." — Em (29:40)

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Practical Takeaways

• Start before you’re ready: Build your online presence and email list early.
• Consistency over perfection: Authentic, frequent content outperforms polished, sporadic posts.
• Use tools intentionally: Leverage AI and tech without losing your creative or human touch.
• Invest in learning: Don’t shy from spending to upskill or get coaching.
• Identity matters: Shift your self-concept to align with the person you want to be online.

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Guest Info & Next Steps

• Instagram: @the.creative.bodega
• Podcast: The Creative Bodega Podcast
• Website: thecreativebodega.com

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This engaging, candid episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs seeking insight, inspiration, and actionable steps to build a resilient, authentic, and successful personal brand—especially in a rapidly changing online world.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back to the what are you made of? Show. It's your boy C. Rock here. I'm with M. Connors, and we're going to find out what she's made of and also talk about what she's doing. She's got a great podcast called the Creative Bodega. She's had some early success with it, which is phenomenal. And, you know, we're going to find out and dig deep of what she did to do that. And welcome to the show.

[B]

Oh, thank you so much, Mike. Thanks for having me.

[A]

Yeah, my pleasure. It's funny how I've done thousands of these shows, and occasionally I'll have somebody that's located in the same small state that we're in here, Maryland.

[B]

I know when I. When your text came through, I'm like, 443. I know that.

[A]

I know. Like, it perks your attention. Like, wait a minute, they must be. So are you from Maryland originally or you just.

[B]

I'm a northeast girl in Pennsylvania.

[A]

What part of Pennsylvania?

[B]

Near Allentown.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. So I grew up outside of Philly, so Chester County.

[B]

So, yeah. My family's like Westchester Media all around there.

[A]

Yes. Small world, man. I'll tell you. Well, all right, so let's get into the show here. First of all, I always ask the question just to kick it off. What are you made of?

[B]

I know, and I'm not going to lie. Claude and I went back and forth for a very long time. I don't like the question, Mike. I don't. It's. I'm 45 years old. So much has gone into what I'm made of, and it was so hard for me to narrow this down. I came. I came down to, like, just grit, like, basically, like, just never settling with the. The cards I was dealt, basically.

[A]

Okay, okay. Yeah. Well, I don't know if that's a

[B]

good answer, but, like.

[A]

Yeah, but why was that so hard to come up with? Like, that's pretty good answer.

[B]

Sure. Because I. I literally went to Claude. I'm just like, these are all these, like, huge pivots in my life and things that have happened that have all gotten me here. But, like, how do you whittle that down to, like, a word or a couple words? It just felt too, like.

[A]

Well, that's the problem. Here's the problem. That was assumed. I never said one word.

[B]

That's true. That is true. I listen to a couple of podcasts, and I think maybe of yours, and a few people I listened to had, like, one word now.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I never say one word, but this. People just assume that. Yeah. No, so. So let's go deeper into that then. Let's elaborate. Like, why would you say. Great. Like, have you been through some stuff in your life? Like, what's going on?

[B]

My God. Yeah. I mean, who, who really hasn't? Yeah. Like, I basically thought I was going to be leading one life and on one life path. And I graduated college and I'm, you know, I'm a hustler, so I wanted to work immediately and I moved right to New York City a week after graduating college. And I got into the fashion industry and I had a boyfriend and we were together nine years, you know, through college, into living in New York City, you know. And were the red flags there?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Did I ignore them? Yes. Did we proceed to get married? Yes. Did I get divorced one year later? You know? Yes. Like, cheated on me, you know, never admitted it, but I knew and I. My whole life kind of crumbled before my eyes. Like I actually thought I wanted to be a mom since before I was born. So here I am, 31, divorced, felt like I had a scarlet letter on my forehead, to be honest. Didn't know anyone of my friends. All my friends were, I have goosebumps having babies and getting married. And here I am like completely starting over after nine years of having this identity in this track that I thought I'd be on. So wow. I mean, so much, so much therapy. I was basically thrown away like a piece of trash. And when you put all of your worth in somebody else's hands and then they basically say like, you're worthless to me, kind of the way that you were treated is that's what you hear in your head. It just was bad. Lost a ton of weight. I, like was looking at a picture the other day. I mean, I looked like a skeleton. Truly. I remember eating like an apple a day. And that was like forced. So it just was bad. Yeah, but, yeah, like, I don't wish it on anybody, honestly. But, but, but it was good, you know, hindsight 20 20. I remember being at a party very soon after in New York City. It was my friends 30th birthday and, and it was a book guy and his mom was like, she felt so bad. You know, she knew my ex, she knew me. She was at her wedding and she was like, I know this is so hard to understand right now because this was just a couple months later, but she was like, this is going to be a blip on the radar of your life again. I have Goosebumps. And I just looked at her and I'm like, I don't see how that's possible. But, like, here I am with a

[A]

ring on your finger now.

[B]

With a ring on my finger and knowing exactly what I deserve and how to be treated. And he. He taught me exactly what I didn't want. You know what I mean? So God bless him for leaving me high and dry. And I feel bad.

[A]

I gotta. I gotta dig into this for a second here, because this is. This is something for everybody to learn, right? Like, we have a paradigm that we live in, and it. If you had this vision of this future now, and you were clear on it, you wouldn't have went through the starving yourself, therapy, depression, all these different things. So that all that stuff that you went through wasn't created by what happened. It was simply created by the way you were looking at it. Because I can tell you 100 that if you knew what you would have now then. And you were like, oh, I just have to go through this to get to that. You'd been like, yeah, cool. I would. Therapy. What do we need therapy for? Let's. Hey, where's the New York pizza? Come on, let's go.

[B]

Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

But that's so. Because when you're going through it, you don't. Like, you take the time to do that. Like.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

One thing I know for sure, M is, is that as long as you keep going, it always gets better.

[B]

And that's true. And. And time does really heal a lot. And. And that's something that. When I was trying to figure out that, what are you made of? It's like, I refuse to be complacent. Like, I'm not just like, oh, poor me, like, my life blew up before my eyes. I'm gonna sit here and bitch about it, but not do anything.

[A]

Right? Right.

[B]

I am like, all right, I am going to go to therapy, but what's next for me? Like, so I just, like, dug into the career. I was like, you know this guy because he made a lot of money, and I didn't really have to, but now suddenly I did because I live in New York City by myself, and I'm like, all right, like, let's go. Well, what else do I have to do? I'm going to. I'm going to dig in. So I went from being. I worked in fashion. I worked for a designer who actually made the majority of her garments in New York City in the garment district, which a lot of people don't even know exists. And I managed all. I went from just being a production assistant, like, just running around all the factories, making sure everything's happening on time, to managing the cutting room where we made, you know, cut everything, to managing all the imports that came in and working with all the vendors overseas, to then becoming the director of production eventually. So in a matter of, you know, maybe five years total. And so that was wild and fun and. But it also came with its own, you know, the Devil Wears Prada. Like, truly. Like, truly. The New York City fashion scene is not far off from what you see in the movies.

[A]

Right, Right. So. So did that come to a head at some point? And then you had 100%.

[B]

I, at one point thought that I had, like, a growth in my throat or, like, cancer, to be fair, for. I went to a doctor. Like, I'm like, something like, I can't swallow fully. Like, there's. And it ended up just being stress. It was manifesting in my throat, and I was like. I just. I also had dated now, so, you know, I basically didn't date in my 20s because I was with someone. And so I was out there on the apps dating just losers, like, and. And. And some nice guys, but none of them would commit. Nobody. It's New York City. I mean, you could go out with someone different every night, like, and there's a fresh crop of people coming in every day. Like, it's insane. So I was like, in my gut, I was 34 at this point. I'd stayed three years after my divorce, and I'm just like, it's not here. Like, he's not here. I just don't. And plus, my career. I'm exhausted, and I. We're acting like we are curing cancer, and I just can't get into this. Like, I'm. I'm like, this is. So I started to be like, all right. Like, I need a city. I'm not going to move to, like, the suburbs or something. I'm 34 and single. I. And so my sister had recently moved to Baltimore with her husband, and I was like, I went to visit. I went to Fells Point. We went out. And I'm like, yeah, like, I can do this. Like, I like it here. And so I quit my job, and I moved with no job, and I moved down to Baltimore.

[A]

Wow. Yeah. I was just in Baltimore recently. We do travel, softball, so my daughter's 13, so we went to Baltimore for a tournament, stayed downtown, and. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's fun. And we. You know, I went to the Under Armour, like headquarter store and all that, which is phenomenal because we have the shitty outlet here, which is fine for T shirts and stuff like that, but it was cool. No, I always like going to Baltimore. Best baseball stadium in anywhere. I'm not an Orioles fan, but I like the stadium.

[B]

Okay. What are you a Phillies fan? Phillies?

[A]

Oh, yeah, Philly. Everything okay?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Eagles? Phillies.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, 100.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

Yeah. So. But, but we live in Ocean City where there's a lot of Redskins and, And worlds fans.

[B]

But same.

[A]

Yes. Anyway. But yeah, Baltimore became the home. And then what did you decide to do for work, like, at the time?

[B]

Like, so I just started talking to anyone and everyone, just trying to figure it out. There's no real fashion scene here. But there was Under Armour. Right. But that just didn't really intrigue me. I worked for a female, pretty high end designer in New York. And I don't know. So somebody was like, well, I know this interior designer who's looking to hire somebody to manage her project, like her projects. And I was like, oh, like that sounds. I've always loved the creative side, but I'm highly organized. And so I was like, that sounds good. So I ended up getting. I, you know, she loved that I was from New York, you know, lived in New York for 10 years and she hired me immediately. So I got a job pretty darn quickly and I started managing projects for interior designs. I. And then I ended up leaving her. Pretty little Craig Cray. But I ended up working for Kevin. No, not Kevin Plank. He owns Under Armour. Patrick Sutton, who does most of Kevin Plank's projects. So we had a big Under Armour connection, but. And yeah, I joined a CrossFit gym, which I had never done before, to force myself to work out and meet people. And my husband was a coach.

[A]

Oh, get out. That's how, you know.

[B]

So I met him. He. He always likes to say he moved my squat rack and the rest is. Basically saw me struggling with moving it. He was like, let me help you.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What the, what the big metal thing that you have to adjust.

[B]

Oh my God, it's so heavy. No, I had to move the whole thing like across the room. No.

[A]

So, yeah, yeah. Like I, I lift all the time and I'm pretty strong. I hate doing those things.

[B]

It's really hard.

[A]

Yes. Okay, gotcha. So that's how it all went down. And then, then eventually decided to start working for yourself at some point. Right?

[B]

Like, yeah. So he ironically also worked in finance, but we fast Tracked it. He's my same age. He had never been married before. He was like, he was ready and so was I. And so it just. I love you. Let's move in together. Let's try. Start trying to have a baby. So, because I was older, you know, I was 35 at that point. So is he. And I was like, I don't know how this is gonna go. I'm a little scared, you know, and I really want to have kids. And he was like, so do I. So, like, Lush is trying. Well, I got pregnant the first month I went off the pill. So then we were like, well, let's elope. So we eloped down in Annapolis. His parents came, and that was it. And then four months before our son was born, he was laid off from his beautiful, well paying finance job. And it was like, oh, God. So I had our son and my three month maternity leave was up and my husband still didn't have a job, so he stayed home. And I resented the shit out of him for being home with the baby. And I had to go back. And that was a rough time, I'm not gonna lie. I mean, it put us to the test very, very quickly. Early on, you know, what are the main struggles that couples have? It's like finances, kids, so that, you know, but we, you know, we made it work. He's a phenomenal communicator and just, just a giving, loving man. And so we talked a lot and we worked through it. And then guess what? You can get pregnant while breastfeeding. And I got pregnant again with our daughter when my son was five months old. And honestly, I feel like this was all the plan. Like, it was like, yeah, well, now I'm almost 30. I was 36. And it's like, let's just, let's just do this. But the no job part was intense. And so our daughter was born and he still didn't have a job. So this man was unemployed for a year and a half. Thank God. He's super responsible with money. And we were okay because he had been single for so long, but working in finance and so good at saving. So it was like we, he. We had the money, but it was also scary at the same time. So I'll never forget being in the hospital. Our daughter was born, and he was like, I want to start a CrossFit gym. And I was like, what? But like, whatever, you just need to do something. So. Because the more time that went by that he wasn't in finance and we had these little babies and he Loved being a dad. He's like, I don't want to travel. He traveled so, so much with his job, and he's like, I don't want to miss anything. Like, so I don't want to do it. And so we started a gym. We moved to his hometown of Bel Air, Maryland, from the city. Right. We had both babies in the city and then moved out and we started a gym, and that was our first entrepreneurial, you know, journey.

[A]

Was this before COVID This was before COVID Oh, yeah. So now. Now you had this happen, and then now you couldn't have the gym open during that period. What happened then?

[B]

We closed the gym.

[A]

Yeah. Was that.

[B]

So we had had it for three years. We had it for three years. Covid happened, and he was just like, I'm exhausted. We was really wild because we learned so much about ourselves and what parts that we loved about having our business. Like, he wanted to be the trainer and training people. Well, he ended up resenting every hour that he had to train people. Like, he loved the, like, ads and. And managing people, and, like, there were things he loved about it. And that's what. That was my first exposure to social media. We had a business coach, and he was basically like, em, you're in charge of the social media. You're the creative one. I want you to post for 30 days in a row, whatever you want. And I was like, what the. Like, what am I gonna post about? So that was it. I learned about Canva. He was like, there's this free website called Canva, and this was back in 2017. So I was like, okay, I'll try it. And ended up, you know, just. I couldn't stop. Like, I loved it so much. Well, then he. Our mentor was basically like, will you come and teach other gyms how to get themselves out on social media? Because we did really well with it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And we're able to grow our business. And, you know, we were on video way before reels were a thing. I did a video every week. And so then I got to start mentoring, and between. I was the nutrition coach at our gym, and my husband did the fitness side. And that was my first chance getting to, like, impact people's lives and coaching. And I loved every second of it. And then I loved mentoring other gym owners. But then when Covid hit. So we're three years in, dude. Then I just became a slave to zoom. I mean, I was on seven calls a day, 45 minutes long. I had. My kids were in preschool, and I. My. I just remember Getting off my seventh call and being like, my throat hurt. My throat hurts. I am exhausted. Like, now I gotta go get my babies and find a way to, like, you know, be a mom. And so we were both. When Covet hit, we were both kind of like, what's next for us? So, yeah, so he's a. He's a hustler, too. So he loves oil and gas. And he was like, I'm gonna start a YouTube and I'm gonna go back to talking about oil and gas. And that was sort of his world in his finance days. So within, like, a month of doing YouTube videos, his old firm reached out and hired him back.

[A]

Jeez.

[B]

Huh? And then he was like, I had recently signed up. I signed up for Amy Porterfield's how to make an Whatever. A digital, like, online course. And I was going to make it about nutrition because that was just the safe thing to do. And he knew I didn't want to. I was so tired of talking to people about Nutri. I just wasn't passionate about it anymore. And he was like, well, my husband's like, if you could make it about anything you wanted, what would it be? And I was like, canva. And social media, that.

[A]

That's a great question, by the way. I want everybody to pay attention to that. Like, if you could, would you. If you could do it and it was everything you wanted, what would you do? Like, ask the question, and then if you find that out, then, okay, how could I do that? Most people don't take the time to get clear on what they want. And then second, like, if I could do that, how. How would it happen? How could I do that? And they get stuck and not know the how, so they don't commit first, correct to the clear vision. So that's. That was powerful. So what happened after that then?

[B]

It was super. I mean, it was a great question. So I decided he was like. When he got his finance job, the minute he got off the call with the offer and said yes, he looked at me and he was like, quit your mentoring job and go all in on this business that you want to start. The Creative Bodega. Like, we already had a name, and I have goosebumps again. I'm like, so whatever, but. And I did it. I was like, seriously? I called my boss that minute, and I was like, things are changing for us. And it was such an exciting day. And so I started the Creative Bodega and I launched my first online course. I started my email list, Instagram, on the same day. And just Started pumping out content, like, pumping out content consistently. And by the time I launched my course, it was about six months later, and I made like 12,000 bucks in like a week with 45 students. Way underpriced the product, of course.

[A]

That's how it all.

[B]

Yeah, it's my first time. And that was it. Like. And then my business, just a year and a half later, I had a real go viral and my business, like, exploded. And then my husband was a year and a half into his finance job, and he said, I don't want to do this anymore. You're doing so well. I want to leave my job. And I was like, what? Like, no, like, it was. Because you know what, Mike, man, Creating from scarcity and fear and needing money versus creating, because you just love it. But you've got this, like, you know, rock.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Is very different.

[A]

Oh, yeah. And so now you liked what you were doing. So the resentment wasn't. Resentfulness wasn't there. Right.

[B]

It wasn't there. But, like, there was just this edge to it now where it's like, now I really need to make money. Like, this was fun, and I just, like, was making money, and now all of a sudden, I'm the sole earner. Like, my income is it. And then it, like, it definitely. There was an edge to it that was very scary all of a sudden and just different. So.

[A]

Yeah, I can see that. No, no, I've. Listen, I've been through a lot of this stuff like you're talking about right now. Like, it's like it brings back memories. But, you know, once you have that click that happens where you realize you can cause and create your future, you can cause and create the life you want. You have that ability. We're designed to be creators. Will it be easy? No, not all the time, but as long as you keep going, it all works out. And once you have that click, that realization moment, it's on. And so at some point you had that where you realize, like, wait a minute, I've been through all this stuff. And I kept getting bit better and better. Better, better. Like, I have control over this. Wait a minute. So no matter what happens, I can just create?

[B]

Well, yeah, and no matter what happens, like, we'll figure it out. And that was my husband's. Like, we've. We've always figured it out, you know, and so if I leave my job and suddenly your business isn't doing as well, like, listen, I can go back. Like, you know, I don't know if it'll be easy, but Like, I'll do that. And so. But here we are. I've had the creative bodega. I'm. It'll be six years in October. And he now runs a substack account called the Crude Chronicles. And he's doing great. He has paid newsletter that a bunch of finance people subscribe to. And we're both entrepreneurs.

[A]

Yeah. Well, I love it. So. So when you started to create a bodega, it started a certain way. You're teaching something. And then how's that changed over the last six years?

[B]

Well, Instagram is the main platform that I'm on, that I've grown my business. And so Instagram has changed so much. So I have to ride the wave. Like, there's how I was teaching social media six years ago almost. It's just not relevant today. You know, it used to be like, well, you post a quote on Monday and on Tuesday, you know, it's just, you gotta put yourself out there. So now I've really shifted. Not so much about branding and visuals. It's like building a personal brand, putting yourself out there, doing it scared. Putting in the reps to get better. Like, I'm the perfect case study because I hated being on video so much in the early days of our gym. Like, I used to joke with my husband, I'd be like, I need a shot and I don't even drink. I'd be like, I need something. I can't do this. And he's like, yes, you can. And so I just kept showing up every week feeling like a fraud, feeling embarrassed, and I just. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Like, we had no plan B. We had to make this gym successful for our babies and for us. And so it was like, just get over yourself and get out there.

[A]

So, okay, so on this, I gotta talk about this now. So that's the hard way to do it, by the way. Just to lean into it, right? And that's what Grant Cardone talks about. Just lean into it. Here's the thing I figured out. I studied quantum and neuroscience. I went deep. I started implementing in my life into the those around me. And I started to realize, wait a minute, that's the hard way. The whole problem is, is that we're not identifying as a person that would go on video. Now, that is an identity problem. So let me just start creating an identity that I want to live like, and then make sure my thoughts, my words, the things I say, my actions, and the people I surround myself with align with that identity.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And if I Do that. Then would that identity, the action part of it, would that identity go on video and feel confident? Yeah, okay, I'm going to do that. But. But it starts with now if you stick in the old identity, and then you try to do your thoughts, words, actions, and the people around you, you feel like that's where the imposter syndrome comes from. You feel like a fraud. This and that, because you're stuck in the old identity.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I figured this thing out. Like, oh, I just need to be the identity. And I'm the guy that does this, this and this, says this, thinks this, and hangs out with these kind of people. And it's so easy. Like, it's ridiculous. And I was like, why didn't I know this before? Why didn't my parents teach me this? Why did they teach me this in school?

[B]

Yeah, well, it's sort of like you fake it till they make it. Or having, like, an old.

[A]

That's the hard way. No, no. Oh, yeah, yeah. Fake it till you make it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

I mean, or having, like, an alter personality. Like, you hear some of these musicians have. Right. Like to get. That's my.

[A]

Hey, that's mine right there. C. Rock that.

[B]

That's. Yes, exactly.

[A]

Yeah. And then you hear. And then you hear some people like, well, I'm a private person. I like to keep my things private. Okay, great. Create your alter ego. When you're out in public and doing your thing, do your alter ego. And then you're Mike Sirocco at home.

[B]

Yeah, right.

[A]

Like, people need to know everything that's going on.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, some people share.

[B]

And maybe I did that subconsciously, Mike, because I. My name's Emily Connors, but, like, on. On Instagram and ever, I'm just M. Connors.

[A]

Like Eminem M, F and M. Yeah, exactly, exactly.

[B]

People are always like, is that your name? And I'm like, yeah, it is. I don't know. It's almost like a little bit of an alter ego. But, yeah, no, it's very true.

[A]

Yeah. All right, so back to the way things have evolved, because obviously we have AI and you mentioned Claude earlier and all this other stuff. Like, so. So the creative bodega now, like, what are you doing now with everything that's changed?

[B]

Yeah, well, I mean, AI is a big part of. Of my life now and my business, so, like, sharing everything I can about that, just really streamlining content creation. Like, I have a podcast, like I said, so I'll take my transcript, and that will really Dictate. I have like a whole project set up in Claude where it will help me with my newsletter, it'll help me with my two posts for the week, it'll help me with whatever. Like, a lot of things trickle down from the transcript, so it just, it's definitely, it's overwhelming. And, and, and if you have adhd, which a lot of women I work with do, and I, I'm probably undiagnosed, honestly, it can be a rabbit hole. So I try to use it like, very, very intentionally and set up projects that help me with workflows, basically. So, yeah, I'm having to implement a lot of that. Like I said, like, Instagram is ever changing. The AI world is ever changing. And so it's just, you know, where do I stand on these things and how do I use it? And I've had people say, you need to talk about AI more. You know, you. And I'm like, well, I don't want to be the AI girl or like the go to for that. So I don't think that's going to be a major thing I talk about. But it'll trickle in here or there. And it's certainly my programs. Like, I have run a couple live programs and it's, it's baked in there.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

But, yeah.

[A]

And so for people listening that want to know what the creative bodega is doing now, specifically.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What are you telling people? High level. Because obviously they want to give everything, but, like, high level, what should people be doing? Like, what do you teach them?

[B]

Well, I mean, more than ever, because of AI, like, you've got to be showing up and sharing your voice and your face and, and getting on video and talking to people. There's a woman that went super viral recently with the Yapping challenge. Have you seen.

[A]

I've heard of it. I hadn't seen it, but somebody told me about it.

[B]

Literally talking to the camera kind of authentically and off the cuff or in your car. You know what I mean? That's. It's so much less polished now. Like Instagram and content is a lot less polished. It doesn't have to be super perfect. People just want you to be real and have an edge and share your personality kind of unabashedly. So it's like really teaching people. I specifically help female entrepreneurs just show up more simply, more authentically and more consistently online to help build your personal brand or your business.

[A]

Gotcha. And then who, who, who do you work with? Obviously it's women mostly.

[B]

Or it's mostly female. Solopreneurs. So they, you know, their coaches, they're. They're trying to run an online business.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

People like me. Yeah, yeah. Well, and then a lot of coaches, virtual assistants, whatever, Dog trainers, anyone trying to grow their business on Instagram.

[A]

There's so many people out there that are doing this or say they want to do this. They're not making any money, Right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They get no sales, but they still stick in this thing. Right. And they're not doing the things they need to do. They sometimes know what they need to do, but they don't do it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Yeah. And I was. I was actually, I just put a post up today because I'm talking about this a lot. In your business, you have to pack the pipeline. You don't need sales right away. You need to plant seeds that germinate, get watered and fertilized, taken care of until they finally become a sale. Sometimes it's a quick sale, sometimes it takes longer. But most people don't focus on building their pipeline, packing it so filled that it just bursts. And they need a new pipe.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they focus on when they're not getting sales. They focus on, well, I need to change my offer when that offer's gotten them things before, or I need to change my whole systems of process or my approach, my messaging, instead of just focus on hammering, bringing people in, tell them what they do. Shoot video constantly outflowing. Yeah, right. You see that, too?

[B]

Oh, 100%. I mean, a lot of the women I work with, like, people will DM me and be like, oh, like, I want to join your membership. But, like, I'm not making money yet. So I. And I'm like, no, you need to join my membership. You need to put a little money on the line to then maybe make money to learn from the expert that has walked this whole walk. You know, I did. I paid for that. Amy Porterfield course, it was $2,000. We did not have $2,000. But I was desperate and I needed something to light me up and get me excited and to create. And so we did it, you know, and so I feel like a lot of people hold back because of that or whatever. They're just holding back because they're insecure, don't want to put themselves out there, are freed with their friends and family are going to think. I mean, there's so many. But yes, I pumped out content for six months before I even offered a damn thing.

[A]

And.

[B]

And that's what people forget, too. They're like, well, I don't want to start my newsletter because I'm a big, like email person too. I cannot. My success is truly, yes, it's Instagram, but it's more my email list. And people are like, well, I don't have any offer yet. And I'm like, great, that's even better. Just build that like that, that trust with your audience and be that go to person when they think canva or personal brand or showing up. I want my face to be the first one that pops in their head to ask the question. Or 2. 100.

[A]

100. All right. And where can people go deeper with you?

[B]

Well, Instagram at the period Creative period Bodega. I've got a podcast called the Creative Bodega Podcast and my website's thecreativebodega.com Very simple, folks.

[A]

Go check her out. And thank you so much for your time today. I appreciate you coming on.

[B]

Oh, thanks for having me.

[A]

All right, hang tight while I wrap this up, folks. That's this episode of the what do you made up show. Make sure you hit the subscribe follow button to top your favorite podcast platform. Like how I say that so fast. I've stated that so many times. It just flows right off the Keep coming back. And until next time, be that one.