Creator Alchemy

Explore the intriguing barriers that hold ambitious individuals back from taking action. Discover how waiting for permission can paralyze progress and learn about the pervasive nature of imposter syndrome. Understand the dangers of worrying about others' opinions and the impact of toxic personal narratives. Gain insights on overcoming self-sabotaging behaviors and the importance of community over isolation for growth. Embrace the idea that you won’t always feel ready—start acting anyway to build momentum!

Tim Stoddart is one of my favorite entrepreneurs and writers. He's built multiple 7 and 8 figure businesses with SEO, content marketing, advertising, and great writing. A few years ago he went full circle and bought Copyblogger, a website and platform that first taught him how to build an online business when he first started. In this episode, we dive into the "inner game" of what it actually takes to build multiple successful companies, the psychological toll it can take that most entrepreneurs never talk about, and Tim shares business advice everyone ignores that could actually be the key to building a successful business. —CONNECT WITH TIM STODDART: https://copyblogger.com/https://www.timstodz.com/https://www.youtube.com/@timstodz—SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/—JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Why Creators Are Broke09:29 How Content Attracts Serendipity19:04 Building Business Relationships Through Authenticity29:09 Sobriety, Entrepreneurship, and Obsession47:10 Self-Care, Stillness, and Sustainability54:29 Business Advice Everyone Ignores—SOCIAL LINKS:Website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreywilkspsydSubstack: https://substack.com/@coreywilkspsyd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreywilkspsyd/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreywilkspsyd/Disclaimers: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, treatment, diagnosis, or creates a professional-client relationship.

In this insightful discussion, Dan Bennett, founder of Hot Sauce Video and a six-figure entrepreneur, dives into the emotional rollercoaster of scaling a business. He shares his struggles with hiring setbacks and the overwhelming feelings of loss they triggered. Together with Corey, they tackle the recurring theme of uncertainty and how it informs decision-making. They explore the complex nature of growth, the importance of resilience versus knowing when to pause, and how embracing uncertainty can actually empower entrepreneurial choice.

In this episode, I sit down with Tintin Smith, former Head of YouTube for Ali Abdaal where he helped Ali's channel generate millions in subscriber count and revenue before launching his own business helping educational YouTubers turn their channels into sustainable six-figure businesses. We explore the psychological journey of entrepreneurship including navigating imposter syndrome, pricing psychology, the insecurity of self-promotion, and other psychological aspects of running a successful online business every creator faces.—CONNECT WITH TINTIN SMITH: 100K YouTuber: https://100kyt.com/100K Roadmap: https://100kroadmap.co/Tintin's Business Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theyoutubetinTintin's Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@tintinsmith—SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/—JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 From Working with Ali Abdaal to Building His Own Business19:41 Navigating Imposter Syndrome and Charging Premium Prices34:06 Pricing Psychology and Charging Your Worth50:34 Doing Aligned Work and Avoiding Golden Handcuffs01:01:30 Dealing with the Insecurity of Self-Promotion01:19:17 Final Thoughts—SOCIAL LINKS:Website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreywilkspsydSubstack: https://substack.com/@coreywilkspsyd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreywilkspsyd/Disclaimers: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, treatment, diagnosis, or creates a professional-client relationship.

In this discussion, Jessica Lackey, founder of Deeper Foundations and author of 'Leaving the Casino,' shares her no-nonsense approach to building successful online businesses. She emphasizes that many entrepreneurs are risking their careers in a gamble, debunking quick-success myths. Lackey advocates for sustainable business models focusing on recurring revenue and community engagement. She stresses the importance of market validation, lived experience in teaching, and the need for genuine conviction and curiosity in driving long-term success.

Learn why waiting for permission is a barrier to success and how optimizing small time blocks can boost productivity. Discover the difference between a business and a hobby, and why authenticity trumps superficial branding. Explore the importance of building real connections over follower counts and the value of creating a portfolio of assets. Dive into the harsh reality that entrepreneurship is hard work and requires embracing discomfort. Finally, Corey emphasizes focusing on timeless work and deep resonance with your audience.

Are you secretly afraid of success? In this solo episode, I dive into why fear of success is so common, even when you deeply want to achieve success. You'll also learn an exercise to help you navigate fear of success.—SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/—JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.—SOCIAL LINKS:Website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreywilkspsydSubstack: https://substack.com/@coreywilkspsyd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreywilkspsyd/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreywilkspsyd/Disclaimers: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, treatment, diagnosis, or creates a professional-client relationship.

Lawrence Yeo is the founder of More to That and author of The Inner Compass. He's legitimately one of my favorite modern writers and has been instrumental in helping me improve my ability to think clearer, tell better stories, and live more meaningfully. In today's episode, I sit down with Lawrence to dive deep into the psychological barriers that keep creators from doing their best work. We explore how to transform imposter syndrome into creative fuel, why authenticity beats algorithmic optimization, and how philosophical frameworks provide more practical guidance than traditional self-help for navigating creative uncertainty, building sustainable businesses, and developing unshakeable conviction in your ideas.—CONNECT WITH LAWRENCE YEO: Website: https://moretothat.com/Lawrence's book, The Inner Compass: https://compass.moretothat.com/—SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/—JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.—TOPICS DISCUSSED:Imposter syndrome signals you're entering new territory and growing, rather than being a character flaw to eliminate.Original ideas don't exist - your unique value comes from filtering universal concepts through your personal experience and worldview.Tactical vulnerability means sharing personal struggles specifically to serve your audience, not just to process your own emotions.Writing like you naturally speak creates more authentic connection than trying to hit artificial reading level targets.Perfectionism paralyzes creators because achieving it would make creating the next piece even more daunting.Stories move people more than statistics - personal anecdotes create lasting impact where data fails.Mastery (refining intuition) creates more sustainable success than status-chasing (collecting attention).The people you attract reflect the ideas you share - shallow content brings shallow thinkers.External validation becomes addictive when you're in periods of self-doubt, but focusing on craft builds genuine confidence and conviction.Monetizing creativity requires attracting people whose values align with yours, not just anyone willing to pay.Trusting yourself is learnable through repeatedly doing work for its own sake without external pressure.—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 The Genesis of More to That05:16 How Lawrence Deals with Imposter Syndrome09:46 The Art of Remixing Ideas14:42 The Power of Authenticity and Vulnerability in The Creative Act25:38 Common Writing Advice to Avoid33:15 Why Perfection is Overrated40:39 Knowledge vs Wisdom in the Age of AI48:25 Krishnamurti, Philosophy, and Navigating Existence01:17:08 Why We Wait for Permission to Hit Publish01:25:52 The Pursuit of Mastery and Craftsmanship01:32:25 Staying True to Yourself and Resisting Misaligned Incentives01:49:49 The Inner Compass—SOCIAL LINKS:Website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreywilkspsydSubstack: https://substack.com/@coreywilkspsyd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreywilkspsyd/Twitter: https://x.com/CoreyWilksPsyDInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreywilkspsyd/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/coreywilkspsyd.bsky.socialDisclaimers: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, treatment, diagnosis, or creates a professional-client relationship.

What is marketing, actually? And how can you improve your marketing to grow your audience, revenue, and resonance in an authentic way? In today's episode, I sit down with my friend Amanda Natividad, head of marketing at SparkToro, to explore the psychology behind effective marketing. We discuss zero-click content, parasocial relationships, and why the best marketing doesn't feel like marketing at all, and Amanda shares actionable strategies for creators who want to build authentic connections that convert.—ABOUT AMANDA NATIVIDAD: Amanda Natividad is VP of Marketing for audience research startup, SparkToro. In her spare time, she co-hosts the Meme Team podcast and writes a marketing newsletter called the Menu (with over 16k subscribers). She’s also the creator/teacher for Content Marketing 201, a contributor for Adweek, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, and a former journalist. Amanda previously led marketing for Growth Machine, led marketing for Liftopia, built Fitbit’s B2B content program, and led content and communications for NatureBox.—CONNECT WITH AMANDA NATIVIDAD: Website: https://amandanat.com/Newsletter: https://amandanat.com/subscribe/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandanat/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandanat/Twitter: https://x.com/amandanatMeme Team Podcast: https://www.memeteampodcast.com/—SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/—JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.—TOPICS DISCUSSED:The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing because people naturally resist being sold to but want solutions to their problems.Content marketing should serve specific business functions rather than just creating content for content's sake.Zero-click content strategy focuses on providing value directly on social platforms instead of driving traffic away from them.Parasocial relationships allow creators to scale intimacy and build genuine connections with large audiences.Content pillars act as guardrails that protect your mental health while maintaining focus and audience expectations.Blog posts and long-form content serve as proof and defense for your expertise, not just standalone pieces.People follow creators for who they are, not just their content, which is why personal connection matters more than perfect information.Building algorithmic capital through consistent valuable content allows you to occasionally promote without being penalized.Making it easy for people to understand what you sell and where to buy it is fundamental but often overlooked.—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Why the Best Marketing Doesn’t Feel Like Marketing01:24 - B2B vs B2C Marketing: Key Differences04:25 - The Truth About Content Marketing13:10 - Personal Brand vs Reputation: Building Authentic Authority22:46 - Parasocial Relationships: Scaling Intimacy in Marketing35:20 - Managing Influence and Setting Professional Boundaries41:09 - Marketing Psychology in an Algorithm-Driven World44:15 - Why Zero-Click Content and Algorithmic Capital Are the Future of Marketing50:08 - People Hate Being Sold to But Love This…51:56 - Why Everything is Marketing53:02 - The Power of Building a Content Portfolio57:30 - The Lamborghini Marketing Principle1:05:27 - One Final Piece of Marketing Wisdom—SOCIAL LINKS:Website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreywilkspsydSubstack: https://substack.com/@coreywilkspsyd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreywilkspsyd/Twitter: https://x.com/CoreyWilksPsyDInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreywilkspsyd/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/coreywilkspsyd.bsky.socialDisclaimers: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, treatment, diagnosis, or creates a professional-client relationship.

Dr. Josh Williams is a clinical psychologist, natural body builder, father, human performance expert, and a personal friend who inspires me to be a better version of myself every day. In this episode, we dive deep into the psychology of fitness (how to get in shape and stay fit), modern men and masculinity issues (and why so many men feel lost today), emotional intelligence and identity formation, and how sacrifice is a requirement for success in all areas of life.—CONNECT WITH Dr. Josh Williams: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strengthritual/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoshWilliams—SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/—JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.—TOPICS DISCUSSED:Soreness doesn't equal workout quality - consistency and progressive overload matter more than how you feel the next dayIdentity beats goals for creating lasting behavioral change - "I am someone who works out" is more powerful than "I want to work out"Environment beats willpower every time - design your surroundings and remove temptations rather than relying on self-controlModern men lack clear role scripts while women successfully adapted to new opportunities and expectationsHigh achievers often create emotional compression that limits both their highs and lows to maintain performanceSacrifice is inevitable in life, so choose what you give up consciously rather than letting it happen by defaultThe lineage perspective creates meaning beyond personal achievement by viewing your life as part of a generational chainTurn toward difficult emotions instead of avoiding them - this builds resilience and emotional intelligence over timeCommunity and accountability accelerate progress in fitness, business, and personal development more than solo effortDefault systems protect your most important values by creating automatic behaviors that don't require constant decisions—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Fitness Myths & How to Optimize for Longevity13:22 What Holds People Back from Getting in Shape22:40 The Psychology of Sacrifice and Building Your Ideal Life32:35 The Power of Constraints to Achieve Your Health Goals52:36 The Modern Men and Masculinity Crisis1:16:00 The Lineage Perspective: Living for More Than Yourself1:25:50 Emotional Intelligence, Expression, and Compression1:49:06 Striving, Excellence, and Enjoyment1:56:25 How to Design Your Environment for Excellence—SOCIAL LINKS:Website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreywilkspsydSubstack: https://substack.com/@coreywilkspsyd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreywilkspsyd/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreywilkspsyd/Disclaimers: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, treatment, diagnosis, or creates a professional-client relationship.