The Sustainable Creator

Jo & Lyndon
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Entrepreneurship

The Sustainable Creator is for creative service providers who want to build businesses that last, without burning out in the process. Each week, we dig into the real conversations behind sustainable growth: smart marketing, confident selling, thoughtful pivoting, and designing offers that actually work for your life (not just your bank account). Through candid chats with experts and behind-the-scenes insights, you’ll get practical ideas, outside-of-the-box thinking, and the occasional tough love to help you scale with clarity, creativity, and sanity. 

  1. 3d ago

    #42 - 4 Ways to diversify your offers & break through your income ceiling

    Being booked out sounds like the dream… until you realize you’ve also hit the ceiling on how much your business can make without adding more hours to your week. So what happens next? You could raise your rates. You could build an agency and start managing a team. OR you could diversify your offers so your income isn’t completely tied to how many 1:1 clients you can personally serve. In this episode of The Sustainable Creator, we’re breaking down four different ways creative service providers can diversify their offers, without accidentally creating a bunch of random products for completely different audiences. We walk through the spectrum from low-touch knowledge offers all the way to high-touch done-for-you services, plus how to add recurring revenue into each category. Because the goal isn’t to create more stuff to sell. It’s to create an ecosystem where your offers solve different problems for the same ideal client, and naturally give people reasons to keep working with you. In this episode, we cover: → Why hitting capacity doesn’t automatically mean you need to build an agency → The four types of offers: knowledge, planning, hand-holding, and done-for-you → How to identify new offers based on what your ideal clients are already asking for → Why creating an offer for a completely different audience can muddy your messaging → Turning FAQs, objections, and sales-process drop-offs into knowledge-based offers → How VIP days, audits, and strategy sessions can become high-value, lower-capacity offers → Creating recurring revenue across all four types of offers → Using quarterly strategy sessions, memberships, retainers, and other recurring models to reduce the feast-and-famine cycle → Protecting your capacity with A/B days or weeks and proactively blocking time off Want us to help you map YOUR offer ecosystem? 👀 Our Ecosystem Days are half-day strategy sessions where we dig into your ideal client, your zone of genius, your existing offers, and what happens before + after someone works with you. Together, we map an ecosystem designed to create repeat buyers, recurring revenue, and multiple ways for dream clients to work with you, without simply piling more 1:1 work onto your calendar. You’ll leave with your ecosystem mapped out, a one-pager showing how everything fits together, and an implementation plan so you know exactly what to prioritize next. DM us “ECOSYSTEM” on Instagram and we’ll send you the details: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/ And tag The Sustainable Creator when you share about this episode: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

  2. Sep 8

    #41 - Stop Competing on Price: 3 Ways to Make Your Creative Business Stand Out

    Does your marketing feel like it’s starting to look… suspiciously like everyone else’s? Between trends, algorithms, AI, and the pressure to follow whatever is “working” right now, it’s easier than ever for creative businesses to blend into a sea of sameness. And when clients can’t tell the difference between you and the next person? The conversation quickly becomes about price. (Not exactly where we want to be.) In this episode, we’re breaking down 3 ways to make your creative business more memorable, differentiated, and easier for the right clients to choose. We get into why people really do buy from people, how your personality and interests can become part of your marketing strategy, and why being more specific about what you do can actually make you more valuable, not less. We also talk about the piece a lot of creatives miss: your clients probably don’t care about your deliverables nearly as much as they care about what those deliverables do for them. In this episode: • Why “sameness” eventually turns your service into a price comparison • Visibility vs. virality, and why they’re not the same thing • How personality builds trust in an increasingly polished/AI-filled internet • 3 practical ways to bring more of you into your marketing • Why having a sub-specialty makes you easier to remember + refer • The questions to ask when defining what you want to be known for • How to identify the success metrics your clients actually care about • Why selling the outcome can be more powerful than listing deliverables ✨ WANT TO GO DEEPER THAN THE PODCAST? Join Creative Maven Society, our coaching membership for creative service providers who want practical support building a more profitable, sustainable business, with coaching, masterminds, masterclasses, accountability, and a room full of people who actually get what you do. JOIN CREATIVE MAVEN SOCIETY: https://discover.circle.so/products/creative-maven-society Come say hi or send us your questions: Jo + Lyndon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/The Sustainable Creator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/ And if this episode got your wheels turning, send it to another creative business owner who’s ready to stop blending in.

  3. Sep 1

    #40 - What’s Actually Working in Marketing Right Now? Our Early Data

    If it feels like the strategies that used to bring in clients aren’t working quite the same way anymore, you’re not the only creative business owner asking that question. We’ve been hearing it everywhere: leads are slower, offers aren’t selling like they used to, and figuring out where to spend your marketing energy can feel like one giant guessing game. So… we decided to get some actual data. In this episode, we’re taking you behind the scenes of the marketing report we’re building for creative service providers and agency owners. Our goal is to survey 200 business owners to understand how people are finding clients, building trust, and ultimately deciding who to hire. And we need YOUR help to get there. 📊 TAKE THE MARKETING SURVEY: https://forms.gle/7RqxC6yZfxhRgD7r8 It only takes a few minutes, and your response will help us create a free report showing creative service providers what’s actually driving sales right now. 🎉 PLUS: YOU COULD WIN A 60-MINUTE COACHING INTENSIVE WITH US! Fill out the survey by Friday, September 4 and you’ll be entered to win a free 60-minute intensive with Jo + Lyndon. If you’ve already completed the survey, you’re automatically entered! Get the giveaway details here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DctyIG2qLp5/ At the time of recording, we had 42 completed surveys—and the early data is already fascinating. We’re talking about: → What happened after personally reaching out to 162 people → Why one DM strategy converted around 3x better than another → Where people are finding clients right now → The role referrals are playing throughout the marketing funnel → Which platforms are influencing awareness, trust, and buying decisions → The marketing activity currently delivering the highest ROI → The activities people say are wasting their marketing time → The highest + lowest income months in our early data → Why 74% of respondents say they’ve changed their marketing this year One finding we’re particularly interested in? So far, 67% of respondents have named networking and relationship-building as their highest-ROI marketing activity this year. But these numbers are EARLY. That’s why getting to 200 responses matters. The more data we collect, the more we can dig into how marketing differs based on industry, offer, price point, and more—and give you information you can actually use to make smarter decisions in your business. Because marketing shouldn’t be throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks. Let’s get some data behind it. 🤓 Help us reach 200 responses: 👉 https://forms.gle/7RqxC6yZfxhRgD7r8 CONNECT WITH US Jo + Lyndon: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/ The Sustainable Creator Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/ Giveaway details: https://www.instagram.com/p/DctyIG2qLp5/

  4. Aug 27

    #39 - Solo vs. Guest Podcasts: Our 8-Week Data Experiment Revealed a Shocking Winner

    Two months ago, we decided to run an experiment on The Sustainable Creator to test a hypothesis. We bumped our output to two episodes a week, pitting guest interviews directly against our own solo episodes. We tracked the time investment, analyzed the streaming numbers, and evaluated how each format actually moved the needle for our coaching business. The results? They completely flipped our assumptions on their head. In this episode, we’re sharing metrics to show you why more content doesn't equal more growth, how solo long-form sharpens your business frameworks, and how to build a marketing ecosystem that serves your bottom line without dragging you toward burnout. In this episode:The 8-Week Data Reveal: Why our solo episodes consistently out-streamed guest interviews by double digits, even with zero promotion or clip strategy.The Hidden Time Tax: How guest interviews were costing us over 4.5 hours per episode compared to just over 2 hours for solo episodes.Podcast Business Models Decoded: The critical difference between playing the volume/ad-supported game and using long-form audio to build high-ticket coaching trust.The Long-Form Refinement Bonus: How structuring solo episodes acts as an internal framework lab that sharpens your client delivery and streamlines your weekly newsletter.Data-Driven Strategy Shifts: Why we’re returning to a sustainable one-episode-a-week rhythm—and how to evaluate your own marketing experiments using real data instead of gut instinct.Need SupportBuilding a business that feels good requires stepping back from the content treadmill to look at what’s actually generating ROI. If you're ready to stop guessing, refine your offers, and build a high-converting ecosystem tailored to your capacity, let’s look at the numbers together. 👉 Book a discovery call for coaching with us: https://www.joandlyndon.com/coaching Our LinksJoin our coaching membership, Creative Maven Society: https://discover.circle.so/products/creative-maven-society Get actionable creator tips in your inbox (Sign up for the email list): https://joandlyndon.kit.com/645369a50f Connect with us on Instagram! Tag us if you loved this episode: Jo & Lyndon: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/The Sustainable Creator: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

  5. Aug 25

    #38 - The Reality of a Pivot: How Rachel Struve Built a New Business While Free-Falling

    Have you ever felt like you're running your head into a wall, completely unexcited by a business that used to light you up? It’s terrifying when the thing paying your bills no longer aligns with your long-term vision, leaving you stuck in analysis paralysis. Today, we’re sitting down with Rachel Struve, a brilliant business strategist and accountability coach. At the start of 2026, Rachel was juggling photography, a studio, and a part-time job, feeling completely scattered. She intimately understands the terror of walking away from a six-year career to bet on a new direction. Rachel shares the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of her pivot from photography to business strategy. We discuss how clarity actually comes after taking action, building the scaffolding on your way down, and how making small decisions helped her trust herself again. If you are sitting on the edge of a big change or waiting for the "perfect" time to shift your business model, this is your episode. Rachel’s story is the permission slip you need to take that terrifying, beautiful next step. In This EpisodeWhy trying to fix the "vibes" of your business won't save an offer you've already outgrown.How making the smallest possible decisions pulls you out of debilitating analysis paralysis.The emotional reality of letting go of an old identity and leaving a familiar career.Why giving yourself permission to dream bigger naturally changes the "tables" you want to sit at.The exact capacity-saving boundaries Rachel set to fully book out her new coaching roster. Need Support:Pivoting your creative business doesn't mean you have to navigate the messy middle by yourself. If you're ready to transition but need help making the math work and getting it in front of dream clients, we've got you. 👉 Book a discovery call for coaching with us: https://www.joandlyndon.com/coaching Connect with Rachel Struve: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyitsrach.co/LinksParticipate in our Marketing & Sales Survey for Creative Service Providers: https://forms.gle/BnVeif6ZVdPNFyvh6 Join our coaching membership, Creative Maven Society: https://discover.circle.so/products/creative-maven-society Get actionable creator tips in your inbox (Sign up for the email list): https://joandlyndon.kit.com/645369a50f Connect with us on Instagram! Tag us if you loved this episode: Jo & Lyndon: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/The Sustainable Creator: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

  6. Aug 20

    #37 - Stop Diminishing Your Expertise: 4 Ways to Boost Your Confidence

    Have you ever looked at other successful creatives and wondered how they just know what they're doing? People across every level, even the most successful ones, wrestle with feeling like an imposter who is about to have it all taken away tomorrow. You're not alone, and lacking confidence doesn't mean you aren't a true expert. It just means you need to collect a little more evidence. In this episode, we are breaking down four practical ways to build your confidence from the ground up, no matter what level of business you are currently in. We are looking at both the external and internal shifts you can make right now, from altering your day-to-day vocabulary so you stop diminishing your credibility, to creating structural "scaffolding" that supports you when your own belief wavers. Confidence isn't a personality trait you are simply born with; it is an action and a skill that you develop through reps and intentional habits. Mastering this will create a ripple effect of how you show up for your clients, how you price your offers, and how much peace you actually feel inside your creative business. In The EpisodeExternal mannerisms and identity: Why stepping into your future identity and dropping credibility-killing filler words (like "just" or "ha ha") forces your external authority to catch up.The power of the pause: How simply stopping talking after stating your price or strategy prevents you from over-explaining and looking insecure.Rebuilding internal self-trust: How breaking small, day-to-day promises to yourself secretly deteriorates your confidence in business.Leveraging "borrowed belief": Why leaning on your community to believe in you during messy pivots is crucial until you can believe in yourself.Building strategic scaffolding: What Adam Grant's concept of "scaffolding" means for your daily routines, and why a 10-minute game might be your new favorite stress-relief hack.Closing the proof loop: How to engineer "low-hanging fruit" into your client projects so you can collect irrefutable proof of your expertise on day one. Work with us:If you are tired of diminishing your own credibility and want a customized strategy to step into your next era of business, we can help. Between Jo's right-brain creative vision and Lyndon's left-brain business strategy, we will help you build the systems, offers, and internal proof that give you genuine, undeniable confidence. 👉 Book a discovery call for coaching with us: https://www.joandlyndon.com/coaching Our Links:Join our coaching membership, Creative Maven Society: https://forms.gle/RHACdeK5FzPMGERf9 Get actionable creator tips in your inbox (Sign up for the email list): https://joandlyndon.kit.com/645369a50f Connect with us on Instagram! Tag us if you loved this episode: Jo & Lyndon: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/The Sustainable Creator: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

  7. Aug 18

    #36 - How to Write Conversational Website Copy That Actually Converts w/ Kinfolk Creative

    Writing website copy often feels so overwhelming that it's tempting to just regurgitate competitors or let AI spit out something "good enough." But that beige, copy-and-paste text costs you the deep connection required to actually book your dream clients. Enter Priscilla, the copy girl and one half of the duo behind Kinfolk Creative. She specializes in helping creatives ditch the generic jargon to write conversational, connection-focused copy that feels deeply human. In this episode, we break down Priscilla's five-step copywriting framework, Roots, People, Landscape, Offers, and Path Forward, to help you craft messaging that converts. We discuss why copy must come before design and how to identify your industry "icks" to confidently stand out. If you’ve been hiding behind professional-sounding but boring text, this conversation will give you the strategy to finally show up authentically and build a website that filters for the clients you genuinely want to work with. In This EpisodeWhy writing your website copy before hiring a designer is the secret to a seamless project that doesn't restrict your messaging.Priscilla's 5-step framework for uncovering your roots and mapping a clear path forward for readers.How to define your ideal client based on the emotional crossroads they are facing right now.Why leaning into your industry "icks" helps you build brand authority and differentiate your offers.The real reason people fear being visible online and how copy acts as a natural filter for the wrong clients. Work with us:Is your current messaging attracting your dream clients, or is it just echoing the rest of your industry? If you're struggling to figure out how to stand out and confidently position your offers, we can help. Between Jo's right-brain creative strategy and Lyndon's left-brain business strategy, we'll walk you through testing, iterating, and launching (or iterating) an offer that actually feels good. 👉 Book a discovery call for coaching with us: https://www.joandlyndon.com/coaching Priscilla's LinksWebsite/Offer: https://thekinfolkcreative.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekinfolkcreative/ Our LinksJoin our coaching membership, Creative Maven Society: https://forms.gle/G1WHBK84vPXzB4gw9 Get actionable creator tips in your inbox (Sign up for the email list): https://joandlyndon.kit.com/645369a50f Connect with us on Instagram! Tag us if you loved this episode: Jo & Lyndon: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/The Sustainable Creator: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

  8. Aug 13

    #35 - The "Content Iceberg": Why Your Posts Aren't Converting (and How to Fix It)

    Are you staring at a blank screen, wondering what on earth to post today? If you have been feeling stuck with your content or aren't quite sure how to post consistently lately, this episode was created specifically for you. We know what it feels like to dread the content treadmill, so we're shifting the focus away from generic advice and moving toward strategies that actually fit your unique creative business. In this episode, we are breaking down what a content routine actually is and how to build one that doesn't lead to burnout. We dive below the surface of the "content iceberg" to uncover the foundational strategy you need to have in place before you start posting. We discuss the importance of setting clear goals, identifying the specific action you want people to take, and meeting your dream clients at the "crossroads" where they are actively trying to make a decision. Right now, generic marketing just doesn't work, and trying to create content for "everyone" means you are ultimately creating for no one. By systemizing your approach through practical routines, like labeled days, content quotas, or relying on your natural go-to formats, you actually give yourself much more creativity. When you get this right, you stop boiling the ocean for ideas every single day and start building an ecosystem that naturally guides clients to confidently invest in you. In This EpisodeWhy treating your content like the tip of an iceberg completely changes how you approach your underlying business strategy.The three foundational questions you absolutely must answer to understand the true goal and desired outcome of your content.How to pinpoint the specific "crossroads" your dream clients are facing so they immediately see their own problems reflected in your content.Why proving "ROI" to potential clients isn't always about dollars, and how they might actually be measuring returns through time, capacity, or organization.Three highly actionable frameworks for building a content routine: labeled days, quota systems, and leaning into your go-to formats.How building out a reliable system actually unlocks more creativity and trains your brain to automatically collect fresh content ideas. If you've been sitting on an idea for too long or feel completely unsure of how to build out an offer ecosystem that meets your dream clients at their "crossroads," this is where 1:1 coaching really shines. Between Jo's right-brain creative strategy and Lyndon's left-brain business strategy, we will walk you through building, testing, and launching systems that actually feel good for your life and your business. 👉 Book a discovery call for coaching with us:https://www.joandlyndon.com/coaching Join our coaching membership, Creative Maven Society: https://forms.gle/zk4xc2NWXzcsyo1A6 Get actionable creator tips in your inbox (Sign up for the email list): https://joandlyndon.kit.com/645369a50f Connect with us on Instagram! Tag us if you loved this episode: Jo & Lyndon: https://www.instagram.com/joandlyndon/The Sustainable Creator: https://www.instagram.com/thesustainablecreator/

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About

The Sustainable Creator is for creative service providers who want to build businesses that last, without burning out in the process. Each week, we dig into the real conversations behind sustainable growth: smart marketing, confident selling, thoughtful pivoting, and designing offers that actually work for your life (not just your bank account). Through candid chats with experts and behind-the-scenes insights, you’ll get practical ideas, outside-of-the-box thinking, and the occasional tough love to help you scale with clarity, creativity, and sanity. 

Information

  • Creator
    Jo & Lyndon
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jo & Lyndon
  • Show Website
    The Sustainable Creator

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