Growing Steady | Intentional Creative Business Podcast

Wandering Aimfully
  • 4.9 (88)
  • Entrepreneurship

Growing Steady is for online creators who want to grow their business without burning out. Each week, we (Jason & Caroline Zook) share practical lessons on building businesses that are profitable, predictable, and still leave room for a good life.

  1. 4d ago

    So much has happened in 3 months 😂

    Leon's still sleeping (7 AM as of recording this) and here's 25 minutes of updates to cram in. Let's go. 😅 In this episode: How SceneRoll went from stalled to suddenly VERY capable (thanks to Claude Fable)The launch of Solo Content Studio, our second app of the year ($14k launch)Going from $0 to ~$2,000 in MRR in two months with a new businessRebuilding Teachery 4.0 is well underway and a chat about the “harness” approach we’re usingTeachery's first price increase in 12 years, the October launch goal, and what happens to lifetime deal holdersWhat 4 Claude subscriptions and $800/month in "dev fees" actually gets youWhat do you want updates on? Shoot us an email and let us know if you want more eps!

  2. Apr 28

    I'm climbing cringe mountain (again)

    Learn more about Solo Content Studio at https://solocontent.studio After years of burnout and staying off camera (and content creation), I'm finally climbing Cringe Mountain. Want to come along for the ride with me? 😂 In this episode: The shift we're seeing in growing an audience in 2026 (and what stopped working for us)Why email alone isn't enough anymore and why we're back on InstagramMy personal two-week challenge to post daily reels (imperfect ones)What Solo Content Studio is and how it cuts our newsletter writing to 11 minutesHow an automated blog generated 150 posts and started driving real salesBecoming the student againIf you've been putting off showing up online, this one might be the nudge you need.

  3. Mar 24

    Our first app of 2026 launches... tomorrow!

    It's the night before our launch and I'm recording this from bed while Leon sleeps upstairs and Caroline finishes a few things with our SceneRoll sales page 😂. This is the quick story of building SceneRoll, from closing our coaching business after eight years last summer, to discovering AI building tools like Lovable and Claude Code, to the frustrating weeks of trying to get video previewing and exporting to actually work in a browser. OOF. Today it finally clicked! And I can't believe how fast and smooth SceneRoll feels to go from an audio file and B-roll clips to a finished vertical video! Tomorrow we go live with a usage-based credit model and an exciting multiplier bonus for early buyers. Hope you'll check out SceneRoll.com and grab some credits!

  4. Mar 13

    Caroline's first solo unfiltered episode 🙈

    Caroline's first solo unfiltered episode! 😱 Recorded while tidying the art room 😂... We're both more excited about business than we've been in years Leaning into AI with curiosity instead of fear has been one of the best decisions we've madeGoing back to work full-time in January was intentional (work fills my creative bucket, which makes me a better mom)Walking away from WAIM Unlimited after 8 years was a leap of faith, but it wasn't a growth edge anymoreRole split: I'm leading content/design (vibecoding.to, Instagram, TikTok, UI for SceneRoll + Teachery), Jason's leading productFound a fun NotebookLM → Canva workflow for reelsLeon at 6 months is the best stage yet, her personality emerging, smiles, laughsHonestly might be the happiest I've ever been, trying to soak it in and stay present instead of disappearing into the laptop!

  5. Mar 9

    I haven't been this excited in... 17 years 😳

    Unfiltered episode recorded on a Sunday walk while Leon naps: Haven't felt this excited about building since iWearYourShirt in 2009Claude Code (especially the Mac app) has been a game changer (way beyond what Lovable could do for us)Built an autonomous Teachery blog engine in ~2 hours: 3 articles/day, Telegram updates, auto-publishedAlso built a content digest that turns voice memos into tweets and newsletters that sound like meMade my first real commit to Teachery's codebase! WOW!The tension: endless ideas, not enough hours, still wanting to be a present dadPrediction: 2026 creative output will be 10-30x any previous year. Does it feel that way to you too?

  6. Jan 22

    Unfiltered thoughts from Jason about Teachery

    Trying a new thing with our podcast! We're going to record and release unfiltered episodes. On my walk this morning I had some thoughts about Teachery I wanted to share: Where the business startedThe main 3 evolutions Teachery has hadThe big ah-ha moments in 2025 that reignited my passion for TeacheryThe next version of Teachery I'm stoked about (v4.0)The first BIG financial goal I've set for Teachery in a lonnnnnng time!Hope you enjoy and look for more of these episodes from each of us soon 👍👍.

  7. Jan 5

    257 - We’re back! As parents! Update + a look ahead…

    After a few months away, we’re back behind the mic with a real-time life and business update. In this episode, we share what the first four months of parenthood have been like, how our parental leave actually played out, and where our work is headed next. We talk about: Life with baby Leon and what surprised us most in the early monthsHow stepping away from WAIM Unlimited and work impacted usWhat’s happening with Teachery and why it’s entering a new chapterTwo very different paths we’re considering for what we build next—and why we’re tornWhy clarity still comes from action, not overthinkingThis episode is part catch-up, part behind-the-scenes, and part open-ended invitation to follow along as we figure out what the next iteration of our work looks like in 2026. 🔗 Leave a comment: https://youtu.be/cbKe5NAzzUE

  8. 08/12/2025

    256 - Last ep before baby! What pregnancy has been like…

    In this episode, we’re answering a handful of questions about our pregnancy journey so far (36 weeks as of recording!) We talk about everything from favorite (and least favorite) parts, to how Jason’s been helping, to what’s surprised us most along the way. We also chatted about: How we’ve prepared financially for babyWhat it’s been like stepping back from WAIMSome of the more emotional, unexpected shifts we’ve experiencedPlus, a few questions about what work and childcare might look like and the baby’s future citizenship in Portugal.

    256 - Last ep before baby! What pregnancy has been like…
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4.9
out of 5
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Growing Steady is for online creators who want to grow their business without burning out. Each week, we (Jason & Caroline Zook) share practical lessons on building businesses that are profitable, predictable, and still leave room for a good life.

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