Every new member in my community gets a DM from me: “Where are you from, and what brought you here?” One member told me she joined just because of the name. That told me more than any survey. Now I’m learning to use those answers in my posts, so members see themselves in them. Builders: what’s the one question you ask new members? 🙏

Building a Community Without Losing Yourself Oh, did Todd and I have fun with these two! 😂 @Miranda Van Gogh and @Mikael Van gogh are our first couple to join us for Behind the Build, and what a conversation! They've spent 30 years together, built businesses, mentored thousands of people, and started over more than once. And they certainly aren't afraid to question some of the advice we hear about building communities! One thing that really stayed with me was their decision to close communities they'd already invested in because they realized they weren't building what they truly wanted. How many of us have kept doing something simply because we'd already put so much into it? We also talked about: ❤️ Why Mikael is focusing on bringing 100 right-fit people into No Relationship No Business, rather than chasing membership numbers. 🏡 Miranda's wonderful comparison between welcoming someone into your home and welcoming someone into your community. (I think every builder needs to hear this one!) 🐼 Finding your own way to build, even when it looks different from what everyone else is recommending. And yes, we got into AI, relationships, marketing, working together as a couple, and even karaoke! 😂 I've added their story to our Behind the Build Classroom collection, along with three short video clips so you can hear some of my favorite moments directly from them. The full video is also available. :) Come meet Miranda and Mikael, hear what they're building, and see what their journey might help you think about in your own community. SCROLL BELOW VIDEO TO SEE FULL STORY 🎬 Explore their Behind the Build story in the Classroom Miranda and Mikael, thank you both for such a fun and thoughtful conversation. Todd and I loved getting to know you better! ❤️ I'm curious about something... Have you ever found yourself following advice that seemed to work for everyone else, but just didn't feel right for you?

Just a little something from me to you tonight. ❤️ If you're anything like me, there's always one more thing you could be doing. But maybe you've already done enough for today. A little over a minute of encouragement before you call it a day. Give yourself a listen. ❤️

Just checking in to see if anyone else is not getting notifications of comments left in their community? For example, I got a notification that Donna commented on a post, but then not that Miranda had, on the same post? This has happened quite a few times and I've nearly missed comments and questions. Because it happens fairly regularly I now have a quick eye over my posts or they would be missed.

Good morning, builders! ❤️☕ You know what I caught myself doing the other day? Sitting there trying to work something out in my head, going around in circles, getting a little frustrated, and still not asking for help. Todd was right there. LOL! I started thinking about how often I do that. Somewhere along the way, we get this idea that we should know what we're doing. That if we're leading something, building something, or helping others, we should have the answers. But why? Funny how we can give other people plenty of room to learn, make mistakes, and figure things out, but forget to give ourselves that same grace. Some of my best learning has happened when I finally admitted I didn't know. Sometimes the person who helped me see things differently simply asked a question I hadn't considered. Maybe we don't always need another answer. Maybe we just need to be willing to say, "I'm still figuring this out." What's something you're still learning to give yourself permission NOT to know? I'll bet we're not as alone in that as we sometimes think. ❤️