Episode 796: Feeling Stuck or Alone in Blogging? Listen to This With Reed Dunn, Kim Cauti & Taryn Solie

EBT796 – Inner Circle

Intro 00:00

Today’s episode is a little bit different and honestly one of my favorites to record. Instead of bringing on a strategy expert, we are opening the doors and letting you hear directly from bloggers inside the Eat Blog Talk inner circle. I am joined by our community manager, Taryn Solie, along with members Kim from Pretty Delicious Life and Reed from Pesto and Potatoes.They share why they joined, what actually happens inside the group each month, and the breakthroughs that have helped them move their businesses forward. If blogging has ever felt overwhelming, isolating, lonely, hard, this conversation might be exactly what you need to hear.

[00:00:43]   

Hi, food bloggers. I’m Megan Porta and this is eBlog Talk, your space for support, inspiration, and strategies to grow your blog and your freedom, whether that’s personal, professional, or financial, you are not alone on this journey.

[00:00:59] Megan Porta

Hello, everyone listening and hi, Taryn, Kim, and Reid. How are you all today?

[00:01:02]  Kim Cauti 

Hi. Good. How are you doing?

[00:01:04]  Megan Porta 

Good. Ready to talk about the inner circle. So our purpose of recording this episode, Taryn and I. Taryn is the E Blog Talk community manager. Say hi, Taryn.

[00:01:15]  Taryn Solie 

Hi.

[00:01:17]  Megan Porta 

She and I are talking. We’re like, gosh, this group is so freaking good. It is just gold in so many ways. More people need to know about this. So we’re like, how do we get the word out? And so we had this idea to pull in two awesome members, Reid and Kim. You guys are active Inner Circle members and just have a conversation about it and let people know what goes on in the group, what you like about it, and just kind of give people all the goodies.

[00:01:43]   

So that’s our purpose today. Taryn leads the inner circle. She is in it much more than I am right now. I’m currently focusing on the mastermind group, but yeah. Do you just want to kind of briefly say what you do in the group, Taryn?

[00:02:00]  Taryn Solie 

Sure. So I am the community manager for the group, which means that I get to talk to and help, excuse me, all the people that are in there, which I love. So it is based in Slack and we have what we call focus calls, where we all just come together and work. We have our monthly calls with you, Megan, where people can just come and talk and, you know, we talk about problems people are having, and it’s just.

[00:02:31]   

It’s a really great. Such a good group. To echo what you said, it’s such a good group.

[00:02:36]  Megan Porta 

It is. And everyone in there is just so kind and supportive and helpful and have. Has so much value to share from different angles, and we’ll get into some of that. But Kim and Reed, are the people we invited in today. And thank you guys for so generously giving up your time today to do this.

[00:02:53]   

We appreciate this so much, much. So I guess I will just kind of let you guys introduce yourself a little bit. Just do a quick introduction what your blog is, who you are. Just in a couple minutes. Kim, you can go ahead.

[00:03:08]  Taryn Solie 

Sure.

[00:03:09]  Kim Cauti 

So hi, I’m Kim. My blog is pretty delicious life. So I specialize in high protein and gluten free recipes for the most part. Everything is generally gut friendly and easy to digest and good for people with autoimmune disease like me.

[00:03:27]  Megan Porta 

Awesome. Well, welcome. And Reed, do you want to give us a little bit about you and your blog?

[00:03:32]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah. I’m Reid. I run Pesto and Potatoes. It’s a plant based and pescatarian heavy site. I’m a pescatarian, I live in the Pacific Northwest. So a lot of seafood, a lot of plant based things and quite a bit of whole 30 and low carb style content.

[00:03:50]  Megan Porta 

And Kim, how long have you been blogging? Remind me.

[00:03:56]  Kim Cauti 

So full time? Six years. But I believe I started my blog in 2017. It gets a little fuzzy actually. Started versus when I went full time.

[00:04:07]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Okay. And then Reed, how about you?

[00:04:10]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah, I started, I started the blog in 2018 and I went full time just last summer.

[00:04:16]  Taryn Solie 

Oh, wow.

[00:04:17]  Megan Porta 

Okay. Yeah, that’s awesome. And then I guess I would love to know, read from you. What made you decide to join the inner circle you recently joined? So was it last fall? So maybe five months or so?

[00:04:33]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah, yeah, I definitely, you know, I was previously a marketing leader in several organizations when I was in the corporate world leading teams, working with groups of people, used to going into the office and seeing folks. And I’m a pretty social person. So being in an, in a, an industry where I’m, I’m the only employee, I run the whole business from soup to nuts by myself.

[00:04:59]   

So I was just looking for a place to like sort of have some of that water cooler talk and like have people who understood what the struggles I was facing every day to try to like grow my business looked like. And the Inner Circle popped up and was. It’s the perfect, it was the perfect solution for what I needed to, to kind of have that co worker setting that, that I missed about the corporate world.

[00:05:28]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I think that is a huge thing that people miss when they, no matter how long you’ve been blogging, it’s, it’s. Yeah, they’re. You’re doing it alone and it gets very lonely. So I’m Glad it kind of filled that gap for you. And then, Kim, for you, what was happening in your blogging journey when you decided to join and when did you join the inner circle?

[00:05:51]  Kim Cauti 

So I decided to join very shortly after I got accepted to MediaVine, and you were actually one of the ones who played a big part in helping me get there. So, of course, you were top of mind when. When I was introduced to. To Inner Circle and to echo what Reid just said, you know, working from home, I’m a very social person.

[00:06:16]   

I like to talk, I like to engage with people. So I knew I kind of wanted something that would replace that, like, camaraderie of coworkers. And I also really just wanted to learn from people who were further along in their blogging journey than I was, especially since, you know, I kind of started maybe opposite from other people in the group where my social media was the thing that really kicked off.

[00:06:43]   

And then my blog started taking off, and once I did get on an ad network, I was like, okay, I have to start taking this more seriously, but I have no idea what I’m doing. And I just need, you know, access to people who know way more than I do.

[00:07:00]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, the support and the value. I mean, there’s so many things. The social. The social socializing. And then just to say quick, if you want to join us on YouTube, you can see all of these pretty faces here. So if you’re listening, come join us there. It just makes it feel more like a conversation that would be super fun.

[00:07:19]   

And then Taryn, also feel free to interrupt me and pop in as needed. I am up for being interrupted today. Just for both of you Reed or Kim, whoever wants to answer this, answer this. Did either of you have hesitations before joining the group, or was it just an easy yes?

[00:07:39]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah, a super easy yes. I mean, I. I live in Seattle, and Taryn’s in the. In the Seattle area. And I had met a couple of other people who I knew were in the group. And I think for me, I just was like, it’s a low lift and a high return. I mean, that’s.

[00:07:57]   

Anyone who’s considering joining. Like, that’s the thing. It’s like, you can. You can come in at where you are in your blogging journey. I mean, I, like Kim, started with a social media audience. My audience is much smaller. But that is where I started. And I think I was looking for. You know, I’ve been in marketing my.

[00:08:17]   

My whole career. I know how to market everything except for myself, it seems. So that was. That was sort of where I came in and I. And I think it was an easy yes because I knew that any tidbits I could take away from other folks who had been doing this for longer than I had been doing it would be super valuable.

[00:08:38]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Amazing. And then you mentioned low lift. It is, I think, a very doable price point. So, yeah, it’s, I think, is it $39 a month, which for what you’re getting inside and we’ll talk about that in a little bit, is kind of a steal, so to speak. Taryn, did you have something?

[00:08:59]  Taryn Solie 

No, I was just going to agree with you. I think, I mean, not only monetarily, but I think also time wise. Right. Like you can, you know, you can you get out of it what you put into it. I know that’s a common phrase, but it is true. And I think know whatever time you have, you know, anyone here or anyone who’s thinking about joining or anyone who’s currently in it, whatever time you have to, to be in it is fine.

[00:09:22]   

You know, it’s not such a high price point that you feel like, oh, I have to be in there for 10 hours a week. And if you have weeks that are off or you’re traveling or whatever, like it’s there when you come back. And that’s a lot of what I think is really good about it.

[00:09:36]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I love that. No pressure to be like on every week, in every call, every focus call. Not at all. You can take a month off and not feel terrible about it. And then let’s talk about just some of the blogger struggles. So you guys covered some of this. So isolation, loneliness. Maybe if you’re feeling like, Kim, you were feeling a little overwhelmed, like, where do I, what do I do next?

[00:09:59]   

That could be something that could lead people to the group. Not knowing how to prioritize projects or tasks in your business, maybe just needing the accountability. We mentioned the focus calls Taryn shows up on twice, two a week. Is that right now? Yeah, two Focus calls a week.

[00:10:19]  Taryn Solie 

The times change quarterly. So, you know, people can go and want to make sure it works for all the members. So.

[00:10:24]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, right. And that’s a good opportunity to just show up and see other people work alongside them virtually and get accountability for things. In the Slack channel, Taryn also does prompts for like, what are you working on? And just making people kind of hold themselves accountable a little bit. So what else am I missing?

[00:10:45]   

Is there any other pain point that somebody might be able to relate to that I haven’t mentioned you guys?

[00:10:52]  Reed Dunn 

Just one thing on the isolation thing that I would add to, I think is like, when you run into a problem in a corporate setting or when you’re at a job, you usually can figure out, like, oh, I have this friend, or I have this someone else on my team that I can go to.

[00:11:07]   

When you’re running the show by yourself and you hit a brick wall, so to speak, who do you go to? And you can like Google search as much as you want, but sometimes, like, nothing’s ever going to beat. Like even just being able to complain to someone about something that they relate to and they’ve had that experience with.

[00:11:28]   

I mean, I’ve recently been able to do this with Kim, which is great that we’re both on this, on this podcast, because, you know, I was running into something, she was running into something, and we were able to have a conversation and help each other just through it. And I think that that’s one of the things is like, just, you know, being able to, like, have a support system when you don’t have a support system otherwise.

[00:11:50]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. I’m so glad you guys leaned on each other and found that connection. That’s great.

[00:11:56]  Taryn Solie 

And I think too kind of building on that is it’s great. Like, not only do you have access to the people that are in the group, which is, you know, a decent number of people, but you have access to the people that they know. Like, there’s nothing that I love more than being able to connect to people who I think can really help each other or will hit it off or whatever like that.

[00:12:18]   

I live for that. I love that so much. And I think the group is really good for that because if somebody has a problem or an issue or is wondering about something, they can bring it to the group. And if nobody in the group knows, they probably know somebody who they could ask or who they could connect that person with.

[00:12:36]   

And that’s. I mean, that’s honestly really valuable to have.

[00:12:40]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Tapping into the wider network. It’s not just the people, but it’s all of the people’s people. Um, yeah, totally, Taryn. And then I love this question I want to ask you, Reed, what surprised you about the group? Is there anything that once you were in, you were like, oh my gosh, this is cool that you didn’t see coming?

[00:12:57]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah. I mean, the one thing that, like, you can see it if you’re watching on YouTube, you can see, like one of these is not like the other. I mean, the industry is frequently a female dominated industry. And so I feel like an outsider at many times. But one of the things that really surprised me is, like, it was just.

[00:13:18]   

I didn’t think it wouldn’t be welcoming, but it was just so. Everyone was so excited to have a new face. And not just my face, but, like, there’s a lot of excitement around newness. When someone joins the group, you just really. It’s like you get a virtual hug from everyone who’s already in the group, and there’s no, like, competition at all.

[00:13:40]   

It’s all about, like, we’re in this together. It’s almost like we’re building one. We’re building one food blog together that has many different channels. That’s what it felt like, and that was surprising to me.

[00:13:54]  Megan Porta 

I love that we should all build a food blog together. Why haven’t we done that yet?

[00:13:59]  Taryn Solie 

We don’t need any more jobs. Megan, this.

[00:14:01]  Megan Porta 

I know. You’re right. Never mind. Forget it. Right now, I am tapped out. So we’ve kind of alluded to a few times the monthly calls, which are. I love them, you guys. I get so much value out of those calls. And not just the value, but what Reed just said, the love. It’s just like, we’re all coming together.

[00:14:22]   

We’re like, okay, well, this worked for me. This didn’t work. What? What’s working for you? Oh, I did this project, and it turned out great. It is so cool to be on those calls. And every single time when we get done, Taryn and I text, we’re like, oh, my gosh, that was better than the last one.

[00:14:35]   

No way. That was better than the last one. They’re so good. So, Kim, I want to ask you, from your perspective as a member, what is kind of the vibe, the energy of the calls? What is your perception?

[00:14:49]  Kim Cauti 

The vibe is always, like, super uplifting. I feel like no matter what we’re talking about, even if we are complaining about something there, it always. You never leave the call feeling worse than you felt when you got on the call. There have been so many times where I’ve, you know, been in a bad mood for whatever reason while I’m hopping on the call or just feeling discouraged or whatever, and I get off the call, like, with a completely new attitude.

[00:15:16]   

I mean, there have been times I’ve been. I’ve cried on these calls, and, you know, I am a crier, so it’s not like I don’t feel safe to do that, but it definitely is a safe environment to, like, share in a way that maybe you wouldn’t share, like, with coworkers at the office if you’re feeling frustrated.

[00:15:35]  Megan Porta 

Yeah.

[00:15:36]  Kim Cauti 

And just like the feedback that you get from people in the group, like, it’s just, I don’t know, cozy vibes.

[00:15:44]  Megan Porta 

Yes, I know. And we, Taryn and I do try to create an environment where you feel safe to do that. And like, whatever you’re feeling or thinking or want to bring to the table, we are open to it and we try to really foster a positive environment so that everybody does feel comfortable.

[00:16:03]   

That is one of our main priorities, honestly. So I’m really glad that you feel that, Kim. And then from your perspective, Taryn, what do you think makes the Inner Circle environment really unique?

[00:16:15]  Taryn Solie 

I think one of the things that I love about it and I, and I think is unique in the blogging space is there’s no gatekeeping. Like, no one is keep like hoarding the information for themselves or like, oh, I don’t want to talk about that. Or, you know, some people share, are more comfortable sharing different levels of information and that’s totally fine.

[00:16:40]   

But people have very honest, real realistic numbers based, if needed, conversations and are willing to share that. And there’s, you know, we’ve had people both in the calls and, you know, in Slack, you know, here is exactly what I did. Boom, boom, boom. I mean, just very, very detailed about what’s working for them because they, you know, what is that saying?

[00:17:06]   

A rising tide lifts all boats. You know, I think that really, to me sums up the feeling of, of the Inner Circle.

[00:17:15]  Megan Porta 

Awesome. Love that. So on a monthly call, we do these the first Thursday of every month. Usually, unless there’s some. Something going on and they’re 75 minutes long and as many people show up as possible. We usually have, I don’t know, would you say 15ish people right now on the call? Somewhere around there, give or take.

[00:17:38]   

So we just, I just wanted to talk through the format quick so people know what happens. So we just kind of open the floor. Taryn prompts people in Slack beforehand, hey, does anyone have any issues or challenges they want to talk through? And if so, we address those first and then it’s just kind of like an open conversation.

[00:17:56]   

Like let’s say somebody is wondering what is working for Instagram reels. We’ll just put that out there and then Kim or whoever will chime in and like, oh, this reel just took off. And here’s what I did. Probably I used trending music or I didn’t, you know, like, we just, we just open the floor and then we’ll discuss that for maybe 20ish minutes and then move on to the next topic.

[00:18:18]   

So really, nothing is off limits. We’ve talked about platforms, we’ve talked about mindset, we’ve talked about just nitty gritty stuff like you were referring to Taryn, like, really specific questions. Sometimes people have too. Like, this happened with my Google Search Console. What am I missing? Yeah, anything I’m missing about the monthly calls that people might want to know about any of you.

[00:18:44]  Reed Dunn 

I think the just like I would reiterate this is that you really get some real data. Like, because what’s going to work for Kim isn’t going to work for me. We have a different niche, we have a different audience. And let’s be honest, when we’re talking about platforms, the way Google or Meta or whoever handles Kim’s content versus mine is very different.

[00:19:07]   

The algorithm is a tricky thing, but it’s. I’m always walking away from that call with new ideas, fresh takes, and like, actual real valuable numbers that I’m like, this worked for Kim. And okay, that gives me an idea of what might work for me. Maybe I’ll try not adding the music or whatever that the case may be, but there’s always tidbits that are well worth more than the cost of the monthly membership.

[00:19:38]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Do you have anything, Kim?

[00:19:41]  Kim Cauti 

Yeah, I think for me, I, you know, something I take away or have taken away a lot from this group is I’m not a very analytical person. I am a creative first and I move fast. And so when it comes to blogging, I have really, I have struggled with, not necessarily growth, but I have struggled with how to, you know, get myself out of this little bit of plateau that my blog is experiencing because I just don’t really know where to start when it comes to SEO, beyond keyword research and, you know, how to update old posts and things like that.

[00:20:24]   

So my goal this year is to start focusing more on that. And so I’ve been able to use the Slack channel a lot this week. I feel like I’ve been in it every single day, but just asking questions about, you know, how are you looking at Search Console? What. What should I be looking for?

[00:20:43]   

What’s the best way to update an old post? Because these are all things that I don’t know a ton about. At least I think I learned about them five years ago when I first started, and that information isn’t relevant anymore. And so instead of me going back to my notes from five years ago and being like, oh, cross my fingers, I hope this works, now I can just ask people who are in it, who are staying up to date on these things and who are more analytical than I am, you know, for help.

[00:21:13]   

And in return, like I said, I think I’m always the one chiming in about reels and Instagram and whatever. In return I can offer more creative assistance. And it just, it feels nice because it’s a two way street. You don’t feel like you’re just like

[00:21:28]  Megan Porta 

constantly taking from people or constantly giving. Yeah, doing both. And then to what both of you guys said, I feel like on Slack and on the calls, it’s such a trust trusted environment that you can get the data and know that it’s coming from a good place. I often feel on Facebook like, oh, well, this is interesting, but I don’t know this person.

[00:21:51]   

I don’t like they could be. Who knows who they are, you know, so you don’t know if you can actually take it and use it. But you get a sense on the calls and in Slack for who you can trust and like everyone is trustworthy. So it just feels better taking what you learn and implementing it.

[00:22:09]   

Does that make sense to you guys?

[00:22:11]  Kim Cauti 

Absolutely. I don’t even go in the Facebook groups anymore, honestly.

[00:22:14]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I don’t either. I know. I don’t need them. That’s a huge thing right there. If you. Yeah, you don’t need the Facebook groups anymore. You can use this instead. And it’s. It feels better to me. It just feels good.

[00:22:25]  Kim Cauti 

You’re also getting answers versus where. I feel like when you. Or at least like when I would post in Facebook groups, either I would never hear from anyone or whatever the feedback was was just sort of like, okay, that wasn’t. Yeah, at all helpful, but thanks.

[00:22:42]  Megan Porta 

Or negative spin. I often think the Facebook groups can go down. Just go south quickly and like, okay, this is not what I was looking for.

[00:22:51]  Kim Cauti 

So I was excited when I posted this and now you made me.

[00:22:54]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, I know. Now I want to quit my business. Thank you. Oh, and then Taryn, would you talk a little bit about just maybe some other things offered in the group since you do manage it, like, yes. Expert calls and those sorts of things.

[00:23:10]  Taryn Solie 

Yeah, sure. So there’s. I mean, I feel like we’re constantly adding stuff in so I hopefully I can remember everything, which is great. Like, I’m so glad that we’re able to do that. But. So yes, we have the opportunity. Everybody gets one guest expert, one free or included guest expert call a quarter with the option to buy more if, if you see more that are available to you and that Is, you know, an hour long call where Megan brings in somebody to talk about a specific like platform or topic or whatever.

[00:23:44]   

And those are recorded and you get access to the recording as well. So you don’t have to be there live because I know that can be an issue for people. And we do other like prompts and threads. We do like a weekly goals thread. Megan talked about it a little bit at the beginning where, you know, on Mondays everybody puts in their goals and then the following Monday we do a check in and you know, like I tag everybody who put in a goal to like try and hold you accountable.

[00:24:12]   

Like, how did you do last week? Try and get in goals for next week. And it’s, it’s just an extra little bit to, you know, help people move forward and, and achieve their goals. Definitely. I’m trying to think. We also have like other prompts. Like I just did a what’s Working Wednesday? I really love alliteration, so I like to do a lot of what’s Working Wednesday and you know, talk to me Tuesday.

[00:24:38]   

I was debating about doing that and just prompting people to share because I know sometimes it can be, you know, people come with a problem, but also, or, or to say, like, oh, this is going really well. But I think sharing is, is a big part of it too and sometimes people need a prompt for that and that’s okay.

[00:24:58]   

And so I just, you know, did one of those. And I’m sure there’s other things that I’m missing, but there’s, it’s, there’s a lot of good stuff in there.

[00:25:06]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, those are the main things for sure. And then are there common themes that you’ve noticed, Taryn, like in the Slack group specifically that people talk about, or is it all across the board, challenges that they’re having, et cetera?

[00:25:21]  Taryn Solie 

It’s a little bit of both, if that makes sense. It’s all across the board in the sense that, you know, there’s always like, there’s always new topics brought up and there’s always the same topics brought up. It’s both. Right. So, um, you know, all the platforms, people, you know, we’re all trying to figure it out.

[00:25:43]   

Pinterest, I don’t know what they’re doing. Instagram and Facebook, I don’t know what they’re doing. TikTok, I don’t know what they’re doing. Like, you know, and so, and no one does, but everyone’s trying different things. And so you all come together to talk about it.

[00:25:54]  Kim Cauti 

Right.

[00:25:54]  Taryn Solie 

So those are very common things, you know, of course email. Kim mentioned, like, updating posts and SEO. Like, all the things that go into blogging are always big, top talked about. And then on top of that, it’s, you know, oh, did you listen to. Here’s a podcast episode I found really helpful, or did you guys see this cool new real option?

[00:26:19]   

Or, you know, like the little things like that that are more timely, those also come up as well. Pitching brands and pitching comes up. You know, all. All the. All the things people want to know about. That’s all.

[00:26:31]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, yeah. Basically, nothing is off limits, right? Kim, have you had a breakthrough moment? Is there. Has there been a moment you can think of where you were like, oh, gosh, that was like a turning point for me or my business or both.

[00:26:48]  Kim Cauti 

I don’t know if I can pinpoint one specific moment, but I feel like every time I attend a call or ask a question in Slack and like, actually get feedback and get an answer, it is a breakthrough moment. Because usually when I’m asking those questions, I’m really stuck on something. And. Yeah, I don’t know, I just.

[00:27:07]   

I feel like it’s. It’s just a combination of getting answers that can actually help you move forward and just, like, feeling that camaraderie and support. Like, slightly off topic from your question, but something I wanted to bring up is, you know, when I try to talk about this stuff with my husband, he’s like, okay, I don’t really know what you’re talking about.

[00:27:29]   

I don’t understand your problem. Like, I’m here for you, but I can’t really relate to this. And so those conversations don’t always get that far, or they sort of just end up feeling like one person’s complaining at the other person and they just don’t really. They shut down and don’t really know what to do.

[00:27:45]   

Versus when you have a group like this, I can text, read and be like, oh, my God, like, I’m having this problem. And he’ll be like, yeah, I get that. I’ve had that problem too. Here’s how I solved it, or whatever the case may be, I’m putting it in the Slack channel or bringing it to a monthly call.

[00:28:02]   

So it’s just nice to be able to feel understood because not a lot of people understand what we do.

[00:28:09]  Megan Porta 

Yeah. Yeah. My husband often offers advice. He’ll be like, he’s trying to be helpful. He’ll be like, well, why don’t you just do this? And I’m like, that doesn’t make sense. No. And then I get frustrated like, never mind. I’m not, not going to ask you anymore. So it, It. There’s so much value in just being able to, like, in a second you can go to Slack and connect with somebody over xyz, like whatever you want to talk about, and you will feel understood.

[00:28:37] 

Yeah. So it’s that’s a very good point. And then, Reid, is there something in the group that you have been able to kind of see in a different way? The group like, like, maybe it’s a monthly call or Slack that’s just helped you to see something a little bit differently in your business?

[00:28:54]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah, Like, I mean, I think it’s. I, I will say this group, like, changed the way that I thought about my business. Holistically. I’m in a. I’m in a. In the space of sort of like make or break. I’m really, I’m building the business. My traffic numbers are lower because I never tried to monetize the blog until last summer.

[00:29:17]   

And so, like, I’m. I’m starting at a little bit of a. More of a. Not an entry level by any means, but at a lower level. And the thing that. And Taryn kind of touched on this, but, like, I can only see the negative sometimes. Like, I’m, like, I can only focus on what’s not working and not seeing what is working.

[00:29:37]   

So two things that this group, like, just completely blew the doors wide open for me are one Taryn prompts every week. What are your weekly goals and how did you do on your goals last week? Those weekly goals that I set for this group run my entire business. They are how I run my business.

[00:29:56]   

I know that I have accountability to the folks who are seeing those goals. I know that I have accountability to myself because next week I have to give it a little green check mark or a little sad face if I didn’t do it. And I can see everyone else’s success and progress too.

[00:30:12]   

So it gives me an opportunity to focus on the positive and not just the negative. Like, oh, I actually am moving the needle, so to speak. The other thing. So I just can’t say enough about how this has really changed everything for me is the two focus calls every week. Just even if I’m already working on a new blog post or if I’m already designing Pinterest pins, the accountability to log into that meeting and see Taryn’s face.

[00:30:42]   

And I’m going to share this because I think it’s like the great. It’s really such a great thing. I’ve been very anxious about where my business is. Taryn starts every call with a breathing exercise. And it’s so grounding. It seems very simple, but just having someone lead you through that kind of clears your head space for the day.

[00:31:02]   

And then we all work sort of in silence for the hour, and then at the end we share like, out of five, how did we do on the project? And that is so helpful because then I can see in real time progress. I get positive affirmation or like, well, maybe better luck next time if I didn’t do as well.

[00:31:24]   

And that is just again, going back to that, like, working in a silo by yourself. Like, it’s really easy to be like, oh, I need to, I gotta get in the kitchen and develop a new recipe. Oh, wait, hold on. I’ve got to take photos of this. Oh, let me post on Instagram.

[00:31:38]   

I haven’t posted on Instagram today. It’s really easy to get lost in the all of it and just focus on what you’re not doing versus what you are doing. And the group has really helped me focus on what I am doing, what I should be doing, and I’m seeing results as a result of that.

[00:31:56]  Megan Porta 

Amazing. Thank you for sharing that. I’m really glad you did. Those calls are magic. Do you feel like the time just goes so fast? It’s so productive and so focused and because people are there, I mean, you’re not talking, but you know, they’re, you’re, they’re there working alongside you. So you kind of feel like you have to get the thing done that you’re aiming to do.

[00:32:17]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah, I mean, it’s, you’re, you’re, you’re keeping yourself accountable. But the thing is, like, you’re on a call. Not just similar to this, this podcast, like, where I’m like, I can’t get up and make myself a snack. I can, but if I do, I’m losing that 10 minutes.

[00:32:34]  Kim Cauti 

Yeah.

[00:32:35]  Reed Dunn 

And so, like, it helps remove any distractions where you might be like, oh, I wonder if I got any emails from brands that want to sponsor me, like, or, oh, it’s like, keeps you from chasing like the next bright, shiny thing. And even if it’s just for that hour, it so helps shape the rest of my day, the rest of my week.

[00:32:55]   

I mean, I build my whole week around these two calls. And that might sound like really extreme to people, but the reality is those two calls are times when I know that I can get goals from my goal list checked off. And it shows me that I can be more efficient and work you know, smarter, not harder and maybe work less hours and get more output.

[00:33:18]   

So it’s. It’s been like truly invaluable to me in how I’m running and trying to grow my business.

[00:33:26]  Megan Porta 

That’s amazing. Taryn, did you have something?

[00:33:29]  Taryn Solie 

Yeah, yeah. I was just going to say, I think thank you for saying all that. That’s so nice to hear. Right. Megan and I are receiving positive feedback alive on this call. But one thing that you said Reed that I really wanted to just emphasize is the like, the breathing is something that like Megan and I are both really big on mindset and you know, having just, I think positive mindset and you know, working on mental health and you know, having not, I don’t want to say having a good attitude because that’s not half of it, but like, you know, just really working on.

[00:34:06]   

On. On our inner self, if that’s what you want to call it. And we as. I think I’m going to make a sweeping generalization as a society. Don’t take enough breaths, right? Like, we don’t take enough deep breaths and really get that oxygen in. And even doing five breaths once a day, five deep breaths where you’re really trying to calm yourself can make a difference.

[00:34:30]   

And I think that those little sorts of things that Megan and I have learned how to do for ourselves over the course of, you know, for me, many years and I’m guessing the same for you, Megan. Like that’s the energy that gets brought into the group. Right. Like that’s. And that’s something. That is what you said, what you asked me previously, Megan. Something that’s different. I think that that’s. That is one of those things that

[00:34:56]  Megan Porta 

is different about this group for sure. Yeah. You just don’t find that in other places. I feel like a lot of groups like this are let’s get together and let’s hustle and make the most of our time. But it’s not. I mean, yeah, we do want to make the most of our time, but it’s so much more than that.

[00:35:13]   

It’s all the stuff you were saying like the breath, the breathing matters, the mindset matters. Like you have to take care the self care matters. If you’re not doing that, then nothing else is going to matter, to be honest. So we really do prioritize that just at Eat Blog Talk. But that carries over into the inner circle and I’m so grateful that you.

[00:35:35]   

You align with that, Taryn. I mean it. It just makes the whole group so much better and so much more valuable. I am curious, Kim and Reed, whoever wants to answer this, if you envision someone who needs this group who’s not in it yet, what are. Who are they? What are they struggling with?

[00:35:55]   

Maybe they’re, like, in the Facebook groups and they just feel like things are spinning, Spinning. They can’t find the answers. Who are these people that need this group?

[00:36:04]  Kim Cauti 

I think it’s really. You kind of just answered part of it right there, but I think it’s really anyone who’s spinning their wheels a lot trying to get answers to questions, like, if you’re spending more of your time asking Google or ChatGPT how to do your job than you are actually doing your job, then I think this group would be amazing for you because it’s going to buy back tons of time and.

[00:36:27]   

And save your sanity. And I don’t think that you need to be at a certain, you know, milestone within your business. You could be someone who just started a blog 10 days ago, or you could be someone who’s been blogging for 10 years, and I think you’re gonna get something out of it.

[00:36:47]  Megan Porta 

Reed, do you have anything to add? That was great.

[00:36:50]  Reed Dunn 

Yeah. Yeah. I think. I mean, I think if you are feeling a little lost in the noise, this group is really a calming place to, like, land. I. I think the biggest, like, sort of person who’s, like, the ideal demographic as of, you know, recovering marketing person. I’m always looking at the demographics.

The person who’s, like, really, like, ripe for this group is someone who is, like, missing, searching for connection and searching for grounding. You’re going to find that in the Inner Circle, you’re going to be able to, like, say, like, okay, like, if you’re out there spinning, whether that’s, as Kim said, like, looking through Facebook groups or spending half your day, like, Googling how to, you know, how to correctly post an Instagram reel.

[00:37:38]   

Whatever it is you’re joining this group is going to give you, like, instant access to a whole network of people who are experts in different areas. And I. I’ve said this before, and I. I think Megan had to shake her finger at me on a call. I was feeling really like I was taking over.

[00:37:56]   

And I was like, I have all these questions and I have all these things. And I was like, oh, people are probably tired of hearing me talk. But what was. What I was feeling was, I have nothing to offer this group, and everyone in this group is. Is, like, giving me everything. And then I realized that if I again, that was me, like, pulling only the negative and like, not looking at the positives is that, oh, I’ve actually given a lot to this group as well, because I, I am an expert in a few things and everyone in the group is an expert in a few things, but not everything. So collectively, we’re a little like, again, this idea that we’re like a bunch of little food blogs creating a bigger company where we have an expert for anything you can think of so you don’t have to Google.

[00:38:41]   

You can go ask this person or that person and get the answer. So it helps you kind of get grounded and not go down too many anxiety spirals, which I think we can all relate to.

[00:38:55]  Megan Porta 

Yeah, the grounding thing is a huge point. And then something you touched on, Kim, too, was really important. You don’t need to be a certain level, like experience level of blogger. I think some people get caught up with that, like, oh, I’m not advanced enough or. Or this is just for beginners. But there really is no guideline for this in this group.

[00:39:16]   

You can be brand new, you can be blogging for 15 years, and literally anything in between. You’re going to find value because of that whole thing you’re saying, read about. It’s a collective. Really is like a collective business we’re creating. So you have something, Everybody has something to bring to the table. So just know that.

[00:39:37]   

Yeah, great points, you guys. I am going to end this by doing a quick. Just quick questions. I’m going to ask each of you a quick question. Just give me a super quick answer. ReEd, what’s your favorite thing about the Inner Circle?

[00:39:55]  Reed Dunn 

It’s the focus calls easily.

[00:39:59]  Megan Porta 

Wow, that’s so cool. Okay, Kim, one word to describe the experience inside the inner circle. 

[00:40:14]  Kim Cauti

Exciting. 

[00:40:17]  Megan Porta

Oh, gosh, these are fun. And Taryn, if there were no inner circle existing in this world. Sad. What would you miss about it the most?

[00:40:20]  Taryn Solie

For sure. I would be so sad. I, like, makes me want to tear up thinking about it. Everyone is so. I just, like, love all the people in there.

[00:40:31]  Megan Porta 

They’re great, Amazing. Okay, thank you, guys. This was so valuable. I know this is going to just help people. Come on over and join us and have such a great, valuable time inside the Inner Circle. Taryn, thank you for this call, obviously. But also just for being the best community manager and for doing such a great job with this group.

[00:40:56]   

If you do want to check out the inner circle, if you’re listening and you’re like, gosh, this sounds like something I need, you can head to eatblogtalk.com focus it’s super easy to sign up. It’s $39 a month and there’s a bunch of information on there. There’s testimonials if you need more than what you’ve heard today.

[00:41:18]   

So, I don’t know, is there anything else you guys want to end with? You want to say goodbye? Any last words?

[00:41:25]  Taryn Solie 

I would just say, come check it out. Like, that’s. I think it’s hard to experience or hard to understand the magic of it without seeing it. And I think once you see it, you’ll be like, what? Where was this? Where was I? And we’d love to have you in there. Seriously. I love.

[00:41:43]   

I love meeting new people and I think everyone else in there does as well. So come check it out. Love to have you.

[00:41:51]  Megan Porta 

What’s the line? It’s the group I didn’t know I needed. Yeah, when you get in, you’ll be like, I didn’t even know I needed this, but I did all along. All right, well, thank you guys so much and yeah, have a great rest of your day. It was lovely chatting with you.

[00:42:10] Outro  

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Eat Blog Talk. If you are craving learning, connection and increased productivity at a low monthly cost, join the Eat Blog Talk inner circle. Go to eatblogtalk.com/focus to join. I will see you in the next episode.