In this episode, we’re hearing from Ready to Retreat. Their letter explores how to deepen connection in a thriving online community through an in-person retreat.

To better support them, I invited Eric Plantenberg as my guest expert. He’s a client, friend, and mentor—and the founder of the deeply transformative Abundant Living Retreat. I’ve been to many retreats, but none like his. Tune in to hear how Eric creates powerful containers for in-person retreats, what it takes to be a great facilitator, and a fresh, liberating way to approach goals and meaningful connection.

In this episode:

(04:36) The communitea: Ready to Retreat’s letter

(07:43) It's critical to have both an online and an offline experience

(10:02) What makes a great facilitator of in-person experiences

(12:10) The seemingly contradictory way to having the best experience

(16:11) How to effectively draw people into a retreat

(18:06) The gap between aspirational and actual values

(20:45) Matching retreat leadership to real-life leadership

(23:54) Eric's journey of founding Abundant Living and Humm Kombucha

(28:37) The commitments behind such a transformative container

(32:36) Holding the tension is critical for a valuable community

(34:15) It's your job to provide value, not make people comfortable or not

(39:24) It's better to have fewer but truly engaged members

(42:39) Goal setting, releasing the outcome, and becoming who you want to be

Resources Mentioned:

👥 Join Izozi Membership.

🌄 Get Your Ticket to Abundant Living (and join Bri there!)

📕 Check out the Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

📺 Watch Eric's TEDxTalk, The Anatomy of Results.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended community platform.

💛 Join Ember. Community creators building community-powered businesses.

🔥 Ready to hear the stories we almost kept to ourselves? Here's this week's secret episode with Eric!

Eric Plantenberg

🖥️ Website

📱 LinkedIn

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📹 Youtube

📱LinkedIn

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Wavering But Hopeful. Our letter today deals with the very tough reality of deciding whether to continue putting in the effort to keep your community going or to close the doors when it feels like there’re more times when it isn’t working.

To better help Wavering But Hopeful, I invited Salome Schillack as my guest expert. She has been through over a decade of owning her craft and her expertise, and five years of running her own community membership, which she tastefully sunset after realizing it was no longer in alignment. Having been in Wavering’s shoes, her insights deeply resonate.

So, even if you’re not thinking of whether or not it’s time to shut down your community, make sure to tune in to this episode because you’ll discover what to anticipate, what to think about, and the questions you need to ask now in order to build a community for longevity and to decide if stopping or pivoting is the way to go.

In this episode:

(00:00) The tale of how Bri and Salome first met

(00:00) The communitea: Wavering But Hopeful’s letter

(00:00) Salome’s own experience of building a membership and making the decision to close it

(00:00) What ultimately wasn’t working in Salome’s membership

(00:00) How Salome’s community journey translates into Bri’s matrix of communities

(00:00) Approaching the decision to close the doors or pivot as a marketer

(00:00) How to turn your community around if shutting it down is not the way to go

(00:00) Bri’s own experience of getting it wrong, pivoting, and relaunching her community

(00:00) What to ask yourself and keep in mind for a community that lasts and lights you up

(00:00) If you’re also wavering, know you’re not alone

🤫 A boundary that felt impossible (but built more trust). Here's the bonus conversation with Salome!

Resources Mentioned:

🧑‍🏫 Check out the 4 Types of Communities Masterclass.

🎙️ Tune into Salome’s podcast, The Launch Lounge Podcast.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

Salome Schillack

🖥️ Website

📱 LinkedIn

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📹 Youtube

📱LinkedIn

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Community Newbie. Our letter today deals with how overwhelming it can be to enter the world of community-building without really knowing where to begin.

To better help Community Newbie, I invited Marjorie Anderson as my guest expert. She is the Director of Community for Exos and the Principal Strategist at Community by Association L.L.C. Marjorie is a bright light in the community spaces, has been professionally building community for 11+ years, and has helped many people get started with community.

So, tune in for some incredible plant analogies that will make you look at both problems and community in a whole new way, the tools you need to lay a strong foundation for your new community, and tips on what you can do to have the best community for both you and your members.

In this episode:

(03:16) The communitea: Community Newbie’s letter

(04:21) Stop feeling stuck with Marjorie’s beautiful oak tree analogy

(07:24) Who should be looking to build community, and who shouldn’t

(10:24) Beware of sabotaging your own community

(11:36) Let’s make one thing clear: Community DOES really work

(16:02) 3 foundational questions and a boundary to get you started with building community

(24:35) The importance of interviewing 10 of your ideal members and what to ask them

(27:27) Build the unique community you and your members want and have a manager

(33:24) Listen to your community members with  equal parts authority and empathy

Resources Mentioned:

📗 Learn more about The Mom Test.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

🔥 Ready to hear the stories we almost kept to ourselves? Here's this week's secret episode with Marjorie!

Marjorie Anderson

🖥️ Website

📱 LinkedIn

🎙️ Podcast

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱LinkedIn

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Curious in Colorado. Our letter today deals with knowing whether jumping onto the community train is worthwhile by understanding the future of community building.

To better help Curious in Colorado, I invited Zach Hawtof, Co-Founder, Community Manager, and CEO at Tightknit, as my guest expert. He is someone who has extensive experience building community, and not only thinks a lot about where community building is headed, but is also building the future of community platforms on Slack himself with his company.

In this episode:

(04:03) The evolution of community building over the last 10 years

(07:14) Curious in Colorado’s letter: “Where is this trend headed?”

(08:21) Why offline connection always wins—and what that means for digital spaces

(12:12) Building community where your people already are

(13:47) The cheat code for engagement (hint: it’s not better automation)

(19:18) Why Slack isn’t a community platform… and why it absolutely is

(21:12) How to become “psychic” about your members’ needs

(24:51) Following the breadcrumb trail and building what you know

(32:33) Asking better questions—and really listening to the answers

(36:08) Why some members just aren’t ready (and that’s okay)

(39:34) The overlooked challenges of the community industry

(41:13) What AI means for the future of online connection

Get the unfiltered side of the conversation, where Zach shares his biggest mistake, a Slack channel name you’ll want to steal, and the one word he’d give to his younger self. Get it here!

Resources Mentioned:

Join the Tightknit Community.

My episode with Noelle Flowers, Where is the best place to build my community?

2024 CMX Community Industry Trends Report (Page 17).

Sign up for Heartbeat. My go-to all-in-one community platform.

Join Ember. For coaches, consultants & creators building paid communities

Zach Hawtof

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📹 Youtube

📱Linkedin

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Sensitive in Seattle. Today’s letter deals with how to grow a community where joining that community might in and of itself be taboo.

To better help Sensitive in Seattle, I’m bringing in the big guns. I invited Murtaza Bambot as my guest expert. He is the Founder & CEO at Heartbeat — the all-in-one platform for community businesses (also the sponsor of this podcast!) that has served has served over 5, 000 communities.

So, tune in for an episode packed full of wisdom where Murtaza guides us through the process of finding those initial community members, even in a sensitive community, from a place of empathy and authority.

In this episode:

(05:51) Having a customer community when everything is going wrong

(10:55) The only way out is through

(14:40) The communitea: Sensitive in Seattle’s letter

(15:41) Why community exists in the first place

(18:23) Immediate boots-on-the-ground strategies to find your initial members

(22:52) Prime advice on sales calls

(24:43) Murtaza’s advice on using paid ads

(26:27) The power of a paid waitlist to launch your community

(31:16) You deserve to be paid for your work

(34:45) Focus your marketing on the transformation

(45:17) Be ready to constantly research, test, and implement

(46:40) Leveraging ChatGPT as a thought partner

(49:25) What makes a great salesperson

Resources Mentioned:

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“When you have 0 customers, your job is just to get to 1. And when you have 1 customer, your job is to get to 10. You don't have to think about what 100 customers, 1,000, 10,000 customers look like. Don't build these things to scale at the start.“ - Murtaza Bambot

Murtaza Bambot

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

And before you go…

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

💚 Leave a review on Spotify

That helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we hear from Negativity in New York. Today’s letter deals with the nuanced line between keeping your community positive while making space for people to be honest and real about the struggles they are experiencing.

To better help Negativity in New York, I invited Mallory Contois as my guest expert. She has lots to contribute today because as the creator of one of my FAVORITE communities, Old Girls Club — a virtual community for working women with over 1,800 members that’s been running for 2.5 years on Slack.

Mallory has seen some sh*t, so tune in for some tactical advice and practical strategies for navigating the difficult task of allowing tough conversations to take place in your community but not letting them take over.

In this episode:

(04:33) Moderating difficult topics and maintaining a safe space

(12:08) The Politics channel: a test

(16:28) Different responses for different sizes of community

(19:31) The communitea: Negativity in New York’s letter

(20:58) What to do when a community member is trauma dumping

(27:35) Practical advice for having those tough conversations

(33:39) The importance of creating some distance from community members

(37:37) The wild success of the Yell in Caps Here channel in the OGC community

Expect: Thoughtful community engagement tactics and community management coaching.

Resources Mentioned:

👩‍🦰 Join the Old Girls Club jointheogc.com.

🎧 Past episodes mentioned: Episode 7 with Andrea Middleton and Episode 9 with Jae Washington.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. All-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for community creators building community-powered businesses.

Mallory Contois

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

And before you go…

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

💚 Leave a review on Spotify

That helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Hesitant in Honolulu. Our letter today deals with a sensitive subject between two community members and the question of whether to take a proactive approach or not to try to control the potential conflict.

To better help Hesitant in Honolulu, I invited Carrie Melissa Jones as my guest expert. She is an award-winning community builder, author, social scientist, and consultant who has worked with large enterprises, foundations, non-profits, and leading brands like Discord, Nike, Google, Microsoft, and Airbnb. So, she definitely has the experience and the hard-earned wisdom for the job.

So, tune in for practical ways to stay ahead of any potential conflict, a new way of thinking about competition and community.

In this episode:

(03:27) Drama at dinner

(07:03) Clear is kind and the permission to trust your intuition

(11:49) The communitea: Hesitant in Honolulu’s letter

(13:51) How to proactively approach potential conflict in your community

(19:51) Community mantras

(22:12) Revisiting and reassessing your community values

(25:42) Competition or community?

(32:41 ) Proactively having the hard conversation

(35:31) Building community is work worth doing

Expect: Community management strategies to prevent conflict.

Resources Mentioned:

📖 Carrie’s book: Building Brand Communities: How Organizations Succeed by Creating Belonging.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“When people stop making progress in a community, that is when engagement stalls. And similarly with you as a leader, if you as a leader stop making progress with the community, then interest often wanes, progress stalls, engagement drops.“ - Carrie Melissa Jones

Carrie Melissa Jones

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

And before you go…

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

💚 Leave a review on Spotify

That helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we’re hearing from Hopeful in Houston. Our letter today deals with a community builder who wishes they had better guided their community through diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

To better help Hopeful in Houston, I invited Jae Washington as my guest expert. She is the perfect person to bring us new insights because she is a community consultant, curator, and connector with experience at Zeenefits and as Head of the Global Client Community at Headspace, where she revolutionized engagement and community-building within B2B organizations.

So, tune in for a truly insightful and profound episode, with frameworks and tactics to help you build a community full of belonging, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In this episode:

(04:00) Some harsh realities of being a community manager for an organization

(10:07) The communitea: Hopeful in Houston’s letter

(12:18) The 3 GRs: gratitude, grace, and growth

(14:38) The value of belonging

(18:38) Steps to bring a better DEIB initiative to your organization’s community

(23:21) A new state of B.E.I.N.G.

(25:48) Celebrating differences in your community

(28:16) How to start your community on the right track with DEIB

(31:09) When the community is asking for something you can’t deliver

(34:47) Support, not save

(37:55) A surprise: the letter’s origins

Expect: Community strategy and community engagement tactics focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Resources Mentioned:

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“Just because an organization hires you to manage or institute community does not mean they value community.“ - Jae Washington

“If our similarities are the spark for connection, our differences beget growth and education.” - Bri Leever

Jae Washington

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

And before you go…

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

💚 Leave a review on Spotify

That helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.