The Couple's Table
The Couple’s Table is a livestream podcast hosted by Heather Ramirez and Tom Buck. Join us, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall podcast and stuff!
The Couple's Table
Our Last Episode for a While (but it's not a bad thing)
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Tom and I have an update about The Couple's Table 😬
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Hello and welcome. My name is Tom. And I'm Heather. And you're watching the Couples Table. You s you messed up. Did I? You're sitting. You're sitting at the Couples Table.
SPEAKER_01Rewind.
SPEAKER_04Hello, my name is Tom.
SPEAKER_01And I'm Heather.
SPEAKER_04And you're sitting at the Couples Table.
SPEAKER_01The Couples Table is a live stream podcast here on this channel. Join us for better or worse.
SPEAKER_04For richer or poor.
SPEAKER_01In sickness and in health.
SPEAKER_04As long as today, for today, for right now, for today.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we took two weeks off and it's all it's all messed up.
SPEAKER_04Sorry. I I totally You're watching though, to be fair.
SPEAKER_01Hello, everybody. Welcome to episode 104.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. 104. It's like the temperature it's been.
SPEAKER_01Yes. And I we have good news and bad news. But first of all, shout out to all the pre-show peeps hanging up in here. Hello, everybody. Hello, hello, hello. It's good to see you all. We we took two weeks off, just had stuff to work on. And um, yeah, title isn't clickbait. We talked about it for a long time. What's what's that face? I don't know. I was gonna title it We're taking a break, but Tom didn't want people to think that we're taking a break.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's I didn't like the way that that sounded. So yeah, so this will be our last stream for a while. Um yes, but it's so sad because everybody's here. That's the part that like we like so much.
SPEAKER_01I know it so well here's here's what I'm thinking. Um I think we'll go and explain a little bit about why, but in terms of future couple couples table, I think what we're envisioning is just not a set date and time. And I know that's you know, all a lot of people, all of us the strength, the set and date and time. Yeah, is the like, oh, it's the end of the week, like you you've you've integrated into your schedule and stuff like that. And you know, the couples table has been such a highlight of a of the week for us. Um, but like we'll talk about in a second, we just have been focusing on other things. Uh so I I don't want to say goodbye to the couples table forever. Uh, but I think just the set day and time is really hard for Tom and I.
SPEAKER_04I think just I mean, having done seven seasons of my own podcast, I've come to learn the importance of sometimes you just need to pause a thing, take a break for a while, and then like approach it again at some point when it feels right. Yeah. 104 episodes. Oh, granted, we know we've missed some here and there, but um, that's a lot. That's a lot of times and stuff. And so, yeah, it's just becoming especially um.
SPEAKER_01We could feel it. We could feel like, so what are you gonna talk about today, Tom? And it's it's just we we don't want to waste your time, you know. When I th when I heard myself saying out loud, like, oh, we'll just do a Q ⁇ A for the fourth time, I was like, okay, I think we we've kind of I don't know, exhausted the the topics, and and there's just a lot of reasons which we can go more into. Sure. But I I think like if we ever when we do another episode, like we'll schedule it in as much advance as we can. So it's not goodbye forever. Uh we're not, you know, we're not gonna stop creating or anything, but just the the you know, Thursdays at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Yeah, we're gonna take a break.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, not gonna be so standard no more.
SPEAKER_01Anyways, so before we get into that, do you wanna say hi? Say hi to the peeps.
SPEAKER_04Uh Mac, homesick Mac, I feel so bad that I just realized your profile picture is a guitar slide.
SPEAKER_00Is a guitar slide.
SPEAKER_04I know you had the other logo, but I just thought it was like like a like you, like a cartoon, and then I realized anyway. Anyway, Richard's here, heading back from People of Video. I hope you have a safe trip home. Roger is here. Roger, hello, and James and Mark are here. Spiralab Mart is here. Matt's taking a week off. That's awesome. Glad you get to stay home right now. We've got Julie, Charlotte, North Carolina. Megan, I need to do Lego inventory. I apologize. Uh Jared's here.
SPEAKER_01Hello. Oi.
SPEAKER_04Talk about someone who's been busy. We've got Sok Shams here.
SPEAKER_01Actually, I'll be busy.
SPEAKER_04Michael, people of video. We got half the people of video crew here right now. Tech Troublemaker sleep is overrated. We've got Jules. Hello. We've got Ian. Perfect timing. That's what we have, yes. Uh John is here. Hey, your silver mic cover looks great. Ron, been away for a long time. Can't wait to get stuck. Oh, Ron. You're not Ron. Ben is here. What's up, Ben? Our dog Ben is under the table right now. We've got Sammy.
SPEAKER_01Hello.
SPEAKER_04Uh wait, Sammy, you just oh, you've been doing so many videos lately. Persant is here. Insert party horn. Correction party horn. We got Kat. Hey, Kat. Kat's in the house. We've got Hassan. I saw Hassan that you posted your road procaster review, and I wanted to watch that, but I haven't watched it yet. Matt says he's usually traveling on Thursdays, so a different time is fine. And we can do a sequel, The Threples Table. Mr.
SPEAKER_01Camer Drinky.
SPEAKER_04Wait, Lewis.
SPEAKER_01You scrolled over him.
SPEAKER_04That was on purpose. I'm just kidding, it wasn't. Hi, Lewis. I hope you had. I saw your stream. Yeah, of course, I was in the chat. I saw your stream from the hotel room.
SPEAKER_01Which looked amazing, by the way.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you really got like a mobile streaming setup that is is really nice.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Doc is here, man. Everybody from People of Video is here. Uh mod squad, assemble. You're not getting fired from your mod duties. So um, yeah, and Megan Lego wise, I have uh I know I have Pose X Wing, the Millennium Falcon.
SPEAKER_01Sorry.
SPEAKER_04What?
SPEAKER_01I saw Doc's message. Oh wow! That's so cool.
SPEAKER_04That's way cool. At Ecam HQ. Awesome. Yeah. So anyway, lots of cool stuff to go through.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Hey Michael.
SPEAKER_04I feel like this is the third time I've talked to you today, Michael.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so do you want to talk a little bit about what's been going on? It's nothing bad. It's all like good stuff.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, no, it's it it's nothing bad at all. It um it comes down to it's almost like, let me think. Last year when I left my job, yeah, I had a lot of things that were weekly in the schedule. Not just my job related, but like YouTube and and work like my new work stuff. It was, you know, this day you do this, this day you do that, that. And I realized like, well, now that I'm sort of like diving into this thing, I want to I want my schedule to have the chance to develop and grow and evolve as it needs to. And so I spent a lot of time sort of getting rid of standing stuff on the calendar because it was becoming um just too limiting and too hard to schedule around and stuff. And I feel like, and that was a great thing to do. It was hard, it was a great thing to do. I feel like um your, even though you've been working for yourself much longer than I have, I feel like you are sort of entering a new phase where you kind of need to do that same thing. And that's a big part, is like just for me, scheduling-wise, it's always a little tricky because Wednesdays, for a myriad of reasons, just are never good days for us to do production stuff here. It just doesn't work out on Wednesdays. Um can work on the weekends, obviously, we do that a lot, but sometimes you need to take a break, otherwise, your brain turns to mush. So a lot of times it's Monday and Tuesdays are production days. If something doesn't get done, then it sort of gets like Wednesday is sort of impossible, and then Thursday is hard because there's sort of this thing that's like in the middle of the day that we have to plan around and prep for. And it's just sort of like it's just become harder and harder to plan around that. And then with your whole new situation, I think that you know you're at a point where it's it makes a lot of sense to do what I had to do, do what you did six years ago, do what I did a year and a half ago, where it's I'm in a new phase, I sort of need to like disassemble everything down to the foundation and then build it back up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I don't know if that's accurate, but that's what I Well, I think we have different reasons. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Uh it's not a bad thing. Look at him, I can so you're so scared. I love you. Um I agree with that. Okay. Uh I didn't like prepare this, but I'm trying to tell you. I think everyone here, you know, if you've been watching the couple's table, you you know how much of a creator, like a content creator advocate I am. You know that. Um it's it's a big reason why I believe in the vision of the couples table. I I believe in sharing the story of not the typical journey of a content creator, right? Just the everyday, this is how we're doing it. You know, I I I feel like how we're doing it is not out of reach for the average person compared to like, you know, YouTubers with millions of subscribers. I I liked having a place where other people who who wanted to hear kind of the behind the scenes or you know, the keeping it real part of the content creator journey could come here and just we're not saying that ours is the way to do it, but this is just a way that we're doing it.
SPEAKER_05It's a way.
SPEAKER_01It it is a way, yeah. And you know, you can take whatever insights that you want for your own journey. Um the thing is, I think I'm at a point where I I'm kind of feeling like I have nothing else to add to the conversation, which like Tom and I have been really I mean, man, we've we basically had have had the couples table like every day in the past exclusive episode. Yeah, just because I it's it's like it's it's not that it's a secret, but I feel uncomfortable sharing it publicly because I I don't want people to get the wrong idea. I know that the people here would not get the wrong idea, but you know, subscriber number 13,000 who stumbles upon my channel and this is the random video that comes up, might you know, this is the first impression that they're getting. They don't know the backstory, they don't know the history, and I just feel like it's one of those things where if you don't know who I am, it can come off as like I'm this righteous creator who thinks like this is the way that you should be doing YouTube or whatever. And I just, I don't know, it I feel it just it just makes me not feel good about it anymore. Um, which sucks because it's like I I know I'm I'm worried about something that might not even happen. And there are people who are like who want to hear what I have to say, but also I'm having a ton of fun on my other channel, which I'm okay with sharing now. Before it wasn't okay, but I'm past a thousand.
SPEAKER_04Now that she's a brawler, no stupid rapidly approaching silver play button status.
SPEAKER_01So uh I don't remember what it must have been a month ago. I started a new channel. It's called Heather Just Play. It's all about my my love for video games. And man, if I can sum up, if I can sum up how I feel about this in in like my journey, is that Heather just play is coming together in a way that nothing that I have tried in the past six years has has come even close. Like it it almost makes me feel sad looking back at all the stuff I've tried in the past six years, all the things I banged my head against the wall, all the notebooks of like notes and brainstorming and trying to choke things to life, all the marketing funnels, all the studying I did, all the online courses I took, all the networking events I went to, all the business planners I wrote, like the podcasts I recorded, hundreds and hundreds and thousands of hours of video and live streaming, all of that, which I am very proud of. Like I'm very proud of what I've created. And I know that my new endeavor would not be what it is, or would not be like operating as smoothly if not for the past six years. But like everything, everything the universe, my heart, like the analytics, like everything is telling me go all in on this, focus on this, like just go all in on this. And I feel like I would regret it if I didn't.
SPEAKER_04Well, it's kind of like if you're going to give it a shot, give it a shot.
SPEAKER_01Give it a shot. Yeah, because the thing is, like, I I did give it a shot when when things were more up in the air, you know, when I didn't have the universe giving me the signs, when I didn't have the data to prove things, when I didn't, I didn't even know what I was doing. And I quit my job and did it anyway. Like I was just like, I'm gonna try it. And then now it's like I have all the signs that are showing me like this is the thing that you should be focusing on. So why am I only doing it half-sies or or why am I trying to juggle a bunch of things? So so for me, that's kind of like the bigger thing. Like, I really, I really want to just put my all into that. I'm having so much fun. Um, I will give a little shout out to my latest video on Heather Just Play because it was a vlog. I was so scared to upload that because a vlog on a gaming channel, like, eh, does not yeah, like it's not a thing that happens, but I was like, you know what? I'm gonna do YouTube my way. I'm not gonna, I'm just gonna do it my way. So I I published that video, and it's like one of my favorite videos I've ever made. I've watched it like six times, I think. Uh Tom is in it for a lot of people. Yes, this is true. Um but yeah, uh, so it's it's just been really eye-opening to work on that. It's been very interesting as like being me, as being the person who like has has been a YouTube creator since 2016, but then also like not just any YouTube creator, but specifically I did research. Like my niche was YouTube content creation, was the creator economy, was like people figuring out what these platforms are, how you can leverage it, how you can build a brand, all of that. And to be able to apply everything I've learned into a channel about something that I'm passionate about, just because that's what I'm passionate about, not because I'm necessarily trying to make money off of it or build a business or help clients or you know, educate and empower people to utilize digital media to achieve meaningful goals. Like it's just it's I don't know, it's just been really fun and interesting. And one day, I'll I'll tease this. One day I'd love to do uh what have I learned from working on Heather Just Play and like how it's different from how I would have built a YouTube channel in the past because I have a lot of insights I want to share. But again, like it just doesn't feel right to share it now because I I also feel like I don't think it would be helpful to anybody, you know. Like I don't think at I'm at the point where it would be helpful. Like everything is still in um the honeymoon phase, I guess. Like who knows? Could all crash and burn. Either way, I'm having the best time ever. So um, so yeah.
SPEAKER_04It's been really fun to watch you. It's been really fun to see you have as much fun as you're having with this. Like it's it's an energizing to be around. I'm sure, you know, there's a lot of people I did want to point out. Kathy said that um she is sitting in an airport with Aubrey and Michelle, LBC branding right now.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's so cute. Take a picture.
SPEAKER_04So I'm sure like the people who were at People of Video this past week, and you got to be in person around people who are like really excited about what they're doing, it's invigorating and it's been fun because I I have gotten to like experience that with you, where you're doing this thing you're just super excited about, and it makes it like the excitement totally rubs off 100%. Yeah. So that's been really, really fun. And I think that that's just awesome and cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah, it's been so fun.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's been really fun. Like I can't even tell you.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's been it's been great because it's like um I don't know how to even think about it, but uh, so you doing like a YouTube channel about video games has been sort of it's almost been the equivalent of when I was teaching, and it was like, oh yeah, just be be a full-time YouTuber. Yeah, okay. And you were over there going, like, you should do that, it'd be really fun. It's kind of like you were doing a thing, you're like, I should just, you know, if I had the time, I would just start my video game channel or start my gaming channel. That's always been like almost the joke. Yeah. For as long as I've known you. And it's been really cool to see that, like, to see you go through the process of um acknowledging and admitting to yourself and to other people that I actually don't want this to just be a joke. I want this to be the real thing. I want to give this a chance, I want to take this seriously, even though it's fun and and all this kind of stuff. That's been really cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And that's a very personal journey, you know. Like there's there's a million different stars that have to align specifically for that to work. So it makes sense why there's not like a universal lesson to share.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, see, and I feel like a lot of it. A lot of the things that I am experiencing and learning and things that I've been reflecting on are things that are just like it it makes sense to me because I'm I'm on my own journey, but I feel like you know, I'm not sure how much there is to take away. Uh, you know, except that Canva is the best. Like, Canva. Okay, I've been using Canva since Forever. Yeah. Since I don't know, 2010 or I must have been one of the first people that signed up for Canva because I was work I was using it like at nonprofits I worked at. And I can't even explain to you how much how clutch Canva has has come for my thumbnails. I'm so proud of them. This is the best thumbnails I've ever made.
SPEAKER_02Are you even doing video graphics with it? Didn't you use it tonight?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Because there's a video background ruber now.
SPEAKER_04That's crazy. Yes. Um anyway. We have a lot of stuff happening here. So Persant said, I really enjoyed that vlog because it was gaming-centric. It was dope. Congrats again. Uh James and Mark said the vlog had a great storytelling hook. It really did. Like it just it naturally fell into like the perfect three-act structure, which was really cool. Uh Spiral Labs said, I hope we share a bit of the head of display journey semi-privately over at Just Create More. I'll miss not getting to be in the know on this new path. Curious as your friend, not as advice, just a story. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So, Marta, we did talk about that. I was like, maybe we should do the couples table in Just Create More.
SPEAKER_04Um, not committing to a weekly time, but I almost like how we've done those meetups, like the zoo meetups, where it's not a stream, but like it's not a we're yeah, it's it's more of like a conversation, you know, like let's all share what we are learning.
SPEAKER_01Because it's not even necessarily like we're trying to get takeaways, but it it is it's the same with people video. It there is something about like, you know, just being in a room with other people that are doing the same thing.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, what we were talking about yesterday was the idea that as time if you if you do something like this long enough, you start to like things start to get created and adapted and selected like for your workflow, for your approach in such a specific and tailored way that it really can't be a copy and paste approach. You know, like you can find, you know, I don't know, I think of something like I don't know the the TubeBuddy YouTube channel or Think Media or something, which produces hugely helpful videos. Like I'm sure myself included, everyone here has learned something from a Think Media video. But it's very broad, right? Like it's it's a very generalized approach. You want to do this thing, steps one, two, and three to do this thing. By the time you've been on your creative journey for a long enough time, you've made decisions about how you want to approach stuff, how you want to handle stuff, how you want to deliver things, the tools that you want to use, everything. That not only is there not a copy and paste approach, but like you were saying, it almost isn't helpful because it's just helpful. It's so weirdly specific.
SPEAKER_01Like it works for me.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That doesn't necessarily like honestly, if I look back on my journey, I almost feel a sense of guilt wishing this on somebody else. You know, like I would it was so hard. I can't, I don't even know how I did it.
SPEAKER_04Well, I think there's something to be learned. I think this is what Marta was getting at. Um, I think, you know, to go like, hey Heather, how are you handling X on your new channel? And you just tell me your approach, and I can go, oh okay, so she's doing it that way. Like, I think there's 100% something really valuable to be learned by how other people do things, and then you decide yes or no if that's how you want to do things. But that that's not something that necessarily lends itself to like weekly hour long conversations. It's something where, like, yeah, people a video, here's 10 people, or just create more meetup, here's a bunch of us, like, hey, you know, like I'm having this issue. What are other people's thoughts about this thing? Oh, what about this, that, and the other thing? Versus here is the template, here is a code that has been cracked, here's whatever it might be. I think.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And I think if I keep to the weekly thing, because obviously, like there's no way I can help but not talk about Heather just play as as I'm talking about content creation. Um, I feel like it's gonna sound so I don't know, like it's almost like high and mighty. I don't, I mean, I don't I don't want to come off as braggadocious. Like, look, this is what works for me.
SPEAKER_04And I know people don't I know I don't think anyone would think that, but I think if you feel that, it's important.
SPEAKER_01It's I also don't want to have to feel like I'm explaining myself every week, you know, which I've never felt that. Like I haven't felt that before, but because it feels like things are moving so fast on that channel, I feel like it's like, oh my gosh, every day ever I actually have okay, here's a here's a little takeaway, right? In my notes app, that's Tom and I have both use it to put all our video ideas. I also have a master Heather Just Play document where I've been keeping a timeline. So the first day that I created the channel, the first day I uploaded a video, the first day I hit 100 subscribers, all those milestones, but then also like just other big milestones of like the first time I uh received a an email from my website contact form, the first time someone reacted to one of my videos.
SPEAKER_04That was crazy.
SPEAKER_01You know, like like things like that. That that has I feel like those are things that I would have shared here. But again, like it just I don't know there's just a part of me that feels like I'm bragging, but it's just nice to have that at the beginning of like I actually I don't even remember if that was my point. Sorry, I'm like really tired.
SPEAKER_04No, that I that makes sense because you you were saying that you understand that people might not uh might not take what you're saying as being braggy or preachy or whatever, but just the fact that you kind of feel that way and and kind of like it's not a fun way to just feel that you even think that, you know, because it just sort of gets in your way. Let's say it trips you up, it gets in your head a little bit. Um, and that's just it's not a fun place to like have to then make something from.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I don't know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, there's ways it reminds me of like the the endless disclaimers I used to put at the beginning of my videos about not sponsored, not this, not that. And then it was Doc who was like, stop doing that. Uh and I was like, Oh yeah, okay, I can just but it that was like a year and a half long journey to get from one point to the next point. And you know, like it just yeah, so it just takes time and you have to kind of trust your gut.
SPEAKER_01Uh I think passion shift and journey is change, growing and adapting is the greatest strength. Sebastian says, Going to miss listening to this at work. Hope all the best to you. Thank you so much for making my Thursdays more enjoyable. Aww.
SPEAKER_04Makes me sad.
SPEAKER_01Uh candle for slides, pretty sweet too. You can share control of the slides, so it's easy to have multiple speakers for one slide deck. Ooh, I already feel like I'm going to miss you. Aw. I mean, we're definitely not going away. Like we're still here, we're still very much online. It's just, you know, there's just not going to be the weekly live stream, but yeah, you know, we're still here.
SPEAKER_04I'm like, uh we're on just create more and yeah, yeah, it's actually more just being so excited for a friend not wanting to miss out. Right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So we're uh we're taking a break, Clint. Uh I want I watch you guys because you are you, sharing great information while being yourselves. Yeah, and who knows?
SPEAKER_04I mean it's just sort of that's why it's like a break, because I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_04There have been times, there have been times with my podcast where I was like, okay, it's the end of a season, I'm gonna take a break for six months. I'm gonna take a break till the end of the year, and then like three weeks later, I'm like, I have 50 episode ideas. I want to just do this now.
SPEAKER_01So it's like and we're uh Tom and I are always we're always, you know, the wheels are always turning. So we were I I was even like, maybe we do a what did I say? A recorded a pre-recorded one pre-recorded um format. So instead of a live stream, it would be like uh a premiere, right? So you're you're watching everybody's chatting, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Everyone can but the topic is more focused and clean. So I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So you know, we're we're still exploring, like we we just we don't know what it's gonna be, but the couple table as we know it is gonna take a break for for many reasons, but but yeah. So yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um Kat says it can also be hard to share YouTube wins when you know how hard people are working and not seeing the same results that yeah, because there's no there's no guarantee it's like I did steps one, two, and three, and I got this result, and then you do step one, two, and you get different results. It's really hard to uh it's tough.
SPEAKER_01I honestly I think the episode that made me start to feel bad was the like getting monetized in two weeks. That's when I was like, okay, I feel bad now because there are people who don't get monetized in a year, and it makes me feel like it feels like the clickbait thing that someone would brag about to get a bunch of views, and like I'm not trying to do that, you know, it's just the truth.
SPEAKER_04I remember I was in a I told you this, I was in a uh years ago when my channel was very new, it was in a Discord mastermind with like 12 other people who are just starting channels. Um, I think my channel like well, actually, while I was in that I got monetized. So I the channel was, I guess, a year old. Um, and there was another person there who I remember like I got monetized, and he was just like, Oh, like I can never imagine seeing those numbers next to my channel, 4,000 hours, that's insane. Blah blah blah. So he has a million subscribers now. Um, and it's like, yeah, and then obviously, like um we have not talked in many years. He does not know who you are. Yeah. But uh but it there was a thing, I guess, on my end of that, you know, like we're essentially uh not doing the same thing, our channel topics were very different, but um, you know, the work that we're putting into it, the approaches that we're taking, all that kind of stuff are basically the same, and I was seeing better results, and then suddenly, like to be left in absolute stardust, like over there. Um, you know, it it and honestly, I know that it it's as much as I want to be half, it felt kind of bad. And that of course that's not what he would intend. And of course, and of course, more than anything, I was happy to see someone do their thing, but it's like, oh, like we're doing we're putting in the same fuel, but you're getting way more like mileage out of your tank than I am, and that was you know, it's a thing that it's a thing that happens and it's something to be aware of.
SPEAKER_01So I don't want to go down this rabbit hole, but uh there's another little re that's kind of a big reason. There's another reason why I I don't want to um share so much of the the like daily things.
SPEAKER_03Do I know what this reason is?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, okay is like um I have been seeing a lot of advice, content, videos, tweets, a lot of just hot takes um from people saying that this is how a YouTube channel should be done, this is how you should make a YouTube video, this is this is what success means on YouTube, just a lot of like you should, you should, this is how you know secrets, secrets, all of these things, and I have nothing against that, but I also hard disagree with a lot of it. Uh I I just absolutely hard disagree. Like what one thing I'll share is that I've been seeing so much I've been seeing a lot of talk around like this is how Mr. Beast makes his videos, and I I think we've talked about this before, but like I really don't think it's worth um using Mr. Beast as an example if you are just a one-person creator because he is not a one-person creator anymore. And even when he was, he was making YouTube videos very differently than anyone I know, and not in a bad way, but like, you know, he he he like there was one video that he made where he just like counted to a million or something just to see like it how that would perform, or he would like say the same word over and over again to see how that would perform in the algorithm. Like he was he was doing it very differently. If someone were to take exactly that and try to do that, it wouldn't work, you know. And I think if you try to do a lot of the things that he does, again, no disrespect to Mr. Beast, like you are a beast, you know, you you you go, but I just like it it it like makes me sad to to to see people who who okay like are influential in the YouTube content creator empowerment space to say to aspiring content creators that this is the example we should follow, but why not? Right? Like I I feel like it just makes me sad because I don't think that there's anything real that a a normal average person with normal average resources can take away.
SPEAKER_04I mean, that just reminds me, I think I told you this. It's like this is how Warner Brothers produces a movie in Hollywood. Okay, cool. Now you're in your bedroom making a YouTube video, uh, you can't do what Warner Brothers does.
SPEAKER_01But the thing is, like, the the thing my conclusion is that someone could say the same thing about what I have to say. Like someone if I'm over here saying, like, why should why should a new YouTube creator or an aspiring YouTube creator copy Mr. Beast because I don't think it works, and someone could say, like, why should you cop or copy Heather just create or Heather Just Play? Because I don't think it works either. And that's why I feel like sharing my insights isn't necessarily I just don't think that it it's contributing to anything. Like I, you know, I I just don't think it's like adding to a conversation. In fact, I kind of want to step away from the conversation. It's really like loud right now. It's vicious almost, and everyone's just like, how do we get more views and shorts monetization? And it's just so much like I feel like there's just so much focus on the metrics that like can be never-ending where your feeling of reward and fulfillment is like never satisfied because you can always have more subscribers, you can always get more money. You know, like how you know, so but who am I to judge how people define what success is for them and what they're trying to get out of their channel?
SPEAKER_04Like that's why I think it's it's a good thing, at least for the time being, to just go, I'm just gonna do my thing, my way to the stuff.
SPEAKER_01I'm just gonna do my thing, yeah. Exactly. I don't have to explain myself. I don't need to say like this is how you should do it.
SPEAKER_04I'm not a there's still lessons to be learned, honestly, because people can watch that, see what you're doing, how you're doing it, all that kind of stuff. So it it can still have like an educational beneficial effect, but you don't have to overtly say, I'm teaching you how to do this.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because it's just like I'm just so excited for the first time in my content creation journey to just do my thing, to not have to explain it. And you know, it's because the reason why I fell into this is because I started out with a vlog, and so the whole point is to explain everything that I'm doing. And so it's been hard for me to kind of turn that part of my brain off. Um but yeah, I'm like so far, I feel like a completely different person just focusing on what makes me happy. It's weird, you know, because I for so long I talked myself into like I can't do a video game channel because that's for fun. Like, I don't have the personality of a big gamer. I'm not ninja, you know. I don't, I'm not like crazy screaming and you know, playing a channel. Isn't that what your gaming channel is?
SPEAKER_04It's just you screaming and getting in trouble.
SPEAKER_01Like I just kept talking myself out of it. I was like, I need to focus on the business, I need to focus on my brand and like you know, yeah, all this stuff.
SPEAKER_04There have been times even recently where I've um I almost feel like, oh, I've been enjoying myself too much, so clearly I'm not working. So I'll need I need to find something, and that's when like I'll take on a commitment or something that I don't really want to do because it's unfun. And I feel like now it's work because I'm I'm not enjoying whatever it is I have to go do. So that means I'm really putting in the effort when it's like, no, no, no. The whole reason that you've built things the way they are is so your work will feel not like you're just going pounding your head against the wall. Yeah. Um, but it that is it's weird that you you do feel kind of like guilty or it's almost like disbelief.
SPEAKER_00It will feels just like I don't know, it does feel wrong.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, I told you this the other day. I think you were filming something. Here's a GoPro 11. This is my video today. But the other day I was gonna go do some stuff at night with this to to put in the video that I was making for it. And for me, I was like, I'm so excited to grab the camera and like go outside and try out all this stuff. It's a really fun thing that I want to do that I would do just for fun. I was like, oh, but I need to do this for the video I'm making, which is technically my job. So doing this right now is my job, and it was a weird moment of like this, like it is my job. It doesn't have the same output as like, well, I built this widget today, so here's the widget I built, or I, you know, I'm a doctor, I went to a hospital, I saw this many patients today. But it's like there's a there's a need for there's a there's a demand of some kind, there's a purpose for it, there's a semi-usefulness to it, and it's something that I can do and provide. And I was like, that's actually a really cool thing that um that I want to like appreciate that that's the thing that I get to do as a job, and that's it's a weird thing to uh try to explain, it's a weird thing to feel. Um, I don't know, it's that's a special thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh let's see.
SPEAKER_01Sorry, we we're gonna catch up here. B. Um, Clint says it's the fact that you're so open with your progress and where you guys are wanting to go that gives the followings that connection to your content. Art says, I really benefited from your videos and got the skills and courage to start my own channel. I'm excited for your next step in your journey. Yay! Michael says, The couple stable has been such a gift. Thank you so much for sharing, encouraging, supporting this community. Here's to a healthy time away, and I love a scheduled thing. Uh, Mr. Beast is the outlier for every creator, even with the same gear. You are the secret ingredient. Hi, Bailey. I'm sad to see the show go despite not watching it live for a few weeks. I always enjoy hearing what you guys were thinking.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we were like, if Bailey's not here, we're just gonna bail. It's his fault.
SPEAKER_01Uh the fact he has done something that no one has thought of is what made it work. We are curious for anything that doesn't conform to what is seen as normal. I once spent three hours watching Rats.
SPEAKER_04And that's everything he was doing was so novel and new, and it's like it just wouldn't work today. Well, because he's already done it. So it's like, oh, okay.
SPEAKER_01Um Michael says, I've never heard about Mr. Beast until recently, and because all I've heard, because of all I've heard, I've never wanted to look for the channel and find out who he is. I've never watched a Mr. Beast video, so it's not but he's like the keynote speaker at Vid Summit, which is like you know, a very expensive, prestigious, like YouTube creator specific conference. And I'm just like, he's the keynote. Like, isn't the keynote the the main the prime example of like you know, like this is the person we're gonna learn a lot from.
SPEAKER_04There was a thing when when you and I went to VidCon in 2019, we saw several panels, and a thing that was cool. I there I mean there weren't panels that had like really, really small creators, but there were a couple we saw where maybe you'd have five or six people on the panel, and they ranged anywhere from several hundred thousand to several million subscribers, but they were all sort of just sharing their opinions and their insights. And I thought that was really cool. Yeah, that was like super helpful, super insightful.
SPEAKER_01Well, because there was a topic. It was I remember one of them was like uh, you know, something about mental health and content.
SPEAKER_04So it's like here's a topic, here's a whole bunch of different perspectives.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, variety of critical.
SPEAKER_04And that's where I feel like currently someone like Mr. Beast would fit in really well. Here's a topic, here's this perspective over here, yeah. But here's also this and this and this and this perspective. And then somebody listening to all that can sort of like try to decipher it, take away what they will from it, um, ignore what they want in it, versus here is the example that is now the you know, the rule book. And that's that's a you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_01But see, like even saying this makes me feel like, you know, I I don't want I don't want people to listen to me and think like, oh, so you you think you're better than Mr. Beast. Like, no, I have a lot of I would not be able to do what I'm doing if not for Mr. Beast. YouTube wouldn't be what it is without Mr. Beast. Um, and like I think it's undeniable that he's a very innovative, uh, you know, creative person. Like that is I have respect for that. Um I just it's just I don't know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04It's more like the ripple effect. Yeah. Oh, oh no, coffee's here. Did you get to go? Did you have a good time? People of video? Just let me know.
SPEAKER_01The journals of awakening. Hello.
SPEAKER_02Hi. All right. So that's that. I guess that's time to time.
SPEAKER_01Is it time?
SPEAKER_02It's time to time.
SPEAKER_01Time to time. Well, so what are you working on? Let's wrap up with that. I've been talking about Heather Just Play. If you want to keep up with me, I'm I mean, I'm I'm so excited about Heather Just Play. If you don't like games, you will find it very boring.
SPEAKER_04But um Yeah, don't feel uh like obligated to go.
SPEAKER_01But um, I'm very excited about it. But what have you been working on, Tom?
SPEAKER_04I always feel guilty because people ask me this what do you what do you have planned? What's coming in the future? And my answer is like nothing. And I and it I feel No, you shouldn't. Well, it's weird. I I'm trying not to feel guilty. I like what I'm doing, and I've built this thing that I really like. So what I'm working on is to like keep doing the things. No, I I mean I like all of them. There we go. I don't um I have one that should be fun. I I think I have a sponsored video that I'm gonna be doing in January.
SPEAKER_00Fine.
SPEAKER_04Which should be really fun. Um, I think I might, although I'm not 100% sure, I might have found a sponsor for the next season of my podcast, which is a cool thing to try out. I know it's like sponsors, but that's not not what those are just different things. That's why I'm bringing that up. Um, but I'm like really happy to one of the things that you we've talked about, which is very, very important, and probably something I'll do a podcast episode on, is in your shift from to the new channel, you've shifted from the seat of authority to the seat of an enthusiast. I'm not trying to teach you how to do something, I'm just sharing something I love.
SPEAKER_01It's such a such a wonderful feeling. Let me tell you. It's like the biggest sense of relief, which like I feel bad for the people who have been my clients and you know, like people who learn from me. It's not that I didn't like being a YouTube coach, but it's it's it's I I must feel similarly to you retiring from teaching. Like I loved that. I'm also very excited to just geek out about games. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Well, it's there's a a thing on YouTube is like provide value. What's your value proposition? What's this, what's that? And that, you know, it makes sense to say, like, hey, if you want people to watch your stuff, what's the purpose behind it? Why would someone want to watch this? That's a very reasonable thing to ask or to say. Um, but when you get into a point of like, what value am I providing? It's very easy to then say, well, okay, here's where I'm going to be an authority on something. But that's also can be, at least we have found for us, it can be a very high pressure position to be in because it feels like you, you know, you can't make mistakes. You have to. There's a lot to keep in mind versus the the mindset of an enthusiast. Like, I'm excited about this thing. I enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_01Remember the last thing I my last uh big enthusiasm economy?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01My last, like, what is that called? Uh hypothesis, I guess, was like I went from the creator economy to the passion economy. You're just outlining which enthusiasm economy. And it all led to this.
SPEAKER_04Um, but so one thing that has been really fun, which is hasn't, I don't even think you would be able to tell in the videos that I made, but is to change the approach for my channel. Not that I ever I always tried to not position myself as an authority, but like I have a decent amount of knowledge about the stuff I'm talking about. That's why I talk about it. Um, but to try to really approach it, even just while making the videos of like I there are people out there who are going to give you every technically correct, perfect detail that you need, and they're gonna do a better job at that than I could. I don't need to try to do that. I can approach it from a different point of view, which is from the point of view of an enthusiast, which is what I've done most of the time anyway. But it's been really fun to consciously make that shift, if for no other reason, then it just puts me in a different mindset while making a thing. And it's more fun. Um and that's it may or may not even be noticeable. But I think that that's that's a cool thing to embrace, and I've been having a lot of fun with that.
SPEAKER_01Even with Heather just play, like it, I will be the first to admit I'm not the best gamer. I'm a casual gamer. I play games on my own terms, like I'm not trying to get the highest score or compete or you know max out everything. Like, I just play games because they're fun, and I have since I was a kid.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think I told you the story a while ago, it popped up, but I remember I was on a bike ride not that long ago and As happens many, many times, I was getting passed by somebody. Because I am not fast. I have like my road bike and I go and do the whole thing. Uh my road bike and my road mic. Um, but I anyway, I'm riding my bike and I'm not crazy fast or anything, but I just enjoy my bike rides, have fun. And, you know, there's other much more serious cyclists who will I can hear them coming. I can hear, I can literally hear like and you can hear, you don't even hear pedals pushing. Like on me, you hear you hear like each push of the pedal go on them. It's just it's like an engine, just smooth. Um, and I remember one guy passed, and I I remember thinking like, ugh, I would not want to be doing that at all. Like, I hate riding bikes. I hate riding a bike where I'm just going at my max effort as long as possible, endurance, distance, crazy speed. And then I had to like step back and go, no one's making me do that, though. And that guy, if he were riding his bike the way I'm riding, he would be having a miserable time because he wants to go fast and he wants to, you know, he's going to shave his legs to shave off a millisecond of time. He's going to worry about which bike computer weighs fewer grams to put on his bike. I'll, you know, attach a GoPro to my bike because I think it'd be fun, or you know, bring a bag that I can put sandwiches in or something. Um, and those and so it we're doing the same thing, but we have two different approaches, and both of us would be unhappy in the other's approach. And that's okay. And it's just important to realize neither of us are doing anything wrong.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's not, it's yeah, I guess the thing is like just because the two different ways exist doesn't mean that one way is right and one is wrong. Yeah, that it's not even that one is right and one it's one is wrong, but that there's no resentment like between the two. And I think that I kind of feel like that how that is how I'm coming off. As if I am more righteous, I am more better than Mr. Beast because I'm saying I'm doing it this way and other people are doing it another way, which like that is probably all in my head. But um I'd also rather just not even think about this and just go make fun. Yeah, go make my videos, you know. So so yeah. Um speaking of podcasts, when does the next season of Tep start?
SPEAKER_04Um, I'm not sure. Sometime it will end before the end of the year. So it's 10 weeks, so sometime 10 weeks before the end of the year.
SPEAKER_01Uh art says, now I want to make business cards that describe me as a book enthusiast.
SPEAKER_04Honestly, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Like enthusiast is the the thing that made everything click for me. I was watching I straight up put a video video game enthusiast.
SPEAKER_04So when I was in college, there was somebody who was part of the Aquabats fandom who was like becoming an animator. You know, everyone was like 20, 21 years old at the time, and he was like learning flash animation. He had this whole little web series he would put up. This is like pre-Youtube, I think. And it was really good. Like, I know there's like YouTube animators now, but this was like before any of these tools exist, this person was doing a whole thing. And one of the like episodes he made was there was like a someone on the news being interviewed, and they're they had their name and it said goldfish cracker enthusiast. And I thought that was like the funniest title ever. And and it just made me think of like what does that mean for someone to be like a goldfish cracker enthusiast? And then it just it put the word in my brain as like, yeah, someone would just be excited about goldfish crackers and like all about goldfish crackers. But I like taking that and just applying it to anything, applying it to books, applying it to video games, applying it to audio video gear. I love that point of view because it it's not about being the best or the most correct.
SPEAKER_01Like it I can't believe on friggin' wood, but I'm I cannot believe how little negativity I received for a female gaming channel. Like, I I was bracing myself like crazy. But I think just like because I'm the first to admit that I'm not the best, and my enthusiasm for video games is undeniable. It's like, how can you get mad? It's almost like if someone were to bring any kind of like trolling, it just looks so obviously bad on them than it does on anybody else. It's like it's like the sir, this is a Wendy's vibe. Like, you know, you we're just having lunch here, dude, and you're over here screaming. Like, yeah, so that the whole I guess that's like the next chapter.
SPEAKER_04Both of us are really embracing this the enthusiast thing, the enthusiasm project, projecting, you know, gee, that thing. It's funny how everything comes around. It's all comes back around, but it's weird to feel like I'm gonna do this thing seriously as my job that puts food on the table, but I'm just an enthusiast. Like it almost feels like you can't do that. Like, if you're an enthusiast, it must be a hobby, it must be a part-time thing. How can you be a full-time enthusiast?
SPEAKER_01I mean, even now, I I've had conversations with my husband, and I say I said, like, are you okay with me tr trying to make this the full the full-time thing?
SPEAKER_04I'm so excited for you making trying to make it the full-time thing. Like, what I want if I could choose any of the things for you to do, that's what I would choose for.
SPEAKER_01I know, but the point is I still felt compelled to ask, you know, is like you know, it's it it's still it just feels I don't know.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_01Feels wrong.
SPEAKER_04I get it. I fully get it.
SPEAKER_01So anyway, the Paul the Paul Duncan. The you have always come across as this. This is a way, not the way.
SPEAKER_04I'm glad to know that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm glad.
SPEAKER_04Uh and everyone is agreeing with Paul because he's always right. His way.
SPEAKER_01Literally this morning, I was like, I think I'm gonna take down that episode.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because I was like, I I just I don't I don't remember it, but I don't I f I just feel like I mean the way you feel about something is very important to even I'm sure if I were to re-listen to it, it'd be fine. But I I just don't want you know, I don't know.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_01Maybe I'd change the title from getting monetized into two weeks to Heather starts a new YouTube channel or something.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's true. Drew's gotta go to work now. Bye, Drew. Bye. Uh Ono Coffee said made it to People Video. It was excellent. Journals Awakening shout out. All right. Uh cool. Cool. Yeah, so um Heather's got Heather display. I've got my channel. Uh there is the just create more community, of course. Um and that's it, right?
SPEAKER_01That's it.
SPEAKER_02That's all the things.
SPEAKER_01Tom and I are celebrating our five?
SPEAKER_02Five.
SPEAKER_01Shoot, I got confused. Our fifth year dating anniversary next month. So that's fun.
SPEAKER_03Half decade.
SPEAKER_01Dang. It's funny when you put it that way.
SPEAKER_04Back half of a decade now. I know Matt's in here going on four decades at this point. We'd love to get there one day. We'd love to get there. Uh all right. So that being said, thank you all for being here. Um, you know. And just think, just think it's the cliche of like, it's not goodbye, it's see you later. So yeah, just it's time to clear the table for now.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04For now.
SPEAKER_01Now.
SPEAKER_04And there we go. So hope you guys have a safe, happy, healthy, fun.
SPEAKER_01But also, like, thank you. Just yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_04I mean, that's the thing. Like, it'd be so easy to just say, oh, we're not gonna do it anymore, but yeah, I think we really genuinely love everybody who's here.
SPEAKER_01I w I felt I was like, we can't just do a community post. Like, we gotta I gotta we gotta go on there and yeah, you know, like we know each of you by name, and we we really look forward to just you know the the weird serendipity that brings this group together everywhere. It's just like what a crazy thing.
SPEAKER_04We're very grateful for that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And so, you know, the idea of doing anything that disrupts that feels bad and feels wrong. But hopefully, it seems like everyone's very understanding.
SPEAKER_01And you know where to find us, also it's not like we're off the grid or anything.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01All right, everyone, take care.
SPEAKER_04Hope you have a safe, happy, healthy, fun time. We'll see you at some point in the future.
SPEAKER_01Where's my scene? Okay, here we go. Yeah, I promise I've been doing this. Oh while where's my scene? Where's Ben? Oh, here, outro. Okay, bye, everybody.