Are you secretly afraid of success? In this solo episode, I dive into why fear of success is so common, even when you deeply want to achieve success. You'll also learn an exercise to help you navigate fear of success.

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/

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JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.

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SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreywilkspsyd

Substack: https://substack.com/@coreywilkspsyd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreywilkspsyd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreywilkspsyd/

Disclaimers: The content provided is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here constitutes personal or professional consultation, treatment, diagnosis, or creates a professional-client relationship.

Lawrence Yeo is the founder of More to That and author of The Inner Compass. He's legitimately one of my favorite modern writers and has been instrumental in helping me improve my ability to think clearer, tell better stories, and live more meaningfully. In today's episode, I sit down with Lawrence to dive deep into the psychological barriers that keep creators from doing their best work. We explore how to transform imposter syndrome into creative fuel, why authenticity beats algorithmic optimization, and how philosophical frameworks provide more practical guidance than traditional self-help for navigating creative uncertainty, building sustainable businesses, and developing unshakeable conviction in your ideas.

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CONNECT WITH LAWRENCE YEO:

Website: https://moretothat.com/

Lawrence's book, The Inner Compass: https://compass.moretothat.com/

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/

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JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.

—

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Imposter syndrome signals you're entering new territory and growing, rather than being a character flaw to eliminate.
• Original ideas don't exist - your unique value comes from filtering universal concepts through your personal experience and worldview.
• Tactical vulnerability means sharing personal struggles specifically to serve your audience, not just to process your own emotions.
• Writing like you naturally speak creates more authentic connection than trying to hit artificial reading level targets.
• Perfectionism paralyzes creators because achieving it would make creating the next piece even more daunting.
• Stories move people more than statistics - personal anecdotes create lasting impact where data fails.
• Mastery (refining intuition) creates more sustainable success than status-chasing (collecting attention).
• The people you attract reflect the ideas you share - shallow content brings shallow thinkers.
• External validation becomes addictive when you're in periods of self-doubt, but focusing on craft builds genuine confidence and conviction.
• Monetizing creativity requires attracting people whose values align with yours, not just anyone willing to pay.
• Trusting yourself is learnable through repeatedly doing work for its own sake without external pressure.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 The Genesis of More to That

05:16 How Lawrence Deals with Imposter Syndrome

09:46 The Art of Remixing Ideas

14:42 The Power of Authenticity and Vulnerability in The Creative Act

25:38 Common Writing Advice to Avoid

33:15 Why Perfection is Overrated

40:39 Knowledge vs Wisdom in the Age of AI

48:25 Krishnamurti, Philosophy, and Navigating Existence

1:17:08 Why We Wait for Permission to Hit Publish

1:25:52 The Pursuit of Mastery and Craftsmanship

1:32:25 Staying True to Yourself and Resisting Misaligned Incentives

1:49:49 The Inner Compass

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SOCIAL LINKS:

Website:

What is marketing, actually? And how can you improve your marketing to grow your audience, revenue, and resonance in an authentic way? In today's episode, I sit down with my friend Amanda Natividad, head of marketing at SparkToro, to explore the psychology behind effective marketing. We discuss zero-click content, parasocial relationships, and why the best marketing doesn't feel like marketing at all, and Amanda shares actionable strategies for creators who want to build authentic connections that convert.

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ABOUT AMANDA NATIVIDAD:

Amanda Natividad is VP of Marketing for audience research startup, SparkToro. In her spare time, she co-hosts the Meme Team podcast and writes a marketing newsletter called the Menu (with over 16k subscribers). She’s also the creator/teacher for Content Marketing 201, a contributor for Adweek, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, and a former journalist. Amanda previously led marketing for Growth Machine, led marketing for Liftopia, built Fitbit’s B2B content program, and led content and communications for NatureBox.

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CONNECT WITH AMANDA NATIVIDAD:

Website: https://amandanat.com/

Newsletter: https://amandanat.com/subscribe/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandanat/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandanat/

Twitter: https://x.com/amandanat

Meme Team Podcast: https://www.memeteampodcast.com/

—

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Creator Alchemy Newsletter for exclusive content and unlock the Psychology of Success Masterclass for free.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/

—

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

The Creator Alchemy Lab is a community for ambitious creators taking bold action to transform their businesses, their lives, and themselves.

Go to https://www.creatoralchemy.com/lab now to join.

—

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing because people naturally resist being sold to but want solutions to their problems.
• Content marketing should serve specific business functions rather than just creating content for content's sake.
• Zero-click content strategy focuses on providing value directly on social platforms instead of driving traffic away from them.
• Parasocial relationships allow creators to scale intimacy and build genuine connections with large audiences.
• Content pillars act as guardrails that protect your mental health while maintaining focus and audience expectations.
• Blog posts and long-form content serve as proof and defense for your expertise, not just standalone pieces.
• People follow creators for who they are, not just their content, which is why personal connection matters more than perfect information.
• Building algorithmic capital through consistent valuable content allows you to occasionally promote without being penalized.
• Making it easy for people to understand what you sell and where to buy it is fundamental but often overlooked.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Why the Best Marketing Doesn’t Feel Like Marketing

01:24 - B2B vs B2C Marketing: Key Differences

04:25 - The Truth About Content Marketing

13:10 - Personal Brand vs Reputation: Building Authentic Authority

22:46 - Parasocial Relationships: Scaling Intimacy in Marketing

35:20 - Managing Influence and Setting Professional Boundaries

41:09 - Marketing Psychology in an Algorithm-Driven World

44:15 - Why Zero-Click Content and Algorithmic Capital Are the Future of Marketing

50:08 - People Hate Being Sold to But...