I hesitated sending this email.
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I had a different one cued up ready to send, but hit pause to ramble out something I’ve been feeling for a while but didn’t really know how to express (and I don’t really have a solution for 🫣).​
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But first, can I just say… I’m having SO much fun ​right now on Instagram​ 🤣 I've posted more in the last week than I have in the last 6 months.
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As I’m typing this, I fully realize how I sound like one of those old people I used to mock in my twenties who said things like, “The Facebook.” 🤣

Whatever. I’m just over here doing my best and, shockingly, having fun again.

Which I didn’t even realize I’d been missing in my business.
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I randomly scrolled way back on my feed to 2018 / 2019 to read old captions and I used to be SO… excited.

I’d post updates to my feed and stories for the sake of sharing.

Sure, my videos were cringey because being on camera was a rude adjustment from live stages, but I was genuinely proud that I was DOING IT!

I was building a business and a brand online!
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But somewhere along the way, things started to feel heavy, especially as my available time to work got pinched with kids at home.
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And I wasn't new anymore so I felt this pressure to show up... I don't know, more serious?
Everything was pressure-y.

My baseline of expenses had grown, I had dozens of paying clients, 100s of students… I was a legit business and I needed to ACT like a mother freaking success.
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People trusted me.
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I wanted to take that seriously, so I doubled down on being more strategic.

If I wanted to continue to grow, I had to make every single moment count... every podcast episode, every email, every post (tho sporadic) needed to be intentional.

And I started operating from a place of: "if I can't do it right, then I won’t do it at all” because less is more, right?

I was squeezing the metaphorical lemon for every damn drop.

But you know what happens when you squeeze something bone dry?

It gets… well, dry.

And really freaking boring.

I became a BORING person.

Which is bonkers because I'M A FREAKING WEIRDO.

What's even more wild is that I didn't even notice the shift.
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I was being a big, important, serious business person!
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But I’d find myself procrastinating or feeling extremely drained whenever I had to use my brain to create things (except live trainings and client calls ❤ ️ those have and continue to bring me LIFE, which really tells ya zone of genius).

So when I started hearing The Great AI Savior Spiel (aka let ChatGPT become your trojan marketer) I initially resisted because I believe (and tout constantly) that:
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​YOUR VOICE IS YOUR BEST BRAND ASSET.
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👆Farming it out to a robot felt, well, like a bad allocation of assets.
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But eventually I embraced ChattyG (and called him Clive), because… this was what the modern day business owner was doing.
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And if I didn't keep up, I’d get left behind.​
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So Clive and I escalated our relationship.
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He wrote emails and checkout copy for a couple smaller offers.
He helped me learn to feed my sourdough starter and finally bake bread.
We brainstormed new offers and podcast topics
Created my annual goals and even wrote a manifesto!
He pretended to be my drunk bestie and we laughed that his copy was better when he’d had a few.
I asked him how to yell less become a better mom.
I voice to texted stories and ideas while on my walks and asked for business lesson connections.
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Having him “get” me and my brain felt like I was being handed one of these:

Gosh, he was so sexy.
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Because of him I’m killing it with my sourdough and fiber intake 🎉
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BUT when it came to my business:
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​The biggest thing AI gifted me was the wakeup call that it was sucking my creativity, not sparking it. ​
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​Look, I’m proud to say that I have an amazing brain.

I love the way I think.

I love how I come up with ridiculous ideas.

I love how I can see the thruline of the most complex mishmesh of thoughts.

My brain… the way I THINK, is my gift. ​
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My clients LITERALLY tell me “I love how your brain works” at least once a week.

BUT, I was LOSING that gift due to something called CREATIVE ATROPHY.
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​In a hilarious twist, I’m going to turn the mic to AI to explain it to you:

Don’t worry I asked Drunk Bestie Clive to summarize that eye sore for you:

😅Thanks Clive, I’ll take it back from here.
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I didn’t even know this was a real term a month ago when I used it on my podcast to describe my experience (if you’re digging this email, you’ll like Ep.245: ​Your Brain Called. It Wants Its Job Back​ on the Ramble Refinery).

But I need you to hear me loud and clear when I say this:
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​YOUR VOICE IS YOUR BEST BRAND ASSET. ​
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Your ability to take your ideas and share them with the world WILL be the reason people work with you.
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So if you are farming your voice out to AI (or outsourcing ALL writing to a copywriter🫣), if you aren’t stretching your creativity muscles and challenging your own thinking…
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Don’t be surprised if your business starts to feel dry and boring (or heavy).
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And when this happens, your audience feels it too (and if it’s already happened, they are already tired)​
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I mean, maybe I’m alone in this (but I don’t think I am), I’ve really noticed a shift in my inbox over the last 6 months.
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95% of the messages are starting to look the same… same pacing, same fluffy fillers, same “not carrots, not broccoli, just potatoes and presence”.
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I can't shake the feeling of disappointment when I read obvious lines of AI copy from people I previously LOVED hearing from… which maybe shouldn’t matter, and I get that sometimes we just need to knock out an email…

But beyond my issue with Creative Atrophy, I can’t help but wonder what the TRUE COST of using AI to write content, like emails, for your brand?
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Because as a consumer in this online marketing space, I now feel like a commodity.
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And I know that sending emails to make money is not new (and obvi THE reason we all do this), but something about this whole shift with brands using AI (yes even “trained” in their voice btw) feels different.
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We’ve lost the human connection and I think we can all feel it.
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It seems the people who are most excited about are the ones selling you a program on how to use it 🫣
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Look… I didn’t want to write this email because 1) I hate being a Debbie Downer, especially when 2) I don’t really have a solution for this.
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But I wonder if that’s the point?
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​I think we’re all just doing our best to navigate how quickly technology is evolving, but what I CAN confidently tell you is this:​
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1. Your ability to express yourself is more important now than ever.

2. Not every message needs to be from the heart, so it’s still totally ok to leverage AI.

3. Creative Atrophy is REAL, and most likely attributing to your content not working as well as it used to more than the current economic conditions 😳.

4. What works for me might not resonate with you. And that's ok.

5. What doesn’t resonate with me, might be perfect for you.
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I think the take away from all of this is that even if we leverage AI, we cannot abandon the very things that make us human– like connection, imperfection and gut intuition.
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Right now, my gut is telling me to turn down the volume on Clive, and blast the volume on Heather.

So that’s what I’m doing right now on Instagram (which if you haven't been following along, or I'm buried in your algorithm start with ​this moment​ where I almost peed myself from laughing or peep​ my new cooking show that isn't about cooking...trying to get ep 3 out today)​
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And that's what you’ll get more of in your inbox.
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Which I hope is a breathe of fresh air (or at least, got you seeing the VALUE again in your own voice).
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xo
H

Heather Sager | Speaker. Mentor. Educator. Helping business owners speak, teach, and lead—better. 🎤 Founder, The Signature Talk Accelerator​ 🎧 Host, The Ramble Refinery Podcast​ ​

ICYMI: SIGNATURE TALK ACCELERATOR | FALL COHORT STARTS SEPT 8

If you're looking for something with a little more guidance and support, I'm privately enrolling clients into the Fall Cohort of The Signature Talk Accelerator. It's 8 weeks, starts Sept 8 and we'll nail your message, hone your story and create a magnetic talk that grows your business from any stage. If you'd like to learn more, hit reply and I'll share details.

Book a Single Sesh to get your message dialed in for Fall 👇 [5 spots]

If your ideas are swirling in your head and you just need a thought partner to get them out clearly, whether you have a talk coming up or want to turn up the dial on speaking, my Spotlight Session will give you the kick in the pants you are craving.
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Ellen Yin, from Cubicle to CEO, booked one of these sessions earlier this year, then RAVED about her experience to her newsletter audience of over 30K people and her instagram stories:

"I’d been so uninspired on how I wanted to show up in interviews that I turned down over 20 podcast invites in 2024 alone. After 90 minutes with Heather, I have a clear topic, a needle-moving interview format and for the first time, I’m actually excited to get back on podcasts." ​
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​After seeing that story, Juliana L reached out to book a session and she was so blown away she recorded this video for you about her experience (highlight: "You just completely shifted how I see my business in 90 minutes")
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​And Briony, a speaker in Australia texted me after our sesh awhile back with: "This was the best session I have ever done! Thank you just truly wonderful!! xx"
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​As I focus on bringing more FUN into my business, I realize that these sessions are the so freaking fun, so I've opened my calendar to do more of them.

I have space open in August and September.

It isn't a cheap pick my brain session or a sneaky strategy sesh turned sales call. Heck, it's not even a coaching session where I ask you to arrive at your own answers.
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This is consulting, where you get my brain on your business. I'll bring my 23+ years experience to help you see what you can't. It's $1997 and includes a week of Voxer access (which you can totally use to pick my brain if you want 😅 )​
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​There are FIVE spots open, so if you want one, please book it ASAP (and if you do it before tomorrow, I'll give you a little extra surprise) If you want to sync on calendars first, just let me know.​
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