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Season 3, episode 21 is here!
Dani Zacarias joined me to talk about her journey from criminology student to creator economy veteran, working at Wattpad, Skillshare, and now Sendowl.
She shared a harrowing story about crossing a closed border with boulders exploding around her, why the pressure from VCs often misses what actually matters in content creation, and how writers can build sustainable businesses around their work.
What we covered:
How Dani’s path from wanting to be a lawyer led her through international nonprofits and into the creator economy, including the moment in Uganda when a reader cried because he finally saw Ugandan names in a book for the first time
Why Silicon Valley and VC-funded companies trivialise art and creation by pushing data over taste, and how she learned to fight for what she believed in even when billions of dollars were telling her she was wrong
The border crossing in Peru where protesters closed the route with tripwires designed to decapitate motorcyclists, pits filled with glass, and boulders rolling down hills, and how she and her now-husband made it through by going completely silent and focused
Brandon Sanderson’s keynote argument that art isn’t about consumption or making money but about reflecting on who you are as a person, and why the creator economy’s obsession with content volume is dangerous for durability and meaning
What she learned from working at Wattpad by analysing massive amounts of data on reader behavior, discovering that people forgive bad writing but never forgive bad plot
Why Sendowl exists for creators who want total ownership of their audience and customer lists without platform algorithms changing the rules, offering unlimited products and storage that scales with your business instead of eating 10% of every sale
Her advice to think holistically beyond just the story itself, building an ecosystem with merchandise, short stories, and IP that fantasy and sci-fi fans want to engage with because that’s where the sustainable money actually lives
➡️ Interested in Sendowl? Email Dani at dani@sendowl.com and mention this podcast for a potential discount.
What’s next?
I’m ready and waiting to support you in the next stages of your creator journey. Here’s a reminder of how I can help:
🚀 Digital Resources: Check out my range of straightforward products on Gumroad. You’ll find great tools to help you get started on Substack, grow your audience, and even launch your own podcast. Explore them here.
🔥 Catalyst Club: Get exclusive access to Catalyst Club, my VIP membership for creators who want real momentum. Includes monthly group sessions, 2 x 1-on-1 strategy calls, and a full Substack publication audit. Apply to join.
🤝 Personal Coaching: Work with me 1-on-1 to break through creative blocks, refine your strategy, and build a sustainable creator business that actually fits your life. Email or DM me for more info.
📺 YouTube: Head to my YouTube channel for hundreds of unfiltered conversations on creativity, strategy, and building a life that doesn’t require permission. Watch and subscribe here.
