In this episode, we’re hearing from The Jealous Host. Our letter today deals with a community builder stuck in a comparison spiral, whose insecurities are taking the wheel and making them feel like they're competing with community members and other communities, and falling short. To better help The Jealous Host, I invited Charmaine Jennings as my guest. Like me, she's no stranger to this conundrum. She founded Hustle + Charm, a supportive in-person community for women and nonbinary entrepreneurs...
Jul 01, 2025•50 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this episode, we’re hearing from Community Creator at the Crossroads. Our letter today deals with someone who's proven the concept for their community but is overwhelmed with what comes next and how to build something truly sustainable and scalable. To better help Community Creator at the Crossroads, I invited Jac White as my guest because she's in the same crossroads. She helps women sell with confidence and build a scalable sales system. She is the founder of Honeybees Group, which she rece...
Jun 24, 2025•44 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode, we’re hearing from Overwhelmed on the Delegation Struggle Bus. Our letter today deals with figuring out how to get the right type of help to make sure your community will thrive even when you're not there. To better help Overwhelmed on the Delegation Struggle Bus, I invited Kristen Pavle as my guest expert. She is a relational designer transforming community-driven businesses into creative, self-sustaining ecosystems. As a community strategist, she has experience founding and cr...
Jun 17, 2025•41 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This week on Dear Bri, we hear from Seeking Community Connection, and they’re in the middle of one of the most universal dilemmas in online community management: how to foster peer-to-peer connection and learning. To solve this community conundrum, Bri invited community strategist and business coach Diana Davis, founder of Recess for Creatives. With a background in photography, graphic design, and seven years of community-building behind her, Diana has cracked the code on what it takes to create...
Jun 10, 2025•51 min•Season 2Ep. 5
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...
Jun 03, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 4
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 ...
May 27, 2025•40 min•Season 2Ep. 3
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...
May 20, 2025•37 min•Season 2Ep. 2
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 com...
May 13, 2025•50 min•Season 2Ep. 1
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...
Oct 15, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 12
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 r...
Oct 08, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 11
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 in your community. 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...
Oct 01, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 10
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 s...
Sep 24, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this episode, we’re hearing from Eager Beaver in Baltimore. Our writer today fell into the age-old myth: build it and they will come. Thankfully, they’ve since switched their mindset and realized that it takes a heck of a lot of consistent marketing to get people in their community and would like some advice. To better help Eager Beaver in Baltimore, I invited Alli Ball, founder & CEO of Food Biz Wiz, as my guest expert. I couldn’t think of a better person for this episode than someone wh...
Sep 17, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode, we’re hearing from Toxic Member in Toronto . Our letter today deals with a toxic community member stirring up trouble to revolt against the community manager. To better help Toxic Member in Toronto , I invited Andrea Middleton **as my guest expert. She is a seasoned veteran of the community space who loves finding paths to productive and powerful collaborations with opinionated and skeptical communities, which is perfect for our letter today. So, tune in for a lot of wisdom from...
Sep 10, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, we’re hearing from Constrained in Columbus. Our letter deals with creating a vibrant and engaged community under the pressure of big business goals. To better help Constrained in Columbus, I invited Jelani Memory as my guest expert. He’s not our typical guest because he doesn't consider himself a community creator or community manager. But as you will find in this episode, he has an incredible amount of insight and wisdom to share with community builders, as he essentially takes...
Sep 03, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, the inspiration stems from a late-night LinkedIn DM from a distressed community manager handling a tumultuous Discord community. They felt overwhelmed and discouraged by all the suggestions and criticism constantly coming from community members. To better help Discordant on Discord, I invited Ami Defesche as my guest expert. She's currently the community director at Wildcard Alliance—and formerly at Intuit and Blackbaud. Ami is a community builder with a passion for helping drea...
Aug 27, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode, we’re hearing from Community in a Conundrum. Our letter today deals with the question of where to host a new online community. Specifically, as it relates to Facebook, Slack, and all-in-one community platforms like Heartbeat. To better help Community in a Conundrum, no one better to talk about whether or not to host your community on Slack than the Slack-slayer, herself, Noele Flowers. I thought of Noele specifically after reading a newsletter she sent out with the subject ‘ Why...
Aug 20, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Welcome to The Dear Bri Podcast, an advice column for community conundrums, fiascos, and drama. In this episode, we’re hearing from Frazzled Fairy-Marketing-Godmother. Our letter today comes from someone who clearly has a big heart for their online community, but is also really struggling to draw boundaries and recover from a very common mistake in community management (listen to find out which one). To better help Frazzled Fairy-Marketing-Godmother, I invited Taylor Harrington —Head of Communit...
Aug 13, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode, we’re hearing from Crumbling in Kansas, a dedicated community manager navigating a seismic shift: their EdTech company is transitioning from a beloved cohort-based program to a full-blown membership model. The move promises recurring revenue—but at what cost to community engagement? To better help Crumbling in Kansas, I invited Marie Schacht — CEO of Akimbo— as my guest expert. I thought of Marie because back when everyone was just starting to create online courses, Marie, Seth ...
Aug 13, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome Dear Bri, an advice column for community conundrums, fiascos, and drama. In this episode, we’re hearing from Anxious in Atlanta. Their dilemma? They launched a free, private online community as a test—engagement was strong, but now they’re left wondering: Did they use up their one shot at launching a paid community? To help Anxious navigate this transition, I brought on Evan Hamilton, the incredibly thoughtful and seasoned community manager behind programs at HubSpot, Reddit, and Nextdoo...
Aug 13, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Welcome to Dear Bri, an advice column for community strategy, fiascos, and drama. On this podcast, I collect anonymous letters from real-life community creators and bring on an expert from the community space to help you feel a little less alone and a lot less crazy. Should I build my community on Slack? Is membership the way to go? How do I create a test? I feel so bitter and burnt, how do I recover? My community is out of control, what do I do? How do I build for acquisition? If I build it, wi...
Aug 08, 2024•2 min
