#99 - Launch - Sharing your work with connection, not pressure

SUMMARY

In this episode, we dive into the final step of the Ja, Wol framework—Launch. Sharing your work with the world can feel scary, vulnerable, and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Launching isn’t about hype or hustle; it’s about connection and care. I talk about why launching feels so hard (especially for neurodivergent brains), how to rethink launching as a slow rhythm instead of a one-time event, and ways to share your work more gently and joyfully. If you’ve been holding back on putting your work into the world, this episode is your invitation to rethink how launching can feel.

FULL SHOW NOTES WITH TAKEAWAYS + LINKS: patternshift.fm

BEST QUOTE FROM THE EPISODE “Launching is how we bridge the gap between our purpose and our people.”

⚡︎

You know me as a guide, mentor and teacher, but I've also set off on a new adventure, coaching. Coaching gets a bad rep sometimes, but when it's done right, it can be really transformational. As part of my coaching education, I'll soon need to do real coaching sessions. And it could be a really great opportunity for you to experience it at no or low cost. If you've ever been curious about working with me in this way, now's the time. Just send me an email: info@ja-wol.com

This episode was sponsored by Ja, Wol. I promote my own services and products in my podcast rather than working with sponsors. I will share the odd-discount for things I fully support and use.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Launch Framework
• 1:35 What Launching Really Means
• 4:33 Why Launching Feels Hard
• 7:06 Rethinking Launches as Rhythms
• 10:12 Gentle Launch Ideas That Feel Good
• 14:46 My Personal Launch Evolution
• 20:09 Consistency, Priorities and Final Thoughts
• 26:36 Call to Action and Episode 100 Preview

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Today we're diving into the final step of the WOL framework launch. We've way found, we've organized and now it's time to bring our work into the world. And if that feels a little scary, you're definitely not alone. Today we're talking about what launching really means, why it feels so hard sometimes and how you can approach it with more gentleness, creativity and ease. Can approach it with more gentleness, creativity and ease. Let's get into it. Hey there, and welcome to Pattern Shift, the podcast where creative business owners like you learn to build a business that's inspiring, fun and sustainable.

Speaker 1: 0:39

I'm Saskia de Feijter, a business strategist, guide maker and all-round creative entrepreneur. I help business owners in the needle and fiber craft world, just like you, navigate all those icky words, branding, marketing and strategy in a way that actually works for your creative brain. Here we talk about everything from running a values-driven business to simplifying your marketing without burning out. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your business, you're in the right place. So settle in, grab a cup of tea, coffee or, you know, brugladig. You do you and let's get started. So the courage to launch. You've done the thinking, the dreaming, the making, the planning, and now it's time to share it. Yikes, Launching can feel really vulnerable. It's that moment when an idea you nurtured quietly becomes visible, when you put your heart out there and hope it's received with care. But here's the thing Launching doesn't have to be overwhelming, it doesn't have to feel icky and it doesn't have to burn you out. In the Yavel framework, launch is about sharing your work with the world in a way that's aligned with your values, your systems and your life. It's not a final exam. It's an act of connection.

Speaker 1: 2:09

Now let's talk about what launching actually means. We're using the word launching and you can look at that in different ways. It's just a general term to talk about sharing your offer, your product, your service with the world. So it's not just a flashy product drop or a fancy sales page. It's sharing what you've made. It's announcing a new workshop, sending an update to your newsletter, posting about your process or simply opening the doors to something you're proud of, literally or figuratively. It's about inviting connection and not forcing a sale, because we do not feel comfortable forcing people to buy our stuff, do we? Your work deserves to be seen and you deserve to share in a way that feels good to you, and I think that's one of the most important things we do at Yeovil, although I'm definitely the kind of person that loves to just give you all the things like. You should really try this. You should really use this. This is a great platform. This is a great tool. Go and use that.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Over time, of course, I know that us creatives we kind of know what we want. We just don't have the words for it, the plan for it. The organization isn't there yet, but we can get there. So launching is important that you do it in a way that really matches who you are, and the only one that knows what that's like is you. As I'm going further in my coaching education, I'm learning so much about myself and about other people in the creative industry and how we like to do things, and sometimes you really need a teacher. You really need to learn about things specifically, but sometimes you just really need to figure out what works for you by either doing it or talking it through.

Speaker 1: 4:27

So why does it feel so hard to bring something into the world, to launch? And that might especially be for creative makers and neurodivergent brains? Because launching invites a whole bundle of tricky feelings the feel of failure, the fear of judgment, fear of nobody showing up. Perfectionism creeps in, imposter syndrome throws a party. Your brain tells you it's safer not to share at all. And for many of us with neurodivergent brains as well, there's also that dopamine cliff. Finishing something feels great until it doesn't, and suddenly, after the high of creating, there's this crash and the thought of sharing feels overwhelming and you kind of want to move on with the next thing because you're done, you've made it, you've created something and that was the high, and so sometimes the launching part goes to the back and it's overwhelming me. This is why I love soft structures and gentle self-support tools. We have to design launches that support us and not exhaust us.

Speaker 1: 5:57

Don't look at and it's kind of tricky to say this because I'm in that I'm in the seat of like, the marketing person, the communications person that is sharing things with you, but at the same time I feel like don't always listen to those marketing pros online. You know the, the flashy types with um, I don't know. You know the type, the flashy ones with the big words and the, and I don't feel. I feel that sometimes it's really counterproductive to try to match that kind of a thing. It's so much more important for us to figure out how we feel comfortable while still doing the thing. Like I'm not saying reframe from launching, absolutely not. The point is that you get your stuff out there but do it in a way that matches you as a person and your life, and there's ways to do that Absolutely. So I love rethinking launching as a cycle, like not a moment. It sometimes feels very big, like you've designed a pattern and it took a while. You've created a new collection of hand-dyed yarns, you're just starting to teach a new workshop. These can sometimes feel like peak moments, but if you're looking at cycles, that brings on a different kind of feeling.

Speaker 1: 7:33

When we treat launches like one-shot events, like build panic, vanish. Launching can be a rhythm, not just flashy fireworks Instead of one big splash. Think of it as a layered process over time, like sneak peeks behind the scenes, shares, storytelling about the process, invitations to connect. You don't have to do it all at once. You don't have to be everywhere at once. Slow, spacious launches are still launches.

Speaker 1: 8:11

I'm aware that the word launch comes up a lot because this episode is about launching and, of course, it fits the Yavol framework of wayfinding, organizing and launching. It's just the word I chose for getting your product, your offer out there. So don't put too much weight to the word itself. Put too much weight to the word itself. How do you sell? How do you get your stuff out there? So let's get back to gentle.

Speaker 1: 8:45

Launch ideas that feel good, you can share in stages, as I said before sneak peeks, or little glimpses before you actually open the doors to your workshop. Online sneak peeks of your designing process, your swatches or the color inspiration that you had for your yarns. Tell stories. What inspired you, why did you make it, what does it mean to you and how does it fit your values as a person, as a business, because that really connects to your audience. So you can use your existing platforms, your newsletter, your community. If you have a vlog, a blog, a podcast, you can use all of that to do these small drops of information that tell a story. And I also want to say don't get overwhelmed. I know of people that have a lot of these platforms going and there's a little overwhelm creeping in, where they are almost more of a content creator than they are a textile artist, just using a general word.

Speaker 1: 10:04

Be aware what is your goal, what are you doing and how much time do you actually want to spend launching and how much time do you actually want to do what you love? Just putting it out there? Create from connection and not just conversion. Of course, the goal is to sell. That's why you're in this business, otherwise it would be a hobby. You have to sell. The goal is selling, but selling often feels so icky to us that we have to look at it differently, and not just looking at it differently, feel different about it. And you don't have to lie to yourself, because when you think about connection with your audience, offering them something they need, something they love, that is offering they can choose whether or not they want it. You're not pushing, you're just offering them an option of making their life better in one way or another.

Speaker 1: 11:13

So be kind to yourself in the way you talk about these things. It can be human and heartfelt and real. Just keep it close to yourself, to your values, to who you are as a person. Make it natural. Like that is a make it natural. That sentence feels weird, because how can you make it natural? Make it be natural. This is sometimes where language is complicated Just be yourself. I can remember like, as a teenager, people saying just be yourself, it'll all be fine, just be yourself and you're like I don't even know who I am. Yeah, so as yourself as possible, wherever that is in your journey of finding yourself, try to be as authentic as you can be, because that comes across. Also, you know what's really cool If you are just really honest and open. That is a really magical way of connecting with people, because people can tell, and honesty, openness, showing that you are not perfect, is going to connect you to people.

Speaker 1: 13:29

So if you're in this process of offering a new product or service and you're not really sure, let them know, ask them what they think of it, ask them what they actually like, what they want, get a conversation going. So over time, my launches have shifted. I never really did the big huge launching that sometimes people do on the internet. I integrated them into my rhythm from the beginning, but I have also changed some things. So what I do now is I share process updates in the Yavel community, things that I'm thinking about, things I'm working on. Right now I basically have a YouTube channel in my community because I'm thinking about having a YouTube channel and I'm not sure if I'm comfortable enough doing that. I don't really want to get all dressed up every single time because it's going to be a barrier for me and I know that if there's barriers I won't do it. It has to be easy. So what I'm doing now is I'm having week openings in the Yavol community and it's just me going live and sharing what's been going on in my life in terms of craft and business and also some things from my life a little bit more private, because my community is really kind and it's really a nice place and I feel very safe sharing things that some people might not share in their community, that some people might not share in their community.

Speaker 1: 15:20

And what I also do is I announce things on the podcast. I do them quietly and sometimes a little louder. Like, I've started to talk about my coaching education. I don't really want it to be a full-blown. I'm a coach now because I'm still learning. So I'm really looking for people that I can practice coaching with. But I don't want to talk about it too much because I'm still a little bit uncertain. But at the same time, I've already coached a bunch of people and they were happy. So that's good. So if you want to do that, shoot me an email. But enough about that. It's a soft launch.

Speaker 1: 15:59

And then what I also do is my emails are. When I sell. In my emails I try to stay away from overselling. But I also am very much aware that people don't always see what you post, whether that's in a newsletter, whether that's on social media. People are busy, they get lots of stuff and so you do have to repeat yourself and to yourself you sound like a broken record, but in real life people might have missed all of it. So you repeat yourself and you do it gently and not too loudly. So that's my email. And every now and then when I do a big thing like a new life cohort, then I send out a bunch of emails over a short period of time and I use the same sequence of emails every time because I've got it and I don't want to stress myself out over it and it works, and so I keep it simple. And then another way how I integrate launches into my rhythm is I'm trusting that consistency and care create momentum over time.

Speaker 1: 17:25

I am full aware that the services that I offer are kind of new to a lot of people in this industry. I don't think a lot of people hire consultants or coaches or specific teachers for specific things, except for when it's a craft, like a technique, and I think that, in order for us to be more professional, we should really lean into that kind of stuff. Of course, I'm saying that because I'm the one that offers that, but I really believe that I was looking for it when I still had a job oh my gosh. I was looking for it when I still had my shop and I didn't want to talk to a guy in a suit. I wanted to talk to somebody like me who knew the industry, who knew more about what I could do to get my business to the next level. But there wasn't much out there and the money, oh, it was so expensive, like business coaches, business coaches. So then I started building this thing myself, and now I call myself a supporting professional, because I can support in many ways and just tell me what you need. I know that I have to be patient. This podcast serves the purpose of letting people know that I can help them to do certain things and that they can actually pay somebody to come and help them out, or they can pay somebody to join their community. So, for a lower amount of money, they can connect with other people and they don't have to reinvent the wheel. It takes time, but I'll be consistent, and consistency is also something I like to take lightly and be gentle around.

Speaker 1: 19:28

Forcing yourself to do something at the same moment every single week, every single month, can really burn you out, but it can also be very helpful. That just depends on you. For me, if it's too much, I will kind of counter it, I'll become. There's a term for it. I can't think of it right now. I just basically turn into a teenager. I feel like I don't want to do this. I'm not doing it. You can't tell me what to do, although I'm the one telling myself to do it. Even then, I just don't do it. I need to hold things like a bird in my hand, hold it lightly so it won't fly away, but I won't crush it. And that's, over time, how I've learned to do things and give myself some space to do the things in the way they work for me, and that means that the podcast is my priority and I'm able to bring out an episode every other week. I take breaks in summer and over Christmas and I can do that, and with my email lists I had a harder time being super consistent, but I am so aware of how important an email list is that I just redesigned it to a once a month email list and a reminder that the podcast is out every other week and that works for me. So, figuring out how things connect to you, it's okay, it's really okay.

Speaker 1: 21:11

Consistency has different meanings, but try to stay visible for your audience, because I'm also signed up for some newsletters and they just come every four months and then three times and then. But sometimes you forget about these people because they're not in your line of vision. You want to be there so that every time somebody needs a product or a service like the one you're offering, their mind directly goes to you. That's if you can keep that in your mind, and sometimes you only have to show up once every month, and sometimes, if you offer something that a lot of other people are offering a similar thing, there's two things you should do is to find how you are different as a person, but also with your products, and build a brand around that and this is another episode entirely, but now I'm talking about it. So and show up regularly so they don't forget you. Okay, basically, what I'm saying is I've let go of urgency, I've let go of the perfect funnels, I've let go of the pressure to scale faster or shout louder, and I feel so much better. I can show up so much better for my clients as well, if I'm not stressed out about all these things.

Speaker 1: 22:47

It's about choosing your priorities and, honestly, there's only one priority. It's hidden in the word. Priority means one thing, the one thing that's most important and one thing that I want to share with you, and I'm sure I said it so many times, but if you learn one thing from me, decide every day what is the one thing that'll bring you forward as a person, as a business. For me, it is the intention that I set daily with my bullet journal practice, and it keeps me going in the right direction. So, talking about journaling, here's a prompt for you. If you want to dig into this for yourself. Here's something to journal about. What's one thing I want to share but have been holding back, and what would a gentler, more joyful way to launch look like? Take your time with it, no rush, but do let me know. Do let me know if it helps.

Speaker 1: 23:52

These prompts are helpful, if something is helpful about these episodes I need to know. So send me an email, leave me a voice message on my website, because it's sometimes really hard to be here and to share all of this with you and there's nothing coming back. And there's lots of great things about podcasting. There's also not much negative, negative talking, and that's what I fear for. When I with YouTube, I feel like, oh no, I don't want to go there, but I need to know. I at least want to have three messages after this episode.

Speaker 1: 24:42

All you have to do is pick up your phone, go to the show notes and leave me a message or info at ya-volcom and leave me an email. It would mean a lot to me. That's saying I'm not working with sponsors. I use my own podcast to promote and launch my products and that's how I do it. I still have to pay for all of the costs that come with making a podcast, so it would be the world to me. If you want to support me and there's multiple ways that you can do that Just give me feedback. That's supportive. Talk to somebody else and say there's this podcast I think you will like. You can join our community and you support the podcast and you get real connection with other business owners like you. You don't have to share any of your secrets, but I promise you you will get a lot back.

Speaker 1: 25:46

So my closing thoughts for this episode. This is actually the final part of the WOL series, vol Wayfinding, organizing and Launching. But it's also a beginning, because launching is how we bring our internal clarity into the world. It's the bridge between our purpose and our people. So next time we're hitting a huge milestone. Episode 100. Yeah, I should be throwing a little party. I mean, that's reason enough to send me an email right. 100 episodes who knew I would make it until here. I'm pretty proud of myself, actually. Thank you for being here, for your work, your creativity and your heart, and if you want a soft, supportive space to launch and grow alongside others, as I said, come join us in the Yawel community. Talk to you soon, keep sharing your magic, keep eating and knitting your fibers. Bye for now, bye.