Create Your Art

Most skilled experts believe the same quiet lie: that one more credential, one more certification, one more course will finally make them feel ready to charge, to be visible, to put themselves out there. In this episode, Darren sits down with Christine Hakkola, who built a six-figure therapy practice and then a coaching company that served more than 6,000 practitioners, to take that lie apart. You...

This week was heavy, and Dustin Pead met it with one of the most grounded pictures of courage I have heard in a long time. We get into the difference between the fear that runs your life and the fear you actually respect, why you should plant something even when you do not know what will grow, and the image that stuck with me most, the buffalo that runs straight into the storm because the fastest...

Twenty years of creative ministry ended for Dustin Pead on a single Friday. By Monday, the reality of a wife, kids, and a mortgage was staring him down. In this segment, Dustin walks Darren through how he rebuilt his livelihood from nothing, using the one asset he already had and had never thought to count: his contacts list. It is a story about the difference between simple and easy, the network...

Dustin Pead spent twenty years in creative ministry before that chapter ended in a way he never chose. With a wife, kids, a mortgage, and no plan, he rebuilt his career one phone contact at a time. He shares the question that became his catalyst, why he runs toward fear instead of away from it, and the purpose statement that keeps him steady on the hard days. This is a story about starting over wi...

Sean Kirby grew up with a clock in his family firm's logo and never knew why. When he finally asked his dad, the answer reframed his entire approach to wealth: time is the only asset you can't buy more of. In this conversation, Darren Cooper and Sean unpack how one buried idea changed the questions he asks clients, why he's trying to hand a seven-day-a-week business owner his life back...

He spent his twenties chasing a million dollars by thirty. He got four kids instead. In this conversation, financial advisor Sean Kirby breaks down why time, not money, is the only asset you cannot buy more of. He walks through the exact goal sheet he uses with clients to stop lifestyle creep, build a real scoreboard, and decide on purpose where your life is actually going. If you have ever hit a...

Most high-achieving men are carrying something nobody around them knows about. The failed exit. The marriage on fire. The financial hit. The faith that has gone quiet. In this video of The Create Your Art Podcast, Matt opens up about the 2018 exit that wiped him out, the one line in the contract that his lawyer missed, and the part of the story he is most ashamed of, that he did not tell a single...

Most high-achieving men have an operating system for their business and no system at all for their family. Matt Balducci built two multi-million-dollar companies, lost a major exit in 2018 because of one line in a contract, and almost lost his marriage along the way. He's now launching the Lighthouse Brotherhood for high-achieving men who are crushing it at work and quietly falling apart at ho...

There's one quiet test that determines whether you're creating art in your work or just collecting paychecks: if you stopped tomorrow, would anyone be different because you were there? In this video from Episode 19 of the Create Your Art Podcast, Darren Cooper tells the story of Mrs. T, the eighth-grade biology teacher who accidentally taught him everything he knows about mastery. As well...

After 18 episodes of trying to be the "guru," Darren had a confession to make: he'd been faking it. In this turning-point episode, Darren and Dustin Pead break down why mimicking influencers will quietly kill your content, why clarity only comes through the work (not before it), and why every single person (even your eighth-grade biology teacher and your CPA) is an artist, whether th...

Most coaches publish a podcast episode and wonder why it's not growing their audience. The problem isn't the content, it's the foundation underneath it. In this segment, Darren Cooper breaks down what 1898 Creative calls the Poor Man's SEO: a simple, free, repeatable process that turns every episode into a compounding content asset on your website. From the three-part website formu...

Most coaches hit publish and wonder why nobody finds their content. The problem isn't the quality of what you're creating, it's the foundation underneath it. In this episode, Darren and Dustin break down what they call the "Poor Man's SEO", a simple, repeatable process that turns every podcast episode into a content asset that compounds on your website over time. From tra...

You're not running out of ideas. You're running out of places to put them. In this segment from Coaching with Content Episode 017, Dustin Pead walks coaches through the first two steps of building a content system that actually works: the brain dump that gets your ideas out of your head, and the simple three-tab spreadsheet that turns those ideas into a production schedule. Plus, how to us...

Most coaches aren't stuck on ideas. They're stuck on systems. In this episode, Darren and Dustin break down the exact SOP framework they use with every podcast client at 1898 Creative, including the three-tab production schedule, the Story Vault, and how to use AI to capture your best ideas before they disappear. Whether you're just launching your podcast or you've been recording f...

Most coaches check their download numbers and quit too soon. But what if 30 listeners isn't a failure, it's a room full of people waiting to hear what you have to say? In this video, Darren Cooper and Daron Earlewine break down the vanity metrics trap, why consistency compounds over time, how podcast content coaches your clients between sessions, and the one question that shuts down impost...

What does a decade of podcasting actually teach you? In this episode, Darren Cooper sits down with Daron Earlewine, coach, author, speaker, and 10-year podcasting veteran, to unpack the mindset shifts, vanity metric traps, and mission-driven lessons that every coach and consultant needs to hear before they press record. From turning down a radio show with 1.2 million potential listeners to buildin...

Most coaches make YouTube way harder than it needs to be. They gatekeep their best insights, interrupt their content with aggressive CTAs, and wonder why nobody's buying. In this video, YouTube expert Adam Ivy reveals the exact strategy that helped him close three $40,000 contracts in four months, without a sales page or funnel. Learn the 50-5-1 ideation framework for endless video ideas, the...

Most coaches waste hours creating content that disappears in days. But YouTube content compounds for years, building trust and attracting premium clients while you sleep. In this episode, YouTube expert Adam Ivy breaks down the science behind sustainable YouTube growth, why going viral often hurts more than it helps, and how to engineer focused attention that converts viewers into high-ticket clie...

Most coaches think they should just "open their phone and start talking" when launching a podcast. But it's so much more than that. In this week's video, Dave Rodriguez shares why he chose professional production over DIY and how that decision led to two potential clients reaching out within 10 days of his first episode. But the wins go deeper than client acquisition. Dave discov...

Starting a podcast as a coach isn't about having the best equipment or going viral; it's about connecting with your audience. It's about full commitment or nothing at all. In this episode, I sit down with Dave Rodriguez, founder of Destinyworks, who just launched the Vitality Journey podcast. Within 10 days of going live, Dave had two potential clients reach out. However, the journey t...

Most coaches capture content ideas in random notes with zero organization. Then, when it's time to create, they waste hours searching through messy lists trying to find something useful. In this segment, Darren breaks down the exact eight-column Story Vault system that transforms scattered ideas into an organized content engine. From date captured to content buckets to usage tracking, you'...

Most coaches don't have an idea problem; they have an idea-capturing problem. You know those perfect stories that pop into your head during client calls or while you're in the shower? They disappear by the time you sit down to create content. In this episode, Darren and Dustin reveal the Story Vault framework, a simple eight-column system that captures your best stories in real-time so you...

People are watching podcasts on their living room TVs. Netflix is entering the space. The Golden Globes just added a podcasting category. If you're a coach or consultant wondering whether video podcasting is worth it, this video will answer that question. Darren and Dustin break down why video podcasting is exploding in 2026 and why building community around your podcast matters more than subs...

Most coaches are still treating podcasting like it's 2019. But in 2026, everything is about to change. Video podcasting is exploding, community is the new currency, and AI is opening doors that didn't exist a year ago. In this episode, Darren and Dustin share their five bold predictions for video podcasting in 2026 and what it means for coaches and consultants who want to build authority a...

If you're a coach or consultant who feels awkward selling your services, this 10-minute conversation will change everything. Jason Barnaby reveals why storytelling beats feature lists, how the "Magic Wand Question" uncovers what clients really need, and the counterintuitive move that wins clients for life. No scripts. No pressure. Just genuine curiosity and story-driven sales that ac...