PODCAST: Find Calm making connections with Todd Nilson

Making connections is the bedrock of building community. In this podcast with Deb Schell of Find Calm Here, I talk about my journey as a community builder and strategist and what I’ve seen as some of the keys to creating and sustaining a thriving online community.

Show notes:

5:03: Todd starts by giving a background on his various careers, with a commonality of making connections with people and building communities.

13:03: Discussing the value of making connections, Todd says a key is being unafraid put himself out there to connect and reconnect with people. Part of it is also connecting other people outside of yourself and seeing ideas take fire. 

20:45: “You have that moment where people catch fire with an idea, and that for me is the joy of doing this kind of work. Because when it happens, you’re on the top of the world.”

23:52: Deb and Todd discuss balancing community and consulting work. He steps into his own community when needed, but generally doesn’t do day-to-day tasks because of being project-based.

30:14: Todd touches on a key to prioritization: you can’t do everything at once. Also, that the downside of automation removes some of the key personal connection.

31:31: “We can’t master every channel at once. We can’t do everything at once. Go deep on one thing. Get really good at one thing and then expand from there.”

43:57: Todd closes with the biggest lesson learned to help his career, that the more you connect to inner desires and beliefs, the better starting point of designing a community to get off the ground.