46: 3-Step Content System for Solopreneurs: Show Up When Life Is Life-ing

🙋‍♀️ You're Not Broken (You're Just Busy)

If you've ever thought "I'm just not consistent," I need you to stop right there and rewrite that story. Because you're not broken, you're not flaky, and you're definitely not lazy. You're just busy as hell and trying to run a business without the systems that actually make consistency possible.

Sound familiar?

I see it all the time in my DMs. "Emily, I was doing so well and then life happened." Or "I want to post consistently, but life keeps happening." And honestly? I get it. Because here's what nobody tells you when you're starting an online business: life never stops happening. Something is always going to come up. Your kid gets sick, you get sick, there's a school function, your dog ends up in the emergency vet (true story), your sports schedule goes insane. The chaos doesn't end.

But you know what? The creators you admire aren't relying on daily motivation to show up. They're relying on structure and systems. And that's exactly what I'm breaking down in this post because consistency comes from frameworks, not from feelings or willpower.

Before we dive into my three content systems, sign up for my 3 2 1 Create newsletter to get weekly tips like this delivered straight to your inbox. Because consistency starts with showing up in your subscribers' world every week.

💪 The Origin Story Nobody Talks About

Let me take you back to when I first started The Creative Bodega. I was literally doing ALL the things. Like, an insane amount of things that should have been impossible to juggle simultaneously.

I owned a CrossFit gym with my husband. I was our head nutrition coach. I managed two other nutrition coaches. I was mentoring other gym owners on how to grow their business through marketing. I had six to seven Zoom calls a day that were 45 minutes each. And oh yeah, I had two kids in preschool who were two and three years old.

I did not have time to start The Creative Bodega. I had to make the time.

So I worked during every nap time. I worked before the sun came up, before my kids were awake. I didn't wind down with Netflix and wine at the end of the night like I desperately wanted to. I worked when they went to bed.

Why? Because I was literally desperate to own my own business. I was desperate for the freedom of time. I was desperate to not have a boss dictating how I spent my time. I wanted to feel in control of my future. I wanted to be available to my kids when they needed me, when they were sick, when they had a school function, when I could take them to sports.

And you know what I realized during this insane time of my life? Consistency wasn't gonna magically happen. It just doesn't happen because you want it to happen. If I was gonna show up consistently to grow this dream business, I needed systems. Not more pressure on myself to just do it.

Because telling yourself to just do it? It's just not enough.

🚫 The Willpower Myth That's Keeping You Stuck

If you've ever told yourself "if I could just be more disciplined, I'd finally post consistently" or "if I really wanted it, I would stop ghosting my audience," I love you, but that's just a myth we're told over and over.

That success is based on willpower. That it's based on want. And that if you don't show up, it means you're lazy or flaky or not cut out for this.

But that's just not true.

If you're juggling a full plate like client work, building a business, motherhood, or just your actual life, it's not gonna come down to your motivation. It's about building a rhythm that you can stick to when life happens.

Ready to build a content system that doesn't collapse when life gets messy? Join The Visual Edit (formerly Insta Canva Collective) for my January 2026 cohort. We're going way beyond Canva templates to create the structure and rhythm that makes consistency feel easy instead of exhausting.

📊 The Three Content Systems That Changed Everything

I'm gonna break down exactly how I stay on track across the three main platforms I'm showing up on consistently so that I can grow my business consistently, even when life is lifeing and chaos strikes. Because I have these systems in place, I'm able to show up and it doesn't feel like a heavy lift.

Let's talk about my podcast, my newsletter, and my Instagram posting. Those are the three main places I am showing up to grow my business consistently.

🎙️ System #1: My Podcast Batching Framework

I batch record two to three podcasts in a row on a Thursday or a Friday. Why Thursday or Friday? Because life just feels lighter on those days. My kids are off to school. I don't schedule calls on Fridays. I've got a pretty clear calendar. It's my me day, and I just feel lighter. So this day works for me to batch record.

Here's the game changer: I use one of three plug and play structures for my podcast. My podcast coach Anna (shoutout to Anna and Scott who edits my podcast) gave me these plug and play structures that keep me on track every single time.

The four structures are:

1. Problem solution format

2. Myth busting format

3. Step-by-step guide

4. Lessons learned format

Just having those structures helps me keep really on track and it makes me not wonder "what should be the goal of this podcast? How should it be structured?" I've got it.

Then I script out each of these episodes in ChatGPT. I basically do the voice recording for ChatGPT because I really love talking to her. I will say "this is what I'm thinking, this is the goal, this is what I wanna promote, and here is the structure that I want for this podcast." And I copy and paste what Anna gave me.

Then I basically read through the transcript, make any edits I want, go back and forth with ChatGPT. Usually like "oh, I actually wanna include this story" or whatever. We go back and forth and then I'm good and I hit record.

It's usually 20 minutes. I try not to overcomplicate it. So I'm not reinventing the wheel every time because I have this structure.

Want to hear more about how I use my podcast, Instagram, and email together? Check out Episode 16: The Content Trifecta.

✉️ System #2: My Email Newsletter Rhythm

If you're on my newsletter (which hopefully you are), it's called 3 2 1 Create. The podcast episode for the week has become my anchor for my content inside my newsletter.

I reuse my podcast script once it's done to write my newsletter intro and to help me come up with the three ideas. So I also format my newsletter the same every week, which makes it feel like plug and play. It's honestly so easy at this point.

The format is:

• Three ideas for your business

• Two things I'm loving right now

• One Canva tip

Those three ideas are structured off of my podcast transcript. So I don't wake up wondering "what should I write about in my newsletter this week?" It's already outlined. The framework saves me so much time.

I typically write my newsletter over the weekend. Again, I'm really relaxed on the weekend. I've got my coffee. My kids' sports usually don't start until later in the morning. It just doesn't feel like a big lift. I've actually come to really enjoy writing my newsletter on the weekend versus when I've kind of forced myself to try to write it during the week. I just feel too frazzled. I feel like there's too many other more pressing things and it just hasn't worked for me.

For more on working with your energy cycles instead of against them, listen to Episode 14: Cycles Syncing for Female Solopreneurs.

📱 System #3: My Instagram Content Batching Plan

This is something I do during the week, typically on Monday or Tuesday, and I batch for a week or maybe two weeks out. And again, I've got a system. I've got a rhythm. I have the type of posts I'm gonna make Monday through Saturday.

I know exactly what I need:

• Monday: A carousel to promote that week's podcast

• Tuesday: Typically a Canva tutorial reel

• Wednesday: I'm gonna jump on a trend most likely, and it's going to be a reel with strong value inside the caption

• Thursday: Usually gonna be something else, kind of a takeaway or a thought connected to the podcast episode that week to try to get people to listen

• Friday: A color story or a list type post, a font roundup, something like that

• Saturday: I'm promoting a freebie or the Content Coven

Now listen, there's gonna be flexibility. I'm not so rigid that I'm like "if I don't post this, I die" or I can't swap a couple posts for the week or I can't mix things up. I am not inflexible like that. But it means that I'm not flying by the seat of my pants for every post in the week and sitting there wondering "what should I post?" You know, there's so many options. I don't know how to narrow it down.

There's a plan. And that plan keeps me so consistent for when life throws curve balls, which honestly it literally always does. It always does.

If you're craving that structure, ease, and rhythm that's gonna work for your life (not the fantasy version where everything is calm and perfect), I'd love to work with you inside The Visual Edit. The VIP waitlist for my January 2026 cohort is officially open. Get on it now for 24-hour early access before spots fill up.

⏰ The Busiest Phase Advantage

So if you're waiting until your life calms down to start your business, just take it from me. I started it during, honest to God, the busiest phase of my entire life. And I think it helped. I think it helped me really optimize my time because I had so little of it.

I find that when I have an excess of time, I procrastinate and I don't know where to start. But when I have 30 minutes, an hour, sometimes even 15 minutes back in the day in between those Zoom calls I was talking about when I was mentoring, I could get so much done in 15 minutes. I'm not even kidding.

Your lack of time isn't the problem. Your lack of systems is the problem.

🛠️ Resources & Links

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 16: The Content Trifecta - How I Use My Podcast, Instagram, and Email Together to Save Time and Show Up

• Episode 14: Cycles Syncing for Female Solopreneurs - A Smarter Way to Batch Create and Show Up Online

• Anna (my podcast coach) and Scott (my podcast editor) 

• The Visual Edit (formerly Insta Canva Collective) - VIP waitlist for January 2026 cohort now open

💡 Your Five-Minute Action Plan

Here's what I want you to do right now. Not tomorrow, not when you have more time. Right now. 💡 Your Five-Minute Action Plan

Step 1: Ask yourself what is the hardest part about showing up consistently for you? Be really, really honest. And then ask why five times. Keep digging until you get to the root cause.

If you're sitting here like "well, I just don't have the time," ask why don't you have the time? "Because I have a full-time job." Well, what is it about having a full-time job that means that you can't be consistent? What are you doing with the rest of your time? Keep going.

Step 2: Ask yourself how can I make changes that I'm willing to try? Be curious, be flexible. Talk it out with friends or other solopreneurs. Or if you're in the Content Coven, you better hop your little booties in there and ask, because I'm telling you, you'll get like 13 responses from people other than me because that's the kind of community that I've grown and I'm so proud of it.

Step 3: Pick ONE system to implement this week. Just one. Maybe it's batching your podcast content. Maybe it's creating a newsletter template. Maybe it's planning out your Instagram posts for the week. Start small. Start with a structure.

✨ Stop Blaming Your Discipline

Stop blaming your discipline because that's not the problem. You don't need to hustle more. You just need a plan that's gonna respect your energy.

You've got this. We've got this.

And if you want hands-on help building YOUR content system that actually sticks when life happens? The Visual Edit VIP waitlist is officially open. Join now for 24-hour early access when doors open in January 2026.

This is the group live program where we build content systems together. Yes, we focus on visual content, branding, and reusable templates. But we go way beyond design because what good is Canva if you don't have a solid system to rely on? If you don't know what to post when? If you don't have goals behind each post?

We're gonna nail all that down. I expect this cohort to sell out because spots are limited. Me and my co-coach Steph give real feedback on everything you create. There's weekly homework, weekly lessons, and a community dedicated just to you.

Comment below with your biggest consistency struggle, then save this post for when you need the reminder that you're not broken. You're just busy. And you need better systems.