56: My 30-Day Show Up Strategy That Ended My Camera Fear (For Solopreneurs)

Hiding from the camera while trying to grow your business? I've been there—and I'm calling you out with love. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm sharing the exact show-up strategy I used to go from absolutely dreading video (like, worst nightmare level) to posting daily stories without a second thought. You'll learn how to get comfortable on camera through strategic repetition, what to share (and what to keep private), and my 30-day rep plan that actually works. If you've been waiting for confidence to magically appear before you hit record, this episode is your reality check and your roadmap.

Check out the full show notes for this episode HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

• Why showing your face isn't about oversharing your life—it's about helping strangers decide if they trust you with their problem
• The one rule I created for myself that changed everything when watching my videos back (and stopped the negative self-talk spiral)
• My 30 Story Challenge: the exact system I used to get over my fear of video in just one month
• The "share scars, not wounds" boundary that keeps you authentic without regretting what you post
• Tangible story ideas that get engagement (spoiler: my top-viewed stories have nothing to do with my business)
• The Buddy Method: how to accidentally get in tons of video reps by going off-platform with a friend

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

• Ep 2: My previous episode on showing up easier in Instagram Stories and what actually gets views and engagement
• Olive & June Mani System I'm obsessed with!

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Transcript

Emily Connors 0:00

Showing not about forcing yourself to do something cringey and showing every little like aspect of your life. No. It's literally about helping a stranger decide if they trust you with their problem. Hello friend. Welcome back to the Creative Bodega Podcast. Today I'm sharing, the episode that I wish I had. Eight years ago when I was hiding from the camera and trying to grow a business with two babies, a gym to keep alive, a CrossFit gym, and exactly zero backup plan. Financially, we're talking about. The growth through the cringe, getting on camera, showing your face, and building real connection with your community without bearing it all, you know, and feeling like you're selling your soul to the devil. I'm gonna give you the exact show up strategy that I used to get comfortable. and it's not a magic, you know, wand situation and it absolutely takes work. But, you know, I figure I have so many inquiries and so many people who struggle with showing up and showing their face and feeling uncomfortable, that this is worth talking about, right? Plus, I wanna give you some tangible ideas that you could try this week. I'm also gonna talk about boundaries. Right, so you know what to share, what not to share. and I'll give you a simple like 30 day rep plan if you want some accountability and yes. I am gonna share some of my highest viewed stories, on Instagram. And shockingly, or not shockingly, they have nothing to do with my business. Um, but it might give you some ideas of what to talk about in your stories. So if you've been waiting for confidence to magically appear before you hit record, I love you, But I'm going to hug you and tell you the truth. Repetition is gonna be perfection and confidence. It doesn't come first. Confidence does not come first when it comes to showing up. Live on a camera screen, it comes up after putting in the reps. Okay, so let's take a deep breath and get into this. Okay, so the day I decided to just eat the cringe, I didn't wanna be on camera. I hated everything about it. It was actually my worst nightmare. I'm not even, I'm not even kidding. Seeing my face, hearing my voice, all the awkward pauses. But I had a gym to grow. Uh, my husband and I, he got laid off. I quit my job. We had a, a newborn and a 14 month old, and we decided to open a CrossFit gym. We had no idea what we were doing, and we had no plan B. And so that means no other income, right? So it was survival season and the path forward was so clear. If we wanted people to trust us and come into our gym, they had to see us and hear from us. And video was getting bigger and bigger. Reels weren't even around at this point, but just video posts on social media were really starting to explode back in 2017. So people had to feel like they knew, you know, who we were. And, and when they would walk in our gym and we greeted them, they would often say, oh my God, I feel like I know you just from your videos. Right? And it was like, wow, huh, that's, that's working. so I did the only thing that made sense. And I created a rule for myself. I would not talk badly about myself when I watched my videos. I did not put that narrative into my head. I, I tell my kids all the time, what you speak out loud and what you, how you talk about yourself, kind of dictates how you in turn feel about yourself or how your day's gonna go. So if I'm sitting there and I'm saying, oh my God, em you need to lose weight. Your skin looks like shit, you know, you sound so uncomfortable. you know, these are all things I thought, I'm not even kidding. Like, is that what your face looks like? You know, you and, and you guys. And, and that's how I talked to myself when I first started. Number one, I had a newborn. I'm not kidding. The first video I ever did that my husband had me do, I had a, two week old. I wasn't exactly feeling my best and my hormones were not exactly, uh, you know, primed and ready for this type of exposure. So, but again, I had no choice. So I was up against a wall and we needed to grow our gym. And so I had to get on video and. I said to myself, Emily, do not bash yourself. That will literally do nothing. If anything, you watch and you say to yourself, what's one thing I could try differently next time to make myself look better, sound better, look more comfortable? Right. And so I would pick one thing to sort of try next time, and I did watch myself. I think it's pretty important to watch yourself back and to do that, but not to bash yourself to think of one thing that maybe you could try differently next time. And remember that every rep you put in, every video you make, you're getting closer and closer to how you really ultimately want to show up on camera. I did not become charismatic and weak. You might see me on stories, you're on reels now and just be like, oh my God, you're so comfortable. And like if you think I started that way, I actually wish I had my husband up here because he would literally back me and say, oh my God, she was a nightmare. I was a nightmare. I would take it out on him. I was mad at him. I didn't wanna be on video. And he would say to me, em. The people wanna see you, they don't wanna see me. And I would say, I hate everything about this. And he would say, okay, let's go. You know, like I just, again, I didn't have the choice. I really had him keeping me accountable slash forcing me to do it. And at some point, maybe week three, week four, into this, maybe even further out, honestly, it started to feel less cringey. and then it just started to feel like nothing at all. And I was like, just gimme the camera. I'll do it. Let's go. And that was wild like that. I really never thought I was gonna get to that point.'cause I'm an introvert. I am so shy. You guys in real life. Like I joke that like I could never have an in-person event, which I'm lying. I do think I do need to create one or do one, but I feel like I would die because I am so. Ah, I'm so introverted and I am, I, I, yeah. So anyways, if you're in the, I hate this stage, like I just want you to know I 1000% see you. I hear you. And I also wanna let you know that you don't need anything fancy to do video. You don't need, you know, the perfect ring light or like a brand new camera. You just need to practice. You just need to put in the reps, and you will get there. So why does it even matter showing your face? Right. Showing your face is not about turning your business into some type of you know, reality show or anything. It's about helping a stranger decide if they trust you with their problem. I'm gonna repeat that. Showing up on video is not about forcing yourself to do something cringey and showing every little like aspect of your life. No. It's literally about helping a stranger decide if they trust you with their problem. So for service-based solopreneurs, you know the product is you. Like you are the personal brand. You're selling your services. People are buying your judgment, your taste, your point of view, A static feed on Instagram with no voice or no face. Is only gonna carry you so far. I will say that till I'm blue in the face. But here's what showing your face doesn't mean. It does not mean sharing every private detail of your life. It doesn't mean crying on camera to prove that you're real or authentic. And it doesn't mean daily life updates that feel like a second job. It's, it just doesn't, that's not it. We follow a simple boundary. We share scars, not wounds. That's a jasmine star thing. If you've never heard it, it means, you know, the scars are healed. Lessons, you're on the other side, right? You came out of the other side and you actually have something that you could share with us, that'll enrich our lives. And we can talk about it calmly and give our audience like, really useful, tangible ideas, tips, whatever. Wounds are still bleeding. Okay? I haven't met a single person who enjoys watching somebody like Cry, like in live in real time. It's uncomfortable and it just, I can't run away fast enough so you're not opening your diary and reading from it to us. Okay. You are just mentioning the human behind the business so that the business feels. Human'cause people are so much more likely to buy from you. So I want you to steal my show up strategy. and this is like the rep's beat perfection every time system. Okay? So here's a strategy, a few strategies that I use to get comfortable on film. And you can steal it exactly as it is. You can take what feels good and ignore what doesn't, but it's really built for like busy, imperfect. You know, humans, busy moms who run businesses. Okay. Number one, the 30 story challenge. For the next 30 days, I would love to see you post one face to camera story or one voiceover story where your voice is included, but your camera's looking as hated. Video. I was having such a hard time and I said, M, get over yourself. Show up for 30 days in a story. And see what happens. So I didn't jump into reels immediately. I started with stories. I kept it under 60 seconds and my only face was that my face had to be there or my voice had to be on it. so yeah, that was, that was how I got over a very big hump. or nowadays I do it in the morning. I do my stories or videos in the morning before the day gets too loud. So I pull up my phone, I open my stories, and I'm kind of checking in What's up? Here's what I'm working on today. Have you guys ever seen this? Here's a problem I'm having. Uh, here's something I'd love for your help on. that's it. You've, you've, you've set an intention, you've made like a micro promise or you shared a mini lesson on something and your audience now has a reason to look for you, maybe for an afternoon update, right? Or a part two the next day. So again, I'm sharing quick, good mornings. I am mapping out, uh, my upcoming course, the visual edit. I wanna show you how, here's an SOP, so like you, again, it's just whatever I'm working on or today I'm batch scheduling my reels. and I wanna take you behind the scenes. Here's a couple ideas to get you started. If you've never done something like this or you know, good morning, I am actually comparing a couple color palettes. I can't decide which one. That I wanna use or logos or whatever. I'd love for you to vote like people love voting. That's a huge one. number three is the buddy method. Okay. Somebody actually dmd me. This worked for them so well, and I absolutely loved the concept. If talking to a camera feels so freaking awkward for you, and again, I get it, go off platform with a friend. So maybe you have a friend in the industry who's also trying to build their social media presence and show their face more and get more comfortable on video. Commit to sending each other only video messages for like a month. Never. You're not allowed to text. You have to get on each day once a day and send a video message, and You're gonna accidentally get in a ton of reps under your belt. So, finding your personality on film, talking to one person that you're very comfortable with, and discovering like a pace that feels good for you, and maybe even an angle. That looks good for you. So you're gonna learn from each one that you sent, and then when you go back to your stories or your reels, you're gonna feel like you're just talking to your friend. Or even, you know, if you think of it that way, like I'm just sending a message to my best friend, just relax and be normal, be cool. Right? That is a big mental shift that can have massive impacts. So. Again, choose a person. Ask if they would do this for 30 days with you. A video only packed a video message only. and just keep it simple, right? Share. Say, what are you working on today? Oh my God, I did this today. It felt so awkward. hey, here's something I came across I thought I'd share with you. Just share something. number four, the two frame updates. So, in the afternoon or the evening is when I tend to follow up on whatever story I shared in the morning. So frame one is typically in the morning, like what I'm working on, da, da, da, da, and you know, frame two or check in two. I'm, I'm giving the audience one line they can steal. So, you know. Hey, did you see that poll that I put up here is, you know, the subject line for my email that everyone chose? If you're stuck for ideas, totally feel free to copy me. So, you know, I'm keeping it generous. I'm keeping it light. but doing a little check-in at the second half of the day can go really far as well. and then just like the real life sprinkle, you guys, I'm gonna link an episode that I already did on stories, like how to show up easier in stories and what works. And I share my top viewed stories or top commented on stories, and they all have absolutely nothing to do with my business. so I do like to add in the human stuff. And I think of this like going into work, going into the office. Like I worked in corporate environments for 20 years. 20 years, 20. Like when do you graduate college? 22. To 35. Okay. I am lying. It wasn't 20 years, it was my like six, 15 years. but I had coworkers and I loved them. Oh my god, Some of my best friends started out as coworkers to this day. And so we would sit down with our coffee and we would just talk, oh my God, my husband did this. You're gonna die. Oh, my kid did this. Or have you guys had to, have you dealt with this? What do you do? Like stories and people love, you know, you. I loved that part of my day. I like to think of what I'm gonna share in my stories is showing up to talk to my coworkers in the morning. What, what's going on. some of my best ones are talking about like our dishwasher wars in our house. My husband thinks I don't load the dishwasher, right? I said it on a story, talking head won. Then I showed the dishwasher and people went nuts. Like they were like, either you're fine the way you're doing it, or your husband's a hundred percent right And what the hell are you thinking am I talk about books that I'm reading, the genres that I love. My best recommendations. I talk about the nail color that I found this week, or you know, my Manny system that I love so much. Shout out to Olive and June obsessed. or I'm planning a vacation, like I'm putting up a question box, like, where would you guys go between this or this? Or, what's your best tropical, you know, loca, like, what's your favorite resort in the Caribbean? Oh my God. People love being helpful. They love weighing in. And these are not content pillars. These are literally just connection pieces. Connection stories. People remember that you're the designer who loves, you know, bright pink manicures and romantic novels, and that's, that's big. That becomes part of your brand. And that's pretty cool, you know? so some tangible ideas you can use today, like, so for just like the morning camera facing, you know, what I'm working on, or maybe a before and after of something that you worked on for a client. Maybe you wanna share a mistake that you still make and a tiny fix that maybe helps. Maybe it's a this or that. People love a this or that, like this template design, or this template design, or this headline, or this headline. Get people to vote with a poll. you know, behind the scenes, a link to a tool that you absolutely love in your business. Uh, unpopular opinions. Are super fun and can usually get people talking. So you're standing up to stand out, stand up for something to really stand out to your audience, anything like that. and then you know how to talk when you're nervous. Okay. Again, let's recap this. Pretend that you're leaving a voicemail for a client that you love, or a best friend. Sit up, you know, lower your shoulders, smile with your eyes. I always like to start a video with a smile as well. I swear to God. That helps me relax. Take a deep breath and go. What is the worst that can happen? I need to make a t-shirt that says, what is the worst that can happen? It's really not that bad in the end. speak to one person. I think that that helps. Instead of saying, uh, Hey you guys instead, it's like, what's up? You know? Good morning. How are you? You know, we're saying, you, we're not saying you guys to make it really feel like we're talking to one person. Okay. And then, you know, cap yourself maybe at 60 seconds long videos are not always superior. So some boundaries. Uh, how to, you know, be authentic and show up, you know, as yourself without regretting it. Again, share the scars, not the wounds. So here's like a quick little test before you post. You know, can I talk about this calmly without needing comfort? From my audience, do I have a clear lesson or takeaway? And I'm not just like dumping my feelings on my audience? Am I okay if this video gets a hundred thousand views? Something to think about. Would I feel proud if my future client watched this again, something to remember. If you can't answer yes to all those, I'd save it. I'd save it for later. Um, you're allowed to be a person and a professional at the same time. Ah, what do you think? Do you think, I mean, I really hope that there's something tangible in here. Let me know what you think. Let me, DM me. Tell me that you listened to the episode. Tell me you know, what you are going to try. so it makes it easier to show up. Okay. Uh, I am appreciate you. I would love if you shared this episode with another friend who has a hard time showing up, or if you rated and reviewed my podcast. That actually helps me so much to get more people to listen like you, my lovely, ideal client who is a busy ass female, who is a busy ass female. Who is a busy ass female solopreneur looking to make posting more simple. Okay. Amen. I appreciate you and I'll see you next week.