Welcome to the Substack Lives Series:
4 exclusive LIVE sessions to help you grow and scale by building your community and getting paid for what you love doing:
Session 1: Getting the basics right (28 min)
Session 2: Tools to grow organically (36 min)
šSession 3: Scale with collaboration and community (40 min)
Session 4: Monetize with a clear strategy and offer (next)
This is my most popular initiative on Substack in 2025!
The sessions have 55-70 live participants and you can watch the replays and join the VIP Chat for Q&A and personalized feedback with 200+ premium members.
The content is a mix of mindset, strategy and tactics paired with practical exercises to help you turn the theory into action.
Itās 100% based on my experience growing a Substack Bestseller, 13K+ subscribers across 2 publications (The Lemon Tree Mindset and the Spanish version, El Limonero) and a beautiful global community.
You can upgrade now for full access to the live sessions, recordings and the VIP group chat.
Session 3: Collaboration & Community
Session 3 hit a new record: We had a peak of 70 viewers, the highest so far!
Here is the recording for my paid subscribers (40 minutes) with a FREE preview.
And as some of you prefer the written format, here is a little teaser:
About the mindset
The foundation of everything we talked about is mindset. In a world full of inauthentic hacks, AI content, and quick-fix pods, the writers and creators who stand out are the ones who show up as themselves and lead with transparency and honesty.
Authenticity is no longer just nice-to-have; itās the rarest currency we have and itās also our unique advantage.
If you pair that with a win-win mindset so that both parties win and a commitment to long-term strategies instead of short-term steroids, you have the mental framework to grow not just today, but to turn your creativity into a sustainable business over time.
About collaboration
Collaboration doesnāt have to start big. In fact, it rarely does.
I love the idea of micro-collaborations: small, human moments that help us connect. Leaving a thoughtful reply on someoneās Note, following up on a comment on your Post with a question instead of just āthanks,ā sending a helpful resource with no strings attachedā¦These micro-moments slowly turn strangers into familiar names, and familiar names into trusted collaborators. Thatās how collaboration is born, from our human denominator.
Honestly, I collaborate with people I know and like. Itās that simple.
The secret almost nobody talks about is this: Invite others in before you knock on peopleās doors. Be a host and bring your guests in first: offer a Guest Post spot, invite someone to co-host a live with you, ask if theyād like to do a written interview and give first.
When you become the person who gives others the microphone, something incredibly refreshing and gratifying happens: most creators naturally recommend you, cross-post your work, or invite you to their space later. Be a great host.
About collaborators
Finding the right people is easier than we think. Your future collaborators are often already around you: they comment on your work, they support you, and they are one step away from becoming more than just āsubscribers.ā Send them an invitation right now (and let me know how it goes).
And if you donāt know where to get started, you are welcome to join my collaboration day in my group chat, where I invite my members to pitch their collaboration idea (for FREE). So many subscribers find opportunities there and I always try my best to do some sneaky matchmaking.
About types of collaborations
I explored different collaboration formats that actually work based on my personal experiences and here are some examples:
Guest Posts supported by Cross-Posts
Live sessions with another creator
Joint webinars with a partner
Written interviews/ co-authored Posts
Challenges
These are just some and the possibilities are endless once you start thinking creatively.
One counterintuitive truth: the most successful collaborations rarely come from the creators with the biggest audiences. They come from pairing with someone who is just as hungry and excited as you are: two people willing to join forces, get their hands dirty, and have fun in the process, regardless of the outcome.
About pitching
Pitching doesnāt have to feel sleazy.
Shift from selling yourself to solving for us.
Do your homework, spot gaps in other communities that you can fill with your knowledge and expertise, and lead with the value you bring to them. Thatās what I mean by a win-win mindset.
Always answer this question before pitching (to anything):
Whatās in it for them?
Numbers help, but a compelling story, unique expertise, or a different background can open just as many doors. And remember that rejection is redirection and every no is a step closer to a yes.
About community
Community, the second half of the equation, is where the magic compounds.
Real community isnāt built overnight because it runs entirely on trust, and trust canāt be hacked or bought. Itās earned slowly by showing up consistently as the same human being people see on live, by creating spaces where no question is too āsilly,ā by celebrating every tiny win like itās a medal, and by actively encouraging members to connect with each other (not just with you) so that the sum is larger than its parts.
I shared how I borrow from real-world communities I love: my triathlon club, for instance, where people cheer whether you come first or dead last. Thatās the feeling I try to recreate: a safe space to ask for help, a place that celebrates progress, and an environment that naturally sparks collaboration between members without fabricated boosts or steroids.
Weekly celebration threads, personal sharing days (like your hobby), guided questions to spark a conversationā¦these small rituals slowly turn a quiet chat into a living, breathing community. Again, micro-habits at scale.
When collaboration and community feed each other, you create a flywheel: more collaborations strengthen your community, a stronger community attracts better (and more) collaborations, and suddenly growth feels natural and effortless because itās organic, sustainable and has strong roots, just like a lemon tree š³š
Whatās next
That was Session 3.
Next week, we close the series with the topic so many of you asked for:
Monetization: how to craft an irresistible paid offer and turn your creativity into a real, sustainable income.
šļø Monday 1 December 8pm EST || Tuesday 2 December 9am Hong Kong || 12pm Sydney
Canāt wait to see your name live!
PS 1: If this helped you, please share it and letās keep passing the microphone šš¼
PS 2: If you were among the 70, thank you for showing up. I had a blast!
