This is a recap of our Monday call, “Finding Your Cozy Corner on YouTube,” to show why authenticity matters more than fancy equipment and how to use video as a trusted, discoverable extension of my work.

I explain that a simple selfie‑camera walk in the woods can be effective, and that consistently publishing videos creates a catalog that the YouTube, Instagram, and Substack algorithms can surface over the years.

I use YouTube as free hosting, embed the videos on my own blog (like this one), and always link back to my site so viewers stay reachable. In this era of AI‑generated content, video conveys who we are and builds trust, so I encourage experimenting with short formats, directing traffic to my website or newsletter, and treating YouTube like a supportive platform rather than some big lottery you need to win.

Join one of our upcoming calls!

Thursday, Nov 12 at 2PM EST → https://luma.com/7ppu10a7
Monday, Nov 16 at 9AM EST → https://luma.com/4szvpb73

Google and Apple recently changed some rules on your photos.

​Apple will start checking photos you share by public link (iOS 27.3, coming in December), and say stuff shared that way is no longer end-to-end encrypted. (via MacRumors)

​Then Google quietly updated its privacy policy, saying that if you turn on Personal Intelligence, your Gmail, Drive, and Photos data can be used to target ads. (via 9to5Google)

​As Ente (a photo management alternative to those two big tech giants) said it in a recent email, “privacy is just a setting for them, and settings change.” Very true!

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​Ente Photos is a private, hosted home for your photos

• ​Download Ente Photos from https://ente.com/app
• ​Create an account
• ​Apply the referral code ESCAPECLUB in Settings -> Referrals
• ​Get extra 10 GB free

​Check out other photo management tools here.

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​So hey – come hang out and figure out what it takes to move your photo library somewhere else, why it feels so hard, and then do this with other people live on this 90 minute hang session.

​This isn’t a workshop, but a focused Zoom hang where we talk about alternatives, how to untangle ourselves from big tech, and work together in real time testing out services like Ente (or whichever tool you want to you) to manage our photo libraries!

Monday, November 30 from 9-10:30 AM EST → https://luma.com/ls3t8haw

Thursday, December 3 from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST → https://luma.com/v8byzvkz

​You already send email for yourself. What if you sent it for someone else?

​On this 90 minute call (limited to 12 guests) we’ll talk about how to get comfortable enough in Mailchimp, Substack, Buttondown or Klaviyo to help a friend’s nonprofit, a small shop, or another artist who’s new to this whole ’email marketing’ thing.

​You’ll walk away knowing where to start, what the work looks like, and how to get to a point where maybe it can pay the rent (or the phone bill).

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If you’ve only got two subscribers, you’ve got more of an audience than 99% of the world who don’t even have a newsletter.

Looking at other people’s engagement and numbers and subscribers is only helpful if you want to feel bad about yourself, so it’s best to leave that off your daily to-do list.

Instead, pay attention to the people who signed up. Maybe they’re not paying your rent, or even your phone bill, but they show up, and what a honor that is. If you’d like those people to help pay the rent, well, that’s a whole other topic for another post, but for now, acknowledge the people who showed up.

Do you want to make a difference, or are you trying to compete in a game you don’t want to play?

On today’s Escape Pod Zoom call, I talked with Frederick Woodruff about his book, I Love You, Jeffrey Dahmer, and about what it takes to get the word out without social media, or with only a toe still in those waters.

One idea keeps coming up in my world comes from Michelle Warner, in an interview I heard her do with Jay Acunzo, another marketing person doing great work. She talked about getting awareness off your plate and onto other platforms.

What she meant is this: rather than posting on Substack Notes or Instagram, put yourself into someone else’s platform. That could be a popular podcast in the world you work in, or a YouTube channel that’s the right fit, one talking to an audience that would probably vibe with what you’re doing.

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A recent Dense Discovery newsletter came my way with a subject line that made my heart sing: “Breaking up with Gmail,” which is a familiar topic around here!

“I went with Fastmail, a small Melbourne company (represent!) with a solid reputation. Its migration tool pulled everything across via IMAP in a few hours and mirrored my Gmail labels. On my laptop I use the web interface and don’t miss a single feature. On my iPhone, I can still use the native Calendar and Contacts apps, and Fastmail’s own app for email (it’s good). When I made a mistake during my custom domain setup, an actual human replied to my support request within a day with an answer that helped. I’d forgotten that was possible.”

Yes, there’s definitely some friction to leaving an email platform that maybe you’ve used for decades. But if using a tool just doesn’t sit right with you anymore, it’s worth the effort.

And as Kai explains, it’s not always going to be a clean cut, saying “too many clients and collaborators live in Docs and Sheets.” I’m in the same boat. But the act of moving our main email inbox to another company that values privacy and actually providing customer support feels good.

Tired of Gmail?
Try Fastmail.
Try Proton (50% off deal right now for Black Friday).

So, “Google makes a privacy policy exception to use your Gmail and Photos data for ads,” according to Android Authority:

“This doesn’t mean Google automatically scans your private emails and photos to serve ads. The exception concerns information users choose to share with eligible services. Google also maintains that it doesn’t disclose personally identifying details, such as your name or email address, to advertisers without your permission.”

Everything is seemingly a grey-area when it comes to what Google is doing these days with AI and your beloved email. Oh, and Google cutting down 250,000 trees for a data center. Sure, why not?

As we’ve talked about on multiple member calls, you don’t need to leave Gmail and shut down your account tomorrow, it’s a process. Decoupling from Gmail also means figuring out how to decouple from Google Drive, Calendar, and so much more.

The biggest thing; start small. Sign up and try Fastmail or Proton (get 60% off a 12 month plan, affiliate link), and give is a test drive. Subscribe to a few newsletters and FWD some emails from your Gmail account into your new inbox.

Explore alternatives to Drive with Infomaniak’s kDrive or Proton Drive (affiliate link). There are many options out there!

Again, I’m not telling you which service is the best. You need to start an account with some of these services and see what feels right to you. If you’ve been using Gmail for 15+ years, a lot of these new services are going to feel alien, so remember to break up with Gmail at your own pace.