P1: You've claimed permission. P2: You know people still buy courses. But here's the question underneath everything: does your work actually lose its power when it goes digital?
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe now to join our cohort of conscious creators.
It Doesn't Lose Power.
It Just Changes How You Use It
Relational work doesn't require you to be in the same room.
I have a client right now—an author writing her first book—who wanted to fly to Atlanta to work with me on her project. I told her no.
Not because I don't value in-person work. But because what she actually needed wasn't proximity. She needed me to understand where she was emotionally and create conditions for her to succeed.
She was worried about money. About affording a flight. About affording a hotel. About paying for my fees on top of it all. That financial stress was blocking her work.
I addressed the fear directly. Digitally. I reminded her of something from her intake questionnaire—we'd already identified this fear would come up. I acknowledged it. And then I gave her specific deliverables with a timeline.
She has seven sessions total. Four sessions left to get her book ready for print.
Time and space? They have no effect on whether her book gets finished. What has the effect is my ability to relate to where she actually is, name what's happening, and then move forward.
That's relational work. And it happens just fine digitally.
What This Actually Means For Your Digital Course
Before you decide to go digital, ask yourself: Am I willing to do the same relational work I do in person, just through a digital connection?
Because here's what that looks like:
You read where your students actually are. You name the fears that come up (because they always do). You acknowledge them. And then you create a specific structure and accountability to move through them.
You don't pretend the fears aren't real. You don't try to motivate them past it. You meet them where they are, and you create conditions for them to succeed anyway.
That's how relational work becomes a success. And it has nothing to do with being in the same room.
Your role as a leader and teacher isn't to be physically present. It's to understand your people deeply enough to create the conditions where they can actually do the work.
You can do that in a room. You can do that on Zoom. You can do that through email feedback and structured modules and live group calls.
The power doesn't disappear when you go digital. You just have to be willing to do the same emotional work you'd do in person.
What I'm celebrating
Clients who trust the relational connection enough to do the work digitally. Who show up even though I'm not in the room. Because they know I understand where they actually are.
What I'm working on
Teaching my Tabernacle Residents that their relational gift isn't dependent on physical proximity. It's dependent on their ability to read, understand, and respond to their people's actual emotional state. That translates digitally.
What I'm noticing
The best digital offerings aren't the prettiest ones or the most comprehensive ones. They're the ones where the teacher is deeply, relationally present with their students—even through a screen.
Take a look here.
âśż
Real connection doesn't require physical proximity. It requires you understanding someone's emotional state and creating conditions for them to succeed. You can do that digitally.
With soulful support,
Erica
That book designer? She's going to have her manuscript ready for print in seven sessions, working digitally. Because relational work works. Period.
Responses