This week I’m sharing the 3 problems that show up right before you scale

If growth has plateaued and selling feels harder than it should, engagement is inconsistent, or you’re feeling burned out because everything depends on you, these are not marketing or motivation problems. They’re design problems. I walk through how stalled growth is usually tied to member progress, why engagement drops when there’s no clear path forward, and how burnout shows up when the system relies too heavily on the founder.

Whether you’re just getting started or running a large, established membership, these patterns surface at every level. The good news is they’re fixable when you focus on structure, member momentum, and designing journeys that work without you carrying all the weight.

Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here

Let's be friends:

1. Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
2. Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
3. Learn more about Affinity Collective

In this episode, I’m breaking down the three core components every sticky membership needs in 2026. By sticky, I mean the kind of membership people naturally return to again and again because it feels like part of their routine.

I’m sharing what I’m seeing across dozens of membership strategy sessions at Affinity, and why personalization, quick time to value, and human connection are the real drivers of engagement and retention right now. We talk about why onboarding matters more than ever, how to design for fast wins without overwhelming your members, and what it looks like to intentionally build belonging and connection instead of leaving it up to chance.

If you’re building or updating a membership and want people to stay, participate, and actually get results, this episode will help you rethink what “value” really means in 2026.

Join my free training on Thursday Jan 29 – Future-Proof Your Membership

Let's be friends:

• Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
• Learn more about Affinity Collective

Podcasting is one of the most powerful relationship-building tools we have. Listeners feel deeply connected to hosts, but the relationship is still mostly one-to-many. In this episode, I talk about the opportunity podcasters are missing when they stop at downloads and ads, and why community and membership models can turn listeners into connected, supported groups working toward shared goals.

I also share why so many podcast memberships fall flat, what makes a transformational membership different from bonus content or a Patreon-style model, and how podcasters can create recurring revenue and deeper impact without burning themselves out or becoming the bottleneck for everything.

If you’re a podcaster thinking about community, membership, or how to make a bigger impact with the audience you’ve already built, this episode will spark some ideas.

Want to chat about building a membership model for your podcast audience? Book a discovery call here

Let's be friends:

• Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
• Learn more about Affinity Collective

Every year, my predictions issue is one of the most shared pieces I publish, and this year I wanted to bring it to the podcast with more context, examples, and real-world nuance. In this episode, I break down my five predictions for how memberships, programs, and community-driven businesses need to evolve in 2026.

I talk about why shorter, more personalized programs are replacing long courses, why unique frameworks matter more than ever in an AI-heavy world, why innovation is no longer optional, and why retention and trust are the real growth levers moving forward. I also dig into flexible programming, async engagement, and what platforms like Circle are seeing in terms of emerging community trends. This episode is about building better products, not just more content, and designing experiences that actually respect your members’ time.

Check out the free 7-figure connected community assessment here

Let's be friends:

• Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
• Learn more about Affinity Collective

I was reminded this week of one of my favorite cognitive biases: the IKEA effect. It’s the idea that we place a disproportionately high value on anything we helped create. And in community, this explains everything. When your members shape the programming, contribute ideas, share feedback, or help build the experience, they stay longer. They feel ownership& they feel belonging. And those two things drive retention more than any piece of content ever will.

In this episode, I break down how the IKEA effect shows up inside community products, why co-creation is the ultimate retention strategy, and the simple ways you can give your members more authorship over their experience in 2026. I also share how we’re using this exact approach inside CreativeMornings Baltimore and why it works every time.

Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here

Let's be friends:

• Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
• Learn more about Affinity Collective

In this episode, I’m diving into the idea of your membership becoming a true third space for your people. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the concept to describe the places we gather outside of home and work. Today, community builders have the opportunity to create those spaces online and in-person. I share a personal story about a Denver dive bar that became my own third place, plus an example from my friend Ellen Frost, whose members start their day with “bloom scrolling.” We talk through why some members naturally log in every day, how to identify those daily active users, and what their behavior can teach you about designing rituals that make your space feel like home.

Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here

Let's be friends:

• Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
• Learn more about Affinity Collective

I have been seeing the same pattern across so many memberships this year. Community builders are trying to offer everything at once and accidentally blend two very different product types. It always leads to overwhelm, both for the members and the people running the program.

In this episode, I break down the two core membership models I see most often, how to tell which one you are actually building, and why mixing them almost always creates retention and engagement challenges. If your membership feels heavy, complicated, or hard to maintain, this framework will help you get clarity fast.

Interested in working with my team? Book a discovery call here

Let's be friends:

• Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
• Learn more about Affinity Collective

January is always the strongest growth month for memberships, programs, and community-driven offers. People come in with fresh momentum, new goals, and a desire to recommit to the things they said they would do in the fall. The best thing you can do to capture that momentum is walk into the new year with a refreshed, data-backed plan. In this episode, I share the exact research process I use with my clients and how I applied it to the CreativeMornings Baltimore volunteer retreat. I break down how I structure year-end surveys, what metrics I review, and the “quick, scrappy” research sprint any community builder can run to design smarter programming and reengage members going into 2026.

Interested in a 2026 review & strategy? Book a discovery call here

Let's be friends:

• Connect with Becky on Instagram or LinkedIn
• Read the newsletter at beckypierson.com
• Learn more about Affinity Collective