At the end of 2025, so many creators are telling us they’re feeling burnt out. And this phenomenon is more than tiredness or overwhelm: it’s a state of fight or flight, and it could be the thing zapping our creativity. So how do we get out of that state and tap back into our love of making content?

This week, our creator guest, food and lifestyle entrepreneur Laura Fuentes poses this question, and she confesses that creating has been feeling the same old, same old.

Josh Zimmerman, The Creator Coach, joins as our burnout expert to help Laura (and all of us) get our spark back. Together, he and Steph discuss why creators are especially susceptible to burnout and offer actionable advice on how to reconnect with our flow state.

Creator resources:

• Meet Josh Zimmerman, The Creator Coach

In a crowded digital landscape, how do you get your brand to stand out? In our first-ever live episode, host Stephanie Woodin gets the lowdown from Emily Robinson, a top entertainment publicist who has launched countless TV shows, products and global brands. Together, they translate lessons from Hollywood publicity to the world of web creators.

Get Emily’s Hollywood insider tips on brand strategy from goal setting to execution, and learn how content creators, influencers, and entrepreneurs can build stronger, more memorable brands online.

Free creator resources:
How do I stand out? Brand-building strategy for creators

AI crawlers are coming for your content: Should you block them, or let them in? In this episode of Ctrl Alt Ask, Raptive’s Chief Growth Officer, Marc McCollum, breaks down what every creator needs to know about AI scraping your site.

Our guest this week, Nate Hake, founder of Travel Lemming, shares why he’s already blocking AI bots, and why he thinks creators must unite to demand fair compensation from AI companies. From copyright lawsuits and licensing deals to the truth about traffic loss, this episode is a must-listen for all creators who publish online.

Free creator resources:

• Why we still recommend blocking AI crawlers
• Cloudflare prioritizes creators and publishers with new AI crawler controls
• When it comes to AI negotiations, publishers are stronger together
• Why ‘Do not scrape’ policies matter more than you think
• Protecting your content from unauthorized use

Resources for Raptive members:

• How to manually block common AI crawlers
• How to block common AI crawlers with the Raptive Ads WordPress plugin
• Keep “good bots” unblocked to maximize ad revenue