When The Platform Pulls The Rug

This week I got an email that stopped me in my tracks. So let me tell you what actually happened. I received an email from a major video platform telling me my channel had been suspended from their monetization program, and the reason given: inauthentic content, mass-produced and not adding value. So I sat with that for a minute because if you know me, if you've been listening to this podcast since 2018, you know that inauthenticity is just about the last word anyone would use to describe this work. But here's the thing they don't tell you. They don't tell you which videos, They don't tell you what specifically triggered the review. And I remember this happened, uh, with Google, I believe last year, my Google Business account, same reason, 100 possibilities of why, but nothing specific. So I was held hostage for 4 months and then poof, I reappeared again. No reason given, nothing. So you get a form letter, a deadline, and a link to their policies. That's it. So I had to become my own investigator. I went through every video on my channel, and what I found was humbling because the answer was actually there. Earlier this year, I experimented with an AI video tool to create a handful of Shorts I thought I was being smart, efficient, working smarter, not harder. I also reshared a clip from another creator without adding enough of my own original value. Uh, so in the eyes of the platform's algorithm, that was enough. And here's what I want to say about that. I own it completely. I made a judgment call that wasn't aligned with how I actually built content. And I made course— and really, I course-corrected immediately. I unlisted everything. I filed a video appeal and I explained what actually happened. But the bigger lesson, the one I want to spend the rest of this episode on, isn't really about that platform at all. It's about where we put our energy. And what we call our business. I spent 25 years in corporate sales and marketing before I left to build this. And one of the things you learn in corporate is risk management, diversification, you know, never put all your eggs into one basket, right? And yet when I started building the Soul Healer Sanctuary online, I did exactly what every other online entrepreneur does. I chased the platforms. I learned the algorithms. I optimized for reach. And slowly, without realizing it, I started measuring my business and even myself by numbers that weren't mine. YouTube views, Instagram reach, follower counts. But here's the truth about every platform you build on. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, all of it. You are the tenant. I will say this again. You are the tenant. You are renting space on someone else's land and the landlord can change the rules, raise the rent and lock the door at any time, kick you out without no warning and no explanation. That is not a business. That is borrowed visibility. And honestly, we've been sold, used, abused, tricked, scammed, shamed, guilted, blamed into this as well. Your actual business, the thing that cannot be taken from you, lives in 4 places. Your email list. This is something you worked for. You've earned every person that's landed. And if you have someone's email address and their permission to show up in their inbox, that relationship is yours. No algorithm stands between you and that person. I have been building my list on SendFox for years. And this week when YouTube went sideways, my list didn't blink. Your podcast feed like this right here, whether you record it on your phone, it's only audio. It doesn't matter. This show, Heart Led Soul Fed, has been running since 2019. Every episode lives on Spotify, Apple, everywhere you listen. Nobody can suspend a podcast feed. Nobody can demonetize your voice. And then there, there's your website. Again, sure, it's educational, but most of us like myself are visual pattern thinkers. We want to see who you are. We want to investigate. So Christine J Gold.com is mine, plus a bunch of other domains that I bought and secured. And I'd say really hold on to those domains. I've got a bunch of different ones that all lead to one website. But they do different things. So I built it, I own it. Every word on it, every piece of content is owned. And now Substack. I've recently launched on Substack and I wanna talk about it because this wasn't a random decision. Substack gives me a direct writing relationship with my readers that feels different from any other platform. It's slower, it's deeper, It's more like letters than content, and it has its own built-in discovery engine that rewards long-form thoughtful writing, which is exactly what this community is built on. If you haven't found me there yet, come find me. The link will be in the show notes. And if you have any questions, feel free to comment or reach out to me. I would be happy to guide you through the process and maybe miss some of the pitfalls. I mean, that's how we really embody change within ourselves and healing within and growth within ourselves. I'm making the book smaller so it's more portable because I'm a nomad. I've been traveling and living out of my suitcase since 2020. I have journals as well. I have an oracle deck that I created. So I if you want to create something, create it. Whether it's a t-shirt, whether it's a physical item, a journal, whatever it happens to be, go and do it. Go create it. Um, and then I want to talk about the work that lives offline. Every month I host Soul Healer Circle. I also have a private community on Facebook, um, Soul Healer Sanctuary. We have an in-person gathering. It's, you know, $55, a room full of women, and it has nothing to do with algorithm. It's about community. And so, and in September, I'm co-hosting a retreat in Nagano, near Nagano, Japan. 7 women, 4 days, once in a lifetime container with my good friend Julia Grief, who is a multidimensional channeler and healer. This is in Hakata Yuzuin Mountains, Japanese Alps. Healing, transformation. That retreat was filled through relationships, through trust built over the years, not through a viral video. Because of all the things that have happened online and what's happened since COVID people don't trust like they used to. So the platform can pull the rug, it cannot pull the relationships, and that's really what it's about. So what does a regulated response look like when something like this happens? Because I want to be honest, there was a moment when I felt it, the sting of it, the injustice. I've been creating content for almost 8 years. I have over 50 program graduates through my mentorships. I already talked about the book and the podcast and the corporate career. And a form letter is going to tell me that I don't add value. Please. That feeling is real and I let myself feel it. I teach, I regulated, I got it into my body, I breathed, I asked what is actually true here and what is within my control? And what's within my control is significant. I just completed Momentum, a government-funded business cohort for entrepreneurs here in Calgary. There was 12 weeks of business mentorship and there continues to be 8 weeks more. As well, financial planning, marketing strategy, peer learning. It was one of the most clarifying experiences I've had since leaving corporate. It forced me to look at Soul Healer Sanctuary not just as a mission, but as a business. And I remember Sergio, one of the teachers, he said, do you have a hobby or do you have a business? I had to look at my numbers. I had to look in the mirror, my offers, my positioning, my sustainability. And one of the things that became crystal clear through that process is this. I have been undervaluing my intellectual property, which brings me to the books. I'm writing a second book. I don't have a title to share yet, but I have to tell you it's rooted in everything I've learned about nervous system regulation, neurodivergence, and building a life that actually fits you, you know, not the one you were told to want. And I already talked about revamping my first book, but I know so much more now. 4 years, almost 5, of sobriety, an ADHD diagnosis at 52, 7 years of coaching women through the hardest transitions of their lives. The first book deserves a revision. It deserves a version of me that exists today. And the story of what happens when you trust your intuition over every external voice that told you to stay. And the platform suspended me, but the, the work did not stop for a single day. So I want you to hear this. If you're building something, a coaching practice, a creative business, a healing modality, any kind of soul-led work, here is what I want you to take from this episode. Build first, build your email list like your life, your, your business depends on it because it does. Every person on your list is a relationship you own. Start today if you haven't. Offer something valuable. Ask for their email. Show up consistently. The list is the most valuable business asset you have, more than your follower count, more than your views, more than your subscriber numbers on any platform, more than any ad online. Second, own at least one piece of content real estate that you control completely. A podcast, a blog, a book, a Substack, a website with with a resource library, something that lives under your name on your terms that no algorithm can take from you. Your voice is an asset. House it somewhere you own. Third, get into those rooms. The events, the retreats, the circles, the gatherings is something no platform can replicate and no algorithm can suspend. The woman who you know, comes to the Soul Healer Circle every month, they aren't coming because of a YouTube video. They're coming because of our relationship, because they know, like, they know, like, and trust you, and they want to get to know more. And fourth, know your numbers. Yes, analytics, know your offers, know your value. Don't be on every platform, pick one and do it really well. So that's what Momentum taught me in 12 weeks of sitting down with my business and really looking at it and There was sometimes I was crying, I was angry. I was like, what the hell? I'm on this train and I'm going the wrong way. You can have the most powerful mission in the world, but if you don't understand how your business works, you are building on sand. Get the support, do the work. Your mission is too important to be underfunded and undersupported. The platforms will keep changing. The algorithms will keep shifting. The rules We'll keep moving. And I have this huge Moby Dick, big whale of a dream. I've talked about this for many, many years, is to have a physical sanctuary for myself. And maybe I might invite people. But my friend Julia last night was like, you're so inspirational. Oh my gosh. And I told her it's a $4 million dream. That's what I'm projecting in year 3 is $4 million. I'm not playing around. I'm not playing small. I don't— I'm not playing by the rules, by the algorithm. I'm focused on my mission, myself, and why I'm here. Your voice, your lived experience, your relationships, your body of work, those are yours. Please own it and build accordingly. I appreciate you. Um, she loves my book. She loves my oracle deck. And speaking of that, I am challenging because I know there's people that want to comment or want to share. Maybe they watch, but they don't say anything. I get that. Sometimes you don't know what to say. So the first person who does not own my oracle deck, who does not have my oracle deck, The first person to comment something about this video, something that changed for them, something that sparked a fire under their butt to get going, maybe have a question, but please comment below, please ask that question, and then also say, "I want your oracle deck," and guess what? I will send I'm going to send it to you for free. Why? Because I, I'm doing it. I love testing things. I like giving things away, not everything. I like to make things fun and light. And my Oracle deck is a divination tool. Now everybody has different ways of tuning in, right? So again, comment, ask a question, maybe even share this out. But if you comment, please, I would love your oracle deck. The first person to do that on all of the platforms— I will be checking and I will be looking at times— will get a copy of the oracle deck. You can have a physical deck and there's also a digital version, so you'll have to let me know which one you prefer, and then we'll— I'll reach out to you as well. So do that and maybe you wanna take it a step further, okay? Maybe you just wanna send an email to me, christine@soulhealerssanctuary.com. Christine@soulhealerssanctuary.com. If you send me an email, I will, first person to do that as well will get a copy of my Oracle deck. All right, this week reminded me of something I tell my clients all the time. The hallway is not the destination. The waiting, the uncertainty, the in-between— gosh, the ego doesn't like the in-between, the ego has to know everything— that is not where you are stuck, and that is a frame of mind. That is where you're being refined. I am more clear about this work than I have ever been. I am more grounded in my mission than I was at the beginning, and I am more convinced than ever that what we are building here in this community, in this podcast, in these retreats, in these events, in these books, in these circles matter. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening since 2018. And if you're new, welcome. You found this at exactly the right time. You can find me on Substack at Christine J Gold. Come to a Soul Healer Circle online or in Calgary. And if you are a woman building something Soul-led and you feel like the rug just got pulled, reach out. This is exactly who this work is for. Until next time, stay Heart-led and Soul-fed. Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, join my weekly emails for support and guidance for sensitive and Intuitive and Neurodivergent Nervous Systems. And if you feel called to work with me, I would be honored to connect with you. The link is in the show notes.