My favorite holiday is fast approaching. Yes, it's Halloween. Listen, there's a reason I married a woman who had her very own costume closet - well, that and many other reasons. But I digress...

I now present to you something I wrote about my favorite holiday, with the help of Scribbling Sensei. And deep apologies to Edgar Allen Poe.

Behold!

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I posted, eyes so teary, 

Over many a faded and fruitless post of yore— 

While I sighed, almost quitting, suddenly there came a pinging, 

As of someone quickly texting, texting my tired phone once more. 

“’Tis another spam," I muttered, "texting my tired phone once more— 

Just an ad and nothing more.”

Oh, the courses I’ve invested, thousands spent, yet unattested, 

Funnels built that promised plenty, yet my inbox was still sore— 

Every evening, feeling smaller, staring at my dwindling dollar, 

Hoping for a single caller, caller for my coaching lore. 

But the calls were ever silent, silent as a quiet shore— 

Not a ripple, evermore.

Emails sent without a measure, hoping for some client treasure, 

Yet the silence, it was deafening, my spirit it did bore. 

“No more clients,” I lamented, “All my efforts, unrepented, 

Is my message so demented? Why do prospects just ignore?” 

With every email sent in vain, my hopes would drop a little more— 

Only silence, evermore.

Then the Raven, dark and stately, from the nightly shadows lately, 

Perched above my office door, spoke the truth I couldn’t ignore: 

“Forget the tactics traditional, heart-driven work is relational, 

On connections that are visceral, not just metrics, score and lore.” 

Staring at that wise old Raven, I knew what I had in store, 

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

Now I laugh at old frustrations, forging new collaborations, 

Heart-driven and authentic, my spirit began to soar. 

No more posts without a meaning, no more empty course convening, 

With the Raven as my beacon, I found what I was looking for. 

Dropping all the tactics fruitless, my heart-driven core was more— 

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. 🎃

As I said before, I got a little help from Scribbling Sensei on that one. You might have seen them around - they are my fierce yellow ninja, and they help many coaches create catchy content. I generated the images from GPT.

Why am I telling you this? Because if you want to know how to do these things, you definitely want to attend the next session of Unmasking AI, which is this Wednesday at 1 PM Central. This is a monthly event that I hold for coaches. We talk about new things happening in AI, AI tools that I've vetted, and how to ethically use AI in our coaching businesses. This month, I'm going to talk about how I created this email experience for you.

As for why I created this email: Because as the days get colder and shorter, I like to make my online family smile a little bit.

While you're getting ready for all the trick or treaters, here's a coffee drink recipe for you:

❤️🔪❤️🔪❤️🔪❤️🔪❤️🔪❤️🔪❤️🔪❤️🔪❤️

From RJ's Secret Invisible Coffeeshop:

Slam Poet's Secret Brew

1 part apple, 1 part cinnamon spice, 1 part caramel

Dark roast, Agave sweetener

Tantalizing Dungeons and Dragons related description:

Behind the fierce visage of Grumm lies a soul that thrives on slam poetry and a slightly dubious hobby of apple theft. This drink, blending apple, caramel, and a cheeky hint of cinnamon spice, captures the essence of our half-orc bard — part rebellious tree-raider, part emotional poet. Just a sip and you might find yourself moved to verse... or moved to swipe an apple from your neighbor's table. Whichever comes first.

Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and I'll see you in a bot.