The Gronk Squad & Listener Mail

How do you overcome the fear of putting your creative work out there?

Do it consistently and often—like the artist who made 500 days of art, the pressure lessens with each piece. Producing regularly builds an inner strength or 'muscle' that shuts out worry about what people think, and lets you move on like ending a chat with friends at a café rather than fretting about every word.

How do you know when it's the 'right time' to end something?

You can always construct an argument for why now isn't the ideal time, so once a decision makes sense on balance, it's better to act on it rather than waiting for some theoretically more perfect moment.

How should a podcast/community handle audience feedback channels?

Favor a single, one-to-one channel like email over fragmented options (Discord, DMs, reviews) because it's more manageable and creates real accountability via a real name.

Should a business or community be framed as a 'family'?

Avoid calling a team or audience a 'family'; instead frame it as a 'community'—a place of belonging and care—since family framing can be unrealistic and exploited.

Should you call out people's weight gain (e.g. 'COVID kilos') publicly?

Tommy argues it's outrageous to call out someone else's weight gain outright, but notes that self-deprecating comments about one's own weight are a different, more acceptable form of self-hate.

How should listeners who fell behind on the show handle coming back after the break?

Don't feel judged for missing episodes; treat the break as an amnesty and return fresh and consistent once the show resumes on 16 January, re-engaging with emails and conversation.

Should you tell callers you don't check voicemail?

Josh argues it's clearer to explicitly state in your voicemail greeting that you don't check messages and ask callers to text instead, because it puts the responsibility for next steps on the caller rather than leaving them guessing.

How can emails strike the right tone without seeming too stern or too casual?

Use an exclamation mark on the first sentence, a full stop on the next, and bring back an exclamation mark a few sentences later rather than using one on every sentence; be cautious with ending sentences with someone's name after a comma, as it can read as stern.

Should workplace conflicts be resolved over email or in person?

Passive-aggressive email chains tend to escalate conflict unnecessarily; going and speaking to the person directly, even while angry, tends to de-escalate the situation faster than a 'victory' in an email thread.

How can a creator or business reduce dependence on social media platforms they don't own?

Build a direct relationship with your audience via a regular email newsletter and host original video content on an owned channel like YouTube, rather than relying solely on Instagram/Facebook distribution, since email open rates can remain high even after inactivity.

How do I stop getting constant notification emails from social media apps?

Go into each platform's settings and manually turn off email notifications (e.g., from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram) to stop being told what you're missing out on when you're trying to step back from social media.

Is my phone number exposing my Facebook profile to strangers?

Check Facebook's settings, since even with phone number visibility set to private, there can be a setting enabled (often tied to two-factor authentication) that lets anyone find your profile by searching your phone number.

How do you build a long-running creative project like a daily show?

Replayed clips from past episodes emphasize that consistency and showing up daily builds momentum over time, and that growth should be viewed as a long-term, incremental process rather than expecting rapid 'hockey stick' success.

How can you make a police report sound urgent enough without lying?

Josh suggests you want to paint a picture that sounds about 10% scarier than reality to get police to respond, but stresses you should never actually lie to Triple Zero.

What's a fair standard when asking a team member to change a work habit (e.g. email length)?

Tommy argues you shouldn't ask a team member to do something (like sending frequent, well-formatted emails) that you're not willing to do yourself, reframing the email debate as Josh's own responsibility to read and process communication properly rather than Jess changing her style.

How can you check if your email or password has been exposed in a data breach?

Use haveibeenpwned.com — enter your email address and it checks it against known breach databases to tell you if you've been compromised.

How do you get over social anxiety when cold-calling or pitching businesses in person?

You just have to do it — the first time is the hardest. Make sure to ask specifically for the manager rather than assuming front-of-house staff will pass on your message, since they often won't.

How do I get a response to a cold outreach email?

Personalise every email — reference specific, researched details about the business (e.g. their roaster, their sustainability practices) rather than sending generic copy-paste pitches, and follow up with new value (like new products) if you don't hear back.

How do you set expectations early in a new relationship?

Don't overdo grand romantic gestures (helicopter rides, fancy dinners) early on; instead give a realistically unglamorous experience upfront (like farting early) so the relationship is built on something sustainable.

How do I reduce the emotional impact of negative emails or content?

Practices like meditation won't stop the initial negative reaction to upsetting content, but they can shorten how long that impact lingers — like reducing the 'half-life' of the negative reaction.

Why not open a full WhatsApp group for your podcast community?

Josh explains that opening a group chat is risky because it only takes one bad actor with everyone's numbers to ruin the community (citing the risk of inappropriate content being shared), so he kept WhatsApp as one-to-one messaging and moved group chat functions to Discord instead.

What should brands without an existing community focus on first?

Prioritise building a genuinely great product before investing heavily in community-building, since a strong product naturally attracts a loyal following.

What's a good easy food to make when you're drunk and don't want to cook?

Avoid pickling anything while drunk since it's too fiddly; nachos are suggested as an easy, low-effort option for a quick meal when tipsy.

What's a cheap way to set up a dedicated phone number for a community WhatsApp group?

Seb suggests buying a roughly $10-$50 prepaid SIM card and inserting it into a spare phone so the WhatsApp account displays as the show's name rather than a personal contact.