Last week, my guest was author Toni Pike who shared her Microstep tips she uses to achieve her writing goals. This week, I’m delighted to have as my guest, Candi Randolph from Inspire My Style.
I’ve known Candi for a little while now and we share similar thoughts on Life After 50 including the importance of good health and well being. Recently, Candi developed a course which I was honoured to review for her. Her course ‘Inspire Your Life’ covers all aspects of life including health and well-being, skin care, fashion, self-confidence and personal development.
Candi has worked very hard to produce a comprehensive course, so I was curious to learn how she actually devised the plan and produced a quality product. If you would like to know more about the course you can connect with Candi via the links at the end of this post. There is also a special offer from Candi for all Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond readers.
How I Created an Online Course for Women in Midlife
When I started blogging in January, 2018, I didn’t know which direction my venture would take. I just knew that I had a passion for sharing my life experiences with other women in midlife, and a lifestyle blog made sense.
After the first 4 or 5 months, Inspire My Style had taken shape. I began to see how the individual sections, Healthy Eating, Exercise, Natural Aging, Skin Care, Fashion, Self Confidence and Personal Development were critical components to an overall Healthy Lifestyle for women in midlife, myself included.
As I was researching topics for blog posts it became clear that the internet world was so full of the ‘best’ of this or that, with the latest and greatest eating plan, workout regime, makeup, skin care…you name it…that any woman who was searching for a way to put it all together could easily be overwhelmed with information.
I had an initial thought, a tiny microstep, that I could create an online course for women in midlife, and offer realistic, workable solutions, the best I was able to find along with my own experiences.
This course would enable a participant to take a step back, spend some time focusing on their own well being, and create a fresh direction for themselves going forward, having all of the tools they need for a healthy lifestyle.
I was very excited about this concept, but knew that I would have to learn the mechanics of online course creation. I would have to take a course to learn how to create online courses! My past experience included training and development for adults, so that was a plus.
Microstep #2 was finding the right source for my online course creation education.
By June, 2018, I had identified the course that I felt was best for me, so I took the next microstep and enrolled, not really knowing where it would lead. Sure, I had a concept, but no firm ideas, just a passion and a feeling in my heart that it was the right direction to take.
Fortunately the course material included the steps needed to research the prospective course topic to make sure it was viable. My research showed that there would be a market for my course, so I was able to take that micro step forward, and at that point I gave the course a name: Inspire Your Life.
Along the way I realized that I also had to learn some course creation mechanics, so the next small step was to teach myself how to use PowerPoint.
It felt like a HUGE hurdle at the time, but I worked through it and felt pretty darn awesome when I created my first lesson. It looked pretty good!
Of course, I wanted to include not only slides but an actual video, with my voice speaking through each slide. Yep,
the next microstep was figuring out how to make the voice correlate with the slides and have it make sense.
At this point I was wondering what in the world I was thinking, creating a course? What did I know about all this back-end technical stuff? Would anyone really even care about my topic? Would anyone want to buy my course??
The next microstep, one that I repeated often, was to quiet that inner voice of doubt.
Sometimes our steps take us a bit sideways, even backwards for a minute, but then we get back on track and take a tiny step forward. That was how my course creation seemed to be at this time.
I pushed aside those doubts and took the next small step in this process, and that was to decide which platform to use to deliver my online course to students.
Yes, another huge learning curve, but I didn’t give up, went through a lot of trial and error, and eventually identified the host for my online course.
The months went by as I ran my home staging business, made the decision to sell my home in Florida and move back to Michigan, and…keep working on creating my course. The steps forward were very small (micro-micro steps?) and seemed to be taking forever!
In January, 2019, I settled into my new Michigan home, and put my head down to finish the rest of the course modules. Inspire Your Life was just about complete.
Each final microstep in that direction seemed to be fraught with technical issues, setbacks and delays (I think we call it life), but in March of this year I was ready to ask for volunteers to test out the final version.
That microstep was pretty daunting, and the self doubt crept back in. Would anyone even want to test it out for free? I was so pleased when 8 women volunteered to give Inspire Your Life a test drive, with my good friend Sue from Sizzling Toward Sixty on the list.
The feedback I received was tremendously helpful and constructive. Thank you, Sue!
Now that the course was complete, the work of marketing would begin in earnest, which was the next small step in the process.
Using the knowledge I gained from my online course education, I created some marketing material to draw potential participants to Inspire Your Life.
It has definitely been a huge learning experience for me; a series of small micro steps that when put together, have resulted in an online course that I am very proud of. And that is where I am right now. I am working on marketing my course while still creating content for my blog, Inspire My Style. Needless to say, my days are full!
When I look back on the path I’ve taken, there is no way I could even have conceived of how to do everything at one time. Small steps, micro steps, with a lot of faith, were what helped me to take this project from start to finish.
We may not see the end when we begin something new, but with each small step it becomes clearer until we finally reach the place where we can look back and say, “yes, I did it!”
How about you?
Is there something in your mind and heart that you feel you should do?
Try not to become overwhelmed with the entire process. Microsteps will take you where you need to go, one small forward movement at a time.
And, if my course, Inspire Your Life, sounds like something you might be interested in and benefit from, you’ll find much more information here: Inspire Your Life Online Self Development Course for Women in Midlife. I would be thrilled if you decide to enroll!
I have something special for readers of SizzlingTowardSixty, too. Use this coupon code when enrolling to save $10 off of the current enrollment price: magic10
Thank you!
Site: https://inspiremystyle.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiremystyletoday/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/inspiremystyletoday/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InspireMyStyle1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiremystyletoday/
Course – Inspire Your Life: https://inspiremystyle.com/inspire-your-life
36 Comments
What a fabulous concept for a course Candi and I love how you took us through it all, from conception to completion. I’m so inspired by all of this and have no doubt you’ll have a huge market out there, just waiting to be inspired. All the very best with it. Thanks Sue for introducing us to Candi.
Thank you so much, Miriam! It was a long and educational process for sure!
It was amazing to read about how you put that course together, step by step – and at the same, quelled that inner voice of doubt. A very inspiring article.
Thanks Toni…I just kept going and refused to let those stumbling blocks stop me!
Hi Candi, I agree with being overwhelmed with information. I really like the microstepping philosophy. You are an inspiration! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Erica, yes, those little steps are so much more manageable than trying to look at the entire process, whatever the process might be. Thanks for your thoughts!
Good on you Candi for following your heart and passion and sharing your expertise with those women who need a boost and some direction as they hit Midlife. I think you’re amazing with all that you tackle and achieve – also great that you did it in small steps when it got a bit overwhelming rather than giving up and never reaching your goal. I wish you every success with your course x
Thanks Leanne, for your kind words. I hope that this course will provide that boost for anyone who needs a little bit of a recharge.
Hi Sue – just back to say I’m all revved up for another #MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM x
This fits perfectly with a post I wrote about women in their fifties making changes in life. You had a fab idea and have taken it forward to help other women, well done.
Thank you so much, Lorraine!
Congrats , Candi, on completing the creation of your Inspire Your Life online course! Breaking the work down to micro steps and tackling one at a time is an effective strategy. Thanks for sharing this. #MLSTL
Thank you Natalie, with a project of this magnitude, small steps was the best way to go!
What’s that saying about you’re only taking one step at a time but when you look back you’ve climbed the mountain? Nice post. #MLSTL
If I had seen how high the peak was I might not have attempted it, but one step at a time got it done! Thanks Lydia!
Great guest post Sue. Candi I was really interested to learn about your microsteps. I can imagine how overwhelming looking at the big picture would have been. I use microsteps when setting goals,. They help to see that s goal is not impossible #MLSTL Sharing on SM
That’s right, Jennifer, it really is the best way to success with any goal.
Congratulations Candi on completing your course. I’m duly impressed that you not only put the content together but learned how to create an online course from scratch. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. #MLSTL
Thank you Christie, it was an honor to be featured here!
Candi – what a wonderful achievement! It would have been such an overwhelming task had you not broken it down into micro steps and what a fabulous learning experience you’ve had. Thanks so much for sharing the experience with us and thank you Sue for hosting Candi today. I”ll be popping over to all the links to check everything out! 🙂
Hi Min, you’re right, the project was too large to try and grasp it all at once. Thank you for checking out the links! 🙂
What a fab post which encompasses microstepping and midlife. I enjoyed raeding the steps you took along the way Candi and how you put it all together. Thanks for sharing Candi’s story Sue, I have shared for #mlstl
Hi Debbie, thank you for your kind words and for sharing my story!
Well-done Candi and thank you to Sue for sharing the story behind the course. Yes, I have learned in my cancer recovery…one step, then another..But as an often impatient patient I have had to learn and re-learn this.
Denyse #MLSTL
Hi Denyse, I think we all try and accomplish too much too quickly sometimes. I have followed your story, and you are one amazing lady!
Hi Candi,
Your course creation is a perfect example of the idea of “microsteps”, I think. When I was teaching I used to joke with my students, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” when they were faced with a project or task that seemed overwhelming to them. I followed a similar process when I was starting my blog. I knew NOTHING about blogging or the mechanics of website publishing…I learned and executed everything from scratch and it was a long process.
Thanks for sharing your journey! And thanks, Sue, for featuring Candi!
#MLSTL
Hi Nancy, I love that analogy! And you’re right, as a new blogger everything has to be learned and absorbed, one small step at a time!
Love how you took small/microsteps to create your course. It’s not an overwhelming project or goal when framed in this process. Good luck with your course!
Thank you so much Jennifer!
Hi Candi thank you for sharing the ‘how’ of creating your online course through microsteps. Congratulations on such an achievement which I know many Women in Midlife will appreciate. I’ve just re-read your microsteps and it although I’m not downplaying the amount of learning and work involved to create your course, Microsteps are really the way to achieve what you want. Good luck and I would love to hear of your progress.
Thank you, Sue, for allowing me to highlight my course and the process used to create it. You’re right…it’s those small steps that when put into succession take us to the ultimate goal.
Hi Candi,
Online courses have their own great advantages. And I am sure this module would do a world of good for women.
Microsteps are a good way to move ahead with whatever one is doing.
Hi Sue,
A good idea to host Candi and her wonderful initiative here.
(#MLSTL participant. Shared the post on my social media.)
— Pradeep
Hi Pradeep, thanks for the encouragement. I believe that Inspire Your Life can be very beneficial to anyone who is searching for a midlife refresh!
Sue, so nice that you featured Candi on your blog! This is an area I have been interested in myself so Candi’s micro steps and process were well described. Once I am done teaching, I should look into an online course about leisure and fitness. I already have tons of slides and lectures from university teaching since 2011. What a great idea, Candi and I’m pleased to meet you!
Hi Terri! Yes I found Candi’s post very helpful as I’m looking at doing something similar. I was fortunate to be asked to review her course and it is excellent. She has put so much effort into it. You have a head start if you have the slides already made up. Go for it!
Thanks so much , Terri, it is a pleasure to meet you, too! As Sue mentioned, you’ve got a great head start for a course!