EPISODE 3: Community Is Not About You

The hardest truth about building community? It's not about you. At all.

Maya and Malikiya break down why successful community builders must shift from artist mindset (serving yourself) to creator mindset (serving your people). This episode is packed with real talk about filling needs, trusting God's plan, and building something bigger than yourself.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

Artist vs. Creator Mindset - Artists create for themselves. Creators serve a group. To build community, you must be a creator, thinking about what your people need, not just what you want.

Fill a Gap That Exists - Texas Sistas Society exists because there wasn't a space for Black women and women of color in Austin to gather. If you're looking for it, others are too. Find the hole and fill it.

Create an Avatar for Your Audience - Give them a name. Build out their life. "Tina works 9-5, has 2 kids, loves free activities." When planning, ask: "Would Tina come to this?" This keeps you focused on serving, not self-indulging.

It's Okay If You'd Join Your Community - Start with ideas you were searching for. But then let community feedback guide you. They asked for snacks on walks, we never thought of that. Listen and adapt.

Trust That You'll Attract the Right People - They cater to Black women but welcome everyone. Collaboration events bring in different groups. Let God handle who shows up. Don't stress about attracting a specific person.

Faith Keeps You Going When Growth Feels Slow - Both introverts pushed outside their comfort zones. This is a calling. Whether growth is fast or slow, they're learning and exactly where they're supposed to be.

Asking for Financial Support vs. Waiting on God - The tension between asking the community for support and trusting God to provide. They work together, God sends help, but you have to recognize it and not block your blessings.

THIS EPISODE IS FOR:

Community builders who struggle with making it about them, event organizers trying to serve their audience better, faith-based entrepreneurs balancing trust and action, people who need permission to ask for support.

CONNECT:

Instagram: @thelonelinesscure
TikTok: @thelonelinesscure

Subscribe and review to help other community builders find this conversation.

— Maya & Malikiya, Founders of Texas Sistas Society

EPISODE 2: Our First 6 Months Building Community: What Worked & What Didn't

Building Texas Sistas Society from 0 to 4,000+ followers in 6 months. Maya and Malikiya break down what worked, what didn't, and the hard lessons about event planning, social media growth, boundaries, and charging for your time.

WHAT WORKED:

Setting Calendar Dates 3 Months Out - Committing to event dates before knowing details created accountability. The details came later.

Casting a Wide Net - Emailed 20+ coffee shops for free venue partnerships. Three said yes. Low overhead, high impact.

The Viral Walk Event - When venue plans fell through, they pivoted to a community walk. It sold out in days on TikTok and had to be split into 2 time slots.

30 Days of Consistent Posting - Posted daily for 30 days to hit 1,000 TikTok followers (required for link-in-bio). Same content on Instagram and TikTok.

Physical Feedback Forms - 100% completion rate vs. digital forms that got ignored.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:

Doing Everything Themselves - Taking on other people's tasks while building their own community led to burnout.

Not Charging for Their Time - They learned their time was worth more than they thought when they finally started charging.

Listening to ALL Feedback - Not all feedback aligns with your mission. Trying to please everyone spread them thin.

Saying Yes When They Should've Said No- Tried pricing themselves out of an opportunity. It didn't work. Lesson: Let your no be no.

THIS EPISODE IS FOR:

Community builders in their first 6 months, anyone struggling with boundaries, event planners figuring out social media growth, people who need permission to charge for their time.

CONNECT:

Instagram: @thelonelinesscure
TikTok: @thelonelinesscure

— Maya & Malikiya, Founders of Texas Sistas Society

KEYWORDS: community building, event planning, first 6 months, social media growth, TikTok strategy, event organizer, Austin Texas, Black women entrepreneurs, setting boundaries, burnout prevention, charging for your time

THE ORIGIN STORY: From Loneliness to Community

How do you go from being lonely in a city to building a new community in 6 months? Maya and Malikiya share the unfiltered origin story of Texas Sistas Society. How they met, the first event, and why they're starting this podcast about community building.

This is the behind-the-scenes journey most community builders and event organizers never talk about. The loneliness of leadership. The all-night breakdowns. The faith it takes to keep showing up.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
- How loneliness led to building community in Austin, Texas
- The truth about throwing your first community event
- Why they paused TXSS after one successful event
- What they learned helping friends with concerts
- How to overcome imposter syndrome as a community organizer
- Why community builders are some of the loneliest people
- The four pillars: Community, Faith, Health, and Wealth

THIS EPISODE IS FOR:
Community builders and event organizers wondering how to start. Church leaders, retreat hosts, supper club organizers. Anyone feeling burnt out or lonely in leadership. People thinking about starting a community but don't know where to begin.

ABOUT THE HOSTS:
Maya is from Austin, Texas. Malikiya moved to Austin in 2017 for UT. Together they built Texas Sistas Society from zero to 5,000+ followers and 60+ paying members in nine months.

THE FOUR PILLARS:
COMMUNITY: Building deep, authentic connections. We talk about the loneliness of leadership and how gathering people changes everything.

FAITH: Whether faith in God, yourself, or the process, you need to trust in something bigger. We discuss how faith shows up in community leadership.

HEALTH: Community building is exhausting. We talk about burnout, self-care, and how to sustain yourself while serving others.

WEALTH: Let's talk about money. Monetization strategies, pricing, revenue models, and the business side of community nobody discusses.

WHO WE'LL INTERVIEW:
Community builders, event hosts, supper club creators, retreat organizers, church leaders, fitness community leaders, mastermind creators, cultural event producers, anyone bringing humans together.

MENTIONED:
- Texas Sistas Society (@txsistasociety)
- THe Concord (@ridetheconcord)
- Zay D Productions (@zay_d_productions)

CONNECT:
Instagram: @thelonelinesscure
TikTok: @txsistasociety

Like the episode? Share, Subscribe, or Leave a review to help other community builders find this conversation.

Let's cure some loneliness together.

💚Maya & Malikiya

KEYWORDS: community building, event planning, loneliness epidemic, community organizer, starting a community, Austin Texas, Black women entrepreneurs, faith and business, community leadership, burnout, event organizer, entrepreneurship