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Most course platforms are garbage. There, we said it. In this episode, Dr. Catrina Mitchum sits down with Danielle Smith, mindset and movement coach and owner of Elemental Delta, to untangle a problem a lot of course creators hit: you have a massive, beautiful body of work, and now you have to figure out what is actually the course and what is everything else. What follows is a real-time consultation on scoping a course down, choosing platforms without losing your mind, and designing for how people actually do the work.
What We Work Through
- Finding the real boundary of your course. Danielle's original program ran clients through four phases in twelve weeks, and it was a lot. Catrina helps her see that the first phase, the identity-shift foundation, is the course, and the rest can become a resource library to pull from later. If you've ever felt like your course is trying to do everything, this is the conversation for you.
- Why "what's the goal?" comes before "what platform?" Danielle came in asking about tech. Catrina makes her back all the way up to the learning first, so the platform decision actually serves the work instead of dictating it. This is the reframe that changes how you build.
- Designing around the work, not the video. A lot of this course is reflection, journaling, movement experiments, and a clean-slate pantry exercise. Catrina walks through how to give learners real ways to capture and reflect, whether that's a folder, a notebook-style doc, audio prompts they can listen to on a walk, or fillable options for the people who do not own a printer.
- The platform reality check. From System.io and Teachery to Circle, Thinkific, and even Google Classroom, Catrina lays out the honest tradeoffs, plus why starting in a simple organized folder protects you from a painful platform migration down the road.
- Cutting video down to size. Danielle used to record ten to twenty minutes per module. Catrina makes the case for three to five minutes per task instead, and explains when an audio-only prompt actually serves the learner better than another talking-head video.
- Knowing when "the foundation" ends. The course ends where the learner has a plan they have to go implement on their own. That hand-off point is also where Danielle will learn the most about what her people need next.
If you're sitting on a big, sprawling body of expertise and you cannot figure out where the course starts and stops, this episode is a permission slip and a roadmap. It's about scoping down without losing the magic, picking tools that don't trap you, and building for the human who's actually going to do the work. Press play, then go look at your own outline with fresh eyes.
About Danielle Smith
Danielle is a mindset and movement coach collaborating with women to create sustainable health and wellness for themselves across every phase and stage of life. She is the owner of Elemental Delta.
- Danielle Smith
- Instagram: @danielle_elemental_delta
Danielle is one of the DIY warriors inside the Course Maker Membership, which is exactly what this episode sounds like in action: real feedback, a process that fits your life, and a community of people who actually give a shit about their learners.
Apply to be a guest: https://forms.gle/RDHPskg81r3GhSd59
Connect with Catrina:
www.cmlearningdesign.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/catrina-mitchum-learning-design
Subscribe to my Cut the Course Creation Crap Newsletter
Music credit: Alex Mitchum
Alex, Catrina's youngest brother, was a jazz guitarist and his family established a scholarship in his name at his alma mater. Please consider donating: https://www.alexmitchum.com/scholarship
