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Feb 17, 2026
Nat Creasy had 89 people on her email list. Zero social media following. And she wasn't confident with technology.
Most membership experts would tell you to wait. Build your audience first. Get comfortable with the tech. Make everything perfect.
Nat launched anyway.
Fourteen days later, she had 16 paying members at £47/month (an 18% conversion rate from an audience most people would call "too small to launch"). Her members were already telling her the price was too low for the value. One woman fell asleep during the first sleep story, exactly what Nat hoped would happen. And members in their 70s were navigating the platform without any tech issues.
Here's how a former HR Director who spent 18 months bedridden with burnout built a thriving wellness membership in two weeks.
The Burnout That Changed Everything
Nat was an HR Director living the high-pressure corporate life until her nervous system shut down completely.
"Having had burnout that put me in my bed for 18 months, I started to really look at nervous system and exhaustion and try to understand what was happening," Nat explains.
That devastating experience became her PhD in what stressed, exhausted women actually need. She wasn't reading about nervous system regulation in textbooks. She was living it, learning what actually works when you're so depleted you can barely function.
That lived experience became the foundation for Soul Sessions.
From Classes to Membership
Nat had been teaching yoga for over 10 years, running classes in clinics and studios. But the class-based model had serious limitations.
"Before, I was running class passes, right? And those passes were valid for an extended period of time because I'm dealing with people who have low energy," Nat recalls. "Income was very sporadic based on who was attending. Whereas this way I've got solid income."
She could only help people who lived nearby, had energy to show up in person, and could make it to scheduled class times. The woman who needed help at 3 am when insomnia hit? They were on their own.
October 17th: The Day Everything Changed
Nat discovered Stu McLaren's book about the membership business model.
"Literally, the 17th of October, I found this, and my entire life changed overnight. Overnight," Nat says.
She devoured half the book, forced herself to stop, and started implementing step by step. She researched everyone mentioned in the book and made a decision.
"I did my research. Right, everyone that's mentioned in this book, I jumped online, I had a look, and I'm like, I can see that they're doing this, and I can see that it's working. So you apply the logic. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Nat bought the Membership.io platform while watching Stu's live session, before she even finished the book.
"My heart said, don't tie yourself up in the detail. This is exactly the right place to be."
For someone who describes herself as "not very confident with all of the tech side of things," that was a bold move. But Nat had learned something crucial during her recovery: "If it's hard work, walk away. If it's in flow, then you're going in the right direction."
Building Soul Sessions
Nat's membership serves stressed, sleepless women who've lost connection to themselves.
"My membership is for stressed, sleepless women who just do not know how to find their way back to themselves again," Nat explains.
Soul Sessions combines everything these women need:
- Weekly live Zoom sessions with breathwork and gentle movement
- Monthly deeper learning circles
- Private online community with daily check-ins
- On-demand sleep stories and bedtime yoga library
- 24/7 access to quick grounding practices (even 3-minute sessions you can do in the bathroom at work)
It's a hybrid membership model combining community, content, and live sessions.
"This platform has really enabled me to bring all of my work together in a way that allows people to dive in and know that they're going to find what they need," Nat says. "Whether they need to sit in a live session and laugh or move on a yoga mat, or we climb into bed and do bed yoga, or whether they're waking up at 3 am feeling quite isolated, they can go into the same platform and get the same results."
The nervous system's work isn't theoretical. It's body-first tools based on what actually worked during Nat's own recovery.
The 14-Day Launch Nobody Expected
Nat followed the founding member launch strategy she learned from Stu's book.
"I literally just followed the statement. I pulled my statement together, my founding member launch, and I whacked that out to my existing database," Nat explains. "And it's small. I've only got 89 people on that newsletter list."
Here's what makes this remarkable: Nat had zero social media presence.
"I do not have a social media following. That's not my vibe," Nat admits. "I always filled my business by word of mouth, so I anticipated I'd be lucky to get five sign-ups."
Instead, 16 women said yes. That's an 18% conversion rate.
On November 1st, Nat soft-launched. By November 6th, she had 16 founding members and was running her first live sessions.
"I'm so proud of myself. I am bouncing. I'm like, this is incredible."
The Results That Proved She Was Right
One woman signed up late at night, jumped into a sleep story, and sent Nat an email the next morning: "I can't tell you if it was any good because I didn't make it to the end."
That's exactly what success looks like when you're helping stressed women sleep.
Then members started commenting on pricing.
"Each of them has already come to me and said, Nat, this isn't enough for how much you give and the stuff we have on the platform, I would have paid more," Nat shares.
The platform experience exceeded her expectations, too. Her members (including those in their 70s) reassured herthat the platform was working beautifully.
"If my clients are finding it easy, they're more likely to come in rather than stay away, because it's something complicated. Because, let's be honest, if you're stressed and you're tired, it's quite hard to navigate things."
Starting a successful membership requires removing every possible barrier between your members and the transformation they need.
Building in Community, Not Broadcasting Content
Nat isn't running a content library with a community feature bolted on.
"We are building this together. This truly is a community," Nat emphasizes. "It's not that I'm saying it's a community, but I dictate what happens. You guys need something, you talk to me about it. And as much as we can, we will make that happen together."
This co-creation approach is exactly what builds communities that market themselves. When members feel genuinely heard and see their input shaping the membership, they become invested.
Nat understands something powerful about nervous system healing: "Your nervous system is social. It settles in good company. Breathing slows when you are with calm people. Muscles soften when you feel seen."
You can't get that co-regulation from a course. You need real community.
The Freedom of Predictable Income
The shift from class passes to membership changed Nat's entire business model.
"It's given me a real sense of freedom because firstly, very much like Stu said, you've got that guaranteed money first thing in the month because you know that you're on a direct debit," Nat explains.
Before, she never knew how much money would come in. Now she has £752 in monthly recurring revenue (about $950 USD).
But the bigger shift is time freedom. The membership content and community work 24/7, even when Nat isn't actively teaching.
"On top of that, there is that freedom to move away from the business once I've developed this and take time to start to think about level two and what that looks like, because the foundation of it will run itself."
Get Out of Your Own Way
Nat's biggest concern wasn't about her expertise or content. It was technology. But she got support when she needed it.
"The ongoing support I've had in these two weeks has been phenomenal, right down to I can't work out my Stripe account," Nat shares. "It feels like I've got my own team."
When asked what advice she'd give to others considering a membership, Nat doesn't hesitate.
"Get out of your own way and get it done. You know, let the gremlins go about how much you've got to prepare in advance before you can go live. You're in your own way when you're doing that."
This aligns perfectly with the advice to protect your confidence when launching something new. Your inner critic will always find reasons to wait.
"If I can, anyone can. Fact."
What Makes Nat Most Proud
"The thing that makes me most proud is that it doesn't look like I've built it in two weeks," Nat reflects. "It genuinely looks like quite a professional platform that has had someone pour their heart and soul into it."
But there's something even deeper.
"I feel like we finally found our home," Nat says. "I feel like I found somewhere that I can really put down roots and really grow something. And that is very exciting."
After years of running sporadic classes and struggling to serve the women who needed help outside scheduled class times, Nat has found her forever home. She's already planning Level 2 offerings, closing doors at the end of November, and relaunching in the new year at a higher price point.
Lessons From Nat's Launch
If you're sitting on the fence about launching your membership, here's what Nat's story proves:
- Small lists convert when you serve the right people. 89 subscribers converted at 18% because Nat knew exactly who she served and what they needed.
- Social media isn't required. Word of mouth and genuine connection matter more than follower counts.
- Tech skills can be learned. Support and intuitive platforms matter more than being a tech wizard.
- Speed beats perfection. Nat launched in two weeks and built something that looks professional because she followed a proven process.
- Lived experience is your competitive advantage. Nat's 18 months of burnout gave her credibility and understanding that no certification could match.
Successful member engagement isn't about having a huge audience. It's about deeply understanding your people and creating exactly what they need.
What's Next for Soul Sessions
Nat is closing the founding member enrollment soon. She'll spend time deepening the experience for her current members, creating more content, and planning the relaunch.
"I'm excited about building this business to secure the mortgage payments, secure the ability to live, but I'm also excited about the fact that this is the second wind," Nat says. "Let's make a legacy for the future."
She's already thinking about membership retention strategies to keep her founding members engaged long-term. Weekly live sessions. Monthly deeper circles. Ongoing community connection.
"If it's in flow, then you're going in the right direction," Nat reminds herself. "And this has felt like nothing but flow."
Ready to Build Your Membership?
Nat didn't have all the advantages when she started Soul Sessions. She had a small list, no social media presence, limited tech confidence, and just two weeks from idea to launch.
But she had something more important: a proven framework, genuine expertise from lived experience, and the courage to get out of her own way.
Membership.io is the dedicated membership platform built by membership owners for membership owners. We give you an intuitive setup that works for non-tech people, support when you get stuck, a platform that members in their 70s can navigate easily, and the freedom to build exactly what your community needs.
Start your free trial today or email us at help@membership.io to learn how we can support your membership vision.
Your small list is enough. Your expertise is worthy. And the people who need what you know are waiting.
Get out of your own way and launch.
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