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it’s been a long week…but…
The Cultivators Skool Community is finally open.
For months, the number one thing you asked for was a place to have real conversations with other creators. Not a feed. Not a comment section. A room. So a few months ago, I hosted a Siembra Social and I got deep feedback about what creators are looking for.
Live events were only a part of what was discussed….
So I built it. “The Cultivators” Community is here, and for a limited time it's open exclusively to Siembra Connect subscribers, free.
This is where the people reading Siembra Connect every week finally get to find each other. Creators building something that lasts, trading what actually works, asking the real questions, and showing up as their full selves. Your culture, your voice, your story, all welcome.
The community will have the same culture as this newsletter…no hustle-culture pitches. No peacocking. Just real people planting real seeds, side by side growth in real time.
If you're a subscriber, you're in. Join free and come say hello.
Siembra Connect | Week of July 7, 2026
This week, the internet remembered something it almost forgot: your voice is the whole thing. While everyone's racing to automate their content, one creator turned "just talking to your phone" into a $1.2 million movement — and reminded us that being human on camera might be the rarest skill left online. Let's get into what that means for you.
📱 SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS
The "Yap Challenge" Turned Talking to Your Phone Into a Movement
Creator Jessi Jean went from basically zero followers last November to 400K+ — and her viral "yap challenge," which really just teaches people to talk to the camera with confidence, pulled in around $1.2 million. Her whole thesis: in the age of AI, human connection and on-camera charisma are becoming the most valuable currency online. Whether or not you ever join anything, the lesson is free — the people who can speak like real humans are the ones who'll get seen.
If you really like “yapping” this event might be for you
Steph Wharton built a room for speakers like you
You already have something worth saying. The stories, the expertise, the lived experience. What's been missing was never talent. It was a space built for you.
That's what Speaker Movement 2026 is.
The details
July 14 to 16, 2026
Free, fully virtual
12 guest speakers
Pre-recorded sessions you watch at your own pace, plus 3 live events for community, feedback, and real conversation
Built for BIPOC, Latinx, and Queer speakers
This is for you if...
You've spoken before and you're ready to make speaking a real part of your brand
You want speaking to grow your community, not just your calendar
You've spent years diluting your voice or identity to fit into rooms that were never built for you
You have a story only you can tell, and you're ready to tell it
What you carry home
You don't leave with a notebook full of good intentions. You leave with assets you can actually use:
Your distinct voice, clarified. What you, and only you, are here to say.
A strategy that converts. Turn speaking into visibility, revenue, and real opportunity.
Legal footing. Know your rights before you sign a single contract.
Practice reps in community. You get better by doing, in a room that's rooting for you.
A speaker press kit you build in real time, not a to-do list to tackle later.
Momentum that stays with you long after the event wraps.
Three days, mapped out
Day 1: Reclaim Your Voice
Day 2: Build Momentum as a Public Speaker
Day 3: Monetize Your Speaker Brand
The lineup includes Dr. Lisette Sanchez, Dr. Raquel Corona, Andrea Marisol Bayón, Christina Olivarez, Jordan Gill, Taylor Tieman of Legalmiga, Luzy King of Say Hola Wealth, Debbie-Jean Lemonte, and more.
About Steph
Steph Wharton (she/her/ella) is a Speaker, Coach, and Founder of the Speaker Movement. What began as an Instagram pop-up to amplify fellow Latinas has grown into a private community with weekly events, a coaching program, an official speaker directory, and now a conference for all of us.
Beyond the business, you'll find her savoring the small moments with a big glass of vino tinto, teaching bachata, and making new memories with her wife and baby boy.
Save your seat
It's your speaker era. The stage has been waiting for you.
Free to attend, but the live events fill up. Register now so you don't miss them.
Meanwhile, In France, TikTok Is Betting Big on AI Doing the Talking
At Cannes Lions, TikTok rolled out "Symphony Agent" — an AI system that generates ad creative, matches brands to existing creator videos, and builds whole campaigns from a brief. Translation: platforms are racing to let machines find and even make creator-style content. Which makes the human stuff — your face, your voice, your actual story — more of an edge, not less.
📈 MARKETING TRENDS
Dentsu: In the "Algorithmic Era," Attention Is the Scarcest Thing You Own
Dentsu's 2026 Media Trends report ("Human Truths in the Algorithmic Era") lands on a simple idea: as AI floods every feed, the creators and brands who win are the ones leaning into human connection, community, and real attention — not more noise. Attention, they argue, is now the scarcest resource in marketing. Sound familiar? It's the same thing the yap challenge is quietly proving.
Raw Is Beating Polished (and Follower Count Matters Less Than Ever)
Across the 2026 trend reports, the pattern's the same: phone-shot, creator-style video keeps outperforming glossy studio productions, and algorithms increasingly reward completion and watch time over how big you already are. A 500-follower account with a scroll-stopping first three seconds can outrun a brand with a full production team. Good news if you've been waiting to "look professional" before you start.
💚 REALITY CHECK
"$1.2 million in 13 days" is the kind of headline that can light a fire under you — or quietly wreck your week. So here's the reframe: that number is not the assignment. You don't need a viral launch, a paid course, or a big following to start. The barrier was never talent or gear — it's the fear of being seen, and that fear gets smaller every single time you hit record.
Start ugly. Start small. Start today. Nobody who's yapping now started out good at it.
🔧 RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
Facebook's "Creator Fast Track" — Guaranteed Pay to Bring Your Audience Over
Facebook launched a program offering established creators guaranteed monthly pay ($1,000/mo with 100K+ followers on IG, TikTok, or YouTube; $3,000/mo at 1M+) to jump-start their presence there, plus faster reach on eligible Reels. If you've built an audience elsewhere and been sleeping on Facebook, it's a low-risk way to test it — check eligibility in your Professional Dashboard.
Your Free Yap Week (No Course Required)
Want the benefit of the challenge without spending a dime? One 60-second unscripted video a day for 7 days. Phone propped by a window, no script, just you talking about one thing you actually know. Don't even post them if you don't want to — the reps are the point. By day 7, the camera stops feeling like a threat.
That's the whole secret.
What’s next is almost here.
On July 16th at 1PM ET, beehiiv is going live with a look at the future of publishing, audience growth, and digital business.
What started as a newsletter platform has evolved into something much bigger: a place where creators and brands can grow, monetize, and own their audiences without stitching together half the internet to make it work.
The next chapter starts live at the Summer Release Event.
Join us to see what’s coming next.