Every so often, you get a little voice in your gut about something that might be an issue, but choose not to act right away. I’ve had that sense now and then the past few months after launching the original and now reimagined Creatorbase® in May 2026.

As Andrew Huberman and neurobiologist Dr. Diego Bohórquez discussed in their 2024 podcast regarding the gut-brain axis, your gut functions as an advanced listening organ. Dare I say a deeply evolved Ancestral Intelligence (human AI). Huberman emphasizes to rely on this human system rather than using forebrain overanalysis to override it.

Way back in 2016, Jay Baer and I discussed a similar listening and sensing point of view in our CreatorTalk based on his book, Hug Your Haters. Jay’s main point stuck with me: addressing feedback immediately and publicly can support brand evolution while also doing internal improvements for a product, service, or customer experience operation.

That combination of biological gut sense and audience feedback (data from human and tech sources) is what brought me to a situation and quick decision regarding last week’s Creatorbase Brief newsletter and beyond.

If you’re a subscriber, you might have noticed the subject line started with "Big-C impact"—a play on one of our core values. The problem? That phrase also carries a heavy, widespread meaning around cancer. After I entered the subject line message, my gut sounded a faint alarm. But it was ignored.

While watching the newsletter dashboard after delivery, two things happened back-to-back:

• Someone I know well immediately unsubscribed, and this person has been managing cancer for a few years. My gut told me again there is an issue, so I texted one of our Founding 500 members to discuss.
  
• Two hours later, another newsletter subscriber replied in email with his thoughtful note below (name changed for privacy):
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Hi Erick,

I’m sure you’ve considered this, but wanted to relay it just in case. The “Big-C” often refers to cancer. It could be a barrier to some of your potential customers. I hope things are going well for you and Creatorbase.

Best,
Mike

My response to Mike was immediate by thanking him for his feedback, and confirmed we would adjust as quickly as possible.

How we put collective feedback into action:

1. My gut sense about an issue quickly became a critical insight when coupled with email unsubscribe data and human feedback; we made an informed decision with no hesitation.
2. I used an AI tool familiar with our brand and day-to-day work to explain the situation, ask for feedback about Big-C usage, and request an alternative that aligned with our brand and business.
3. The Create Big-C impact message became Create Capital-C impact.
4. Our new core value (3 of 4) to reflect this messaging and related Durable Ownership initiative is now: Create to do Capital-C work.
5. Another Founding 500 member used his AI to look for prior usage on Creatorbase.com for us to assess and make needed edits.
6. Decisions were made and explained inside our community, creative assets were edited, and updates were published across digital experiences in short order.
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Not only did we address a blind spot that likely struck other subscribers and potential members in a negative way, but the new messaging actually works better for our brand and go-to-market strategies. I also relearned that human judgement and intuition is something to pay closer attention to, and to seek out feedback and data (from humans and AI) when your gut is telling you something is off. Don’t ignore your inner voice.  

Feedback is genuinely a gift, especially when you care the way our leadership team does and it comes directly from your community. I'm listening and welcome more feedback to guide how we co-create a better Creatorbase® community and media company for members and the world.

Help us help you and others

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• Subscribe to the Creatorbase Brief weekly newsletter.
• Apply to join our community and media organization as a Founding 500 member.
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