Mitchell Cohen runs the marketing agency Triple Lever and writes the Making Connections newsletter, where he explores human behavior and business. He previously led content and growth teams at AppSumo.
In this episode, Saara and Mitchell talk about growing an audience, building a consistent creative practice, and trusting yourself through career transitions. Mitchell breaks down the tactics behind an AppSumo video that received more than 100x the channel’s typical views and the human psychology that made it connect.
They also explore what happens when that same drive to observe and optimize turns inward: how ambition can become a tyrant in our own minds, why willpower isn’t always the answer, and how self-love and compassion soften that voice. As Mitchell asks, if you’re optimizing all the business outcomes but you’re miserable, what game are you actually playing?
Subscribe to the Rich Souls newsletter for more from guests: https://richsouls.substack.com/
Chapters
00:00 Meet Mitchell Cohen
01:18 Leaving Chicago and Taking a Leap
04:49 Working with Noah Kagan
07:04 Starting Making Connections
10:43 Making Consistency Easier
13:54 Finding Ideas and Publishing Them
19:36 Creating for Yourself vs. an Audience
22:41 The Psychology of Content Growth
27:20 Creative Freedom vs. Audience Growth
32:04 Building Self-Trust and Intuition
37:45 Does Work Have to Be a Grind?
41:49 Be, Do, Have
47:34 When Growth Becomes Another "Should"
49:48 Designing a Supportive Environment
55:08 Self-Love and Letting Go of Outcomes
58:59 What Would 10% More Self-Love Be?
01:02:39 Our Goggins Eras and Self-Judgment
01:09:25 New Environments and a New Season
01:10:54 Connection, Curiosity, and Courage
01:15:18 What Makes Life Feel Rich
Connect with Mitchell
Mentioned in This Episode
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Saara’s Stack (foundational tools)
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