The Harsh Truth About Online Courses (And What Works Now) | 099

In this episode, I sit down with Erin Green, founder of Audacious Labs, to break down how to design a course that actually changes behavior.

Erin spent 15 years inside agencies building programs for IKEA, Google, and Amazon before developing her framework for turning expertise into transformative learning experiences. We dive deep into what makes most courses flop, how to create real outcomes for students, and how to use AI to design and validate better programs faster.
If you’re building a course or product that needs to deliver real results, this episode will show you exactly how to do it.

Timestamps:
 00:00 Introduction
 02:45 Why most courses fail to create results
 07:31 The five stages of Hook to Habit: Hook, Start, Build, Flow, Habit
 11:22 Creating easy wins to build momentum
 14:30 Feedback loops and building confidence
 17:57 Flow and skill mastery
 24:22 Using behavioral design to make learning stick
 31:09 The power of pre-selling and running workshops
 35:23 Designing your learning journey backwards
 39:55 The importance of bad examples in learning
 43:14 Why confidence comes before competence
 47:32 Designing opportunities for practice and feedback
 56:19 Using AI to organize and refine your ideas
 01:04:37 Choosing the right platform and testing small
 01:13:00 The biggest mistake course creators make

If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave a review. I read every single one.

Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/show

Follow Nathan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanbarry
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry
X: https://twitter.com/nathanbarry
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenathanbarryshow
Website: https://nathanbarry.com

Follow Erin:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/er-green
Website: https://www.audaciouslabs.io

Featured in this episode:
Audacious Labs: https://www.audaciouslabs.io
Kit: https://www.kit.com

Highlights:
09:12 – Why your competition isn’t other courses, it’s Netflix
14:30 – Building confidence through feedback loops
24:22 – Behavioral design tactics that make learning stick
56:19 – How to use AI to refine and structure your course ideas