How to Actually Get the Most Out of Your Woodard Membership

Let’s have an honest moment together: You get a lot of emails. I send a lot of emails. 

And yes, I know some of you skim them, some of you star them for “later,” and some of you let them sink into the “no man’s land” where unread emails go to die (the horror).

Spoiler: I don’t send these emails because Mrs. Pell, my tenth-grade typing teacher, instilled a deep love of typing in me and required I type 65 words per minute. (I can actually type 120 wpm because I am an overachiever). I send them because I want you to squeeze every drop of value out of your Woodard Membership. That’s literally my job, and, honest confession, I genuinely care that you succeed. 

So, let’s walk through how to get the most out of what you’re paying for. There might be a guilt trip included. 

Start strong: don’t just join - engage 

When you first become a Woodard Member, there’s this beautiful moment full of potential, like the first page of a baby book you swear you’ll keep up with (but we all know how that usually goes as evidenced by the three nearly empty baby books on the top shelf in my closet). 

Use that moment wisely. 

• Read the welcome materials (YES, you have to actually read all of them). 

• Schedule and attend the orientation meeting. 

• Wander around your Membership Portal like you’re touring a model home you can’t actually afford but WILL open every drawer in anyway. 

And trust me, I can always tell who dives in early. They’re not the ones emailing me three minutes before a class starts saying, “I never got the Zoom link.” You did. I promise. I may forget where my car is in the mall parking lot, but I won’t forget your links. 

Join the community: your people are here 

Let me tell you a secret: the Woodard community is one of the biggest membership perks and not in a marketing-slogan kind of way. I see the impact daily.   

Members who show up in discussions, ask questions, or simply say, “Is anyone else dealing with XYZ?” move forward faster. Accounting and bookkeeping can be lonely; having peers to talk to is like professional oxygen.  And who doesn’t need oxygen? 

So go ahead. Post. Comment. Share something. Ask the question. You are not bothering anyone. If anything, you’re helping someone who’s thinking the same thing but staying quiet. Your voice belongs in the room every bit as much as anyone else’s. 

Attend the courses and the Monday Roundtables  

I know you’re busy. If inboxes were a competitive sport, we’d all be Olympic qualifiers. (BTW, we have a course for that). 

But live courses make a difference and are where “aha” moments happen. Sometimes you just need to hear something out loud and it clicks. Sometimes it’s being in a room, yes, even a Zoom room, with people who get what you do and have the same goals and challenges you have. 

Pick a course that aligns with your immediate goals. Commit to it. Put it on your calendar with a reminder that says, “Don’t ignore this. Future You will be grateful.” And yes, if you disappear, I will follow up, politely, but with the energy of someone who color-codes her sock drawer for fun. 

And about the Monday Roundtables - just try one. They’re the potato chips of the membership. You think you’ll have one. You won’t…. they are addicting. 

Visit the resource library. It’s not a museum. 

The Resource Library has a lot of good stuff, recordings of webinars and past Town Halls, on interesting subjects with great subject matter experts. And yes, you can speed up the playback if you want to feel extra productive. 

Just remember: it’s not a place to wander through once and forget about. Set aside time each month to explore. Skip the things you’ll never use - no judgment. But don’t overlook the things that can actually make a difference in your practice. 

Set goals (real ones) 

Membership works best when you know what you’re aiming for. Why did you join? What did you want to improve? Capacity? Processes? Advisory? Team? 

Write it down. Review it quarterly.  And Adjust as needed. Adjust it like I adjust my resolution every January when I decide I’m going to start jogging again-who am I kidding?  I don’t jog.  If you see me running, you better start running too, because something is probably trying to kill me. 

But I digress…. It isn’t rocket science.  Members with clear goals get more out of the program simply because they use the resources with purpose.   

Ask for help... seriously 

I promise you this: I want you to email me. Or call me.  Yep, I am that old.  I still do the phone call thing. 

If you’re stuck, overwhelmed, confused, or wandering the Membership Portal like you’re lost in an Ikea, reach out to me.  That is what I am here for. I will help you. Or I will get you to the person who can. Either way, you won’t be stuck wandering helplessly between faux living rooms staged for people who apparently don’t own clutter and those tiny, perfect kitchens where no actual American family could fit, let alone cook anything more complex than microwave popcorn. 

Think of me as your membership GPS. I never judge, I don’t sigh heavily, and I won’t say “Recalculating” when you make an unexpected left turn, though I do wish I had the adorable Australian accent. 

Stay consistent: tiny steps add up 

A Woodard Membership is a bit like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Everything is there, and it’s all available. But just because you can pile your plate sky-high, doesn’t mean you should. Gorging yourself just makes you sick. 

The better approach? Take a little, let it settle.  Go back for more. 

You don’t need hours every week. A biweekly check-in, one course each week, and a couple of quick community visits—that’s enough to keep you moving forward. The members who get the most out of the program aren’t the binge-learners; they’re the consistent implementers. 

If you spend all your time learning and none of your time applying, nothing changes. We want you to achieve your goals, not drown in content. 

Final thoughts from your friendly neighborhood membership administrator  

I’m not here just to give you access and point you to the right page. I’m here to help make your professional life smoother, clearer, and yes, less chaotic. 

• Read the emails. 

• Show up. 

• Use the tools. 

• Ask the questions. 

You’re not on this path alone. I’m cheering you on and behind me is a team you call your coaches and I secretly refer to as my backup singers. 

Let’s make sure you get every drop of value you signed up for. Because when you succeed, I get to send fewer “Hey, did you see this?” emails and honestly, that’s the kind of win-win they write about in business books.