About Amanda Kern

Amanda Kern is the founder and CEO of Emerald Creative Content, a marketing agency that specializes in search engine optimization (SEO) for small to mid-size businesses.

Starting as a copywriter, Amanda discovered her passion for SEO when working with keyword briefs from SEO agencies. She was mentored by a woman-owned SEO agency and combined her creative content skills with technical SEO knowledge to create a unique approach to digital marketing.

Key Topics Discussed

• The SEO Landscape for Small Businesses
• Why SEO is particularly powerful for businesses with limited marketing budgets
• The myth that SEO is purely technical and expensive
• Building EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) as the foundation of good SEO AI and SEO Integration
• Smart, ethical ways to use AI for SEO purposes Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) - optimizing for AI search engines
• Using AI for research, ideation, and breaking down complex data
• Where to draw the line: avoiding AI for final content creation and original thinking

Practical SEO Tips for Beginners

• Focus on demonstrating expertise through consistent, original content
• Build content clusters around your services or products
• Start with one SEO-focused activity per week
• Expect to see initial movement at 3 months, business impact at 6 months

Business Evolution and Market Changes

• How Emerald Creative Content has adapted to AI disruption
• Emphasizing the human touch in creative work
• Why SEO isn't dead - it's evolving alongside AI tools

Actionable Takeaways

• Start with EEAT: Focus on showcasing your expertise consistently across all content platforms
• Use AI as a Tool; Not a Replacement: Leverage AI for research and ideation, but maintain your original voice and ideas
• Be Patient but Consistent: Commit to weekly SEO activities for at least 3-6 months to see results
• Think Beyond Google: Optimize for both traditional search engines and AI-powered search tools
• Quality Over Quantity: Original, authoritative content will naturally appear in AI search results

Timeline for SEO Results

• 3 months: Start seeing movement in organic traffic
• 6 months: Begin seeing business impact and revenue growth
• Long-term: Compound growth as authority builds over time

Resources Mentioned

• Free SEO Audit: Available through Emerald Creative Content
• Strategy: Focus on building content clusters around your expertise
• AI Tools: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude for research and ideation

Connect with Amanda Kern

• Website: emeraldcontent.com
• Instagram: @emeraldcreativecontent
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-kern-a96ba2224/
• Free SEO Audit: Available via website booking

Connect with Jennifer Sconyers and Abundance Leadership Consulting

Website: https://www.jennifersconyers.com/

Jennifer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sconyers-0776955/

Abundance Leadership Consulting’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abundance-leadership-consulting-llc

About the Host

Jennifer Sconyers hosts the ALC Changemakers Podcast, featuring conversations with entrepreneurs and business leaders. Both Jennifer and Amanda participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and are members of the Haven Collective coworking space in Columbus, Ohio. This episode is perfect for small business owners, nonprofit leaders, and entrepreneurs looking to understand how SEO and AI can work together to grow their online presence and reach their target audiences more effectively.

In this rich and reflective episode, Jennifer Sconyers sits down with Cedar Landsman and Lucien Demaris, the visionary co-founders of Relational Uprising, to explore how relational culture can transform organizations from the inside out. Together, they unpack the limitations of individualism in U.S. culture and make a compelling case for centering relationships—within teams, communities, and movements—as a radical and necessary act of change leadership.

Relational Uprising supports mission-driven organizations in building deep connection, mutual understanding, and sustainable team cultures. Their approach is a powerful counter to the transactional norms embedded in dominant systems, and one that honors embodiment, belonging, and collective resilience.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• What relational culture really means—and why it's critical for sustainable change
• How individualism undermines social change work and what we can do instead
• How somatics and embodied leadership intersect with systems change
• The role of storytelling and resonance in rebuilding trust and community
• How Cedar and Lucien work with mission-driven organizations to cultivate collective capacity
• When organizations should consider relational culture work (hint: it’s not just when there’s a crisis)
• Why tending to bias and inclusion requires more than a checklist—it requires connection

🧠 Wisdom & Insights

• “We tend to think of relationships as a side effect of the work. But what if relationships are the work?” —Cedar Landsman
• “We must tend to the relational aspect of embodiment—it’s essential for protecting our communities and building resilience.” —Lucien Demaris
• “Isolation is not a resilient state. Leaders thrive when they are well supported.” —Cedar Landsman

💡 Highlights

• Cedar’s journey from food justice and urban planning into relational systems change
• Lucien’s background in somatics, wellness, and his critique of disembodied wellness culture
• How their methodology is different: not plug-and-play, but a deep practice of collective awareness
• ALC’s swimming pool analogy: shallow, medium, and deep work—and how
• Relational Uprising fits in Real-life applications across sectors: nonprofits, cooperatives, higher education, and faith communities
• Why this work is especially important now, amidst DEI backlash, organizational burnout, and social isolation

📆 Upcoming Opportunities

• Relational Uprising has a residential advanced workshop coming in Fall 2025.
• A prerequisite intro workshop is required.

Join the interest list at relationaluprising.org to be notified when a new intro workshop is scheduled. They’re also hosting a leadership convening focused on the unique challenges in progressive and social justice organizations.

🔗 Connect with Relational Uprising

🌐 Website: www.relationaluprising.org

🎧 Subscribe & Follow Want more stories of bold leadership and culture change? Subscribe to the ALC ChangeMakers Podcast on Spotify and follow us at jennifersconyers.com