This episode of The Real Stuff is a really special one for me. I’m sitting down with my older brother, Rob Fink, and two of his best friends, Lukas Effman and Alex Goldstein — the three guys behind the indie folk-pop band, East Love. If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you already know their music: East Love’s song Rolling Stone has been the intro music to this podcast since day one!

You can listen to their new single “Never Mine” on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/5a1ncej7fWKv0Bk8o5Do3z

In this conversation, we go all the way back — from growing up together and the boys meeting in elementary and middle school, to forming a band in high school that somehow turned into a 20-year creative partnership. Today, all three of them are in their mid-30s, with kids, full-time careers, and families... and they’re still making music together.

We talk about what it actually looks like to balance a passion project with adult life, why they chose not to pursue music full-time, and how East Love has stayed together when so many bands fall apart. We get into friendship, creative fulfillment, choosing stability, and redefining what success looks like outside of the traditional music industry grind.

They also open up about songwriting and vulnerability, including the story behind East Love’s newest single “Never Mine,” which is based on a real heartbreak from Rob’s college years, and how writing that song years later helped him process it in a completely different way.

This episode is about music, but it’s also about long-lasting male friendships, growing up together, and building something meaningful that evolves as your life does. It’s warm, nostalgic, funny, and honestly one of my favorite conversations I’ve had on this show.

If you’ve ever wondered how a band survives adulthood, or how to keep creativity alive while building a full life, this one’s for you.

🎶 Listen to East Love on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0xGSNh06Su9UthAz4o1cvM

Sponsors:

Magnetic Me: If you’re a parent or shopping for one, visit MagneticMe.com now, and new customers will receive 15% off!

Obé: Sign up for a 30-day FREE trial of Obé Fitness using my code LUCIE at https://obefitness.com

Seed: Get ahead of the New Year with a routine that helps you now by going to Seed.com/REALSTUFF and use code REALSTUFF to get 20% off your first month.

Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod

Find Lucie here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink

Website: https://luciefink.com/

Subscribe to my free newsletter "The Lucie List" here: https://thelucielist.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to "The Creator Confidential": http://www.luciefink.com/confidential

Executive Producer: Cloud10

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on every single revenue stream (there are over 13 of them) that powers my business as a content creator — the ones you see, the ones you don’t, and the ones people rarely talk about publicly.

So often, being a creator looks like posting on social media and doing the occasional brand deal. But behind the scenes? It’s a layered, strategic business with multiple income streams happening at once (at least it can be). In this episode, I walk you through how it actually works — from brand partnerships and sponsored content, to platform payouts, whitelisting and boosting, coaching, courses, digital products, affiliate income, speaking engagements, podcast monetization, and more.

This episode gives you the overview of all aspects of my business, but if you want the REAL numbers, deeper strategy, pricing insights, and screenshots I can’t share publicly on social media, that’s all living inside my new paid newsletter, Creator Confidential. Creator Confidential is where I go all in every other week: sharing real earnings, platform breakdowns, behind-the-scenes decisions, and the exact strategies I use to run my business. If this episode intrigues you, the newsletter is truly this conversation on steroids. Sign up at luciefink.com/confidential.

I also share how and why I’ve intentionally built additional revenue streams beyond brands and platforms, not just to grow, but to protect myself long-term in an industry that’s constantly changing.

And as a special bonus segment, I’m bringing you a short conversation with Denise Woodard, founder of Partake Foods, about entrepreneurship, building a business from scratch, and how Amazon has helped her scale her brand — because this episode isn’t just about creator income, it’s about modern entrepreneurship in all its forms. You can shop Partake and a curated selection of incredible products from small businesses by looking for the Small Business Badge and visiting the Amazon Small Business Holiday Shop at amazon.com/smallbusinessgifts.

If you’ve ever wondered how creators actually make money or how to think like a creator-entrepreneur, this episode is for you!

Apply to do 1:1 social media coaching with me: https://luciefink.com/apply-coaching

Apply for my 8-week course, "Launch Your Dream YouTube Series" here: https://luciefink.com/youtube-course

Check out my Motherhood Superguide: http://luciefink.com/motherhood

Apply to join ShopMy here: https://shopmy.us/join/luciefink

Start your own newsletter on Beehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com?via=Lucie-Fink

Sponsors:

Magnetic Me: If you’re a parent or shopping for one, visit MagneticMe.com now, and new customers will receive 15% off!

Storyworth: Right now, save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you visit Storyworth.com/REALSTUFF

Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod

Find Lucie here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink

Website: https://luciefink.com/

Subscribe to my free newsletter "The Lucie List" here: https://thelucielist.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to "The Creator Confidential": http://www.luciefink.com/confidential

Executive Producer: Cloud10

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reza Khan was living the dream on paper — a steady job at Google, great benefits, a clear career path, and the kind of structure most people work hard to reach — until he realized it wasn’t the life he wanted. Today, Reza is a full-time content creator sharing the hilarious, heartfelt, and sometimes chaotic reality of fatherhood online with his wife, Puja.

In his first-ever long-form interview, Reza goes deeper than he ever has before. He talks about the moment he realized corporate life wasn’t for him, the emotional and financial leap into creator life, and the identity shift that came with becoming a dad. He also opens up about boundaries, burnout, partnership, and how creating content about fatherhood unexpectedly helped him reconnect with himself.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really looks like to leave a “dream job,” redefine success, and build a creative life while raising young kids — this one’s for you.

Follow Reza: https://www.instagram.com/therezakhan/

Sponsors:

CLEARSTEM: Go to CLEARSTEM.com/REALSTUFF and use code REALSTUFF at checkout for 15% off your first order.

Magnetic Me: If you’re a parent or shopping for one, visit MagneticMe.com now, and new customers will receive 15% off!

Seed: Get ahead of the New Year with a routine that helps you now by going to Seed.com/REALSTUFF and use code REALSTUFF to get 20% off your first month.

Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.

Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod

Find Lucie here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink

Website: https://luciefink.com/

Subscribe to my free newsletter "The Lucie List" here: https://thelucielist.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to "The Creator Confidential":

Executive Producer: Cloud10

Produced by Dear Media.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.