Strategy Meeting
Artifact info
Title:

Website Redesign and Platform Migration Discussion

Engagement:

Yoga with Kaya

Client:

Kaya Mindlin

Meeting Date:
November 19, 2025
Next Meeting Date:
November 19, 2025
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James Redenbaugh
Rob Hurwich
Charis Alura
Kaya Mindlin
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Meeting Summary

Current Challenges and Strategic Context

Kaya outlined her cautious but open approach to a website refresh (02:48). The site, built in 2019-2020, now houses 66 courses serving approximately 1,000 students who access content daily. While hesitant to disrupt the ecosystem, she recognizes the need to address stagnation and expand self-paced content promotion capabilities.

The team identified several pressing issues: recurring technical glitches requiring manual page republishing to restore course visibility, an influx of spam registrations (approximately six daily), and limited automation for promoting the extensive self-paced course library (09:10). Kaya emphasized leaving money on the table with existing content that requires her direct promotion rather than strategic automated outreach.

Four Pillars of Educational Philosophy

Kaya articulated the core pillars guiding all platform decisions (28:42): relationship with knowledge, relationship with teacher, relationship within the student community, and time (sustained engagement over long periods). These principles shape requirements for any technical solution, particularly the emphasis on maintaining humanity while leveraging technology to increase connection rather than replace it.

[technology="Online Learning Platforms"]

Platform Migration Exploration 🏗️

James proposed migrating from WordPress to Webflow, demonstrating how this addresses current limitations while enabling new capabilities. The WordPress site currently relies on 20-30 plugins for page building, learning management, membership, analytics, forms, and other functions. Webflow would consolidate these functionalities natively, eliminating the Frankenstein architecture causing recurring breakdowns (55:33).

A critical concern emerged around the LearnDash limitation versus Webflow flexibility. Kaya and Charis explained their three-tier content structure (course/lesson/topic, analogous to Netflix/show/episode) with multiple content types per page, something most LMS platforms cannot accommodate (37:00). James confirmed Webflow can easily replicate this structure with unlimited flexibility for content relationships and reuse across lessons.

The migration discussion revealed deal-breaker requirements: preserving existing student subscriptions and access without forcing re-enrollment (1:00:02). James outlined a hybrid approach where existing MemberPress subscriptions could continue running via Stripe while new subscriptions use the Webflow system, both feeding into Airtable to control unified access (1:06:53).

[technology="Custom Membership System"]

Airtable as Central Content Hub 🗄️

James demonstrated how Airtable would function as an intelligent, dynamic database replacing manual WordPress backend editing (48:18). Content would sync live between Airtable and Webflow via WhaleSync, allowing Kaya and Charis to view all courses, lessons, and topics in spreadsheet format, make instant edits, archive outdated content with status tags, and see changes reflected immediately on the website.

This approach enables the planned course cleanup initiative where outdated iterations can be archived rather than deleted, reducing the burden of 66 courses while preserving content history (51:00). Airtable would also serve as the CRM, tracking every student's enrollment status, payment history, course access, and completion progress in one unified view.

Intelligent Automation and Personalization 🤖

James showcased a connection assessment tool built for another client, demonstrating AI-powered matching and recommendation capabilities (23:50). The system analyzes user questionnaire responses and database content to generate personalized recommendations with explanations, facilitate introductions between community members, and suggest relevant content based on individual profiles.

For Yoga with Kaya, this technology could analyze completed courses to recommend next steps, create intelligent study buddy pairings based on profiles and schedules, send personalized journey maps to students asking "what should I do next," and promote self-paced content strategically without requiring Kaya's direct involvement (40:50).

Kaya expressed strong enthusiasm for questionnaire-based features, noting her community loves self-assessment tools and connecting with each other. The system could feel high-touch while being low-touch for Kaya personally, aligning with her 2027 goal to shift focus toward self-paced content while reducing new live teaching (1:08:08).

[technology="Intelligent Matching Algorithms"]

[technology="Assessment Systems"]

Communication and Community Strategy 📧

Rob highlighted ActiveCampaign as an underutilized asset for strategic promotion of self-paced courses to existing students and creating high-touch experiences in low-touch contexts (12:32). Currently, students join self-paced programs without Kaya receiving notifications or initiating contact unless students reach out first.

The team discussed building automated sequences that welcome self-paced students with personalized outreach, send course completion follow-ups with recommendations, nurture students through content journeys based on progress, and create the feeling of relationship even in asynchronous learning environments.

Kaya noted this aligns with her business model gap, as the self-paced library represents significant untapped revenue that currently requires her manual promotion to convert (11:24).

[technology="Communication Automations"]

Mighty Networks Assessment and Community Tools

Kaya explained her current use of Mighty Networks for student connections, study buddy matching, and program-specific groups (25:09). While some students form lasting relationships through the platform, Charis noted the system is clunky with confusing login flows and limited engagement compared to expectations (26:36).

James proposed more elegant alternatives for facilitating connections, matching students intelligently through automated analysis, and potentially creating a meta-network connecting multiple conscious learning communities. The vision includes cross-pollination opportunities where Kaya's courses could appear on partner sites and vice versa, leveraging other people's audiences for mutual growth (1:13:42).

[technology="Community Facilitation Tools"]

Beta Testing and Phased Rollout Strategy

Kaya proposed beta testing the new system with her standalone year-long course Nectar of the Nakshatras launching in January, which delivers one class monthly rather than weekly content (44:55). This provides a contained environment to test new functionality, gather user feedback, iterate quickly on features, and demonstrate value before full migration.

James confirmed feasibility while noting some timeline considerations. The beta approach would allow seamless style integration even on a separate domain, real-world testing of membership billing continuity, and validation of the intelligent automation features before committing to full migration.

Charis emphasized that any migration involves disruption, but the sooner they establish reliable infrastructure, the better for Kaya's reputation and business sustainability (1:02:55). Rob added that framing the transition as an upgrade with new features helps position the change positively to existing members.

Technical Team Transition

James outlined the support structure moving forward from Rob's transition away from day-to-day work (03:38). Peter (based in Germany) will handle bug fixes and breakdowns, with the advantage of working overnight for US time zones. A German-based design team will execute deeper refreshes and design updates. Rob remains available as a consultant for strategic input, particularly around ActiveCampaign implementation and ecosystem design.

Rob prepared a comprehensive handoff document summarizing all previous work, current issues, established solutions, and future possibilities, now in IRIS hands for distribution to the team (04:44).

Long-Term Vision and Infrastructure 🎯

Kaya shared her timeline of focusing on live teaching for two more years before downshifting in 2027 to emphasize self-paced content, student support in asynchronous contexts, and strategic promotion and nurturing of existing library (1:08:08). This makes current infrastructure investment particularly critical for supporting that future model.

Rob emphasized the importance of solid infrastructure to support increased self-paced enrollment, recommending investment in SEO optimization, improved affiliate program functionality, and systematic approaches to bringing in new students while nurturing existing ones (1:10:14).

James described IRIS Cocreative's broader vision of building similar systems for multiple online course creators in 2024, then creating a meta-network connecting conscious learning communities for cross-pollination beyond individual silos (1:13:42). Shared Airtable infrastructure could enable guest teaching appearances across platforms and organic discovery of complementary offerings.

Design Refresh Considerations

Beyond platform migration, the team discussed general design improvements including updated brand guidelines, improved page functionality and aesthetics, and better journey mapping for new visitors asking "where do I start" (01:48). James noted these improvements are now more achievable than ever with current toolsets.

Kaya granted permission for frank feedback about inefficient approaches, emphasizing she's not attached to current methods beyond preserving content and student relationships (15:08). She acknowledged blind spots in her organic, non-systematic business development approach and welcomed expert guidance on better structures.

Course Cleanup Initiative 📄

Kaya and Charis identified an immediate action item to audit and archive old course iterations, stale content not functioning as active self-paced offerings, and unnecessary duplications before any migration (43:31). This cleanup reduces website burden, clarifies actual content inventory, and simplifies eventual migration scope.

The Airtable system would facilitate this cleanup through status tagging rather than deletion, preserving content history while removing it from active display (51:08).

Next Steps and Deliverables

James will create a centralized project home base with links to key meetings and recordings, different initiatives with timeline visualization, access to important documents and resources, and analysis frameworks for prioritizing value delivery (17:25). He demonstrated an early version showing initiatives on an interactive timeline with full drag-and-drop functionality.

For the Webflow evaluation, James will build a mockup of either the Divine Within series (SRI course lesson/topic structure) or Nectar of Time (demonstrating complex nested relationships) so Kaya can experience the user interface and editing capabilities firsthand (41:56).

Kaya and James will schedule a separate meeting to design a custom questionnaire and recommendation system, reviewing example implementations and planning specific applications for her student journey mapping needs (1:15:53).

Action Items

James

  • Create centralized project home base with meeting recordings, initiative timeline, and key document links (17:25)
  • Build Webflow mockup demonstrating course/lesson/topic structure using either Divine Within or Nectar of Time as example (41:56)
  • Research and document membership billing transition approach to ensure existing subscriptions continue uninterrupted (1:00:02)
  • Send sample questionnaire/recommendation system examples to Kaya (1:14:19)
  • Prepare demo of numerology automation tool for reference (1:15:43)

Kaya and Charis

  • Audit 66 existing courses to identify content for archiving or deletion during retrograde period (43:31)
  • Review ActiveCampaign underutilization and identify automation opportunities (12:32)

Kaya and James

  • Schedule separate meeting to design custom questionnaire and intelligent recommendation system (1:15:53)

Rob

  • Remain available for consultation on ActiveCampaign strategy and ecosystem design questions (12:32)
Relevant Initiatives

Active Campaign Improvements

Priority: 
High
Size: 
M
Planning Stage

General Wordpress Support

Priority: 
Medium
Size: 
M
Planning Stage

Platform Migration to Webflow

Priority: 
Very High
Size: 
XXL
Planning Stage

Intelligent Recommendation System

Priority: 
High
Size: 
L
Planning Stage

Nectar of the Nakshatras Beta Launch

Priority: 
High
Size: 
M
Coordinating

Bug Fixing

Priority: 
High
Size: 
S
Planning Stage
Transcript