The Create & Thrive Podcast

It’s time for a change.

Since I started my handmade business, Epheriell, in 2008, the world has changed so much.

I have changed so much.

In 2008 I was a 27 year old tuition centre manager, living with my English boyfriend in the Brisbane suburbs, and I started making jewellery in my spare time to fulfil a creative urge I had neglected for years.

When I started Epheriell as a hobby business, I had zero idea that I would be here, talking to you, almost 18 years later, after having built a number of different businesses – all in the realm of the handmade sphere – and having turned over almost two million dollars from those businesses in those years.

Wow. I’ve never pulled that number up before! It’s a bit overwhelming to think I managed to create products with my own two hands and one brain, and have been able to make a living from them for all this time.

But.

The world has changed. I have changed. And it’s time for me to move on.

So, as of June 2026, I’ll be retiring from handmade business education, and I’ll be putting Epheriell on indefinite sabbatical.

What will I do next?

I don’t actually know yet.

But we’ve finally reached a point where we are in the financial position to allow me to take a sabbatical where I will have the space to rest, reflect, get the dosage of my MHT right (😆), and decide what’s next for me.

I’ve officially reached middle age this year – I keep joking about the fact that I got my first reading glasses and my MHT prescription in the same week!

I turn 45 in 2026, and like the elder millennial that I am, I have been obsessed with the internet since I first dove into the world of message boards, IRC, fandom, Geocities, Altavista and Ask Jeeves when I was a fresh-faced 15-year-old in 1996.

Did you know, I made my very first website (on Geocities, of course) back in 1996 or 97 – and it was an X-Files fan site? It was pretty popular too! Though of course, the internet was a much, much smaller place back then.

Since then, I’ve launched various blogs, started various businesses, worked for other people’s online businesses, been an affiliate, run a podcast, various YouTube channels, sold jewellery under 2 different brands, sold ads on my own site, launched a membership, sold ebooks and ecourses… I’ve tried all sorts of things and made money online in myriad ways since making that very first website (which, of course, made me zero dollars, but my nerdy friends thought it was cool, so…).

Suffice it to say, I’ve been here for a long time.

30 years!

I always dreamt of making a living from the internet, and it took me about 12 years to finally crack how to do it properly – which started when I stumbled on Etsy back in 2008 and opened that first shop.

It has been an amazing journey, and I have loved so much about it.

It has enabled me and Nick to live a life we love.

To live in a place we adore.

To have so much freedom of time, to travel regularly to visit friends and family overseas, and to live a low-stress life.

But I’m ready to move on.

I’m also ready to take a break from the internet.

I have slowly faded away from most social media over the last few years.

I have no interest in instagram any more.

I pretty much only use Facebook to find events to attend IRL.

Threads I have been enjoying, because it felt like a breath of fresh air to actually talk WITH people again, but even that is growing thin for me right now.

Don’t even get me started on TikTok (ugh).

I have been putting myself and my face and my life out there on the internet since my early 20s.

But as I get older, and the changes in the online world loom, I feel the need to take a step back and just be again, without sharing things publicly with the world.

It’s time for retreat, recalibration, and reflection.

To decide what I want to do with this next phase of my life.

And to do that, I’m stepping away for a time.

Does that mean I’ll never come back online?

Not at all!

I might decide to start up my YouTube again. Or to launch something totally new.

And it doesn’t mean I’m disappearing today.

But I am aiming to be on sabbatical by the winter solstice here in Australia, which is June 21st, 2026.

Why am I telling you so early?

Because I’m going to offer a bunch of things for the last time, and it felt disingenuous to do so without being upfront about it.

I’ve always tried my best to be honest and keep firm grip on my integrity in a space where that seems to be increasingly rare.

I want you to know what’s happening, and why, so you can prepare and be aware – and if you so choose, to take advantage of my offers with full knowledge.

If you are in my community, or are one of my students, Thriver Circle members, or Epheriell customers, here’s the timeline of exactly what’s happening.

TimelineDecember 2025

Thriver Circle final launch – December 29th till January 7th.

If you join at this time, I will unlock the full Your Year to Thrive course, so you will have just under 6 months to work through it at your own pace during this time (which does mean doing 2 lessons a week instead of 1 should you want to). You will have full access to all other courses and workshops, and I will still be running 2 live calls each month until the end of May, and I’ll be active in the FB group community.

February 2026

Set Up Shop runs for the final time – February 9th till March 10th.

April 2026

I will offer shop critiques until April 6th, then they will no longer be available.

May 2026

I will offer the Wholesale Know-How course until May 4th, after which it will no longer be available.

June 2026

The Thriver Circle will close forever on June 8th, 2026.

Members will no longer have access to any aspect of the Circle, including the FB group, courses, workshops, podcasts. All memberships will be cancelled and all payments will be stopped by this date at the latest. I encourage members to cancel their membership when their May payment is deducted, as you will then stay an active member until the shut-down should you so wish.

I will archiving all my social media – bar YouTube (I’m leaving all my free videos up) in June.

Epheriell will be placed on sabbatical on June 8th, 2026.

This will give us time to process any final orders by the time I take sabbatical.

(I’m not ruling out opening Epheriell again in the future, but it will be a long while – probably at least 18 months – until I do so – unless Nick decides he wants to run it without my input, but he’s gotten himself a good permanent part-time government job so that will probably keep him busy enough!).

On June 21st I will hopefully be done with all the work to wrap up the businesses, and will be stepping away from all social media for at least 6 months and taking a sabbatical from work and the online world.

I’m not going to lie, I am simultaneously elated and terrified to take this step.

I’ve been feeling the urge to move on for a while now, but the circumstances were not in alignment until now, and I know that if I don’t take advantage of this opportunity, I will regret it immensely.

I’m excited to take my first real break from paid work since I was 16, and I’m so thankful to Nick for joyfully supporting me in this choice.

I want to take a moment to thank him, publicly, for all the work he has put in since this all began back in 2008.

Not only in the business – of which he has been an employee for over a decade now (and let’s be honest, an unpaid helper before that) – but in our life together.

He has been unfailing in his support – both emotional and practical – from day 1.

He has been the main home manager – taking care of the fundamentals of life like cooking, cleaning, shopping, mowing, repairs… all of those ‘mundane’ things that most women have bear the mental load of, even when they are working as well.

He’s freed me up to manage and run the businesses – and we have assisted each other in our respective spheres all this time.

It’s going to be quite the dynamic shift as he goes ‘to work’ (even though he’ll still be mostly working from home, thankfully!) and I take on more of the domestic load for the first time in our relationship.

I couldn’t have a more supportive partner in business and life, and I am so grateful every day that we chose to travel through life together.

Thank you so much, Nick, for all that you are and all that you do. I love you, and I couldn’t have done this without you.

So – I’m not going anywhere just yet, but I wanted you all to know what 2026 has in store.

I will still be here, enthusiastically running my businesses and helping you for the first half of 2026, and I will treasure the chance to work in this space – and with you – for these last few months.

It’s been an amazing career, and it wouldn’t exist without you.

I want to say thank you to YOU.

To the 6,000+ people who’ve bought a piece of Epheriell jewellery.

Thank you for trusting us to make a treasured piece of jewellery. Particularly those of you for whom we’ve made wedding rings. Every one has been special and we’ve been honoured to make it for you.

To every person who’s read my blog posts, my emails, listened to my podcast, or watched a YouTube video – I hope something I said has helped you!

I have put so much free content out there over the years that honestly, you could have built your whole business using just that (and I know people who have, because they’ve told me!).

But, most deeply, I want to say thank you to the thousands of past and present students who have paid me actual money to teach and help you grow your businesses: all I can hope for is that I haven’t let you down.

I hope what I shared made a difference, I hope it was valuable, and I hope that you continue to chase your dreams, whatever they may be.

I have always loved the handmade community – there are still so many genuine, creative, wonderful people making things with their hands and hearts.

And in this ever-more-digital and fast-everything world we live in, I think handmade has more value than ever.

May you all continue to add your unique beauty to the world.

Now I’m going to sign off before I make myself cry.

Keep Thriving,

Jess

The Thriver Circle is open now, for the last time.

Join NowThen and NowNick and I in 2008, at the housewarming for our first rental together. This is where I started Epheriell. I made the seaglass necklace I’m wearing – some of my early jewellery incorporated seaglass found at my local beach.

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Jess Van Den