Coaching & Advisory

You didn't start a media business because you love sales calls.

You started this because you love the work — the reporting, the writing, the chance to own your IP and your career. You wanted a business that gave you freedom, energy, and joy.

But if you've done what you set out to do, that also means your responsibilities have grown ten fold. Coaching gives you an experienced media leader in your corner — someone who's been where you are, who'll help you see clearly, and who'll push you to build something sustainable.

See Coaching Options → Meet Your Coach

You've done the hard part.
Now do it smarter.

You're closing deals, making product decisions, leading strategy meetings, hiring, talking to investors, and figuring out how to keep the business growing in a world that seems hell bent on making that growth plateau.

You're probably so deep in your business that it's hard to see the small tweaks that can have a significant impact. The biggest benefit of coaching is accountability, support, and an outside eye.

Coaching isn't about doing more. It's about getting clarity on what actually matters, building systems that work without you in the room, and having someone who's seen the patterns before — so you don't have to figure it all out alone.

Blair Hickman, Project C Lead Coach
Your Coach

Blair Hickman

Blair is a media executive who has led business strategy, audience growth, and innovation at places like Vox and ProPublica — and has coached dozens of journalists on how to launch and grow independent media businesses.

She combines traditional coaching elements — asking questions, letting you come to the answers — with real-world expertise in newsroom management, creator journalism, human-centered design, data, audience growth, and revenue. We fuse coaching, advising, and teaching, depending on what you need.

We create space to ask questions and be gentle around how hard this is — and give you real talk when you need it. Project C co-founder Liz Kelly Nelson is also in the wings for support.

Former Vox Executive ProPublica Business Strategy Audience Growth Revenue & Monetization Human-Centered Design
Two Ways to Work With Us

Find the right fit for
where you are

Whether you want deep, personalized 1-on-1 guidance or the energy and accountability of a cohort, there's a coaching path for you. Both start with a free conversation to make sure we're a good fit.

Flexible & Personal

1-on-1 Coaching

For creator journalists at any stage who want to level up. A mix of coaching, teaching, and thought partnership — tailored to your specific goals and challenges.

  • ✓ 90-minute kickoff to identify goals, roadblocks, and build your custom roadmap
  • ✓ Two 60-min coaching sessions with Blair per month, with action steps
  • ✓ Resilience coaching to sustain you through the hard parts
  • ✓ Async Slack + voice note support between sessions
  • ✓ Document reviews (pitches, grant proposals, sales copy)
  • ✓ Access to resource library, templates, and vetted freelancer network
$1,000/month
4 months. Or $3,800 upfront (save $200). The first step is a free chat.
Book a Starter Chat →
Cohort Program

Accelerate

A transformative 4-month program for seasoned creator journalists making $100K+ in revenue. Combines 1-on-1 coaching with the support of a small mastermind of peers. Next cohort starts summer 2026.

  • ✓ 90-minute kickoff + custom roadmap for your business
  • ✓ Two 60-min 1-on-1 sessions with Blair per month
  • ✓ Monthly facilitated mastermind with your cohort
  • ✓ Async Slack + voice note coaching between sessions
  • ✓ Document reviews (grant proposals, partnership decks, sales copy)
  • ✓ Private Slack room with your cohort
  • ✓ Complimentary year in the Project C Community
  • ✓ Access to vetted freelancer network + resource library
$1,400/month
4 months. Or $5,300 upfront (save $300). Limited to 6 spots per cohort.
Book a Starter Chat →
Together, We'll

What coaching looks like

Every engagement is different. Here's the kind of work we do together — whether you're in 1-on-1 coaching or Accelerate.

🎯

Clarify your goals & priorities

Cut through the noise and get clear on what matters most for your business right now — not six hypothetical futures, just the one that actually moves you forward.

📈

Find growth & revenue opportunities

Review your business model with fresh eyes. Identify the opportunities you're too close to see and build a realistic plan to pursue them.

⚙️

Build systems that run without you

Develop processes and workflows that keep things humming even when you step away. Delegate with confidence, not anxiety.

💪

Strengthen your leadership

Whether you're managing a growing team or flying solo, step into the leadership your business needs — and find the capacity you didn't know you had.

📝

Get real feedback on your work

From grant proposals to partnership decks to your editorial strategy — get honest, expert feedback that drives audience and business growth.

💡

Build resilience & reduce overwhelm

Identify the small shifts that unlock capacity and mental space. This isn't just about growing your business — it's about making the work sustainable and keeping you whole while you do it.

Our Approach

Not corporate consultants.
Not cheerleaders.

We're practitioners who've built things — alone and with teams. Our coaching is grounded in real experience, not theory. Here's what guides us.

Data-Informed Intuition Human-Centered Design Iterative, Not Perfect Sustainable Growth Playful & Honest Collaborative

FAQ

Still have questions? Email us — we're happy to talk it through.

Coaching with Project C combines traditional coaching elements — asking questions, letting you come to the answers — with expertise from real-world experience in newsroom management, creator journalism, human-centered design, data, audience growth, and revenue. We fuse coaching, advising, and teaching depending on what you need. We create space to ask questions and be gentle around how hard this is, and give you real talk when you need it.
You get out of this what you put in. Coaching sessions and mastermind calls (for Accelerate) take about 3 hours per month. Beyond that, it's up to you how much time you spend implementing the changes we identify together. For 1-on-1 coaching, sessions are twice a month plus async support — the rest is on your schedule.
Going Solo is a group workshop designed to help journalists launch new ventures — it's for people who haven't started their business yet. Coaching is for creator journalists who are already building and want strategic support to grow. Think of Going Solo as the launchpad and coaching as the flight plan.
We focus on strategic foundations — making your support system, processes, and strategies sustainable. This builds your own capacity for transformational change. We also offer personalized feedback on work that drives audience and business growth. If you need tactical support — someone to just do the work of, say, writing a grant proposal — we can connect you to outside contractors.
If you want deep, personalized attention and prefer working privately, 1-on-1 coaching is a great fit at any career stage. If you're making $100K+ in revenue and want the added energy and accountability of a peer group, Accelerate gives you both 1-on-1 time and a mastermind community. Not sure? Book a free starter chat and we'll figure it out together.
1-on-1 Coaching is $1,000/month for four months, or $3,800 upfront (a $200 discount). Accelerate is $1,400/month for four months, or $5,300 upfront (a $300 discount). For a quarter of the price of an entry-level employee, you get an experienced media leader in your corner who has experience building things both alone and with teams.
The first step is a free starter chat — a short conversation with Blair to make sure coaching is a good fit for where you are and what you need. No pressure, no commitment. Reach out and we'll find a time.

The first step is a conversation.

Whether you're ready for Accelerate or exploring 1-on-1 coaching, let's talk about where you are and where you want to go. No commitment, no pressure — just a conversation.

Book a Free Starter Chat → Back to Project C