Episode Details

Burnout isn’t coming from content creation, it’s coming from everything behind it.

In this episode of The After Brief, Lucy sits down with Natalie Barbu, founder of Rella and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, to break down what’s actually happening inside modern social media teams and why so many social media managers are feeling overwhelmed.

From messy approval processes to disorganized workflows, Natalie shares what she’s learned from working closely with thousands of SMMs and agencies and how those insights shaped the way Rella was built.

We also dive into:

• The hidden operational bottlenecks causing burnout for SMMs
• Why most social media workflows are more complicated than they need to be
• The systems that actually allow you to scale without hiring too fast
• How to balance flexibility vs. simplicity in your backend
• The rise of AI assistants (like Ella) and how to use them as a collaborator, not a replacement
• Why listening to your customers is the most powerful growth strategy in any business
• Natalie’s experience earning Forbes 30 Under 30 and how she approached the application process

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “doing it all” but still falling behind, this episode will help you rethink how your business operates and show you what to fix first.

Because in 2026, the SMMs who win aren’t just creative, they’re operationally efficient.

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