The 4 Funnels That Changed My Life (And What Each One Actually Taught Me)

Almost five years ago, I was struggling to find my place.

I was spinning my wheels trying to figure out online business — taking courses, piecing things together, feeling like everyone else had the code cracked except me. Then something shifted. Not because I suddenly had a breakthrough moment of clarity, but because I went through a funnel.

I didn't even know it was a funnel at the time. That's how good it was.

Here are the four funnels that genuinely changed the trajectory of my business — and what each one taught me.

1. Fallon Taylor's Passion Project Funnel

I didn't go looking for a funnel. I went looking for inspiration. Fallon Taylor's Passion Project showed up at exactly the right moment, and I went through the whole thing without even realizing I was in a sales sequence.

That's the lesson. The best funnels don't feel like funnels. They feel like you're being guided toward something you already wanted. You follow the path because it makes sense, not because you're being pressured.

That funnel gave me the confidence and inspiration to dig deeper into online business. And when you're at the early stage — when you're still doubting whether this whole thing is even possible for you — that kind of confidence is worth more than any tactic.

2. Russell Brunson's Traffic Secrets Free + Shipping Funnel

This one brought me to ClickFunnels and eventually One Funnel Away.

The free + shipping model is genius because it filters for serious buyers. Anyone who orders a physical book is more committed than someone who downloads a freebie. By the time I'd gone through the sequence — from the book to the order bumps to the upsell — I understood the mechanics of a funnel from the inside out.

You can't really teach someone what a funnel feels like. You have to let them live it. I lived it, and everything clicked.

3. Kathryn Jones Lish's CF Design School Webinar Funnel

This one didn't just teach me to build funnels. It changed the course of my career.

I went in wanting to learn how to build and sell funnels. I came out a gold-certified funnel builder — and I met some of my best friends in the process.

The webinar funnel format is powerful because it compresses trust. An hour on a live webinar builds more relationship than months of social media posts. Kathryn's funnel was structured perfectly — value upfront, clear positioning, an offer that genuinely solved the problem she'd just spent an hour teaching around.

I study that funnel to this day.

4. Danny Walsh's Fishbowl Funnel

This is the one where it got real.

The Fishbowl Funnel model is simple: you collect leads offline (drop a business card in a bowl, enter to win something), then you follow up via email with value and eventually an offer. Danny Walsh turned it into a full digital marketing system, and when I learned it, I started selling my first products online.

The Fishbowl was where I made my first substantial money teaching others — helping people build their own Fishbowl funnels. That was the moment I stopped consuming and started creating.

What All Four Have in Common

Each of these funnels worked because the person behind it genuinely understood their customer. They knew what their audience was struggling with, what they dreamed about, and what would make them say yes.

None of them led with the sale. Every single one led with value, story, or a result the customer could visualize for themselves.

That's the framework I've built Skip the Struggle on. Not one funnel. Four that changed everything — one at a time.

If you're building your first funnel right now, I want you to remember: you don't need it to be perfect. You need it to be real. Start with the story of someone you can genuinely help, and let the structure follow from there.

One funnel really can change your life. I'm proof.