Community Trends for the Age of AI with Becky Pierson Davidson

In 2026, “community” is the new trend. The barrier to entry to launch a membership or community is lower than ever, which means the bar for making one worth staying in has never been higher.In this episode, we talk with Becky Pierson Davidson, founder of Affinity Collective, a boutique agency and the digital product partners behind memberships and apps that actually work. Becky spent a year as head of product at BossBabe managing thousands of members, decreased refund rates, and came out with a clear-eyed framework for what makes community sticky. She now works with 6, 7, and 8-figure founders to build community-driven products — and has just launched her own membership, the Affinity Collective, for community builders who are ready to scale. (Jessica is enrolled!)We talk about the most common mistakes community builders make in 2026, why overwhelm is the number one reason people leave, and how to think about designing a member journey that actually holds people — whether you’re running a community of practice, a transformational program, or something in between. We also hear about Becky’s Seven Figure Connected Community Model: Architect, Activate, and Amplify. (Ed Notes: Being documented in show notes is one way frameworks get found in search!!)* Why overwhelm — not lack of engagement — is the #1 reason people leave communities in 2026* What “meaningful engagement” actually looks like — and why forum activity is the wrong metric* The difference between a community of practice and a transformational community (and why they need different engagement designs)* Why AI is both the competitor and the opportunity for community builders right now* Becky’s framework for choosing between a bootcamp, a program, and a membership based on how long transformation actually takes* How to design for the 30–40% of members who are lurkers — and why that’s completely normal* The power of onboarding and a shared starting point* Why the commitment of a community might be the most human act in your business“People kind of are scared of building community because of the commitment of it. They think in order to do this they have to be super extroverted or they have to show up forever. But there’s lots of ways to build this into your business without having to be a front stage performer. Whenever we’re working on a community strategy for somebody, we’re thinking through, ‘What’s your business vision, how you do you want to show up, what’s your zone of genius?’. We ask those questions so that we build not only an experience that works for members, but also an experience that works for you as a business owner. Because human connection — like when you have low months and you have rough chapters — it’s your community that gets you through.” - BeckyAbout Our GuestBecky Pierson DavidsonResources MentionedBuild with Becky Podcast (Becky’s micro podcast on community topics) The Lab by Jay Clouse (where Jessica and Becky met) Craft and Commerce ConferenceConnect with UsListen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsMeg CaseboltJessica Lackey This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aggressivelyhuman.substack.com