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Today I'll pause to listen ... but I won't be muted. As a white person, I've been quiet for too long, & my black friends, clients & community members need my voice. Yesterday at our Impact Circle, we held space for the emotions coming up & we talked about how we can show up as better allies for the people of color in our communities. One thing pretty much everyone in our circle shared was that they feel overwhelmed by it all. They want to speak up more, but fear saying the wrong thing. I get it. Fear of saying the wrong thing has been the #1 thing standing in my way of not saying more before now. I've been afraid of hurting people in my life who I care deeply about. But I've been listening to my black friends ... & you know what I'm (finally!) coming to understand? That silence from those with privilege can be more painful than hearing the wrong thing. So I want to say I'm sorry ... I'm sorry for not speaking up sooner. I'm sorry for leaving you to fight this fight alone. I'm sorry that I've been so concerned about being politically correct that I end up not doing/saying anything at all. From here on out, I'm committed to educating myself ... to learning how to be an anti-racist, not just a non-racist. I'm committed to learning how I can make my biz & community safer & more welcoming to people of color. I'm committed to speaking up more, knowing that I might say something wrong ... & when that happens, I'm committed to listening openly so I can grow and do better next time. If you're a leader with an audience & you want to say something, but you're not sure how to get the words right ... I invite you to shift your perspective. Instead of thinking "I'm the leader, so I have to look like I know what I'm talking about because people are looking to me for direction ..." don't try to come at this issue from the place of "expert". Come at this issue from the place of student. Be open, be willing to listen, humbly learn from your mistakes, open your platform for discussion so you & your community can learn & grow together. This is what I'll be doing in The Daring Fempreneur Community & I hope you'll join me by doing something similar in your own community.
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Have you resisted building your brand because you're afraid it'll limit your creative freedom & box you in? I get it. Creative freedom is important to me too. And I'm here to tell you that you can have BOTH creative freedom & an AMAZING brand that lights you up & feels totally aligned with who you are. Your brand shouldn't box you in so much that you feel restricted from sharing your truth in your biz. BUT... it should box you in enough to create a clear framework for you to create from. And although your brand might put you in a box, it’s a REALLY good box. The kind of box that feels so YOU that you don’t need any other boxes. Benefits of being "boxed in" by your brand: 1. Go deep. When it comes to creative freedom, your brand helps deepen your creativity instead of skimming the surface in a bunch of directions. 2. Stop wasting time. How much time do you waste trying to figure out what to share on social media or in your newsletter? When you're clear about your brand, content creating becomes much easier! 3. Know what clothes to buy. Ever found a really cute jacket, but wondered if you should buy it because you weren't sure if it was "you"? When your brand is clear, shopping confusion is eliminated & you'll show up looking aligned in your clothes everywhere you go! 4. Attract the right clients. Sure, you can work with almost anyone, but do you really want to? When your personal brand is clear your energy will attract your dream clients. 5. Become known & remembered. When you're overly creative in your brand (bouncing from one topic to another without clear direction), it's difficult to become known or remembered for anything specific. Your earning potential depends on being known & remembered: when someone needs your service & resonates with your personality - they'll think of you first! You can think of building your brand as limiting, but I can tell you from experience, that I've never felt more relief (& freedom) than when I got CLEAR about my brand. Ready to free yourself from the business hamster wheel & start blazing forward with a clear brand? If so, reach out! Let's discuss how we can build your brand to be an authentic expression of you!
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I don't have all the answers, but I do know 3 things about you that will serve you incredible well during this time. 1. YOU ARE CREATIVE: You've always been. You’re a creative thinker, always coming up with new ideas and solutions to build your business and support your clients. You’re a creative DOER, literally creating masterpieces to share with the world (books, courses, programs, memberships, etc.) So now it's time to bring your creativity into full swing! The beauty in this situation is that from destruction, new life will rise. And from nothing, you have the potential to create something new that might serve you even better than before. 2. YOU ARE FLEXIBLE: You’ve always had to be because you don’t lead a predictable life or business. You’ve had to learn to go with the flow, to tweak and adjust when things don’t go as planned. To pivot when necessary. It’s the tree that can’t bend that’s broken by the wind. And it’s the entrepreneur who isn't flexible that will be broken by this situation. This might mean letting go of a launch you had planned and pivoting to something else that will serve your audience better during this time. And if not letting it go entirely, it may mean tweaking it so it’s relevant to our current situation. 3. YOU ARE DARING: To me, being daring is the willingness to step into the unknown and trust. And as a Daring Fempreneur, this isn’t new to you. You ARE daring, you have been since the beginning, so take a deep breath and step into the unknown, because while this may be an unknown of heightened magnitude… you’ve been practicing stepping into the unknown for years. When you started your biz, worked with your first client, spoke on your first stage, decided to write a book, created and launched your first course. While this situation isn’t your choice, like the others may have been, you do have a choice about how you show up. About how you’re BEING amidst the chaos. So like I said, I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that this isn’t the time to throw in the towel. It’s the time to be DARING and use your creativity and flexibility to determine how you move forward.
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Recently, I came across a blog post called "You Are NOT a Brand". In this article, the author said (paraphrasing): Wouldn’t it be great if instead of worrying about our personal brands we worried about our integrity? The quality of our work? Or perhaps if we had been kind that day? As a Brand Strategist this makes me sad. Not because I don't agree with being in integrity, being kind or delivering quality work. Of course I do! What makes me sad is that the author is perpetuating (I’m sure unintentionally) a fundamental misunderstanding about personal branding: that to have a personal brand means you're self absorbed, superficial and materialistic. Now let's be clear, the context of this blog post was talking about young online influencers who are obsessed with posting pictures of themselves on Instagram and how many followers they have. But let’s not make personal branding the scapegoat for an unhealthy cultural phenomenon that social media has led to for many young people. Personal branding is NOT about being self-absorbed! Instead, it's about knowing yourself, loving yourself and being confident in yourself, so the people you're meant to serve can find you! If you’re ready to take the ultimate plunge of self love in your business, investing in your personal brand is a gift you can give yourself that will keep on giving. I’d love to be your guide, PM me and let's talk!
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If you're single (or have ever been single 😜) you've probably heard that knowing and loving yourself is an important step in finding your soul mate. It makes sense right? Because the more we know, love and accept ourselves, the more we'll radiate confidence, which is attractive to other people. This confidence also makes it easier for our soul mate to find us, because when we know who we are, the clearer we come off. Knowing and loving yourself doesn't just work for finding love - you guessed it, it also works for finding more of the right clients and expanding your brand. Personal branding is a deep discovery process that helps you know yourself better than ever before and LOVE yourself for the unique qualities only you possess. When you're clear and confident about yourself, you'll attract more clients and tribe members, because they are clear and confident about YOU!
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"I wasn’t even going to come today”... she admitted as she was getting ready to leave. "I felt terrible this morning... exhausted, scattered… like I didn’t want anyone to see me this way. But then I got a text from another member asking if I would be there, and when I said no, she lovingly told me to get dressed and get my butt out the door because I was going, lol. I’m so glad I showed up. My energy has totally shifted after being in this room. I feel inspired again, happy, part of something bigger. I made tons of great connections today. Not only am I so glad I came... but now I have a circle of women who will call me out when I’m playing small and hold me accountable to showing up for what I say I want to create in my business and life. I’m so grateful I found this group.” (Recap from a conversation I had with a new member after our recent “Dare to Connect!” event in Boulder). When was the last time you pushed through the resistance and came out on the other side, glad you did!?
