Package Your Genius Personal Branding Podcast

For high achievers, it's common for us to become immune to our accomplishments. Before the triumph of a win has settled in, we're on to the next. After jumping a major hurdle, we've already mentally raised the bar again before our feet even touch the ground. The danger is that doing this creates a diminished and completely false self-image. We're BOSSES in the world, yet when we diminish our accomplishments we begin to mentally see ourselves as ordinary people who have yet to do big things. But in actuality, we've done a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. What would happen if you gave yourself more credit? How would things be different? How might you see yourself? What might you have the courage to do? Who might you have the confidence to approach? What rooms would you be willing to walk into? What clients would you have the gall to pitch? It's taken me years to learn this life-changing lesson: Just because an accomplishment has become your norm, doesn't make it normal. Just because y

I don't know about you, but I've never gotten really good at something without a ton of practice. And yet, when we get caught up in our perfectionism, we rob ourselves of the valuable practice that would make whatever we're contemplating, well, perfect. When we don't put ourselves out there, we miss out on the practice of sharing our ideas clearly having sales conversations powerfully articulating our value improving our timing and presence understanding what our audience wants getting comfortable doing uncomfortable things. Best-selling books don't magically appear. They take weeks, months, and sometimes even years of writing, refining and marketing before they reach that status. World-class speakers all typically have a speaking horror story or two in their back pocket. Even when you look at the best podcasters and Youtubers who garner millions of downloads and views, most started with bad lighting, unprofessional audio. But they were up to the task of practicing to become the best version of th

You don't need a perfect blueprint to lay the first stone. And yet, as high achievers, many of us would rather wait until we have the most failproof plans before taking the smallest action. But action, no matter how imperfect, will refine even our best plans. I learned this (again) recently when I decided to make a pivot. I went from hosting a one-day virtual event to hosting a one-month evening intensive after thinking through the needs of my academy alumni. But in this mindful pivot, I uncovered how I could feed two birds with one seed and my new book - The Brand with Purpose Planner - was born! So in this case, taking imperfect action not only led me to a BETTER course of action, but it also created the residual effect of giving me the impetus to produce a book product that has been on my brand vision board list for years! Talk about a serious ROI on taking imperfect action. What have you been smothering with the expectations of perfection?  What ideas have you let simmer and go cold on the back bu

If you're anything like me, you've probably had a zillion ideas that somehow 'magically' dropped into your spirit - things you somehow knew you were supposed to be doing, or chances you new you were supposed to be taking, but you couldn't explain how you knew exactly what you knew. You may call it intuition, your inner knowing, God or the Holy Spirit. Whatever you call it, you know when you've gotten a direct download. But acting on those downloads is another thing all together.  I've received clear downloads for years, but I haven't always been obedient about taking them and acting on them. But last year when I decided to be obedient to one specific download, I realized that all along, my obedience had been the key to unlock a level I didn't even know was there! My obedience produced the missing puzzle piece to a specific goal that had eluded me for years. To experiment with this concept, ask yourself: Have you ever acted on a big goal even though you were terrified, and been surprised by the results?

It's The Fifth and Final Day of the Brand with Purpose Challenge! You can find Day One of the challenge, here and Day Two of the challenge here, and Day Three of the challenge here and Day Four of the challenge here. Today, we're going to take everything we brainstormed and wrote down in the challenge workbook and use it to map out the month by month calendar for next year. I've asked you what you will make it a priority to create next year. If you've decided to write your book or launch your conference, now ask yourself when. When is your launch date? When will the event be? I've asked you what type of visibility you'll go after - from media and podcast interviews to speaking. When will you go after it? I've asked you what program or service it's time for you to launch. When will you launch that new program or double down on the old? The key word of today is WHEN. It's one thing to brainstorm something new to create or launch, but when we don't take the time to decide when exactly it will happen, it's

It's Day Four of the Brand with Purpose Challenge! You can find Day One of the challenge, here and Day Two of the challenge here, and Day Three of the challenge here. Today we're going to think through what we need to launch in the coming year to increase our revenue. What program or service is it time for you to launch? What is your existing audience begging you to bring forth? What have people asked for your help with this year? Does it make sense to create a course or strategy session around it so you can offer it to your wider audience? If you know you want to make an income leap next year, you can definitely wing it and still earn more, but you probably won't hit your goal revenue or income number if you don't plan. What $$$ number do you want to reach? What's your plan to reach it? Whether you're full-time in your business or still report to a 9-5, there are ways to create a revenue stream based on your expertise. You just have to find one that fits your style and schedule.  But when you think

It's Day Three of the Brand with Purpose  Challenge! You can find Day One of the challenge, here and Day Two of the challenge here. Today we're going to focus on what we need to promote in the coming year to increase our visibility. What vehicles are you using to promote yourself next year? What times of the year will you be reaching out to media? What conferences and events will you apply to speak? As you've heard me say before, your expertise is likely more relevant at some parts of the year than others. For people in the coaching and transformation space, the New Year is one of the very best times of year to make a splash in the media, or to get people excited about our content. But for those in the financial space, April around tax time in the U.S. is a strong time to have one's expertise considered for potential speaking engagements and media segments. It's all about understanding your audience and when they'll be most interested hearing from you. When will they most need the ideas and strategies

It's Day Two of the Brand with Purpose challenge! If you missed Day One of the challenge, listen to that episode here. Today we're going to focus on what we need to create in the coming year to optimize our personal brand platforms. What you are going to add to your platform? What can you evolve?  To give you some examples from my own brand platform, in 2016 I launched the first iteration of Package Your Genius Academy group program, and it has become an anchor program in my business. But in 2014, I launched an information product called The Branding Box that paved the way for Package Your Genius Academy and formed the basis of the curriculum I would eventually teach. More recently, in 2018 I published the book Package Your Genius: 5 Steps to Build Your Most Powerful Personal Brand. The book has also become a pivotal piece of my brand platform as it has helped me reach new students for the academy, and attracted new paid speaking invitations. The point is, you don't want to create for creation's sake:

I’ve done some fun daily challenges on my podcast this year - in June and October I podcasted every day of the month.   As we approach a new year and decade, I wanted to do another daily challenge, but I wanted to do it with you.  For this podcast challenge, I’ve carved out time for us to work together over 5 days to accomplish one big goal: map out our plan for 2020. Welcome to the 5 day Brand With Purpose Challenge! Eek!  I’m so excited! The mission of Brand with Purpose is simple: it’s a chance to be intentional about how we approach our platform, visibility and revenue in 2020.  No more winging it and hoping for the best.   Here’s a little preview of what’s in store over the next five days: Day One: We're kicking off the challenge by looking back. Where have you been winning in 2019? Where can you build on that momentum in the coming year? Day Two: Next, we’ll put a heightened focus on what you are going to do to add to or evolve your brand platform. Is it time to launch a program or write your

There is a simple mistake I see often with my personal branding clients, and those who are setting out to package their genius. I've even made this mistake myself. When it's time to finally get paid from our genius, we often start with the question "what can I sell?" instead of thinking in terms of what our potential customers need from us. While so many people start the brainstorming process here, there's a far more customer-centric way to begin brainstorming products and services that will sell easily. This simple shift is an easy fix, let me know if you're asking this question when you begin to brainstorm your next program.

During a series of enrollment calls with potential students for my most recent cohort of Package Your Genius Academy, I heard a refrain I hear so often when speaking with people who are considering making the investment of time and financial resources.  "Maybe this can wait..." For reasons that differ for everyone, putting ourselves first is often the last thing we think to do. Putting our own needs and pursuit of our own personal fulfillment comes in dead last after immediate work obligations, the needs of our family members, and for some, the demands of church and community.  But time waits for no man. And while I think most of us grasp the fact that no one has "all the time in the world..." we often forget that our prime won't last forever. We won't always have the energy, the network, the health, the free time, the money....the list goes on and on, to do what we want to do now. So how are you taking advantage of your current season? If there's something you've been meaning to do, and you have the ti

This is a replay of my personal branding MasterClass Becoming KNOWN - The 5 Essential Shifts to Unlock Your Personal Brand Authority. When it comes to building your personal brand, at a certain point it becomes less about your skills and talents, and more about your comfort with putting them out there. If you've worked in your industry for a decade or more, you're likely skilled beyond question.  You need a new set of skills to shift how others perceive you. You need a new strategy to step into your worth, and communicate that confidently to others.  You need to step into your BRAND AUTHORITY. And this doesn't come naturally to everyone. If you... have been perpetually on the fence about starting a side hustle or otherwise earning extra income from your skills know you aren't earning all you could at your current level of experience and expertise have spent your career in the background and struggle stepping into the spotlight have had several brilliant ideas for businesses, books, non-profits or cr

When it comes to building your personal brand, at a certain point it becomes less about your skills and talents, and more about your comfort with putting them out there. If you've worked in your industry for a decade or more, you're likely skilled beyond question.  You need a new set of skills to shift how others perceive you. You need a new strategy to step into your worth, and communicate that confidently to others.  You need to step into your BRAND AUTHORITY. And this doesn't come naturally to everyone. If you... have been perpetually on the fence about starting a side hustle or otherwise earning extra income from your skills know you aren't earning all you could at your current level of experience and expertise have spent your career in the background and struggle stepping into the spotlight have had several brilliant ideas for businesses, books, non-profits or creative projects in the past but haven't brought yourself to pull the trigger would like to step into your power and to rise to the sta

Today marks the official end of my September podcast every day during the month challenge.  And can I tell you a secret? I failed...spectacularly! I missed six full days of the challenge, and since this is my second daily challenge for the year, I technically failed in comparison to the challenge I completed in June.  But even though I missed six days of the challenge, I still came out ahead in terms of listener engagement, downloads and growth as a podcast host. Score! Which made me think about the way we sometimes label our efforts a failure if we aren't able to meet a very specific goal. But if we set a big goal that we plan to reach over time, if we move toward that goal but don't reach the goal we set, we still likely made significant process, and there's no reason to give up the goal all together. Progress is winning. If you have big goals for this year, the final quarter of the year is upon us! It's the final week to submit your application for the fall cohort of Package Your Genius Academy. Ou

If you ever find yourself feeling too busy, too overwhelmed, or too burdened with to dos and it's standing in the way of you packaging your genius and making the impact you're meant to make on this world, you need to generate a surplus. And while it seems counterintuitive, much of that surplus can be connected to making more time (I know, I know -  you're already stretched thin) for yourself. But this is a personal experiment I've been conducting in my life, and the results have been priceless. Since implementing a more intentional and daily self balancing routine I have experienced: more clarity on my business challenges clarity on what is standing in my way personally motivation to push through on hard things patience and grace with myself perspective - understanding when I'm assigning too much or too little significance to something a higher tolerance for stress resilience If you're too busy to package your genius, putting yourself back on the calendar is a practice I encourage you to try. Get

We hear a lot about self care - how to get it, why we need more of it, and what does or doesn't constitute it. But lately I've been made aware of the residual effects and payoff of self care - how it benefits me long after I'm in the practice of doing or getting what I need.  And it makes everything related to my ideas, my planning, my long-term thinking crystal clear. If you struggle with overwhelm, anxiety, irritability and lack of focus, I highly recommend you thinking through the self care practice that makes the most sense for you. And check out Dr. Thema Bryant- Davis's episode on the Homecoming Podcast about self care. Very powerful stuff.   *** As our enrollment season comes to a close, I welcome you to apply for the opportunity to work together in Package Your Genius Academy this fall!   Enrollment is closing soon for the personal brand visibility academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.

I recently discovered a truth about myself I had been unable to see for years. I realized that I had been telling myself a story that simply wasn't true. While the story was rooted in my personal experience. I fail to take into account the fact that my situation has changed.I was holding on to a truth that matched a past version of me. Can you say the same? How many times have you decided who you are and what you can do based on who you've always been and what you've always done?  You can change. You can change your vehicle. You can choose a new, true, story.

Even when we fail the first time, our dreams are worth fighting for. Package Your Genius Academy was a dream of mine that almost didn't happen. I failed launching the program the first time, but have since gone on to work with 7 cohorts - now enrolling my eighth. One of the things I often reflect on is what might have been lost if I hadn't gotten back up and tried again. When I think of the lives that have been impacted directly by the academy, and even more importantly, the people I'll never know but who have been impacted by the students who've gone to the academy. It's a humbling thing to see the ripple effect your work can start! LaShonda Walker is one of our PYGA ripples. She joined in May of 2019 on a quest to find deeper meaning for her work. She used her time in the academy to gain clarity on her purpose, and essentially remember who she'd always been and what she's always loved. It's an honor to see LaShonda ignited and on a new path all her own.   *** I welcome you to apply for the opportunity

Believe it or not, I'm a hardcore introvert.  Networking events are my least favorite thing right after small talk. But I realized at some point that if I wanted my business to grow, I'd have to get in front of new people.  I needed a way to show strangers what I knew and what problems I solve if I ever wanted new clients to hire me. Enter the media. What other way can you get in front of thousands while only interacting with a handful of people to make the interview happen? But most introverts see media as a big overwhelming proposition when in reality, there are a number of ways you can approach it. I came up with a few media exposure personality types. Which one are you? The Thinker - The thinker has ideas to share and recommendations to make. They would rather share those ideas in a long form way by writing. Their dream media placement would be a New York Times op ed or an essay in the Atlantic The Talker - The talker loves to engage. And short snippets just won't do, they prefer to get into it and

From The Spruce.com: Not all plant seeds are ready to sprout as soon as you put them in the soil. Some hard-shelled seeds need a bit more coaxing and some need a temperature change to trigger the end of dormancy. Scarification (cracking the hard outer shell) and stratification (fooling seeds into thinking they've been through winter) are two simple techniques that will save you a lot of frustration when starting seeds. Stratification and scarification occur naturally when seeds stay outdoors through the cold winter. Some seeds have outer shells that are extremely hard and don’t allow water through. This is one way a seed stays dormant in the fall and winter until growing conditions improve.   You may be upset when you look for your efforts to bear fruit and you can't see the evidence above ground. Sometimes the action is not visible, you may be in a dormant phase in preparation for your growing season. Not all seeds are ready to sprout as soon as you put them into the soil. You may look at what other