Package Your Genius Personal Branding Podcast

Too many of us err on the side of humility when it comes to crafting our personal brand messages. But humility won't sell you. Think about the opportunities you're up for - you're likely competing with others. And while you shouldn't view your life as a competition, to a degree it is. When you have to make the case for why you over someone else, your humility can be a liability. Many people fear that they come off as "obnoxious" when they describe why they're the best fit. But if you're telling the truth, there's nothing obnoxious about your truth. It is what it is.   Check out the June 10, 2019 issue of Washington Post Express for a quote by yours truly!

The past 48 hours have been far from ideal. But in retrospect, they could have been far worse. I'm holding onto that nugget as I process the past and attempt to move forward, but quite honestly, earlier today I hit an emotional wall. It is taking some serious self-coaching to get myself back into a good headspace, and I'm not even completely there yet. Thankfully, life has a funny way of giving you perspective when you're too wrapped up in yourself to see how inconsequential the small things really are. What do you do when you hit an emotional or mental wall? How do you bring yourself back? How do you refocus yourself? I'd love to hear how you process.

If you’ve been building your brand for any length of time, you likely have a body of work. But are you leveraging all the work you’ve done and ideas you’ve shared up to this point? I was reviewing one of my websites and realized I have accumulated 6 years of regular content. Yet when people encounter me TODAY, they may only be aware of a small snapshot of what I’ve done. I will be the first to say I could do a better job of sharing stuff from my archives to those who may have missed it the first time. What about you? Remember - good ideas are worth repeating.

When it comes to personal branding, most people will remember the message not the photos or logo. When you eat, breathe ,and live what you care about the most, people take notice. They'll think of your topic and then think of you.   When you stay on message,  you stay top of mind.   You don’t have to be featured in a major publication for people to understand what you’re passionate about. Your passion for what you do should ooze through you at home and at work whether you're delivering a talk on stage or making small talk with colleagues. 3 Ways to stay on message when it comes to what you care about? Rant about what bothers you in the industry Tell personal stories about what has happened to you in relation to your topic of expertise Let your wider network know whenever you get the chance to speak or do formal media on your topic   If people don’t understand what you do, that’s a messaging problem you can fix. My program and others are designed to tackle that. But if people don’t know what you’re

How many times have you formed an opinion based on one person's comment? How many times have you made up your mind about a restaurant, a company, or a city after only having experienced it one time, or reading one bad review? Do you tell yourself a story based on only 1-2 pieces of evidence? And when it comes to going after clients, pitching yourself for media opportunities, or leveling up in your career - have you ever decided to give up after hearing one no? We're all guilty of having done this at least once or twice. But my message for you today? Cast a wider net before you call it quits. This is a wide and vast planet, with over  7 billion people at my last check. While you may not have been able to sell the last person you pitched on your idea, your business or yourself - you have likely not exhausted all of your options. It's impossible to exhaust the option in most things, especially when there are new ones popping up that you may not even be aware of. Here's your reminder of that - before you

I'm not sure if it's a high achiever thing or what, but overthinking has cost me so much as a professional. And it's directly tied to feelings of imposter syndrome. In the past, when feelings of imposter syndrome made me anxious, I would find myself waking up in the middle of the night. If it hit me during waking hours, my stomach would turn somersaults whenever my stress point was triggered. In recent years, I've learned a powerful reframe that I use whenever I start to veer toward anxiety. And that simple mantra? "I've already done the work." Shout out to my friend Dr. Reisha Moxley who gave me that excellent mantra. It's come in handy more times than I can count. If you struggle with imposter syndrome - face it, we all feel like imposters at one point or another - try that mantra on and see how it helps you. Then think if you're letting one failure cripple you indefinitely as I discussed in episode 80. If you find that you are, make a list of every single reason you're ready for this opportunity. An

When I was a little girl, I remember thinking I was always doing too much. In fact, the message was reinforced by the well-meaning adults in my life who I felt wanted to put me in a box. But they probably wanted me to fit in more than anything else. And as a parent now who is in charge of shaping young people, I can relate to the instinct to want your child to fit in at all costs. But some of us were just born to be different. Some of us were born to stand out. Some of us have to do the most - it's just our natural speed. Leaning into this daily podcast challenge has helped me see that doing a little extra is my normal. And while I may not keep the daily episodes going forever, it's certainly easier to pull off than I thought it would be. In part because, I thrive when I'm given a big challenge. I like to be stretched a little more than usual. I'm in my bag when I've got something absurd to achieve.  "Regular" doesn't keep my attention. Reflection questions for you - what were you doing as a young per

I've noticed a funny thing on calls with friends, clients and prospects over the last few days. And that is the idea that because you're giving your skills away to friends and family, they're not worth anything in the marketplace. And it's an easy assumption to make. Think about it - if you routinely offer up your life-changing, career-catapulting, business-building skills to friends and family for free, you'll subconsciously get the message that your skills aren't worth anything. So be mindful when you offer up freebies to those you love. Help friends and family out with your gifts. But don't make the mistake of assuming that just because people don't pay they're not getting massive value from what you're serving up. You're not fulfilling a passion or hobby - you're operating a pro bono business that is already generating value for the world. You just haven't figured out how to extract compensation for the value you provide yet. More on that in a future episode :)

Traumatic events of the past have a way of shaping how we approach our present, and how we plan for the future. I was reminded of that on a coaching call earlier when a client recalled a painful memory about a business venture she abandoned years ago after receiving a single negative review. And the negative review ended up being fake news! The client recanted shortly thereafter, but the damage had been done. The sting of "you're not good enough" forced my client to shut down any dreams she had of pursuing the business, even after hearing that the client was actually happy with her work! It's the subconscious mind that grabs an idea and holds on to it for dear life. It's why so many people allow a failure - real or perceived - to cripple them indefinitely. But these are stories you're unknowingly telling yourself about why you can't do what has been put on your heart to do. And stories are just that - stories. They're not always true. What stories are you telling yourself about why you can't do, go, or

I'm challenging myself to publish a podcast each day this month. Here goes the first episode - what to do when the opportunity seems to big, and you don't feel ready yet. I recently had what felt like life ministering to me when I bought a new bicycle for my son. He had aged out of his kiddie big box store bike, and I wanted to get him a new set of wheels from the bike shop. When I ended up purchasing said new wheels, I immediately had buyer's remorse. Because of his long legs, the salesperson had advised me to go with an adult-sized bike instead of the older youth bikes. But when the new bike came in and we went to pick it up, I immediately felt it was too big. Knowing my child - and his reckless, careless tendencies - it felt like a recipe for disaster. But disaster wasn't exactly what was on the menu for him. His ability to grow quickly taught me a lesson about how poised for growth we all are. Listen in and chime in. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

May is Mental Health Month and I've been meaning to do an episode on mental health for some time. I mainly wanted to talk about what I've experienced personally, and what I've witnessed with other high achievers.   As you know, my personal branding and coaching practice is geared towards high achievers and with that comes a unique brand of personality - typically I work with hard-driving, ambitious, super smart people who have been working hard to achieve since childhood.   While many of us are simply wired this way, I've increasingly been pondering how achievement can sometimes be more harmful than helpful, and how easily we can straddle the line between performing at the highest levels and burning ourselves out.   I have personally struggled for decades with anxiety, depression, and perfectionism; on the one hand, I believe that the unique way my brain is wired makes me a more sensitive thinker, a more eloquent writer and a more connected coach. I am able to relate with a range of emotional and life experie

Today I'm here to shake you up, to wake you up, and remind you of how POWERFUL you inherently are.   And I'm only sharing with you because I've had to get myself together a time or two in recent days, so I wanted to share a practice that has been helpful to me.   Most people understand the power of gratitude - how simply making a list of ten things you're thankful for can take you from "in a funk" to "on cloud nine" in less than the time it takes you to make out the list.   Ask me how I know.   But another side effect of gratitude for me is getting a clear picture of my own power.   I was making out a gratitude list recently and was expressing my gratitude for two concurrent group programs through Package Your Genius Academy, as well as a team to support my students. Just one year ago, I checked out because I was BURNT OUT - I had run two live cohorts each year in 2016 and 2017 while still managing my one on one client work. I was getting my kids prepped to apply for new schools and fundraising for my 10 yea

  Do the joyful thing and don't take your gift for granted.   I've been reflecting a lot on joy, life, our time on earth and the like - for a number of deeply personal reasons.   For one, it's been exactly one year since the sudden passing of my dear friend who was like a big sister. And as I've shared on the podcast before, hers was one of those rare friendships that comes along once in a very long while.   I pride myself on pouring into others and encouraging them to see themselves - well she poured into me, and encouraged me to see myself. She was a huge cheerleader for my writing and the work I'm doing here, so it was an unfathomable personal loss for me, and so unexpected.    I've been spending the last week or so reflecting on our friendship, thinking about her, and the gift she was to this world. Which always serves as a pressing reminder that none of us knows how long we have here on Earth.   Secondly, I've been in and out of sickness for the better part of the last two months. It started out as a res

You may be great at what you do - you have a phenomenal message, you do life-changing work, you're seriously a game-changer.   But the reason you have yet to blow up and your business has yet to take off?   No one has heard of you.   You may be thinking, 'Duh, Amanda. Tell me something I don't know...'   I get it. If you're here because you're interested in building your personal brand, you probably already know that you want more people to know about you.   But what you may not know is this: you have more power over the fact that no one knows about you than you think.   And that's because the main reason no one has heard of you is YOU WON'T TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU DO.   And if you do tell them, YOU REFUSE TO REPEAT YOURSELF.   You don't have more opportunities on the table because you're not telling people you're open to working with them.   You're not telling people how they can take advantage of what you have to offer. Or once you've told them one time, you're not following up by reminding them.    You can't

Applications are open for the next round of Package Your Genius Academy that starts in early May. To learn more about the program and submit your preliminary application, please visit Package Your Genius Academy.   The idea of going slow, taking baby step and waiting for permission to start is a syndrome that holds so many of us back. When you know your stuff and are a genius in your own right, your gift is likely more ready for the world than you think. It's up to you to stop overthinking it. I'm excited to share this conversation with a powerful woman who did just that. I met this tremendous being when she was on the cusp of a major life change and she enrolled in the Package Your Genius Academy fall 2018 cohort. Rebecca Thompson is a Clarity + Career Coach for bold, politically minded women. After losing her election for State Representative by just 6 votes on Election Day, she has made it her personal mission to help other women of color run for office and to create the life and career of their dreams

What's your secret sauce? What makes you unique? How is your approach different from that of everyone else? What makes you, you? When it comes time to package a message around one's personal brand, clarity on those distinguishing factors seems to be where most people struggle. But I've found that our pivotal life moments - the moments that are forever etched in our memories - tell the story of who we really are. Because more often than not, who we are is who we've always been. The life moments, our first or earliest memories of feeing disappointed, torn, devastated... Our first recollections of feeling powerful, exhilarated, energized... Those first memories of feeling confused, furious, or that life was unfair... What do you remember? What sticks out to you, even now? How did those life events change you?  *** I have a vivid memory of playing on the playground in elementary school. My elementary school was pretty racially diverse, but socially segregated. Yet somehow I always found myself stra

Popular advice from the coaching and co-working world these days is "Do What You Love..." It's a powerful mantra - one that I believe - but it throws so many people for a loop. How can you do what you love if you've never really done it before? How can you bring your life's purpose to the forefront if you're not sure what it is? And how can you figure out what you're supposed to be doing when you're feeling stuck, drained, or uninspired? I have a clue for you. If you're searching for work that you love, start paying attention to what LIGHTS YOU UP. Are you aware of what energizes you?  What about what drains you? What people are always a joy? What people are always a pain? If you're ready to find your life's work and bring purpose front and center, first you need to assess your ENERGY. And I have a free tool to help.  Get the process of inquiry my clients use to understand their energy and plan a pivot towards more fulfilling work.  Download the Package Your Genius Brand Energy Assessment here 

Experts: stop overthinking it! Visibility does not have to be as hard as we're making it.  After countless conversations with students, clients and friends, I wanted to establish once and for all how easy it is take what you're already doing and repurpose it for visibility and even revenue, if you're so inclined. Regardless of where you are in the personal branding process, you can repurpose your advice - the thoughts you have and expertise you share - into more tangible ways to support infinitely scalable more people. Want to reach more people? Here are 5 types of advice you can repurpose: 1) 1:1 Client Sessions - Do you have coaching, consulting or strategy sessions with your clients? Do you frequently brainstorm with work colleagues one on one? If you're frequently giving the same advice over and over again, maybe it's time for you to repurpose that into something bigger. You can repurpose the advice you've given during your 1:1 client conversations into: media interviews - sessions provide great f

Spring is almost here, and in my opinion, this is the perfect time to be thinking like a planter. If you owned a farm and were preparing for the spring planting season, what would you be doing? Likely assessing last year's harvest to determine what worked and what didn't. You may talk to your customers to find out which crops were most in demand, and which ones you could plant less of. You'd be spending time making the decisions that would impact your season of growth. The same can be true for your brand. At this point in the year, you likely know about the major speaking engagements that are on the calendar. You know about most of your major travel. If you're an entrepreneur, you have an idea of the major service or program launches happening soon or later in the fall.  How are you preparing? Better yet, how are you planning to make a record of the success you're going to create in the upcoming growth months of the year? I spoke with a current Package Your Genius Academy student who has a number of b

Allissa Richardson, PhD is the assistant professor of Journalism at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. A 2016 graduate of Package Your Genius Academy, Dr. Richardson is also a pioneer in mobile journalism, and was one of the first professional journalists to teach storytelling and reporting using smartphones and mobile cameras.  Allissa trains youth to use only smartphones, MP3 players and tablets to report news. She calls her students mobile journalists, or MOJOs. At age 25, she joined the faculty of Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. She served as coordinator of its journalism program, and launched and directed the Morgan MOJO Lab in 2010. Under her leadership, Morgan State became the first and only historically black college in the country to offer mobile journalism courses.  The National Association of Black Journalists said Richardson empowered her students around the globe “to speak truth to power using new media.” In spring 2012, N