Package Your Genius Personal Branding Podcast

PYG 158 - From seeking to SOUGHT AFTER - How to become KNOWN (Rewind)

I’ve never done a rewind episode, before but I was reminded by how many episodes I’ve recorded (157 and counting, yay!) AND how everyone listening hasn’t necessarily been here since the beginning. And even for those of you who HAVE been here since the beginning, some episodes bear repeating, so here we are.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the intentions we set and how even when we make plans, our intentions tend to make the real difference because we never know exactly how we’ll reach our biggest goals.
If one of your intentions for the next season of your career and business is to become known in your industry so you can become sought after instead of always seeking, you need to listen to Becoming Known, a master class I taught last fall.
In it, I break down the 9 elements to becoming known in your industry so you can grow your audience, command higher fees, and reach your goals faster. Visibility is not the end goal, but it is definitely an accelerant if you want to reach your goals faster. Think about it - it’s really hard to become sought after if no one knows who you are and what you do.
If you’re seriously ready to become sought after in your next season, I invite you to apply for PYG Academy’s winter cohort. If you’re accepted and join before December, you’ll get to join our December intention setting and brand planning intensive at no additional cost!
If you're looking to go from seeking to sought after, I invite you to apply to Package Your Genius Academy.  Apply Here >> Application
If you're ready to move from doing the work you CAN do to the work you were BORN to do without losing revenue or credibility, submit your application this week and we'll be in touch!
Apply to Package Your Genius Academy >> Apply Here
Apply to PURPOSESCAPING Brand with Purpose Intensive Only >> Apply Here

PYG 157 - Land a mainstream BOOK DEAL to explode your personal brand

You can land a mainstream book deal during a pandemic without a huge following... 🤯🤯🤯
After working together in our PYGA Agency program this spring and summer, our longtime client and academy alum Amber Cabral, a diversity consultant and Fortune 500 trainer, landed a mainstream book deal with Wiley Press. It all happened really fast - Amber wrote the book over the summer and it will be released on November 17 in just a few weeks.
Since preorders are such a huge piece of helping books do well, we're excited to host an invitation-only master class for those who preorder the book this week. Amber will join Jeanenne Ray, acquisitions editor at Wiley Books in a conversation about mainstream publishing and what you can do to position yourself if landing a book deal as an expert is on your to-do list.
​We’ll be discussing how Amber caught the attention of a major publisher this year, what publishers are looking for RIGHT NOW, and how YOU can potentially land a book deal WITHOUT a huge social media following.
​If you are looking to explode your personal brand through a traditionally published book, this exclusive closed-door conversation is happening Thursday, November 5 at 2pm ET.​
 
How can you join?
To register, you simply need to preorder Allies and Advocates, provide proof that you preordered the book in the last week, and fill in this form by Wednesday. On Thursday morning we'll send you details to access the private Zoom training. 
If you’ve already preordered, please grab ANOTHER copy to gift to a friend or colleague. We want to drive as many preorders as possible before the book is released on Nov. 17!
If you’re looking to peek behind the curtains of how to land a book deal and learn how you can position YOURSELF for mainstream publishing, don’t miss this conversation!!!
On another note, if you're interested in learning some of the same strategies we've shared with Amber over the years - the ones that have helped her become a recurring expert on Fast Company, land a mainstream publishing deal, and grow her business to multiple six figures from zero figures just to name a few, understand that she started out in our 12-week visibility academy. Amber shows up and does the work - she outgrinds everyone AND she's obedient in that she implements what we tell her to do, so her results speak to that. If you're looking for that kind of transformation, I invite you to apply to Package Your Genius Academy.  Apply Here >> Application
This cohort will work a little differently from previous groups.
First, I'll be infusing much of my new PURPOSESCAPING philosophy into the curriculum, so we're covering some brand new stuff!
Second, I'm committed to a six-month journey instead of three.
More time together means more opportunities to go deep with my team and I, more chances to implement, more chances to get feedback on your brand-building assignments, and more time for the lessons to crystallize.
I've noticed that when I bring dynamic groups together to embark on a journey like this, we're unstoppable.
If you're ready to move from doing the work you CAN do to the work you were BORN to do without losing revenue or credibility, submit your application this week and we'll be in touch!
 
That's all for now - I hope to see you in our session with the acquisitions editor at Wiley. If you're a subject matter expert, I believe there has never been a better time to put your ideas out there. It's our time. Let's go!
 
Links from this episode:
Apply to Package Your Genius Academy >> Apply Here
Preorder Allies and Advocates >> Preorder Here
Sign up for the Conversation with Wiley Press >> Register Here

PYG 156 - Where Package Your Genius is Going...

A little update about where the Package Your Genius podcast is going...
 
I haven't sat down to record an episode of Package Your Genius in eight months and for that, I need to be straight up with you and offer my sincerest apologies.
When the year started, I was in a season of searching that took me a little longer than it usually takes at the beginning of a new year. I knew I was on the cusp of a season of personal and business change - I can't tell you how I knew it, but I did know it. And for that reason, I believe my spirit was stuck in quicksand.
I kept trying to put my own plan together for 2020, but every time I'd try, I'd get nowhere. It was like God was saying - "Girl, no need for a plan right now. Stay flexible. Things are about to get weird..."
Then the pandemic hit, and the year began to unravel quickly. I had just launched a high-end group program for established personal brands - AGENCY - and as we onboarded new members, news of the pandemic spread. Two weeks into the new program, my kids' school shut down and transitioned to virtual classes. My husband's corporate job also went virtual so everyone was working from home. Four weeks into the new program, several of my clients reported lost revenue due to pandemic-related cancellations.
I was devastated, terrified, unnerved - you name it. I immediately went into my default recession mental programming. If you know my story, you know that when the Great Recession of 2007-2008 hit, I was laid off from my newspaper staff writer position with a newborn baby and my husband would soon lose his job as well. While I hunkered down and started the first iteration of my PR business, I remember feeling stressed and scared the entire time. In those early months, there was a lot of hitting and a lot of missing - and with a newborn baby, there was so much pressure to succeed for survival's sake.
 
Fast forward to this past spring, and my default story around uncertain economic times started to play in my head. I mean, it was visceral. I could literally feel the panic of 2007-2008 just as if I were once again a first-time twenty-something mother who had just lost her job. Like many parents, I wondered if my kids would mentally be okay spending so much time indoors and if any of us would catch the virus and get sick. I grieved not getting to visit my grandmother on her 90th birthday which coincided with the kids' spring break. More in line with my conditioning though, as I watched news of rising unemployment numbers in the USA, I worried if I would be okay if my clients' businesses would be okay and if I should brace for a season of drought and struggle.
But this time, I was far removed from that 2007 2008 version of myself as a business owner who's weathered her fair share of storms and built something profitable and sustainable - something I am proud of. But that didn't keep me from feeling the physical manifestation of anxiety, and replaying my recession story both mentally and physically.
My fear froze me.
I held off on launching the programs I'd had on my calendar for 2020. I took my focus off of myself and dove into supporting my children as they navigated classes on RingCentral and Zoom. I gave all my energy to my new program clients which paid off handsomely when I witnessed them clawing back to rebuild their 2020 revenues, outline and publish their books, raise six-figure sponsorships, host sold-out virtual events, and land a traditional book deal. I plan to record either a special podcast episode or virtual training on the specific lessons I learned about building your profits via your personal brand even during a pandemic.
 
But anyway, a few of my new agency clients ended up leaving the program early due to their own situations regarding COVID - one, in particular, was a hospital executive who was essentially living at the hospital and putting herself at risk every day to go to work. But some of the clients we onboarded that spring stayed for the full duration of the 6-month program and can I tell you, it was our weekly calls that kept me focused and productive so much so that I need to call them by name - Thank you Tamika, Amber, Tiffany, Kimberly, Tisa, Tanya, and Susan for giving me a place to put my mental focus on the days I wanted to spiral back into my old story.
 
Working with these ladies through the first months of the pandemic was so eye-opening - their courage to keep showing up and continue offering their gifts to the world inspired me to keep showing up and keep offering my gifts to them. In hindsight, working with them really got me through the worst of it - at least what has been the worst of it so far.
 
But back to what happened with the podcast. I knew about a year ago that I needed to pivot my mission and the content for this podcast because I'd started to veer into a new direction with what I was being called to share. Even though it would literally take me 5 minutes to make a list of 20 personal branding topics that would neatly fit under the package your genius umbrella, I prefer to share what is being channeled through me and give you the downloads directly from my source.
 
And those how-to service pieces were not coming through, okay? You probably noticed how you started hearing a lot about nature and purpose and finding your path much more than you heard about how to write a better bio or grow your audience on LinkedIn. Which is why I believe I lost my podcast voice for eight months. Until I was ready to claim this other more "woo woo" part of myself and my voice, I thought it was better to say nothing at all.
 
But I'm excited to announce I have decided to step into the new season of my voice and I've launched PURPOSESCAPING, my new podcast and platform to help you go deeper with your personal brand and clear a pathway to your purpose.
 
PURPOSESCAPING has been in the works for a while, but I'm happy to finally have the opportunity to share it with you. So if you're interested in where I'm going with my new level of thinking, search for PURPOSESCAPING wherever you listen to your podcasts and subscribe. I've also set up an Instagram account just for that brand and it's @purposescaping so please follow along and engage with me there.
 
Now. What does that mean for Package Your Genius? To be honest, I am not 100% sure just yet. However, I did feel like the content I've produced here up to this point is relevant to many of you, and may be relevant to people who discover me for the first time in the future. That's why I didn't rebrand Package Your Genius to PURPOSESCAPING and essentially erase it from the internet. I wanted to let it stand here as a resource to people who still want to check out these 150+ episodes as they may be relevant to wherever you are on your journey. Because everyone won't want to come along - I'm clear that PURPOSESCAPING is not for everybody.
 
Will I continue to update the Package Your Genius podcast? As I see it now, I definitely won't be updating the podcast as regularly as I did before, however I still have tactical content from time to time that would probably make more sense to share here, so I may publish at least one episode or interview here per month. We'll see. I'm not putting a ton of pressure on it as PURPOSESCAPING is my major focus right now. But again, as I have tactical personal branding nuggets to share, I plan to share them with you here.
 
For example, next week I'm hosting one of my longtime students and clients, diversity consultant Amber Cabral in conversation with an acquisitions editor at Wiley Press. They're going to be discussing how to land a traditional book deal as an expert without a huge following, so I may come back on and share a few nuggets from that conversation. If you would like to participate in that live and hear from the book editor and about Amber's experience attracting the attention of a major publisher and landing a book deal in the middle of a pandemic, we are making that conversation a bonus to people who preorder a copy of her book Allies and Advocates, so watch our social media for those details. I'm @packageyourgenius and she's @bamcabral
 
Last announcement, I am excited to open the doors for another group of students of Package your Genius Academy in November. This group will be a little different - I plan to work with this group over 6 months instead of the traditional 3 so we'll get a chance to GO DEEPER into the concepts, and lean into the brand-building challenges. We'll be embedding much of the new PURPOSESCAPING framework into how I teach. If you've been looking to package your genius finally and feel that now is the time check it out. If you want to work with someone and be in community for at least six months, and you have the time to invest as well as the financial resources to invest, reach out. This is a program, not a course and will be priced as such.
 
We're looking for individuals who are
committed to branding the most authentic version of who they are,
ready to step into the NEXT LEVEL of their gift,
high achievers who feel like they've reached a level of success that may impress other people but they know they are being called to do more - even if friends and family think they're crazy for wanting to do more
tired of just doing what they CAN do - what they have the talent, expertise, and skills to do - or what others recruit them to do. We want to work with people who are on a journey to find their true purpose and the work they were BORN to do.
We're looking for coachable clients who understand their PR/Marketing gaps and want to grow. We're looking for those who are willing to be brave and try new things even if they don't understand why you're being asked to do it.
 
Is that you? If so, apply to work with my team and I at packageyourgeniusacademy.com but make sure you do so in the next day or so as we're reviewing applications and getting qualified applicants onboarded soon so we can start next month.
We're not doing a long involved launch this time around - I really want to touch people who are already in my orbit and are familiar with what I'm about so no hard sell here. If you hear about it you hear about it, and if it speaks to you it speaks to you. Because I truly believe the people who are meant to join me over the next few months will hear about it and find their way to applying.
 
That's all for now - know that I've missed you terribly, and I'm grateful to each and every one of you who has given me a reason to turn on my microphone and record into the void. If you've listened this far, be sure to let me know by saying hi on social media, I'm @packageyourgenius on Instagram - and as always don't forget to rate the show and give us a review if you're so inclined.

PYG 155: Who's keeping you from seeing yourself clearly?

As a personal branding coach to high achievers, I have a special insight into the inner lives of many of my clients. And one unfortunate thing many of them have in common? 
They don't see themselves clearly.
Their possibility and their potential for GREATNESS is often obscured by a lack of self-awareness.
So they downplay their gifts, sell themselves short, and end up overlooked for the very opportunities they seek.
Since the company we keep is important, and we base so much of our self-knowledge on what the world is mirroring back, it must have something to do with the people around us, right?
After talking to so many high achievers who don't know one another, I've spotted four sources of this blurred vision.
Here are four types of people who tend to obscure our ability to see our full potential:
1.) the opportunist
2.) the micromanager or toxic leader
3.) the person who sees us as who we used be despite our evolution
4.) the person who's unfamiliar with the territory we were born to roam
Which one resonates with you? Drop me a note online - I'd love to hear from you!
 
***
 
It's that time again. We're putting together the spring cohort of Package Your Genius Academy! If you know you don't see yourself clearly, but you're finally ready to see and step into your full potential, apply to join us. We're accepting applications for the cohort that starts March 10.

PYG 154: Lead with you

This past fall, I had the pleasure of working with conscious business and brand strategist Ash Johns in Package Your Genius Academy.
Ash has quite the bio; trained in corporate advertising, she's also highly spiritual and intuitive. Her spiritual talents and passion for social equity inform her current business where she works as a psycho-spiritual coach.
Before entering PYG Academy, Ash was rightfully hesitant about money. She'd just returned to the U.S. from Bali, and her business wasn't earning enough to sustain her life back in the States.
She craved a business where she could lean into her 'woo' and package premium services with her ancestral healing work front and center.
But she feared it wasn't realistic to expect to make the same kind of money as a healer as she'd made in her six-figure corporate gig.
Ash uncovered during the three months of the academy that she could show up 100% authentically, lead with her spiritual "woo" side, and still make a lot of money.
As a matter of fact, once she shifted her message, reconfigured her packages, and began to lead with her whole truth, she experienced a record revenue month.
I'm so proud of her.
Whether you consider yourself "woo" or just the opposite, let Ash's story inspire you.
Whatever you do and whoever you are, there is an audience for the most authentic expression of your gifts.
But first, you must get clear on your focus and stop denying what's really there.
​
***​
Can you relate to Ash's story? I'd love to hear from you! 
And if you're ready to lean more into YOU, but need support? Our spring cohort of Package Your Genius Academy kicks off March 10. Want to join us? Visit packageyourgeniusacademy.com to submit your application.
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PYG 153: Multi-passionate is a MYTH

A common idea keeps many high achievers stuck in analysis paralysis.
It's the inability to decide on a focus area because they are admittedly 'multi-passionate.'
Every day, talented professionals fail to move their brands forward because they can't pick a direction. I've talked to many people who feel they need a separate website, distinct social media pages and brand identities for each of their passions. Let's face it - that's a lot to keep up.
In my opinion, characterizing yourself as multi-passionate is a bad idea.
For one, it dilutes your credibility, at least in the beginning. Since your audience can only digest one thing at a time, if they're coming to you for your support, your message needs to be crystal clear.
You can hear my four reframes for the multi-passionates in this episode.
***
It's that time again. We're putting together the spring cohort of Package Your Genius Academy! If working on your umbrella message or the umbrella program that can contain the multitude of your passions so you can market more effectively and start earning $10k/month minimum, apply to join us. We're accepting applications for the cohort that starts March 10.

PYG 152: Build on Your Foundation

Trying to figure out the next level of your brand?
As much as you may think you need to start from zero and do something completely brand new, the key may be to go back to the beginning so you can see how you've always been able to summon success. 
Go back. 
Back to the early days.
Back to those foundational experiences that defined you early on.
How have you been always doing what you do?
Too many of us are reinventing the wheel, thinking that "building a brand" means forging ahead into the future with no regard for the past. So we're "starting from scratch" when it comes to our audience, our offer, and even our message about who we are.
But there's information to be found when we go back to the beginning.
Reflect:
1.) Who usually reaches out to you? Who has always reached out to you? What audiences do you have traction with?
2.) Why did those people reach out? Why did they need your help?
3.) What core skills have you been using to help that audience all along?
4.) What feedback did you receive on the way you use those skills? Note: typically adjectives and adverbs will be your answer, i.e. "compassionate, diplomatic, or fast"
 
What parts of your story remain unchanged through the seasons?
This is the magic we're looking for during the personal branding process.
Want more clarifying questions? DOWNLOAD THE GUIDED JOURNAL: 150 Questions to help you find, focus and promote your unique, unmistakable genius - http://www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com/clarity
***
It's an exciting time at Package Your Genius Academy because we have 2 personal branding programs starting soon!
First up, we're running our signature VISIBILITY MASTERMIND. This is 3 months of training, coaching, and community. Our framework was designed to get you clear on who you are/what your brand is about, package your message and content around that newfound clarity, and successfully pitch yourself for speaking, media, and paid client opportunities. This is a great program for you if you're still nailing down your brand and have yet to earn a steady $10k/month from your expertise. ​
Past clients have launched six and multi six-figure expertise-driven businesses on the heels of the academy.
Second, we're incubating a few established brands for the next year with brand coaching, media/content strategy, and IMPLEMENTATION support. This service is perfect for those who have their brand nailed down and revenue coming in. If you can't quite manage all the thinking, writing, design, and pitching that comes with staying CONSISTENTLY VISIBLE while serving a growing roster of clients at the same time, my team and I want to support you.
If you've been looking for a community of fellow high achievers to work alongside to reach your ultimate purpose, we've been waiting for you. Apply here!
 

PYG 151: The Snowball Effect

Activating a project requires a different type of energy than maintaining a project.
You won't always have to work as hard to maintain something as you had to work to get it off the ground.
If like me, you're a high achiever who's grown accustomed to striving, that may feel unfamiliar to you. But at some point, after you've put in the work, understand that the work will become easy. 
The trick here is to remember you've earned the ease.
You don't have to tear down what you've built to "make it hard again."
Instead, now you can reinvest your time, energy and effort into something else that means a lot to you. Now you can reinvest the energy you previously used to get this dream off the ground and put it into something even bigger.
I looked at Dave Ramsey's Debt Snowball Method and applied it to goals, our personal brands, and business projects. But you could take the concept and apply it to almost anything like your relationships, your parenting, or even your health.
 
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If you've been looking for a community of fellow high achievers to work alongside to reach your ultimate purpose, applications to Package Your Genius Academy are now open. Apply here.

PYG 150: Put Yourself in Position

This past weekend, I decided to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by doing a write-a-thon with my kids.
We each have a dormant writing project that could use a little intentional time and focus - Connor has a new fiction project, Logan has a fiction/comic book project, and I have another non-fiction project in the works.
So we dedicated our weekend to writing.
All said we wrote for 6 hours 🤯 over 2 days - broken up in two 90 minute writing sprints each day. In between sprints we snacked, read our work aloud, gave each other ideas/feedback, and cheered for each other.
I always tell my clients how important community is when you’re doing something difficult or brand new.
With writing, it can be hard to stay motivated when I’m all alone, but it was surprisingly easy with a crew. When one person got stuck, we were able to feed off of whoever was flowing. 
Over the two days, we wrote a combined 7,000 words. Stay tuned for updates on our writing projects. We should have some newly finished works to share soon!
It was a really fun experiment and I plan to do it again. They both said it was fun and inspiring to write together.
Watching three very different people approach productivity and writing got me to thinking about how we had to all access different parts of ourselves in order to make the writing weekend successful. This weekend taught me about how to put yourself in a position to win.
Three Ways to Position Yourself to Win:
1. Sometimes you may need to piggyback off of someone else's energy when you aren't feeling it. Who can you get around? Who can you tap into? Who is already going in the direction you want to go in? How can you tag along?
2. Sometimes the simple act of showing up can produce unexpected results. How can you put yourself into the environment where you can meet your goals. You'll be more likely to get into action if you're in the space where said action takes place. The body knows. The mind knows. Muscle memory.
3. Make sure you keep your pantry stocked with your favorite ingredients for success. What have you learned about yourself? What makes you tick? What do you need to get into your zone? How can you incorporate that every time you set out to do something big or new? Some of us know what works for us. So if you know what works, why don't you do it every time? Who can support your genius?
 
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Get to know you!
Get to know your unique ingredients for success with the Package Your Genius Personal Branding Companion Workbook -150 Questions to help you find, focus and promote your unique, unmistakable genius.

PYG 149: What's going on underground?

One of the biggest lessons I've learned from nature is this: the leaves and flowers of any growing plant are not visible all the time.
And the same is true for us as ambitious high achievers.
Even though we may want to be perpetually "in bloom", that's not realistic.
This time of year, it's easy to get swept away in the energy of a new year.
Fresh starts. New beginnings.
But what happens when your grand ambitions for the year have yet to surface? When your actual life doesn't match the hashtags of your favorite inspirational Instagram influencer?
You may be looking for that spring energy - evidenced by sprouting green stems and unfurling baby leaves. But in reality, that may not necessarily be where you are.
If you're currently in a growing phase where your progress isn't visible to the outside world, don't worry. 
Trees may lose their leaves, but they don't die in winter. There's still a lot going on underground.
Some very big and very important things may be taking root. But that's the type of growth that you can't necessarily see.
Don't label yourself as "behind" if your vision for the year hasn't come into focus just yet.
Just because your progress isn't obvious and visible doesn't mean your growth is stalled.
Things are still shifting.
Seeds are cracking open.
Dreams are taking root - even if you can't see it yet. 
*** 
January is one of the BEST months of the year to find and land a new job, and if you’re like many high achievers, you may be looking to make a career move, right now.
But how do you make sure you don't end up in another ill-fitting job one year from now?
The answer? GET CLEAR.
Get clear on what you WANT so you can go after work that is aligned with WHO you authentically are. I share over 100 clarifying questions in the Package Your Genius personal branding book and companion personal branding workbook to help you get clear on what you want and what you bring to the table.
Once you’re clear, it’s so much easier to find work that was tailor-made for you.
Get the book >> http://bit.ly/pygbook
Get the workbook >> http://bit.ly/pygworkbook