Package Your Genius Personal Branding Podcast

PYG 98: Break through the old story

An old story - everybody has one.
Typically old stories are framed by absolutes - "I never..." or "I always..." or "I'm not someone who..."
But we have the power to change our actions, and in doing so change our stories.
I want to change the story about myself that I'm not adventurous; I don't travel. I'm broadcasting this episode from Italy where I am in the midst of an adventure - an impromptu trip sparked by a friend who was traveling here for a conference.
By booking the flight (and showing up for it) I changed my mind about myself. I am a woman who travels and has adventures - I'm not just work, work, work.
But you can change any behavior, and the associated identity that goes with it. So what do you want to change?
Pick one negative thing you say about yourself - i.e. "I'm not a person who works out..." and then book something - a training session or pilates class - that refutes that idea. )I've found that if I spend money, I'm less likely to flake out).
I'm going to spend some time on this trip making a list of traits I wish I embodied. Then I'm going to sign up for one thing in each category so I can be on the road to being who I really want to be.
Feel free to hold me to it.

PYG 97: Making yourself at home on your new level

If you're a high achiever who's anything like the people I work with most often, you're always thinking about the next step, and pondering how you'll get to your next level.
You may be making gains in your career, or putting in the work to build your credibility and your personal brand in the process.
But what happens when all your hard work takes you exactly where you wanted it to, but you don't feel quite ready yet on the new level you've rightly earned?
Do you shrink or decide you can't cut it here? Or do you challenge yourself, stretch your legs out, and set out to get more comfortable?
If you've recently found yourself with a new level of client, speaking on a bigger stage, or recently promoted, things may not immediately click at first. 
But give yourself some time, give yourself grace.
You're only on this new level because of all the work you put in before. 
Lean on the steps you took to get to this point, and be confident in my personal mantra that "You've already done the work..."
 
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If you're looking for more media exposure for your personal brand, check out Maximum Exposure my PR mastermind for established personal brands, and apply to join us in July.

PYG 96: Feedback is a gift

It's not always easy to hear other people's opinions about how you can improve - let's face it, we all have egos. 
But in my journey, rarely has my next level of success been on the other side of praise and flowery feedback. It typically only surfaces after I've heard something that I didn't want to hear. 
Ouch.
I talk to professionals of all stripes who find themselves in one of two positions: on the one hand they may be the recipients of feedback that doesn't feel good. The delivery may have been rough. They get defensive or feel hurt.
Or on the other hand they're getting zero feedback - but clearly need it, because their career is at a standstill.
Who would you rather be?
While it's not always great to hear the ways we can improve, if we have people in our lives who are willing to level with us, that's a true gift. 
It's not always easy to welcome it with open arms, but if it can help you fill in your gaps and level up, consider feedback a gift.
 
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If you're looking for more media exposure for your personal brand, check out Maximum Exposure my PR mastermind for established personal brands, and apply to join us for our next cycle.

PYG 95: Turn off the work

Work hard, play hard. 
Nice mantra, but I rarely live it.
In fact, I find it hard to to play hard - but working hard comes easy. 
Maybe you can relate? As a high achiever especially, you may be able to get into your work groove easily, but relaxing your self to play? Not always so easy.
I'm working on being more intentional when it comes to playing hard. What's all the work for after all if I'm not able to enjoy the fruits of my labor?
 
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If you're looking for more media exposure for your personal brand, check out Maximum Exposure my PR mastermind for established personal brands, and apply to join us.

PYG 94: They may not say it, but they see you

So much work we do goes unnoticed and uncelebrated. It's easy to keep our heads down doing what needs to be done.
Sometimes it can feel demoralizing when others don't seem to take notice of all you do at work or at home.
I recently realized how much of my hard work is getting noticed - even when I don't feel think it is. It made me think of how much of what we do is likely more noticed than we realize...
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If you're looking for more media exposure for your personal brand, check out Maximum Exposure my PR mastermind for established personal brands, and apply to join us in July.

PYG 93: Strike while the iron is hot

While it's nice to think it's never too late to follow your dream, in reality, some dreams have a shelf life. 
Whether they depend on you being youthful, a relevant technology, or your own level of personal freedom, there are periods in all of our lives when it's easier to do certain things than others. 
That's why you should strike while the iron is hot. Don't wait to feel ready, don't wait to leap; if you wait too long, you may miss your moment.
As a good friend and PR expert shared with me when discussing one of my brand ideas, "the window for this opportunity will close soon...so if you want to make a mark on this issue, do it soon..."
I share the same idea with you. None of us are getting any younger. Technology changes at rapid speed. The pace of business is dizzying.
If you have an idea that is marketable now, launch it.
If you have always dreamed of living abroad and a job opportunity opens up overseas, take it.
If you have a book idea and the topic is hot right now, write it.
Strike while the iron is hot. Nothing stays hot forever. 
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If you're looking for more media exposure for your personal brand, check out Maximum Exposure my PR mastermind for established personal brands, and apply to join us in July.

PYG 92: How building a brand library can help people find you and your ideas

I'm a collector - and have always been. You could call me a digital packrat, and I couldn't argue with you.
By that I mean, I don't let content go to waste - as much as possible, I create shareable nuggets from whatever I have to say.
No one does this better than Gary V - his entire life is content, and he approaches it as such. 
But for you or me, how can we start building a brand library, and how can it help us?
For me, making sure to create content that creates a hyperlink has been key to growing my searchability over the years. If you google my name, there's a lot to find, and that's by design.
I may not have one million followers, but I have million dollar SEO. 
Being searchable online helps clients find me, and has helped corporations begin the process to bring me into speak.
But it's because I don't "throw away" my best ideas on Instagram stories or Snapchat. I create a record and a library by putting them here, on the podcast or on the blog. Whenever I can, I'm looking for ways to create a hyperlink so my best ideas are instantly sharable.
What about you?
Are you giving your best content away on platforms that don't serve your searchability?
Brand food for thought.
 
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If you're looking for more media exposure for your personal brand, check out Maximum Exposure my PR mastermind for established personal brands, and apply to join us in July.
My childhood friend Koya has a new book and it's now available wherever books are sold. Let Your Fears Make You Fierce by Koya Webb

PYG 91: Staying present to witness what's unfolding

While attending a women's leadership conference in California, I heard one of the presenters drop a nugget that I don't think I'll soon forget.
When addressing a room full of junior leaders, many of whom were concerned about "work-life balance" (or more fashionably, "work-life integration") she mentioned that she didn't think she or any of her fellow panelists believed they 'had it all'.
"I don't think any of us up here believes that we have it all," she said before pausing. "But then again, maybe we do..."
Have you ever considered that you already 'have it all' in this very moment - or at least all that you dreamed of one year ago, or ten years ago? Are you present to the absolute miracles that are unfolding in your personal life, at work, in your business, in your relationships?
We tend to tune out the everyday evolutions, the incremental signs of growth -while making sure not to miss that important email, or phone call or text. And in doing so, we're blind to the many miracles we're ironically setting ourselves up to miss,
I pondered this leading up to a trip to California and shared my musings from the beach. 
 
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I was recently quoted as a personal branding expert in the Washington Post article  - How defining and honing a personal brand can help you stand out. Thank you to Beth Luberecki and the Washington Post for the opportunity to share.

PYG 90: How to Identify Your Process

Your brand needs a process - that is if you want to monetize. 
But are you aware of what your process is? Most people aren't aware of it, but we typically have a way we go about getting results for others. 
If you can outline step-by-step how you make the magic so to speak, your genius will be much easier to communicate and to sell.

PYG 89: Why your genius needs a process

If you're planning to monetize your personal brand - and by that I mean, you're ready to cash in on the expertise you've been unwittingly accumulating over the years, one of the very first things you'll need is a process.
And by that I don't just mean a process to sign people up for your service, or a process to accept payments while those are also important processes to have. 
What I mean by a process is the actual process you take yourself through whenever you're doing what you do best.
It's easy to not even notice your personal process for results when you work within a larger organization - you may confuse your personal process with the organization's process, and the two may be very similar.
But more often than not, you bring a degree of personalization and specialization to everything you tackle, due to the fact that you are you.
Some of the benefits of having a process for your genius?
1. Your current and future clients will know what to expect
2. Having a process makes you feel more confident in what you have to offer - you know there are specific steps to take, so you'll be able to see when things are "off".
3. A process is easier to sell, both for you and to your potential customers. It's easier for you to sell because you can create additional systems - to market, deliver, process payments - and then outsource parts of those systems to other people/technology. It's easier to sell to customers because having a process is just plain sexy. It screams "I've done this before."
4. A process positions you as an expert. When you're able to communicate that you have a specific way of doing things, you step into trusted advisor status - and trusted advisors are more revered, more respected, and better paid. When you can show you have a process to deliver results, you put your clients at ease; they can rest easy knowing you know what you're doing and you aren't just 'winging it'.
What process do you have for your genius? In the next episode I'll share how to identify your process. And trust me, if you're getting consistent results for people, you have one. So let's nail it down.
 
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Package Your Genius - 5 Steps to Build Your Most Powerful Personal Brand is available on Amazon. Check out the new personal branding book today.