Package Your Genius Personal Branding Podcast

Hello, this is Amanda Miller Littlejohn, and thank you so much for tuning in to this special series of the podcast focused on my new book, The Rest Revolution: How to Reclaim Your Rhythm and Conquer Burnout When Overworking Has Become the Norm, which comes out on November 13th. I'm thrilled to share this book with you because I believe it's my most important work yet. In The Rest Revolution, I explore how we've been conditioned to treat ourselves like machines and how this mindset leads to burnout, exhaustion, and a disconnection from our true selves.   The Rest Revolution isn't just about rest; it's about the great realignment that is happening in this country. People are slowly waking up to the idea that good lives require more than work and achievement. Good lives require you getting in alignment with the purposeful work, key relationships, and energizing activities that are most important to you.   I interview high achieving professionals, psychologists, sociologists, and medical experts on how we can you can reclaim your humanity, find more balance, and choose to live and work in a way that truly aligns with your purpose. It's about breaking free from the toxic cycle of overwork and finding a new, sustainable way forward. If you've ever felt like you're running on fumes or just going through the motions, this book is for you.   If you love this podcast, I know you'll love the book. The Rest Revolution will be available on November 12th from all major booksellers, and you can visit www.therestrevolutionbook.com to preorder your copy now. I can't wait for you to read it.

Join me for Resonance & Relevance - my brand new storytelling workshop. Learn more and register here.   Let me be honest for a second.   I have encouraged clients to make themselves visible for YEARS. But some time ago, I began to question the point of it all.   Yes. I had to sit with the truth of how tiresome visibility actually was - even for me.   With all of the other issues in the world competing for my mental space and emotional energy, constantly courting the spotlight became exhausting.    (You can see how problematic this could be for a visibility strategist's business model…)   At a certain point I concluded that if incessantly sharing was the key to me having a profitable business, I would have to shut my business down.   I was going to have to learn how to make my brand discoverable and compelling without creating a ton of extra work.   I was going to have to learn how to connect with those who needed my work WITHOUT creating yet another ferris wheel on which to exhaust myself.   Or else, my business as I knew it was a wrap.   Fortunately, I didn't have to shut things down. But I did come up with some parameters around how I show up. And it changed how I began to advise my busy, high-achieving, often introverted clients to show up when the world around them is so uncertain. I'm calling these parameters my "New Rules of Visibility." In short, they are: RULE #1: Honor your season and your current capacity. Don't contribute to your own burnout by making yourself a slave to a social media posting schedule. You are not a machine. RULE #2: Quality over quantity. Seek to share in order to connect and resonate with your audience instead of sharing for sharing's sake. Share your newsworthy news. RULE #3: Leave long-lasting breadcrumbs. A durable trail of high-quality content can help newcomers get up to speed quickly on who you are. Social media trends like reels are fun, but long-lasting stories placed strategically will get you sooooo much more mileage as a thought leader and won't wear you out in the long run.   As you may imagine, solid storytelling is a key component of the new rules. Instead of sharing gratuitously, we are popping up to the surface to share memorable insights that actually help others make sense of our current world. We're stepping into the spotlight to share the moments that create connection instead of add to the noise. And we're able to do it without wearing ourselves out.

Sometimes, you have to disappear for a while... It can feel oddly vulnerable to disappear from public view - whether your version of public view is social media, a public speaking circuit, or the networking rooms for your industry. But EVERYONE disappears at some point - whether they leave a job, lose a job, have a baby, bury a parent, shutter their business, lose their motivation, or like me, succumb to burnout. In the past two years, so many of us have had to step out of the spotlight. We've had to leave and return and sometimes, turn around and leave again. A client disappeared online because he left the job industry and professional identity he'd held for nearly a decade and started a new entrepreneurial venture. He didn't know how to share that news. I've disappeared personally and candidly due to burnout, depression, and being just plain exhausted.  After having a baby and tending to my older kids and trying to evade COVID, it's been a lot.  I had to take care of myself and sadly that meant I had to deprioritize coming here and sharing with you. While circumstances among us may vary, a lot of the mental chatter we experience when going through that revolving door is universal. On the occasion of your return, you wonder: Will people still care or be curious about what I'm up to? Are they still there? Do they even remember who I am? And...how will I let people know that I'm BACK? I'm hosting a new workshop called  Resonance & Relevance on June 03, 2022 at 12pm EST and I hope you can join me live. This workshop is for you if you've been struggling to reintroduce yourself to your network after stepping away from the spotlight for whatever reason, and you want to learn a simple way to put yourself back on people's minds. Register for Resonance & Relevance at http://www.amandamillerlittlejohn.com/classes or on Crowdcast here.     But whether you join me or not, remember this: It's NEVER too late for you to make a comeback. It's good to BE BACK. Thanks for listening.

Imposter syndrome is real, but there’s a fix: radical self-discovery. Radical self-discovery isn’t just a nice to do, it’s a must-do. And it’s a must-do on a REGULAR basis if you want to step into the highest level of your purpose and live the most empowered version of your personal brand.    

Another rewind episode finds us here. This one is a bit personal, I've noticed a pattern with myself lately. I've been getting these confirmations about the things I'm doing that correspond to practices and worlds I'm not well-versed in. I heard the same message from two different people in as many days so I thought - hmm - maybe that's a podcast! The message was - we are often affected by forces we're not even aware of. It all goes back to clarifying what you want and putting that out there while remaining unattached to how you'll get there. That's why I chose today's episode as a fitting rewind as we move into the end of year planning or visioning season. So many curveballs this year. And next year will likely be interesting, too. But one thing is for certain, we still need to get clear on what we want if we expect it to find its way to us. And honestly how often do you allow yourself to really immerse yourself in your big dream? I'd like to invite you to immerse yourself in your intention for next year. If you need to get focused on what you want for your personal brand and business - join me over 4 weeks in December for the Purposescaping Brand With Purpose Intensive. We'll be getting clear on what we want to see show up in our lives but divorcing ourselves from the GPS. Remember - the vision and roadmap rarely pop up at the same time. But what I'm learning more and more - and I'm by no means an expert in intention-setting - is the more you can embody what it is that you want from the inside out, the more inevitable will be its return to you. So that's what December is about - embodying what we want for our personal brands - what do we want to create, what do we want to promote, what do we want to earn in the next year. Seeing it is the first step to claiming it, and once we claim it, it's ours. Enjoy this rewind. Apply for the Brand with Purpose Intensive - Apply Now

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

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.

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.

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. ​ ​

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.

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!  

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.   *** 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.

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

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

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 you've crossed a hurdle multiple times doesn't make it less of a hurdle to cross. It still counts. So stop to acknowledge what it took for you to get here. You have my permission to brag. And let's leave downplaying our accomplishments in 2019. *** ANNOUNCEMENTS I'm hosting a free virtual brand planning party on Sunday, December 29 at 7 pm ET. To join me, register now on Crowdcast. The Brand with Purpose 12-Month Personal Branding Planner is now available as a  print book or a digital download! Use this full-color planner as your thought partner to help you think through your speaking engagements, media outreach, podcast episodes, social media content and revenue generation on a monthly and quarterly basis.  Order your planner I'm hosting another session of the Brand with Purpose Planning Intensive over a few evenings in January. If you're interested in working with me and a small group of high achievers to make some decisions, i.e. what you'll create, what topics you'll pitch, and what you'll promote to sell and at which price point next year, e-mail us at hello (at) packageyourgeniusacademy (dot) com to learn more and request the invitation. 

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 themselves. Don't let your perfectionism rob you of the gift of practice. When you show up, and keep showing up, you give yourself the opportunity to refine what you have.  And if you're truly a perfectionist, you already know - practice makes perfect.

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 burner for too long because you're waiting for the most perfect conditions? Here's a thought - doing the thing, even imperfectly, may create a pathway for a result that you're not even conscious of. Acting always creates momentum. And you can always pivot, edit, or update your first draft. But you need a first draft. So start.   *** ANNOUNCEMENTS The Brand with Purpose 12-Month Personal Branding Planner is now available on Amazon! Use this full-color planner as your thought partner to help you think through your speaking engagements, media outreach, podcast episodes, social media content and revenue generation on a monthly and quarterly basis.  Order your planner I'm hosting another session of the Brand with Purpose Planning Intensive over a few evenings in January. If you're interested in working with me and a small group of high achievers to make some decisions, i.e. what you'll create, what topics you'll pitch, and what you'll promote to sell and at which price point next year, e-mail us at info (at) amandamillerlittlejohn (dot) com to learn more and request the invitation. 

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? What are you currently procrastinating on doing?  What is a goal you've wanted to reach for years but just can't seem to unlock? Could the object of your procrastination potentially unlock the goal you've been able to reach? Could the two possibly be related?    *** If you missed Brand with Purpose - my free 5 day challenge to help you plan a brand with intention for the coming year, you can listen to all 5 episodes of the challenge and download the challenge workbook here. The whole series clocks in at right under 60 minutes, and I assure you, it will be the best hour you'll spend all week!  Listen to the challenge episodes >> Brand with Purpose  

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 hard to see the things we brainstorm take shape. But when we start with target dates in mind, we can work backwards from our publication date or event date or launch date, and have a better chance of success. So when you look at the three main categories we covered during this five-day challenge, what months of the year will you make time for each of those activities? Put each on the calendar.   ***   Important: If you haven't already, download the challenge workbook and follow the prompts for this day of the challenge.  Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.   If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge   Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

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 about your goal revenue or income number, does your upcoming program/course/product support that? For example, if you have a goal to make $10k extra each month next year, and you work full-time, whatever you're selling should probably be in the $2k-$10K range so you can sell and deliver a couple each month while you stay focused on your full-time obligations. But if you already have an incredible marketing backend set up, or have a product that responds to seasonal promotions and you know you can move hundreds of units each month with little effort, you could offer something cheaper, granted you have the backend marketing system to support it. It's all about understanding your available time, skills and what your audience needs that you can deliver right now. What makes the most sense for your brand? When will you launch your next revenue generator? ***   Important: If you haven't already, download the challenge workbook and follow the prompts for this day of the challenge.  Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.   If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge   Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

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 you have to share? That's when you should plan your visibility outreach. When will you go after massive visibility? ***   Important: If you haven't already, download the challenge workbook and follow the prompts for this day of the challenge.  Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.   If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge   Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

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: you want to create the brand asset that will make the most sense for your brand right now. What asset will help you compound the revenue of another program/service, or unlock even more opportunities?   *** Important: Download the challenge workbook so you think through this on paper. Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.   If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge   Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

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 book? We’ll explore! Day Three: Then we’ll do some intentional visibility brainstorming to figure out how you are going to be spreading the word about your platform Day Four: We’ll follow that up with some tactical planning around growing your revenue Day Five: Last, we’ll take all we’ve uncovered and I will show you how to put together your basic plan for 2020. Important: Download the challenge workbook so you can fill out the sheet that corresponds to each day of the challenge. Let’s put this into action, together.   Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.   If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge     Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with a friend who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

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 time, money, health, and relative youth to do it, DO IT. You never know when your situation may change.   *** We're settling into the fall season here in the United States. Leaves are finally changing, and I'm personally preparing for winter which is typically a time for even deeper introspection, creative productivity and movement on long-standing projects. It's also a great time for PLANNING. I'm excited to host a brand planning event the weekend of December 14, to plan your personal brand activity for 2020 and beyond. If that sounds like something you'd like to join me for, mark your calendars and watch this space and for those details.

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 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 status your hard work and results have earned It's time to hone in your brand authority.  *** Submit your application for Package Your Genius Academy here >> Submit your application Book a Call to discuss the academy here >> get on my schedule

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 status your hard work and results have earned It's time to hone in your brand authority.  If this resonates with you, join me on Sunday October 7, 2019 at 7pm EST for this FREE MASTER CLASS - The Five Shifts Required to Unleash Your Brand Authority.  Register at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/PYGABrandAuthority/register  

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. Our sessions start October 8, and it's already shaping up to be a great group! I would love to extend a huge thank you to our PYG Academy alum Rebecca Thompson, founder of the Live in Your Light Bootcamp and Live in Your Light Summit. Rebecca pivoted from politics and is now doing remarkable things just one year out of the academy, and I'm proud to feature her on this episode of the podcast.   

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 yourself back on the agenda so you can generate the surplus from which you can serve. Because you can only give from your overflow. *** If you've been thinking about joining us for the fall cohort of Package Your Genius Academy, this is the last week to apply. Sessions start Tuesday, October 8. While I'm clear on how I want to serve (as one who helps others find and get back on their true path) I thought about a few of the people who have benefited most from going through the program and my teachings. Do any of these people sound like you? Are you at a crossroads professionally and personally - perhaps you've hit a milestone birthday and you're pondering the bigger questions of your life like "Is this what I want to be doing with my gifts and talents? Is there another professional path for me? Am I showing up the way I truly want to, or am I showing up as others have always expected me to?" Do you know in your gut that the current stage of your professional journey is over, but you haven't figured out how to activate your next chapter? Do you feel like something is just...off? You're a success on paper, but you've yet to knock it out of the park doing what you really want to do? You feel like something is missing - the right message, the right market, the right formula to serve - but you're just too close to see the missing piece... Did you recently leave your job or find yourself on leave wondering what's next? You're a little nervous about making a financial commitment because the future of money is uncertain, but there's something telling you it's time to take a leap? Are you at a plateau having done all you know to do to make yourself stand out? You know you've got the goods but the world doesn't see you or your accomplishments clearly? (You know this because your compensation and industry acknowledgement don't match the time and work you've put in up to this point...) Do you live with the daily regret of not betting on yourself sooner? Are you secretly worried that perhaps you missed your moment and it's too late for you to leap? If any of those scenarios resonated with you, I'm here. Here to help you cut through the overgrowth and get back on the path again. And trust me, the path may look overgrown and indistinguishable right now, but I promise you, it's there. And I can help you find it.   It's the LAST WEEK to apply for Package Your Genius Academy. We are enrolling students for the fall cohort that begins Tuesday, October 8. Doors won't open again until sometime in 2020. If you're interested in joining us, learn more and apply now.

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 to work together in Package Your Genius Academy this fall as our enrollment season comes to a close.     Enrollment is open now for the visibility academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.

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 go deep which is perfect for radio or podcasts. A dream media placement would be Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR or a Top 10 podcast. The Talking Head - Unlike the talker, the talker head has her sights set on television and loves the idea of being seen. Dream media placement? A spot on a CNN panel or segment on the TODAY show. The Hybrid - The hybrid isn't concerned with the type of media so much as what the media will allow him/her to do. So they're fine with radio or tv so long as it allows them to reach more people and make a bigger impact. A mix of all media types will do.  Which one are you? And better yet, do you see how different personality types may deal with media exposure differently? There is no one size fits all when it comes to it.   If you know you need exposure to get in front of new faces, it doesn't have to be overwhelming. You can tailor your approach to fit your business and your personal style, which we can help you uncover in our program - learn more.

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 people are doing and try to mimic their path not knowing that you're a different kind of plant that requires a different set of conditions and will develop on a different timeline. Don't judge the progress of the apple tree with the same criteria you use to measure an oak tree. All seeds are not the same. You're maturing and preparing to sprout, blossom and bear fruit in your own time.   *** I welcome you to apply for the opportunity to work together in Package Your Genius Academy this fall as our enrollment season comes to a close.   If you've been doing great work and getting results in your industry, but you want to expand your exposure, learn more about our PR mastermind and apply.   Enrollment is open now for the visibility academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.

When it comes to working the land - especially in the Southern region of the United States, this time of year is an exciting time because it marks the season of harvest. But it can be a potentially dangerous time for the farmers who aren't quick enough to get their year's work out of the ground. It's essentially a race against time to harvest before the winter rains when anything you've left out in the field will be rendered useless. Unpicked fruit will be left to rot. A fortuitous conversation with my grandmother revealed this wisdom that's native to Southerners, and I had to share it with you. The similarity between our gifts and a farmer's crops were too stark to miss. So many people have allowed their gifts - their expertise, skills, and wisdom - to ripen for years, but have yet pick their own fruit. Let this comparison to nature be your own cautionary tale: there comes a point when you're not growing anymore. But it may not be because you've simply reached a plateau, instead you're fully ripe and it's time for you to get off the vine. And if you stay on the vine too long, the very gifts you've spent years cultivating may be in danger.   *** Thank you to Nikki Rogers of the Wednesday Morning Bulletin for mentioning Package Your Genius on your latest edition. For those who want to check out her newsletter, you can check it out here.   It's harvest season - and that goes for you, too! If you know your gifts have ripened and you're ready for your harvest, I welcome you to apply for the opportunity to work together in Package Your Genius Academy this fall.   If you've been doing great work and getting results in your industry, but you want to expand your exposure, learn more about our PR mastermind and apply.   Enrollment is open now for the visibility academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.    

High achievers typically do such great work that they're often recruited for opportunities, courted by associates, even pursued by friends.  Instead of being the aggressor, it's not uncommon for them - despite all of their success - to find themselves in the passive role of waiting to be chosen. It's what they're used to after all. If this resonates with you, and you're not in the field you want to be in, on the career track you want to be in, or in a relationship that serves you because you were chosen but did not choose, let me be the first to tell you things can be different. You can choose to choose. Don't settle for what falls into your lap. Decide what you want in every area of your life, and go after it.

Every living thing has its own set of base level requirements for survival.  Every living thing also has its own set of factors that would make it hard to grow. Last but not least, every living thing has certain factors that would take it to the next level and cause it to thrive, regenerate, multiply. The same is true for us. Each of us has our own set of must-haves, deal breakers and multipliers. A part of radical self discovery is paying attention to all three in order to get the clearest picture of ourselves and our personal recipe for success.   *** Package Your Genius: 5 Steps to Build Your Most Powerful Personal Brand has officially been in the world for a full year! Thank you to all of you who purchased the book (or the companion workbook), left a thoughtful review, bought the book for a friend and shared this life-changing content.  I am so grateful!

I was reflecting back on a few of my incredible clients and the reflection reminded me what it is I do that matters, and more importantly, WHY I do this work.   As I was thinking about the simplest way to describe what I do, I realized that at the core of my work I help people remember who they are -- even if you've never truly been able to articulate your understanding of yourself, or if you knew it very clearly at another point in your life but somehow drifted away from yourself and forgot, I help you put a framework around yourself so you understand who you are, what makes you tick, what energizes you and what drains you.   In some ways there is nothing more important than this.   Once you get a clear understanding of who you are, you can not only make better decisions, but you can make the BEST decisions for you because you will immediately understand why something doesn't feel right.   Once you get a clear understanding of who you are, you will know immediately what you have to do in order to get yourself back on course once you've fallen off track.   But if you don't know yourself, you'll keep finding yourself in relationships, on career paths and in situations that don't serve you, but you won't know why.   If you don't get to know yourself you'll never quite feel at home in yourself, but you won't know why.   If you can understand yourself, showing up clearly to others becomes easy. When you know yourself and are clear on who you are, it's easy to communicate that message to other people. It's easy to know when something's a fit or it's not. It becomes easy to say yes instead of no, or no instead of yes because you know yourself.   You know your landmines, you know your triggers, you know your deal breakers, you know your must-haves.   But how many of us seek to get to know ourselves on such a level? How many of us set out to become a student of our own personal tastes, our likes and dislikes, our motivations?   I recommend that if you say you're ready to package your genius, follow a big dream, build a personal brand in a way that puts you further out in the world, first make it your mission to understand yourself.   If you can understand yourself, you can set up each day in a way that serves you. Then week after week, month after month, and year after year will be a delight.   When you know yourself everything you want - fulfillment, self actualization - all of it - will be within your grasp. You'll become the architect and the builder of your own happiness.   ***   Radical self discovery is the first stage in our successful personal branding process, and we spend the first month in Package Your Genius Academy on that topic alone. If we can get that part right, the packaging and promotion naturally follows. So we don't rush to package you - we seek first to help you understand yourself, and understand how to take personal inventory in the future because some things about yourself will change.   If you've ever landed a great job only to find later on that it's just not a great fit, and you wonder how you missed the red flags built up a successful business only to realize the clients you serve don't light you up, had to wake up everyday to a sense of dread instead of joy, it's time you get to know yourself on a deeper level.   Package Your Genius Academy is a powerful opportunity to do that before you package a personal brand that is built on your own recipe for success and fulfillment. Visit packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.

As you are on the road to package your genius, and you're a high achiever who is used to always being the best, I want you to remember: No matter where you place sometimes just finishing the race is a form of winning when you're doing something new.   *** If you know you have valuable gifts inside you, but you are unclear which race you're running and where's the lane for your gifts and talents, I welcome you to apply for the opportunity to get that clarity during our visibility academy where we can work on it together.   If you've been doing great work and getting results in your industry, but you want to expand your exposure, learn more about our PR mastermind and apply.   Enrollment is open now for the academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.

Sometimes limits are in our heads, telling us we can't go any further when we have just a little bit of gas left in the take. Other times limits are deeper, and our exhaustion is our body/mind/spirit's way of telling us we need to rest. But the beautiful thing about life is, for most things, we get another day to try again. If you had to put down a work project, take a day off from cooking dinner for the family, or skipped a workout - you can get back on track.  Don't beat yourself up if you drop the ball. Just pick it back up tomorrow.   *** Here are all the ways you can work with me:   Join our free Facebook community where you can meet other podcast listeners and engage directly with me. Join here.   Check out the book Package Your Genius: 5 Steps to Build Your Most Powerful Personal Brand if you haven't read it yet. Pick up the companion workbook - a tool I made to help you think through the questions that can help you get closer.   If you need help remembering how to answer the call, I'd be honored to support you this fall in Package Your Genius Academy. Visit the site to learn more and apply.   If you're ready for Maximum Exposure, learn more about our PR Mastermind.

My mom retired a few years ago, and in the time since, she's been living her best life. She had a goal to see all the states in the lower 48 of USA and as of today, she's officially done it.   She left for a road trip for her birthday early last week, headed with her bestie from Tennessee to New England.   When she initially told me about the trip, I remember catching myself getting wistful. "I sure wish I could take off for ten days at my own pace to see the sights," I thought to myself. "And I sure wish I could spend that kind of quality time with my mom..."   I can't do that because of the kids, I immediately told myself. For the last decade plus, that has been my default reason whenever I get too excited about doing something or going somewhere that will take me away from the DC area. Because the kids have to get to and from school, my husband travels a lot for work so I need to make sure my calendar is clear.   But is that true, really?   At this point, my kids know how to catch public transportation, manage their chores, bathing themselves, and even preparing some of their own meals themselves with light oversight. Now they are still kids and therefore need emotional support, lots of refereeing, and general coaching and guidance. But for the most part, I must tell you, I have hit my stride as a mom. And with their new school the support from the school and other parents really takes the whole "I can't be away from the kids" excuse off the table.   But when my mom told me about her trip, it was my immediate default. Looking over the last ten days though, I totally could have joined her!   This made me think about defaults. Even when our situations change - often times because we've been grinding to bring on the change - our minds can lag behind.   It's kind of like muscle memory which I talked about on episode 99. If we have leaned on a reason for long enough, it becomes our default without us even realizing it.   So we end up making broad assumptions based on default decisions of our past that used to serve us. It's easier for your brain to go on autopilot - that uses up much less energy - but sometimes that autopilot needs reprogramming.   For example, say you have a seafood allergy as a child, so even though love lobster and crab, you avoid seafood restaurants because you know the food will make you sick. But then you go for an annual checkup as an adult only to find you've outgrown the allergy and you can now eat all the seafood you want. Now you love seafood, but even after learning that you are no longer allergic, when it comes time to plan dinner or choose a restaurant, your brain automatically removes any seafood options by default. Even though that's no longer your reality.   And we do it all the time. Even if you haven't outgrown an old reason like I have with my kids being why I can't travel, you may be coming up with reasons that match a mindset you held in the past that you don't hold anymore.   For example, I'm going to a conference in a few weeks to Richmond, Virginia. I knew what hotel I wanted to stay at so I went to their website to book a room. When I went to book my room, they didn't have my dates, so I started doing research on other hotels that fit my preferences. I started going down the rabbit hole until it dawned on me that I don't have to do this. I have an admin. Let me let her do this so I can go do something else. She's way better at that stuff anyway.   Now the thing with my admin is I'm pretty good about having her do things for my business - but I always forget that she can help me with some of the more personal administrative things too. Having spent my entire life doing personal administrative things myself - and having to do so much personal admin for my family - it's easy to forget that I have help. So my default in that situation was "I have to find a hotel myself..." I reframed that to "I have support."   For me it requires practice to reframe. What about you? What are some of your default decisions that you see yourself making?   Here are a few more of my defaults plus my reframe.   1) Default: I don't have time to write. Reframe: I've set my business and life up in a way that I have ample time to write.   2) Default: I have to put off large purchases for the future. Reframe: I am not just starting out. I have considerably more financial resources. I can buy it now.   3) Default: I can't drive to NYC on a whim. Reframe: I feel confident driving long distances on my own now. When are we leaving?   4) Default: I have to know all of the answers and do all the thinking work when it comes to my clients. Reframe: I have 2 other brilliant communications coaches working in my program. They have amazing ideas and strategies to share. They are here to empower my clients.   5) Default: I only have a few more weeks before I start my new job. Even though I had planned to do some self care, travel somewhere restorative, and rest, I will have to spend the rest of my time off moving and getting settled. Reframe: I can get help packing up my things, get this move done in a weekend, and use the rest of my time off for me.   So whenever you get that sense of wistfulness I described when you think I wish I could do A but i can't because of B, I want you to ask yourself...do you really?   Is there not another way you can accomplish what you want to accomplish? How can we remove this as a barrier to your real goal and where you really want to be putting your energy. Let's get creative.   *** If you know you have valuable gifts inside you, but you are unclear on all of the how - how do I figure out what to focus on, how do I describe it to people, what do I charge - you NEED to get yourself into our visibility academy where we can work on it together.   If you've been doing great work and getting results in your industry, but you want to expand your exposure, learn more about our PR mastermind and apply.   Enrollment is open now for the academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.  

We've been talking a lot about purpose, but I want to change the conversation and switch gears back to visibility because it's one of the reasons you're here. In this two-part episode on op-ed writing, I share 5 questions to ask yourself to get closer to the op-ed you want to write. In part two, we'll talk to a journalist who will share how we can reach millions of people with our words.    

Do you remember your favorite teacher from when you were in school? Or a teacher who could make a subject you usually didn't like come alive? Or better yet, a teacher who could break down a subject in a way that could make you understand even when others couldn't?   And they may have been saying the exact same thing or reading from the exact same textbook as all the other teachers who taught that subject, but for whatever reason you could just hear it better from them?   Well someone out there is thinking the exact same thing about you.   Someone out there needs to hear your area of expertise, but they need to hear it from you.   Even though there are already people who are saying some version of what you're saying, or doing some version of what you're doing, there are still people out there who still need to get the goods from you.   Why is that?   I can't explain it. Just like you can't explain how two cooks can follow the same recipe but turn out completely different dishes. Even though both taste good, one is crispier and you like it that way. But then if you ask someone else, they prefer it less crispy. It's all a matter of preference.   But my point is, you are someone's preference.   Someone prefers YOU.   That's a part of why you have to package your genius - aside from the fact that it will call you until you answer it as I've said before.   But if you're one of those people who gets so caught up in what other people are doing, or the fact that the market is saturated, or there are so many coaches in this space, or there's already five other books out on my topic there's no point in me even getting in the game - you're hurting yourself because you're not expressing what you need to express, and you're hurting the people who need to hear it from you.   Now. There may be thousands of people who claim to do what you do, serve how you serve, support others how you support others.   But they aren't you.   They don't have your spirit. They don't have your story. They don't have your energy. They don't have your humor. They don't have your journey. They aren't from your hometown. They don't have whatever it is that gives you the power to connect with someone who may find themself on a similar path.   They aren't going to say it the way you'd say it.   They won't write it the way you'd write it.   They won't use the same analogies and metaphors.   And because they aren't you, your people may SEE the others in your field, but they won't be able to HEAR them.   It's about connection. It's about bringing your you-ness to the table so others can connect with what they need in you, and you can connect with what you need in them.   When you can truly understand this, you can stop wasting your time getting frustrated with why you can't land corporate clients but he seems to attract all the corporate clients. Or why the same people who read her book aren't flocking to read yours.   And another thing, I'll leave you with: you have to understand that some people have "mass appeal". Others are for a more discerning palate.   Both are great, both are necessary. Neither is better than the other. They're just different. Remember - it's a matter of preference.   So whether you find yourself in the category of being for the masses or being for the more discerning - it doesn't matter. Either way, you're for who you're for. Don't discount a smaller audience that may have a deeper connection to your work if you like to go deep.   Don't get discouraged when the masses seem to respond to someone who is saying a version of what you said six months ago, but they didn't want to hear it from you. You have to understand, they couldn't hear it from you. Who needed to hear it from you heard it, but those that couldn't hear it aren't your people. Your people caught it, digested it, and are waiting on your next insight, your next big idea, your next aha moment.   We have to learn to trust - and release comparison which I know is difficult to do in the age of social media - but we have to learn to trust that what we have to share is of value and can set someone else free if we give ourselves permission to give ourselves away.   Will you give yourself permission to give yourself away?   I sure hope so. It's so much more fun when you do, trust me.   If you're new to the podcast, I welcome you for coming on this journey with me. Don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen so we can reach more people like us.   I'm super excited to be hosting an opinion page editor for the New York Times for our Maximum Exposure PR mastermind this week. In addition to meeting with the mastermind students in our closed session, she's also agreed to answer a few questions for the podcast. I'm so excited.   If you have ever wanted to know what it takes to get your ideas published by a major outlet like the New York Times, email me your questions so I can ask her on the podcast. You can email your questions about op ed publishing to support (at) packageyourgeniusacademy (dot) com and I'll be sure to cover those when we do our interview.   ***   Enrollment is open for the second cohort and we're getting excited. For our first cohort, we've landed media mentions in the Washington Post, WJLA, ABC, NBC, Fast Company, Washington Post Express, Fox, News Channel 8 in Washington, DC and more.   If you want to learn more about the ME program and how we help our students brainstorm story ideas, craft timely pitches and contact the media each month, visit the website and learn more and apply.   In closing, I hope what you've heard here today will set you free. I hope I've inspired you to stop over thinking it and finally package your genius.   Because someone needs to hear it from you.

I recently attended an organizational effectiveness training retreat for an organization I'm a member of. One of the most powerful things I learned was how easily an organization's culture can get off track, and how possible it is to get things BACK on track.   So think about an organization you're a part of, or even a relationship you have with someone to make it easier to imagine. If you have one bad interaction with someone, you may say "Oh we had a tiff," or "we didn't see eye to eye..." and you chalk it up to a misunderstanding, but the relationship isn't over.   If you have two or three bad encounters, internally you go on alert. You may start to rethink the relationship and even say "We're not in a good place..." But once you get into the four-five range with negative encounters, you're in the red zone. In the training, our facilitator said that 5x is a DECISION that this is how we will deal with each other. This is our culture.   But what I find fascinating is the same way you can make a decision to not check an organization's culture, and just let it be toxic, you can also make a decision to be positive.   You can make a decision to fix things.   You can make a decision to change.   And if you can make five steps in a positive direction, you can start the process of reversing the negativity. You can decide the culture will be good.   Your relationship with yourself is the same way. You can make a decide with your actions to change your personal culture.   So if you haven't been prioritizing your calling, or making time to package your genius, let's change your personal culture.   To make this practical, I want to know what's on your calendar this week? If you're ready to prioritize your goals, where are you fitting that on your upcoming agenda? Where are you making space?   What step can you make this week to change your personal culture?   For me, I'm really to bring some intention to my new morning drop-off routine. My kids' new school is near some of my favorite hiking trails, so I'm excited to build some hiking, thinking and writing time into my weekday agenda.   As I've mentioned before, daily thinking and writing time really helps me feel centered and pays off in every area of my life from my business, to my creative writing, to my marriage, to my parenting. So it's silly to not do what I know works for me.   I'm changing my personal culture. I'm making what I know works for me a priority. This way I'm being intentional. I'm not letting my life happen to me by default. I'm not wondering why I'm no closer to my goals than I was last time I checked.     *** If you know you have valuable gifts inside you, but you are unclear on all of the how - how do I figure out what to focus on, how do I describe it to people, what do I charge - you NEED to get yourself into our visibility academy where we can work on it together.   If you've been doing great work and getting results in your industry, but you want to expand your exposure, learn more about our PR mastermind and apply.   Enrollment is open now for the academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.  

Harlem BY LANGSTON HUGHES     What happens to a dream deferred?         Does it dry up       like a raisin in the sun?       Or fester like a sore—       And then run?       Does it stink like rotten meat?       Or crust and sugar over—       like a syrupy sweet?         Maybe it just sags       like a heavy load.         Or does it explode?    

How do you show up when you come to win?   For some reason, we all know how to prioritize our work assignments, our money, our kids, even our health - but when we think of our gifts we go blank.   We get ourselves out of bed and out of the house every day, but suddenly can't figure out how to motivate ourselves to get started.   We multitask, manage multiple calendars and juggle conflicting schedules for our teams and families, but we can't figure out how to find the time to make our dreams happen.   We put together scrum boards and complex project flowcharts, but when it comes to our gifts, we can't figure out the first step to take.   But we need to attack our gifts with the same energy we bring to the places we already excel.   Look at what you're doing well, where you're winning, what you're getting right.   What are your typical patterns?   How do you show up when you're ready to win?   For example, one of the things I feel like I am getting right is cultivating my children. So when I look at how I move and the energy I bring to cultivating my kids, I notice I do a few things every single year.   I do a few things:   1. Challenge the kids and raise the bar and keep standards high. So often we limit ourselves so I try to push them further than they think they can go so they can understand their own capabilities and learn not to limit themselves.   2. I cultivate them regularly. I try to find seasonal activities - classes, camps, lessons for them to take and try. I want them to get used to doing and trying new things. I want them to get accustomed to being engaged individuals who are connected to their personal talents and their larger society.   3. I personally keep learning -  I seek out books, articles, podcasts and other ways to learn how to be a better parent and guide.   4. I find partners who can help me take them to the next level. I know I don't know everything, so I look for teachers and instructors who can inspire them and mentor them generally or around a specific focus area.   This is how I show up when I come to win. And because these are my kids and I only get one shot at raising them, showing up to win is non-negotiable. And as such, it's become second nature to me. And because it's second nature to me, I see it as proof that I can build a success strategy for any domain of my life.   As can you.   If you are successful in any area of your life, which I know you are as a high achiever who listens to this podcast, you have the power to dissect your own personal recipe for success.   When you show up to win, how do you move? When you show up to win, what is your formula to get results? When you show up to win, how do you motivate yourself to get things done? When you show up to win, how do you organize your time? When you show up to win, how do you find the money to invest when you need more resources?   So with that solutions-oriented, strategic mind, I want you to think through how you can approach your gifts, your calling.   Don't just use your organizational skills, your strategic mind, your resourcefulness and creativity to accomplish your tasks at work - use those skills to get your own stuff done, too!   You've got to figure out how to show up FOR YOU the same way you show up for your job or your clients.   When it comes to you, you've got to figure out how to show up to win.

Why does it even matter whether or not you package your genius?   Who cares if you explore what you're meant to do?   What difference does it make if you don't share your genius with others?   Those are the questions I want to explore with you today. Because before I can make the case that you should package your genius, you should first understand what's at stake if you don't.   I believe the mandate of being human - what's written in our genetic code or whatever makes us homo sapiens vs some other species - is to find what we were put on this Earth to do. Your mandate as a human is to fulfill the assignment and complete the mission for your specific journey, your specific life.   That is what I whole-heartedly believe.   But if we're honest with ourselves, our life missions have likely been evident since childhood or adolescence. We've heard the call. But how many of us answered and chose to walk down the path our calling was leading us to?   I can remember being a student in middle school and then again in high school. I loved my English classes. My classmates and teachers were all convinced that one day I'd be a famous, important writer whose words would touch millions of people.   Somewhere along the way, I bought into the idea of "the starving artist" and decided I couldn't be a successful writer without starving first. So while I always knew that I was sent here to write, for years I didn't do it.   Can I tell you, that despite my successes as a PR person and a coach, until I finally sat down and wrote Package Your Genius I didn't feel at home in my success? There was always this lingering static - I can't quite describe it - but it was like a cloud hanging over me. And it was as if the cloud was saying "I mean, this is nice and everything...but when are you going to write your book????" As if nothing else I'd done mattered for real.   And then once I got that book out there, just like that, the dissonance cleared. The cloud passed.   Now, I will be honest. The dissonance is definitely back. But this time I'm crystal clear on why. I know I have more books to write. I know I have more messages to leave this planet while I still have an Earthly vessel that can help me accomplish what I'm here to do in this realm.   Callings call.   So expect it to feel a little uncomfortable when you're not picking up the phone.   It's like that feeling that you forgot to do something important, but you can't quite put your finger on what that something is. Or when you make out your list for the store, and you go and you shop, but you know there's something you forgot - even though you got every single thing on the list - something is still missing?   It's like that.   And answering the call is the opposite. Instead, it's the feeling of a stocked pantry, or of all the bills being paid, or all the doctor's appointments scheduled - the feeling that nothing is falling through the cracks.   But when you willingly deny yourself the opportunity to answer the call or, to use my term, "package your genius" you create an internal sense of restlessness that will haunt you.   And that restlessness will continue to haunt you until you honor - in some way - what you were put here to do.   Restless. Unsettled. Uneasy.   Until you pick up, you may not be able to put your finger on it, but you'll always get the sense that SOMETHING is missing.     ***   Got dissonance? I would love to help you clear it. Check out Package Your Genius if you haven't read it yet. Pick up the companion workbook - a tool I made to help you think through the questions that can help you get closer.   If you need help remembering how to answer the call, I'd be honored to support you this fall in Package Your Genius Academy. Visit the site to learn more and apply.    

If I handed you the deed to the land that contained a diamond mine, how would you feel? Maybe you'd feel excited thinking about your good fortune and your riches, but after you thought about it, would you know what to do with it? Would not knowing overwhelm you? Would it make you walk away?   No way.   You'd do some research, call an expert, and figure out what one does with a valuable diamond mine. You'd figure out who has the equipment to extract the diamond, which people had the expertise to get it out, what the process is to get it up to commercial standards, and who the best buyers are for your specific type of diamond.   You wouldn't throw up your hands and walk away just because you don't have the technical know-how to get these diamonds out of the ground, when you know they're valuable and people want them.   But that's exactly what most of us are doing with our gifts.   We've all got raw materials, but the problem is we don't know how to refine what we have, we don't have the equipment to extract it, and we're unfamiliar with the process of bringing our raw materials to market.   So we make excuses for not taking the first step. We proclaim to be too busy, but when we find ourselves with extra time, we don't do it. We say we don't know how to get started, as if that's a good excuse. We console ourselves with stories - we're not business-minded, we're not great with computers, we're terrible salespeople, we're bad with software.   But no one who is business minded, great with computers, great at sales or software was as good as they are today on the first day they tried it. And most people figure out what they need to know - just enough of what they need to know - in order to get the train moving.   Which is what you need to do.   It's what I need to do, because I'm guilty too.   The days keep passing. The weeks, months, and years are all adding up, and it's not getting any easier to be a beginner.   So today's as good a day as any to start. Think of a small way to get started - a small way to tackle what mentally feels like a bigger task than it likely is.   For me, it's the book about how parents and teachers can use my work to support the talents of kids. I've had this book concept on my mind and heart for over a year, so practically, how can I make it happen?   First, I can make a top level outline of my chapters, which I've done. Next, I can outline my subtopics for each chapter which I've yet to do. Then I can write a subtopic each week until they're all done.   Easy.   Notice that I didn't get into the weeds of how I'll manage structuring the book, getting it edited, published and marketed yet because all of that is irrelevant right now. I need to create some momentum first so I can feel what it's like to be moving in this direction. I need to get some small personal wins first and prove to myself that I can finish it before I even need to clutter my mind with more to dos.   But this is what most of us do. We get so overwhelmed thinking about the book marketing that we don't even take the time to get still and write. Or we think about where we'll find office space before we have a stable block of customers. We're worrying about things too far in the distance instead of doing what we can do now.   So do what you can do.   If you've been saying you're writing a book, make an outline and write a few chapters.   If you've been saying you want to start a business, land yourself a handful of clients and get into a rhythm to see how you like it. Business may not even be for you. But you'll never know until you have a taste of it.   If you've been talking about starting a podcast, record three episodes then figure out the rest. Trust me, all of it is a mere google search away.   Don't be afraid of being a beginner. But don't you dare walk away from a diamond mine because you don't know how to extract the gems out of the ground.   Don't be afraid to do a little on how to make your dream happen. Think of the payoff.   ***   Mining and refining raw materials is what I do. It's my passion to help you extract the gleaming gems that I know are inside of you and help get them ready for the marketplace.   If you know you have valuable gifts inside you, but you are unclear on all of the how - how do I figure out what to focus on, how do I describe it to people, what do I charge - you NEED to get yourself into our visibility academy where we can work on it together.   Enrollment is open now for the academy and our PR mastermind. Visit www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com to learn more and apply.    

Sometimes you have to take a different route to get where you're trying to go. And while you may not like the idea of alternate routes - especially if you're a recovering perfectionist like me - you must admit, the route doesn't matter all that much. Because if you end up still reaching your destination, who cares how you got there?  I had to learn (still learning!) to give myself grace when the journey doesn't look picture perfect. At the end of the day, all that should matter is that I end up where I originally wanted to go - or someplace even better.  

No season lasts forever, but in every ending there's a chance for some new beginning - if you keep your eye out for it. Whether you're watching something come to an end, or you're ready to start a new chapter, what is it your season to do? Meico Whitlock who I interviewed on Episode 41 - (How to harness your focus and set priorities) and Episode 63 - (How to Create a Vision for Your Life) taught me about the importance of being intentional with your time and setting finite priorities for each season. As Meico teaches in his Mindful Techie courses and programs, once you identify your life vision and mission and set your specific goals, it's important to set no more than two priorities for any given season.  I'm excited about the intentional energy I'm putting behind my writing in this season, and I can't wait to see where that will lead. But I'm clear that it's truly time to prioritize writing after seeing a significant opening in my calendar related to my kids' school.  Again, as one season ends, another begins. I hope that was whatever season is ending for you, in the clearing you'll see the opportunity to finally pursue the purpose that's been pursuing you.  Keep me posted...   *** Speaking of seasons, it's ENROLLMENT SEASON for Package Your Genius Academy!!! We're enrolling for both of our group programs - the Personal Brand Visibility Academy that focuses on building a purposeful personal brand, and the Maximum Exposure PR Mastermind.  If you're interested in putting some intentional energy behind your personal brand, apply for the visibility academy. If it's your season to build momentum and land media exposure apply for the PR mastermind.   

Sometimes your genius needs a break.  And you shouldn't feel bad about it. In fact, you'll likely move further ahead, instead of falling behind as you may imagine. Rest helps you work smarter not harder - and I'm with that! I learned this summer not to beat myself up for needing and taking rest - but to celebrate what happens to my mind, body and relationships when I take a step back and nurture myself in the way that I need. How often do you take the break that you need to rejuvenate yourself? What's your favorite way to rest?