Podcasts about networking success

Unlock the secrets to business success with our latest episode of Happy Business Radio, where effective communication and promotion take center stage. Learn how maintaining professionalism in client interactions, especially over the phone, can transform your business image and avoid deterring potential clients. Together with Ron Fiedler, we explore the timeless relevance of business cards as networking tools amidst the digital age's QR code trend, and we critique the absence of personal touches in modern networking practices. Empower your networking skills with actionable strategies designed for those who find social interactions challenging. Discover how simple questions, like "Who else do you know here?" can seamlessly bridge conversations and increase your visibility at events. As hosts at these gatherings, we focus on creating a welcoming environment, helping newcomers make connections, and sharing personal anecdotes that illustrate the power of proactive engagement. Learn how these meaningful connections can bolster your confidence and lead to successful networking experiences. We also discuss the essential role of emotional attachment in goal-setting, sharing inspiring stories of individuals who overcame discouragement with the help of supportive networks. Whether it's setting ambitious yet adaptable goals in the face of challenges or having an "unreasonable friend" to push your limits, this episode is packed with insights to fuel your entrepreneurial journey. Chapter Summaries Business Networking Tips and Strategies (00:09) Effective communication and promotional strategies are crucial for business success, including phone etiquette and personal connections. Networking Tips and Strategies in Action (11:47) Empower listeners with networking strategies, including smooth transitions, welcoming newcomers, and proactive connections. Legal Compliance and Networking Success (15:54) Importance of legal compliance and proper documentation to avoid disputes and showcase expertise in podcasting. Setting Goals for Business Success (29:09) Emotional investment and support are crucial in achieving business goals, as shown through a musician's success story. Setting and Adjusting Business Goals (41:16) Flexible goals, mindset, and support system are crucial for success in sales and sports, as shown through personal anecdotes and examples. CREDITS Host: Peter Salerno Mobile: ‭0408 811 567‬ Email: petersalerno.austalk@gmail.com Guest: Ron Fiedler Web: https://www.podcastcity.com.au Producer: Ron Fiedler Podcast City

Welcome to another exciting episode of the Shift with Elena Agar Podcast!

Author and marketing strategist Jaime Ellithorpe shares insights that can help build mental strength and inspire you to take action in creating relationships. Learn more at https://jaimeellithorpe.com/ For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

Bill Krebs, seasoned financial advisor, shares how he serves his clients beyond what he sells to ensure that he delivers a great client experience. For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we share a networking success story with a McKinsey senior partner.   We always ask our clients, especially those from weaker schools, to network with the most senior partners of consulting firms. This is a podcast about a PhD client, from a weaker school and no existing consulting relationships, who painfully followed this advice over several months to network with a member of McKinsey's worldwide leadership and obtain interviews for his office of choice. It is not easy, but can be done. It works.   Here are some free gifts for you:   Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Check out this episode wherever you like to listen or watch podcasts! Episode Page: vinneychopra.com/podcast/ Youtube: https://youtu.be/MXCTdv7hf-4 Spotify: spoti.fi/423B4fz iTunes: apple.co/3H9XKBo   ——  

Brian Slipka, founder of True North Equity Partners, shares how surrendering selfish ambitious and pouring into others has helped to create enviable success. Learn more about the True North companies at https://www.thetruenorthfamily.com/ For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

This October 31 marks the one-year anniversary of my book, and I'm celebrating by sharing a curated list of my favorite podcast appearances! I've chosen episodes where the hosts' perspectives, personalities, and generosity truly shone. With so many podcasts out there, it's a challenge to find ones that are both genuinely helpful and uplifting. If I'm serving up a celebration, it's going to be as satisfying as the best birthday cake. Join me as I revisit standout moments, including the time a host knew my book so well it made me question my own words, the episode where I shared my birth story, and another where I reveal how I've personally taught my sons about the importance of global networking. Discover how you can use your imagination to tell your own story and feel truly worthy!   In this episode, you will hear:   My book Fertile Imagination turns ONE on Halloween, and I'm celebrating by sharing all the juicy details from my podcast tour!

We need to do a better job at resourcing ourselves, especially if you've decided that you have an unwavering commitment to see your business and family-life vision through! It's not an easy feat to disrupt industries, create your own, or parent multiple kids. It can be chaotic, even on a good day! That's why this week we're diving into the secrets of how to make it all work—yep, all of it! Do you wonder how you can be a boss at work and a rockstar mom at home and still have time to chase those big, audacious dreams? Well, wonder no more!   I'm bringing you an exclusive mashup featuring two powerhouse mompreneurs, Zibby Owens (mom of 4) and Liz Tenety (mom of 5), who are going to spill the beans on balancing business, babies, and everything in between. You ought to know that I have 3 sons with identical twins in that mix, so I know a thing or two about chaos and what it takes to be in business—I've been here for 13 years! Trust me, you don't want to miss their golden nuggets of wisdom, and I'll be chiming in with some of my own wild stories (hello, diaper blowout during a sales pitch?!)   So, grab your coffee, pop in those earbuds, and let's get inspired to stretch our imaginations and turn those crazy ideas into reality! Ready? Let's go! In this episode, you will hear: How to use your mom skills like humility, adaptability, and patience to dominate the business world.  Infusing your work life with playful strategies that help you manage stress and overwhelm like a boss.  Master the art of profitable relationship-building with techniques that are both strategic and authentic. Say goodbye to awkward networking events! Get tools to navigate those pesky insecurities and show up with confidence in every business conversation. Learn to make bold asks and communicate fearlessly to achieve your wildest business goals.  This episode is brought to you Fertile Imagination to Networking Success by my LIVE 9-week group coaching immersive program on becoming a powerful strategic networker using the Imagination to Impact and Income Method™ to connect with the right people, lead the right conversations, and swing open the right doors to success. The DOORS are officially open! But hurry, the DOORS close on September 27th at 5pm CST. I want to be sure you do not miss out on this opportunity and for that reason I invite you to send me a DM today and ask me anything about the opportunity to enroll today. Send me a DM today: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ to ask me anything before the doors officially close. Happy to hop on a quick 15-minute call too so DM me and I'll send you a link for us to talk. Otherwise, head on to www.melissallarena.com/network  Imagine this in only 9 weeks, you could: Build profitable relationships and exceed your growth goals. Gain access to opportunities, boost your confidence for bolder asks, and raise prices. Feel energized by a fresh approach to relationships that taps into your imagination—the source of joy and fresh ideas. Navigate impostor syndrome, reignite your creativity, meet mom obligations, and achieve your best year ever with a focused plan. Approach your year-end goals with a mindset that leverages your advantages as a mom—letting your kids keep you grounded and present while inspiring you with their growth mindset. How? By enrolling in the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Program for Mom Founders! This game-changing experience which you can enroll in right HERE https://www.melissallarena.com/network/ by September 27th at 5pm CST will show you how to: Transform your networking approach with 9 weeks of live coaching to implement the Imagination to Impact to Income Method™ for genuine connections without gatekeepers. Access an on-demand curriculum with research-based, cross-industry insights covering who to network with, how to find them, and how to create your networking calendar for higher-impact relationships. Experience a one-on-one role-playing session using storytelling to differentiate your business (and yourself), and receive expert feedback on communications for momentum. Revitalize your leadership skills by integrating the strengths you gain from being a mom with diverse modalities and tools that leverage the art of play. Use techniques such as meditations to get your creative juices flowing, boost productivity, and increase your energy. Connect with a community of like-minded mom founders for support and accountability, keeping your standards high and your vision strong. Journal your progress in a workbook to track your improved ability to tackle impostor syndrome and create a visionary leader roadmap to increase confidence. To ensure your long-term success, I've also included additional opportunities to apply these new networking skills by providing you with... Lifetime Access to the on-demand curriculum: Take the guesswork out of networking and refresh your strategy whenever needed. (you can teach this to your kids too!) Two months access to an Alumni online community of like-minded mom founders (priceless value; one contact can turn into a life-changing opportunity!) Two tickets to attend four virtual Quarterly Impact Appreciation Mixers focused on continued education in networking so that you can continue to deepen relationships. And this time only you will also get instant access to three exclusive bonuses that can help you make time for building profitable relationships, making bigger asks to get more, and attracting the right people with resources—so you can connect while you sleep. Get it off your plate!: Reclaim hours each week to easily fit relationship building into your life for business growth. Bolder Communication Strategies Toolkit: Step into a bolder persona and make bolder asks to optimize every interaction. Brush Up Your LinkedIn Profile: Unlock massive networking success by making your LinkedIn profile work harder for you.   I know this sounds too good to be true so don't take my word for it, listen to what others have said about my method. Visit the website: https://www.melissallarena.com/network/ About Melissa Llarena   Melissa is a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).   Quotes, that can change your perspective: “We need to do a better job of resourcing ourselves. We have almost everything that we need right under our noses." - Melissa Llarena "The idea is to leap to your goals and make big strides, not get there at a snail's pace." - Melissa Llarena "I feel like I lead as a mom, and I feel like it has only made me a better leader, and they don't talk about that at business school at all." - Zibby Owens "Being humble. 100%. The superpower is the ability to constantly learn" - Zibby Owens   “It is about energy, it is about time, it is about money, and all those things kind of intersect and just encouraging people to use their creativity.” - Liz Tenety….on how being a business leader helped her lead her family "What if hanging out with your kids can be part of your competitive advantage, a business strategy, so that you can come up with a better business idea or something more innovative, certainly something that is simpler to describe." - Melissa Llarena “I think it is so important to bring the whole of you to the table because, because as a mom with a business, that is your competitive advantage.” - Melissa Llarena SHARE this episode and unleash your imagination, tap into your superpowers, and build a successful business while being an amazing mom. Join the conversation with other mom founders and learn how to achieve your goals with confidence and support!

In this episode of Influence to Equity with special guest Tilmon Keaton, we dive into the power of networking. Join me as we share insights on how to leverage connections for business growth, scalability, and success. Episode Highlights We discuss common mistakes such as: Not Preparing: Many entrepreneurs show up to events without a clear plan. We discuss why preparation is crucial and how to set networking goals. Ignoring Follow-Ups: Discover the importance of following up after an event and how it can make or break your connections. Focusing Solely on Selling: Networking is about building relationships, not just pitching your product. Learn how to shift your mindset for better outcomes. Not Ditching Your Friends: we understand they are there for moral support, BUT this isn't the time or the place. If they are a hindrance or security blanket to not build new connections… LEAVE them at home. And so much more! Key Takeaways Plan Your Approach: We outline steps to prepare before attending events, including how to research attendees and set realistic goals. Engagement Strategies: Get tips on starting conversations, asking the right questions, and makigenuine connections. Effective Follow-Up Techniques: Learn how to craft follow-up messages that keep the conversation going and deepen relationships. Conclusion: Networking isn't just a skill; it's an art. By avoiding common mistakes and implementing these actionable tips, you'll be well on your way to building a powerful network that propels your business forward. Tune in now and start transforming your networking game!

Hey there, amazing moms and dream chasers! This week, I opened up about my journey as a mom and entrepreneur, and I can't wait for you to dive in. We're chatting about why keeping your energy and momentum high is key, especially as we near the year's end. I'll share my go-to tips for handling the distractions and pressures that come with balancing mom life and business. Plus, get ready for some savvy strategies to craft a year-end networking plan that helps you build valuable connections without zapping your energy. From my quest to become a top Amazon bestseller to my dream interviews with big names like Gary Vaynerchuk and Suzy Batiz, I'm here to prove that you can totally chase your dreams while still rocking your mom role. Don't miss out on this fun and insightful episode! Plus, discover Never-Before-Shared Secrets I've Used to Help Moms Like You Tailor Success to Your Business and Family! Join My FREE LIVE Masterclass on September 23, and also 24th exclusively for Mom Business Owners—Sign Up Today!" Master Your Year-End Networking: Build Profitable Relationships For Business Growth in 30 Days Without Burnout: https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/   In this episode, you will hear:   How to keep your unique essence of both a mom and business leader while going after those big entrepreneurial goals. The real talk on the hurdles we face and how to tackle them. Why staying pumped and on track is a game-changer for hitting your goals. Tips for building awesome relationships without draining your energy and avoiding burnout. How to ditch those self-doubts and own your business superpowers. Why having a clear picture of your goals is crucial for both business and personal success. How to stay healthy and happy while juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship. The power of community and collaboration among moms in business.   We're halfway through September, and if the thought of the months ahead is draining your energy, stick with me—I'm going to show you how to stay energized and finish this year strong. Avoiding burnout is the name of the game and I have found a solid way that is rarely discussed. What if I told you that profitable networking is not just another task on your to-do list, but actually the most energy-efficient way to grow your business and finish the year strong? Hey, everyone! Before we dive in, as promised all the details about my masterclass are here—in the show notes. If you're ready to take action now, just head over to www.melissallarena.com/masterclass to sign up. But first, a message from our sponsors i.e.  This episode is brought to you by: Master Your Year-End Networking: Build Profitable Relationships For Business Growth in 30 Days Without Burnout: https://www.melissallarena.com/masterclass/ A LIVE one-hour masterclass for visionary mom business owners: Close the year strong with the proven "Imagination to Impact to Income Method™" to manage time, energy, and stay focused through gatekeeper-free networking.

If you have relationships with others, then peer pressure is something you have to contend with - even if you're beyond your teens years. This program touches on the lasting impact of this force. For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking visit https://www.networking-rx.com or contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

Ever wonder why networking events feature few mothers starting businesses? I have been thinking about this for the past 13 years and am ready to explain why it is so important to me. Often feeling like the lone mother in the room, I started to wonder why more amazing mother entrepreneurs weren't out there networking?   Here's what I've heard: "The kids are getting ready for bed, and happy hours are as sleazy as a meat market," is what I've overheard.

This week's episode of Win The Hour, Win The Day Podcast interviews, Troy Hipolito. Boost Your LinkedIn Presence with Video Communication Want to make real connections on LinkedIn? Dive into the power of video with Troy Hipolito, the IT expert who's revolutionizing networking on LinkedIn through engaging video communication. In this insightful episode, you'll discover: - Why video is more effective than text on LinkedIn.- Simple strategies to make impactful LinkedIn videos.- How to transform your LinkedIn connections into meaningful business relationships. Get ready to turn your LinkedIn profile into a dynamic tool for business growth! Don't miss out on these game-changing tips. Win The Hour, Win The Day! www.winthehourwintheday.com  Podcast: Win The Hour, Win The Day Podcast  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winthehourwintheday/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/win-the-hour-win-the-day-podcast You can find Troy Hipolito at:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/troyhipolito/ #KrisWard#LinkedInVideoTips#NetworkingSuccess

Ever feel like you're running at full capacity and still not getting everything done? We've all been there! This back-to-school season will also come with new things to consider adding to your already full plate. If you've had a business for more than three years, you know it's coming… opportunities to fill up your calendar with new trainings, activities for the kids, and business trips to plan and close out your year. Given this common fall flurry of evaluations and additions to your already full plate, I wanted to share with you my personal filter system. There are three things that I have been asking myself over the last 13 years that have helped me decide for myself based on my priorities: what to participate in, purchase, or remove from my plate. There are so many examples. However, before I share my three filters for evaluating what to add to my plate or remove, I want to give you one heck of an opportunity today that ends on Monday, August 12, 2024, at 5 p.m. CST. You have a chance to enter to win a guest spot on this podcast! Sign up for my newsletter, and you will be entered! Imagine being a guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, sharing your story, and inspiring thousands of fellow mompreneurs. This week, I'm offering you a chance to win a spot on my podcast! All you have to do is visit www.fertileideas.com and sign up for my newsletter between today and the next six days. By signing up, you'll not only stay updated with the latest tips and strategies to grow your business, but you'll also be entered into a drawing for a guest spot on my show. There are a host of sections where you can sign-up on my website from the networking playbook, to grabbing a chapter of my book fertile imagination, or taking 5 minutes if you are stuck to take the quiz. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to elevate your brand and reach a wider audience. I'll announce the lucky winner in next week's episode. So head over to www.fertileideas.com right now and sign up.  Rules apply: listen to the episode for those rules to win. Let's jump into this episode. Today, I share a personal story from my book Fertile Imagination about the time I invested in Tony Robbins' Business Mastery live event. It was a big investment—$10K for five days, plus travel to Florida and time away from my three kids. But the chance to feel reinvigorated was worth it, so I jumped on the early bird discount. I'm diving into the idea of having a "full plate" and how, as mom founders, we can navigate the flood of opportunities that come our way. I'll share three key filters – alignment, better way, and transferability which I use to decide whether to take on new opportunities, even when things feel overwhelming. So, before you say, 'I have too much on my plate,' consider these filters. It might not be about adding more, but about replacing what doesn't align with your current goals with something that does. Tune in to hear how these filters can help you make informed decisions, prioritize what's important, and grow both personally and professionally. Whether you're navigating a busy schedule or looking to seize new opportunities, these insights are here to help you thrive! In this episode, you will hear: How you can enter a drawing to be a podcast guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub i.e. sign-up for any of the free resources on www.fertileideas.com by August 12th, 2024 by 5pm CST to be eligible to win this drawing. Winners will be emailed. Listen to details today. You can be my next podcast guest! Mom founders you want visibility. Enter the contest by simply signing up for anything on www.fertileideas.com  Using specific filters to evaluate new personal and professional growth opportunities, such as urgency, alignment, and growth potential. How to periodically reassess what's on your plate to ensure it reflects your current priorities and goals. Ideas on creatively rearranging commitments to manage time zones and deadlines effectively which requires expansive thinking i.e. your imagination. Ways to see whether new business growth strategies can enhance your current methods and whether they are justified to go on your plate. The key to determining if learning a new skill is worthwhile especially if you have lots of other options available to you i.e. are there key skills that are higher value like networking? An easy decision-making framework Melissa has used over the last 13-years to determine whether to invest in a particular course, community, or event when her plate has been busy i.e. three kids, global relocations, and life. Imagine being a guest on the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, sharing your story, and inspiring thousands of fellow mompreneurs. This week, I'm offering you a chance to win a spot on my podcast! All you have to do is visit www.fertileideas.com and sign up for my newsletter between today and the next six days. By signing up, you'll not only stay updated with the latest tips and strategies to grow your business, but you'll also be entered into a drawing for a guest spot on my show. There are a host of sections where you can sign-up on my website from the networking playbook, to grabbing a chapter of my book fertile imagination, or taking 5 minutes if you are stuck to take the quiz. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to elevate your brand and reach a wider audience. I'll announce the lucky winner in next week's episode. So head over to www.fertileideas.com right now and sign up.    About Melissa Llarena   I'm a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).   Quotes, that can change your perspective: "Networking is so transferable and it is not going away and it is how deals are done." -Melissa Llarena "Your capability is constant. But how much of it you use depends upon who you think you really are." - Tony Robbins "I know that you're going to have a lot on your plate. This is not going to change. There are ways however to reimagine what gets to be on your plate and what doesn't." - Melissa Llarena "I don't want you to miss out on an opportunity that makes sense just because you have a lot on your plate. THIS is where you can use your superpower --- your fertile imagination." - Melissa Llarena   SHARE this episode and head over to fertileideas.com and sign up for our newsletter within the next six days. You'll gain access to valuable insights, a chance to participate in our raffle, and the opportunity to be featured on the podcast. Don't miss out—act now to unlock your next big opportunity! Supporting Resources: Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/ Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/ Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87  Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.  I'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.   

This episode of the Networking Rx Minute with Frank Agin (http://frankagin.com) encourages you to embrace ‘small talk' as big things come from it.   For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.   #networking #business #innovation #entrepreneurship #networkingrx    

Hey there, welcome back to another episode of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub podcast! Today, we're diving into three super common mistakes that mom founders often make when they're reaching out to prospective investors, partners, alliances or even internal sponsors of their business ideas. Trust me, these are totally avoidable! So, let me tell you about this one mom founder I know. She had this amazing idea for a TV show, but when she pitched it, she made a few missteps that could have been easily avoided. First off, she didn't really understand who the decision maker was. Big no-no! It's so important to know who you're talking to and what makes them tick.  Next, she didn't take the time to figure out what actually mattered to the person she was pitching to. You gotta know what their priorities are! And finally, she didn't contextualize her pitch. You can't just throw your idea out there without showing how it fits into the bigger picture i.e. how does your solution fit into your target audience's portfolio or performance goals. Being a mom founder comes with unique challenges, especially when balancing entrepreneurship and family life. I understand completely. That's why I'm here to provide practical advice and support to ensure your next pitch gets you to the bargaining table (vs. is ignored).! In this episode, you will hear: Understanding the decision maker and contextualizing the pitch  Unique challenges faced by mom founders in balancing entrepreneurship and family life Challenges of navigating family life while pursuing entrepreneurship Failure to consider the perspective of the person being pitched to Lack of understanding of what matters to the person being pitched to Contextualizing the pitch to fit the specific industry or sector Need for thorough research and due diligence before reaching out to potential partners or investors Thoughtful and strategic communication in building successful business relationships In the car driving? Pause this episode and write this down. Book a free consult with Melissa this week. Go to www.melissallarena.com/sessions. Let's role-play one conversation you intend to have this week. You are a founder with a baked idea and you are currently in the pitching process whether it's for investment dollars or after you've gotten investment dollars and now you are on the hook for speeding up your business development efforts! You can tell me who I should be in this role-play, and I'll tell you what red flags I hear and whether a VIP day is right for you. Here's what you can expect during your VIP day and I want to be transparent. Spots for my VIP Days are extremely limited. I'm offering just 3 spots this month, and after that, this opportunity may never come around again. This is your chance to fast-track your connections and propel your business forward in just 3 hours.   Here's what you can expect: Tailored Strategy Session: Before the VIP Networking Day, you'll receive a simple questionnaire. This prework is designed to optimize our time together, ensuring every minute counts. We'll dive deep into your business goals, target investors, potential podcast guests/partners, or media contacts, and current networking challenges, setting the stage for maximum productivity. Real-Time Guidance: Once we're live on Zoom, it's all about action. Together, we'll roll up our sleeves and dive into the heart of networking. I won't just talk strategy; we'll implement it in real-time. Using the insights gathered from your prework, we'll identify and reach out to potential investors, podcast guests/partners, or media giants on the spot. You'll witness firsthand how to craft compelling outreach messages and make meaningful connections that matter. Strategic Outreach: Cold outreach can be daunting, but not anymore. With my guidance, you'll confidently reach out to potential investors, podcast guests, or media contacts during our session. Whether it's through email, LinkedIn, or other channels, you'll have a clear plan of action and the confidence to execute it in real-time. Follow-Up Mastery: The conversation doesn't end with the initial outreach. I'll equip you with a follow-up strategy designed to nurture relationships and keep investors, podcast guests/partners, or media contacts engaged. From timely follow-up emails to strategic touchpoints, you'll have all the tools you need to move prospects closer to funding, secure podcast appearances, or establish relationships with influential media personalities. By the end of our VIP Networking Day, you'll feel empowered, energized, and ready to conquer the world of networking. Say goodbye to wasted time and missed opportunities. With our tailored approach, you'll unlock the door to funding success, captivating podcast episodes, or media exposure and propel your business forward. Because this is SO important and so easy to fix….the elevator pitch itself…for starters…..I want you to sign up for the 30-minute complimentary session before you step out there and start pitching yourself to anyone…..let me give you quick tips that can be the difference between getting to pitch your idea or being totally shut out and ignored…..so go to www.melissallarena.com/sessions today....the VIP day are limited and may not be right for you right now but the free sessions are available today…no reason not to share your pitch with me.   About Melissa Llarena   I'm a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins).   Quotes, that can change your perspective:   “First impressions happen one time, and yes, you can totally turn it around, but you're a mom founder. The time you spent making that first impression, the guts it took to put yourself out there, is something that you're now going to have to work up to yet again.” “When it comes to being a mom founder or being a mom with a business, it is urgent that you really, really stay sharp in terms of coming up with unexpected or new or shortcut ways to reach out to everyone and anyone.” “If you want to do business on your own terms as you have opted to as a mom founder, you don't want to not be yourself when you're doing business. That was part of the purpose of owning your own thing along with solving a challenge, being mission-driven, and heart-centered.” “I know the effort it takes to think through a product, I know the effort it takes to see a product market fit, and I know the effort it's going to take to implement whatever it is that you promise to the people on your list.” SHARE this episode and elevate your business! Master effective networking and pitching by avoiding common mistakes and adopting personalized communication strategies. Make a lasting impression and build meaningful connections and start transforming your pitch today! Supporting Resources:   Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/ Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/ Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87  Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.  I'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.  TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Melissa: First impressions happen one time. And yes, you can totally turn around, but you're a Mom Founder. And what distinguishes you versus someone that might not have kids is the fact that that time you spent in making that first impression, the guts it took to put yourself out there, that is something that you're now gonna have to work up to yet again. And it is way harder to constantly fall down and get back up, fall down and get back up when you're navigating family life in parallel. 00:00:39 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going, and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood.  00:01:01 Melissa: Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out and stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm going to give you the mindset, methods and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening. 00:01:32 Melissa: Hey there, it's Melissa Llarena, your host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. So we're gonna tackle today three avoidable mistakes that often mom founders make right when they begin to outreach their network or talk to complete strangers so that their business can grow. So three avoidable mistakes. Let me share a story first.  00:01:57 Melissa: I had a wonderful conversation the other day with a mom who was so psyched about this TV show that she wants to put out into the world. And she has an outreach list of organizations and different individuals in those organizations that she wants to pitch her idea to. So she's thinking companies like Lego, companies like Hasbro, you get the drip. And here's the thing. She was so excited about her elevator pitch. I mean, she was just so ready to roll with it, and I wanted to hear it. 00:02:32 Melissa: So of course, she went ahead, she memorized it, and I can tell that she spent probably hours upon hours really refining it with her peers. And she said it, and then I kind of felt these like internal crickets. And that brings me to today's episode. I don't want you to make the same mistakes that this super excited, well-intentioned Mom Founder made. 00:03:00 Melissa: The mistake was the following. Once I heard her pitch, I was like, okay, first of all, who was I supposed to be? Like there's some key questions that as you are putting yourself out there, pitching your business idea to potential investors or partners, that you've got to ask yourself. And if you don't actually think about what you're going to say and whether or not is going to resonate with the other person, then you've completely failed. So that was point number one. 00:03:32 Melissa: Who was I supposed to be? I had no idea. I was just listening to the pitch and I was like, wow. My hair felt like wind was blowing, but it was kind of like hot air because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to prioritize in terms of the information that she shared. The other question was, okay, so now that I'm this person in her case, marketing director, let's imagine, then what do you perceive to be so important to me? And in terms of the pitch that this person shared, I didn't really catch that. I wasn't able to discern what she perceived to be important to me.  00:04:08 Melissa: Some other questions. Why would I, someone working for an organization, want to bring on or support a TV show that's not addictive? Now, this was super specific to the sort of content that she had worked really hard on. However, you have to understand, there might be one or two words in your pitch to an investor or a partner that simply don't make sense given that person's key performance indicators. I would want a TV show that's addictive so that this way kids watch it over and over again.  00:04:46 Melissa: But again, if you hadn't done your homework prior to pitching, you might miss that point. And here's something else that came up when her and I were on a 30-minute complimentary session where I was listening to her pitch, this idea. So what problem are you trying to solve in my company? And I think that is something that we often do not think or consider prior to working on our super fancy put together pitches. It is so contextual. And that's why we are here today.  00:05:20 Melissa: So the three avoidable mistakes that you will want to be mindful of if you are pitching a business idea to an organization or to someone that you admire, begin in this very, very clear manner. Know the decision maker. That's one of the three mistakes. So I originally began sharing a bit about the questions I was asking myself after she shared her pitch and I shared with her and I helped guide her. 00:05:51 Melissa: But at the same time, that is the most important thing. You might think to yourself that, okay, my product is amazing, my service is compelling, but at the end of the day, you're talking to a human being that has a filter that is quite precise. Now, if you've pitched an organization, and you have considered an investor profile as like your go-to, who am I pitching sort of document. That's amazing. It's a start, but every single human being with whom you interact is going to have a completely different set of priorities. And you want to be mindful of that.  00:06:32 Melissa: So you want to really know what are the job titles that you're going to encounter pertaining to this pitch? What's common. For example, is this someone that's going to be in a job for two years, 10 years, or six months? You can tell really depending on the functional area of expertise, there's some functions like marketing where the timeframe is really low. What might that mean? That might mean that whatever outcome or whatever sort of impact you intend to make has to be in the very near short term. All of this is to be considered in your pitch. And all of this is to be considered as you go through an outreach networking list.  00:07:15 Melissa: Now, I might be calling it networking. You might call it biz dev. You might call it sales, looking for strategic partnerships. I really see it as one in the same. Why is that? Because you want to find someone with whom you're almost going the same way. It's almost like a hitchhiker. Not to say you do that and that is not safe, but let's just imagine that you're there and you're on a highway. Think locally, wherever you might be, and you're heading in one direction. You're heading north. You want to be sure that you figure out who else is heading north. You would not want to get into a car and start chatting with the driver and saying, oh, hey, why are we going south? I want to go north. That is a lot of effort.  00:08:05 Melissa: So what does that mean? That means that you have to know the person that you are reaching out to on that long list that you probably spent hours trying to put together as a Mom Founder, which i.e. is time away from the kids. And you want to be sure that you're both going in the same direction and you are speaking their language. That brings me to the third big mistake I have noticed when it comes to going through a list of contacts that you would like to pitch your business idea, whether it is for funding or it might be for media placement.  00:08:40 Melissa: It's really interchangeable in terms of the people that you are going to reach out to. But at the end of the day, every single person has something that matters to them that might not be so obvious to you, especially. And this is what I've noticed so much because these are the mom founders that I have partnered with through these years. It's folks that are entering a brand new market, folks that for them, maybe you know, their background was working in one sector, and this is a new sector. 00:09:11 Melissa: So what does that mean? That means that you have to understand what matters to that person and what matters in that market. And what does that mean? That means that if you're talking to someone in procurement, they have a different set of words that they use to quantify success versus if you're talking to someone in finance, versus if you're talking to someone that is at a different level.  00:09:37 Melissa:  So I think it's really important that not just knowing who the decision maker is and actually looking up whether it's LinkedIn, and that's just surface level. There's a lot more research that needs to go into this if you're going through a list where you're asking for thousands of dollars or millions of dollars in investment, but asking at least, let me look at their career background to have a good sense of how they might approach this particular project. Right?  00:10:07 Melissa: Okay, so knowing the decision maker, the second mistake is not understanding what matters to that person. And it could really rely on their functional area of expertise. Again, you're the mom founder, you're an expert in your product or service. However, here's the thing, the person that you're talking to, they have a lot of priorities and they have a lot of different ways of calling success and you need to speak the same language. Otherwise it is like straight up a tower of babble situation. 00:10:37 Melissa: And you do not want that because we all know what happened. Things crumbled and things did not go so well. Okay, so again, what does this person really care about? Right, so knowing what really matters, what do they care about? What is it that they actually call what they care about? So that is mistake number two. 00:10:58 Melissa: So these are the three mistakes that I want you to avoid. And I'll get to number three. When you have a list of contacts that you're going through because you just came up with an invention or you have a business solution or offering that you are ready for funding or to get funding, right? Okay, so mistake number three, contextualizing your pitch. So back to the first story.  00:11:22 Melissa: So there I was listening to this beautiful pitch. I mean, we're talking about perfection. The words were exciting. Everything that she said was compelling to the right person in the right context. However, this person didn't have the expertise of a particular industry. So as you go through your list of contacts and you're there pitching your idea to different organizations or people, there's different things that are going on in different sectors. 00:11:55 Melissa: For example, let's just imagine that you are pitching to one sector and in that sector, you have no idea that this concept that your TV show would not be addictive is absolutely not going to work and not at all the key to success when right now you have a lot of people who's attention is disparate, right? Is in a lot of different places. So here you are saying that, yeah, they're gonna get like one hit of my TV show and that'll be enough and it won't be addictive. Meanwhile, let's imagine as an industry, you need to get people to keep coming back because that is how you organize your ad campaigns with your advertisers, then it's not gonna lay quite right.  00:12:46 Melissa: Okay, so let me get to the point as clearly as possible. Here's the third mistake, so contextualizing your pitch. I wanna share something with you that I learned back in advertising. So I used to work in ad agencies. This was now at least 13 years ago. And I remember working on the IBM account, working on the SAP account, and I remember being told back then, you need to know more about what's happening and what's important to IBM and the tech space than your clients. Same thing with SAP. 00:13:18 Melissa: What does that mean to you, a Mom Founder who has this glorious list that you want to go through but you don't want to burn because you just spent so much time figuring out who the right people might be to shepherd your idea in a big organization. So what does that mean? That means that you need to understand if you need to understand what the drivers are in that sector. You need to understand if there's like new competitors that are just really eroding or just really eating into a market share. You need to also understand how to contextualize what it is that you're offering in the context of their existing portfolio of offerings.  00:14:03 Melissa: Okay, so I said a lot there. There's a lot that needs to happen before you start calling people. I totally get that you might have an investor profile. I get that you have partners that believe so much in your product that they've desired and they've worked for free till this point. But you're going to waste your time, waste your effort and your energy. And I know as a Mom Founder, particularly, you don't got a lot of energy if you do not do this due diligence to a point where at nauseam, you know more about someone's business than they might. 00:14:41 Melissa: However, back to my advertising days, you don't want to show up as arrogant because we always would say, you know more about your business than we do. But that wasn't always the case if I'm being really honest about it. And in your situation, if you're looking to really make a great impression on an organization because you want to partner with them, again, you both have to be going in the same direction. You need to totally understand who you're talking to in terms of how long they're going to be there, how you might want to angle the value that you bring to the table and where you fit in terms of the context of their portfolio. 00:15:20 Melissa: But at the same time you just want to be sure that you have done your homework to a point where again you feel confident and competent that working with you is gonna leave them better off than not working with you in whatever capacity that might be and It takes a lot of practice and I wanted to just kind of go to the very top, your elevator pitch might not be enough. It might not be what is necessary. Every single person that you're talking to, it might completely throw someone off because they'll think that you're talking into some sort of recording, especially if you've recorded it. 00:15:57 Melissa: So you want to be sure that you also bring some stories because oftentimes those resonate a lot more than just statistics and having the right leadership team in place, which I tend to hear a lot. Okay, so here's the story. So risks of not doing your homework. This is personal in the sense that as a podcaster, I'm sure you can imagine how many times I am pitched in terms of podcast guests. And the other day I was looking in my inbox and I noticed someone was pitching me. They were a PR professional so they should have known better. However in terms of time budget, etc., they provided a very generic pitch.  00:16:43 Melissa: So imagine in your situation, right? Again, back to you being a Mom Founder, having a list, having finite time and energy, having spent so much effort upfront, trying to figure out who you're gonna reach out to, but not having done enough effort in terms of researching the three things that I shared with you in terms of the actual people that you're talking to, what actually matters to them, and then also how you fit in the context of like a company's portfolio as an example, and why partnering with you is better than not.  00:17:19 Melissa: Let's imagine this, with this person, this PR person, she was pitching me, again, this is the Mom Founder Imagination Hub podcast. She was pitching me a guy, which 100% I have had men on this podcast, like James Altucher, Gary Vee, et cetera. But she was pitching me a guy that was really all about financial market solutions, having nothing to do with entrepreneurship. And I was just like, what the heck is this? Like, is this even for me? Like you don't want to be that person that emails someone a pitch or jumps on the phone, I know old school, but hey, it still works, and you completely are talking, but the person on the other side is like, why are you calling me?  00:18:08 Melissa: So that is what was happening to me. And that story basically wants to just like reaffirm in you the fact that don't waste your time by not knowing who you're reaching out to at the individual level. And I know it takes a lot of work, a lot of effort. But here's the thing, if you don't do it, this is what happens. All that money, right? And if you think about your time as money, is wasted in terms of the effort that you put to just creating that outreach list. That's one.  00:18:41 Melissa: Here's the other thing, you're gonna burn a bridge because it's going to show that you're not as thoughtful as you truly are. And if you're a Mom Founder, one thing I know about the ones I've worked with, like you are so thoughtful. I mean, when it comes to like the logistics of your family and how you went about, you know, doing market research for your product or figuring out market product fit, I know you're thoughtful. So you wanna be sure that that reputation precedes you, right?  So again, you've gotta do that extra research. You wanna be sure that you are resonating with the person. So you don't want to burn through that contact list if you don't have to. 00:19:21 Melissa: Here's the other idea. Let's imagine that you make that mistake, kind of like that PR agency, right? That was sending me a very random podcast guest proposal. You're gonna have to then, if you're really interested in partnering with a Lego or with a Hasbro, et cetera, you're gonna have to then go back and do some triage. And it's not always possible to like resurrect from some blow paw like that. 00:19:44 Melissa: So I wanna just say, here's the other thing. First impressions happen one time. And yes, you can totally turn around, but you're a Mom Founder. And what distinguishes you versus someone that might not have kids is the fact that that time you spent in making that first impression, the guts it took to put yourself out there, that is something that you're now gonna have to like work up to yet again. And it is way harder to constantly fall down and get back up, fall down and get back up when you're navigating family life in parallel. Just this morning to give you an example.  00:20:27 Melissa: So I have all these podcast episode recordings today. And my son then says to me at 5:00 AM, mind you, mom, I think I have a fever. And I looked at him and I was like, please do not have a fever. That's just like one of the ups and downs. We'll call that a down that is so natural to you that other people might not experience, but your business has to keep going on. So, you know, we have finite energy and finite abilities to get back down and get back up, figure out new ways, different patterns, right? Use our imagination and try other or alternative paths forward. 00:21:08 Melissa: If you've got to do the same thing for being a mom as you do an entrepreneurship, you've got to be sure that you are somehow preventing all of that struggle where you can. You need to be a sane mom. That's what I'm saying. So again, this is avoidable. That's why I have it in this episode. And I really hope that you take it to heart because there's so much that's at stake. If you don't actually consider those three mistakes that I share.  00:21:40 Melissa: So I don't wanna leave you hanging. I think this is so important. I wanna be of service to you because I think that it takes so much guts to just like leave your job, for example, or start a business, especially as a mom. It also is absolutely beautiful that you want to do something that's mission driven. Those are the moms that I work with and I help in terms of really navigating networking and building relationships so that you're in the right rooms, having the right conversations, getting the money that your business idea deserves, that I wanna do this for you. So hear me out.  00:22:17 Melissa: Okay, now let's just imagine that you are in a car right now, so you're driving. So what I will have you do is absolutely bookmark this conversation, but write this down when you have an opportunity in the event that you're on the move. So I offer something called a VIP day. It's a three-hour Zoom session during which time we are going to work through your contact list. But here's the thing. It's even better than that. 00:22:45 Melissa: Not only are we going to work through your contact list, but prior to jumping on Zoom, I'm going to give you some homework that's going to help you thoughtfully not just put together that contact list, but approach your research so that this way you can avoid these three mistakes. I'm also going to make sure that as you approach the different people during our time, that three-hour Zoom time frame, that you're leading with what is going to resonate the most based on a number of criteria that for me and in use with my clients have worked in the past. 00:23:24 Melissa: I mean, it's so predictable in terms of some of the priorities that people actually have, but it's not always obvious on LinkedIn because sometimes people are not that upfront in terms of their agendas. And I'm not using that in a negative way, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying. So there's other sources of research that I will share with you also on that three hours Zoom session. It's a VIP day. Also, it's really about making sure that we have woken up your imagination. That is the name of this podcast. And I stand on that.  00:23:58 Melissa: When it comes to being a Mom Founder or being a mom with a business, it is urgent that you really, really stay sharp in terms of coming up with unexpected or new or shortcut ways to reach out to everyone and anyone. And again, relationships is absolutely critical when it comes to building your business and making sure that your message gets out to as many human beings as possible. So you wanna be sure that you're doing it from a place of expansive thinking. You're doing it from a place of, okay, this person is gonna expect me to reach out to them on, as an example, Instagram, but I'm gonna come in through this side door, right? Which has worked for me and my clients as well. 00:24:44 Melissa: So let me share an example. I had a client that actually wanted to reach out to insurance companies. And it was really interesting because this was completely new to her. She owns a nonprofit. And so she reached out to an insurance company and she was baffled that the person on the other side of the email got back to her almost like in an hour, okay? He got back to her in an hour. Why was that? It was because she realized that this person would be, A, in a position of power.  00:25:13 Melissa: So people do want to be helpful. So you want to make sure you're asking the right people who can help you. But then at the same time, her email was personal. It resonated, and it was thoughtful. It was in alignment with what's important to an insurance organization. And she had to do some research in order to uncover precisely what that was in this market. Sorry to say, but sometimes different times of the year, different things are important and different trends will influence whether or not what was important, you know, last trend is in season this trend.  00:25:45 Melissa: So again, there's a lot that needs to happen, but we can cover that during the three hours together over Zoom. Here's what else happens during that three hour session, the VIP session with me for Mom Founders. So you and I are gonna roll up our sleeves. Like literally, if I have long sleeves, or metaphorically, if I do not, we're going to actually start emailing and reaching out to people live because I need to see, like, what do your subject lines actually say? Are they generic or compelling? How is it that you're positioning what you intend behind the conversation with that contact, right?  00:26:20 Melissa: So it's about authenticity, but it's also about being direct and infusing your personality. Because if you wanna do business on your own terms, as you have opted to as a mom founder, you don't want to not be yourself when you're doing business. Like that was part of the purpose of owning your own thing, along with solving a challenge, along with being mission driven and heart centered and wanting to see impact in the slice of the world that matters to you. 00:26:51 Melissa: So here we go. Call for you to reach out to me so I can help you so that you do not make those mistakes. You do not burn through a list of contacts if you have a business idea or already a business in market that you want to get funding for, or you want to leverage some sort of strategic partnership, be sure that you take advantage of this. And it is the following. So I do have those VIP days, but this offer right now is for free. 00:27:20 Melissa: Go to melissallarena.com/sessions. You will have an opportunity to apply for a 30-minute complimentary session, during which time I'm going to help you by role playing and hearing what you have to offer in terms of your business pitch, in terms of your origin story, in terms of what you intend out of a conversation with a decision maker, right? All pertaining to your business. So go ahead to melissallarena.com/sessions. There is an application and here's the reason why an application is going to be absolutely helpful to you.  00:28:02 Melissa: When you start to put pen to paper or technically type out your answers in the application, you also start to clarify what you need to happen in terms of the people that you wanna talk to, in terms of your very best next steps. And in terms of your own business, putting pen to paper has been the absolute life-giving solution for me when it comes to ironing out my thoughts. And it's better for you to do that on my application than to do it in front of someone that can give you money.  00:28:38 Melissa: So go ahead, melisallarena.com/sessions, and you will see the link here. What I invite you to really consider is, okay, bring forth your story, bring with you your idea in terms of the investor profile. Be sure that you tell me who I'm supposed to be. I want you to know also what is going to be important to me and how whatever it is that you've got is going to help me and fix in my existing portfolio. So have that already in mind, be prepared. It is going to be a great session. And that is for free. That is 30-minute session for free.  00:29:20 Melissa: At that time, at the very end, after you have your answers, I will absolutely invite you to join me during one of the VIP sessions. Those VIP sessions, I only do three spots every single month. I'm sure you can understand as a mom with kids yourself, what I do is really, really important in terms of helping moms specifically as flexibly as possible. So it could be an evening time or a weekend time or chunk of time. And for me, three hours each month is what I can do in terms of VIP days.  00:29:58 Melissa: You get to choose if it's the right fit, I get to choose if you're the right fit and I can help you and we will take it from there. So I'm really excited about these VIP sessions, but more than that, I wanna hear from you and I don't want you to make a mistake in terms of burning through a contact list. I know the effort it takes to think through a product. I know the effort it takes to see a product market fit. And I know the effort it's going to take to implement whatever it is that you promise to the people on your list.  00:30:29 Melissa: So be sure that you take advantage of the 30-minute session with me. It is complimentary. You'll have the link here. It'll also be in the show notes if you are just listening to this conversation. And then we could certainly talk about whether a VIP day is the right next step for you. No strings attached. You are very welcome to attend a 30-minute session with me. I want to be sure that we avoid as many mistakes as possible when it comes to working through an outreach list. I want you to have so much success.  00:31:03 Melissa: And until Tuesday, let me know what you got out of this conversation, you are more than welcome to leave some comments. If you're watching this on YouTube, you're also welcome to share this with a friend, because here's the thing, Mom Founders know other Mom Founders. And if anyone is interested in actually pitching investors or securing strategic partnerships with people in different organizations or different organizations, you want to be sure that they have the greatest odds of success.  00:31:31 Melissa: So go ahead and share this episode. It's also in audio. And if you're interested in that 30-minute consult, it is available to you. And no strings attached, as I mentioned. So thank you for this conversation. And thank you. Until next Tuesday, go ahead and subscribe. Follow me officially, because next Tuesday, we're going to go through an actual interview with an investor. Stay tuned. Signing off, Melissa Llarena.

 The Mohua Show is a weekly podcast about everything from business, technology to art and lifestyle, But done and spoken ईमानदारी सेConnect with UsMohua Chinappa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohua-chinappa/The Mohua Show: https://www.themohuashow.com/Connect with the GuestSharath Jeevan OBE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharathjeevan/Follow UsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMohuaShowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/themohuashow/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/themohuashow/For any other queries EMAILhello@themohuashow.comEpisode Summary: In this enlightening episode, Sharath Jeevan, founder of Intrinsic Labs, shares his journey from immigrant roots to global leadership. He delves into his rich background, shaped by a family with a strong social conscience, and discusses pivotal moments from his 15-year career as a social entrepreneur. Sharath Jeevan emphasizes the role of intrinsic motivation in education, parenting, and career reinvention, providing insights on overcoming fear and leveraging transferable skills. Listeners will learn the importance of networking, maintaining a broad social network, and recognizing key leadership moments to achieve strategic alignment and long-term success.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction02:23 - Early Life and Social Conscience06:13 - The Importance of Inflection Points in Leadership07:57 - Applying Concepts of Autonomy, Purpose, and Mastery to Leadership11:40 - Strategic Leadership Alignment for Long-Term Success14:09 - Leadership Lessons from Scaling Educational Initiatives15:42 - Intrinsic Motivation in Parenting and Career Mindsets19:22 - Overcoming fear of Reinvention21:32 - Generational Dynamics and Leadership Succession25:17 - Initiatives by Intrinsic Labs28:15 - Closing Remarks DisclaimerThe views expressed by our guests are their own. We do not endorse and are not responsible for any views expressed by our guests on our podcast and its associated platforms. #TheMohuaShow #Podcast #PodcastEpisode #SharathJeevan #LeadershipGreatness #IntrinsicMotivation #CareerReinvention #SocialEntrepreneurship #EducationalLeadership #LeadershipInsights #NetworkingSuccess #CreativeLeadership #IntrinsicLabs #LeadershipChallenges #LeadershipSuccess #GlobalLeadership #ParentingAndLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #StrategicAlignment #GenerationalLeadership #EmpoweringLeaders #SocialConscience #CareerMindset #FutureProofLeadership #LeadershipJourney #TeamBuilding #CultureDevelopment #LearningAndGrowth #LeadershipReflection Thanks for Listening!

How to network with confidence for mom founders..... ever been disappointed in yourself that you missed an opportunity to talk to someone you admire or to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to a major investor or prospective client?  If you said yes, then this is the episode for you! Come this fall, are you going to be ready to do this with confidence, or are you at risk of disappointing yourself because you didn't feel ready or didn't do everything you could when you had the opportunity? If you do not want to feel in-ept as a former client told me, she originally felt then this is the episode for you!   I had cold feet myself when I first saw Shelly Lazarus and Beth Comstock however... I knew what to do once I was in front of GaryVee. I rehearsed my stories, questions, and asked. There was prework, follow-through, and strategy. No PR team, no big following, no former c-suite position. I knew how to work with my impostor syndrome.    What was different? What did I do that produced different results in me? How did I build my own confidence to have the guts to perform when the time came? How do you get your podcast guests? This is the number one question I'm asked by podcasters who know how hard it is to land a guest like GaryVee, much less as your tenth guest! The second question I get often came most recently from a client in the fitness industry who asked: how did you have the confidence to interview GaryVee? My answer to both is my three-step method.   In this episode, you will hear: Importance of shifting from transactional to genuine connections. How genuine connections lead to more meaningful and lasting relationships. Understanding your goals and the value you bring to the table. Building relationships based on genuine interest and mutual benefit. Research and rehearsal to build confidence. My Imagination to Impact to Income Method ™ gives me a reliable process to identify who to talk to, where to find them, and what to do once we connect.  It helped my client like yourself go from feeling intimidated to talking to people like GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, Zibby Owens to saying hi to them and pitching your ideas without hesitation. The method is your step-by-step solution to networking anxiety. When you join now as a member of the five mom founders this summer I will be offering an exclusive one-on-one session role-playing their biggest encounter! I'll look for their elevator pitch, see if their stories would resonate with their contact, and even help them with their delivery!  You want to look confident around confident people.    This unexpected approach to networking will change your life just like it has for this doting parent in North Carolina  “At the core of it, for me, it was about re-building and projecting confidence. I doubted myself. This program was critical to re-build my confidence and realize that I was not doing the right things to stand out. With this confidence, rejection has not been an issue, and now I am looking at opportunities without any hesitation.  Melissa knows how to motivate people to make those things happen. I will continue building my brand and networking.  This new habit will allow me to continue growing and reaching my potential.” -J. Hernandez, Artificial Intelligence at Sales Factory    Inside of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success you get access to:  • 9 weeks of live networking coaching and community  • Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal.  • 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change  • Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm  • Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More!    I'm also offering an exclusive bonus for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur and/or delegate or farm out things in your business so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar.    Click HERE to schedule a 30-minute call with me to learn more about Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders and jump in on this exclusive summer offer for the first five mom founders. Join this cohort now and get your productivity bonus and your free role-playing private session when you are in. Class starts very soon and will be capped this summer to only 5 mom founders. About Melissa Llarena I'm a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins). Quotes, that can change your perspective: “Intention matters. If you feel shaky on your intention, if you are faking that you intend to have this person on your podcast, to ask this person to invest in your business, if you feel like it's transactional, it is not gonna work. You're gonna flop, it's gonna come through and your insecurities are gonna catch you. And chances are you're not gonna say what you had originally intended to say. So your intention matters.”  “I was in an elevator with Shelly Lazarus... I was not the most confident person in the entire building. It was something that I eventually learned and I came up with a method that I teach my clients to also use in their lives so that this way, they network with a lot more confidence than that example right there."  “When I started going outside of my comfort zone, it was something that I had to make a very deliberate choice on doing, and doing a lot, and doing it in parallel with feeling the butterflies in my stomach. It was also something that I had to feel ready before I opened my mouth.” - -Melissa Llarena   SHARE this episode with your fellow mom founders and anyone looking to transform their networking skills! Learn how to move from a nervous novice to confidently connecting with influential figures and make networking a natural, effortless habit! Supporting Resources: Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/ Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/ Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87  Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.  I'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.

In this episode, we delve into the intricate dance of balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood, especially when raising a strong-willed child. Join us as Randi Rubenstein, parent coach, author, and founder of Mastermind Parenting, shares insights on maintaining structure, accountability, and firm yet loving boundaries. Discover how the principles of pack leadership can transform your parenting approach and draw parallels between the challenges of managing a business and raising resilient children. Embark on the emotional journey of entrepreneurial motherhood, from the lows of failed launches to the highs of tangible success. Reflect on how jealousy can serve as a catalyst for uncovering hidden dreams and transforming envy into motivation and actionable steps. Tune in for expert advice on navigating turbulent times with resilience and grace, and learn how to move beyond talking about change to actually taking action for personal and professional growth. Whether you're dealing with a strong-willed child or running a business during challenging times, this episode offers the mindset, methods, and tools to thrive.   In this episode, you will hear: Challenges of juggling business responsibilities while raising children. Parallels between managing a business during turbulent times and raising resilient children.  How mom founders can leverage their superpower of imagination to dream bigger. The dynamic relationship between working moms and stay-at-home moms. Identity shift and emotional challenges that come with leaving a secure job to start a business Self-reflection and turning envy into motivation and actionable steps toward goals. Emotional regulation and leadership in both parenting and business contexts. Necessity of mental preparation, accountability, and setting clear boundaries. Quotes, that can change your perspective: “What if you have a strong-willed kid and then you have another kid or multiple other kids? How are you supposed to get a handle on this? I would say it's the exact same thing, you know. The accountability piece and learning how to have that structure and have those boundaries into and to say what's okay with you as the pack leader.”   “A lot of women who are working many, many hours are still the ones responsible for what are we going to eat this week and what about those school forms and we need to go through your closet. You look like you're waiting for a flood.”   “You get out what you put into something, but it's doing the reps of whatever it is that you learned, you know, in business or in personal and holding yourself accountable for, okay, I made the investment. You could make the investment or you could have made the investment a decade ago, but you're so capable of still implementing what you learned.”   This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination to Networking Success, my 9-week group coaching program for visionary mom founders who have decided they are going to become power strategic networkers because they do not want to miss out on one more opportunity for maximum business growth! A program for a founder who wants a step-by-step process that works. My approach which I have used over and over and helped my client use too is called the Imagination to Impact and Income Method ™ and it will help you connect with the right people, lead the right conversations, and swing open the right doors to success.   If you want to learn more, then schedule a free call on www.melissallarena.com/sessions today. DM me on Instagram @melissallarena just type the word SESSION and I'll share the link if that's easier to see my calendar availability for this free call where you will get all the details you'll need to know if this program is the perfect fit for you and to hear about the extra bonuses available only this summer to the first mom founders who join. Here's that link: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/      About Randi Rubenstein Randi Rubenstein is a renowned parent coach, author, and the visionary founder of Mastermind Parenting. With a deep-seated passion for helping parents navigate the complex journey of raising strong-willed children, Randy has become a trusted voice in the parenting community. Her expertise lies in teaching parents how to implement structure, accountability, and firm yet loving boundaries, all while fostering a nurturing and growth-oriented family environment.   Randi's approach is rooted in the principles of pack leadership, emphasizing the importance of consistency, personal growth, and accountability without resorting to permissive or punitive methods. Her work rejects shame, blame, and spanking, focusing instead on a balanced strategy that combines firmness with love. This philosophy not only helps parents manage their households effectively but also draws insightful parallels to the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the business world.   SHARE this episode and discover strategies to transform your parenting and business, fostering resilience and consistency. Explore entrepreneurial motherhood, turn jealousy into motivation, and learn about our new group coaching program. Enhance your networking skills and navigate challenges with resilience. Tune in now to thrive at home and in business! Supporting Resources:  Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/ Podcast: MastermindParenting Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mastermind-parenting-podcast/id1362773053 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mastermindparenting Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to my podcast for moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.   I'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.    About Fertile Imagination to Networking Success, but first about a recent client…   Michelle founded a non-profit six years ago and has since raised over $1.5M. During our first conversation she told me she spent the first year just getting the word out so she could get families to apply. And now she was shifting to really try to fundraise and grow her program. Michelle knew that this wasn't necessarily her strongest suit, she said it's hard, and I'm not great at asking for money, and I'm not great at all these things. But I knew I had to do it, and I knew I had to network, and I knew I had to do everything.   That was when Michelle decided it was time to ask for help. We spoke on a 30-minute call and Michelle took a leap of faith to partner with me in my Fertile Imagination to Networking Success program.   Fast forward a few weeks Michelle grew bold, bolder, ultimately her boldest self. She had this to say: And then during our time together, I just started putting myself out there saying it. My goal is $50, 000 by the year saying that to people and explaining why that was the case and what that was coming from. There wasn't an arbitrary number. It was a very well thought out plan and in terms of the numbers. That was the boldest thing I did during our time together and ask the first IVF baby to wear our merchandise. Are you at this stage, is it time to grow your business? Is networking not yet your strongest suit?   Join me inside of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success:  A LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass to fast-track making connections with the right people to take your business to the next level.   •      9 weeks of live networking coaching and community •      Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal. •      3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change  •      Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm •      Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment   Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More   I'm also offering an EXCLUSIVE bonus for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur and/or delegate or farm out things in your business so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar.   Go to www.melissallarena.com/sessions to schedule a 30-minute call with me to learn more about Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders and jump in on this exclusive summer offer for the first five mom founders. Summer school is starting soon. Be one of the first 5 mom founders to join.

You've joined so many associations, networking associations, maybe even membership groups, you've attended conferences, you experienced networking, quote-unquote, societies, tried happy hours, gone to Toastmasters. So why is it that just the thought about going to networking events is still scary? Here's something that I've realized. It's because there's something missing. There's something missing from your strategy, and in this episode, I want to share with you exactly what that is. Now, if you're like a lot of my clients, usually you might be in a relationship, for example, where your partner is really good at schmoozing. They are great at going to events, connecting the dots, connecting people, and you might be a little jealous of that. The simple fact that it comes so naturally to them, but maybe not to you. Yet as a business owner, you might also realize that whether it comes naturally to you or not, it is so important and critical to your business growth. And this might be exactly what you want to work on and be ready to do and execute upon by this fall. So listen up. Here's the thing. This is how you know that you're not yet prepared to take full advantage of all of these things that I just mentioned. Again, those events that are coming up, those membership opportunities, those associations that you want to be a part of. This is how you know that you're not really ready and not really going to extract the real value of connecting with people who could accelerate your business. This is how do you still feel like networking is transactional? Have you felt that maybe networking is sleazy? Or do you just feel like there's a lot of pressure? A lot of pressure when you think about going to networking events. Because if that is where you are right now, then that's not the actual problem. The fact that a networking event is a sleazy place or it's a place of only transactions. That's not the real issue. Going to these events, it's not like exposure therapy that the more you go to them, the better off you'll feel. Chances are you'll still feel nervous before going to them if you don't yet have a solid strategy. Okay. Let's talk about this strategy. So the solid strategy that you need in order to no longer feel scared or nervous about attending events has to include these things. This strategy must help you prepare. Before going to events so that this way, when you're at the events, people already know you, this strategy also has to help you feel more confident and be more approachable and armed with topics related to small talk that don't feel random or pointless like the weather. This strategy that I'm talking about also needs to arm you with knowing exactly when and how to follow up without feeling like you're pestering people. So let me share with you a little bit about my strategy, a little bit about my method. It is called the imagination to impact to income method, and it solves for everything that I just listed out. Imagine this, imagine going to a networking event and already knowing who's going to be there, what stories you're going to share and how you're going to show up in addition to even how you're going to dress. What if having that pre-thought out and already curated is what it actually takes to no longer have to feel nervous or hesitant or unsure, or like there's a lot of pressure when you attend a networking event, a networking event that you may have already paid for, right? So those conferences that you have to fly to and then figure out the logistics for the kids that you leave behind. Like, what if you had this method that could help you really, I mean, just like own the room and feel completely like you belonged in the room as the leader of your business. That is what my method helps you do. This method, the imagination to impact income method, that's the centerpiece of my group coaching program for mom founders. And if this episode resonates then let's connect: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ The program is called fertile imagination to networking success, and we could absolutely have a conversation this week. So that this way you have a really clear understanding for how this program can help you completely set yourself up for success come the fall. Once you have these events to attend, once you have these opportunities that you should be emotionally ready for. And literally ready for, as in like already predetermined on your calendar right now. All of this is covered during the group coaching program with me, during which time you and I and a group of five mom founders will figure this out in time for the fall. This episode is brought to you by the "Fertile Imagination for Networking Success" Program Are you tired of attending networking events only to feel overwhelmed and underprepared? Do you crave meaningful connections but struggle to navigate the networking landscape effectively? It's time to revolutionize your approach to networking with our exclusive program designed for mom founders like you. Why This Program Is For You Imagine stepping into any networking event with confidence, knowing exactly who to connect with, what to say, and how to make a lasting impression. Our program, "Fertile Imagination for Networking Success," is your roadmap to mastering the art of networking and unlocking new opportunities for your business. What Sets This Program Apart Unlike generic networking advice, our program is tailored specifically for mom founders, recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities you face. Led by me (a mom of three with 12-years in business), my comprehensive curriculum combines live coaching sessions, on-demand resources, and a supportive community to ensure your success. What You'll Learn Strategic Preparation: Discover how to prepare effectively for networking events, ensuring you make the most of every opportunity. Confidence Building: Overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome, empowering you to present yourself confidently and authentically. Meaningful Connections: Learn how to forge genuine connections with key individuals, turning brief encounters into valuable relationships. Follow-Up Strategies: Master the art of follow-up, ensuring you stay top-of-mind and nurture your network for long-term success. What's Included Nine Weeks of Live Coaching: Join our expert-led coaching sessions to receive personalized guidance and support every step of the way. On-Demand Curriculum: Access our library of resources at your convenience, tackling everything from networking strategies to mindset shifts. Exclusive Community: Connect with like-minded mom founders, share insights, and celebrate your successes in our supportive community. Special Bonuses for 5 Mom Founders This Summer Only Exclusive Podcast Opportunity: Be featured as a guest on a top-rated podcast, gaining exposure to a wider audience of industry leaders and influencers. Private Bonus Sessions: Receive exclusive one-on-one sessions focused on calming pre-event nerves and implementing your networking strategies effectively. Limited Time Offer Enrollment is limited to the first five mom founders, who will receive a 30% discounted rate and access to our exclusive bonuses. Don't miss this opportunity to supercharge your networking skills and propel your business to new heights. Ready to Transform Your Networking Experience? Join us for the "Fertile Imagination for Networking Success" program and discover the power of strategic networking tailored for mom founders like you. Reserve your spot today and take the first step towards unlocking a world of opportunities for your business. How to Join Ready to take your business to the next level? Here's how to get started: Visit melissallarena.com/sessions Fill out the application to ensure it's the right fit. Schedule a conversation with me this month to secure your spot. Remember, only the first five mom founders will receive the exclusive bonuses, including the 30% discount, productivity resource, two private sessions, and the podcast guest spot. Don't miss this opportunity to grow your business and make meaningful connections. Visit www.melissallarena.com/sessions and apply now!

Struggling to stay motivated and keep your business on track during the summer? Discover how you can transform these months into a powerhouse of productivity and growth. Join us as we dive into actionable strategies tailored for mom founders, ensuring you hit the ground running this fall. Don't let another summer slip by—tune in now to learn how to leverage this time for maximum business impact. Let's connect if this resonates with you: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ And if this opportunity is what you need this summer then… Join My Exclusive Summer Group Coaching Program for Mom Founders This summer, I'm inviting five dedicated mom founders to join me in my exclusive group coaching program, Fertile Imagination to Networking Success. This program is designed to help you develop a clear, actionable plan to grow your business. You'll know exactly what to do and how to do it, ensuring you're on the right track for success. What's Unique About This Opportunity? Only the first five mom founders who join me will get access to an incredible range of bonuses, making this a truly exclusive and transformative experience. Exclusive Bonuses for the First Five Enrollees: Private Session 1 for Implementation: A 45-minute session where we'll develop a ready-to-go networking strategy for the fall. You won't feel lonely in this; we'll work side by side to plan and execute your strategy. Private Session 2 for Elevator Pitch: Overcome nerves and anxiety with a private session focused on perfecting your elevator pitch and confidently introducing yourself to new contacts. 30% Discount: For the first five mom founders, a special discount on the program fee. Productivity Resource Guide: Tools to help you take tasks off your plate, allowing you to focus more on valuable networking activities. Podcast Guest Spot: Be a guest on my podcast, you'll be in great company given awesome my prior guests like Gary Vaynerchuk, Beth Comstock, and Suzy Batiz. This will instantly boost your credibility and visibility. Program Details Fertile Imagination to Networking Success is a comprehensive nine-week program that requires just three hours per week, two of which can be accessed on demand. Here's what you get: Live Networking, Coaching, and Community: Nine weeks of live sessions focused on building a supportive community and providing actionable networking strategies. Value-Packed On-Demand Curriculum: Topics include overcoming imposter syndrome, identifying and connecting with key contacts, and planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar. Lifetime Access: Access to my proven Imagination to Impact to Income method, tools for seamless networking, and resources tailored specifically for mom founders. Specialized Tools and Resources: Including meditations and strategies to manage mom guilt and overwhelm, ensuring you stay focused and motivated. Why This Program is Perfect for Mom Founders As a mom founder myself, I understand the unique challenges you face. This program is designed to fit into your busy life, providing practical, executable steps to ensure you're ready to hit the ground running come fall. Success Stories Hear from one of my former clients, Lily Ibarra, CFO of a Fortune 500 financial services firm: "With Melissa, people will find an open forum to air their concerns and receive very clear guidance on how to prepare themselves with confidence. Know that her method really works." How to Join Ready to take your business to the next level? Here's how to get started: Visit melissallarena.com/sessions Fill out the application to ensure it's the right fit. Schedule a conversation with me this month to secure your spot. Remember, only the first five mom founders will receive the exclusive bonuses, including the 30% discount, productivity resource, two private sessions, and the podcast guest spot. Don't miss this opportunity to grow your business and make meaningful connections. Visit www.melissallarena.com/sessions and apply now! Thank you, and I look forward to helping you achieve your business goals this summer. Until next Tuesday, check the show notes for more details and links to sign up.

In this empowering episode of Fearlessly Authentic, we dive deep into the realm of feminine energy with the insightful @femmeguide, Cat Shanu. Together, we explore the nuances between masculine and feminine energies, shedding light on why it's crucial to acknowledge and embrace both. Discover the distinct characteristics of each energy and gain valuable insights into harnessing them effectively in various aspects of life, including business and personal relationships. Cat Shanu shares invaluable wisdom on how women can assert themselves in business without resorting to aggression, navigating the delicate balance between strength and grace. We delve into practical strategies for cultivating authenticity and power as feminine leaders, empowering listeners to step into their true selves without fear or hesitation. Join us as we unravel the secrets to embodying feminine energy authentically, empowering women to thrive in all aspects of their lives while staying true to themselves. Tune in and embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment as we embrace the power of feminine energy together. Cat Shanu is a femininity expert and luxury lifestyle curator. Cat has acquired years of experience teaching women how to become more confident, charming and alluring. Growing up as an outsider and then becoming an ‘it girl' in the femininity and black girl luxury space... she is an example to thousands of women of transformation inside and out. Before Cat founded the most recognised coaching community for ambitious women, she was an award-winning vlogger. In 2017 she became Feel Unique's first brand ambassador and won the nationwide Top Vlogger competition. Cat then went on to become a brand ambassador for brands Murad, and Living Proof. Also co-hosting a Facebook Live Party for Urban Decay. After leaving her role as a social media coordinator for the British Arrows Awards, she established The Femme Guide to showcase the intersection between beauty, femininity and ambition. Curating masterclasses on topics such as ‘dressing for Networking Success (with Luxe Club London) and The Art of Charm (for Home House), she quickly established herself as a key thought leader in her niche, amassing a community of over three hundred seventy thousand across Instagram and TikTok.

In this enlightening episode, we delve into the unique perspectives of stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) and working moms. Our special guest, Sharon Macey, host of the Mom to More™ podcast, shares her journey from being a SAHM for 20 years to reinventing herself professionally. This conversation offers working moms a chance to understand the other side of the coin and see that no matter the path chosen, there's no missing out or falling behind. This episode is perfect for you if you wish to uncover the profound wisdom that moms—both working and stay-at-home—can impart to each other to enrich their motherhood experiences. Do you want to ask me or this week's guest a question? Send in your question today: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ Key Points: Understanding Different Mom Experiences: Gain insights into the stay-at-home mom experience from Sharon Macey. Learn how SAHMs navigate daily challenges and find fulfillment, providing a broader perspective that can enhance your own parenting journey. No Right or Wrong Path: Discover how both SAHMs and working moms face unique but equally valid challenges and rewards. Sharon's story highlights that choosing either path is about finding what works best for you and your family, without fear of missing out or being left behind. Shared Wisdom for a Balanced Summer: Learn practical tips from Sharon on how to make the most of your summer with your kids. Whether you're a working mom or considering a shift, this conversation provides strategies for balancing enriching activities for your children with personal growth and career aspirations. Actionable Takeaways: Embrace a new perspective by understanding the experiences of stay-at-home moms. Find reassurance in knowing that whether you work or stay home, you're making the right choice for your family. Implement shared tips to create a summer that is fulfilling and productive for both you and your kids. Join us for this insightful conversation with Sharon Macey, and discover how understanding different mom experiences can enrich your own parenting journey and help you make the most of your mom summer. Listen now and gain a fresh perspective on motherhood! Official bio: Sharon Macey is a content creator, blogger, speaker and host of the Mom to MORE podcast. A real "mother of reinvention", Sharon created Mom To MORE™, a podcast and community for women rediscovering themselves beyond motherhood. Sharon enjoyed a successful career as an award-winning copywriter and marketer before proudly embracing the role of stay-at-home-mom. During the years of raising her 3 kids, she realized while doing all of the expected mom things, she had developed a wealth of skills that served as the foundation for her own personal reinvention.  Sharon knows that moms of any age can use their talents, wisdom and unique gifts to create their empowering and fulfilling next chapters in life. Sharon holds a BA in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin and a Digital Marketing Strategies certification from the Kellogg School of Management. She competes in Latin ballroom dance and lives the empty-nest life in Connecticut with her husband and comedic dog, Comet. In this episode, I shared a resource you can use today to initiate conversations with anyone! Grab it this week and let me help you take the first step to building a powerful network that can help you grow your business (and even connect with other moms too). Links: Podcast: https://apple.co/46XAhPB Website: https://www.momtomore.com/ From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook Download my step by step networking and follow-up process, as well as out-of-the-box proven ways to build relationships with the busiest of influencers, prospective podcast guests, and mentors! WARNING: this is for ambitious AF moms with growing businesses. AND BONUS: 30-second elevator pitch template included! The free playbook helps you: -Write an elevator pitch that will be memorable and distinguish you from everyone else. -Improve your networking skills, especially if you're a mom founder who can't go out and leave it to chance that she'll meet the business investor, mentor, or partner of her dreams. -Learn how to become a better networker without feeling like a fish out of water. -Write your emails to introduce yourself to strangers without overthinking how to begin an email or how to prove in the email that speaking with you will be worth their time. -Push beyond the fear that often holds you back, thinking "Oh, I can't do that" or "Who am I to approach that person?" -Think strategically about your outreach goals by considering why you want to talk to specific people, along with what you need to know so you don't get caught out there feeling like a deer in headlights without the right words to say. -Think ahead about how you intend to make it worth their time and how you can use your platform to feature them as an expert, among other things. -Calm your networking jitters beforehand by guiding you on how to research the event and its attendees before heading out. -Gain fresh ideas for follow-ups that will feel good to you and the recipient, instead of just emailing the person over and over again. -Use a timeframe to conduct your networking or outreach efforts so they become a habit. -And includes email templates galore! Meanwhile, this episode is brought to you by the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders Program: A LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass to fast-track making connections with the right people to take your business to the next level. What's included in this program: 9 weeks of live networking coaching and community Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal. 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More I'm also offering exclusive bonuses for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar, two private one-on-one (to implement networking outreach, to role-play your elevator pitch), and a 30% discount. Where do you want to be 9-weeks from now? There are two options you can feel excited, intentional, and prepared to hit the ground running in the fall ready to pitch, connect, or partner with absolutely anyone who can help your business skyrocket into next year or you can play smaller, stay stuck in the same day-to-day monotony of business hiding from the people and places where the better opportunities can be created? You are bold. You are the type of founder who will do anything for your clients! It's time to do this for yourself! Treat yourself the same you have committed to treat others. Go for option 1. Bold you! Believe in yourself as much as you believe in others! Imagine if you believed in yourself as much as you believed in your kids! You'd knock yourself out of every and any park! The fastest way to get to option 1 is by investing in Fertile Imagination to Networking Success today. Sign-up now for the 15-minute call for the details and summer start date--> https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/ Let's talk here so that you won't miss out on all of the bonus exclusive to this round of five mom founders. If you have questions email me melissa [at] melissallarena.com TRANSCRIPT: What if stay at home moms and working moms got together and helped one another and imparted some really useful wisdom that could help us each be better moms? That is what this conversation is about. I have here quite the special guest, Sharon Macey. She's the host of the Mom to More™ podcast. She's the mother of reinvention.   Former stay at home mom for almost 20 years, Sharon intimately understands the journey of motherhood, its joys, challenges, and the inevitable question moms all ask themselves. Is this all there is? And what's next for me? These moments of introspection led Sharon to her own aha moment and inspired the creation of her podcast, a podcast and community dedicated to supporting women rediscovering themselves after motherhood.   In this episode, we'll Sharon and I talk about what is it that we should be doing and can be doing with our kids during these summer breaks. And so I thought that Sharon would have a wonderful perspective seeing that she had about 20 summers with her children as a stay at home mom. And I think asking a friend with that experience is absolutely invaluable.   Also discussed in this conversation was a chapter of my book, fertile imagination. So in my book, I share how as working moms, we might want to phase out our approach to business building. Or just the way that we tackle our goals. And so I wanted to get Sharon's perspective pertaining to her life as a stay at home mom for the last 20 years.   And I wanted to see kind of like the other side of things. I wanted to know if she had been building out her interests in phases as a stay at home mom. And so that was something that we talked about as well as this very unique and very cool concept, which is that She was plugged into the community of advertising as a stay at home mom, so although she may have not been, you know, working for an agency at the time, her mom friends in agencies and friends in general would still reach out to Sharon.   As she may have been, you know, driving a child from hockey practice to back home. And that continuation of building those relationships, even when you are not working, per se, or looking for a job, I thought is such a wonderful example to share on this episode. So truly enjoy the conversation. If this really adds value and helps you reimagine what this summer could look like, having spent some valuable time with your kids, but also still plugged into your interests, then share this conversation with your mom bestie in particular.   And I want to challenge you. If you're a working mom, share this with a stay at home mom. And if you're a stay at home mom, share it with a working mom. I promise that we have more in common than we could possibly imagine. So please share this episode. And now for the wonderful conversation with Sharon Macey.   Amazing. Sharon Macey, thank you so much for being on Unimaginable Wellness. How are you? I am great. My friend. How are you? I'm really excited about this. I'm really excited about you. I'm excited that you're in a library. Oh my gosh. Do you know internet problems today? So we're in a library with this heinous yellow background behind me.   So But you know what, Sharon, this is emblematic of making it all work, making what lemon sorbet out of lemons. Here's the best part. I love libraries. So you're actually in like my Haven, right? So your library, fun fact, when I was living in new Canaan, we were very library envious. of people in Westport, right?   And so you are in a really great library looking at what a river or something. So yes, yeah. Overlooking I'm not overlooking a river, but yes, this library is overlooking a river. Yeah. So shout out to libraries. You guys are saving graces, especially if the internet ever conks out. And, and also for those mom friendly rooms, right?   With all those beautiful children books and such. So Sharon, I am so excited to have you here and we can absolutely launch into the regularly scheduled conversation. So Sharon, let me just paint the picture here, right? So. A lot of us want to spend more time with our kids, especially when we're in school break during the summer.   But the, the challenge is if we have our own businesses, if we're working moms, is that at this point we already feel behind, like behind on life, behind on our to dos, on our dreams. And so this idea that, okay, kids are out and we want to spend time with them. It just feels Card, and it feels like something that  might take us away from building the skills necessary to like make progress on our business.   So I would love you to help us all better understand how time spent with kids. For example, maybe thinking about your years as a stay at home mom, 20 years or so, how did that better prepare you? For when it was your turn or time to launch your own platform or business, like help us rationalize, like, okay.   Time spent with my kid is going to help me for when I'm back at it in the fall.  100%. I love that question, Melissa. Thank you.  The beauty of having been a stay at home mom, at least for me, and I realize that is a privilege to be able to spend that time, is that I realized later that everything you do as a stay at home mom builds a skill set and Or superpowers, whatever you want to call it, that will help you manifest, create, be whatever it is you want to be in your future.   Or if you are trying to get this done while your kids are, maybe your kids have finally entered kindergarten or elementary school and you do have a little more time. In your day, you've got more daylight,  it will help you build those skills. And so every moment that you're with your kids, you're learning so many things and we blow these off, right?   You think about how you act in an emergency, the leadership roles, the, the infinite questions in your ability to multitask and be a communicator and a negotiator and we'll throw in Dr. Mom, cause we've all been there. You have these innate abilities to do so many things and all of those skills are going to inform you.   They will help you get to whatever your next chapter or what I like to call my podcast, your more is going to be. And so I, I, I sort of challenged moms to say, think about all the things that you do, write them down. I mean, think about all the parties you've done. You're an event planner. Think about nonprofits that you've raised money for.   You are developing a skill set that is rich and varied and marketable, and those will take you far. I have to share something with you. A lot of moms that I've partnered with, mom founders, have told me that following up after going to networking events tends to be hard,  awkward, and a lot of them really don't know how to do it. I completely agree, and I think, as I think about time with my child or my children, I also think about the fact, and what I'm hearing you say, Sharon, is that I could almost, like, reframe it, right? If, if I'm feeling that, That complexity of the decision, the fact that it is time that I'm not going to be working on my business, quote unquote.   So one reframe that I'm hearing is that maybe the summer season, maybe these breaks, quote unquote, are like opportunities for me to work on like my soft Skills, right? So soft skills as a leader is certainly something that if you're a business owner, like a solopreneur, like myself, like you tend to forget the fact that you too need like a development plan as well in terms of your leadership skills.   So maybe time with your child can be time spent focusing on some key soft skills, and maybe it's something you do together. A hundred percent. And this, I think this time with the kids, summer is fun. It's creative. It's imaginative. It is, it's sort of where you can try to give your brain a bit of a mental break because the kids are on break and listen, your kid may go to camp.   So you'll have a little more time there.  Just, I'd say really enjoy that time. And, and drill down on all of these life experiences and see what comes up from there because it's not wasted time at all. It's incredibly valuable time. Absolutely. And, and I mentioned that because I remember when I was coaching a client, she had spent one morning going to some sort of science museum with her son and her husband, and in the back of her mind, she was like, But I should be really working on building my business.   But then she got back to the whole point of like, but wait, like, why did I actually build my business? It was to have the flexibility to be with my child. And so I think all of it can be rationalized. If you need that rationalization, just so that this way you feel great and actually present when you are with your child.   So I love what you said there, Sharon. So let me, let me ask you something because here's the thing that's super cool. So when I've interviewed people, not everyone has like checked out my book, fertile imagination, but you have it in your hand. And so I think it's, it's amazing. So I want to just reference it and get your thoughts on this idea.   Yeah in the book In the book Thank you so much In the book sharon. I reference a working mom who I admire so so so much martha hennessey who's Like a rock star and she's like a grandmother at this stage, too And she told me before I became a mom that I would never regret the time I spent with my kids It was really hard to think about Think that through because I was not yet a mom, but now I like I get it, right?   Cause a lot of us, for example, especially if you're a working mom, you only have these like windows of time, right? Of mom exclusive time. So here's my question, Martha, I mentioned in my book, she worked on her professional dreams. In phases while being a mom, right? And so my question to you, because you were a stay at home mom for 20 years, like, did you, on the other side of this coin, explore your interests in phases during your stay at home mom time?   Ooh, interesting question, my friend. So  I didn't think that I did at the time, but in retrospect, I I absolutely did, because I realized everything I was doing with my kids, all of the information I was absorbing and the knowledge that I was learning and the skills that I was honing, all of those things helped me eventually get to where I am right now with mom to more with the podcast and the community for women rediscovering themselves beyond motherhood.   And what was interesting, Melissa was when I was a stay at home mom, it was a little more black and white then. Right. I've got a, got a couple of years on you. It was a little more black and white, and it was either you were working or you are not. And  I had some freelance clients. My background is advertising and marketing.   I'm a writer. So I did have some freelance clients for a while until I had too many kids and then they outnumbered me and I was overwhelmed,  but. What I, what I tried to do is keep my fingers in the things that I like to do. I, my friends know that I'm creative. I would have friends who were working, who would call me up and say, need a headline.   I need an idea. Talk to me about whatever. And so  during those years, as  I had in the back of my head, I knew that There was a lot of questioning inside of me going, well, is this all there is? And what do I want to do when my kids grow up, which definitely led me into my mom to more chapter. And then during the pandemic, I was able to go back to school, which really helped to launch a couple of things, which then ultimately led in into what I was doing.   So I. Definitely different phases, although I might not have been as aware of it at the moment when things were happening, but in retrospect, when you really look at that pool of experiences and knowledge and highs and lows and disasters and successes, everything sort of helped me to get to where I am right now.   It's so interesting how originally I'm gonna this is actually something I've never told anyone. So like, I remember when I was first pregnant, me and my husband, okay, this was before becoming parents. Well, I guess I was with my first born in me, but I remember. We got all analytical about what we wanted our firstborn to be.   We literally started writing down, like, we want them to know all these languages. We want them to be, pick a word, kind, ambitious, whatever. Like we were almost like scientifically writing out like the recipe that we wanted to then bake. And, and so it's interesting because obviously that was like, To shreds because reality, you become a mom, but what I'm hearing from you is that maybe we don't need to be so like, I don't know, methodological about how we want to approach our lives.   Maybe things will happen. Events will happen. Situations will present themselves that in hindsight, we can then connect the dots and make something out of them that. Helps us feel fulfilled, you know, and so again, we were not creating our child, but we're manifesting his personality. So this was, this was beyond manifesting.   We're like two MBAs. We got Excel on this whole thing. And, and honestly, I had no time for Excel that first year. But the whole idea is that there's, there might be something else at play that really just helps guide us in, in a logical way that we will only know after the fact, right? So 20 years later, it makes sense that your friends in the creative feels, we're still asking you for your insights and wisdom.   It makes sense that maybe now at this stage, Sharon, and I don't know if this is true. Maybe you also like reached out to them and ask them about your mom to more stage. Maybe there's, there's some sort of, right.  Exchange there. So how did that work? Like at this point, at this stage, I'm just curious, like, did you plug back into those former friends, former colleagues, people who knew you when?   Absolutely. And, and a lot of that, they've just been in my life. Throughout the continuum, right? They never left. And I feel blessed to know as many people as I do in as many different stages of life that they're in. And so knowing that I have people that I can connect Reach out to and connect with, or sometimes reconnect with, has been incredibly powerful.   And I've found moms from my podcast, from,  from knowing, from people that I've known for a long time and realizing things that they have done in their life. And I think also  you have to, like in your book, Melissa, you have to allow for those moments of creativity and those moments of imagination and those moments of, I'm just going to go with the flow and see where it takes me.   And. Oftentimes, when you have these unexpected moments that were unex, these unexpected moments, you learn so much about you, about  something that you love to do, about something that you think you might want to look into in the future. So I just say, Like what you said in the book, allow your imagination to be and be able to take chances.   And I, and I think that's also something that I'm, I'm actually really comfortable doing. I don't know why, but I'm cool with taking chances. I feel like I started the podcast before I was really ready, although I had done a lot of research and I was as ready as I was going to be at that moment. But was it perfect?   God, no, you just, sometimes you just jump in and you do something because you know that you have something that needs to get out and it's going to resonate and you just need to do it. So that's kind of sort of where I'm, I'm coming from about that. Yeah. And I love that. I love that. I love how there was this continuing this continuity, I guess you could say of relationships.   It's like, I noticed that in terms of circles. So like, you know, where I have lived and where I live now, like there's a lot of moms who might not be a purist. Stay at home mom because right now I would say the lines are blurry to your point Especially with the advent of hybrid work and just working from home It's like like I do everything at home But so does my husband which is really interesting and he's not a stay at home dad, right?   So I I love how you  Stayed connected to people that were still in the work of of commerce right at the time and how and I also love how they respect you so much for your talent and skills, even though maybe at that moment, you may have been literally like driving someone to hockey practice or something.   Right? Like, And yes, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Right. You know, for mom, some, sometimes some of your most creative ideas happen behind the wheel of your car. Yeah, that's, that's very true. Actually, Sarah Blakely, by the way, just today on Instagram did a reel on how she used to feel. Fake a commute so that she could come up with her best ideas while driving nowhere, like around the same sort of set of blocks in Georgia.   But that being said, it just supports what you just said, Sharon. Yeah. Driving, showering, all of these moments where you're not thinking about a campaign or whatever, where that is when you get the tagline, right? That's when you get that soundbite. So I love that. I'm super creative. It just  moments of when you're sort of like falling asleep or maybe you wake up in the middle of the night because at a certain age, yes, everybody's waking up in the middle of the night  and oftentimes I find my brain just starts going and ideas just start popping and I have to open up my phone so I could just jot myself a note so I don't forget it.   Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, that's actually when my imagination was in full gear, like when I would put my head to the pillow and when I became a mom, because I was not putting my head to the pillow very often, that's why I felt like there was this pause on my imagination. And that's why I wrote the book so that I could rediscover my imagination and, and help moms and readers do the same for them.   And, and so let me ask you this question, cause I think I think this is really going to be common in terms of a lot of the listeners here. And I think your perspective, Sharon, would be amazing. So, okay, we have this idea that we are missing out on the lives of our kids. And And I, I am, I wonder from your perspective, when you were a stay at home, mom, did you feel like you were missing out in the world of commerce?   Like, was that ever like an inner conflict for you? Like, Oh, I'm not in the glitz and glamour of that. Things I heard this from a mom. That's a stay at home mom who was in, in communications before. That's why I'm curious about your thoughts and how you either untangled that conflict or worked through that conflict.   Cause we have it on the other side. We feel like we're missing out on the lives of our kids working mom. So I'm just curious your thoughts. Yeah, it's really interesting. You mentioned that because I absolutely felt that I was missing out, but. At that moment in my life, I had my it was a joint decision with my husband and myself that I had decided to step back and focus on the kids because they were only young ones and also recognizing that I had the privilege of being a stay at home mom.   But I would advise. Moms who are home to stay connected. And it's so much easier now than when my kids were younger, right? Having come back from, you know, the mom 2. 0 summit, so many women are really engaged in a, in a part time way. They've got younger kids, they're content creators that didn't exist when, when my kids were younger.   And so I'd say. My advice would be stay connected to the things that you love, the things that resonate with you, anything in your form or career, stay in touch with the people that you worked with.  You can take an online class, you can meet up with other like minded moms, and I know that there are, are groups all over the country of women who, Our home who are gathering together and they're talking about how do they stay relevant?   How do they stay informed? How do they stay with their fingers sort of still in the pie of their former careers? So then when they have the opportunity to be able to go back to what they did or interestingly, maybe start something totally new that they had no idea that they were going to do, that they feel that there was still that connection.   I'd say for the moms who are working and they're feeling like they're missing out with their kids, that, that is, is maybe not PC. That's, that's obviously a choice that you have. Now, I will also say, That there are women who have to work and I respect the hell out of them for doing two really incredibly hard jobs at the same time, raising kids, having to make that decision to put them in daycare or have someone in the family look at them so you can go make a living.   And that is, that is an incredibly hard journey. And I applaud all those moms who do that. And. And so they're not missing out because it's really interesting. Melissa, from the kids perspective,  my kids would say to me, we can't imagine having a mom who wasn't at home. But I know other women who were working and their kids have said to them, we can't imagine having a mom who wasn't working.   And so kids will glean.  Information and and experiences from how they lived and that will inform I think who they're going to become. So I think both sides of the coin are valid and true and real and they happen every day. And I think we just really have to embrace where we are able to be at this moment in time  while we are embracing our kids and just trying to take every moment that we gain from them and grow from it and love it.   I would agree. And I think, as I think about some of the clients that I've had who, who technically have a choice, that's, that's the part that's kind of interesting. And everybody has to decide for themselves, like what it is that they want out of their one precious life. Right. But, but some of the, uh, Some of the individuals who do have a lot of choice and, and opt to be very ambitious in terms of their careers, even when their kids are only going to be five, one time or 10, one time there's the other side of it is that you poured in so many years, a lot of times before becoming a mom, right?   So there's so many people that I've gone to school. School with, for example, that before they became a mom, which a lot of people now become moms later in life, they poured in decades to go up the ladder and to accomplish whatever dream was on their heart. And so it's very, very valid that that dream doesn't just go and it doesn't get thrown in the toilet with our placentas.   Again, I wonder where my placenta is. It's all. And it's really interesting, Melissa. I was just speaking with a cousin, a cousin of mine, and it's actually my cousin's daughter, and she just had a baby last fall. She's got a really big time job. And I think the pandemic really changed a lot of things. She is able to work from home  two days a week.   And so she can be with her daughter. She can work, she can take time out and, and. And have that mommy time, which is so important, but she also has this like really big job at a really world renowned firm. And so I think moms today have so many more options, so many more options than what I had when my kids were younger.   And so I, I think that's really important. I think that's terrific. You can sort of do both, right? You can have the time with your kids. You can have time at work. Sometimes they're overlapping at home. And, and it's just a whole different world in that regard, whether who's going to be a home parent, working parent.   It's, it's, it's,  there's a lot of, you know, We may want to edit this out right here. Cause I just had a senior moment.  There are, there is much more optionality that exists today than exists before.  Absolutely. Sharon. I think that people definitely can  re imagine what. A day can look like where they are present with their child, and they're also super focused on their work during another slice of, of the day.   I, I do, I do know there's, it's such a complex thing. I think having been a coach, like I appreciate also a lot of the realities, which is just one thing. Like. I still do think even though we have the option to work from home, I still do think that people that are physically based in a headquarters area might get picked for a C suite job a little more readily and easily.   Or if you show up to the office, it might convey extra commitment. And I'm not saying that's right. I'm just saying that I understand. And I appreciate the reality you. But I also understand that anyone that's listening has the opportunity at this time to really  figure out for herself what she wants.   Like, what do you want out of this life experience? Some, some listeners may. May have always thought to themselves, like, I've always wanted to be a mom. Like, like this, this being the CEO of an organization, that's for the birds. I'm being so silly right now, but like not everyone wanted that. And so for some people, I think it's just a matter of seeing the fact that if your dream was.   To be a stay at home mom and you have the opportunity to do so that is as valid and worthy and honorable as being the CEO of a billion dollar organization or whatever. And  yeah, I mean, you're representing the next generation of humans and I think the world is definitely more amenable to the whole work from home concept and we'll, we can thank the pandemic for that really.   And. There are, I think you can have more of it both ways than we could in the past. And, and the other thing that's really interesting, Melissa is what I've learned from some of the women that I've had the privilege of interviewing for my podcast is that I find that women who have spent a period of time home with their kids, they, they have become.   Far more entrepreneurial than they would have ever imagined. And so if you had said to many of the moms that I've spoken with, if someone had told you five years ago that you're gonna be doing what you're doing at this moment, they would have said, no way,  would have said, that's not me. I'm never gonna be doing that.   And so I think that just, The experience that you gain as a mom, the experience that you gained from working first and then being a mom and taking all those things that you went sort of putting it in the washer and the dryer and saying, okay, how's it going to come out on the other end? There's women have really this extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit and creativity and imagination, which leads them places they never thought they'd go.   And, and that, I mean, that's what happened to me. And I think that is just beautiful because life. Is you never know what's going to happen in life. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow. So to be able to take that creativity and move it forward, I think is a real gift and a blessing to, to have that opportunity.   Absolutely. Sharon, thank you for this. I think anyone listening is going to want to keep up with you. Keep up with Sharon. So like, where can we, yeah. So where can people find you hear more for about being a mom and, and just. Living in that moreness, like, how can we be part of your world? I love that. Living in my moreness.   Thank you for that. You can find me, well, my website is MOM2MORE, so M O M T O M O R E dot com, and on there, You'll have links to the podcast. The podcast is mom to more. It is on Apple, Spotify, YouTube for the video cast, really, wherever you do your podcast, you can find me. And on Instagram, I am at mom to more also on Facebook, also on LinkedIn.   I'm at Sharon Macey and talking about all things just from a slightly different perspective on LinkedIn that are relevant to, to moms. So I think also what's interesting for moms is.  Using your creative flow and, and, and having that idea exchange continuing on in your life, whether it's with friends who are moms, friends who are working, but that that whole sort of your creative flow, your essence, exchanging of ideas, building bridges, and, and it's something that I think is, is  helpful in helping you just sort of try to figure out what your next chapter is going to be.   Absolutely. Thank you so much, Sharon. Have an awesome one. Thank you, Melissa. Thanks. This has been great fun. What a wonderful conversation with Sharon. Here are the three things that I am going to reflect on myself and you might want to consider as well. So that this way, this summer season is A present one, and it feels completely nourishing, whether you are a stay at home mom or you're a working mom.   Point number one, there is beauty in being a stay at home mom. There are skills that you will learn that you can absolutely use now and later. And so just appreciating the beauty that there is, is my personal to do. I mean, there are moments when I am definitely very focused on my three boys, especially the summer season.   When I might lose sight of the fact that, you know what, we're out here having frozen yogurt together. How often is this going to happen? I don't know the answer to that. And so appreciating the moment and being in the beauty is absolutely something that I will take to heart. The second point is phases.   So in my book, fertile imagination, Martha Hennessy is someone who I feature. She's outstanding, had various positions in the government, and she is actually someone that I admire in terms of phasing out her professional ambitions. Sharon mentioned how moms stay at home. Moms can do the same thing. You can do the same thing.   If you are on a career pause, you can absolutely Think about what is interesting to you and start exploring this in a very like phase by phase basis. So if your children are, you know, just starting school, you could absolutely approach your love of dance. If your children are now in middle school, you can absolutely approach your love of song, whatever it is that's on your heart.   You can absolutely Think about how to experience that interest and Definitely check out my book because there's some ideas there pertaining to how you might want to Reimagine how you actually explore an interest so check out fertile imagination Third point. So this relationship between stay at home moms and working moms, I want more stay at home mom friends.   I want more working mom friends. I want us to get together and talk about the reality of our life experiences. There's so much more that we can learn from each other. than there is in terms of judging each other or even like judging ourselves. You know, I know for me, there have been moments when I've been like, okay, wait, was I supposed to be a stay at home mom?   Or was I supposed to be a, you know, working girl out in corporate America? Like there's all these thoughts that we often share, but we do not  to one another about. So we share it in terms of we're thinking it. But we're not expressing it. So what if we actually got together over a cup of coffee and we actually had these conversations?   So definitely thank you so much for listening to the conversation and until n

In this episode, I'm here to help you tackle the challenge many mom entrepreneurs face: balancing business growth with family time during the summer break. I'll share practical strategies to maintain momentum in your business while spending quality time with your kids. Drawing from my experience and my signature three-step method, you'll learn actionable advice on leveraging the summer months to refine your company vision, boost energy levels, and enhance storytelling skills. By involving your children in these activities, you not only strengthen your bond but also tap into their imaginative perspectives. Together, let's ensure you feel empowered and supported as you navigate your entrepreneurial journey. Today's episode is my answer to this listener question below.  Q&A: It's time for growth in my business.  This fall I plan to hit the ground running. I know I will have to network more to take my business to the next level but I feel rusty and fear coming across as inept. What are some things I can focus on this summer while respecting that I also said I want to spend more time with my kids during this break? Do you have a question? Send in your mom founder question today: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ Key Points: Summer Challenges for Mom Entrepreneurs: Balancing business growth with family time during the summer break can be tough, but I'm here to help you navigate it. The Imagination to Impact to Income Method: Let's dive into my three-step method tailored for mom entrepreneurs: accessing a fertile imagination, making impactful decisions, and creating pathways to income. Practical Strategies for Summer Success: Revamp Your Company Vision: Involve your kids in reimagining your company vision, leveraging their fresh perspectives and creativity. Boost Energy Levels: Focus on essential self-care practices like nutrition, movement, and emotional well-being to increase productivity and capacity. Enhance Storytelling Skills: Practice storytelling with your kids to refine your communication and articulate your business narrative effectively. Networking and Confidence Building: These summer activities contribute to enhancing your networking skills and boosting confidence in business interactions. Opportunity for Growth: Consider joining my group coaching program, "Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders," where you'll find support, mentorship, and a community of like-minded mom entrepreneurs like yourself. As you navigate the summer months, seize the opportunity to invest in your personal and professional growth. By implementing these strategies and participating in my coaching program, you'll be equipped to tackle the challenges of entrepreneurship with confidence and purpose, achieving success while cherishing precious family moments. This episode is brought to you by the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders Program: A LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass to fast-track making connections with the right people to take your business to the next level. What's included in this program: 9 weeks of live networking coaching and community Value-packed on demand curriculum on everything from navigating impostor syndrome to who to network with, how to find them, what to say, and on planning your fall and winter 2024 networking calendar focused on your business growth goal. 3 hours/ weekly investment this summer (2 whenever or wherever you wish) to hit the ground running in the fall and feel ahead for a change Lifetime access to tools and resources built for mom founders including meditations and unexpected ways to let go of mom guilt and overwhelm Exclusive opportunity for the first five mom founder participants including a multimedia podcast guest feature, two private bonus sessions, and a 30% discounted investment Special extras: Daily Wins Workbook, Impostor Syndrome Journaling, and Networking Email Templates and More I'm also offering exclusive bonuses for the first five mom founders only which is a guide on how to boost your productivity as a solopreneur so you can easily fit this into your summer calendar, two private one-on-one (to implement networking outreach, to role-play your elevator pitch), and a 30% discount. Where do you want to be 9-weeks from now? There are two options you can feel excited, intentional, and prepared to hit the ground running in the fall ready to pitch, connect, or partner with absolutely anyone who can help your business skyrocket into next year or you can play smaller, stay stuck in the same day-to-day monotony of business hiding from the people and places where the better opportunities can be created? You are bold. You are the type of founder who will do anything for your clients! It's time to do this for yourself! Treat yourself the same you have committed to treat others. Go for option 1. Bold you! Believe in yourself as much as you believe in others! Imagine if you believed in yourself as much as you believed in your kids! You'd knock yourself out of every and any park! The fastest way to get to option 1 is by investing in Fertile Imagination to Networking Success today. Sign-up now for the 15-minute call for the details and summer start date--> https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena Let's talk here so that you won't miss out on all of the bonus exclusive to this round of five mom founders. If you have questions email me melissa [at] melissallarena.com TRANSCRIPT: Three things you can do this summer that are going to help you feel like you're ahead of the game come this fall. This is a question I got from a listener. She says, it's time for growth in my business. And this fall, I plan to hit the ground running. Now, I know I'm gonna have to network more in order to take my business to the next level, but I feel rusty and honestly, sometimes I'm scared that I'm gonna come across as inept. So what are the things that I can focus on this summer as a business owner? While respecting the fact that I also said that I want to spend more time with my kids. Okay. I love this question. And if you have your own questions, absolutely send it over. I'm on Instagram at Melissa Lorena. I love this question because it comes up every single break, whether it is a winter, spring, or a school break of any kind, anywhere you are in the world, this is something that is uniquely a challenge for the primary caregivers of their children or family members who might be aging. And I want to be sure that you have. All the tools you need this summer in order to feel supported and to know that there are things that you absolutely can do in order to make progress on your business. So I wanted to just share this idea with you. A recent client who participated in my group coaching program, fertile imagination to networking success for mom founders, Michelle. She actually pointed something out pertaining to what is the point of differentiation of partnering with me versus someone that doesn't acknowledge the fact that you are a mom first. Here's what Michelle had to say. She said, it made me feel, the program that is, as if I wasn't always failing. I wasn't always failing. Um, having to feel disappointed when things were not going my way or when things were not the way I imagined or hoped. So in the program, Michelle goes on to say that there was so much context around this idea that as long as you are moving. Towards your dreams, even if it's at a snail's pace, you are doing what you can, and that's more than enough. So here's the thing. During the summer months, our schedules completely change for a lot of us. And we have to reprioritize what comes first, but here's something that I know personally and I also know having helped a lot of mom founders who have very different circumstances. If you decide not to do anything pertaining to making progress on your business, then there are absolutely consequences. And here's some of them. Come September, when all of our peers are out there full force, marketing their programs, marketing their podcasts, marketing their offers, we often will feel left behind. Like we are way behind the eight ball come September. And what then happens is this pattern. You end up doing. Everything that you should have been doing little by little over the summer in the beginning of the fall, in September. And so that is what then brings about burnout. That is then what brings about this idea that our business and motherhood is an all or nothing game. It's something that either you're all in, Or you're fully out of, and I want to really, really emphasize that it does not have to be the case. There are absolutely things that you can do this summer that are gentle, that are purposeful, that are intentional, that will keep the ball rolling in your business. And I really, really encourage you to think through. What you want to feel in September once the kids do go back to school once the kids are back in their Regular routine and you have a bit more time to yourself to think so something else that is a consequence of not doing anything that is strategic and quite Intentional over the summer that is going to give you the biggest bang for your time Buck is this idea that It is going to be so important, irrespective of where you are as a mom to really, really keep your kids engaged over the summer. I know, right? I heard you from the left field. So here's why that matters. As it relates to our children during these summer months and at any point, they are what I like to call imagination experts in residence. Thanks. And we lose sight, oftentimes, that a day spent with them can actually help us gain access to our own imagination. A day spent with them playing around can help us feel fresh, give us the opportunity to think differently about things, give us this sense of fresh enthusiasm that plugs us back into why we started our business in the first place. For And so you will be missing out on this opportunity that's quite special during the summer to hang out with the kids and actually learn from them over the summer, see how they might consider certain challenges and approach certain things, right? So that's something else that if you decide to completely let go of your business over the summer, you might miss out the opportunity to bring that fresh sense of enthusiasm, fresh perspective, a fresh playfulness. To something that you've been struggling with or thinking about in the year before while the kids were in school, like now you have these amazing humans that are around you who can help you rethink, reimagine what's possible for you in your life and in your business. So why not leverage that unique time during the summer to bring them on board your own sort of team, right? So that's something else that you will miss out on if you decide to not do anything business related over the summer versus figure out a way to bring your kids into the loop. Here's something else that tends to happen. So we get rusty. That listener mentioned that her networking skills are already rusty. So now imagine a summer spent where you are at home or you are on vacation and you are a hundred percent not in a business mindset and not using that way of thinking. What ends up happening is that you're going to have to warm yourself up come the fall and you're going to be warming yourself up come the fall when everyone else is. Would have already been warmed up throughout the entire summer season. And this is not to say at all that you don't get to decompress, relax, not think about business. But what this is to say is that there are huge benefits for making progress on your business, even at a snail's pace. And I would argue that that is the reason why over the last 12 years as a mom founder with three children, I have been able to do some pretty kick ass things, such as bringing amazing guests to my podcast, like Suzy Batiste, Beth Comstock, I mean, amazing humans, and it's because I never really fell asleep, like a comatose on my business, never, never, never, even when I was tandem nursing, my identical twins, I've I continued to make progress and again, we're not talking about rockstar progress. We're talking about snails pace, but snails pace might be the way that you achieve your big bold ambition. All right. So now let me share with you three things that you can do this summer that are not going to put you in a place of conflict. Where you're going to be telling yourself, but I promised that I was going to be spending more time with my kids, and then of course I also promised myself that I would hit the ground running come September. That is the conflict that I want us to really nip in the bud right now on this episode. Okay, so here's where we will begin. I want to share with you my framework. This is the framework that I teach my participants in my group coaching program. And this framework really comes from experience and having partnered and worked with so many working moms just like you. It is called the imagination to impact to income method. So three step method for mom, business owners. Here's why this method works for a mom founder, and it is specific for someone. Okay, so the first step of the method is about having access to a fertile imagination. That is also the title of my book, my bestseller. The reason why this is critical and key and cannot be skipped for a mom business owner Is because oftentimes we find ourselves in the most complicated and gnarly experiences and we need to figure out how to keep going, whether it is figure out who's going to pick up Jake versus who's going to pick up Mary or figure out how we're going to stay, stay in terms of And the best, keep our best foot forward when we are exhausted and we're trying to complete our launch marketing plan, whatever challenge you have as a mom, if you do not have access to your fertile imagination, you are limping your way through business and life. What this means is if you do not have the ability to think expansively beyond what you may have seen another mom. Ever do as a business owner or as a matriarch of her family, then you are greatly limited because modern society comes to you at a fast rate and thinking expansively and beyond what you have seen is the name of the game when it comes to maintaining your mental health and still kicking ass in business and being an amazing mom. So that is step one to. Everything and anything that I teach my clients who are mom founders who want to find business success on their terms, on their timeline and alongside their kids. Now that's step one. Step two is impact. So at the end of the day, a lot of us go into a lot of things and we end up feeling scatter brained. This is impossible to actually make your maximum impact. So once you have access to unlock these fresh ideas, because now you have access to your fertile imagination, which is step one of the three step method, it is then that you can choose from all those ideas, the one idea you're going to go all in on. Okay. After you have decided to go all in on that one idea, That is when we could start talking about step three, which is what are the possible roads to income for you on your terms as a mom founder and the pathways to income have everything to do with the things that are within your control, the things, the skills that you need to get very good at, including storytelling, including networking, including productivity. I mean, there's a plethora of skills that I do teach my clients. But then on top of that, there's also this ability and desire to communicate your story and communicate why you are the person to actually help someone else solve their challenge, right? So as a business owner, that is why we opened up our business, our businesses in order to solve challenges. So this three step method, I https: otter. ai into precisely what it would look like to begin this three step method alongside your kids during this summer, and in a way where you do not feel like you are robbing time from your kids, nor robbing time from your business. So, let's get to it. So before we get to the nuances here, overall, the reason why my three step method works for mom founders is because oftentimes we have gears that are just stuck in our minds, right? And so again, we're starting with the imagination, so we have to unlock the ability to come up with fresh solutions, fresh ideas. Then we're filtering, we're going from scatterbrained to focused by having one thing that we're going to focus on. And ultimately that is what's going to help you save time and money. And so now let's go back and see what that looks like for a summer well spent that you absolutely are proud of and excited about come the fall when you're ready to run fast towards your goal. So, this idea of a fertile imagination. Step one, as I said, you have got to turn on your fertile imagination. Here's how you know that your imagination is dead, is in a coma. Well, let's imagine that you have the same challenge this summer as you had last summer and you don't have a new solution. That is how you know that your fertile imagination is turned off. So we've got to be sure that that's step one. Our kids are the best human beings. to help us turn on our fertile imagination. Think about it this way, right? Our kids, they clock in about 10, 000 hours of using their imagination when they're little. Imagine having access to an expert who has clocked in those 10, 000 hours and is not shy about sharing what is in their imagination, right? All right. So here are the three things you can work on with your kids that are related to your business over the summer and not feel guilty about doing so either. First thing, and this is something that I have worked on with my clients in my group coaching program, and I have invited them to actually bring their kids along for the ride. So point, the first point, you can work on your company vision with your kids. So let's imagine you've been in business for six years, for 12 years. For more than one year, chances are your company vision might not be pulling its weight. Your company vision has got to be re imagined with more expansive thinking. Your company vision needs to energize you. Why is that? Because moms, we have finite energy. So we need all of the. Energy levers we can get right in order to keep going. So over this summer, what I would encourage you to think about is your company vision. Your company vision is not a one pager business plan. It's not what you might have on your pitch deck and share with your investors. A company vision is deeply personal. It should be visual and it's okay if it is totally unreasonable. I actually encourage you to make it unreasonable. Thank you. And who's often unreasonable? Our children are often unreasonable. That is why I would invite you to actually, age appropriate, speak with your kids and work on your company vision together. Have them present some dares to you. Have them stretch how you think about what's possible as a business owner. Have them Encourage you to simplify your language pertaining to what makes your business different. So I'm a hundred percent sure you have not thought about this. The reason why I have thought about this is because there's a lot that we say we can't do because we have kids. And I want to flip the script on things that we can do and we could probably do better because we have access to these imagination experts in residence over the summer. So working on your company vision, that is where it's at. And I remember when I was partnering with Michelle, she has an organization that's a nonprofit. And in terms of the work that they do, it's something that you wouldn't imagine talking about with your children. It's about NICU stays, pregnancy, and the loss of children. But even in that scenario, there's a way for you to share your story with your child. And there's a way. For you to really refine your messaging and have them help you focus or hone in on one point of differentiation, where it feels like a good experience. It feels like a meaningful experience. It feels like a quality time spent with your child over the summer. So that is one thing you can totally do over the summer with your kids. You can absolutely whip out the crayons, do what you got to do and think about your company vision. Learn And your vision needs to energize you. If it is not energizing you, then what you just did was come up with like a boring website company description. And that is not what we're going for here. So company vision with your kids, leverage your imagination, make sure you're tapping into your expansive thinking. This can be a fun thing. This is something you could write on a post it note, put on your laptop every time that you feel a bit exhausted, but it'll get you over that hump. That is one thing you could work on over the summer with your kids. There's a process behind them. There's a criteria, a five prong criteria for a company vision. All of that, those are the things that I share with my clients during the group coaching program, which effectively only takes about three hours of your time every single week. And most of it would be on your time because there's an on demand training component too. Here's a second thing you could work on over the summer alongside your kids. And this is, again, having to do with the three step method that I presented earlier. So these are like pieces of the method that I want to bring to life for you, for someone who wants to spend time with her kids, but also wants to continue with her work. Making progress on her business. I encourage you to work on your energy levers with your kids. What does that mean? So in order to be very productive You need to increase your Capacity in order to increase your capacity as a leader of a business It is important that you have the essentials down packed. What do I mean by the essentials? Well, when it comes to your nutrition, when it comes to movement, when it comes to your emotional health, all these things and sleep all need to be worked on in order for you to feel like you have more in you to give to the world. And these are the things you could work on over the summer with your kids. Personally, my kids still go to bed at 8 PM. I don't care if it's a break or not. Because ultimately, mommy doesn't want to break and so for me, when it comes to these energy levers with my children, I mean, I'm very much so well practiced over every single break and that is something you could work on over the summer with your kids and you can feel like you're making them. Major progress pertaining to your business goals in the fall. Why is that? Because right now you need to gather energy. You need to figure out like when you are best, are you a morning person, a nighttime person, do you get more output before your kids wake up or when your kids go to sleep in terms of your business? Figuring those things out now over the summer will pay off in the fall. You don't want to spend the fall season thinking about how to organize yourself. You want to think about and plan these things over the summer and you can absolutely do this with your kids. Here's one thought for, for food or food for thought, right? Imagine if taking a nap with your kid over the summer, like one day, imagine if that would actually be a great investment into your business. Like, is that possible? I know it is. And so I want to encourage you to think about that over the summer. Here's something else that you can work on. This is the third one. Third thing you could work on over the summer with your kids and feel like you're making progress on your business. This idea of storytelling, when it comes to storytelling, it is so urgent that you are able to articulate a story that is going to resonate with the right person. Who can help you take your business to the next level come in the fall. So why not practice the art of storytelling with your children? A, they're going to be honest. If you're telling a story and it's boring, they're going to tell you. B, they're also going to challenge you so that you can really, really have some sort of focused message. You can really be more innovative in terms of the way that you articulate a story. You can speak more clearly, maybe a little faster, make it a bit more punchy. I mean, they can absolutely help you communicate and they can even help you Draw on a napkin your story, draw on a napkin what makes your business different, draw on a napkin your business idea. Why is that important? So here's the thing, when I've spoken with a lot of mom founders who have business ideas and want to bring on investors. They, they have shared with me how they feel that oftentimes a man who has the same idea could just draw something on a napkin and then he'll be cut a million dollar check. And so that is why I encourage you, a mom founder, to actually, over the summer with your kids, again, break out the crayons, the markers, or what have you, and draw on a friggin napkin your ideas. Leverage the art of storytelling, practice this with your children and you will be better off come the fall. Now these are very practical ways for you to optimize your summer days so that this way in the fall you don't feel as rusty. And these are core skills pertaining to networking. And here's what I want to really say about that. When it comes to networking, you need to have a kickass company vision, period. If your company vision doesn't light you up like a Christmas tree, then there's no way that you're going to magnetize the sort of investors, partners, or clients that you would want. That's step one. Two, when it comes to selling anything, enthusiasm and illustrating high energy, again, those energy levers you'll be working on over the summer with your kids. If you don't have that sense of energy and this ability to just like bounce from enthusiasm pertaining to talking about your business, you're just not going to get the attention that you deserve on your business, nor on Your own story. And so again, this is going to be helpful in terms of networking. I'll tell you what, when I interview my podcast guests, for example, when I interviewed Beth Comstock, former CMO of GE, something that she shared with me and on a lot of my podcast guests have shared with me is that they love my energy. And this is not about inflating my ego at all. What it is is it is a strategy I can teach you to grow. But let's start getting the basics down in terms of practicing these energy levers that I just shared earlier with your kids over the summer. Then, when it comes to storytelling, how does this help you with regards to networking? You want to be interesting. Otherwise, who's going to want to hang out with you? And the bar for interesting? Is totally doable. I don't want you to feel like, Oh, I'm not that interesting. I'm just a mom. I just do like regular things like that is absolutely ridiculous. You and I can have the most fun time humanly possible by just talking about something that we have both experienced over the summer. I'm pretty sure we can. And honestly, you are interesting. I just want you to just see that as a fact. I want you to just not even imagine that that's impossible. And at the end of the day, you're so interesting that you decided to create a family and create a business and create a life that you absolutely want. to cherish. So I believe you are interesting. So yeah, interesting people tend to network with interesting people, interesting people hang out with interesting people. And so that is going to be important pertaining to things you could do over the summer to actually go ahead and feel like in the fall, you're not so rusty. You have some very relevant networking skills and you have an idea of what works best for you and your family by way of energy levers. Okay, so what does this all mean for you? I just shared with you a sense of how you can make this summer freaking amazing pertaining for being with your kids and also making progress on your business. I just shared with you things that you can absolutely sneak into the day and leverage your imagination expert in residence at the same time. And these are things that you can do on your own. I mean, you could effectively devote about three hours a week this summer working on these things. Thanks. But, here's the thing. If you don't have the nuances behind my step by step method, my three step method, as in, what each step contains, then it is going to be way harder to get the juice out of this lemon over the summer. The other thing is if you don't have access to other moms that are trying to do the same thing, then that means you're going to be hoping to find motivation to keep going versus having that group experience and that group encouragement available to you if you join me and four other mom founders this June in my group coaching program, fertile imagination. To networking success for mom founders. We kick off in mid June. Now, am I nuts to kick off in mid June for mom founders? Absolutely not. I'm not, because what I know to be true is that all you would need is to dedicate three hours a week for nine weeks through the necessary steps that I have shared with you in this episode, along with the steps that we would go through together. In my group coaching program, this is what I know to be true, to be the case that you need in order to feel so ready in September to speak with the right people and to have the right conversations that can truly take your business to the next level. Let me give you an example with regards to my client, Michelle, something she shared with me, which I'm so proud of pertaining to her experience in the program is the following. She had known about the first IVF baby for years before partnering with me in this program. But having gone through this program and gone from feeling hesitant to put her big dreams out there, too bold about asking for what she wants, she had the guts to actually approach the first IVF baby and ask her to wear her merchandise. And she's like a huge influencer. I'll share the testimonial that Michelle has after this episode, so you can hear what else she got out of the program. But what I encourage you to do is really just imagine, imagine if you used this summer to get so ready for the fall, that in the fall, you didn't feel like you were behind. You didn't feel rusty anymore. You didn't feel like you never get to win and you also got to use this summer in a way that filled your heart as a mom who could be present with her kids and also share with her kids a piece of herself, her business. And I think that's important. I really do think it's important. So here's the action step for you. I want to speak with you. I want to speak with you soon because of the following reason. This cohort of five mom founders in total who are going to be part of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders this season, so this mid June, this cohort is going to have things that are exclusive opportunities. The investment level for this cohort is going to be at a 30 percent discount for participating in this round in terms of having a private midpoint coaching session that is going to be a bonus for someone that participates in this round starting mid June. You're also going to have an opportunity to be a guest on my podcast. If you're starting in this round again, starting in mid June, and you're going to have my eyes on your business so that you have a sounding board for whenever you want to approach a investor, you want to approach a partner, you want to approach a podcast guests or someone that's going to sponsor your business, you're going to have the opportunity to ask me, Hey, Melissa, am I being direct in what I want? Hey, Melissa, is this email going to get. Opened and is my message on target with what you and I talked about or hey, Melissa, if I do this in the fall, am I going to reap the most rewards or am I going to be like stretching myself thin again? Like I did last year. These are all the sort of questions I have answered for my mom founder clients in the past in my group coaching program. So I want to be sure that. If you are curious about participating in a program with me, this is your shot. This is your shot to participate with me over the summer. And really, I am so, so committed to making sure that when you're partnering with me, we are honest about the motherhood season that you are in. We are honest about the business season that you are in, because that is how we can make it work. It is important that you do spend time on your business, but it is obviously even more important that you're a present parent. And I make sure of it pertaining to my group coaching program. So I will leave you with that. You will hear Michelle's Q& A with me right after this. And I really encourage you to do that. To reach out to me, the link will be in the show notes. You can absolutely schedule 15 minutes with me for free. We'll go through the program details and I will answer everything that's on your mind in terms of the group coaching experience. Again, it would just require three hours of your time each week. Most of it is on your own time from your, your couch or anywhere you are in the world. It'll be about one hour. That is a Q and a session and I'll give you all those details on our 15 minute free call. So go ahead and call me or schedule that time with me. And we will absolutely go through the details. You can also email me melissa. lorina at gmail. com. Everything is in the show notes, and I hope you have the best summer ever. I never do this, but I wanted to just share a conversation between Michelle and myself pertaining to her very specific experience in the fertile imagination to networking success. Group coaching program, certainly, if you have any questions pertaining to being one of my five mom founders this summer, so that this way in the fall, you are as confident and competent as Michelle is in distinguishing her organization versus anyone else and the confidence that she had to reach out to the first IVF baby. If you want some of that confidence by this fall, Go ahead and send me an email, Melissa dot Lorena at gmail. com or sign up for 15 minutes with me on my calendar. You can see all this information in the show notes right on your device. All right. Enjoy the conversation. It is really raw and candid, and I hope that it really answers any questions pertaining to what it would be like to partner with me and to have me as a mentor, I would love to have the conversation and I'd be honored to support you and your company.

Frank Agin uses the destructive forces of water (comparing tsunamis and erosion) as a metaphor for illustrating appropriate long-term networking best practices. For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking visit https://www.networking-rx.com or contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

What's your calling? Ever thought you might be called to something more? What if your calling is waiting to be answered today? This could be the most inconvenient time for a calling to come your way, yet it can also be the perfect time for you to rise up and show up for yourself and others. If this resonates with you, then this is the episode you won't want to miss. Join us as we dive into a conversation with Michelle Valiukenas, a mom founder who answered her calling and created an incredible impact through The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation. I'm thrilled to introduce you to Michelle Valiukenas, an extraordinary mom founder whose journey and accomplishments are nothing short of inspiring. Michelle is the founder of The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and infancy, as well as supporting grieving families through financial assistance, education, and advocacy. But this episode is about more than just Michelle's impressive achievements. It's about you and the unique calling in your life. My intention for this conversation is to encourage you to answer that calling, to find the courage and inspiration to pursue your purpose just as Michelle has. Throughout our discussion, which feels as much like a mentorship session as it does an interview, you'll hear the powerful story behind The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation and the critical needs it addresses—needs that often go unmet by insurance, social workers, and government organizations. Michelle's story is a poignant reminder that the problems you see and the passions you hold might be signs pointing you toward your own calling. You might think that someone else is already tackling the issues that matter to you, but as Michelle's experience shows, there are gaps that only you can fill. This episode is your sign to step up and make a difference. So, let's dive in and explore how you can answer the calling in your life, just as Michelle has. Let's talk about your calling. https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/ This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination to Networking Success: a LIVE 9-week group coaching masterclass designed to fast-track your connections with the right people to elevate your business. Before we continue today's conversation with today's guest Michelle, a participant of the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success for Mom Founders program I want to ask you a question.   Are you a visionary mom founder who knows that she needs to get better at networking because the growth of her business depends on it? Has feeling awkward, or uncomfortable ever gotten in your way from putting yourself in the right rooms and stepping forward to talk to the right people who can cut you a huge check that can change the trajectory of your business and take your business to its rightful next level? This is an exclusive call for 5 mom founders to join FI to Networking Success this summer. By dedicating just 3 hours a week, you'll be prepared to hit the ground running this fall. You'll get better at networking, identify the right connections to propel your business forward with clarity, and develop a mom-friendly strategy that works regardless of your kids' needs. My proven three-step method—Imagination to Impact to Income—will help you confidently and competently put yourself out there, ensuring you stay connected to your business and dreams in a manageable way, even as you spend more time with your kids this summer. You can have both. But here's the catch—you need to act fast. If improving your networking and selling skills is a priority, now is the time. This transformative program is available at a 30% discount for those who join my June cohort. To secure your spot, we must talk in May. If you wait until June, the investment level will increase and spots may be filled. Will I offer this program again? Not in this way and not with these exclusive add-ons: An intimate, five-participant cohort of mission-driven mom founders. This means personalized access to me, similar to a VIP one-on-one mentorship, which could be valued at 10X the investment level of this group coaching program. As an added bonus, you will be featured and heavily advertised as a guest on my podcast, Unimaginable Wellness, alongside trailblazers like Suzy Batiz, Asha Curran, and Beth Comstock. For a limited time, you'll have direct access to me for personalized feedback on your outreach efforts—an invaluable opportunity to accelerate your progress and maximize your results. Exclusive to securing your spot in May for June, you'll receive a midpoint private session. This working session will focus on executing your outreach plan—it's about immersion and action. Move quickly to take advantage of this unique opportunity and transform your business while nurturing your family. Secure your 15-minute program details call today! Book a 15-minute call HERE:  https://go.oncehub.com/ClientSessionMelissaLlarena Let me know if you have questions about the program via email Melissa[.]Llarena [at] gmail.com Official bio Michelle Valiukenas, once described as a "social worker trapped in the body of an attorney," began her career representing domestic and sexual assault victims in litigation. After a decade, she was called in another direction after losing her second baby, Colette.  She remains the proud mom of two angel babies, Sweet Pea and Colette, and her only living child, her son, Elliott Miguel. Michelle now runs The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation, which she founded to improve outcomes in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and through infancy as well as support grieving families through financial assistance, education, and advocacy. Since its launch in 2018, the foundation has helped over 2,300 families and distributed more than $1.5 million in grants.  Their ability to give is dependent on the generosity of donors, partners, and supporters and any help is always appreciated. A writer, speaker, and advocate, Michelle addresses topics like infertility, pregnancy loss, and parenting after loss. She advocates for reproductive rights, health equity, infertility awareness, and the needs of families.  At home, she enjoys relaxing with her son, husband Mark, and their dog, Nemo. Links: Donate: www.colettelouise.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/colettetisdahl IG: https://www.instagram.com/colettelouisetisdahl/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellevaliukenastisdahl/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTisdahl You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbanq9_1LEX6hoxGeLGU3Zg Transcript: So let's start with. With you. So Michelle, share with us, share with the listeners who you are and a bit about your organization and really, really let us know like what makes your organization distinguishable versus other organizations in this space. Absolutely. Well, thank you. So I'm Michelle. I'm a mom of three. I have two angel babies, Sweetpea and Colette, and an almost four year old who I think has the energy of all three of them. And our road to parenthood was It was tough. We struggled with infertility. I've only ever gotten pregnant via IBF and we lost our first pregnancy and then with our second, our daughter Collette made it past the scary first trimester and when I was 21 weeks pregnant, I was hospitalized with severe preeclampsia. And told you'll be here until you deliver. And so just talk about the world sort of just coming to a pause and thinking, what is it, what are we going to do? And once I was hospitalized, I was in the hospital about a day or two, it occurred to me how blessed and how lucky I was that we could actually afford. to handle this hospitalization and what was likely going to be a NICU stay. And I also realized in that same vein is that I knew I was definitely the minority that could do that. And so I remember turning to my husband and saying, we need to do something about this, all of that. And he, he turned to me and he said, please, for the love of God, could you please just worry about yourself once? And I said, well, that's not really what I do. Who are you married? What are you talking about? But really it just sort of stayed with me and throughout the whole process it kept coming back to me in my head. Ultimately I was in the hospital just over three weeks and then the doctors recommended delivery. So Collette was born at 24 weeks and five days and went straight to the NICU. And we spent nine days in the NICU before she died and I always call it she gained her angel wings.  In that whole process, going through NICU and seeing the whole, the toll it takes on parents, right? And I was being told by doctors and nurses, and I was hearing doctors and nurses tell other parents, you might want to save your leave time, go back to work now, and save your leave time for when baby comes home. And I had a very difficult  postpartum recovery, and I couldn't imagine. I was in no shape to go back to work. There was absolutely no way that I could have gone back to work. And Just thinking about that and thinking how much time they were losing with their kids and not being participating. And so all of those kinds of things just kind of sort of making this idea and this thought process  to provide financial assistance for families. And when I got out, so I had worked in nonprofits my whole life, and when I got out, I had always sworn.  I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever start my own nonprofit. And so funny things never say never. And so I thought somebody else was doing this. And what I found was I'm still to the state. I don't see that anybody is touching the pregnancy part in terms of financial assistance. And that to me was very important.  So organizations were hitting NICU or law and or loss.  But nobody was helping pregnancy. There were very specific locations, so it might be a certain state, a certain county, certain hospital. And there was very formulaic, this is what we provide, are these things.  And so I was looking at it and I was thinking, first of all, On the location idea,  I've always been a proponent of health equity and fairness, and I thought why should it mean that, like, just because I deliver at a certain hospital, I can get financial assistance, but if I deliver at another hospital, I can't. So that was very much a thought process. The fact that pregnancy wasn't included, and I felt like that was a big piece of not only our story, but of a lot of people's stories, right? And, and it's just kind of. Makes sense. If you're helping in pregnancy, you have less there's less chance of long NICU hospitalizations and less chance of loss.  And so doing that. And then I didn't want to be very formulaic. I wanted to know for me, it's always like every family is different and has different needs. And so I really wanted something that would  Allow us to look at each application, each family independently and adjust what we were doing based on their need. And so we launched on CLED's due date, so September 7th of 2018, and it's just been amazing to see the, the takeoff and the need that is happening. So we are. Right now we have helped over 2, 300 families. We've hit all 50 States and we've given away a little over 1. 5 million. And it's just been crazy. And we're not, we're not meeting the need. I mean, the need is so great. And so many people just really find themselves in these situations that become crises. And that there's no planning for a lot of these.   So I was curious, that thought somebody else is doing this, somebody else must be paying attention to this cause. I think that's something that happens oftentimes when, when we feel like, okay, there's a little bit of media coverage, as they say, like maternity leave, paternity leave, like these topics are like spoken of, right? Like in media, social media and all of that. And so it's, it's very easy. For us to assume, well, someone else must be handling that. There must be someone who's the advocate of this message and this cause. And so my question to you is the following. So in your world, right? Like where does the book stop? So like certain organizations are handling. What sort of expenses, and then where do you like close the gap or meet the need that is not being fulfilled by those entities or other entities?  Right. Great question. So I think one of the biggest things is that there's a cap on services. So there's organizations that, for example, will give to families that qualify under their guidelines, they will give 100 gift card. And that could be gas, that could be food, that kind of thing. And that's great. And we still, we have a lot of our families who have also requested that help or received that help, depending on how it is.  And so that's something, again, like the pregnancies piece is not a problem. Being taken into, into account,  some organizations, they have X amount of dollars and they give them out where we're very fiscally responsible about how we're giving them out throughout the year, but there are some organizations that might get X amount of dollars. And then once that's up, they're done until the next budget cycle. And so not loving that where we're not  stuck to. A certain dollar amount, we're not stuck to what people might need. And we've been very adaptable to what our families need. We didn't think about just because it wasn't something that really factored into our experience, but we didn't think about the cost of transportation and that being a really big request and that remains our number one, number two request. And it makes sense because we have found that our average family is traveling 62 miles one way to the NICU. And so that's a. Huge cost that adds up really, really quickly, right? And that's the average. I mean, we've had people who are driving, driving 200, 300 miles to do, to get to the NICU. And so I think we've been very much like, let's hear from families. Let's see what they need. We also spent a lot of time talking with social workers to say, what are the things coming up? But really it's trying to get a little bit of support so that a family could it. Do a pregnancy bedrest or limitations that they can be seen their babies as much as they can, that they can do the memorialization of their loss. And so it's really been, I mean, we sit and we review every single application and really read it and, and really try to find where it is that we can help.  And what are the things that we can do that gets  Things accomplished. And I think that that's really unique. We, we don't have formulaic anything. I mean, we look at it. There are things we've never covered that will come up. So for example, I'm thinking of,  we had a girl who was 16, had a baby in the NICU and what she had told her social worker, her biggest fear was that she was sort of stuck in this cycle. Her mom had gotten pregnant very young with her. Her grandmother had gotten very pregnant with her mother. And neither of them had finished high school. And so for her. She was like, I want to do better for my, for my child. And so she said, I would like to finish my high school degree. And so they worked with us and the hospital was able to find a laptop that she could use to do online school while she was sick. at the NICU, so with her baby, being able to do that. And we helped with her tuition to finish that degree. And so it's not in the grand scheme of things, like it's not necessarily that her being able to do this meant her baby did better, but it also meant she was starting something and, and doing something and breaking a cycle, which I think is a huge issue. And so those are the things that we want to hear about too. All of those like unique one off things. Situations that may only happen to one family ever and really taking the time to look at those.   Okay. So again, on that thread, right? Somebody else is doing this because I think, like, let's say like watching TV and seeing current events and seeing things on TV and we're kind of like stuck in our own lives, right? We're like, okay, well, I have food. I have water. I have resources as an example. And I imagine a lot of the listeners might feel really, really confused. Blessed and also just like, not in the same state of needing donations, right? In order to get through a really rough and emotionally trying moment. So, okay. Along that thread of somebody else is doing this. It sounds to me, Michelle, that. Somebody else was not going to help that girl  feel a sense of accomplishment and then carry that, that positive feeling and emotional state as she was with her NICU baby, like, and babies Feel us like they know, right? Like they know if mommy is okay, like they can tag. So, okay. So somebody else was not doing that in terms of tuition for this one person. So same idea. Why don't you share a couple of other instances that might not feel so obvious to someone that's never been in that situation, but would like to help you, especially Mother's Day just passed. And obviously. We don't really need just one day to be celebrated and respected. This should be like annual all the time forever. So, okay, what's another thing that somebody else was not doing, but through the foundation, you guys were doing and you guys are a lean team. I just want to say that right now. Like when, when, when we're saying when Michelle is saying like somebody else is doing this, it's like legit, like a. Family in a house with a child, with a bunch of energy and trying to do something that's so amazing. Right. So go ahead. Give us another, another moment. Yeah, I think  we've done things like a family who has lost a baby and maybe was able to come up with the money for a cremation, but might just have ashes in a box and don't have them in a really pretty urn. Right. And, and it's not that urns are super expensive, but. If a family has been through a lot and may not be able to afford the 400, the 500 that an earn could be. So those are things on the last thing as well. Sometimes we have families who, again, they've, they've had something covered. It might be that.  Their particular community has a, has a program, has a plan. Sometimes funeral homes just donate the whole thing and they, they like recoup the expenses,  things like that. But then they want memorial jewelry. They want something that they can hold onto their baby as they go forward. And especially in really early pregnancy losses, they don't get the, they don't get the funerals and services and things like that. And so that might be the only way that they can really remember their baby and remember what that means. And so some people will sort of look at it and say, why are you covering jewelry? And what we know is that that's.  That's not just a piece of jewelry, right? This is not, this is something that is really important and that reminds people. I mean, you talked about Mother's Day and I think anybody who has ever lost  from the earliest pregnancy all the way through an infant knows that a lot of people, especially the earlier in the pregnancy that it is,  don't really look at people like moms and dads. And so that's something that I think is saying. Even if the world doesn't see me, that I know and I'm recognizing my motherhood, my fatherhood,  and I think that's really important to do. On NICU, it's been, sometimes it's medical equipment that they're sent home with that insurance doesn't cover. So it might be the,  I'm trying to think, it's like there's an oxygen concentrator that a lot of babies are sent home with that they might need and it could be a couple hundred dollars and insurance doesn't cover that or they're deductible. And so we're helping with those kinds of situations because we don't want kids going back to the NICU. We don't want parents  Because they have no other option, skipping doctor recommended steps and things like that because they can't have another option. Helping with  post NICU, right? So sometimes we have a family who has already been discharged, but when I talked about the distance, Of a NICU that also means that once they go home, they have a distance of doctor's appointments and they may have a lot depending on NICU babies can, can run the whole spectrum of things. Right. And so if they have to see multiple doctors pretty regularly and they're doing that drive,  we want to help with those situations.  We want to help when they go, if they have to go back to the hospital, which is always terrible, but some, we will do that too. We've had. Family is where baby is sent home, but then needs heart surgery or some sort of surgery and they need to be older and weigh more and be a little bit healthier. So they'll go home for six months and then come back and then the costs are the same, but they're not NICU, they're in a different situation. And for us, we use NICU, but very, very adapted kind of things of what that really means.  And I think that that's really important. Anything in the pregnancy sphere can be childcare. If you think of a stay at home mom who hasn't really needed to use childcare and then is put on bed rest, any parents, anybody who's been around toddlers and kids knows bed rest with children around that's not happening. Right. And so is it childcare so that the pregnant person can. Actually have some bed rest or in situations where they can't lift a lot with that child care help doing that, all of those kinds of things that just I think are so useful and so helpful. We had, we had a story of a woman who, and luckily her doctor was really responsive. She was missing. She was a high risk pregnancy and she had to be going to weekly visits pretty early in the pregnancy. Okay. And the doctor started noticing that she would miss appointments last minute and cancel last minute or not show up or show up an hour late, all this. And luckily the doctor reached out to a social worker and said, I don't know what's going on, but something clearly is happening. And so the social worker reached out and it turned out she didn't have reliable transportation. She was relying on not a great public trans,  not a really great public transportation option or relying on friends and family for rides. And that wasn't. Reliable. And so we were able to set her up so that she was using, she could use lift rides that were charged to our account to go to and from prenatal visits. Right. And so, you know, you look at that and you think she ended up giving birth to, I think the baby was either full term or very close to full term. So baby was in the hospital a couple of days and then released. Right. And did her going to regular prenatal appointments help that? Absolutely. Absolutely. And so I think it's really just being gracious and understanding. And I think that one of the things that also separates us from a lot of places is we've been through all three of these stages. And so we know, and we can think of things. I mean, we're talking about the distance of NICU. Colette was in a NICU that was, 10 to 15 minutes from our house and that felt so far for us and that we actually looked into do we get an Airbnb right here? The reason why we didn't was because the way that the hospital is set up, there was hotel options was still going to be like a five minute drive and things like that. And so we ultimately were like, well, we'd rather be in our comfort in our home  if we're already going to have this. But if there had been a hotel across the street, We would have been in that  and that was very something. So when you start adding up long distances where people can't go every day, can't, they're going once a week or whatever, that's really difficult. That's really something else. So  this episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination to Networking Success, a live masterclass designed to fast track your connections with the right people to elevate your business. Before we continue today's conversation with our guest, Michelle, a participant of the fertile imagination to networking success program, I want to ask you a question. Are you a visionary mom founder? We're hearing Michelle's story and she has a huge vision and a huge ask. But do you also have a big mission that you want to fulfill in this one divine life? If it is the case for you, here's the question. Has not being able to network with confidence, with poise, with intention ever gotten in your way? Do you feel like not feeling that networking comes naturally for you, or maybe it's this feeling awkward about talking to strangers, or maybe you put your foot in your mouth, or you just don't know what to say or how to start, has that ever gotten in the way of the growth of your business? Does the growth of your business actually depend on building relationships that are mutually beneficial with other people, people who you do not yet know. If that is the case, then this is a call for five mom founders only. I want you and I to have a conversation about this if this is pulling at your heart if networking is something that you need to get better at five mom founders this summer will be partnering together to help one another get better at networking and the best part it'll be this summer. It'll only require three hours a week on your terms and time so that this way come this September, you can hit the ground running, totally running. So you get better at networking. If you participate in fertile imagination to networking success, you'll be able to identify the right connections to propel your business forward in the fall. with clarity and you would have already developed a mom friendly strategy that works regardless of what your kids need. My proven three step method that Michelle knows intimately at this point, the imagination, To impact to income method will help you get way better at networking just in time for the fall. And it's going to help you be more confident and feel more connected. Competent about putting yourself out there so that you can do it a lot more in the fall so that this way you are going to stay connected over the summer with your business so that come in the fall, you will not feel like a fish out of the water. You will not feel like it's been a little bit. You're a little rusty when it comes to being a professional and engaging with people. You know why? Because over the summer as one of the five mom founders who can participate in my group coaching experience, you will have an opportunity to To work on your story, you will have an opportunity to understand how you need to plan out the rest of your year as it relates to your networking activities. You will have clarity in terms of what needs to happen in the fall. So that this way, regardless of where you are in terms of your annual goals, you can exceed them. So that this way, if you feel behind on what you have been able to accomplish the beginning of this year, you can accelerate, put the foot on the gas and talk to people who already know what you need to do in order to improve your business outcomes. So here's something that I wanted to share with you. I would love to have a conversation with you. If this is resonating, if you know that networking is something that you have got to get good at. And there is no time like the summer when business might be a little slower, when you might be able to have more time to yourself as opposed to supporting clients so that this way you can do all the work it takes in order to feel completely ready in the fall by way of networking. So here's something that is so important. I am only bringing on five mom founders this summer.  Is huge. This is going to be unlike any other time in my life. I wanna tell you exactly why you will want to talk to me on a 15 minute call on Zoom about. How networking can help your business grow exponentially, immediately. So you will want to reach out to me this month of May because only if you and I speak this May and only if you participate in my cohort this summer, Will you have access to these bonuses, these extras, these never again coming your way opportunities in terms of being part of Fertile Imagination to Networking Success, the program that Michelle, the guest on today's episode, participated in and has gotten success from. Here we go. So only now this program, this nine week program that is virtual, that will only need three hours of your time each week. And really two hours are on your time, wherever you are in the world. It's on demand. One hour will be with me and a group of four other like minded, intense, wonderful women who also want to learn how to network. But here's the thing. So this program is available only this time at a 30 percent discount for those who joined my June cohort and there will only be five spots. That is it. And that is why it is important to speak now in May in order to secure your spot so that this way you get guaranteed that spot in June. If you wait beyond June to speak with me about this group coaching program, the investment level is going to increase and the spots are not guaranteed whatsoever. Now will I offer this program again? Not in this way, not with these exclusive add ons. Let me explain. Here are the add ons that will never come your way again. If you do not have a conversation with me, this may pertaining to participating in the virtual imagination to networking success. group coaching program, which is virtual. Okay. Never again, exclusive to the first five mom founders who participate in this program this June exclusive. So five people will be in this cohort. It is going to be intimate. It is practically personalized access to me. Very similar to a VIP one on one mentorship experience over the course of nine weeks. And that could have been valued at least 10 X the investment level. So I want to just say that is huge. This investment level, this level of access for me to answer your questions so that you are totally unstoppable in the fall will not happen again. It will only happen for these five mom founders at this 30 percent discounted rate. If that, this might actually be more than a 30 percent discounted rate at this moment. Also exclusive to joining me as the group of five, this June month. Also, you will be featured and heavily advertised as a guest on my  podcast, unimaginable wellness, this right here and this platform. There are trailblazers who are also featured like Susie Batiste,  who invests in different businesses like Asha Karan, who. I mean, has spread generosity throughout the world. People like Beth Comstock, the former CMO of GE, who's on the board of different organizations. You will absolutely be in the scene in the same Light in terms of these icons, because you will have an opportunity to be on my podcast and I will feature you and your story like no one's business that is not coming for anyone beyond the five mom founders this June, that is exclusive, that is, that is worth the price of entry period. Also, for a limited time, only if you participate in June at this discounted rate of 30%, only in June, will you have personalized feedback from me on your outreach efforts? What does that mean? If you have to go and write an email to the chief procurement officer of L'Oreal, I will hold your hand and I will, I will help you write exactly the right words. I will help you ensure that that person gets back to you. That is how high touch this very specific program will be in June only. Also by securing your spot and talking to me in May so that you are one of the five mom founders in this cohort. You will also receive a midpoint private session. This working session is going to focus on executing your outreach plan. It's about immersion and action. It is about getting this done. There is just no way under the sun. I want any mom to feel left behind or behind on her ambitions. I am in it to win it with you first five mom founders. We must talk in May about one of five spots in June. Again, you're going to want to move very quickly to learn further details about fertile imagination to networking success, a group coaching program that will launch in June. Michelle already went through it. You can hear her story. You can witness how I would coach you. If you were a participant in this group, And you could also have a sense for the fact that Michelle got a lot more than she imagined. Not only has it been favorable in terms of her business, in terms of her boldness, in terms of how she's going out and talking to people that can absolutely change the course of her non profit,  Also, she realizes, appreciates, and does not feel any longer conflicted about spending time with her son playing, because now the reframe is that that is in support of your imagination, the skill that you need in order to innovate in your business, in order to thrive. Talk to people in order to have a conversation. That's going to be fruitful for everyone. And in order for you to achieve what is on your heart. So my question to you again is, are you a visionary mom founder? If you are, let's talk, just head on over to the link in my show notes. If you are listening to this on a drive, on a run. And then go ahead and write my email address. It is melissa.  larina at gmail. com m e l i s s a dot l l a r e n a at gmail. com. I could've given you my business email, but I wanted to give you one that was 100 percent straight to me. And this has to be done in May so that you can be guaranteed one of five spots in June so that you can absolutely have the answers that you need real time practically so that you can be part of an intimate group of women who want to be and bring the best of themselves to both of their worlds. Being a mom and being a business owner as well. You can have it all this summer. This program is truly, truly, truly flexible because it was built for mom founders. That is precisely what I have been for 12 years, and I am honored to support and serve you on your journey. So go ahead, reach out to me, look in the show notes. I will put a direct link to my calendar for 15 minutes also. That's an alternative. So it's quite simple to get in touch with me. Email me or schedule the 15 minute. I appreciate either approach and my Instagram account is also always in the show notes. So. Either way you slice it, I'm available for it. And there's not much time. It is like May 16 today, the day that I am recording this. So please be aware that as I speak to people first come first serve, these exclusives are exclusive. If you and I speak in May and you don't, you join in the June cohort. Okay. So a little bit more information. What. is inside fertile imagination for networking success. I want to just share with you a bit more so you will know how to initiate the right conversations with the right people who can take your business to the next level fastest. So you're going to have your own signed paperback copy of my bestseller fertile imagination so that this way you can transcend the limitations of your current ceiling and unlock your most expansive thinking. That is really important when you're a mom founder. And you've got a lot of things that change. Okay. You will also Have access to weekly on demand training videos that will empower you with the imagination to impact to income method. What does this mean? You will have a step by step system to elevate your company and personal vision. You will know how to pinpoint your primary focus for maximum business impact. You will know how to increase your energy and productivity. You will know how to innovate. You will know, you will know how to navigate imposter syndrome, refine your leadership narrative and strategize networking efforts, right? Tailored to your business, tailored to your stage of motherhood. That is huge. I have not seen that anywhere in my entire life, which is why I wanted to create it. Then in terms of time with me, with the other members of this cohort, this very special cohort that will be happening in June, you will have an opportunity to join us nine times and ask us anything in terms of what you've got going on. We will be doing some role playing or hot seat sessions. We will be able to help you really regain your weekly focus. Every single week is a different week. And so we are there for it because It's like minded women, and you will have lifetime access to these resources and implementation tools very specifically so that you can turbocharge your networking efforts come this fall, the rest of the year, the rest of your life, please be aware this program is one where it is live in the sense that every week. I will help you every week you have a question. Something is getting in your way from the growth of your business or achieving a networking win. I will help you if you have anything that has held you in the past from investing in yourself. I invite you to consider this an investment in your legacy. This is not an investment in yourself alone. This is an investment in the legacy of you and your family. When I think about my podcast and the skills that I've used and how I have used my imagination to impact to income method, this has helped me build a treasure trove or treasure box of contacts and humans and beautiful people that can not only help me right now, and I can help of course, but can then help my children and my children's children going forward. This is not about me. The program is not about you. This is an investment in your legacy. So let's go and have that conversation. 15 minutes and the link is available for you. Enjoy the rest of the conversation.  Yeah. I mean, what I'm hearing you say, Michelle, is that. What distinguishes your organization versus the big name organizations that I'm sure a lot of people have heard of that are in a similar space, maybe not specifically pregnancy, but kind of thereabouts, is that the dollars that are donated to Your organization are going to actually get through to a patient or a parent. And then on top of that, there's something very distinguishable, which is the simple fact that  a lot of people have lost touch. With what other people who are emotionally incapable of expressing what they need, they've lost touch of what someone actually needs, like only, only someone like yourself and your family, Michelle could read an application and say, you know what, no, this person is asking for a piece of jewelry with their child's name, birthday, whatever it might be, not because they just want to be flashy, but because they Because this is like the emotional connection that they get to have, like literally just softly on top of their heart. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know that someone who hasn't been through it would read an application in the same way. And I also don't imagine that a big organization that has been around is going to be as sensitive because it's, it's a reality, right? So different organizations have different. KPIs and they have different commitments that they have to make to different people. But this organization is, is so grassroots. It's so real and it's been already impactful across the 50 states over a million dollars. I mean, what's the exact number I want to be sure just  over 1. 5.  Yeah. Yeah. Operating out of your home while you're looking at your child and your husband is. Your support. So I think, I think there's a lot to be said in terms of getting to know your organization, getting to know you and really supporting you. And I want, I want to just ask you something that's like, so, so bold. I mean, like we're talking like. I don't even know another planet, right? Kind of bold. So let's just imagine, let's imagine that there is someone listening to this conversation right now. And this person has, they got their tax money back, let's say, right? So they got like some thousands of dollars back from taxes and they themselves Maybe they're a rainbow baby, right? Or maybe, or maybe they have suffered some sort of a loss or have some reason to kind of want to support moms. Like what would be like that magic wand check that you would want that person to consider cutting and give it 30 days? Yeah, so I will tell you my, my goal right now is by the end of 2024 is to raise an additional 50, 000. The reason for that amount is we are budgeted right now to be fiscally responsible. We are budgeted, we give away 5, 000 every week and the need is far out far exceeding what we're giving out. We are always looking and so like any extra dollars that we can do, we are always trying to do a little bit more. Then that, but that's what we can responsibly know. We do. 50, 000 would allow us to go up to 6, 000 a week, which means that every week we would be helping between one and two more families. So our average giver give right now is about 500 a family.  We do have up to a thousand with some families who just really need a lot more assistance And so it would really end up being probably a hundred more families next year that we could help And so that's that's really my goal So if anybody wants to write a fifty thousand dollar check today I would absolutely adore it and I would then be able to spend the rest of the year Perhaps just maybe getting we can get to 200 families, right? So that's really what I would say, but I think You On the donation piece, and I, and I really, this is something we've really worked hard for is we have worked with certain donors and they cover our overhead costs. And like Melissa said, we are very lean organization is mostly me. My husband helps me review applications just to see, I brought on an assistant to finally help me who works 20 hours a week. So we are very, very lean organization, but we have worked with donors. And so we have a couple of donors who cover our overhead. Expenses. And so every donation that comes in goes directly to the financial assistance program and directly to a family. So I, for me, that's always something I have looked at at other organizations. And I think there's some really big organizations that if you did, if you looked at. They are giving your, your donations going 50 percent to marketing or to anything like that. And that was something I wanted to be really clear that that was not our goal with raising money. Our goal was to help a lot, as many families as we could. And so it's going directly. 100 percent of that is going to a family in need.  Perfect. Perfect. And so then I just wanted to slice that number up a bit because I know that someone listening might be like 50, 000. Oh my God, from my personal family budget. But no, let's think creatively, right? Let's use our imagination. So. What would be some other ways that someone can help who is listening to this conversation? And let me just like, start with this one idea. First of all, for the most part, if you work for an employer, they have a matching system, so that's an option available to you. So let's just imagine 25 is like, Not possible. So let's just say whatever the half of 25 is work was possible, right? Let's just imagine. Then you would ask your employer to have the other half. And again, I'm just thinking very big. That's one way, but something that you shared with me as a result of being in my group coaching program was this idea of using your birthday and how that was really, really helpful. So why don't you explain that? Cause that might be.  An alternative for people  listening, right? Yeah, we found the birthday really started on on Facebook and that you could have fundraisers for your birthday that your friends and family could donate to and that they would do it through Facebook. They would get tax receipts. Yeah, that way. And so it was a really good way. And so what we found was that families and friends who are doing that we're having pretty good success rates and right. And it could be anywhere from 100 to 100 up to it's really dependent on what the person would want us. That is a goal and much sort of promoting they want to do of that.  Really, we were finding that that was a great way. I think, especially, I mean, as all of us get older, right, I don't want a lot of stuff. And so I would prefer that somebody donate, you know, those funds to a cause I would really believe in. Like, I would prefer those kinds of, Things. And so I think that's a great way to tell people, like, don't, don't spend your money on a gift for me. I don't need a gift. Could you instead donate to a cause I really believe in? And I think a lot of people are willing to do that and really willing to say, okay, that's great. One of the things, I mean, just today, my mom and her birthday is in October. So she's already thinking ahead that far. She said, I'd like to go to dinner with the family and then anything that you would have spent on me, I would like to be donated to the foundation. And that's a really, it's a really beautiful way to do things. And it's a really great way to just sort of say, I'm going to do it. And that a lot of people, I think we all can. Generally afford from  time anywhere from 25 to 50 if, and that's saying you don't really have a lot of money, a lot of wiggle room in your budget.  And so if you have good friends who would spend that amount of money on you to take you for dinner or for for drinks or something like that, or who would give you a gift saying instead, okay, don't don't do that and donate to a cause that I really believe in. And so that we have found is really been a huge. Like way that people can, can take advantage of, and it doesn't just have to be birthdays. It can be, I have a friend of mine from college who had twins in the NICU and she always promised that if everything worked out and they came home, that she would do a donation every year on their birthday. And so she does it for her kids birthdays. Right. And so I think it's just really great ways to,  to kind of continue that. And   Yeah, absolutely. And so before we close, just because you have a t shirt and I know that you have merchandise that is also in light of this organization, what does your t shirt say? It's a blue shirt for anyone listening  to the audio. And then it says mama of an angel. And so. Yeah. And we have all of the, like we have of angel and of NICU warrior. We have mom, dad, grandma, grandpa,  siblings. So my son wears often wear a brother of an angel shirt for NICU or NICU babies. We have onesies all the way up through kids shirts so that they themselves are NICU warriors. And then even in adult sizes, we have that as well.  We have an IVF line that we have recently come out with. Yeah. For something that is really at risk and, and really trying to be challenged in a lot of different ways. So again, it's IVF baby all the way up through adult t shirts, IVF mom, dad, all of that. Yeah.  And then,  Oh, and then we also just added, I was like, I knew there was another  area, but we just also added at a recommendation of a social worker we work with who said, I don't have personal experience, but I really want to root for people. So we now have an advocate line. So it's NICU advocate, IVF advocate, and loss advocate. And so really just trying to, I think, Okay. And you said this one time was like a t shirts, not just a t shirt. And I think that's really important when I wear this shirt and I have a NICU warrior and I have an IVF advocate and all of those things, when I wear this, I feel closer to Colette and, and it's also something that. My joke is always, I talk about a lot of taboo topics, right? When I wear these, I'm also telling other people like it's okay. And you are not alone. You're not the only other person. And it's so interesting how I get such great feedback where people will come up to me and say, well, I also have an angel baby or my sister. Lost a child or anything like that. And I think that's a really great just connection way to know that you're not alone and to know that other people are experiencing that and talking about it. So yes. And the proceeds go to our financial assistance program as well. So  perfect, Michelle. So let's just give everyone a sense of where they can go to learn more about you and the organization. So website, social handles, what are they?  Yeah. So it's Colette one L two T's Louise. com is our website on Facebook. We're Colette Tisdall T I S D A H L on Instagram. It's Colette Louise Tisdall on Twitter, which is my, my personal favorite. It's the Tisdall and, and then we're on YouTube, LinkedIn, and just really Google us. We come up and you can kind of check out all the different things.  Thank you, Michelle. So I wanted to just close by saying the following because I think it really, it, it, it's important that, and this needs to be said period, but this idea that somebody else is doing this or somebody else must be doing this, or somebody might be paying attention to this topic is, is so like, that's a really dangerous thought. It's a really, really dangerous thought, and I think we have evidence of that in our surroundings and the world at these, at this time, and I think it's also, it's also something that needs to be really, really, you need to sit with this idea that, guess what? What if it's you? What if it's you who is supposed to be the advocate of that cause? What if it's you that's supposed to solve that challenge? What if it's you that's supposed to open your mouth, use your loud voice and amplify someone else who is no longer here on this earth? What if it's you? And I'm saying that to Listeners, I'm saying that to myself, I'm saying that to Michelle, like, I think it's really, really unfortunate that oftentimes when we see things, it's almost like we're desensitized, and we look the other way, like, oh, they must not be talking to me, there must be someone else handling this, that's super powerful. Here's the reality, oftentimes, there just is not. There, there really is not, there is not. And so I invite anyone that's listening more than anything else. There might be something on your heart. There might be a message that you want to share that you are thinking to yourself. Nah, they, I couldn't possibly make a dent in that world or, or someone else must be handling that. And I want you to just. Really thoughtfully sit with that, even meditate and consider the idea that maybe somebody else is not handling it and that somebody else is actually supposed to be you. And so I want to just end right there. Thank you so much, Michelle. And, and all of your links, you're welcome. And all of your links are going to be in the show notes. So if you're listening to this. Just look at the device at the bottom, look in the description and you'll see all these links at the same time. Michelle is super, super approachable. So if you want to know what's the best way for you to donate money to the organization, reach out to her. Would Instagram be the preferred place to kind of just send you a DM? That's totally  fine. Any of the social media, any of that, like I said, we're really lean. So I'm, I'm checking all of those. There's no, nobody else is doing that. So, yes,  it is definitely a very lean team. So thank you again, Michelle and anyone that's listening. If this really caught your attention, if you want to be that somebody else for this organization, do not hesitate and reach out to Michelle, or if you want to reach out to me, cause we're already hanging out on Instagram and I could reach out to Michelle, I'm happy to be the conduit. So thank you again, everyone. And until next Tuesday. I never do this, but I wanted to just share a conversation between Michelle and myself pertaining to her very specific experience in the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success group coaching program. Certainly, if you have any questions pertaining to being one of my Five mom founders this summer. So that this way in the fall, you are as confident and competent as Michelle is in distinguishing her organization versus anyone else. And the confidence that she had to reach out to the first IVF baby. If you want some of that confidence by this fall, go ahead and send me an email. Melissa dot Lorena at gmail. com or sign up for 15 minutes with me on my calendar. You can see all this information in the show notes right on your device. All right. Enjoy the conversation. It is really raw and candid, and I hope that it really answers any questions pertaining to what it would be like to partner with me and to have me as a mentor, I would love to have the conversation and I'd be honored to support you and your company.  All righty, so Michelle wanted to have an understanding like when you were first or not even like what were you thinking at the time that you and I spoke pertaining to the program, like what were you trying to accomplish? How did you feel before deciding to go for fertile imagination to networking success? Right.  I had really reached kind of a turning point in my work. I spent the first few years just getting the word out so we could get applicants and families to apply. And I did a lot of work on that. And, and now it was shifting to really trying to fundraise and grow our program. And so, you know, I knew that that wasn't necessarily my strongest suit,  I can go find community and tell people about resources all day long, right? And I can do that. And that was like a very, although it took a lot of work, I was very easy for me to come up with. But now to flip it, it's, it's hard. And I'm not great at, I'm not great at it. Asking for money, and I'm not great at all these things, and I knew I had to do it, and I knew I had to network, and I knew I had to do everything, and it was also coming at a point where we really closed ourselves off during COVID, and that was because we were expecting a baby, and then we had a baby, and we didn't have a vaccine for him until he was almost two, and so we were really protective of him, and so not only had it been that I Was much more of an introvert and that a lot of those kind of crowds and everything stress me out and I had to really prepare for it and be on top of it. But then we had had this like long hibernation where hadn't done any of it. So it's kind of a skill that wasn't my best skill and then it was rusty. So I think that's really where I was at. I think the program came along and I just thought to me, it felt like one of those things that  I thought would really help me a lot. And that. It would feel like one of those things, if I didn't do it, I would regret it. And so that was really,  that was my thinking and how I was feeling going into it.   That's so interesting. What, what made you think that if you didn't go into it at that moment, you would regret it? What, what kind of went into that? I think it was just, I didn't even really know where to start. And I think I just. I needed somebody who would work with me to develop a better plan. I needed some of that, like outside motivation that I wasn't, that I was lacking because it's hard when you're doing this day in and day out, especially when you are on your own, largely, it's hard to know, am I doing things the right way? Is this, what is this? And so. I think in talking with you, I was like, this is somebody who's going to push me out of my comfort zone. And I need that right now. And I wasn't getting that.  In any other way, really, I was getting it sort of informally here and there, but it wasn't getting somebody who's going to like, be like, no, let's push you out of this comfort zone and everything. And so I really just wanted that. And I, and I knew I needed that. And so that was really where I thought if I Don't do this program.  I don't know how I'm going to find somebody who's going to do that. And I don't know that I have it in me right now to do it for myself and really push myself.   So before starting the program, what sort of doubts or uncertainties did you have about joining and then how did you overcome them?  Yeah, I think it was,  I think doubts are just, it's hard for me to invest in myself and hard for me to like, kind of take that step back.  That time to say I'm working on myself, but it does have another goal. And also it, we should be invested in ourselves. And so I think that was really one of my biggest doubts.  I didn't feel like in some other programs and things that I've looked at, I felt like I don't really know that this is going to be successful. I more felt like really, I was like this. I was like, Melissa is going to kick my butt a little bit and, and get me out of my comfort zone. And  that was what I needed. And I knew that that's what I needed. So I think that was really where the, kind of the doubts settled it. Like, yes, they were there when I first started, they were still there a little bit. And then I think it was very quickly, it was like, Oh yeah, no, no, this is really what I needed was I needed that push. Yeah, and you know what? I think it's interesting. So your background like you're like a JD Like weren't you like were you a trial attorney? I was yeah okay, can I just put context here because the the assumption would be that a trial attorney would be like Crazy intense, totally like gunhole, super loud. I'm just kind of curious, like, like this was not you then, or was it simply because of all the emotions or what was it that?  Yeah. Yeah. I think it was definitely the emotions. I think I was never super aggressive. I knew how to like turn it on for the little bit of the case, but I wasn't really super aggressive outside of court. And so I think it was kind of like, I didn't have that same platform of saying like, okay, in here, in this context, this is what I have to do. I didn't feel that same way. I think it was definitely the emotions, right? It's really, it's really hard in fundraising because I think there's this part of me that's like, what do you mean? You're not going to give money to my daughter. And I think that's a really hard position to be in where it's like. I have to separate that out and understand that it's, it's not the same emotional thing for most people who are going to encounter it. And so I think I needed that. I think it was also just tired, right? Like, I think fundraising is really tough.  I think there was some things of growing up and just culturally is like,  you're not supposed to ask other people for money, right? It's supposed to be, stay within the family, all of that. So I think it's a very foreign concept to me  to ask for money and ask, And really ask for help. I mean, I think that that's something that was tough for me. Right.  And so I think all of those things kind of Combined into this point where  it was hard for me to, to, to do it and to think of how to do it. And fundraising is known for taking a really long time to come to fruition. And I was exhausted  and, and I didn't know how to start. And that was the really big thing. So.   So then what aspect, what aspects of the program set it apart from other experiences and how did those differences contribute to your success? I   mean, I think the first thing is I had never really seen a program that fully integrated the fact of being a mom and what that took,  as well as your work. And so I think it was just this, I was like, this quote always thinks of me as like, you're supposed to, in the same age, you're supposed to work like you don't have a kid and you're supposed to parent like you don't have a job, right? And that's not the reality. Right. They're both hand in hand, things that happen with your child affect work and things that happen with work affect your child. And so kind of that tug and pull, what I always liked was that you were very forthcoming of like, this is you working within all of your obligations and all of the things that are going to pull with, pull at you. And you were going to have to adjust things as, as it goes on. And so I think that was one of the biggest things that felt like  Dad was saying,  you want to be the best mom you can possibly be, and you also want to do the best job you can possibly do, and that is going to ebb and flow on both ends, depending on, you know, needs and what's going on, and that's okay. And then how can we do this? And so one of the things that I think was really good That I really appreciated always was  how being with your kids was like a way to sort of work on your imagination and to sort of play with life and, and see it through their eyes. And that to me was really helpful because I think there was a lot of, if I, if I did all this stuff with my son, that was great. But then I was also thinking about all the stuff that I didn't do and vice versa. And so I think it was just very much  being able to say like, Even spending time with our children, we are developing ourselves and, and really thinking and playing it out of it and getting out of our own heads, which I think was like one of the biggest  benefits to the program was I was forced to get out of my own head, which is a dangerous place to stay in and, um.  Yeah, I would agree I said that to myself yesterday. I was like get out of your head What is it in your head you're dead or something like that? Okay, so then the other question would be Okay, so is there a particular aspect of the program? So something specific that exceeded your expectations or significantly contributed to your growth and success   I think the strategies of networking, not just being when you show up to an event, but doing a lot of the pre work,  I just had never really thought of it. And I had looked at networking, uh, In the terms of like, you show up to this event. It's super awkward. Maybe you meet a few good people, but then there's not really a great,  it's just awkward. And it's, you know, weird to do it. And instead to convert that into making some context saying, Hey, I'm going to be here at this. Let's connect all of that removed a lot of that awkwardness. And then I think that also, cool. The other thing was, like, helped with  how do we follow up afterwards? I think it was so much easier when you had had some pre conversations to then do the follow up of you had a little bit of a dialogue already going into it, and then you had the dialogue at an event, and then you had afterwards, and so it was much more seamless, and for me, who has some of that inner dialogue and that imposter syndrome, everything, it then put me in a space where people We're already connecting with me and it wasn't me going in cold to an event and not knowing anybody not Having any sort of connection with anybody and I think that was a big difference, too  Yeah, people were trying to give you hugs, which I'm not saying that we could promise hugs at all networking events, but  They go. Wow, it's a really it's pretty intense. Okay, so then let's talk about results or achievements that you're most proud of Proud of. So how do you see them impacting your future endeavors?   I mean, I have been making contacts and reaching out to people that I never would have thought to reach out to. And so we had had some success probably last year and a little bit before that with Some of the doctors that were from the hospital we delivered at and just being very gracious and very, we had a big fundraiser and the neonatologists were all coming up to me independently and saying like, we know, like how much good you're doing for our families. And that was huge, but I didn't really know how to like, start that connection, right? Like that connection started because we had been at that hospital. We had all these great relationships with social workers and they like helped us with all of that. But it didn't, I didn't really know how to do it. And instead it was like, okay, so how do you capitalize on those, you know, strategies for how you're on showing up on LinkedIn strategies for who you're looking to connect with and getting past sort of that. I mean, there's a lot of noise in this area and getting past that noise to say, okay, let's start thinking about who is the strategic person. To connect with  and who is, and then also like defining our, our goals and setting them out and saying that I had never felt like I could say, this is my goal and not sound like I was. Being too salesy and instead saying, like, this is my goal and like, I want to work with people who believe in this mission to get me to that goal.   So what would you say is like the boldest thing you said or did throughout our time together?   So I will say that, so Elizabeth Carr, who is the first IVF baby born in the U. S., I have followed her on LinkedIn, and she's very much an advocate for reproductive rights, and  we started an IVF line after the decision in Alabama, and all that we really wanted, I think one of the ways that we're going to combat this is for all of us to start telling our stories, and how IVF has helped us grow our families, I think that that's huge, and that's One of the first things that we can really do and so  it just so happened that during infertility awareness week, which was about a month ago She posted something and orange is the color for infertility awareness And she said every year I remind myself that I don't have a lot of orange and I always mean to buy more orange And I don't and I just commented and said I would love to send you A t shirt that says IVF baby in adult sizes, and we have them in orange, and so

In this episode, Namaan breaks down a 5-part strategy for networking success in consulting.Why networking is critical to getting an offerThe 3 key objectives for every networking conversationHow firms evaluate candidates through the networking processWho to network with (and who to avoid)Happy networking! Not sure which next steps are right for you? Send our team an email.Relevant LinksBook a call with EdenJoin Black Belt for personalized networking support from MBB consultantsGet email formats for 300+ firms in the Consulting Firm DirectoryConnect With Management Consulted Follow Management Consulted on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates and industry insights. Schedule a free 15min consultation with a member of the Management Consulted team. Join an upcoming live event - case interviews demos, expert panels, and more. Email our team (team@managementconsulted.com) with any questions or feedback.

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In this week's episode, I continue my series on Networking effectively for Introverts. 

Join us for a transformative journey into the world of conference networking on Lead Gen HQ. In this enlightening episode, we dissect the art and science behind making meaningful connections at conferences. Say goodbye to awkward introductions and hello to strategic engagement tactics that leave a lasting impact. Discover proven strategies for breaking the ice, fostering genuine connections, and turning brief encounters into valuable business relationships. Whether you're a seasoned networker or attending your first conference, this episode provides actionable insights to help you stand out in any crowd. Don't miss out on this invaluable guide to mastering conference networking and unlocking new opportunities for professional growth. Tune in to Lead Gen HQ and elevate your networking game today!

Ready to uncover the secrets to building authentic connections when networking?In this episode of the Women of Power, Purpose, and Prosperity Podcast, Sabine explores the ins and outs of networking and how to assess your own value. Learn about the four key components of value assessment and why they matter in building relationships.Join us as we explore the importance of being true to yourself and honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Discover the four key components of assessing your own value and why they're crucial for forming strong relationships.Key Takeaways:Find out how self-awareness can skyrocket your confidence and help you ask for what you need in networking situations.Learn why conducting a value assessment is essential to avoid getting in your own way and discover areas where you can grow.Explore practical strategies for showing up authentically and being transparent about your skills and limitations.What You Will Learn in This Episode:[05:35] Understand how the networking framework aids in clarifying intentions and deepening relationships.[07:37] Explore the five components of the networking framework: value assessment, connection inventory, success circles, goal alignment, and engagement.[08:49] Dive into the four elements of value assessment: skills, knowledge, strengths, and opportunities.[11:06] Learn how to recognize and leverage your skills, knowledge, and strengths, while addressing areas for improvement.[15:19] Take on the challenge of seeking feedback from others regarding your skills, knowledge, strengths, and opportunities.Special Opportunities:1 -Enrollment for The Network is Now Open! Join Today and save $500 off your first year's membership! Enter Coupon Code - Podcast5002- Don't miss out on the encore presentation of the Cultivating Connections Masterclass on Feb 15th!

In this empowering episode of Fearlessly Authentic, we dive deep into the realm of feminine energy with the insightful @femmeguide, Cat Shanu. Together, we explore the nuances between masculine and feminine energies, shedding light on why it's crucial to acknowledge and embrace both. Discover the distinct characteristics of each energy and gain valuable insights into harnessing them effectively in various aspects of life, including business and personal relationships. Cat Shanu shares invaluable wisdom on how women can assert themselves in business without resorting to aggression, navigating the delicate balance between strength and grace. We delve into practical strategies for cultivating authenticity and power as feminine leaders, empowering listeners to step into their true selves without fear or hesitation. Join us as we unravel the secrets to embodying feminine energy authentically, empowering women to thrive in all aspects of their lives while staying true to themselves. Tune in and embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment as we embrace the power of feminine energy together. Cat Shanu is a femininity expert and luxury lifestyle curator. Cat has acquired years of experience teaching women how to become more confident, charming and alluring. Growing up as an outsider and then becoming an ‘it girl' in the femininity and black girl luxury space... she is an example to thousands of women of transformation inside and out. Before Cat founded the most recognised coaching community for ambitious women, she was an award-winning vlogger. In 2017 she became Feel Unique's first brand ambassador and won the nationwide Top Vlogger competition. Cat then went on to become a brand ambassador for brands Murad, and Living Proof. Also co-hosting a Facebook Live Party for Urban Decay. After leaving her role as a social media coordinator for the British Arrows Awards, she established The Femme Guide to showcase the intersection between beauty, femininity and ambition. Curating masterclasses on topics such as ‘dressing for Networking Success (with Luxe Club London) and The Art of Charm (for Home House), she quickly established herself as a key thought leader in her niche, amassing a community of over three hundred seventy thousand across Instagram and TikTok.

In this empowering episode of Fearlessly Authentic, we dive deep into the realm of feminine energy with the insightful @femmeguide, Cat Shanu. Together, we explore the nuances between masculine and feminine energies, shedding light on why it's crucial to acknowledge and embrace both. Discover the distinct characteristics of each energy and gain valuable insights into harnessing them effectively in various aspects of life, including business and personal relationships. Cat Shanu shares invaluable wisdom on how women can assert themselves in business without resorting to aggression, navigating the delicate balance between strength and grace. We delve into practical strategies for cultivating authenticity and power as feminine leaders, empowering listeners to step into their true selves without fear or hesitation. Join us as we unravel the secrets to embodying feminine energy authentically, empowering women to thrive in all aspects of their lives while staying true to themselves. Tune in and embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment as we embrace the power of feminine energy together. Cat Shanu is a femininity expert and luxury lifestyle curator. Cat has acquired years of experience teaching women how to become more confident, charming and alluring. Growing up as an outsider and then becoming an ‘it girl' in the femininity and black girl luxury space... she is an example to thousands of women of transformation inside and out. Before Cat founded the most recognised coaching community for ambitious women, she was an award-winning vlogger. In 2017 she became Feel Unique's first brand ambassador and won the nationwide Top Vlogger competition. Cat then went on to become a brand ambassador for brands Murad, and Living Proof. Also co-hosting a Facebook Live Party for Urban Decay. After leaving her role as a social media coordinator for the British Arrows Awards, she established The Femme Guide to showcase the intersection between beauty, femininity and ambition. Curating masterclasses on topics such as ‘dressing for Networking Success (with Luxe Club London) and The Art of Charm (for Home House), she quickly established herself as a key thought leader in her niche, amassing a community of over three hundred seventy thousand across Instagram and TikTok.

In this empowering episode of Fearlessly Authentic, we dive deep into the realm of feminine energy with the insightful @femmeguide, Cat Shanu. Together, we explore the nuances between masculine and feminine energies, shedding light on why it's crucial to acknowledge and embrace both. Discover the distinct characteristics of each energy and gain valuable insights into harnessing them effectively in various aspects of life, including business and personal relationships. Cat Shanu shares invaluable wisdom on how women can assert themselves in business without resorting to aggression, navigating the delicate balance between strength and grace. We delve into practical strategies for cultivating authenticity and power as feminine leaders, empowering listeners to step into their true selves without fear or hesitation. Join us as we unravel the secrets to embodying feminine energy authentically, empowering women to thrive in all aspects of their lives while staying true to themselves. Tune in and embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment as we embrace the power of feminine energy together. Cat Shanu is a femininity expert and luxury lifestyle curator. Cat has acquired years of experience teaching women how to become more confident, charming and alluring. Growing up as an outsider and then becoming an ‘it girl' in the femininity and black girl luxury space... she is an example to thousands of women of transformation inside and out. Before Cat founded the most recognised coaching community for ambitious women, she was an award-winning vlogger. In 2017 she became Feel Unique's first brand ambassador and won the nationwide Top Vlogger competition. Cat then went on to become a brand ambassador for brands Murad, and Living Proof. Also co-hosting a Facebook Live Party for Urban Decay. After leaving her role as a social media coordinator for the British Arrows Awards, she established The Femme Guide to showcase the intersection between beauty, femininity and ambition. Curating masterclasses on topics such as ‘dressing for Networking Success (with Luxe Club London) and The Art of Charm (for Home House), she quickly established herself as a key thought leader in her niche, amassing a community of over three hundred seventy thousand across Instagram and TikTok.

Networking Tips: What Journalism Taught Me About People Connections. Written and read by Bob Baker (c) 2018 - 2024.  Get on the Creative Entrepreneur VIP List. It's free and easy. Just head to http://PromoteYourCreativity.com - you'll get sample ebooks and audiobook chapters when you do! Check out all of my books, ebooks, and audiobooks on my Amazon Author page => https://amzn.to/2wJfXij - Titles include The Empowered Artist, The Passion Principles, The Improv Comedy Musician (with Laura Hall from “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”), Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, The Five-Minute Music Marketer, The 9 Irrefutable Laws of Music Marketing, and many more.Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. And follow Bob Baker's Inspiration Project on Spotify.I use Buzzsprout for all of my podcasts. Start your own free podcasting account here.Some of the resources I recommend are affiliate links, which will send me a small commission should you make a purchase. This helps me keep the podcast going.Did you enjoy this episode? Please rate, review, comment, and share!Get on the Creative Entrepreneur VIP List. It's free. Just head to http://PromoteYourCreativity.com - you'll get sample ebooks and audiobook chapters when you do!Support the show

This Podacst features Jade Laye, who shares his approach to real estate deals and partnerships. Jade emphasizes the significance of building a network of reliable and capable individuals, known as his "top people," who have the skills to raise equity and manage assets. Having spent years cultivating relationships in the industry, Jade has established a strong reputation and a core group of trusted partners. His strategy involves actively seeking out deals and then reaching out to his network for collaboration. By vetting deals himself, Jade ensures quality and brings promising opportunities to his partners. Although he started as a junior general partner, Jade's trajectory has led him to become a lead general partner. In the podcast, Jade also provides valuable advice for newcomers, stressing the importance of education, networking, and embracing the inherent risks of real estate investments. He highlights the need to connect with a large network of high-caliber individuals who have access to capital. Overall, Jade shares insights into his real estate approach and offers guidance for aspiring professionals looking to achieve success in the field. Contact your hosts: Website: www.morelandequity.com Follow on social media @morelandequity Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify @getdiversified

Andrew Winig 's clients call him the Elevator Pitch Coach and he shares a tresure trove of great insight as to how you can best present yourself. Learn more at http://improvandy.com For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking visit https://www.networking-rx.com or contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

This episode of the Networking Rx Minute with Frank Agin (http://frankagin.com) encourages you to somehow track your networking efforts, as this will lead to better results.   For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking visit https://www.amspirit.com/blog/networking-rx or contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.    

Welcome to a deep dive into the art of networking! If you're an entrepreneur struggling to make meaningful connections, this is for you. I'm joined by Chonsten Jennings, an expert in human psychology and body language in networking, to share valuable insights and practical tips. Discover why traditional networking methods may not be working for you and how to shift your approach for greater impact. The STAR Framework: Chonsten unveils his unique STAR (Start, Talk, Attend, Refer) Framework - a step-by-step guide to enrich your networking conversations and build more meaningful connections. Engaging Conversations: Learn the importance of initiating dialogues with a genuine interest in helping others, and how this mindset can transform your networking experiences. Beyond Business Cards: We discuss why networking is more than just exchanging business cards and delve into strategies that foster long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. ‍♂️ Role Plays & Real Examples: Through role-plays and storytelling, we illustrate the effectiveness of these techniques in real-life scenarios. Applying to Your Business: I share personal stories and insights on how these networking strategies have significantly impacted my business and client relationships. Actionable Tips: Get practical tips on body language, emotional intelligence, and the law of reciprocity to enhance your networking skills. For All Entrepreneurs: Whether you're new to networking or looking to refine your skills, these insights are invaluable for anyone looking to grow their business through authentic connections. Connect with Us: Follow Chonsten Jennings (@chonstenjennings) and me (@brodyvinson.io) on Instagram for more insights and personal support on your entrepreneurial journey. https://www.instagram.com/brodyvinson.io/ https://www.instagram.com/chonstenjennings/ Subscribe for More: If you found value in this, please share. Your support helps us bring more content like this to entrepreneurs like you. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction and the Importance of Networking An overview of the networking challenges faced by entrepreneurs, featuring Chonsten Jennings. 0:33 - Redefining Networking Chonsten Jennings discusses a new approach to networking, emphasizing genuine assistance over transactional interactions. 1:01 - The STAR Framework for Networking Introduction to the STAR (Start, Talk, Attend, Refer) framework, a guide for effective networking conversations. 1:50 - Applying the STAR Method Examples and role-play to demonstrate the practical application of the STAR framework in real-life networking scenarios. 2:26 - Effective Conversation Starters and Body Language Tips Techniques for initiating conversations and understanding body language in networking contexts. 3:52 - Beyond Business Cards Strategies for establishing genuine connections, moving beyond superficial networking methods. 4:57 - Deepening Networking Conversations Insights on how to engage more meaningfully in networking situations, with a focus on personal storytelling and emotional intelligence. 6:58 - Practical Networking Applications and Mistakes to Avoid Real-life applications of networking skills in various settings, including common mistakes and how to avoid them. 9:24 - Leveraging Networking Events Tips for becoming influential in networking events and the importance of providing value to enhance your networking impact. 10:34 - The Law of Reciprocity in Networking Discussion on the law of reciprocity and its role in building effective business relationships. 11:59 - Final Thoughts and Advice for Entrepreneurs Chonsten Jennings and the host share their concluding thoughts on networking, including advice for entrepreneurs new to the field.

This episode of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast dives deep into the journey of Jaren Suster, a real estate investor who became a multimillionaire by age 30. Jaren shares his story, starting from recognizing the need for financial freedom in 2018 to acquiring his first property in Greenville, South Carolina, for $68,000. By leveraging various strategies like the BRRRR method (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat), seller financing, and partnerships, he expanded his portfolio to over 20 properties by April 2021. Jaren emphasizes the significance of finding good deals and networking with successful individuals to achieve long-term success in real estate.  Throughout the conversation, Jaren stresses the importance of perseverance, being present in the journey, and continuously seeking opportunities for growth. The episode is packed with valuable nuggets for both novice and experienced real estate investors, encouraging them to embrace delayed gratification, surround themselves with the right people, and focus on consistent progress toward their goals. What you'll learn about in this episode: Importance of Networking: Success is closely tied to networking and being around people who are already where you want to be. Networking and learning from others who have succeeded in your field can be invaluable. Delayed Gratification and Long-Term Thinking: Embrace delayed gratification and focus on long-term strategies. Success often requires making decisions now that may not pay off immediately but will benefit you in the long run. Learning from Mentors: Having mentors or people who guide you through your journey is crucial. Jared's success in real estate investing was significantly influenced by the guidance and support he received from his friend and mentor. Diversification in Real Estate Strategies: Explore various real estate investment strategies. Jared initially followed traditional methods but then diversified his approach, including the BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) strategy and seller financing to scale his portfolio. Enjoying the Journey: Don't forget to be present and enjoy the journey. While striving for success, it's essential to appreciate the experiences and lessons learned along the way, rather than solely focusing on the end goal. Resources:   Everyone is always asking us, “How is it possible to buy real estate without using my own cash or credit?” With decades of combined experience in real estate, we've perfected the process of investing creatively. We want to share as much as we can with you, which is exactly why we're running this FREE workshop! If you're thinking about leaving your job, escaping the W-2 lifestyle, and starting on the path towards creating generational wealth — this is for you! To register, just visit: smartrealestatecoach.com/pcws.   Schedule a free strategy session with us. This is an opportunity for you to have an honest conversation with our team about your background, investment goals and create some action steps toward creating the life of your dreams. Together we'll discover where you are, where you want to be, and what's in the way. Just visit: smartrealestatecoach.com/action.   Our free Master's Class is the ONLY webinar where you're given the exact techniques we use in our family company to buy and sell homes every month — all across North America and ALL on TERMS! Register by visiting: smartrealestatecoach.com/mastersclass   The Wicked Smart Investor's Toolkit is a great way to dip your toe in the water of buying properties on terms. Here you'll receive seller scripts, our investor blueprint, be able to listen to live calls, and much more! Enroll for free at smartrealestatecoach.com/tools   The Quantum Leap System has everything you'll need to start buying and selling on terms (without banks and without your own money or credit), launch & scale a business that fits your goals, and strengthen your mindset so you can follow the proven path to becoming a successful real estate investor. You can learn more by visiting: smartrealestatecoach.com/qls.   For additional information on lead generation, funding, mindset coaching, legal assistance, virtual staffing, and business growth, visit the Investor Resources section of our website at: smartrealestatecoach.com/resources.   Chris's Book: Real Estate on Your Terms by Chris Prefontaine   Instant Real Estate Investor eBook: SmartRealRstateCoach.com/ebook   Find our next workshop here: https://smartrealestatecoach.com/workshop   If you're looking to secure some lines of credit for your business, check out Fund and Grow: www.Smartrealestatecoach.com/fundandgrow   Learn more about Associate Coaching Program Funding here: www.smartrealestatecoach.com/funding   90-Day Jump Start: www.smartrealestatecoach.com/jump   Nat Processing Website: www.natprocessing.com   Request a free copy of our best-selling book, Real Estate On Your Terms and Deal Structure Overtime, at absolutely no charge: WickedSmartBooks.com   Join us at the Wicked Smart Summit in March and get 50% off your ticket now! Don't miss out, secure your spot at www.smartrealestatecoach.com/summit50 today!

In this episode Joseph shares his career journey from the military to the branding business, emphasizing the importance of personal branding and effective use of LinkedIn for career development. He discusses the unique skills military personnel bring to the workforce and the need for recruiters to recognize this value. Joe also highlights the importance of senior leaders using LinkedIn to showcase their achievements.    Joe Frankie is a West Point graduate who had a full career in the U.S. Army as a warfighter and logistician for 30+ years. He commanded at all levels from platoon thru installation. Post military, he used his logistics skills to work on infrastructure projects in the US and internationally.Currently, as an author, coach, and search consultant he advises executives, veterans and student. Most often, he helps them better merchandise themselves by helping them build a LinkedIn bridge from where they are now to where they want to go. He claims over 40 years of leading multifunctional teams worldwide in engineering, logistics, life sciences, technology, aviation and environmental services from startups to Fortune 500 companies in both private and public sectors. He is the Co-Author of LinkedIn: The 5-Minute Drill for Executive Networking Success.   You can connect with Joe in the following ways: Website: www.JFIIIAssociates.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/joefrankieIIITwitter: www.twitter.com/joefrankieiiiFacebook: JFIIIAssociatesBook: www.JFIIIAssociates.com/5-minute-drill/LI Company Page: company/JFIII-Associates   Whether you are a C-Suite Leader of today or tomorrow, take charge of your career with confidence and leverage the insights of The CEO's Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track.  To learn more about The CEO's Compass, you can get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3AKiflR    Other episodes you'll enjoy: C-Suite Goal Setting: How To Create A Roadmap For Your Career Success - http://bit.ly/3XwI55n Natalya Berdikyan: Investing in Yourself to Serve Others on Apple Podcasts -http://bit.ly/3ZMx8yw Questions to Guarantee You Accomplish Your Goals - http://bit.ly/3QASvymSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What else can you do with HighLevel?In this episode of HighLevel Hot Takes, I sit down with Donna Loeffler, a certified life coach and website and funnel design strategist.Today, Donna shares her “unconventional” way of using HighLevel, which aims to 10x your networking efforts by combining old-school and new-school marketing.She also talks about how she came up with her product idea and her future business plans.Tune in now!Key Takeaways:Introduction (00:00)How Donna found HighLevel (00:59)Donna's unconventional way of using HighLevel (01:38)How to come up with product ideas (03:35)From product-building to acquisitions (05:02)Additional Resources:- Sign up for my FREE SaaS Masterclass here- Get a FREE Trial of HighLevel here- Join our Facebook Group here- Subscribe to HL Pro Tools on YouTube here- Check out HighLevel guides and tutorials here–HighLevel Hot Takes is a dedicated podcast for everything HighLevel. From understanding how HighLevel works as a tool to the business side of things, we have it all covered here, one hot take at a time, so that you can move your business forward.Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Matt Abrahams is our special guest for this episode. He is a strategic communication lecturer from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, host of "Think Fast, Talk Smart" podcast, and the author of the new book “Think Faster, Talk Smarter.”In this episode, we explore the significance of spontaneous communication, strategies to manage anxiety, the correlation between martial arts and communication, and tips on navigating networking situations.Matt AbrahamsMatt Abrahams is a passionate, collaborative and innovative educator, author, podcast host, and coach. He is the Larsen Lam Family Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business where he teaches two very popular classes in Strategic Communication and Effective Virtual Presenting. He received Stanford GSB's Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his valued service to teaching Stanford Alumni around the world.In addition to his teaching, Matt is much sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant for Fortune 100 companies. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award winning GSB podcast called Think Fast Talk Smart.Matt is especially interested in applying communication knowledge to real-world issues. In service of this goal, he published Speaking Up Without Freaking Out, which is now in its 3rd edition. His book was written to help people present and communicate in a more confident, connected, and compelling manner.Prior to teaching, Matt held senior leadership positions at several software companies, where he created and ran global learning and development organizations.Matt received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Stanford University, his graduate degree in communication studies from the University of California at Davis, and his secondary education teaching credential from San Francisco State University. He is a prolific writer with articles published for the GSB as well as Fast Company, Toastmasters Magazine, Inc.com, Quartz, etc. He has also published several research articles on strategic planning, persuasion, and interpersonal communication.⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower and gives practical advice on how you can apply it immediately.

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we share a networking success story with a McKinsey senior partner. We always ask our clients, especially those from weaker schools, to network with the most senior partners of consulting firms. This is a podcast about a PhD client, from a weaker school and no existing consulting relationships, who painfully followed this advice over several months to network with a member of McKinsey's worldwide leadership and obtain interviews for his office of choice. It is not easy, but can be done. It works. Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

If you've ever fumbled with a business card or forgotten a name at a networking event, this episode is for you. We had the pleasure of hosting Julie Brown, a networking expert with over 25 years of experience in the field. Julie shares how she navigated her career with clever networking strategies and how she leveraged her unique personality to make deep, meaningful connections in the professional realm. Imagine if you could remember every name in a room and make genuine connections effortlessly. Julie Brown imparts her wisdom on just that, revealing her secrets to making a name memorable. She also takes us through an intriguing exercise, her 'list yourself approach', to discover ten unique qualities about ourselves outside our job titles. Julie's book, "This Shit Works: A No-Nonsense Guide to Networking Your Way to More Friends, More Adventures and More Success", is a testament to her expertise, and we delve into some of its contents in our enlightening conversation.Wrapping up our discussion, we explore the power of LinkedIn as a networking tool and how to use it effectively. Julie emphasizes the importance of doing your homework before connecting with someone and building relationships with intent. We also touch upon her podcast and services, a platform full of resources for those looking to enhance their networking skills and steer their career in the right direction. Enjoy our fun and lively conversation about how to level up your networking approach because This Sh!t Works!Connect with Jule BrownWebsite | LinkedIn | Podcast Support the showThank you for listening to The Mid-Career GPS Podcast. Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here. Visit https://johnneral.com to download your free guide, "5 Mistakes Mid-Career Professionals Make (And Need to Stop Doing) and more information about your leadership and career transition. And other free resources at https://johnneral.com/resources. Connect with John on LinkedIn here.Follow John on Instagram & Threads @johnneralcoaching. Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.

InPhone Global Sales Director, Steve Ramona, discusses five critical elements to building relationships: Shut-up. Listen. Ask. Add value. And follow up. To learn more, reach out to him at https://inphone.co/sr1 For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking visit https://www.networking-rx.com or contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

Carl Lucchi, business consultant and founder of the I Refuse 2 Fail Partnership, shares about the networking journey that led him to build a collaborative of people who network the right way. Learn more at https://irefuse2fail.com For more great insight on professional relationships and business networking visit https://www.networking-rx.com or contact Frank Agin at frankagin@amspirit.com.

Get ready to reframe your mindset in relationship building, task delegation, and success with Taylor Loht as we chat about networking insights you can leverage to make meaningful connections. Tune in, overcome your limiting beliefs, and seize this opportunity to thrive in the real estate industry!Key Takeaways to Listen for Techniques introverts can use to build business relationshipsSimple ways to open and sustain a networking conversation Why limiting beliefs are your greatest obstacle to success and how to overcome themThe power of task delegation and managing VAs efficientlyAdvice for aspiring investors in today's market condition Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeMultifamily & Commercial Real Estate Investor BiggerPocketsBest Ever Conference How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie | Paperback and Hardcover Real Estate Syndication Training  The Weekend Mastermind The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber | PaperbackFree Apartment Syndication Due Diligence Checklist for Passive InvestorAbout Taylor LohtTaylor is the founder of NT Capital and host of the Passive Wealth Strategies podcast. He teaches busy professionals how they can invest in real estate without dealing with tenants, toilets, and termites. He lives in Richmond, Virginia, where he started and runs the monthly Richmond Multifamily Investors Meetup, trains Brazilian Jiu - Jitsu, and actively contributes to BiggerPockets. Connect with TaylorWebsite: NT Capital | Join the Investor ClubPodcast: Passive Wealth Strategy Show | Apple Podcast To Connect With UsPlease visit our website: www.bonavestcapital.com, and please click here, to leave a rating and review!SponsorsGrow Your Show, LLCThinking About Creating and Growing Your Own Podcast But Not Sure Where To Start?Visit GrowYourShow.com and Schedule a call with Adam A. Adams