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Back in the beginning of my consulting career, I used to network to find prospective clients. I’d go to an event, shake a bunch of hands, converse with maybe 5-7 people, perhaps a couple of whom would be interested in my services. Then I had to follow up. Diligently. If they responded (IF), then we'd probably meet again – another 2 hours – and I’d probably end up writing a proposal (I’m embarrassed to tell you how long THOSE took), and then maybe they’d hire me, maybe they wouldn’t. If they did, it was usually after considerable haggling. No wonder I was exhausted. The first time I got in front of a group of about 50 people to deliver a workshop, almost ALL of the participants came up to me afterwards, gave me their cards and asked me to add them to my mailing list. A handful specifically requested for me to follow up with them so they could work with me, and I closed 2 pieces of business within a few days of the event… WITHOUT a single torturous proposal. Can you say a-ha! moment? I immediately made a resolution to speak more, which was easier said than done. To book me, clients wanted to see video and references, but I didn't have video references because I hadn't gotten booked… (you know…chicken and egg). So then I figured, if OTHER people won't put me onstage, then dammit, I'll put MYSELF on one. And THAT is how I started creating my own events. And the results of those have been nothing short of extraordinary. Events are my single biggest source of new business, AND because we have good sponsors, these events also lead to corporate speaking engagements. Are you seeing how this works? It’s a virtuous cycle.

The year is 1983 and it was Christmas-time. If you’re old enough, you’ll recall there were lines – no, hordes – of people, waiting, clamoring and paying top dollar for… a doll. A Cabbage Patch Kid, to be exact. As one store manager put it “…people were grabbing at each other, pushing and shoving. It got ugly.” Dolls were nothing new, so what explains the hysteria that exploded during the Cabbage Patch Craze? What happened was a unique combination of viral, word-of-mouth, marketing and scarcity. There were only so many dolls manufactured, and a lot more demand than manufacturer Coleco ever expected. Couple that with the Christmas frenzy, and voila!! People were literally begging for dolls. A black market arose – dolls were going for $200 sometimes $300! See Coleco messed up. When the frenzy began – they should have immediately raised prices. By doing so, they would have captured extra profits and would have stemmed the crazy frenzy (instead of my sleazy next door neighboor who was selling dolls out of the trunk of his car). This is illustrates one of the most basic microeconomic principles: the interaction between supply and demand, and their impact on price. When supply exceeds demand, there’s a surplus of something – and a supplier will usually drop prices to move excess inventory. But when demand exceeds supply, there’s only two options: make more or raise prices. What do Cabbage Patch Kids have to do with us, here, today? Well, lucky for me, we’re in a similar situation with the upcoming Superstar Speaking Academy in June. Last year we had 101 people register, and we thought that we would see SOME more people want to get in… but due to a variety of new promotional channels and word-of-mouth, the demand is higher than we expected. Way higher. And so while we had originally priced the event at $197 regular/$297 VIP until May 31st, we need to raise prices SOONER to manage our capacity, which, like the Cabbage Patch Dolls, is limited due to the venue (and we’ve already committed to it).

As a speaker, how you look impacts how the world – and your audience – perceives you. For better or for worse, your image needs to attract your target audience, establish your credibility and contribute to, rather than detract from, your branding efforts – so you can ultimately drive more incoming business and charge what you’re worth. Within the first 3 seconds of seeing you, people have probably already made a judgment about you. And these days, with so much business conducted online, prospects, clients and potential partners are likely to “Google” you and see your online presence before they ever meet you in person!  Google is the new resume, because even if you do meet someone in person, chances are they will seek you out online to learn more. So…given that your online image is as important as your in-person image, what you need to create is an authentic, compelling and ATTRACTIVE representation of who you are in person that translates well to the digital world.  And then you need to take that image and put it everywhere online – even the social media platforms you don’t use – just so that you can OWN your visual image online. It all starts with a photo. Having a great, professional portrait is fundamental, especially if you’re trying to brand yourself as an expert in your field. All speakers and authors have professional portraits, and if you want to be taken seriously, then you need to have one (or many!) too. As a former editor then publisher of a high-fashion magazine, I have produced hundreds of photo shoots, and I can share my personal story about the impact my headshot has had on my speaking career. Everyone always asks me about my “Sharpie picture,” like “what does it mean, Michelle?”  Well, quite honestly, the whole thing was kind of an accident. If you know me, then you know I always carry a handful of Sharpies and a blank book to draw mind maps, take notes, and explain things using diagrams and drawings (it’s the ex-math teacher in me…but that’s a whole ‘nother story). I also often use Sharpies and flip-charts in my workshops to keep things spontaneous and fun. So what happened on the day of my headshot photo shoot (with Gio Alma, a photographer I worked with extensively at Ocean Drive Magazine) was, after we’d taken several very serious, professional, traditional “headshot” type pictures (see right) that I was using for my website, I wanted to take some fun pictures just for me. So I grabbed a bunch of Sharpies from my bag and started hamming it up. Gio played along and snapped away. When I got the proofs, I thought the Sharpie pics were silly, obviously not something I would use professionally (haha). I went ahead and chose a regular, “professional” head shot that fit with who I was trying to be (a serious business consultant, of course) and posted it everywhere – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. A few months later at the end of a speech about networking, one audience member tentatively raised her hand and said: “But your portrait doesn’t reflect your brand – you’re fun, young and vibrant, your headshot is sedate and boring. It’s beautiful, but it looks like it belongs on  Match.com  – it’s not the you we met today.” Uh-oh. If you know me, then you also know that I believe the “uh-oh precedes the a-ha,” so I asked the audience, “raise your hand if you agree with her?” Almost every single one raised her hand. I swallowed my pride and went back to the drawing board. There was no way I was going to do a whole new photo shoot, so I pulled out all the proofs that Gio had sent me. And I came across those Sharpie pics.  I started playing with them and I found one – ONE decent one that I KIND OF liked.  I cropped it (cropped my roots out!!), put a frame around it, retouched it a little around the eyes, beefed up the color and voilá! (See the transformation I created with Photoshop, below.) I tentatively floated it out on Facebook first…and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Note that a few people HATED (and still HATE) it, but I continue to use it in spite of that.  Why? Because it’s memorable, and it’s aligned with who I am – the colors, the smile, the authenticity (I truly love of Sharpies and other office supplies), and it’s memorable – and that’s the purpose of a good headshot for personal branding. In fact, I ended up building my entire brand around the Sharpie pic, and overall, it’s worked. When you Google me, that picture is everywhere, and people remember it. Not only that, it tends to make people smile. Sure there were some people who didn’t “get” it. Guess what?  That’s quite all right. Those are not the people for me. The right people are the ones who love it. It’s actually quite a good filter. The takeaway? It’s time to get put some awesome, authentic, beautiful, well-branded pictures of yourself out there! Here are some tips to take a GREAT headshot. Use a current photo.  A photo that looks old screams “stuck in the past.” Not only is it unprofessional, but you’re missing the opportunity to keep your brand as current and as relevant as you are. Even if you were more “beautiful” 10 years ago, chances are these last 10 years have given you experience, character and depth. Don’t hide that. Hire a professional.  Go hire a photographer to shoot you, and bring 3-5 different outfits. It doesn’t cost as much as you think – you can often find a good photographer for under $100. But be careful – negotiate at the outset for them to give you the entire CD of images. Also, see if they’ll retouch one or two photos for you once you’ve decided what you want to use. Think about color.  Use a color scheme that “fits” with your personality and your business, and stay away from small prints and “busy” patterns. Also, most of us should stay away from wearing white, particularly if you are pale. Use props.  Having a “prop” may help convey your value and be more memorable. We’ve used everything from signs, to flip charts, to sharpies to champagne bottles, depending on the industry. But also shoot without props as well. Try several poses.  Choose the “right one” in the editing process, not the shooting process. Your pose should be right for your brand. No generic, cheesy glamour shots! Your picture should reflect who you are and, if possible, what you do. If you’re a woman, consider avoiding the ever-popular “head tilt.” It’s a “little girl” pose that can diminish credibility, particularly if you’re in a male-dominated field. Make eye contact.  While some situations/personal brands require something different, by and large, making eye contact engenders trust. And we all know trust is the basis of every relationship – business or otherwise. Do at least one setup with a white or contrasting color background.  Shooting against a white or contrasting color background allows you to create a “silhouetted” photo that can be placed against any color background. That’s GREAT for the web and for getting creative with things like your business card or email signature. Be authentic and show personality!  Just because you’re getting a professional headshot, doesn’t mean that the photo has to be generic, stiff or boring. In fact, social media IS about being “social,” so the more attractive and fun your photo – while being professional – the better! Edit when you’re DONE shooting, not DURING the shoot.  When you do a photo shoot, be open-minded, try everything. You can always trash the photos later. The creative process and the editing process are opposites, don’t confuse them! One requires open-mindedness, the other critical thinking. Example: During Michelle’s first big photo shoot she pulled out that handful of Sharpies and played around. There were about 100 bad pictures and one magical one, which didn’t become obvious until much later. Post your head shot EVERYWHERE…and tag with your full name.  Because of the way Google works, the more places you post your picture (make sure your pics all have your full name as the title (i.e., Michelle Villalobos  Mivista.jpg ), the more you’ll start to “own” your name. Go back to all those profiles you have online and drop in your headshot.  It’s not necessary to use the SAME photo in all profiles, but at least use consistent photos that tell the same “story” across platforms. If you use different photos for different purposes, they all need to be high- quality, attractive and they need to accurately align with the most important brand in the world: yours.

In my work with speakers, authors, coaches and consultants (AKA: “Experts”), I’ve determined that  the single biggest mistake they make when developing and deploying their marketing, messaging and “personal brand” is that they forget that it has to be PERSONAL! So many of us who are in the business of selling our expertise are  caught up trying to be someone we’re not.  We think “this is how I should be” or “this is how I should look” or “this is how I should act” in order to get the clients we want, earn what we’re worth, and appeal to the audiences we want to appeal to. I know because this is what I did in the beginning of my career. As a sales consultant 7 years ago when launching my personal brand, I thought: “What is a sales consultant like? What does a sales consultant look like? What would she sound like? What would her business card look like?”  This is the thinking that gave me a boring navy blue, black and white business card, logo and website. Needless to say, the leads weren’t pouring in. Now, 7 years later, my brand is a true reflection of who I am: bright colors, Sharpie markers and Post-Its, irreverent keynote speeches, fun headshots in wacky poses…  And business is booming. That process wasn’t easy, nor was it fast. And it all came down to this one conversation that I’m going to have with you right here, right now. When you strip away the layers of learning, socialization, and what your parents, family, friends, prospects and clients think you should be, what remains? This is your true self.  This is the self that you need to understand, capture and deploy in the world in order to create a compelling personal brand – or, because I dislike the baggage associated with that term – “Influential Identity” that is unique, authentic and – of course – drives business. To create a powerful Influential Identity, you first need to first define the core, unique YOU, then look at what that means about your true purpose and then what you WANT out of your life. Only THEN can you really start BRANDING effectively.

It’s counter-intuitive, perhaps, but tightening your focus, narrowing your target and getting clear about your niche can help you grow MUCH faster and healthier as a speaker, author, coach or consultant. Why? Because if what you’re selling is YOU, then right off the bat we’re dealing with a situation where there’s scarcity, which means that there is limited YOU to go around.  Without a strong value proposition in a niche, then most likely you face lots of competition, which puts downward pressure on your prices. And if you’re competing on price, then you’re in a situation where you need VOLUME in order to make decent money.  Relying on volume is one sure way to a) not be very profitable, and b) quickly become exhausted. The most profitable brands and businesses that do NOT want to offer mass market, volume products or services, are the ones who can hone in on a niche and sell to them at a higher price… So once you’re clear about who you are and what you’re up to from an IDENTITY perspective, the next thing to determine is what NICHE you’re going after.  Having a strong niche (i.e., specializing in something) will not only raise your value to the end user, it will also help you generate referrals because it’s a LOT easier to be “top-of-mind” for something specific than for something general. Here are some examples: The difference between a general practitioner (general) and a spine surgeon (niche). The difference between jeans (general) and designer jeans that make you’re backside look awesome. The difference between a massage therapist (general) and a specialist in chronic neck pain (niche). The difference between an esthetician (general) and a specialist in teenage acne (niche). In all of the above cases, the specialist (assuming they are truly excellent) will be able to CHARGE more (because the stakes are higher and the need more specific) and they will get a lot more word-of-mouth, referral business (because it is FAR easier to be top-of-mind for something specific than for something general). How do you choose a niche? Here are some ways: Analyze your existing book of business to identify any niche audiences for whom your service has high value. Ask your existing clients why they come back to you. Ask friends and family what they have you “top-of-mind” for. Do some homework on any referrals you’ve gotten or get, to find out how they were referred to you (what did the referrer say about you?) For example, most massage therapists never specialize and end up competing on price because there are a LOT of people who can provide massages.  But only a small percentage specialize in any one thing – but as anyone with chronic, severe neck pain can tell you: they would pay more for someone who could get them better results – it’s worth the extra investment. On the execution or operational side, having a specialty also allows you to go narrow and deep and really hone your craft so you’re delivering at the highest level – another surefire way to develop a loyal clientele and lots of great referrals.  Not to mention, it feels really good to get GREAT results!

As a professional speaker who puts myself “out there” every day, it is important that I maintain positive energy and mindset. For the first few years of my career, however, this was difficult for me because the most influential people in my life, my friends and family, were doubtful about the path I had chosen. And as I would share my dreams and aspirations with my friends and family, their doubt became my doubt, their criticisms became my own criticisms and their negativity became my own negativity. New Years 5 years ago, I made a drastic decision:  I DUMPED everyone in my life who didn’t support me or contribute in a positive way.  Some of them were impossible to actually “dump” completely from my life (i.e., my parents) but I shut them out of my planning and decision-making processes, instead I decided only tell them about results and successes (i.e. “Check out this newspaper article on me!”) The results have been nothing short of amazing. I’m more confident and happy, and even better, my former “doubters” go around boasting about how successful I am!! Not to mention, sharing on a “results-only” basis means I’m more focused on results, which is good on numerous levels. We all wish our lives were filled with row after row of raving fans who love exactly what we do and how we do it. The unfortunate reality is that life’s filled with people who rain on our parade…and people who are just plain toxic! And sometimes these Debbie Downers are disguised as our closest allies, so they can bring us down, without our even noticing.  What to do? It’s time for a detox. When most of us hear the word detox, we think food, drugs or alcohol. We rarely think about detoxing from a person. Yet, you know what I’m talking about because you have a person (or multiple persons!) in your life right who drains you, distracts you, derails you, or makes you doubt yourself. This person may very well be a client. It might be a colleague. A business partner. An employee. A competitor. Or someone who calls themselves a “friend.” You have to prune these people out of your life. Try this NOW. Dump them short-term: Consider taking a 30-day detox from that person. Insulate yourself. Draw a line in the sand. Protect yourself from the person’s energetic impact, thus eliminating counter-productive drama. After 30 days, re-evaluate. Maybe the detox felt so good you don’t want it to end. Or, maybe you’ll come back to that relationship – be it professional or personal – with a whole new appreciation of the role that person plays in your life. Dump them long-term: Some people don’t deserve another chance. In business, most of your relationships are expendable. You can always get a new client, accountant, or assistant.  The moment you think you’re stuck with someone is the moment you start sabotaging your success. Overall, here are some tactics to protect yourself going forward: Avoid negative people – they have power to slow or halt your progress. Choose your inner circle wisely, and keep your intra-personal relationships healthy and thriving. Surround yourself with other students and people in your life who are aligned with who you are and where you’re going. Get advice, assistance and moral support from people who appreciate the journey you have committed to. Tell those people what you are committed to, and allow them to (or ask them to!) lift you to up where you’re going. Finally, hang out with people who are MORE SUCCESSFUL than you. So do the people close to you in your life move you FORWARD or HOLD YOU BACK?  Consider this: do they get excited for your successes? Are they good listeners? Are they open to your ideas?  Do they share BALANCED advice or do they always criticize everything you do? Remember: You work way too hard to let OTHER people’s junk get in YOUR way.

About 13 years ago,  I went through a “quarter-life crisis”  and signed myself up for a battery of personality tests to figure out what I should do with my life.  When the results came back, I sat in the test administrator's office for an hour while she went through them and advised me  that my #1 ideal career was…. drumroll please… “Teacher.”  Now, I had already been a high school teacher (high school math and Spanish, in case you were wondering), and though I enjoyed it, I knew that wasn't “IT.” I left her office thoroughly frustrated and deflated. I had thought these tests would give me desperately needed clarity.  Instead I spent the next several years knocking into walls and forging my own path,  and ultimately came to the conclusion that my ideal career is… you guessed it… Teacher.  The tests were right all along. The problem wasn't the test, it was the interpreter.  She may have been trained in the test, but she wasn't trained in business, or in strategy, or in career planning. Had she been, perhaps right there and then we would have made a career plan for me. Instead I remained dazed and confused for a few years longer  (a story for another day).  Another problem was that  I didn't have perspective on myself.  I couldn't truly see my gifts and envision how they could be parlayed into a business or career I was passionate about. For better or worse, we humans simply “can't read the label of the jar we're in.” Our gifts come so easily to us that we often ignore them or think “I couldn't possibly earn a living doing that…” because sadly, we feel that work has to be WORK.  Moral of the story: When we're stuck, we need (the right) outside perspective.  We all need a trusted mentor or advisor who is knowledgeable not only about personality and strengths and aptitude but also about business models, strategy and planning. And it's essential that the person actually CARE about helping us find direction and gain momentum toward our dreams.  *** I've since dedicated my career to being this person for people. If you're confused, uncertain, frustrated, challenged or just plain stuck in your business or career, email me, call me, Facebook me, whatever, just do it!  Don't waste another moment.  Embrace your destiny NOW.

As a little kid, I was hyper. Nonstop dancing, singing, gymnastics (especially cartwheels,) teaching other kids how to do stuff, talking to strangers and basically driving my parents (and other nearby adults) bonkers.  In school, my Kindergarten teacher wanted to hold me back a year and my 1st grade teacher (who I adored) betrayed me and told my parents I was “disruptive in class” and “lacked focus and attention.” My quest for self-improvement began early.  My childhood and young adulthood were spent locked in a constant struggle to “control” myself … to manage my excitement, contain my enthusiasm and keep my voice down. I channeled my intensity into “normal” activities, like school and dance.  By high school I was a straight A student, which I maintained all the way through my Ivy League years. Then I got an MBA, and like many other “productive” people,  I spent the next 10 years exchanging time for money, time for money. My self-improvement plan was working!! Problem is… I was miserable. Slowly, very slowly,  I started realizing that all the things I was “fixing” about myself were the very gifts that I was blessed with.  I got clear that the energy and enthusiasm that I had spent decades trying to dampen, were exactly the traits that inspired others. I finally “got” that the ADD brain that I had tried to manage and even medicate into submission was exactly what businesses valued for strategic thinking and marketing.  And I finally made peace with my desire to be significant, and recognized it as a strength, not a weakness. And as I started sharing this more intimate, vulnerable side of my journey,  I found there are many others just like me.  People who had wasted years trying to be someone they weren't. People who had negated their true talents in order to fit in and please others. People who rejected their desire to be known because it was “immodest” or “braggy Which brings me to the theme of my Women's Success Summit:  “Time To Shine”  This Summit is for those who want to leave their mark on this planet.  It's for those who want the world to be better off for having them in it, and for those who “deep down, in places they don't like to talk about at cocktail parties”* want others to know who they are, and  to be recognized and valued for the gifts they bring to this party called LIFE.  What do you want to be known for?  How do you want to be seen, and heard? Who do you want to serve? How will you deliver that? How can you monetize it? These are the questions of this, our 9th, Women's Success Summit.  Are you ready to share your light with the world? We are waiting for you.

I used to have a lot of excuses about why I didn't have the life I wanted. “There aren't enough hours in the day.” “I don't have enough money.” “My job sucks” (and later “my business sucks.”) Over time, and with a lot of introspection, I came to realize that all my excuses didn't make my life any better, and they certainly didn't get me any closer to having a business or living I life I LOVED. My excuses kept me at the mercy of circumstances, of the external world, of other people's demands and agendas. This all changed when I got this “crazy” idea to embark on a road trip around the country for a year. The problem was that my business was structured to keep me in one place, working with clients one-on-one and in person, and so I did not have the freedom to leave for months at a time. For the first time, however, instead of shrugging my shoulders and accepting my lot as fate, I did something drastic: I decided to change my business model and create my life around what I WANTED instead of settling for what WAS. When I left, I actually predicted (and made peace with the idea) that my business wouldn't grow, and would actually contract (revenue-wise) while I was gone. Instead, 9 months after I left, when we closed our books for the year, my business had TRIPLED. 14 months after I left, my business hit 7 figures. No one was more surprised than me. This story (and many more like it since) have shown me the difference between living from CIRCUMSTANCES (my old way) and living from VISION (my new way). I share this with you to inspire you to look at your work, your business, your life and ask: are you making decisions from “reality” — what's logical, expected, normal, acceptable, and realistic, or are you living from your VISION — what you desire deep down, hope for and dream about? No one would ever blame you or ridicule you for being “realistic,” and yet, being “realistic” isn't what creates incredible experiences, movements, businesses or lives. When we live from circumstances, it often sounds something like this: “I would start my own business, but I don't have the money.” “I would travel more, if only I didn't have children.” “I can't change careers because I've already invested too much in this one.” EVERYBODY has excuses at some point or another. But what successful people do differently (and when I say successful, I'm not talking about just money or status – I'm talking about fulfillment and contribution) is that they make decisions from where they want to be, rather than from where they are today. So… what do you REALLY want? And what's stopping you from having it? Food for thought.

Have you outgrown your strategy? Hey Superstar! This past weekend I was back in Miami for a half day workshop called Align! Monetize Your Magic . During the event, one of the attendees had a big “a-ha! moment” about her business. Or perhaps it was more of an “uh-oh moment.” You see, she’d built herself a great business – a lucrative one in a niche she loves. However, over the course of the years building the business, it turned out she was happy, but not totally fulfilled. What happened was that as she grew her business, she also evolved and expanded. However, her business strategy hadn’t quite kept pace with the more evolved and expanded version of her that building this business had created. In other words, as she grew, she wanted different things, but hadn’t quite connected those new needs and desires with a new strategy. That’s a recipe for frustration and disillusionment. As they say: “what got you here won’t get you there.” One of the biggest breakthroughs in my business came from shifting my strategy (via my business model) to align with the lifestyle that I deeply desired – one with more travel, freedom and deeper client relationships. My new strategy not only changed my life and (close to) quadrupled my revenues, but also aligned me further with my purpose on this planet. Good stuff. Is your business strategy aligned with your true strengths, values, vision and purpose? If not, then perhaps it’s time to bring a little alignment into your life..

Are you moving so fast that you can barely keep up? I can relate. For the first 20 years or so of my professional life, my schedule was jam packed. There were days when I didn’t stop moving from the minute I woke up to the minute my head hit the pillow. I felt out of control, distracted, overwhelmed and exhausted. I’d like to tell you I realized the error of my ways, made changes and turned my life around... but it took a MUCH bigger wake up call than that. I hit rock bottom with my personal life, my health and my business to FINALLY get the message that I needed to take back control my life, starting with my time. Over the past few years, I've made MANY adjustments, and in today's Scoop, I'm sharing 2 ideas / perspective shifts that I could support you in feeling more grace, ease and focus, every day. Consider aligning your schedule with your natural habits. I'm somewhat of a night owl, which for years meant sleeping to the last possible minute and then bolting out of bed and straight into action mode --- and grabbing a big ole coffee to boot. Every. Freaking. Morning. Then one day I was sharing with my mentor how I struggled with my mornings, and he said "You're your own boss... Why do you need to follow the same schedule as everyone else?" Duh. So I moved my "official" start time for outside calls and meetings to an hour later, and set aside Mondays as MY day for self-care and catch up, which means no client calls, meetings or outside projects. This allows me to feel less pressured on Sundays before the work week starts, and to have more spaciousness in the mornings, even if I stay up too late the night before. Food for Thought: What's would it feel like if your schedule fit around your needs and habits, rather than sticking to an arbitrary work day / week schedule (incidentally, one that comes from the industrial revolution and factory mentality)? Create YOUR morning practice. For years mentors told me how powerful morning practices were, but I resisted (probably 'cause I was so tired and stressed every morning!) But now that I’m consistent about my practice,  I can say that it is the thing that makes the biggest difference in my ability to focus, stay present and feel good in my business and life.  The challenge (for me at least) is finding a practice you can STICK to, and that means having discipline AND being flexible and open to new ideas.Right now my practice includes 1) Journaling, 2) Meditation, 3) SRI (Somato-Respiratory Integration), 4) Yoga (some days) and/or 50 squats and 3 1-minute planks, 5) a distraction-free breakfast.  A great book to check out on this topic is The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed To Transform Your Life Before 8 AM by Hal Elrod. Food For Thought: What's possible if you started every day more grounded, centered, focused and intentional? What are some activities and practices that could help you do that? **** PS - If you’d like to explore how to create a business with more grace, ease, and JOY, check out our Business Breakthrough Program!  Click here to  learn more. Big hug,

Are you feeling anxious about heading home for the holidays? You’re certainly not alone. Spending time with family can send even the most grounded grown-up right back into old patterns of behavior. It's taken me many years to get to the point where I don't immediately become my thirteen-year-old self as soon as I'm in the same room with my mother and father. And it still happens sometimes! Old habits die hard. So how can you have a beautiful experience this year instead of a painful one? In my case, I had to shift my intentions around family interactions.  For many years, I would run to my parents every time I had a business idea or a vision for something I wanted to accomplish, seeking approval and words of encouragement.  Like a lot of parents, out of LOVE and a desire to keep me  safe , they were quicker to offer words of caution than they were to encourage risk-taking.  So, what I started to do was share only my wins.  Instead of asking for advice on a project, I'd wait until that project was finished and tell them about the outcome. “Hey look, Mom, I’m in the Miami Herald!”“Hey, guess what, Dad? I’m working with American Express.” By sharing my wins, I created a space for them to celebrate my successes and feel secure in the knowledge that I was doing OK. They didn’t have to worry about me anymore. Within 6 months of making this shift, I found out that my mother had my business cards in her purse to share with other people.  She became my biggest supporter! The question to ask yourself is  how are YOU showing up in your relationships?  I was showing up in need of approval, instead of standing in my vision and power. With families, it's so important to be intentional about what you need. Do you want them to feed your ego and validate you like they did when you were a little kid?  Or are you ready to step into your sovereign adult self and create a new, more grounded relationship dynamic? *** If you’re interested in exploring how to bring more grace, ease, and joy into your business,  I invite you to set up a discovery call  to learn more about our programs and see if they’re a fit for you! Big hug,