I shared my bold opinion and my truth in that room of 20 women leaders.

What pissed me off about the coaching industry.

What I saw as our ultimate responsibility.

And why that didn’t seem to be happening across the board with “successful” coaches followed by a lot of up and comers who look to them for guidance and advice.

What am I taking a stand for?

THIS >>

“Women leaders who don’t use their platform to take a stand for social issues and justice don’t deserve a platform.”

 

As soon as these words came out of my mouth, chills went up and down my spine.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

A piece of me thought I might get in trouble by the powers that be.

Who am I to be this bold? Who am I to tell you what you do and don’t deserve?

I am here to get your attention.

I am here to take a stand for YOU taking a stand for what you know is real and right in your heart. And to NOT shy away from the hard stuff that’s happening in the world.

The issues that you care about are the fuel for your work.

This is what soulful service is truly about.

This is why I got into the coaching field to begin with: TO HELP PEOPLE. And to impact REAL CHANGE.

Not to put up fancy pictures on the internet, humble brag about my cars and purses and jewelry and ignore what’s going on in the world because it doesn’t affect me (white girl privilege!).

But it seems in the battle for clicks and likes and sales, coaches are selling a false reality.

They are selling air.

They are selling candy to hungry people desperate for nourishment.

And the machine keeps churning.

The funnels and the ads and the fake live webinars that are actually pre-recorded all contribute to the false reality that keeps people focused on the SHIT THAT DOESN’T MATTER.

What does matter?

Using your platform to change the world.

Doing the deep work yourself and ensuring you have expert support so that you’re not projecting your stuff onto your people.

Using your voice and your position to help solve the bigger problems of the world.

Working with “right fit” clients instead of anyone you can convince to pay you.

Bringing attention to the issues in this world that bother you and doing something (talk + action).

If you consider yourself a true leader, you can’t ignore the mass shooting that just happened because you’re in the middle of a launch and don’t want to lose followers and money if you speak your truth about how you feel about our gun problem and share your pain.

You can’t ignore that your work is NOT for everyone and end up having clients in the room who totally throw the energy off for the group. Vetting and boundaries are critical for coach and for client.

You can’t ignore current events because you’re all about “love and light” when we have members of the media getting killed or attacked for simply doing their job due to tyrannical leaders who don’t believe in a free press. You can’t not know what’s happening in the world because it’s “negative.”

Your people are tuned into what’s happening in the world and they are freaked out. They are sad. They are overwhelmed. They are looking for leadership and strength.

And that is your job.

Yes, your business is your service.

But being a leader is why you are here.

Having a platform is a privilege.

If you don’t use it to take a stand on the issues and causes that are worth fighting for, you don’t deserve to have one.

If Taking a Stand Was Easy, We’d Do Something Else

Will I lie and tell you this is easy? No. I am a truth teller. This shit is hard. It would be much easier to love and light our way to the finish line (and to the bank).

But I know you. You love challenge. You love solving problems.

Look back on your life so far. Look at all those mountains you’ve climbed. Look at how many times you hit up against massive obstacles, not knowing how in the world you’d ever make it.

Challenge creates champions. And challenge creates change.

For me, a few …

• Surviving and healing from the death of my sister
• Driving a U-Haul by myself from Florida to New York at 22 years old to start my public relations career
• Getting married after being petrified of commitment … and now being married for close to 14 years
• Leaving my 6-figure NYC job without another job lined up because I knew I had to make a change, trusting I’d figure something out
• Birthing 3 children (unmedicated births for 2 of them – those contractions were wild!)
• Choosing sobriety over a life where I need to a drink to relax or fit in
• Ending relationships that are toxic – after trying to make it work for years and years
• Deciding to walk away from the “traditional” education system and homeschool our sons
• Creating a profitable business that changes the world doing work that I love (11 years in the making!)

And even with these challenges I’ve faced, I’ll be the first to admit that I have a tremendous amount of privilege. I’m a white woman born in America. I came in with blessings just by being born in this body, at this time.

I’m learning everyday, just like you. And I keep showing up and sharing.

Align Your Star With Something Greater

One of the BIGGEST things I work on with my clients is moving through fear and doubt to take the next step in their business and do what they came here to do.

I don’t care how “successful” these women are on paper, how many degrees they have, how much money they have, how many letters they have after their name, how beautiful they are, the fear is there.

The Inner Critic is active saying, essentially, “You’re not good enough. Stay small. Stay safe. If you make a move, you’ll screw it up. You’ll get found out for the fraud you are.”

The job of the Inner Critic is to protect you from the shame of failure. And it does this by attacking you. Undermining you. Questioning your every move. And often real people will show up as real-life critics. Fuck! (Big props to this recent Psychology Today article for helping me get crystal clear on this.)

It can be exhausting (when you don’t know how to handle this with grace yet firmness).

And this holds you back from truly going for it.

For many women, the bigger issue is a fear of success. But this looks like the opposite of a fear of failure. What’s up?

The connection to the shame of failure is that when you’re successful in your business, you fear that you’ll inevitably fail in others – parenting, marriage, team, managing the money, friendships, your home, your community. Women carry SO MUCH. Society expects us to CARRY SO MUCH. We are the gender that carries new life in our wombs! We KNOW how to carry a lot.

But something’s gotta give … and that’s where we sabotage ourselves.

For me in the past, there has definitely been a feeling of I won’t be able to handle it … so I better just stay where I am.

How about you?

This no doubt holds you back from being your FULLEST, most POWERFUL, DAZZLING you.

When you shift your focus from inward (me, me, me) to outward (the impact your work has on the world), you are empowered to rise above the chatter in your head.

Create a new script for yourself. Where the plot is no longer driven by self-doubt. Where the fear of shame of fucking it up doesn’t rule you. Where the dread of disappointing others or yourself doesn’t consume your thoughts. Where the compulsive need to know EXACTLY how it will all work out to hold you back from running an experiment you’re excited about.

Instead let yourself be driven by a higher purpose and what you’re taking a stand for – and those social causes you are supporting and why.

The work takes on an entirely different energy. And so do you.

PART 2 of this series is coming soon. In it, I’ll share some examples of brands who are getting it right and why … and how you can better position your TAKE-A-STAND brand to attract in the opportunities and clients that truly light you up. I’ll also share some causes that I support with my work.

But in the meantime, if this post spoke to you … if you’re feeling the call to use your platform for something greater than you AND be surrounded by other women leaders who are right there with you taking a stand …

Then you want to join POWER BRAND CAMP.

Today.

It’s exactly what you need.

 

 

My intention with POWER BRAND CAMP: help 75 women leaders get in alignment with the money you are ready to receive with your work + TAKE A STAND message that fuels your creations + the CAUSES that you deeply support.

I’ll also teach you what to DO with the money that flows in. Because making it is one thing. Using it wisely is an entirely different ballgame. If you ignore this, you won’t be in business much longer.

This took me 10 years as an entrepreneur and many dark nights of the soul to figure this out! The techniques that I’ll share allowed me to increase my Q1 profits from 2018 to 2019 by more than 1,000%.

TRUTH: Financially empowered women will change the world. Studies show that women consistently give at MUCH higher rates than men to promote SOCIAL CHANGE or HELP OTHERS who need it (even though women hold a lot less of the world’s money than men do).

Did you know that women have to work, on average, 92 extra days to earn the same amount men take home in 1 year? And for Black women it’s 233 extra days. For Latinas, it’s 323 extra days. This is unacceptable. (Thanks Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley for tipping me off to these stats.)

This is the HEART of what we’re doing in POWER BRAND CAMP.

Taking a stand for change. Not believing the lies you tell yourself about why it’s safer to hide. Making more money. Doing powerful things with this money. Being the leader you were born to be. Doing the work you can’t not do. Everyday.

I do need to tell you that the class is 50% full. And we close the doors on enrollment on April 25 (or when we fill up!).

My intention with the class of 2019 of POWER BRAND CAMP is to help the difference makers called for something greater at this point in your career.

And with most of my programs, I could have sold it for thousands of dollars and served a smaller group.

But that would be defeating the purpose for this offer.

So that means we are keeping the price low so we can help more people AND still giving you a hands-on experience where I’m walking this journey with you – in real time.

Aside from the bonuses you get when you sign up, nothing is pre-recorded. I’ll be recording all trainings with you LIVE. All content is fresh and up-to-the-minute relevant. I’ll be coaching you live. You’ll be loved up in our community.

And you’ll build a deeper community to support you as you take the next bold move in your work. Because trust me – you’re going to need it!

Just like I said at the beginning of this post that I shared my bold truth in that room of leaders … that’s what’s going to happen for you when you’re in THIS room of leaders. Magic happens in rooms of leaders. You come alive on the inside. You don’t hold back. Because you don’t need to. You know you are safe to SHINE. You are safe to share your BOLD position. And you know in your bones that you are safe to SERVE in a much BIGGER way.

The women in POWER BRAND CAMP know this: we are the change that we want to see in this world.

Have a look here to see what we’re doing and join us.

TIP: Choose the VIP level if you want to work with me in person at my live event this May > TAKE A STAND Live. We’re gathering over the full moon and it’s going to be unforgettable.

JUST 14 spots left at our event! Yes, you’ll need to make changes to your schedule to come. And it won’t feel convenient. And you’ll look for reasons why it’s not the “right time.” And it’s 1,000% worth it to be in this room with us.

Success doesn’t come to those who are looking for convenient or free.

And what got you here, won’t get you to your next level.

Let’s go.