Meredith chats with Jessica DeFino.

🌟 Follow Meredith on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/

🌟 Follow Content People on insta: https://www.instagram.com/contentpeoplepod/

🌟 Subscribe to the Content People newsletter: https://meredithfarley.substack.com/  

🌟 Email Meredith: [email protected]

🌟 We loved talking to Jessica. Follow her here:

🌟 Subscribe to The Unpublishable newsletter: https://jessicadefino.substack.com/

🌟 Or, follow Jessica’s column “Ask Ugly” at the Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/nov/01/should-i-get-botox-advice-ask-ugly

🌟 This was the Substack article that referenced Jessica’s stats back in 2021: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-8

In this week’s Content People episode, I chatted with Cydnee DeToy.

Cydnee’s a Career and Empowerment coach.

Her work centers on supporting ambitious millennial women who need to recover from burnout,  redefine their relationship with work, and set new, empowering boundaries.

And, fun fact: In her first 8 weeks, Cydnee made 25K of revenue from LinkedIn. And built out a nearly full book of business. Not too shabby, right?

Our convo covered:

• The content and posts that earned her the most clients.
• How LinkedIn has surprised her.
• What drives her to share her message and support millennial women
• And what it’s like to work with her.

PS. This is our last ep of season 2. We'll be back Jan 2 with Season 3!

Follow Meredith on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/

Follow Content People on insta: https://www.instagram.com/contentpeoplepod/

Subscribe to the Content People newsletter: https://meredithfarley.substack.com/

Email Meredith: [email protected]

Follow Cydnee on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cydnee-detoy/

Subscribe to Cydnee's Newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/645105018c37c66117b451ee

Whoa ho ho. This is a big one. 💄 👀

Today on Content People we chat with Marisa Meltzer - the best-selling author of Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier.

Glossy - an instant best-seller - is a deep dive into the work of Emily Weiss, from her industry-changing blog Into the Gloss to her billion-dollar empire at Glossier.

If you’re interested in business, girl-boss analysis, or the beauty industry as a whole - it’s un-put-downable.

Marisa and I covered:

• Why she wanted to write this book.
• How she feels about Emily Weiss.
• What it’s like to have an ongoing, complex relationship with a public figure like Emily.
• And if she and Emily have talked since publication.

If you’re wondering (since Emily seems to be somewhat of a polarizing figure): I’m team Emily. There are elements of her story that many, many women in leadership positions might empathize with - and I find her to be very inspiring.

LINKS:

Sign Up for the Content People Newsletter
Meredith’s LinkedIn
Content People Instagram

GUEST LINKS:

Buy Glossy  
https://www.amazon.com/Glossy-Ambition-Beauty-Inside-Glossier/dp/1982190604

Follow Marisa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marisameltzer/?hl=en

Check out her website
https://www.marisameltzer.com/

"The branded wheel gets the grease."

This week, we had the privilege of speaking with Cher Jones - a powerhouse of personal branding with an impressive 30,000 LinkedIn followers.

Cher isn't just a social media influencer. She's the founder of "Your Brand at Work" and has collaborated with industry giants like BNY Mellon, Lockheed Martin, Fannie Mae, and Hewlett Packard.

Her mission: empower employees to cultivate and communicate their unique personal brands, both online and off.

What does personal branding mean to Cher? It's all about unearthing and expressing individual talent and value.

One of my favorite takeaways from our chat was Cher's five non-traditional KPIs for personal branding:

• Do people want to work with you?
• Do people want to work for you?
• Would they refer you?
• Will they champion you?
• Can they learn from you?

Powerful, right?

Our conversation was so much fun, and I learned a lot.  

Cher, thank you so much.

LINKS

Content People Newsletter
https://meredithfarley.substack.com/

Content People on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/contentpeoplepod/?hl=en

Follow Meredith on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/

Follow Cher on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/itscherjones/

Follow Cher on Insta
https://www.instagram.com/itscherjones/?hl=en

Cher's personal branding quiz:
https://mrqz.to/63d1c02dcab7fb00279e0fe9

Cher's website
https://trainwithsociallyactive.com/

What, exactly, are you supposed to do with your hands during a speech?

Great question.

Let’s ask Amanda Hennessey, this week’s Content People guest.

I’ve worked with Amanda in the past - and loved every second I get to spend with her. I know you guys will like her, too.

Amanda’s the bicoastal founder of Boston Public Speaking and San Diego Public Speaking. She coaches teams and individuals - giving them the tools and confidence they need to nail big presentations, small (but important) meetings, and everything in between.

Amanda helps people:

• Manage their nerves.
• Increase their confidence.
• Tell compelling stories.
• Master vocal variety.
• Rehearse (instead of over-rehearse).
• Pull off a great wedding toast.
• And, finally, figure out what the eff to do with their hands during a presentation. ⭐

She’s also the author of Your Guide to Public Speaking: Build Your Confidence, Find Your Voice, and Inspire Your Audience. (Her book’s origin story, which we cover in the ep, is really magical. ✨)

Hope you might like it.

Links:

Meredith’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/ Content People newsletter: https://meredithfarley.substack.com/ Content People instagram: https://www.instagram.com/contentpeoplepod/?hl=en

Amanda's Websites:
https://www.bostonpublicspeaking.com/about
https://www.sandiegopublicspeaking.com/

Amanda's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaghennessey/?hl=en
Amanda's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandahennessey/
Amanda's Course: https://www.bostonpublicspeaking.com/freemasterclass
Amanda's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Guide-Public-Speaking-Confidence/dp/1507210248

PR: Powerful. Mysterious. Often Misunderstood.

This week, we get a peek behind the curtain of earned media. I talked with Elise Labau and Florencia Cavallo, the cofounders of Stories Consulting - a very cool PR consultancy.

Stories Consulting primarily works with female-founded, mission-driven brands. Think: start-ups in the lifestyle, beauty, wellness, fashion, and women's health space.

These are the women who get clients placed in little ol’ outlets like Refinery29, Vogue, New York Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and more.

Our convo covered:

• How they nurture and respect their partnership.
• Why they believe in a “less is more” approach to storytelling and building brands
• Scope creep, people pleasing, and how to say no to being a client’s personal shopper.
• One of the reasons that big agency teams often fail where boutique firms thrive. (Hint: It’s about established team dynamics).
• Why you want to build a moat around your brand. 🏰
• Why good PR plans set 6 and 12-month KPIs - rather than 30, 60 or 90-day benchmarks.
• The advice they’d give all new founders.

Elise and Florencia - it was such a treat to chat with you. Thanks for your time and your great advice.

Follow Content People on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/contentpeoplepod/

Follow Meredith on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/

Follow Elise on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-labau-topaloglu/

Follow Florencia on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/florencia-cavallo-59a12a52/

Check out Stories Consulting on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/storiesconsulting__/

Check out the Stories Consulting Website
https://www.storiesconsulting.com/

Buckle up, cosmic travelers. 🚀🌎

On this week's journey through the Content People galaxy, we've onboarded an extraordinary navigator: @Felicity Wild, our Captain and Chief Tone of Voice Nerd.

Felicity's the creative force behind Brand Language Lab - a brand language consultancy company.

Think: Copywriting consultancy. But also an immersive, branded experience modeled on a 1970s sci-fi adventure.

In this convo, which is a bit more focused and specific than other eps, Felicity and I dive deep into the origins of her imaginative branding and website.

It’s … out of this world. (I'm done! I'm done.)

Our convo covers:

🪐 The brand’s origin story.
🪐 How a short break from client work gave Felicity the time and energy to reimagine the business's next chapter.
🪐 The creative potential of really long walks.
🪐 Turning to art for inspo (rather than competitors).
🪐 A healthy reframing of personal branding. And why it doesn’t need to be so personal.

Follow Content People or Meredith:
Content People Newsletter: https://meredithfarley.substack.com/
Meredith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/

Felicity's Website: https://www.brandlanguagelab.com/
Felicity on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicity-wild/
Felicity's Newsletter: https://www.brandlanguagelab.com/lab-notes
Felicity's Course: https://brandlanguagelab.podia.com/

What's it like to know that Hozier (yeah, that Hozier) read your book?

Pretty great. A little surreal and intense.

How do I know that?

Because in this week’s Content People ep, we talked to @Andrea Isabelle Lucas. And I asked her.

Andrea’s the owner and founder of Barre & Soul, a beloved, multi-million dollar Barre & Yoga studio franchise in and around the Boston area.

With Barre & Soul, Andrea’s created a devoted client base, a beautiful brand, and a cool, welcoming studio experience. (I know that because I did my Yoga Teacher Training there back in 2016. 🧘💜)

Andrea’s also an author (her book - the one Hozier read? - is Own It All), and a speaker who’s shared the stage with folks like Michelle Obama and Billie Jean King.

I’m a little exhausted just writing this intro. I won’t even get into the fact that she’s been featured in places like the BBC, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Women’s Health, the Huffington Post, and Boston Magazine.

Just, like, look her up. Andrea’s a powerhouse. (And low-key one of my style icons.)

Our conversation covered:

• The light-bulb moment that totally changed the course of her career.
• How Andrea arrived at Barre & Soul’s iconic brand look.
• Her advice around taking the biggest risk you can stomach. Even if it’s just a baby step.
• The moves (and risks) that helped her business succeed in such a competitive space.
• An impactful mindset shift that empowered Andrea to rethink boutique pricing.
• How it feels to see photos of Hozier reading your book. (Intense.)
• An incredible book rec - The War of Art. (Which, btw, I’m already halfway through.)

And a lot more. This was really one of my favorite convos yet.

Hope you like it.

Check it out - link in comments ⤵️

[LINK OUT]

For Show Notes:

Follow the Content People newsletter:

https://meredithfarley.substack.com/

Follow Meredith on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/

Find Andrea:

Own It All:
https://www.amazon.com/Own-All-Only-Person-Change/dp/1633538540

Barre & Soul:
https://www.barresoul.com/

Andrea’s site and sign-up for her newsletter:
https://andreaisabellelucas.com/

The War of Art: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+war+of+art&hvadid=616931716525&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002004&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2173763426570252275&hvtargid=kwd-342894155&hydadcr=24661_13611822&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_6k2tqkpngm_e

Follow Andrea on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/andreaisabellelucas/?hl=en

This is a really fun one.

Jessica Lanyadoo is a renowned Humanistic Astrologer, Psychic Medium, tarot reader, and Animal Communicator. She's developed a huge following and fan base - and she was a really wonderful Content People guest. 

Jessica and Meredith talk about:

Jessica's career path in astrology, how she discovered her psychic abilities, what it was like to carve out a career path - and a business - in such a unique space, and what it means to show up authentically online. 

A bit about Jessica:

Jessica started her private practice in San Francisco in 1994 and has met with thousands of people across the globe for one-on-one, couples, and business consultations. She's the host of the top-ranking astrology and advice show, Ghost of a Podcast, and she was the co-host of TLC’s digital show Stargazing. Her first book, Astrology For Real Relationships, published by Penguin Random House, came out in 2020.

Did you like hanging out with us?

Sign up for the Content People newsletter here: https://meredithfarley.substack.com/
Follow Meredith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/

Follow Jessica:

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica_lanyadoo/?hl=en
On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicalanyadoo?lang=en
Her Website: https://www.lovelanyadoo.com/about
Her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JessicaLanyadoo
Read Her Book: Astrology for Real Relationships https://www.amazon.com/Astrology-Real-Relationships-Understanding-Along/dp/1984856243

Welcome to S2E12 of Content People

This week we talk with Content Creator Clara of ColorMeLoverly.

You might know Clara from her TikTok, where she’s earned a following of more than 220K her fictional PR agency has amassed a trove of high-profile but problematic clients.

See her advice to Joe Jonas, for example.

Or check out Clara’s fantastic substack Hmm, That's Interesting - which has more than 12K subscribers - where she digs a little deeper into the cultural mores and nuances behind the hot-button issues of the day.
Hmm, That's Interesting

Clara’s also on Instagram and has a delightful literary podcast called One More Chapter with Clara and Clare.

Our convo covered:
- How Clara grew her following on TikTok

- What sparked the idea for her now-famous PR parody

- Why her newsletter is currently her favorite medium

- How “feeling cringe” is totally normal when you’re trying something new - and how she deals with it.

- Why promoting your work and content can feel harder for women than for men.

Subscribe to the Content People newsletter here.
Follow Meredith on LinkedIn here.

I loved getting to chat with Clara. Hope you enjoy the convo or find it useful.