Power Your Platform

If you have a blog – or you’ve been thinking about starting a blog – then you’re in the right place. Because my guest on the podcast today is Karen Whitfield, a virtual assistant, blogger and online marketer Online Blog & Business Help. 

As a young mom herself, Karen believes that women should be able to work from home while creating their own profitable income streams through digital and online products. 

In this episode, Karen shares her ideas and insights on growing your blog presence while at the same time, finding ways to generate blog income in a variety of ways. 

What’s more, she’s created a bundle of short e-books which all relate to the questions she encountered when setting up and monetizing her first blog. 

And as an affiliate of Karen’s blog bundle, I’m pleased to say you can access this resource by visiting bit.ly/blogbundleoffer.  

So if blogging is your happy place, then I hope you find a lot of value inside today’s show. 

Here are my top 10 takeaways from today’s conversation: 

1. Don’t be afraid to start messy. Let go of perfectionism and just show up for your audience. 

2. Realize that your blog has the potential to create various income streams. 

3. Your unique story and perspective can help set your blog apart from the rest. 

4. Knowing who you serve with your business solution can help you create consistent and value-added blog content. 

5. We learn by doing, so the more we practice, the more solutions we find along the way. 

6. A blog can help you generate consistent traffic to your web site which can help boost product and service revenues. 

7. When considering affiliate marketing, be sure to choose products or services that authentically align with your core message and solve a pain point for your ideal audience. 

8. When we listen to the stories of others who are a few steps ahead of us, we can benefit from their shortcuts. 

9. It pays to invest the time, energy and money to create a blog that makes money while we sleep. 

10. And today’s power move is to check out Karen’s Blog Bundle Offer by clicking below. Inside, you’ll find a step-by-step plan for building a blog that boosts your revenue and positions YOU as an expert in your field! 

EPISODE LINKS: 

Blog Bundle Offer - http://bit.ly/blogbundleoffer 

Power Your Platform Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807 

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe 

Online Blog and Business Help - https://onlineblogandbusinesshelp.com/ 

In this episode, we’re talking about BIG ideas and how you can launch your own BIG idea that goes far beyond the product or the service you might currently be selling.

Because when you really stop and think about it, the most successful brands today are built on BIG ideas, and I’m going to give you plenty of examples in this episode. The companies we’re going to discuss are not only selling products and services. They’re selling a new way of thinking or a fresh way of addressing an old problem. And let’s be honest: this world is in need of some BIG ideas to some pretty important problems, wouldn’t you agree?

So today I’m going to reveal my BIG Idea Framework to help YOU get started thinking about what your BIG idea is and how you can start sharing it with the rest of the world.

First, be BOLD.

Being bold means owning our story with confidence, following our purpose relentlessly and raising our voice WITHOUT necessarily knowing all of the consequences ahead of time. We need to believe enough in ourselves and in our message that we feel compelled to keep going, even when our ideas challenge the status quo and others question what we’re up to.

Gloria Steinem who once said, “I have met brave women who are exploring the outer edge of human possibility, with no history to guide them, and with a courage to make themselves vulnerable that I find moving beyond words."

Inside that simple statement by Gloria are 6 characteristics of bold women:

1. Bold women are curious.

2. Bold women aren’t afraid to explore new territory.

3. Bold women are possibilitarians.

4. Bold women seek out new trails to blaze.

5. Bold women allow themselves to be vulnerable.

6. Bold women are world-changers.

And that leads us to the second part of the BIG Ideas Framework is to Aim for IMPACT.

Making an impact means having an effect or influence on the world around us. The impact we have really is up to us and how bold we allow ourselves to be.

There are different levels of impact, ranging from individual to global and different types of impact, including social impact, political impact, economic impact, environmental impact, cultural impact and others. Decide which on fits you best, and pursue it with all your heart.

Finally, the third part of the BIG Ideas Framework is to Be the GUIDE.

The truth is that no one is more equipped than you are to affect the kind of shift you’re looking to see in the world. Because each and every one of us has a story, and that story can be a powerful tool of change.

You are good enough to be someone’s guide.

You are prepared enough to be someone’s guide.

You are qualified to Be the Guide.

So if you’re looking to launch your BIG idea by Being BOLD, Aiming for IMPACT and being the GUIDE.

Because it’s time to stop playing it small and start thinking BIG.

EPISODE LINKS:

21-Day Big Idea Challenge - - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807

PowerHER Platform Web Site - https://www.powerherplatform.com/

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe

Get ready to hear from a powerhouse woman today who survived a severe gunshot wound while on active duty as a police officer, and who now shares her story of hope and resilience with audiences everywhere.

My guest on the podcast today is Laurie White, a retired RCMP Officer who was shot in the leg with a sawed-off shotgun in 1998 while stationed at her first posting in Kitimat, BC. At the time, Laurie was attempting to execute a search warrant at the residence of a sex offender. The damage from being shot was so severe, that Laurie’s leg had to be amputated 5 inches below the knee.

After only ten months of rehabilitation, Laurie successfully returned to full, unrestricted general policing duties with a prosthetic leg.

In the year 2000, Laurie received the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal as well as the Medal of Velour from the International Association of Women in Policing.

Today, Laurie is a keynote speaker for a wide range of audiences, and recently published her memoir called, “10-33, An Officer Down Steps Back Up.”

In today’s episode, Laurie and I talk about how she transformed her trauma, loss, and grief into a story of hope, resilience, and post-traumatic growth.

Here are my Top 10 takeaways from today’s interview:

1. Time and distance can often give us a new perspective on our past experiences and help us find meaning in the journey.

2. When one person shares their story, it causes a ripple effect and often inspires others to do the same.

3. Vulnerability builds authentic connection with others and reminds us that we’re not alone.

4. Sharing our story on the stage is different from sharing our story on the page, but both can be powerful opportunities to create impact.

5. Play to your strengths by leveraging the skills that are transferable from one area of your life to another.

6. Slowly push your boundaries, allowing yourself to gain a foothold before scaling that next mountain.

7. Constantly shift your goals as you grow.

8. Practice and repetition are the only way forward when it comes to sharing yoru story.

9. Figure out your goals, your budget and your target audience when sharing your story onstage or in print.

10. Today’s power move is to gather your thoughts and determine your takeaways when looking to uncover the story in your experience.

EPISODE LINKS:

Power Your Platform Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807

PowerHER Platform Web Site - https://www.powerherplatform.com/

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe

“10-33: An Officer Down Steps Back Up” by Laurie White -   https://tinyurl.com/2p93rmcu

Canada Writes - https://www.facebook.com/groups/canadawrites/

Canada Arts Council - https://canadacouncil.ca/

Ontario Arts Council - https://www.arts.on.ca/

In today’s episode, I want to dive a bit deeper into a topic I’ve touched on many times before, but haven’t fully explored in this podcast until now. And that’s the idea of owning your story.

Because at the heart of building a purpose-driven platform is this powerful idea. And today, we’re going to unpack what it means to “own our story” and what that looks like in practical terms.

Brene Brown put it this way. She said, “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.”

So today, I want to focus on what it means to OWN our story, and I want to break it down into three parts. Those three parts include: owning your privilege, owning your pain and owning your purpose.

So let’s start with the idea of owning our privilege. For this part of your story journey, I want to challenge you to sit down and write out as many privileges as you can think of that you now have or have grown up with. Because really, privileges are kind of like invisible ink. They’re completely unnoticeable until we shine a light on them and really take the time to reflect.

And the reason why it’s so important to own our privilege is that it makes us more empathetic storytellers. It prompts us to acknowledge the fact that members of our audience may not enjoy all of the privileges we have in life. And when we own our privilege, we can better recognize the systems of inequality in our culture, and work towards levelling the playing field for those around us.

The second part of owning our story is about owning our pain. And we all have pain, don’t we? It’s a part of every human’s story, but often it’s the part we try to forget. Pain can come in many forms. It can be emotional pain, physical pain, spiritual pain, social pain or psychological pain. None of us make it through this life unscathed, that’s just a fact.

But there’s power in pain when we own it as a part of our story. 

When we own our pain and recognize the power of sharing our scars with others, it can be transformative. Because others see the humanity in us and we recognize the humanity in others. And this recognition connects us to each other. And that’s what storytelling is all about, whether on a personal or a professional level. It’s about finding ways to build bridges over the spaces that divide us so we feel more connected, and more whole.

And that leads to the third and final step which is owning our purpose.

Because without owning our privilege and owning our pain, we can’t really own our purpose. And I think this is why so many of us struggle to find our purpose in the first place.

After all, our purpose often stems directly from those two parts of our identity: our privilege and our pain. The problem is that most of us don’t take the time to reflect on our privilege and pain long enough to recognize the purpose that lies inside them.

So let me ask you this: what are the privileges you’ve enjoyed in your life? What about the pain? And when you think about it, how do the two work together to fuel your purpose?

This is what’s meant by owning our story. It’s about owning our privilege, owning our pain and owning our purpose. Only then will we be truly positioned to make real impact in the world.

EPISODE LINKS:

Power Your Platform Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807

PowerHER Platform Web Site - https://www.powerherplatform.com/

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe

I hope you’re ready to take a walk on the wild side, because my guest on the podcast today is all about rediscovering your wild!

Jess Spooner is an environmentally focused entrepreneur, guide, coach and speaker based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She specializes in working with clients who are looking to reconnect with nature and live life off the beaten path.

As the owner of Rewild Wellness, Jess has some great insights to share with us today about sustainability, community building and eco-psychology.

In this episode, we talk about pausing for effect and the power that nature has in helping us rediscover our story. Jess also points out that 90% of Canadians spend 90% of their time indoors. Let that sink in for moment – and hey, if you can, why not take this podcast outside today? Even if it’s for a stroll around your suburban neighborhood, getting outside can help increase your creativity, your productivity and improve your overall mental health. All great reasons to spend time outdoors, wouldn’t you say?

Today’s conversation with Jess reminded me why I love to spend time in nature and how it helps remind me of who I am and the purpose of my story whenever I make the effort to reconnect with the natural world.

Here are my Top 10 Takeaways from today’s conversation with Jess Spooner of Rewild Wellness.

1. Rewilding is all about returning to a sense of freedom that comes with being in a natural state.

2. Being alone in nature can help you rediscover your inner voice and come back to the core of who you are.

3. We need to give ourselves permission to reclaim our own thoughts and viewpoints about the world around us.

4. Fun, play and child-like creativity are all a part of the rewilding process.

5. Spending time outdoors is for everyone –so ask yourself when was the last time YOU reconnected with nature?

6. Each new landscape holds stories for us to discover; the more we explore, the more we learn.

7. You’re never too old to be what you might have been.

8. Spend time outside every day – no matter what the weather may be.

9. If walking in the woods makes you nervous, find a public park or open green space where you can reconnect with the natural world.

10. Today’s power move is to examine the thoughts you have about spending time outdoors and notice the stories you’re telling yourself about what it means to connect with nature.

EPISODE LINKS:

Power Your Platform Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807

PowerHER Platform Web Site - https://www.powerherplatform.com/

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe

Rewild Wellness - https://www.rewildwellness.ca/

If you’re looking to build a culture of trust with your audience, then this episode is for you. After all, trust is what leads our customers and clients to take action. But before they do, they need to have some faith in us, and that faith is often sparked by storytelling.

After all, trust is currency these days, wouldn’t you agree? In fact, more and more often, we’re putting our money where our trust is. Just think about the brands you purchase, the places you go and the coaches you hire. Chances are, they’re closely linked to the level of trust you have with that product or organization or individual.

As women who are building successful brands and business, we need to be aware of how much our audience trusts us. Because that level of trust is directly correlated to the number of people who will purchase your products or hire you for your services.

And it’s worth mentioning that trust is not a short-term strategy. It’s a long game. Because the more we prove our worth and build our credibility over time, the more people will trust us and become raving fans of our work.

On the other hand, we’ve all seen those get-rich-quick posts about how you can 10X your income in 10 days or how downloading a particular course will lead to instant results – often with barely any effort. But if claims like this were actually true, don’t you think EVERYONE would be doing it?

The truth is that trust takes time. But the good news is that if you haven’t been focused on trust-building in your business, you can start doing it TODAY.

And one of the best ways I’ve found to build trust with an audience is through story sharing.

So let’s first take a look at 3 ways stories help us build better trust with our ideal audience:

First, stories make us more relatable to our audience.

Second, stories can help us build trust, because they make us more believable.

And a third reason why authentic storytelling is key to building trust is that it engages our audience in a conversation they’ve been waiting to be a part of.

Let me ask you this: when was the last time you started a conversation with your business?

Here at Power Your Platform, we’re always launching new conversation topics, from the importance of owning our story and following our purpose to raising our voice and sharing our story with others.

We’ve also had great conversations within our free Power Your Platform Facebook group about decision-making and quoting more women and how to get clarity on your own story message. There seems to be no end to the conversations around this topic of story branding.

Remember, when you start a conversation, you increase engagement with your audience. And as you engage, you build a relationship. And if those relationships are built on mutual respect then, they’ll inevitably result in higher levels of trust on both sides of the conversation.

And if you’re looking for some support to help narrow down the stories you’re sharing with your audience to help you build greater trust, then be sure to reach out to me today! Send me a DM on social media at @poweryourplatform or reach out through our main web site at powerherplatform.com.

Let’s start building brands that are founded on a culture of trust that’s fueled by authentic storytelling.

EPISODE LINKS:

Power Your Platform Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807

PowerHER Platform Web Site - https://www.powerherplatform.com/

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe

I’m excited to bring you an interview today with two inspiring women who are challenging the status quo and shaking up the beauty industry.

Shamsa and Kaltum Hassan are the owners and founders of Afiya Beauty, an artisanal skincare company focused on creating handcrafted and nutrient dense skincare for all women. As you’ll hear today, these two sisters are passionate about cultivating community and creating experiences that make women of all skin types feel radiant and fabulous.

In today’s interview, I speak with Shamsa and Kaltum about how their brand values are driving the direction of their business, and how storytelling plays a key role in connecting them with their ideal audience. We’ll also discuss why it’s important for underrepresented groups of women to challenge the status quo, and how to ensure your actions are aligned with your core purpose.

Knowing these two remarkable women personally, I have to say I feel so proud of the progress they’ve made over the past couple of years as they’ve launched and grown their new business. Even now, they continue to inspire me as they provide a great example of how internationally sharing an authentic brand story can play such a pivotal role in a company’s early success.

By the way, I want to give you a heads up that while I was recording today’s interview, I was having some slight microphone issues, so please disregard the less-than-perfect recording and focus on the content. Because it really is remarkable if you pay close attention.

Here are my Top 10 Takeaways from today’s conversation with Shamsa and Kaltum of Afiya Beauty:

1. Your core business values can help anchor your brand and help you make more aligned decisions as you grow.

2. Keeping your “why” at the forefront of everything you do will help you connect with your ideal audience and set you apart in the marketplace.

3. Your messaging will be stronger over time if you consistently link it back to your key value pillars.

4. People connect with stories, so be sure to take your audience along with you on your brand journey.

5. Telling your story will help you create a loyal tribe of raving fans and customers.

6. Showing up consistently is key if you want to make a long-lasting impact.

7. Share your story in as many ways as possible. Remember, it can take up to 21 touchpoints before someone makes the decision to hit that purchase button.

8. Don’t just rely on social media to tell your story – look for unique opportunities that are ideally suited to reach YOUR core customer or client.

9. Who you think is your audience might not be who buys from you. So be sure to track who your customers actually are and connect with them regularly.

10. Today’s power move is to show up consistently and authentically for your audience. Even if you don’t get what you expect, you’ll get what you need.

EPISODE LINKS:

Power Your Platform Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807

PowerHER Platform Web Site - https://www.powerherplatform.com/

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe

Afiya Beauty – www.afiyabeauty.com

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the hustle of everyday life, then it’s not a coincidence that you’ve tuned into this podcast episode today.

Because my guest on the show is Jaspreet Bhandal, a holistic meditation and yoga instructor who strongly believes in the slow grow mentality. Six years ago, she decided to leave behind the hustle of a full-time career and create a life she truly loves.

In today’s interview, Jas and I talk about the most important question we need to ask ourselves when our life is feeling off-centre. We also discuss a key power move you can make in the next few minutes to immediately take action and leave behind the overwhelm for good.

Here are my Top 10 Takeaways from today’s conversation with Jas:

1. We are all multifaced human beings and each us defines success in our own unique way.

2. The most powerful question we can ourselves is WHY we’re living our current lifestyle.

3. We need to give ourselves permission to leave behind the hustle and embrace the slow grow.

4. Adopting a slow grow mentality can help us intentionally attract the right kind of clients and allow us to make decisions thoughtfully and strategically.

5. In order to find our true purpose and direction, we need to carve our times of quiet in our day to process what’s happening in our lives and decide what comes next.

6. Calm, clarity and creativity can all be found in the quiet spaces of our everyday lives.

7. True relationship building requires a slow grow approach to doing business.

8. Building community is vital for our mental and emotional well-being.

9. Prioritizing connection over our calendar can be a bold way to build community and live richer lives.

10. Today’s power move is to breathe. Observe what happens in your body when you do. Notice your thoughts. Find your focus.

EPISODE LINKS:

Power Your Platform Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569102257443807

PowerHER Platform Web Site - https://www.powerherplatform.com/

Subscribe to our Story Fuel Newsletter - https://www.powerherplatform.com/subscribe

Yoga with Jas -  https://www.yogawithjas.com/