Scale With Heart

I know I talk about intuition a lot on this podcast, but that’s because intuition is interwoven with every part of our lives and businesses: every decision, every client, every financial move. In addition to those helpful pro-con lists, we all really need to be able to trust ourselves to know whether or not we’re on the “right path” in our businesses. Today on the podcast, I’m having a dialogue with Sarah Noble of The Modern Day Intuitive, on how we can conceptualize our intuition and get to know our own intuition more intimately. I hope you’ll enjoy this slightly different, open conversation, and the natural progression of our thoughts around what our unique purposes are in life.

 

Sarah Noble is here to inspire you to live into your dreams, your desires and your destiny. To create a life that is full of joy and laughter and possibilities, invoking the fire of your soul to remember why you are here, to bring forth the wisdom that lies dormant in your bones. Come dance in the space between the seen and the unseen worlds, and awaken the gifts of your intuition, your magic and your deepest desires.

 

Here are some things I’ve learned:

 

• We can view our individual journeys as more of a map than a singular path. Zooming out to see the sum of our decisions and experiences gives us a better view of the whole rather than focusing on what the “perfect” path is. 
• It’s all about learning more about yourself, your boundaries, and what your true desires are.
• We start to experience overwhelm when we find ourselves facing the unknown, but this is an opportunity to listen to yourself more.
• Working hard towards something that feels in alignment allows you to replenish yourself as opposed to constantly draining yourself in order to serve others.
• The more coherent we are internally, the more coherent our lives are.

 

Resources from this episode:

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @themoderndayintuitive, https://www.instagram.com/themoderndayintuitive/

'Embrace Your Magic' is a 3 month container, inspired by the ancient mystery schools, designed to awaken and ignite the magic that is already alive in your soul. Connect deeply with your dreams, desires and intuition through Earth Magic, Ceremony, Meditation, Journeying, Shamanic Initiations and Magical Activations, creating a life full of joy, laughter and possibilities: https://sarahnoble.com/embrace-your-magic/

Visit Sarah’s website: https://sarahnoble.com/

Additional resources:

Are you interested in crafting a fulfilling, growth-oriented experience for your clients that scales? Take my free mini-course Build Your Foundational Framework

Interested in working with me? Check out my Service Page

Follow me on Instagram

Meet my podcast editor Angelina at The Intentional Edit :)

My intro music was produced by Moshun

I used to have such a difficult time weaving in the selling portion into my social media content. Even though I felt authentic in my voice when I posted normally, any time I would try to sell my coaching services, I would feel so sleazy. I imagine you’ve also felt the same way before! Today I talk with Gelaine Santiago about overcoming that discomfort and narrowing down our audience when pitching our services. Gelaine shares her own entrepreneurship journey and how she transitioned from a broad, global fashion brand into a much more focused, and ultimately more successful, business uplifting Filipino artisans. Together, we talk about how to balance storytelling and selling in our bigger content strategies, and how to leverage our “why” by becoming crystal-clear on who we’re speaking to in our marketing.

 

Gelaine Santiago is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, writer, and content marketing coach for BIPOC founders. As a marketing coach, Gelaine helps BIPOC founders show up unapologetically and sell authentically through content. She is also the co-founder and CEO of Cambio & Co. and Sinta & Co., two Filipino fashion brands that create sustainable livelihood for artisans in the Philippines and empower the diaspora to celebrate their heritage. Her work has been featured in major publications like Forbes, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Huffington Post.

 

Here are some things I’ve learned:

 

• How to leverage your story as a means to connect to your community while selling at the same time (“story-selling”)
• How to get detailed about who you’re serving – what is their problem in one sentence?
• The more we understand ourselves, the more we can understand our ideal customers and feel aligned in that relationship.
• How we can empower ourselves and other minorities so they don’t feel pressured to whitewash their message in order to be more “mainstream”
• If you’re trying to speak to everybody, you’re really speaking to nobody.

 

Resources from this episode:

Follow Gelaine on Instagram: @gelainesantiago, https://www.instagram.com/gelainesantiago/

Get The Template: Find Your Fierce Customer Persona This isn't another generic customer avatar exercise. This is the same customer persona template Gelaine has used to grow dozens of purpose-driven brands, including her own 6-figure businesses: https://fiercefans.gelainesantiago.com/customer-persona-template 

Visit Gelaine’s website: https://www.gelainesantiago.com/

 

Additional resources:

Are you interested in crafting a fulfilling, growth-oriented experience for your clients that scales? Take my free mini-course Build Your Foundational Framework

Interested in working with me? Check out my Service Page

Follow me on Instagram

Meet my podcast editor Angelina at The Intentional Edit :)

My intro music was produced by Moshun

Have you been feeling a bit underwhelmed by your closet? Been opting into those sweatpants a little too often lately? In this episode I’m chatting with Naana Badu on how to dress for success in your business. Naana Badu changes lives through style! As a Style Coach and Speaker for her styling and image consulting firm, Badu Basics, Naana coaches women of color to elevate their wardrobe to embody their bold, authentic style. With 15+ years as a management consultant, she's navigated corporate spaces and learned the power of authenticity and confidence. Naana calls Ghana and Brooklyn, NY home and is living her best life with her husband, Chenits. This is a fascinating episode where we dive into what makes our style so central to our sense of confidence and personal identity, as well as how we make the tough calls to organize our closets and let go of past versions of ourselves through clothing. We also dig deeper into the complexities of how women of color are perceived in the workplace, and how we all can redefine what “professionalism” means for the better.

 

Here are some things I’ve learned:

• People are not only looking AT you; they’re looking UP to you.
• Embracing our style can allow us to purge old versions of ourselves and come into our own presence and evolution.
• At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel confident. What’s going to make you feel the most confident in your wardrobe?
• Lessen the gap between your everyday dress choices and the way you go all out for “big” events.
• If your clothes are worn, stained, or ripped, let them go.
• If you haven’t worn something in over two years, let it go.

 

Resources from this episode:

Follow Naana on Instagram: @badubasics, www.instagram.com/badubasics

Sign up for Naana’s signature coaching program: The Style Elevation Experience is a virtual style coaching program for WOC leaders and industry experts entering big rooms that require bold, distinct style and a confident presence. www.badubasics.com/style-elevation-experience 

Visit Naana’s website: www.badubasics.com

 

Additional resources:

Are you interested in crafting a fulfilling, growth-oriented experience for your clients that scales? Take my free mini-course Build Your Foundational Framework

Interested in working with me? Check out my Service Page

Follow me on Instagram

Meet my podcast editor Angelina at The Intentional Edit :)

My intro music was produced by Moshun

When we’re first starting out in business, our problems usually boil down to finding our first clients, learning how to speak to our audience, finding our “why,”, etcetera. But as our businesses expand, we develop new, more complex problems, and the organization of our time and money becomes more difficult. This is typically when we are encouraged to “just get a VA,” and we might do that just because it feels like the next step. But is that really the best use of our time and money during this phase? I talk all about it with today’s guest, Brianna King. Brianna is a coach and systems strategist who helps busy moms and business owners cultivate their resilience through systems and teaches them how to add them to their lives to prevent commonly made mistakes when goal setting. Graduate of the Courageous Living Coach Certification Program, Brianna's is passionate about helping others and inspiring them daily. This is such an eye-opening conversation and I can’t wait for you to dive in with us.

 

Here are some things I’ve learned:

 

• Outsourcing a new person makes you a manager, and as a manager, your workload doubles.
• You’re not saving time or money when you have to train a new person and you don’t have an existing system.
• Virtual assistants, (VAs), work best fitting into existing systems – for a higher rate, an online business manager (OBM) will come in to create and oversee those systems.
• A customer relationship manager (CRM), is your database of client information and communication.
• A project management platform (PM), is the place where you organize and delegate tasks related to a project.
• Sometimes we need to step back and see the bigger picture, trusting that the systems we implement will be more sustainable over time.
• As a beginner, it pays to be scrappy as you figure out what your workflow is. But as you become more booked, you can apply the data you’ve gathered to create more streamlined operations.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Brianna on Instagram: @briannakingcoaching, www.instagram.com/briannakingcoaching

Want to know if you’re ready for a VA? Grab Brianna’s freebie

Work with Brianna: www.brianna-king.com

 

Additional resources:

Are you interested in crafting a fulfilling, growth-oriented experience for your clients that scales? Take my free mini-course Build Your Foundational Framework

Interested in working with me? Check out my Service Page

Follow me on Instagram

Meet my podcast editor Angelina at The Intentional Edit :)

My intro music was produced by Moshun

I hope everyone’s hungry, because I’m welcoming the queen of food analogies and email strategy, Allison Carpio, to the show. Allison Carpio is an author, speaker, email + copy coach, and head chef at The Conversion Kitchen. She got fed up with all the fake scarcity and oppressive tactics in the email marketing world – especially from the bros and boss babes. Now, she helps her chefs (clients) cook up emails that sell without the sleaze. We have a beautiful conversation packed with nuggets of wisdom. We debunk the common misconceptions around email marketing, the mindset shifts needed to leverage email as a way to become intimate with your audience, and ways to get yourself out of the beginner’s rut and just start emailing. Overall, it’s clear that we need to let go of “shoulds” and start embracing our human imperfections when it comes to email. I’m sure ready to do that.

 

Here are some things I’ve learned:

• Email is the most intimate way to get to know someone. Just like cooking for someone!  And it should be fun – just like cooking for someone.
• Selling feels uncomfortable to so many entrepreneurs, partly because of many of the inauthentic urgency tactics that get circulated in the mainstream marketing world. 
• If you believe in what you’re offering and you’re proud of it, you don’t have to be afraid of putting it in front of the people who want what you’re selling.
• There’s no need to be defensive about someone’s potential objections to your offer. It’s better to be patient for those who are actually ready.
• There’s so much impact from email even if everyone isn’t clicking or replying. This impact can’t always be quantified but trust that it will nourish your relationships in the long run.
• Look for potential aligned partnerships to build your list out in the beginning. Give talks, host joint webinars, appear on podcasts. Always share your freebie.
• You actually don’t need to craft an entire detailed newsletter every day. Casual feels more intimate and it takes less time. Double win.

 

Resources from this episode:

Follow Allison on Instagram: @allisoncarpio, www.instagram.com/allisoncarpio

Learn more about The Conversion Kitchen and grab Allison’s free resource, Four Flavors of Emails That Sell

 

Additional resources:

Are you interested in crafting a fulfilling, growth-oriented experience for your clients that scales? Take my free mini-course Build Your Foundational Framework

Interested in working with me? Check out my Service Page here

Follow me on Instagram

Meet my podcast editor Angelina at The Intentional Edit :)

My intro music was produced by Moshun

I promised you all we would be talking about pricing and money, and I’m here to deliver! Today I’m bringing back money coach Gina Knox. She helps entrepreneurs pay themselves more and then save six figures. I love Gina’s empathy, her drive to get things done, and her ability to simplify this complex topic into some very straightforward action steps. When it comes to making money in our business, saving it, and spending it, it is crucial to get our systems set up quickly so that it can bring us the most joy, ease, and satisfaction in life. We have an enlightening conversation about healing generational trauma around money, and it feels wonderful to pass these insights on to all you listening. There are so many perfectionist tips out there on how to handle your finances, so I hope this episode gives you the permission you need to let that go. Grab your pen and paper and buckle in.  

Here are some things I’ve learned:

• Before we can take actions surrounding our money, there are so many beliefs we must overcome; for example, it’s common to assume we have to put off paying ourselves more, but this isn’t true.
• Sales are not consistent for anybody. How do we design our finances so that we can get paid and save money anyway?
• There is an order of operations in managing personal finances and business finances. We must pay ourselves first, and several steps come after.
• Next, in this order, we save 3 months of expenses, pay off credit card debt, save for retirement, and begin investing in riskier assets.
• Embrace constraints and trust the process. If you know the box, you can think outside it. 
• You can’t prioritize everything when it comes to money, or you’ll be stuck moving too slowly.
• Knowledge over your finances is the ultimate superpower. It’s the primary thing that will help you work through the fear.

 

Resources from this episode:

Follow Gina on Instagram: @ginaknox, www.instagram.com/ginaknox

Learn more about Gina Knox’s coaching program 6 Figure Saver 

Work with Gina one-on-one

DISCLAIMER: The above link is an affiliate link. If you purchase a product or service through that link, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. Thanks for supporting these businesses and this podcast!

 

Additional resources:

Are you interested in crafting a fulfilling, growth-oriented experience for your clients that scales? Take my free mini-course Build Your Foundational Framework

Interested in working with me? Check out my Service Page here

Follow me on Instagram

Meet my podcast editor Angelina at The Intentional Edit :)

My intro music was produced by Moshun

Hello, my dear Dream Plan Action listeners. You may have noticed a few things have changed about this podcast. Over the last year, it’s become clear to me that the name of this podcast no longer aligns with my mission. So allow me to introduce you to the new title of this show: Scale With Heart. In this episode, I’m going to share with you some of the things that led me to this shift, as well as the exciting things coming up in my business with regards to my marketing and my offers. Be sure to expect the usual insightful solocasts and interviews. I’m excited to share this new leg of my journey with you, and thank you for supporting me so far. Cue the (new) music!  

Here are some things I talk about:

• My current clients are really serious about growth, so I have to get serious about growth in order to support them.
• I didn’t realize how many money blocks I had; I’ve always operated from a scarcity mindset. I’m a strong saver but it’s not as easy for me to spend.
• I had to choose to invest in this podcast, for example! Not only do I pay for hosting, I decided to hire an editor to handle all of the time-consuming post-production tasks (if you yourself are looking for a podcast editor, reach out to my editor in the link below)
• DIY-ing everything as a business owner may save you money, but it will cost you so much time in the long run.
• My vision is to help my clients grow business rooted in healing, justice, and service. So learning skills that didn’t directly align with this mission wouldn’t be moving the needle for me.
• Repeat after me: Investing in my business isn’t spending frivolously; it’s a way to cultivate my future.
• Charging more and spending more go hand in hand; we must trust in our worthiness to receive that money and in our ability to produce an impactful return on those investments.

 

Resources from this episode: 

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. Thanks for supporting these businesses and this podcast!

Check out the We Should All Be Millionaires book

Learn more about Gina Knox’s coaching program 6 Figure Saver 

Meet my podcast editor Angelina at The Intentional Edit :)

My new intro music was produced by Moshun

 

Additional resources:

Are you interested in crafting a fulfilling, growth-oriented experience for your clients that scales? Take my free mini-course Build Your Foundational Framework

Interested in working with me? Check out my Service Page here

Follow me on Instagram

Today’s guest is my writing coach and dear friend, Adi Sudarkoff. Adi is a master at connecting me back to my “why” when I’m feeling blocked in the creative process. It can be so frustrating when we’re working so closely with our projects and we’re feeling overwhelmed by options, that our central mission of doing that project becomes lost in the shuffle. Returning to that “why” makes it a lot easier to figure out exactly how to connect to our audience through whatever channel we’ve chosen. In this conversation we talk about some of the tools Adi uses to do just that, including human design, astrology, and writing practices, as well as the ways we can work to heal our own personal stories to create powerful, story-based business. We also spend some time breaking down the value of exchanging money, creating stability in our lives through business, and fighting against a scarcity mindset.

 

Here are some things I learned:

• Humans are a story-based species. We connect with each other and with ourselves through story, absorbing societal stories to create narratives about who we are.
• We all must work through the conditioning done to us by a white, capitalist, heteronormative, patriarchal society.
• Most people perpetuate very limiting stories about themselves based on what they’ve been told in the past.
• When you force yourself to be palatable, or “relatable” to everyone, you prevent yourself from actually saying anything.
• How can we be more intentionally inclusive and find the people who align with our purpose and goals? First, by embracing all parts of ourselves.
• We can get lost in the binary of “real” and “not real” in a hyperlogical culture. A better question to ask is, “Is this helpful?”
• Human design and astrology, like many other systems, give a snapshot of the archetypal energy that runs within you.

 

Resources from this episode:

 

Adi Sudarkoff’s website

Find Adi on Instagram at @adisudarkoff

Read Lisa Cron’s “Wired for Story” book 

Read Priya Parker’s “The Art of Gathering” book

Read Jacob Goldstein’s “Money:  A Made Up Story About A True Thing” book

Read Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones” book

Additional resources:

 

Be sure to grab my free guide on crafting your mission statement! 

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleralston_/

Today I welcome Heather Javier of Be About It Health & Wellness on the podcast. Heather is the head coach, a mom of two, a wife, as well as a full-time scientist on top of everything. She is one of the most full-hearted individuals I’ve ever met, and as a client of my own, we work well together because both of us value heart-centered goals. Heather’s coaching programs help clients build heart-centered habits that allow them to reclaim and invest their time in a way that helps them grow as individuals, business-owners, partners, and caregivers. This is a rich and compelling conversation, and I’m very excited to share it with you.

 

Here are some things I learned:

 

• Asking the right questions and finding the right support is crucial in the beginning of your journey.
• She describes a “heart-sick” period when she was healthy on the outside and burnt out on the inside from a lack of boundaries and saying yes to everything.
• Embarking on a journey of healing our hearts requires us to ask honestly, “What do I need?” 
• What we feel impacts what we do, which impacts our habits; once women have a better sense of what their “why” is, they can start aligning their hustles.
• Starting with something as simple as sleep can fuel us to show up in all other aspects in a more profound way; rest is not recreation!
• It’s important to sit down and intentionally assess your time; what tasks compete for your attention? What are the things you want to invest your energy into? What are the things you can delegate/automate?
• Identify your “golden hours”: when will you be in the flow of doing the things you have chosen?

 

Resources from this episode:

Be About It’s Time Is Mine workbook

Be About It Health & Wellness website

Find Heather on Instagram at @beaboutitcoach and @beaboutithealth

 

Additional resources:

Be sure to grab my free guide on crafting your mission statement! 

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleralston_/

So you finally decided to start the business you’ve been dreaming of. You sit down, energized, at your computer, ready to make things happen. And suddenly you’re filled with a sense of massive overwhelm. There are so many things to do, and it’s impossible to know where to start first. Does this sound familiar at all? Well, I get it. I’ve been there many times. So in today’s episode, I want to share with you the one thing that’s actually holding you back from gaining momentum at the beginning of your business journey.

 

Here’s what I discuss in this episode:

 

• All you need to do is take a stance in your niche, and be willing to share that stance.
• Sometimes, gaining more education in a subject feels productive, but is actually procrastinating the more important task of sharing your message with your audience.
• Your stance won’t be for everyone, and it shouldn’t be; what you have to offer won’t be for everyone.
• I believe some of our people-pleasing tendencies come from a patriarchal narrative that women should be mindful of everyone’s feelings.
• I also believe that the capitalist mentality that “more is better” contributes to these tendencies.
• To me, the best courses or programs focus on one clearly-defined objective.
• Try this journal prompt: “I believe everyone should __” until you’ve encompassed your business values.  

 

Resources from this episode:

Be sure to grab my free guide on crafting your mission statement! 

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleralston_/

 

Additional resources:

Dream Plan Launch application (direct link - https://forms.gle/8bZ8w6jd2gUeryAr7)

Curious about music therapy? Check out my amazing client Christine's business ReSounding Resilience (direct link - https://www.resounding-resilience.com/)