Social Proof

Show Notes:

0.00: Astonishingly, the 9-5 grind doesn't leave much wiggle room for fueling wanderlust... so Jessica Serna found herself concocting a plan to make travel work around her day job. Weekend jaunts and quick getaways soon became a way of life and a full-time career for Jessica and her now husband.

4:20: "Suddenly all these free things were coming in, but that's when I was starting to learn about my voice." Jessica adjusts to having an impact and steering away from allowing brands to dictate her content.

07:35: Jessica shares tips and advice for building a brand or even having influence in your day job, and talks about why it's essential to stay authentic and true to your voice: balancing your true passions with sponsored content and battling the misconception that influence is disingenuous. "The biggest value I can provide is making sure (my posts are) true to why the people who follow me follow me. I also try to be very intentional about not spreading misinformation (by checking) with experts in that field before I endorse certain products."

12:35:  Making decisions about which brands to support, and the importance of brands being open to the content concepts Jessica and Ismail propose. "If they'll let me take that product on a hike or provide me that creative flexibility, I can still provide value to my community while providing even more value to the brand. It's only hurting everyone if I post something they are not going to engage with."

16:01 Loops, giveaways and other questionable follower growth tactics... plus how Jessica has embraced a multitude of platforms to become more relevant (and ultimately drive growth in an ethical manner). How a dream trip -  complete with a private plane and film crew - and partnership with a state tourism board came to life thanks to integrity in personal brand building (and a few good relationships).

27:55: Jessica discusses road blocks to building her business, self development, areas where she had a learning curve and the aftermath of the early days when she thought loop giveaways were perfectly legitimate tools. "I make sure that I'm constantly doing something new but staying focused on my passion for traveling locally... and creating a mindset change about Texas being boring."

32:50: Everyone has influence. How do you build a personal brand that you can be proud of and stand behind?

35:00: Currently consuming: what we're all reading or devouring.

41:00: Jessica's word of the year: how she's constantly reaching out for kindness.

Show Links & Resources:

• My Curly Adventures on Instagram
• My Culinary Adventures on Instagram
• My Curly Adventures on TikTok
• A Taste of Koko
• Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (1937)
• The Power of Ritual by Casper Ter Kuile

Show Notes:

0.00: Curiosity around human nature and what makes us tick led Sarajane Case to the Enneagram as a tool to understand our shadows, our light and who we think we have to be in life. "My hope was that it was written in such a kind and compassionate way that it would al written in a kind way that it could alter your experience with your own inner voice, so that you would be hearing my language as you thought about the things you wanted to grow through."

7:00: Sarajane defines the Enneagram: a map of the human psyche broken down into 9 distinct personality types. "The way I like to describe it is that it's telling you what you thought you had to be. Every type has this message in their life of what they felt like they had to be  in order to be ok, loved, accepted, survive... and the Enneagram is about breaking that open and realizing that we put this thing on  and we don't have to wear it. We don't have to be that to be ok.

14:50: Sharing the Enneagram on Instagram as a side hobby, and how Enneagram and Coffee blew up (in 3 days!) and turned into a brand. How brand builders, content creators and marketers can resist the temptation to chase the trend at all costs and cut through the clutter to the real.

23:55: How content creators can best produce and create using the wisdom of the Enneagram. "When we know the things that hold us back - if I've learned this little puzzle piece of what I've always thought I had to be, then I can start to notice how that's keeping me limited."

30:00: Sarajane's typical day: silent mornings, having the world to herself, journaling, reading and inspiration trackers.

36:15: What Beth, Char and Sarajane are so into and what they're currently consuming.

Show Links & Resources:

• Sarajane Case on Instagram
• Enneagram and Coffee on Instagram
• The Brave Collective
• The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case
• Enneagram & Coffee Podcast
• Elizabeth Gilbert
• Glennon Doyle
• Michael Jordan: The Last Dance
• Julie Andrews
• Nespresso and Bianco Leggero
• The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition
• The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living (and the concept of amor fati)
• The Searcher by Tana French
• The Enneagram in Relationships & Work by Helen Palmer
• MasterClass

0.00: We're in the business of social media and influencer marketing, so we talk with people every day who have built brands, fans and followers. We're intrigued by the idea of influence: how you wield influence, how you gain influence, and what responsibility comes with it?

1:35: Meet the podcast gang: Beth Stephens (chief enthusiast at Soapbox and a source of boundless energy and ideas), the infamous Charban (senior marketing manager, Enneagram 9, keeper of all the ideas) and Nate Patterson (director of operations, Enneagram 7, passionate lunch eater and behind-the-scenes guy... you won't catch him on podcasts).

4:55: Gathering around the community table, future guests and why listeners should tune in. Nate shares his first exposure to the world of influencer marketing, and how intrigued he was to hear the stories of real people who built influence organically and became entrepreneurs.

7:40: Char's thoughts on how we have influence at work by leading and collaborating with integrity. The gang shares a few thoughts on workplace culture as well as our passion/protectiveness for the work environment, wellness at work and welcoming the whole person into the office.

13:10: Exploring influence: having influence, guarding your influence, using integrity with the influence you wield in your own community, in your workplace or the platforms you've built. Plus, who's in the audience? Aspiring and veteran influencers, shopper marketers, parents trying to navigate social media, someone seeking a side hustle as a content creator.

17:20: Nano influencers, micro-influencers, the power middle and how influencers are making a living from their living rooms: everyday people with something to say. The stigma associated with influencers, and busting some of the myths around authenticity and effectiveness.

19:12: Remember your why. Nate and Char respond to the questions we'll ask future guests: what motivates them, when and where they do their best work, what they thought they would be when they grew up.

31:30: What does it mean to have influence and wield it wisely? Tips on how to have more influence, become a thought leader or have an impact on the people around you. Hint: it boils down to keeping it real, not to having a bunch of tricks up your sleeve.