A lot of us secretly sensitive types experience marketing as this aggressive, right-brained attempt to manipulate people into working with us - which feels gross and counter to being a Soul-Sourced™ Entrepreneur. Plus, hyped-up, fear-based messages tend to attract high-strung, frightened people. Which is not the vibe we’re going for, right? Tune in for an examination of some fast, hard marketing rules. In particular, 7 of them I personally broke, that you can break too - if it feels good. 

NOTE:  This is not an anti-marketing rant.  This is not a new set of rules to follow. This is my story of what worked for me. 

I’m going to walk you through 7 marketing rules (that I spent over $1M in coaching and mentoring to learn) and the reasons I decided they didn’t work for me. You’ll also hear why I believe I was still able to build two pretty darn successful businesses despite my choice to go rogue.

Get my candid take on traditional strategies like list-building and joint ventures. Find out what I think of social media as a marketing tool. Then I’ll dispel some marketing shoulds, nevers, and always-es that actually block your ideal clients.

I’m also sharing some exciting news about Uplevel Café. And, proposing a business challenge to help you make the most of this summer while the world opens back up. 

My hope is that by telling you what I’ve done (and haven’t done), you’ll be inspired to dig deep and figure out what works best for you, too.

Featured in this Episode

• The One Thing I Know, from the Rain and Mud and Wild and Green Album - Listen to the full song on iTunes or YouTube Music

Tell the truth. Do you keep rehashing the story that you’re not quite up to snuff? When you sit at your desk in the morning, do your thoughts run to the negative? When you wrap up your work at the end of the day, do you remind yourself of everything you didn’t get done? In today’s episode, I take on the New York Times. And I give you a much-needed reframe. We’ll explore the way you work and maybe consider your work-day and work-life are not all about the mythical and unattainable idea of “high performance!”

Today’s episode is brought to you courtesy of a recent New York Times article that gave the American people yet another lame diagnosis...that we are all “languishing.” (The article went viral. Americans eat this stuff up.) 

Later that week, I got a message from a client telling me that she read the article and thought she, too, might be “languishing.” Then she asked if she thought it was a good idea to hire one of those high-performance coaches to kick her ass back into shape.

Hold. The. Phone.

Is that the answer we need right now? Do you really need judgment and military-grade bootcamps? 

Nope. Nada. Nix. 

Today I have a reframe to offer you. Thinking space and reflection. A natural way of being (shocker!). Plus, you’ll get a sneak peek into two lessons directly from a brand-spankin’ new Uplevel Cafe mini-coaching series called “The Soul-Sourced Mindset Intensive.”

Together we will boldly flip it around. To embody the service, progress, and beauty of your business - rather than the “never enoughs.” To see the life force of your business - and access the undeniable truth of what your work is all about. 

And my friend...you are NOT languishing. A Soul-Sourced business owner simply does not buy into this messaging. Instead, it’s about going within, accessing those deeper wells and seeing your energy for what it is, and then renewing and restoring. Give it a listen.

As we grow, change, pivot (whatever kicky term you like best), there’s a lot of ‘mindset stuff’ that takes place - I call this the Soul Track. And as Soul-Sourced™ Entrepreneurs, we know change is essential for growth… and that’s often where we trip up. That voice in your head comes charging in. Before your resistance kills your transformation or your ego gets you in trouble, let me warn you about some ways your mind’s going to try to stop you in your tracks… and what you can do about it.

Any time we make a change, prepare to uplevel, have something new to implement … our fears come up, our ego gets mouthy, and our mind starts playing tricks to keep us comfortable and in a place where we feel like we know what we’re doing.

Today, I’m reading a passage from my book, The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur, that is perfect for any time we’re about to embrace transformation. It’s called “The Bright, Shiny Intention Killer: Ego Bling,” and it’s a deep dive into what makes our minds resistant to change and the ways our ego tries to sabotage our upleveling at every turn.

I’ll explain what Ego Bling is. Offer advice on how to avoid its pitfalls. And I share my own story of how hard it was to let go of something my ego got super attached to, despite how unhappy it made me feel. 

I also take a break from reading the passage to share some real-time stories of clients who are going through it right now with all these changes in the world. And one about a particular person who got really triggered by this section in the book.

Plus, I’ll share a bonus tidbit about an interaction I had with my editor after he read my Ego Bling section for anyone into a behind-the-scenes look at the ego-bruising work involved in writing a book.

Just like every superhero has an origin, every business owner has a why - the (true, enlightening, often embarrassing) experience that transformed you from a mere mortal into a Soul-Sourced™ Entrepreneur. Your why story has the power to connect with your audience on a deep level. So, let’s uncover where your why story comes into play, and go over some do’s and don’ts of using it for your marketing.

There once lived a cockroach in New York City that played a huge role in my success as an entrepreneur, and in my belief of the power of storytelling. 

Listen in as I share a bit from my why story of the day I met that little bastard, the way he changed the trajectory of my career, and how sharing the horrifying tale at shows helped sell as many CDs as my music. 

You’ll also meet Gwen (not her real name), a client who followed her gut to share her ‘why’ story in a meeting (great idea!), and hear the tough lessons she learned when she unleashed it without a plan (less great idea). 

Using Gwen’s story as an example, we’ll walk through key elements of crafting a good why story, and take a look at where and when to share it. We’ll identify the fine line between vulnerability and oversharing, and I’ll introduce you to the concept of turning your why story into a signature story. 

We’ll go over exactly what a signature story is and I’ll explain the importance of using it in your marketing. Plus, I’ll teach you how your own ‘why’ story can help you connect more to your business and yourself.

As long as you’re in the business of dealing with human beings, you’re going to come up against challenges. Whether or not you allow yourself to be triggered … well, that’s up to you. After a recent dramatic experience in my business, I’m sharing the “Never Complain, Never Explain” policy of responding to conflict. Hear how I dealt with my personal triggers... and discover how to manage your own energy when situations get mucky.

Although I’ve come a long way as a coach and entrepreneur, I would never present myself as someone who has it all figured out. Life is a journey of learning and evolving, and your business is an extension of that.

Today I’m telling a recent story about how I was tempted to allow triggered energy into an inappropriate public situation. I share the valuable advice my friend offered that helped me manage an extraordinarily intimidating and infuriating situation.   

In business, at some point, we have to deal with conflicts. It’s all in how we refocus our brain to find solutions instead of sinking into problems. 

And, if you’re up for it, I’ve got a one-week challenge to help you gain a clearer understanding of your energy and discover you have more power to manage it than you believe. 

The end goal is not to make every interaction conflict-free. (As if!) It’s about honing the skill to interpret every circumstance in a different light. And when you get it down, it’s really a beautiful way to approach your

Whatever content you create for your business—blog, podcast, video, article, online course—the final step of creating that content is always the marketing...sharing why they’d want to take the time to consume what you just made. This last vital piece is about communicating in a way that makes them want to click through and read, or watch, or listen. So, let’s take a look at the crucial skillset you need in order to do this well.  

As a Soul-Sourced™ entrepreneur, the service your provide is an innate part of who you are. You’re great at it, and you can do it in your sleep. And you’ve helped so many people! Still, it’s really hard to describe something that comes so naturally to you. At some point, you must develop the ability to articulate what you do and why it matters.

Today, we’re going to dispel a common myth about what “good marketing” is, and I’ll share how to look at your work through a marketer’s eyes as well as the key to connect your message to your audience.  

I’m going to lean on a training model I teach my clients (and the members of  Uplevel Café), I’m sharing the foundational elements that build the core essence of your business, aaaand ....  I’ll reveal the #1 thing every serious marketer needs to know about their content. 

Plus, learn a 3-minute pre-work exercise that will help you clarify your unique abilities and the value you provide to your clients. Because at the end of the day, good marketing is just good communication! Click play, and let’s get started.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a musician, consultant, massage therapist, baker or candlestick maker (sorry, couldn’t resist)  … as a Soul-Sourced™ entrepreneur, the act of selling will bring up your internal shit. So, if you find selling uncomfortable (and who doesn’t?) listen in to discover a process to clean up your energy and uplevel your power before your next sales call.

During the early days of my music career, I had the hardest time with all the learning curves that came with selling myself. Who knew what intense energy sales had, or what a powerful force-field it is, especially for us sensitive types? (What about “build it and they will come”? Or “Do what you love and the money will follow?”)

Eventually, I figured it out, and now, I want to share the things I wish someone had told me when I began this entrepreneur adventure. 

And, as with many of the Soul-Sourced Business episodes, I’m telling one of those “did she really just share that?” stories about one of my first attempts at selling myself. Yes, it’s slightly pathetic. But my intention is that you realize that no one nails this sales stuff out the gate!

Then, I’m going to share a pre-sales process I built first for myself and then for my clients. It will help clear negativity, doubt and fear about selling. Best of all it’ll do this when you need it most:  right before you have to make that offer to someone.  

If you have any crappy feelings, assumptions or associations with sales, this one’s for you because when done correctly sales is a deep service to your prospective clients. 

As an entrepreneur, your life is dynamic. Okay, it’s chaotic. :) You're in charge of launches, clients, marketing… on top of all the regular life stuff. So yup, overwhelm comes to the playground in full force, and it's up to us to how we respond - or as you'll hear me challenge today, perhaps being proactive can change the whole ball game. Let's dig into ways overwhelm affects us and discover how to break the negative patterns we fall into when we feel we're in over our heads.

Common signs of overwhelm: Well, aside from Netflix binges (or just name your favorite avoidance tactic), you say things like, “Oh my God, I'm not going to be able to handle all of this!” Or “I'm not cut out for this!” These are crafty ways that our minds shut us down or send us into patterns that are unhealthy, like distractions, or doing little non-activities. Essentially this shuts us down.

These are red flags that you have too much going on in your brain! In my 15 years of coaching and 25 years of running my own business, and well … being human, I’ve recognized two major ways people experience overwhelm. 

Today I’ll teach you those two ways, plus a habit I developed to proactively manage my personal panic mode. I’ll also give you a brain dump exercise to combat your own overwhelm patterns. And you’ll discover how the art of the brain dump works for managing our deluge of responsibilities, obligations, and expectations (self-imposed or otherwise).

Your brain is not a container. You need to clear it out and allow your brain to be the tool you can use! Trust me, this method is surprisingly effective for your productivity. Give it a shot, and you'll see.

Mentioned in this episode:

> Get on the waiting list for Uplevel Cafe.

This week was our first quarterly client Mastermind Retreat of 2021 here at Uplevel. As always, we started with a game-changing ritual to realign with clarity in all areas of life and business. So in honor of our retreat, I’m sharing the foundations of this ritual, so you too can realign. I often say, momentum is built by realigning... with vision, priorities and soul. (Remember, our work as business owners isn’t all about spreadsheets and data.)

I'd like to introduce you to a quarterly cadence ritual, or process if you will - but this goes deeper than financial spreadsheet or business goals. 

At the end of every quarter, I take myself and my M-Club Mastermind through this realignment process, and over the years this has become one of the most beloved and powerful business tools for our clients.

This is about giving yourself the opportunity to review the last three months and to reset yourself for the coming quarter. I’m pulling the curtain back on this retreat-like ritual where you can tune in, come back to center, re-anchor to your word of the year and reflect in a much bigger manor. 

With this you can look at what’s working, what’s not, and where you want to place your focus next. Plus, I’ve sprinkled in examples of how I do this each quarter. Tune in as I walk you through the steps that I and 1000s of my clients have used to intentionally evaluate their business.

Whether it’s copywriting, programs, or ebooks—we’re always writing something as business owners. While we may not consider ourselves professional writers, having the ability to write - or think about writing - adds exponential value to every Soul-Sourced entrepreneur. Let’s take a look at some ways to get past common blocks that stop any writer in their tracks, and feel at ease with your own unique writing ways.

Today’s episode is inspired by John David Mann - who I’m a huge fan of - and a little ebook he calls How to Write Good (Or At Least Gooder). I grabbed a copy one morning last week, and it’s one of those reads I just couldn’t put down once I started.

As I prepared for this episode I sat down to write, of course, and pondered the endless types of writing and lessons from my first writing coach. 

So I present to you, a few fundamental truths about the process that I’ve discovered about the writing process itself. 

You can take these and apply them to the next project you sit down to write - so you’re a lot less critical and overwhelmed by the writing process.

Soak in wisdom from a super cool author, hear about the common traps and patterns that hinder thoughts from flowing into the page, and I’ve even tossed a big secret no one ever talks about when it comes to organizing the content of your book. Enjoy.