The Robyn Graham Show a Podcast for Christian Women - Become Calm, Confident, and Consistent

Diana Dubbs has a passion for connecting people to recovery and helping them find themselves. About Diana Dubbs Diana grew up in Mercer County, NJ and currently lives in Allentown, NJ with her husband and 2 boys who are 4 and 3. She has worked in treatment services for 5 years. Diana is a graduate of Rutgers University with a BA in English. Her career in the addiction recovery field involves connecting people to recovery. She is employed by Dream Life Recovery, a treatment center, but has spent the last 5 years learning how to help all people, whether they have private insurance, Medicaid, or no insurance at all, find recovery-based solutions and options for a better way of living. First Phase Alcohol, Then Drugs Drugs and alcohol are a symptom of the disease of addiction. Diana used them for many reasons but primarily from a very early age she constantly felt like she was displaced. Like she didn't belong. Therefore, when she first found alcohol, she had found her solution to that problem. Alcohol allowed her to make friends and be comfortable in her own skin. When drinking, she didn't have to hide who she was or be embarrassed. She spent a majority of her days making poor decisions and being victimized by her own thinking. Diana great up in a I really good family and was never introduced to addiction. It didn't make sense that she was like she was. Later in life, she found pain killers and it was the quickest slow death she had ever found. After a while, she couldn't feel better because she couldn't get high and needed them to not be sick. Her self-loathing resulted in her covering all of the mirrors in her apartment with curtains. She hated who she'd become. Intervention Eventually, the family that loved her, knew something was wrong and asked her to come home. Typical of addicts, she tried negotiating her way out of it but eventually threw her hands up and knew she had to ask for help. Shortly thereafter she ended up in detox, then treatment. While in treatment, she heard someone talk about how their thoughts didn't make sense. How there was a bunch of white noise between their ears. Diana immediately was hooked and knew she wasn't alone. She needed to get more information about why she was the way she was and made the choices she made. "When you don't know who you are, you can be a chameleon, blend in in any crowd. No send of self-identity." – Diana Dubbs Second Phase Finding Herself In the treatment center, she spent 32 days learning about the disease of addiction and why her brain functioned differently. She knew things were going to be different after she left but had no idea that her entire life would change. The new design for living would become the entire center by which she determined how she interacted with people. When she left treatment, she was 31 years old and like a toddler. I had to learn how to communicate. She had to learn how to be sober and have fun. Not only did she have to learn how to be sober, she had to learn how to laugh and make friends. Now, she has done all of that. Eventually, like so many people, she decided she wanted to save the world and wanted to work in treatment but had no idea what to do. A friend suggested that she volunteer in a treatment center. Following Advice And Volunteering Diana followed the friend's advice and volunteered for a year with an organization that then asked her to work for them. She did amazing things with the organization and learned how to help community members of all types. Her knowledge of the treatment and recovery world grew. She now works for Dream Life Recovery, is married and has children. Diana and her husband are raising two boys who are aware of recovery and what it looks like to have sober parents, and how its ok to be imperfect and authentic. Passions Diana is passionate about helping women find recovery. She has a desire to give back what she was given, a second chance at life. Learn More About Diana And Connect With Her: Website: www.dreamliferecovery.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianadubbs/ Learn more about me, your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. To learn about The Brand Marketing Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE. Connect with me, Robyn Graham: Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

People often say to take life one day at a time.   But with an addict, you often have to take life in 15-minute increments.   You can get through anything in a 15-minute time frame.  It’s about taking one action at a time.

The experience of living 15 minutes at a time led Mary Fran to write her book, The 15-Minute Master.   She now applies this principle to every aspect of her life and you can too, to not just survive life's challenges in, but survive them!

About Mary Fran Bontempo Mary Fran Bontempo is an award-winning 2-time TEDx speaker, author, humorist and podcast host who teaches audiences to uncover their brilliance and resilience 15 minutes at a time. A sought-after presenter for corporate and association events, Mary Fran is author of The 15 Minute Master and The Woman's Book of Dirty Words and co-founder of the podcast 4 Chicks Chatting. Mary Fran proves small changes can create life-altering transformations, allowing individuals to be positive and successful in a rapidly changing world. A Huffington Post, Thrive Global contributor and columnist for numerous websites, Mary Fran created a life-affirming brand of wisdom and wit after meeting the challenge of her son's heroin addiction. She is a frequent media guest and speaker, audiences of all ages delight in her empowering and entertaining message. First Phase Mary Fran's first phase was fairly typical--married, had three kids, church singer, youth minister, substitute teacher, and worked in the family recruiting business with her husband. She also wrote a humorous local newspaper column. The Day the Rug was Pulled Out from Under Her On Mother's Day 2010 Mary Fran that her son was a heroin addict. The suspicions were there, but as a mom, it was easy to deny them. As a mom of an adult child, her hands were somewhat tied. Both are common emotions in such circumstances. The two companions, not friends, of crisis are denial and distraction. An addict will get high, then there will be a period that is like a train wreck and you are ready to do something, and then they pull back. Almost as though they know you are ready to intervene. Mary Fran suggests that if you feel in your gut that something is wrong, it is. Address it. Don't deny it. And don't let yourself be distracted. First Steps for Crisis Management The first steps for crisis management are: Research - find resources. Talk to other for outside help. Remember - There is no shame in this. Everyone knows someone who is affected by this. The odds are that if you were not doing drugs with your child, you weren't lighting up a joint with them, you didn't cause the addiction. The three C's of addiction: 1st C - You didn't cause it 2nd C - You can't control it 3rd C - You can't cure it Getting a child into recovery is the best feeling ever. You can finally sleep. Your child is finally with people who can help him/her and he/she is safe. It's a very dark time, but getting treatment is the beginning of the light. The Second Phase The 15 Minute Master People often say to take life one day at a time. But with an addict, you often have to take life in 15-minute increments. You can get through anything in a 15-minute time frame. It's about taking one action at a time. The experience of living 15 minutes at a time led Mary Fran to write her book, The 15-Minute Master. She now applies this principle to every aspect of her life. Mary Fran also speaks on it and leads workshops to teach others how to survive and thrive 15-minutes at a time. The 15 Minute Master is broken down to 15 minutes, three main questions, one action step. Three questions are: What can I do about this? The question is not: what do I want to do. The outcome is the main goal, but what are the resources? The next question is: What should I do? Should I act or not? And the third question is: What am I going to do about this? Do I need courage? Do I do nothing and let it evolve? Do I need to take a step back and let someone else handle it? Who Are You Going to Call? If you can't solve the problem, call in the experts. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but first, identify that you do indeed need the help. Sometimes you need to surrender. That doesn't mean to give up. It means to give yourself time to process what's happening and allow yourself the grace to let someone else help. Turn things over to God, or your higher power. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself time to heal. There will be PTSD. Trust has been broken and has to be rebuilt. You may forgive, but you'll never forget. The relationship has been destructed and must be rebuilt. It is a process. There must be grace all around it. Mary Fran's Two Other Books: Not Ready for Granny Panties The Women's Book of Dirty Words Mary Fran's favorite dirty word is, relax. Just relax really means shut up and leave me alone. If told to relax, Mary Fran has learned to do just that. Change is another dirty word. But look at change as opportunity not a threat. Advice The best advice is to find a purpose in the horror. Sometimes that is to serve others. Find your brilliance. You have gifts. Identify them and use them to serve others because you will be serving and fulfilling yourself at the same time! Your gifts don't have to be used in a traditional way. You may have the gift to teach, but that doesn't mean that you have to be in the classroom. Teaching can be accomplished in different ways such as through speaking and writing. Use your passion and it will gift others and yourself. Dream Life Recovery Mary Fran has always been active in the recovery world. She is now on a mission to help bring families into the recovery process. Dream Life Recovery is building a resource for families of addicts to turn to. Today Mary Fran is working for her son and writes blogs for Dream Life Recovery. She writes pieces from the perspective of a parent. There is also a video series she is working on with her son. You can learn more by visiting Dream Life Recovery. Learn more about Mary Fran: Website LinkedIn Facebook Learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. To learn about The Brand Marketing Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE. Book a Brand Marketing Strategy Session HERE. Ask Me Anything HERE. Connect with me, Robyn Graham: Website | Instagram | LinkedIN | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

Finding your brand voice is accomplished by identifying what makes you unique, special, and interesting.  Using the exact words your dream clients need to hear to make that connection, Brittany converts dream clients from browser, to stalker, to buyer.

Brittany’s ability to use storytelling applies to her own life.  Two years ago, after having miscarriages and suffering through infertility , she and her husband adopted a black baby.   They are now navigating what it means to have a transracial fam

About Brittany McBean Brittany McBean realizes the deep connection of story telling. She is a copywriter and marketing strategist helping online educators and creatives stand out with crystal clear messaging and a laser-focused strategy. Her focus is writing the words that get you seen by the right people so you can make a maximum impact and serve the people who need you the most. Brittany graduated with a degree in theatre, as an actor she came to appreciate the immense value and deep connection of storytelling, as well as the difficult work of self-promotion. Trading the life of an actor for a more rooted, yet still flexible, job, she began her own business in social media marketing. After 5 years of experience and success in an oversaturated market, Brittany has begun to work with other brands and businesses to help them stand out in a sea of noise. She lives in Richmond, VA with her husband and baby girl and can usually be found throwing family dance parties in the living room or watching The Office for the bajillionth time Frist Phase Brittany's first phase was as a professional actor. From there Brittany moved to working as an admin for a theater company and then to becoming a social media marketing expert. Understanding Social Media Marketing She was in social media marketing for 5 years with a network marketing company. After a few months of spamming all of her friends, she got tired of getting lost in the noise of everyone saying the same thing to sell the same products. As a result, she started finding ways to really use her unique voice and personality to stand out. Once she was successful with her own personal branding and marketing, she trained her team of hundreds of women to do the same. The Burn Out Eventually, she started feeling burned out and began a social media coaching business. She worked with client after client, and realized that she always came back to the same thing: messaging. As a result, she took her knack for the deep connection of storytelling through writing, smooshed it up with a ton of copywriting education, formulas, and persuasion psychology and got super nerdy about crafting messages. She began creating the exact messages that would help her client's websites, emails, and launches convert. Her background in acting and her degree in Musical Theatre have enabled Brittany to switch voice and personality naturally. Where she used to be front and center on stage, now she just does it behind the screen with her words instead of wigs and tap shoes! Finding the Right Words It took Brittany a while to realize that there was a name for what she wanted to do. She loved the challenge of strategizing each individual brand's messaging and marketing and became absolutely obsessed with finding the right words to help people explain what they did, but it took a while for her to consider herself a writer. A personal brand expert is the title Brittany gave herself at first, but she was really a messaging expert. Once she found the word "copywriter" and the whole world of direct response sales copy, she was hooked! Second Phase Brittany is now a conversion copywriter for online educators, course creators, and coaches. Basically, she writes the words that make people cash monies online. She helps entrepreneurs find their brand voice. This is accomplished by identifying what makes them unique, special, and interesting. Using the exact words their dream clients need to hear to make that connection, Brittany converts dream clients from browser, to stalker, to buyer. Brittany spends hours and hours studying her client's dream clients, excavating their questions, hopes, dreams, fears, and objections, as well as the words THEY use to describe their problems and then write the words that make them say "get out of my head!" Deep Connection of Story Telling Brittany's ability to create effective messaging also has application to her personal life on a deeper level. Two years ago, after experiencing and suffering through infertility and miscarriages, she and her husband adopted a black baby. They are now navigating what it means to have a transracial family. There is a level of bias and racism in each of us because of our life experiences. It's important to admit them and face them or we can't change them. Brittany is using her gift of words and deep connection of storytelling, to not only help herself manage this journey gracefully, but to help others navigate it too. Robyn referenced episode 40 with Tayna Longino who also discusses bias and diversity and inclusion. Tayna's interview is from the human resource perspective, but the interviews compliment each other. Book Recommendations The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adoptive Child by Nancy Verrier The Connected Child: Bring hope and healing to your adoptive family by Karen Purvis Learn more about Brittany and connect with her: Website: www.brittanymcbean.com Instagram: @brittanylmcbean Learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.

People no longer just have to take any job to pay the bills, they can have a career doing something that they are passionate about.  Something that they love and fulfills them.

Tayna now coaches career seekers by helping them look at and identify their values, visions and passions so that they can find the right fit in employment.  She also coaches them on interviewing and communicating their strengths and expertise.

Our conversation also dove into eliminating bias through diversity and inclusion.

The First Phase She started her career in sales and her communication skills and ability to engage with people were critical for launching her career. She quickly learned that the secret to being happy at work is to have a career, not a job. As she hired her team, she hired people that were engaging. She built teams that got great results and had high employee retention rates. As her sales statistics rose and her team was so successful, the human resource department started noticing her and her ability to put people in place who were motivated to do a great job. The were people enjoying a career, not a job. Because making decisions can be challenging, as Tayna was trying to make her decision to transition to human resources she sought advice from her mother. Her mother's advice was that when people want you or see something in you, you need to take advantage of it or at least explore it. So Tayna made a career change and started her career in Human Resources (HR). Hiring Strategies Using similar strategies to hiring sales teams, once in HR, Tayna worked to hire the right people for the right job. She was hiring in a way that she married the employee with the role so that they could have a career and not just a job, but also fulfill the needs of the company. When you aren't doing something that you are passionate about, you are more likely to leave or move on. Changing hiring models and even job postings, shifted from hiring transactional employees to people who wanted a career and wanted to meet goals. Therefore, really seeking out the right talent and competencies helps with employee retention and company success. Likewise, listening and observing intentionally what people were experiencing in their job roles is how Tayna has been able to build successful teams. Doing so allows her to identify what people's passions are today as she works with her clients in the second phase. The Second Phase Tayna now uses her HR skills to coach people who are looking for careers, not jobs. With some intentional work, you can identify what people really want in a career. People no longer just have to take any job to pay the bills, they can have a career doing something that they are passionate about. Something that they love and fulfills them. One job posting will have several hundred applications. It is important to write the job description to find the ideal candidate. Tayna now coaches career seekers by helping them look at and identify their values, visions and passions so that they can find the right fit in employment. She also coaches them on interviewing and communicating their strengths and expertise. How Interview Candidates Fail There are three reasons that candidates fail in their interviews: Unprepared – didn't do research on the position and how they can effectively answer questions in the interview. Unable to communicate – communicating and articulating experiences and value that they can bring to the company and hiring manager. The problems they can solve for the company or hiring manager. Can't connect, lack of confidence – Not connecting with the hiring manager because of a lack of confidence, not connected with the company, the competitors, or the needs of the company or hiring manager. The unknowns cause a lack of confidence. The Personal Brand In a nutshell, this is a personal brand. You have to be able to communicate your expertise, the problem you can solve, the value you can provide, and why you are the expert the company and hiring manager needs. For that reason, Tayna helps her clients identify their stars and elevate the situations where they have really been able to shine and effectively share their success stories. She helps them present their personal brand and making experiences relevant to the specific pain points that company has. This is a differentiator for candidates for a successful interview. It's about crafting a story that completely resonates with the hiring manager and makes a connection. This makes a difference for career seeking vs. job seeking. As a career seeker, you are marketing yourself and leveraging your expertise. Certainly if there are gaps in your experience, it's important to sure them up so that you are more confident when interviewing. Be able to tell your story better than you've ever told it before. Three Things People Can do to Interview Successfully Discovery – identify the landscape where you want to be, where you want to play. Define your point of difference, what is special about you. Differentiation – point of difference. It may seem pain staking, but it is critical. Delivery – practice and prepare, work on delivery and become more confident in how you express yourself. It is not bragging it is articulating your messaging and point of value and uniqueness. Passions Tayna's passion is making a difference. One of her strongest passions is diversity and inclusion. She has seen a lot of bias in the workplace and is now working to eliminate bias in the hiring practice and recognizing and celebrating differences in employees to retain them and support them. To really identify the uniqueness of individuals. We all come to the table with bias. The bias comes from experiences we grew up and they are unavoidable. But it is about recognizing the bias we all hold and being intentional about making our choices and being accepting of the value of differences. Addressing Bias Diversity, inclusion, commitment around this work, you have to understand where the bias comes from. It isn't enough to just say I have them. One can no longer say, that is just how I've always done it. The starting point is understanding where the bias and isms begin. Where does racism originate? When you understand the genesis of bias, you can be more accepting to be more intentional with changing the bias. About 97 percent of our brain does things automatically. That remaining 3% is intentional work. We have to make intentional efforts to not make decisions based on a name, or other factors. It's about not reacting and being more intentional. Bias Assessment Harvard has an excellent free bias assessment. It is not possible to trick the assessment to produce results of non-bias. Tayna does both corporate and team training on diversity and inclusion as well as private coaching. There is no judgement and shame, just guidance on how to change and improve the decisions we make. Book Recommendations "Braving the Wilderness" – Brene Brown "It's hard to hate someone up close." – Brene Brown "Expect to Win" – Carla Harris Learn more about Tayna and connect with her: Website: www.hrpartnersonline.com Instagram: @taynalongino Twitter: @hrpartners1 LinkedIN: Tayna Longino Learn more about your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.

Sometimes, using illness to launch an opportunity makes the suffering worthwhile.  

No one knows this better than Jill Wichner who suffered from Lyme Disease, lost her job and started over by following her passion.

Learn about Lyme Disease and how you can actively prevent it this summer and all year long.

Jill is a copywriter who creates content that connects and is an advocate for Lyme Disease prevention and treatment.

Sometimes, using illness to launch an opportunity makes the illness worthwhile. No one knows this better than Jill Wichner who suffered from Lyme Disease, lost her job and started over by following her passion. About Jill Wichner Jill Wichner is a copywriter and content marketing strategist whose happy place is showcasing your unique voice and message through strategic storytelling and personality-packed content. She specializes in helping creative entrepreneurs and small business owners grow more engaged and connected audiences through impactful, high-converting copy that beautifully captures your voice, captivates your audience and is optimized to get results that will help grow and market your business. Jill lives in beautiful, Bucks County, PA. She loves dogs, patient advocacy, Marvel movies and curling up with a great book. The First Phase She began her career in corporate, for a large pharmaceutical company. Then, the unthinkable happened. She became ill. After several months of trying to figure out what was going on with her health, she found out she had Lyme Disease, with two additional tick born infections. The Journey With Lyme Disease She went through many months of treatment and hospitalizations before she went into remission. Jill is now on the board of the PA Lyme Resource Network, PALyme.org, a non-profit, where she is an advocate for patient care and prevention of the disease. There are Lyme literate medical doctors that specialize in Lyme Disease diagnosis and treatment. If you suspect Lyme Disease, seek out a Lyme literate medical doctor. Only about half of people with Lyme Disease present with the bull's eye rash. If you have had a tick bite and develop flu like symptoms, go the doctor and ask to be tested immediately. If a patient gets a diagnosis and treatment early, they can be treated and avoid the horrific experience that Jill went through. Preventing Lyme Disease If you are going to spend time outside, use bug-spray either with Deet or a natural product with eucalyptus. When coming in from outside put your clothing in the dryer because heat will kill the ticks. They can survive under water, so the washing machine won't kill them. One of the Deet sprays Jill uses is Repel. Repel also has a Eucalyptus product. For clothing, camping gear, shoes, etc. there is a product by Sawyer called Promethrin. Always check yourself when coming in from outdoors and take precautions when spending time outside. The Second Phase Post her disease, she became a writer and entrepreneur. She has had a life-long love of words and their power to help us relate to others, to make us laugh and connect emotionally. Content that is strategic and emotionally connecting. She helps small business owners and entrepreneurs build the know, like and trust factor. She helps entrepreneurs connect and convert through copy. When people connect with you through your word, they keep coming back. She is infusing the client's personality into the business copy. You don't have to over share or get too intimate with your readers you just have to share enough that you are authentic and your audience can get to know you. Good copy with draw people in, be appealing, and attract the right people. You captivate them with your words and they stick around and purchase from you. What you say is your personality that stays consistent. How you say it is staying true to your personality that brings people in but also speaks to the pain point of the audience. Jill focuses mostly on website copy, blog post copy and email newsletters. All copy across your entire business should be consistent. There are different strategies for blogging, website copy and email newsletters. For email marketing, you want white space, and no large blocks of text because it can be overwhelming. Book Recommendation Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Favorite Quote What you allow will continue. Question for Robyn Have you ever faced the challenge of setting and adhering to boundaries and how do you do it without feeling worry and guilt? I've learned that nothing in my business is urgent. I can leave work for the evening and respond the next day. It is like turning off a switch and physically removing myself from the business to focus on my family. It is a mindset shift to allow yourself the grace to leave work at work and not be constantly checking on it. Learn to say no and set priorities. If the business is meant to be yours it will be waiting for you. Ask yourself, do you want the money, or do you want that precious time with your loved ones. Learn more about and Jill and Connect with her: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Learn more about me, your host, Robyn Graham, click HERE. To learn about The Brand Insider by Robyn Graham, click HERE.

When Kristin Smedley’s two sons were born blind, she had to give up her dream career teaching 3rd grade and figure out how to survive an unknown world.

After figuring out how to raise her own unsighted children, Kristin dedicated her life to making sure no other mom has to sit isolated in devastation over a rare eye disease diagnosis.  She is on a mission to change the perception of what it means to be blind.

Kristin is an author, speaker and non-profit founder and executive.