Unfiltered Sessions

In this episode, we’re joined by Ann Lightman, an emotion-healing life coach at Awesome People Group, who has been a life coach for 20 years. Ann started out as a fitness coach but realized she was helping people with their emotions and other things and wanted to do more. 

After shifting from fitness, Ann worked as a teacher in elementary and high schools. She was then invited to work in a college and later with students in universities around the world before getting into coaching to work with people who wanted to develop themselves. 

What is intriguing about Ann is that she has also coordinated and organized events for fundraising, team building, and training for small and medium-sized businesses and is going to help us understand how to create successful events. 

Key Highlights

[00:40] Ann’s background and personal info 

[04:19] How Ann got over the fear of public speaking 

[06:15] How Ann got into the event organizing space 

[08:16] The logistics behind planning different events 

[10:24] Ann's tips on how to create a team building events

[13:38] How to build the setup, venue, and market for an event 

[20:17] Inviting diverse audience Vs. Similar audience 

[23:30] Things to have at the minimum with a limited budget 

[27:21] One message that Ann would share for the rest of her life

[30:02] How to reach out or learn more about Ann  

Notable Quotes

●       Each event is different and unique; start by identifying what you’re trying to achieve with the event and what the goals are and working from there. – Ann Lightman

●       When holding an event, the venue is very important; everything else can be changed and modified, but the venue has to be booked first. – Ann Lightman

●       If you want sponsors in your event, start calling them long before the event; this is the first thing you want to do after booking the venue. – Ann Lightman

●       Narrow your niche when you’re starting out and building your platform to connect with the people who relate with you. – Ann Lightman

●       We collaborate with other professionals who have already built their platform to leverage their platform, and they leverage our platform, and that is how we grow together - Ann Lightman

●       As long as the messages are weighed, and the delivery is awesome the visual is not really as important, but if you don’t have either that a problem. - Ann Lightman

●       There are different things for different people, and that is the same with events; most people will focus on your venue, but always focus on your message, and end goal. - Ann Lightman

●       Your goal for an event will help you identify the things you really need to make sure you can achieve it. - Ann Lightman.

●       When you get a venue, don’t focus too much on writing or decorations; focus more on how you want to deliver your message because that is what people will be talking about after everything is done. - Ann Lightman.

Resources

Ann Lightman
Website:https://awesomepeoplegroup.com/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/annie.lightman

Philip
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-sessions-b2986563/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealphilipsessions

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Public Speaking is an excellent way to build your personal brand and advance your career. It is also a great way to make a difference in the world, which is why many people pursue this career path. However, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd of other speakers. Branding helps you stand out from the crowd. It's about finding your unique selling point and adding value to what you do by creating a memorable image for yourself and your message. This episode with Adam McChesney will help you develop effective branding that will help you stand out from the pack.

Adam McChesney is an INC 5000 Member and the owner of Hite Digital St. Louis, a top 50 St. Louis' Fastest Growing Company. After working in sales for several years and then getting into digital marketing in 2018, Adam went full-time with his agency in 2020 and began helping companies build their brands online. Now, his clients are growing quicker than ever as part of Hite Digital St. Louis.

Tune in and get ready to take notes!

Key Highlights

[01:51] Meet Adam McChesney and know him at a personal level

[02:16] Adam’s career life after college

[05:25] How Adam got into digital marketing

[07:43] How Adam got over the fear of public speaking

[11:00] Adam’s tips to packaging your message and speaking it with precision to your audience

[14:09] You can change the title of your presentation but retain your message

[15:44] Talk about what you know!

[17:57] Personal branding and how it can be your hidden gem 

[24:33] Why Adam decided to share both his business and personal story on social media

[27:14] Tips on how to figure out what your audience wants to hear

[30:48] How building a personal brand supercharges your message authority

[33:37] Social media best practices for beginners in public speaking

[35:30] The one message Adam would share for the rest of his life 

[40:23] The best places to reach out and connect with Adam

Notable Quotes

●        With consistency and repetition, what seems hard becomes naturally easy, and you get better. –  Adam McChesney.

●        Every business owner wants leads. –Adam McChesney.

●        Your confidence in public speaking will show your audience if you live the message you are passing across. – Adam McChesney.

●        Be attentive in listening to the key things your audience talks about when you are having a conversation. – Adam McChesney.

●     Building a personal brand will give you the authority to go on stage and speak with confidence. – Philip Sessions.

●        Diversify all where your content is, and do it in a written format. – Adam McChesney.

●     Be you. Don’t change who you are because of what others are doing or because of what someone wants you to do physically.– Adam McChesney.

Links

Adam McChesney
Website: https://adammcchesney.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamlmcchesney/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-mcchesney-b21b1256/

Philip Sessions
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-sessions-b2986563/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealphilipsessions

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The speaker is a key factor in the success of any speech besides his content, the delivery, and the audience. These skills must be learned and practiced in ways such as knowing your audience, refining your theme, and preparing an outline. Listen to this episode with Matthew Roda, learn how to use these skills, and position yourself for speaking opportunities on someone’s stage.

Matthew Roda is the founder and co-owner of Roda Marketing and the host of the Battlefield Mastermind. Everything he does is for his family because his number one core value is FAMILY FIRST. Matthew’s purpose on this earth is to positively impact lives. He speaks to audiences of all sizes about the APPLY method, which gives people the know-how and confidence to strive for personal excellence on a daily basis, in all areas of their lives.

Tune in and get ready to take notes!

Key Highlights

[01:18] Meet Matthew Roda and know him at a personal level

[04:23] How Matthew got over the fear of public speaking

[09:38] Opportunities should find you actively engaged in something

[14:35] Refine your message theme before a speaking opportunity comes

[18:47] Matthew’s journey to the stage and the tips you can implement

[24:25] You need to let people know that you need a platform to speak

[25:01] Matthew’s feelings and emotions about an upcoming event

[37:50] The one message Matthew would share for the rest of his life 

[39:26] Golden takeaway nuggets from the guest

Notable Quotes

●        Opportunities should find you doing something. –  Philip Sessions.

●        People will trust you for what you tell them if you speak with authority from your experience. – Phillip Sessions.

●        People don’t sell themselves to speaking stages. You have to ask for a speaking opportunity on someone’s stage. – Phillip Sessions.

●        You will get nowhere if you don’t ask for what you want in life. – Matthew Roda.

●        Everything happens for a reason it was meant to. – Matthew Roda.

●     If you share a message and change only one person's life, you have accomplished a purpose. – Matthew Roda.

●        Practice makes you better. – Philip Sessions.

●     Whatever you want in life, go out to the world, do the work and take a step towards it every day.– Matthew Roda.

●     If you are the kind of person who gives up when bad things happen, you will never achieve your dreams.– Matthew Roda.

Links

Matthew Roda

Website: https://matthewroda.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewroda

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthewroda

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewroda/

Philip Sessions

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamphilipsessions/?hl=en

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@philipsessions

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-sessions-b2986563/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealphilipsessions

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It's the day after Thanksgiving, but I still want you to remember to be grateful for everything that you have and will have!

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Effective brand identity on the internet helps you establish a reputation and credibility. Search engines use keywords and other signals in order to rank you so that your content is visible to your target audience. Therefore, since online visibility is a critical aspect of being seen on the internet, join this conversation and learn more about how you can leverage technology as a public speaker with Gresham Harkless

Gresham “Gresh” is the founder of CBNation and Blue 16 Media. CBNation is a Business to Business (B2B) Brand focusing on increasing the business success rate by providing visibility and resources for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners.  CBNation consists of blogs (CEOBlogNation.com), podcasts (CEOPodcasts.com) and videos (CBNation.tv). Blue 16 Media helps change lives through media & technology, including a digital marketing agency providing digital marketing services, including web design & SEO, to small to medium-sized businesses and organizations. 

Central to his marketing philosophy is that You Are a Media Company: Developing a Marketing Strategy to Connect with Your Target and Reach Your Goals. Gresham is a proud graduate of Howard University & Georgetown University. He was selected in 2022 as a 50+ Black Marketer on the Rise in Influencer & Media Innovators. He also is a graduate of the 2020 Leadership Center for Excellence Young Professionals Program ’16.

Tune in and get ready to take notes!

Key Highlights

[01:52] Meet Gresham Harkless and know him at a personal level

[05:20] How Gresham got over the fear of public speaking

[07:06] How our over-visualization of what might happen magnifies our fear

[09:14] The journey of blogging that gave Gresham a good fortune

[13:00] Tips to stand out and be known on the internet from an SEO standpoint

[16:48] A bit about HARO, taking your pitch to the next level

[21:28] Ways to build credibility and site reputation  as a public speaker 

[26:25] How search engines work: crawling, indexing, and ranking  

[28:56] A bit about Alexa score and how you can find out your website’s score

[30:44] Tools that will boost your brand identity to the world as a public speaker

[33:17] Type of content that Gresham will accept to post on his CBNATION platform

[35:11] The one message Gresham would share for the rest of his life 

[37:30] The best places to reach out and connect with Gresham Harkless

Notable Quotes

●        Building a successful media company requires leveraging as many social media platforms as possible. – Gresham Harkless.

●        Video is the perfect medium for exploding your brand identity to the world as a public speaker. – Gresham Harkless.

●      Visibility+Resources=Success. – Gresham Harkless.

●        You cannot lose when you run your own race. – Gresham Harkless.

Resources Mentioned

1. HARO: https://www.helpareporter.com/
2. SourceBottle: https://www.sourcebottle.com/

Links

Gresham Harkless
Website: https://iamgresh.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/greshamh

Philip
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealphilipsessions

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In this episode I cover the two reasons why most people don't get up and speak.

1. Their fear of public speaking
2.  Imposter syndrome

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In this episode, we are joined by Adam Dupuis. He’s the guy who is all things barbecue. He transitioned from there into firewood selling to residential homes and commercial restaurants. He ended up creating the #1 Subscription Box in the US around barbecues. 

Join this exciting episode as he tells us about his speaking journey, how he has gone through a couple of stages, and how speaking helps him with the subscription box. Adam also talks to us about how he differentiates himself from the other firewood guys in his circle.

Know how Adam learned to be vulnerable and create a message from his story on brain surgery. You will learn how Adam got the courage to tell his story and how you can as well use your story to change other people’s lives.

Key Highlights

[02:21] Adam’s background & how he started the #1 BBQ Subscription box in the US

[06:30] How mastery of good communication with people has helped him stand out

[08:53] Steps to open your Subscription box in any industry

[09:56] How Adam’s generosity of sharing information helped him and business

[11:38] Adam’s message when called on speaking events

[14:07] How he went beyond his fears to talk about his experience in brain surgery

[16:22] Interactions with the crowd after giving that speech 

[19:04] Why our problems in the world are limited

[19:57] Ripple effects when you share your message

[24:13] Stop carrying heavy burdens on your shoulder by speaking it up!

[27:43] You can create a message around your story too!

[28:43] Adam’s encouragement to people who have undergone surgery

[31:39] Adam’s one message that he would share for the rest of his life

[36:04] How to reach out, connect or learn more about Adam Dupuis

Notable Quotes

●        Don’t fear telling people about everything you know or do. They will not run away from working with you when they know your holy grail. It works the opposite. – Adam Dupuis

●        If someone’s courage can help you get out of your comfort zone, reciprocate that too. – Phillip Sessions

●        Purpose is the trigger, and interactions are the justification. – Adam Dupuis

●        Don’t let excuses hold you back. Do the work regardless of what’s happening– Phillip Sessions

●        Create a message around your story. You may never know the ripple effect you may have on people’s life. – Phillip Sessions

●        Doctors may know a lot, but they don’t know about you. – Adam Dupuis

●        The more you work on yourself, the clearer you hear what the gut is telling you. – Adam Dupuis.

Resources

Adam Dupuis

Website: https://www.primebbqclub.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theadamdupuis/

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/theadamdupuis/

Philip
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamphilipsessions/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@philipsessions
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-sessions-b2986563/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealphilipsessions

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