Latest / The Bold Lounge / Tara Gooch: Boldly Branded- Crafting Your Unique Identity

Transcript

Tara Gooch: Boldly Branded- Crafting Your Unique Identity · The Bold Lounge

• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Bold Lounge Podcast.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: My name is Lee Burgess and I will be your host.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: If you're anything like me, you love hearing inspiring stories of people who have gone on bold journeys and made a positive impact in the world.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: This podcast is all about those kinds of stories.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Every week, we'll hear from someone who has taken a leap or embarked on an extraordinary journey.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: In addition to hearing their stories, we'll also learn about their bold growth mindset that they use to make things happen.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Whether they face challenges or douse along the way, they persisted and ultimately achieved their goals.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: These impactful stories will leave you feeling motivated and inspired to pursue your own bold journey.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: I believe everyone has a bold story waiting to be freed.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Tune in and get ready to be inspired.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Bold Lounge.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Today I have Tara Lafon-Gooch.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: She is a keynote speaker, a TEDx speaker, ceo of a brand agency and an international best-selling author.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Bold Lounge, tara.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Oh, thank you so much for having me today, so excited to have you on and jump into bold and its connections to our motivations, our habits, our confidence and the discipline we need to really be ourselves, because one of the things that you do is help us with branding.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: So let's dig into being bold.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: What does bold mean to you?
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: To me, bold is not fitting into a mold, right, it's so easy to look at what other people are doing and want to be like everybody else.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: I think that's human nature to a certain extent.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: You want to fit in, you want to belong, right, you want to just be a part of something.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: But my mom told me when I was a kid and I'll never forget it because it was really good advice she said no star ever stood out in the night sky by looking like other stars.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: And that stood with me.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: And so to me, that's what being bold is.
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: It's not necessarily fitting in, but it's being your authentic self and just letting that inner light shine for others to see.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, how old were you when your mom said that to you, do you remember?
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: Oh gosh, I want to say maybe around 10 years old.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Okay, so like elementary.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: So she was letting you know it was okay to be different.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: And actually you should be different, you should be yourself, you shouldn't assimilate or be like everybody else.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: And so I think what a wonderful thing to hear so young and then kind of as you progress through life, it's stuck with you and it's come back to you a couple of times here and there.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: So I'd love to kind of hear, as we talk throughout the day, kind of wanted that star moment come back of, like I need to stand out versus assimilate back in.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so when was the first time you remember your definition of bold standing out, being like no other and not not really trying to fit in?
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, we go through ebbs and flows in life, right?
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: So when I was in my corporate career, I wanted to blend in because I thought that's what was expected.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: It often is right, you're expected.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: I think this is where I will say at times like I'm not sure I was 100% me, and not that you need to be 100% you all the time when you're in the corporate setting, but like making sure it's still on the positive side of you versus like it's a 4060, meaning 40% you and 60% the environment or their culture.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: So it is something that we do go through.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: So in your corporate experience you experienced some of that or kind of bumped into it along the way.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: Exactly Now and a lot of the time, I felt like I had to wear a mask in order to blend in and just fit in, and you know that that really, really hurt, and it started to lead to depression and anxiety and all sorts of just not great things, right, and just a lack of self belief that I needed to be someone else in order to get a promotion or I needed to fit this mold in order to do something incredible in my career.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: And it wasn't until I left that structure and started to branch out on my own that I realized that you know what, in order for me to actually have success, it was the opposite formula and entrepreneurship, right.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, I needed to be quite different and really reconstruct that branding to make it a message of authenticity instead.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it is an interesting switch.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: So I became an entrepreneur in 2020, but didn't know I was an entrepreneur until I decided to resign from setting I was in, which was a very similar setting of just conformity go with the flow, don't create a lot of disharmony, just kind of get in line, do your job, do a really good job.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: But, you know, get in line.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: And I just got to a point where I just couldn't do it.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: I just it was just.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: I felt like I wasn't me and I was burnt out, like I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't taking care of myself, I was cranky, I it just wasn't me and I wasn't doing the things that I wanted to do, and I didn't have the people in my life as much as I want, like my family, my friends, you know, everything got shoved to the back burner, except for work, and so I made that decision to quit without having a job, which was my big swing of bold, and for me, it was this I don't know for you, like, did you feel like when you made that decision?
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Like did you feel this weight lift?
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: Did you feel like a freeing?
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: It's scary as all get out, but it was this happy, scary I don't know how to describe it, but how would you describe when you finally made a decision of like I'm not going to do this, I'm not going to push myself to this place, this unhappy place, this place where I'm not me, I'm going to to try something on my own?
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: Explain how you went through that process and thinking through it.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: I did the same thing as you, right, so I don't know if I'd recommend it, you know.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't recommend it to anyone.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: I don't recommend it.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: How did you feel when you made the decision?
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, I can still feel it.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: So I was suffering from symptoms of severe anxiety.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: So right prior to it, and you know, our bodies are often a lot smarter than we give them credit for, and you know, one of the things that I want to emphasize is just listen to your body, right so?
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: Is your hair falling out?
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Are you having trouble digesting food?
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: Are you developing skin rashes?
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: Nervous twitch, I mean literally.
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: Mine was sleeping, I wasn't sleeping.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah it's, and pay attention, Like your body is trying to tell you something.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: You're in shock, you're in, you know, a state of fight or flight, and that's what was happening to me.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: And then it became, would even just bring up work.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: I remember getting a rash and I saw a rash form right in front of my eyes on my arms.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: It was incredible and I said my body is acting as if I'm being chased by a sacred two tiger.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: There is something with this like this is not right, and you know what.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: It was scary.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: But as soon as I left I felt that instant relief.
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: Like you're saying, it was empowerment.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: That's how I kind of think about it and describe it.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, for me it was like getting root canal.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, like on Friday, you know, I was my last day and by Monday, like I had had the root canal, I was out of pain, I had a bigger smile, I don't know Like it was.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: It was very, very interesting and obviously I'm still figuring it out along the way, and I think that was the scariest part of like.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: I'm a very planful person, as I'm sure you want to be as much as I do, and I had a plan but I wasn't sure was it going to work?
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Was it going, you know, were people going to want to work with me?
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: Well, people like me, you know, I'd come from a place where I just felt like I didn't fit in right and so I had those kicks on my confidence and I had to actually take some time for me, like I couldn't just jump in and say, hey, I'm the best consultant and I'd like to work with you, and I had to really take some time, took me a months to really kind of get healthy again, to get back in back that confidence.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: And I remember people saying, wow, you look so different and I hadn't lost weight, I hadn't done it, but I was smiling more I was, you know, just sleeping yeah, which probably was immense and was happier because I didn't have that stress.
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: And so just even kind of going through those first couple months, although I was like thinking about my business, building my services, but I wasn't trying to sell them to anyone or go out I was really still doing the internal work, got my own coach and really wanted to to heal that's the best way I can say.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: So I kind of went through that period of time.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: Did you also go through that?
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: And maybe we're doing it lifelong, depending on what we've experienced right.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: I.
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: I definitely went through healing point in time and you know, entrepreneurship is not for everyone.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: It's not easy, we know this right.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: But to be able to just live on my terms, I think was really important for me and to take that step back and realize, okay, what makes me want to get out of bed every day?
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: What makes me feel alive?
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: Do I have a purpose?
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: And if I do, what is that right?
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: And then once I started aligning with that purpose and for me that was partially speaking on stage was a big part of that purpose, sharing my story in my book another big part of my purpose and once I started doing those things, I started to realize how much potential I actually had, because in the corporate construct I was told I wasn't enough, I was constantly being denied opportunities for advancement or success and it felt like I was pigeonholed.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: And gaslighting is a part of that too, right.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: So once I stepped away from that, I realized no, I actually do have a purpose, my life has meaning, I actually am helping other people and you know what it makes me feel alive.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: So you pay attention to those things that make you really feel purposeful and you just start to lean into them.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so what guidance or advice would you give to someone who's kind of starting to feel like they're becoming someone that's not them, that they're similar to a point where it's creating friction with this isn't the way I want to be or this isn't how I want to operate.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: What guidance would you give them?
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: First step is that acknowledgement right, and I think that is so key.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: We can't measure what we, or we can't change what we can't measure right.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: So in order for you to make that change, you have to acknowledge it.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: So that's step number one.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: Write that down.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: How does that feel?
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: How does it feel to come home and think about work Because I remember I actually never stopped working so I'd be on vacation.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: I didn't even turn my out of office on vacation, right?
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: How does that feel?
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: Start thinking about how you're really living your life and if that's what you want to do.
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: And then the next step is thinking okay, that's not what I want, Because sometimes we don't know what we want, but we know what we don't want.
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: What do I want?
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: Maybe there was something in that that I've done in the past that I really liked, but somebody told me once that it didn't make money, so I didn't do it.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: I didn't pursue it.
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: Right, Because a lot of times we let other people's limiting beliefs impact our future.
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: But what is that one thing that if you had to wake up every day and you almost sprung out of bed, what would that be?
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: What would that look like?
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: And start assigning these attributes right and start prioritizing your own self-care and self-help, Whatever mechanism it takes for you to get out of that.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: Busy, busy, busy, super competitive.
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: No time for yourself, state or your family, Because nothing is more expensive than your mental, physical health or the relationships you have with your loved ones.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: And if somebody tells me that, oh, I make six figures a year in my corporate job and that's more important to me, I just find that hard to believe that that's more important than your mental, physical or family health.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: It's just not for anybody.
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and success is actually possible, plenty possible in entrepreneurship, right, there's just a learning curve.
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: That, or a different job, yes.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you don't have to go be an entrepreneur.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: You definitely can be.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: That's the option you and I chose.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: But I mean going back to what you said is acknowledging it.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: Acknowledging it this is not the way that I want to be, this is not how I want to feel.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: And then defining what you do want to do, what brings you joy, what you would my mom would say walk five miles in the snow to go to, from a work perspective, and what is it that brings you that feeling of I am living my purpose and it's something I'm passionate about.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: That alignment is so key.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: And then saying, okay, I'm going to start looking for a job, I'm going to maybe start a side hustle, I'm going to talk to friends or network a bit more so they know I'm out there because I've kind of been in my own shell.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: Most likely, if you're working that hard, you're not out there talking to people, you're not out there meeting people.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: People just know you're really busy.
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: So like kind of reigniting some of those things and also just by doing that, you're starting to put in some boundaries for where you won't go any further into this depth of what it is At your current place.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think it's really important for Bill to know is like just to start thinking about it and planning for it.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: And doing something different today is a bold move, and it doesn't mean quitting your job.
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: It means creating a plan for what you've just decided shouldn't continue right.
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: So I think knowing that there's ups and downs and that you're learning through it all is key.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: I love that.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: And I want to hit on something that you talked about as well.
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: When I first started entrepreneurship, I realized very quickly that my personal brand would be a catalyst and a real way for me to gain opportunities.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: That was not something I invested in at all when I was in corporate, and I think a lot of people that are in their corporate jobs can relate to that that.
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: You know, LinkedIn is almost a placeholder.
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, You're so busy?
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you're so busy.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: You don't have to worry about it.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: You're so busy, you don't post content, nobody knows you.
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: But that is the best investment you can make because personal branding reduces risk.
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: And I say that because how many people have been laid off just last year alone in tech alone in the United States alone?
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: Right, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people.
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: Now, if you have a personal brand and a network and a LinkedIn strategy, how much risk can you mitigate by having that forethought?
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: Otherwise, you kind of play this catch up game and anybody at any point in time our jobs are not secure, so the best thing you can do is to build up a rapport with a network, professional network, like on LinkedIn.
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: Have people know who you are so that you know, in the event something does happen.
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: You have a safety net in place.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: I mean to spend time catching up and you know all these months guessing, you already kind of have that.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: I think that's really important too for anybody that's listening, that just that personal branding reduces risk and, yeah, it's a bold step.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: It's not easy to kind of put yourself out there on social media and a lot of people are afraid of judgment or you know that kind of thing.
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: But you know what?
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: Don't focus on them.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: Focus on your growth, focus on aligning connections that make sense for you, and just developing relationships professionally will no matter who you are or what stage you are in your career or what career you're in.
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: It's invaluable advice that can really, really, really save you in the long term.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: So an important piece of information there, a personal brand, can actually de-risk your future decisions, things you have to do in the future, because you will have established a community of individuals and connections that know you keep up with, you hear kind of your thought, leadership and experience, kind of what you're experiencing in your industry or in your life via you know how you interact, or even just it isn't about posting every day either actually creating the connections that are true connections, not just connecting for numbers but connecting for interaction, which I think sometimes people, they really push the numbers, and not that I don't want higher numbers, but I want them to be people who would want to know what's happening in my life and would want to interact with or can help me in some form or fashion I can learn from them.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: So I think sometimes people get caught up in likes and impressions and it's more so really about the relationships that get formed through the connections that you make.
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: A hundred percent, and I know that that is right because I've been on both sides.
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: So there was a point in time when I had a ton of connections, and I still do.
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: I have I don't know about 33,000 or so in LinkedIn right now, but you know, a lot of those connections weren't interacting with me.
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: A lot of those connections really weren't aligned.
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: It didn't make sense.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: So they were a number and ultimately it's the relationships, the community building that you form.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: That's what matters.
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: Personally, I would rather have 10,000 or less connections of truly aligned people that make sense right.
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: That support me, support my content, support whatever ventures I go on.
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: So if I write another book, people that buy that book support it, leave a review, tell their friends about it but invite me on their podcast and them and vice versa, and you have this community of reciprocity way more valuable than to have 40,000 connections or more that don't interact with you, that don't support you, that aren't aligned with you or your values.
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: So, completely agree with that statement.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: It's about alignment and that matters way, way more than any number.
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: And that goes for any social media platform.
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: But on LinkedIn it's especially true because it's the world's largest professional network.
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: So you want to really make sure that it's dialed in with people that are going to support you and the decision makers, right?
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: So when I look at my LinkedIn network, 80% CEOs, 80% Well, those are people that are going the way I want to go.
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: Those are people that are following the path I want to follow.
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: So they're either company owners for small businesses or medium size or large.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a strategy to it.
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: There's a strategy.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: I think that's one thing as I work with folks about creating connections and followers.
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: So, my follower connection ratio is almost one to one.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: So I don't have 100,000 followers and I'm coming up on 16,000 followers and I have 15,000 connections.
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: I think for me that's been really, really helpful and just in my strategy of making sure that half of it's because I think being on social media is highly vulnerable and I like to mitigate any type of risk that I can, but I know there is.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: Just you put yourself out there, but at least I know I have a connection, a true connection.
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: Like we've said, yeah, we want to be connected to one another, and so it helps for me to know that the majority of my followers are female executives.
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: So you have CEOs, I have female executives across multiple industries, and that's really also where my niche of who I want to help and who I want to inspire and who I want to serve, that's the group.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: Those are the people I want to be making a difference for and learning from as well.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: So I think that, for me, was something that I use as a strategy and as someone's trying to start their personal brand and it feels like it's overwhelming.
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: They're still potentially in the place of the job or the experience that they want to maybe move on from, but they need to get started.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: What's some of your guidance?
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: How do they get started?
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: Well, the best way to get started is to just do it right.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: Begin right.
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: You have to take action.
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: You have to post and start thinking about, not what's valuable to you, what's valuable to someone else.
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: That's a good way to find those alignments right.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: So if you're a leader in an organization, start posting about leadership.
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: I like to do a 80-20 ratio, or so.
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: You know 80% is a real good.
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: You know I use it as a good guide and engage tips, strategies, how I did something with storytelling, intermingled Mm-hmm.
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: And then maybe 20% is you know my personal brand, or so Check this out.
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: Somebody left a review.
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: This is a quote from my book.
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: I hope it inspires you right.
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: Start just putting stuff out there that's positive, that's inspirational.
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: But start doing it, don't overthink it.
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: There's no such thing as perfectionism, and if you get one like or no likes, it's fine.
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: We all start somewhere.
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: The point of it is you just have to take action, but start connecting with those aligned people, people that not are where you are now, but people are where you want to be, people maybe who you want to serve in the future and just start connecting with them with strategy and intentionality.
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: Not just blasting things all the way over the place, but have a real, intentful strategy.
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: But the best way before everything is to just get your LinkedIn profile optimized, because no amount of content marketing, no amount of DMs can ever replace a landing page that doesn't land.
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: So get a nice professional photograph on your page.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: Make sure you're smiling, Make sure the pixels look really clean and professional.
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: Go ahead and put a banner up.
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: Talk about what you do in your about section.
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: Right, Are you a leader?
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: Talk about leadership.
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: Optimize your page so that when you do start posting, when you do start connecting with people, they see that you're a reputable source, because there's a lot of spam out there and the only real way for people to know that you're not is by really creating a landing page out of your LinkedIn profile that looks very professional.
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: Video is a good way to do it as well.
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: Hosts can be fudged.
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: We know that right.
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of AI tech out there.
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: Videos can now too Videos can now your headshot can be in AI.
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: It's crazy.
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: I was just talking about that this morning.
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: So I think you can use that.
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: I'll say you don't have a lot of money.
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: Headshots are expensive.
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: I didn't get my real, first professional headshots until two years ago because I couldn't afford them, but I think there are things that you can do and things that you can use in AI, and I don't mean go be fake, make something that isn't you, write something up that isn't true.
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: I do not mean that at all.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: What I mean is use them as resources to help you create that page, help you maybe create a visual that you want to create for a post, or give you some ideas, and don't ever just post something that's written by AI without putting your fingerprints on it, or it might help you with an outline or get you started.
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: The things that matter within posts or your landing page are the things that are truly you, that are authentic to you, and I think that's just real important.
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: You can use it as a tool, though, especially when you don't have a lot of resources.
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: Yes, and you know what I always recommend people when they're first starting out, who haven't found their voice yet, who are not sure what to post.
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: One of the easiest things you can do is and this helps you, not with just a content strategy, but it helps you find those line connections really quickly and it's almost like a automatic filter system talking about your core values.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: So simple, so easy.
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: Find five, identify five core values, or so one a day, and make it simple.
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: I believe in kindness as a core value.
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: Let's say and write about that.
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: Why is that important to you?
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: That gives people an indication of your character, your integrity, who you are as a person, your type of leadership, before they even approach you at all.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: So, writing about your core values and why it's important and you know what.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: That actually acts as a compass as well for your brand going into the future.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: So simple as that.
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: Identify those core values and you know what.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: That is something that you believe truly in your heart.
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: Guess what A company might see that and say you know what we're looking for that exact person.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: You never know who's looking because they don't always like and they don't always leave a comment.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: I think that's what I've also noticed too is like, just because you don't have that high number or you don't have you know this or that, like there are people looking at your posts that you don't even know are looking at your posts and I've heard stories about like one guy was a marketer and he was getting maybe 10 reactions Her post and he said like six of those were his family, you know.
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: And yeah, one of them was actually a producer for Oprah and that producer told Oprah about him and what he was doing and it just was an amazing story and he's incredibly successful.
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: He was before this moment as well, but in the sense of like what he was doing, the difference he was making, but you never know who's looking.
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: So I think having that establishes really, really important.
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: What do you think establishing your personal brand and your connection to confidence is?
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: Well, first off, to have a personal brand, it requires a tremendous amount of confidence.
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: You have to be bold, you have to encourage, because in an all inauthentic world where other people are copying other people, where you know we don't know what's real or not, Like you said, AI and video AI and photography it's really hard to tell anymore.
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: So you know, when somebody has a personal brand, it requires a lot of confidence.
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: And in entrepreneurship in general, it requires a tremendous amount of confidence in order to become an entrepreneur and really believe in yourself.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: So my book is based on my life journey of not feeling confident ever.
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: I can't look back in my childhood at any point in time or really any point and say, you know what I felt confident.
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: But I knew when I went into entrepreneurship that I needed a personal brand, that I needed to put my name out there.
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: What I didn't have was the confidence.
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: So that's a part of the catalyst that brought me to write that book was I wanted to show other people that you can go from not confident and become successful and highly confident and go after your wildest dreams, whatever they are, if you work on that confidence.
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: But it's one of those lifestyle changers, you know.
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: I wish I could say that.
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: You know what?
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: Just press this button and do these five steps Boom, you'll be confident for the rest of your life.
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: It's something that we all have to work on.
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: We have to get those reps in, just like working out and going to the gym and building muscles.
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: It takes activity and the more activity we put in.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: So, whether that's on social media, building our business or brand, whatever, it takes a lot of confidence and it takes a lot of reps.
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: And in order for you to really build confidence, you have to keep that momentum going and it really does help aid in that development of that personal brand.
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: Because, at the end of the day, what is confidence really in business?
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: It signifies someone else's ability to trust you.
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: If you're confident in your product and your messaging and your service, the other person is going to feel a sense of trust.
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: And if there's trust there, you're one step closer to creating that relationship, to gaining a customer, to establishing a connection, whatever it is, so that confidence is absolutely one of those building blocks for success.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, they have to know you, to trust you, to connect with you, to buy from you, like those types of things, and so it's really important.
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: The first step is being you, and sometimes that's just scary, because we live in a world where being us maybe isn't always received, and it gets easier and easier, I think, the more confident you get.
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: But it doesn't mean on certain days that things don't bump or hit or in a way, that's just like whoa, I thought that person would support me, or I thought that person knew me well enough, or I thought they would jump at the opportunity to do X, y or Z, and sometimes it's like, okay, well, let's get back up, let's keep going.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: And I think that's part of confidence too is like you realize that everything may not go as planned, but you continue to be you, you continue to share your brand, what you're about, and you will have people along the way who don't get it, who maybe were your friends or you thought were your friends, and then they're not, maybe happy for you.
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: Did you experience anything like that?
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: Oh gosh, you're describing almost every day that ends in Y, right, there's going to be people that enter your life and maybe they're there for a specific time and then maybe they shouldn't be anymore, right?
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: The reason season or a lifetime kind of a thing, right?
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: Yes, totally, totally, and you'll find those types of people.
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: They seem like they support you at first and then not so much, right, so always pay attention to your environment, because I think, while confidence is an inside job, we can't none of us can become confident or more confident, increase our confidence If our environment around us is not supporting period.
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: So pay attention to how people make you feel.
• 31:55
  Speaker 2: So this is a interesting story and this happened to me relatively recently.
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: I went to England to deliver a TEDx talk based on confidence, right, so I have to be extremely confident when I'm on that stage, because you can't talk about confidence and not feel confident.
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: Well, there was a part in my speech I just could not remember.
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: Could not remember.
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: I kept having this mental block and I had a friend who I don't really consider a friend, but just kept trying to tear me down just a little bit and a little bit and a little bit.
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: Once I put a mental and physical barrier there, all of a sudden I remembered all parts of my speech.
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: Now there's a correlation to this.
• 32:41
  Speaker 2: My body was trying again to tell me something, to teach me a lesson.
• 32:47
  Speaker 2: So pay attention to the energy that surrounds you, because this game of confidence requires a really high vibrational state, and if the people around you are draining your vibration, it's gonna result in something a mental block.
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: You're not gonna be able to remember something.
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: You're gonna start to have negative self-talk or limiting beliefs pop in or imposter syndrome.
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: Your environment is absolutely crucial and your vibrational state is more important sometimes than your manners.
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: So that's a big lesson, too is really just if somebody is not working for you, it's okay and there are a lot of people pleasers out there listening to this but it's okay to put up a boundary.
• 33:36
  Speaker 2: In fact, that's absolutely healthy and we should do it.
• 33:40
  Speaker 2: It doesn't mean you have to be rude or mean.
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: It just means that you're protecting yourself.
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: That's what boundaries are.
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: They're protecting you, you're right.
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: So I think to listen into that is like if you're around someone who doesn't make you feel Like you can be you, or or and again, we permit people to.
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: The way someone makes you feel is is what you permit them to do, right.
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: So like if you're around them and they're not giving you a boost or they're not challenging you.
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: Because I think it's important to have this balance of Challenge and support right.
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: Someone is gonna say are you really trying?
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: Are you really you're really doing it, or are you just like halfway doing it?
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: Or like, oh man, that really is terrible.
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: Like I know.
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: I don't know how that feels, but what can I do to support you, even if it's just listening, you know?
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: So it's his balance of someone who's really gonna push you to be the best you can be, because they know you can do more, but also, at the same time, they understand that you gave it all and maybe didn't go as well and they need to be there in another way.
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: So, but if you like, walk into a meeting or walking to a coffee and you're just like, I really wish this wasn't happening, or I don't know what I'm wearing or you know Like, and I mean in a way where it's just like you feel like you can't be you.
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: Yes, you need to really check in with that.
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: Are they draining your vibration?
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: I love that way you said so.
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: Like you have this energy About you that someone can either ping it to go down or ping it to go up, and but you have to be Intentionally aware.
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, and the same thing goes, and again, it might not even be Somebody.
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: That is intentional, they're not, oh, usually.
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: Honestly, usually isn't intentional.
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: There are unkind people who are intentionally trying to bring people down, but most of the time people who are doing this don't even know they're doing it right.
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: I think that's a really good point you bring up.
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: Yep, yep, or time, people that just want to waste your time or want to waste their own time.
• 35:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah and she.
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: Another type of things, because the same people will complain that they don't have sales in their business or their business isn't growing, but they're not strategic, they're wasting their time, and then they're, in turn, trying to waste your time.
• 35:54
  Speaker 2: Pay attention, align yourself with people that are going in the trajectory you want to go.
• 36:01
  Speaker 2: Not people that are staying the same are going backwards Doesn't mean we have to be mean.
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: Just means we need to put up a boundary and we still love those people.
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: It's okay to love people from a distance, and sometimes those are your family.
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: Could be.
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you think about your inner circle if you think about bullseye, like who is in the center of that with you?
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: And then I know At times, depending on what I'm doing, especially when I was starting off, at first, I told everyone what I was doing and then I realized, whoa, like they're like, they're an I didn't call it a vibration Drainer, but I mean their energy killers, that's what I would call.
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: It's like, oh wow, I really thought I had a great idea and they just like shot up a hundred holes in it, thinking they were helping me or being nice to me or Someone that I knew the only thing we had in common was being unhappy in our jobs, and so, when I was happy, we didn't have anything in common anymore.
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: So therefore they weren't happy for me, you know.
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: So it was really weird because there was this, this flexing of where people went on, that bullseye to the outer circle, to the inner circle, and you know, I just think that's really important to always be thinking about that on a regular basis.
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: It's like who is giving me energy and who is taking energy from me, and how do I make sure I get that in check with what my goals are and what I'm trying to do and accomplish, and your personal brand is there.
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: Your confidence is included.
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: Your actions of what you're trying to accomplish in your goals they all get impacted by that interaction.
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so thank you so much for being on the bold lounge.
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: All the information about Tara's book, her TEDx talk and her services that can help you take your personal brand to the next level are in the notes.
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much.
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the bold lounge podcast.
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: Through the continuum of bold stories vulnerability to taking a leap you will meet more extraordinary people making a positive impact for others through their unique and important story.
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: By Highlighting these stories, we hope to inspire others and share the journey of those with a bold mindset.
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: We hope you've enjoyed this podcast and look forward to sharing the next bold journey with you.