Latest / Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson / How Knowing Who You Are Transforms Your Writing, Your Business, And Your Life with Dr. Toccara Nicole

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How Knowing Who You Are Transforms Your Writing, Your Business, And Your Life with Dr. Toccara Nicole · Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
0:03
SPEAKER_00: This is where ideas spark, connections grow, and collaborations fuse success.
0:08
SPEAKER_00: Tune in for inspiring stories, expert insights, and game-changing conversations.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: Let's build, connect, and thrive together.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Remember, collaboration is the key to success.
0:20
SPEAKER_01: Welcome, welcome to the Ready Set Collaborate.
0:22
SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Wanda Pearson, and today we have an extraordinary guest who is a powerhouse in the literary and entrepreneur world.
0:30
SPEAKER_01: This episode is sponsored by Be Seen Social Media, the marketing secret behind my standout online presence, which she is, ready to attract your dreams clients without distress.
0:41
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0:49
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0:55
SPEAKER_01: That's B E E Sing S E E N socialmedia.com.
1:00
SPEAKER_01: Make sure you check her out.
1:02
SPEAKER_01: Now let's get to our amazing guests.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Joining us today is Dr.
1:05
SPEAKER_01: Takara Nicole, affectionately known as the identity architect.
1:10
SPEAKER_01: She is a 12-time author, celebrated two-time Amazon bestseller, and the guiding force behind VOS Consulting and Publishing International.
1:18
SPEAKER_01: Through her work, she cultivates authors, entrepreneurs, and storytellers, empowering them to monetize their genius and shift the trajectory of their lives.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: Dr.
1:27
SPEAKER_01: Takara here.
1:28
SPEAKER_01: She also hosts the inspired TV show's Vault Talks, Women Share, where she champions women's unity and provides a platform for powerful conversations.
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Today, Dr.
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Torah Takara is here to share her journey, wisdom, and strategies to help us all live more boldly in our identities.
1:46
SPEAKER_01: So welcome, Dr.
1:47
SPEAKER_01: Takara.
1:47
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to finally get you on my show.
1:51
SPEAKER_02: Happy to be here.
1:52
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for the invitation.
1:54
SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
1:55
SPEAKER_01: So, as the identity architect, she extends her visionary proudness beyond words.
2:00
SPEAKER_01: As the guiding force behind VOS Consulting and Publishing International, Dr.
2:05
SPEAKER_01: Takara cultivates authors, entrepreneurs, and storytellers, empowering them to monetize their genius and shift the trajectory of their lives.
2:14
SPEAKER_01: A firm believer in woman's unity, she hosts a TV show, Volt Talks, Woman Share, Fawcett Meaningful Discussions.
2:20
SPEAKER_01: Dr.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: Takara Nicole, an executive producer and proud University of Illinois, Alama, alumni, exemplifies purpose-driven success with her honorary doctor degree for unwavering community commitment.
2:35
SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna say, listen, you see her shirt there, Chicago?
2:38
SPEAKER_01: Hey, we from Chi Town.
2:40
SPEAKER_01: All right, welcome, Chi Town Girl.
2:42
SPEAKER_01: Say hello to the audience.
2:44
SPEAKER_01: Hello, everyone.
2:45
SPEAKER_02: It's an honor to be here.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: Yes, definitely.
2:48
SPEAKER_01: And I'm just honored to have one of my sister girls from Chicago here.
2:51
SPEAKER_01: But you know, I'm glad I'm in Atlanta because I don't miss that snow.
2:55
SPEAKER_02: I'm missing living in Omaha, Nebraska.
2:58
SPEAKER_02: People are like, Oh, if you live in Omaha, you should be good because Chicago and the snow.
3:02
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, it's a little different living in Omaha.
3:05
SPEAKER_02: Omaha is not flat.
3:06
SPEAKER_02: We have hills and all the things.
3:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because the flatness actually brings tornadoes.
3:10
SPEAKER_01: So my first experience was tornadoes is living in Chicago.
3:13
SPEAKER_01: But when I moved to Atlanta, I'm gonna tell you real quick.
3:15
SPEAKER_01: I moved to Atlanta, and I first tornado, and when I moved here, I said, wait a minute now, y'all didn't tell me you had tornadoes.
3:23
SPEAKER_01: I know we had hurricanes in New Jersey, but tornado, girl, I experienced that tornado in my front yard where it actually chopped down the big old oak tree in my front yard.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: And we live in a cuddle sack.
3:33
SPEAKER_01: So I had to tell God, okay, Lord, please protect us here.
3:36
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, but I thought I moved away from this kind of stuff.
3:40
SPEAKER_01: The weather is different, and every no matter where you are now, it's a totally different thing here.
3:45
SPEAKER_01: So just get used to it.
3:46
SPEAKER_01: So listen, let me get this show on the road because I want to start getting my interview questions in here.
3:50
SPEAKER_01: I need to hear more about Dr.
3:53
SPEAKER_01: So, Dr.
3:53
SPEAKER_01: Car, you've been called the Identity Architect.
3:56
SPEAKER_01: Can you share how the name came about and what it means to you?
3:59
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
4:00
SPEAKER_02: When I was coaching with a former coach of mine, she called me the identity coach.
4:06
SPEAKER_02: And it was interesting because I never saw myself as the identity coach.
4:11
SPEAKER_02: Then I had another coach, and he called me the identity coach.
4:15
SPEAKER_02: And it wasn't until he and I started working together that I started to own it.
4:20
SPEAKER_02: And I remember the day when I was like, okay, identity coach.
4:25
SPEAKER_02: And I was in a friend of mine's house.
4:28
SPEAKER_02: And like when you actually say something and you catch yourself saying it at that time, it's out now.
4:35
SPEAKER_02: You can't take it back.
4:36
SPEAKER_02: I remember embracing that term.
4:39
SPEAKER_02: Fast forward, God showed me how I was the identity architect.
4:43
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes you have to walk in one title to really evolve into the next place.
4:48
SPEAKER_02: You can embrace that one place as God is expanding your territory.
4:51
SPEAKER_02: When I took on the role of identity architect that said, okay, God, I need you to show me what this really looks like.
4:58
SPEAKER_02: So fast-forwarding the story, he showed me that I had been in the student housing development field for a little bit.
5:05
SPEAKER_02: And he showed me how I knew some things about construction.
5:10
SPEAKER_02: If it has to be at least 32 degrees for y'all to be able to lay the concrete in order to build the foundation for this apartment complex.
5:19
SPEAKER_02: And if it's not, then you're gonna have to redo the concrete pad because you have to build up and you can't build up if it's cracked in the foundation.
5:27
SPEAKER_02: It's like, yeah, I get that.
5:28
SPEAKER_02: That's how I want you to work with your people to understand that as the identity architect, you help them see the blueprint and mold and shape who they are so you can help them at the foundation so they can build and expand and explode.
5:43
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
5:45
SPEAKER_02: A part of my gift set as a believer is that I can see and hear.
5:50
SPEAKER_02: And when I'm working with people, I share all of that while we're building as a faith-based believer.
5:56
SPEAKER_02: It's that moment with your customer client because you're literally hearing from God to help them mold and shape their identity as that business person or as that author or as that visionary.
6:10
SPEAKER_02: And so what I learned was that was my gift set.
6:13
SPEAKER_02: I remember hearing the words being prophesied to me years prior that I would be a marketplace minister.
6:19
SPEAKER_02: And I was like, I ain't standing in nobody's pulpit, I ain't trying to be nobody's minister.
6:25
SPEAKER_02: And so, as I started really studying, understanding what a marketplace minister is, the identity architect and all that comes with that helps people to understand who they are in the marketplace so they can minister through their books and their businesses and their concepts.
6:40
SPEAKER_02: So that's how the identity architect came to be about.
6:43
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
6:43
SPEAKER_01: And really, you know what?
6:44
SPEAKER_01: I tell you, the same thing with me.
6:46
SPEAKER_01: Guy, he has a sense of humor sometimes, doesn't he?
6:48
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
6:50
SPEAKER_01: I said I would never write a book.
6:52
SPEAKER_01: I love how you just put that in a nutshell, that architect, and as far as how you build it from the from the underneath to the outside to the upper parts.
7:00
SPEAKER_01: I love how you just put that in there.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: So thank you for sharing that.
7:03
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: What role did writing your first books play in shaping your identity as an author and an entrepreneur?
7:10
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
7:11
SPEAKER_02: I was a part of a co-author book project, which I tell anybody if you're looking to get your feet wet as an author, go ahead and be a part of a co-author book project because it definitely shows you what you're made of in ways that you may or may not be ready for.
7:27
SPEAKER_02: So I was a part of a co-author book project, and I remember the editor coming back to me and saying, Wow, Takara, your project is amazing.
7:35
SPEAKER_02: Like this chapter is so good.
7:36
SPEAKER_02: How long did it take for you to write it?
7:39
unknown: And I laughed.
7:40
SPEAKER_02: And she was like, Why are you laughing at me?
7:41
SPEAKER_02: I was like, because it took about 72 hours to write.
7:44
SPEAKER_02: And she's like, For real?
7:46
SPEAKER_02: I said, Yeah, this is like one of the best chapters in the book.
7:49
SPEAKER_02: So it recalibrated my experience with being a writer.
7:53
SPEAKER_02: As an only child, I spent a lot of time by myself.
7:56
SPEAKER_02: My mom would send me on punishment and I'd be mad at her as a seven-year-old and writing my diary that I thought locked because it has a couple of keys, but it really don't lock those diaries.
8:09
SPEAKER_02: I would start writing about what my mom did to me.
8:13
SPEAKER_02: And then it would start turning into creative poetry.
8:16
SPEAKER_02: And then I started remembering as a kid how I've always excelled in English and writing, and how I was a young author as a young kid, and my works were on display at school.
8:27
SPEAKER_02: God was like, I'm just reactivating what was already in you.
8:30
SPEAKER_02: And when I became that author as an adult, it calibrated some things within me, and I've been writing ever since.
8:37
SPEAKER_02: That's how we have 12 books with a 13th coming out soon.
8:41
SPEAKER_02: It's it's just something that has always been in me.
8:44
SPEAKER_02: I've been reading since I was three.
8:46
SPEAKER_02: My mom and my grandparents put a lot of time in with me to help me develop those skills.
8:51
SPEAKER_02: By the time I was six, I was reading the Chicago Tribune, not just the comic section.
8:55
SPEAKER_02: I could have conversations with my parents, my grandparents, and my mom about what I was reading.
9:01
SPEAKER_02: It's just been a love of mine that I didn't understand until that first book came out.
9:05
SPEAKER_02: What I thought was a flop and a failure was actually God recalibrating some things.
9:10
SPEAKER_01: I'm listening to your story, and it's like you're telling my story a little bit.
9:14
SPEAKER_01: I actually remember I said I would never write a book.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: One of my clients called me and she's a minister.
9:19
SPEAKER_01: She said, Wanda, God told me to call you.
9:21
SPEAKER_01: I said, Okay, what'd he say?
9:23
SPEAKER_01: He wants you to be part of this book, collaboration book.
9:26
SPEAKER_01: And I just told my girlfriend, I'm never writing a book.
9:28
SPEAKER_01: Who wants to read my book?
9:30
SPEAKER_01: When she told me it was called Audacity to Shine, I said, You know what?
9:34
SPEAKER_01: I like that chapter.
9:36
SPEAKER_01: If I'm given something to do, I get it done.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: So I got it done real fast.
9:39
SPEAKER_01: I used to write poetry.
9:40
SPEAKER_01: I didn't know it was poetry.
9:41
SPEAKER_01: I was just writing my feelings on paper.
9:43
SPEAKER_01: So when she talked about this collaboration book, I said, I pretty much have it done.
9:47
SPEAKER_01: I just gotta put it in the in the in the paper here.
9:50
SPEAKER_01: So I was the first one done with that collaboration, but it took a while.
9:53
SPEAKER_01: In fact, it really kind of gave me a bad taste of collaboration because it took a while because all the other nine girls had the women had to get their stuff and then it had to change or whatever.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: So that's when I said, I'm never doing another collaboration book.
10:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, never say never.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: And that was the second title of my second collaboration book.
10:08
SPEAKER_01: Never say never.
10:09
SPEAKER_01: God has a plan for you.
10:10
SPEAKER_02: Yes, he does.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: Girl, we got so much to talk about.
10:14
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna have you back on my show because we actually have a lot to talk about.
10:17
SPEAKER_01: So now that you've written 12 books and hit the Amazon bestselling twice, what are some of the biggest lessons you've learned along the way?
10:25
SPEAKER_02: One of the lessons that I've learned, it's the sixth book that sits here on my shelf.
10:30
SPEAKER_02: I don't have any kids, but I say that my books are my baby.
10:33
SPEAKER_02: So that's my sixth baby back there.
10:35
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes you'll catch me rocking a sweatshirt that says, Some people birth babies, I birth books.
10:41
SPEAKER_02: That book really showed me that I had more to say.
10:45
SPEAKER_02: I thought I was just writing it for me and maybe a couple of people to help them identify their identity blueprint and keys to unlocking them true selves because that's what the book is all about.
10:55
SPEAKER_02: So um, shout out to my amazing, fabulous coach, Grace Marie Brown, who um worked with me to get that book out.
11:04
SPEAKER_02: And me and her designed that cover during a retreat of hers back in 2019.
11:11
SPEAKER_02: And so I was getting ready to hit the road to go to the retreat.
11:16
SPEAKER_02: And my grandfather and I were sitting in his basement, his den.
11:20
SPEAKER_02: And that was one of the last times that me and my grandfather had an extensive conversation before he died suddenly the next month.
11:28
SPEAKER_02: That book means so much to me because it's not only me sharing, but when people pick it up.
11:35
SPEAKER_02: It's a book for people who are in a state of transition, whether they're going through grief and trying to figure out who they are again, whether they lost their job, they're trying to figure out who they are again, whether they're going through a state of divorce, trying to figure out who they are again.
11:50
SPEAKER_02: And I had a friend in Virginia, and she was working with those who were in the military, helping them the transition from military life to civilian life.
11:59
SPEAKER_02: And she gave them my book, and it gave them hope in life because it speaks to people for transition.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: And you never know how God wants to use you through your book to reach the process because we can't hop on a phone call with everybody, but people can go to Amazon, Book Son Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, and our own websites.
12:21
SPEAKER_02: So that book really has changed the life of many.
12:25
SPEAKER_02: One of my girlfriends was like, Hey, I'm connected to a women's shelter here in Atlanta.
12:29
SPEAKER_02: They want to buy a hundred copies of your book, and so now that message is getting shared with so many.
12:36
SPEAKER_02: And what took me 28 days to write is now planting seeds in other people.
12:41
SPEAKER_02: So you just never know where your book journey is gonna take you.
12:44
SPEAKER_01: I love that because my editor who edited my book, God's Grace Through the Fire, said Wanda, you got to get this book out because a lot of people need to read this book.
12:53
SPEAKER_01: And I mentor at middle schools as well.
12:55
SPEAKER_01: That's something that I want to get back because I was a social worker.
12:57
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: I did social work before I did our IBM, but I'm constantly doing it anyway.
13:01
SPEAKER_01: So many inspiring authors struggle with self-doubt.
13:04
SPEAKER_01: What advice do you give them about pushing past fear and starting their writing journey?
13:09
SPEAKER_02: One of the things that I say to my clients as I'm coaching them, because there's so many different factors that are out here in the world that play, they have a major play within people's minds and hearts and what they're seeing.
13:24
SPEAKER_02: And they feel like I can't be an author because of what my friend said that her journey was like or his journey was like.
13:31
SPEAKER_02: When I come across those people, I tell them one of the most important things you can do for yourself is before you even think about what you really want to write about, if you're stuck, just journal and get that brain dump out.
13:44
SPEAKER_02: A lot of people can't see the connection with how writing is really good for your mental health.
13:51
SPEAKER_02: I work in the social work field.
13:53
SPEAKER_02: I am not a social worker, but I've been working in the social work field.
13:56
SPEAKER_02: There'll be 10 years coming up very soon.
13:59
SPEAKER_02: One of the things that I tell people I work with, whether it's dads that are working to figure out how to reacclimate their lives after some type of hurt, whether it was incarceration or their kids being taken away and now trying to reunify with families, or those going through their survival to thrival walk as domestic violence and sexual assault, shifting from victor to victor.
14:26
SPEAKER_02: Writing's important.
14:35
SPEAKER_02: Just getting out those feelings and emotions.
14:37
SPEAKER_02: Start there and don't be afraid of what's coming out.
14:41
SPEAKER_02: Because sometimes people are like, oh my God, I can't believe that came out of me.
14:45
SPEAKER_02: No one's gonna want to listen to that.
14:46
SPEAKER_02: And it's clearly the opposite.
14:48
SPEAKER_02: One of the things I talk to people all the time.
14:50
SPEAKER_02: If you're thinking it, the enemy will want you to think the opposite.
14:55
SPEAKER_02: If you're thinking it and you're like, okay, I can really do this, and then here comes the enemy saying, No, you can't lean out what you're saying that you can do because that's the right answer.
15:06
SPEAKER_02: We live in a place of fear because we all have a story to tell.
15:10
SPEAKER_02: My story doesn't look like Wanda's story or the next person's story.
15:14
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to be an Oprah or a Gale or The Rock or Ludicrous for people to want to hear your story.
15:21
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to be famous because people who need to hear your voice for their healing journey to be activated.
15:30
SPEAKER_01: You said it all in a nutshell.
15:32
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
15:32
SPEAKER_01: How do you help your clients at VOS Consulting and Publishing International Transform their stories into powerful, profitable platforms?
15:41
SPEAKER_02: One of the things that I really help them to understand is the mindset of even just being an author.
15:47
SPEAKER_02: I don't teach principles how to speak on stages or do any of the marketing tips.
15:54
SPEAKER_02: The one thing that I help them to do, to be profitable, because when you think of profit, it's not always money, it's more so of mindset.
16:02
SPEAKER_02: If you have the mindset and the drive to push your book, the money will come.
16:07
SPEAKER_02: I truly believe that.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: I tell my clients all the time: once you're an author, you are a speaker.
16:12
SPEAKER_02: You look at me like a deer in headlights from the aspect of you being a speaker, meaning that you have to speak up and talk about your book.
16:20
SPEAKER_02: Your book isn't gonna sell itself.
16:22
SPEAKER_02: You've got to have to figure out how to get on podcasts, you're gonna have to figure out how to get on stages.
16:27
SPEAKER_02: I don't help my clients with that.
16:29
SPEAKER_02: I know that there's other people out there in the world that can I have a friend who's a TEDx speaker, one of the young ladies I went through the camp with, and she teaches people all the things on how to do that.
16:40
SPEAKER_02: My gift set is from concept to publish author and working with them to understand that it can be done.
16:49
SPEAKER_02: So then they can shift their mind to the next elevation place.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: Remember, I'm the foundation girl, so if I work the foundation with you, then you have the tools to build.
17:00
SPEAKER_01: That's collaboration.
17:01
SPEAKER_01: That's what I do.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: Collaboration because then you get the people who can help the experts in doing the next stage to help them get to that level.
17:08
SPEAKER_02: No, it's really ma'am.
17:10
SPEAKER_02: That's not it.
17:11
SPEAKER_02: All of my coaching and consulting comes around.
17:14
SPEAKER_02: Let me help you get the book out because that's the biggest piece because we have people around us that are telling us that we can't do it, whether it's our mama, our grandma, these influential voices.
17:25
SPEAKER_02: For some people, it's husbands, some people it's co-workers, and they lean so heavy on their voice to where they can't even hear the voice of God.
17:33
SPEAKER_02: So I'm like, hold on, let's do this.
17:36
SPEAKER_02: So I work with people who are believers of Jesus Christ as Lord, and I do that because I teach biblical principles.
17:43
SPEAKER_02: So I had someone say, I have to believe in Jesus to work with you.
17:47
SPEAKER_02: No, but you had to believe in the Bible because I'm gonna speak Bible to you while we're working.
17:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love it because it really that's how it all started.
17:58
SPEAKER_02: I did not want to be a publisher, I was burned by a publisher.
18:02
SPEAKER_02: So when God was like, This is what I have for you, and he gave me Voss, which in my mind means vault of steel, I'm the last steel woman.
18:10
SPEAKER_02: If you look at the O, it's a vault, there's fire.
18:12
SPEAKER_02: I help my clients to ignite that fire within them to shift from concept to publish author.
18:18
SPEAKER_02: That's my gift set right there.
18:20
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
18:21
SPEAKER_01: So now, what does Voss stand for again?
18:23
SPEAKER_02: Yes, vault of steel.
18:25
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
18:26
SPEAKER_02: I'm the last steel woman in my family, and when I created the business, I said, How can I keep the legacy alive?
18:32
SPEAKER_02: So, this is before I even knew I was gonna do consulting and publishing.
18:35
SPEAKER_02: I was leaning towards consulting, and God gave me Voss.
18:39
SPEAKER_02: I was on the highway.
18:40
SPEAKER_02: Actually, you probably when I say this, you're gonna know.
18:42
SPEAKER_02: I was on I-57 coming from the campaign because I graduated at U of I.
18:47
SPEAKER_02: So I can tell you what exit I was at the Gilman exit 283, getting ready to pass the pilot to the gas station, and here he comes with the down low.
18:56
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, I don't know what to do with this.
18:57
SPEAKER_02: I'm not thinking about starting a company yet.
19:00
SPEAKER_02: So he gave me the name before he gave me the what.
19:04
SPEAKER_01: So let's talk about entrepreneurship and monetizer and you emphasize monetizing your genius, right?
19:09
SPEAKER_01: Can you explain what that looks like in the real life of authors or entrepreneurs?
19:14
SPEAKER_02: So you ever be around people who are inspired by what you do, and they just start spitting out stuff, and you're like, What?
19:21
SPEAKER_02: And I was like, monetize your genius.
19:23
SPEAKER_02: I don't help people do that.
19:24
SPEAKER_02: Why would I use it as my tagline?
19:26
SPEAKER_02: And they were like, This it was a guy specifically, he's like sis, let me tell you why you do that.
19:31
SPEAKER_02: Once you become an author, you're a business owner, whether you have the LLC, sole proprietorship, all the other things, because you have to now sell your books.
19:40
SPEAKER_02: So that makes you an entrepreneur by default.
19:43
SPEAKER_02: And so when you talk about monetizing your genius, it's more of packaging your book to where people want to buy it.
19:50
SPEAKER_02: So that's what I help people with the whole concept of publish author piece because people don't want to buy something that's boring, people, especially self-help, they need your help.
20:00
SPEAKER_02: How are you gonna creatively give them your help and not bore them, but give them you?
20:05
SPEAKER_02: And that was one of the things that Grace Marie Brown said to me.
20:08
SPEAKER_02: And it's like give uh your client you, give your reader you.
20:12
SPEAKER_02: When you talk about monetizing your genius, it's not so much a strategy or a formula, it's more so how are you gonna position yourself to have a book that makes sense to people and why they would want to buy it?
20:28
SPEAKER_02: So that's what monetizing your genius means to me, because they're the geniuses.
20:33
SPEAKER_02: Writing the book is their story, their journey, their idea.
20:36
SPEAKER_02: Everything that I do comes from here's their concept, walking them through publish author.
20:42
SPEAKER_02: And I might give them some ideas of oh, they like I want to do a podcast, use your book, mention your book often while you're talking about you, because people are gonna want to know you, they're gonna want to know your book.
20:55
SPEAKER_02: You can't sit down with everybody to have a 30-minute aha session or a discovery call, but there's you in your book.
21:01
SPEAKER_01: No, that makes a lot of sense, and that's great.
21:03
SPEAKER_01: That's a good way of doing it because, like I said, my book was I just start talking about it.
21:08
SPEAKER_01: Because I do a lot, they call me the networking queen.
21:10
SPEAKER_01: I network a lot.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: So when I network and a lot of people in different diversified audiences, and they want to know more about Wanda.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: When you put that book out, especially about yourself.
21:20
SPEAKER_01: Wow, even my neighbor, wow, Wanda, I didn't know you went through that.
21:23
SPEAKER_01: I see, but look what I became people who put you down.
21:26
SPEAKER_01: I know myself like you're not gonna be nothing, you're never gonna be nothing, you're gonna get pregnant when you go to college.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: So, all that encouraged me to do more to say, I'm gonna prove you wrong, and that's what people need to do.
21:37
SPEAKER_01: Don't let anybody steal your joy because that is your joy that you actually are creating yourself.
21:42
SPEAKER_01: So, what are some practical first steps people can take to begin turning their passion or expertise into income?
21:49
SPEAKER_02: One of the things that I tell people all the time is that you have to believe it.
21:53
SPEAKER_02: There's no point in writing something down if you don't believe in it.
21:57
SPEAKER_02: And it's also I have a framework that's called meet, it means mindset, environment, energy, and time.
22:03
SPEAKER_02: I have my clients walk through that for a little bit.
22:06
SPEAKER_02: I don't teach them anything about publishing a book until I teach them that framework.
22:10
SPEAKER_02: Because when God showed it to me, and I'm sure you can relate, Wanda, you ever have those ideas where it literally either wakes you up at 3 a.m.
22:18
SPEAKER_02: or you're in the shower and you gotta hop out real quick because the idea is fresh on your brain, or you're walking by some water with because water is my thing, like water is very calming and soothing, and the Lord is just speaking to you.
22:30
SPEAKER_02: Neat was one of those frameworks, and what he showed me is that it's gears.
22:34
SPEAKER_02: So when you think of gears, it was more like a grandfather clock.
22:38
SPEAKER_02: You can see the gears, and the gears are intertwined and connected.
22:42
SPEAKER_02: One gear is needed to turn the other.
22:44
SPEAKER_02: So, this is what that framework looks like.
22:47
SPEAKER_02: When you talk about your mindset, what mindset are you in when you are starting this journey?
22:52
SPEAKER_02: And what mindset do you need to shift to in order to be that author that you desire to be, especially for those who the first-time authors are the ones who are told that they can't write a book, the ones that are told no one wants to hear from them, don't even go down that lane of being a speaker, an entrepreneur, author, no one's gonna follow them.
23:09
SPEAKER_02: Your story's trash.
23:10
SPEAKER_02: Who would want to listen?
23:12
SPEAKER_02: You have to say, I debunk those things and I renounce those things in the name of Jesus, and I want to walk forward in what God said.
23:20
SPEAKER_02: So there's that piece of it to really walk in the mindset of where you see yourself going.
23:25
SPEAKER_02: If no one else sees it, you need to see it.
23:28
SPEAKER_02: And so in e is environment, changing your environment for me.
23:32
SPEAKER_02: 2018 was a year I got rid of folks.
23:34
SPEAKER_02: If you weren't walking with me, I'm out.
23:36
SPEAKER_02: I ain't got time to carry your baggage, your luggage, nothing.
23:40
SPEAKER_02: That was that year for me.
23:41
SPEAKER_02: I was also very intentional with being in circles and spaces that were feeding the mindset I was working on and energy.
23:50
SPEAKER_02: What energy am I giving to my goals?
23:52
SPEAKER_02: If I'm always talking about I'm tired, but I can Netflix and chill, or I could be surfing on social media for 2.75 hours.
24:01
SPEAKER_02: Like, where is my energy going?
24:02
SPEAKER_02: Is my why lining up with the what kind of thing?
24:06
SPEAKER_02: Like checking yourself with the energy, and then there's time.
24:09
SPEAKER_02: We have 168 hours in the week.
24:11
SPEAKER_02: What does time management look like for you?
24:13
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't have to be spooky and all the things, but what does that look like?
24:17
SPEAKER_02: So starting with just checking yourself before you start doing projects that are huge outside of your comfort zone and continuously doing that self-check so you can stay on track with the goals that you desire to achieve.
24:31
SPEAKER_02: Also, I love that you said networking, figuring out what your network looks like.
24:35
SPEAKER_02: And it doesn't mean that you have to be at a networking event three times a week.
24:41
SPEAKER_02: If you're gonna shift your environment to get the thing done, what does that look like, sound like, feel like?
24:46
SPEAKER_02: Uh it starts with shifting yourself so you can actually see yourself at the finish line.
24:51
SPEAKER_02: I'm a different type of coach.
24:52
SPEAKER_02: Clients have my number, and I was really like, Do I really want to do that?
24:55
SPEAKER_02: I was like, you know what?
24:57
SPEAKER_02: From an accountability standpoint, if I say that I'm gonna be the one to help you get things done, I don't want to be that fake and phony person that's gonna say, I'm gonna help you get things done, but only during these hours.
25:07
SPEAKER_02: But my clients understand boundaries, so I never had any real problems with, oh my God, but they're very respectful.
25:14
SPEAKER_02: And I say that because sometimes this is people's first time ever writing a book, or they have been around people who've had a negative experience, so they're becoming cautious of even the idea of getting to the finish line.
25:26
SPEAKER_02: And the one thing that God has really been working on me with is meeting people where they are, no matter what that looks like, whether it sounds like, and I was talking to my significant other.
25:37
SPEAKER_02: I was like, God constantly meets me where I'm at.
25:40
SPEAKER_02: So am I not to meet other people where they are?
25:42
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, and that's that social workingness.
25:44
SPEAKER_01: So my girl, she said, Why don't you know you gotta start charging people for that?
25:47
SPEAKER_01: I said, We gotta help me here.
25:48
SPEAKER_01: But then when she broke it down, I said, Okay, that's true.
25:51
SPEAKER_01: So by your expertise, you turn it into income.
25:54
SPEAKER_01: Is that right?
25:54
SPEAKER_01: You do you help them turn that to income?
25:56
SPEAKER_02: No, help them figure out the books, and sometimes, depending on what they're talking about, I will show them Google other people that are doing the things that they're doing so they can get a visual.
26:06
SPEAKER_02: Or my guy calls me the mapping strategist.
26:09
SPEAKER_02: It ain't nothing for me to map out an idea or a concept real quick to be able to help them see how it's aligned with their authorship journey, but I don't know business plans, it's more so a mindset work so they can see themselves getting to the finish line.
26:22
SPEAKER_02: And then what's the plan to utilize their book in other places?
26:26
SPEAKER_02: I collaborate with other people to say, hey, there you go.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: I've I've gotten them in a place where they understand that they have to invest in themselves, they have a solid plan.
26:35
SPEAKER_02: Maybe think the tweak here and there, but that's why I call it monetizing your genius because we all have something that we're sitting on.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: We just need somebody that's gonna actually walk with us and coach us with love and compassion to help us.
26:50
SPEAKER_02: I've had amazing coaches that help me do that.
26:52
SPEAKER_02: One is Grace Marie Brown.
26:54
SPEAKER_02: I love her, she's a hardcore Jamaican woman.
26:58
SPEAKER_02: She helped me so much with just understanding how to get the book out in 28 days.
27:03
SPEAKER_02: She told me 30, and I was like, You're nuts, but she held my hand live.
27:07
SPEAKER_01: Got it done, and that's why you got to have the people that actually gonna work with you to go out to it.
27:11
SPEAKER_01: So now this is our last question because we're gonna tell the kids how to get in touch with you.
27:15
SPEAKER_01: So, your TV show, Vault Talks, Woman Share, Woman's Unity.
27:19
SPEAKER_01: Why is that so important to you?
27:20
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
27:21
SPEAKER_02: So, Vault Talks Women's Share started as a radio show in Chicago.
27:24
SPEAKER_02: We transitioned after my grandfather passed in 2019.
27:28
SPEAKER_02: We took a sabbatical, we went live stream, and then now we're on Roku and other places.
27:33
SPEAKER_02: It's important to me because I've had amazing women in my life to have helped me get to different spaces and places, and then I've had those not so nice women that have also helped me get to places and spaces.
27:46
SPEAKER_02: A lot of women in leadership that I've experienced weren't the nicest, but they helped shape my leadership journey.
27:53
SPEAKER_02: And now I have people that are asking me because I have a nine to five that I love, I'm passionate about that, but I'm also passionate about publishing.
28:00
SPEAKER_02: I can marry the two together.
28:02
SPEAKER_02: But those that you work with, and because I manage teams typically, I'm always in a leadership role.
28:08
SPEAKER_02: When they tell you, I'm so glad that you've had negative leadership experiences because you are a bomb leader.
28:16
SPEAKER_02: You are so dope at what you do, and you don't think of it like that, you just know that you've been hurting areas, and how women leaders, specifically African American women in leadership, have dropped me, stepped on me, been intimidated by me, run the bus over me, throw me in places of spaces.
28:33
SPEAKER_02: You're like, hold on.
28:34
SPEAKER_02: I thought we were better than that.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: And a lot of the spaces that I was in, I was the only black young female in these leadership spaces.
28:41
SPEAKER_02: And I'm just thankful to God that he placed the leadership abilities within me at a very young age.
28:47
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes I'll take you back to the thing to show you what he's been working on the whole entire time.
28:52
SPEAKER_02: I feel like women can work together.
28:55
SPEAKER_02: We have to be the right collaboration, it has to be right, it has to be equal.
29:02
SPEAKER_02: I was talking to my significant other this morning, and he said, Have to have a vision, babe.
29:06
SPEAKER_02: You have to have a vision when y'all come together.
29:09
SPEAKER_02: It's like this explosive thing because now y'all can both operate in vision and walk together, have your whole identities, but the vision comes together from a collaboration standpoint.
29:21
SPEAKER_02: I can say specifically with the authorship guild, call the authors authority.
29:26
SPEAKER_02: Shout out to Nicole Lewis and Alan Black.
29:29
SPEAKER_02: We work amazing together.
29:31
SPEAKER_02: Our collaboration skills are so dope.
29:34
SPEAKER_02: And even with the women who have helped me create Vault Talks, we were able to come together and do all the things.
29:39
SPEAKER_02: And so even now, the leaders that are in that space, ones in Jamaica, ones in the Carolinas, when we come together, it's explosive because we get how important it is for women to collaborate, work together, build together, live together, and love each other.
29:54
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: And that's why I created this space for ready to say collaborate.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Go is collaboration to keep to success.
30:02
SPEAKER_01: So having that collaboration with other people.
30:04
SPEAKER_01: We may not be experts in everything, but when we collaborate, we can bring it all together as far as our vision.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: So if you could leave our listeners with one message about identity, resilience, and purpose, what would it be?
30:17
SPEAKER_02: Knowing who you are is a game changer.
30:20
SPEAKER_02: And I say that because it's the formula for you to change your own game before you can change anybody else's.
30:27
SPEAKER_02: Knowing who you are is so beautiful.
30:31
SPEAKER_02: It's a game changer.
30:32
SPEAKER_02: It really is.
30:33
SPEAKER_01: Knowing who you are, that is so powerful.
30:37
SPEAKER_01: And that you got to know who you are.
30:39
SPEAKER_01: A lot of people don't know who they are.
30:40
SPEAKER_01: I enjoyed this, and I'm gonna have to have you back on my podcast because we got so much more to talk about.
30:45
SPEAKER_01: Tell people how to get in touch with you and what you got going on.
30:49
SPEAKER_01: And like I said, you're gonna be back on my podcast because we got a lot more to talk about.
30:53
SPEAKER_01: We just clicked with that shy town stuff.
30:55
SPEAKER_01: It's like a lot of similarities.
30:58
SPEAKER_02: Let me tell you, it's something about the Chicago water that we drink.
31:03
SPEAKER_02: We can get on the phone and Kiki and High.
31:06
SPEAKER_02: The best way for people to get in touch with me.
31:08
SPEAKER_02: If you're looking to join a five-day challenge, or if you're looking to figure out how do I shift from concept to chapter one, you can literally go from concept of chapter one dot com.
31:19
SPEAKER_02: There's information on how to join my masterclass.
31:22
SPEAKER_02: I do a challenge every month.
31:24
SPEAKER_02: So there's ways for you to go ahead and be a part of that as well.
31:28
SPEAKER_02: And then you can always text the word aha.
31:31
SPEAKER_02: It's AHA to 877 904 0787.
31:38
SPEAKER_02: Again, aha, which is AHA to 877-904-0787.
31:47
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
31:47
SPEAKER_01: You're going to send me all of that because that's going to be in the show notes.
31:50
SPEAKER_01: So people will make sure they can get in touch with you.
31:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
31:52
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
31:52
SPEAKER_01: What a powerful and insightful conversation with Dr.
31:55
SPEAKER_01: Takara Nicole.
31:58
SPEAKER_01: She truly embodies what it means to be an identity architect, helping authors, entrepreneurs, and storytellers embrace their genius and create lasting impact.
32:08
SPEAKER_01: So, Dr.
32:08
SPEAKER_01: Takara, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your billions today.
32:13
SPEAKER_01: Our listeners, make sure you connect with Dr.
32:15
SPEAKER_01: Takara, explore her books, her consulting, and her TV show Vault Talks.
32:20
SPEAKER_01: All of her links will be in the show notes.
32:22
SPEAKER_01: And before we go, I want to give a special thank you to my today's sponsor, BC Social Media.
32:27
SPEAKER_01: If you want your social media profiles working over time to draw in perfect fit clients, BCN Social Media has your back.
32:35
SPEAKER_01: Don't miss your free bio optimizer guide crafting for busy business owners who want to stand out fast.
32:42
SPEAKER_01: Get up in seconds at bcsocialmedia.com.
32:46
SPEAKER_01: That's B-E-E.
32:48
SPEAKER_01: Socialmedia.com.
32:50
SPEAKER_01: Or just check out our show notes.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: So until next time, and thank you.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: But until next time, remember collaboration is the key to success.
32:58
SPEAKER_01: I'm Wanda Pearson and this is Ready Set Collaborate.
33:00
SPEAKER_01: Stay inspired, stay bold, and keep building your identity with purpose.
33:05
SPEAKER_01: Thanks again, Dr.
33:06
SPEAKER_01: Takora, for being on the show.
33:07
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
33:08
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
33:08
SPEAKER_00: Bye.
33:09
SPEAKER_00: That wraps up another episode of Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
33:13
SPEAKER_00: I hope you found inspiration and valuable insights to help you build meaningful connections and successful collaborations.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, share, and stay tuned for more great discussions.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep collaborating and making an impact.