Marketing Yourself As A Marketer with Cyndi Zaweski | Episode 66

This is an unedited transcript and the timestamps don’t match exactly with the final audio. Thanks for your understanding!

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Alright.

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Alright, so Cindy, you are a fellow marketer. You are a content strategist. You are a writer at heart for sure.

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One who’s good with words and with communicating ideas. So I’d love to know why was it so important for you to invest in brand messaging strategy with a thought partner.

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When you Quotal quote could have done it yourself or have done this for so many other clients.

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I think anybody who’s tried to write their own bio knows the struggle of trying to write about yourself and trying to voice.

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How you feel and not having feedback it’s a little bit nerve racking you’re like am I going in the right direction is this what I is it sound the way that I intended to sound the way that I intended to sound the way that I intended to sound so having a brainstorming partner is So valuable, especially when you’re a solo conduer.

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I’m a 1 person business and, you know, content is all about connecting and words are all about connecting, but so often what we are solo entrepreneurs, we’re just sitting there by ourselves, we’re scrolling competitions, viral marketing, and you know, we’re petted against ourselves.

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Our top is critic, right? So having a brainstorming partner, someone to help you. Gain perspective or help you tease out your perspective is Absolutely invaluable when you’re trying to communicate online where you know when we communicate in person we have all sorts of things you hear the tone of voice you can see body language right but so when we have all sorts of things you hear the tone of voice you can see body language right but so when we’re communicating

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online all we really have is our words so having somebody to help shape our ideas or bounce ideas off of is is absolutely necessary and it’s fun it’s what makes the process fun for me is to bounce ideas off of people I do it with my clients as well and having somebody like you who I trust to help me develop my message and make sure what I’m saying is exactly what I want to say really helps you show up more

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Oh yes, that confidence is everything. And and also when you think of a brand At the end of the day, a brand is simply perception.

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confidently

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It is simply how you it’s the business is perceived and received by someone on the other side, right?

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So we can have all the best intentions, but if we’re just too close to it or if we’re stuck in our own personal jargon or whatever it is, then we don’t know if it’s hitting if what we are trying to say is what is being said.

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So yeah, that outside perspective is everything and it does make it so much more fun when you’re in conversation.

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Of course you think about this all day every day. You sleep on it, you shower on it, you walk on it, you do all the things, but voicing it out loud, having it reflected back to you, having that space held for you.

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Kin sometimes make you realize, oh wait, that’s not what I’m trying to say at all or oh my gosh, finally I feel seen and heard I do need to latch onto that.

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And also you said we’re our own toughest critic. Oh yes, felt that to my core and I feel like especially my clients who are in the camp of I’m a marketer, I do this as a living.

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They are so tough. On the way they do their own brand messaging, communication, marketing, but at on the flip side of that the same.

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Coin other side is that we’re also our biggest advocate, our best friend, the person who knows us and our vision the best.

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So having that outside perspective that you trust is like the perfect bridge between those 2 halves of ourself for sure.

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Yeah, I completely agree. I think that, you know, having that outside perspective, I I truly believe like what we’re doing now is especially in the age of AI where so much content is being pushed out.

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That being able to really express yourself and to provide insights, right? Like we live in this in information age like.

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Some people even call it the post information age now because there’s just So much. Out there and with AI.

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There’s just continues to be so much more out there. So it’s not just about sharing information.

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It’s about sharing insights from your perspective through your story through your Linda experience. So having someone they are to talk about your insights and be like, hey, did you struggle with this too?

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Do, do you have this experience like that really helps you develop? Such deeper messaging you can go beyond just the surface level.

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And that’s what people are really looking for. They’re really looking for the person who understands like as a marketer like every single marketer can say like, oh, do you have trouble coming up with ideas?

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Like, yes, like, that’s why, that’s what we do what we do. But is it like, do you come up with or do you have ideas and you get, get so far then you hit a wall because then because you’re not actually sure that that message was right after you got like, you know, you’re 3 weeks into it and you love the idea and then all of a sudden you

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Hmm.

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didn’t love it anymore. You’re not sure you’re doing or does it connect back to the bigger picture, right?

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Like those are the things that we question and you know, talking to people and being able to understand that really gives you that insight.

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And It helps you go into the right direction, feel really confident and Joe just be on those surface level questions of like do you struggle with coming up with ideas so yeah I definitely get that and as a marketer.

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Pressure on us, right? Because like not only are we have to do best for our clients, but a portion of what we do, especially as solo renewers, right?

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Like we’re showcasing our work through how we show up online. And that’s a portion of it so that makes it extra it makes it extra pressure for us.

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Yeah, and Before we hit record, you said that You’ve been thinking a lot about this insight versus information which I love.

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I love that idea. You said you’ve been thinking about that concept. In sort of three-pronged approach of learn, dissect, and connect.

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So I just wanted to make sure that that those 3 elements made it into this episode because that’s such a simple and robust way of thinking about what you just described that learned dissect and connect process and that you are currently experimenting with and have been doing with and for your clients for a long time as well.

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I love this approach to content creation because like because it really helps you. A, it helps you like not struggle with ideas so much like what you’re learning, what you’re doing, what you’re exploring.

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Like I’ll tell you how this came about and it was because I felt like I was kind of having like a split personality when I was you know talking about my business and talking about clients but then I’m like but I also want to do my personal writing and like my personal writing means so much to me I’d love to talk about you know I love to talk about like all the ways I do like better as a solo premier and I love to explore those

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things like you know whether that’s like what I learned from my therapy or you know going like doing tarot every morning to help me come up with different perspectives and things like that, like that I didn’t feel like always fit within like the company, right?

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So like I started and I’m starting to think, how do I branch this gap where I’m a whole person, Brad, not just the person who sells something and then the person who writes and how can I marry that and that’s really where this learned dissect connect came about because as I’m learning to do things I, I can dissect that process, right?

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Like I could see other things, learn, like learn from that and develop my own insights. As I’m learning and then connect the docs for other people and that becomes really great content so it became this great format for helping people with my content will also marry the side of me where I’m like, yes, also this person who explores and like, always trying to get better in my personal life.

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And yes, I do talk about. Instagram and engagement and all of that but like how can I make that more meaningful and how again like how can I bring in more insight so it’s not just this face value thing.

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So I like to start with like a personal story of like how I started this process. Like usually what I find is that my clients are Just a couple of steps behind me.

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So if I’m struggling with this stuff, I know for sure that if they’re not, yeah, they probably will.

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Usually it’s pretty relatable, right? Like usually like what I’m, I’m not like right now, like I’m, re-formatting my newsletter and I brought it up to a couple of people in my community and they’re like, oh, I’ve been thinking about that.

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Yeah.

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So I know if I go and I learn and like one of the things I’m doing is like.

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Dissecting every newsletter that I really enjoy getting like I’m looking at it. I’m like, well, what do I like about it?

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What would I do differently? How like, how would I present this better? How would I present this so it looks like me and I dissect those things that’s really working.

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And I give insights that’s really working. And I give insights to, like, that’s really working.

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And I give insights to, like as I’m, as I’ll, write posts about this and, blogs about it, about how, how I like, what I found from all this research, right?

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And then I’ll connect the dots for people. I’ll give them like, here’s like my process of doing it.

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And then here are like, you know, 3 to 5 action steps that you could take if this is something that you were interested in too.

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And so I find it, just really easy to make content that way. And then also in my real life business when I’m actually doing the research and spending time connecting, I don’t feel like I’m wasting time.

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Like I’m not like, oh my god, I should be creating content because all of a sudden the thing that I would be doing is the content and I feel like that is.

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Okay.

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Hello.

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Natural way to like really show up authentically. And provide the best insights, you know, just from just from being there and doing the thing.

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Oh, that’s so meta is like I am serving my clients by being sort of my best client.

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Like I love that all around. So, okay. We just sort of talked about a pivot that you are going through and not even a pivot but like a natural evolution, a natural progression that you have been experimenting with.

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Organically growing and evolving over time. I’d love to know What other steps you have taken since we did our brand messaging intensive now a couple of years ago, in your marketing, in your business back-end, back-end, in your content strategy specifically in any element of your business.

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What specific or general steps have you taken? That have really been sparked by this brand messaging strategy process.

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I think that you know you really touched on such a good point that. Like I, I always love to talk about this because again, just as one person businesses like you’re naturally going to evolve over time.

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Like the business that you start is not going to be the business that you have now is not going to be the business you have in 4 years from now because you are hopefully like constantly learning and you’re constantly growing and it like always to always have the brand be a true reflection of you having those really great building blocks like, again, like those messaging sessions.

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And they become the building blocks. And it’s not necessarily about like burning it all down. It’s more of like You know, artfully subtracting the things that no longer work and then adding things in that do work.

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So, you know, for me, like, I’ve tried a whole bunch of different things over the last 3 years since we did that, but I do think that the messaging that we did, the messaging that we talked about is still very close to my part and yes it’s evolved in so many ways.

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You know especially as I as I do this process and you know I’m really I’m trying to What is a good way to explain it?

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Like I’ve heard it called like practice in public, but basically like what I’m doing of this whole like Learn, and bring more of me like make my personal brand a little bit more personable and, make it, you know, Not just like.

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Yeah.

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At like I have to show up as an expert or something like that’s something that I always really kind of struggled with because even though I am really good at what I do and I have been in publishing for 14 years now, like I certainly don’t think that I am like the biggest expert, but I can be an expert because I’m developing this body of work through what I’m doing.

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Yeah.

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So again, it’s just it’s evolving with me. And that’s allowed me to do a whole bunch of different things like offer.

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Do content strategy intensive now. I still do done for you content for clients and I really enjoy that process.

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But, even back 3 years ago, we talked about how important journalism and an interview style approach was to creating content and that is still very much a part of my message.

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That’s, you know, it’s gotten stronger because I’ve been doing it longer. But yeah, like it’s about.

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That evolution, right? Like it’s not always, I am sure I got the only person who’s ever felt like I have to burn it all down, but.

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You know, when you really look back at it and you can, you could see the growth.

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I think that that’s actually a beautiful thing. When you’re able to incorporate your own personal growth in your in your personal brand.

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Yes, yes, absolutely. And I do very specifically remember you Coming to terms with or grappling with this whole person but separate brand.

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Identity when we went through the brand messaging process this I have this journalistic background I have this publishing background and yet this is sort of a different wheelhouse and it sounds like you are through experimentation.

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Through having that foundation. Finally putting some pieces together that feel okay this clicks right now and I’m sure a future iteration will click in a different way.

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I’m the puzzle pieces can kind of shift around or the pieces like the image of what the puzzle is even making can shift.

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And so I love to hear that. Yes, there are some recurring themes and yet it looks and feels completely different because you’re a different person.

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You’ve worked with X number of clients since then and you have honed your craft and refined your vision and that is such an exciting journey to be on.

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It can be really frustrating. Right? Like our target is always, always, always moving. The market is always changing.

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Our audience is always changing and yet that is also the beauty. Of building a business. And is that that flexibility and that choose your own adventure kind of style.

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I absolutely agree with you and I really do think that that’s like a great thing. It’s a great thing about having your own business is to be able to have it grow with you and have your audience grow with you.

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And I mean, you know, I’m certainly not the only one. You know, I don’t know, like if you listen to Jenna Kocher and her podcast like.

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Not much. I’ve heard some of her episodes. Yeah.

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Wait.

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So way back in the day like way back, like when she said maybe this is 2,01819.

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Yeah.

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She always used to talk about how she was the girl who like, you know, had a camera and eat back and she’s right.

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Like now she would never say that or she will she out like how she doesn’t do that anymore but she’s actually like really into biohacking now and she’s like you know really on this help kick and she talks a lot about like her healthy lifestyle now so it’s not like it’s a beautiful thing when you can have a brand to grow with you and have your audience follow you through those things as,

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Hmm.

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you know, and having that personal evolution through your content again, like just. By learning, dissecting, connecting, and having that be your content framework can help you really put out authentic content that feels good for you where you’re still growing.

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You’re growing and you’re sharing. We put out authentic content that feels good for you where you’re still growing.

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Yes, yeah, authentic, true to you, consistent does not mean stagnant by any means.

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You’re growing and you’re sharing your girls with your audience and they’re going to come on this journey with you.

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And yeah, I think you’ve given so many beautiful examples of. Exactly that. So thank you.

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Have you noticed either in increase in sales or revenue or even simply a shift in energy. It sound I can hear the excitement in your voice when you talk about this evolution.

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Even a shift in energy and how you show up to making sales specifically when you are armed with this foundational value aligned brand strategy this you concept of I’m not starting from scratch every single time.

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Have you noticed any shifts? Or increases in how you show up?

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Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, it just makes it so much easier to show up when I feel again, like I think about this like whole brand, whole one person brand concept of like it’s much easier for me to show up more comfortably.

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I feel like. When I talk, and I’m expressing my ideas and continuing to learn, I can attract clients who are.

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Of a similar mindset. I like I think that’s the biggest thing when you have great messaging and you’re really confident in what you’re talking about is that you attract these clients that feel great for you.

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Like they they value the same things you do. I think, you know, that’s like probably the first thing people really connect over.

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Content with like after, you know, they give you a follow or they sign up for your email list and like they really see how you’re doing life and your and your approach to business and your values about it and they really connect over that and that’s what makes the sale easy, right?

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Like that’s the trust that you need to to get sales without being salesy and you do it.

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People who are of a similar mindset of you. So as I talk about, you know, growing like I guess like what I’ve noticed is I really get a lot of people who are.

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And like holistic how then I worked with a lot of spiritual leaders I’ve worked with a lot of even like small small businesses that are you know, trying to do something differently like my friend like My friends like they started a like a pool company and they’re really trying to do it like in this eco-friendly pool company thing and like we were able to come up with some really cool messaging for them and talk about like how they’re

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Hmm.

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doing things so it’s like For me, like this is like this is the fun part, right?

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Like you got to like talk to these people like they all really care about what they’re doing is the fun part, right? Like you get to like talk to these people like they all really care about what they’re doing.

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And that’s so special to me. I don’t feel like I get a lot of random client calls or a lot of random inquiries like I feel like people who come to me they have something to say and they’re just looking for a way to like communicate that through an Instagram post or a real where like we can all get to come up with that stuff and I’m certainly no stranger to it but again it’s

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Yeah.

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like having that brainstorming partner who could help you say the thing that you want to say and it’s kind of like, oh yeah, that’s exactly how I meant to say it.

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Oh yes, when those sales calls. Feel easy when those collaborations feel seamless when you feel seen and heard and understood when your clients feel seen and heard and understood that is what we’re talking about when we talk about attraction marketing and also same, you know, other side of the coin.

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Repelling people right so that you’re not getting the randos so that you’re not getting the wrong fits so that you’re not wasting your time, their time, anyone’s precious resources.

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That attraction and repelling is so, so important in our content. In our messaging, in our copy and our conversations and everything in between.

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For sure. So we’ve talked a lot about your evolution and and how it is constant.

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What is your current trajectory if you if you had to if you had to name it what’s your current trajectory your vision for your life and your business and yeah, how has it evolved along the way?

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You know, that’s kind of what I’m figuring out right now like there’s I’ve done a lot in the last set like in the last 3 years like I’ve been really lucky my business like really grew.

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Like when I started, I can even have a business plan. I just was really lucky because I, again, I worked in media, so, and I was doing branded content for magazines and then the pandemic happened and all the people who were doing branded content, they were like, well, I need a website.

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I need social media. So a lot of people had come with me and I was really lucky to go grow pretty fast.

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And like now I’m like kinda like kind of like coming back to it. But yeah, I like I had a membership which was awesome we did that I did that for a year and I really got a chance to speak with my community members.

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I got a chance to learn a lot from them. And I just I never took it out of beta because I felt like I was, I felt like I was learning so much from them about what they needed.

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And I just recently like in.

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January decided that I was going to close it for now. So I can kind of put all those pieces together like through this evolution and hoping to bring that back because we’re we do brainstorming sessions in the membership which is really fun and everybody kind of comes together.

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Hmm.

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And they talk about we talk about content, we talk about messaging, we throw ideas around, it’s really fun.

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So I’m hoping, you know, that’s definitely a part of the trajectory that’s coming back.

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But right now I’m I’m working on just tweaking a few things like I was talking about my newsletter, but I really like the plan is the trajectory is like just to be Cindy like to really write more.

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Like, just to be Cindy, like to, to really write more. I, I have a book proposal that I’m halfway through to really write more.

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I have a book proposal that like I’m halfway through finally, right? Like I feel like I have a book proposal that like I’m halfway through finally, right?

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Good.

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Like I feel like I’ve even talked to you about that like I’m halfway through finally, right?

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Like I feel like I’ve even talked to you about that 3 years ago when I said like I want to write a book well like I’ve been just like going like crazy and like again, like I kind of had to do addition by subtraction so I could take some stuff away so I could start focusing on what I really want and building off of those foundation.

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So. And so, you know, showing up authentically is really a big topic for me right now.

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Because in media and in journalism you’re really trained not to tell your story and certainly not to start your story into any any they know you’re publishing in the news right so that’s been an unlearning for me I’ve been always been able to tell other people’s stories I’ve always struggle to tell my own and learning how to do that and you know growing into that what I like what’s like

00:24:27.536 –> 00:24:51.536
a Paradox maybe like or just something that’s counterintuitive is like I think that I’ve just been bumping up a lot of against lately is just like this concept of like authentic and this buzz word like what is it what isn’t it well I think like you would think like authentic is showing up as you are like right now, but authentic is also becoming, right?

00:24:50.087 –> 00:25:09.087
Because in order to show up authentically sometimes you have to unlearn things that are an authentic in you and like for me that’s like you know sharing my story and telling that so like you know it’s a constant evolution and I’m really looking forward to like and like sharing more, you know.

00:25:08.435 –> 00:25:14.435
What’s going on behind the scenes like what’s personal to me, what’s helping me in my life.

00:25:13.836 –> 00:25:27.836
And how we can like grow our businesses through content and how we can grow ourselves. Well, we’re, we’re doing our content. We can grow ourselves.

00:25:27.086 –> 00:25:35.086
We’re creating it by learning and and connecting the dots for people and providing really interesting insights that they can’t get from AI.

00:25:33.586 –> 00:25:46.586
Yeah, oh so much goodness there and I will stand by my claim that A entrepreneurship is like the biggest personal development journey you could put yourself on.

00:25:38.386 –> 00:26:05.386
It like it is just so insightful to who you are, what you care about. That is why I love asking people about their personality types and why I love unpacking all of those things because We just learned so much about what makes us tick and what makes other people tick.

00:26:06.735 –> 00:26:11.735
Through entrepreneurship. So yeah, what a beautiful explanation of that concept.

00:26:09.285 –> 00:26:17.285
I agree. It’s like my favorite like I absolutely love to talk about like this intersection of like personal growth and business growth.

00:26:15.336 –> 00:26:27.336
I feel like they’re so, so intrinsically tied and I really do think that as you develop content you could really develop yourself like develop your insight.

00:26:25.335 –> 00:26:38.335
So I feel like there’s a lot there that I’m looking forward to exploring in this next chapter and like how to do that and like that’s 1 of the things that I’m learning right now and I’m looking forward to kind of pulling apart and talking about.

00:26:38.235 –> 00:26:40.235
More.

00:26:40.836 –> 00:27:03.836
Yeah, okay, this is a little bit ad hoc because I have literally I think ask every single guest who’s ever been on the podcast and I wasn’t gonna ask you because this is a slightly different style but because we brought it up what is a personality type that resonates with you introvert human design a zodiac sign a Harry Potter house what what personality do you identify with.

00:27:02.435 –> 00:27:12.435
Oh my gosh, this is like a really good question. So, I feel like introvert is a good one for me.

00:27:10.686 –> 00:27:28.686
I love to talk to people. I’m a good talker, but. Like conversations and everything and like I do really appreciate it but I need and the way I define introvert is that like I need a loan time to recharge because So that’s why I mean when I say.

00:27:26.287 –> 00:27:28.287
Yes.

00:27:29.986 –> 00:27:38.986
Introvert because I do need a lot of a learn time like people always say like oh my god you work from home all by yourself I’m like no it’s fine man like it’s totally

00:27:38.385 –> 00:27:42.385
It’s beautiful. Yeah.

00:27:39.035 –> 00:27:51.035
I, cause I do, I do need that time to replenish and, and, but, so introvert is definitely one for me and I like I said I struggle like sharing my own story.

00:27:44.535 –> 00:27:57.535
So like, like that’s a part of it. Like that’s that’s a learning that I’m going through is like, how do I show up?

00:27:57.585 –> 00:28:06.585
As a person who’s introverted and like share behind the scenes. I’m an NYGRAM 3.

00:28:04.536 –> 00:28:15.536
So that’s, that’s probably. I feel like outwardly like that would probably be like the one that people would just be like, oh yeah, she’s in 91 grand 3.

00:28:15.735 –> 00:28:18.735
If like people knew any of the, like they’d be like, yeah, that’s hard.

00:28:18.485 –> 00:28:22.485
That’s the achiever and I absolutely see that. Yeah, yeah.

00:28:20.886 –> 00:28:39.886
Yeah, so that definitely, I relate to that. I’m a Libra and Sadaturi is rising and I definitely definitely can see like that play out in my life a lot so like you know, I’m really good at seeing like the different sides to everything.

00:28:35.735 –> 00:28:47.735
It can kind of make me indecisive at times because I’m, oh, well, I can see the pros and cons of everything.

00:28:45.486 –> 00:28:54.486
This is why we get along so well because I am in the same boat. It’s so good when we’re working with clients and it is so frustrating.

00:28:54.386 –> 00:29:00.386
When we are trying to make our own life decisions. Yeah.

00:28:56.986 –> 00:29:04.986
Sure, it’s so true. Honestly, like I just look like I’m pretty good.

00:29:01.235 –> 00:29:06.235
Like, well, I’ve had to become good at it. I’m like, I can make a decision.

00:29:03.786 –> 00:29:21.786
Like I just have to make a decision and you know like my thoughts on decisions are like. If it could be undone, then I’m just like, just jump in, like just jump in, see how it goes, test it out, like self experimentation is huge.

00:29:15.286 –> 00:29:27.286
Is a huge help in my indecision because I’m like, I could try it and like.

00:29:27.549 –> 00:29:34.549
And I’m also like not afraid to quit. Like I have no I have no problem doing that.

00:29:31.885 –> 00:29:33.885
That’s good.

00:29:32.635 –> 00:29:42.635
Cause I think that one thing I’ve really I think there’s a difference between quitting because things are hard and quitting because something isn’t right for you.

00:29:41.135 –> 00:29:54.135
And I you know the difference after after like a lot of self work like I feel like I’ve developed a really strong intuition of like like I’m stopping this because it’s not.

00:29:55.485 –> 00:30:00.485
Like it’s not a good fit. Not that I’m stopping because things are hard.

00:30:00.186 –> 00:30:13.186
Oh, that is so, so important. First of all, the ability to stop. So many of us, myself included, are committed to something for the sake of it because we said we would do it and like it’s time to pivot.

00:30:11.186 –> 00:30:19.186
It’s time to let go. It’s time to evolve and we just clean on for no reason other than we said we would do it.

00:30:17.885 –> 00:30:26.885
Honing that intuition of knowing when to stay the course and when to. Simply cut your losses.

00:30:25.552 –> 00:30:32.552
I feel like it’s 1 of the biggest Lessons in life, but especially in business that we can learn.

00:30:32.985 –> 00:30:38.985
So I’m so glad that you have done that for yourself. That’s such a powerful skill to have.

00:30:37.885 –> 00:30:44.885
I’ve pivoted many times. I feel like I like rival Madonna on re invention.

00:30:42.552 –> 00:30:50.552
I feel like, yeah, like that’s, I feel like that’s part of it. And, Yeah, like I do, I feel like.

00:30:50.736 –> 00:31:09.736
And I don’t know if you’ve seen this with clients too, but like people like hold on really tight to certain things in their message or in their offer suite because they’ve just done it this way and they’ve always done it this way and then they realize like, well, it’s not really what I want or like this offer no longer like this offer really doesn’t make any sense for my message or

00:31:09.785 –> 00:31:22.785
this offer needs to be evolved and I think you know again like being able to talk it through with someone can help you see like what’s a good addition by, I swear by by by, by, subtraction.

00:31:17.185 –> 00:31:30.185
Actually, I’m always looking at like, what can go, like what can go so I can have more.

00:31:23.685 –> 00:31:25.685
Yeah.

00:31:28.935 –> 00:31:40.935
Beautiful. So obviously a huge part of my framework to brand messaging and all of my clients approach to life and business is about.

00:31:33.985 –> 00:31:49.985
Values alignment. So I would love to know what are some of your guiding? I mean, I know what they are because we we worked on them together, but I would love for you to share.

00:31:51.639 –> 00:31:56.639
Are guiding values and how have they specifically sparked action in your business?

00:31:55.335 –> 00:32:10.335
Oh, these are like I love this question, especially because like of the option step. So a few of the guiding principles and I have a new one that I actually just wrote down the other day and I’m really excited to share.

00:32:00.785 –> 00:32:02.785
Yeah.

00:32:02.935 –> 00:32:15.935
So like one of them for me is that like. When you do life better, you do business better.

00:32:08.485 –> 00:32:09.485
Hi.

00:32:13.936 –> 00:32:26.936
Again, it’s kind of that person. Content growth kind of thing like when you’re when you’re taking care of yourself when you’re learning something when you’re evolving, you’re going to do business better.

00:32:18.635 –> 00:32:20.635
Hmm.

00:32:23.835 –> 00:32:36.835
Like you’re going to feel better in your business. Things are going to feel more aligned for you when you’re doing good things for yourself and I’ve burned out like literally like at least 3 times since I started my business 4 years ago.

00:32:36.335 –> 00:32:45.335
So like really learning this lesson over and over and over again. For sure. So that’s really important for me.

00:32:43.685 –> 00:32:45.685
Hmm.

00:32:44.335 –> 00:33:00.335
And I think that that’s really how I help against develop their insights too. I think that, you know, I think I always think about, you know, starting with a solid framework and then dismantling it accordingly so you could find the right fit for you.

00:32:55.635 –> 00:33:08.635
I do think the best practices exist for a reason, but like when you’re implementing them, again, it’s like, where can I do edition?

00:33:02.935 –> 00:33:13.935
By subtraction or how can I tweet this to make this work for me more? Like, I absolutely believe in that.

00:33:06.585 –> 00:33:19.585
And I think that you can learn from other people and take what you learn from other people and make it work for yourself.

00:33:20.086 –> 00:33:43.086
That’s a huge thing, like especially when I’m doing strategy for clients and the content strategy for clients, you know, we start with like, okay, well, here are some best practices, you know, best practices for Instagram and like, let’s see now like what feels good for you like how does how does showing up on store like I can give you templates and like we could like give you formulas to show up on Instagram right

00:33:40.686 –> 00:33:50.686
but like then it’s gonna feel formulaic so we have to do the work to make sure it’s feeling good for you and how you wanna show up and all those kind of things.

00:33:50.035 –> 00:34:03.035
I do believe that If you if you are learning and sharing what you’re interested in and like what you’re interested in and where that intersects with your skill set.

00:34:01.986 –> 00:34:09.986
I know for sure you’ll let track the right audience. Like share what you love. I love what you share and you will attract the right people to you.

00:34:04.035 –> 00:34:18.035
Hey, this is the new one that I worked on. I woke up. I literally woke up in the middle of night and I wrote this down.

00:34:04.786 –> 00:34:06.786
Hmm.

00:34:17.636 –> 00:34:19.636
Love it.

00:34:18.785 –> 00:34:39.785
And this is just a couple of weeks ago, so I’m still kind of flushing it out, but it’s, if you have a, what a credit, you have a story that’s gonna help someone and basically like if you have regrets if you’ve made a mistake in your life, you can tell a story about that time and use that as a way to connect and help someone else.

00:34:40.086 –> 00:34:51.086
Yes. Oh, such beautiful examples. What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?

00:34:53.185 –> 00:34:55.185
Thank you. So many.

00:34:53.235 –> 00:34:59.235
And I know you’ve shared a lot already so you can reiterate to if nothing else comes to mind.

00:34:54.635 –> 00:35:03.635
But yeah, big lesson that you think is worth sharing.

00:35:03.551 –> 00:35:06.551
Hi, I honestly think like

00:35:07.286 –> 00:35:27.286
Be like, you know, let the business evolve with you, share what you love, like don’t, you know, I feel like Here’s a here’s something that I really think has changed the way I showed up for business like I know that most marketers and most people are always like start with your target audience.

00:35:13.936 –> 00:35:15.936
Hmm.

00:35:21.236 –> 00:35:34.236
Everyone wants you to start with your target audience. I don’t want people to start with target audience.

00:35:29.635 –> 00:35:38.635
I want my people to start with what do you believe? Like why are your values? What is going to get you out of bed in the morning?

00:35:38.586 –> 00:35:54.586
What how is that going to motivate you in your business how are you living into those values and how can we share those things because like I said, like I really believe that when you’re sharing things like you care about other people, there are there are people like you.

00:35:53.335 –> 00:36:07.335
There are other people like you, there are other people who feel like you and you will find those people when you’re sharing about what you love and when you’re sharing about your skill set and how your skills have helps other people.

00:36:06.935 –> 00:36:21.935
I think building off of that and then we could start talking about targeting. It’s actually much easier to find a target audience when you understand how your skill set and your interest intersect because then we know like, well, what other kind of people are going to be interested in this?

00:36:20.485 –> 00:36:32.485
Like, that’s much, it’s much easier to find that way than try to, you know, just come up with a product idea and then try to find people for a product idea and then try to find people for a product.

00:36:22.235 –> 00:36:24.235
Hmm.

00:36:33.885 –> 00:36:44.885
Yeah, yeah. So given your expertise in storytelling in content creation, in strategy around these ideas.

00:36:34.285 –> 00:36:36.285
Like that’s 10 times harder to do.

00:36:40.835 –> 00:36:49.835
What tactical tip do you have for fellow business owners?

00:36:52.236 –> 00:36:56.236
I’m, I mean, learned dissect.

00:36:53.786 –> 00:37:03.786
Yes, share what you love. You shared so many tactical tips. Yes. Yeah, anything else you want to add to the pile of advice that you have already shared in this episode.

00:36:58.337 –> 00:37:06.337
If not, no worries.

00:36:59.135 –> 00:37:01.135
I think.

00:37:03.835 –> 00:37:20.835
No, I actually feel like I was feeling stuck. Like this is like, I, I’ve been like kind of re like rebranding refreshing the brand or whatever this is this next phase right so like when I was feeling stuck And when I was like, wow, like.

00:37:19.986 –> 00:37:30.986
None of this feels right anymore. I want to put it all down like what I started to do was think of like Well, like what if?

00:37:30.536 –> 00:37:45.536
Like what? Yes, if it was like this, what if it was like that? What? So like I kind of starting with this brainstorming thing and like leaning into that curiosity of like, well, what would it look like or what would it be?

00:37:35.685 –> 00:37:37.685
Hmm.

00:37:44.785 –> 00:37:57.785
And that’s really helped me kind of even find those things those values right like I think like what people in this lot it’s like okay what’s your values like what you know, a lot it’s not like.

00:37:54.385 –> 00:37:56.385
Yeah.

00:37:57.549 –> 00:38:18.549
Did every day thing that people always think about it kind of just it’s a part of you so you have to kind of reflect and think about that so like if you’re doing these daydreaming exercises and like you know what if like what if I could do that well like what and then why is that important to me while it’s that was important to me because of this it’s like you can find values that way and that

00:38:17.736 –> 00:38:24.736
could help you realign on your path and again like then then you won’t necessarily feel the need to burn it all down.

00:38:23.235 –> 00:38:40.235
You could just kind of see what you have. Like where’s the gap in between and then again like take off things that don’t work add things that do try different things experiment with your experimenting and your learning document what you’re doing.

00:38:38.885 –> 00:38:40.885
Yeah.

00:38:40.936 –> 00:38:55.936
That like that that’s been the framework that’s been really successful for me and it’s been and I’ve been able to to grow a pretty like I know it maybe not by like, a pretty like, I know, it maybe not by like these days standard, it’s been able to grow a pretty like, I know, it maybe not by like these days standards, because of like millions of followers, but I have a pretty decent engaged following

00:38:54.585 –> 00:39:07.585
like. And I care very much about that and they’re so kind to me. It’s, I feel it’s way more than transactional and I think if like that’s the kind of community you want to build like.

00:38:59.086 –> 00:39:01.086
You do.

00:39:09.535 –> 00:39:13.535
I think that that’s a really it’s been a really successful approach for me and my clients.

00:39:11.135 –> 00:39:20.135
Oh, beautiful. So, all right, just a couple more questions to wrap up. This amazing conversation.

00:39:15.585 –> 00:39:29.585
If someone is considering investing in their brand messaging strategy or their marketing in general. What should they know or consider?

00:39:29.835 –> 00:39:38.835
If you’re if you want to invest in your marketing, I would say You know, they’re so like.

00:39:38.935 –> 00:39:45.935
Usually when when people come to me, I feel like there’s so many options when it comes to digital marketing, right?

00:39:45.786 –> 00:39:54.786
Like So like knowing like what you really want to. To get out of it like what you’re really hoping to do with your marketing.

00:39:46.552 –> 00:39:48.552
Okay.

00:39:53.635 –> 00:40:05.635
I feel like some people will just they’ll come and they’ll just say like, oh, like, I just want Instagram like 4 posts a week and stuff like that.

00:40:04.335 –> 00:40:13.335
Well, like, For what reason, right? Or like I want a hundred 1,000 followers, but for what reason, right?

00:40:06.735 –> 00:40:22.735
Because like, like, I think the probably the most common example is like I wanna get to 10,000 followers on Instagram and you know, it’s like, well, why do you wanna do that?

00:40:20.885 –> 00:40:28.885
Because I bet, like, if it’s, you want to build a community, you want to get more people on your email list, you want to.

00:40:25.035 –> 00:40:39.035
Sell more. Like we could probably do all those things, on our way to 10,000 followers, but we don’t need to get $10,000 first to get all those things before.

00:40:34.886 –> 00:40:44.886
So, you know, like barely being clear on like what you actually like, what are the results you want.

00:40:43.635 –> 00:40:49.635
Like you don’t want it to do list, you want a results list. Like what results do you want?

00:40:47.885 –> 00:40:55.885
Because there’s a million ways to play it in digital marketing. Like if you’re looking to make 10 sales, there’s a thousand ways to do it.

00:40:51.135 –> 00:41:06.135
So really understanding like what’s gonna be the like what you actually want from it like what you’re hoping to achieve out of the marketing.

00:41:05.786 –> 00:41:11.786
Maybe it’s not just a tactic that you’re looking for. It’s more of like a result that you’re looking for.

00:41:10.486 –> 00:41:26.486
Oh, that’s so important. And that is why I switched over to the strategy realm to begin with is because people were hiring me for blog posts website copy XYZ and there was no strategy behind it.

00:41:23.935 –> 00:41:36.935
There was no intention behind it. They were throwing money at a problem because they thought. I need this thing for whatever reason and it was not tied to reaching more perfect fit people.

00:41:37.135 –> 00:41:48.135
It was not tied to any specific business goals. It was not tied to a specific feeling they wanted to have in their business as the leaders CEOs visionaries of their brand.

00:41:39.835 –> 00:41:55.835
So that is such an important reminder for all of us. It is finding that outside perspective that feels like the right fit.

00:41:54.485 –> 00:42:06.485
And feeling seen and heard and understood so that you can then make your people. Audience, clients, customers feel seen and heard and understood.

00:42:06.486 –> 00:42:09.486
That is so, so important.

00:42:07.435 –> 00:42:20.435
Yeah, I love you said that’s like exactly that’s like exactly right and I do think that that’s why like having a strategy consultation before you even invest in any tactic is such a good idea.

00:42:18.786 –> 00:42:29.786
Because it’ll pay for itself again just because like you’ll get on Instagram and like every different expert out there is going to tell you a different way to do things.

00:42:29.286 –> 00:42:38.286
And really being and that’s fine because like it probably does help and they probably do really great work but You want to know that.

00:42:37.985 –> 00:42:47.985
What you’re like when you’re spending that money that you have a plan behind them like what you said like the feeling that you got like how you want to show up, how you’re connecting with people.

00:42:47.552 –> 00:42:52.552
Like think that’s why I’m working with a strategist, especially in the, in the very beginning.

00:42:53.585 –> 00:42:55.585
Is, so helpful.

00:42:54.735 –> 00:43:05.735
Yeah. So, alright, last juicy question. What advice do you have? For women to take confident meaningful action?

00:43:05.786 –> 00:43:15.786
I saw this question in the email that you sent. So like here, here’s like I’m not always the most self competent person, right?

00:43:09.635 –> 00:43:11.635
Yeah.

00:43:13.885 –> 00:43:22.885
So like one thing that’s really helped me. like for me, like a lot of self confidence comes from self trust.

00:43:22.785 –> 00:43:33.785
Being able to trust yourself keep the commitments you make to yourself you know doing the things like making commitments to yourself and sticking to that like that’s been huge for me.

00:43:28.136 –> 00:43:41.136
Even if that’s just a workout routine and that’s been huge for me. Even if that’s just a workout routine and that’s not like, you know, not going overboard.

00:43:33.135 –> 00:43:42.135
It’s not like, you know, not going overboard. It’s not like, you know, not going overboard.

00:43:34.336 –> 00:43:49.336
It’s not like, you know, not going overboard. It’s not like saying, I’m gonna start working on now and I’m gonna start working on now and I’m gonna work out for an hour days, 7 days a week, but like saying like I’m going to work out for an hour days, 7 days a week, but like saying like I’m going to make sure that I got

00:43:44.636 –> 00:43:58.636
I’m going to make sure that I got 20 min in 3 days a week and sticking to that plan, like doing things that, that make you feel good.

00:43:48.235 –> 00:43:54.235
20 min a week but like saying like I’m going to make sure that I got 20 min in 3 days a week, but like saying like, I’m going to make sure that I got 20 min in 3 days a week and sticking to that plan.

00:43:53.686 –> 00:44:00.686
Like, you know, like, I know we kind of talked about this before, but really doing things that.

00:43:59.686 –> 00:44:10.686
Make the process enjoyable like I feel like lots of people say like you know, enjoy the process. Well, like you have to do the work of finding out what makes the process enjoyable for you.

00:44:09.786 –> 00:44:18.786
And it’s not always the easiest work, but like, you know, And like I said, like kind of like, you know, doing taro just to make like things fun.

00:44:17.085 –> 00:44:24.085
Like I love like I like exploring that stuff. So that’s interesting to me. Like finding your interest and again.

00:44:24.551 –> 00:44:36.551
When you find your interest, you can talk about it and you’ll have really great content. But I do think that self- and self confidence really go go hand in hand at least for me and my experience.

00:44:34.886 –> 00:44:47.886
Yeah, and you said keeping commitments to yourself that remind me of episode 61 of the podcast which is all about committing to consistency amidst constant change.

00:44:46.386 –> 00:44:59.386
I feel like it goes so well with this entire conversation that we just had. I’ll link that in the show notes, but yeah, that ability, we show up for other people so well, most of us.

00:44:57.685 –> 00:45:10.685
And how often do we drop the ball on our goals, on our vision, on what we say as a priority for us on working on our business, not just on our clients businesses, right?

00:45:05.786 –> 00:45:26.786
So that is such an important reminder. So thank you for that. If people want to connect with you, if they love what you have been saying, if they want to see how your journey unfolds, how can they stay connected?

00:45:25.986 –> 00:45:35.986
Well, cindyzaweski.com. That’s my website and that is the hub of everything.

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There you could find the blogs, the newsletter, the connections to all my social media. So that’s a really great place to go.

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You wanna connect.