3 Reasons Brene Brown Changed My Life, (aka The Brene Brown Effect)

It is time to understand that you belong right here. You belong at the crossroads of imperfection and exposure. When we try new things and nudge ourselves into the space of "uncomfortable" we have the option of recoiling from the situation or, we have the option to jump right in. When we jump in we are given the opportunity to embrace this beautiful mess.

WARNING: This beautiful mess is an inevitable by-product of being human. Beware as it has side effects. The side effects can lead to empowering lessons and deep human connections. When holding tight to perfectionism we miss the gift of the human experience.

It is time to get vulnerable.

For so long I tried to get it right. I tried to grapple with the imperfections of parenthood, relationships, and a career. I kept teetering on the precipice of perceived perfection and utter failure. Instinctively I tried to protect myself from pain and judgment. After all who wants to be in pain and who wants to be judged?

I pretended to have it all together. When things got tough or unfamiliar, I would recoil to a space a familiarity. Friends, (insert unsolicited advice): ⬇

Familiarity Breeds Stagnancy.

I was stuck. I languished in this confined space of trying to be someone I was not, believing that this was the way to connect with other humans.

I started studying the works of Brene Brown and the lightbulb went off. Through the brilliant teachings of Brene Brown, I began to realize the veneer of perfection hindered me from living a wholehearted life. For years I believe that I had to hold onto this projection of a picture-perfect life. I believed that people connected with perfection. I believed no one wanted to hear my battle stories. People hungered for perfection? (I was clearly mistaken).

When I embraced vulnerability and exposed my not-so-fatal flaws I dipped my toe in the lesson of being human. I became the queen of sharing. Mind you, I did not over-share or give TMI. I knew I had a story. And I understood that the art of storytelling is the most powerful connector. With courageous trepidation, I started this journey of unmasking illusion and embracing my humanity.

And then the magic happened.

This is how Brene Brown changed my life.

1. This is where I engendered trust as a leader.

2. This is where I taught my children that it is ok to make mistakes.

3. This is where I empowered myself to live the life I always knew I was meant for.

This is the Brene Brown Effect*.

In Dr. Brown's talk at the University of Minnesota, she described the ways we try to sidestep the shaky feeling of vulnerability. We emotionally "armor up" each morning when we face the day to avoid feeling shame, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. The particular armor changes from person to person, but it usually revolves around one of three methods: striving for perfection, numbing out, or disrupting joyful moments by "dress rehearsing tragedy" and imagining all the way that things could go wrong.

With a chokehold on protecting ourselves from pain, we avoid embarrassment, shame, and guilt. By holding onto this illusion of control we limit our potential.

When we embrace vulnerability, we are given gifts that tap into the essence of belonging. This is the foundation of the human experience.

We all want to belong to something that is inclusive of our passions and beliefs.

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope empathy, accountability, and authenticity.”

- Brene Brown

The Brene Brown Effect is not unlike the butterfly effect theory. The butterfly effect theory states that when a butterfly moves its wings, it can cause a cyclone in another part of the world. It has become, in modern times, a metaphor for the existence of seemingly insignificant moments that alter history and the shape of destiny.

Brene Brown's teachings suggest that when we are at one with ourselves we become open to living wholeheartedly. My experience in lifting the veil of my perceived life allows a glimpse into the challenges I face daily. These challenges create a personal algorithm of support and connection with those who travel a similar path. When I understand my worth and forge my path in my truth, I connect with the people I am supposed to commune with.

* I know this to be powerful as I connect and grow my personal and professional ecosystem.

*The Brene Brown Effect: BBE (and yes, I coined this), is the one where we shed the pretenses of controlling and predicting and we live wholeheartedly. When we lean into the discomfort of being vulnerable we attract authentic connections. And life is about true and deep connections. These are connections that support our purpose in life and give us meaning. This is where we find belonging.

So how can we, as mere mortals, harness the BBE?

--> It is first to believe you are worthy of love and connection no matter what. It is to believe in your worthiness so deeply that you can share those not-so-perfect aspects of your life with those around you. By being courageous enough to shed the "idea" of perfectionism and embrace the discomfort of your rough edges you will offer up your authentic beauty to the world.

If you do not know Brene Brown, start with her latest book, Atlas of The Heart. This is a beautiful book that is a compilation of her works as an expert on emotions. It is both a delicious story, a remarkable reference guide, and a gorgeous coffee table book. And, no, she did not in any way pay me to endorse her book. However, if you know Brene Brown, please tell her I endorse everything she embodies. She guides me through her written word, both professionally and personally. She has made a deep connection with me through her words.

Life is all about connection. It is what drives humans. It is about getting recognized and being heard. The Brene Brown Effect is life-changing if you chose it.

Tip: Chose vulnerability, reject perfection and let yourself shine.

xo-You Got This-Jules

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5 Marketing Trends In 2022

Get my tips and see the list of preferred tools I use every day to build brand awareness!

Truth be told I love the creative art of marketing. I love getting into the minds of potential consumers and attempt to predict their behaviors. I adore creating contextual experiences through visual and auditory experiences that make my potential audience squeal with delight. I equate this exploration of understanding the psyche of my audience to a visionary trip down a path of trial and error.

However, branding and marketing is an art that dabbles in fortune-telling. I would love to say that I have a crystal ball that gives me the tools to know exactly how to curate a marketing and branding plan that is 100% accurate. The art of marketing is not an exact science, in fact, it is the opposite. As a brand, it is imperative that you are agile. To harness a successful brand you need to be prepared for curveballs.

The curveballs thrown to businesses globally are epic in proportions these past 2 years. Consumers were relegated into digital spaces due to the pandemic and brand building screeched to a halt. The successful brands, who understood the needs of their consumers were able to rise to the top with buoyant precision.

WHAT DOES 2022 LOOK LIKE FOR BRAND BUILDERS?

Video-

Video creates a real connection with your audience. Building your brand is akin to building relationships. It is imperative that you invest in your relationships and give your audience some facetime. This can look like live feeds on Instagram, Facebook, or Linkedin. This can be an embedded video in your email. Or it can look like lively videos on YouTube (which is owned by Google).

Video creation can seem like a big production. So start small. I love using Viddyoze. Viddyoze provides templates in which you insert art and text and it creates innovative video clips for your branding efforts.

Content is Queen-

Content, Content Content. Content can look like blogs, websites, speaking engagements, podcasts, videos, and the list goes on and on. Google-friendly content can skyrocket you to the top of search engines.

Content is the versatile engine to run the online marketing of your business. Here’s what you need to know when publishing content online:

1. Lead with value. Giving value (free information, advice, tips) builds the credibility of your business and keeps your company at the front of consumers’ minds.

2. Map the customer journey. Content marketing is storytelling that brings customers through different stages:

Awareness. This is the stage when potential customers learn about you and your business. Lead customers from this “Awareness” stage to the next stage with a call-to-action to subscribe to your newsletter. At this stage, the content can be: - Tutorial (from searches like Google or Pinterest)

- Viral post (something people will share or retweet)

- Expert content or analysis report

Consideration. At this stage, potential customers already know about you and would consider buying from you. They are already in your circle. Content can be half educational and half promotional. You’ll reach customers at this stage via content such as newsletters, case studies, and podcasts.

Decision. At the decision stage, customers trust your business and are considering making a purchase from you. Content here isn’t to educate or build brand awareness. It’s to address the benefits of your products or services. At this stage, the call-to-action leads the customer to either make a purchase or start a free trial.

If you are not a writer and cannot afford to hire a ghostwriter or content creator, check out PLR.ME. PLR.Me is a clearinghouse of pre-written copy, blogs, articles, courses, etc that you can use under your brand and repurpose it as you like.

SEOs-

This is why SEO matters so much. SEO is the process of optimizing your website (pages, blog posts, and more) for search engines like Google. If you understand it and do it right, you can get a significant amount of traffic from search engines. In other words, when people use Google to search for specific terms, your site will show up near the top of the results. People will click on your site and read your awesome content. Pretty simple, right? Well, sort of. The general concept behind SEO is simple but it’s a little more complicated in practice. Which makes sense, of course. There are trillions of web pages out there and Google has to be able to understand them and give the relevant ones to searchers. One of the primary goals of SEO is to make your website stand out from everything else. You want to make your site as appealing as possible to Google. The more appealing it is, the more it will be shown to searchers and the more traffic you’ll get. So, how do you make your site stand out in the eyes of Google?

I use Keywords Everywhere everywhere to help me understand SEOs. Keywords Everywhere is a chrome extension and has a very low price point. There are a lot of options to explore on the internet, so remember to keep it simple (stupid).

Experiential Branding:

Consumers are bored with the bombardment of advertising. The overwhelming flow of sales pitches to their inbox is a futile attempt of doing it like all the rest. Creating an experience for your audience is essential in capturing their attention and their imagination. Recently, my friend and experiential branding expert Lucia Harper opened my eyes to the world of gamification. Lucia is the CEO of On Purpose.fun . And let me tell you, Lucia makes everything more fun.

Gamification is the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.

Social Media:

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I know it is a necessary evil when it comes to creating your online presence. It can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and soul-depleting. More than ever the Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn trifecta is more important as we weave ourselves into the unchartered territories of the metaverse. The key is to be consistent and confident in your brand. I have found that batching social media assets and scheduling them a month in advance makes the task less cumbersome. However, it is essential to engage and get to know your audience. Social media gives key insight into the pulse of your potential clientele. I love using Loomly to schedule my posts, as it is intuitive and easy to post.

Branding can be a fun adventure that evokes creativity and clarity. Do the research, understand market trends, and take the leap into thinking outside the box. Do branding a little bit differently and you will reap exponential rewards!

You Got This- Jules

And if you are interested in joining a community of brand-builders interested in elevating the voices of those that are making an impact check out Femcasters! (It Is Free)!

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How To Start A Podcast & Why You Need To Start Today.

The Power Of Podcasting Can Change The World

ASSUMPTION #1

You have listened to a podcast or two.

Perhaps you are OBSESSED (shameless plug) with the likes of Brene Brown's or Dax Shephard's podcasts. There is a magical quality when you slip your earbuds in and you are greeted by the familiar riffs of a podcast host. You are transported into another world that sparks imagination, creativity, and ideas.

Podcasting is making a resurgence in popularity. The genre of podcasting has been experiencing a sort of renaissance. According to the Intelligencer, the reasoning podcasts may be growing is that the economics are compelling. Producing an average podcast costs far less than producing a TV show or a radio show (all you really need is a microphone or two, a copy of Audacity or some other editing software, and a cheap hosting service for the audio files themselves).

The magic of podcasting can produce income! Podcast advertising rates on a successful podcast are big enough to pay for the costs many times over. Several top podcasters told me that their CPM (the cost to an advertiser per thousand impressions, a standard ad-industry unit) was between $20 and $45. Compare that to a typical radio CPM (roughly $1 to $18) or network TV ($5 to $20) or even a regular old web ad ($1 to $20), and the podcast wins.

ASSUMPTION #2

You are reading this article because you have thought about venturing down the winding road of podcasting.

The power of your voice taking to the airwaves is a scintillating experience. When I embarked on my first podcast (with my amazing co-hosts, Tia Morell-Walden, Mika Altidor, and Tristin Hodges) we were knee-deep in a puddle of emotions. I was gobsmacked with excitement, confusion, overwhelm, and bewilderment.

The list of questions in my head ruminated:

• Why should I put so much energy into something that may just lay lifeless in a universe of 2 Billion other podcasts? ( FACT: there are 2 billion other podcasts).

• Was anyone going to listen to this podcast?

• What if it flops?

WHY PODCASTING?

Podcasting is an incredible vehicle to boost your brand, elicit excitement about something you believe in, and can leverage your expertise. The added bonus is that it is truly fun. As a host on the Obsessed Podcast, I can solemnly swear that the experience has changed my life and the trajectory of my business. The conversations with such notables as Dr. Laura Berman, Dr. Sherrie Campbell, and Dr. JC Doornick have morphed into incredible collaborations and friendships.

More importantly, the power of our voices has changed the way our listeners think about their lives. In a few short months, our rinky-dink experiment with podcasting soared to the top 5% of podcasts globally. Our audience has met us with incredible warmth, support, and generosity. This has impacted my life (and I speak for my co-hosts), so profoundly, that I believe we can never go back to being, regular, old non-podcasters.

The art of podcasting has assisted me in my pursuit of curating a speaking voice that is more confident and self-assured. I have learned to embrace the messy and navigate a platform that seemed like an impossible dream.

The Obsessed With Humans On The Verge Of Change Podcast

ARE YOU READY TO ELEVATE YOUR VOICE? START HERE:

• Step #1: Choose a topic you love. Just like blogging, you need to select a niche for your podcast that provides information that is in high demand with listeners.

• Step #2: Pick a podcast title. A podcast title can help the listener anticipate the content and purpose of your podcast.

• Step #3: Write a sound description. You should write a descriptive paragraph about the contents of your show to entice listeners. ...

• Step #4: Get your artwork created. The podcast will require some artwork or a square image that represents your show and the niche it belongs to.

• Download the app Anchor.FM (for free) and start playing around. There are dozens of podcast hosting platforms, so do your research. Anchor.FM is a great tool to practice on and get familiar with how to podcast

Warning: Podcasting may be addicting. I adore podcasting so much, that I recently launched a second podcast with the brilliant and huge-hearted Corinna Bellizzi, called Femcasters. While podcasting has an addictive quality, many podcasts fade into oblivion after 6 episodes. There is a term for this phenomenon called Podfade.

WHAT IS POD FADE?

The Urban dictionary defines pod fade as when a podcast suddenly stops releasing new content without a final show or an announcement. Thousands of new podcasts came on the scene last week alone. Although the podcast movement is gaining traction, there is a large percentage of podcasters who stop their show early on.

It is critical you are strong in your mission and committed to a platform that may initially have you scratching your head asking yourself, "Why am I dedicating so much time to this"?

Podcasting is a journey in slow growth. Like all things in life you receive the energy, you give to it. However, if you have a true purpose behind your show, then the reward will be paid back in dividends.

Why not give podcasting a whirl? Come on you know you have been dreaming about it.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO JOIN A COMMUNITY OF PODCASTERS, BROADCASTERS, AUTHORS, AND SPEAKERS CHECK OUT:

FEMCASTERS

--YOU GOT THIS, Jules

Check Out Some Of My Favorite New Podcasts!