423-SYB-Break-the-Rules.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Carol Cox:
Are you feeling stuck? Or maybe you’ve hit a plateau with your brand or visibility? Well, it’s time to break the rules. That’s what we’re talking about on this episode of the Speaking Your Brand podcast.
Carol Cox:
More and more women are making an impact by starting businesses, running for office and speaking up for what matters. With my background as a TV political analyst, entrepreneur, and speaker, I interview and coach purpose driven women to shape their brands, grow their companies, and become recognized as influencers in their field. This is speaking your brand, your place to learn how to persuasively communicate your message to your audience.
Carol Cox:
Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your Brand podcast. I’m your host, Carol Cox. I have a confession to make. I realize that I’ve diluted my brand message, my brand style and my brand voice. Now this has happened unintentionally and inadvertently, but I’ve been sensing this for at least a year. But I kept powering through, creating new podcast episodes, sending emails, posting on LinkedIn like that proverbial hamster on a wheel, churning out content that was good and valuable and useful. But I knew it was missing a spark, and I felt this because I was getting bored and burnt out. But I thought, well, that’s just what you have to do when you have a business. And yes, there is a certain truth to that, but you still need that spark. Now, I wasn’t bored with the topics that I cover on the podcast or on my email newsletter or on LinkedIn.
Carol Cox:
I loved talking about thought leadership, public speaking, how to help women escape the expert trap and provide transformational talks and content to their audiences. But really, where I’ve been feeling stuck and stagnant was in creating this content every single week I’ve mastered these formats and I realize that I’m ready. I’m hungry. I’m longing for something new. And then a few weeks ago, after the in-person speaking workshop we held in Orlando, one of the women who attended said to me, you know, Carol, you and Diane are really fun and funny and personable. And I hadn’t realized that until I was with you at the workshop. You come across so buttoned up on your website, but you’re not. And I realized that she was right. And these activities, the podcast, email newsletters, LinkedIn posts have become, I realized, a bit of a compulsion. Like I must keep doing it. Kind of like a Snapchat streak where that was a thing a number of years ago, where people would have to do a Snapchat every single day, otherwise they would break their streak and these kids would do it for days and weeks and months on end. So these activities have become a bit of a compulsion. It’s actually hard for me to imagine stopping them. And they’ve also become a crutch, a crutch, because telling myself I have to do these things every week has let me off the hook of doing other things I want to do, but that are bigger, bolder, scarier, and out of my comfort zone.
Carol Cox:
So yes, I am very much fallen back into the expert trap. This happens to all of us, even with the best of intentions. And yes, I know that I could hire a marketing assistant, a marketing person to help me with this and I will definitely be doing that. But before that, I recognize that the content creation hamster wheel is still in my brain taking up mental space. I know I need to detach and detox from doing it for a while, so that when I do bring someone in, they can truly own that and take it away from me. Perhaps you’re feeling a bit bored and burnt out, or stuck and stagnant like I’ve been feeling. Or maybe you’re enjoying the content you’re creating in the topics you speak about, but you’ve hit a plateau. Your business is not growing as much. Speaking opportunities aren’t growing. You’re not getting higher profile keynote speaking opportunities. And that’s what you really want. And most importantly, maybe you feel personally that you’ve hit a plateau, that you’re not growing and your business speaking and visibility opportunities will only grow if you’re stretching and growing yourself. In order to do that, though, we have to break some rules. Rules that make us feel safe, comfortable, and validated. Now, I’m actually not really a rule follower. I call myself a rule bender. Maybe a rule breaker. Not nothing illegal or an unethical or anything like that.
Carol Cox:
But I do like challenging the status quo. I do like pushing the limits and thinking where is something that we can do that’s different. This is like the innovative aspect of my personality and my brand, but this is where I realize I’ve been diluting this again, not intentionally. It’s just kind of happened over the past few years because of being on this content creation hamster wheel. So I’m going to share with you three rules you can consider breaking or at least bending in, why you should do that, and how you can think about doing that for yourself. I’m also going to share a big change, a rule that I’m breaking. So keep listening to the end. And I’m also going to share with you the ways that you can work with this in 2025. Make sure that you’re on our email list, because that’s where you’re going to get the most up to date announcements of what we’re doing, and you can join our email list by going to speaking your brand.com/join again that’s speaking your brand.com/join. Now let’s get on with the show. Here’s the first rule to break. Stop providing information and teaching and training content to your audience. Now I know this goes against all of the advice that is out there that says, provide lots of content to your audience, free content so that they understand what you do and who you work with and provide them. With all of these tips and trainings and resources, webinars and blog posts and free downloadable guides and all of that.
Carol Cox:
Now, I’m not saying don’t do any of that, but you probably have already done enough. And that’s what I realized. I have done enough. I have so much content out there, from this podcast to all of the articles on the Speaking Your Brand website, to all of the lead magnets and webinars we that we’ve created over the years. And if you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that I talk about the need to escape the expert trap to provide transformation to your audience, not just information, because that’s how you’re going to step into thought leadership. After all, it’s not about how much you know. It’s about how you make others feel, think and act. And this really crystallized for me when I worked with my client, Julia Korn, on her recent keynote. We talked about it in the previous episode, number 422. And listeners have loved that episode. They’ve told me this on LinkedIn in an email they sent to me. They loved it so much that they listened to it twice, because there are so many good things that we talk about in that episode about how to provide transformation and not just information to your audiences, because that’s what people are looking for. Expertise, tips, trainings, how to’s are plentiful on the internet. From Google searches to YouTube videos to asking ChatGPT your audience can find whatever they’re looking for, but instead they want to hear from you, those hard won life lessons.
Carol Cox:
They want that thought leadership of how do you go from the stage that they’re currently in to the stage that they want to be in, whether it’s for their business, their personal life, their relationships, their health, their finances, whatever your business and your topic happens to be. So I want you to break the rule of just providing lots of information and teaching and training to your audience. I really want you to focus on the change. You want to help them to create, not just the knowledge you want to share. I invite you to share a personal insights and stories with your audience, and also to address your audience’s emotions and challenges and identities, not just their how to questions. Rule number two to break. Stop playing it safe and trying to be like the big players. I really noticed in the past year, especially that the online ecosystem, whether it’s YouTube, podcast, Instagram, TikTok and so on, that it has become what is called a winner take most. And that means that the biggest players, the biggest podcasters, YouTubers, influencers, they’re going to take most of the attention from the people who are online. If you think about podcasting, the concentration of listenership is so high. Of the 600,000 podcasts that produce content every week, the top ten capture half the revenue. If you have a podcast, you may not be doing it for ad revenue, but just think about translate that half that revenue into, say, half of listeners time.
Carol Cox:
This winner take most ecosystem is for the people who appeal to a lot of people and have already established themselves. You think about the Joe Rogan’s of the world, but say in an R space. Business and marketing. Amy Porterfield, Marie Forleo, Mel Robbins, Brene Brown now these women are fantastic and they provide excellent content, but they really do have to be kind of all things to all people. And you can’t compete with them by doing the same thing that they’re doing. They have to appeal to big audiences because they are big players. But you don’t have to appeal to big audiences, and you shouldn’t Because you’re not in the same winner take most ecosystem that they are. This means that you have to be even more of you. I know you hear this all the time, that your personal brand and even your business brand should reflect who you are, and we know this, but we don’t do it in a way that’s going to resonate with our audiences. We still have a tendency to play it safe, to do what is most palatable to the people out there. Now, I’m not saying to be controversial for controversy’s sake or just to do things to make people angry. Not at all. But I really want you to think about what are those unique aspects of who you are and your personality, and combine them and incorporate all these different aspects, even if they seem contradictory to each other.
Carol Cox:
Actually, that’s a good thing because it makes you more interesting. What I’ve done recently is I opened up a blank document in Canva, and I started putting Different brands that I like, different brands that have resonated with me to get some inspiration. And I realized when I did that that all the threads have always been there in my brand, but I had lost touch with them because I forgot about putting them front and center is what I talked about in the intro of this podcast that I had inadvertently, unintentionally diluted my brand voice and style and message. So on this brand board inspiration Canva, I have things like Sara Blakely, the founder and CEO of Spanx. I follow her on LinkedIn and I see her posts. And not only is she so fun and funny and kind of silly, but she’s also very relatable and ambitious and very much a feminist. So all of those things, I’m like, yes, and that’s what that workshop client mentioned to me, this fun, funny aspect of our personalities and our brands that Diane and I have but isn’t coming across enough in our content. Then I also have Sydney Bristow from the TV show alias, which I absolutely loved. And so she’s very different than Sarah Blakely. She’s she’s also very smart, but more mysterious. And she’s very adaptable and resilient, a little bit techie, but she goes all around the world.
Carol Cox:
This is kind of like my spy aspect of of growing up and loving to read Nancy Drew novels when I was little, but then studying the French Resistance when I was getting my PhD in history. And then I think about other brands like Virgin Atlantic, which I absolutely love. They are innovative, they’re bold, they’re irreverent, and they’re upscale, but yet affordable at the same time. So I think about the brand for speaking your brand. That’s what we want to be premium, high quality, high touch, but yet accessible and also have this bold, innovative aspect to what we’re doing. Have you seen the TV show The Good Place? I think it was out 2017, 2018. Well, there’s Janet, the character in there, and then at some point in one of the seasons, Bad Janet comes out and now I feel like I look like Good Janet, but I definitely have a rebellious side like Bad Janet. I dressed up as Bad Janet for Halloween back in 2019, with the black pleather pants and the, you know, the all black and black nail polish. And it was so much fun because I do have this rule bending, subversive, non-conformist aspect of my personality. This is where I came up with this idea of escaping the expert trap and bending these rules and breaking these rules. So this is what I mean about really stop playing it safe. Stop thinking like you have to be like the big players.
Carol Cox:
Take inspiration from them, but find this unique combination that you have and keep it front and center with this. Whether it’s a brand board inspiration on Canva or a Google Doc or things that you that you print out or that you create so that you know that every time you’re creating content or a presentation, that you’re making sure that what you’re saying and how you’re saying it is reflective of these interesting aspects of your brand. Now, the third rule to break and this may be the hardest. Stop doing something you’ve been doing for a long time and have mastered, and start doing something you’ve either been neglecting or that will challenge you. Now, this is the hardest one because it requires not only a shift in habits, which is hard enough. Where I talked earlier about this idea of this compulsion, like I feel like I have to continue on this hamster wheel. So we have these habits, but it also requires a shift in your identity. So I want you to think about what is something you’ve been doing for a long time and you’ve mastered it. Maybe you do have a podcast that you’ve been doing for a long time, and you maybe you’re wondering, should I try a different format or should I try a different channel? Maybe you’ve been posting on Instagram and LinkedIn for a long time and you’ve mastered that, so maybe you want to try something else. Maybe you’ve mastered the standard conference presentation format and the lunch and learns or conference breakout sessions where you give the audience certain information and content related to your area of expertise and you want to challenge yourself to do something different.
Carol Cox:
Or maybe you’ve been thinking about launching a podcast that’s something that you haven’t mastered, that you haven’t done before. So start doing that one thing that you may want to consider, which is what I’m doing is stop doing so much online and shift some of those efforts in that time to offline activities. We are all sucked into spending so much time online, and we think this is what we have to do all of the time. The email marketing, the social media, the podcasts, the videos, the blogs and so on. So what if you cut your online efforts in half? What would that free you up to do instead? An experiment and see what happens. Track your metrics. Track your time. Maybe try this for three months and see what happens. Now you may say to yourself, well, it doesn’t really take me that much time to post on Instagram or post on LinkedIn or to send an email newsletter to my list. And yes, that may be the case and I’ve told myself the same thing, but it takes up mental space and it serves as a crutch. So this is where we go back to requiring a shift, not only in your habits, but also in your identity and what makes you feel comfortable.
Carol Cox:
So if you think about if you cut your online efforts in half, what would that free you up to do instead? Maybe things like attending local groups and events, inviting people to coffee and lunch, going to conferences, pitching to speak at those local groups and conferences and associations, hosting an in-person workshop related to what you do in your business. If you want to record a podcast or videos instead of doing it from your laptop at home, maybe go find a local studio. Lots of cities nowadays have coworking spaces that have podcast studios that they’ve built, so maybe go book some time there and record some interviews just to get out from being sucked into spending so much time online, and that’s what I’ve decided to do for 2025, is really shift the majority of my time and efforts into offline activities instead of online, and I’ll never know unless I try. What this ends up looking like, and I can always pick it back up again before I get to the big thing. I’m changing the rule I’m breaking regarding the stop doing something you’ve been doing for a long time, and start doing something that you’ve been neglecting, or that will challenge you. I want to let you know about the ways you can work with us in 2025, because now that we’ve broken or at least bent the rules, we need to rewrite them. Rewrite them for your personal brand, for your business, for your speaking and visibility, and most importantly, for your personal growth.
Carol Cox:
And here’s how we can help you do that. First, we have our Thought Leader Academy, which is a live online program, and we work with you to craft powerful stories and talks that resonate with your audiences and drive action. We work with you to escape the expert trap and step into thought leadership, and we worked with over 250 women over the years, and they consistently tell us that we get them to think differently. We don’t just dump a bunch of tips and information on you. Instead, we really get you to think differently, to approach your presentations and your public speaking in an entirely different way. This is a live online program, so we work with you in a one on one virtual VIP day to create your signature talk from beginning to end. We work with you to develop your thought leadership message, your story bank, how to tell great stories, the business of speaking and practicing your talk. And we do this not only in that one on one VIP day, but in eight weeks of zoom calls with the small group that you’re in. You can get all of those details at speaking your brand.com/academy. Second, we have our next one day in-person speaking workshop coming up in Orlando, Florida on February 27th, 2025. We spend the entire day with you in downtown Orlando at the Citrus Club. It’s a beautiful venue, and you get to practice your storytelling and your delivery on the stage that we have there, set up in the room, it looks like a speaking venue.
Carol Cox:
You get professional photography of you speaking that you can use on your website and social media. And as our workshop attendees said two episodes ago in episode 421, having that day with us to get that on the spot. Coaching and feedback 100 XT. They’re speaking in storytelling skills. That’s the power of being in person. You can get all of those details as speaking your Brand.com slash workshop, and if you’re feeling adventurous and ready for something fresh, new and exciting, you can join me in London, England for our Bold Brand retreat in the summer of 2025. You can listen to episode 416 with my co-host Ashley Harvey. For more about this retreat. Because during our time together, we’re going to blend branding, storytelling, history, and theatre into an experience like you’ve never had. We’re going to spend three and a half days together June 29th through July 2nd, 2025 to build the vision for your brand, what makes you stand out and how to own your unique space? We’re going to work with you to discover your boldest voice with our hands on workshops, one on one coaching, and of course, being with the other women who are there. You’re going to develop and practice delivering your signature story, and we’re going to immerse you in the best of a world class city that London is. We’re going to take you on a women’s history walking tour to get inspired by women’s voices from the past.
Carol Cox:
We’re going to go together to see a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. You may have seen Shakespeare productions before. If you haven’t been to the globe, you have never seen a Shakespeare play like this. It is extraordinary. We’re going to infuse creativity, fun and inspiration into every moment that we’re together. You can get all the details for our London retreat, including pricing, dates and FAQs about speaking your brand.com/london. You’re always welcome to schedule a zoom call with us if you want to talk about the Thought Leader Academy, the Orlando Workshop, or the London retreat. Now drumroll please. Here’s the big thing I’m changing the rule I’m breaking. I’m pausing this podcast, and I can’t tell you how weird and uncomfortable that makes me feel to actually say this publicly. It’s been nearly eight years that I’ve been doing this podcast. I launched it in February of 2017. It’s been over 400 episodes and I’ve loved it. It has helped me to develop my own thought leadership. I love showcasing our clients and the other amazing women who’ve been on, and I thank you so much for listening. Whether this is the first episode you’ve listened to, the 10th, the 100th, or even more, but I realize that I need to take a break from the podcast to focus on other activities and projects, including the book that I want to write. I’ve mastered this content form podcasting, and now I need to step back from this kind of content creation, the short form, every single week, to give my brain the space to focus on writing longer form content like my book, and to work on some other creative projects.
Carol Cox:
I love podcasting so much. I started listening to podcasts way back in 2008, so I love this medium. It’s so intimate. I love listening to podcasts. I feel like I know the podcast host. Hopefully you feel the same way about me, so I’ll be back. But the show may look different. I may do series or seasons and then take a break. We’ll see what happens. Make sure to continue to follow the show in your podcast feed, whether you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or somewhere else, so that you know when the next new episode comes up. In the meantime, there are so many episodes over 400 for you to listen to. If you missed any of them when they came out, or if you want to listen again, you can find the episodes I mentioned today on the Show Notes page for this episode at Speaking Your brand.com/423. And don’t forget to check out our Thought Leader Academy, our Orlando workshop, and our London retreat and to get on our email list if you’re not already so that you don’t miss future announcements, you can get on our email list at speaking Your brand.com/join. And now go break some rules. Your audience will thank you for it. Until next time, whenever that is. Thanks for listening.
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