RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 17

Guest: Alicia Marie

Personal growth and development is critical to effective leadership. There is a huge misconception…Leaders are NOT born, they are trained, coached and developed to become great leaders. 

Leadership is relational, not transactional and has nothing to do with big personalities, charm or being persuasive. Those attributes are useful in interpersonal relationships, in sales but have nothing to do with what determines a great leader. Maureen’s guest is Alicia Marie, an expert in the field of leadership development. She has expertise and education and psycholinguistics, humanities, marketing leadership and management.

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Introduction: 

Alicia Marie is a national leader in the field of leadership development. She founded People Biz, Inc. in 2000 with the intention of providing TOTAL personal and professional development solutions for individuals, teams, and organizations. She specializes in creating customized Leadership and Management programs based on desired outcomes. She has been a professional trainer for more than twenty years AND a professional coach with more than 20,000 paid coaching hours over the last 21 years. She possesses a UNIQUE education in Psycho-Linguistics, Humanities, Business, and Marketing. 

Key Takeaways:

In this episode, you’re going to gain valuable insights and learn about:

• Emotional intelligence and its correlation to leadership.
• Transactional management vs developmental leadership.
• The power in developing language around emotion and how we live life from experience to experience.
• Executive Function and engagement.
• Stages of creation.
• The power of words (neurolinguistics).
• Energy for engagement and courageous action.
• Resilience and how it is a function of ego!!  (ego drive and ego resilience…this was fascinating!)
• Imposter Syndrome and perfectionism.

Best advice Alicia Marie ever received:  Be yourself.  Always.

REALTALK: The best leaders are the ones who work on themselves all the time - they are the people who invest in learning, growing and self-discovery.  

Resources:

Leading Change Program 

Coaching Skills for Leaders

Coaching Services

Guest:

Alicia Marie

Company:

People Biz, Inc. 

https://peoplebizinc.com

Social: 

@peoplebizinc - Facebook

@aliciamariepeoplebiz - Instagram

@PeopleBiz  - Twitter

Alicia Marie - People Biz, Inc. - Youtube

People Biz, Inc - LinkedIn

Listen and Subscribe on: iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  Google Play  |  Spotify 

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/ 

Want to learn more and connect with like-minded women? Click here to join our RealTalk Community

SEE TRANSCRIPTION BELOW

Maureen Borzacchiello: (00:00)

Alicia Marie is a national leader in the field of leadership development. She founded people biz Inc in 2000 with the intention of providing total personal and professional development solutions for individuals, teams, and organizations, she specializes in creating customized leadership and management programs based on desired outcomes. She has been a professional trainer for more than 20 years and a professional coach with more than 20,000 paid coaching hours. Over the last 21 years, she possesses a unique education in psycholinguistics, humanities business, and marketing. Alicia is a mother of three adult children and a grandmother of two. She is a yoga enthusiast and runner and the newlyweds, her sweet and adoring soulmate. Having spent most of her life in Texas. She currently resides in the Austin Metro area and works with clients globally. I am not only blessed to have worked with Alicia Marie in a variety of capacities over the last 15 years but most importantly to call her a dear friend. So welcome. Alicia Marie this will be epic for sure there is no doubt. Welcome. Welcome.

Alicia Marie: (01:21)

Thank you. I'm so present to how much I love you when you were talking

Maureen Borzacchiello: (01:27)

Ditto. I got a little verklempt when I wrote that intro. Well, Alicia, why don't you give people just a little bit of your background so that we can level set up a conversation.

Alicia Marie: (01:40)

A little bit in my background? Well, I've always been interested in personal growth and development before I knew that's what it was called well in my early teens. And even when I was nine years old, they were calling me a philosopher. And so I've always been really interested in why I'm here. What makes me tick is what's really possible for me to create or have, and I was a big reader as a child. I really have been a big reader. Most of my life, not as much as I did even 10 years ago. I think that that was really the linchpin of my imagination. And you know, almost like magical thinking, like what can I create or what can you know? And that really led me into training and coaching for myself. And eventually, I started doing it for others. Well, before, I started my company.

Alicia Marie: (02:30)

Sometimes people talk about like, they don't understand what do you mean you do leadership development. And I think that that's really sad. Okay. There's still that old idea that leaders are born and that it's not something you have to train and coach for and develop yourself around. There are at least 70 leadership competencies that I could knit and we have to train for that. We have to develop that and we have to create awareness around that and we have to make mistakes around that and we have to practice that. And I think that part of it is that people think that it has something to do with personality. And it has nothing to do with personality. Leadership is relational, not transactional. And as long as people think it's about them and their big personality or being charming enough or being persuasive enough or like that's all just control ground. They don't know what I'm talking about. When I say they should develop. Interesting.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (03:24)

Tell us more, because really a lot of what I've learned from you is like the basis of a lot of this is emotional intelligence. So why don't you talk to us a little bit about that because you have such expertise in that space as well.

Alicia Marie: (03:38)

Okay. So you wanted me to make the connection between leadership and emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is the willingness to have the emotion, experience the emotion, and yet still act from what you're committed to, who you want to be, what your goals are, it's being able to feel the anger at your husband and still be loving. And most of us don't give ourselves that much space. There really is a difference between a manager and a leader. And I know sometimes we have to fill both positions, but I'm not really talking about positions, talking about manager, controlling everything, really focused on transaction and do me and leaders give that up and step back and recognize that their attention needs to be on the people, developing, growing them and leveraging them to get the results that they want. Instead of controlling. When we don't give ourselves the specs, we inadvertently start to relate to ourselves as an object and others as an object.

Alicia Marie: (04:36)

In other words, we objectify people. I pushing them around the chessboard. So if you think about the way most people relate to emotion, they either disassociate or they suppress intense around emotion, right? So if you're disassociating from emotion, you're not even feeling it. If you're not feeling it and emotion is low I'm talking about is it's just information that the body is giving you. If you're not feeling it, how do you think you're doing with others? What about all that information that's happening with others emotionally that you could receive? If you were connected to your own emotional guidance, if you're suppressing and you can't be with something and you tense around you, can't be with anger. You can't be with dissent. You can't be with frustration. You can't be with overwhelm. You can't be with fear, all that uncomfortable stuff. If you can't be with it here and you are tensing around it, I promise you're almost blind and deaf to what's happening when someone is experiencing that. And you're missing a whole lot. That's going on in your business.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (05:41)

As I listened to you say that, of course my mind is thinking in the context of our personal life outside of business and work, but then I'm thinking in the sense of the business world, right? And I would guess that a lot of people think or some have along the way, we're taught to believe that we can't be emotional. We can't have emotional intelligence or feelings, unless it's just good old gut instinct in the business place. I feel like it's such a misnomer. And I'll also say like, I've taken your courses leading change as well as leading change mastery over the years. And I always tell the story. When I talk about the program to people, how I thought, oh, I'm going to take this leadership course. And it's going to help me be a better leader, which is true. But what I thought was it was just going to be another curriculum, like driven team chat me as opposed to the Pandora's box of emotions and ideas that you present. So I'd love for you to talk a little bit about that. A how we compartmentalize in the scope of real life. And I'm using air quotes for those of you listening versus professional life, but also how it all plays together. It feels like there's five questions there. That's probably our

Alicia Marie: (07:10)

Compartmentalization was a really bad idea. Kind of like local tech multitasking life is holographic. And if it's exists here, it's over there. Somehow it just is. And if you can have a breakthrough in this area of your life, you'd probably have a breakthrough in that area of your life. And it's interesting that we like to try to separate. Um, so let me go back to what goddess there. Oh yeah. So what a lot of people hear when they hear emotional intelligence, developingemotional intelligence, they think they're going to become more stoic. They think that they're going to be like Mr. Spock, does that still relate? I know so many people don't know star Trek, gen Z.

Alicia Marie: (07:50)

And, um, we are emotional beings that think sometimes that emotion is at the center of our experience. It is our experience and we're always experiencing something. We're experiencing something now and now, and now, and now what people are often describing the describing emotional is what happens when you suppress it's like shaken up a bottle, it's gonna come out sometime, right? So it turns into tears or blow up in some way. And then they call that emotional. Well, that was actually just someone suppressing for a really long time. And also over emoting is the same as expressing it's your inability to be with the experience. And so you're trying to get it out, which was a big misinterpretation of Ford, by the way. So if we are, if you can accept that we are all emotional, there is no such thing. As someone as being emotional, someone is having an experience that we're judging. And when we judge that, I promise you, you can point the feedback on yourself because one of the biggest inhibitors to developing yourself emotionally is that you judge that emotion bad and it inhibits our joy and our peace and our satisfaction and the ability to love and ability to relate to other people, right? Because you can't feel the uncomfortable stuff. You start to nest inside yourself and you can't feel the good stuff either. Right?

Maureen Borzacchiello: (09:17)

You get to a point of apathy where you're just numb.

Alicia Marie: (09:21)

Yeah. And a lot of area, interesting

Maureen Borzacchiello: (09:25)

People are saying, what is this leading change? Let's take a minute to step back and talk about the programs because you have leading change. And then once you graduate from leading change, you're eligible to participate in leading change mastery. So why don't you talk to us about those?

Alicia Marie: (09:41)

Okay. So you've really been hearing about leading change already. You know, people apply, you have to apply. I'm really looking to see, is this a tire kicker? Is this someone who's going to do? The work? Is that some big application for that reason, I'm coaching clients get the course for free, but they still have to do the application. And this is a course that a lot of employers sponsor their employees in. And so I want to make sure that they're really in, and they're not doing it because their employer wants them to there's even a little box. They check saying, they're not doing it because their employer wants them to. So they're not being forced to do it, right? So it's based in the tenants of emotional intelligence, but I don't talk about it as much as you would think I do, because what I want to do is develop them emotional, right?

Alicia Marie: (10:24)

So to develop someone emotionally first, they have to start to understand how human beings work and how we operate. And so I start to build the foundational pieces for that integrity, which is like, think about your whole complete and sound in their various to your expression of that. Or there are things you're doing that are not aligned with that. But if you start off with the whole idea that you are integrous, not moral thing, but that you are, then there are just times when you're out of alignment. And I have people start to look at that because that's where power that's where you experience real power, right. Is when you can relate to yourself as sound and whole and complete. I distinguish what it feels like to be in a powerful place. And I distinguish what it feels like to feel powerless, which we've all been in both places.

Alicia Marie: (11:14)

And then I'm normalized both because it is all part of the human experience. And then we start to talk about when we're in one place or the other throughout the entire course, and I break it down. But if you think about also what's necessary, as people need to start to have some language around emotion. And most of us have a very small vocabulary. We say things like stress, which is absolutely non-descriptive and does not say anything. It could be unwell, frustration, anger, fear. I mean, there's all kinds of things that, that could really be happening there. So when we develop the language for emotion, and by the way, the language of emotional intelligence, I'm doing a workshop on September 17th, but you have to done leading change to do it. Okay. Yeah. I wrote it down. So I wanted to make sure I mentioned that because most of us don't have in the more you have to understand the dimensions of emotion, for example, sadness, disappointment, grief, resentment, all kind of live in the same space, but understanding the nuances around that and being able to identify that for yourself is a game changer.

Alicia Marie: (12:21)

The other thing that's happening, if you think about we disassociate, we suppress and we tell big stories about everything. We'll say that person did this to me. Instead of saying, I'm feeling betrayed. We say, right. So we talk about the circumstance or situation instead of really exploring what we're experiencing and they'll live as if that story is true. And so I go do exercises with people to distinguish that. And the other thing that happens in the course is people really recognize this. Isn't an intellectual thing. I would have to train for this. I'm going to have to train my body to relax. When I test, I'm going to have to train myself to breathe when I'm experiencing uncomfortable stuff and on the mindset, I'm going to have to learn how to recognize it's thinking and be curious and flexible and develop the muscle of the inquiry. And when you have those two things, you can shift pretty quickly from fear to courage or from apathy to, to willingness, right? So emotional agility starts to happen. Now, I haven't talked about the brain at all around this, but there's a lot that goes. And then I, what I do is I flip this. So I have you worked on themselves for 10 sessions. And I said, okay, we're done with that. Now I'm going to go work on what's happening in your world for prep session course, 15 sessions, three sessions a month for five months, total investment about 25 hours.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (14:08)

And I'll tell you, you gave a great overview of it because I think when I think of leading change, you absolutely helped me become more curious. You helped me look at what are the real feelings of in regard to a situation? Is it good or bad, or could I just be neutral about it? You know, can I explore? And I think it's so fascinating because I think a lot of people have the notion that it has to be good or something has to be bad. And then it can't be both or it could be neither. And I think that it helps you explore that and understanding how we amplify things. And like you said, make these huge stories about something that isn't really true. And then how that ripple effects in our personal life, in our business life

Alicia Marie: (15:01)

Leading change about this was just probably from when you did it. There's a lot of things in the news since you did it, but that anytime you catch yourself in judgment in anything, and I know your mind is always, but anytime you catch yourself in an attached way, judging something, you taking yourself out of the game of life. You're no longer participating. It's a way to not be engaged in way is it's a way to not be engaged in what's happening right now. We step back. We judge, right? There are a lot of certain situations where that has to be a good thing, but if you're stuck there, you've taken yourself out of the game, you're no longer even participating. He's a jerk. Now you're out. That's what it is. Now. I no longer have to engage. This is a bust or that situation will never work. Like when you get into that type of fixed thinking, you're no longer in participation.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (15:55)

Hmm. So people go through the course, tell our listeners more about what happens as they start to get to the other side of this awareness and this emotional agility and how it really impacts them as a leader.

Alicia Marie: (16:10)

Well, executive function is a big word right now. It has been for the last few years. And what scientists are talking about is they're talking about brain activity. And when we're in fear, we're hanging out back here on more critical thinking, rubber here a lot. This is all simplified. And we're more frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex. When we are engaged, this is where emotional agility happens when we're participating, when we're experiencing those beautiful hormones, like oxytocin and serotonin opens up vision and strategy and the ability to relate to others and empathy and compassion. So think about whole front part of the brain is that how, think about how important that is for leadership, right? Then you can be strategic that you can envision that you can be curious that you can be emotionally agile and classical and being with whatever's happening in the room. And what happens when we hang out and fear and control.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (17:06)

And that's in the back for those that are listening,

Alicia Marie: (17:10)

Okay. People who run on and travel. And of course, or in other words, we're not stressed about the big drivers, you know, and they don't know how to get to the front, right? They're wearing their bodies down. So a couple of things that happen, people report more energy. And here's why self-conscious monitoring goes down. Self-conscious monitoring is where you are behaving or saying something to get an effect. So the more we become internally directed, focused on our goals, commitments, experiences, and less in reaction to happening out there. We actually start to have energy for things. And when you open up this part of the brain, also, it's very energizing and strengthening to the body because you're experiencing satisfaction and peace and love and willingness and all the really healthy strengthening emotional states. And when we're in fear, we're really tearing the body down. And so people report a lot more energy because they've learned to remove things that they're tolerating in their life.

Alicia Marie: (18:18)

They've learned to be at home in their own skin and feel what they're feeling they've stopped. Some of the self-conscious monitoring now might not sound like much to have more energy, but think about it. It's, we're talking about energy for engagement, energy for actually taking courageous actions that are going to get results and energy for having the hard conversations, right? You started to get at heart. So I'm talking about energy, but it's the driving force and motivation. Motivational energy comes from being where you are at having a vision or acknowledging that there's a gap is where I am aware. I want to be. That's where motivational energy happens. And when we're in fear, we're in the past or in the future. But when you are in high emotional states, you have big vision. Doesn't matter if you ever get there, but you can use that to become motivated and create things. So life is no longer about avoiding all of that from happening. Why is it not? What can I create today? Right. Create that with. And that's where energy makes the difference. Um,

Maureen Borzacchiello: (19:29)

I would also then assume that energy radiates to your team, to your family, because you are in this positive state of energy, you're in this forward motion, you're in this uplifting vibe, if you will, whereas you're not in fight or flight or stress and anxiety and

Alicia Marie: (19:52)

All that, right. You just, they're not driving. Yeah. So unless it was very, very fast. There was one thing I didn't say about that. So when we are in fear, stress, we like to call it stress. One more. There we have tunnel vision. There's a whole lot. We can't see literally causes tunnel vision. You think about the need for that. That's why people get addicted to it. You know? Cause it causes focus the night before I have to prepare. So when that goes away, people learn how to be in the world in a new way. In other words, it becomes fertile ground for developing leadership competencies, which is the point of this. We want to get people ready to develop. You can't learn how to communicate masterfully. If you're not practicing greatest communication all the time, you're not gonna practice courageous communication all the time.

Alicia Marie: (20:42)

If you're back here, if you're handling here, right? So what it does, is it it okay for you to explore and learn? And so learning, accelerate, emotional intelligence is developed through how many experiences you process for example, in a year. So all of us are developing emotionally, but some of us only processing three to five peak experiences a year, once you've done leading change, you probably accelerating that to 20 to 25 a year. Wow. And when I wrote it, I was working off of that information, understanding that you can't do a weekend workshop and get to develop emotionally. It has to happen over a period of time.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (21:23)

Right. And you have to actually practice what you're learning implemented. And I think that was the other thing I can remember vividly coming back to you and saying, all right, I'm doing the breathing. And when I sit and try to sit quietly, the monkey in my head just won't stop talking. And you were like, it's okay. Just keep taking breaths and acknowledge the monkey. And they ask the monkey to be quiet. And it was just practicing, practicing, even just being still. And I don't know if that was leading change or lead. Okay. Sorry. I'm screwing it super helpful. Because again, I think, um, if we don't try what we're learning and we don't start to observe it and get curious around it, we really can't make those changes because otherwise it's just taking in more information. But if you don't start to practice it, it's like a lot of other things. It just goes to the

Alicia Marie: (22:27)

Side. I'm going to say, I want to go back and wrap that up with executive function, which is the ability to be self-aware and change your behavior easily. And the formula for that is self-awareness plus space. I mean, people come to be really self aware when I'm on coaching with them, but on there's no space for them to change their behavior. Like not, they're just doing the same thing they've always done, which becomes the infrastructure for not learning and the same results. Right? And so it's the space piece and people when they're so busy using all of her energy to suppress or disassociate and they stop and they have the space. Now there's actually an opportunity through these moments of points where you can do or be something different. And that's where the,

Maureen Borzacchiello: (23:20)

So in your current experience this past year with the pandemic, do you find that that has opened people up more to giving themselves space?

Alicia Marie: (23:31)

You should see it, the Corvette. Okay. I had a leading change going where everything hit March and the second one starting in April, it was like night and day difference. It was like, you know how you ignore the flight attendant when you get out? Like, yeah, it was the exit. Yeah, yeah. Right, exactly. Right after drinks. But at that planes going down and that was happening to me once I was in a thunderstorm, the plane dropped the, flight attendant, got up and started instructing us how to put our oxygen masks on. Like, we, we had wrapped attention. Like we were just like, oh yes. Yeah. And, and that's what it was likely.

Alicia Marie: (24:18)

I need this. I'm not going to miss a thing. I'm going to do all the exercises. I'm going to share. I'm going to tell all my friends about it. Like it was like, oh, like who are these people that have rooms just like this? You know, like I think that might've lasted six to nine months, but people became kinda numb to everything that was occurring. They went back to the same old and not really recognizing everything that we have at stake. The thing is we always have something at stake. That's what they were present to. But we forget, we have something at stake. We can, we can just keep sleepwalking through that particular thing. And there will be no impact, but there was always something at stake for who you're being and what you're doing in other words, right. If you don't shift without a doubt, a hundred percent.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (25:13)

Hmm. Interesting. Okay. So people do leading change and then if they're ready for the next step, they can do leading change mastery. How is that different? What is that delivering to your students and how do you see it translate and impact their lives? I mean, I know that's a little, yeah.

Alicia Marie: (25:31)

People come into leading change, not really understanding that leadership is relational, not transactional. So by the end of leading change, they get that right. And they also get it's mind, body training, and they're going to have to do some work. And most people don't have the structure to do that. They're not a one off coaching. So leading change mastery for one thing is the structure for that, that I'm able to go a lot deeper with the principals. So I work on stages of creation like inside of language, most of us are very sloppy with what we say and really how important language is to the creative process. People look really deeply at their relationships. People get to the heart of their original story that they tell them about themselves, which is a lie. I call it the original lie, really? Because like we talk about telling stories. When you can get to the original one, then it becomes pretty easy to see the mature spin off of that. Oh, that's about 55 year old version of, I don't belong.

Alicia Marie: (26:35)

People don't want to do that work. Like only one out of five people who do leading change will do the change mastery because it's, you know, it is, it really is learning to feel what you're feeling and learning to have inquiry around things that you never really questioned and really taking on your relationships. All of them, it could be employees in a whole new way. I mean, people end up talking to their father that they haven't talked to in 20 years, people end up building teams that they never could get off the ground before. So big breakthroughs around relationship, but more importantly, you really get, so it's introduced in leading change that you're holding complete and sound and there's something very, so that expression. So you really get that. The game is not about fixing yourself and there has been, there's nothing wrong with you. And when you really get that, it changes things. Yeah. Imagine being able to give yourself that much space and grace,

Maureen Borzacchiello: (27:35)

You know, to know that, you know, I remember that assignment about the original lie, this story. And I remember sitting down and you were like, think back it's between the ages typically of three to five and I'm going back and I'm like, there's nothing more, there's nothing more. And you saying, you're going to think there's nothing more, but keep sending there quietly and just whatever comes to mind, keep doodling out. And I remember all the sudden, bam, having this experience playing out in my head, I'm four years old, I write it all out. I'm like, am I losing my mind? Am I that shit crazy? Or did this really happen? Because up to this moment in time, I don't remember this. I'm like, let me call my mom. Because she was in this situation and I call her up. I'm like, did this happen? And what did she do? She starts hysterical, laughing, which was not a good thing because it was like this dramatic moment when I ran away from home and took my dolls and went to the old lady, nextdoor out.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (28:56)

And so my mom's like, yeah, you had a little yellow doll case. And you know, we were laughing about something and you thought we were laughing about you and you got all indignant and you stormed off. And the funny thing was, as soon as she started laughing, I'm like, oh, this was real. I was like, cause this is pinging me right now. Like I felt so sad that that little girl felt unworthy and unloved and told herself this story and then spent 30 or 40 years. I mean, I probably was in my forties before I realized it. But then once you realize that you can see every single thing or episode or situation that happened, how it went back and hit replay on that story and that you could let it go.

Alicia Marie: (29:45)

It's like we put on a pair of colored sunglasses and we forget he had

Maureen Borzacchiello: (29:53)

Right. And meanwhile, my mom was like, we had no idea why you were upset her best friend. We used to call aunt Mary and lived across the street. So they were probably laughing about something totally different, but I took it as about me and think about it. And I'm like, okay, well I had a two year old little brother and I had a newborn eight month old little brother. So I probably was just feeling neglected, just funny, the original lie and how that story, that you're unaware of perpetuates and bubbles up every once in a while in your life and how it just sits there in the background until you realize it's not true and can let it go. So I think that was really, as you said, that I'm like, oh my God, I remember that

Alicia Marie: (30:42)

If you never really let it go, but the awareness makes the difference. Like if I know I don't belong that that's my lie. Then I can be really mindful about collaborating, building team partnerships, staying in touch with people, but still, I mean, the irony of it is I'm still the one in front of the classroom, not in the past. I find myself like almost like standing alone. And I'm like, this is not an accident that eight years I just sent a single, I was like, this is not a freakin accident, you know, over and over again, me too. It's like, we want to keep having the experience over and over again until we can see it differently. It's the same reason we watch movies and stories because we want to kind of like imagine ourselves in that situation and what would we do it's really very healthy to do. And that's what we're doing in our life.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (31:39)

Fascinating. And it really, it is interesting because when things come up or, you know, I have situations, I do try to always load it and say, oh wait, is this the story? Like, is what's, what's the trigger here? You know? And how do you navigate through it? So I think the beauty of the programs that you create, at least for me, is it not only has given me awareness as a person, it's given me awareness in my relationships with my husband and with my son. Like I remember taking leading change and I'm like, did I just this kid up for life? Like, what did I do? Am I doing all the right things? Like, how can I be?

Alicia Marie: (32:22)

I'm like, you cannot prevent the original lie. It's the formation of ego.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (32:31)

And then also you see how it impacts you as a leader in business as you're working with teams. So it really is so amazing. We'll put all the links on our resource page, you know, all, all the show notes and everything. But if somebody is listening to this and they're trying multitask and jot it down, where, where would they go to learn more about leading change? I'm assuming.

Alicia Marie: (32:57)

Yeah, absolutely. I will say PeopleBizInc. So peoplebiz,Inc.com and you'll see leadership programs and you can just scroll down and look, um,

Maureen Borzacchiello: (33:08)

And then isn't there a wait list for them to sign up or

Alicia Marie: (33:13)

Two spots for the end of July program. It's usually falls anywhere from six weeks to three months in advance. So don't wait. Like if, you know, you want to do the October one, make sure you sign up in August, they stay full. I can only lead so many because I have a full client load as a coach. And so there's four and five leading changes a year and that's it. And they do feel

Maureen Borzacchiello: (33:37)

All right, perfect. You heard it. Everybody go to people biz Inc.com and you can get lots of information about leading change and Alicia Marie and her one-on-one coaching. Although I believe there is a wait list for that. Um, but my schedule, yeah, there you go. So why don't we talk about resilience and resilience, I think is such a key ingredient that entrepreneurs in particular need. I'd love to get your take on resilience and I don't know, maybe, maybe it would be helpful for you to share a challenge that you overcame. You know, one of those, the ground, the floor moments that you had to pick yourself up so that for the entrepreneurs listening, uh, it gives them a little inspiration while we were talking about kind of grit and resilience.

Alicia Marie: (34:27)

Okay. Resilience, resilience is actually a function of the ego. I disagree with how people talk about the ego. So we, if you want to split it off there's ego drive and ego resilience. So when someone is resilient, let's think salesperson, they might have high ego drive and they're like commits. They can do it. Usually overinflated what they think they can do. That's okay. That's a good salesperson. Right. But then they don't have ego resilience when someone tells them no, there's a flight. Right. So resilience is about being able to not see the outcome you wanted and still he creating any way does not look like you wanted it. I'm pretty sure I should have this 10 pounds on me or I'm pretty sure I should have more money in the bank or I'm pretty sure, like I've worked so hard and it should be this way or that way. And can you look at the way it is except that, and still keep creating.

Alicia Marie: (35:32)

And it's different than just head down working hard because a lot of times that's very unconscious resilience is it's like having faith in life and having faith in yourself to pick it up and move on, right? Like where is your faith? We all have faith somewhere. We put our faith in money. We put our faith in our reputation. We put our faith in so many things, you know, but where is your faith in regards to yourself in your life? That's the underpinning of resilience? I don't know if I've ever talked about that before, so thank you.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (36:11)

You're welcome. I mean, you know, so when somebody is in that hit the floor moment, you know, what are a couple of steps that you can suggest, you know, uh, or even an example.

Alicia Marie: (36:27)

As an entrepreneur, like I've been an entrepreneur now for 31 years, 31. I mean, I was doing it before you were 10, when you started it. I got a filter on my zoom. So, so, um, it is normal to want to quit. It is normal to reconsider. It is normal to feel like giving up. It is normal to not get it right. It is normal to make mistakes. We tend to think that the game of life and we learn this through school is to not make mistakes. That's not the game. The game is to making mistakes as possible, as fast as possible and learn from them. And we're relating to a mistake as if it's wrong. We don't learn. We just repeat. Yeah. And so in terms of my business, the recession 2009 was a hit the floor moment for me. I mean, it was, and it was the birth of leading change.

Alicia Marie: (37:30)

I want everyone to remember that because it was within a week. Most of my clients can pay. Half of them were gone. My husband was unemployed and I had other personal things happening. And I remember crying and laying my head on the desk and just thinking I have all these stupid degrees. And I don't even know if I'm employable. Actually I was pretty sure I was employable maybe I should get a job nobody's hiring what am I gonna do. It felt like it was over. It did felt like it was over, but it was that agony that I was in. And there were other things going, not my mother. I was having to get a lawyer and police and a social worker involved to get her out of her home. She had Alzheimer's, I didn't know what I was going to do with her. I was fighting my family. I was living upstairs because I was pissed off at my husband.

Alicia Marie: (38:24)

It was not good time for me, but I was so emotionally rotten, then I'm going to work. And they were all on emotional mess. Right. And I realized that if I was going to truly support the people I had left, I was going to have to get through it faster. And that's when I really went to work on experiencing what I was experiencing, unlike anything I'd ever done before. But the thing I can tell you about hitting the floor in your business is it is your opportunity to reassess and recreate. And it's totally fine that you feel like you failed or that it's not working. The thing I do with my clients. And it's like, it's weekly. Okay. About 48 coaching clients. It is weekly. Someone's ready to quit. I got a 10 o'clock voicemail, Friday on a Friday and could hear what was going on, everything. Okay. And I said, oh yeah, it's the same thing hits it. Right. And by the next day, we were both who have talked to her and when she was laughing and it's, moraled have these moments and you stop judging it as wrong, you can use it to get better.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (39:39)

You said before, give yourself the space to then create and move forward with new vision, you know?

Alicia Marie: (39:46)

Yeah. And of course that happened one more time to me, like you are aware of my grandson's death, but afterwards, you know, my business shrank. And it was mostly because I wasn't available for it, but I needed that time. And I remember thinking I was going to lose my business that couple of years. Cause it was, I went from being, you know, over a million dollars to a lot smaller business. But in terms of, I really needed that. I mean, how often is life to setting up the perfect circumstance for you to be reborn

Maureen Borzacchiello: (40:21)

Again? It's true. And it's a beautiful thing. Definitely food for thought, because most people are taught that those moments are just failure instead of opportunity.

Alicia Marie: (40:33)

Right? Yeah. Going through depression is bad, whatever it is like it's bad. Right. I had anxiety like panic attacks every night for two years after my grandson died every night and I just go to sleep.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (41:00)

Oh, amazing. I always learn so much from you. You know, my passion is to help women entrepreneurs and in the spirit of real talk, I'm so curious because you work with so many different entrepreneurs, business leaders, et cetera. Well, one of the things that comes up a lot, as people are more willing to talk about emotions and feeders and feelings, especially for women is imposter syndrome. And it's this feeling of not being perhaps good enough or being a fraud. I can remember. I didn't celebrate when we broke our first million for years, somebody had gifted me a bottle of expensive champagne and I just kept moving along. Like, yeah, just like, let's make sure it's not a fluke, you know, am I really this? And so something to prove. Right. And so I'm curious a, have you ever experienced it? And if you have, how do you work yourself out? I kind of feel like Alicia Marie probably hasn't but you never know. And then also you work with a ton of women. So if someone's listening to this and saying, gosh, you know, sometimes I feel like, yeah, I'm really good at what I do, but am I? You know, what could you say around imposter syndrome

Alicia Marie: (42:20)

It isn't what you think it is. And I read all the hype about it and hearing about it from different podcasts. So I'm like, okay, wait a minute. They're not calling it what it is. So when you're light shining and you're doing an incredible job, you just nailed the feedback with them employee, or you just gave a great presentation or you just closed your big deal and you have that feeling. It has nothing to do with that. You are right. You did do a good job at that employee, like right. It is. We forget what we're pretending about, Maureen. We forget, I talk about this in leading change in session four, but most people miss it. We forget the thing is like women, especially cause you nailed this. We'll pretend to be perfect.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (43:09)

There's a lot of pressure on women to do that too. Oh, I think back to growing up and there was a commercial, I think it was Faberge perfume and it was like this sultry thing and I could bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, let him forget. He's a man. You know, I mean, look at me, it probably was one of his five or six years old that messaging, especially for generation Y and even millennials a little bit. I think that feeds that. It's like, oh yeah, you have to be perfect.

Alicia Marie: (43:49)

And if you told me and whatever, your mental model for what perfect is, so you have this experience of being wonderful, but then you go back to the pretending to be perfect and saying, it's one of the things that I try to shake up the most in leading change is that wherever you are, is be placed to be, and all of us are in between where we were, where we want to be, where we are now, who we want to become. We're all in between. And none of us like, can you accept where you are now? What I call the gap. So here's what happens. We're doing something really wonderfully. Right. Right. And we see what's possible for ourselves. Oh, I really, you know, I know a presentation just like that 10 times, like we'd have our year or I can burn a whole team about how to give feedback in this way.

Alicia Marie: (44:40)

Like see what's possible. And instead of relating to that possibility, we shut it down and we go back and we go, I'm just going to pretend like I'm perfect. Instead of there's something for me to learn in a way, isn't it more comfortable to not relate to the unknown, right? We want to go back to pretending we're perfect with our head in the sand. And there's no growth for me here. But when you can learn to powerfully relate to the gap between where you are and where you want to be, who you're being, who you want to be calm. Now you're motivated. Now you understand that you're flawed so to speak or that you're, you have things to learn. I didn't know. A lot of relating to that. I can say the wrong thing now, you know, you don't know, and you're not relating to that as is right now, you know, you're going to mistakes and you know, all relating to that.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (45:34)

And I think it is just that like, as I'm listening to you in perfectly perfect is like jumping into my head because I think for a lot of people, it's the fear of acknowledging that we're imperfect beings and that optically, we have to look like we've got our together and that we are the perfect parent. We are the perfect leader of our organization. We're the perfect manager, whatever the perfect spouse or boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever. And I think that it's when we're willing to say and enough, there it is impossible to be perfect. We are perfect because we're imperfect. I can remember the guilt and the shame that I had when Dominick was in preschool and the comments and the side-eye that I would get, oh, where are you off to now? Because I would fly to oversee projects for my clients or to go to a conference, whatever.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (46:35)

And I just remember like the cattiness of that, and then doubting myself and then thinking, hold on a second, I was running a company before I became an entrepreneur and I had no life. And that was part of why I became an entrepreneur so that I could even start a family. And I pick this kid up from daycare as many days, a week as I can. And we have picnic lunches, whether it is literally on the grass or on our living room floor, whether you know, contingent and we made those memories and we had those moments and we had such a close, special relationship because I did what I did. And because I traveled. And I think when I think of imposter syndrome, it's the expectations that we think the world has present this perfection, instead of just saying, you know what? We're human beings. We are imperfect and it's okay.

Alicia Marie: (47:39)

And we'll also, yeah, what happens physically when we get to is we can breathe. We can be at home in our own skin. We can start to experience what we're experiencing that too. Just to take it back to yourself that way it's like in that moment, you realize that's not the game, the game. Do I experience what people call imposter syndrome? Sometimes, absolutely. Everyone being on a planet does, but it's only because you you're, you, you forgot what you were pretending about. And when you remember, you can acknowledge the gap. Wow.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (48:14)

That was poignant. That was poignant. Huh? I want to ask you what Alicia, Marie, do you feel is one of the bigger keys to your success?

Alicia Marie: (48:26)

Hmm. I have a little story at this time, so that when I was a new coach and I've only been doing it professionally for five years, 2005, a guy who wanted to be a coach wanted to listen to me coach. So I got permission from all of my clients. And back then, believe it or not. I used to do at least 10 sessions a day. And I put a recliner in my office and no pad. And he was only hearing my side of things. Right. But he was going to listen to the coach. Well, he slept half the day, so annoying. But at the end of the day, I said, okay, what did you want? And he said, damn you love your clients. And I really love people. I love grouchy people, hung up people, people who don't get it. People who waste my time, people are standing up and I love people's willingness. I love watching people truly transform and grow. When I work with them, there's nothing like none. I've got someone who's really a pill right now. Like as new clients start recently mental. So I think this has gotta be a problem. And this is she's going to be a total pain in the.

Alicia Marie: (49:45)

And I said, and then we're just going to love her for the next few years. And she's going to completely transform in front of her eyes and as has been with me for 11 years. And so she knows, she said, okay, got it.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (49:58)

Oh yes, yes. This one will transform too.

Alicia Marie: (50:02)

So, you know, it's people is because once you've mastered the fundamentals of business and there is some work to do there, just the fundamentals, ABC. Sure. All that's left is people, people are the messiest thing you're ever going to deal with. It's a messy thing. Your brain deals with because you can't predict really. That's why we do what we do so people can develop and understand their own capacity for growth and development and, and what they can create and cause in the world. And then they turn around and do it for other people. You know, my vision is that someday. And I actually said this in 1992, the first time, my vision is that someday dialogue and being connected and engaged is so prevalent in the world that there is no need for coaches and counselors.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (50:52)

Imagine that. That would be a beautiful day.

Alicia Marie: (50:55)

Yeah. And we actually start listening to each other.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (50:59)

Well, the work that you are doing, my friend definitely facilitates that 100%. So I hope that vision comes to fruition at some point in our lifetimes. That would be amazing.

Alicia Marie: (51:12)

I doubt it. I was listening to Simon Sinek, and he said, he said, you're, it's okay if your vision is larger than your business. And I'm like nailed it.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (51:25)

It's so true. It's so true. Oh my gosh. So let's, I'm going to ask a polling question. What is something that people don't know about you?

Alicia Marie: (51:39)

I don't know. I'm pretty much an open book. What do they not know about me? I think a lot of people don't realize that I came from a really, really rough childhood. Like every abuse you can imagine. Although I had a lot of nurturing too, it's kind of like the split dual life. That's how it would a really young age. It was a teen mother put myself through school. Um, and I think that sometimes people see where I'm at now in my life and kind of assume silver spin, but I had not, I didn't have parents really. I didn't have, like, I had none of that. And I, I like to think that we can't really see, we can only look at where someone is now and make assumptions. Right. And we can't see someone's entire life, but I know I would not be where I was, had I not experienced the pain of all of them because that pain kept me on my journey. And I use it every single day. And there's an anything that someone can tell me when I'm working with people. What they tell me that I either have not had direct experience with that, or I can understand it because I've been around someone who's had direct experience with that huge edge in working with people

Maureen Borzacchiello: (53:04)

That makes you so compassionate. Hmm. Amazing!

Alicia Marie: (53:12)

Cause I don't put up with victim stuff. It's rigorous too, because it's like, okay, that happened to you. And then that awkward pause and then there's, what's possible. Right?

Maureen Borzacchiello: (53:24)

That's so true. And I've certainly learned so much from you over the years and just in so many ways. And I think you're right. That what people don't know about you is a, you had a really tough beginning. You had a really tough medal. Yeah. I mean, you lost your husband, your first husband and had these little kids and I need it. It's just amazing. Really. I think a lot of that is why I think of resilient concept that we've talked about before. But I think that you're just a light that just shines in this world. And there's so much that people can learn from you through your willingness to keep sharing. It's just a beautiful, beautiful thing. All right. Last question for you. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Alicia Marie: (54:19)

Oh my God. I've got so much. Um, Alicia, Marie never forget who you are, that's it? Hmm. I love that. And darkest moments that I can still hear it and it motivates me. This isn't me. This is not defining

Maureen Borzacchiello: (54:37)

Well. If that doesn't put a bow on this conversation and link it all back together. Well, I love you and I thank you so much for being with us today.

Alicia Marie: (54:48)

It's my pleasure. I enjoyed the hell out of it. All right. Bye-bye.

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 16

Guest: Gail Davis

It’s so fascinating how one experience can be a turning point that shapes one's career, life, decisions!  Hear how the movie Alive became a catalyst for Gail Davis, corporate professional in the meetings and events space, to start her own company GDA Speakers.

Listen and Subscribe on: 

Gail Davis is the founder of Gail Davis and Associates, a leading Speaker Bureau Agency.  She is the past President of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus and has served as IASB's governor, where she developed new education programs for members worldwide and through increased investment in the industry.  Gail has won numerous awards, including Dallas's top 25 Women in Business. She is an accomplished corporate marketing and events professional turned entrepreneur who has dedicated decades to her craft before becoming an entrepreneur and creating Gail Davis and Associates. 

Key Takeaways:

Considerations for becoming a Public Speaker:

• Understanding the realities of being a speaker
• Are you willing to invest the time to pay your dues to build a name for yourself?
• Invest in doing it well to be an amazing speaker - Hire a speaking coach

Hiring and Managing People:

• Frustration is nothing more than unmet expectations
• Don’t be afraid to pay for talent
• Be very clear about expectations
• Building a team is an opportunity to grow as a leader... to understand the nuances of how people learn and how you can communicate

Personal Growth:

• Moments of self-doubt can be overcome by time and personal growth - which leads to confidence.  
• Recognize opportunities for growth and give yourself grace to learn and evolve.

Key to Gail’s success:  Gail is super passionate about being a connector and helping people learn. Resiliency is the second biggest key to her success.

REALTALK:  It can be EXHAUSTING surrounding yourself with people just like YOU!!!  Surround yourself with people with different strengths and acknowledge them...often!  

Resources:

The Wealthy Speaker 2.0: The Proven Formula for Building Your Successful Speaking Business 

by Jane E. Atkinson (Author)

The Three Ring Circus Bootcamp:  https://3ringcircus.com/bootcamp/

Guest:

Gail Davis

Company:

GDA Speakers

https://www.gdaspeakers.com/

Social: 

@GDAspeakers - Facebook

@gdaspeakers - Instagram

@GDASpeakers - Twitter

GDA Speakers - Youtube

GDA Speakers - LinkedIn

Listen and Subscribe on: iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  Google Play  |  Spotify 

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/ 

Want to learn more and connect with like-minded women? Click here to join our RealTalk Community

SEE TRANSCRIPTION BELOW

Maureen Borzacchiello: (00:00)

Gail Davis is an accomplished corporate marketing and events professional turned entrepreneur. She dedicated decades to her craft before becoming an entrepreneur and creating Gail Davis and Associates, a leading speakers Bureau and agency. Gail set out to do things a little bit differently than the norm. And her company is not only a service provider, but a true trusted partner with their clients. Almost two decades later, GDA has built a database of world-renowned thought leaders and expert in her field. Gail is a past president of the international association of speakers bureaus. Prior to that, she served as IASB's governor, where she developed new education programs for members worldwide and through increased investment in the industry. Overall, Gail has won numerous awards, including Dallas's top 25 women in business. Gail. We are so excited to have you here today. Welcome.

Gail Davis: (01:00)

Thank you, Maureen. I've been looking forward to this all morning.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (01:04)

All right. Well, we're going to dive in because there are women out there that are going to want to hear what you have to say.

Gail Davis: (01:12)

I hope that's true.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (01:14)

Absolutely true. So Gail, why don't you give us a little bit of background? It was crazy when I've known you for a while, but as I was reading your background and how you ended up becoming an entrepreneur, I feel like my lead in should be how a dramatic movie led to a real life change in your life. So why don't you tell everybody how we got to this point?

Gail Davis: (01:40)

Okay. Well, Maureen, when I graduated from college, I went to work for EDS electronic data systems, which was the company that Ross Perot founded and based in Dallas. But I actually started working for EDS, Missouri, and then I moved to Oregon and eventually I ended up in Dallas and I had an amazing career working at EDS for 20 years. I did a variety of things and, sound like the most stable person, because I say I had the same job for 20 years, but in reality, I had so many different positions within the same company. And the last 10 years, I managed the corporate incentive events department. Really, that was just one big event held each year. It was called inner circle and it was the sales recognition event for the top performers. And I was responsible for all components of that event. And so that was the site selection, the speakers, the entertainers, the gifts, the theme, just so much fun.

Gail Davis: (02:48)

I loved it one year. I believe it was 1994. We were on the last night of an event and the chairman came up to me at the staff and asked me, who are we going to have as our keynote speaker next year? Part of me was like, really? can we not just celebrate that this one's over, but as you know, that's what he wants to talk about, but that's okay. We talked about it, and I said, well, you know, I haven't really started working on that yet, but why do you bring it up? What are you thinking? And he said, I'm thinking that I'm tired of the same old speakers that I hear everywhere I go. And he said, I would like someone that's new and different, someone everyone would like to hear, but no one's heard. And someone that is global in their appeal.

Gail Davis: (03:38)

I was like, Okay. So, that challenge was planted and completely unrelated. It was a Friday night, you know, you go get the pizza, you go to the video store, remember that, look at all the movies on the wall. Paul and I saw the movie "Alive" and I had wanted to see it, but it was only in the theater for like a week, I think. And so I grabbed it and I went home, plugged it into the old VCR and the person that I was with said, what about that guy for inner circles? And I was like, Ethan Hawke? And he was like, no, not even Hawk, but the real guy. And at first I thought, you know, maybe you should stick to mergers and acquisitions and I'll be the one that plans events. But as I watched the movie, I thought what an outstanding idea.

Gail Davis: (04:29)

It was just the most unbelievable story. And the funny part of the story is it was 1994. So there was no Google. So you had to go to a speakers Bureau because the speaker's Bureau held the Rolodex of all the names and all of that contacts. And so I went through several speakers bureaus and said, you know, I'd like to find this guy to speak. And I was given a lot of advice that it might not necessarily be a good idea because sometimes just because they write a book, doesn't make them a good speaker or just because someone's been portrayed in a movie when you meet the real person, they're not as polished as the actor. And it was a lot of things that I needed to take into consideration, obviously, but I saw Nando interviewed in a documentary and I knew that he had the charisma and the charm and then his English was great.

Gail Davis: (05:19)

So fast forward, I tracked him down on my own, going through the Uruguayan embassy in Washington, DC. He said, no, I stuck with it. He finally said, yes, he came to Hawaii. He gave the speech, it was off the charts and the chairman of the company, jokingly. He put his arm around me and said, you know what, kid, you should retire. And I'm like retire? And he said, yeah, you'll never outdo that one. So I don't know if he planted an idea when he made that comment at the same time, my parents, my dad had always had, you know, a long-term career with the postal service and he and mom started a business on the side. So I had watched my parents build something. So I had that frame of reference. And then a lot of things happen at EDS. My long-term manager and mentor died of leukemia.

Gail Davis: (06:14)

And for me that it forever changed place because she's no longer there. So that had an impact on me. And then the chairman of the company who I was very close to left EDS, and that had an impact on me. And so one day just everything lined up and I thought, you know if I'm ever going to do this now is the time. So I worked at EDS for 20 years and I made that decision and I don't think I could have had better training because it's today I work with very large corporations and I understand corporate structure, I understand levels, and departments. And, I understand that there's a procurement department and you'd have to get your terms approved. I just woke up one day and decided to have a speakers Bureau. I don't know that I would have had the skillset to navigate corporate America. So I guess I like to do things in 20-year segments because I worked at EDS for exactly 20 years and I've had this company for 22, I think.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (07:12)

Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations. And for the gen Zs and millennials who may not be familiar with the movie "Alive" and Nando's story, they were part of the rugby team or tell it horrific, plane crash.

Gail Davis: (07:31)

Yes, it was in 1972 and they were a Uruguayan rugby team going to Chile to play a rugby match. And probably 90% of the people on the plane had never even seen snow. And the pilot made a navigational error. He thought he had crossed the Andes mountains. And so he was descending, but actually it was in the middle of Andes mountains. And Nando tells the story about looking out and thinking, are we supposed to be this close to the mountains? And the next thing he knows, the belly of the plane literally hit a mountain. And the back half of the plane just disintegrated. Nando that was his first miracle in the Andes as he was in the first part of the plane, then the plane with like a bobsled and it missed all these crevasses. And then it just landed at about 15,000 feet. And remember it was 1972 and they were in the mountains for 72 days. Two days is a long time. And so it's the most beautiful story that I think exists about the power of the human spirit, the power of the human spirit. It's so beautiful. And you know,

Maureen Borzacchiello: (08:50)

I get choked up now, such a cry baby.

Gail Davis: (08:56)

And that's not a typical reaction for people that hear the story, because it just puts your whole life in perspective. You had a fender-bender this morning at the gas station, big deal. You're coming home tonight. You got food on the table and you've got your family. I think they don't know what to expect. They think it's an adventure story, but really it's like I said, the power of the human spirit, but it's a love story. It's about family. It's about friends. It's about what really matters in life stuff. I'm still crazy about the story. It's still my all-time favorite.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (09:28)

It's amazing. And I would assume have become pretty close to him. Like, I'm sure this is a dear friend, because not only was it kind of the precipitous for you creating your own company and realizing, wow, that was amazing. I could do that all day long. And then you serendipitously end up representing him, helping him navigate. I think his book, which became a New York Times bestseller. So that's gotta be really just an amazing side benefit of this entire situation.

Gail Davis: (09:59)

Yeah. We're very close friends. I have looked him over 300 times in the last 22 years. I attended his daughter's wedding in Uruguay. His wife is someone that I consider a very close friend now, Nando and I are exchanging grandchildren's photos. So he's a little bit ahead of me. He has four and I only have one granddaughter, but, he was at my son's wedding. Yes, we're very, very close friends. And ironically, this is a great story. He was my number one book speaker when COVID-19 hit. And we shifted to a virtual environment and I had sent him an email and said, Hey, I want to connect with you and talk about doing conferences. He calls them conferences, conferences on zoom. And I got a two-word reply, "what's zoom" and a question mark. And I laughed. I thought, Oh no. So the next day I get an email titled zoom plan. And he comes back and says, I've got this. I been in TV for years. I know how to do this. So, you know, we're not going to show two videos. We're going to show one. We're not going to show 25 slides. We're going to show three. We're not going to talk for an hour. We're going to talk for 25 minutes and then we're going to do more Q and A. And it was amazing. And he was our number one booked speaker. So I've learned a lot from him on resiliency, for sure.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (11:25)

That's for sure. Yeah. It's a remarkable story. Feel good? What a great way to start off our discussion. And it's a perfect segue actually, into talking about your expertise and different ways that corporations and companies can leverage speakers. And you know, there's a lot of obvious trade shows, events, conferences, and VIPs. So I guess talk us through some of the less obvious and why companies should consider hiring and paying for speakers. I'd love to level set by starting with that.

Gail Davis: (11:59)

Okay. Well, it's interesting because my answer today is probably very different than it would have been a year ago because of everything that's happened with people being isolated and working from home. So this past year, what I've seen is people bringing in mental health experts, sometimes bringing in motivational speakers to inspire their employees and give them perspective. I would say pre COVID as speaker was hired to be on a stage. Typically what I would always ask my clients is what is your objective? Do you want to inspire? Do you want to bring in a thought leader, really talk to me about those people in the seats and how do you want them to feel what is the objective? And I will help you find the perfect solution. Well, now in a virtual world, there's all sorts of different. It's the same question, I guess, but there's different opportunities.

Gail Davis: (12:59)

And what I'm seeing is sometimes it now involves the whole family. Like I just had a large client that had several day event for their sales team and their closing speaker was Michael J. Fox. And they had a really active chat. And some of the things that I saw on the chat were, you know, I just brought my wife and she's sitting here with me. We're both so moved. My father has Parkinson's. This means so much to me. I just pulled all my children in and told them to stop online school, but to sit here and listen to this story, it's so amazing. So now the audience has grown a little bit because of people working from home. Sometimes we're even finding clients that are like, do you have any humor? Can we do, something can invite the whole family. So there's been a shift, I would say.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (13:54)

It's really fascinating. And what a great opportunity for sure to do something that's so meaningful, not only to the individual who would have had their butt in the zoom seat anyway, but also to integrate their family and have that level of inspiration. Very, very cool. So when a client hires you a corporation hires, you tell us a little bit about how you support them. What's unique and different that you built into what you do. Talk us through a little bit of that.

Gail Davis: (14:25)

I've been thinking about this lately. And I think it's three areas where we provide value. So number one is sourcing the speaker. Number two is contracting the speaker and all the payments that are involved. And number three is the logistics. And really it's a three-legged stool. And you need all of that. Under sourcing, unlike me back in 1994, when I was looking for the guy that was the hero in the Andes mountains, anybody can find that today. I mean, you can Google those exact words in, that'll probably take you to Nando's website and It'll probably bring you to my website. So anybody can find a speaker, where do we provide value? We provide value in the relationship and in the experience. So if I could, I would only recommend speakers that I've personally seen. But now that I've been doing this for over two decades, that's not always the case. So now I tap into my industry peers and I'm like, okay, I need the good, the bad, the ugly. What does this person like to work with? The ability and the relationships that we have to source speakers is one of the primary things. I think that we bring to the table.

Gail Davis: (15:43)

The second area where we add value is the contracting. And so some contracts are super simple and that's when we use an industry standard contract and the client signs our version and the speaker signs our version. That's super easy. We could close a speaker in a day, but the complexity comes when you have a client who has a legal department and they have certain terms that have to be approved. And fortunately we have the technology to save those terms. And then the complexity can get even more complex when you have a speaker who has a rider or some unique terms. So I think we really add a lot of value and expertise when it comes to actually contracting the speaker and making sure that everybody's paid. And then finally in the area of logistics, of course, logistics had been redefined in the virtual world for an in-person meeting that involves flights, airport transfers, confirming hotel accommodations, confirming the time of the soundcheck and making sure all the AB requirements that are specified in the contractor on site, in the virtual world, it's tech checks and platforms, and making sure that as we experienced a few difficulties today, making sure that all the technology is in play.

Gail Davis: (17:00)

So those are really where we come in and offer the expertise.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (17:05)

Awesome. Sounds amazing. It makes perfect sense. You know, having spent a good portion over 20 years of my life in the live event space, it is all of that prep and logistics handling behind the scenes, the ducks on the water that bring it all to fruition and to life and understanding the clients and their expectations and their needs and the level of handholding that's required, not just for the speaker, but also for the client is always an important piece that differentiates yourself when your client knows they can trust you like they do with you. It just takes so much pressure off of them to know that they're going to look good by choosing to hire you and your firm. I'm sure there are a lot of women entrepreneurs listening to this and saying, this is amazing information I'm thinking of increasing and elevating my profile. I'd love to start to speak. So within that context, what are your top three or four tips that you could give or resources that they could explore just to start educating themselves on the process

Maureen Borzacchiello: (18:14)

Sure, I get asked this question a lot and I always start recommending a book, which you can get on Amazon. And it's called the Wealthy Speaker. It's written by a woman named Jane Atkinson, just the fundamental basics of how the speaking industry works. And I think that's the really good place to start. I think she's pulled together a lot of really practical information. She has been an agent working at a speakers Bureau and she has worked for a specific speaker helping develop their visibility and relationship with bureaus. And now she has coaching service, the speaker launcher, or speaker launcher.com. So I think reading that book is just a great way to understand the fundamentals. Then, you know, you'd have to really ask yourself, is this what I want to do? And I think you need to talk to someone who has made it and hear how long it takes to make it and hear what the lifestyle's really like, because it might appear to be glamorous like, Oh, wow, look, they're on the stage and everyone's clapping.

Gail Davis: (19:26)

Isn't that fun. But what goes along with that are years of doing things that you might not get paid would be that you think you're worth. And what goes with that is missing your kid's soccer game and being on the road. And after everybody claps, you're in the hotel room all by yourself. So is it something that you're really committed to, if you're really committed to it, then you need to invest in doing it well. And at that point, I would recommend that you hire a speaking coach, you and I met because we both worked with a coach. And I think it's important to have somebody that coaches you, because you only get one chance to make a first impression. And that could be Jane or there is another group that has a bootcamp it's called the three ring circus. And I don't remember it with the two day bootcamp. I think it may be, but I highly recommend that as well, but you've got to really invest doing it well to get out there and really be a top-tier speaker

Maureen Borzacchiello: (20:28)

Makes perfect sense. There are lots of things that entrepreneurs have to hone in on in the presentation department. And I would think that just like anything else, whether it's pursuing a large corporate client or pursuing a speaking career, all of those require some due diligence. So I, those are absolutely great tips. So of course I'm dying to know like, what are the biggest flops or mistakes that you've seen people make over the years that were speakers that really missed the mark? Give us the dirty side or just some fun examples of

Gail Davis: (21:08)

Just this morning. I had a feedback call with a client about a speaker that was a virtual speaker and they were a little familiar with the CEO. So let's say the CEO, his name was Richard. It wasn't, but let's just say it was. And you know how sometimes if you know a Richard really well, you might call them casually Dick, or, you know, there might be a Catherine that you might call Cathy. And this particular speaker used a familiar version of the name, which nobody called the president of that company or the CEO of that name. And he didn't do it once he did it two or three times. And it just was super, super off-putting. So that's a very silly example, but I just had that call this morning. Once I was supposed to be onsite at an event, well, we had a speaker books and that speaker canceled and we did a replacement and it was their choice.

Gail Davis: (22:06)

Not someone I recommended, that someone they wanted, it makes the story a little bit better and I was supposed to be on site. And then something came up with my kids and I wasn't able to be on site. And so the client, it was a large HR company and they said to the speaker, the only thing we want to make sure you know, is we do not want any four letter words from the podium. This particular speaker goes to the podium and the first word out of his mouth was the F word and I mean fine or fun. I mean the F word. And he said that, and I guess, okay, got that out of the way stop. So, you know, when we talked about what services do we bring to the client, there are people, and he's one of them that we have in our back office. And it says in big letters do not book. I would never recommend that person. Even if the person said, Oh, I think that story is terrible. Let's go, come anyway. I would say, I don't want to be involved, right.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (23:15)

Because guess who has the master service agreement with the client who need for that jerk? And even though, as you said, the only good news is they demanded that he was the replacement. So at least,

Gail Davis: (23:27)

But even if that I couldn't get him to do anything. So I personally ate the expenses cause I just could not, after they paid with me, I could not send them a bill for his plane. I just couldn't do it. I was like, yeah,

Maureen Borzacchiello: (23:48)

That's great. And I'm sure they appreciated that, but wow, what a jerk? Oh my God.

Gail Davis: (23:54)

Yeah, there is rain. I rarely have instances or the client is not happy, but getting the name of the company wrong, that happens sometimes where they mispronounce it or maybe someone who's on the road all the time, like has a sweat. It's so good today to be here with IBM. And they're not at IBM. I mean, that has happened, but it's so rare. This is a wonderful industry. I think about this a lot. And I try to write it down as something that I'm really grateful for. We work with great clients and that our clients are with great organization because an organization that's struggling, doesn't typically spend money on an outside speaker. So usually it's an organization that's committed to improving the growth and development of their members or their employees. So, clients are great. They're just great and speakers that we recommend are great because they've made and they're out there speaking because they know their craft. And so it's really a pretty cool situation to be in, honestly,

Maureen Borzacchiello: (25:07)

Without a doubt. And you do your due diligence. I mean, I know that you don't take just anybody, you really vet based on specificity expertise, what they bring to the table because you're delivering them up to primarily high profile customers to speak at their events. So I guess that also is part of the equation. You're setting yourself up for success by not bringing in potential liabilities or people who wouldn't quite hit the mark.

Gail Davis: (25:38)

Yeah. And I think I've had just a handful of situations where people have said, Oh, I read this book and I really want this off. And I try to say, now, wait a minute, never worked with this person before, you know, it's back to the Nando advice that I got. And sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. So yeah.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (25:58)

And I'd love to ask you as an entrepreneur, what's one of the toughest challenges that you've had to overcome that like hit the ground moment where you have to crawl back up and like get through a challenge. And like, what was the situation? How did you pull yourself out of it? And what were your key takeaways?

Gail Davis: (26:20)

Without a doubt.   I mean, I could go back and tell you the transition from big corporate to small business was a big transition, but with out a doubt a year ago on March 6th, when COVID just hit, I cannot believe how overwhelming it was. I could not open my email without it just being one email after another, we need to cancel, we want our money back. Or I could not answer the phone without it being somebody that says we have to cancel. We want our money back. I had been through nine 11 where everything kind of stopped and canceled. It had a lingering effect in that people were afraid to fly, but the problem was not tied to a meeting, right? So we were sitting here going, when will we have meetings again? And we're still asking question, I had had 185 events impacted, and boy, what did I learn?

Gail Davis: (27:21)

I learned when you have a relationship, you can find a great solution. And that means a good relationship with the speaker and a good relationship with the client. The most challenging situation that we had to navigate more with newer clients, where we didn't really have a history or with speakers where we didn't have a longstanding history, it was just so incredibly overwhelming. We had no process in place. It would be exactly as if someone walked in the front door of my office and said, can you show me all your existing contracts please? And I said, Oh yeah, they're all in that door. Which of course they're in the cloud, but let's pretend here for a moment. And that person put them in a big bucket and took a match and lit them on fire and said, have a great day and walked out that, that is what it was like.

Gail Davis: (28:17)

I'm so blessed by the support that I have because very early on, we developed a number of spreadsheets and processes. And I feel like we handled the situation as well as we possibly could. But it's the most challenging thing I've ever dealt with really is. And now it's like, Oh, it's all good. Now we're doing virtual events right left. And now we write contracts that say this event that is going to be held in October is going to be an in-person event in the event that government restrictions are in place. And we're enabled to hold an in-person event, we will convert to virtual. And here's what the fee will be. So everybody's accepted that. And that's what it is. But you know, some people were like, Oh, I can, I can talk about it for hours. But that's the most challenging thing I've ever been through. It really tested my resiliency a lot.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (29:10)

I can imagine the live event industry has just been decimated. And so it's amazing that you were able to kind of create a pivot. I would be curious, is this now like a major part of your norm? Because even when live events go back to live events, there's always going to be virtual now there's always going to be that opportunity. So will you continue to build out the virtual of your business? I had to by default, but now it's an opportunity for additional growth. I would think

Gail Davis: (29:49)

I love my industry so much and we are so collegial. I would never think of someone who does what I do for another company as a competitor. I just wouldn't. These are my friends, these are my pals. We stuck through this together. We help each other out. And one of my colleagues who works for another company, we run an industry call on the term, hybrid kept being used. Well, the future will be hybrid, meaning an in-person component and a virtual competitor. And he actually said, I don't think we're going to be using the word hybrid. It's going to be just assumed like that is what a meeting will be. We're not going to be calling it. Oh, this is a hybrid meeting. No, it's like, of course. And I thought that was really an interesting comment that he made. So yes, I think that because now, I mean, look at the money people spend to travel.

Gail Davis: (30:43)

So, I think people we're just going to really relook at all of this. And I think we know we can accommodate people. So if someone chooses not to go to large meetings, maybe they're immune compromised. I just think very much so. And for some of our nonprofits, it's been really interesting to me when we built for a nonprofit here in Dallas, I always try to support them by buying a table. So traditionally, if it's a nonprofit event in Dallas and I need to fill the table up, who do I look to? I look to our Dallas based clients right now. We had so many virtual events and I was like, Oh my gosh, this is a really cool event. And I can invite anybody I want. So, you know, we did one event and I remember I had someone in California too. And I had someone in Boston at 10, you know, and, and that's neat. So from a fundraising perspective, when you go virtual, you expand your reach and exposure for your organization. So that's really cool as well.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (31:51)

That's a great point. You know, they skip the swag bag or they have it shipped to them, but you absolutely amplify the ripple effect of being able to get that additional exposure. It's a great point.

Gail Davis: (32:05)

There's no valet.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (32:11)

Or walking a mile through Mandalay Bay or something,

Gail Davis: (32:14)

One of our clients that converted to virtual on the day of her virtual event in Dallas, it was pouring rain. And, but it was worked right. And I sent her in that and I said, man, Rachel has some perks, you know, for the thing to start rolling. And I'm only dressed in the waist up and I don't have to fight the rain. So it's great.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (32:37)

There you go. Slippers and no umbrella. It is really true. I think there are a lot of perks to our zooming. So I want to talk also, as you grow and you're scaling, there's different challenges that entrepreneurs face are as I guess like growing that team, there's so many nuances associated with it. So talk us through, like, what was the biggest people related challenge that you had and how did you overcome that? Those are always fun. Those are better over wine, but it's early in the day,

Gail Davis: (33:14)

Turnover was an issue. And I think it was because of my mindset of, you know, I'm scrappy. I need to hire young people and I can train. So I became known as the best first job you'll ever have. And I hired all these young people, talking to the industry, taught them business, mentor them. And then this younger generation doesn't necessarily work someplace for 20 years like I did. And then they would go find their next job. And then I would have to start over. So you and I both worked with Alicia and one of the things, the great pieces of wisdom she gave me is frustration is nothing but unmet expectations. I've gotten a lot better at hiring talent and recognizing talent and not being afraid to pay for talent. And then I, I have improved so much as a leader because I spent a number of years sitting in my office, frustrated with people that weren't meeting my expectations. And that's what I did is I suppose, frustrated with people, not meeting my expectations instead of being very clear about my expectations. And I love Brené Brown's great quote, where she says clear is kind, clear is kind. I started out 2020 with that play on vision, 20/20 clarity. You know, I'm going to be very clear and ironically, the pandemic really did provide a lot of clarity. It was very, very helpful for me. And that allowed me to be very clear on my expectations.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (35:07)

That's great. I love it. I think it's so true. And yes, I would say I have equally evolved over years of coaching to be curious about what they think the expectation is. And for certain people I recognized I had to learn that, although I thought I was super clear on my expectations or what an assignment was that they were the type of person that benefited from feeding back to me to make sure they actually heard what it was and that they absorbed it. So I remember that was a big thing I implemented was saying, okay. So can you just recap with me? So we're on the same page, what you're doing or for the people who were very visual, I would recap and writing. So it was interesting just because I am a strategic thinker and I am very impulsive and I can think things through, on the fly. Other people need a minute. So it's interesting dealing with people. It's a great blessing for all of us, because as much as it can be frustrating, it's an opportunity just to grow as a leader. Like as the leader, sometimes you have to say, well, I kind of think it's you, but I'm gonna, you know, assume that it's me. And what can I learn from this situation? And how can we go

Gail Davis: (36:30)

Thousand percent, 1000%. And Alicia has just changed my life, but I went to her, it's such the right time. Like it was that exact moment. It was that moment when I was like, I thought it was all these people for so long, in every one of these stories and that's me. So how can I be a better version of myself? And boy, if you're willing to say that it's your help to get there, it's not always for you.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (37:09)

So in the spirit of real talk, the data shows, Gail, that women in general, particularly overachieving women on occasion suffer from imposter syndrome. And so I've become really passionate about talking about this and not continuing to hide it in the closet. So I'd be curious, have you ever suffered from it and if so, what bubbled up for you and how did you navigate your way out of it? So if someone's listening, they can be like, Oh, I can relate to them.

Gail Davis: (37:41)

I think in the beginning because I had 20 years of working for somebody else, I probably on occasion wonder, do I really have what it takes? You know, am I going to be taken seriously? Maybe when I went to my first IASB meeting all these people, who've had these companies for 10 years and 15 years. And are they going to think I'm just a fly by night thing? You know? So I think probably in the beginning, I haven't thought about it a lot, but probably in the beginning a little bit. Then I think as a leader, I really was hard on myself and I took it so personal when someone would leave me to go to work for another opportunity, like how could they do that? Like, I think I'm good. I can kinda what I'm doing, but maybe I really don't. And I almost cringe when a speaker would come on in and say, Oh, here are the five qualities of a great leader.

Gail Davis: (38:35)

And I would sit there and think, do I exhibit those? Or what other people think about me as a leader? I think I really struggled there. What is the benefit of getting older is developing a confidence and a wisdom in being able to say, I'm not perfect. I don't get it right all the time. I mean, my leadership skills have improved exponentially since I really got serious about coaching, but do I get it right every single day? No, but I wouldn't say that creates an imposter syndrome that just creates, like you said, a realness, like, okay, I'm still a work in progress. This is an opportunity for me. And that's kind of how I approach problems now is it doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel like we're on the same page. What's the opportunity for me.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (39:27)

Love it. And I do think just the ability to give yourself grace and acknowledge that you're not perfect. It's unrealistic to think that you can be perfect at all times is a huge step and a huge part in navigating for sure. And I appreciate where you're coming from. I think that it is sometimes the, "am I a fraud?" "Can I pull this off?" That bubbles up in particular with imposter syndrome. So it's great that you recognize for me, it's I'll stop myself and say, girl, you've got this. Like, are you kidding? Look at all the things you've accomplished. So yeah, maybe in this one area, we keep needing to work on it and that's okay. And you give yourself some grace to move the needle forward. So what do you think, Gail is one of the keys to your success?

Gail Davis: (40:23)

I am super passionate about this work and I am passionate about connecting people. I've introduced people that have gotten married. I just liked going to you like this and you like this, this will be a good fit. So I really am passionate about it. I mean, I'm on clubhouse and I overhear stuff that the, Oh, that's fine like that. You know, I just, I like being that connector. So passion to connect people and help people learn and be exposed to new things. I think that's what drives the whole thing. And then my resiliency didn't hurt because you need that in business and not every client loves me. And when one doesn't, how do I come back from that and go, okay. I learned something there and now be better in the future

Maureen Borzacchiello: (41:10)

Without a doubt. I knew you were my soul sister. I just love it. Love it, love it. So as we wind down, what's something Gail that people wouldn't know about you?

Gail Davis: (41:22)

I'm funny. I have a very good sense of humor and I think you're funny. I think sometimes I can shift and be very focused and be kind of all business, you know? So I think people sometimes are really surprised to find out how funny are you? Let my friends know it. Oh, they totally know it. Uh, you know, even my former husband to this day, I mean, he thinks I'm one of the funniest people I've ever met. So it's just, I think if people that meet me in a professional setting might think I'm a little buttoned up and not know that I'm so fun.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (42:00)

Gotcha. You can let your hair down, girl, let it down. I'm going to throw an extra question out there for you. Who is a woman that inspires you and why?

Gail Davis: (42:16)

Ooh, that is a good one. I am going to go with Brené Brown. I'm going to go with Renee because she has this vulnerability, which you know that it's for trademark. But when I read her stuff, you know, I'm always think. Yes, yes that's me. But then I see how she takes that vulnerability and then comes up with a solution to be a better leader. And I think in reading a lot of her books, I really got encouraged that I can be a good leader. I can do this and I don't have to be perfect all the time. So she really does inspire me also. I'm very inspired by her boundaries now as a person that likes to book speakers and they like the speakers to say, yes, I have to say that sometimes her boundaries bug me because she's know so easily, but she's so clear. She, she knows what her priorities are, you know, with her family. And she knows what her priorities are for researching and writing. And she knows when she's available to speak. And I looked back and I'm like, okay, I didn't get the answer that I wanted, which was the yes. But there's something that I did get, which is a really great example of somebody that's very, very clear on their boundaries and not afraid to say no.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (43:45)

That's perfect. I mean, how big of a struggle is that particularly for women, because we're doing so many things and juggling so many things and how empowering it is to graciously know your boundaries. Love it.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (44:04)

Last question then, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Gail Davis: (44:10)

Oh my goodness. The best piece of advice that I've ever received is that it can be exhausting to surround yourself with people that are just like you. And someone told me that. And I was like, what? Talk to me a little bit more. And this person helped me realize that we are not all the same. And so for example, there's still a was in your earlier helping me troubleshoot, you know, and that's not my thing. I don't like troubleshooting and figuring out how to make the microphones work, but she's really good at that. So having people surround you that have different strengths and acknowledging them, it's not just having different people with different strengths, but it's acknowledging those different strengths really makes for a much pleasant, much more pleasant environment. That, that was really key. I think in the beginning I hired a lot of people that were just like me. And so we all sit around, we all liked each other a lot. There were certain things that weren't getting done and it was exhausting for me because they eventually had to get done. And because everybody was just like me, I had forced myself to do things that really aren't my expertise. And when I started to understand that I need people that are good in this area and I'm full, that are good in that area, this area, then I had more support and more strength.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (45:44)

I'm going to throw an amen up there. I mean, that is a perfect ending to an awesome, awesome interview. I mean, that was the cherry on top of the sundae. Gail Davis, you are awesome. We will put all your links up on our show notes page so that people can check you out. They can follow you. And I will also put the links to the book and the resources that you mentioned. Thank you so, so much for joining us on the real talk podcast today. Gail, you are awesome.

Gail Davis: (46:18)

Oh, thank you, Maureen. I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

Maureen Borzacchiello: (46:22)

We'll talk soon.

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 15

Guest: Francine Glick

Francine Glick, founder of Echo Strategic Consultants and Water Journey, a personal care product company. Francine has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA in computer science from Barnard College at Columbia University. 

She is a perfect example of the crossroads where super-intelligent meets the super creative problem solver. Her background as an expert in Mergers and Acquisitions, specializing in the technology space enabled her to leverage her skills as she transitioned to entrepreneur and innovator when she created the category of alcohol-free hand sanitizers, and she received two patents.

Key Takeaways, Tips and RealTalk:

• Just because you think you have something that's patentable doesn't mean that it is.
• A patent is expensive. Use caution about jumping into soon and really think about whether it's important to patent your product.
• Patent pros: 
• • Gives you a marketing advantage
  • If you want to sell your company to a larger company, the larger companies are very interested in patents.
• When dealing with the retail marketplace, they want more SKUs. They don't want one product. They want more! 
• Once you have the traction and the numbers are kicking in - roll out your next product.  Don’t bring too many products to market too soon but at the same time, get prepared for “what’s next” once the primary product is thriving.
• When working with Big Box Retailers:  You need to be the expert in your space to explain to them how this is going to increase their sales and who’s going to buy it. 
• You have to be able to articulate who that ideal client is that buys your product so that collectively you can collaborate and market to them
• Big Box Retail is not always the best route. Really analyze whether your product is a good fit for that particular Big Box: Is there alignment with core values or does it just happens to be a product that everyone wants or needs in some capacity? 
• Relationships are important. Cultivate great relationships with your buyers and suppliers and MOST importantly, your banker (especially before you need your bank and more money).  
• Growth and Scaling: When you think about growth, don’t forget about the cash flow. When you're in a product business, you need to plan ahead and think through what growth will look like. It’s not just about increased sales revenue, it’s about funding more product as you grow and scale and expanding logistics and operational efficiencies.    

Guest:

Francine Glick 

Companies:

Water Journey

https://www.waterjourney.com/

Echo Strategic Consultants

www.echo-strategic.com

Social: 

• Hands2GO Alcohol-free Hand Sanitizer - Facebook
• @save_our_hands - Twitter
• @hands2go - Instagram
• Hands2GO - Amazon

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 14

Guest:  Lisa Song Sutton

About Lisa:

• Successful serial entrepreneur
• Real estate investor
• Former Miss Nevada - United States
• Former Congressional Candidate for Nevada’s 4th District.
• Former attorney who started her business career working in a top Las Vegas law firm, specializing in business litigation. 
• Started her first business, Sin City Cupcakes in 2012.

Companies:

Sin City Cupcakes

Ship Las Vegas

Elite Homes - Christie’s International Real Estate 

Liquid and Lace Swimwear

Lisa often publishes articles for periodicals like Forbes, Inc Magazine, and Business Insider on all things, business, and entrepreneurship. She's passionate about sharing her message of leadership and empowerment as well as action...encouraging people, especially women to take a seat at the table and make their voices heard. 

Key Takeaways and show notes from Lisa Song Sutton:

Partnerships and Business Models:  

• No company stays the same forever so, your paperwork then also has to change along with the company
• Have a discussion with your partner and make sure you guys are on the same page because if one of you wants to have a legacy business and the other wants to eventually sell it, in 60 months, that's the misalignment. 
• A business is going to go through life cycles. If it's a legacy business or lifestyle business, that's one thing….But when you're ramping up and getting strategic and positioning it to sell, it's a very different animal, and you really need to take a different approach as to how you run it. (i.e. how lean, how systemized, a little more frugal, etc).
• Work-life Balance has to be your own definition of it. It's not going to be 50/50. There are going to be some days where it's less than more.
• When you're in the beginning stages of your company expect to be in the trenches, don't expect to take your weekends off. Don't expect to take days off.   If you do,  you're setting yourself up for failure. You need to go in with blinders on and just say, okay, am I willing to not take a vacation for the next two years? You have to be intense if you're serious about getting your business to a place of stability.

Systems and Operations:

• Document everything - all processes and procedures.  
• It's so helpful for training new employees because the documents already exist. It's easier than as you make tweaks to your processes and systems just to update them. It's also great insurance. If a key person leaves your company and they were the one that responsible for a lot of tactical day-to-day things because someone else can pick up where they left off

Support and Mindset:

• When you go through a rough time, you can't let it discourage you to the point where you're like, I'm just not going to do this at all. I think it's really important just to not let yourself get to that point. Cause you've worked so hard to build this. Surround yourself with good supportive people.
• You're going to them for support and confidence because your confidence has now been shocked and hit because of the situation. So you have to surround yourself with people who believe in you.
• Most  women who are overachievers tend to suffer from occasional bouts of imposter syndrome
• I think imposter syndrome, is such a human thing. It can be a blessing in the sense that it keeps you humble, at least for me. I never get too big for my britches regardless of what the facade is or what the social media facade is. I never get too big for my britches. I remember where I come from. And I think somewhere that little bit of self-doubt that I'll carry or that will pop up from time to time. That's my reality check to keep grinding. 
• You never know everything. So I think they can be a blessing. So instead of looking at imposter syndrome as we have to eliminate those, that, every day is superwoman. That's not true.
• The cape has to go in the wash sometimes. 
• When I feel discouraged or in control, I'll grab a notepad and I'll start making a list of the things I can do right now. What can I tighten up right now? There's always something helpful to me. Write it down. So that way at the end of the day, I'm crossing it off. 
• If you're so drawn to adventure and you're so drawn to an idea and you know, in your gut that it could work, then why not take the risk in your twenties? Why not take the risk in your thirties?  I just feel I meet a lot of young people and think, you have so much time. You could mess up for the next nine years. And you'll still be okay. And I think as we get older, we become a little more risk-averse.
• Entrepreneurs, in general, are very willing to take a risk. And I think that 80% of the world is risk-averse and can understand that we're willing to roll the dice and do things that aren't as secure, but in exchange, it's also because we're so passionate and we want to make a difference in the world and we want to do things and beat to a slightly different drum that we're willing to take that shot.
•  

The main keys to your success?

• I have great people around me. I'm so thankful for my partners, for our teams and our staff, and the great people who work with us and for us, without them, none of this would be possible. None of this would even exist without them. I'm incredibly grateful for that and just grateful for my inner circle too, my family, my great friends who have supported me along the journey the entire way. I’ve got a girlfriend of mine who knew she was in my kitchen when we were starting the recipe right and creating recipes for Sin City Cupcakes in 2011. I'm blessed to have just great people around me.  So I just want to make sure that I remind myself of that and stay grateful for that. 

What's the best advice you've ever received? 

• So my parents told me this quote when I was little and it's just something that has stuck with me ever since, hard work, beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. And I found that to be true time and time again in my life. There's always going to be someone faster than you, smarter than you, and better looking than you, whatever the case is and in the context. And so the question is, what do you bring to the table?  I think, having a solid work ethic and being willing to grind when most won't, so that's a quality that a lot of people don't have. I think it's easy to talk about and it's easy to share memes on social media, but when it comes down to, who's going to do the work, no one wants to do the work. And so if you're the one who's willing to do the work, you should reap the reward for that. Show that your work ethic is what will set you apart from other competitors. 

What is something about you that most people don't know? 

• I'm very musical and I grew up with dance classes as well. So I grew up with private piano lessons, private flute lessons, taught dance lessons. I had a fine arts upbringing. and I think people are just always really surprised by that. 

What woman has inspired you and why? 

• There are so many, Of course, what immediately comes to mind are family and female mentors I have in my life. But you know, I love the way that Sara Blakely approaches things. The founder of Spanx
• Her innovation came out of fixing a problem or spotting something that she was like, I should do something about this. And then she did. Then she put in the groundwork. She grinded where she was doing it out of her house and having boxes show up at her house, holding inventory at her home. And I love the journey and the progression that she's taken. And I just think that it's great to watch. It's something to aspire to.

Personal Website:  https://www.lisasongsutton.com/ 

Social: 

@lisasongsutton - Instagram

@lisasongsutton - Facebook

Social:

@sincitycupcakes - Instagram

@Sincitycupcakes -Facebook

@elitehomes.us - Instagram

@elitehomesUS - Facebook

Lisa’s LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasongsutton/

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 13

Tori Ganahl and Heidi Ganahl

• The mother-daughter, founders of Shefactor, an online platform for young women looking to create a life they love. 
• Heidi Ganahl is a serial entrepreneur. She gave up a successful, but slightly unfulfilling career in pharmaceutical sales while turning a personal tragedy of being widowed, super young in life into an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people and their pets. As the founder of camp bow wow, the largest pet care franchise in the US which grossed over $100 million. She sold that company and is living the dream.  
• Tori Ganahl. Her daughter was raised by this amazing human being and benefited from having such a bad-ass mom. Tori while in college demonstrated her leadership and people skills by becoming a sophomore president of the largest sorority on campus at the University of Oregon. When she graduated, she realized she was stuck in a corporate job that just wasn't fulfilling in the real world. 
• Tori and her mom tackled this issue head-on and ended up creating the Shefactor platform to help other young women navigate the journey of becoming confident, successful leaders of their lives and creating the life that they loved. They've reached over 1 million women in one year, and boy, they are just getting started.

Key Takeaways:

• Business is like a baby. You got to get it there.
• If you can really align what you're doing with your career, with your life, with what you're passionate about, what you care about, it just makes all the difference in your success, in how your attitude and the people that you're around with. It's just so much more fun.
• When you have partners, there's that extra dynamic because you both have different points of view.
• start with figuring out what you're good at and your strengths, and then relying on other people to do the things that you might not be as good at, but they are. And that's also a leadership moment. Cause if you're not giving them that freedom to do what they are great at, then you're depriving them of that too.
• You have to build relationships with your customers, and our customers need fun, lighthearted, little bits of inspiration every day.
• We're slowly building this community of growth-oriented young women who really get how important it is to take a second out of the day to read a little bit of inspiration, laugh, smile, or just take a tidbit of advice and move on with your day.
• when it comes to content, it's about just speaking directly to the customer and in me creating this content. And more recently we've completely boiled it down to just me doing it all because the thing is, people, connect with a person and that's how they connect with the brand. 
• You have to create memorable moments and things happening in your company and your brand that they want to hear about and they want to report about.
• Always look for opportunities to do things a little bit different or edgy to grab their attention so that they would want to have a relationship with us and report about what we were doing.
• one of the core things we built Shefactor on was this statistic that young women only stay at their jobs right now for an average of 18 months. Now, how do you build women into the C-suite and women onto the board of directors if they won't stay at the company, when they're 25 years old for longer than 18 months, it just doesn't work?
• You can't just walk in with the same old, same old, you need to know your audience, you need to know your data and you need to give them something that's really intriguing and interesting.
• I feel like we ask for this because we need affirmation that what we're doing is good and what we're doing was great. And you know, we're in the right spot, but you have to be your own cheerleader. Like you have to tell yourself that those things were great. So it starts with how you talk to yourself and then the more you've got, you're like, yeah, I can own that.
• You have to be selfish to resonate with what that vision is for you.
• you have to be in alignment with who you bring into your business, your employees, your partners, your speakers, whatever that is. And if you're not in alignment, it's a huge red flag.

What kind of challenges did you encounter, how did you navigate through them and what steps did you take to overcome them?

• Tori: I think our biggest challenge initially, especially within 2020 was this pivot that we had to make our whole plan for 2020 was to do live in-person events. And then on top of that, you know, figuring out how to monetize this space is definitely a huge challenge.
• Tori: we also had some family stuff going on, where my mom had to get brain surgery in August. And I had to completely transition over into running the company and taking care of her and doing those things. 
• Tori:  All of 2020 was pivot, pivot, pivot, and see what works, see what there's something in the wall, see what sticks.
• Heidi: We have such a small, nimble team. We had a great coach to step in. She was one of our speakers, Stephanie Pong. She does manifestation and hypnosis and teaching positive thinking.
• Tori: I think the biggest thing that I learned as well from that experience is taking every challenge as an opportunity. Like you can turn every challenge that you face into an opportunity to grow and to change and to be more passionate and fill your life with more purpose. 

If you each had to pick one thing that you still struggle with, what is it and how do you work on pulling yourself forward or through that struggle? 

• Heidi: My word for this year is grace and giving myself grace, giving the people around me, grace, and it's a struggle like you have to be kind to yourself and I can say that but who's your harshest critic. Usually, that's what we do as women. And that's kind of how society rolls, but at the end of the day, especially with everything going on with COVID and mom's trying to juggle so much, it's almost an impossible task.
• Heidi: We have to give each other grace, we have to just find ways to connect in small ways and support each other as much as we can and recognize this is not normal. It's not a normal time. Anything that is, I think, really important.
• Tori: I still struggle so much with perfectionism and I think that's something that a lot of women struggle with as well as this theory that we have to be perfect.
• Tori: Taking care of people, that's my strength, but it can also be my weakness, I can focus way too much on helping other people and not enough on myself and what I need.
• Tori: So it's about finding that balance. It has to make one little impact and let go of the need to be perfect and be everything for everyone. Especially as an entrepreneur and leading a team and leading a community like you want to be perfect. 

When you've had those moments of imposter syndrome, what have you done to pull yourself out of that? 

• Heidi: It’s really hard for women to brag about ourselves and to own our successes. And at the end, I found myself being self-deprecating and kind of making some funny remarks and I'm like, knock it off Heidi. Like, don't do that. Just stop before it comes out of your mouth. And I think that we do that often, it's a practice we've got to practice not doing that or catch ourselves when we do it. And with grace say doing better next time. And then really standing up for ourselves and speaking out and owning our successes is really important as well.
• Tori: I have a lot of thoughts on imposter syndrome and mostly because I think it's the number one thing that our community has voiced that they struggle with and it's happening so much across young women right now.
• Tori: I think a big part of that is social media. I think you constantly are comparing yourself to other people and what they're doing and how big they are and how many followers they have, how many people like this.
• Tori: Something that I've been trying to implement is a routine of the mirror, really talking to myself in the mirror every morning saying, I am creative, I am worthy. I am successful. Saying those things to yourself is important.

Keys to your success: 

• Tori: Following your gut and following your vision and being so strong in that and not letting that go and not letting anyone get you. So I think that's one of the keys to success for me is just being so aware and willing to do the work that it takes to make that intuition louder and more clear and more visible and staying so strong to your vision and what you think is right for you. 
• Heidi: Surrounding myself with great people. I just learned that early on that I couldn't do it all. And instead of being arrogant or thinking that I had the answer to everything or having to pretend that I did, I realized that the keys to the kingdom were in getting people around me that were smarter than me, or as smart as me that could figure out problems that I couldn't, and then they multiply your effect.

What is something most people don't know about you? 

• Tori: I think that innately I'm a very self-conscious person and I always have been, and that leads back to that perfectionism, but I also love performing. I love theater. My dream was to be the host of eNews and here I am with a podcast and leading all these events and I'm doing it.
• Heidi: The first thing that came to mind is that I'm a huge college football fan.  One of my hobbies is traveling around and going to different stadiums and experiencing the different games. I'm not just a huge dog lover... I actually have two kitty cats right now and very passionate about cats too.

What is the best piece of advice you've ever received? 

• Tori: The biggest, best piece of advice that I've ever received is to be more selfish. You have to be selfish with your time and your energy and not give that to people that don't deserve it.
• Heidi: "Be impeccable with your word." It's really important to be thoughtful and careful about what you say, but also be authentic and speak your truth.

Guests: Heidi and Tori Ganahl

Company:  SheFactor

You can find Heidi and Tori Ganahl on:

• Website: https://www.theshefactor.com/
• Facebook Page:  @TheSheFactor
• Instagram:

  @theshefactor

  @heidiganahl

  @toriganahl 

• LinkedIn:  SheFactor
• Youtube:  SheFactor TV
• Twitter:  @shefactor
• Pinterest:  SheFactor

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 12

Guest: Wendy Pease 

Wendy Pease is on a mission: to unite people across languages and cultures.  In this episode of the RealTalk podcast, Wendy shares insights, tips and strategies to help entrepreneurs evaluate and consider marketing globally, as well as the benefits of investing in proper, high quality translation to market in different languages.

Key Takeaways:

Exporting Advise:  Consider leveraging grants from the Federal Government to grow and scale through exporting

Marketing Globally:  

• 90% of people would rather spend time on a site that is in their native language and more than 50% said they would pay more
• English is NOT the global language - people want to converse in their native language, so although they may be capable of speaking English, they prefer to interact in their naitive tongue.
• The United States does not have an official language!
• ROI: sales, brand recognition, engagement
• Many companies start by marketing to other English speaking countries - but you could be going into an extremely competitive market instead of spending a small amount on translation

RealTalk Tip:  When considering exporting to another country:  Figure out what the biggest markets for your products or service (look at your google analytics + market research)

• Advice:  Pick one country and master that and then move on to pursuing other countries/languages
• Be careful about free translations like Google Translate for things like quality/in-depth translations. AI (Artificial Intelligence) translation is good for words, more than phrases… particularly generational or dual meanings, geographic use of words, dialect… so to ensure that you are paying for quality
• Determine if you need to globalize your marketing  or localize (b to b will tend to lean globalized and b to c will tend to lean localized)
• Localization:  is marketing to a local region - especially if you are a consumer product
• Cultural:  think about the cultural traditions, positions, standards for doing business so that you understand expectations when traveling abroad
• The second largest Spanish Speaking country in the world is the US!  So think about the benefits of converting your marketing even if you are not planning to export.

When thinking about going global, some things to consider are:

• What is your buyer or consumer’s journey?
• • What’s their and what can solve my problem
  • What solutions are out there
  • Easy way to buy
• So if you look at your website, what does your site offer to walk prospects through that journey, is your site clear?
• Which pages would you then want/need to convert/translate to a micro site, in the additional language
• Consider converting your FAQ or Chat Bot into the additional language?

Recommendations:

STEP funding for Federal Grants:  https://www.rapporttranslations.com/blog/us-small-business-association-step-grant-initiative

Understanding and Managing Cash Flow:

• Learn what your breakeven numbers look like
• Put systems in place to ensure that you understand your numbers
• Have a line of credit in place - an emergency fund
• Develop a relationship with your banker - BEFORE you need it
• Understand the difference between good debt and bad debt

Networking Tips:

You never know where your business is going to come from

Going into networking from the perspective of getting to know people and find ways to give/help/connect.  “Givers Gain”

Build relationships

Book:  You, You, Me, You by Jayne Mattson

LinkedIn is the same as physical networking: 

• Find common ground
• Chime in to discussions
• Set a goal to connect and get followers based on Giving/Sharing content that helps people (and relates to your product/service/industry in some capacity)
• Create a content calendar regarding what you want to post to bring value
• Engage:  answer questions, comment on other people’s content
• Build time to do the engagement part so that you are not a phantom

Mentions: 

Leading Change Course from People Biz Inc.

Book:  Traction by Gino Wickman

RealTalk - best piece of advice Wendy ever received:  Hire Slow, Fire Fast!

Perspective:  In taking a looking back, Wendy would:

• Have recognized that she’s not alone
• Believe in herself more
• Trust herself in decision making
• Ask for help or advice when she needed it

Guest:  Wendy Pease

Company:  Rapport International

Website:  https://www.rapporttranslations.com/ 

Podcast - Global Marketing Show - https://globalmarketingshow.podbean.com/  

Blog - https://www.rapporttranslations.com/blog  

Translation Resource Center - https://www.rapporttranslations.com/learning-center

• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/ 
• FB:  @RapportInternational
• Twitter: @RapportIntl
• Company LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/rapport-international-sudbury-ma/ 
• Youtube: Rapport International

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/ 

Subscribe on: iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  Google Play  |  Spotify  

Want to learn more and connect with like-minded women? Click here to join our RealTalk Community

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 11

Marissa Sams

Her family's international work gave Marissa a multi-dimensional view of the world and a wider viewpoint for strategy building

Marissa’s mission: help people create spaces where all can feel comfortable and heard.

Key Takeaways:

• Create a professional sphere of influence and make sure that it’s a give/get relationship - give more that you are looking to get from the connection
• Be curious when networking, focus on meeting a few key people and have quality conversations as opposed to making contacts for the sake of contacts (it’s about quality, not quantity)
• Stand up for yourself, your team and what you believe is right 
• Be willing to have uncomfortable conversations with clients or employees if there are issues of disrespect  

• Evaluate your staffing needs in relation to the scope of work that you are providing and consider a blend of outsourced support vs. staff employees to find the right blend that works for you.  

What do you feel is one of your keys to success?

Marissa: I think what makes me me currently and keeps me satisfied with where I am right now is just serving and really feeling that I have a unique set of experiences and a unique set of gifts that I'm really committed to sharing with the right people. 

Perspective:  In taking a looking back, Marissa would:

• Take time to have fun, work a little less
• Be more present 
• Appreciate the small things
• Make time to just relax
• Celebrate and own your victories
• Don't worry about what other people think - their opinion is none of your business!
• It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So pace yourself and take care of yourself 

Best Piece of advice Marissa ever received was from her grandmother:  meekly, wait and murmur not. Have patience. 

Guest:

Marissa Sams

Company:  Marissa Sams Events

Website:  http://marissasamsevents.com/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-sams-559642a/ 

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 10

Kiki Rozema

In this episode of the RealTalk Podcast, my guest Kiki Rozema shares how a simple problem...led to the creation of her company and a movement.  

Creating a brand around confidence takes courage - hear how she took her life’s mission to help others, from being a middle school teacher...to a confidence business - that happens to sell apparel for women!

Her philosophy is different from others

Her products are Eco friendly

Her POV is Inclusion - with sizing ranging from XXS to 3XL 

In this episode you’re hear insights about:

• Investing in learning from people who are a few steps further along than you are
• Hiring people who are better than you at specific roles/tasks - to free you up to do what you’re best at
• Investing in yourself and your education - to grow and scale with more ease
• Knowing your numbers and understanding where you are financially at all times
• How making time for yourself is critical

Kiki also shares why she believes that mindset is everything - we all experiences and choices that shape who we are, but our response is what creates our success.

RealTalk Moment:  Hear how a traumatic and personal experience planted the seed that led to the formation of her company.  

Kiki’s story really is the hero’s journey - you’ll be inspired and you’ll have some good laughs too!

Guest:

Kiki Rozema

Company:  

Smoothies Activewear

Website:  https://www.smoothiestanktops.com/

IG:  smoothies_tank_tops

FB:  @smoothiestanktops

Confidence Connection FB Group for Women:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/790219721413765

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/ 

Hear how these Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Business Owners were inspired to create a product line that launched a NEW market category while making people feel good about themselves... and learn how they got their product into one of the largest global big box retailers in the world. 

• Do you want to know what the most important elements of working with a global retailer is? 
• Are you curious about where to start regarding manufacturing overseas, this episode will give you some amazing tips!

Lisa Harrington and Kimberly Martinez of Bonitas International and their newest company Bondy Worldwide, share insights about:

• Raising Capital
• Managing Cash Flow
• Having Remote Teams
• Working with Large Corporations
• Navigating Crisis ...and what the most important, critical skill is that is necessary to do so 
• Plus, they share their biggest pieces of advice around business, success and taking time for yourself.  

RealTalk moment:  Listen to them share how their fear of Covid-19 wiping out their business inspired creativity, innovation and a whole new company (while their legacy business actually thrived and grew through the pandemic!).  

There is SO MUCH valuable information, insights and relatable laughs.  If you are serious about growing and scaling your business, you won’t want to miss this episode.  

Episode Guests:

• Lisa Harrington
• Kimberly Martinez

Companies:

Bonitas International

Social:  @BooJeeBeads

Bondy World

Social:  @bondyworld

Kimberly’s LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmartinez1/ 

Link to Kimberly’s book Women Who Mean Business:  https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Leading-Women/e/B008DGBCO6?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1599734005&sr=8-1

Lisa’s LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-harrington-6b912830/ 

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/ 

Did you ever meet someone whose energy and light shines so bright that you can’t help but want to know this person… well, that’s Nora Tobin! 

This incredible human being will inspire you with her journey of how she went from couch surfing and living out of her van chasing her dreams of being a professional volleyball player -  and turned it into a super successful, global business including her role as The Health and Wellness Partner for Marriott International and other Fortune 500 companies!  Hear how LinkedIn played a role.

Hear about her grit, resiliency and determination combined with her grass roots approach to proof of concept, helped her identify a gap in wellness related to travel and create a niche which has expanded to on-property programs, retreats, interim/online videos and her client interfacing programs. 

RealTalk moment:  Nora shares her how a nightmare that could have destroyed her reputation (and career)  became one of her greatest life lesson!  We talk strategy, her tips regarding systems that she uses to manage her prospecting, outreach and projects.

Plus, she gives you Three Impactful Tips to Quickly and Easily make time for yourself,  improve your wellbeing…and hello… reduce fat and improve your sex drive!!  I’m not kidding – and she’s talking only 15 minutes a day!  You want to hear this for sure.

Takeaways/Learnings:

• Don’t be afraid to say No to things/people/situations that do not serve you.  
• Recognize and embrace your own inner strength and resilience and let it empower you.
• Focus on things that are IMPACTFUL, not time consuming when it comes to wellness.  
• Give yourself protected time daily - non-negotiable time for yourself each day, even if it’s just 15 minutes.
• Take some deep breaths, while sitting in silence.  Follow this pattern:  deep breath in, hold for a three count, exhale for a five count.  Repeat this several times.  Why?  This puts your body into a parasympathetic state, which means that you're entering your day from a place of calm and focus rather than fight or flight (where our cortisol rises and ladies, cortisolpulls from your thyroid or estrogen, which equates to holding on to fat or lowering your sex drive!  So take those deep breaths!)
• Get moving - do some kind of movement to get your energy going.
• Write in a gratitude journal, or go through the process of thinking about what you are grateful for, as you set the tone for your day.  

Tip:  When we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside.

By consciously practicing gratitude everyday, we can help these neural pathways to strengthen themselves and ultimately create a permanent grateful and positive nature within ourselves.

Guest on this episode:  Nora Tobin

Company:  Nora Tobin LLC

You can find Nora on:

Website: www.noratobin.com 

Instagram: @noratobin

Programs:

Kale, Cardio & Cocktails

RETREAT with Nora

Fulfillment in 3

20% Discount Code for Kale, Cardio & Cocktails:  REALTALK

About the KCC program:  Kale, Cardio and Cocktails is a full-proof fitness and nutrition plan designed to get you in the best shape of your life without having to clock hours at the gym, be deprived of your favorite foods or forgo cocktail hour.

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/ 

Sarah shares about her journey and success path as a young professional and discusses how she overcame business challenges like managing cash flow and making strategic spend decisions... to societal expectations in a male dominated industry... to creating a business that ranks in the top 6% of all women owned businesses in the US - by the age of 30!

The RealTalk with Sarah includes:

• Challenges of multiplying her time as a newer, but growing company and how staffing up too fast created a financial burden that became overwhelming.
• How she recalibrated, learned her financials and her break even numbers to invest and spend efficiently
• Hired a right-hand person - someone who compliments Sarah with different skill set to tackle things that she doesn’t like or want to do
• Empowering herself to say NO to spend, requests and commitments that didn’t serve her or her business

You’ll also hear how Sarah and her team made a Covid-19 Pivot that took a physical art gallery and painstakingly and thoughtfully got it all online to serve her client base and survive the pandemic shut downs and will likely double her revenue by doing so in the long term.

On a personal note, Sarah shares how she has learned to “give herself grace”, celebrate the small victories and her mantra:  “The best thing that you can do is cheer other people on selflessly.”  

Guest on this episode:  Sarah Miller Gelber

Company:  Miller Gallery

You can find Sarah on:

W: https://millergallerychs.com/

FB: @millergallerychs

IG: @millergallerychs @sar.miller.gelber

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiellocomplete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/ 

...and, if you like what you are hearing, please subscribe and give us a great rating on your favorite listening platform!  Help us, help more women entrepreneurs!  xo

It’s all about the cash.  In times of crisis, and in particular the recent Covid-19 Pandemic, you need to have a secure handle on cash flow, a backup plan and know what to do in case of emergency.  

As you know, cash flow starts with the money coming in - generating revenue quickly, especially in challenging times.  It also requires getting strategic and lowering your costs, expenses and slowing down how fast the cash goes out the door.  

There are five key strategies that you can utilize to QUICKLY and EASILY generate sales revenue and improve your cash flow.  

In this episode we dive in to:

• Inbound Revenue Generation and the strategies to leverage existing clients (you’re biggest fans) and focus on ways to attract new customers.
• Outbound Cash Flow and Accounts Payables strategies and specific tips to evaluate your cash flow, urgent modifications to spend and payables
• Vendor and Supply Chain Management - negotiating better pricing and terms and exploring new vendors
• Time Management and Prioritization Strategies that can help you double or triple your revenue
• Banking Relationships and Financial Tools to strategically leverage existing banking relationships and explore and utilize financial tools that save you time and money 

We’ve got a cheat sheet for you too - click here to download a breakdown of The Five Key Strategies which include a ton of valuable information, links, scripts and more.  

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY  https://programs.maureenborza.com/Maximizecashflow

Follow Maureen on:

Instagram: @MaureenBorza

Facebook: @MaureenBorza

LinkedIn: @MaureenBorzacchiello

Twitter:  @MaureenBorza

Kathryn Epps Roberson is a busy woman getting things done, as a CEO and Entrepreneur of a successful company and the Executive Director of a not-for profit organization - in addition to being a Mom and Step-Mom.  

She shares how she went from a buyer for luxury retailer Neiman Marcus to creating a start up small business during the recession of 2008 and how she leveraged her business and finance background from Howard University and her transferable skills, reapplied toward a part-time job which turned into a side hustle business in event planning and management, into the successful company that she has today.

Kathryn talks entrepreneurship and collaboration, one of the keys to her success.  

RealTalk moment:  Kathryn gets super brave and shares a recurring challenge:  Impostor Syndrome.   She is incredibly honest and vulnerable in sharing her battle with thoughts of not being good enough, not deserving a seat at the table, not perfectly juggling career, business, personal life, and the insecurities or fears of judgement for being a young professional, being a black woman, landing her first large contract and then...including motherhood into the mix.    She shares how vulnerability became game changing and enhanced her life and relationships in the most amazing ways. 

Takeaways/Learnings:

• Surround yourself with people who acknowledge and appreciate your contributions and your unique talents - so that they can remind you of your greatness in your moments of doubt or self-questioning.
• Recognize that perfection doesn’t exist
• Acknowledge your strengths, accomplishments and own your success

Tip:  When you are feeling Impostor Syndrom creep in, jot down three things that you do really well - or find someone in your inner circle to remind you that you’ve worked your ass off and highlight some of your accomplishments.

Kathryn shares how she retired the SuperWoman costume and became unapologetic about her reality, her struggles, her wins and successes AND her experiences around racism and how being a woman of color has presented challenges and opportunities in business and in life.  

Guest on this episode:  Kathryn Epps Roberson

Company:  AEC Partners

You can find Kathryn on:

W: https://www.aecpartners.net/

FB: @aecpartners

L:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aec-partners-llc/

IG: @kdotepps  @aecpartners and @hirephilly

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

#femaleentrepreneur #mompreneur #supplierdiversity #Neiman Marcus #HowardUniversity #HBCU  #eventplanning #eventindustry #partnership #collaboration #PPE #Covid-19 #impostersyndrome #philadelphiabusiness #pennwomen #sidepreneur #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #entrepreneur #girlboss

Called NY's "Perfect Covid-19 Retreat" by Forbes, how Cedar Lakes Estate jumped into action to survive AND keep employees working!

Cedar Lakes Estate's co-owners (and sisters) Stephanie Baynton and Lisa Karvellas share how they pivoted their business model to become an all-inclusive boutique hotel during what should have been their peak luxury wedding and group retreat season. 

Hear how their 100-yr old campground became one of the most sought-after upscale event venues in the Hudson Valley, right outside of NYC.  

The sisters also share some critical lessons regarding confidence as entrepreneurs,  the importance of self-care (trying to fit it in), building a trusted staff, AND.. reinvesting profits back into the business to continue to exceed customer expectations.  

You can follow Lisa and Stephanie here:

Website:  https://www.cedarlakesestate.com/

IG:  @thesistersofcedarlakes

FB:  @CedarLakesEstate

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com

Imagine owning a boutique fitness company and being shut down due to Covid-19. 

Jen Crompton CEO of  FUEL Cycle Fitness shares her inspirational story of rallying around her community during the pandemic and turning the proverbial lemons into lemonade with a pivot that started as a way to survive and now takes her business from local to global. 

Jen is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for working with women and girls on using mindset to overcome challenges and she’s juggling it all as a mamma of a sweet little boy!    Jen gets real about taking risks as an entrepreneur, dealing with overcoming a lawsuit ...and redefining what success looks like and creating a life on HER terms. 

We talk Type A vs Type C - which one are you? 

Jen shares a piece of advice that she got years ago that was game changing for her business and her life.  Tune in to hear from this remarkable woman!

You can follow Jen on:

IG: @fuelcyclefit

FB: @fuelcyclefitness

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com

How do you keep a business going in a failing economy?

Can you really have a multi-million dollar business and work from home?

Dr. Sandi Webster and her partner Peggy McHale not only started their business as a result of 9/11 amidst a corporate layoff from American Express - they then survived the financial crisis in 2008 grew, scaled and sold a multi-million business and Sandi shares some of her key challenges and learnings.  So, if you are navigating your business through the Covid-19 crisis, you’ll want to listen to this interview - you’ll get some great insights and feel inspired and empowered to keep moving forward!  We’ll be talking crisis management, why having an Advisory Board for your business can help not only in time of crisis but as your grow and scale your business.  We’ll also hear some great strategies and tips for success for your business and as a woman entrepreneur!

You can follow Dr. Webster on:

IG: @sandi.webster
FB: @sandiwebster
Twitter: @sandiwebster

We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com

I’m  Maureen Borzacchiello.   

I’m here to help YOU take  your business to the next level!  I share how I got to this point and how I'm going to help you.

I’ve created and scaled my own multi-million dollar businesses and I help growth-minded, in-the-hustle, women entrepreneurs avoid some of the stumbling blocks and frustrations associated with business growth 

...and No sugar coating here  - we’re bringing you the RealTalk!  

I’ll be helping you gain clarity and develop strategic plans to tackle your biggest challenges and create more ease in your life.  You’ll  hear from experts and other entrepreneurs sharing their biggest challenges and how they overcame them, for a little extra inspiration and insight! 

We'll be talking about sales, marketing, mindset, leadership... and all things business.   

So, let’s celebrate the chaos and dive in! 

Let us know what topics you'd like us to cover or give us some feedback anytime.  Email podcast@maureenborza.com