Note: I am not a affiliate marketer for the Thought Leader Academy. Just a very flipping happy customer.
Today ends one of the greatest gifts I've ever given myself. I graduate from Speaking Your Brand's Thought Leader Academy.
While it's the end of the six-month journey I've been on, I also know that it's just the beginning of my thought leadership journey. And I am so excited I could pop.
I've loved public speaking since I was in school. I entered all the competitions. I was on the debating team. And I was good at it. Then, when I left school, life took over and I never spoke publically again.
Well, that's about to change, motherfathers!
A brief history:
In 2021 I wrote the copy for a pretty amazing virtual summit. One of the speakers was Carol Cox. The second I heard her interview I knew that this was someone I wanted to connect with.
Carol is a feminist, just like me.
She believes that women have a voice and they should be using that voice no matter what, just like me.
And she has AN ENTIRE BUSINESS that focuses on helping women do just that.
*cue violins, harps, and choirs of angels*
So, what did I do? I listened to her podcast, I signed up to her list and I answered one of her emails.
We got chatting and within several months I was writing copy for her, and she was coaching me in her Thought Leader Academy.
A Word On The Thought Leader Academy
As a business owner (specifically a female business owner), I know that being merely a copywriter isn't enough for me.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE being a copywriter. I love being able to help my clients find their voice, write banging copy, and help them make bank.
But I am more than a copywriter. I'm a human being with thoughts, dreams, desires, beliefs, and ideas. And it is very important to me that my business reflects that. Because that's how I bring in the people that I love working with.
The Thought Leader Academy is this slice of heaven where incredible women meet once a week and are coached into crafting and honing their thought leadership messages.
When you join, you're guided through a process that helps you find more of yourself. You discover parts of you that you know are there but sometimes you can't access. Disjointed and fractured thoughts are brought into alignment and you begin to understand not only how to structure your thought leadership, but also how to share it with the world.
It's not just a 'Raise Your Voice and They Will Listen' situation. It's a coaching process that takes into account the fundamentals of marketing which, as any savvy business owner knows, is mission-critical. You don't just develop your thought leadership message, you learn how to sell that message to event organisers, conferences, podcasts, and events.
The result?
You gain major visibility.
Your business scales.
You begin to live with more purpose.
That's what's happened for me, anyway.
My Thought Leadership (and yours)
Think about the thing that makes you most excited, riled up, angry, fed up. The thing that makes you see red when you're scrolling through Facebook and you HAVE to comment on because you can't for the stupid.
The thing that people in your family know will get you on your soapbox, so they get you going with comments at the lunch table and wait for the show to start.
It's very possible that that's where your thought leadership lies.
Me?
Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.
Women being paid the same amount of money as men.
Women being given space to speak, grow, rise, and be who they are.
Women being loud, funny, bold, unapologetic, authentic, wealthy, smart, free and not having to explain themselves to any damn body.
My thought leadership has grown over the last six months in ways I never thought possible. In March, I'll be speaking at the PA Show in London. My keynote is titled Diversity is not Inclusion - What is really holding women back in the workplace.
Also in March, and also in London, I'll be at the International Confex Show with Every Woman's Story - Because We All Know the Numbers.
And, again in March, I'll be speaking at a company in London about DEI, to celebrate International Women's Day.
Why is this so damn important?
There are a few reasons.
Reason 1:
Vis. EE. Bility.
I want to grow my business. I want to make money. This lets me do that in the most phenomenal way possible because I get to go onstage in front of hundreds of people and show them who I am. I get to talk to them. Share with them. Show them my insides. And if they adore me, they might choose to work with me. Score.
Reason 2:
$$$s
When people start asking you to talk at their conferences and events, you get to start charging money for that time, knowledge, and expertise. And who doesn't love making money? No one.
Reason 3:
IMPACT
I get to share my ideas, my feminism, my belief that women should be using their voices ALL the time, EVERYwhere. And hopefully, more women will do that after they hear what I have to say. And hopefully, more men will become our allies after hearing what I have to say. That makes me very, very excited and full of the good fuzzy vibes.
You have a message
You do. Promise. Spend some time thinking about what it is. Think about how you can share it in your life, and your business.
As you start to share it more and more with the world, the most wonderful and life-changing opportunities will start to come your way. And that is the whole point of this experience in the world. To grow. To learn. To share. To change.
What is your thought leadership message?
One of the ways you spread your thought leadership is in your emails. Your list has chosen to hear from you. They want what you've got. So give them the most engaging, fulfilling experience you can. Make your emails mean something in their lives. I help my clients write emails that kiss the screen after finding their gorgeous AF brand voice. Because a brand voice inside an email that kisses the screen, also woos minds, hearts, and wallets.
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