The #SpeakEasy Podcast

Beyoncé did her thang when it came to the Ivy Park Launch. Sold out could be seen all cross the website after a week of celebrities unboxing and giving a peek. I’m still waiting on my box...it must be in the mail. (Insert me checking the Fed Ex website 45 times just in case) The brand is in collaboration with Addidas and has some clothes, sneakers, shoes and accessories that has the internet buzzing. Yea, that’s great but let’s go a little deeper. This is not the first time that Ivy Park launched.In this episode I share some reasons why this Launch should inspire entrepreneurs globally. No matter what stumbling blocks you came in contact with or what didn’t work before, GO ALL IN this year! Let me know what you think about the episode on Twitter @altovisespeaks

We are halfway through January and I just have one question for the #SpeakEasy Podcast listeners. How bad do you really want it? 4 AM bad?Conversations everyday bad? Publishing 5 books in a year bad??...or are you just gonna fit your dreams in when you can? Connect with us on LinkedIn @worldvoiceleague Connect with us on Instagram @worldvoiceleague

For this episode I wanted to discuss a topic that has been buzzing around social when it comes to selling. The tagging 99 people, sending everyone on your list your book link or the ultimate of posting links on someone else’s post without permission. It’s become the thing that turns people off from supporting entrepreneurs. Have you been dealing with these same things? Sound off in the World Voice League Facebook group => bit.ly/worldvoicecommunity

SEO has stumped entrepreneurs with little to no background in website design or ads...well until today. In this episode, Damon breaks down SEO and the tools necessary to make it work for you. The paid ad versus organic reach debate has gone on for decades as business owners try to find the best ways to get in front of paying customers and clients. We read the books and watch the webinars but seldom do we have the opportunity to delve in a little deeper about what makes SEO work. We know we need it and we know it is good but it never sparked an interest like it did in this episode. Get the answers you need to questions like:Why SEO is slow but not obsolete?Why paid ads don't work for many business owners? What does the intent of the audience have to do with SEO?Pros and Cons of website builder sites.Will there be a mad dash back to having a website for your business? Today's guest did not leave anything out in this discussion. Damon shared gems on website design and what he wishes would come back from years ago. (Hindsight is 20/20 right?) SEODamon Burton is the President of SEO National and Forbes contributor; featured on BuzzFeed, USA Weekly, clients include Utah Jazz Team Store & Shark Tank featured companies. Read real testimonials below...

As an introvert, I had an arsenal of responses when people asked me to go somewhere or do somethings. A piggy bank of loving ways to respond without saying no. They weren’t lies...well not big lies at least but they kept me from peopling. (Peopling is what introverts do in large crowds of three or more people) Oh and that nudge that would arise when I should go and talk to someone related to business would quickly dismissed. I’m not about to talk to a stranger and beg them for anything. You can imagine while I failed at doing MLM businesses right? I bought Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes and made a commitment that I would do something’s different. Boy was I in for the ride of my life. Book collaborations with some amazing people, connecting with people that wanted to support me, and building building a business. Just a few weeks ago I felt that nudge for me to talk to someone about an event they were doing. Well that turned into me doing a pilot of a program I created a few years ago. Talk about a setup. Listen in to today’s episode and hear how my years of yeses have influenced a life of more.

Let's start this off with the false narrative that is being fed to most people in the world. "If you go to college and finish then you'll get a good-paying job."You can flip this many ways that include taking a course to make six figures or doing a Facebook ad to get 100,000 people on your email list this weekend. The bottom line is that the false narrative tell you that "if you do x then y WILL happen". What many find after failed attempts to follow the narrative is that the WILL should be exchanged with a POSSIBLY. This is a pitfall because there is no blueprint for success handed to us when we graduate high school. We come across a lot of promises and narratives but no guarantees. When you hit this point in life there is one question that today's guest said you should ask. "How can I be used?" Linnita dropped gems in this episode that included building a portfolio and what drew her to work in this industry. She gives you a clear description of Perception vs. Reality. Award-winning keynote speaker and college success strategist, Linnita Hosten, is the author of The College Strategy. The high-energy edutainer provides content-packed and research-based success strategy programming for organizations, universities and community groups.Linnita’s passion for success strategy extends beyond traditional students to supporting military personnel, Job Corp participants and returning citizens.Her achievements have been recognized by the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund, University of Maryland University College Alumni Association, Indie Author Legacy Awards, and more.Linnita received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communication from Towson University and a masters of science degree in Nonprofit Management and Association Leadership from the University of Maryland University College.When not on stage, you can find the pescetarian in the produce section at Wegmans; browsing online for the perfect fit; diving in a good book or enjoying the company of her favorite college mentee—her sister, Makenzie.Social Media Handles (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)@linnitahosten

Before you go way left on me I want to be clear about why there is an and between float and fail instead of an or. Yes, there will be moments when you miss the mark. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise. What you do with those moments will be the difference between your success as an entrepreneur, or your dream becoming an expensive hobby. The key factor is YOU! As you make transitions in your life and business it will require a different version of you. Some say it is maturity and others call it a reality check but either way there will be change involved. Those changes will include your words, your boundaries, your actions and the labels that you have been wearing from childhood. In this episode, Sabine hits on what learning how to fly, float and fail felt like as she built her business. She dropped gems about the excitement of possibilities that many feel coming into the industry and the noise from gurus and experts online. Sabine Gedeon is the Founder and Chief Transformation Officer at Empowered By Purpose.With a focus on Leadership, Career, & Life Coaching/Consulting for individuals and organizations, Sabine’s services are specifically designed to help ambitious, mission-driven Millennials go from lost, unfulfilled, and even stuck, to gaining freedom, finding fulfillment, and increasing their impact on the lives of those around them.With over 13 years’ experience serving as an HR professional, Coach and Advisor to leaders in Fortune 100 companies, and within her own practice, Sabine has helped hundreds of professionals breakthrough mental and emotional barriers, uncover or build their leadership capabilities, and experience growth in their lives, careers, and businesses.Having faced several major life transitions and undergoing a series of personal and spiritual transformations, she knows first-hand the amount of faith and courage it takes to break away from the norm and step into something new or bigger than yourself. Using her personal experience as a benchmark, she hopes to help lead millions of others through their unique paths of purpose, impact, prosperity, and legacy.Social Media Handles (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabinegedeon/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Sabine.GlobalInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/SabineGedeon

This episode is from a pre-interview I gave where I shared the core of why I do what I do. I have a passion for seeing you have your voice heard in the world. Decide today that you will stop collecting information and start taking action on your dreams. You will not know how far you can go until you go as far as you can. DM me on IG @worldvoiceleague Join the free Facebook Community bit.ly/worldvoicecommunity

Habari gani? Ujamaa - Cooperative Economics Social wealth is a ghosted concept in many neighborhoods and communities. Being born and raised in Philly, I saw the decline in the village mentality but my mother kept that atmosphere in her home. If she had it...so did you! That has stuck with me as I started to build my business and network in the Speaking and Author communities. I found out pretty quickly that not everyone had that heart. It was actually discouraging when I first started out and for a period of maybe 18 months I tried to suppress it. You have the few bad deals that put a dark cloud over social wealth. Then I noticed the influencers & speakers who are bringing it back in a huge way. Tyler PerryEric Thomas Oprah Beyoncé Kevin Hart You can imagine how my heart leaped when I saw that the fourth principle of KWANZAA is Ujamaa - Cooperative Economics. It reiterated that social wealth makes a huge impact on your success. There is also the clear understanding that social wealth does happen overnight and it can not be achieved without work. In this episode I’m going back to my childhood and the beginning years of being an author and speaker. It continues to be one heck of a ride!

Learning and implementing should always be key elements in your strategy for success in any industry. No gimmicks...no cheat sheet and no easy way through it. So when one of my team members mentioned that today was the first day of KWANZAA I made a confession and a commitment. Confession: I have never celebrated KWANZAA or even learned about it enough to speak about it in an elevator ride. I maybe had two sentences that I could use but that was stretching it. Commitment: I was going to do the research and take the #SpeakEasy Podcast listeners on the journey with me. The 7 Principles of Kwanzaa were the same core values I have in business and life. That was definitely a bonus on my part. I am by no way an expert in Kwanzaa practices but I can share some core things that make it a crucial part of how you act and react in business. Oh, that is any business but I’ll focus on the Speaking and Author industries.Well start each episode with the question “Habari gani?” which means “What’s the news?” Day 1: Umoja - Unity In 2019, I found myself becoming more unified with my team, my clients, those in my industry and guests that I worked with. It was odd because this year I became disconnected from some people that I thought would always be a support for me. It felt like a weird ride on a seesaw that never went back down again. I was stuck in the air. (This may only be a short people problem but stay with me on this) That unity opened opportunities for me to speak, to be a guest on a podcast and to sign on new clients. What really set me on fire for this year was how much growth I saw in myself from being connected to the right people. Being in unity with people that drain your energy or take advantage of you is dangerous for your physical and mental health. In this episode, I’ll share how Day 1 impacted me and how I see unity as a commitment to family. I would love to know how the power of unity has affected you and your business in 2019. Come join the conversation => bit.ly/worldvoicecommunity

What happens when you bring together five podcasters and guitar player from the U.K.? A Christmas episode that will have you laugh, smile, question setting up a Tik Tok account and most of all...you will see why podcasters are the best speakers in the world. (I may be a bit biased tho) Check out the episode and let us know your take on one of the topics we covered. Fraser Ramsay - https://fraserr1.podbean.comJoe Warren - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdHshPLzZPR298JftOLfi-gDorothea Robinson - www.facebook.com/DorotheaRobinson.LADVPatrick Voss - https://twitter.com/983fmWrlrGuy Cook - https://theguyrcookreport.podbean.com

We are in a season when most people are getting ready to do something great at the beginning of the year. They are getting ready to get back in the gym or getting ready to start their business. Now, while it is great to have a goal and a start date many have repeated a start and stop cycle over the years. This is your motivation to get started and not stop until you reach your goal. In my own journey, I can pinpoint the moments when I was in my own way mentally and physically. There was a period when I found myself collecting information and launching with no results. Was it me? Was it the information? After some sefl=evaluation I realized that I was doing all of these different things but none of it fit my personality. I had an aha moment, I wasn't really standing in what I knew was my zone of greatness. In all honesty, many don't know what we actually bring to the table.I know you may have heard people say that "we have to get out of our own way" but do you understand what that means in your journey? What is the breakdown of being in your own way? Self-sabotage Procrastination Thinking you are not good enoughImpostor syndrome In today's episode, Brittany shares what it looks like when we get in our own way and the steps we must take in order to gain control of our journey. Have you been seeing that certain things continue to occur in your life? You almost feel like you are on a merry go round in your business, life, relationships or health. You are not alone. This is the best time to evaluate where you are and do some soul searching about where you really want to go. You don't have to wait until the 1st for you to start achieving your goals but you do have to get out of your own way. Brittany A Johnson, LMHC is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Brittany is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and utilizes it with her clients who have experienced trauma and anxiety. Brittany is the author of the book titled Get Out of Your Own Way, 21 Days to Stop Self Sabotage. Brittany enjoys doing workshops on her book and speaking about all things related to Mental Health. Brittany enjoys helping people Get Out of Their Own Way!Social Media Handles (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)@brittanyajohnsonlmhc on Facebook@brittanyajohnsonlmhc on Instagram

Just jump! I often get asked how I am able to find speaking opportunities, secure speaking opportunities and create speaking opportunities. The answer may vary slightly from person to person but the core will always be action. Your action determines the yes that you are searching for. The Ask: When in need of you ask where there may be speaking opportunities most times you will get a answer The Search: Places like gig salad, Eventbrite and yes even google will give you ideas on what events are happening that may need speakers like you. The Community: There are Speakers Networks just for this purpose. Connecting with a community of speakers is not a competition, it is support. The Creation: Hey, I know you have heard many say it over and over again. If they won’t give you a seat at the table go create your own table. I’ve done all three in my journey as a speaker and as we prepare for 2020, I’ll share what worked for me. You’ll also find out the best way to network for opportunities.

We have heard some monumental speeches this year that told us to start creating our own table. Meaning create your own space in order to change the status quo. In the speaking and author industries there aren’t many who giving a blueprint of what that looks like. We have coaches training speakers to be just like them. Well, “will the real slim Shady please stand up!” Creating your own table in our industry looks like small crowds, chicken circuits, and no revenue for a few years. It’s the daily tasks and consistency yay we are ridiculed for. It’s the blood, sweat, and tears that come with every step. Ah, but it is also the networking and huge successful payoff. After three years of doing my Networking Tour, I am beginning to see results. This weekend I have a networking event in my hometown of Philly and we are set to hit our goal of 50 people. In this episode I want to encourage those of you who are ready to create your own table.

The most valuable asset that you have in business is your network. As a live streamer, author, podcaster and speaker, I have to say that supporting and engaging people is a valuable asset. , Unfortunately, it gets overlooked because of technology and social media. I have seen the power of networking first hand as an introvert building a business. It has been vital.Look, I don't mean engagement where we just like a post either. I'm talking about having actual conversations and listening to hear the other person. (Aren't these the skills we learned in Kindergarten?) Along this journey, we have strayed away from solid connections but now os the perfect time to reinvest in people. Your network becomes a valuable asset when you realize the truth in these three statements. ~ Word of mouth is still a top marketing tool (Even online) ~ Accountability gives you a 94% success rate ~ Where you show up matters (Both online and offline) Have you seen the value of networking for your business? Have you had a bad networking experience?