The Profitable Health Coach

This post may contain affiliate links In this episode I sit down with Certified Canva expert Brenda Cadman, to talk about the benefits (and potential pitfalls) of using Canva, a DIY graphic design tool as a solopreneur. Creating in Canva with a Certified Canva ExpertMeet BrendaListen to the EpisodeConnect with BrendaEpisode Transcript Meet Brenda As an entrepreneur for more than 22 years, Brenda understands the importance of consistency in building a brand. As a Canva Certified expert, she’s taught thousands of small business owners about using Canva more effectively and efficiently. In particular, she loves to help business owners tame their hot mess Canva accounts by creating an organizational system that ensures they can spend less time in Canva, and more time doing what they love. (Find out more about her course Clean up My Canva by clicking here – affiliate link) Listen to the Episode With over 20 years of experience in creating branded marketing assets for her clients (and herself!) Brenda knows the ins and outs of using Canva, how to use it most effectively, and what to avoid when using it for your business. At the time of this podcast, she is one of only 25 verified global Canva Experts worldwide, and owner of Bon Accord Creative, a WordPress development company based in Prince Edward Island, Canada. [UPDATE: Brenda has since closed her website design company as of 2022] Connect with Brenda BrendaCadman.com Facebook.com/groups/howtousecanva Instagram.com/brendacadman YouTube.com/c/brendacadman If you’re only using Canva to create social media graphics, you’re missing out! Grab Brenda’s free guide and find out the 10 ways to start using Canva in your business! Click here to get your free guide – 10 Ways to Use Canva in Your Business Want to Learn More about Using Canva? Episode Transcript Welcome, everyone. I am here with Brenda Cadman. Brenda is unique. She is one of only 25 verified global Canva experts worldwide. She’s been an entrepreneur for more than 22 years, and Brenda definitely understands the importance of consistency in building a brand. As a Canva expert, she’s taught thousands of small business owners about using Canva more effectively and efficiently. And in particular, she loves to help business owners tame their hot mess Canva accounts by creating an organizational system that ensures that they can spend less time in Canva and more time doing what they love. Welcome, Brenda. Thanks for having me. Brenda, like we were discussing, Canva is such an amazing tool, and I’m glad you’re here because we all need, it’s a great DIY tool, but let’s be honest, we need some guidance, okay? You are unique in that you are one of 25 in the world who are qualified to help me with my Canva situation. Well, to be fair, there are lots of very qualified Canva folks out there who don’t have that particular designation. I do want to be completely clear about that. But that said, yes, I am one of, at this time, I’m sure it will change in the future. I’m one of 25 verified global Canva experts for now anyways. So I do think I am probably in a position to help you with some of the challenges that you might be having in Canva, and that a lot of folks probably are having in Canva. Fair point. I’m sure there are people who could help me, but that credential is meaning a lot to me right now because people like to throw titles around, and some kind of credential helps to build a little trust here on my side, so I know I’m talking to an expert. What I would like to do is start with your origin story. What brought you to the point where you became this credentialed Canva expert, and just kind of like your whole journey here? Well, it’s been over 22 years. We don’t have that much time. Give us the reader’s digest version if you’re old enough to know what that means. 100%. When I started, it is interesting though because starting a business over 22 years ago is very different than starting it now. This was before social media was a thing, and it was a very, very different experience trying to learn the ropes of building a business. But my business for the most part throughout that entire time, while it’s changed a little bit here and there, I’ve run a website development company for most of that time. Things change over the years, and at some point the digital marketing agency that I co-owned with my business partner, we decided it was just time to do something different. I decided to go out on my own, still working on website development. That was in 2013, and I brought with me from the agency one of our team members, and she ended up doing all of my graphic design for the most part. But then she decided she was going to take a full-time job, and what is somebody to do in 2014 when suddenly their graphic designer is unavailable and you need to create graphics in the meantime while you’re looking to hire another one. You start dabbling with this new program you’ve heard of called Canva that hasn’t been out for very long. The plan was always going to be that this was a bit of a band-aid solution while I waited to find my next graphic designer, but the more I used it, the more I realized that I actually really liked doing this. I am not a graphic designer. I am not a brand designer. I still invested in having a brand designer create my core visual branding and all that stuff, but I really liked the flexibility of being able to create social media graphics on the fly without having to rely on somebody else to be able to do that. After a period of time, when you start really using a program, you get comfortable with it, and then people start asking you questions about how to use it. I found myself in a community where a lot of people were asking me questions about it, and then they started asking me if I had a course around it. Until that point, no, I did not, but that was kind of that moment that I realized, there’s something here. I think you need to stop and listen to what people are asking for, because I had it in my mind that I was going to create something very different. I was going to create a website-related course, but the people wanted help using Canva, so that was 2019, and I really haven’t looked back. I love that that you had in your mind, I’m going to create this thing. Meanwhile, people are banging down the door saying, help us with this thing, please, we need help. I feel like that’s kind of like 2016, I think, is when I discovered using Canva. The mid-20s is blogging kind of exploded, people started DIYing websites, and they’re like, all these things that used to be off limits because they were too techy or too, they seemed like things you should be hiring for became accessible with these tools, and so people were blogging, and they were learning how to do their websites, and now we need graphics, great, how do we do that? So this tool is on the scene, you become kind of the go-to person for that, much to your, I don’t want to say dismay, much to your surprise, this was not the- Surprise. Yeah, this was not the proof you had to have. Sure, and it’s definitely like turning into something that is really profitable and sustainable for you, because Canva has only grown and exploded. Initially, I just thought I was going to provide them a little bit of training, a little bit of hand-holding, I still wasn’t thinking I was going to change the direction of my business, and I didn’t change it overnight, it’s been a gradual process to slowly move away from website development to this instead. but I firmly believe that if I had not been participating in that community and getting all these questions and really realizing how much I liked educating about using this platform, I don’t know that I’d be in this position now, I don’t think my path would have taken me to this point, so I’m really grateful for that experience because it helped me to discover something that I probably enjoy more than what I had done for 20 years up to that point. So I love that, it happened, and you went along with it, and then here we are, so isn’t that funny? Serendipitous. Exactly, that’s a great way to describe this path. So for anybody who may not know what it is, and I can’t imagine there’s anybody here who does that, but let’s just back up a tiny bit, and what is Canva, how would you describe it? I would describe it as an online graphic design tool that was created to empower anybody to be able to create great-looking design even if they are not a graphic designer. I’m always kind of walking that line carefully because I don’t want people to think it replaces a graphic designer, it doesn’t, but in a lot of the kinds of things that business owners will be creating for their businesses, you need to be able to have a tool like this that will help you create your ebooks and your Instagram posts and all these things. So essentially it started primarily as a graphic design tool, and it has evolved significantly since its origins, it continues to evolve as you kind of alluded to. It’s almost more of a business communication kind of tool now, it’s got a lot of video capabilities now that they’re building out, and it’ll be interesting to see where that goes. There’s a real emphasis on creating presentations in it and being able to actually use the tool to present and record presentations as well, so it’s continuing to change, but at its core it started out as this graphic design tool. So you just touched on something that I want to make sure we’re clear about. Canva does not necessarily replace a graphic designer, so Canva is great as a DIY tool to help you create designs, it’s actually the actual execution of creating these visual things. A graphic designer has the background in actually creating a visual brand. Can we talk a little bit about visual branding? Absolutely. You want a professio

Cultivating relationships to build your network is the absolute highest ROI activity you can spend time on when it comes to growing your business. Building a strong professional network isn’t optional for most coaches, it’s one of the primary drivers of business growth. Industry data suggests that 55–65% of coaching clients come from referrals, making relationships, partnerships, and community visibility some of the most valuable business assets a coach can develop. Having a solid list of personal connections that are either potential clients or referral partners (if they aren’t your ICA) that can refer clients to you is one of the best asset your business can have! Table of ContentsListen to the EpisodeBuild a Strong Network – Method #1Build a Strong Network – Method #2Build a Strong Network – Method #3Build a Strong Network – Method #4Build a Strong Network – Method #5Build a Strong Network – Method #6Build a Strong Network – Method #7Build a Strong Network – Method #8Build a Strong Network – Method #9Episode Transcript Listen to the Episode   Build a Strong Network – Method #1 Identify ‘collaboration partners’ – product or service providers that share your ideal clients and partner up with them to share your audiences. It’s a Win/win – you build your audience’s trust by providing them with another amazing service provider they need and you gain access to a fresh crowd of potential clients with their audience Look for yoga teachers, life coaches, meditation coaches, personal trainers, nutritionists/dietitians to grow your collab squad! Build a Strong Network – Method #2 Participate in a JV (joint venture) digital giveaway – connect with a group of collaboration partners for a hosted digital giveaway, where you all have a freebie to give away. The group all promotes the giveaway to their own list and their social media audience, allowing all of you to grow your own email list and social media following. Build a Strong Network – Method #3 Do a virtual summit – like a giveaway but instead of a freebie you’re presenting on your topic of expertise. Look for upcoming summits where your ideal client is likely to be attending. Build a Strong Network – Method #4 Stay in touch! Put it on your daily to-do list to reach daily to at least 5 contacts. You’ve probably heard the quote: “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago… the next best time is today.” Waiting until you have something to sell/pitch to try to grow your potential leads list is a huge mistake. (we all have that high school friend who slides into the DM’s after 20 years of silence to recruit you into their direct sales business, right??) Don’t be that guy. Stay in contact regularly with people in your network (other coaches, past clients, and potential clients) by checking in, being genuinely interested in what’s happening with them, wishing them a happy birthday, or forwarding content you think they’ll like (In other words, just be helpful!) Build a Strong Network – Method #5 Do a podcast tour – Podcast hosts are almost always looking for guests to provide expertise to their audience (ask me how i know!). Research podcasts that share your ideal client (remember we talked about collaboration partners?), so it’s not a competitor but someone who already has the attention and trust of your ideal client and be sure to share so much value that both the host and the audience will want to find a spot in your network! Build a Strong Network – Method #6 Routinely reach out to past clients to see if they know anyone who is looking for help with whatever it is you offer. They may know someone (maybe them?) if nothing else, it reminds them that you are ‘their guy’ they know to send people to Build a Strong Network – Method #7 Promote your local businesses on your social media – while we mostly focus here on the online aspect of business, don’t overlook the power of the Shop Local movement in your community! Your business may be virtual but that doesn’t mean all of your clients have to be miles away to hire you! Build a Strong Network – Method #8 Grow an email list and connect with your subscribers regularly – Create an amazing freebie that captures the email address of your ideal client and provides them with a quick win will start the trust building process on day 1! Share this lead magnet in all of your social media platform bios, on your website, and on the podcasts you’ll be appearing on. Build a Strong Network – Method #9 Join a membership collective of like-minded health and wellness experts (like you’ll find in the Profitable Health Coach Collective – doors open soon!) We will be hosting regular events to help you connect with amazing collaboration partners! Episode Transcript Welcome everyone. In this episode we’re going to be talking about the nine ways that you can build and strengthen your network to grow your business and the undeniable power of community and collaboration when it comes to business growth. Now relationship building has the absolute highest ROI when it comes to growing your business. Having a solid list of personal connections that are either potential clients or referral partners, even if they aren’t your ideal client, is one of the best assets that your business can have. So number one is identify collaboration partners. You may have heard me talk about the circle of trust. In the beginning of your business when you are first building visibility and getting your name out there, your circle of trust is pretty small. It’s limited to your immediate personal network and maybe your Facebook friends list. So what you’ll need to do, and this is a really critical strategy to use in the beginning, is identifying collaboration partners. And these are product or service providers that share your ideal client and if you partner up with them to kind of borrow the trust that they’ve already established with their audience, this can really help you move the needle along in your business growth because you are aligning yourself with somebody that your ideal client already trusts. If these collaboration partners are willing to kind of vouch for you, it’s like telling their audience, “Hey I trust them, you can trust them too.” And this is a great way to get your first set of clients. It’s a win-win because if you are the collaboration partner, then you’re building your audience’s trust by providing them with another amazing product or service provider that they need and then you’ll also gain access to a new crowd of potential clients with their audience. So you basically you’re sharing audiences because you offer complementary services and products. So if you are a health coach, you know, look for yoga teachers, life coaches, meditation coaches, personal trainers, nutritionists, and dieticians to grow your collaboration partner list. Now the second way that you can build and strengthen your network is to participate in what’s known as a joint venture digital giveaway. And this is when you connect with a group of collaboration partners who all have the same ideal client for a hosted digital product giveaway. And this is where you all have a freebie to give away and the group all promotes the giveaway to their own list and to their social media audience, allowing all of you to grow your own email list and social media following by sharing audiences. Now the next way that you can build and strengthen your network is to participate or host a virtual summit. It’s kind of like a giveaway but instead of the freebie, you are presenting on your topic of expertise. Now what I would recommend is looking for upcoming summits where your ideal client is likely to be in attendance or that’s geared towards your ideal client. And this is a great way to get in front of them and establish yourself as an expert and really build trust. Now the next way to build and strengthen your network is to stay in touch, right? So put it on your daily to-do list to reach out to at least five contacts. Now you’ve probably heard the quote, “the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the next best time is today.” Waiting until you have something to sell or promote or you’re running a launch to grow your potential leads list is a huge mistake, right? Don’t we all have that high school friend who slides into your DMs after 20 years of not talking to you to try and recruit you into their network marketing business, right? Don’t be that guy. Stay in contact regularly with the people in your network. These could be other coaches, these could be past clients, potential clients. Just by checking in and being genuinely interested in what’s happening with them. Wish them a happy birthday or forwarding content that you think that they’d be interested in. So in other words, just be helpful. Go in with the intention of just service and connection, not looking for a sale. And this is how you cultivate a network of potential clients and referral partners. Now the next way to build and strengthen your network is to do a podcast tour. Podcast hosts are almost always looking for new guests to provide expertise to their audience. #AskMeHowIKnow. Do a quick Google search and look for podcasts that share your ideal client. Remember we talked earlier about collaboration partners? So it won’t be a competitor of yours, but somebody who has already got the attention and the trust of your ideal client, who provides a complimentary product or service, and be sure to share so much value in the podcast that both the host and the audience will want to find a spot in your network. The number six way to grow and strengthen your network is to routinely reach out to past clients to see if they might know anybody who’s looking for help. So keep in touch with your past clients. Retention marketing has one of the highest conversion rates in marketi

Table of ContentsListen to the Episode Meet RaphieEpisode Transcript Listen to the Episode In this episode, I chat with Raphie Wagner, a podcast coach and expert, about how creating a podcast to attract and connect with your community can be a great marketing strategy for any online business.​We talk about what you need to know to get started, what to avoid on your podcasting journey, and how you can streamline your marketing strategy by creating multiple pieces of  content for several platforms from just one podcast episode! Meet Raphie Check out the next episode in the series: Boost Your Business With a Podcast – Part 2 Episode Transcript Welcome, everyone. We are here with Raffi Wagner, and she is a podcast coach. We are going to talk all about podcasting and how this could be an amazing tool for your business. Welcome, Raffi. Thank you. Hi, thanks for having me. I’m looking forward to it. So, let’s just dive right in. And I want to talk about, because to me, you are like my go-to podcast person. I, you know, I have my own podcast, clearly. I have a couple podcasts, and you have been an amazing resource for me. So, I want to know how you got into podcasting and how you became basically this podcast guru. Absolutely. My adventure started in 2018 when I realized that there was a such thing called podcast movement, the big conference where, you know, podcasters from worldwide come and hang out, and there’s a conference and a lot of different things. And when I first saw that, that’s when I was like, okay, I have to explore podcasting. I probably didn’t even really listen to too many podcasts to mid-2018. And then that just ramped up as soon as I realized that there was such a thing. So, I was a podcast listener first. Then I created a podcast in 2019, and I went to podcast movement, though, in 2019. And it wasn’t until after that that I launched my podcast. That the energy from all the podcasters there kind of just put me in action mode. So, I came back and I launched my first podcast. What was it called? I got to jump in. What was it called? Tell me about your first one. My first one was just Not a Mama. So, it’s for child-free. At that time, it was for child-free women. So, it was Not a Mama, and it was for child-free women. And that was my first lesson of how to handle when things don’t go right. Because that podcast was completely lost during a transition and migrating from one host to another. Oh, no. So, you lost all your stuff? Completely lost everything. Oh, I hate that. That was a lesson of backing up audio. That was a lesson of really understanding how to do the migration, really understanding how to pick a host, and understanding the Apple connection. So, for me, that was my first lesson of, okay, troubleshoot this, figure this out, and move forward. At that time, though, during that 2019, I also kind of started really connecting with a lot of leaders in the industry. And as I do with everything in my business and everything that I do about business, I tend not to go to the big, big, big names. I tend to kind of start to seek the middles, I call them. And in doing that, I became very close friends and created a business-mentor relationship with quite a few women. And those women, we’ll talk about it, I’m sure, but those women have then created roles for me. So, it was a complete blessing. But those relationships started in 2019. So, you started by creating your own podcast and then creating a network. So, really getting into that, tapping into that community and building the network, okay. And tapping into relationships. I know we hear this a lot. But there is so much power in building relationships and nurturing relationships and not just all social media and all, you know, jump on a call with someone and just have a, you know, a chat. That kind of thing. There is so much beauty and so many gifts in building true relationships. Got it. So, and you didn’t go to it with a, what can you do for me? It’s how can I get into this world of podcasting, which seems to be like, kind of like an up and coming thing and it’s really getting big. And do you know how many podcasts there are right now? Like, I can tell you the latest statistics that I heard, which I think were in March, were, when you look at the statistic, you have to keep in mind, what you see is active and what’s out there are two different things. Gotcha. So active podcast, I believe is under 900,000 and active meaning they published an episode within the last 90 days. Okay. But if you look at podcast as a whole, how many that are out there, I believe it’s like 2.3 million. So that’s a, that’s a huge contrast. And I’m sure we’ll talk about this too. There’s so many reasons that people start and never finish or start in just what we call pod fade. Oh, yeah, we’re going to talk about, we’re going to talk about pod fade. Yep. There’s always a discrepancy with what’s active and what’s actually listed in these players. Okay. So you got in kind of like, so not like three or two or two to three years ago and you really just started like getting into the network, building relationships and getting into that community and being part of it. Correct. So take me into now what you’re doing and how we’re using this expertise to help others start their podcasts. So how I’m using my expertise, my expertise has come from a lot of self-learning, self-teaching, and a lot of skills and connections through all of my mentors in the space. And what has happened now is I work for two women that have been my mentors for quite some time and I work with them now in addition to my own business because they created positions and opportunities for me. So the two positions I hold are positions that were created for me. They didn’t exist until they came in contact with me and we started talking. One of my connections actually became was started on Instagram and then she reached out to me and says, I see what you’re doing. Let’s jump on a Zoom and that’s how it all started. So now fast forward to today where I am a podcast coach and I am also a program manager for a certified podcasting coaching program that is rolling out at the end of 2021. Okay, so what you’re saying is that you be based on your network and your relationships and because you were visible, so they saw the value that you were adding in terms of helping people set up podcasts and running podcasts and they reached out to you and they wanted to bring you in so that you could lend your expertise to their organizations, to their businesses because you were adding so much value. Exactly. And one of the things, it’s kind of current, so I guess it’s good to talk about. One of the positions I hold right now, I was in a clubhouse room and they were doing like little hot seats for podcasters and I went up on a hot seat. They gave me feedback on my current podcast, which is called Not a Mama Life and it’s for child free humans. So that was the new version of the podcast that was lost and she gave me feedback and it was Tracy Hazard of the Binge Factor and she gave me feedback and then I revisited another clubhouse room that they were doing and she noticed and checked on my podcast and noticed that I made the changes. She right then and there invited me to be on that podcast. After that podcast recording, we stopped recording on Zoom and she said, I have to work with you. So that’s how one of the positions was kind of, and we created something because she didn’t really have something. She had a few projects in mind. So we shortly after that episode aired, we jumped on a Zoom and she kind of went over the few positions that were potentials because they were projects they wanted to work on. And then she said her opinion of what she thought and I agreed with her that the best fit would be helping create this certified coaching program, podcast certified coach. So can I ask what is a certified podcast coach? What does that entail? So that’s kind of where we’re going with this program. We are doing this to kind of distinguish the coaches that have the skills specifically for podcasting. Right now, there are a lot of life coaches, a lot of different coaches in different fields that have now turned into podcast coach. And so our program is going to really provide a full scope type of education and we are going to be very different than what’s out there right now. So what I’m finding, and I’ve been in the online business space for a minute or two, what I’ve noticed is that you have a lot of individuals, coaches who create their own, they create their own business and they find a strategy that has worked for them and they get to a certain point and then they pivot and they say, okay, now instead of being B2C, I’m going to be B2B and I’m going to show people, I’m going to show them how to replicate my success by following the map that I, following all the steps that I used to do this. So maybe they’re not experts in actual business strategy but they know what worked for them and that’s a little bit dangerous because it’s anecdotal, right? Like that experience and that success is anecdotal at best. Maybe they’ve tried a few different things but just because it worked for them does not necessarily mean it is something that can be replicated. And it’s good if they can kind of show, if they understand why it was successful, that’s helpful. But I’m kind of one of those, I want to go straight to somebody who understands, who has the expertise of the strategy, not necessarily somebody who was successful following their own map and they managed to hit six figures, seven figures doing something, but they understand that there’s all of the techniques and the intricacies of the steps that need to be taken and the pitfalls and maybe like this is a good way to kind of dig into what are some of those mis

In this episode I’m diving into the process of starting a podcast with Kristin Quiroz Bayona, podcast expert, and creator of The Podcast Accelerator,  a step-by-step course designed to fast track your podcast launch in just 30 days! Check out Part 1 of this series, Boost Your Business With a Podcast Grow Your Business With a Podcast – Part 2Listen to the Episode Meet KristinEpisode Transcript Listen to the Episode Here’s what we’re covering in the episode: Why business owners are flocking to podcasting (hint: it’s a client-magnet) How you can save HOURS each week by repurposing your episodes to create all of your marketing content – from social media to subscriber newsletters! The pitfalls many podcasters when getting started (and how you can totally avoid them)  I’ll also share how I used Kristin’s strategies in The Podcast Accelerator in my own business and doubled my client list. I turned to podcasting  as a way to avoid blogging (anyone else hate writing??) and once I’d launched the podcast had me booked solid with new clients! If you’re considering adding podcasting to your marketing strategy but have been confused or overwhelmed by the process, check out this episode! Meet Kristin Double podcast host Kristin Quiroz Bayona is on a mission to help women and women of color amplify their voices and businesses. On her show, Podcast and Amplify, Kristin shares tips for creating a podcast that will help grow your online business and interviews successful entrepreneurs for their best business advice. Episode Transcript Welcome everyone. I am here with Kristin Quiroz-Bayona, who is a podcasting expert who teaches business owners strategies and action steps for creating a highly engaged podcast in order to turn listeners into customers. She hosts two of her own podcasts, Explorer In You, which is her first podcast about travel, and then her second podcast is called Podcasts and Amplify, where she shares podcasting tips and business growth strategies. She’s the creator of the Podcast Accelerator, a course designed specifically for business owners who want to start taking advantage of the fastest growing marketing tool to help them attract and connect with potential clients in a simplified way with step-by-step instructions to get them from lost to launched in under 30 days. Welcome Kristin.Kristin Quiroz-Bayona: Thanks Laurie. Thanks for having me. I am super excited because you have been such a huge help for me.I used a lot of your strategies when I started my podcasts, both of them. So I know you have a lot of great information and tips to share with my audience. So we’re going to dive right in. What I like to do first with my guests is have them kind of give us their origin story or the backstory of what brought them to this point. So let’s talk about your podcasting backstory. Kristin Quiroz-Bayona: So I started my first podcast in the summer of 2020. We were in the middle of like a pandemic, as everyone knows. And then also in the middle of this huge social justice movement, which I think is still continuing and hopefully will continue to create some big changes. So I realized two things. One was that nothing’s guaranteed through the pandemic. It’s like things that you took for granted or assumed would always be the same. It’s not necessarily the case. So why not jump in and start something that I really had been wanting to do and putting off because I didn’t feel like it was in my wheelhouse. I didn’t feel comfortable. And then part of the mission behind my show was to be intentional about who I brought onto my show. It’s a travel podcast and I really wanted to see more diversity and more different perspectives shared in that space. So those two kind of big events combined really helped inform like what became my first show. And so it’s a travel podcast and I just invite on all kinds of different people to talk about travel and it really became like my passion project and I’ve been doing it for about a year now. One thing that you said was something you had really been wanting to do. Why podcasting? Why were you attracted to podcasting versus, you know, blogging or vlogging or any of these other platforms? Kristin Quiroz-Bayona: Great question.So I started out as a blogger and I had talked about starting my travel blog for like decades and I finally did it and I enjoyed it because it, you know, I’m a communications nerd. I have a communications background and I’ve kind of dabbled in a lot of different things. And so it brought together like my writing passion and my visuals, you know, taking photographs. But it was really lonely. You know, it was really just me typing things out and then putting it out into the world and not always getting a lot of feedback or interaction. And I was actually an avid podcast listener. I just really love to learn and I feel like podcasting, it makes it so easy to do that. So I thought, well, why I think I want to try and start a podcast because that will give me the opportunity to speak to other fellow travelers, which I was really kind of itching to do. I don’t know if I’m sure you’ve experienced this when you when you meet other like minded people or other people who have a passion similar to you and you just geek out on it. Like that’s the best forty five minute conversation I think you can have. So I agree when it’s and especially after like the you know, with the pandemic and the isolation and being able to like regularly have conversations real time with people and not just on social media and not just DMs or texts or things like that. But you can actually like face to face, you know, even though a lot I think a lot of us have got some Zoom fatigue, but this is a little bit different because it’s stuff you want to talk about and people you want to talk to. Exactly. It’s not like a business meeting or, you know, something that you’re not really jazzed about being in Zoom about. Kristin, did you get my agenda? Or my TPS report. The TPS report! yes! No, right. Like it’s it’s it’s fun. Right. So and is that like one of the things that you wanted to start a podcast and you did. And then were you just were you surprised at how much fun it was because I had a good idea that I would enjoy it. But as far as like how much fun it is, yeah, it surpassed my expectations. And I know that, you know, you found the same thing. I think, you know, being an introvert, I was very uncomfortable at first, you know, putting myself out there in terms of like, I’m the intro voice and I’m, you know, the face of this in the, you know, marketing content. But in terms of being able to really connect with people on a meaningful level and have these really great conversations like that is really in the introverts wheelhouse. Right. Like that’s where we kind of shine is like having really honest, authentic conversations. And so I think that really contributes to to me liking this medium, really leaning into it and just having so much fun with it. I read one of your blog posts about introverts, why podcasting is great for introverts. And I was reading and I should have, you know, made some notes to put here. But I just nodded along with the whole thing and I was like, yes, absolutely. Now, I’m what is known as an extroverted introvert, which means I like talking to new people. I like talking to like all the things I like to talk to people. I don’t like small talk. I don’t like like nonsense. Just jibber jabber. I like to actually talk and have meaningful conversations with people who are, you know, interested in the same topics. And we can talk about like really in depth things until I don’t. And then I just want to and then it kind of, you know, you need to recharge. And then I need to not talk to anybody for like three days. But it’s it’s fun and it’s really energizing to to have this kind of what’s the word outlet where you can, you know, just get all your ideas out there and connect with people and share those connections with the rest of the world. Yeah, absolutely. And I think I wrote about to how, you know, you mentioned that you kind of are like to talk to people and then you don’t. Right. And so that’s kind of where a lot of introverts, you know, that’s how they operate, too. And a lot of podcasting, if you think about it, the percentage that you’re talking to people versus like behind the scenes, doing things that are like writing or researching or editing, like that’s alone time. So it’s really a nice balance. Right. Like you get the meaningful conversation. And then you have the space to process and reflect and create that I think is really valuable for introverts that we like to have that time. So we’re not bothered by like, oh, no, I’m going to have to do all this, like by myself work, you know, it’s like, oh, we can transition between the two. Yes, absolutely. And one thing that I would add on there is that you also get to review what you said. I don’t know about you, but I’ll sometimes have conversations with people and I’m like, man, did I sound like did I just talk about like nonsense? What did I say? What was I even talking about? Did I sound like an idiot? So then I can actually record the conversations and listen back and go, oh, yeah, that was dumb. So I get to edit out of the parts, edit, edit, edit, edit. And nobody has to know, you know, what I said in the moment. And I come out looking smart, but, you know, it’s nice to have that time to, like you said, reflect and read read. What did you say? Yeah, sort of recharge. Recharge is the word that you used. I like that. But have all that kind of alone time where you’re like doing the work for the podcast, which is necessary for us introverts to kind of like come back to normal, like recalibrate in a way recalibrate. Perfect. That’s exactly how I would describe it. And again, we ge

Takenya Freeney, the Chief Treble Maker, is a singer,  voice instructor, composer, and entrepreneur explains how to use your voice, literally and figuratively, to create your Signature Sound to your best advantage in your business. Creating Your Signature Sound with Takenya FreeneyListen to the EpisodeConnect with TakenyaEpisode Transcript Listen to the Episode Connect with Takenya On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takenya.freeney On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenyaskeys Her website: https://kenyaskeys.com Find out more about her Put Your Best Voice Forward Workshop  Episode Transcript Welcome everyone. I am here today with Takenya Freeney who is a singer, composer, music teacher, and an expert at helping people release their inner superstar. She has over 20 years of experience teaching music and voice lessons. She is here today to talk to us about how you can turn your voice into a money-making tool for your business by developing a signature sound. Welcome Tekenya. Takenya Freeney: Hey Laurie. Yay. Yes, I’m so excited to be talking to you about this because as a vocal performer and somebody who instructs people how to use instruments and how to show up vocally, you are an expert on using this instrument figuratively and literally in your business, in life, everywhere. So let’s dig in to all of this. First of all, what is a signature sound and why is it important? Takenya Freeney: I love this question. A signature sound is the thing that is uniquely yours. When you create your signature sound, you’re creating something that easily identifies you to your audience. They’re able to buy in with you and your authenticity. They’re able to buy in with you as far as creating that personal connection with them. You know how some people say sometimes, “Well, I want to sing just like insert artist name.” We don’t need another “just like insert artist names.” We need a you. We need a you. You want to be your own voice. You want to have your own signature sound. For me personally, my signature sound when it comes to singing, my signature sound is I have the voice that sits kind of low. I have a low-ish singing voice. Takenya Freeney: That allows me to sing a lot of the songs that you would expect a male to sing. A lot of times people aren’t necessarily expecting that. You’re not gonna get me singing all up in the rafters with all these high voice folks because that’s not where the happy place is for my voice. And when people hear the richness and the warmth and the depth, the breadth of my lows, they are floored. So that signature sound is the part of your voice that you love to shine the spotlight on. That signature sound is the part that comes straight from the heart and right into the ears of your audience. My signature sound includes my laugh. I have a special laugh. I’ve always had it. I’m highly identifiable by this laugh. It’s my calling card. And I know that’s not what exactly what you’re talking about. You’re talking about your voice and the way your voice sounds and the way your messaging and your brand. But that for me is my laugh. That’s part of it. That’s the thing that’s uniquely yours. Who can copy your laugh, Lori? Loons. Loons can copy my laugh. I’ve actually heard them and I’m like, “That sounds like me.” Or a car that won’t turn over kind of also sounds like me. Yeah, it’s pretty. Or a witch. Like I do a witch cackle. So witches can actually. Yeah. So it’s not uniquely mine but it’s a very select set of laugh twins that I have there. You’re talking about brand awareness and connecting with your audience in a way that they resonate with you in the way that you sound and what you’re saying. Takenya Freeney: Oh yeah. You have to build that personal connection with your audience. And if you’re never giving them your voice, they’re not necessarily making a connection with a flat piece of media. They need to see you. They need to hear you. There’s a saying, “A customer needs to have seven touch points before you’ve built enough trust for them to buy from you.” But if they see you or hear you, we can kind of jump the line. We can collapse. We can definitely. That’s the word. We can collapse that timeline significantly. So if you are in an online business and you are only posting text, you’re only doing images, it’s gonna take a lot longer for your audience to say, “Okay this is somebody I connect with. This is somebody I trust.” What kind of content would you say is the type of content that’s gonna collapse that timeline? I can tell you honestly when you look at the numbers for people who need to see the data, I can honestly tell you that if I put something that I’ve said in like one of those cute little Canva visuals and like post it to social media versus me saying the exact same thing, making a video of it, and posting it as a real or a TikTok or a YouTube short or a Facebook, what you’m gonna do? When I’m in it, the engagement’s way better. If I was doing like an Instagram Live every week and then I would take that Instagram Live and put that on YouTube, then I’d take that same Instagram Live and put it out in the emails that I was sending out every week and then I would take that same Facebook Live and I would make it into a blog post. Or I just like said the same thing I said again and just like take it out real quick and BAM! So we’re collapsing that time to make the connection. We’re talking about using audio and video in our business as part of our marketing, as part of our sales process. There may be some people in the audience who are just starting out, if they’re not comfortable showing their face, starting a podcast or starting a video or something like that because they’re nervous to use their voice literally and figuratively because of their own self-conscious, how they hear themselves, what they think they sound like, what they think other people think they sound like. When I was a kid, I went to the Museum of Science in Boston and everybody who’s from Boston knows what I’m talking about, but they had this exhibit where you could pick up a phone, talk into it and hear what you sounded like in the phone. And I was in elementary school so I picked up the phone and what I heard horrified me. I said, “Is that what I sound like? I sound like I should be on Wizard of Oz?” So I was very self-conscious of how I sounded to other people growing up. Fast forward to, you know, being at work, giving presentations, that only intensified that anxiety of like having to give presentations. So now not only is everybody staring at me, but they’re thinking about what my voice sounds like. And of course, what you sound like on the phone is not the same as in person, but I’d already grooved in this negative thought like for decades. So it was in there. It took a lot of work to kind of overcome this and say, “Listen, this is what I sound like. Deal with it.” I’m fascinated by this, that you were able to do this as a kid, like pick up the phone, say something into it and actually get to hear what it sounds like back. But when we hear what we sound like back, it’s weird. It’s weird. When we hear ourselves speak, we’re hearing it from the closest point possible. You can’t get any closer, it can’t get any more intimate than ground zero. We are ground zero for the sound of our voice. But when other people are hearing you, they’re not at ground zero. So by the time the voice leaves the body and makes it to someone else’s ear, that sound, those sound waves have had to travel not only through the person at ground zero’s body, now they have to travel through the air to get to the person’s ear who’s listening on the other side. And it’s changed. So yes, it sounds weird. It sounds weird to us. Really not that weird to other people. And even if it does sound weird to you, and maybe it sounds weird to other people, I’m gonna tell you, that shouldn’t stop you because what you have to say is very important and the people who want to hear what you have to say are gonna listen. Absolutely. When I was thinking about starting a podcast and I was like, “Oh, who would want to listen to me? My voice is so annoying.” I found podcasts created by people whose voices I personally found irritating. To me, they were like nails on a chalkboard. And I was like, “Wow, if this person isn’t self-conscious about their voice, I’m not gonna be either.” Right? They’re putting something out, they’re confident in it, and they’re just doing their thing. So I said, “You know what? I’m just gonna do my thing.” And my first few podcasts that I created, it was hard to listen to. I’m over it now. But you get used to it. And I think, you know what? You kind of just stop caring about the sound and you care more about the content. Absolutely. When you think about people who have a unique voice, Fran Drescher comes to mind. You know, “What makes you different is what makes you special,” according to Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse. Thank you, Miles Morales. Like, Fran Drescher’s voice is definitely uniquely hers. It’s her signature sound and she’s been able to parlay that and leverage that into something that, like, when you hear her, you know it’s her. It works for her. She knows she’s got this unique voice. Another person who has a unique voice is the singer, Michelle A, from, like, the 80s and 90s. If you hear her speaking voice, her speaking voice, it’s really high and it’s got this quality about it that’s super light. But when she sings, it’s much more aggressive but still high. And that’s because of how she passes the air over her vocal cords when she’s speaking is different from how she passes the air over her vocal cords when she’s singing. Just made me think of somebody else who has a unique sound that they’ve embraced and there are people on both sides who’ll say, “Love it. Hate it.