The Career Challenges Podcast

Can you build a workshop based on what you know?That’s what Savi Barrowes is doing and she’s my guest for this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast. Savi’s on a mission to empower 1,000,000 women to level up in their career and life by teaching them proven tools and techniques on how to grow in their careers. She’s worked on national campaigns and crazy “hail mary” type projects. We also shared our intense affection for pencils and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!She’s building on what she knows and has a workshop that is due out soon, 5 Steps to Level Up Your Career. Make sure to check it out!Savi is also the founder and host of Dream Big and Live Free Podcast.You can connect with her through LinkedIn and Instagram by searching @savibarrowes.

How do you build trust in your sales copy?Tyler McCune, this week’s guest on The Career Challenges Podcast, explains how you need to be building trust with your sales copy. Tyler’s process involves performing market research for his clients. In doing so, he learns about their needs and goals. At the same time, he’s also asking questions to learn more about their personality. Part of this is to imbue his copy with their personality.It also helps him to write honest copy!We also discuss the various theories involved in writing copy and how to connect with clients. Tyler comes from a copywriting approach while I come from a ghostwriting approach. It’s a great discussion!So ask yourself when you’re writing your sales copy, are you writing to manipulate your audience or to facilitate a buying decision?

Do you have an idea for a fiction manuscript?Not sure how to tackle it?Did you know there are fiction ghostwriters out there?Ghostwriting isn’t just for non-fiction, or for business books!Cyn Balog, young adult author, is also a fiction ghostwriter. Cyn and I discuss the differences between what you would expect for a non-fiction project and what to expect for a fiction project.The biggest difference, to me, was how fast a fiction project can go. When I work with a non-fiction, business book author, we usually start with ideation. We work almost from scratch and build a polished manuscript from there. With Cyn, and the projects she normally works with, the idea and plot are mostly set when they get to her. In fact, she says, she’s able to finish an entire manuscript in about a month.I envy her!Not only that, she writes under own name! Check out her titles through Amazon and her website, cynbalog.comIf you need a fiction manuscript, connect with Cyn Balog at cynbalog.com and on Facebook!

How can reading help us to understand?Does reading books enable us to understand ourselves better?It’s my privilege to have Dennis Ross as my guest for this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast. Dennis is a fellow ghostwriter, working with venture capitalists through BookAmbition.com.We discuss how second place is probably the best place to be, how a trifecta was necessary for the San Antonio Spurs to achieve multiple championships, and most importantly, being understood. I promise all of those elements are woven together throughout our conversation!The key takeaway, and there are many in this episode, is the need for stories to help us understand ourselves better. Writing, publishing, and reading books promotes empathy around the world. Books provide a means for everyone to learn a little bit more about something new, specifically people and different viewpoints. By reading, we’re granted a chance to see through someone else’s eyes. This is how empathy is engendered. The best books, as Dennis points out, provide a way for us to understand ourselves better. Gaining emotional intelligence this way allows us to empathize better.Honesty is vital to this process and Dennis and I discuss that in the episode.What books have helped you to understand?

Can you write a book on anything?Even if the subject is "boring"?I argue that you can. Jeffrey Mangus of Ghostwriting USA agrees with me too!On this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast, Jeff and I discuss how ghostwriters work with clients, specifically, tackling subject matter that many would consider not interesting. Ultimately, it matters if the author is passionate about the subject matter.Someone's excitement about a topic can be infectious. It also makes it easier to work with them and find the story they want to tell. Jeff and I also discuss how we determine if a client is a good fit. If the client is new to ghostwriting, that doesn't really matter. The client could never have heard of a ghostwriter and it still wouldn't matter. Clients who recognize the skillset and the value ghostwriters bring are the type of clients we work with.We also touch on podcasting, as Jeff is also a ghostwriter who podcasts. And here I thought I was the only one!

Can you be creatively analytical and analytically creative?Combining these two polar opposites seems impossible. There are people who thrive on this paradox!Please welcome Mary Henderson as my guest for this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast! Mary is a personal branding and social selling specialist. She helps service-based entrepreneurs, startups, business owners, and corporate executives to digitalize their knowledge. The key, as Mary pointed out to me during the recording, is conveying how you solve a problem for a specific market. This isn't as easy as it sounds, and Mary even explained to me how she's been able to blend both analysis and creativity to help her clients reach their target audiences.Being creatively analytical and analytically creative is a balancing act, something that Mary and I discuss at length in the episode. It's not something professionals can shy away from, however. Which is why experts like Mary are vital to helping you find how to convey your message to your target audience.We also get to talk about her experience meeting Muhammed Ali, how writing led to a major breakthrough for her, and my dislike of golf!

How can we change workplace culture?Brittinay Lenhart knows how.And she's my guest for this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast! Brittinay is a pioneer when it comes to workplace culture. I also want to point out that no one had taken Workplace Culture as a domain name. That tells you something about how little this vital topic is focused on!Brittinay walks me through strategies and concepts for building a healthy workplace culture. We also discuss how a toxic workplace culture can be identified and improved! Although the job market is tight right now, and many people are staying with their jobs (even if they're terrible), workplace culture is important to consider. It's usually the difference between a good day and a bad day!I'm thankful for Brittinay's work as it has the potential to truly change the places where we work!

Do you want your work to be perfect?Do you want it to be done?Adam Pecoraro of AMP Fitness joins me on this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast.Adam is an online fitness coach, helping high-performing entrepreneurs and execs find a fitness plan that works for them. For the high-performers, finding "perfect" may be what's keeping them from starting a fitness plan.This is why it can never happen.With Adam, he creates a fitness plan that works for them, gets them going, and walks them through the process of maintaining and improving that plan. It's not perfect, but they're getting a healthy amount of activity and a routine that will sustain them.Listen in as Adam and I dive into this topic, as well as why every day is "arm day."Are you working towards perfect?Are you working towards done?

Can a reset help?Jen Sugermeyer, my guest on this week's episode of The Career Challenges Podcast, explains the why behind a reset, when to reset, and how it can help you when things get chaotic. Jen discovered this for herself after life events had brought about serious reflection. Now, as we're grappling with so many uncertainties, Jen's message is a timely one.Make sure to pick up her book, Reset, and look for her new one coming out soon!

The ability to recover readily from depression, adversity, or something similar, is to be resilient.As the coronavirus continues to affect the global stage, many thought leaders are calling for resilience.How do you build resilience?Dr. Taryn Marie Skejkel joins me on this week's episode of The Career Challenges Podcast. Dr. Marie is the Chief Resilience Officer at Resilience Leadership. She coaches leaders on building up resilience in their teams and daily actions. We dive into the concept of resilience. We even borrow from kids' movies for an example or two!Dr. Marie shares actionable steps, as well as her own experience and how she developed her own resilience skills. It's not easy, but for those who wish to reach their goals, overcome challenges, and achieve success, resilience is key.Listen in and I'm sure you'll learn something new to help you keep going as we continue to navigate a burgeoning new world.

For obvious reasons, every business is having to shift to a larger virtual presence.Many businesses find this relatively simple: take what you're doing now and get as much of it into a digital format. For others, it hasn't been so easy.On this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast, I welcome Barry Magliarditi. Among the many things that we talk about, we spend a considerable amount of time talking about how to set up a business for the digital space. Barry, who's from Australia, has been living in Bali for some time and has learned how to create an online business that's thriving. Barry and I talk about the steps and strategies to take build a digital business, and what you can do to take an existing business online.Enjoy the episode and stay safe out there!

As the importance of LinkedIn grows, there is more to the platform than just a simple profile.Enter John Nemo.John joins me on this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast. John wrote "LinkedIn Riches: How to Use LinkedIn for Business, Sales, and Marketing." This book helps readers to craft a strategy to get the most out of LinkedIn. While you can find the book on Amazon, John offers it for free on his website. For a platform with over 500,000,000 professionals on it, a free book on how to leverage that reach is a worthwhile investment.John and I also talk about the writing and publishing process. John's written a few other books and I highly recommend you check them out. I also like talking books with any author!Lastly, John touches on the importance of authenticity. With LinkedIn getting more and more crowded, it's easy to get lost in the sea of faces. By authentic to who you are, what you're about, and why you're on the platform, you'll find success where possibly 300,000,000+ professionals may not.How do you leverage LinkedIn?

Another returning guest!Nancy Solari guests once more on The Career Challenges Podcast!We pick up more or less where we left off. I get updated on what she's been doing at Living Full Out. A lot is happening, so you'll have to listen in to find out. There are even more resources for you to check out at Living Full Out.We also discuss, at length, the importance of listening. But it's not just listening. There is an intentionality to it in order for you to be effective in your communication. For Nancy, it's vital for her coaching. You may not be a coach.You may not be a consultant.You still need to listen effectively.We cover some tips and approaches to listening better within the episode. These are sure to enhance your communication. And you'll be surprised by how much you're not hearing during your regular interactions.Thanks again to Nancy Solari!

Ghostwriting is still shrouded in mystery. What do they do?How do they do it?I speak with Jennifer Locke about the process of ghostwriting, benefits, and what authors can expect when working with one. There are differences in how we approach the process, yet ultimately, authors will get a polished manuscript when it's all done. Some authors may prefer Jennifer's approach, some authors may prefer another. It depends on the author.The important takeaway is you're aware of how the ghostwriting works.If you're working with a ghostwriter and they're not as clear as Jennifer is, then you need to listen to this episode!

Self-publishing is believed to be an easy route to getting your book out there.Yet so many authors are taken in with companies that will take your money and put out a terrible product.But not Michele DeFilippo. Michele runs 1106 Designs and graciously joins me on this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast.Listen in to learn about the many steps an author needs to take; fonts (we talk at length on this), layout, formatting, and best of all, marketing! Michele has been doing this for decades and her wealth of knowledge is second to none. Throughout our conversation, I picked up on her desire to ensure an author's book isn't squandered or relegated to the dark corners of the internet. She deeply cares for her clients' work and is laboring to give their book it's the best shot of making an impact.Don't let your book, or your story, suffer from a cheap self-publishing "service." There are plenty of professionals, like Michele, who will work with you to give you and your story a fighting chance at making the impact you desire.

Ready to learn more about podcasting?What if you knew how to make show notes, edit, and marketing a podcast?Would you like to be using your extra time to gain these skills and make a side hustle?On this special episode of The Career Challenges Podcast, I welcome Gina Horkey. On top of building courses to become a virtual assistant, freelance writer, and project manager, she's launching the Podcast Publishing School!Listeners of The Career Challenges Podcast can also download Podcast Publishing School at a discount, just use Kyle$100 at checkout.Hurry, the code won't be active forever!Go here to get started with Podcast Publishing School: https://podcastvas.samcart.com/referral/podcast-course/kImuz3EL3AeyFrbLThere is also a free resource for those who are curious and want to find out more before committing; https://podcastvas.samcart.com/referral/workbook-optin/kImuz3EL3AeyFrbLGina and I also talk about where podcasting is heading, other courses you can enroll in, and share our favorite podcasts to listen to.Enjoy!

What is your legacy?What is your plan to build one?I get to talk with Armando Cruz III for this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast. Armando is an ultra-marathoner, teaching me the process he goes through to train for a long and grueling race. That's just part of his story, however.Armando charges his story with me and I get to learn how he's been building a legacy in his life and for his children. It's a challenge, for sure, but one he's passionate about.This is one of the reasons why he wrote "The Legacy Code: Modern Man's Guide to Escape Obscurity & Live a Life Unleashed." Not only do I get to talk about his writing process, as well as marketing, but we talked about why legacy is so important to him. To the men Armando wishes to help, it's a high priority too!Among the things we touched on, he mentioned the need for perseverance, approaching legacy, and other mindsets. I highly recommend the book, as well as reaching out to Armando as well!

Why is personal development important?Jaime Morocco joins me on this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast.Jaime not only teaches personal fitness, but she digs into each client's personal health and biology. Working with her leads to a tailored personal fitness and nutrition plan. We didn't have enough time to cover all the specifics, but it's obvious Jaime has a passion for helping her clients like none other. Most personal trainers I know will help with the physical side and work on form. Jaime will help you understand your own biology and how to work with it to create a healthy lifestyle.I learned a lot, though I'm sure I'm missing the true depth of Jaime's expertise.Jaime also shares her journey from trainer to Silicon Valley entrepreneur and back to trainer. Along the way she's studied thought leaders in the health and fitness industry. Then she's gone further!Another big topic we got to talk about - stress. I learned from her that everybody's body copes differently with stress. The effects are rarely a good thing though.Given our current situation with the Coronavirus, I'd encourage all my listeners to work on their health and find positive ways to handle stress. Be sure to reach out to Jaime as well to help with your personal fitness journey.

What are people saying about your company?When it comes to your employees, what are they saying?Is it good?I welcome Ben Baker to The Career Challenges Podcast. Ben's seen a lot of change when it comes to how companies treat their employees, and how companies can do a better job of keeping them. We get to talk about how each time your company lets someone go, that's potentially $100,000 of lost revenue.This figure varies based on industry and type of work. Yet, it still shows how each person you hire to work for you has value and what they contribute to the bottom line.Ben and I talk about how employers can take a different approach to leadership. It's not an easy one, but it's well worth the effort.Ben is also an author and we discuss his motivations for writing his book.Sidenote here; we recorded this before the Coronavirus Pandemic hit, and since then, I've seen Ben give selflessly of his time and experience. I want to encourage all listeners to check out Ben's free resources and connect with him. At the very least, you'll be getting sound knowledge for how to handle a difficult situation.Www.YourBrandMarketing.com - websitewww.yourlivingbrand.live - podcasthttps://courses.yourbrandmarketing.com - online courseswww.BenBakerSpeaks.com - speaking sitewww.powerfulpersonalbrands.com - bookwww.linkedin.com/in/yourbrandmarketingwww.twitter.com/yourbrandmrktngwww.facebook.com/yourbrandmarketingwww.youtube.com/gettingyounoticed

Meet John Rugh.Not only does John Rugh hail from the great city San Antonio, TX, he's also an award-winning speaker and Head Copywriter for Guerilla Marketing Agency. Best of all, John is my guest for this episode of The Career Challenges Podcast.John and I talk about writing effective copy and how speaking paved the way for him to be a better writer. He's won Toastmasters' highest honor and is expanding his speaking career as we speak. I get to learn some key insights into speaking. There's also a lot of overlap between speaking persuasively and writing persuasive copy, although it's not as straightforward as I thought.Check out our conversation!