Package Your Genius Personal Branding Podcast

Join me for Resonance & Relevance - my brand new storytelling workshop. Learn more and register here.   Let me be honest for a second.   I have encouraged clients to make themselves visible for YEARS. But some time ago, I began to question the point of it all.   Yes. I had to sit with the truth of how tiresome visibility actually was - even for me.   With all of the other issues in the world competing for my mental space and emotional energy, constantly courting the spotlight became exhausting.    (You can see how problematic this could be for a visibility strategist’s business model…)   At a certain point I concluded that if incessantly sharing was the key to me having a profitable business, I would have to shut my business down.   I was going to have to learn how to make my brand discoverable and compelling without creating a ton of extra work.   I was going to have to learn how to connect with those who needed my work WITHOUT creating yet another ferris wheel on which to exhaust myself.   Or else, my business as I knew it was a wrap.   Fortunately, I didn’t have to shut things down. But I did come up with some parameters around how I show up. And it changed how I began to advise my busy, high-achieving, often introverted clients to show up when the world around them is so uncertain. I'm calling these parameters my "New Rules of Visibility." In short, they are: RULE #1: Honor your season and your current capacity. Don't contribute to your own burnout by making yourself a slave to a social media posting schedule. You are not a machine. RULE #2: Quality over quantity. Seek to share in order to connect and resonate with your audience instead of sharing for sharing's sake. Share your newsworthy news. RULE #3: Leave long-lasting breadcrumbs. A durable trail of high-quality content can help newcomers get up to speed quickly on who you are. Social media trends like reels are fun, but long-lasting stories placed strategically will get you sooooo much more mileage as a thought leader and won't wear you out in the long run.   As you may imagine, solid storytelling is a key component of the new rules. Instead of sharing gratuitously, we are popping up to the surface to share memorable insights that actually help others make sense of our current world. We’re stepping into the spotlight to share the moments that create connection instead of add to the noise. And we’re able to do it without wearing ourselves out. 🚨 Last call to join me for tomorrow at noon for my latest workshop: Resonance & Relevance - I’m so excited for it! Whatever has changed for you during the upheaval of the last two years, it’s probably time to reintroduce yourself. And it's time to do that in a way that takes into account the way your life, responsibilities, and perspective on your purpose has changed. Because nothing is the same.

Sometimes, you have to disappear for a while... It can feel oddly vulnerable to disappear from public view - whether your version of public view is social media, a public speaking circuit, or the networking rooms for your industry. But EVERYONE disappears at some point - whether they leave a job, lose a job, have a baby, bury a parent, shutter their business, lose their motivation, or like me, succumb to burnout. In the past two years, so many of us have had to step out of the spotlight. We’ve had to leave and return and sometimes, turn around and leave again. A client disappeared online because he left the job industry and professional identity he’d held for nearly a decade and started a new entrepreneurial venture. He didn’t know how to share that news. I’ve disappeared personally and candidly due to burnout, depression, and being just plain exhausted.  After having a baby and tending to my older kids and trying to evade COVID, it’s been a lot.  I had to take care of myself and sadly that meant I had to deprioritize coming here and sharing with you. While circumstances among us may vary, a lot of the mental chatter we experience when going through that revolving door is universal. On the occasion of your return, you wonder: Will people still care or be curious about what I’m up to? Are they still there? Do they even remember who I am? And...how will I let people know that I’m BACK? I'm hosting a new workshop called  Resonance & Relevance on June 03, 2022 at 12pm EST and I hope you can join me live. This workshop is for you if you’ve been struggling to reintroduce yourself to your network after stepping away from the spotlight for whatever reason, and you want to learn a simple way to put yourself back on people's minds. Register for Resonance & Relevance at http://www.amandamillerlittlejohn.com/classes or on Crowdcast here.     But whether you join me or not, remember this: It’s NEVER too late for you to make a comeback. It's good to BE BACK. Thanks for listening.

Imposter syndrome is real, but there’s a fix: radical self-discovery. Radical self-discovery isn’t just a nice to do, it’s a must-do. And it’s a must-do on a REGULAR basis if you want to step into the highest level of your purpose and live the most empowered version of your personal brand.    

On today's episode, I take you behind the scenes of the morning routine that changed everything and helped me OUTGROW my goals. This new morning routine changed EVERYTHING - the consistency mixed with  intention helped me outgrow my prayers in 30 days. Many thanks 🙏🏾 to Kailei Carr @kaileicarr Ash Johns @ashinspires Monique Ruffin @moniqueruffin and Jereshia Hawk @jereshiahawk *** Welcome to December! How are you feeling about 2020? If you're like most of my clients, you may be thinking about what you set out to do this year, how the pandemic threw a wrench in your plans, what you managed to get done, and what you didn't accomplish. But as I've said before - 2020 ain't over. There's still time to squeeze some juice out of this year, and I for one have big plans to do just that. High achievers like us don't take enough opportunities to pause, reflect, and put a plan in place for our own growth and development. It's one of the very first things we tend to deprioritize when life gets busy. That's why taking the time to reflect, set intentions, and plan during the month of December is so essential. Life comes at you fast, and once things pick back up in January, it will be almost impossible to find the time and mental space to make the BIG DECISIONS that will drive your progress for the year. So if you've been on the fence, consider this your LAST CALL to 1) join the December PURPOSESCAPING Group Intensive that starts Sunday December 6, and 2) Apply for the 6-month visibility mastermind and get the December Intensive on me. Over those fertile four weeks leading up to the new year, I’ll be coaching you using elements of the PURPOSESCAPING framework. I'll also help you to set your intentions for 2021 and strategize with you to map out a tactical/spiritual/malleable plan for your platform, visibility, and revenue for next year. And if you end up joining us for the visibility academy, you'll already have some serious momentum as we kick off sessions in January. >> Click here to apply for the 6-Month Visibility Mastermind Click here to apply for the December Intensive Only

The end of the year is the perfect time to manifest money quickly. Many people are thinking about how they want to make changes in their lives, or may be reflecting on what they didn't accomplish this year that they need to bring back into focus. This is where you come in. How can you position your skillset as the solution to someone's end of year problem? How can you make yourself top of mind for those who may be ready to work with you at the top of the year? In this episode, I share five specific ways you can monetize your personal brand fast.  Once you learn how to do this, you'll never be the same.   *** If you’ve been eyeing one of my programs, and supporting yourself feels like working closely with me, I invite you to explore the two ways we can engage. I’m running the December PURPOSESCAPING Brand with Purpose Coaching Intensive starting December 6. Over those fertile four weeks leading up to the new year, I’ll be sharing elements of my new PURPOSESCAPING framework as well as coaching you to set your intentions for 2021 and map out a tactical/spiritual/malleable plan for your platform, visibility, and revenue. Click here to apply for the December coaching intensive.​ Here's the thing: getting clear on your intention works. Writing your goals down works. Sharing your goals in community with others who can hold space for you works. Because the domino effect we set off at the end of 2019 during our last December intensive...🤯🤯🤯 Secondly, I’m wrapping up enrollment conversations for our Package Your Genius Academy Visibility Mastermind. Behind the scenes this year, our students and clients have achieved some extraordinary wins: • Ash unlocked her business potential, got unblocked and exceeded her 6-figure corporate advertising salary. And she did this by selling spiritual coaching services she was unsure she could sell at premium prices just one year ago. She now has a waitlist.  • Tiffany hosted her first sold-out virtual event and launched her first membership program.  • Allissa leveraged her journalism and storytelling skills to write a book on the history of mobile journalism. She landed a mainstream publishing deal and released her book to critical acclaim.  • Tamika sold over $100k in sponsorships for her first virtual event during the pandemic.  • Amber landed a mainstream book deal, 10xed her corporate client list, grew her team, and blew past her ambitious revenue goal for the year.  • Tisa buckled down and wrote the first book in a 3-book series on personal finance, and has since landed a grant that has allowed her to GIVE BACK and get the book in the hands of hundreds of first-generation college students.  While the mastermind kicks off in January, those who enroll now can join the December PURPOSESCAPING intention setting planning intensive at no additional cost. Click here to apply for the mastermind.  

Another rewind episode finds us here. This one is a bit personal, I've noticed a pattern with myself lately. I've been getting these confirmations about the things I'm doing that correspond to practices and worlds I'm not well-versed in. I heard the same message from two different people in as many days so I thought - hmm - maybe that's a podcast! The message was - we are often affected by forces we're not even aware of. It all goes back to clarifying what you want and putting that out there while remaining unattached to how you'll get there. That's why I chose today's episode as a fitting rewind as we move into the end of year planning or visioning season. So many curveballs this year. And next year will likely be interesting, too. But one thing is for certain, we still need to get clear on what we want if we expect it to find its way to us. And honestly how often do you allow yourself to really immerse yourself in your big dream? I'd like to invite you to immerse yourself in your intention for next year. If you need to get focused on what you want for your personal brand and business - join me over 4 weeks in December for the Purposescaping Brand With Purpose Intensive. We'll be getting clear on what we want to see show up in our lives but divorcing ourselves from the GPS. Remember - the vision and roadmap rarely pop up at the same time. But what I'm learning more and more - and I'm by no means an expert in intention-setting - is the more you can embody what it is that you want from the inside out, the more inevitable will be its return to you. So that's what December is about - embodying what we want for our personal brands - what do we want to create, what do we want to promote, what do we want to earn in the next year. Seeing it is the first step to claiming it, and once we claim it, it's ours. Enjoy this rewind. Apply for the Brand with Purpose Intensive - Apply Now

I’ve never done a rewind episode, before but I was reminded by how many episodes I’ve recorded (157 and counting, yay!) AND how everyone listening hasn’t necessarily been here since the beginning. And even for those of you who HAVE been here since the beginning, some episodes bear repeating, so here we are. I’ve been thinking a lot about the intentions we set and how even when we make plans, our intentions tend to make the real difference because we never know exactly how we’ll reach our biggest goals. If one of your intentions for the next season of your career and business is to become known in your industry so you can become sought after instead of always seeking, you need to listen to Becoming Known, a master class I taught last fall. In it, I break down the 9 elements to becoming known in your industry so you can grow your audience, command higher fees, and reach your goals faster. Visibility is not the end goal, but it is definitely an accelerant if you want to reach your goals faster. Think about it - it’s really hard to become sought after if no one knows who you are and what you do. If you’re seriously ready to become sought after in your next season, I invite you to apply for PYG Academy’s winter cohort. If you’re accepted and join before December, you’ll get to join our December intention setting and brand planning intensive at no additional cost! If you're looking to go from seeking to sought after, I invite you to apply to Package Your Genius Academy.  Apply Here >> Application If you're ready to move from doing the work you CAN do to the work you were BORN to do without losing revenue or credibility, submit your application this week and we'll be in touch! Apply to Package Your Genius Academy >> Apply Here Apply to PURPOSESCAPING Brand with Purpose Intensive Only >> Apply Here

You can land a mainstream book deal during a pandemic without a huge following... 🤯🤯🤯 After working together in our PYGA Agency program this spring and summer, our longtime client and academy alum Amber Cabral, a diversity consultant and Fortune 500 trainer, landed a mainstream book deal with Wiley Press. It all happened really fast - Amber wrote the book over the summer and it will be released on November 17 in just a few weeks. Since preorders are such a huge piece of helping books do well, we're excited to host an invitation-only master class for those who preorder the book this week. Amber will join Jeanenne Ray, acquisitions editor at Wiley Books in a conversation about mainstream publishing and what you can do to position yourself if landing a book deal as an expert is on your to-do list. ​We’ll be discussing how Amber caught the attention of a major publisher this year, what publishers are looking for RIGHT NOW, and how YOU can potentially land a book deal WITHOUT a huge social media following. ​If you are looking to explode your personal brand through a traditionally published book, this exclusive closed-door conversation is happening Thursday, November 5 at 2pm ET.​   How can you join? To register, you simply need to preorder Allies and Advocates, provide proof that you preordered the book in the last week, and fill in this form by Wednesday. On Thursday morning we'll send you details to access the private Zoom training.  If you’ve already preordered, please grab ANOTHER copy to gift to a friend or colleague. We want to drive as many preorders as possible before the book is released on Nov. 17! If you’re looking to peek behind the curtains of how to land a book deal and learn how you can position YOURSELF for mainstream publishing, don’t miss this conversation!!! On another note, if you're interested in learning some of the same strategies we've shared with Amber over the years - the ones that have helped her become a recurring expert on Fast Company, land a mainstream publishing deal, and grow her business to multiple six figures from zero figures just to name a few, understand that she started out in our 12-week visibility academy. Amber shows up and does the work - she outgrinds everyone AND she's obedient in that she implements what we tell her to do, so her results speak to that. If you're looking for that kind of transformation, I invite you to apply to Package Your Genius Academy.  Apply Here >> Application This cohort will work a little differently from previous groups. First, I'll be infusing much of my new PURPOSESCAPING philosophy into the curriculum, so we're covering some brand new stuff! Second, I'm committed to a six-month journey instead of three. More time together means more opportunities to go deep with my team and I, more chances to implement, more chances to get feedback on your brand-building assignments, and more time for the lessons to crystallize. I've noticed that when I bring dynamic groups together to embark on a journey like this, we're unstoppable. If you're ready to move from doing the work you CAN do to the work you were BORN to do without losing revenue or credibility, submit your application this week and we'll be in touch!   That's all for now - I hope to see you in our session with the acquisitions editor at Wiley. If you're a subject matter expert, I believe there has never been a better time to put your ideas out there. It's our time. Let's go!   Links from this episode: Apply to Package Your Genius Academy >> Apply Here Preorder Allies and Advocates >> Preorder Here Sign up for the Conversation with Wiley Press >> Register Here

A little update about where the Package Your Genius podcast is going...   I haven't sat down to record an episode of Package Your Genius in eight months and for that, I need to be straight up with you and offer my sincerest apologies. When the year started, I was in a season of searching that took me a little longer than it usually takes at the beginning of a new year. I knew I was on the cusp of a season of personal and business change - I can't tell you how I knew it, but I did know it. And for that reason, I believe my spirit was stuck in quicksand. I kept trying to put my own plan together for 2020, but every time I'd try, I'd get nowhere. It was like God was saying - "Girl, no need for a plan right now. Stay flexible. Things are about to get weird..." Then the pandemic hit, and the year began to unravel quickly. I had just launched a high-end group program for established personal brands - AGENCY - and as we onboarded new members, news of the pandemic spread. Two weeks into the new program, my kids' school shut down and transitioned to virtual classes. My husband's corporate job also went virtual so everyone was working from home. Four weeks into the new program, several of my clients reported lost revenue due to pandemic-related cancellations. I was devastated, terrified, unnerved - you name it. I immediately went into my default recession mental programming. If you know my story, you know that when the Great Recession of 2007-2008 hit, I was laid off from my newspaper staff writer position with a newborn baby and my husband would soon lose his job as well. While I hunkered down and started the first iteration of my PR business, I remember feeling stressed and scared the entire time. In those early months, there was a lot of hitting and a lot of missing - and with a newborn baby, there was so much pressure to succeed for survival's sake.   Fast forward to this past spring, and my default story around uncertain economic times started to play in my head. I mean, it was visceral. I could literally feel the panic of 2007-2008 just as if I were once again a first-time twenty-something mother who had just lost her job. Like many parents, I wondered if my kids would mentally be okay spending so much time indoors and if any of us would catch the virus and get sick. I grieved not getting to visit my grandmother on her 90th birthday which coincided with the kids' spring break. More in line with my conditioning though, as I watched news of rising unemployment numbers in the USA, I worried if I would be okay if my clients' businesses would be okay and if I should brace for a season of drought and struggle. But this time, I was far removed from that 2007 2008 version of myself as a business owner who's weathered her fair share of storms and built something profitable and sustainable - something I am proud of. But that didn't keep me from feeling the physical manifestation of anxiety, and replaying my recession story both mentally and physically. My fear froze me. I held off on launching the programs I'd had on my calendar for 2020. I took my focus off of myself and dove into supporting my children as they navigated classes on RingCentral and Zoom. I gave all my energy to my new program clients which paid off handsomely when I witnessed them clawing back to rebuild their 2020 revenues, outline and publish their books, raise six-figure sponsorships, host sold-out virtual events, and land a traditional book deal. I plan to record either a special podcast episode or virtual training on the specific lessons I learned about building your profits via your personal brand even during a pandemic.   But anyway, a few of my new agency clients ended up leaving the program early due to their own situations regarding COVID - one, in particular, was a hospital executive who was essentially living at the hospital and putting herself at risk every day to go to work. But some of the clients we onboarded that spring stayed for the full duration of the 6-month program and can I tell you, it was our weekly calls that kept me focused and productive so much so that I need to call them by name - Thank you Tamika, Amber, Tiffany, Kimberly, Tisa, Tanya, and Susan for giving me a place to put my mental focus on the days I wanted to spiral back into my old story.   Working with these ladies through the first months of the pandemic was so eye-opening - their courage to keep showing up and continue offering their gifts to the world inspired me to keep showing up and keep offering my gifts to them. In hindsight, working with them really got me through the worst of it - at least what has been the worst of it so far.   But back to what happened with the podcast. I knew about a year ago that I needed to pivot my mission and the content for this podcast because I'd started to veer into a new direction with what I was being called to share. Even though it would literally take me 5 minutes to make a list of 20 personal branding topics that would neatly fit under the package your genius umbrella, I prefer to share what is being channeled through me and give you the downloads directly from my source.   And those how-to service pieces were not coming through, okay? You probably noticed how you started hearing a lot about nature and purpose and finding your path much more than you heard about how to write a better bio or grow your audience on LinkedIn. Which is why I believe I lost my podcast voice for eight months. Until I was ready to claim this other more "woo woo" part of myself and my voice, I thought it was better to say nothing at all.   But I'm excited to announce I have decided to step into the new season of my voice and I've launched PURPOSESCAPING, my new podcast and platform to help you go deeper with your personal brand and clear a pathway to your purpose.   PURPOSESCAPING has been in the works for a while, but I'm happy to finally have the opportunity to share it with you. So if you're interested in where I'm going with my new level of thinking, search for PURPOSESCAPING wherever you listen to your podcasts and subscribe. I've also set up an Instagram account just for that brand and it's @purposescaping so please follow along and engage with me there.   Now. What does that mean for Package Your Genius? To be honest, I am not 100% sure just yet. However, I did feel like the content I've produced here up to this point is relevant to many of you, and may be relevant to people who discover me for the first time in the future. That's why I didn't rebrand Package Your Genius to PURPOSESCAPING and essentially erase it from the internet. I wanted to let it stand here as a resource to people who still want to check out these 150+ episodes as they may be relevant to wherever you are on your journey. Because everyone won't want to come along - I'm clear that PURPOSESCAPING is not for everybody.   Will I continue to update the Package Your Genius podcast? As I see it now, I definitely won't be updating the podcast as regularly as I did before, however I still have tactical content from time to time that would probably make more sense to share here, so I may publish at least one episode or interview here per month. We'll see. I'm not putting a ton of pressure on it as PURPOSESCAPING is my major focus right now. But again, as I have tactical personal branding nuggets to share, I plan to share them with you here.   For example, next week I'm hosting one of my longtime students and clients, diversity consultant Amber Cabral in conversation with an acquisitions editor at Wiley Press. They're going to be discussing how to land a traditional book deal as an expert without a huge following, so I may come back on and share a few nuggets from that conversation. If you would like to participate in that live and hear from the book editor and about Amber's experience attracting the attention of a major publisher and landing a book deal in the middle of a pandemic, we are making that conversation a bonus to people who preorder a copy of her book Allies and Advocates, so watch our social media for those details. I'm @packageyourgenius and she's @bamcabral   Last announcement, I am excited to open the doors for another group of students of Package your Genius Academy in November. This group will be a little different - I plan to work with this group over 6 months instead of the traditional 3 so we'll get a chance to GO DEEPER into the concepts, and lean into the brand-building challenges. We'll be embedding much of the new PURPOSESCAPING framework into how I teach. If you've been looking to package your genius finally and feel that now is the time check it out. If you want to work with someone and be in community for at least six months, and you have the time to invest as well as the financial resources to invest, reach out. This is a program, not a course and will be priced as such.   We're looking for individuals who are committed to branding the most authentic version of who they are, ready to step into the NEXT LEVEL of their gift, high achievers who feel like they've reached a level of success that may impress other people but they know they are being called to do more - even if friends and family think they're crazy for wanting to do more tired of just doing what they CAN do - what they have the talent, expertise, and skills to do - or what others recruit them to do. We want to work with people who are on a journey to find their true purpose and the work they were BORN to do. We're looking for coachable clients who understand their PR/Marketing gaps and want to grow. We're looking for those who are willing to be brave and try new things even if they don't understand why you're being asked to do it.   Is that you? If so, apply to work with my team and I at packageyourgeniusacademy.com but make sure you do so in the next day or so as we're reviewing applications and getting qualified applicants onboarded soon so we can start next month. We're not doing a lo

As a personal branding coach to high achievers, I have a special insight into the inner lives of many of my clients. And one unfortunate thing many of them have in common?  They don't see themselves clearly. Their possibility and their potential for GREATNESS is often obscured by a lack of self-awareness. So they downplay their gifts, sell themselves short, and end up overlooked for the very opportunities they seek. Since the company we keep is important, and we base so much of our self-knowledge on what the world is mirroring back, it must have something to do with the people around us, right? After talking to so many high achievers who don't know one another, I've spotted four sources of this blurred vision. Here are four types of people who tend to obscure our ability to see our full potential: 1.) the opportunist 2.) the micromanager or toxic leader 3.) the person who sees us as who we used be despite our evolution 4.) the person who's unfamiliar with the territory we were born to roam Which one resonates with you? Drop me a note online - I'd love to hear from you!   ***   It's that time again. We're putting together the spring cohort of Package Your Genius Academy! If you know you don't see yourself clearly, but you're finally ready to see and step into your full potential, apply to join us. We're accepting applications for the cohort that starts March 10.

This past fall, I had the pleasure of working with conscious business and brand strategist Ash Johns in Package Your Genius Academy. Ash has quite the bio; trained in corporate advertising, she's also highly spiritual and intuitive. Her spiritual talents and passion for social equity inform her current business where she works as a psycho-spiritual coach. Before entering PYG Academy, Ash was rightfully hesitant about money. She'd just returned to the U.S. from Bali, and her business wasn't earning enough to sustain her life back in the States. She craved a business where she could lean into her 'woo' and package premium services with her ancestral healing work front and center. But she feared it wasn't realistic to expect to make the same kind of money as a healer as she'd made in her six-figure corporate gig. Ash uncovered during the three months of the academy that she could show up 100% authentically, lead with her spiritual "woo" side, and still make a lot of money. As a matter of fact, once she shifted her message, reconfigured her packages, and began to lead with her whole truth, she experienced a record revenue month. I'm so proud of her. Whether you consider yourself "woo" or just the opposite, let Ash's story inspire you. Whatever you do and whoever you are, there is an audience for the most authentic expression of your gifts. But first, you must get clear on your focus and stop denying what's really there. ​ ***​ Can you relate to Ash's story? I'd love to hear from you!  And if you're ready to lean more into YOU, but need support? Our spring cohort of Package Your Genius Academy kicks off March 10. Want to join us? Visit packageyourgeniusacademy.com to submit your application. ​ ​

A common idea keeps many high achievers stuck in analysis paralysis. It's the inability to decide on a focus area because they are admittedly 'multi-passionate.' Every day, talented professionals fail to move their brands forward because they can't pick a direction. I've talked to many people who feel they need a separate website, distinct social media pages and brand identities for each of their passions. Let's face it - that's a lot to keep up. In my opinion, characterizing yourself as multi-passionate is a bad idea. For one, it dilutes your credibility, at least in the beginning. Since your audience can only digest one thing at a time, if they're coming to you for your support, your message needs to be crystal clear. You can hear my four reframes for the multi-passionates in this episode. *** It's that time again. We're putting together the spring cohort of Package Your Genius Academy! If working on your umbrella message or the umbrella program that can contain the multitude of your passions so you can market more effectively and start earning $10k/month minimum, apply to join us. We're accepting applications for the cohort that starts March 10.

Trying to figure out the next level of your brand? As much as you may think you need to start from zero and do something completely brand new, the key may be to go back to the beginning so you can see how you've always been able to summon success.  Go back.  Back to the early days. Back to those foundational experiences that defined you early on. How have you been always doing what you do? Too many of us are reinventing the wheel, thinking that "building a brand" means forging ahead into the future with no regard for the past. So we're "starting from scratch" when it comes to our audience, our offer, and even our message about who we are. But there's information to be found when we go back to the beginning. Reflect: 1.) Who usually reaches out to you? Who has always reached out to you? What audiences do you have traction with? 2.) Why did those people reach out? Why did they need your help? 3.) What core skills have you been using to help that audience all along? 4.) What feedback did you receive on the way you use those skills? Note: typically adjectives and adverbs will be your answer, i.e. "compassionate, diplomatic, or fast"   What parts of your story remain unchanged through the seasons? This is the magic we're looking for during the personal branding process. Want more clarifying questions? DOWNLOAD THE GUIDED JOURNAL: 150 Questions to help you find, focus and promote your unique, unmistakable genius - http://www.packageyourgeniusacademy.com/clarity *** It's an exciting time at Package Your Genius Academy because we have 2 personal branding programs starting soon! First up, we're running our signature VISIBILITY MASTERMIND. This is 3 months of training, coaching, and community. Our framework was designed to get you clear on who you are/what your brand is about, package your message and content around that newfound clarity, and successfully pitch yourself for speaking, media, and paid client opportunities. This is a great program for you if you're still nailing down your brand and have yet to earn a steady $10k/month from your expertise. ​ Past clients have launched six and multi six-figure expertise-driven businesses on the heels of the academy. Second, we're incubating a few established brands for the next year with brand coaching, media/content strategy, and IMPLEMENTATION support. This service is perfect for those who have their brand nailed down and revenue coming in. If you can't quite manage all the thinking, writing, design, and pitching that comes with staying CONSISTENTLY VISIBLE while serving a growing roster of clients at the same time, my team and I want to support you. If you've been looking for a community of fellow high achievers to work alongside to reach your ultimate purpose, we've been waiting for you. Apply here!  

Activating a project requires a different type of energy than maintaining a project. You won't always have to work as hard to maintain something as you had to work to get it off the ground. If like me, you're a high achiever who's grown accustomed to striving, that may feel unfamiliar to you. But at some point, after you've put in the work, understand that the work will become easy.  The trick here is to remember you've earned the ease. You don't have to tear down what you've built to "make it hard again." Instead, now you can reinvest your time, energy and effort into something else that means a lot to you. Now you can reinvest the energy you previously used to get this dream off the ground and put it into something even bigger. I looked at Dave Ramsey's Debt Snowball Method and applied it to goals, our personal brands, and business projects. But you could take the concept and apply it to almost anything like your relationships, your parenting, or even your health.   *** If you've been looking for a community of fellow high achievers to work alongside to reach your ultimate purpose, applications to Package Your Genius Academy are now open. Apply here.

This past weekend, I decided to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by doing a write-a-thon with my kids. We each have a dormant writing project that could use a little intentional time and focus - Connor has a new fiction project, Logan has a fiction/comic book project, and I have another non-fiction project in the works. So we dedicated our weekend to writing. All said we wrote for 6 hours 🤯 over 2 days - broken up in two 90 minute writing sprints each day. In between sprints we snacked, read our work aloud, gave each other ideas/feedback, and cheered for each other. I always tell my clients how important community is when you’re doing something difficult or brand new. With writing, it can be hard to stay motivated when I’m all alone, but it was surprisingly easy with a crew. When one person got stuck, we were able to feed off of whoever was flowing.  Over the two days, we wrote a combined 7,000 words. Stay tuned for updates on our writing projects. We should have some newly finished works to share soon! It was a really fun experiment and I plan to do it again. They both said it was fun and inspiring to write together. Watching three very different people approach productivity and writing got me to thinking about how we had to all access different parts of ourselves in order to make the writing weekend successful. This weekend taught me about how to put yourself in a position to win. Three Ways to Position Yourself to Win: 1. Sometimes you may need to piggyback off of someone else's energy when you aren't feeling it. Who can you get around? Who can you tap into? Who is already going in the direction you want to go in? How can you tag along? 2. Sometimes the simple act of showing up can produce unexpected results. How can you put yourself into the environment where you can meet your goals. You'll be more likely to get into action if you're in the space where said action takes place. The body knows. The mind knows. Muscle memory. 3. Make sure you keep your pantry stocked with your favorite ingredients for success. What have you learned about yourself? What makes you tick? What do you need to get into your zone? How can you incorporate that every time you set out to do something big or new? Some of us know what works for us. So if you know what works, why don't you do it every time? Who can support your genius?   *** Get to know you! Get to know your unique ingredients for success with the Package Your Genius Personal Branding Companion Workbook -150 Questions to help you find, focus and promote your unique, unmistakable genius.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned from nature is this: the leaves and flowers of any growing plant are not visible all the time. And the same is true for us as ambitious high achievers. Even though we may want to be perpetually "in bloom", that's not realistic. This time of year, it's easy to get swept away in the energy of a new year. Fresh starts. New beginnings. But what happens when your grand ambitions for the year have yet to surface? When your actual life doesn't match the hashtags of your favorite inspirational Instagram influencer? You may be looking for that spring energy - evidenced by sprouting green stems and unfurling baby leaves. But in reality, that may not necessarily be where you are. If you're currently in a growing phase where your progress isn't visible to the outside world, don't worry.  Trees may lose their leaves, but they don't die in winter. There's still a lot going on underground. Some very big and very important things may be taking root. But that's the type of growth that you can't necessarily see. Don't label yourself as "behind" if your vision for the year hasn't come into focus just yet. Just because your progress isn't obvious and visible doesn't mean your growth is stalled. Things are still shifting. Seeds are cracking open. Dreams are taking root - even if you can't see it yet.  ***  January is one of the BEST months of the year to find and land a new job, and if you’re like many high achievers, you may be looking to make a career move, right now. But how do you make sure you don't end up in another ill-fitting job one year from now? The answer? GET CLEAR. Get clear on what you WANT so you can go after work that is aligned with WHO you authentically are. I share over 100 clarifying questions in the Package Your Genius personal branding book and companion personal branding workbook to help you get clear on what you want and what you bring to the table. Once you’re clear, it’s so much easier to find work that was tailor-made for you. Get the book >> http://bit.ly/pygbook Get the workbook >> http://bit.ly/pygworkbook

For high achievers, it's common for us to become immune to our accomplishments. Before the triumph of a win has settled in, we're on to the next. After jumping a major hurdle, we've already mentally raised the bar again before our feet even touch the ground. The danger is that doing this creates a diminished and completely false self-image. We're BOSSES in the world, yet when we diminish our accomplishments we begin to mentally see ourselves as ordinary people who have yet to do big things. But in actuality, we've done a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. What would happen if you gave yourself more credit? How would things be different? How might you see yourself? What might you have the courage to do? Who might you have the confidence to approach? What rooms would you be willing to walk into? What clients would you have the gall to pitch? It's taken me years to learn this life-changing lesson: Just because an accomplishment has become your norm, doesn't make it normal. Just because you've crossed a hurdle multiple times doesn't make it less of a hurdle to cross. It still counts. So stop to acknowledge what it took for you to get here. You have my permission to brag. And let's leave downplaying our accomplishments in 2019. *** ANNOUNCEMENTS I'm hosting a free virtual brand planning party on Sunday, December 29 at 7 pm ET. To join me, register now on Crowdcast. The Brand with Purpose 12-Month Personal Branding Planner is now available as a  print book or a digital download! Use this full-color planner as your thought partner to help you think through your speaking engagements, media outreach, podcast episodes, social media content and revenue generation on a monthly and quarterly basis.  Order your planner I'm hosting another session of the Brand with Purpose Planning Intensive over a few evenings in January. If you're interested in working with me and a small group of high achievers to make some decisions, i.e. what you'll create, what topics you'll pitch, and what you'll promote to sell and at which price point next year, e-mail us at hello (at) packageyourgeniusacademy (dot) com to learn more and request the invitation. 

I don't know about you, but I've never gotten really good at something without a ton of practice. And yet, when we get caught up in our perfectionism, we rob ourselves of the valuable practice that would make whatever we're contemplating, well, perfect. When we don't put ourselves out there, we miss out on the practice of sharing our ideas clearly having sales conversations powerfully articulating our value improving our timing and presence understanding what our audience wants getting comfortable doing uncomfortable things. Best-selling books don't magically appear. They take weeks, months, and sometimes even years of writing, refining and marketing before they reach that status. World-class speakers all typically have a speaking horror story or two in their back pocket. Even when you look at the best podcasters and Youtubers who garner millions of downloads and views, most started with bad lighting, unprofessional audio. But they were up to the task of practicing to become the best version of themselves. Don't let your perfectionism rob you of the gift of practice. When you show up, and keep showing up, you give yourself the opportunity to refine what you have.  And if you're truly a perfectionist, you already know - practice makes perfect.

You don't need a perfect blueprint to lay the first stone. And yet, as high achievers, many of us would rather wait until we have the most failproof plans before taking the smallest action. But action, no matter how imperfect, will refine even our best plans. I learned this (again) recently when I decided to make a pivot. I went from hosting a one-day virtual event to hosting a one-month evening intensive after thinking through the needs of my academy alumni. But in this mindful pivot, I uncovered how I could feed two birds with one seed and my new book - The Brand with Purpose Planner - was born! So in this case, taking imperfect action not only led me to a BETTER course of action, but it also created the residual effect of giving me the impetus to produce a book product that has been on my brand vision board list for years! Talk about a serious ROI on taking imperfect action. What have you been smothering with the expectations of perfection?  What ideas have you let simmer and go cold on the back burner for too long because you're waiting for the most perfect conditions? Here's a thought - doing the thing, even imperfectly, may create a pathway for a result that you're not even conscious of. Acting always creates momentum. And you can always pivot, edit, or update your first draft. But you need a first draft. So start.   *** ANNOUNCEMENTS The Brand with Purpose 12-Month Personal Branding Planner is now available on Amazon! Use this full-color planner as your thought partner to help you think through your speaking engagements, media outreach, podcast episodes, social media content and revenue generation on a monthly and quarterly basis.  Order your planner I'm hosting another session of the Brand with Purpose Planning Intensive over a few evenings in January. If you're interested in working with me and a small group of high achievers to make some decisions, i.e. what you'll create, what topics you'll pitch, and what you'll promote to sell and at which price point next year, e-mail us at info (at) amandamillerlittlejohn (dot) com to learn more and request the invitation. 

If you're anything like me, you've probably had a zillion ideas that somehow 'magically' dropped into your spirit - things you somehow knew you were supposed to be doing, or chances you new you were supposed to be taking, but you couldn't explain how you knew exactly what you knew. You may call it intuition, your inner knowing, God or the Holy Spirit. Whatever you call it, you know when you've gotten a direct download. But acting on those downloads is another thing all together.  I've received clear downloads for years, but I haven't always been obedient about taking them and acting on them. But last year when I decided to be obedient to one specific download, I realized that all along, my obedience had been the key to unlock a level I didn't even know was there! My obedience produced the missing puzzle piece to a specific goal that had eluded me for years. To experiment with this concept, ask yourself: Have you ever acted on a big goal even though you were terrified, and been surprised by the results? What are you currently procrastinating on doing?  What is a goal you've wanted to reach for years but just can't seem to unlock? Could the object of your procrastination potentially unlock the goal you've been able to reach? Could the two possibly be related?    *** If you missed Brand with Purpose - my free 5 day challenge to help you plan a brand with intention for the coming year, you can listen to all 5 episodes of the challenge and download the challenge workbook here. The whole series clocks in at right under 60 minutes, and I assure you, it will be the best hour you'll spend all week!  Listen to the challenge episodes >> Brand with Purpose