Brand Spanking You Podcast Sarah Ehlinger

I’m always saying that building a personal brand is really not that different than deep personal growth work.

And this week’s guest, Kimra Luna, personifies that.

In order to lift themselves and their family out of generational poverty, Kimra tapped into mindset work- in particular, their own gut instincts vs a coach they spent thousands on who was teaching a “right” way to do things.

Kimra and I are aligned in our belief that there are limitless ways to build a business and a brand, and the only “right” way to do it, is your way.

Which, yes, generally takes quite a bit of trial and error, but that’s the journey, right? AND why it’s so important to do the personal work alongside the business work.

Listen in to get Kimra’s take on building a business aligned with your values, connecting with your audience, and why they view community building as such an important asset when it comes to business.

The Brand Spanking You Podcast- where we talk about how branding your business is more related to personal growth than you realize. In this week’s episode, we explore the notion of “talent.” Is it something you’re born with, or something you develop over time? (Hint, nobody is born with the ability to win grand slams or paint a masterpiece…).So if talent can be cultivated, what does this have to do with personal branding? Turns out, a lot. Because if you’re holding yourself or your brand back for lack of talent, you’re selling yourself short. And denying the world something totally unique and inspiring - YOU.

Have you ever thought that creativity is reserved for just artists, musicians, painters, writers, etc.?

Not so. And in this episode, I have an inspiring conversation with Caroline Scruggs who knows a thing or two about all of this.

Caroline is a singer/songwriter and musician, and after years and years of creative struggle and torment, Caroline had an epiphany.

She realized that in the process of turning her creativity into her business, she completely lost her spark. She was miserable, and unsure what to do next.

She dived deeper into what it meant to “be a creative” and came out the other side with a renewed purpose, and a knowing that within all of us lies an untapped superpower.

What if, creativity wasn’t just for a few “chosen few” artists, but instead, was a way for every single human being to tap into a wealth of intuitive knowing, purpose, and unrealized potential?

She recognized that this creative superpower that we all have is a way for us to find fulfillment and propel ourselves to new heights. And now she teaches others how to find their own version of it.

We’re taught from a young age that you’re either an artist, or you’re not. But this, quite frankly, is one of the biggest lies and beliefs we’re asked to swallow. Because every single problem in the world requires creativity and imagination to solve, whether you’re an artist or not.

And cutting ourselves off from this creative flow because we’ve believed the “I’m not an artist” lie, could be one of the biggest things keeping the world stuck.

Caroline has such a light-hearted, playful approach to inviting people to rediscover their childlike wonder, and this conversation revealed to me- once again- just how powerful creativity is, and why its vitally important for all humans to expand their imagination and, in the process, their creative problem-solving skills.

In this conversation, we challenge the notion that business and life are all about practicality and following formulas. While both of those are nice, they also keep us stuck and miserable.

On the flip side, creativity & imagination help us break free from those confining boxes to discover true meaning, purpose, and happiness.

How many times have you said to yourself “that’s it! I’m done with Instagram forever!” only to scurry back to it, tail between your legs, expecting that THIS time, things will be different?

If you’re anything like me, this cycle repeats itself over and over.

But do we NEED Instagram for our marketing and business?

Obviously, there are lots of people who have wild success with it. But increasingly, there are more people who don’t and are fed up with it.

As freelancers, solopreneurs, and small business owners, it’s vitally important that we optimize one of our most valuable assets: our time. So IS Instagram still worthy of investing valuable time into?

The answer will be different for everyone. But after having a love- and mostly hate- relationship with Instagram over the last several years, I’m deciding to go all-in on a different experiment.

One where I free myself mentally of ever having to post or use the platform for business at all. And instead, replacing those with other marketing strategies that, quite frankly, have been far more effective for me in the past.

Some of those strategies include:

Blogging & Pinterest- mainly for their long-term SEO benefits

In-person networking, and fostering real-life connections and partnerships with others

Encouraging testimonials & referrals from past clients & customers.

My gut has been telling me for years that this marketing channel is just not aligned for me, but I still keep at it. Why?

Mostly because I’m scared of not doing it. I’ve bought into the belief that if I’m not good at Instagram, somehow I’m not good at business. And that’s complete BS. That if I could just figure out the algorithm, that would mean I could control the flow of money, customers, and clients in my business. As if.

We’re told over and over by online marketing guru’s that we “need” to be there. But I could show you many examples of people who aren’t but are still wildly successful. So do we need to be there? Really? I think not.

I’m starting this experiment with a 3 month Instagram hiatus, and we’ll see where it goes from there.

If you’ve ever felt like saying no to Instagram yourself, maybe this is the nudge you needed.

Listen in as I go in-depth talking about this decision, and how I’ll market my business instead.

We’re often told that we need to change our thoughts and beliefs in order to hit the goals we set for ourselves, or realize the success that we know we’re capable of.

Easier said than done though, right?

What if you can’t even identify the thoughts or beliefs in the first place? Trust me, you’re not alone on this.

Pinpointing subconscious beliefs and sabotaging behaviors is a lifelong process. There are layers to it- just like peeling an onion.

And that’s why I was so excited to have this conversation with Wil Carlos.

Wil has an interesting approach with his clients because he uses his gift of Claire-Audience to help his clients see exactly where they have been subconsciously staying safe so that they can shift from overwork to ease and fun as they become more of themselves in their business.

This unique ability allows him to tap into the energy of what is ACTUALLY keeping people stuck so that they can clear it, and do the work they’re desiring and meant to be doing.

Wil has a refreshing perspective on so many things, including procrastination, imposter complex, setting boundaries, and the role of self-doubt (this one might surprise you!) when it comes to building your business.

low engagement mindset tricks, setting low-bar habits, & content creation as an artform