[Photo by Ashlee Wilson Dephillippo]

We can and do over-complicate what branding means.

We can and do over-complicate what expression or being "authentic" calls us forward to do and do consistently.

We can and do over-complicate what it takes to create a successful and profitable company or collective that feels way more than a business because it IS way more than a business.

In the end, it comes back to the work you commit to doing on yourself and the support you have while you do it (this will always create and/or grow your brand of woman, in and outside of business).

It also is very much about never losing sight of your humanness and knowing that sustainable success is about a creative mix of both heart and hustle.

As an entrepreneur, powerful global leader and brand you need it all, but it needn't come with struggle.

Hustle to Zsuzsa and me is not your typical hustle. It is about being out there consistently with confidence, purpose and power, doing what you say you will do to reach a goal and another and another, over and over again, all while you take ridiculous care of yourself.

True commitment and this kind of alignment move the needle, and so does doing the work on yourself and in the business, every single time.

Hands up for this brand of ease being where prosperity begins:

www.TheBrandingRetreat.com/waitlist

Enjoy your business, enjoy your LIFE.

Life is good,

Hiding never helped anyone succeed in anything. We make life and business more difficult when we hide.

You may need practice to land in your own unique brand of elegance around your story, and around who you are, but you won’t know until you start.

The answer continues…

You are multi-dimensional.

You are multi-passionate.

You have joys, sadnesses and many other experiences in between that are of value and that make up a life cred that only influences and instructs your professional cred.

Your community or clients don’t need a perfect leader. No leader is ever perfect, but they lead, not follow their dreams (and dreams always include being exactly who they are, while they serve). If a leader is human and they can take what they’ve been through to grow and instruct their work and service, that’s mighty perfect.

Your business persona and the woman your husband, brother and child know should/can be the same person. She is the same person.

The invitation on this 12th of May 2016 is to take that woman on the road. While you’re on the journey, ask yourself, time and time again, how this part of me, or what I’ve experienced, how can MY story (or, what parts of my story) serve the people who have found me?

Share those stories.

Share those sentiments.

Keep the rest locked away…for now.

When you are in regular practice of being you, sharing you and honoring both your life cred and professional cred, equally, know that you will have found the answer to your uniqueness and to why people will care.

It’s called depth.

It’s called caring.

It’s called people can’t and don’t ignore that, ever.

Your potential clients care about you, long before they care about your services.

Not everyone will take this challenge, but if you do, I promise that you will no longer feel challenged by finding your people.

Resist the urge to let the fear flames rise high, to get lost in ego, or over-rev about not being liked or having others think your life is a mess when, in reality, it is all a stepping stone to your greatest suc-cess.

As in life, as in business. As in business, as in life. The professional is personal and the personal is professional.

Here’s a visual for you. When head, mouth, heart and feet are all doing the same thing, you are living authentically.

And, when your heart and head, for example, are in harmony, you are happy. Gandhi said that, or something close to it.

Lastly, your brand, specifically, your greatest, most powerful brand will always come when what you do, say and show are consistently in alignment.

Be you. All parts. All passions. All stories. All of you.

Hide not.

Express, even just a little more today.

And make the work being about finding the common thread between all of you, and your stories, because there always is one.

Being in alignment, authentic or a rich, take notice brand is not about keeping a part of you hidden.

Do the work you need to on yourself so that you grow to feel confident and comfortable being you. Allow the joys to seep deep into your soul and work through the pains and problems, so you can use all of it to support others, not just in your specialty of [fill in what you do here], but in recognizing that they are not alone.

Connection ~ what you say you want most want in business or life ~ lies here.

Right here.

Being you means sharing your story.

To my brother Dino, I love you more than human words could ever adequately express. Thank you I dedicate this day, the serving of these women to live more expressed and happy, to you.

To honoring the past and the love experienced there, as well as the love that is yet to come with so many new beginnings.

This is and you are the human story.

Enjoy your business and enjoy your life! 

Life is good,

As I prep for The Branding Retreat that's happening here in LA next week (www.thebrandingretreat.com/getyourtickets/), I was thinking back on a talk I heard by actress Mindy Kaling at Watermark, a conference in the Silicon Valley.

Essentially, she proposed that being sweet equated to not being well respected or being rich. 

I say it all depends on your definition of sweet.

In my opinion, it's always been about authentically caring about people (tapping into our humanness which only helps us get rich, if that's the goal), while also actively and firmly practicing amazing boundaries, not being afraid to start or end difficult conversations, end a relationship, fire and hire team (all the while risking not being liked), as you continue to build big business.

I say it IS possible to be fun and firm, kind and a killer strategist, open-hearted and, yet, not open in the slightest to giving up on your values to gain whatever someone else deems important, and expressing it all, without apology.

There are many examples of women in big business today who have range — who have it all.

This oversimplifies it, but you can be a lady boss, while also being a lady.

Love you, lady 🙂

Enjoy your business and enjoy your life! 

Life is good,

p.s.  I'll be back to share amazing photos with you from our five-star retreat event SOON.

At a morning session at Watermark in San Jose for corporate/professional women today, Mallika Chopra spoke about taking action in an intentional way.

For all aspiring, fresh or experienced entrepreneurs in business or life (we're all entrepreneurs/empowered problem solvers in some way), here's one specific way to do that:

Though there's value in coming to events for inspiration and may feel fun/energizing in the moment to take notes about everything from everyone, to get home and have 17 new things/approaches/tips over seven pages of notes you're going to "try" to implement can be overwhelming (read: anti-action).

As a result, you end up going back to doing what you've always done.

Before going to an event, decide on the one (1) thing you're going for. Be as specific as possible.

Go with an ear for information that will support you in one project.

One.

Pick it, then filter everything (everything!) you hear for that one project only.

Beyond that, it's useful to give yourself a max of one page of written notes you get to take back with you. Only jot down the best, or, if you're not practiced at doing that, jot it all down, then condense the information to one page when you're on the plane.

Many times, I even give myself one small post-it as the space for my actionable items/"things I get-to-do once home" (I did a few periscopes on the subject, some of you were there).

The key is to remember that you don't get what you think about. You get what you know is possible (work on that mindset), what you think about and what you do, do, do something about.

In short, this helps focus your learning at events and beyond, feel and be on purpose, know what to talk to others about while at the event, grow your confidence and, most definitely, attract (and get) exactly what you want.

Having been in corporate for almost 10 years myself and consulting and coaching women entrepreneurs for many years, I'm ready to add serving women in the corporate arena in a bigger way to my model (currently planning a mastermind for amazing women who are looking to, not only, consciously create and grow their personal "sub-brand" within the larger brand they work for, but actually move on other life or passion projects).

No more saving inspiration for nights and weekends for these ladies like I did for many years.

So, while still in their corporate jobs, supporting them to move on writing that book, start the non-profit or release the fear of going after writing and doing their first comedy show (something one of my corporate clients recently did successfully).

This is what my one post-it note will listen for today.

To be an elite performer in any part of life, practice being relentless with your focus, and, believe it or not, with your note-taking. If not, you'll be taking notes for yet another year vs. actually birthing what's most near and dear.

As always, enjoy your business and enjoy your life!

Life is good,