1 00:00:00,020 --> 00:00:02,030 Carol Cox: How do you buy in from your audience on your 2 00:00:02,030 --> 00:00:03,830 message? You're going to hear two of our 3 00:00:03,830 --> 00:00:06,020 recent Thought Leader Academy grads deliver 4 00:00:06,020 --> 00:00:08,240 ten minute versions of their signature talks 5 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,160 on this episode of the Speaking Your Brand 6 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:17,250 podcast. More and more women are making an 7 00:00:17,250 --> 00:00:19,950 impact by starting businesses, running for 8 00:00:19,950 --> 00:00:22,860 office and speaking up for what matters. 9 00:00:22,890 --> 00:00:25,110 With my background as a TV political 10 00:00:25,110 --> 00:00:27,960 analyst, entrepreneur and speaker, I 11 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,450 interview and coach purpose driven women to 12 00:00:30,450 --> 00:00:32,940 shape their brands, grow their companies, 13 00:00:32,940 --> 00:00:35,610 and become recognized as influencers in 14 00:00:35,610 --> 00:00:38,970 their field. This is speaking your brand, 15 00:00:38,970 --> 00:00:41,460 your place to learn how to persuasively 16 00:00:41,460 --> 00:00:44,820 communicate your message to your audience. 17 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,460 Hi and welcome to backstage with Speaking 18 00:00:47,460 --> 00:00:49,500 Your Brand. I'm your host, Carol Cox. 19 00:00:49,500 --> 00:00:51,900 Today we have two of our recent Thought 20 00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:54,240 Leader Academy graduates who are going to 21 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,580 share a ten minute version of their brand 22 00:00:56,580 --> 00:00:58,980 new signature talks that they created with 23 00:00:58,980 --> 00:01:00,990 us over the last eight weeks. 24 00:01:00,990 --> 00:01:02,880 This is the first LinkedIn live that we're 25 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:04,050 doing with two of them. 26 00:01:04,050 --> 00:01:05,940 Next week, we're doing another LinkedIn live 27 00:01:05,940 --> 00:01:07,230 that will be hosted by our lead speaking 28 00:01:07,230 --> 00:01:09,780 coach, Diane Diaz, with our other two recent 29 00:01:09,780 --> 00:01:11,430 Thought Leaders Academy grads. 30 00:01:11,430 --> 00:01:14,220 If you've ever wondered how to get buy in 31 00:01:14,220 --> 00:01:16,350 from your audience, especially around a 32 00:01:16,350 --> 00:01:19,140 topic that they may not necessarily have 33 00:01:19,140 --> 00:01:21,780 been waving their hands to feel about, then 34 00:01:21,780 --> 00:01:23,700 you're going to really appreciate this 35 00:01:23,700 --> 00:01:25,950 LinkedIn live and hearing their talks. 36 00:01:25,950 --> 00:01:27,750 We know that to be a persuasive 37 00:01:27,750 --> 00:01:30,060 communicator, you have to understand where 38 00:01:30,060 --> 00:01:32,790 your audience is, where they're coming from, 39 00:01:32,790 --> 00:01:35,250 what they want from themselves, and how you 40 00:01:35,250 --> 00:01:37,920 can help them to get what they want, even if 41 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,230 it may not be exactly what you want or as 42 00:01:40,230 --> 00:01:42,360 quickly as you would like. 43 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,070 So that's what you're going to hear as we 44 00:01:44,070 --> 00:01:46,470 walk through these ten minute versions of 45 00:01:46,470 --> 00:01:48,120 their signature talks. And then at the end, 46 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:49,860 we're going to have a round table discussion 47 00:01:49,860 --> 00:01:51,450 about what their experience was like 48 00:01:51,450 --> 00:01:53,640 creating them, working with us in the 49 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,710 Thought Leader Academy and what's next for 50 00:01:55,710 --> 00:01:58,140 them as speakers and as thought leaders. 51 00:01:58,140 --> 00:02:00,960 We have Angela Crawford, who's a vegan coach 52 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,260 and educator, and we also have Eloisa 53 00:02:04,260 --> 00:02:06,720 marquez Gonzalez, who is the founder of 54 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,360 Walking Tree, who works with companies on 55 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,340 sustainability and green tech. 56 00:02:11,340 --> 00:02:14,430 So here we have vegan lifestyle and we have 57 00:02:14,430 --> 00:02:15,960 green tech and climate change. 58 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,780 Again, things that not necessarily everyone 59 00:02:18,780 --> 00:02:21,060 is jumping up and down to to hear about 60 00:02:21,060 --> 00:02:23,340 except for me, like I'm the one who would be 61 00:02:23,340 --> 00:02:25,860 in your audience is very willingly, but we 62 00:02:25,860 --> 00:02:28,470 know how important these messages are for 63 00:02:28,470 --> 00:02:30,270 more and more people to hear. 64 00:02:30,270 --> 00:02:32,580 So that's why I am so happy that you are out 65 00:02:32,580 --> 00:02:35,100 there delivering these message messages on 66 00:02:35,100 --> 00:02:37,380 behalf of the important work that you're 67 00:02:37,380 --> 00:02:39,480 doing. So we're going to just kick it off 68 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,790 right now. First up we have Angela. 69 00:02:41,790 --> 00:02:43,230 Angela. You ready? 70 00:02:43,950 --> 00:02:45,570 Angela Crawford: Yeah. Ready to go. 71 00:02:45,690 --> 00:02:47,280 Carol Cox: All right, let's do it. 72 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:50,790 Angela Crawford: Well, I am thrilled to be here presenting 73 00:02:50,790 --> 00:02:53,880 about the power of plants for transforming 74 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:55,890 our mind, body and spirit. 75 00:02:57,850 --> 00:03:00,280 So we've all been told that we should eat 76 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:01,360 our veggies. 77 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:03,610 You've probably heard it like I did growing 78 00:03:03,610 --> 00:03:06,310 up from your parents or grandparents, and 79 00:03:06,310 --> 00:03:08,200 the United States Department of Agriculture 80 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,440 recommends that we eat 5 to 9 servings of 81 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:12,940 fruits and veggies each day. 82 00:03:12,940 --> 00:03:15,730 But what statistics find that we actually 83 00:03:15,730 --> 00:03:18,220 eat is less than two and a half cups per 84 00:03:18,220 --> 00:03:20,350 day, and a lot of that the more processed, 85 00:03:20,350 --> 00:03:21,730 unhealthy versions. 86 00:03:22,580 --> 00:03:25,820 So I invite you to think about what is your 87 00:03:25,820 --> 00:03:28,640 intake of plant foods on a regular basis? 88 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:30,560 Where do you fall on the spectrum? 89 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,140 And let's expand beyond fruits and veggies 90 00:03:33,140 --> 00:03:35,390 to include all foods from the plant kingdom 91 00:03:35,420 --> 00:03:38,480 beans, lentils and other legumes, grains, 92 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,030 mushrooms, nuts and seeds, and all the 93 00:03:41,030 --> 00:03:43,070 different foods made from these. 94 00:03:43,070 --> 00:03:45,950 Where do you fall on that continuum of plant 95 00:03:45,950 --> 00:03:50,690 based eating? If you find that you don't eat 96 00:03:50,690 --> 00:03:53,960 as many or not that high of an intake, 97 00:03:53,990 --> 00:03:55,280 you're not alone. 98 00:03:55,730 --> 00:03:58,340 Statistics find that the average American 99 00:03:58,340 --> 00:04:00,320 consumes most of their food from processed 100 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,870 foods, followed by animal based foods, and 101 00:04:02,870 --> 00:04:05,750 only a small percentage from plant foods. 102 00:04:07,100 --> 00:04:09,440 Now in full disclosure here. 103 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:10,700 As you may have guessed from the 104 00:04:10,700 --> 00:04:13,520 introduction, where I fall on that plant 105 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,650 based continuum at this point in my life is 106 00:04:15,650 --> 00:04:17,030 that I'm fully plant based. 107 00:04:17,030 --> 00:04:20,390 I became vegetarian about 17 years ago and 108 00:04:20,390 --> 00:04:22,220 vegan about five years ago. 109 00:04:22,220 --> 00:04:24,890 But before you run out of the talk thinking, 110 00:04:24,890 --> 00:04:26,330 oh, you know, she's going to go on about 111 00:04:26,330 --> 00:04:28,940 veganism and try to convert me, I want to 112 00:04:28,940 --> 00:04:30,770 reassure you that that's not actually the 113 00:04:30,770 --> 00:04:32,180 focus of the talk. 114 00:04:32,180 --> 00:04:35,540 However, I will expect you to sign the vegan 115 00:04:35,540 --> 00:04:37,580 pledge before my talk is over. 116 00:04:37,580 --> 00:04:39,770 For those of you who are Star Trek fans. 117 00:04:41,060 --> 00:04:44,750 So in all seriousness, I know that if you're 118 00:04:44,750 --> 00:04:47,180 like most of us, you may have goals for 119 00:04:47,180 --> 00:04:49,490 better mind, body, and spirit wellness. 120 00:04:49,670 --> 00:04:52,310 You may want to just be healthier, have more 121 00:04:52,310 --> 00:04:55,670 energy. You may hope to prevent future 122 00:04:55,670 --> 00:04:59,210 medical issues from coming on, or help to 123 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,460 heal ones that you already struggle with. 124 00:05:02,030 --> 00:05:04,340 Maybe you want to inspire your loved ones to 125 00:05:04,340 --> 00:05:07,040 make healthier choices, or you just want to 126 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,170 feel better emotionally, mentally, 127 00:05:09,170 --> 00:05:13,860 spiritually. At the same time, things 128 00:05:13,860 --> 00:05:16,230 sometimes get in the way of our goals. 129 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,230 And so you might find that between 130 00:05:19,230 --> 00:05:21,840 conflicting messages about what's healthy to 131 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:24,780 eat, that we always are getting in the 132 00:05:24,780 --> 00:05:27,780 media, or being too overwhelmed or busy to 133 00:05:27,780 --> 00:05:31,050 make, you know, changes or to actually 134 00:05:31,050 --> 00:05:33,030 integrate healthy new nutrition in your 135 00:05:33,030 --> 00:05:35,910 life. Or maybe it just feels like nothing 136 00:05:35,910 --> 00:05:37,410 really makes a difference. 137 00:05:38,230 --> 00:05:41,470 Or you have these favorite foods or habits 138 00:05:41,470 --> 00:05:44,290 that you know are not healthy, but you don't 139 00:05:44,290 --> 00:05:45,370 want to give them up. 140 00:05:46,750 --> 00:05:49,240 I can relate personally and professionally 141 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:50,830 to all of those struggles. 142 00:05:51,190 --> 00:05:53,950 I've been a psychologist for over 25 years 143 00:05:53,950 --> 00:05:56,530 and until recently, for most of that time I 144 00:05:56,530 --> 00:05:58,450 worked as a psychotherapist. 145 00:05:58,570 --> 00:06:02,800 I helped my clients heal from trauma and 146 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,170 stress and to deal with chronic medical 147 00:06:05,170 --> 00:06:07,690 conditions. And I was always passionate 148 00:06:07,690 --> 00:06:10,030 about holistic wellbeing and tried to 149 00:06:10,030 --> 00:06:12,370 integrate that into my own life and help my 150 00:06:12,370 --> 00:06:13,720 clients with that as well. 151 00:06:14,610 --> 00:06:17,250 And at the same time, I didn't have the 152 00:06:17,250 --> 00:06:19,800 healthiest eating habits for so many years. 153 00:06:19,830 --> 00:06:22,470 I ate what was comforting, convenient, 154 00:06:22,470 --> 00:06:26,310 tasty, and I definitely had a chocolate 155 00:06:26,310 --> 00:06:30,460 addiction. I'd heard I should eat more 156 00:06:30,460 --> 00:06:33,940 fruits and vegetables, and sometimes I did, 157 00:06:33,940 --> 00:06:36,250 but often it was the foods that gave me the 158 00:06:36,250 --> 00:06:38,560 big dopamine boost that one out. 159 00:06:40,820 --> 00:06:43,190 Several years ago, I happened to go to a 160 00:06:43,190 --> 00:06:45,680 conference where they served plant based 161 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:50,330 meals and the food was so delicious I 162 00:06:50,330 --> 00:06:52,640 started to see like, hmm, this could be a 163 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:54,590 possibility. I can understand more how 164 00:06:54,590 --> 00:06:56,540 people might eat this way. 165 00:06:56,900 --> 00:06:59,990 I thought if only I had a personal chef, I 166 00:06:59,990 --> 00:07:02,960 could probably do this, but I didn't have 167 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,420 one. And so after the conference, I 168 00:07:05,420 --> 00:07:07,490 continued eating the way that was convenient 169 00:07:07,490 --> 00:07:09,170 and comforting. 170 00:07:09,980 --> 00:07:13,820 But only a few months after that conference, 171 00:07:13,820 --> 00:07:16,550 I had what I think of as a light bulb 172 00:07:16,550 --> 00:07:19,970 moment, sort of an awakening experience. 173 00:07:20,390 --> 00:07:23,990 I happen to be watching a program on PBS, 174 00:07:23,990 --> 00:07:27,380 and they featured a segment about workers in 175 00:07:27,380 --> 00:07:30,530 meat processing plants, and these workers 176 00:07:30,530 --> 00:07:33,590 had frequent injuries due to the repetitive 177 00:07:33,590 --> 00:07:35,720 and often dangerous nature of the work they 178 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,770 were doing. And the program featured how 179 00:07:39,770 --> 00:07:42,260 their employer was discouraging them from 180 00:07:42,260 --> 00:07:45,650 seeking treatment or taking time off work or 181 00:07:45,650 --> 00:07:47,930 reporting their injury, or they were at risk 182 00:07:47,930 --> 00:07:50,300 of losing their job and their livelihood. 183 00:07:50,780 --> 00:07:53,030 Many of the workers were immigrants and felt 184 00:07:53,030 --> 00:07:54,800 they had few other choices. 185 00:07:56,060 --> 00:07:57,890 Seeing this program, even though it didn't 186 00:07:57,890 --> 00:08:01,040 really show a lot of details of the actual 187 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:05,120 meat processing plant, it opened my eyes to 188 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,940 think more about how my food got to me. 189 00:08:07,940 --> 00:08:09,800 For the first time in my life, I started to 190 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,110 consider the process by which my food was 191 00:08:12,110 --> 00:08:14,570 produced, and I was really distressed by how 192 00:08:14,570 --> 00:08:15,950 the workers were treated. 193 00:08:15,950 --> 00:08:17,300 And that got me thinking. 194 00:08:17,300 --> 00:08:19,430 If I don't like how the workers are treated, 195 00:08:19,430 --> 00:08:21,530 what do I think about how the animals are 196 00:08:21,530 --> 00:08:26,360 treated? I had grown up in the Midwest, and 197 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,520 what I saw were the cows grazing in the 198 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:32,000 field. I had no awareness about 199 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,460 industrialized animal agriculture. 200 00:08:35,150 --> 00:08:38,510 Or factory farming, which is now what 201 00:08:38,510 --> 00:08:42,200 produces 98% or more of the meat and dairy 202 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:43,370 that we consume. 203 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:47,960 That program got me thinking. 204 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,050 And so the very next day, I bought my first 205 00:08:51,050 --> 00:08:53,390 vegetarian cookbook and made my first plant 206 00:08:53,390 --> 00:08:56,150 based recipe intentionally. 207 00:08:56,570 --> 00:08:59,300 It was a red pepper artichoke and spinach 208 00:08:59,300 --> 00:09:01,580 lasagna and it was delicious. 209 00:09:01,580 --> 00:09:04,070 I had to go out and buy new pots and pans 210 00:09:04,070 --> 00:09:06,770 while I was cooking, because I hadn't been a 211 00:09:06,770 --> 00:09:09,320 cook before then, but it started me on a 212 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,990 journey where I began cooking plant based 213 00:09:11,990 --> 00:09:15,590 meals each week, and I started to read all 214 00:09:15,590 --> 00:09:18,080 the books I could about plant based living, 215 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:21,980 and I learned about the ethical impacts of 216 00:09:21,980 --> 00:09:25,730 our food choices, the devastating effects 217 00:09:25,730 --> 00:09:27,890 that animal agriculture is having on the 218 00:09:27,890 --> 00:09:31,610 environment, and also the healing power of 219 00:09:31,610 --> 00:09:34,580 plant based eating for reversing and helping 220 00:09:34,580 --> 00:09:37,520 to prevent many chronic medical conditions. 221 00:09:38,580 --> 00:09:40,770 And I myself was experiencing some 222 00:09:40,770 --> 00:09:43,770 improvements in my health and well-being and 223 00:09:43,770 --> 00:09:45,930 just feeling more fulfilled. 224 00:09:45,930 --> 00:09:47,730 It became a passion for me. 225 00:09:49,870 --> 00:09:52,480 And I realized that the way I had seen 226 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:54,940 healthy lifestyle and plant based eating 227 00:09:54,940 --> 00:09:59,080 before was as depriving an all or nothing 228 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,660 kind of choice. Either I do not do it all or 229 00:10:01,660 --> 00:10:04,540 don't do anything at all, or just too 230 00:10:04,540 --> 00:10:10,180 difficult. And what I came to see was how 231 00:10:10,180 --> 00:10:11,710 everything is connected. 232 00:10:12,220 --> 00:10:14,710 I came to see how my food choices could 233 00:10:14,710 --> 00:10:18,040 affect my well-being and mind, body and 234 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,980 spirit. I came to see how they also affected 235 00:10:20,980 --> 00:10:23,290 other things I cared about, like animals, 236 00:10:23,290 --> 00:10:25,330 other people, the planet. 237 00:10:25,690 --> 00:10:28,510 And realizing how this was interconnected 238 00:10:28,510 --> 00:10:30,910 actually made things simpler for me rather 239 00:10:30,910 --> 00:10:32,290 than overwhelming me. 240 00:10:32,530 --> 00:10:36,490 I found that when I connected with a strong 241 00:10:36,490 --> 00:10:40,540 why a reason why to make a change, it helped 242 00:10:40,540 --> 00:10:43,870 make the how so much easier and adventure 243 00:10:43,870 --> 00:10:45,250 rather than a chore. 244 00:10:47,420 --> 00:10:50,450 My experience led me to go on to do some 245 00:10:50,450 --> 00:10:53,570 research for a book, and I interviewed and 246 00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:55,340 surveyed people who were on a fully plant 247 00:10:55,340 --> 00:10:58,550 based vegan diet, explored how their 248 00:10:58,550 --> 00:11:00,470 lifestyle has affected their lives 249 00:11:00,740 --> 00:11:02,900 emotionally, physically, spiritually. 250 00:11:04,860 --> 00:11:07,800 And what I found were that the majority of 251 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:10,980 those I interviewed and surveyed had what I 252 00:11:10,980 --> 00:11:13,350 call seven pillars of transformation that 253 00:11:13,350 --> 00:11:17,640 were part of their experience, and alignment 254 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,400 with values was the core pillar that all the 255 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:22,620 others rested on. And so I used that as an 256 00:11:22,620 --> 00:11:25,950 acronym, this first pillar of values to 257 00:11:25,950 --> 00:11:28,560 describe the other six, to make it easier to 258 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:32,760 remember. And those other six pillars are 259 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:35,730 vision, having a vision for a better life 260 00:11:35,730 --> 00:11:36,900 and a better world. 261 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,960 Authentic fulfillment, love, or meaningful 262 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:46,480 connections. Unity, which is our our 263 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:48,820 interconnectedness with nature and all of 264 00:11:48,820 --> 00:11:51,460 life, and just realizing the truth of that. 265 00:11:52,620 --> 00:11:55,200 Expanding our circle of empathy and 266 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,290 compassion to include ourselves, others, and 267 00:11:58,290 --> 00:11:59,700 all sentient beings. 268 00:12:00,510 --> 00:12:03,720 And lastly, self-empowerment, empowerment 269 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,090 over our health, realizing that we have more 270 00:12:06,090 --> 00:12:08,430 impact over our health and well-being than 271 00:12:08,430 --> 00:12:10,830 we've ever been taught to believe. 272 00:12:12,500 --> 00:12:15,440 In future talks, I will expand on these and 273 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:17,120 describe them in more depth and share 274 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,000 examples of them and how each of us can 275 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,340 integrate these into our life. 276 00:12:22,700 --> 00:12:25,280 But for the purposes of today's shorter 277 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:27,080 talk, I'm just going to invite you to 278 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,960 reflect based on what I've shared, what's 279 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:31,730 one step that you can take? 280 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:35,930 Maybe it's simply to put more fruits and 281 00:12:35,930 --> 00:12:37,370 vegetables on your plate. 282 00:12:38,260 --> 00:12:41,980 Maybe you might swap beans instead of beef a 283 00:12:41,980 --> 00:12:43,210 few times a week. 284 00:12:44,290 --> 00:12:46,330 Maybe you might take one of your favorite 285 00:12:46,330 --> 00:12:50,680 recipes and Google a plant based alternative 286 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:53,140 to it. There's always an option that you can 287 00:12:53,140 --> 00:12:55,060 try that can taste really great. 288 00:12:55,420 --> 00:12:57,370 Or maybe you just want to do a little bit of 289 00:12:57,370 --> 00:12:59,620 research on your own of anything I mentioned 290 00:12:59,620 --> 00:13:01,210 today that made you curious. 291 00:13:02,790 --> 00:13:04,440 I'm going to leave you with a quote from 292 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:08,610 Jane Goodall, primatologist, protector of 293 00:13:08,940 --> 00:13:11,790 chimpanzees and the environment, and also a 294 00:13:11,790 --> 00:13:13,740 plant based eater for several years. 295 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,340 And she reminds us that what you make, what 296 00:13:17,340 --> 00:13:19,680 you do, makes a difference. 297 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:21,600 And you have to decide what kind of 298 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,960 difference you want to make for your life 299 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:26,160 and beyond. 300 00:13:27,420 --> 00:13:28,500 Thank you. 301 00:13:32,580 --> 00:13:34,170 Carol Cox: Thank you so much, Angela. 302 00:13:34,170 --> 00:13:36,060 That was fantastic. 303 00:13:36,060 --> 00:13:39,420 I, I love listening to you talk because you 304 00:13:39,420 --> 00:13:43,650 have such a warm and soothing delivery and, 305 00:13:43,650 --> 00:13:45,720 and the presentations that you do, and I 306 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:47,580 just kind of I just want to have you keep 307 00:13:47,580 --> 00:13:49,770 telling me all these wonderful things. 308 00:13:49,770 --> 00:13:52,200 And that is what I'm going to ask you this, 309 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:53,520 and then we'll come back to this and the 310 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:55,380 roundtable after Eloisa does her 311 00:13:55,380 --> 00:13:57,900 presentation, is that I remember when you 312 00:13:57,900 --> 00:13:59,520 first started the Thought Leader Academy, 313 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:01,230 you expressed that one of your concerns was 314 00:14:01,230 --> 00:14:02,940 you wanted to make sure that when you did 315 00:14:02,940 --> 00:14:05,130 these presentations to audiences, that you 316 00:14:05,130 --> 00:14:06,450 didn't want them to feel like you were 317 00:14:06,450 --> 00:14:08,910 lecturing to them or evangelizing to them or 318 00:14:08,910 --> 00:14:11,010 judging them or anything like that. 319 00:14:11,010 --> 00:14:13,980 And so how do you feel about the talk that 320 00:14:13,980 --> 00:14:15,060 you've come up with? 321 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:18,900 Angela Crawford: Um, I actually feel really good about it. 322 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:23,100 Um, my, my VIP day with Diane, um, shed a 323 00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:27,420 lot of insight into ways to meet people 324 00:14:27,420 --> 00:14:28,680 wherever they are. 325 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:30,900 And I think, like, knowing that I could 326 00:14:30,900 --> 00:14:33,900 speak to a range of different audiences and 327 00:14:34,170 --> 00:14:37,020 share a message in a way that can speak to 328 00:14:37,020 --> 00:14:39,450 whatever the needs of that audience might 329 00:14:39,450 --> 00:14:41,310 be. So it felt good. 330 00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:43,410 Carol Cox: Yeah, I feel like you, you know, you meet 331 00:14:43,410 --> 00:14:44,820 them where they're where they're at, which I 332 00:14:44,820 --> 00:14:46,680 mentioned in the intro, and you very much 333 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:49,230 are about here's how, here's what your 334 00:14:49,230 --> 00:14:50,250 journey look like. 335 00:14:50,250 --> 00:14:51,600 And it's almost like, you know, you're 336 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,660 extending an, an invitation at hand to say, 337 00:14:54,660 --> 00:14:56,610 you know, if you would like to learn more or 338 00:14:56,610 --> 00:14:58,050 pick this up here, you can. 339 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,090 But if you if this is not the right time, 340 00:15:00,090 --> 00:15:01,950 that's okay too. That's what it feels like 341 00:15:01,950 --> 00:15:04,260 to me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 342 00:15:04,260 --> 00:15:05,460 Okay. Well done. 343 00:15:05,460 --> 00:15:07,140 Angela. Yes, your slides are beautiful. 344 00:15:07,140 --> 00:15:08,460 And for those of you, if you happen to be 345 00:15:08,460 --> 00:15:10,290 listening on the podcast instead of on the 346 00:15:10,290 --> 00:15:12,180 LinkedIn live, you can actually watch the 347 00:15:12,180 --> 00:15:14,640 video either on LinkedIn or on YouTube. 348 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:16,560 Links are in the show notes for this podcast 349 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:17,940 episode. If you would like to see the video 350 00:15:17,940 --> 00:15:20,670 with the slides. Next up we have Eloisa 351 00:15:20,670 --> 00:15:22,590 marquez Gonzalez, who as I mentioned, is the 352 00:15:22,590 --> 00:15:23,910 founder of Walking Tree. 353 00:15:23,910 --> 00:15:26,340 She works with companies on sustainability 354 00:15:26,340 --> 00:15:27,720 in green tech. 355 00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:29,610 Eloisa, you're up. 356 00:15:30,330 --> 00:15:33,480 Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez: Hello. Thank you and good afternoon and good 357 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:34,950 morning, depending on where you're joining 358 00:15:34,950 --> 00:15:37,800 us from. I'm Eloisa marquez Gonzalez. 359 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:39,990 And we'll be talking today about the walking 360 00:15:40,020 --> 00:15:41,130 tree approach. 361 00:15:42,690 --> 00:15:45,510 Has anyone gone ever ziplining? 362 00:15:46,540 --> 00:15:48,520 It's so much fun. 363 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:50,530 If you're not afraid of heights. 364 00:15:51,590 --> 00:15:55,130 So I had the fortune of going with my family 365 00:15:55,130 --> 00:15:57,980 to Costa Rica a couple of years ago. 366 00:15:57,980 --> 00:16:01,850 And uh, before I left, I was looking for a 367 00:16:01,850 --> 00:16:04,340 new name for my brand, for my company. 368 00:16:04,340 --> 00:16:08,360 The former name was just not really, uh, not 369 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:09,860 working out. It was too long. 370 00:16:09,980 --> 00:16:12,620 Really? Didn't mean, uh, didn't stand for 371 00:16:12,620 --> 00:16:15,980 what, uh, means what we stood for or met our 372 00:16:15,980 --> 00:16:19,190 goals. So I was looking for something new. 373 00:16:19,190 --> 00:16:21,260 And I went through a very systematic 374 00:16:21,260 --> 00:16:24,110 approach for branding and naming and came up 375 00:16:24,110 --> 00:16:26,150 with about ten different options. 376 00:16:27,130 --> 00:16:29,890 Before we went on the trip, I decided to 377 00:16:29,890 --> 00:16:33,370 leave this options marinade and I will pick 378 00:16:33,370 --> 00:16:34,720 the the winner. 379 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:36,190 When I came back. 380 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,560 Now for my business. 381 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:45,300 I have some goals, and I wanted this name to 382 00:16:45,300 --> 00:16:47,490 reflect those goals, to reflect what we 383 00:16:47,490 --> 00:16:50,400 stand for, to reflect our mission. 384 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:52,800 I know you have goals. 385 00:16:53,010 --> 00:16:55,980 Maybe it's to bring innovation to meet your 386 00:16:55,980 --> 00:16:58,170 revenue goals, or just to have a greater 387 00:16:58,170 --> 00:17:00,450 impact on our planet and society. 388 00:17:01,650 --> 00:17:04,050 However, when we're trying to achieve our 389 00:17:04,050 --> 00:17:07,830 goals, many times we hit obstacles. 390 00:17:08,940 --> 00:17:11,730 You might just be having to wearing too many 391 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:15,090 hats, having changing priorities, or trying 392 00:17:15,090 --> 00:17:18,420 the latest tool out there and you just not 393 00:17:18,420 --> 00:17:20,160 working. It's actually getting in the way. 394 00:17:20,670 --> 00:17:21,750 I anyone? 395 00:17:21,930 --> 00:17:23,040 Does it ring a bell? 396 00:17:24,120 --> 00:17:26,160 Well, I totally understand. 397 00:17:26,190 --> 00:17:29,310 I've been there, I've seen it. 398 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:31,920 And as a trained engineer that has been 399 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:34,500 incorporated and now consults for green tech 400 00:17:34,500 --> 00:17:36,720 organizations trying to improve their 401 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:38,190 business performance. 402 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:39,510 I've seen it. 403 00:17:39,510 --> 00:17:42,540 I understand, I've seen all these obstacles. 404 00:17:43,140 --> 00:17:46,590 And through my years of consulting, what I 405 00:17:46,590 --> 00:17:50,010 have noticed is that these obstacles will be 406 00:17:50,010 --> 00:17:54,150 there. However, there's something bigger 407 00:17:54,150 --> 00:17:58,620 missing, and that is intentionality. 408 00:17:59,430 --> 00:18:02,100 Intentionality in creating processes and 409 00:18:02,100 --> 00:18:04,890 structures that help you and your team 410 00:18:04,890 --> 00:18:08,280 proactively approach and deal with these 411 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:12,360 obstacles to get better outcomes and also 412 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:14,850 have a greater impact on the environment and 413 00:18:14,850 --> 00:18:19,540 society. The obstacles will be there. 414 00:18:21,290 --> 00:18:23,030 Is how we deal with them. 415 00:18:24,090 --> 00:18:27,390 Now. Have you heard of the Maturity Matrix? 416 00:18:28,140 --> 00:18:29,580 If you haven't, it's okay. 417 00:18:29,610 --> 00:18:32,340 The Maturity Matrix is a framework that 418 00:18:32,340 --> 00:18:35,130 helps you evaluate your your company's 419 00:18:35,130 --> 00:18:39,600 capabilities. Can your company repeatedly 420 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,600 deliver the same level of service, the same 421 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:43,800 level of quality? 422 00:18:44,340 --> 00:18:47,490 And there is five levels in this framework. 423 00:18:47,850 --> 00:18:50,130 Number one is is ad hoc. 424 00:18:50,130 --> 00:18:53,400 And usually this is where this is where 425 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,940 companies that, uh, just come in every day 426 00:18:56,940 --> 00:18:59,670 and try to do their best to deal with the 427 00:18:59,670 --> 00:19:02,610 tasks. There's no real way, standard way of 428 00:19:02,610 --> 00:19:03,750 doing things. 429 00:19:03,750 --> 00:19:06,570 Your employees just come in, get things 430 00:19:06,570 --> 00:19:08,670 done, however it's best for them. 431 00:19:09,180 --> 00:19:12,870 Then we have the second level, which you 432 00:19:12,870 --> 00:19:15,090 have some basic processes, but there's still 433 00:19:15,090 --> 00:19:16,260 not standardization. 434 00:19:16,260 --> 00:19:18,600 Not everyone does the same things, the 435 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:19,740 things the same way. 436 00:19:20,340 --> 00:19:23,310 On the other side of the of the range, we 437 00:19:23,310 --> 00:19:26,460 have number four, which is measured here. 438 00:19:26,460 --> 00:19:29,430 We have standard processes, and these 439 00:19:29,430 --> 00:19:31,590 companies are already measuring the health 440 00:19:31,590 --> 00:19:33,750 of their processes or measuring how the 441 00:19:33,750 --> 00:19:36,090 processes are working for them. 442 00:19:36,900 --> 00:19:40,020 And then number five, if optimized, these 443 00:19:40,020 --> 00:19:42,060 are the data driven companies. 444 00:19:42,060 --> 00:19:44,220 They make decisions using the information 445 00:19:44,220 --> 00:19:47,010 they capture from their um, from their 446 00:19:47,010 --> 00:19:49,380 operations, from their customers. 447 00:19:49,380 --> 00:19:51,510 And they have a continuous improvement 448 00:19:51,510 --> 00:19:55,610 process. Now I'm going to ask you to think 449 00:19:55,610 --> 00:19:56,840 for a moment. 450 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:59,360 Where does your company stand? 451 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:01,580 You don't have to put it in the comments. 452 00:20:01,610 --> 00:20:04,520 No need to to tell others where you are. 453 00:20:04,550 --> 00:20:05,780 Just think about it. 454 00:20:09,100 --> 00:20:13,420 If you fell on number 1 or 2, don't worry, 455 00:20:13,420 --> 00:20:17,260 65% of the companies out there are at this 456 00:20:17,260 --> 00:20:22,180 level. Back in 2002, there was a study done 457 00:20:22,180 --> 00:20:24,040 that was published at PMI, the Project 458 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,070 Management Institute, and it found that 65% 459 00:20:27,070 --> 00:20:30,010 of companies fall on this area of number one 460 00:20:30,010 --> 00:20:32,710 and two. Ad hoc or they have some basic 461 00:20:32,710 --> 00:20:37,680 processes. Then ten years later, in 2012, 462 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,890 the Lloyd. Did another study and surprise, 463 00:20:41,890 --> 00:20:45,970 surprise, it was again 65% of the companies. 464 00:20:46,940 --> 00:20:50,090 And because this is reality doesn't mean 465 00:20:50,090 --> 00:20:52,130 that it has to be this way. 466 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:53,690 There's a better way. 467 00:20:54,050 --> 00:20:57,380 That is why I developed the Operations 468 00:20:57,380 --> 00:21:00,890 Optimization Roadmap to help organizations 469 00:21:00,890 --> 00:21:03,890 develop, develop clear structures, clear 470 00:21:03,890 --> 00:21:07,970 processes to achieve their goals, deal with 471 00:21:07,970 --> 00:21:10,250 obstacles, and have the impact that they 472 00:21:10,250 --> 00:21:12,890 desire in our environment and society. 473 00:21:13,820 --> 00:21:15,890 It is composed of four stages. 474 00:21:15,890 --> 00:21:19,970 The first one is the, um, organizational 475 00:21:19,970 --> 00:21:23,780 clarity. Do you have the clarity of what 476 00:21:23,780 --> 00:21:24,920 your mission is? 477 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:26,090 What are your values? 478 00:21:26,090 --> 00:21:27,140 What are your goals? 479 00:21:27,140 --> 00:21:30,320 This becomes the North Star for decision 480 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:33,110 making for you and your team. 481 00:21:34,130 --> 00:21:36,230 Then we have rapid alignment. 482 00:21:36,380 --> 00:21:38,780 And I'm not talking about alignment of 483 00:21:38,780 --> 00:21:41,480 bringing your team in once a year. 484 00:21:41,630 --> 00:21:44,600 Get them in the room and then just send them 485 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,990 out for a year and see them in 12 months. 486 00:21:48,260 --> 00:21:50,960 This is about having structure to bring 487 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:54,110 alignment throughout the year, making sure 488 00:21:54,110 --> 00:21:56,840 that everyone knows how things are shifting 489 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,270 inside the company or outside the company. 490 00:22:00,650 --> 00:22:04,340 Now that you have your North Star, your 491 00:22:04,340 --> 00:22:08,540 alignment now, are you having efficient 492 00:22:08,540 --> 00:22:11,480 processes? Are you doing things the most 493 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,910 effective and efficient way possible? 494 00:22:13,910 --> 00:22:17,390 And are these activities having the impact 495 00:22:17,390 --> 00:22:20,510 that you expect that you are trying to have 496 00:22:20,510 --> 00:22:25,280 in the world? And then we have adaptive 497 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,310 agility, which is being proactive, being 498 00:22:28,310 --> 00:22:30,320 proactive about decision making, being 499 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:33,290 proactive about the shifts that you make is 500 00:22:33,290 --> 00:22:36,080 not about only about what happens with the 501 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,860 external factors, but about making decisions 502 00:22:39,860 --> 00:22:42,080 with the information that you have and 503 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:44,750 making an organized shift as needed. 504 00:22:46,410 --> 00:22:50,220 So with this, uh, operations optimization 505 00:22:50,220 --> 00:22:52,950 roadmap, you can develop this clear 506 00:22:52,950 --> 00:22:55,860 structure for your company to work in a more 507 00:22:55,860 --> 00:22:57,060 organized manner. 508 00:22:57,420 --> 00:22:59,610 And in other talks, I will go in more 509 00:22:59,610 --> 00:23:03,060 detail. But for now, remember, once you have 510 00:23:03,060 --> 00:23:06,300 your operation optimized, then you can 511 00:23:06,300 --> 00:23:09,600 forget about having to firefight every time. 512 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:13,890 And also you can forget about your team just 513 00:23:13,890 --> 00:23:16,350 throwing deliverables over the fence and 514 00:23:16,350 --> 00:23:19,680 hoping the next team is going to catch those 515 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:21,840 deliverables in. Know what to do with them. 516 00:23:25,060 --> 00:23:27,880 Instead, you're going to have an organized 517 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,480 operation optimize operation that can adjust 518 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,890 in an organized fashion to any demands on an 519 00:23:35,890 --> 00:23:39,640 organization that has practices that match 520 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,970 your mission of caring for the environment 521 00:23:42,970 --> 00:23:44,140 and for society. 522 00:23:45,610 --> 00:23:51,700 Now, I want you to imagine the next week you 523 00:23:51,700 --> 00:23:53,830 get this amazing opportunity. 524 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:56,560 The opportunity you were waiting for that's 525 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,540 going to make such a big difference in your 526 00:23:58,540 --> 00:24:03,900 business. And how would it feel to be able 527 00:24:03,900 --> 00:24:06,780 to say yes to that opportunity? 528 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,650 Because, you know, you have an optimized, 529 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:15,360 adaptive organization that will deliver the 530 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:17,040 best outcome possible. 531 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:18,930 They will nail the delivery. 532 00:24:20,630 --> 00:24:23,990 So I want to challenge you in two ways 533 00:24:23,990 --> 00:24:26,840 today. The first challenge is going to be 534 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,220 easy. I want you to go back to your desk and 535 00:24:31,220 --> 00:24:33,530 pull out your mission statement for your 536 00:24:33,530 --> 00:24:35,990 company. If you have one. 537 00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:40,990 And look at it and think, does it still 538 00:24:40,990 --> 00:24:43,690 stand? Does it still stand for what you want 539 00:24:43,690 --> 00:24:46,090 to do today, where you're going? 540 00:24:47,140 --> 00:24:49,120 Have you shared with your team? 541 00:24:49,910 --> 00:24:53,360 If you haven't, this is a perfect time to 542 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:57,320 share it. The second challenge is it's going 543 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:00,320 to be a little bit harder, but try it. 544 00:25:01,100 --> 00:25:03,770 And it's about looking at your supply chain, 545 00:25:03,770 --> 00:25:06,410 about all the processes that are needed for 546 00:25:06,410 --> 00:25:09,860 servicing your customers, for developing 547 00:25:09,860 --> 00:25:10,880 your product. 548 00:25:11,570 --> 00:25:14,180 And in this case, just just take the initial 549 00:25:14,180 --> 00:25:18,220 portion. And think about those processes. 550 00:25:18,220 --> 00:25:21,520 Are those processes designed and set up in a 551 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,220 way they're going to help your employees do 552 00:25:24,220 --> 00:25:25,480 their best work. 553 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:29,170 Are those processes going to set up your 554 00:25:29,230 --> 00:25:31,660 employees, your team and your customers for 555 00:25:31,660 --> 00:25:36,880 success? Now. 556 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,720 Do you remember my story about ziplining? 557 00:25:42,950 --> 00:25:45,200 Well, when we arrive to one of the 558 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,260 platforms, there was this amazing sea of 559 00:25:48,260 --> 00:25:52,820 trees that had all the roots outside of the 560 00:25:52,820 --> 00:25:58,580 ground. So amazed by what I was looking at. 561 00:25:58,580 --> 00:26:02,120 I asked my guide, what are these trees? 562 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:05,800 And to my surprise, they were called Walkin 563 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:11,580 Trees. These trees move every year, 2 or 3ft 564 00:26:12,150 --> 00:26:15,150 in search of sunlight and minerals. 565 00:26:17,180 --> 00:26:20,660 And that is when I realize that these trees 566 00:26:20,660 --> 00:26:23,780 were intentional about the way they grow, 567 00:26:23,780 --> 00:26:25,220 about the way they move. 568 00:26:26,180 --> 00:26:29,690 So that is how I decided that Walking Tree 569 00:26:29,690 --> 00:26:31,700 was going to be the name for my 570 00:26:31,700 --> 00:26:36,350 organization. Because we help businesses 571 00:26:36,350 --> 00:26:39,800 develop strong foundations like a tree. 572 00:26:40,510 --> 00:26:44,560 But with the adaptability of a walking tree. 573 00:26:46,470 --> 00:26:49,800 So I wondered for a second to think what 574 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:51,960 these walking trips mean for you and your 575 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:56,180 organization. How does the intentionality 576 00:26:56,180 --> 00:26:58,730 that this walk in trees bring to the way 577 00:26:58,730 --> 00:27:01,760 they grow means to you? 578 00:27:04,190 --> 00:27:09,080 And I want to close today with a quote from 579 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:10,520 Arianna Huffington. 580 00:27:10,970 --> 00:27:14,030 We think, mistakenly, that success is a 581 00:27:14,030 --> 00:27:17,360 result of the amount of time we put in at 582 00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:22,250 work. Instead of the quality of the time we 583 00:27:22,250 --> 00:27:23,330 put in. 584 00:27:24,580 --> 00:27:28,690 And this comes back down to intentionality 585 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,620 in the way that we design our processes and 586 00:27:32,620 --> 00:27:34,630 systems in our organization. 587 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:37,570 Thank you. 588 00:27:40,950 --> 00:27:43,260 Carol Cox: Well done Eloisa. 589 00:27:43,260 --> 00:27:44,550 That was fantastic. 590 00:27:44,550 --> 00:27:47,160 I love the walking tree photo again, for 591 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:48,660 those of you who are just listening on the 592 00:27:48,660 --> 00:27:51,240 podcast, you just have to come find the spot 593 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:52,920 in the video where she shows the slide of 594 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:54,600 the walk literally walking trees. 595 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:56,550 I had never heard of them before, never seen 596 00:27:56,550 --> 00:27:58,320 them before and they are so cool. 597 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:01,740 And I love how you tied the end of finding a 598 00:28:01,740 --> 00:28:03,330 name for your company to the beginning. 599 00:28:03,330 --> 00:28:05,370 With the story of ziplining and going to 600 00:28:05,370 --> 00:28:07,470 Costa Rica. How did that feel? 601 00:28:07,890 --> 00:28:08,940 Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez: Amazing. It was. 602 00:28:08,940 --> 00:28:10,020 It was great. 603 00:28:10,350 --> 00:28:12,840 Yeah, it was great to be able to share the 604 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:16,020 story and the knowledge and be able to, um, 605 00:28:16,530 --> 00:28:18,060 because everything is connected. 606 00:28:18,060 --> 00:28:20,640 It's what we do at work is connected with 607 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:21,810 who we are. 608 00:28:21,810 --> 00:28:25,800 And it's very, um, it's very neat to be able 609 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:28,860 to interconnect and share that, that, uh, 610 00:28:28,860 --> 00:28:31,290 connection in our talks. 611 00:28:31,290 --> 00:28:32,220 So, um. 612 00:28:32,220 --> 00:28:34,590 Carol Cox: Yes. Well, and we're gonna, we're gonna dive 613 00:28:34,590 --> 00:28:37,320 more into that now. So Angela and Eloisa, 614 00:28:37,740 --> 00:28:40,050 you, as I mentioned, at the top, you just 615 00:28:40,050 --> 00:28:41,400 completed our thought Leader Academy. 616 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,590 We just had our graduation call. 617 00:28:43,590 --> 00:28:46,740 And one of the things that we talked about 618 00:28:46,740 --> 00:28:49,800 during the Thought Leader Academy is, you 619 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:51,210 know, this idea of getting buy in from your 620 00:28:51,210 --> 00:28:53,430 audience, through empathizing with them and 621 00:28:53,430 --> 00:28:55,590 through validating what they're, what 622 00:28:55,590 --> 00:28:57,240 they're already experiencing or what their 623 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:58,680 goals are. And both of you did that 624 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:00,660 beautifully in your talks. 625 00:29:00,660 --> 00:29:02,250 The other thing we talked quite a bit about 626 00:29:02,250 --> 00:29:03,840 is using humor. 627 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:06,210 And so obviously, Eloisa, you had that in 628 00:29:06,210 --> 00:29:08,490 your talk with some of the funny, uh, memes, 629 00:29:08,490 --> 00:29:11,130 the funny GIFs about, you know, feeling like 630 00:29:11,130 --> 00:29:12,990 everything's on fire at work or things just 631 00:29:12,990 --> 00:29:14,610 are just, you know, getting thrown left and 632 00:29:14,610 --> 00:29:16,860 right. And, Angela, you had humor and your 633 00:29:16,860 --> 00:29:19,200 talk as well with the resistance is futile 634 00:29:19,260 --> 00:29:20,430 signing the vegan pledge. 635 00:29:20,430 --> 00:29:23,850 So with that, you know, thinking back to the 636 00:29:23,850 --> 00:29:25,800 presentations that you've delivered in the 637 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,080 past, you know, how have you been 638 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,170 intentional about incorporating humor and, 639 00:29:31,170 --> 00:29:32,910 you know, and how does that look to you 640 00:29:32,910 --> 00:29:34,860 going forward? Angela, I'll start with you. 641 00:29:36,430 --> 00:29:39,220 Angela Crawford: Yeah, I think in the past I wasn't always so 642 00:29:39,220 --> 00:29:41,710 mindful of that. Often I was giving a talk 643 00:29:41,710 --> 00:29:44,950 for a specific reason and. 644 00:29:45,660 --> 00:29:49,110 I don't think I fully realized the benefits 645 00:29:49,110 --> 00:29:51,120 of integrating that. So definitely I'm going 646 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:53,370 to be more mindful moving forward that 647 00:29:53,370 --> 00:29:55,380 somewhere you know, where it's appropriate. 648 00:29:55,380 --> 00:29:57,690 There will be some humor. 649 00:29:57,780 --> 00:30:01,860 So definitely cool to realize that. 650 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:03,990 Carol Cox: And Eloisa, what about you? 651 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:05,520 Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez: Same here. 652 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,800 And especially when when I'm talking about 653 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:11,550 technical topics, it's sometimes it feels 654 00:30:11,550 --> 00:30:14,880 like you have to be dry like the topic, but 655 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,330 it's not uh, it's not necessarily true 656 00:30:18,330 --> 00:30:22,110 because by bringing that humor, we are 657 00:30:22,110 --> 00:30:25,740 acknowledging our obstacles and challenges 658 00:30:25,740 --> 00:30:28,200 that we are hitting as we are trying to 659 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,420 develop this technology or process, whatever 660 00:30:30,420 --> 00:30:34,410 you are doing, um, and it's acknowledging 661 00:30:34,410 --> 00:30:37,350 that these things are there and it's okay. 662 00:30:37,350 --> 00:30:38,550 It's how we deal with it. 663 00:30:38,550 --> 00:30:41,760 So humor, uh, brings us together. 664 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:42,960 Uh, definitely. Yeah. 665 00:30:43,620 --> 00:30:46,620 Carol Cox: Absolutely. Angela, let me go back to you and 666 00:30:46,620 --> 00:30:49,410 tell us about the VIP day that you had. 667 00:30:49,410 --> 00:30:50,910 I know you worked with our lead speaking 668 00:30:50,910 --> 00:30:53,110 coach, Diane Diaz, and you spent those three 669 00:30:53,110 --> 00:30:55,560 hours together to map out your signature 670 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:57,390 talk from beginning to end, using our 671 00:30:57,390 --> 00:30:59,820 framework with all of the colorful post-it 672 00:30:59,820 --> 00:31:01,110 notes on it. 673 00:31:01,110 --> 00:31:03,330 What were your thoughts leading up to the 674 00:31:03,330 --> 00:31:06,210 VIP day? What did you expect, and then how 675 00:31:06,210 --> 00:31:07,710 did the process go for you? 676 00:31:09,350 --> 00:31:11,180 Angela Crawford: Leading up to it. I wasn't sure what to 677 00:31:11,180 --> 00:31:14,030 expect, but I had done a lot of the 678 00:31:14,030 --> 00:31:16,040 exercises that you had in the workbook, 679 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:18,170 which helped lay the foundation for when I 680 00:31:18,170 --> 00:31:20,780 met with Diane. So I had my thoughts more 681 00:31:20,780 --> 00:31:25,730 clear. And, you know, I was hopeful that it 682 00:31:25,730 --> 00:31:27,950 would bring clarity, but I really was 683 00:31:27,950 --> 00:31:30,710 surprised at how much clarity it brought 684 00:31:30,710 --> 00:31:33,830 that very quickly through the questions she 685 00:31:33,830 --> 00:31:37,010 asked and then the post-it notes that my 686 00:31:37,010 --> 00:31:40,100 responses ended up on, it brought what felt 687 00:31:40,100 --> 00:31:44,930 like a lot of confusing, disparate ideas 688 00:31:44,930 --> 00:31:49,100 together into a focus and and then into that 689 00:31:49,100 --> 00:31:51,830 focus brought in elements that are important 690 00:31:51,830 --> 00:31:54,140 for having a meaningful talk. 691 00:31:54,140 --> 00:31:56,210 You know, again, things that I hadn't always 692 00:31:56,210 --> 00:31:59,450 thought about before, the humor, making sure 693 00:31:59,450 --> 00:32:01,580 that there were ways to connect with the 694 00:32:01,580 --> 00:32:03,380 audience and engage the audience. 695 00:32:03,380 --> 00:32:05,510 So it wasn't just me talking. 696 00:32:05,870 --> 00:32:10,130 And so that that whole process, it just, I 697 00:32:10,130 --> 00:32:12,890 don't know, it brought, brought everything 698 00:32:12,890 --> 00:32:14,360 together in a way that I couldn't have 699 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:16,250 imagined. And then it also laid the 700 00:32:16,250 --> 00:32:18,980 foundation for future talks, because I can 701 00:32:18,980 --> 00:32:22,280 clearly see now how I can vary my larger 702 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:24,770 signature talk based on who I'm speaking to 703 00:32:24,770 --> 00:32:27,920 or what the objective is of specific talk. 704 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:29,810 So it was amazing. 705 00:32:30,260 --> 00:32:31,280 Carol Cox: Oh, fantastic. Yeah. 706 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,710 We really, you know, our goal when we work 707 00:32:33,710 --> 00:32:35,570 with all of you and the Thought Leader 708 00:32:35,570 --> 00:32:38,600 Academy is we we want to get you to kind of 709 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:40,910 think like us, think like us in the sense of 710 00:32:40,910 --> 00:32:43,010 how we approach creating presentations and 711 00:32:43,010 --> 00:32:45,350 doing public speaking and sharing the best 712 00:32:45,350 --> 00:32:47,510 practices and everything we've learned over 713 00:32:47,510 --> 00:32:49,700 the years, not only as speakers ourselves, 714 00:32:49,700 --> 00:32:52,550 but after working with so many speakers like 715 00:32:52,550 --> 00:32:55,040 yourself and Eloisa in your graduation 716 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,170 speech. So we have each of the grads deliver 717 00:32:57,170 --> 00:33:00,170 a short three minute graduation speech using 718 00:33:00,170 --> 00:33:01,940 what they've learned and say you did your 719 00:33:01,940 --> 00:33:03,950 graduation speech, and it was so fun because 720 00:33:03,950 --> 00:33:05,510 you came up with an acronym. 721 00:33:05,690 --> 00:33:08,960 You're a framework, so you definitely and 722 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,200 you I could tell, you know, with you and all 723 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:13,910 the rest of the women who we've worked with 724 00:33:13,910 --> 00:33:17,210 that you really learned and took in 725 00:33:17,210 --> 00:33:19,100 everything that we were teaching you. 726 00:33:19,100 --> 00:33:21,770 So can you give us an overview of that 727 00:33:21,770 --> 00:33:23,360 framework that you came up with with? 728 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:26,150 Sure. So generously letting me borrow and 729 00:33:26,150 --> 00:33:27,740 use. And of course, I will give you credit 730 00:33:27,740 --> 00:33:28,430 for it. 731 00:33:29,660 --> 00:33:32,690 Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez: Yeah. So, uh, it was uh, in. 732 00:33:32,690 --> 00:33:36,380 General, the, um, the Thought Leader Academy 733 00:33:36,380 --> 00:33:39,140 was an amazing experience because it shows 734 00:33:39,140 --> 00:33:41,450 how to put all these different pieces 735 00:33:41,450 --> 00:33:45,170 together when, um, in the past, it just felt 736 00:33:45,170 --> 00:33:47,720 kind of like I didn't know how they fit. 737 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:49,910 Like, if I was just making things up by 738 00:33:49,910 --> 00:33:51,260 putting them together. 739 00:33:51,260 --> 00:33:54,170 But you and Diane showed us how to, in a 740 00:33:54,170 --> 00:33:57,800 very elegant way to to streamline and 741 00:33:57,800 --> 00:33:59,300 combine things. 742 00:33:59,300 --> 00:34:05,510 And um, and the show, um, acronym, if I 743 00:34:05,510 --> 00:34:08,390 remember correctly. Now I'm forgetting, um, 744 00:34:08,990 --> 00:34:12,800 it was with, uh, show share your stories. 745 00:34:12,980 --> 00:34:15,440 The S stands for Share Your Stories. 746 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:18,800 That helps you make a connection with, uh, 747 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:20,240 your audience. 748 00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:25,790 Then the H stands for humor, which is just 749 00:34:25,790 --> 00:34:27,890 don't be afraid to use humor. 750 00:34:27,890 --> 00:34:30,290 It's always breaks the monotony. 751 00:34:30,860 --> 00:34:35,270 Then we have the O is to overview, not 752 00:34:35,270 --> 00:34:38,710 overwhelm. In the past, I would go into a 753 00:34:38,710 --> 00:34:41,560 lot of details because I thought I needed to 754 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:43,840 give details and instead I would overwhelm 755 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,690 my audience. So you have to give an overview 756 00:34:46,690 --> 00:34:48,340 instead of overwhelming. 757 00:34:48,550 --> 00:34:52,120 And then the W stands for weight. 758 00:34:53,890 --> 00:34:56,680 You need to learn to pause and let their 759 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,050 audience, your audience, absorb what you're 760 00:34:59,050 --> 00:34:59,680 saying. 761 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:04,300 Carol Cox: Well done Eloise, to see the power of an 762 00:35:04,300 --> 00:35:06,850 acronym, because you remembered all four of 763 00:35:06,850 --> 00:35:08,530 those in a way that would probably have been 764 00:35:08,530 --> 00:35:10,210 much more difficult if you hadn't put it 765 00:35:10,210 --> 00:35:11,890 into an acronym. So I love it. 766 00:35:11,890 --> 00:35:13,450 Thank you so much for sharing that. 767 00:35:13,630 --> 00:35:16,240 Louisa, let me ask you too, about why did 768 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:17,980 you decide to enroll in the Thought Leader 769 00:35:17,980 --> 00:35:20,500 Academy? Where were you at earlier this 770 00:35:20,500 --> 00:35:22,090 year? And what? 771 00:35:22,300 --> 00:35:24,100 What led you to decide that this was 772 00:35:24,100 --> 00:35:25,570 something that you wanted to do? 773 00:35:26,500 --> 00:35:29,050 Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez: So I have been doing already talks in the 774 00:35:29,050 --> 00:35:32,380 past, and but my topics have always been 775 00:35:32,380 --> 00:35:34,870 technical, and I always ended with a lot of 776 00:35:34,870 --> 00:35:38,590 facts and figures and and graphs and. 777 00:35:39,180 --> 00:35:44,250 I wasn't sure how engaging I was being on my 778 00:35:44,250 --> 00:35:47,400 speeches or my talks, and I was looking to 779 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:51,000 to become more of a speaker and have that 780 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:55,320 more of a practice and have a more engaging, 781 00:35:55,380 --> 00:35:57,810 um, presentation. 782 00:35:57,810 --> 00:36:01,920 So by, by joining the The Thought Leader 783 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:04,830 Academy, it helped me bring all these pieces 784 00:36:04,830 --> 00:36:08,010 together, understand how the structure 785 00:36:08,010 --> 00:36:10,680 should be, how to break down my story. 786 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:12,570 For example, that was something that I 787 00:36:12,570 --> 00:36:15,600 thought it was, uh, magnificent that Diane 788 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,690 helped me break my story and bookmark my 789 00:36:18,690 --> 00:36:20,730 talk with my story. 790 00:36:20,730 --> 00:36:24,720 In the past, I struggled to do that, and she 791 00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:29,190 was able to very elegantly do that, uh, 792 00:36:29,190 --> 00:36:31,650 bookmarking the story so it will make sense. 793 00:36:31,650 --> 00:36:33,360 So it would actually be memorable. 794 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:33,990 So. 795 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:36,450 Carol Cox: All right. Fantastic. 796 00:36:36,450 --> 00:36:39,420 Angela, I know that you have a book that it 797 00:36:39,420 --> 00:36:40,650 is set to come out. 798 00:36:40,650 --> 00:36:43,350 And so tell us what is next for you as a 799 00:36:43,350 --> 00:36:45,300 speaker and as a as a thought leader. 800 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:48,780 Angela Crawford: Yeah. Well, the book is coming out early next 801 00:36:48,780 --> 00:36:52,320 year. So in the months leading up to it and 802 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:54,510 following it, coming out will definitely be 803 00:36:54,510 --> 00:36:59,160 doing podcasts, um, speaking engagements, 804 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:03,030 um, at Veg Fest and other events and. 805 00:37:04,170 --> 00:37:05,820 And I think, you know, creating some 806 00:37:05,820 --> 00:37:08,490 workshops and trainings as well, and maybe 807 00:37:08,490 --> 00:37:10,680 some group coaching, even things like that. 808 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:11,310 So. 809 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,590 Carol Cox: Oh, good. Well, we'll make sure to include 810 00:37:13,590 --> 00:37:15,570 links for both Angela and Eloisa in the show 811 00:37:15,570 --> 00:37:17,250 notes to their websites, as well as to their 812 00:37:17,250 --> 00:37:18,930 LinkedIn profile. So definitely make sure to 813 00:37:18,930 --> 00:37:20,850 connect with them there. And Eloisa, what 814 00:37:20,850 --> 00:37:22,290 about you? What's next for you? 815 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:26,310 Eloisa Marquez-Gonzalez: As I mentioned, I'm looking forward to, uh, 816 00:37:26,310 --> 00:37:28,710 doing more speaking engagements and sharing 817 00:37:28,710 --> 00:37:31,980 my knowledge, helping other, um, businesses, 818 00:37:31,980 --> 00:37:34,620 uh, improve their performance and also 819 00:37:34,620 --> 00:37:36,810 improve their impact on our world and 820 00:37:36,810 --> 00:37:39,570 society. So that's that's what it's 821 00:37:39,570 --> 00:37:42,330 important for me. So. 822 00:37:42,330 --> 00:37:45,330 Carol Cox: Well, again, thank you both for doing the 823 00:37:45,330 --> 00:37:47,880 work, putting it in the hard work to create 824 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:49,890 your signature talks and to put yourself out 825 00:37:49,890 --> 00:37:52,020 there as speakers to share these very 826 00:37:52,020 --> 00:37:54,120 important messages with your audiences. 827 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:55,890 I am so proud of you, and I can't wait to 828 00:37:55,890 --> 00:37:58,320 see all the big things that you're going to 829 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,870 do. So for those of you who are watching and 830 00:38:00,870 --> 00:38:03,030 listening, make sure to connect with us on 831 00:38:03,030 --> 00:38:05,010 LinkedIn. If you're interested in joining 832 00:38:05,010 --> 00:38:06,900 our Thought Leader Academy, you can get all 833 00:38:06,900 --> 00:38:09,930 the details as speaking your Brand.com slash 834 00:38:09,930 --> 00:38:11,640 Academy again, that's speaking your 835 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,490 Brand.com slash academy. 836 00:38:14,490 --> 00:38:17,040 Until next time, thanks for listening.