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Own Your Impact equips experts and leaders to transform their expertise into meaningful influence. Host Macy Robison reveals how successful thought leaders use deliberate systems—not luck or volume—to amplify their authentic voice and create lasting impact. Through practical frameworks and strategic guidance, you'll discover how to build a self-reinforcing ecosystem of Core Resonance, structured Content, a Central Platform, strategic Connections, and intentional Commercialization. Whether you're just starting to share your expertise or scaling an existing platform, this podcast delivers the roadmap to turn your ideas into purpose-driven influence that resonates far beyond what you might imagine possible.
Macy Robison 0:00
Macy, welcome to own your impact. The podcast designed to help you transform your expertise into a platform of purpose and influence. I'm your host, Macy Robison, and I'm here to help you uncover your authentic voice, create actionable frameworks and build a scalable platform that turns your ideas into meaningful impact. Let me take you back for a minute. When I first started working with thought leaders, I couldn't find a system that I felt fully captured what was actually happening. So I started reverse engineering, studying platforms of experts who'd built something real, something resonant, something people could feel. And what I uncovered was a hidden sequence, a set of elements that showed up again and again. And if you've been listening to the podcast from the beginning, you know what those elements are? Core resonance, structured content, a central platform, strategic connection, commercialization. It was there every time. So I built a framework around it, a system to help people move through those pieces with more intention, less overwhelm, understand that they needed to be there in some form or fashion as they were building their thought leadership. It was a linear sequence, and for a while that linear sequence felt like the clearest path I could offer. But about a month ago, I started leading something new, a group accelerator called the resonant thought leadership lab, seven brilliant experts, letting me test some things on them, one shared container, and for me, a front row seat on how thought leadership actually unfolds when you do the work together in real time. And what I've started to see across every participant, every one on one and group conversation, is that the system is holding. But the story that I had told myself about how that unfolds, that linear path, it's become very clear that needed to change, because here's the dominant story most of us have been handed about building expertise, about building thought leadership or a personal brand. Pick your niche or your niche, depending on how you want to say it, create content, grow your audience, monetize scale. It looks really tidy on paper, step one, step two, step three, but this is a human centered business, and in practice, it's anything but linear. You don't finish clarity and then move on to connection. You don't wait to monetize till everything's perfect, and you certainly don't wait to grow an audience by checking off the right boxes. And yet, that's the trap. People wait too long to make an offer because they don't think their message feels clear, or they jump into launching a program with no rooted foundation or system underneath, and then they wonder why it doesn't feel sustainable. They're not wrong. They're following the logic they've been given. But what I'm starting to see is that these five elements aren't separate steps. I always thought they were actually connected, but it turns out they're interconnected. They're iterative, and they actually feed each other, which led me to reframe the model I've been teaching that I've been talking about on the podcast already, not by abandoning the structure or the system itself, but by trying to offer a more helpful way to move through it and see progress. So here's the way I teach it now. Phase one is the foundation. It's always first. It's universal. Every thought leader, regardless of who they help, what their business model is, or their archetype, they need a solid foundation. And there are three pieces in that solid foundation, from the resonant thought leadership system. Core resonance always first getting anchored in your why, your how, your expression mode, your story, who you are, what you've been through, what the messes that has created your medicine, all of that together, getting clear on that. The second thing that foundation includes is your content, your transformational IP. And the way I teach that has shifted a little bit as well. We'll talk about that in some upcoming episodes. All four components of the transformational IP are still there, but they're in a slightly different order, with a different connection system as well. And then the connection strategy I had this way out in fifth, fifth order, number five. But as I started to reflect on how there are people who have great core resonance, and they're able to connect to people, they just don't have the content yet, a lot of those people start out more in the influencer space, and then they shift over when they get some content or IP to being more in the thought leadership space. So connection didn't feel like it belonged at the end at all, and it actually infuses through everything, but needs to be part of that foundation so that the connection we're creating with potential audience members, with potential customers, is there from the start and grows as we do. But that foundation, those three things, that's the bedrock. That's where everything starts. Once that foundation is present and accounted for, then comes phase two, business design, and this is where it gets. More personal, because once that foundation is set, the question then becomes, what do you actually want to build? What kind of house goes on top of this? The answer is, never. One size fits all. Some people want to speak on stages. Some people want to lead private communities. Some people want to write. Some want to scale behind the scenes. So we design a business that serves your life, that leverages your strengths, that creates your version of impact using your central platform and your commercialization strategies. So the foundation is the ground beneath your feet. Business design is the house you build on top of it with custom architecture, intentional design, built to last, connected to the foundation, ready to welcome other people in for transformation, and this, this house metaphor, was doing the work for me. It felt strategic, it felt sequenced, it felt strong. But as I kept teaching and as we kept working through things in the leadership lab, I realized it actually wasn't the whole picture, because a house, once it's built, it essentially stays the same. You might remodel something on the inside, but it essentially is a static, finished thing. But your thought leadership isn't your body of work is not a static structure. It evolves with you. It deepens, it grows in ways you can't predict, and that's when I started seeing something else, not a house a tree. And then that made even more sense to me. So you've walked through my house metaphor. Let me guide you through what I now call this resonant tree metaphor for how sustainable thought leadership grows and shifts and changes with you, all five parts are still there again. With the foundation, we've got the foundation of a house or the root system of a tree, both are invisible and essential to what needs to happen. The core resonance, I think of as that taproot that goes down and really gives you depth and strength. It's your essence, your expression mode all the things we've talked about. It's your anchor for energy and clarity. And whether people can name it or not, they know that it's there. They feel it, that core resonance. Think of your content, your transformational IP. If you're picturing a tree with me, those lateral roots that go out from the tap root to the left and the right, they are the things that give you stability, the truths, the framework, the processes, the principles you teach. Some grow really deep from lived experience. Others run wide, but they're there for stability and then your strategic connections, those fibrous, little roots that are the often invisible ways where your work finds people and where people find you, referrals, relationships, extensions of your resonance, just like the foundation gets built. First the roots grow first, the roots grow together, and they have to be nourished, which then brings us to the other two pieces, commercialization and central platform. Think of these as your trunk and your branches. They're visible. They're above the ground, like a house is, but they're dependent on the roots. Commercialization is that strong trunk. This is your offers, your business model, your revenue strategy. It holds weight, but it only holds weight if it draws strength from the roots beneath it. And then your central platform is the canopy, your podcast, your newsletter, LinkedIn, stage presence. It's where people see. It's the thing they see first. It's the thing they notice if it changes. But if that canopy grows too fast or without support from the roots, it can break. And here's where the accelerator really opened my eyes. When I started thinking of this tree inside the lab, I could actually see the seasonal dynamics in motion. Someone was in a spring season. They were full of new clarity ideas that we're just breaking through the surface. Another was clearly in fall. They were in a harvest season like we've got so many things happening right now. It feels like we got to catch them all. All the things they had planted months ago were coming to fruition, and a couple people still felt like they were maybe in winter, they needed rest, they needed to reconnect to their root system, and not one of them was in the wrong place. Not one of them was behind, and they didn't feel behind. They were just in different seasons of the same living system.
Macy Robison 9:11
And that unlocked another layer of truth when one of them made a joke about this story that I always tell, so I told it again. This story comes from a friend of mine, Brooke snow. I may have even told it on the podcast before, but Brooke, when she bought her new house, wanted trees lining her backyard, and couldn't get the nursery trees that are already growing with the root system, so she planted a bunch of little seedling trees, and the first year, she was really frustrated they weren't growing. She wasn't seeing any progress. But her mom, who was a lifelong gardener, gently reminded her of this. Year one, they sleep. Year two, they creep. Year three, they leap. That's how trees grow, really most perennials grow, all the energy goes to the roots, first, that deep and invisible structure that needs to be built. Then slow and steady upward growth, and then suddenly they leap. It's like an overnight success, and that dynamic has unfolded in real time in the lab as well. People are rooting deep. They're finding clarity. Some are starting to creep, saying things out loud, structuring their IP, testing new expressions, and a couple of them have been leaping. They are launching. They are sharing. They're they're ready to be seen. It wasn't because they rushed. The Roots had already been growing. We just needed to get this stuff above ground. Your thought leadership might not follow that exact timeline, but the pattern, sleep, creep, leap, it shows up again and again and again. So if you're in a quiet phase right now, if it feels like there's nothing happening, it doesn't mean you're stuck. It means you're rooting for what's next. And just like the seasons of growth and the phases of sleeping, creeping and leaping, your archetype influences where growth naturally starts and where you might need a little extra care or attention. If you're a transformational guide or a principal practitioner or a wisdom writer, you likely naturally start with depth. You need to feel grounded in truth and lived experience before anything else can grow, but the risk of that is staying hidden for too long and waiting until it's perfect. If you're an experienced facilitator or a digital learning architect or a research innovator, you thrive in codifying what you know, systems, curriculum, practices. But if you're not rooted in resonance First, your systems can get heavy and feel disconnected. If you're a strategic advisor or a visual thought architect, you likely jump into structure, offers, models, roadmaps. You make the invisible visible to others, which is a gift, but the emotional roots that are underneath, they need tending. And finally, if you're a resident orator or a category creator, you're wired for expression. You shine when you're seen when you're in motion, but your platform cannot carry the weight of that canopy unless the roots are also being nourished. And seeing all of these different archetypes working on this system in the same container, that's been fascinating to see as well. And the thing that I've taken away from all of this is no growth pattern is better than another, but recognizing your default mode, recognizing your growth season, it helps you build something that lasts. Now, I have to be honest, you can tell I love this tree metaphor, and when it first came through, I did not know what to do with it, because here I was inside this lab, guiding people through this structure for the resident thought leadership system. I had just found this new sequence I deeply believed in around foundation and business design, it's clear. It's strategic, it works. I even made a little video explaining the foundation in the house, and all of a sudden, all I wanted to talk about was trees. And I had to stop myself, because I kept thinking, does this just undo everything I've taught are these two separate systems? Is this wildly confusing for people who are just starting to find some clarity? But the more I sat with it, even while preparing this podcast, I wasn't replacing the house metaphor. I was revealing what lives inside it. The house shows us how to build, but the tree shows us how to grow, and that's when the integration of it all clicked. You don't have to choose. You need both. You need to build like an architect, you need to tend like a gardener. In architect mode, you make intentional design choices, you sequence your strategy, you lay the foundation in the structure with great care. But then in gardener mode, you have the flexibility to move with the seasons, to prune things that no longer fit, and to nourish what's growing beneath the surface. One gives you clarity, the other gives you continuity. And this is what I had not been able to name before that your thought leadership is a constructed system and a living ecosystem, both planned and responsive, both structured and seasonal, which is what makes it so different from most business models out there. So now when I teach the resonant thought leadership system, I don't just teach the five steps. I teach the cycle and I trust the tree. So here's my question for you, are you building without tending? Are you in architect mode only and not tending to what's growing? Or are you tending without building? Are you trying to get things to grow, but you haven't given thought to the architecture beneath what you need to have flourish, because too much building without tending leads to burnout, brittleness or collapse, and too much tending without building can feel like endless refinement with no traction. So check your root system, check your canopy, notice where your energy is going and what's ready to grow next. And if it feels like nothing is happening, like you're in a quiet, invisible phase, that's not stuckness, that's rooting growth is seasonal. You're not late, you're not behind. You are right on time. For your next phase, and what is for you will never pass you by. So here's your invitation this week. What is your current growth mode? I'd love to know. Is it architect or gardener, and what season are you in? Spring, summer, fall, winter. Do you feel like you're sleeping, creeping or leaping? Let yourself name it and let yourself normalize it. Let yourself move at the pace of something real. All of this is about creating something real. And if this model feels like a better fit for how you think and lead and create, I'd love to support you. Thank you so much for listening to own your impact. If this resonated, I'd love to have you share it with someone or leave a review, and if you're ready to build thought leadership that actually feels like you, there's a seat for you here. Thank you for joining me on own. Your impact. Remember, there are people out there right now who need exactly what you know, exactly how you'll say it. Your voice matters, your expertise matters, and most importantly, the transformation you can help others create matters. If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to become part of our growing community of thought leaders who are committed to creating meaningful impact. Subscribe to the podcast, leave a review and share this episode with someone you know who is ready to amplify their voice, and if you're ready to dive deeper, visit Macy robison.com for additional resources, frameworks and tools to help you build your thought leadership platform with intention and purpose, and remember, your ideas don't need more luck. Your ideas don't need more volume. Your ideas need a system, and I'm here every week to help you build it. I'm Macy Robison, and this is own. Your impact. You.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai