Get Your Message Heard With Michael Hudson

OK, no need to bury the lead — the title of this post says it all: “It’s time to hit the pause button on Get Your Message Heard.”  It’s not a hasty (or easy) decision, and it is one that I’ve literally spent the last 3 months debating.  The driving force behind all that deliberation is my core and foundational belief that what matters most for all of us is playing to our strengths as much as we possibly can. It’s simply never made sense to me for people to work so hard on becoming good at stuff they don’t do well when they can create far more impact when they get better at doing the things they already do well.  That’s why I found the book Now Discover Your Strengths by Donald O. Clifton and Marcus Buckingham so compelling when it first came out. Completing the included assessment and learning my top 5 strengths (from the list of 34 total strengths) was liberating and affirming.  It also put a lot of things into perspective for me. Like why I always think about the bigger picture and believe so stron

If you’ve been listening to the last few episodes of Get Your Message Heard, you’ve recognized that a lot of thinking has been going on in my world. In fact, I’ve done more (and better) strategic thinking about my business in 2019 than I have allowed myself to do in a long time.  A big driver of that has been the realignment of myself with my brand and my vision. Let me explain.  For years I’ve been living out of balance. Medicating myself with sugar and riding the emotional roller coaster that comes with that — something that it took me much too long to realize was in my way.  In this week’s episode I share a bit more about that and reveal the real story behind my 60+ pound weight loss, including the inciting incident that ‘woke’ me to the need to FINALLY solve a lifelong problem.  It’s not being shared to push anyone to make a similar journey, but instead to help Get Your Message Heard listeners understand why this change in the way I physically walk the planet now has been so impactful in my vison

What I love most about having a podcast is the chance to dive into deeper conversations about things that intrigue me and will serve you. This week’s interview aligns perfectly with that.  Why did you invite this guy to be a guest?  Sam Qurashi and I met in the Heroic Public Speaking Graduate School program last spring. His soothing presence and amazing voice caught my attention immediately. But more important the way he carried himself and his helpful manner of engaging made me immediately realize that he had a lot of value to deliver to my audience.  That became even more clear when I learned that he had done something few of us do — he started building his audience before he defined and started his business.  The result: He is approaching 300,000 followers on Instagram as he prepares to launch his new business next month.  That’s why I invited him to join me for a conversation and share some insight into how he did it and some advice on what we can do to be more effective in serving people using

Kevin McBroom — What are some creative ways you suggest to overcome self-limiting beliefs/imposter syndrome?  Jeanette Bronee — How do you gain clarity about why your message matter so you can craft the message?  Mike Brennan — What is the most effective way to determine interest of other surrounding initiative you are looking to launch?  Jason Smith —For business goals you set a financial milestone or customers served goal?  Bill McConnell — I'm taking a huge leap of faith into an online business concept I've never done before. My money up front. No guarantees on the backend. Exciting potential and value in the middle. What words of encouragement and direction would you give when it comes to getting my "marketing" message heard for this event?  Murtaza Versi — Why is it important to have a coach or mentor to help clarify self-imposed obstacles?  Paul Klein — In regards to income, how much financial runway in terms of months do you recommend when making a pivot or what I am calling going from "Cl

One of my main objectives for the year ahead is to be more experimental — to stop overthinking and over complicating everything and take more chances.   That’s exactly what I did for my 100th episode.  Here’s how that worked.  I scheduled time to record the episode on a Wednesday after an aborted attempt at something that was way too complicated and had too many opportunities for failure that would impact others. [If it had only been me at risk I might have pushed through, but I hate wasting other people’s time, so I opted for the safe route and chose a different path.]  Early on Wednesday morning I posted on Facebook that I was recording my 100th episode @ 1 pm and invited people to submit questions that I could answer. Then I sent 10 direct messages to people who I knew might share a question and personally invited them to do so.  By noon I had 24 questions and was ready to record my responses at 1 pm.   Then I had another idea — why not broadcast the recording LIVE on Facebook. After all, that

Last week, as a lead up to the 100th episode of Get Your Message Heard next week, Michael took a step back and to explore where we’ve been and where we’re going. In today’s “Part II” he reveals a bit more about the path forward (if you missed it, you might want to listen to  Episode 98 before diving into this one so you get the full context).     Now, sit back, settle in, and envision that you’re having “Part II” of that one-on-one conversation with Michael that we started last week about what Get Your Message Heard has meant to his business, his clients, and his vision for the future.     Here are a few highlights:    Repel the Wrong Ones — Focusing your work on serving the people you are best suited to serve is the key to growing your business. Find the ones who fit by leveraging your strengths to deliver solutions to the specific problems they have that transform their lives. Then map your messaging to attract those people and that will help the ones who don’t fit recognize it which will sa

With the 100th episode of Get Your Message Heard just around the corner, it’s time to take a step back and explore where we’ve been and where we’re going. In today’s episode Michael gets personal about the path he has been on since launching the podcast and sets the stage for sharing a bit about the path forward (tune in to Episode 99 next week to learn more about that).    Before diving in to the content of the episode, Michael shared an opportunity that can help you get some personal visibility for your brand…here are the details:    A chance to join Michael for the Live Recording of Episode 100 — One of the most rewarding things that has happened since Get Your Message Heard was launched is the moments when listeners reach out to share an insight you’ve received from an episode of the podcast that helped them.     If you’re one of those people Michael wants to know what helped you and wants you to help him share it with others who might also benefit. All you have to do is complete this one-we

Now out of the interviewer's chair and straight onto the guest seat; surely it is a delight to see a little twist isn't it? Michael Hudson has spent much time over 90+ podcast episodes interviewing some of the brightest minds on the planet, working as host of the "Get your message heard" podcast. He is a coach, speaker, idea-junkie, and creator of Vision Speaker™ system, a proven process to help leaders deliver dynamic presentations to communicate change. On his website, www.michaelhudson.com he share insights from working with over 2,500 businesses over the past 30 years, ranging from academia, finance, small business, and politics. But at the heart of it all, he is a teacher, coach, and "idea-junkie" that wants to help grow leaders do work that truly matters. Today, he will be interviewed by a close friend, Jody Maberry, a marketing consultant and podcaster who has pretty much been there from the beginning. Achieving a stability in podcasting  Michael Hudson is a slow learner, as he puts it. His podcasts ha

Terry Weaver is a renowned speaker, author, event producer, podcaster, Ideapreneur.  His real passion is helping people “live life alive” and he does this by traveling around the world and speaking to audiences including young school students. He leads Mastermind Groups and hosts an annual event called “the thing” where creative minds, entrepreneurs and leaders interact and receive coaching. He is the author of the book “Making Elephants Fly” which is centered on his passion and work pretty much summarized in one piece. As one who has ventured into the music industry as an Artiste manager; he has had the opportunity to work with various talents and meet lots of creative personalities along the way.  Terry and his wife Leslie live outside Nashville, Tennessee. Terry’s passion and work Terry believes that he is a square peg in a round hole, one of the misfit types who can be revolutionary about the reactions they build up from their environment. He has the “one thing” idea which centers on focusing on the stren

It is always inspiring to see a couple who share similar interests and use their passion to touch lives. Ann Sheybani and Walt Hampton, J.D are one such couple.  Ann Sheybani is the author of How to Eat the Elephant:  Build Your Book in Bite-Sized Steps. She received her Masters in Creative Writing and Literature from Harvard University.   She's an elite book coach with a sales and marketing bent and also helps successful entrepreneurs create powerful, expert-positioning books.  Her husband, Walt Hampton, J.D. Biography is the Executive Director of Summit Success, LLC, a global personal and professional development firm.  He is a business coach, law firm management consultant, leadership trainer & motivational speaker, also the founder of the Positive Leadership Academy. Walt is a leading authority on the application of Positive Psychology in the workplace. He is the best-selling author of Journeys on the Edge: Living a Life That Matters, named a Top 10 Non-Fiction Book in 2013, and a 2014 winner of the

Have you ever wondered what it felt like to do a storytelling act, but this time in front of an audience filled with corporate? Well, here's a piece on someone who lives that. Melanie Deziel is the founder of StoryFuel, a consulting firm that teaches marketers around the world how to tell better brand stories.  She is an award-winning branded-content creator and sits on the board of the  Native  Advertising  Institute. Today we take a look at her life and perspective to her work. First, a few Achievements Melanie was the first editor of branded content at The  New York Times. She developed the first Master's course in Content Marketing for Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she now teaches as an adjunct professor and has degrees in investigative journalism and arts editing. In addition to her work with  The  New  York  Times'  T  Brand  Studio, Melanie was one of the founders of The Huffington  Post's Brand Storytelling team and is the former Director of Creative Strategy for Time Inc., worked on brand ac

How intriguing would it be to find out that the 'tallest voice' in the room is coming from the lady who's 4ft10inches or as she likes to put it: 4ft 10.5inches?  Meet Neen James.  She is a U.S acclaimed speaker and writer of Australian decent. Her books; ‘Folding Time™' and ‘Attention Pays™' are among the best sellers available at bookstores around the world.  Over the past two decades, Neen has been advising different companies in the world including Viacom, Comcast, Paramount Pictures, and even the FBI, on how to improve their strategic planning, communication, and leadership development.  When she is not speaking on stage, you might find her on the back of a Harley Davidson (yeah, the back is just for her!).  What to do to become a great speaker like Neen Neen says it all starts by having a single image on and off the stage because your audience isn’t only those in the room when you speak. It is about coming across as the same fantastic person on the street or at other informal engagements.  For Neen, bein

Joana Galvao is a design guru and co-founder of Gif Design Studios. Based in Porto, Portugal, and with a team of 10 designers and developers – which includes her husband – her design agency has done pretty awesomely. Starting as a designer at an agency in London, and earning a rather basic salary, Joana could barely make ends meet. She sought out means of having extra jobs as a designer – on the side – and that move landed her the first big opportunity to bag more clients through a Facebook group. Today, Joana runs an award-winning agency specializing in brand identities and conversion-obsessed design, at the tender age of 27. Early Kick-off, Challenges, and Breakthrough Joanna founded Gif Design Studios at age 22. She had only become independent and started dealing with freelance clients three months prior. She started hiring immediately, building up a team of 4 – consisting of two other designers. Things didn’t work out initially as the staff quit working at the agency no sooner than they had started workin

Carissa Hill is a natural born entrepreneur who had her first successful business at the age of 21. Within 4 years, Carissa turned a home spray tanning business into a chain of 3 beauty salons with 9 staff and had her own range of wholesale hair extensions and mobile services around Brisbane Australia -- all without working in the business and exclusively focusing on growing it with Facebook marketing.  Since 2014, Carissa has been helping thousands of entrepreneurs to master the art of successful Facebook marketing. She runs a successful Facebook group of over 16,000 members called "Coffee With Carissa" and is the founder of the Wolfpack Mastermind.  Her current mission is to increase the percentage of female millionaires, after discovering that only 2% of female-owned businesses ever make it to 7 figures.  Carissa is the bestselling author of the book "I Like Money - The Secrets To Actually Making Money With Facebook" and has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Inc, The Huffington Post, E

Jody Maberry is a former park ranger who uses the park ranger gifts of storytelling and interpretation to help people collect the right stories and experiences to give clarity to their message.   He is the host of 7 podcasts including The Jody Mabery Show and Creating Disney Magic, a popular radio show that offers lessons in leadership, management, and customer service.  Join me today as we get to know more about him and how he creates everyday magic in the things he does. Describing What He Does  If you asked Jody what he does, you’d probably have to wait for a few seconds for an answer because he says it’s one of the things that he’s always had trouble explaining off the top of his head -- mostly because he’s done so many things that couldn’t probably be any different from one another. [Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]He started as a Financial Analyst for a bank before becoming a Park Ranger. He then  transitioned to a Marketing Consultant before eventually dabbing into podcasting.  Usin

It would be safe to say that Aaron Walker is a veteran entrepreneur. Having started over a dozen businesses during his four-decade journey has been pretty awesome.   Beginning at 18 years old and selling to a Fortune 500 company just nine years later set Aaron on an adventure of a lifetime. The secret sauce for Aaron can clearly be identified with these four attributes: grit, authenticity, determination and perseverance -- and the glue that holds it all together is his weekly involvement in Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind groups.   Aaron started masterminding 20 years ago with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller and several other notable Nashvillians.   Today, he spends time with his wife, two daughters and five grandchildren.   Coming In and Out of Retirement  Aaron has had the opportunity to do something that many people has not been able to -- to retire and come out of retirement for a staggering eight times.   He’s been working since he was thirteen so he kept telling himself that he’d retire after just on

Anyone who has ran a business knows how important business referrals can be -- so much that some are willing to spend a good amount of advertising dollars in order to increase their number. After all, how else would you get those referrals coming in, right?   Matt Ward says, “Wrong.”  Matt is a professional member of the National Speakers Association and a podcast host of the popular small business podcast Square Peg Round Hole! He’s also a 40 Under 40 Recipient and Chamber Small Business Owner of the Year.  He is the founder of Breakthrough Champion and author of “MORE…Word of Mouth Referrals, Lifelong Customers & Raving Fans” which was released in September 2018 and was a #1 New Release.   He initially started a website agency called in Concert Web Solutions which he eventually sold in 2018 so that he could focus on helping businesses get more word-of-mouth referrals through his public speaking platform.  Matt believes that the problem with small business is bananas, and, today, he’ll tell us w

Ford Saeks has redefined the formula for business success. His efforts have helped companies generate a total of over a billion dollars in sales worldwide. From start-ups to Fortune 500’s, Saeks is widely recognized as a Business Growth Innovator.    With over 20 years’ experience (ranging from retail to wholesale), he has founded over ten companies, authored four books, awarded three U.S. patents, and received numerous industry awards thanks to the tenacity and innovation which fuels this revenue-generating powerhouse.    From grassroots to Google, Ford provides his clients with fresh perspectives and doable tactics to resolve branding, marketing, operations, and growth challenges.   As President and CEO of Prime Concepts Group, Inc., an integrated marketing services firm, Ford specializes in helping businesses attract loyal and repeat customers, monetize social media, and ignite innovation.   The Formula for Success  Ford has had a very long and colorful career, but regardless of what endeavors h

Corey Poirier is a multiple-time TEDx and MoMonday’s Speaker, the host of the top-rated ‘Conversations with PASSION’ Radio Show, and a columnist with Entrepreneur Magazine, Progress Magazine. He has over 900 articles in print – has appeared on Global TV, CTV, CBC TV and Radio, and has been one of the few leaders featured twice on the popular Entrepreneur on Fire show.  Corey has interviewed over 4,000 of the world’s top leaders in search of the traits that set them apart and he has enjoyed successful corporate careers with Global 1000 company Konica Minolta, Fortune 500 Companies Toshiba Corp., and Hewlett Packard and SAP Software.  He’s also a stand-up comedian who performed on more than 700 occasions, co-hosted a comedy radio show for a year, and had his 2014 album nominated as Rock Recording of the Year.  Self-introduction  Corey has been so many things that a detailed introduction of him would probably require several pages of paper, but if you’d ask him how he likes to introduce himself, he’d te

Chris  Widener has been named one of the top 50 speakers in the world and one of Inc Magazine's top 100 speakers. He is the author of 20 books that have sold 3 million copies in 13 languages. He's a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His book, The Art of Influence, has taken him all over the world speaking to groups as large as 25,000 people, teaching them how to gain trust, respect, admiration, and loyalty.  Today, he’s going to have a chat with us not only to share how he managed to clinch these spots, he’s also here to tell us the obstacles that he had to overcome to get his speaking business off the ground, the mistakes he made along the way, the people who helped him get back on the right track, and the lessons that he learned.  No Cinderella Story  Chris Widener minces no words when describing his childhood, saying “I had a really rotten upbringing.”   He grew up in a single parent household, switched schools 11 times in a span of 28 months, started using drugs during si