I’m a Messaging Strategist for extraordinary entrepreneurs.
Most people know me for teaching purpose-driven coaches & consultants to win clients with a unique message that makes an extraordinary impact.
But, what you may not know about me is that, for a long time, I really struggled to embrace what was unique about me.
I was torn between following the ordinary, traditional career path like everyone around me, and my own longing to carve out a unique path and have extraordinary adventures abroad.
Sadly, by the time I finished college, following the path (and the pack) was definitely winning out.
Instead of moving to Spain when I graduated, as I desperately wanted to, I went to law school and then into sales & business development in New York City.
I squashed down my own unique gifts, goals, and voice. And I tried to be just like everyone else, to want what they wanted.
I thought if I just followed the advice and did what was expected of me, everything would work out. I would find my calling, find my life, and be happy and successful.
I was WRONG. It made me lost, confused, and frustrated.
I knew I wanted something else, but I had ignored myself for so long that I no longer knew what that was.
In the middle of my muddle, the Thanksgiving holiday cropped up. My mother, a Spanish teacher, had followed her heart to Ecuador a few years earlier and lived there most of the year, teaching English in an indigenous school in the Andes. So I flew down to Quito to spend the week with her.
And, all at once, everything about it spoke to me: the people, the language, the music, how they lived every single day. It absolutely called to me.
And, even though I was pretty sure that I was risking any chance at professional success, I knew I had to follow it. It was uniquely my own.
Plus, somewhere at the back of my mind, I thought I’d get to spend some quality time with my mother.
So, I left everything in New York and moved to Ecuador in March.
And it was absolutely extraordinary.
For two months.
In May, my mother had a massive heart attack. And died.
She was fifty-eight, healthy, incredibly vibrant and alive. Until she wasn’t.
She was absolutely here. And then absolutely gone.
And the question was: would I go back to NYC and the life everyone else was pursuing or would I stay and carve out my own unique path?
I took over her classes in Peguche to finish the school year. And, two months later, told them that yes, I WOULD come back to keep the program running.
I spent the next year living in Ecuador teaching ESL in a tiny village high in the Andes.
I watched the sun rise over snow capped volcanoes from the floor to ceiling windows of my apartment.
I went to indigenous weddings where the bride arrived on horseback.
I danced in the streets in giant festivals and swam with marine iguanas in the Galapagos.
I became so fluent in Spanish that I forgot I wasn’t speaking English.
I laughed a ton and cried a lot, I made dear friends, I fell in love.
And when the year was up, it was clear that an ordinary life, no matter how successful by traditional standards, was never going to be enough for me.
I needed to put my unique gifts and goals front and center in my life and work.
So, I walked away from six figure job offers in NYC and moved to Spain.
I combined my sales & business development skills with my connection to Spanish culture to start my own unique business.
And I landed Spain’s most prestigious multinationals as clients, on my own, as an outsider, and in Spanish.
It was the most incredible professional success of my career combined with the adventure of living in Madrid, which made my heart sing.
It was, in a word, extraordinary.
I’ve learned that embracing what was unique to me and putting it front and center in my life and work was the key to being happy and successful.
Trying to be like everyone else? Not only did it not make me happy, I was bad at it.
And you are too.
Because, the truth is: you will never be more than mediocre trying to be like everyone else.
This is why I do what I do.
Because far too many talented entrepreneurs aren’t embracing what is unique about them, and it’s costing them.
They’re following one size fits all advice, so they look and sound just like everyone else.
Instead of standing out, they are blending into the pack of ordinary, cookie cutter entrepreneurs.
And as a result? They’re not getting the traction they need to sustain their unique dreams and they’re not making the extraordinary impact they crave.
I teach them to tap into what is truly special about them and put it front and center in their businesses with a unique, confident, client-winning message.
So they can create an exceptional life of adventure for themselves and make an extraordinary impact on the world.
Ready to find your extraordinary? Book a consultation to talk about how we can make that happen by honing in on your purpose & mission in Extraordinary Impact.®
Want to tell your own brand story? Join me for Brand Stories that Convert, an intimate & interactive masterclass to create the unique & powerful story you need as a thought leader. It’s happening in just a couple of weeks-don’t miss it!
