Episode 79: Expand Your Network Using LinkedIn. Three Must Have Apps to Create Content that Connects with Leah Neaderthal
Welcome back, improve it! Fam and Happy Wednesday!
How have you been using LinkedIn lately? If you’re trying to figure out how to connect successfully via this networking platform, then this is the perfect episode for you! Using this social outlet earlier in your career is a great way to help others.
Listen in and hear from an amazing Sales Coach and LinkedIn expert, Leah Neaderthal, on how to keep a consistent mindset and expand your network using the one and only, LinkedIn!
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Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
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Episode 79 Transcription
Erin (00:00):
Improve it fam it's Erin here. Startin you out with a little cheer. You thought I would sing the intro. I'm going to give it to you. Go, Hey, this is a rap on the fly. Come on, everybody give me a high five through the mic. Here we go. Let's get it right. What? I don't even know where that came from. Just came out of my body. Ah, here it is the improvement podcast. The day you've been waiting for it's Wednesday, a new episode of the show, and I have the best guest for you today. Leah Neaderthal is here and Leah is absolutely just calming presence. She is so fantastic. I've known Leah for awhile. She's a mentor to improve it. She's a mom. She has a very cute two year old little boy named Noah. And she's an advocate for women business owners, everywhere.
Erin (00:58):
Leah is super cool. Okay. Here's how she's improving it. She's a sales coach for women who run B2B consulting and coaching businesses, improve it and many other amazing businesses around the country. And now around the world, she's the founder of smart gets paid and she's a three time business owner who started her career in corporate marketing. Now she did not learn to sell by being a commissioned sales person. She taught herself everything she could about selling. She overcame selling shyness and she created a sales approach that feels comfortable. It builds strong client relationships and it gets results. It does not feel icky. Okay. Now she shares the secrets. She's learned along the way by teaching women, how to get the B2B consulting and coaching clients. They really want how to get more yeses and to get paid dramatically more for every contract. She is the creator of signed, which is a 10 week sales training program and the pack, your pipeline 21 day, linked and accelerator.
Erin (02:03):
She's the host of the smart gets paid podcast, which we're going to talk about. And it's just a fantastic show that goes behind the scenes with our actual clients where she's tackled their biggest sales challenges and helps them implement the sales strategies that they can use in their business. All right, before she started smart gets paid. She built, grew and sold three businesses. So this amazing woman knows what she's talking about, especially when it comes to what we're talking about today, which is three must haves that you need to create content that connects on linked in. So we're helping you expand your network. So if you are somebody who is trying to build a personal brand, or you are somebody who has had trouble navigating networking, and this new environment that we're in, or you are just wanting to use your voice, but you don't know where to start.
Erin (03:01):
Today's episode is so, so for you now, before we get into it, just a couple of housekeeping items. Number one, we have an awesome PDF download freebie for you. It's called a hybrid hype. So if you need some tools to help ignite you and your leadership capabilities to hybrid hype your team, if you were working in this hybrid working world, you can click the link in the show notes to take you to it. It will download automatically to your computer screen. So click those links in the show notes, wherever you're listening to the show hybrid, hype freebie. And then also, if you liked today's show, you want to tell us a comment, or if you want to ask a question that we can answer in a, another show down the road, there's also a link speak. Pipe is a new thing that we're using on our website, where it allows you to ask us questions that we can then answer on the show, the link to that.
Erin (04:02):
It's also in the show notes. So let's dive in, let's get to improving it with Leah Neaderthal. Are you a leader or change maker inside of your business organization or corporation? Are you looking for new innovative ways to drive morale through the roof? Are you looking for fun and exciting icebreakers team-building exercises and activities that will foster team growth, friendships, loyalty, and completely transform your organization from the inside out? Have you been searching for a fun and unique way to create change instead of this same mole, drab, boring leadership books and icebreakers that aren't actually working. Hi, I'm Aaron deal, business improv edutainer fail fluid cer and professionals, zombie who is ready to help you improve it. My mission in life is to help you develop teams and leaders through play improv and experiential learning. And this podcast, we will deep dive into professional development team building effective communication, networking, presentation, skills, leadership training, how to think more quickly on your feet and everything in between. We have helped everyone from fortune 500 companies to small mom and pop shops transformed their business, their leadership, and their people through clay. So grab your chicken hat. We are about to have some fun, welcome to improve it. The podcast
Erin (05:45):
Leah. I am so excited to have you on the show today. I'm going to try to be, like I told you, before we hit record, you were like this calming presence to me, your voice. I'm going to try to like dial down my, my in isms right now because I'm, I'm so excited to have you on this show because you have been such a breath of fresh air to myself, to my team, to so many women business owners who I personally know. So improve it, family. You are so lucky. Welcome to the show. Leah Nita.
Leah (06:23):
Yay. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here.
Erin (06:27):
Well, okay. So let's, let's just give the improvement fam a little info behind the scenes about Leah. So what is one fun fact that we couldn't find from your bio or your LinkedIn profile? Because we know that you're the LinkedIn queen. So what is one fun fact about you? We couldn't find
Leah (06:49):
Anywhere cause my bio and especially on my website is pretty, there are some fun little nuggets over there. I know one fun fact that you couldn't find is that you guys I'm a total history nerd, like history, everything medieval, middle ages, historical fiction. Like I want all the histories. And so I just, I just crave it, like soak it up. And I'm especially, I have a special fondness for if you've worked with me in any of my programs, you know that if I have a special fondness for word origins, like cool word origin stories. So if you have one email to me, because I call, I almost like collect those, but that's one thing that probably doesn't come through. And I guess my website or my,
Erin (07:36):
Okay, that is one fact I did not know about you. And I feel like I know some fun facts because you do have so many of them sprinkled everywhere. So we won't, we will plug to those two, but that is so interesting. And also we'll give, we'll give your LinkedIn here as well in the show notes. So people can send you their word or dense. I love this, Leah. I did not know I had zero clue, which is why this question makes me happy and brings me joy. Okay. So I know that you have a son named Noah and I have a little guy who we just realized we're about a month apart, which is crazy. So what would you say has been the biggest or the greatest joy thus far of parenting. Oh, wow.
Leah (08:23):
I mean, you got an hour, I'll tell you the greatest joy of parenting. There are so many sort of moments here and there, but you guys, Aaron and I were just talking about how my son had a cold recently and you know, he had a pretty high fever and we'd been sort of nursing him back to health and Aaron like the other night. So he's, he started asking for us to help him fall asleep, you know, just like lie down next to him and he can ask for that now. And and so we do because he's been sick whenever and he fell asleep and I was still sort of lying down with him in his little toddler bed. And I just looked at him and I was like, I cannot believe that. Like I made this thing, like he he's a little human person and he's, I don't know. I just was filled with like this feeling that I almost can't describe. And so just the, the deep, deep joy of, of like his even existence, you know, I mean, there are little cute things he does and all of that, but like, I just didn't realize it would sort of hit me like that. You know what I mean?
Erin (09:30):
I literally have tears in my eyes right now, Leah. I said, for, for everyone listening, I said this to Leah before the show, can I say, can I tell them what I, my, my testimony for your website really quick. So I've, I have known Leah probably for a few years now. And she is just such a mentor to me and now to Jenna on our team. And I just said to her, I was like, your voice is just so calming. It's like, I'm at a spa. You're like the warm washcloth that you get, don't know where that came from. But when you just said that you took me on this journey of sitting next to Noah at his bed. And I literally started crying. Like I have tears in my eyes thinking about that. And it's so true. You look at this little thing that is a part of you and you I'll kind of relate to this.
Erin (10:22):
I've never loved. I mean, I love John, but I have never loved a person like this. That you've this relationship that is so special that only you can, you can only feel it's so hard to describe, but that is a wonderful, wonderful joy and a gift. And you bring so much realness to your work about being of working business owner and mom. And I think it's so important to remind ourselves, even, even as we're sitting at home right now and no one can see us that behind the scenes, there are so many things that we have that aren't just Leah, the business owner, the consultant, the mentor, you're a mom, you like word origins, you know, it's so cool to know. So also you, on top of your resume here, you are the host of your own podcast called smart gets paid, which I listened to. But I have a question for you. What is your favorite podcast to ban?
Leah (11:32):
Mm, just sort of building on what I just shared about myself and my history, nerd ness. My favorite bingeable podcast right now is cause I don't listen to a ton of business podcasts that might surprise you guys. If you're listening to this, I don't, I'm steeped in business all the time. And so my, my, when I listen to podcasts it's to achieve something else it's to like sort of create my own little cocoon. Right. and so in that cocoon, when I'm taking a break from work, I don't want more work. So my favorite, I have two favorite bingeable podcasts right now. The first is the Bowery boys podcast, which is the history of New York city told by these two guys who have just this great rapport. And they tell these incredible stories about things, you know, throughout the city, whether it's like a place or an neighborhood or even a food or drink. So that's the Bowery boys podcast and being, you know, that I live in Brooklyn, that just feels really sort of special to me to learn about that.
Erin (12:31):
The Bowery boys.
Leah (12:33):
Yeah. The Bowery boys podcast. The second bingeable podcasts that I've been listening to is called not your average runner. It's by a friend of mine. Who's also a business owner named Jill Angie. And she is a, her whole thing is like running for women who just don't consider themselves super athletic, you know, maybe because they are plus size women or maybe because they've just never been into sports or whatever. But so not your average runner is about that. And so it's about running, but it's actually like about so much more mindset confidence and all of that. And even though I've considered myself, like, you know, I did sports as a kid, I've been, I've done triathlons I've I am fairly active. I really right now coming out of the pandemic, especially like I need, it's the mindset piece really for me right now. And so that's why I've been so into Jill's podcasts, then not your average runner podcasts.
Erin (13:29):
Oh, I love it. I also listened to an episode of your show where I think you had something going on, maybe this was like an earlier episode or something. And I remember you did a run with your Peloton app and your whole, you know, you're telling your audience that it's all about getting outside and stepping outside, stepping away. And I think that's just so important too, is to step away from all of the things that we are. So stepping away from the Leah, that is the mom, the business owner that you're stepping away with podcasts to step away from the world that you're constantly into, I think is really cool. And I love that. And not your average runner I'm going to take.
Leah (14:10):
Yeah. I think the one that you're talking about is I found myself in just a, sort of a horrible mood. And you know, I think we also to know that running and movement and getting outside and all that stuff is like, you know, good for your mind on some level. But like when I went on this run, it was a total like bad mood eraser, literally 30 minutes from like horrible mood to just like feeling on top of the world. So I've never seen it or experienced it, acting like that was like fast acting mood change right there.
Erin (14:37):
Mm. I love that. I love that. And I, I want to kind of transition this into something that I think our audience here will relate to on a real deep level, everybody's feeling this burnout, this mood, this overwork, we've got a lot of people listening who are in HR talent, dev who are the heartbeat of the organization. We've got recruiters trying to find people and not enough people to hire and people resigning the great resignation. We have so much going on that that really resignates on any level for anybody listening. Take that time for you. And I, I want to ask you kind of feared off question and the same wine, but you started in corporate marketing. I know that. And then you left to start smart gets paid. So what for you, what's the calling to create smart gets paid. What was it that you were in corporate? Cause I have the same story. A lot of people have the same story. You start in corporate and then you go off and you do your own thing. What was that? What called you to do that?
Leah (15:43):
Well, you know, to say, it's true. I got my start in corporate marketing and I do now runs markets paid, but I actually left corporate in 2010 to do something totally different. So there was a lot of sort of twists and turns that brought me to what I'm doing now. So when I first left corporate marketing, I actually left to travel the world for a year. So cool. Yeah. I mean, it was like this trip of a lifetime, you know, we'd like saved up money and we were planning to do this whole year on the world and a few weeks in, and we were like, this is not fun. Like the backpacking nature of it. Right. You know, going from city to city, not really experiencing anywhere. So somewhere between like, I don't know, Nicaragua and Panama, we decided to slow it down and started a business that would allow us to live anywhere.
Leah (16:31):
That's how my first actual consulting business started and marketing and website design firm. So we ran that for a little bit and came back to the states to get clients. And that's when I really sort of panicked because even though I had had this long career in corporate marketing, I didn't actually know how to sell. And so that's how I ended up teaching myself to actually sell cause marketing, you know, big, first realization marketing is not selling, right. So I ran this business for a while. My business partner, I also created an organization called lesbians who tech, which is designed to help LGBTQ women and allies get into technology and grow their careers. And I still, you know, I was, I was selling clients. I was getting sponsorships, all of that. And when I left all of that and, and started working with a actually I started working with a woman, who's a consultant and a speaker to help sort of revitalize her business.
Leah (17:28):
I took all the skills that I learned running my own businesses and brought it to hers. And when we, we doubled her sales in the first year and then doubled again in the next year. And I realized, okay, I think I've got something here. And I bet that other women could benefit from this. Right. Because if there is even a fraction of, you know, as uncomfortable as I was selling then they could benefit from what I'm teaching, you know, to, to actually learn how to get clients. And that's how I started what became some markets paid, right? The coaching and the programs. So I guess to really answer your question, there were two colleagues, right? The first calling was like the one that got me out of corporate. And how did I know it was the right time? I mean, I think it was a combination of, I was just ready and unfortunately like a lot of people, I experienced a loss to someone for someone close to me.
Leah (18:19):
And, and so, you know, that sort of thing teaches you. Like, you start to think about what am I doing here and how am I spending my life and how am I spending my days. So that was the first calling that got me out of corporate. And then the one that got me to, you know, really share what I know with, in my mind as many I'm trying to do it as many share with as many women as possible is really that realization that I sort of looked back and I thought, wow, something that used to be so hard for me is actually coming pretty easily now and I'm being successful at it. And I have a really good close rate and I'm making money. And now it's time for me to share that with other people.
Erin (18:56):
I love that. I never knew that in between. I love this story. And I think it's something that a lot of people are really relating to on a deep level right now, coming out at well, still in the pandemic, but after the year and a half, that we've all been through really. Re-Evaluating what it is that life and success means to you. And you took it and decided I want to help other women do the things that I've helped somebody else do. And I know I can do this. So that's why you're the perfect guest for today because I wanted to have you on the show to talk to our improvement family about the power of networking. And now you teach women how to sell, but you teach women how to do it in a way that is meaningful. That creates connection, that deepens relationships and you within your smart gets paid lineup, have a course called pack your pipeline, which is all about using the power of the platform, LinkedIn, to be a networking tool, to create conversation, to generate leads.
Erin (20:09):
But I want to talk today about how our audience can take those concepts and apply it to creating connection with like-minded leaders in the same space that they're in. So we've got, like I said, a lot of HR leaders, a lot of talent dev, how can or let me ask this first, when did you start using LinkedIn as a networking tool? And then can you tell our audience some of your biggest wins? And then I want to use that to talk to our audience today about how they can use it to, to win for themselves. So what, when do you start using, and then what are some of your biggest wins?
Leah (20:50):
Yeah, so, I mean, I think like a lot of people who are listening I've, I've been on LinkedIn forever, right? Probably since my first job, but I've only been truly using it as a tool to build a network and you know, using it with intention probably for like three or four years now. I honestly think if I had to go back and tell my younger self to, you know, give them some advice, I'd probably say start building a network earlier, start using LinkedIn earlier, because we've just been told that it's sort of set it and forget it thing. You know, you have your resume, you, you know, collect some people pretty much everyone you've ever encountered professionally, but that doesn't really mean that it, it works for you to build a network, not even for business, but just a network that feels good and sort of supports you.
Leah (21:40):
So when I started using LinkedIn I think, you know, some of the biggest wins that I've seen are, well, first for me and my business, it's how people find out about me. It's how clients come to me. And, you know, it's certainly the number one way that people, people find out about me, but you know, other in other aspects, it's just a good way to help other people. A lot of people have found me on pod for podcasts and I've been invited to be on podcasts because of people seeing what, I'm, what I'm putting out there, seeing what I'm talking about. And I guess the last one is like, I've really just found my voice. I know that there are so many people out there who don't even realize that they have something to say, and don't even believe that what they have to say is worthwhile or why should anybody care. And so that's been, you know, fundamentally I'd say the biggest win for me and the people that I work with, the women I work with, because when you can realize that, wow, you know, I actually have somebody, I have something to say and people want to hear it. And it makes a difference and it matters. I mean, that's the biggest win that trickles into every other part of your business and your life.
Erin (22:58):
And I think that is such a conversation starter because I know from talking to members of the improvement family, that a lot of people want to take that risk. They want to step out of their comfort zone and write a post or write a blog or asked to speak at an event. And they just don't think that they're ready or they have a fear of failure, or they have this fear of why me I'm, I'm not supposed to do that. That's somebody else. But I really, I think it would be cool, but that fear, that, that trepidation of getting comfortable with that uncomfortable, I think really stops a lot of people. So I think it's a huge win for you. And I think the, the advice that I know that you're going to give our, our improvement family today is just going to help propel and really just mitigate some of those fears.
Erin (23:51):
I had them too, especially on LinkedIn, because I remember before I took pack your pipeline, I was truly afraid of using my voice in fear of it wouldn't sound professional enough in fear of that, something I said might not resignate with a leader who I wanted to work with. And then I got really comfortable using that voice and continuing to do so. And that I think has made me more confident in every aspect of my life. So when you are thinking about the people who make up our audience, then prove it, family. If somebody here isn't using LinkedIn to sell, but rather to grow and expand their personal brand and their network, what is one piece of advice that you would give them to get started? How, if they've never typed a sentence on post on LinkedIn before what's one piece of advice that you would give them to start. Yeah.
Leah (24:54):
Well, so before I even say that, you know, I also want to just acknowledge that if you are working in a company, you know, you have to consider, or the mindset things may be at work, just like you said, Erin, about like, you know, who am I to say this? And it's not going to be perfect or it's for somebody else. And additionally, I just want to call out that there may be limitations or perceived limitations on what your employer allows, right? You're going to somebody off or you're going to speak above your place or position, or, you know, something like that. Or you may be out of compliance with social media rules, if that's, you know, if that's something that your, that your company has. And so I just want to acknowledge, like, it's not as easy probably for, for you, if you're in a big company to just like, get on LinkedIn and post some stuff.
Leah (25:41):
But I think within those guidelines, if those guidelines are at play for you, there's still so much, you can say. So the first thing that I would offer is that you can take up space. Linkedin is a platform for everybody, and everyone gets just as much space on here. So even though you might see people who have a lot of followers or they get a lot of likes or comments or whatever, it's so easy to look at them and say, well, they can say something, but I can't. But the truth is that you have just as much right. To take up space on that platform as anyone else, anybody who has more followers or maybe has a bigger title than you. It doesn't matter. This is for everybody. I say, that's the first thing I would say that that mindset shift
Erin (26:37):
I'm like nodding typing notes. I'm like, yes, give me more, keep going, keep going.
Leah (26:41):
The next thing I would say is for anybody who is listening to, you know what Aaron and I are saying and thinking, all right, well, that's fine. But like, what do I, what would I even say? I have nothing really all that great to say. And it, you know, I heard this from somebody recently, who is the chief technology officer of a software company who has a long career in technology. Who's doing such innovative stuff and who commands a team of like 25 people. And she too was like, well, what would I even say? So this is something that plagues people at every level, at every degree of seniority. So you're not alone. If you're feeling this way, what is it? Each one of my students is, if you have an opinion, then you have a post. And I know you've got some opinions. So if you read something on online and you think about it in a certain way, if you see a problem in your industry that needs to be addressed, or that is, you know, sending people in the wrong direction. If you hear some guidance from somebody else that you think isn't right, you know, that's a great place to start because if you have an opinion, then you have something to say
Erin (27:55):
Hey man, Hey man, okay, this is not church, but I needed to give one of those. That is honestly, I want to, I want to just quote a couple of things that you just said. So first and foremost, you can take up space, Leah. Yes. Yes. And I do think too, if you have an opinion, you have a post. So many people I know, I know who listened to this show are afraid to use that voice or afraid to take up space. And they know who I'm talking to. I am saying right now, what Leah's saying to you is to go after whatever it is that you want to say and put it out there, whether it's a poem, whether it's a a conversation that you've overheard and you would like to recreate commentary around that on LinkedIn, whether it's like you said, you've read something and you want to create an opinion piece on it.
Erin (29:00):
It's so important because that, that using our voice allows other people to connect and create with us, which is a big, big problem that we're all having right now. And this new era of work where we're working from home or not in the office, we're not able to attend as many networking events as we used to go to in person. When we do do networking virtually it's, it's a little stifled. It feels different than it would if we were in the room with people. So I want to talk about this connection and thank you for those. Cause there's so stinking. Good. What are three must haves that if you want to create
Leah (29:41):
That connects on LinkedIn, that you must do what are three must haves that you must do if you want to create content that connects. Yeah. Well, and I just want to call out, you know, the way you're describing this content content that connects, that's really what we're talking about here. I think a lot of people, so before you even write anything or post anything, a lot of people, and if you're listening to this, you might feel this way too. Well, people are going to think I'm being braggy or being salesy or, or something. You know, they're gonna think I have some sort of ulterior motive. But if you say, if you go into it with a mindset of, I'm not trying to sell anything, I'm not trying to convince anybody. I'm not trying to brag. And just, I'm just trying to connect. Like if you take all the other stuff off the table, I'm just posting to connect with, with some people who might read this, it actually makes it a lot more comfortable.
Leah (30:34):
Right? We do this a little bit in, when I work with women and I teach them how to sell in my program signed, you know, we go into, when you go into sales conversations and you take money off the table, for example, it allows you to have a really nice conversation with a potential client. So same thing with LinkedIn and posting. So if you just take all your stuff off the table and say, I'm here to connect, I'm here to connect. Then you can write great content that actually does that. It educates, maybe it sparks an opinion and it connects with people on the other side of the screen. So three must haves that that can help you create content and yes, for LinkedIn, but also in other areas too. But LinkedIn is just seems to be it's the easiest one to get started.
Leah (31:20):
So I want to share one app, one strategy, and one mindset shifts, love it ready. And these are all things that are totally free and you have available right now. So the first app is just a note taking app. A lot of times when you sit down to write something, it can feel like you're staring at a blank proverbial sheet of paper, and you might not know what to say, but the truth is that throughout your day, throughout your week, you have little insights, little opinions, you know, little flashes that would make for great content. They just happen to not be there at the moment when you're sitting down to write content. So just keep an, a note taking app open on your phone or on your desktop, and just literally write it down. I know Aaron, this is not like groundbreaking technological stuff, but like, if you can capture your flashes of insight, then you'll, you'll never want for an idea.
Leah (32:20):
When you sit down to write something, you'll always have a treasure trove of, of insights that have already come to you. So that's the first, the first app, the strategy is just be yourself. You know, I think that on LinkedIn, everybody feels they have to be super professional. They have to be very buttoned up. They have to use corporate speak corporate language when the truth is that everybody wants to connect on a, on a personal level, even in this place that we think should be professional, you know, air quotes, professional. So when you write for LinkedIn, just be yourself, you don't, you literally do not have to be any other way, but yourself. And when you can write and show up just as you are, that's how you start to create content that really does connect with other people and the mindset shifts. So we've done one app, one strategy, and one mindset shift.
Leah (33:22):
Well, I kind of already teed it up already, but take up space. You can take up as much space as you want, and this is a platform for you. Not for anybody, you know, not only for anybody else, it's kind of like, you know, when you, when we had networking events right in person, and you might have walked in and felt like, well, everybody else must feel so comfortable here. And I'm the only one that feels uncomfortable at this networking event. That's how a lot of people feel only did too. So if you, if we're all over in our little corners, feeling uncomfortable, then nobody can connect, take a step forward, take up space and be the first one to show up and say, this is, here's an opinion I have here. Something I read. That was interesting. And I know that other people are going to be drawn to that.
Erin (34:15):
Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay. First of all, I just want to dissect this really quick because I love the, the note taking app is not, it doesn't, like you said, it's not rocket science, but it is so important. And I remember you teaching this and I've always had that same mindset thinking through things as how can this, how can this story helps somebody else too? I love that because I will remember, I will never forget this in the middle of the pandemic. I was in my Chicago condo, like right when it started. And I was just watching our business plummet overnight. Like I'm taking you through an emotion here, but I mean, we were a completely in person business that had to become completely virtual. And my husband made me a grilled cheese sandwich that day for lunch while I was like on the phone with bank of America, trying to get her pay protection program, blown, like all this stuff, right.
Erin (35:16):
Just stressed to the nines and this grilled cheese sandwich was put on my desk and I started crying. It's going somewhere. I promise. And I thought, oh my gosh, like I feel so taken care of when is the last time I've ever, he's ever, first of all, when has he ever made me a grilled cheese sandwich? And second of all, like this grilled cheese sandwich just brought me so much comfort. It's a comfort food. It brought me so much joy. And the fact that my husband was home to bring me this grilled cheese sandwich means that I got to see him during the day and that I am loved. Right? Like I feel taken care of right now in this moment where I feel like everything I have is being stripped away from me. And I never forget you giving me this idea of like keeping a notepad available, pulled up the notes section in my phone, put grilled cheese sandwich.
Erin (36:04):
That was one of my highest ranking posts, because I wrote about the comfort of finding comfort in the people that we are stuck at home with how that grilled cheese sandwich was symbolic of just the comfort that I felt and the community of people surrounding our business and the, the love that we wanted to share with other people. And I would have lost that in that moment if I didn't write down grilled cheese sandwich. So I would just want to say that does it is, it is not rocket science, but it does create content so
Leah (36:39):
Well, I'm a maniacal note taker. I like try to get things out of my head as fast as possible and put them somewhere. And I also use a to-do list as like a note taking thing. Everything I do is in a to-do list. You should see my Assana the project management system. I do like, it just captures every single thought I have, which is so not how you're supposed to do it, but that's where I keep all my ideas. And so it's so helpful that I can scroll down and be like, you know, something like grilled cheese sandwich. Right. I'm sure it has something, you know, that was like a moment that was sort of emotional. And I, I never want for content, you know? And, and there are even things that I see from months or years ago, right. That I might not write about until next week, but I, at least I'm never staring it at a blank sheet of paper. And even if you're not ready to like dive into LinkedIn, start capturing these little flashes of insight in a note taking app, or like me, if you're fanatic about to do lists you like checking things off, keep it there. But even if it's only to prove to yourself that you have something to say, that's a good first step.
Erin (37:56):
Yes. And even like you said, if we're not, if you're listening today and you're thinking, well, I'm not really ready to show up on LinkedIn. This content is Liam mentioned can show up in so many ways, your next presentation at work, we all love a great compelling story. To start off a presentation. It can show up in a conversation that you're having with higher ups later that day that helps propel a situation forward. It can help motivate your team. So even if you're not listening today and you're thinking, oh, I'm not, I'm not ready to post on LinkedIn. Hopefully this will guide you in other areas too. But I also love what you said. So be yourself, you don't have to be buttoned up. I really think that 20, 20 and 2021 of it allowed people to feel like they can show up as their true selves and this mindset shift of taking up space, Leah. Yes.
Leah (38:52):
Just really quick on the, on the being yourself. You're totally right. If this past year and a half has, has taught us anything or shown us anything, it's that life's too short to pretend to be anything that, you know, besides who you actually are this year or I up [inaudible] for example, I went great. I stopped dying my hair. I went gray, which is a journey that I Chronicles very publicly on LinkedIn and on my newsletter at I'm not going to, without going into all the gory details, I basically in the process of going gray, I also had to go blonde because I had to like strip out all the colors. So the first time in my life I've ever been blonde, but where I'm going with this is you guys. I have, I have written posts about pricing or my sales mindset. I've written posts about sales conversations and proposals, and you know, all of, so much stuff about selling that, you know, hopefully I know that that content has resonated, but the, what I was sharing about going gray, I got to tell you got the most engagement.
Leah (40:01):
It resonated with the most people, peop women wrote to me personally and saying how grateful they are that somebody was talking about this, you know what? It was, what it was like to go gray as a business owner. And if I had sat there being like, well, it's not super profesh or it's not buttoned up for LinkedIn, then I would have not only would I have lost that opportunity to connect with people on the topic that was very personal to me at the time I would have lost the opportunity for other people or other people would have lost the opportunity to feel seen as well. And so anytime I think to myself, can I really be this personal, you know, here and there, I think back to the growing gray stuff. And I think that I needed it and people needed it as well.
Erin (40:49):
I love that. And I loved that post that you made. I remember reading it and it re it just resignates. It just reminds us that we're all human doing work. We're all human beings that show up to work. And LinkedIn is the platform where we socially connect at work or for work. And it's such a reminder that the more human that we show, the more people can relate. And I love, I love that you shared that too. And I will say you look great. Okay. You look great.
Leah (41:23):
Thank you. So I sound like a warm washcloth and I look
Erin (41:31):
It's no, you don't sound like the worm with your, the feeling of a spa with a warm washcloth, which is like a warm and fuzzy calming effect, which I really love. I really do. I'm like, Leah, I need that. I'm like the opposite of that. So I feel it's good. So let me ask you this. So this is, this is a fun question. I don't know the answer to, have you ever tried to improv ever?
Leah (42:00):
No. And can I tell you that my program specialist, Mandy does improv that's
Erin (42:06):
Right. That's
Leah (42:07):
Right. And she has been yelling at me to do it because she knows how actually uptight I am. And she's like, you need to do some improv so that you can relax in the uncertainty. See, my tendency is that I'm not,
Erin (42:25):
This is funny because the way that this is a funny moment for me, Leah, because I know you and I feel like right now, like the way that you like, you know, the warm washcloth of Leah makes me feel like you're not uptight. And so like, that's where I'm like, this is funny. And then people who listened to me think, wow, she's crazy. And she must have zero, like type a, and I'm like the most, so, okay. This is interesting. I did not know this, but I, but I, the vibe I feel from you is like, you are relaxed. So this is good to know. Let me ask you this last question, Leah. We say it improve it. That you're okay. Can mean so many different things, but to us, it's that thing that you are feel like you were put here to do the thing that you're called to do. So what is Leah's?
Leah (43:20):
Mm, I think that's the thing I was called here to do is to make life better and more profitable and easier for women business owners. I've always felt this sense that if you solve a problem for yourself, you're likely solving it for somebody else as well. My very, very, very first business, which I don't talk about very often is a business called the chain link, which is a Chicago, a cycling community. And I started it because I felt really, I love cycling and in a city of so many cyclists, but I felt really alone. I couldn't find anyone to ride with. So I started this website in this community and, you know, just so that I could find people to ride with and it totally exploded and blew up because I, I realized when you solve a problem for yourself, you're likely solving it for somebody else. So now that I know how to do the selling thing, right? I know how to lead a sales process, charging get paid a lot more. I, I feel a tremendous responsibility to teach other women. How do you have as well? Because I just don't think anyone should have to struggle the way I did early in my,
Erin (44:36):
And you do it so well. And you make it look easy. We are lucky that we have you at the here and add improvement on the internal team. We are very lucky. We have Leah. So Leah, if anybody listening here today wants to connect to see your content, to engage with you. How can they find you?
Leah (44:55):
Well, a couple of ways. So first, if you are listening to this podcast, that probably means you're a podcast person. And I want to invite you to check out my podcast, which is the smart gets paid podcast on apple podcast, or anywhere that you enjoy podcasts. Of course, connect with me on LinkedIn. It's where I'm posting tips and strategies and other little tidbits several times a week. And then of course my website at smart gets paid.
Erin (45:22):
Yes. And we're going to link to all those in the show notes. So I have to say Leah, that you're the link that is connecting us at all, That you see that I might've, you know, improvisation, but you're a powerful voice to, to myself, to women everywhere, especially the improve it team. So thank you for all that you do for who you are and for sharing your voice with the improvement family today and helping us all just connect in this new environment. Thank you, Leah.
Leah (45:54):
Thank you. It's been such a pleasure to work with you and your team, and thanks so much for having me here.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
[Inaudible]
Erin (46:07):
Oh, okay. What a show? What a gal, what a time to be alive. Literally. I feel like our world is constantly changing and we're having to evolve. And if today was any indication to you that you should be taking up space and using your voice, then I don't know what is, let me recap really quick. The three must haves. If you want to create content that connects on LinkedIn, Leah tells us an app, a note taking app, have that on the ready. I'm going to give you two that I love. One is just the note section of my phone on an apple iPhone. The next is an app called Evernote, which is a really fantastic app. We are not sponsored by them. So I don't even, I don't even know how to get in touch with them. All I'm telling you is I've used this yet.
Erin (46:56):
This habit, this app, I've yapped on this app for years. But you can create notebooks and pages within those notebooks. You can start off using it for free. I've been using the free version for years, but Evernote is a great note taking app for you to just write down those little flashes of insight. Like, am I grilled cheese? We talked about in the show, the strategy that I want you to take forward when you think of creating content is to be yourself, be your self. If this past year and a half has really taught us anything, it's that it is so much harder to be somebody else. It's so easy to show up as you. So do that and do that and feel free about it. We want to hear your voice because that leads into the third thing that Leah tells us, that mindset shift, which is take up space.
Erin (47:49):
You have a voice, you have an opinion share that the world needs that I'm always telling you this, the world needs that. So remember these three takeaways from this great conversation with Leah, grab your freebie, our hybrid hype downloadable PDF. If you want some more insight on how to lead your teams, connect with Leah online. And if you have a question or comment on today's show, leave us a message on our SpeakPipe link on our website. I really do want to hear from you. I want to hear what you're loving, what you want, improving upon pun intended, how we can improve it. I want to hear from you. So leave us a message. If you have a question and you want us to put content out there for you, that's the way to do it. So my improvement family, thanks for chiming in this week.
Erin (48:43):
Thanks for being a part of this improvement fam, thanks for growing and failing and trying and improving. And thanks for being you because as you know, the world needs that special. It that only you can bring, I'll see you back here next week, big hugs and lots of love. Hey friends, thanks for tuning in to improve it. I am so happy you're along for the ride. If you enjoyed this show, head on over to iTunes to leave us a five star review and subscribe to the show. So you never miss an episode. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Now, if you're really feeling today's show and you've improved it even just a little bit, please take a screenshot and tag me at keeping it real deal on Instagram and share it in your stories. I'll see you next week, but I want to leave you with this thought, what did you improve today and how will that help your future successful self? Think about it. I am rooting for you and the world needs that special. It that only you can bring. See ya next Time.