Renee Carbone Fleming: The Watch Me Method for Women Entrepreneurs | Visibility, Confidence & Reinvention

“Watch me” hits different when it is no longer a slogan, but the moment you stop asking for permission.

In this episode of Women Like Me Stories & Business, Julie Fairhurst is joined by Renee Carbone Fleming, founder of Bad Ass Queen, for a powerful conversation about reinvention, visibility, confidence, and choosing yourself when the people around you do not yet understand your vision.

Renee shares how she rebuilt her life after divorce and bankruptcy, and how those experiences shaped the mindset behind her Watch Me Method. Together, Julie and Renee talk about why so many talented women entrepreneurs are hiding in plain sight, the fear that keeps them quiet, and the “approval tax” women often pay when they wait for permission, validation, or consensus before taking action.

This episode explores Renee’s Watch Me Method, including how to withdraw from explanation, act without approval, take up space publicly, commit without consensus, and hold the vision even when no one else can see it yet.

You will also hear practical tools for building confidence, including a daily voice-memo routine, a healthier way to approach sales and persuasion, and how personal branding helps women stand out without pretending to be someone they are not. Renee also shares why AI matters for business growth right now and how entrepreneurs can use it with more intention.

If you are a woman entrepreneur, coach, author, speaker, creator, or business owner who is ready to stop shrinking, start showing up, and lead with your full voice, this conversation is for you.

Subscribe for more conversations about women’s stories, business, healing, reinvention, visibility, authorship, and courageous leadership.

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH RENEE:
https://badassqueen.co
https://www.instagram.com/reneecarbonefleming
https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneecarbonefleming
https://www.facebook.com/thereneecarbonefleming

If this conversation stirred something in you… good. That’s where change begins.

Make sure you’re subscribed, share this with someone who needs it, and if you’re ready to tell your story, step into your voice, or build a life that actually feels like yours… You’re in the right place.

I’m Julie Fairhurst, and this is where stories turn into power.

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Transcript

Welcome And A Bold Promise

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Women Like Me Stories in Business. I'm your host, Julie Fairhurst. And today I'm super excited to tell you that I have Renee Carbone Fleming here with us today. And even in our little conversation before we aired and started recording, I've gotten tips from her. So you guys need to hang on. And throughout this podcast, it's going to be spectacular. So let me tell you a little bit about her and then we're going to dive in. So Renee Carbone Fleming is the founder of Bad Ass Queen, personal branding and media agency, visibility, personal branding expert, author, media personality, empowerment coach, and creator of the watch me method. I can't wait to find out what that's all about. Renee's story is one of those powerful reminders that rock bottom is not the end of your story. Sometimes it is the place where a woman feels that she's finally rising and looks life in the eye and says, Watch me. Ooh, I got shivers. Watch me. Love that. Today we're going to talk about reinvention. We're going to talk about visibility, confidence, personal branding, leadership, and what happens when a woman decides she is done asking for permission to become who she was always meant to be. Renee, thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

You're welcome. I need to like record that intro and like a reminder to me, you know. Oh, yeah. That's really good. In fact, I might use that like walking into every room. Like, yeah.

unknown 1:46

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

That's a good one. I never thought of that. Okay, Renee, let's start with two, the two powerful words, the ones that gave me a shiver. Watch me. What was happening in your life when that became more than just a phrase, when it became a decision?

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Absolutely. So I

When “Watch Me” Became A Decision

SPEAKER_01 2:05

started my entrepreneurial division, uh division, my entrepreneurial arm with post-divorce, and I was over the age of 40. So I needed to reinvent myself. At the time I had, you know, 17-year marriage that ended. My children were 12 and 9. And I was like, okay, what's next? I was staying at home. And, you know, there were a lot of people, and you know, not I not to speak ill of my ex, but a lot of people, including him, that didn't think that I could survive without him. I couldn't tie my shoes without him. And so that whole, I'm a stubborn Sicilian, Portuguese, and I have that, you don't think I can? Watch me. And so that just became like, I just don't want people to doubt me. So I started writing watch me on post-it notes and put it all over my office, my car, my bathroom mirror, anywhere that I needed, I needed that reminder because I could either crawl into a ball and you know, literally ball my eyes out, or make the decision to go, I'm gonna go build something. And if you don't think I can, and there was a lot of people in my world that didn't think I can, but I know I've got, I know I can bet on me, right? So I that's why I had that watch me. And then over the years, so that that catapulted me, like that grit and tenacity and that fuel became the foundation and the philosophy of me building multiple streams of income with that watch me. So that without knowing it then, I recognize now that Watch Me, that Watch was an acronym, and it really stands for withdraw from explanation. A is to act without approval, T is to take up space publicly, C is to commit without consensus, and H is hold the vision when no one else does.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Wow. And I am gonna, I'm sorry, when we're done, I'm writing watch me on all my sticky notes.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Fantastic. Fantastic. Thank you. And I and I wrote a book and I published uh I published a book, Watch Me, on Amazon, you know, the business philosophy, because this really is whether or not you're an entrepreneur or you work, you know, a corporate job. There's so many people in our lives, and especially, you know, I my audience is typically women over 40, but lately I've been having so many conversations and the importance of us teaching the younger generation and teaching them because sometimes they go into this world and their next stage with those rose-colored glasses. I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this. And they need the reminder, they need to know that it's not all roses, there's gonna be a lot of shit thrown your way. But if you believe in what you're doing and you're doing it for the right reasons, watch me.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

Just continue to do it. Yeah, love that it's a very powerful statement, it really is powerful. Thank you. I hope you all start putting it everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

Watch me, and everyone that puts it everywhere, tag me. I want to repost you. I will absolutely, yes, yes, perfect.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

All right, post-it note, yeah. So you didn't start there, you experienced bankruptcy, the end of a marriage, and you had to rebuild from scratch. So, how did you do that?

SPEAKER_01 5:36

I had to put my big girl pants on. So, yes,

Rebuilding From Scratch After Rock Bottom

SPEAKER_01 5:39

you know, I came from very, you know, small means growing up. And so the philosophy in the family was you know, you go to work, you get a job, maybe become a secretary if you're lucky, and then you know, you die a slow death. So college wasn't in the cards for me for our family. My biological father had committed suicide when I was a child. Oh, I'm so and so thank you. And so my mom, yeah, she remarried my dad. I call him my dad, right? But I was 10 when they were re when she got remarried. So, you know, I've known him obviously all my life, but I moved out at the age of 17. And, you know, I always had to rely on myself, and I knew from a very early stage that I wanted more. So because I was always that big dreamer, I mean, I remember in elementary school, I would write my name on a piece of paper, like you know, when you're supposed to watch the movie, right? I would write my name on a piece of paper as if it was a desk temp plate that you put on your on your office. Like I always had that in me that I was gonna do something, never knew really what it was. So then, you know, I was successful in a career because of my grittened determination, you know, outside of having a college education. But when my children, you know, when they were born, when we decided I was gonna leave corporate world and be a stay-at-home mom, that was my I wanted to, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I wanted to be present, but then I found over time I started losing my value. And, you know, I I didn't have anything, I felt like I wasn't bringing anything to the table. And I was being seen as somebody with without value. And so when the marriage ended, you know, I had to figure out what is this next, what is this gonna look like? I mean, child support's not a life plan. So my again, my children were 12 and 9 at the time, and my youngest daughter was a competitive dancer filled with Swarovski crystals. Now, as you can tell by me, I love bling, I love fancy, I love, you know, bougie as hell. Yeah, but and the whole bold badass, right? So I found I was helping because I was, you know, justifying my existence as a stay-at-home mom, I used to sign up for every I volunteered for everything that my children's school needed, extra curricula needed, anything I could do to make me feel like I was contributing. And part of that dance, you know, we were always doing like fundraising and I was helping the school come up with ideas. So as I was doing some research as far as what kind of companies can, you know, support us in those efforts, I found that Swarovsky had an entrepreneurial arm. I know. And so I was intrigued. So I, you know, long story short, contacted the woman. Eventually, I decided, you know what, I'm gonna, I'm gonna join and I'm going to fundraise and help other moms offset the costs for a competitive dance. Fast forward, I built a multi-million dollar sales organization. I traveled the world, free incentive trips, did the whole thing. Great. And I'm only saying that because it and I don't want to diminish it, like what an experience. It changed my life, it changed the trajectory. But that was the whole watch me, especially, you know, network marketing gets sometimes a bad rap.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

You know, direct sales and network market. Oh, that's sleazy, and what are you doing? And that's not who I am, and that's not how I built it, and that's not why it was sustained over that, you know, course of well over a decade. And then so that's how I built it with the whole watch me, that's how it started. And then it just went into, I mean, I can go into everything that I did and what I have. It's just, you know, it evolves and we change and grow, and our interests change, and you know, that's why I'm really passionate about helping, especially women over 40 and over 50, like know that it's okay. You can pivot, you can learn new tools, you can you know, explore something.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

So I think we have so much wisdom over 40, 50 into our 60s, 70s. We're just 80s. I I have a lady that I did a podcast with, she's she's written a book and she's doing all this stuff for for mature ladies, and and she's vibrant and you know, excited about life, and it's not the way it was when our parents were our age, right? Yeah, so what about visibility? Why do you believe so many talented, brilliant women are hiding in plain sight?

SPEAKER_01 10:28

Fear, fear is a big thing, right? Like what are people going to think? Oh my gosh, if

Visibility As A Business Advantage

SPEAKER_01 10:35

I put it out there that I'm going to create a podcast, what are they going to think? Right. And especially our family and friends, it's really, you know, it's I can't say crazy. Everyone has their perspective. But, you know, oftentimes we think that our closest relationships are going to be the ones that support us the most.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

No.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

And that's not true. That's not true. It's not true. And so I think that fear of what of what is our family and friends going to think, yeah, right? Because they know us. So they don't see us as this, you know, oh, she's on social media and she's influencing or she's podcasting or she's whatever. So that fear is what holds us back. But visibility is one of the strongest tools and assets that we have. When we oftentimes we say the smartest person, the most brilliant coach, those are the people that are getting like washed, you know, stepped behind. The ones that are visible are going to be the ones that get the jobs, that get the clients, that get the sales.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

And I'm not saying that we have to be visible, like share our entire life story. So many people, you know, really despise social media, and that's understandable. It's a love-hate relationship. Yes, it is. But it is leverage and it does help the visibility, like we do podcasts, right? We talk about connecting with other people and sharing our stories and sharing our journeys. That's all visibility. And when we can be authentic and share that, people will get to like, know, and trust you. And if they like, know, and trust you over time, they may do business with you, they may, you know, a tip from you that can change their day or their life, you know? Yes, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

What you use the phrase approval tax. So, what does that mean? And and what is is being in business? Is being in business costing women, or is it not being in business that's costing us? I don't know.

The Approval Tax And Who To Ignore

SPEAKER_01 12:42

What's costing us is the need for approval from others. Got it. That's the tax that we put on ourselves, and that's why that whole watch me, like, we don't need act before approval. If we ask, for instance, if I ask my closest family and friends, what do you think about me trademarking and building badass queen wine? They're going to think she's batshit crazy.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

That's exactly what they're gonna think, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:14

And two, they're gonna be like, go get a job in this economy, in this world. How do you think you can build, right? Yeah, and me, I'm like, watch me. I am building badass queen wine that is launching most likely for Labor Day. Wow. Because why not? Why not? Right, why not? I've got one freaking life to live, and I'm going to live it beyond its fullest without apology, yeah, being unapologetic, right? But being authentic to who I am and who he has meant me to be. He's going to bring me to where I'm trying, I'm trying to live the life that I'm meant to live. Yes. And if I ask the people right around me who are more conservative, right, no offense to them. That's great. That no, they are who they are. But if they're a more conservative group of people that, you know, go to work, get the pension, put in the social security, like do the things, and I'm not built that way, they may want to persuade me accidentally or you know, to be forsake you, you know, because they're concerned. Yes. But they don't, they don't have the same mindset. So we have to ensure that we find the people who have the mindset and help us get to where we're meant to be. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

I think as well, we have to be because there are certainly people that love us and care about us and they want to to, they're worried about our future. But I think there's also that group that you're pulling away. Yeah. Yes. You're no longer, we're no longer jiving. So you're starting to pull away and and they're not comfortable with that for whatever reason. And so I think that I I agree with you a hundred percent. We need to find our tribe, we need to find other women and men, but but women to support us in and and lift us up and and watch us and and raw us on because they're out there, they're out there, and that's the thing with relationships and with growing and with changing.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Not everybody is meant to be in your story for a lifetime. Sometimes it's you know, for a season. It's it's sometimes sad, you know. Oftentimes it's sad when you see somebody else pull away. You're when you know that authentically you're the same person, you're just choosing a new or a different path. Yeah, but that's on them. And like Mel Robin says, let them right. That's that's on you. If if I'm not your cup of tea, that's okay. I drink coffee, I'm good.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Exactly. Well, your watch me method has five principles. Can you walk us through them and explain how women can begin using them right away?

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Yeah, so again, that watch me is withdraw from explanation. We don't need to explain what

The Five Watch Me Principles

SPEAKER_01 16:09

we're doing, why we're doing it, how we're doing it. We just do it. The A is to act before approval. Again, don't speak to or don't ask for approval from people that don't understand where you're going. And then T is take up space publicly. So whether that's, you know, posting on social, doing it scared, right? And that's okay. Be scared doing this. When you have this like agita feeling, you're like, oh, should I do it? That's kind of like the sign, like, yes, you need to do it, right? You need to act on it. And and the publicly is, you know, what rooms can you find yourself in to be connected with those other women? And whether those rooms are podcasts, whether they're, you know, I have like the badass queen TV icon series. So, you know, certain women are invited to be icons. There are, you know, I was, I'm part of, I've been inducted into this bombshell boss babes. And, you know, I mean, that felt really bougie. I was in Miami for a yacht party. It was like oh fun. It was, it was so crazy fun, right? But it's take up be public. I was on the Nasdaq Billboard, so I was posting all about I ran that. I ran that amazing. It was how exciting. Coolest, coolest experience. I was nominated or I was actually awarded Top Empowerment Coach of the Year and invited to be on the Nasdaq Billboard. That was such an experience and such a full circle moment. I brought my oldest daughter with me who has seen all the struggle, who has been with Carrie on, you know, and to share that with her was amazing. But yeah, take up space publicly, like unapologetic, you know, going, I worked my ass off for it. So, you know, I'm gonna share it. I'm proud of myself for the woman that I've that I'm becoming, right? Yes. If you're committed to your goal, yourself, your personal growth, your everything. I mean, that is the commitment that you have to yourself. And then the H is to hold the space, hold the vision when no one else does. It is so, and you know, as entrepreneurs, right? There are so many days where we're like, that's it. I'm done.

unknown 18:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Done, throw it in the towel, right? Why am I doing this? Am I not? Right, but I know, and if we know in our heart of hearts that that's where we want to be, hold that vision. Yes, yeah, you'll get it there.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Absolutely. So, why do you think women feel such a deep need to explain, justify, soften, and make everybody else comfortable? That's how we were, that's how we were raised in most cases, right?

SPEAKER_01 19:01

That's society. We so there's a couple of ways of looking at that. Sometimes that's the expectation we feel others have on us, or that we perceive we need to be. Also, as women, we're we're nurturers. So we tend, especially, you know, and those that are moms as well can understand we put the kids first, put the husband first, put the house first, put all of that, and we don't put ourselves first. So we tend to, and see how I do this with like my body, we tend to shrink ourselves so that we don't offend others or we don't take over the conversation. You know, I grew up in uh and I grew up in the ages where the family used to say kids should be seen and not heard. Yes, yeah, that stood with me my entire life. So I, you know, it's I had to learn and retrain my brain that no, I am worthy of being heard. And you know what? I got the microphone, I got the freaking story, I'm going to be right. But that's kind of how we've been conditioned. Yeah, so it takes, you know, it takes us building the muscle of showing up, being authentic, and not being, you know, afraid of what somebody else thinks or says.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

Yeah, yes. And it is it's it can be a struggle.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Absolutely. It's not, it's not easy. It took it took me some time to get there. I used to be actually very introverted, which people are often like surprised.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

Yes, yes, and for sure.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

I had to fake it. And people say, you know, don't fake it before you make it. I believe in faking it before you make it. So do I. I believe that we have to think about who we want to become, be that person, even though it might be uncomfortable. But then out, but then we actually end up evolving into that version that we want to be in.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

And I oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

I was just gonna say it's like anything, you have to practice. Yes, yes, you have to practice who you want to be. Absolutely because if you're not that person now, but if you want to be that person over there, you have to practice being that person. You will never be that person.

SPEAKER_01 21:15

Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, and I share with all of my clients there's one, there's a tip that if you don't mind, I'll share with your audience. No, please do that. I've has been such a game changer for me and my clients. Part of my miracle morning, and you probably heard of miracle

A Daily Tool For Real Confidence

SPEAKER_01 21:31

mornings before, and people have different versions of that. But one of the things that I that I did is I wrote down exactly how I want my life to look like a year from now. And you know, often we have vision boards and we manifest and we do all of that, but I wrote down everything like how it's not just you know how much money am I earning, it's how many clients I'm working with, how often am I working, how I'm spending my time, where I'm vacationing, when I'm going up and seeing my kids, like. All of all of the how I want it to live. And I really sat with it and like smelt the ocean and listened to like what it wants to feel like. And that's one thing, and that's great. But then I took the voice memo app on my phone and I recorded myself as if I'm already living it. I get to work X amount of hours. I get to have, I have this many clients, I'm earning this, I'm traveling here, I'm doing this, I like all of the things that I'm doing as if I'm already doing it. Because we know that there's a lot of ish that we go through in our lives. And that could deter us from that ultimate goal. But I listen to that every single morning, part of my miracle morning. And even on the darkest days that I don't want to get out of bed and I don't want to work or whatever the reason is, I listen to that and I'm like, holy, I'm a badass. I'm like, oh my God, like this is like that reminder of how I'm going to live. And when when you start seeing some of those pieces actually come to fruition, it's like, wow, I built this. I am really making this happen. Because when we hear it, it's all connected. Our brain, our voice, our heart, it is all here. And so it's like, wow, this is it is one of the most powerful tools that I have in my in my I love it.

SPEAKER_00 23:31

You know, when I when I'm gonna be doing public speaking, I'll record my speech and then I'll listen back. And yes, I'm going through the day and in my car and just to help blend it into the memory, but I never thought of doing that. I am gonna do that because I know how powerful that must be.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

It really is. It's it's huge, it's an absolute game changer. So as far as you know, a lot of women are like lacking confidence in what they're doing, right? Because of all the reasons that we talked about, that's a huge confidence builder.

SPEAKER_00 24:03

Huge, yeah, yes, yeah. And there's something I think about hearing it in your own voice.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

Absolutely, absolutely, because your brain starts to believe it.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Yeah, yeah. Well, I want to ask you about this because I actually have a background in sales and marketing. I was I retired from that job to do this job, but for 34 years. So I'm really, I want to know this stuff. So you built direct

Leadership And Selling Without Pressure

SPEAKER_00 24:30

sales organization that grew beyond 13 million and led a team of more than 400 people. What did that teach you about leadership, persuasion, and trust?

SPEAKER_01 24:43

It's all relation. I what a time of my life. It really, again, because I came from you know corporate world and the uncertainty of whether or not I can build a business, I wanted to build something that was fun. I mean, fun was really the part of this, right? And so I found and aligned myself with a company that I love the product. And when you love what you're doing and you love what you're wearing, and you're it's easy to share it, right? And so what that helped me learn is that I can lead from the front, I really help other women see themselves in a different light. So many women come into that business with that, with that uncertainty, with the doubt that they can succeed. And for me, it's kind of like raising 400 plus kids. Like when they actually do it, the reward that I received didn't take my money out of it, but the reward in seeing another woman succeed, and if I had a you know, a small fraction of the reason why they did, because of my training or my coaching or me just listening to them, what a feeling. But it's it taught me that there is endless opportunity and possibility when you lead from your heart, when you are authentic to who you are and what your goals are, and without expectation of outcome. And that's a big thing because for a lot of people that are in sales, you know, they're like, I need to earn this, I want to sell this, I need to sell this much money, I need to earn this trip, I need to, so that's the outcome-driven. But I go into all of this with the no expectation of outcome. I'm having conversations, I'm meeting people, I know what I know I have got great things to offer. I am confident in that. So whether it's you selling your brand, you selling your services, or you selling a product, if you are 1000% confident that you love what you have to offer, then it's just having conversations. Somebody's interested in it. Beautiful. You have a solution for them. If they're not, that's okay. Love on you. But what will happen? You remember Maya Angelou, right? Yes, yes. Well, like people will remember how you made them feel, not necessarily what's right. You know, I forget now. I'm gonna like misquote that, but it's a feeling that people get, and that's the whole journey of sales and marketing is how do people feel when they say your name?

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, I my husband and I went and bought some furniture, and this was two weeks ago because we're in the process of renovating our house. And and I always look for a female because I myself was in sales for so long, and I like to try to give females a lift. And oh my goodness, she drove me crazy and so badly that I wanted to ask for a different salesperson. And and so what it was is, and and because and she doesn't know who I am in my background, but I'm sitting there and I'm being sold to, and it's driving me flipping crazy. Nobody likes to be sold to, but what you the way you just explained it, Renee, was beautiful. It's conversations, it's it's knowing that you have something to offer and being of assistance with people. Yeah, and and so I think you know, we run into people like this lovely lady, but but you know, whoa, go away from me because we don't, we as women go, well, I don't want to, oh, I don't want to be a salesperson. Oh my gosh, look at that, look at that bad feeling I had. But in reality, that's not what it is at all, right?

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Exactly. And I turned, you know, there's so many, we all get those DMs, right? Hey girl, like, you know, we got this and that, right? And we we just cringe, and I can't tell you how many of those conversations have turned into clients of mine because there are better ways of doing it, and it's attracting the right people to us. So many times women also say, like you just said it, I'm not a salesperson. Yeah, when actuality is we're all salespeople. Yes, we are. We have to sell our kids on an idea, we have to sell our spouse, our significant other, right? How many people have gone, like, I want to go on vacation to Aruba? I really got to convince my hubby, my significant other, you want to go to Aruba, right? And so he's not leaving little hints here and there, and you know, we're all salespeople, so it's just a matter of you know, earning an extra stream of income, and I'm passionate about multiple streams, earning an extra stream with something that you're passionate about. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

So, how does personal branding change the way you see people or or see yourself referring to people or getting people to refer you, getting people to hire you, or inviting you into the bigger rooms? How do we do that with our personal branding?

SPEAKER_01 29:52

You

Personal Branding That Gets You Noticed

SPEAKER_01 29:53

know, so personal branding, I was talking about personal branding before I even freaking knew what it was. Yeah, I became Spockle Queen. That was my I selling jewelry. I was a sparkle queen. I would when you start sharing authentically and start showing up unapologetically and showing up and showing up consistently, people will remember you again. The whole they'll remember the way you made them feel. So when you do that successfully, that is your personal brand. What is your niche? What is I had to figure out very early on what was going to make me stand out versus the other amazing women that are selling the same thing, and the same holds true whether you're an insurance agent, you're a hairdresser, no matter the industry, right? There's so many people doing it. Why would they go with you? And it's that personal brand. It's what do you do differently? How do you treat your clients differently? Or what is the experience they're gonna have with you that perhaps might be different than somebody else? Without saying, you know, I'm this other, you know, this other people aren't, you know, you're just posturing yourself and speaking for yourself authentically. So that's the personal brand. It's what is your niche? What makes you uniquely you? What are you gonna deliver that somebody else would not deliver? Because we all have different voices, we all have different personalities. And again, I say it all the time. I'm not everyone's cup of tea. I know I'm bold, I know I'm loud, I know I'm badass queen, right? But some women resonate with that, some women want that, right? There's coaches for everyone, and I'm not saying I'm the best coach, I'm the smartest coach, but I know how to build a freaking business and I know how to build multiple streams with the power of personal branding. That helped me get on the stage. I was the sponsor of the Miss America organization. Me, wow, not the company, I know that. Wow, I was on the stage with the CEO, I was on the stage with Miss America teen, you know. Kelly C. Sounds like so much fun, so much fun. Like I've done it crazy because I build my brand and I was not afraid of the no. Worst case scenario, they would say no. Okay, I'm no better, you know. Right now I'm in negotiations with licensing my badass queen. I flew down to Atlanta to talk to manufacturers about licensing. Worst case they do is say no. Yes, exactly. Never know, but personal brand, you've got to make somebody feel something. What do they feel? And hopefully, hopefully that visceral reaction is not ill. Yeah. And it won't be, but it's like you know, what makes you uniquely you? And then it's determining, you know, what that niche is, who your audience is, and then creating the the story behind it. And once you have the story of your personal brand, then it becomes a lot easier sharing content and sharing you.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Yeah, wow. Renee, you are just a a wealth of information, motivation, it like just love it. Love I could just sit here and listen to you all day. Or of course, our time is starting to go on us. I want everyone to know who's who's listening to us that if you go to the show notes, you will find information on how to reach out to Renee. If that's something that you want to do, if you feel the urge, just snoop around in there or you want to chat with her about how she can help you? All of her information is going to be in the show notes. So don't be shy, people, and don't, you know, get out there. Step out of your comfort zone because look at the beautiful things that can happen when you do. Don't quit, quit, quit hiding. Okay, I have another question for you. When you work with women entrepreneurs who are ready to be seen, what are some signs that a woman is actually ready, even if she feels scared?

SPEAKER_01 33:49

That's a great question. So when women come

Knowing You’re Ready And Using AI

SPEAKER_01 33:53

to me, they come to me in different stages of their journey. And for those that are just starting out, oftentimes it's from I can tell that they're ready if they've gone through a life change. That oftentimes is a signal that they're ready for that next chapter. When they've struggled and they come to me with the I've tried that, I've tried so many things, nothing works, and they're kind of at their wit's end. That's when I know that I can help them and I can support them with new strategies and tools and what's working in this AI revolution as well. AI is a hugely important aspect of you know, a tool to build our business. But I recognize that so many people are using AI incorrectly. They're using it as a Google search. And, you know, I have programs and and tools to help women learn AI. And that's a lot of people are, you know, I don't want to use AI. Well, guess what? AI is here, so unless you use it, you're gonna be left behind. So that's right, you know, when women come to me, they I know that they've been through some shit, quite honestly. And those are the women that you know, it just brings me so much joy to help them and guide them through this next chapter because I've been there and I've been through all the shit with them. So it's you know, it's personal for me. And so I know when women are ready to work with me, it's it's personal for them.

SPEAKER_00 35:23

Yeah, that's beautiful. Oh wow. Well, I could just keep talking to you and talking to you and talking to you. Oh, it just yeah, you you're you're very, you know, you're willing to share where you were, and you share where you are without without worrying about telling people where you are, yeah, if that makes sense. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 35:48

You know, you know what? I'm I'm proud. I'm I'm just fucking proud. Like I've gone through a lot, and I share it because I want other women to know that if they're going through shit, they can get out of it too. There are resources, whether or not they work with me, but if they just want to, you know, follow me for inspiration, that's fine, you know. You want to have a conversation without working with, I'm happy to. I there's you know, they the saying rising tide lifts all boats, and it's for sure. And you know, the more women supporting each other, the the more blessings we all receive.

SPEAKER_00 36:21

Absolutely, absolutely. Renee, when women hear your story and your message, what do you hope they finally give themselves permission to do?

SPEAKER_01 36:31

To do it scared. I can be scared and still go. I just wrote a song, that's the title of

Giving Yourself Permission To Do It

SPEAKER_01 36:38

the song. Really? Yeah, so I have two songs that are available on Apple and Spotify, and I also use it for social media, you know, for reels and stuff. But one is Watch Me Rise. Oh, and then that's bold, and then the I can be scared because I want women to give themselves permission to do it scared.

SPEAKER_00 37:00

Yeah, that is that that's great. Yes, permission to do it scared. I love that because yeah, don't you we're we're all scared at one point, and and always, always that fear is somewhat there. So, but you have to do it, or you stay in the same situation and you don't grow and you're and people around you don't flourish. And because I believe that we are the glue, women like me, we are the glue. And when we heal, when we rise, when we do better, everybody around us seems to do better.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

Yes, yes, and it's contagious, it is contagious, yes, and that's why I'm willing, that's why I'm happily sharing success. I share the I share the pain and the trials and the tribulations and all of that, but I share success because I also want women to know that you can be successful, you're gonna go through, I'm gonna fail a zillion times. I'm okay with that. I will share with the world, you know what? Tried this, that didn't freaking work, so I'm gonna do something like that, right? And that's okay, but we have again, we have this one opportunity, this one life, and I'm gonna live it even scared.

SPEAKER_00 38:10

Yeah. Wow, that is a fabulous statement for us to end on. Well, thank you, Renee, for doing this. I appreciate it so much. My the majority of my audience is female, and I know that if they take the time to watch this or listen to us, they are going to get so much,

Final Takeaways And Goodbye

SPEAKER_00 38:31

so much goodness out of this. And so, so I appreciate you so much for being willing to to uh to give us your time and your wisdom. So, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 38:41

Thank you very much for having me and for inviting me to share my journey. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_00 38:46

Okay, everybody. Well, that is it, if you can believe it, for this episode of Women Like Me Stories in Business. And thank you so much for being here and thank you for watching. And we will see you all next time. Take care, everybody. Bye bye. Bye bye.