#43 Strategic Partnerships: Taking Your Platform from Volunteering to Impact

It's time to zoom out and focus on the big picture: What does it actually mean to be the titleholder? Beyond the wardrobe, the prep, and the preliminary jitters lies a powerful opportunity to create real impact and build the foundation for your future career.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The difference between volunteering and partnerships—and why one offers long-term value while the other is often short-term
• A step-by-step guide to developing strategic partnerships that elevate your platform and help you serve with confidence and clarity
• Mindset support for those struggling with imposter syndrome or feeling overwhelmed by the idea of "doing it all"
• How your service initiative can become a professional launchpad from public speaking to job opportunities to resume builders

If you're feeling pressure to be "impressive," this episode will gently remind you: do it because you love it. Your platform doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be intentional and aligned with who you are and why you care.

Chapters

• 0:56 Catching Up and Life Updates
• 4:29 Preparing to Be a Title Holder
• 8:21 Shaping Passion into Purpose
• 13:40 From Volunteer to Strategic Partner
• 22:06 Building Strategic Partnerships
• 32:56 Long-Term Vision Beyond Your Reign
• 43:58 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:28

Hey you guys, welcome back to Sash and Soul. I hope this episode finds you fabulous and thriving. This week I'm pretty good. This week I'm excited we are heading to, actually, you know, as this episode launches, we will be in Virginia Beach visiting my mom and my stepdad, and looking forward to it. They have been living like away from us out of state for a few years now and this will be the first time that we will go and visit them for a long weekend, and so looking forward to it. Unfortunately, my mom had a bit of an accident last week so she's been using a scooter because she can't put any weight on her ankle, so that'll put a little bit of a damper on things. But also like we're really laid back and we're just going to, you know kind of bum around and take our time exploring Virginia Beach and enjoying a little bit warmer weather than what we're experiencing here in Wisconsin. It's been a little chilly, It'll be in like 40s and 50s here at home and then in Virginia Beach I guess it's going to be like 60s and sunny for the most part, I think. So not as warm as it would be, you know, as we'd like it to be, but it is what it is, so we're going to make the most of it. It'll be just nice to get away and not really have anything that we have to do, but just be able to relax and spend some quality time. So we're looking forward to that. But yeah, outside of that, it's things are, things are. It's an exciting time for you guys.

Speaker 1: 2:03

We've got orientations galore and I, you know, contestant numbers. My clients are texting me with their contestant numbers. I had one actually reach out to me over the weekend. She's like I'm so glad that you did that Sash and Soul episode about contestant numbers and why they don't matter, because guess who's number one and y'all I get it. I remember, I remember the stress of that and I do want to just touch on that really quick because I had a thought that I don't think I really talked about in that episode that I have been communicating with my clients and in that episode I talk about how contested numbers don't matter. The judges are going to find you wherever you're at. But I just I want to take a moment to acknowledge I understand and I remember the kind of the strategy behind choosing a contested number when it came to the time of day that you were going to interview, or what preliminary night you were going to do talent versus onstage question versus evening gown versus fitness and I just wanted to like, really quick, like, do just a little bit of an appendix to the episode on contestant numbers and why they don't matter, because I do remember that being a part of my decision making. But it was really just about how I was going to show up and perform during those times, like if I interviewed better in the morning versus the afternoon, or if I wanted to get my talent done earlier in the week versus later. It was more about that than it was about my chances of winning a preliminary award or whether or not the judges would notice me in that spot. So I just wanted to like, really quickly, just do a bit of an edit in addition to that episode, because I know that y'all are in the throes of that too. But if that's where you're at, where you've been doing contestant lotteries, and you might be a little bit nervous about your contestant number, like definitely I want to refer you back to that episode because it can be, I think, a healthy and helpful perspective for you as you continue your mental preparation for competition.

Speaker 1: 3:56

But speaking of preparation. Today we're actually going to be talking about preparing to be the title holder. So I know we often focus so much time and energy on preparing for the competition itself practicing your walk, practicing your talent, practicing interview, how you're going to show up and present yourself as the best possible candidate for that job for the year. But I think what often we tend to kind of set on the back burner is looking at what does the entire year of the title holder actually look like? What does it mean to do the job? Do you have a realistic job preview of being the state title holder? And I really am like specifically speaking about those of you that are preparing for, like, an MAO or USA state title that would take you on to the national level, because I know a lot of that is ramping up for this spring. So that's really what I'm focusing on, and also it just comes from my personal experience of having been a state title holder in Miss America that I want to speak on that and speak on what my MAO clients are going through right now in preparation not just for the competition but for the entire year as a title holder, and I really push that a lot.

Speaker 1: 5:07

You'll often hear me say what's your big picture? Are you focusing on the big picture? Are you clear on your big picture? If you can stay focused on your why why you're doing this, what your plan is, what your goals are that will help eliminate some of this noise that often gets in the way and causes a lot of mindset glitches and setbacks in terms of your mentality going into a competition. So, focusing on the big picture today and specifically about building your service initiative in strategic partnerships as a title holder. So we're not just talking about choosing a platform topic and starting to develop that and writing your paper on that for the judges to read. Now we're talking about what are you actually doing with it? And we're graduating beyond just the volunteer side of things and going into how do you develop this as a program and implement this for 365 days throughout an entire state and then also bring this to a national stage and present it as a project that you would want to implement throughout your entire year as a national title holder. So that's what we're talking about today.

Speaker 1: 6:21

If you want a little bit more history on my service initiatives and developing a platform from my unique perspective and my experiences perspective and my experiences. I'm going to refer you back to episode number 16, service Initiatives and Developing a Platform, where I go into depth about how I chose my platform and how it evolved throughout the years, and not only how it evolved, but how I kind of pivoted and completely switched my platform, kind of in the middle of my competition years, and I talk a lot about why that's okay and really promote that you choose a platform that makes sense for you, for who you are, what you're passionate about, what your goals are and the thing that's going to motivate you and energize you, not just deplete you, which is often, I think, what we tend to do when we're trying to be impressive. So, as a reminder, as we dive in your platform, your service initiative, your program is not about being impressive. I hear that a lot like what are the judges going to think of this and is it going to translate well? Is it going to score well? That's not what this is about. It's about doing what you love, consistently and very intentionally. So we're going to keep that in mind kind of as a theme around this entire episode. So let's dive into this. How do we shape our passion into purpose, shape our passion into purpose. So how your platform is shaped is really going to influence the way that you show up and it's shaping who you are and it's really kind of a core piece of your brand. It's not your entire brand ever. I don't ever advocate for you going into interview and just talking about your platform, because you are so much more than that but it's certainly going to shape you in many ways and how you show up.

Speaker 1: 8:22

So my personal platform I'm just going to dive in really quick to a brief overview. It started because I lost my brother, tyler, to a methamphetamine addiction but ultimately he died by suicide in 2005. I was 15 years old and at that time I already knew that I was going to compete in Miss America. We didn't have the teen program yet, so I was going to compete. I was a Miss when I was eligible at 17. And that tragedy, that experience, really shaped my drive. And it came a lot from my mom who was already very much diving into how we could impact the lives of others in a positive way through our tragedy. So she was already creating positive change through this very tragic loss that we experienced. So that was one of my inspirations, was her work, but also knowing that the Miss America organization was going to give me this platform to have a larger voice and a larger impact throughout my community, I knew that that was going to be my platform. So for me it was.

Speaker 1: 9:24

I don't want to call it an easy decision, it was just one of those things that was an obvious choice. I'll call it obvious, not easy, because it was not easy talking about it, but it was an opportunity for me to gain some power in what really depleted me and broke me in so many ways. So it was my way of building that power back in so many ways. So it was my way of like building that power back. So it was an obvious choice for me to use the platform of the Miss America organization as an opportunity to make change through the tragedy that we had experienced. And I did that for a few years until I burnt out because, as you could imagine and I hope you don't know from personal experience, I would never wish that on anyone but if you could imagine how exhausting that would be to continue talking about this, this trauma, this loss that you had experienced. And so I got to a point where I was pretty burnt out on that and my mom encouraged me to just set it down for a while, if not forever, that I didn't have to keep trying to change the world, that I needed to also put myself first and take care of myself. And at that point she had also done the same because she had five kids at home yet that she needed to take care of in a business that she was trying to run, and so she had already made that choice for herself, and so it was very encouraging for me to make a healthy choice for myself in the same way.

Speaker 1: 10:48

And at the time I was in school, I was taking a lot of women and gender studies courses and I had always been the girl that was like I'm just as strong as the boys and I'll arm wrestle you and let's play 500 out in recess, and, like you know just a little, I wouldn't call myself a tomboy, but I was definitely like I'm powerful just as much as the boys are, just as much as the boys are. And so the women in gender studies classes just were like they were my jam. I dove deep into them, and so, after being part of the Miss America organization for a few years and also having this experience and just this natural passion for empowering women and kind of feminism, I decided to switch my platform to empowering women mind, body and soul. And that's when I launched a nonprofit and I was raising scholarship money for young women and running events and working with other women-based organizations locally and just kind of reset myself. But then a couple of years later I really decided, like for my heart, for my big picture for the long term, of like who I was and what I really wanted to be doing with this opportunity, especially if I was going to win Miss Wisconsin and take it to a national stage. I needed to go back to my roots of where it all started, and so I relaunched my platform of talking about my brother. It was Tyler's Legacy, the impact of substance use on the family, and it was the years of experience of like the first couple of years of developing this initial platform to launching a brand new platform and having different experiences and skills and opportunities with that. That I think really led me into having a clearer vision for what I wanted to get done with my platform overall, and so I think all of that culminated into what I was able to do and the impact I was able to make through my final platform in the Miss America organization. So what I learned from working on my platform I mean all the things right, the typical things that you hear like I developed confidence. I obviously like developed a clearer direction as I went along and, I think, really importantly, I developed this clarity of my own voice.

Speaker 1: 13:08

Oftentimes I hear clients talking about wanting to know who they are and be able to articulate their stories. In fact, I was just having a conversation with a client this week who was speaking to an outgoing title holder. That was, like you know, so much of this is just about the stories that I share and the connections that I can make through stories, and my client was all of a sudden anxious about like oh my gosh, what are my stories? What do I talk about? Like I have to think of the stories that I need to share that will make these connections, and I'm going to argue that that's the reverse approach. You want to actually reverse that and go the other way around of actually like building connections first, because stories are going to come with those connections. Like I think back to all the times that I had opportunities to speak publicly and all the times that I had opportunities to speak as part of a like a panelist at an event, like as an expert or lived experience panelist, and you know anytime that you're having opportunities to answer somebody's questions after you kind of give your presentation. That's when more stories come out, especially if you are genuinely answering these questions from your heart and from a conversational approach. These stories are going to come from the connections that you make, so the more that you talk with your audiences, the clearer your message gets. So the bottom line is you just have to get started. You just get started somewhere. Now, as my stories developed, my platform got clearer, my messaging got clearer. I have developed this clarity of voice. All of this work, then, is going to culminate and translate into real world opportunities. Okay, so you start with your passion, with your platform that you've decided on, and you just start doing stuff. Get out there, start speaking, volunteer at events, and All of these things that you are doing throughout your years of service are going to culminate into building your resume through these speaking engagements and all these other opportunities that you're going to have.

Speaker 1: 15:21

For me, my experiences developing my platform and the opportunities that I had to travel and to work with different organizations and to meet different people, culminated in my professional career, so actually one of my job. My second job out of college okay, let me rewind. My first job quote unquote out of college was Miss Wisconsin and then after that I worked for a nonprofit food bank here in Milwaukee doing community outreach. I got that job through an appearance as Miss Wisconsin and then, when I wanted to dive back into more of the behavioral health, addiction treatment, advocacy side of mental health and addiction, I reached out to some of the contacts that I had made through the work that I had done through my platform and that is how I got my next job doing business development for a nonprofit treatment center for addiction. And so all of these experiences and the more that I put myself out there really led to these long-term successes. And now today, obviously you know I have a coaching business. This is what I do full-time. The more that I put myself out there really led to these long-term successes. And now today, obviously you know I have a coaching business. This is what I do full-time, and I'm able to take those experiences and pour them back into the context of what I'm coaching, into the lessons that I develop and the curriculum. So all of this to say, bringing it back to you.

Speaker 1: 16:50

I know that so many of you are graduating from college and you may be looking for a job right now and putting your resume out there a lot. Actually, one of my interns is in this space right now where she's graduating, and it is very stressful. I remember everyone asking you, from professors to friends, to family members, to acquaintances what are you going to do after graduation? Do you have a job yet? And it's so stressful because you already have that internal pressure and all the fears and maybe some imposter syndrome going on of like what's the next step. And then all this external, what seems like pressure of people asking because they're genuinely curious, but it's just coming from everywhere. I also remember being really, really overwhelmed by job descriptions because I was like gosh, like I don't know, like I went to school for you know how many years and I have my degree and like that's I mean the basic thing that you need for an entry level position. But all these job descriptions are so like I don't know they get. They feel overwhelming because they're like I don't know. They feel overwhelming because they're like I don't know if I know how to do that and like that's so specific, I've never done that before and so, like the imposter syndrome comes up.

Speaker 1: 18:00

But it's the skills that you learn outside of the classroom that prepares you for the professional world and that's where being in pageantry and doing your service work actually gives you a leg up. And so I want to encourage you to lean into that understanding that the more that you do with your platform within reason, don't burn yourself out but the more that you do with your platform leads to personal and professional growth, leads to those resume builders and I think I mean it's hard to put that into context when you haven't worked in like a career set, like in a professional space yet to like understand how to be creative with your resume and to look at your experiences creatively and like I don't want to say spin them, but associate them with the things that you're seeing on those job descriptions of like okay, how does this experience that I had translate into a skill that translates into this particular piece of this role that I'm looking at applying for? So, as we go into more of this conversation about building partnerships with your initiative and being strategic, keep that in mind that the more that you're doing outside of the classroom, the more you will develop your confidence and the more that you're going to develop that professional experience that you can add to your resume and that can help ease some of the imposter syndrome that you might be feeling and the fear that you're not actually qualified for some of these positions, because I would bet money that you are way more qualified than you actually think that you are. So your platform is really the foundation for your professional identity. It is not just a pageant thing, especially if you have been able to find a passion in service that is somehow related to what you want to do professionally and long-term, and I understand that that's not always the case. We have let's look at Miss America 2024, madison Marsh that her career is in the Air Force and in aviation and her platform is about, you know, her mother and running a nonprofit that supports cancer research and resources, so definitely disconnected from her career, but still like again, if we're staying creative about this like still adding those skills that she'll be able to use in whatever career field she decides to go into. And so I just want to point that out that just because it may not be specifically connected doesn't mean that it isn't going to benefit you in the long run, but I am going to talk quite a bit about how your work and your networking within your platform can aid you in your professional career today. All right, so let's talk about partnerships.

Speaker 1: 20:56

Partnerships is a thing that I talk about a lot with my clients, especially as we are going to the next level of developing their platform. So we're going to talk about why partnerships are important and how they different from just volunteering, because there is a very clear difference between those two. Volunteering is simply giving of your time and energy, which is very important, but consider how one sided that is. You show up at an event, you give of your time, you give of your energy, and then you leave and maybe you'll take some pictures for social media, which is great like develops, like your exposure, and showcases a lot of what you value and encourages other people to get involved as well. So in that way, you know it's helpful for you, but for the most part, it's quite one sided. When we're looking at actually developing and expanding your mission, a partnership provides mutual value and it provides visibility for both sides and it can provide resources. So let's dive into volunteering a little bit more.

Speaker 1: 22:01

Volunteering, of course, is where many pageant women are going to start. It's where many of us start right. I was in National Honor Society in high school and I had the required service hours that I needed to finish and I volunteered through church and all these other things too. So it is a really beautiful place to begin because it gets your foot in the door of knowing what it means to be of service to other people. You're donating your time, you're donating your presence and you're donating your energy to a specific cause or organization. Volunteering is very often event-based and it's short-term and it's task-focused. For example, this last weekend, my husband and I volunteered our time for an organization that I feel very close to. A very dear friend of mine runs it. It's called Bereaved Together and it supports mothers that have lost their children, and so they have a Bereaved Mother's Day conference coming up and we were helping them prep for that, and so that was really fun and it was great to be a part of, but it was short term.

Speaker 1: 23:04

Again. It's just like it's one-sided and it's beautiful because, like, I feel so good leaving, but when you're looking at developing your platform, that can be really good and gratifying for you, but it's not going to get the long-term goals done that you might be looking to do. So volunteering is a beautiful thing. It builds empathy. It builds your exposure to a lot of community issues. So if you don't know what you're super passionate about and you're really at the start of trying to develop a platform yourself and pick a cause, volunteering is going to be a great place to start, because you're going to get exposed to all of these different beautiful places for you to provide value to in the long run. It also shows that you're willing to do the work, which is huge.

Speaker 1: 23:49

But, as I said, volunteering is often one-sided You're giving but you're not necessarily growing a sustainable relationship. You have very little to no say in any decision-making or any visibility, and it rarely connects you to your long-term goals unless you are super intentional about it. So volunteering, obviously, is how I started and I still love being in those boots on the ground moments. But you realize over time that to make a long-term impact and to build something that lasts way beyond your title year, you need to think more strategically. And that's where partnerships come in.

Speaker 1: 24:23

Partnerships are about mutual benefit, so you bring value and you receive value. So it's more than just showing up, it's about collaborating. So a true partnership might include some shared visibility, so you highlight their work to your audience and then they spotlight your initiative through their channels as well. They may provide some resources like materials. They may provide platforms for you to speak on Funding may be a part of that partnership, and even mentorship. And then you provide your influence as a title holder, which comes with a lot of influence. You provide your expertise, especially if you come from a space of lived experience or it's a career goal of yours, or maybe you have a degree in that area or event support. So planning and implementation there should be some level of strategic alignment in partnership, so your mission obviously needs to align with theirs and so that working together is going to strengthen both brands. And then, of course, the reputation building is mutual. Being connected to any credible organization is going to boost your professional image and theirs. And this is something that I talk about in terms of leadership skills that you bring to the table as a title holder. If you can show that you know how to build partnerships and work in collaboration for the mutual benefit of both parties, that really shows sincere leadership skills and that you've got a lot of thought and strategy that goes into your mission.

Speaker 1: 25:57

So when I started approaching organizations, I really had this plan that I didn't just want to serve, but I wanted to partner, and it changed everything. So I wasn't all of a sudden, I wasn't just a volunteer in the background, I was literally on their website, I was on their panels, I was in strategy meetings and then those relationships developed into more long-term relationships and many of them, like I said, led into career opportunities. It also just developed my ability to network and to be creative about how I could help others and how maybe they would be able to support my mission as well, which is a really cool thing that you will find, as a title holder, when you're finally able to be able to articulate the things that you are passionate about and really listen to what they're doing and be able to get creative about like, oh my gosh, like I would love to be a part of that. How can I help? Like here's something that I could bring to the table. Is that something you'd be interested in? My support on? It goes just so much beyond like coming to a 5k run walk and handing out water and bananas. It goes into like how can I actually better your organization and further our cohesive missions together, and there's so much excitement that comes with that.

Speaker 1: 27:20

So, as a title holder, this is really important because you will have a limited window to create impact. You have 365 days with that title and let me just also say like it should go beyond that. But with that title and the influence that comes with that name across your chest and that crown on your head, you have a limited window. So partnerships are going to help you build efficiency so you get more done with that support and that collaboration. It's going to build your visibility so you get in front of audiences and decision makers. It will build your credibility so that you're taken more seriously when you show up with a plan, and it builds longevity so the relationship can outlast your title year and open up doors way down the road. So this is what I mean when I'm encouraging all of you to focus on the big picture. When you build the right partnerships, you are not just serving your community, you're building your future network, your resume and your reputation, and that is a powerful return on something that you already care so deeply about and it's the foundation for lasting influence. So some just like basic example here of partnerships.

Speaker 1: 28:37

Let's look at the Miss America organization. When I was competing, the Miss America organization was partnered with the Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Some of the benefits of that partnership included opportunities for title holders to go in and be a part of a young child's life and help them feel good and for them to like make that child's day and be a part of something that is so much bigger than themselves, like just going to the hospital and visiting like. I have some of the most beautiful memories as Miss Wisconsin and as a local title holder, of the most beautiful memories as Miss Wisconsin and as a local title holder. But there's one memory as Miss Wisconsin that I went to the Children's Miracle Network Hospital in my community that I grew up in and I remember like this little girl just loved Star Wars and she had put on a Darth Vader helmet and we were playing like Star Wars together and we were having like what is it called? The swords my God forgive me, I actually haven't really seen all the Star Wars movies, but the laser sword things, like I have pictures of that and it was just so much fun and it just like it was an opportunity for us as title holders to help these kids get distracted from whatever like pain or illness they were experiencing at the time, and so that that was really powerful for us and it was beneficial for the families that our crowns on showing that support.

Speaker 1: 30:19

And we also did a lot of fundraising for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The fundraising that we did in part supported Miss America through the scholarship funds, but it also was divvied up between that and Children's Miracle Network Hospital. So there was just there was a lot of mutual benefit between that partnership. And now the Miss America organization, as you know, is partnered with the American Heart Association and the Go Red for Women. That's mutually beneficial because it is creating exposure for both organizations. They have very similar missions in the health of women and educating women on their health and wellness and with America launching like the fitness portion of competition in partnership then with Rebel Athletic, it just it all kind of comes together and you can kind of come to your own conclusions as well about the mutual benefits of that partnership. So that's like, if you're looking at these larger organizations, you will find partnerships like that in a lot of different spaces, and so it makes sense then for you with your platform to also have some of these partnerships, have some of these partnerships.

Speaker 1: 31:34

So one of my partnerships that I had as Miss Wisconsin and through my initiative Tyler's Legacy the Impact of Substance Abuse on the Family was with the Red Ribbon Campaign. Red Ribbon Week is celebrated annually in October, and so they highlight the importance of living a drug-free life. So I was able to partner with them and use a lot of their resources and materials, taking that into schools and speaking with students about that, and then, in turn, they also promoted me as Miss Wisconsin in the program that I was doing, so that I had a larger reach at the same time. So that was one of many partnerships that I had as well throughout my experience as a title holder, but it was creative too. It was just one of those things where I just did a Google search and I was like what are some of these organizations that are doing the things already that I also want to be doing and how can I support them in promoting their mission and their messaging and how can they also support me and the goals that I have? So that leads into then how do you develop a strategic partnership? We already know how important partnerships are, so how in the world do we even get started? How do we build an intentional, service-based business plan as a title holder? So let's break it down.

Speaker 1: 32:48

The first thing that you have to do is clarify what your goals are. What are your professional goals? What career paths are you exploring? So, for me, I loved public speaking and I knew that the more public speaking experience that I could gain through my initiative and through partnerships, that would develop opportunities for me to potentially be a public speaker professionally in my career. That was one area. The other area area, too, was that I wanted to get into nonprofit development and so working with other organizations that, aligned with my mission, would give me more experience in understanding how nonprofits work and what opportunities there might be career-wise for me in those nonprofits.

Speaker 1: 33:28

What are your personal goals? That is like what causes genuinely light you up, what causes genuinely fill you with this sense of purpose and inspiration and energy? That is something that that goes back to truly like. What is your platform in general, but personally, when you are looking through different organizations maybe community-based, state-based or nationally and looking through their mission and the work that they're doing, what's getting you excited? What about those specific key components of those organizations are making you interested in getting involved. That's something really important to think about. Your strategic partnerships should not just be strategy for this outcome of you know, looking really good in front of the judges or building credibility. No, it also needs to be that you genuinely appreciate what that organization is doing. And then, finally, what are your service goals? What kind of community impact do you want to make, and make sure that that lines up with the organization as well? So for the Red Ribbon campaign, for example, one of their main goals was to educate students, and they wanted to do that through evidence-based curriculum. And so for me to be, and they wanted to do that through evidence-based curriculum, and so for me to be able to use a lot of that evidence-based curriculum and my own messaging and lived experience that elevated the community impact that I wanted to make.

Speaker 1: 34:54

Next, you want to identify your value. What do you bring to the table? What skills, what audience, what story, what visibility do you bring? Okay, and this is, I think, where it gets a little bit tricky this is where we may have some of that imposter syndrome start to sneak in, because it's a little more difficult for us to look internally and be like what makes me awesome, but it is an important step to this, because anytime that you're going into an interview, whether that's a pageant interview or a job interview you need to know what you're bringing to the table that will benefit that organization. Okay, so, for example, is it public speaking? For me, that was a big part of it. I loved public speaking. I had a unique story, which is another value that I brought to the table. Speaking, I had a unique story, which is another value that I brought to the table, and I also had a lot of ability to support different events, to support fundraising. I had a little bit more well, not as much back then because social media was just kind of starting to flourish, but for you, like, that value that you may bring to the table is your social media reach through your title holder and personal pages as well. So get creative and start asking to the people that know you most like. What would you think is something that I provide, could provide to an organization that's really valuable? Could be organization skills, could be creativity, could be, again, your unique story. There's a lot of different things that you can bring to the table as value that you need to just uncover for yourself.

Speaker 1: 36:22

Next, and this is probably one of the more difficult areas as well is you actually have to initiate the conversation. You'd have to do the outreach, you have to email, you have to send the DMs, you have to do the in-person networking. So that, I think, is one big hump that I know from experience working with my clients is really difficult to do. Is that just general outreach? But here's my advice to you you have to keep it simple, you guys, just keep it so simple. Don't overthink it. It doesn't have to be this perfectly concocted email or message. It's simple. Here's who I am, here's what I do, here's why I love the mission of your organization. Do you have time to meet to talk about the ways I might be able to support your efforts? Okay, you already have identified your value, you know what your goals are, but now we just have to start the conversation. Don't overcomplicate it. Just lead with your honesty and lead with clarity.

Speaker 1: 37:18

So I have a really awesome example of this happening for a client recently that you know. We were talking about just this. We had a whole hour long conversation where we were talking about what are your goals for being a state title holder? What does it actually look like what's the big picture and let's start developing your business plan. So you've got that lined up and ready to go. And so we started talking about partnerships and started doing some research together and found an organization based in her state. That was like truly ideal. That was like the mission lines up. This is perfect, Like I would be able to support them in this way, this way and this way, and they would be able to support me.

Speaker 1: 37:52

But she didn't have any of that like clearly lined out or like how do I pitch that to them? And I was like just reach out and see what happens. And so a few days later, she texted me. I was like I'm so excited. I just got off a call with them. They have a million different ideas for ways that they want to get me involved. They're so excited about the expertise that I bring to the table and the work that I've already done, and here's how they're going to support me. And it's just going to be amazing. And I was like, look, the other aspect of this is you've been talking about how you want to branch out in your career and maybe this is an opportunity for you to do that is to work with an organization just like this, and they have the connections. So it was just like this huge, incredible win and all it was you guys was it just took her sitting down and writing an email and they got back to her and they were just super thrilled.

Speaker 1: 38:45

Now, don't take it personally if they don't get back to you right away. Don't take it personally if they don't get back to you at all. I worked in nonprofit. It's crazy. You wear a lot of hats in nonprofit and they don't always have time for every person that reaches out to them with something like this. So don't take it personally. Do follow up a couple of times. Three times is the charm, but don't take it personally. It's not about you if they don't respond.

Speaker 1: 39:06

And finally, there's a mindset piece to all of this as well. I've been talking a little bit about imposter syndrome throughout this, but there's also, like the first time, nerves, like this fear of who am I to do this, who am I to think that I have anything that I can contribute to this larger organization, that feeling of like you know I have never done this before. I don't quite know what I'm doing, I don't really have a clear idea of what they might want from me Like I can't come to the table and be like this is my plan, that's okay. Like don't go to the table with a plan, because you know they are an organization that's already doing their own thing and they have their objectives and they have their business plan and their goals for the year. So they've already got all of this.

Speaker 1: 39:51

Go in with an open mind and see how you might be able to contribute to their mission that's already lined up, and see what comes of it, and you might experience one of the most beautiful conversations and leave with a new sense of overwhelm of not, it's no longer who am I to do this, but now it's. Oh my gosh, how am I going to do all of this? Because they gave me so many opportunities. It's a whole new level of excitement and nerves. So everything that you've ever done before was something that you never did before. That Okay. So everything is you've ever done before was something that you never did before. That Okay. So everything is always going to be new. You have to reframe your mindset about this, that you're not trying to be perfect. You're just going to show up prepared and passionate. That's all that you can do. Just put yourself out there. It's kind of like dating and like meeting someone for the first time. You really don't know what to expect, but you can go in with these intentions, like I'm just gonna be myself, and they can take it or leave it Kind of the same concept.

Speaker 1: 40:48

Finally, we have to remember the long-term vision, the big picture Beyond your reign. What are you really building? Okay, you are building your network. This is potential future job leads. I got all of my jobs from networking. Truly like every single job that I held after college was from networking. My first clients that I had on board in Fearlessly Authentic were ones that I had known already, and so much of our success starts from our close circle of people that we already know. So, build your network. It's your future job leads, it's references for future jobs, it's potential mentors and it's collaborators. Your service will equate to the experience that makes your resume shine above and beyond anybody else's. So the more that you do, the more that you gain.

Speaker 1: 41:53

Your initiative is a way to prove consistency and leadership skills. So the more that you are able to put yourself out there and be consistent with the work that you're doing in your platform and developing it and letting it grow in beautiful ways. You are proving that you have the ability to consistently grow and to lead something bigger than yourself. So, as a reminder and I think this is hard because sometimes this just happens, it did for me for a little while. It wasn't a complete abandonment, but try not to build a platform that you're going to abandon.

Speaker 1: 42:31

The second your title ends. It is something that can grow with you if it's built authentically. I know that that's something that happened with mine. Eventually, like with both platforms, with Tyler's Legacy and with Empowering Women I mean so much of that has influenced who I am today and the work that I do with my clients every single day. Mine is obviously a very unique experience because I'm literally taking the experiences that I had as a title holder and coaching my clients to do similar things with their experiences as title holders. But your work that you do with your platform can continue growing and expanding and can grow with you, as long as you're doing it in a way that is true to yourself.

Speaker 1: 43:14

So with that let's wrap this up, because there's a lot for you to process after this conversation. So here are the key takeaways Service with strategy will culminate in sustainable impact, long-term sustainable impact. Let it grow naturally, organically. Okay, don't force anything. Just do things because they feel good, they feel right and you feel passionate about and you're energized to do that. Focus on your alignment with other organizations that you're looking to partner with, or with the work that you're doing and your plan that you're developing for your platform, over the impressiveness. Do not develop a platform or engage in partnerships just to look impressive on the outside. It's going to burn you out every single time.

Speaker 1: 44:08

Do it because you love it and let your consistency speak for itself. We're not trying to prove anything. We're not trying to, like, make ourselves look awesome. Do it because you truly, truly love it, and the rest is going to fall in line. So here's my encouragement for you Again, as you're processing this load of information that I've thrown at you, is that you do not need to have it all figured out, you guys. You just have to get started, and get started with something that matters the most to you.

Speaker 1: 44:39

Okay, so with that, if you wouldn't mind, I would really, really love if you would connect with me and share your platform on Instagram or in the Sash and Soul community. One of my favorite parts of what I do is learning about your unique passion and the things that you are doing to change the world. So tag Sash and Soul with this hashtag hashtag SashSuccessStories because we love alliteration and let's celebrate your wins together. Let's build this community of women that are out there doing things because they love it, because it energizes them and building these really beautiful partnerships that are truly going to change the world and create a positive impact. So tag Sash and Soul it's at Sash and Soul and use the hashtag SashSuccessStories so that I can share the amazing work that you're doing and I can get inspired by you as well. All right With that.

Speaker 1: 45:35

April's masterclass is on developing your platform, so you don't want to miss that. It's on Tuesday, april 29th, from 7 to 8 pm Central Time, and you are able to register for that for free. Registration is now open, so check out the link in the show description or you can DM me on Instagram at Sash and Soul. We're going to talk a lot more about where to get started with your platform, developing your plan, and how to articulate your mission, your vision and your key message to the judges and your community. All right, you guys, with that. I am excited to go on vacation, so I'm gonna wrap this up and get all my work done so that I can officially dive into vacation mode and I will chat with you again next week. Bye.