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April 30, 2024

Embracing Imperfection: Sha Sparks' Leap into Coaching and Podcasting Mastery

Embracing Imperfection: Sha Sparks' Leap into Coaching and Podcasting Mastery

Have you ever launched into the unknown, fueled by nothing but sheer passion? That's precisely what Sha Sparks did with her cellphone and a closet, transforming the raw beginnings of a podcast into a voice of authority in coaching and NLP. Join us as we unpack Sha's remarkable journey, embracing the 'ship it' philosophy and the beautiful growth that unfolds when we leap before looking. This episode is a celebration of the imperfect start and the authentic connections that resonate with our listeners.

Diving into the world of coaching, we're taking a hard look at the value of certifications versus the power of life experiences and education. With a nod to Steve Chandler, I discuss coaching moments that surface in unexpected places, like hairstyling, where deep connections lead to organic coaching opportunities. This conversation is about finding your unique voice and style within the coaching landscape, and how to bring your whole self, not just someone else's playbook, to your clients.

We round off our chat with thoughts about the value of community, masterminds, and the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives within podcasting. It's here where we draw parallels between our network's influence on our net worth and how Taylor Swift's creative process mirrors the delicate balance of creating content that's both fulfilling and profitable. So, if you're ready to join a conversation that's as much about personal growth as it is professional, plug in and let's explore these pathways together. Shea and I can't wait to share how action, authenticity, and community shape the journey of a fearless coach and podcaster.

Links Mentioned:
Transforming Trauma Into Treasure - The Pro Growth Podcast
https://www.buzzsprout.com/977167/episodes/8055828

Book - Influence: https://amzn.to/4bcNd5s

The Prosperous Coach: https://amzn.to/3JHOs0s

Email Dan - Dan@Danw.us
Email Sha Sparks: HeySha@Shasparks.com

Sha Sparks Online:
Website: www.shasparks.com
Podcast: www.theshasparksshow.com

Thank you for listening!

I'd love to invite you to share any feedback or insights with me dan@danw.us


To your success!

Dan

Chapters

00:00 - Exploring Coaching and Podcasting Journeys

13:48 - Value of Training in Coaching Certification

20:40 - Coaching and Personal Growth Journey

33:44 - Value of Community and Masterminds

44:35 - Entrepreneurial Growth Through Podcasting

58:54 - Podcast Contact Information and Thank You

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:07.472
Welcome back to Narrowing the Divide, and this week's guest is none other than the Sha Sparks.

00:00:07.472 --> 00:00:09.394
Sha, say hello.

00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:13.628
Hello, I'm so excited to be here.

00:00:13.628 --> 00:00:14.651
Thanks for having me, dan.

00:00:15.380 --> 00:00:17.986
Hey, I'm really glad that you're here as well.

00:00:17.986 --> 00:00:19.992
I think we're going to have a great conversation.

00:00:19.992 --> 00:00:27.173
We've got a couple topics in mind, but before we jump into that, I just want to give people a little idea who you are.

00:00:27.173 --> 00:00:34.048
I'll start, and if you'll follow up with anything you'd like to share about your journey along the way, that would be wonderful.

00:00:34.048 --> 00:00:47.420
But Shay is first of all probably first and foremost, has been a friend of mine for several years now, and I have the pleasure of brainstorming with her on a fairly consistent basis.

00:00:48.323 --> 00:00:51.610
We recorded a podcast back in March of 21.

00:00:51.610 --> 00:00:59.287
It was the first time we really started getting to know each other, at least at the professional capacity.

00:00:59.287 --> 00:01:02.761
Now that she lives near me, we get to hang out occasionally too.

00:01:02.761 --> 00:01:03.621
So that's pretty cool.

00:01:03.621 --> 00:01:15.715
But if you want to hear our previous conversation, it's Transforming Trauma into Treasure, episode number 27 of the Pro Growth podcast, which is my former podcast.

00:01:15.715 --> 00:01:25.013
So Sha is a fellow coach, master, NLP practitioner Wow, I have to learn words to speak on a podcast.

00:01:25.013 --> 00:01:25.474
It's tough.

00:01:25.474 --> 00:01:32.813
She's a certified fearless living coach and she is a wealth of information.

00:01:32.813 --> 00:01:36.546
When it comes to podcasting, she's been doing it much longer than I.

00:01:36.546 --> 00:01:38.552
Sha, thank you again for being here.

00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:40.983
Thank you, you know it's.

00:01:40.983 --> 00:01:43.847
It's funny when you think about time like God, it's been so.

00:01:43.847 --> 00:01:53.921
You know it's funny when you think about time like God, it's been that many years and then you're like it hasn't been that long, but so much fun and goodness has happened in the meantime?

00:01:53.941 --> 00:01:56.563
Oh yeah, absolutely it's been a lot of fun.

00:01:56.563 --> 00:02:04.769
So share a little bit about your background and kind of what led you to so you've been running your podcast.

00:02:04.769 --> 00:02:05.930
I think what five years.

00:02:06.370 --> 00:02:07.391
Yeah, five and a half years.

00:02:08.032 --> 00:02:14.097
Five and a half years, and so I'm curious you know what inspired you to pursue that journey.

00:02:16.759 --> 00:02:18.622
What inspired you to become a coach.

00:02:18.622 --> 00:02:33.152
Well, I'm sure you do not have enough time on your show for me to explain all of it, so the quick-ish versions is once upon a time I dated a guy who actually had a podcast.

00:02:33.152 --> 00:02:34.514
I thought it was very fascinating.

00:02:34.514 --> 00:02:39.236
Him and his buddy sat around his kitchen table and talked about movies and I thought that was really awful.

00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:48.332
And so I love the concept of the podcast, but I thought his subject was just why, why would you do that?

00:02:48.332 --> 00:02:53.500
But the podcasting medium was like well, that's really fascinating.

00:02:53.500 --> 00:03:07.540
And so I actually, at the time where I was living, had a community college that had a intro to podcasting class, and so I took it just for funsies and it was like, well, this is really fascinating.

00:03:07.540 --> 00:03:23.050
I joined a local meetup that did podcasting and I asked a million questions to the host of the meeting and of course he was like we could talk about this another time, about this another time.

00:03:23.050 --> 00:03:36.798
And I quickly learned that he was not the person I wanted to talk to, and so I decided well, what's the worst thing that can happen?

00:03:36.798 --> 00:03:37.139
So just start.

00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:45.110
And I took something called the Alt-NBA with Seth Godin many years ago and his whole thing was ship it, just ship it.

00:03:45.151 --> 00:03:46.414
And it was around.

00:03:46.414 --> 00:03:50.907
Actually about a year after I took that, that, I started the podcast and was like why not just ship it?

00:03:50.907 --> 00:04:17.627
So I had tons of entrepreneur friends and I still do that were like had all this, like stuff that they went through that they never talk about and kind of the muck and the yuck, that kind of like propelled them into their next thing and I was like I want to talk about that, like I want to talk about that muck and yuck and the kind of the stuff that we go through that no one wants to hear.

00:04:17.627 --> 00:04:21.211
But there's so much lessons that we learn in that.

00:04:21.211 --> 00:04:30.228
And so I started with my cell phone, having them on speakerphone recording on Audacity, and my laptop in my closet.

00:04:31.130 --> 00:04:34.821
So I could have the soundproof and I was standing there.

00:04:34.821 --> 00:04:50.925
I didn't have a desk or a seat or anything, I was just standing there and the content of every conversation was brilliant, was gold, like just the, the things we talked about, the, the deep dives that we went into.

00:04:50.925 --> 00:05:01.293
It was really beautiful, right, a beautiful experience and and horrible, horrible sound.

00:05:04.161 --> 00:05:05.365
Yeah, I get that.

00:05:05.807 --> 00:05:05.947
Yeah.

00:05:10.447 --> 00:05:13.600
So I think that's a great lead in, and I didn't even mention so.

00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:16.425
First of all, your show is called the Shea Sparks Show.

00:05:16.425 --> 00:05:19.209
Yes, your podcast, yes now.

00:05:19.310 --> 00:05:20.252
It is called that now.

00:05:20.271 --> 00:05:24.749
Yes, yes, and I know you work on a couple other projects as well.

00:05:24.749 --> 00:05:43.906
Yes, and I know you work on a couple other projects as well, but the topics that we decided we were going to kind of talk about will lead into with what you've just shared, because coaching and getting started is kind of where we had agreed to go into this conversation and I found a couple other things really interesting.

00:05:43.906 --> 00:05:44.889
So ship it right.

00:05:44.889 --> 00:05:48.160
This conversation and I found a couple other things really interesting, so ship it right.

00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:54.968
There's a lot to be said about doing it gritty, doing it dirty, whatever people like to use as a phrase, but shipping it is the key, right?

00:05:54.968 --> 00:05:55.910
You can learn a lot.

00:05:55.910 --> 00:06:05.654
You can spend a lot of time learning and never taking action, and it's never going to be perfect, especially if it's your own voice.

00:06:05.654 --> 00:06:13.468
You're going to keep listening to it and going, oh man, and there's always opportunities to improve.

00:06:14.261 --> 00:06:33.641
But we went to PodFest earlier this year and there was a young lady there who had been wanting to start a podcast, dreaming of starting a podcast, for nearly four years, if I recall her story correctly, and she launched her podcast live at PodFest, which was super neat and super fun to be a part of.

00:06:33.641 --> 00:06:37.668
But what if she'd done it four years ago?

00:06:37.668 --> 00:06:39.572
Right, where would she be today?

00:06:39.572 --> 00:06:41.622
She'd be so much better.

00:06:41.622 --> 00:06:59.401
On the topic of coaching, though, that leads us right in, because there's a lot of coaches out there who have gone through something, and they, too, just decide to throw the label on themselves, if you will.

00:06:59.401 --> 00:07:03.408
Label is probably a terrible word, but they like to call themselves a coach.

00:07:03.408 --> 00:07:10.288
With no training, formal or otherwise, no certifications, they just kind of jump in.

00:07:10.288 --> 00:07:13.942
We've just established that there may be some value in that.

00:07:13.942 --> 00:07:14.704
What are your thoughts?

00:07:16.927 --> 00:07:23.807
Well, I love this conversation because it's near and dear to my heart, because that's kind of how I started.

00:07:23.807 --> 00:07:39.512
I went through a traumatic, abusive relationship, got out of it, started to heal myself, started to learn so many things about myself, had amazing support, community around me.

00:07:39.512 --> 00:07:41.942
That was, like you know, have you considered becoming a life coach?

00:07:41.942 --> 00:07:50.795
And I went to the interweb and was like, okay, Google, tell me all the best coaching certifications in the world.

00:07:50.795 --> 00:07:56.218
Right, and I found a whole lot of hooey out there at this time.

00:07:56.218 --> 00:07:58.127
Right, there's a whole lot more now.

00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:03.172
But at this point in my life, which was gosh, how many years ago was that?

00:08:03.172 --> 00:08:05.144
Six, seven years ago?

00:08:05.144 --> 00:08:21.569
And it was like I mean, okay, so I would look into them, I would research, I would talk to people, talk to people who did it, talk to people who was the salesperson of it, and it was like that doesn't feel right.

00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:27.264
So you mean to tell me like I go to LA for a weekend and I walk out as a quote, unquote certified coach.

00:08:27.264 --> 00:08:29.930
Okay, that doesn't feel right.

00:08:30.151 --> 00:08:39.732
And so I then came across this man who said I can help you build your coach coaching practice through your own.

00:08:39.732 --> 00:08:41.222
What did he call it?

00:08:41.222 --> 00:08:48.389
It's an acronym for something and I cannot remember it now, but pretty much your own DNA, right, and DNA stood for something.

00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:50.885
And I was like okay, awesome, yeah, let's do it.

00:08:50.885 --> 00:08:51.630
And he's like okay.

00:08:51.630 --> 00:08:52.736
So what have you gone through?

00:08:52.736 --> 00:08:53.860
Blah, blah, blah, and I'm like okay.

00:08:53.860 --> 00:09:11.910
And then he said I spent way too much money with him and way too much time and after about, I would say, close to a year, he's like okay, now you need to go write your website on what you want your coaching to be.

00:09:11.910 --> 00:09:12.793
And I was like isn't?

00:09:12.832 --> 00:09:13.052
that why?

00:09:13.220 --> 00:09:13.841
I hired you.

00:09:13.841 --> 00:09:15.464
I mean, why are you making me do this?

00:09:15.464 --> 00:09:33.697
And it just is so by happenstance, right, Like everything happens for a reason, they say I decided to go to this one particular coaching I won't say who and a recommendation of a friend.

00:09:33.697 --> 00:09:36.364
And I looked into that and I was like, ooh, I could.

00:09:36.364 --> 00:09:39.611
It was in many places, but it was not in the city I lived.

00:09:39.611 --> 00:09:43.048
So I was like, well, if I'm going to do this, let me go somewhere where I haven't been.

00:09:43.048 --> 00:09:47.346
And on there it was Nashville and I'm like you know, what I've never been to Nashville.

00:09:47.386 --> 00:09:50.066
I don't like cowboys, I don't like country music, so I should probably go there.

00:09:50.066 --> 00:09:55.682
And so I was a practitioner stepping out of my comfort zone on a regular basis.

00:09:55.682 --> 00:09:58.105
So I thought why not go to Nashville, let me experience that?

00:09:58.105 --> 00:10:03.735
And then something said nope, that is not the right thing to do.

00:10:03.735 --> 00:10:04.416
So.

00:10:04.676 --> 00:10:11.970
I still had the time off that particular weekend several months later off, and I was still thinking Nashville.

00:10:11.970 --> 00:10:24.330
So I went to Facebook and typed in Facebook what conferences, what events were going on in Nashville that particular weekend and I came across StoryBrand, which we both know and have bonded over.

00:10:24.330 --> 00:10:29.527
And the conference was called Clarify your Website.

00:10:29.527 --> 00:10:31.912
I mean, could it be any more perfect right?

00:10:32.052 --> 00:10:32.253
Yeah.

00:10:33.400 --> 00:10:34.283
And on the first.

00:10:34.283 --> 00:10:35.586
So I go buy my ticket.

00:10:35.586 --> 00:10:44.284
I'm like, I'm there, I loved Nashville, Started listening to country music right before then and my goal was I Googled what else is going on and my goal was, you know what?

00:10:44.284 --> 00:10:45.889
I'm going to go to country music awards while I'm here.

00:10:45.889 --> 00:10:46.451
Why not?

00:10:46.451 --> 00:10:49.909
But that's a whole nother conversation for another day.

00:10:50.900 --> 00:11:02.413
But while I was there, the first person I won't say first person the first day there was a person that caught my attention off to the side and she looked familiar and she.

00:11:02.413 --> 00:11:04.989
I loved her outfit, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her.

00:11:04.989 --> 00:11:15.681
Second day I still didn't get to talk to her, but after the first or the second day we had went out to dinner as a group, some people and I'm like I don't know about you all, but I'm stuck.

00:11:15.681 --> 00:11:20.246
I don't know what to do next and tomorrow's our last day and I don't know if I'm going to be able to walk away from anything.

00:11:20.246 --> 00:11:23.491
They said, oh, you should talk to the other coach in the room and I go the other coach.

00:11:23.491 --> 00:11:24.712
I didn't realize there was another coach.

00:11:24.712 --> 00:11:26.475
They're like yeah, her name's Rhonda Britton.

00:11:26.535 --> 00:11:29.508
I went, rhonda Britton, why do I know that name?

00:11:29.508 --> 00:11:31.235
Oh, she was on Oprah.

00:11:31.235 --> 00:11:33.020
She had her own TV show called Starting Over.

00:11:33.020 --> 00:11:36.750
I went oh, she was like the first life coach on the scene.

00:11:36.750 --> 00:12:07.182
Oh, no-transcript, because I never found it.

00:12:07.182 --> 00:12:10.809
I never found it when I was researching it.

00:12:10.809 --> 00:12:13.287
And so she's like it's the Fearless Living Institute.

00:12:13.287 --> 00:12:15.135
I said what is that about?

00:12:15.135 --> 00:12:16.923
She said I help people step out of their comfort zone.

00:12:16.923 --> 00:12:19.352
Didn't I just say I was doing that?

00:12:19.352 --> 00:12:22.140
Okay, this is an alignment, all right.

00:12:22.140 --> 00:12:24.062
So what's next?

00:12:24.062 --> 00:12:36.509
And she goes well, if you're really interested, I'm having a workshop on fearless conversations and this was in November, so in January of the next year, out in LA.

00:12:36.509 --> 00:12:48.975
And I'm like, huh, clarify your message, for your website has made me narrow down that I am a communication coach, so fearless conversations is also an alignment.

00:12:48.975 --> 00:12:49.596
So why?

00:12:49.615 --> 00:12:50.255
not go.

00:12:51.496 --> 00:13:02.065
So I bought my ticket and I go and I'm now sitting in the fearless conversations workshop and the first three hours I'm like, wow, I don't.

00:13:02.065 --> 00:13:12.825
I'm sitting here in a room full of coaches or people getting coached, and I'm feel like I'm sitting in a hug and I thought I don't know what this is, but I need more of it.

00:13:12.825 --> 00:13:15.982
And so I went to the back and I'm like how do I sign up for this?

00:13:15.982 --> 00:13:16.985
What is this like?

00:13:16.985 --> 00:13:17.847
What does this entail?

00:13:17.847 --> 00:13:21.506
And um, that's how I got certified.

00:13:22.833 --> 00:13:47.895
Wonderful, yeah Well, so you've brought up some good points and I want to touch on a couple, Because we also had this particular conversation of certification versus training, and I've attended several certifications, but what I have not done is the nationally recognized certification internationally excuse me, recognized certification.

00:13:47.895 --> 00:13:50.167
I'm not an ICF coach.

00:13:50.748 --> 00:13:51.350
And neither am I.

00:13:53.181 --> 00:13:58.413
And so I believe that there's value in all of what we've said so far.

00:13:58.413 --> 00:14:06.033
I think there's value in attending certification, training of some sort, whether it's ICF accredited or not.

00:14:06.033 --> 00:14:06.921
I don't.

00:14:06.921 --> 00:14:09.948
I'm going to share something about ICF in a minute.

00:14:09.948 --> 00:14:17.836
I think I shared it with you a couple of weeks back but there's also value in starting where you are.

00:14:17.836 --> 00:14:21.446
I don't I would never suggest a coach, just say you know what.

00:14:21.446 --> 00:14:22.528
I've been through some things.

00:14:22.528 --> 00:14:32.962
I'm just going to go start coaching people because there there's some methodologies and some approaches that can be used to help you become a better coach.

00:14:33.443 --> 00:14:37.653
Now, that said, the process is ever evolving.

00:14:37.653 --> 00:14:40.163
In fact, I just got an email.

00:14:40.163 --> 00:14:42.208
This is so funny that we're talking about this right now.

00:14:42.208 --> 00:14:45.006
I got an email today from Steve Chandler.

00:14:45.006 --> 00:14:52.485
Steve Chandler, for those that don't know, is the co-author with Rich Litvin to the Prosperous Coach, and so I'm on his email list.

00:14:52.485 --> 00:14:56.287
They have a I think it's Coaching.

00:14:56.287 --> 00:14:58.732
Prosperity School is the name of their school.

00:14:58.732 --> 00:15:03.451
I have not attended, but I do get content from Steve, which is wonderful.

00:15:03.451 --> 00:15:08.283
But I do get content from Steve, which is wonderful, and today he had an email.

00:15:08.303 --> 00:15:09.606
That sort of centers on what we're talking about.

00:15:09.606 --> 00:15:14.864
Is that start with what you have and continue to progress and get better over time.

00:15:14.864 --> 00:15:23.469
Each time you coach someone, each time you learn something new and you implement it, you're going to become a better coach it's.

00:15:23.469 --> 00:15:38.211
I've been coaching now for gosh, technically as a certified coach with 48 days and as a certified life coach with um transformation Academy and some other trainings I've attended.

00:15:38.211 --> 00:15:41.701
But if I count that's probably three years.

00:15:41.861 --> 00:15:54.907
But if I count story where ultimately I was consulting and coaching people in that aspect, and then before that in the military as a master resilience trainer, I've been coaching for quite a few years.

00:15:54.907 --> 00:16:10.163
I just didn't always realize that that's what it was called or that's what I was doing or that I could actually get paid to do it Right, could actually get paid to do it.

00:16:10.163 --> 00:16:18.102
So there's tremendous value in at least finding a training that resonates with something you want to learn, learn to improve and learn to apply within yourself.

00:16:18.102 --> 00:16:29.076
I personally don't support pursuing ICF accreditation or credentialing simply for the purpose of getting a certification.

00:16:29.076 --> 00:16:32.522
I was in a.

00:16:32.522 --> 00:16:35.008
I don't know if I'm still allowed in there.

00:16:35.008 --> 00:16:36.471
I was in a forum.

00:16:36.510 --> 00:16:37.212
Not after this.

00:16:38.801 --> 00:16:39.402
Probably not.

00:16:39.402 --> 00:16:55.822
I was in a forum recently and there was a forum recently and there was a experienced coach, certified coach, who had someone in their purview who wanted some coaching but couldn't afford his services.

00:16:55.822 --> 00:17:32.309
He suggested that a new coach who is still pursuing certification consider taking them on at low or no cost to help them, and that really did not sit well with me and it's like, if that's what we are teaching in an internationally recognized certification program, that you don't present or bring value to the work that you're doing until you've completed their certification.

00:17:32.309 --> 00:17:34.672
I don't agree at all.

00:17:34.672 --> 00:17:38.023
I think that's very misleading.

00:17:38.023 --> 00:17:44.304
Actually, I think that leads people to believe that that's the only way to achieve value in what they're doing.

00:17:44.304 --> 00:17:54.597
Forget about all of the life experience, all of the formal and informal education throughout their careers or their journey.

00:17:54.597 --> 00:18:00.249
It's until you're certified you don't deserve to charge.

00:18:00.249 --> 00:18:03.503
What I charge, so you should take this client on, is how I've read it.

00:18:03.663 --> 00:18:04.425
And it was terrible.

00:18:04.425 --> 00:18:08.518
Okay, when I look at.

00:18:08.979 --> 00:18:13.998
When I look at my next trainings that I want to participate in, I look for those things.

00:18:13.998 --> 00:18:14.961
What are we teaching?

00:18:14.961 --> 00:18:19.117
I get that they all teach a very similar business model.

00:18:19.117 --> 00:18:24.469
As far as you know, you've got to have X, y and Z on your website.

00:18:24.469 --> 00:18:26.398
You've got to have all these key things.

00:18:26.398 --> 00:18:30.195
They don't really teach people the business of coaching, though.

00:18:30.195 --> 00:18:33.566
They just kind of go with what the marketing world says is true.

00:18:33.566 --> 00:18:35.847
I don't agree with most of that either.

00:18:36.131 --> 00:18:39.885
So there you go the marketing world says is true.

00:18:39.885 --> 00:18:40.929
I don't agree with most of that either.

00:18:40.929 --> 00:18:41.471
So there you go.

00:18:44.214 --> 00:18:47.020
Well, and that's why you have this podcast right Is to kind of put the other side on that out there.

00:18:47.020 --> 00:18:48.203
Yeah Well, and have these conversations right.

00:18:48.203 --> 00:18:54.203
I think there's value in just knowing that it's okay to sort of fun bowl your way through that.

00:18:54.203 --> 00:18:59.498
It's not a requirement to go out and sort of fun bull your way through that.

00:18:59.498 --> 00:19:03.288
It's not a requirement to go out and become an ICF coach, but there is tremendous value in going and getting training that makes sense to you.

00:19:03.288 --> 00:19:09.997
Certification aside, it doesn't have to be a certification that you achieve at the end of your training either.

00:19:09.997 --> 00:19:12.742
Most of them give you a certification.

00:19:12.742 --> 00:19:14.788
I don't think it's a requirement.

00:19:14.788 --> 00:19:25.996
It's just saying that, yes, you've gone through that process and you have embraced their methodology and their thought processes behind what it is you're coaching on.

00:19:27.676 --> 00:19:30.018
Yes, and so my.

00:19:30.038 --> 00:19:31.578
I love your point and I'll share mine.

00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:34.861
I love your point and I'll share mine.

00:19:34.861 --> 00:19:37.103
So, I'm like you.

00:19:37.103 --> 00:19:46.407
Like, we did professional prior to being called a coach right, we did professional careers.

00:19:46.407 --> 00:19:50.270
I was a hairstylist, so of course I was coaching behind the chair right?

00:19:50.330 --> 00:19:53.252
My entire career Is that what you do as a hairstylist.

00:19:53.252 --> 00:19:55.317
Is what Is that?

00:19:55.317 --> 00:19:55.699
What you do?

00:19:55.699 --> 00:19:58.680
And you know I don't look at my hair right, I don't go to a hairstylist.

00:19:58.680 --> 00:20:03.299
So if you can't see me cause I'm not using all of this video I have short hair.

00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:05.162
I was in the military for way too long.

00:20:05.162 --> 00:20:07.359
I'd never been coached by a barber.

00:20:08.384 --> 00:20:08.744
Got it.

00:20:08.744 --> 00:20:13.699
So hairstylists are different than barbers.

00:20:13.699 --> 00:20:17.083
Hairstylists are most of the time like bartenders, right?

00:20:17.083 --> 00:20:24.548
People tell every bartender or hairstylist everything and, believe me, my clients told me they're fair share of things.

00:20:24.548 --> 00:20:39.542
I did not want to know, but they told me anyway and I think there's so much what you just said, so I'm trying to figure out what way to talk about it.

00:20:39.542 --> 00:20:40.144
So for me, I knew again.

00:20:40.144 --> 00:20:54.905
My, my, my support system was like okay, you should start a podcast, you should become a coach, you should be about write a book, motivational speaker, and I didn't have the confidence in myself to think I could do it, I thought, oh, I don't think I can do that.

00:20:55.326 --> 00:20:57.195
I want to do that but I don't think I could.

00:20:57.195 --> 00:21:09.003
And the more I thought about it, the more I thought, well, what if I borrow their confidence in me and just pursued what that would look like?

00:21:09.003 --> 00:21:18.708
Hence finding ways to learn how to coach a methodology, a formula, some sort of framework, right.

00:21:18.708 --> 00:21:23.185
And the worst case scenario is I still can do hair.

00:21:23.185 --> 00:21:27.000
I learn a new skill, perfect, right.

00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:32.027
And so it never crossed my mind to actually continue this as a career.

00:21:32.027 --> 00:21:34.453
It was just learning a new skill and see what happens.

00:21:34.453 --> 00:21:38.153
It was just learning a new skill and see what happens.

00:21:45.414 --> 00:22:22.410
And the way that, I believe, is if someone that is reaching out for coaching like, hey, I want to work with you and I don't have the funds, so if you, as the coach, know that, you know that, you know that this would be an ideal slash client, if this is someone that you have the automatic, a heart quote, unquote a heart for your energy is pulled to them, you're like I know I can help them, then I think it is our spiritual duty, slash obligation to help in some way, shape or form with.

00:22:22.410 --> 00:22:26.577
It could be a 15 minute session.

00:22:26.577 --> 00:22:31.847
It could be with a session for a testimony, it could be.

00:22:31.847 --> 00:22:35.339
There's bartering you know there's all kinds of things.

00:22:35.381 --> 00:22:37.866
I mean I'm bartering with somebody right now for coaching.

00:22:37.866 --> 00:22:47.349
There's so many different ways that we could add value with actual dollars and cents, not exchanging hands.

00:22:47.349 --> 00:22:54.423
And I'm going to put a caveat here and several things.

00:22:54.423 --> 00:23:00.848
One's coming up for me is Bob Berg's the Go-Giver book about the law of reciprocity.

00:23:00.848 --> 00:23:08.705
So I know so in my training program the certification was you.

00:23:08.705 --> 00:23:17.047
It was like cosmetology school you had to have so many hours of practical coaching before you could quote, unquote graduate right.

00:23:17.047 --> 00:23:18.695
Same thing with my coaching.

00:23:18.695 --> 00:23:23.704
So I had to coach 75 hours before I could graduate.

00:23:24.586 --> 00:23:26.710
And so 48 days as well.

00:23:27.256 --> 00:23:37.221
And I think that is the practical side that I think so many coaching certifications, quote unquote, are missing.

00:23:37.221 --> 00:23:47.560
It's that practicality, it's that taking that action because you can learn it, but can you do it and implement it is a whole nother thing.

00:23:47.560 --> 00:23:53.147
Then, on the other side of that, is the business side of it.

00:23:53.147 --> 00:23:55.303
Well, let's start you out.

00:23:55.303 --> 00:24:03.406
And what they did is cosmetology, school prices, right, $4 for a haircut, so it was $25 for coaching.

00:24:03.406 --> 00:24:11.403
So I think they did a disservice to the coaches coming up as charging that little.

00:24:11.403 --> 00:24:27.387
Now, mind you, I get that some people had never owned a business before and they were like, yes, absolutely, let's start at at twenty five, but then really ingrain in them that their value and their worth is not twenty five dollars.

00:24:27.948 --> 00:24:51.856
Yeah, there's definitely something to be said about that, and I agree with you.

00:24:51.856 --> 00:24:59.532
By the way, I think that they have not done themselves justice in structuring a program that suggests they start out with a fee like that, but, on the flip side, there's programs telling people that theyleaned from those people who have done that.

00:24:59.532 --> 00:25:03.886
For instance, rich Lipton charges $100,000 for one-on-one coaching.

00:25:03.886 --> 00:25:07.345
I think he probably commands it, and that's fine.

00:25:07.345 --> 00:25:11.645
What I know to be true, though, is he didn't start there either.

00:25:11.645 --> 00:25:23.663
He'll tell you publicly, and if you go on his LinkedIn page right now I think he said it recently he started out making $10 a month with his first coaching client years ago.

00:25:23.883 --> 00:25:28.746
So there's a confidence problem that has to be addressed.

00:25:28.746 --> 00:25:38.472
In many cases, what these programs have done, who require some coaching hours, is help people navigate the initial.

00:25:38.472 --> 00:25:40.821
How do I get the confidence?

00:25:40.821 --> 00:25:48.904
Because we think that confidence is some sort of requirement to start and what we're teaching is that it's more of a result.

00:25:48.904 --> 00:26:01.000
And the more you coach, the more results you start to see, the more tweaks you recognize you want to make and how you're coaching, the more you probably want to learn.

00:26:01.061 --> 00:26:08.151
I know for me it's true the more I want to learn, the more I coach, the more I'm like oh, I wasn't sure about this scenario.

00:26:08.151 --> 00:26:17.003
I'm going to go research it, I'm going to go read a book, I'm going to go find an answer so that if it comes up again I'm better able to navigate those things.

00:26:17.003 --> 00:26:29.919
There's tremendous value in the ongoing personal and professional growth that takes place, but they're just there from that perspective.

00:26:29.919 --> 00:26:44.204
Those programs that do offer that are there to set the groundwork for you and hopefully you're pursuing enough of your own growth to start to develop beyond that.

00:26:44.204 --> 00:26:47.260
I know that's true for me.

00:26:47.962 --> 00:27:00.164
Yeah Well, first of all, I think my two cents on this is personal growth is professional growth, professional growth is personal growth.

00:27:00.164 --> 00:27:02.589
I think they go hand in hand.

00:27:02.589 --> 00:27:14.165
Absolutely Fearless Conversations workshop.

00:27:14.165 --> 00:27:19.932
It was a three-day event and I loved what she said.

00:27:19.932 --> 00:27:23.382
That was missing from all of the other modalities.

00:27:23.382 --> 00:27:40.269
All the other framework that I had been looking into before hers was take this framework and what you learn here in this workshop and apply it to your own way, your own way of coaching and what.

00:27:40.269 --> 00:27:43.440
And so it was like, yes, that's exactly what I want.

00:27:43.539 --> 00:27:43.641
I.

00:27:43.641 --> 00:28:13.721
There's so many coaches out there who take a certification weekend and they're certified under a certain person's name and I'm not going to name names, but I'm sure you guys will find them if you're looking for them and then they become a um, another seller of that person's information, like proprietary intellectual property, right, their next book, their next workshop, and that's fine If that's how you want to start, there's nothing wrong with that.

00:28:13.721 --> 00:28:16.126
I think it's great groundwork.

00:28:16.126 --> 00:28:19.381
I think it's great, you know, foundation if that's how you want to build.

00:28:19.381 --> 00:28:21.986
But I suggest to not stay there.

00:28:21.986 --> 00:28:36.198
And the thing I love about what Rhonda says in everything that she does is, if I'm a coach and I'm going to tell you what to do, then I'm dirty coaching you.

00:28:36.198 --> 00:28:39.422
I'm a consultant, I'm not a coach.

00:28:39.422 --> 00:28:42.205
Your opinion is a consultant.

00:28:42.205 --> 00:28:55.705
Coaching is asking you the right question to empower the client to get the answer that empowers them to take the action them to take the action.

00:28:55.766 --> 00:28:57.208
Absolutely, I agree with you.

00:28:57.208 --> 00:29:13.761
In fact, I, in my own coaching, usually will ask the questions that I hear I should be asking based on what's being said or what comes up in a conversation or what's presented at the onset of a session.

00:29:13.761 --> 00:29:30.240
And I usually will say, hey, right now I'm going to offer an opinion or some advice which sort of puts me in the consulting or advising role, and I just want to acknowledge that that's the intent here.

00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:33.407
The Coaching Habit is another great book.

00:29:33.407 --> 00:29:39.618
Author's name eludes me right off the top of my head, but I'll make sure to put a link in.

00:29:39.618 --> 00:29:44.698
Anyway, they talk about that in the book, or he talks about that in the book.

00:29:44.698 --> 00:29:49.949
It's don't disguise advice with a question.

00:29:49.949 --> 00:29:58.327
And so, as a coach, don't disguise advice as a question, because a lot of coaches will do that.

00:29:58.327 --> 00:30:00.702
They'll say, well, have you thought about X?

00:30:00.702 --> 00:30:03.453
And now you're leading them?

00:30:03.453 --> 00:30:10.169
And that's moving into consulting and or advising and not coaching.

00:30:10.169 --> 00:30:13.204
I 100% agree with that assessment or statement.

00:30:13.815 --> 00:30:14.537
I try to ask.

00:30:14.537 --> 00:30:17.346
May I suggest something?

00:30:18.414 --> 00:30:32.388
Yeah, hey, I'm going to let me shift into a consultant's role for a second and say may I offer some suggestions or and or advice, because I always ask for permission.

00:30:32.388 --> 00:30:37.567
That's something that I have certainly learned because I used to be one of those guys.

00:30:37.567 --> 00:30:41.806
I just throw out advice and people get tired of that.

00:30:42.674 --> 00:30:44.921
Well and, truth be told, I thought that's what it was right.

00:30:44.921 --> 00:30:48.880
Before I went down the route of really looking into it.

00:30:48.880 --> 00:30:50.604
I thought, well, I want to be a coach I can give.

00:30:50.604 --> 00:30:52.857
I give advice all day long from behind the chair.

00:30:52.857 --> 00:30:54.121
Let me keep doing that Right.

00:30:54.121 --> 00:31:06.190
But what the funny thing was is that when I learned what not to do, I started to notice that my my clients were my hair clients.

00:31:06.190 --> 00:31:10.223
Let me, let me clarify we're actually asking for my advice.

00:31:10.223 --> 00:31:13.317
And when they didn't, I would say are you asking for my advice?

00:31:13.317 --> 00:31:15.199
And they're like absolutely, I'm asking for your advice.

00:31:15.199 --> 00:31:25.881
And I was like, wow, I didn't realize how much they thought of me all those years to really think I had an answer or something.

00:31:25.881 --> 00:31:27.905
So I thought that was really profound.

00:31:27.905 --> 00:31:31.624
Just to learn that again, that confidence building about myself.

00:31:35.296 --> 00:31:36.416
Absolutely.

00:31:36.416 --> 00:31:45.183
I think that's a good moving on point, unless you wanted to add any other comments to that, because we also wanted to shift more into.

00:31:45.183 --> 00:31:56.692
We've already talked about some growth right Growth in the process of learning coaching, growth in the process of coaching people, and it's a it's a constantly evolving process.

00:31:56.692 --> 00:32:08.028
What other tools or resources have you used or invested in for your own growth personal, professional, combined in your words?

00:32:27.042 --> 00:32:27.284
ah, gosh, um.

00:32:27.284 --> 00:32:28.703
What other tools have I invested in?

00:32:28.703 --> 00:32:43.871
Ah, communities, yes, masterminds, friend groups and conversations and community that are supportive will say, hey, let's look at the other side of this.

00:32:43.871 --> 00:32:53.253
You know um that are growing as well, and I'll add their readers um.

00:32:54.198 --> 00:32:56.044
So lifelong learners is what I use.

00:32:56.044 --> 00:33:04.565
Avid readers probably At least I well, I'll be honest about that.

00:33:04.565 --> 00:33:08.806
I love to read and I don't read much fiction.

00:33:08.806 --> 00:33:18.674
Occasionally I'll pick up a fiction book just to kind of jar the creativity or just take me away from everything else for a bit and I'll read something different.

00:33:18.674 --> 00:33:26.460
But typically I pick up you know, the developmental books of some sort coaching related, psychology related.

00:33:26.460 --> 00:33:29.066
You know business related, marketing.

00:33:29.066 --> 00:33:41.505
I've been through a ton of those, I continue to go through a ton of them, but sometimes I take several weeks away from reading anything and then I'll go back to it.

00:33:41.585 --> 00:33:43.188
But no, there's tremendous value in that.

00:33:43.188 --> 00:33:45.435
I love community.

00:33:45.435 --> 00:33:59.832
I may have said this to you before in conversation, but I believe that connection and relationships, being community, are really the currency of the future.

00:33:59.832 --> 00:34:06.926
And if you think about that I had a thought about that just this morning actually that hadn't really occurred to me.

00:34:06.926 --> 00:34:08.090
I've said that before.

00:34:08.090 --> 00:34:19.465
I believe that relationships are extremely valuable for my own growth, for the growth of those around me together, and I think there's some natural transition that occurs.

00:34:19.465 --> 00:34:31.568
You know, you move on from relationships that are no longer serving you or each other and it's natural to grow beyond that if people aren't keeping up with the pace of the group, so to speak.

00:34:31.568 --> 00:34:43.811
But I recognize that those relationships, those connections, that community might be where your income starts coming from as well.

00:34:43.811 --> 00:35:00.150
I'm not going to suggest that anybody start pursuing their friends to pay them for coaching, but the idea of those relationships lead to other relationships, lead to other relationships, which leads to potential for more and more clients.

00:35:02.954 --> 00:35:08.547
It's the well, I was going to say the law of reciprocity again, but that is not it.

00:35:08.547 --> 00:35:17.159
And it was on the tip of my tongue right before you said it and then it was like, oh, now it's gone, Welcome to Shay's world, welcome to my world.

00:35:17.179 --> 00:35:23.297
Yeah, exactly, no, exactly, no, no, you're that phrase that goes into your net worth.

00:35:23.297 --> 00:35:25.061
Is your network?

00:35:25.061 --> 00:35:27.063
Your network is your net worth?

00:35:27.063 --> 00:35:28.746
Yes, and.

00:35:28.746 --> 00:35:31.336
And people are like, oh, that's so cliche.

00:35:31.336 --> 00:35:41.577
But if you're, it goes back to um, I think it's Jim Rohn who said you're the average of the five people that you spend the most time with.

00:35:42.579 --> 00:36:12.135
And if you are sitting in your space, wherever you are, and you're looking at the five people that you call the most or that you talk to the most and you're leaning on them for guidance or support or whatever that looks like, and they're not growing or they're not in your industry or your field, and yet you're leaning on them as a mentor, when they're not mentor material.

00:36:12.135 --> 00:36:15.378
How do you shift that?

00:36:15.378 --> 00:36:29.632
How do you get out of that mindset of leaning on them and being intentional and directional to find someone that would take you and where you want to go to the next level?

00:36:32.715 --> 00:36:42.702
Well, there is the value of one-on-one coaching and there's tremendous value from that perspective from finding the right mastermind that you just mentioned.

00:36:42.702 --> 00:37:04.780
Right, you know, because I believe and you can share your thoughts, of course, but I believe that a mastermind is a group of for me it's a small group, I'd say less than 10 for me of people who are there 100% in support of each and every other person in that group.

00:37:04.780 --> 00:37:11.259
They're all committed to the success of every single one of the members of that group.

00:37:11.259 --> 00:37:19.061
That is the foundations of a great mastermind, as it was written by Napoleon Hill.

00:37:19.061 --> 00:37:27.420
In my belief, yeah, care to share your thoughts.

00:37:28.355 --> 00:37:31.161
Yeah, I 100% agree with you.

00:37:31.161 --> 00:37:35.309
I think it really goes back into what we've been talking about.

00:37:35.309 --> 00:38:15.340
Really goes back into what we've been talking about is this growth minded community where you're able to lean on each other and if you're, if one person is is taking a step up, more than likely, if they're in a, in a committed to the growth of the group, then they're having a hand up, not a handout, right, and they're going to be lifting the next person and then, before you know it, everyone's going to be having that handout and you're all going to be in that upward trajectory rather than, you know, sitting in the complaining process that so many people in the world get into.

00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:47.949
And that's why I have been in multiple masterminds, really, communities, masterminds, whatever they want to call it growth groups, bible studies, right, even you know, a family you kind of create a family in these groups is to really be able to propel your thinking and then someone to kick in the pants and put you into action.

00:38:47.949 --> 00:38:51.858
Yeah, the idea is that they're able to challenge.

00:38:51.918 --> 00:38:54.302
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to that's okay, go ahead.

00:38:54.302 --> 00:38:55.626
No, I finished.

00:38:56.668 --> 00:39:10.349
Yeah, okay, the idea is to be able to challenge each other, right, and you said something interesting, because I'll share my experience of Bible studies, or Sunday school, if you will, from my younger years.

00:39:10.349 --> 00:39:30.369
I didn't enjoy it because my parents didn't invest a lot of time in me learning those types of things, and so if I showed up to Sunday school and we were doing Bible study, I just felt extremely lost and I wasn't a good fit for where the group was and the group wasn't a good fit for where I was.

00:39:30.369 --> 00:39:34.278
I think there's tremendous value in recognizing that lesson.

00:39:34.278 --> 00:39:49.639
As it comes to leading masterminds, I've participated in some great masterminds and what I found is you can't have people at different stages of life in the same mastermind together or it is not as effective.

00:39:49.639 --> 00:39:52.865
Now, that doesn't apply to group coaching.

00:39:52.865 --> 00:40:01.318
It doesn't apply to communities, because in communities in particular, there will be, by design, people from different stages.

00:40:01.318 --> 00:40:03.143
You've got people who can lead others.

00:40:03.143 --> 00:40:07.443
You've got people who are seeking that knowledge from others.

00:40:07.443 --> 00:40:09.909
That's great For me.

00:40:10.130 --> 00:40:12.356
A mastermind which is well put together.

00:40:12.356 --> 00:40:20.407
Everyone is in a similar, maybe not the same, place in their journey, which is well.

00:40:20.407 --> 00:40:35.217
So I'm not going to beat around the bush here, you know we also wanted to talk about masterminds, because both Shay and I have masterminds that we are putting out into the world, inviting people to at least I'm inviting.

00:40:35.217 --> 00:40:44.603
Most of mine's usually personal, so this podcast is personal, but I have an application process that's neither here nor there.

00:40:45.063 --> 00:41:10.807
My ideal member from the mastermind which I am facilitating is, you know, new or early stage entrepreneurs who have left maybe corporate or the military for that matter and they've moved into full-time self-employment and they're looking for like-minded people or those that are right there about to take that step and looking for the right level of support.

00:41:11.896 --> 00:41:13.300
I think that that's very similar.

00:41:13.300 --> 00:41:17.099
There's those that have just started and they can feed off of each other with the lessons.

00:41:17.099 --> 00:41:32.304
They're not too far behind and not too far ahead as long as their commitment is over the next six to 12 months, that is, in their plan to make that shift, and if it's beyond that, that might be a little too far out.

00:41:32.304 --> 00:41:50.909
But you know, that's just one of the keys that is in place for what I'm looking for for my mastermind and if you want more information on that, feel free to email me, dan, at danwus, because I have not even put a sales page up at the moment.

00:41:50.909 --> 00:41:55.981
In fact, I just had it edited, so it will be coming up soon.

00:41:55.981 --> 00:42:01.248
But, shay, tell us about your mastermind, because it's slightly different.

00:42:02.114 --> 00:42:09.775
Yeah, and you know it's funny when speaking of entrepreneur and creating things.

00:42:09.775 --> 00:42:11.961
Let me just speak to that for just a quick second.

00:42:12.744 --> 00:42:12.925
Yeah.

00:42:15.155 --> 00:42:19.317
You said you didn't have a sales page and there's something about just the shipping it.

00:42:19.317 --> 00:42:25.844
Right, You're just putting it out there already, because you're already doing it right, we do this.

00:42:26.635 --> 00:42:30.626
We already do this all the time, which is so funny.

00:42:30.626 --> 00:42:35.697
We don't even realize that this is what we've been doing because it's so natural.

00:42:35.697 --> 00:42:39.072
So, uh, I love that you're just using your email.

00:42:39.072 --> 00:42:45.458
So I don't have a sales page for mine either yet, but that was my goal this weekend is to work on it, and, yeah, they can email me.

00:42:45.458 --> 00:42:52.478
So when I heard your email, I'm like, oh, brilliant, yeah, so my, my mastermind is around podcasters.

00:42:53.300 --> 00:42:56.023
I've been in the podcasting world for five and a half years.

00:42:56.023 --> 00:43:24.762
I've had my signature show, which is called the Shea Sparks Show Say all of that a hundred times, yeah, but it used to be called the Power of Investing in People and I've had four other shows over the course of those five and a half years and as well as named the unofficial mayor of podcasting at podcast movement and podcast and podfest conferences.

00:43:24.762 --> 00:43:30.896
So I'm saying all that because I have been asked over and over and over again how do you start a podcast?

00:43:30.896 --> 00:43:32.737
Now that I've started, what do I do?

00:43:32.737 --> 00:43:46.512
So my vision is to really help and guide newbie and wannabe podcasters who have under 100 shows, who want to grow, who are going.

00:43:46.552 --> 00:43:53.445
You know I've made 20 shows and I'm not making a million dollars yet and I don't have 100,000 downloads yet, like I don't understand, why am I not there?

00:43:53.445 --> 00:43:58.956
And it's like, oh, this is a marathon, how can we support each other there?

00:43:58.956 --> 00:44:03.568
And it's like, oh, this is a marathon, how can we support each other, how can we cheer each other on to get you through that marathon?

00:44:03.568 --> 00:44:05.815
And best practices and AI and all the different.

00:44:05.815 --> 00:44:21.679
There's so much technology and it's constantly changing and the best thing about being in community and connecting with like-minded people is all the people that I am personally connected with and in this world.

00:44:21.679 --> 00:44:30.420
And we'll have guests, guests, experts come in and share not just their expertise but share their opinion.

00:44:30.420 --> 00:44:34.719
We'll have, you know, people in the hot seats, which I think will be really fun.

00:44:34.719 --> 00:44:40.360
And you know, my whole goal is to really it's to it's to be a growth group.

00:44:40.360 --> 00:44:47.003
We call it a mastermind, but it's a growth group, and not just in your podcast, but in life Cause that's.

00:44:47.003 --> 00:44:52.735
You know, as we just said, your professional is going to lean into your personal and your personal is going to lean into your professional.

00:44:53.556 --> 00:44:55.317
Especially if you're an entrepreneur.

00:44:55.496 --> 00:44:56.617
Now, that may be different.

00:44:56.697 --> 00:45:06.585
I think if you're in the corporate world, you want to separate a little bit of personal time and personal life and growth in that area from your growth in the corporate world.

00:45:06.585 --> 00:45:11.248
But as an entrepreneur, it's blended and you might consider separating.

00:45:11.248 --> 00:45:15.871
Dedicating time to family and that kind of growth separately yes, family and that kind of growth separately, yes.

00:45:15.871 --> 00:45:21.762
But when it comes to development, especially for coaches, it's a hundred percent true.

00:45:21.762 --> 00:45:24.423
It's professional, leads into personal.

00:45:24.423 --> 00:45:26.239
It's constantly evolving.

00:45:26.239 --> 00:45:32.804
Yeah, so where, where, where do you want people to get information about your mastermind for podcasters?

00:45:33.425 --> 00:45:34.067
Yes, thank you.

00:45:34.067 --> 00:45:39.844
So you can email me at hey Shay, that's S H a.

00:45:39.844 --> 00:45:41.447
At hey Shay, that's S-H-A.

00:45:41.447 --> 00:45:50.594
At shaysparkscom S-H-A-S-P-A-R-K-Scom.

00:45:50.594 --> 00:45:53.518
You can also go to my website and just to kind of poke around and see more.

00:45:53.518 --> 00:45:58.842
But I'm on every social media and almost no demand but LinkedIn, youtube, instagram and almost known to man.

00:45:58.842 --> 00:46:00.704
But LinkedIn, youtube, instagram, facebook.

00:46:00.704 --> 00:46:06.208
The Shea Sparks and my podcast is thesheasparkshowcom.

00:46:06.208 --> 00:46:09.771
You can even leave me a voice message there if you so desire.

00:46:09.771 --> 00:46:18.681
And, yeah, I'd love to hear from you, connect with you, get you in around other like-minded people to to grow together.

00:46:18.681 --> 00:46:36.226
I just really believe that when we, when we are lit up by ourselves, we have a tendency to fizzle out, but when we are lit up and we light another match, we we grow like wildfire.

00:46:36.226 --> 00:46:39.331
So I'm excited for this growth group.

00:46:40.815 --> 00:46:42.139
I'm excited for you as well.

00:46:42.139 --> 00:46:49.483
I know that you've been working on it for a little while now, and so to put it out there like that, well, I appreciate it.

00:46:49.483 --> 00:46:52.797
So I love seeing things like that come to fruition.

00:46:52.797 --> 00:46:53.737
And there you go.

00:46:53.737 --> 00:47:09.590
We've sort of have touched on challenges along the way, and when we talk about the growth and the different lessons that have been learned as we're sharing about, you know, growing as coaches, you know podcasting is the next piece.

00:47:09.590 --> 00:47:13.141
I want to touch on something in podcasting because here's something I've learned.

00:47:13.481 --> 00:47:48.617
I'd love to hear maybe one of your most valuable lessons, but I think for me, the most valuable lesson I've learned over the last six or seven years as an entrepreneur, in general and more recently, applies to to be in community with other people and not rely solely on yourself to light yourself up as a simple reminder, the results you get.

00:47:48.617 --> 00:47:50.903
What you focus on is what you feel.

00:47:50.903 --> 00:47:52.547
Think about that for a minute.

00:47:52.547 --> 00:48:02.280
If you focus on an event, a negative event that has happened in your past, you immediately start feeling feelings associated with that event, right?

00:48:02.280 --> 00:48:10.556
So it's important that if you find yourself doing that, I think one of the best tools is to focus on what it is you're creating or why you're creating something.

00:48:10.556 --> 00:48:17.960
What's the direction you're going in to shift that state, shift that feeling, those emotions that are associated.

00:48:17.960 --> 00:48:20.739
But yeah, absolutely, other people are a great way to support.

00:48:21.521 --> 00:48:27.762
For me, the biggest lesson in the entrepreneurial journey is when I first started the.

00:48:27.762 --> 00:48:29.467
My Last Podcast is a great example.

00:48:29.467 --> 00:48:36.175
When I first started podcasting, when I first started doing business, my only goal was to do all of that to make money.

00:48:36.175 --> 00:48:41.023
Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting or having a desire to make money.

00:48:41.023 --> 00:48:59.217
You're in business to make money, unless you're a nonprofit, and even then they need money to continue to support their mission me more money.

00:48:59.237 --> 00:49:02.563
So I started the podcast because I wanted to make more money and what I found was I didn't quite love it.

00:49:02.563 --> 00:49:15.577
I sort of enjoyed it, but it wasn't lighting me up, it wasn't doing what I needed, it wasn't fulfilling me and my purpose, which is to connect with and inspire others.

00:49:15.577 --> 00:49:27.123
So I started recognizing over the last couple of years and in my podcast in particular over the last few months and that's where a lot of the shift from my podcast came from was others.

00:49:27.123 --> 00:49:49.400
But what I really want is to just be in love with and enjoy the process of creating this content, to have these kinds of conversations, which may be beneficial for others, but, more importantly, they're things that I'm interested in.

00:49:49.400 --> 00:49:53.768
Why are you giggling?

00:49:55.815 --> 00:50:00.264
Well, I'm giggling because it reminds me of Taylor Swift.

00:50:00.405 --> 00:50:02.148
I know, artists are amazing.

00:50:02.148 --> 00:50:06.802
The person I love and you're like, oh God again.

00:50:06.802 --> 00:50:16.027
But it's so funny because we were just kind of talking about this the other day, so she's got some backlash on a new album, right.

00:50:16.027 --> 00:50:23.628
And somebody said is she making content for her tween-aged audience or is she making the content for her?

00:50:23.628 --> 00:50:40.719
And so it kind of goes to podcasting, right, are you making the content because your audience is already there and chanting and begging you to make it, is already there and chanting and begging you to make it, or are you making the audience?

00:50:40.719 --> 00:50:41.661
Are you making the content?

00:50:41.661 --> 00:50:50.764
Are you making the podcast because you really want to impact the world and bring out the message and use your voice for you?

00:50:52.768 --> 00:50:55.159
yeah, that highlights the two approaches.

00:50:55.159 --> 00:51:09.226
I think the two main approaches to creating content period, podcast or otherwise is you can create content that solves a problem, right, that's for a particular kind of person, a particular audience, if you will.

00:51:09.226 --> 00:51:21.860
So I could really easily create content specifically for coaches and answer the questions that I know that they're asking me in these sessions, and I work with speakers and some others.

00:51:21.860 --> 00:51:40.204
But if I was going to look at my overall audience, so to speak you know the clients that I work with tend to be coaches most of the time so I could create content that would potentially solve some of those challenges through a podcast, but I wasn't very excited about doing that.

00:51:40.204 --> 00:52:08.231
I kept running into roadblocks and I wasn't sure exactly why, but then I recognized this because it wasn't about what I wanted, which is the other approach is creating content for me that I'm sharing with the world that I'm sharing with the world, which in that case, then the attention behind it shifts right.

00:52:13.414 --> 00:52:15.619
And I think, again, it goes back to why I created with the mastermind.

00:52:15.619 --> 00:52:21.414
You know, I decided when I started this that I got so burned out after 24 episodes.

00:52:21.414 --> 00:52:38.222
I'm like I'm calling this a season and I took like six months off and then I started up again and then I went from everything from every other week to once a month to twice in a week, you know, to different seasons, and now I'm getting ready to start season 11.

00:52:38.222 --> 00:52:42.001
And it was like I I don't have a right or wrong answer.

00:52:42.621 --> 00:52:54.076
And that's the thing about podcasting that I think is so unique to other industries quote, unquote, because there is no, there is no answer, there is no standard.

00:52:54.076 --> 00:52:59.025
It's how you decide to make it work, right.

00:52:59.025 --> 00:53:01.590
So then it goes into intentionality.

00:53:01.590 --> 00:53:14.485
If your intention is to only make money, which is what you just talked about a little bit ago, then is there what else do you want to do to make money?

00:53:14.485 --> 00:53:25.771
Because I feel like if the one thing that you want to do is to only make money, you're going to create havoc really quick with your mental state.

00:53:25.771 --> 00:53:28.838
You're going to get burned out very quickly.

00:53:29.219 --> 00:53:34.048
Yeah, I agree, it takes its toll and the focus is important.

00:53:34.914 --> 00:53:35.114
Yeah.

00:53:35.114 --> 00:53:39.947
And if you love what you do, I'm just going to butt right back in.

00:53:40.074 --> 00:54:00.862
If you love what you do and it shows and you keep showing up consistently, even if it is a season right, and you're like, no, I'm just going to take this break because I need self-care and I need to to refuel me and to come back so I can be my best and energized I mean, hollywood does it all the time Then there's something to be said for that.

00:54:00.862 --> 00:54:02.164
Then you're kind of like, okay, got it.

00:54:02.164 --> 00:54:07.568
So you're going to be on like what I say.

00:54:07.568 --> 00:54:10.672
You're going to be fired up and excited to come back.

00:54:10.672 --> 00:54:16.153
And then your intention is shifted because you're in a better place.

00:54:16.153 --> 00:54:24.442
You're focusing on how it makes you feel Right and the work, how the work of it makes you feel.

00:54:27.177 --> 00:54:28.061
I don't do a lot of work.

00:54:28.061 --> 00:54:31.960
You know this about me.

00:54:31.960 --> 00:54:46.244
I I I do enough work to publish this podcast, to edit it which we had a slight hiccup and I think there'll be some more editing required for this one but generally speaking, I don't do a lot of editing.

00:54:46.244 --> 00:55:01.025
I still just kind of go with the flow and I publish what's there and I'm able to enjoy the process as a result of not spending a lot of time in the weeds of the work and doing what I wanted to do.

00:55:01.126 --> 00:55:05.291
My intention was to create content that I enjoyed creating.

00:55:05.291 --> 00:55:17.885
Again, if that potentially leads to new connections or people reaching out to me to inquire about coaching things along those lines, absolutely that's all bonus.

00:55:17.885 --> 00:55:33.166
But as long as I'm true to the intention and remember that when I might get a little frustrated or when things just aren't going my way, remembering why I'm doing it in the first place, it's for me.

00:55:33.166 --> 00:55:48.820
This is so that I can continue to build community, have conversations like this with other people and ideally someone out there is able to benefit from a conversation that I'm having, that's also a bonus, though.

00:55:49.983 --> 00:55:50.525
Absolutely.

00:55:52.976 --> 00:55:56.686
Well, Shay, you've already shared with us your mastermind.

00:55:56.686 --> 00:55:57.496
What else are you working on?

00:55:57.496 --> 00:55:58.521
Anything you want to shared with us your mastermind?

00:55:58.521 --> 00:55:58.759
What else are you working on?

00:55:58.759 --> 00:55:59.822
Anything you want to share with us?

00:56:00.324 --> 00:56:05.041
Sure, I have a speaking of sharing your voice.

00:56:05.041 --> 00:56:18.847
Even more is a book project called Firestarters Book Project and it is for creative thought leaders who want to come together inside a book and share a chapter.

00:56:18.847 --> 00:56:26.588
And we take care of all the backend stuff, all the editing and publishing, but it's about building that community inside a book.

00:56:27.936 --> 00:56:30.342
So it's a little bit different than the mastermind, it's just it's.

00:56:30.422 --> 00:56:31.106
It's inside a book.

00:56:31.106 --> 00:56:31.938
I'm sorry, What'd you say?

00:56:32.318 --> 00:56:33.804
How are you going to fit all the people in there?

00:56:33.804 --> 00:56:36.896
Couldn't help it.

00:56:36.896 --> 00:56:40.483
Yeah, I love that and we're looking for co-authors.

00:56:40.543 --> 00:56:52.057
So if your listeners are interested, check us out at firestartersbookprojectcom and we would love to hear from you and love to connect with you and hear your ideas.

00:56:52.057 --> 00:57:01.237
The theme for this upcoming book is called how to rekindle your kindness what the world needs now and um it.

00:57:01.237 --> 00:57:06.047
It's just another layer of things I love to do.

00:57:09.360 --> 00:57:10.041
I was going to sing.

00:57:10.041 --> 00:57:12.266
I don't think people want to hear that on this podcast.

00:57:12.266 --> 00:57:13.596
What?

00:57:13.615 --> 00:57:16.280
the world needs now what the world needs now.

00:57:16.882 --> 00:57:21.230
Yeah, probably I need to bring someone else on who has a much better voice.

00:57:21.230 --> 00:57:24.362
Well, that's great.

00:57:24.362 --> 00:57:26.262
Thank you for sharing that with us.

00:57:26.262 --> 00:57:29.364
Shay, thank you for sharing your time with me.

00:57:29.364 --> 00:57:36.402
As always, I enjoy our conversations and I look forward to seeing what we talk about next.

00:57:36.402 --> 00:58:09.938
We often, by the way, say that we should have been recording some conversations that we've had, because we'll be traveling to a networking event or traveling to wherever event, and sometimes just sitting around listening to some live music, and we have these business-related conversations that go way off the rails in a great way, right Challenging and the real life of it all, and those are the conversations sometimes I wish we could share here that we have not.

00:58:09.938 --> 00:58:11.201
So I'm grateful you.

00:58:11.201 --> 00:58:15.009
Finally, we were able to coordinate for a recording.

00:58:15.009 --> 00:58:17.398
We've talked about it for a while, so thank you.

00:58:18.298 --> 00:58:18.960
Oh, thank you.

00:58:18.960 --> 00:58:23.846
And narrowing the divide is such a fantastic new life.

00:58:23.846 --> 00:58:30.097
You breathe a new life to this, the podcasting world.

00:58:30.097 --> 00:58:37.545
So I am glad that you decided to come back come back to the dark side, as they say, right?

00:58:37.545 --> 00:58:52.068
So I'm so glad that you graced us with your voice, and not just your physical voice, but your spiritual voice, your presence, because that's you are, what part of what the world needs now.

00:58:54.476 --> 00:58:55.998
Gosh, I so want to sing that song.

00:58:55.998 --> 00:59:01.369
It's not happening, all right.

00:59:01.369 --> 00:59:02.655
Well, until next time.

00:59:02.655 --> 00:59:13.467
If you would like to reach out, ask any questions of Shea via the podcast, you can visit podcastdanwus and leave me a voicemail.

00:59:13.467 --> 00:59:22.282
You could sign up to receive notifications or updates about anything I'm working on or we're working on, or the podcast is working on.

00:59:22.282 --> 00:59:39.786
Podcast doesn't do any work, never mind, but you can reach out to me there or, like I said, if you're interested in the masterminds, I'll put the links in the show notes where you can email either of us and inquire directly about those or anything else that we've talked about today.

00:59:39.786 --> 00:59:41.719
Thank you so much, shea.

00:59:41.719 --> 00:59:42.623
We'll see you soon.

Shā Sparks Profile Photo

Shā Sparks

Chief Excitement Officer

Shā Sparks is an energetic catalyst and fearless communicator who guides leaders to spark their voice through coaching, podcasts, and publications so they can go from fear to fired up about their life and business.
As the CEO (Chief Excitement Officer) of Sparks of Fire International, she is the host of her signature podcast called The Shā Sparks Show along with being a co-host of three other podcasts. She is also the author of How to Get Your Voice Back, a Certified Fearless Living Coach and Trainer, Master Practitioner of NLP, and the Co-Founder of the FIRESTARTERS Book Project.
Most importantly, Shā wants to empower others to move confidently use their voice so they can step into their FIRE power!
You are invited to connect with Shā at www.shasparks.com www.theshasparksshow.com
heysha@shasparks.com