On Being Strong, Smart, & Bold With Niki Kelly

Original Air Date: January 10, 2020

Niki Kelly is the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Bay County and is someone whom I respect and admire so much. Our talk together was a great opportunity to learn from a professional who has been on every side of the nonprofit world - from direct service, fundraising, leadership to the Executive Director role.  

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the challenges facing nonprofit leaders and nonprofits and we discuss what it takes to run a successful business that is inclusive, value-driven, responsive but also business-oriented.  

Niki shares key insights about issues that our community is facing and the evolving world of non-profit work as well as the importance of advocacy and looking at the work differently to improve program delivery. 

Niki’s education includes a Bachelor's degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology and a Masters in Management both from the University of South Florida. She spent 12 years working in community mental health and addiction services followed by more than 10 years in refugee and immigrant services.  

Niki Kelly relocated to Panama City Beach in the spring of 2014 and joined the leadership team at Girls Inc. shortly thereafter.  Since then, she has led Girls Inc. on an aggressive growth plan expanding services to more girls in Bay County and putting the organization on a solid footing that enabled them to persevere following the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018.  For her response to the hurricane, Niki was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce, and the Outstanding Community Leadership Award by the Girls Inc. national organization.

I bet you are going to love this episode even if you aren't in the nonprofit world because you will hear thoughtful advice on how to run your own business in an ethical and inclusive way.

tomearl.me/

Listen to "On Being Strong, Smart, & Bold With Niki Kelly" on Spreaker.

Writing Emails That Convert with Samar Owais

Original Air Date: May 18, 2018

Let’s say you were to ask Samar Owais to be your copywriter, and to sprinkle her magic on your email sequences. You’d need to be prepared to cut a check with a lot of zeros. 

In other words, Samar is a seriously sought after copywriter who crafts emails that convert lurkers into customers – then into repeat customers, and finally into raving fans. 

If you are an entrepreneur – from any industry – you need to be tapping into the full potential of your email list.

On this week’s episode, Samar really breaks down the ins and outs of writing email sequences. Whether we’re talking about a sales sequence, nurture sequence, abandoned cart sequence, whatever: if you’re sending it by email, she drops the gems on this one. 

This episode is especially for the folks who are sick of staring at a blank screen when trying to craft an email. Plus, Samar gives you series insights into the research you need to do before you even start writing your first email. 

Samar’s insight is really meant to empower you with the tools you need, so you can ultimately work with clients and customers that excite you and allow you to raise your prices. 

Now if you’re thinking, “wow Tom, I’m not sure I can do 60 minutes of geeking out about email copywriting.” Don’t worry. I got you. 

Samar and I also discussed: 

- Entrepreneurial mindset

- How to overcome challenges and adversity, especially when trying to pivot from one job to the next

- Owning your identity especially in the face of bias and/or discrimination

- Activating your innate power

- Communicating with passion, purpose and clarity

All this to say: do yourself the favor of hitting play on this epic interview. Samar delivers serious value and offers some amazing insights. 

Here we go. 

You can get in touch with Samar from her website.

Listen to "Writing Emails That Convert with Samar Owais" on Spreaker.

Writing Emails That Convert with Samar Owais

Let’s say you were to ask Samar Owais to be your copywriter, and to sprinkle her magic on your email sequences. You’d need to be prepared to cut a check with a lot of zeros. 

In other words, Samar is a seriously sought after copywriter who crafts emails that convert lurkers into customers – then into repeat customers, and finally into raving fans. 

If you are an entrepreneur – from any industry – you need to be tapping into the full potential of your email list.

On this week’s episode, Samar really breaks down the ins and outs of writing email sequences. Whether we’re talking about a sales sequence, nurture sequence, abandoned cart sequence, whatever: if you’re sending it by email, she drops the gems on this one. 

This episode is especially for the folks who are sick of staring at a blank screen when trying to craft an email. Plus, Samar gives you series insights into the research you need to do before you even start writing your first email. 

Samar’s insight is really meant to empower you with the tools you need, so you can ultimately work with clients and customers that excite you and allow you to raise your prices. 

Now if you’re thinking, “wow Tom, I’m not sure I can do 60 minutes of geeking out about email copywriting.” Don’t worry. I got you. 

Samar and I also discussed: 

• Entrepreneurial mindset

• How to overcome challenges and adversity, especially when trying to pivot from one job to the next

• Owning your identity especially in the face of bias and/or discrimination

• Activating your innate power

• Communicating with passion, purpose and clarity

All this to say: do yourself the favor of hitting play on this epic interview. Samar delivers serious value and offers some amazing insights. 

Here we go. 
https://samarowais.com/

Listen to "Writing Emails That Convert with Samar Owais" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Birthday Episode

My birthday is in 3 days, and each year I like to celebrate with a special birthday episode. This year I wanted to share the episode I shared on my 30th birthday.

I know a lot of us right now are going through a few challenges and obstacles and adversity, and my 30th birthday episode was one of the most vulnerable episodes I put out because it really shares the journey I’ve been on. And that is why I’d like to share it with you as a replay this week.

One of my birthday rituals is to celebrate one thing I love about myself, for every year of my life.  Which means, this year I'm sharing 30 self-love affirmations :). 

Each of my previous birthdays reflects where I was during that point in my life.  On my 18th birthday, one group of my friends (high on coke and huffing fumes) pulled knives on another group of my friends and tried to stab them.  On my 20th birthday, I was drinking a liter of whiskey almost everyday.  Or the birthday I had to tell my dad I've been arrested and am in serious trouble. 

My intention is to give closure to my 20's and step forward boldly into my 30's by sharing this part of my story.  Recording this has been one of the most vulnerable and freeing experiences of my life.  I am honored to have you be a part of it. 

When I reviewed the episode I thought I would just delete it because it was such a vulnerable share. But I decided that I would lead with courage and put it out there. So I hope that in some way that if you’re going through something right now that it can be an example that your worst days can be your best days.

Enjoy this week's episode, as I share with you my birthday stories and celebrate 30 self-love affirmations!

Listen to "Birthday Episode replay" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Working With Intention With Melissa Denizard

On this week's episode, I talk to Melissa Denizard, a native of Haiti, who is a 20-year-old activist, documentarian, and senior at Babson College.    She shares the challenges of being an activist and an organizer and we talk about vulnerability and feeling comfort in discomfort as well as the loneliness epidemic that is facing so many young people.

As an activist, Melissa uses her many talents, including public speaking, film, and the written word, to bring attention to the intersections of race, gender, and social class in the United States’ political framework. 

Melissa runs a blog that focuses on the intersection of race, gender, and social class in pop culture and politics. In 2018, her YouTube video, Unbraid with Me: Is Hair Political? was featured on Brut Media and Refinery29. Later that year, her blog post, "Don't Tell Me to Smile: A Commentary on Harassment in the Service Industry" was adapted into a TEDx talk for TEDxTarrytown.

As an alumna of the Young People For Fellowship, Melissa had the opportunity to expand upon her technological social venture Voice, which is an online platform for contemporary activists that aims to make digital organizing more accessible and efficient.. Partnered with Babson College, Melissa is also currently creating an initiative that will aim to help Flint, MI's entrepreneurs cultivate entrepreneurial skills to build wealth that will accumulate to help the city eventually emerge out of both the Flint Water Crisis and decades of poverty.

You won't want to miss her honest self-reflection on growth and self-care and her insights on the ways we can use pop culture to analyze race, gender and cultural clashes.

Listen to "Working With Intention with Melissa Denizard" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

On Being Strong, Smart, & Bold With Niki Kelly

Niki Kelly is the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Bay County and is someone whom I respect and admire so much. Our talk together was a great opportunity to learn from a professional who has been on every side of the nonprofit world - from direct service, fundraising, leadership to the Executive Director role.  

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the challenges facing nonprofit leaders and nonprofits and we discuss what it takes to run a successful business that is inclusive, value-driven, responsive but also business-oriented.  

Niki shares key insights about issues that our community is facing and the evolving world of non-profit work as well as the importance of advocacy and looking at the work differently to improve program delivery. Niki’s education includes a Bachelor's degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology and a Masters in Management both from the University of South Florida. She spent 12 years working in community mental health and addiction services followed by more than 10 years in refugee and immigrant services.  

Niki Kelly relocated to Panama City Beach in the spring of 2014 and joined the leadership team at Girls Inc. shortly thereafter.  Since then, she has led Girls Inc. on an aggressive growth plan expanding services to more girls in Bay County and putting the organization on a solid footing that enabled them to persevere following the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018.  For her response to the hurricane, Niki was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce, and the Outstanding Community Leadership award by the Girls Inc. national organization.

I bet you are going to love this episode even if you aren't in the nonprofit world because you will hear thoughtful advice on how to run your own business in an ethical and inclusive way. 

You can learn more about girls Inc. of Bay County by following them on Facebook or visiting their website.

Listen to "On Being Strong, Smart, & Bold With Niki Kelly" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

So Many Awesome Things With Catherine B. Roy

Catherine B. Roy is the CEO and Founder of LHM Academia and LHM Media. She is an internationally recognized Personal Growth and Business Coach, Bestselling Author, as well as a Human Potential Thought Leader.

Today she shares her inspiring journey with us. Catherine has faced a number of struggles with her health and lived through a civil war in the former Yugoslavia. She used the challenges that she overcame to inspire her bestselling book, “Live from Your Heart and Mind”, which made its debut on the bestseller list. 

In addition to providing us with so much inspiration, she reveals her tips and tricks to growing your business and finding clients on LinkedIn.

You can learn more about Catherine by visiting her Website or Follow her on Instagram.

Listen to "So Many Awesome Things With Catherine B. Roy" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.