Living In Legacy & Breaking The Curse With Khalisa Rae

Original Air Date: July 5, 2021

Have you ever had a conversation that changed your life? 

This week’s episode, ‘Living In Legacy & Breaking The Curse’, with Khalisa Rae, is all of that and more. 

Our guest, Khalisa Rae, is an award winning poet and journalist in Durham, NC that speaks with furious rebellion. She is also the author of Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat (Red Hen Press 2021).

Her essays are featured in Autostraddle, Catapult, LitHub, as well as articles in B*tch Media, NBC-BLK, and others.

Her poetry appears in Frontier Poetry, Florida Review, Rust & Moth, PANK,  Carousel, HOBART, among countless others. 

She is the winner of the Bright Wings Poetry contest, the Furious Flower Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize, and the White Stag Publishing Contest, among other prizes. 

Currently, she serves as Assistant Editor for Glass Poetry and co-founder of Think in Ink and the Women of Color Speak reading series. Her second collection Unlearning Eden is forthcoming from White Stag Publishing in 2022. 

This day, Khalisa gifted all of us with her honesty, poetry, insights, brilliance, and creativity. I am truly grateful for the courage and vulnerability she brought to our conversation. We explored:

-Healing from trauma

-How to create your own team of superheroes 

-The importance of honoring your gifts

-The power of words 

-Protecting your light 

Khalisa shared some really powerful stories that left me feeling more grounded and connected to my inner power. 

Not to mention that she shared with us two poems that hit me right in my soul. 

I’m telling you - this episode will be a game-changer. For anyone who is serving a mission greater than themselves - this episode is for you. 

You can learn more about Khalisa through her website. Khalisarae.com

Or you can follow her on twitter or instagram

tomearl.me/khalisa

Listen to "Living In Legacy & Breaking The Curse With Khalisa Rae" on Spreaker.

Copywriting, Mindfulness, and Courage With Jo Mckee

Original Air Date: October 12, 2020

Communication is a top-shelf skill that every entrepreneur must master. 

If you have an important mission, movement, product, or business, the ability to connect with your audience is vital. 

Verbal and nonverbal communication is absolutely essential. 

But what is often overlooked is copywriting.  

Copywriting, and the ability to move people with your words, is so crucial.  

Are you with me? 

Because if so, we’re in luck. 

This week’s guest, Jo McKee, is both a phenomenal teacher of copy and a master copywriter herself. 

Jo Mckee is the founder of McKee Creative, a marketing agency with a mission to connect clients with their customers. Jo has also just released Copywriting for Profit – the hands-on system to train agency team members as in-house copywriters.

Throughout the interview, Jo shares with us templates, tools, and strategies you can use to write with persuasion and authenticity. 

Most importantly, Jo shares with us how to write in a way that centers your audience as the heroes of the story rather than yourself.

This episode is about more than just the written word. 

We also go all in on the importance of mindset, courage, and emotional intelligence. 

I am always eager to learn how accomplished entrepreneurs move through challenges, cope with stress, and continue to perform at the highest level. 

Jo offers advice on all of this and more. 

I’m telling you, this episode is packed with holistic insights and action steps you can take right now. 

tomearl.me/jm

Listen to "Copywriting, Mindfulness, and Courage With Jo Mckee" on Spreaker.

Purpose Driven Sales & Marketing With Cody May

Original Air Date: April 12, 2021

There are people who are just pure geniuses at marketing. 

And then there are people who are genuinely amazing human beings. 

I’m going, to be honest - it is rare to see these qualities overlap. 

My guest this week, Cody May, is one of those truly special people who is both a genius at marketing and a kind and gracious person. 

Having been in this industry for a while, I can tell you, it is refreshing. 

On top of that, you’re going to get the chance to learn some seriously valuable marketing, sales, and entrepreneurial insights. 

Cody is the co-founder of Create Your Purpose, a motivational and uplifting brand to help people find their purpose and experience fulfillment throughout life. 

He is also the COO of the full-service digital marketing agency StudioPTBO. 

In this interview, we cover everything from marketing psychology, what’s working in Facebook Ads Land, how to book calls and the blueprint for a successful sales call. 

Like me, Cody believes in relationship centered marketing. 

His commitment to living a purposeful life shines through in the advice he offers to all of us on this episode. 

Trust me, this is a must listen. 

Do yourself this favor. 

And hit play. 

You rock. 

You can learn more about Cody here.

tomearl.me/cm

Listen to "Purpose Driven Sales & Marketing With Cody May" on Spreaker.

Authenticity, Personal Branding, and Flawesomeness with Dr. Natalia Wiechowski

Original Air Date: March 1, 2021

In marketing, there are certain buzzwords that can be overused.  

‘Authenticity’ and ‘personal branding’ are two of those words. Especially when they’re in the same sentence. 

So when someone can actually demonstrate how to create an authentic personal brand, that is both refreshing and remarkable to me. 

This week’s guest, Dr. Natalia Wiechowski, does just that, while also giving us a blueprint on how to up our personal branding game.

Natalia’s story is truly remarkable. I’ll give you a teaser: 

If you had the top floor penthouse suite, the high-end clothes, the high power job – if you had acquired everything you had ever wanted… could you give it all up to answer a new calling?

During my interview with Natalia, she shares her journey on discovering her calling and how she found the courage to answer that call. 

For my marketers out there, Natalia is known by Inc. Magazine as the LinkedIn Marketing Unicorn, and is a Forbes Coaches council member. 

We take a deep dive into how you can grow your business, both by using LinkedIn and following strategies to create consistent leads. 

For my personal development enthusiasts, Natalia delivers powerful insights into how we can cultivate a growth mindset.

This interview will leave you with pages of notes on how you can take your business and your mindset to the next level. 

Do yourself this favor and listen to this one. 

Instagram.

Linkedin.

tomearl.me/apbf.

Listen to "Authenticity, Personal Branding, and Flawesomeness with Dr. Natalia Wiechowski" 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.

Reflections On ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents’ With Stacey Cosden and Lloyd Wilkey

There is a widely shared photo from the era of the Nazi 3rd Reich.  In it you see everyone ‘heiling’ and saluting to the Führer except for one lone figure. 

Often there is a red circle drawn around this person.  Pointing out the only person standing against the tide of genocide and authoritarianism. 

In Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson opens her book by asking: 

“We might feel certain that, were we Aryan citizens under the Third Reich, we surely would have seen through it, would have risen above it like him, been that person resisting authoritarianism and brutality in the face of mass hysteria...But unless people are willing to transcend their fears, endure discomfort and derision, suffer the scorn of loved ones and neighbors and co-workers and friends, fall into disfavor of perhaps everyone they know, face exclusion and even banishment, it would be numerically impossible, humanly impossible, for everyone to be that man. What would it take to be him in any era? What would it take to be him now?”

As Isabel Wilkerson points out, while we all may assert we would be that person, the reality is that “it would be numerically impossible, humanly impossible, for everyone to be that man.” 

Isabel Wilkerson’s Book ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents’ provides an opportunity to strive to “be that man.” 

If there is one book you plan to read this year, it is my wish that this be amongst your top considerations. 

On this week’s episode, I am joined by past guest’s Stacey Cosden and Lloyd Wilkey to discuss and reflect upon Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste.   

Together we share with you some of the passages, insights, ahas, and emotions that deeply impacted us. 

There is no way we can do the book justice in just 1 hour. 

Which is why, once again, I highly encourage you to please buy and read Isabel Wilkerson’s Book “Caste.”

You can do so here.

More About Our Guests:

Stacey Cosden is a Marketing Coach with Tom at T.H.E. Celebration. While she is currently in marketing, she’s spent over 20 years working with the public school system. Through her various roles in the system, Stacey has been an advocate for her community, students and their families, and an activist for reform. Stacey’s true passion is building healthy community that supports marginalized voices. 

You can follow Stacey on Instagram here. 

Lloyd Wilkey is the founder of the Mindful Policing Project, He is a recognized expert on community/police relations. He facilitates law enforcement training, community dialogues, and engages in activism to advance his concept of Mindful Policing. He advocates for policies and procedures which will result in transparency, accountability, and restorative justice.

You can follow Lloyd here.

Listen to "Reflections On ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents’ With Stacey Cosden and Lloyd Wilkey" on Spreaker.

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

Living In Legacy & Breaking The Curse With Khalisa Rae

Have you ever had a conversation that changed your life? 

This week’s episode, ‘Living In Legacy & Breaking The Curse’, with Khalisa Rae, is all of that and more. 

Our guest, Khalisa Rae, is an award winning poet and journalist that speaks with furious rebellion. She is also the author of Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat (Red Hen Press 2021). 

This day, Khalisa gifted all of us with her honesty, poetry, insights, brilliance, and creativity. I am truly grateful for the courage and vulnerability she brought to our conversation. We explored:

-Healing from trauma

-How to create your own team of superheroes 

-The importance of honor your gifts

-The power of words 

-Protecting your light 

Khalisa shared some really powerful stories that left me feeling more grounded and connected to my inner power. 

Not to mention that she shared with us two poems that hit me right in my soul. 

I’m telling you - this episode will be a game-changer. For anyone who is serving a mission greater than themselves - this episode is for you. 

You can learn more about Khalisa through her website.

Or you can follow her on Twitter @k_lisarae

--

Here is Khalisa Rae’s Full Bio:

Khalisa Rae is a poet and journalist in Durham, NC that speaks with furious rebellion. She is the author of Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat (Red Hen Press 2021). 

Her essays are featured in Autostraddle, Catapult, LitHub, as well as articles in B*tch Media, NBC-BLK, and others.

Her poetry appears in Frontier Poetry, Florida Review, Rust & Moth, PANK,  Carousel, HOBART, among countless others. 

She is the winner of the Bright Wings Poetry contest, the Furious Flower Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize, and the White Stag Publishing Contest, among other prizes. 

Currently, she serves as Assistant Editor for Glass Poetry and co-founder of Think in Ink and the Women of Color Speak reading series. Her second collection Unlearning Eden is forthcoming from White Stag Publishing in 2022. Follow her at @k_lisarae on Twitter. Find more information here and here.

Listen to "Living In Legacy & Breaking The Curse With Khalisa Rae" on Spreaker.

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

Staying On The Path An Interview With Warrior Poets Jamie Dawson and Sam(ira) Obeid

For all of us striving to stay on the path - this one is for you. 

This week’s episode is truly special. 

I felt so honored and grateful just for getting the chance to be in the same room as these two warrior poets. 

My guests this week, Jamie Dawson and Sam(ira) Obeid, are two of the most creative and brilliant people I have had the privilege of knowing. 

We wove through many important and timely conversations all while striving to remain open, honest, and vulnerable. 

Accountability and introspection were two themes that tied together the thoughts expressed. 

Jamie and Sam both shared their deep insights on heavy conversations such as:

-How do we process the grief, the trauma, and the roller coaster that these past 12+ months have been? 

-What does true allyship look like? 

-What role do creativity, art, and poetry play in processing? 

-What lies at the intersection of art and activism? 

Jamie and Sam both provided true gifts on this one. 

Please do yourself the favor of listening in. 

For all of us striving to stay on the path - this one is for you. 

You rock. 

Jamie Dawson is a professional writer, performer, and black arts scholar whose talents range from spoken word, theatre, and commissioned works on the topics such as black life, multiculturalism, women’s rights, healing, and connection to each other through Earth.

You can follow Jamie on Instagram here

Sam Sam(ira) Obeid is an Indian. Scholar. Warrior. Poet. Queer. Sam has been placed 5th at the Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2015. Sam has been featured on Button Poetry and an international anthology, The World That Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia by Harper Collins India. 

You can follow Sam on Instagram here

Listen to "Staying On The Path An Interview With Warrior Poets Jamie Dawson and Sam(ira) Obeid" on Spreaker.

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

Purpose Driven Sales & Marketing With Cody May

There are people who are just pure geniuses at marketing. 

And then there are people who are genuinely amazing human beings. 

I’m going, to be honest - it is rare to see these qualities overlap. 

My guest this week, Cody May, is one of those truly special people who is both a genius at marketing, and a kind and gracious person. 

Having been in this industry for a while, I can tell you, it is refreshing. 

On top of that, you’re going to get the chance to learn some seriously valuable marketing, sales, and entrepreneurial insights. 

Cody is the co-founder of Create Your Purpose, a motivational and uplifting brand to help people find their purpose and experience fulfillment throughout life. 

He is also the COO of the full-service digital marketing agency StudioPTBO. 

In this interview, we cover everything from marketing psychology, what’s working in Facebook Ads Land, how to book calls, and the blueprint for a successful sales call. 

Like me, Cody believes in relationship centered marketing. 

His commitment to living a purposeful life shines through in the advice he offers to all of us on this episode. 

Trust me, this is a must listen. 

Do yourself this favor. 

And hit play. 

You rock. 

You can learn more about Cody here.

Listen to "Purpose Driven Sales & Marketing With Cody May" on Spreaker.

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

What Makes You Come Alive?

“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

Not only is this one of my favorite quotes but it is also the prompt for this week’s writing workshop episode. 

Here’s the backstory: 

I was an art major for my first 2 years in college.  It was amazing, and I met a lot of remarkable people. 

One of those people - Jordan Bierma - DMed me and asked if I “would be interested in participating in a storytelling project with my high school students.”

He shared that, “I work at a very small rural public school that follows an expeditionary learning model...With covid this year we have not been able to leave school and interact with anyone outside our small community of about 600 people.” 

I thought this would be amazing. 

Rather than focusing the entire time on myself, I suggested that instead I could host a writing workshop. 

This week’s episode is the recording of the creativity and honesty that transpired. 

I want to thank Jordan and the brilliant students at Silverton High School for being open to sharing their writing with all of us. 

Look - this is a crazy time for all of us. 

Getting centered on this question, “what makes you come alive,” is of paramount importance. 

I’d love for you to give yourself the gift of going through this workshop. 

You will come out the otherside with some newly discovered personal insights. 

Be sure to email or DM me your writing! 

I’d love to read it!

Listen to "What Makes You Come Alive?" on Spreaker.

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