T.H.E. Celebration

Courageous Introspection Leads to Bold Creativity With Crystal Waddell

“Accomplishing goals is not success. How much you expand in the process is.”

This quote from Brianna Wiest perfectly explains this week’s episode.

This is the first interview I’ve done with a guest in almost a year.

So I’m super excited to share it with you.

Crystal was generous enough to be the first guest to experiment with the new episode format.

We both shared very personal stories from our lives & businesses.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite episodes.

Crystal is a genius SEO Content Marketer and the founder of Collage & Wood.

She is the co-host of the podcast Simple and Smart SEO Show.

You can learn more about her here.

I hope you enjoy this week’s episode!

P.S.

If you’re ready to unlock the doors to the marketing genius inside of you…

…then you’re a perfect candidate for our Immersion Program.

We don’t believe in spoon-feeding people answers.

We believe in giving you the tools & skills you need to discover your own solutions.

So if you’re ready to unleash the storyteller within you then come join us.

Here are the details:

https://tomearl.me/dcminvite

Personal Stories From My Marketing Vault

It has been a fascinating time to run any kind of marketing campaign.

Especially paid ads.

Especially FB + IG ads. 😂

This week I want to share with you 3 stories.

And through those stories, you’ll find exactly what you’ve been looking for.

That is how storytelling works.

My goal is to move away from giving people advice.

Or telling them what I think is best for them.

And instead, create experiences where they can find the answers for themselves.

Because the answers you seek are already within you.

Our job is to go within and have the courage and presence to discover them.

You got this.

I believe in you.

If you’re ready for your next adventure.

Then hit play on this week’s episode.

P.S.

If you’re ready to unlock your own doors to the marketing genius inside of you…

…then you’re a perfect candidate for our Immersion Program.

We don’t believe in spoon-feeding people prescribed answers.

We believe in giving you the tools & skills you need to discover your own solutions.

So if you’re ready to unleash the storyteller within you then come join us.

Here are the details:

https://tomearl.me/dcminvite

Is A.I. Created Art Alarming or Authentic?

Imagine you’re a digital artist and the work of art that wins first place in your category is created through the use of A.I.

Would that change how you feel?

Would it feel like cheating?

What if you’re a business coach and lose a customer, not to another coach…

…but to an A.I. algorithm that can receive questions and give customized advice better than you.

Would that change how you feel?

Right now someone somewhere is working on a piece of tech or an invention that will make your business absolute.

Is that alarming? Fear inducing?

Or is that just business?

This is not theoretical or just a fun intellectual exercise.

This is reality.

We like to think that it will always be someone else’s business…

Or someone else’s industry…

Or someone else’s skill that will be made absolute by an invention or new technology.

When in reality we are all susceptible to the laws of change.

So how do we address this?

First - talk to your therapist about the emotions that come up -  they are an opening to healing.

Second - let’s talk about how to use the momentum of change to launch you into even greater heights than your current comfort zone.

All that plus some fun stories and the occasional ramble by yours truly.

That is if you dare to take the wild leap into the adventure that is this week’s episode.

And yes this is a brand new never before-released episode.

I hope you enjoy it at least 3% as much as I did recording it. 😂

Then again…to be honest I don’t think anyone listens to my podcast other than my bestest of friends.

And they listen in just so they can lovingly mock my podcast voice anytime we hang out. 😂

Well, there you have it.

This week’s write-up.

Give it a listen.

I double dare you.

P.S.

This was not written using A.I.  Maybe you can tell. 😂

P.S.S.

If you’re really feeling adventurous then I invite you to join the experiment & intentional community that I have just launched.

It is the first time ever that  I’m sharing my marketing playbook & the propriety storytelling & relationship-building ads system that I’ve created.

And if you’re short on cash flow but filled to the brim with ambition then I have good news:

We have “pay-what-you-can” scholarships available to anyone who needs it. 

So if you’re up for learning how to run ads like a storyteller fueled by empathy & courage then check out the details here:

https://tomearl.me/dcminvite

Peace and Blessings, 

Tom Earl

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Original Air Date: October 18, 2021

Less is more. Truly. 

But as humans we always seem to want more. Is the desire for more causing us to lose what truly matters?

In this episode, I share my thoughts on the practice of pursuing less. 

Some refer to this as ‘essentialism’ since the purpose is to maintain a deep focus on only the most important things in life.

This discipline is just like any in that it takes a lot of practice. Mindfulness. An active re-commitment to simplifying things we try to complicate.

According to Greg McKeown, “It’s a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter.”

If you feel:

• burnt out

• overworked

• unproductive

• unhappy, but too busy to change it

… then this might be the change you’re looking for. 

A way to finally take control of your life and jump off the treadmill that’s leading nowhere, but exhausting you. 

I invite you to have a listen, to see if what’s in this episode makes the difference in your outlook that it has on mine.

tomearl.me/dp

Do Things That Don’t Scale (It’s the Secret to Scaling) With Crysta Tyus

Original Air Date: February 22, 2021

The way to differentiate yourself in today’s economy is by investing time and resources in things that don’t scale.

Deep listening + building lasting relationships will always = a fantastic customer experience. This is at the center of my conversation with this week’s return guest - Tech Founder and Millionaire Business Coach - Crysta Tyus.

As a refresher, Crysta Tyus is an online marketing consultant who helps service-based businesses get clients from social media, master sales without being salesy, and build multiple 6-figure businesses.

Crysta’s episode, which was released 1 year ago, is in our top 3 most listened to episodes from our almost 300 episode catalog.

‘How can I scale this and fast?’ is the question many entrepreneurs are pondering these days. 

Sadly, it often leads to a low-quality customer experience.  

What many business owners find is that when they start to scale, they water down the magic that brought them their initial success in the first place. 

That is because many businesses are willing to trade speed in exchange for real human touchpoints. 

Crysta shares with us how she has been able to build a 7 figure business and create a technology company, all without sacrificing building authentic connections with her customers. 

Deep listening and having actual conversations with your customers are what Crysta believes will give you an unfair advantage over your competitors. 

Over this past year, Crysta has also developed, designed, and launched an app that is able to add even greater value to her customers. 

Crysta shares with us the lessons she has learned serving as the CEO of a technology company, and the insights we can all take away no matter what industry we work in. 

This was a very special episode. 

Crysta and I also have real conversations on mindset, limiting beliefs, self-doubt, believing in yourself, and the power of being a visionary. 

I promise you will walk away transformed after listening to this episode. 

Do yourself the favor. 

Hit play. 

.P.S.

You can follow Crysta on Instagram or watch her on YouTube.

You can check out my past episode with Crysta here.

http://tomearl.me/ct

Having The Courage To Ask Bigger Questions With 𝐃𝐫. 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐜𝐄𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲

Original Air Date: August 10, 2020

Imagine coming home from work only to find that your partner of 7 years has completely moved out of the home you shared together.  

No warning. No note. No discernible reason.  

Just the empty space where that person’s furniture, clothes, dishes, and presence once were. 

Ok. Now let’s jump back one year. 

Let’s say you were to study your ass off for years. You go through the rigorous and grueling process of medical rotations. You walk across the stage to receive your pharmacy doctorate – only to realize less than 1 year later that this profession isn’t for you. 

We all have an origin story. 

These are just two of the life events that this week’s guest, 𝐃𝐫. 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐜𝐄𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 shared with us in this powerful episode. 

This interview is personal.  

It is vulnerable.

It is transparent. 

It is real.

𝐃𝐫. 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧 lives the truth that he shares as a holistic life coach, business mentor, and speaker. The core premise of his work is to empower and teach each person he encounters to take control of their mind, body, and life by investing in themselves.

I promise you: you will not regret jumping into this episode. It’ll be a cool pool on a hot summer’s day. 

We got real as we talked about mental health, social justice, neuro-linguistic programming, self-awareness, how to transition from loss, and how to move forward when your world falls out from underneath you. 

Bryan and I also went deep on men and mental health. We talked about how toxic masculinity and patriarchy keep men in an unhealthy box, and how we can break free from that box.

Most importantly, Bryan made sure that he didn’t just speak in the theoretical or philosophical. He shared tools, steps, exercises, and processes you can use to address the issues that were raised in this interview. 

I’m telling you, we went in on this episode. 

Here’s my suggestion: hit play and brace yourself. 

You can learn more about 𝐃𝐫. 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐜𝐄𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 through his website; or you can follow him on Instagram

tomearl.me/bm

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

The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure

Original Air Date: June 14, 2021

Failure.

A complete sentence. 

Is it a teacher 

Or a jailer? 

Is it a beginning 

Or does it end there? 

Where do you place your next step 

When the ground beneath you begins to erupt? 

Maybe if there was something to grasp, 

If it wasn’t so abrupt.

Perhaps if no one was watching, 

Not even me seeing me.

 Then this…

Failure

Would be easier to swallow. 

If self-criticism were a competition, 

I’d be a tough act to follow. 

Perfection.

Maybe it can serve as my protection. 

From any and all

Ridicule  

And rejection

And failure. 

There is fog on the glass of my reflection. 

I find the courage to wipe it, 

I shine back clearer. 

I need to reexamine my definition. 

A life without failure 

Actually sounds 

Kind of boring. 

Where would be the discovery? 

The intrigue? 

The lessons learned from walking through the fire 

And getting just a bit burnt. 

Realizing the nightmare scenes 

Are actually just branches of trees 

Scratching at my window.

Scary shadows revealed to be nothing. 

But it’s the confronting. 

The facing. 

The tasting the fear on your tongue 

And rather than deciding to run...

Moving forward. 

Moving toward that which I find to be frightening. 

Failure. 

It can be a beautiful teacher. 

Not gentle. 

But honest.  

Failure. 

Unexpected gifts found within if I’m willing to persist. 

To insist:

I know. I know. 

There is danger waiting. 

But I’d rather lose it all

Than die knowing 

I never even tried. 

I had all of these ideas

And just kept them shut inside. 

We get to decide when failure is an ending. 

A complete sentence. 

A teacher or 

A jailer. 

And when failure 

Is actually the greatest of all treasures. 

P.S. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode: ‘The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure.’

tomearl.me/giftsof

Express Session Featuring SuperB

Original Air Date:

On this week’s episode, I interview one of my favorite poets, the genius SuperB!

We really went deep on this one.  We even took a pause and just soaked in the beauty of where the interview went.  

SuperB’s talked about his origin story, creativity, connection, how he almost became a Catholic priest, and on pursuing one's dreams. 

I highly recommend you take listen!  Enjoy! 

SuperB will be the featured poet for this month’s Live and Online: Expression Session.  Taking place on Sunday, October 15th, the LO:ES is an online writing workshop that culminates a performance by our feature SuperB.

tomearl.me/sb

Bravery is Everything With Kendra Reed

Original Air Date: September 30, 2019

Today’s guest is Kendra Reed of the "Kenny Hearts Life" brand. She’s an ambassador for happiness, self-care, and teaching others to "Heart" their life: all of which we talk about. We also talk about movement, blogging, and the courage it takes to break out of being ‘stuck’ (Kendra shares some personal experiences that she has with this).

Two and a half years ago, she started her journey of self discovery and happiness and has never looked back. In that time, she left a non-beneficial long term relationship, moved from her small hometown in Mississippi to Dallas, and began traveling for the first time, freelance writing, and learning to heal old mindsets.

Kendra’s goal is to empower others, especially women of color, to pursue inner peace, step away from toxic mindsets, and live a full and happy life. 

Join her on Instagram @kennyheartslifeblog, or visit her website.

tomearl.me/kr