Get More Yes with Erin King

Thank you for tuning in to the True Grit and Grace podcast. I'm Amberly Lago and I'll be sharing inspirational stories of resilience and empowering ideas to elevate your business and your life, ignite your passion and fuel your purpose. Hey, y'. All, thank you so much for tuning in to True Grit and Grace. I have one of my greatest friends here, somebody I really admire and look up to, Ms. Erin King, y'.

All.

She is a. Well, actually she's the world's leading expert, y'. All. Digital persuasion expert. The world's leading expert. You gotta check her out on Instagram and see all she shares. She's a two times best selling author and she's got a new book that I can't wait to talk about coming out in the spring. She helps clients ranging from the Academy Awards to Disney to the United States Navy communicate more compellingly online. And she's got a. She's working with Success magazine podcast. The host of on your Terms with Aaron King. She's got her own podcast. I had such an honor to be on. I loved your book, Aaron. You're kind of a big deal. You are a big deal. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much, Amberly.

Thank you so much for having me back at you. I have been watching your True Grit and Grace episodes and listening and just the quality of the content that you put out. I mean, the caliber of your guests and just the authenticity of your relationships and how you bring women together. You bring extremely bright thinkers and minds together. And I'm just watching you, cheering you on and trying to keep up, girl. So thank you for that intro.

Oh my gosh. Well, I have four pages of questions. I've been waiting for this day to finally get to talk with you on the podcast. We've had it planned out and I actually read your book a lot when it first came out. It's amazing. And we just moved to Texas a few months ago and a third of our stuff is still packed because we're in a rental house. And I'm like, I could not find your book to hold it up in the camera. But I do want to talk about like the. You had a pivotal moment that really led you onto the path that you are on now and you share about that in your book. And I would love for you to give the listeners a little bit of background into kind of where you were, that pivotal point in your career that made you go, wait a minute, I am a freaking big deal and I'm going to write a book about it so others know how they can be a big deal, too.

Yeah. Oh, and really, well, thanks for asking that. The evolution that we're all going through right now in this season is so. It's so profound and so juicy and complex. I mean, so many of us are on the other side of this pandemic. We have so much unrest in the world. We're all drinking from this fire hose of social media. I think we're all sort of looking in the mirror and saying, gosh, who do I want to be on the other side of all this? You know, who do I want? What is the most vibrant version of me that I can step into and show up and not wait for someday, but to make it happen today? And that is certainly the chapter that my team and I have been on big time, but kind of winding it back to how we got here. You know, when I was growing up, my parents had been married for 40 years. They are my absolute just heart. And my dad worked for the Same company for 40. For 30 years. Sorry. For 30 years. And I remember watching him, and he always just seemed really stressed out, and he wasn't really living life on his terms. He always seemed like there wasn't enough money, there wasn't enough time, there wasn't enough. It was this sort of a scarcity vibe to our household. And I remember growing up and being like, gosh, I really want to create something extraordinary because I just don't want my life to look like that now. My dad lived a great life. He's my best friend. He's amazing. But there's just something to the way he spent his time. It didn't appeal to me. So I had my first job out of College. I was 100% commissioned, ad sales rep, cold calling out of the yellow pages on a landline, pitching printed out PowerPoints to get them on broadcast television. They had to write a paper check. Like, literally nothing about that makes sense in 2022. Like, not one bit of that is relevant anymore. But, I mean, I was rejected 50 times a day, every day, five days a week, for four straight years. And it was the best education I've ever had. Is the world saying no over and over again? It really helped me build my grit. You know, not grace as much, but grit for sure.

But you know what, Erin? That's so important because I think for me, being in the dance industry for years and rejection and I mean, constantly there was audition after audition, and sometimes they would just look at you and say, no. I mean, it was. And I Kind of wished they would do that before you had to dance. And then they're like, oh, no, you're too tall. I'm like, why didn't you tell me that when I first walked in the door? You know? But it was.

Yeah.

Action and rejection that it did help. It does help you build grit and character.

Oh, my God. I would. Looking back then, it was the most stressed out I ever was because my dream was to own my own business, was to be my own life by design. I wanted that freedom, and I knew I had to get experience first before I could do that. So I was biding my time. It was a painful time, and I'll never forget. I. It was. At one point, I was up for a promotion against this guy named James, and I had better sales numbers, but James played golf with the Boys Club. And so I was overconfident. I thought for sure it was mine. Well, of course James got the promotion. And in that moment, I just fully. I felt like it was more risky to have someone else define what my path was going to look like than to even start my own. So I Jerry Maguired. Full, dramatic exit. Like, I'm out of here. Who's come with me? And of course, no one is coming with me because I'm 25 and I'm an idiot. So I jumped, and I started my very first company, Jump Digital Media. Within 18 months, we were in $70,000 of credit card debt. I was getting cash advances on my personal credit card to pay my three employees who had kids. It was a disaster. So I had to shut it down. Go back.

How long did you do that? How long did you do that before you were like, okay, this I gotta make. I gotta, like, tourniquet this. This is not working. How long did you let that money bleed out before you were like, okay, this is just not working?

It was about 18 months, and it was when I ran out of credit card space, so I got rejected for, like, you know, whatever, the sixth or seventh, whatever. And I was like, okay, this isn't sustainable. But I was 25. I didn't know what I was doing. I don't come from an entrepreneurial family. I come from a family that definitely worships at the altar of corporate. My brother works for Google. My sister works for the Wire. Like, we're home at Christmas. My family is like, oh, I can explain. I can explain. We have the doctor, we got the lawyer. And then everyone's like. And Erin kind of like, writes books and runs around, and we're not really sure, right so. And it's always kind of hurtful because it's just, I'm the black sheep, you know, I've taken the road less traveled. And for anyone listening who feels like that, you know, it can be a very. It can be a very daunting space to exist in, in your family structure because you don't have that support, and you can't look around for. For the people that are really, like, cheering for you in the way that you would like. And so you have to find a new source of that energy. You have to tap into not an external space, but an internal place. And we can talk more about that in a second. I went back to work. I ran digital marketing for a company called Auction.com, which is like an ebay for real estate. Dug out of my debt, and I saved three months of salary. Once I was debt free and had three months of salary, I said, I'm going to try this again. Can. So this time, I raised capital from a bunch of Newport beach alpha dudes, like Tan, crossfit, you know, Kanye West, Maserati, like these very alpha males in Newport Beach. And I basically pitched them, and they. They backed me with seven figures of capital to start a tampon delivery service called pms.com, where I was literally holding a tampon up at the head of a boardroom with these 15 guys. And they all looked so nauseous that I'm pretty sure they only backed me just to get me out of the room because I was so uncomfortable.

But I love that story. I love the story. And how you wrote it in the book is amazing.

Thank you. Well, it was a moment where, growing up in my family, like I said, I remember looking around at these guys, and they're all looking at me like, this is crazy. And I almost ran straight out of the room. I mean, I was sweating. I did not belong there. I had no business there. I was 27 years old and I already had a failed business. I had just gotten back on my feet financially. But I had that dream. I had that deep desire in my heart to chase down something bigger. And I will never forget, one of the guys grabbed the tampon and started playing hot potato and throwing it across each other like kids in the schoolyard. And I sat there, I'm like, you know, these guys are very comfortable in their skin. They're not nervous. They're not sweating bullets. But I have every right to be here just as much as they do. And I've done more work to be here. And it was just one of those moments where I grabbed the tampon and I'm like, I'm going to meet them where they are. So I made it my microphone and my pointer. So I met them where they were and started talking into the tampon and using it as. So they all started leaning forward. Because instead of trying to make them feel a way they didn't feel, I tried to meet them where they were. And it was, and it was definitely a delusional level of confidence in myself of that moment of like, I've worked so hard to be here, why not me? And I'm convinced that one little switch in my heart was all the difference of walking out of that boardroom with a term sheet versus walking out of that boardroom and giving up on my dreams. So starting pms.com, you know, we were featured in Forbes. I mean, I learned so much about FDA shipping policies, I just googled my face off every day. Like, how do we do this right? So 18 months after 18 months used to be like my, my sweet spot of trying these ventures. Because 18 months after pms.com we were approached by a group of investors from Asia who, I guess PMS stands for something else in Asia. And they wanted the three letter URL. So they offered us a ridiculous amount of money for the URL that was worth so much more than how we were even tracking with the business. And so all the investors were like, let's sell the URL. So again, it went back down in flames. I didn't really make any money off the business again, so I wasn't in debt this time, but I broke even. But again, you're like, what am I doing? All this work and all this effort and I can't get there. And there for me, was looking in the mirror and feeling like a success. Not feeling like I was faking it until I made it. Not feeling like I'm pretending. Not feeling like, you know, know I have to go with this bravado. But I wanted to genuinely feel like I had made it. And for me, I had a very clear idea of what it was going to feel like. So.

So what was that feeling? That. What did it feel like? And how did you make that shift in the mirror? Because I know there's a lot of people. I mean, I have felt like an imposter sometimes when I'm doing something really big and scary, and I just always go, okay, wait, how can I add value? And I take it off of me and I put it on who I'm, you know, there to be of service to. But that's something different than looking in your. In the mirror and going and feeling really owning that you are a success. How did you do that?

Yeah. So for me, it was two things. One, I had to get away from this pretend Everest summit moment of you make it and you feel like a success, you've arrived at success mountain, and then you just sit there and live on top of the mountain of best life. Like, it's not. That's not how it is. Right. So I had to reframe it from. Instead of fighting for this space of I'm going to get there, it became more of how can I infuse more everyday enthusiasm around the effort. And that reframing of like the every day, the small win, the what was. And a big thing for me was I used to start off every single morning and I was a big morning person. I still am, but, you know, the goals and the routine and then that. And the one thing that I added in at that point was my pillow at night when I'd lay my head down, I just had to think of one thing that felt like progress, that felt like a small step forward, and just take a minute, no matter how tired, how stressed, how overwhelmed I felt, and just try to find that little flicker, that feeling of good job, you for that little moment. So I reframed that. That was the first thing. The second thing was that I had to find a new source of encouragement that was not looking to my family and also not totally relying on yourself because we can only power ourselves so much, and then you just run out of gas. So I found this source of inspiration that I use to this day every single time I feel like I can't do this. I cannot do this. And I call it my fist bump folder. And my fist bump folder is anyone who I've ever served, a client, someone that reported to me, someone that I hired, someone that admires me the way I admire them. Whenever they would send me like a text like you, Amberly, you're always so good about seeing people and recognizing them. And even this girls group that you put together of powerhouse women, you go around the table and you take the moment to be like, call out her win and honor her moment. And. And oh, do you know that so. And so is a superpower of doing this. Like, you're really one of your strengths is making sure people feel super seen and significant. And I love that about you. And so we need that. And so. But we can't always jump on a call with eight powerhouse women like, it takes us, you know, weeks to just get organized, to get on one call. So for me, I started just taking really intentional screenshots of the email or the text or when you said to me earlier, before we started recording this podcast, you're like, oh, my gosh, Erin, I love your energy and what you're doing. Well, I took a mental note of that, and you better believe me. Finish recording this. I'm putting that in my fist bump folder, because when I start to run low and I don't have a source to plug into, I open that folder and I look at what everyone else around me sees in me when I can't see it in myself. Because we believe them more. They're credible. They can see what we can't. So I open that folder, I am ashamed to admit, probably every two to three days, just to remember that you can and that it is your time and to quiet that dang Regina George mean girl voice that just is relentless. I don't know about you, but mine does not sleep. She does not quit. And so you have to have that antidote at the ready to have her fall silent so that you can plug into what you need to keep going.

Oh, that's so powerful. I love that. And, you know, I think that, you know, having those screenshots, I. Screenshot messages, DMs. Now I'm going to. I'm going to add it into a fist bump, like a folder. But it is so important to remember along the way to find joy in the journey. It's not all, like, if you're just focused on, when I get to this achievement, then you do it. And if you haven't found joy along the journey, you're going to get to it. And it's not going to. It's. It might even be a letdown a little bit, you know, if it's not exactly what you had in mind or you expected. But I think it's so important to celebrate that progress along the way. And sometimes. Yeah. And, you know, just the other day I was thinking about, you know, and I'm getting over being sick, and I just didn't feel as strong in the gym. And I was really beating myself up. I was like, gosh, you've lost muscle, you. I mean, my mean girl was like, you're a loser. See how out of breath you are? You're out of shape. Like, all these things. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. I remember a time when I couldn't even get out of the hospital bed, and I was I was like, I am doing good. I am stronger than I was then. I'm getting stronger every day. And so it's these little things that we can remind ourselves. And it does inspire you to keep moving forward. But I also love that you share all of the struggles and the failures along the way and how you've reframed that and you learned lessons from it, but also that you googled so much when you didn't know how to figure something out. That is a freaking superpower that you have that you are able to go, okay, I don't know how to do this, but dang it, I'm going to figure it out. Because you know what, Erin? So many people will make excuses instead of trying to figure out another way or some way to do it. It's like they want to wait around and have somebody tell them what to do. And it's like you're like, oh, I don't know exactly how to do this, but I'm in it and I'm going to do it and I'm going to figure it out. And I love that about you. You are such a go getter in everything that you do, whether it's your speaking. I freaking love seeing you on stage, by the way. You're a powerhouse, like a spitfire on the stage. So whether it's your speaking or your podcast interviews or your lives or just when you're doing a reels and you're holding your phone up out hiking on your Instagram. Well, I'm serious, y' all go check out Ms. Erin King on Instagram because you give some really amazing tips, things that we all feel and experience and it helps to know that we're not alone in that feeling. And one of the things you were just sharing is about authenticity and vulnerability. And that's one thing that you do so well. And I think that's why we've been able to connect. And this group of ladies that, you know, I was like, man, I got to get all these ladies together and we meet like once a month and we're able to share what going through. But. But each level of success can be daunting. It can be intimidating, it can be sometimes lonely. And so I think it's important to reach out to people because I didn't my family, I was the black. I'm the black sheep too. Nobody else kind of gets it. They're all like a 9 to 5, you know, my husband was a cop. Entrepreneurial experience on their side at all. And so I totally get that. But so how Besides doing the fist bump folder. Really? And also besides like really like celebrating your small victories along the way. For someone who is feeling like they don't have the confidence and they want to feel like a big deal, how do they to own their audacity? Like today would you say go to the mirror and just start visualizing what success feels like to you or how do you start to build confidence? Let's say, for example, they're really intimidated just to go on camera and share a message like you, like you make it look really easy on reels to go on and share a message. There are some people that are really intimidated to do even go on camera like that. What would you suggest to do to start to, to get that confidence, to do that?

Well, I love a good manifestation, yes, the mirror. My friend Judy Holler does like these really fun post it notes, cheering herself on. Yes to all of that. I think that's all great, but I don't think that's what really truly helps you to step into your big deal energy and show up. I mean the biggest, I would say the biggest decision that I ever made that I have to keep re making is, is it's not that I don't care what anyone thinks about me because anyone who says they don't care what someone thinks about them truly is probably a psychopath or a narcissist or an asshole. Like, let's hope you care a little bit how you make people feel or right stupid advice, I think. Um, but what I. The decision I made was like, if the stakes are highest and this really matters to me and I thought about it and my intuition is screaming at me. I'm just gonna care more what I think about this action than what she or he says or thinks. So it's just this finding this balance of, you know, I really know my truth tellers. I really know my truth tellers. I can count them on one hand and they are the ones who help me check myself before I wreck myself. But other than that, when I'm showing up on a reel or on stage, I have just released this idea that someone else is doing it better. They're just doing it differently. You know, like we have a. There's just a gal in our keynote circuit. And for years I was like, God, I just wish I could be like her. She's so polished and she's so professional. And every time I would try to sort of channel, you know, what I liked about her, it didn't work. It fell flat. It was only when I just released it and said, you know what? My lens, my way, the way I'm seeing things, maybe I doubt it, but the more I stepped into just owning, like, I talk too fast, I'm high energy, I am real. I see things that sometimes later I'm like, oh, well, that was a choice. Probably could put a filter a little more on that one. Right? There's. There's a shadow side to my superpower. But what I know to be true is what my grandmother has told me my entire life. She's from Ireland. We have 36 first cousins. And my entire life, whenever people said, you need to speak slower or you just slow down, and everything in me is like, well, can't you just speed up? Can't you just meet me where I am? Right? And so my grandmother would always say to me, whenever I felt like something was wrong with me or I wasn't ready or I couldn't do it, she would say, love, it is better to be someone shot of whiskey rather than everyone's cup of tea.

Love that. And to this day, I just got goosebumps.

Yeah. And to this day, I have to remind myself what Nana told me because, like, just, you know, we did 25 keynotes this year so far, and 24 of them, rave reviews. They want to hire us back. They want to do ongoing training. We're all, like, feeling like family. Just good vibes. Love this job, love this life. One of them had one little moment that one wrong person didn't like, and I got feedback because it was something that rubbed this one hat, you know, whatever. And I got. My immediate reaction, just like we all do, was to hyper focus on the one gig that it was not the way I would like it to play out. And I remember what Nana said, and I'm like, you know What? I was 24 companies, super shot of whiskey, they're obsessed with me. But the one company I'm at, the cup of tea, and that's okay. Like, as women, we are so programmed to be these hyper functioning pleasers, and it's like, dudes don't care. Like Ed Mylett. You had my lot in your podcast the other day, and he was fantastic. I loved your interview with Ed Mylett. So he just beat me out for this gig at Arbonne and he just gave his keynote on Friday, and I was like, so honored to get beaten by Ed Mylett because he's so incredible and his new book is so great and all this stuff. He got up there on stage and he burnt the place to the ground. And it Was because of one element. He did not give a shit whether or not people liked him. He delivered his truth. He preached from his heart. He was a cursing Christian fireball. And the whole place was laughing hysterically, crying their eyes out. And they walked away ready to make a change. And I looked at that and I said, instead of saying, like, wow, I want to become this cursing Christian. I didn't say I want to be like Ed Mylett, but I was inspired to look more deeply at, like, what is the thing that I can bring that Ed can't? Amberly can't. That this gal who I'm always kind of looking up to can't. Like, what is your thing? Because to answer your question, long story long, as my husband says, land the plane. Long story long, the thing that I think people should do more than looking in the mirror or actualizing the moment. Figure out your jam. Figure out your jam. My jam, whether I like it or not, is I have a ton of energy. I don't even drink caffeine. Like, I just have a lot of energy. So. Ok, so channel that. Use it. Show up with energy. Don't try to be like someone else. You know, what am I good at doing? I'm good at getting people fired up. You know what I suck at? Completing things, finishing things, process, organization, all those things. Yeah, I try to be a little better, but I know I can get things started. I am a starter. So I double down on my ability to get people started. What is your power? What is your jam? What are you actually really good at? And if you don't know, ask those truth tellers and listen for that common adjective. Because I asked every client that works with me, what was the best part? What did I bring to you? How did I help you? And they all say, your energy, your energy. Everyone has a word that you're going to hear. And if you are setting yourself up in a way that allows you to lean forward so deeply into that special jam, the confidence will come because you have that value. You are helping. You are bringing it. And so the confidence just follows naturally because you are doing what you are here to do. You are doing what you were set here on this earth to share, which is your gift.

Yes. So true. And I so relate to. I remember seeing this one speaker, she did a TED talk. I don't even remember who she is anymore, but I was like, my next talk, I want to be more like her. And I remember going to this women's empowerment event, and I had practiced and practiced this talk over and over. And I got on stage and I was like, I said a cuss word, but it wasn't me. I don't cuss on.

It just wasn't me, right?

And I was like, I left there going, oh, gosh, that did not feel like me. And I think that it is when we speak from our heart, when we are our authentic selves, and it's getting to know ourselves, you know, and then going from there. But, yeah, I was the same. And I was like, no, I need to be more like me. And it's the opposite for me. People always told, still, you talk so slow. Oh, my gosh, your accent. They made fun of my accent. I used to go to a voice coach to try to get rid of my accent. Now I'm just like, screw it. This is how I talk. It might be a little bit slower, but that's me. And you know what? I think more that you step into that, the better. And I like that you do say, like, about your truth tellers, like, sometimes that, you know, you need to, like. Well, you say a couple of things. Jealous is your genius. And also why you should be a bad listener. When you say be a bad listener, it's like, to the people who their opinions don't really matter or. What exactly do you mean when you say that?

Well, so there's a chapter in my book called Becoming a Bad Listener. Obviously, that's intentionally a little bit provocative because we're always taught, listen twice as much as you speak. The world's greatest salespeople are the world's best listeners. Absolutely. And I can tell you right now, when I started my third company, Socialite, I was like, third time? This is my last chance. If you can't make this third venture work, you don't have what it takes. It's time to throw in the towel. Like, at a certain point, you're just being delusional and you're going to get in trouble. And so I remember when I started my third company, I had so many people say, like, aren't you tired of being broke? Aren't you tired of being stressed? Like, you're pretty good at marketing communications. Get a dang job. There's nothing wrong with it, and there's no shame in that game, but it wasn't what I had in my heart for myself. And I remember there were several people that unsolicited, basically were like, this is a bad idea. And I had to be a bad listener. I had to say, thank you for your thoughts, but I'm going to, again, care more what I think about my choice than you. And even two of my truth tellers even said, this is not for you. But I knew in my heart that if I didn't try one more time, I would regret it for the rest of my life. And that being a bad listener in that moment served me because Socialite was one of the world's biggest social media agencies for live events for 10 years. We did Fashion Week, we did the Oscars, we did Crazy Opportunities. I was on the red carpet with my absolute hero, Reese Witherspoon, with the same birthday. It's not a big deal, but, I mean, just like, running this. I mean, I had 50 employees. We won all these awards, and my agency was acquired this past January, and it was an absolute moment of feeling like a success. I felt like I had celebrated all the small milestones along the way, but it was something that, to me, felt like I did it and there was no other feeling that I'd ever experienced. Like, that feeling. And then what happened? Well, of course, about five minutes later of like, good job. We are like, what is the next challenge? What's the next race? Let's set the bar higher. What's the next? And so now I'm writing this new book, and I've launched this new sales training agency, and I'm so excited about it. But again, the joy is in this journey. The joy is in this journey. And it has taken me so freaking long to really realize that and not just read the coffee cup and say it, but truly feel it in my heart. That peace and that excitement of the struggle, the beauty of the progress. Like, we just had a call with my team this morning. I was telling you earlier, and we were on vacation, like, the last two weeks. We all take the same two weeks off every year because it's July. Let's be real. You know, everyone's at the pool. We're at the family, the beach. We're chilling. So our brains were all mushed Monday morning, this morning. And we were just a hot mess. Like, we couldn't figure out the software. You know, it was just. There was so much. It was just like. It was the worst meeting. We were just like, we. Are we even a real company? Like, what is happening right now? People are just falling apart all over the place. And I just stopped the meeting, and I was like, guys, let's find the joy in the journey, right? And we just took a check, and it was like, what was the one thing that you did figure out? And it was something so small, like, some girl was Like, I couldn't figure out this login, and I got it. We were like, yay for logins. Like, just finding a way to just not take it too seriously. Like, I take my business very seriously, but I don't take myself that seriously. Like, it's not that serious. Like, we are not curing cancer here. Like, we are running a company. You know, I mean, you've been through such serious challenges that, I mean, I think about you sometimes. Like, when we have certain things. Like, you're on my list of people whose stories from my podcast. I've been podcasting now for two years. I've heard so many stories. You're one of the top three stories that I literally keep in my mind when I start to get sucked in and I start to just be human and be like, oh, my God, the sky is falling. I'm like, you know what? I can walk and I can run, and I didn't have to go through this awful, painful disease that's, like this terrible pain threshold. I mean, I think about your story, and I'm like, you know what? If Amberly could do it, I could do it. And it's not in a. It's like, in a healthy, Healthy competition, not unhealthy comparison.

Yeah.

You know, like, joyful inspiration. Not putting myself down because my problems aren't. I'm not minimalizing my struggle in light of yours. I'm just taking what I felt so inspired by with yours and applying it to mine. I think we all need to have our Amberly's. We need to have. Everyone probably is thinking about someone right now, and you have heard their story, and it's not a comparative. It's not comparing your grief or your struggle. Your feelings are valid. Your struggle is valid. This challenge for you is very real. It's not minimizing that because you weren't in a car accident, but it's looking to the men, the women that have risen above something so tough and saying, good job, her. Now let's go me.

I love that. And I'm just, like, getting emotional hearing you talk, because I feel like it's such confirmation. You keep saying. I don't know if you realize this, but you said it a few times. Joy for the journey. And I just changed in my bio on Instagram yesterday. I added joy to that spark. Joy. And you keep saying that. Well, I was talking to John Gordon for the podcast. I don't know if you know who John Gordon is. He's a speaker. He's amazing. He's written, like, 27 books. He's incredible. One of my favorite male speakers. And I was interviewing him for the podcast or. No, actually he. I was on his podcast and he said, you know, Amberly, I think you need to have another book. And the title should be Joy for the Journey. And so I've got a sticky note when I look on when you were talking. I'm not kidding. So when I look down when you were talking, because you were saying that over and over, I was like, where's my sticky note that says Joy for the Journey? Because you mentioned that. And it's like, like we hear, like we get these God winks through other people. And I swear, I'm like, God brought you into my life because there's so many things that you remind me of and like our conversation now, like, I need to actually start working on the book, but also like, just things that I hear you say on your Instagram, little reminders. I'm like, oh, thank you, God, for Aaron and for that message today. And I love that thing that, where you say, look, it's human nature to compare ourselves, especially with social media. But I love that you say sometimes we got to block them and bless them and block them. But I also love that the, the different. How you say there's a difference between, you know, getting sucked into that comparison trap or using your competition as like, oh, competition is good. Like, it lights a fire into me. So tell me a little bit more about if somebody gets stuck in that trap of scrolling on social media, then all of a sudden you see you're having a good day. Then you see somebody and you're like, oh, must be nice for them to be on the beach today. And, oh, sunny California. And I'm stuck here in my office and it's raining and suddenly your life is crap, you know, and you start eating pizza or something. You know what I mean? Like, I don't. I've. Where I'm like, oh, my gosh, Amberly, stop comparing yourself that you didn't get that speaking gig or you didn't get booked on their podcast or you know what I mean? Those things. How do you get out of that?

Well, I haven't gotten out of it. I am still very much in that. I think it is very. I think it's very. Like we're in the middle of a grand human experiment right now with phones and social. Like we. I was. I'm here at my. My in laws house down in Birmingham, Alabama, and last night was so refreshing because I'm at a table. My mother in law is 74. My father in law is 83. They are super high energy. They have a vibrant social life. And we're sitting around the table, and there are six of them. It's three couples, and they're all over 75. They come from the world of no phones and no social media, and they're talking back and forth in the crossfire. And the Southern accents, right? We're down in Alabama here, and they're storytelling and they're joking around and. And there is not a phone to be seen in that reflection. It was my husband's like, we don't want to go get drinks. A bunch of old people. I'm like, are you insane? Old people are the only ones that have it figured out right now. They are the only ones that know how to be present and stay focused and be joyful.

Yeah.

And. And it was so. Use your word. It was so refreshing, so invigorating. And I left and I thought to myself, gosh, we are in the middle of such a massive experience experiment, and I don't know how it's going to shake out. I don't have it solved. You know, sometimes I go through these phases where I charge my phone in the other room and then I cave and I charge it back in my bed again. Well, then I have my timer set. Like, overrun the timer. Well, then I try for, okay, 30 minutes. I'm going to wake up in the morning and just for 30 minutes, no phone. I don't know why that is so hard for me, but it's really hard. And I just finished, actually, in my annual digital detox every single year for six years, I do it.

I love that. I saw that you did that, and I was like, that is incredible.

Every year I've done it. Yeah, that's amazing.

I mean, I. I took, like, a week off of social media. I mean, I was still doing email. I was still doing everything else. I just took a week from posting on social media. It was the first time I had taken a break in five years.

How'd you.

One week felt like, oh, my God, it was amazing. And I thought to myself, gosh, to wake up. And you're not thinking, oh, I need to post something. Oh, see, I'm not the kind of person that has some huge. You know, I've got a team, but I don't have anybody that's, like, creating my Instagram post. And my. You know, it's like, it's. I'm the one writing it. I'm the one responding. You know what I mean, and to take a week off. I have to say, I thought, wow, what. How amazing would it be to have all that extra time? But yet I run my business on social media, as do you. So it's a. It's kind of a hard balance. I have to say, I'm really grateful that my daughter, my oldest daughter doesn't even have social media. She's in medical school and she's a genius. She got rid of it, deleted it, because she knew she had to focus. My youngest daughter's 14, and I'm so grateful that she doesn't get sucked into, like, I mean, of course, occasionally she will, but she actually makes sales on Instagram. She doesn't. You know, she does it for work too. And I can't tell her, don't be on social media when I'm on it, you know, but it was nice to take a break.

Oh, man, I hear you. And I'm so thankful that both of them, it sounds like they have very healthy relationships with digital, especially for their age. So bravo, mama. I will say that it is so challenging. I ran a social media company for 10 years. This was my job. And it wasn't until I saw the Social Dilemma, that documentary that I was like, oh, my God. I'm like, have I been part of this problem for 10 years? So I'm really excited to be moving into sort of this new brand where I'm not teaching social. I'm more teaching communication, sales influence, online, offline all the time. So it's more of a holistic 360. So I'm really excited about the new platform there just for a lot of reasons. But going back to the digital detox, I can't tell you, Emily, how calm, how much better I slept. And my creativity, oh, my God, the creativity, I'm sure. Oh, my God. Like, all of a sudden, all these ideas, it's like I didn't have space. And so. So the one thing that I'm trying, I never answer this question. Like, I have it figured out, because I do not. And I struggle with it. So I never offer, like, a firm answer because I am still. I never teach anything I don't do myself and have it figured out on the other side. I teach from. I teach from scars, not wounds. You know what I mean? So I don't know yet the answer, but what I'm trying right now in this time is to be hyper intentional around my ratio of consumption to creation. Like, I am being hyper focused that if I am on there, I am creating and I am responding, but I am trying. I wish I could create, like an app where the minute you start going down the black scroll hole where you tell yourself you're working, you get slapped across the face. Yes. Yeah, just a good shake. Stop it. Yes, exactly. Okay, that's our next part. We're going to invent that. But, yeah, I mean, it's tricky. I will say that, you know, our, our businesses, it's. It's how we make our money, it's how we grow our footprint. And the crazy thing, this is the crazy part is I've noticed when I first started going off social media about six years ago, wasn't that big of a deal. Didn't know it's much of a difference in my company. I will say this is the friend I was like, oh, it's not that big of a deal. You can do it every year. This was the first year I had multiple DMs and there were women that were like, where did you go? Because I actually really need you and I count on you. And, like, you're coming back, right? Because I need what you're telling me. And then it was interesting when I got those messages because first of all, it's obviously our why as creators is that we actually. Someone is being moved or being assisted in some way by how we show up. But it was such a reminder that it doesn't matter that I hate social media. It doesn't matter that it's draining my battery, because at the end of the day, if you focus on the impact that you're trying to make, it's just a channel, it's just a vehicle. And if that's the way you can make the biggest impact, well, then we've got to find a better way to make peace with it and to stay focused on. It's not the best for us. Maybe it's really helping somebody else. I just try to stay focused on that every single time that I'm like, Instagram, right? So it's complicated. I don't have any.

Yeah, yeah, you know what? I actually, I love writing. I love being creative, and I actually like getting on there and going, how can I make like a fun reels, like editing kind of stuff on? I really like that. But it's sometimes when I'm like, oh, my gosh, I have like a thousand DMs to respond to because I didn't get back to people, like, I can miss one. I can miss one or two days of DMs and literally have hours to go through of DMs. And it's funny because my, my youngest daughter, my 14 year old was like, well, mom, how much does your assistant make? She goes, you know, I could help you with that if you're willing to pay me as much as your assistant. And I'm like, I think you might have to work your way up to that. But she, she's amazing. But yes, it is like a challenge to see what it is going to do because I know that it's, it can be very addictive. There are a lot of kids that are. Do you know that there are actually like rehab facilities for digital addiction?

Yeah, yeah, I've heard about this. Yeah. Well, it's just, it's. Yeah. I mean, this topic is like endless. I mean, I can say that one thing that has really helped me lately is intentionally seeking out, like finding and replacing. I mean, I call it like Marie Kondo in my newsfeed where when I do see that gal, instead of judging myself, like, you're being so high school. Who cares? Like team abundance, not team scarcity, you know, but, but it's interesting because I will say, like, there are two women in my newsfeed and they are very similar and they run in this. We run in the same circles. Our businesses are pacing around the same level and they even kind of look alike and they have similar topics. And for some reason when I see one of these gals do a stadium, I'm like, yes. Like, I'm so excited for her and I can't wait to hear about it. And I'm like, just pumped. And for some reason I see the other gal and she makes me feel less than. I have no idea why. I have stopped trying to figure it out. And instead of judging myself for having a joyful reaction of like, go girl for one gal and the other reaction of just the human, like, why not me? You know, knee jerk reaction.

We've all been there. We have all been there.

I used to judge myself because I'm like, you know better. You literally know better. Why are you still feeling like this? I stopped judging it and I just said, okay, I'm going to release her. There is something energetically trying, inspiring across the screen. I don't have to understand it to know that the emotion is real. And so I just, I just block and blast. Like you said, unfollow, wish her well. And then I try to find more of the women and men that when I see their content, it sparks an idea for me. It sparks. Oh, actually my take on that would be this, right? And so There are people that I think can be really healthy, but we have to be super intentional and not just let the. The new CBD cesspool. Because it is a lot of work. It's like cleaning out your closet or anything else in your house, like Marie Kondo. It's a lot of work to go through your, like, old panty drawer or your gross, like, someday clothes pile or what doesn't fit you from five years ago. Get over it. It's not going to zip. Like, throw it out. It is a lot of work, but it is so worth it when you have a closet that you can find the outfit that you need, when you can find the tool that you need, the moment that you need, the story that you need, the vibe that you need. It's. It's. It's not inherently good or evil. It's just how we choose to show up and use it.

Yeah. Oh, I love that analogy. I'm very visual, visual person, so that really. That really helps. Yeah. And, you know, it's interesting, right? Like, when I brought all these ladies together for the legendary lady group that we have, it's like, every single person in the group, I see them get some huge job. I'm like, yes, you go, girl. It's like, oh, my gosh, that's totally possible. Like, that is what's possible. When I look at you and your beautiful website, I'm like, oh, that's what a website's supposed to look like. That's what's possible. Like, you know what? You inspire me in that way. Seriously. Because you. I mean, obviously, it's what you do. You teach people how to be digitally, like, persuasive digitally, and you've got it nailed in. And I'm like, gosh, I need to have Aaron, like, help me with my website. And one of the things that I love that you do is you teach people that, you know, whatever they're trying to do, if they're trying to sell their product or their course or, you know, themselves for a speaking gig, how to win people over. So I did want to get into a little bit of that. A little bit. What is something if our listeners are like, gosh, I want to be more persuasive social media, so I don't get blocked and blessed. Like, what can they do to be more persuasive?

Yeah, well, there's so many different strategies I teach in my books, my courses, my keynotes. But I would say the number one lesson that I always come back to in all my workshops that everyone's Heads just go nodding off of their necks is that when we're behind a screen, we tend to be a lot less persuasive. Like, there is a study that came out in 2019 that found that we are 34 times less persuasive when we are typing than when we're talking. However, think about how much time we all spend selling ourselves and who we are in our mission, our story, where we can bring to the table. People shop your website, they shop your Instagram, you send the email, you ask via text. Like, digital ignites dialogue. So we have to nail our digital footprint to get the opportunity to shine on, zoom in real life, face to face, where we're actually very persuasive and very influential and very powerfully naturally. And so the biggest, biggest key is that we have to type more like we talk. We have to type more like we talk. And how we do that is that we keep in mind that the screening kind of was like, it's not really a screen. It's more like an empathy blocker. Screens block our body language. It blocks our humanity. It blocks everything that makes an energetic human exchange so powerful because we can't see all that. We're blocked from it. And so one thing to remember when you are writing an email, when you are creating your profile, is that the most important component is that as fast as possible, in the first 10 words, the first one scroll, the first 2.5 seconds, it has to be so obvious. Not who you are, but how you serve. How you serve. Not who you are, but how you serve.

Oh, I love that. Not who you are, but how you serve. I love that. So when they first see it, there's actually a feeling they get, like, what you're bringing to the table, how you're going to deliver.

Yeah. Like my bio, in one line, it says, get more. Yes, online, offline all the time. And then I say, because that's like, okay, that sounds cool, but what is that?

Right?

Like, what do we. So then I say, keynote speaker and bestselling author. But my first opening line is, what's in it for you? Like, get more. Yes, online, offline all the time. So immediately it's like, if that is something on their heart that they are seeking, they know that you are for them. Because all we're trying to decide is, are you for me?

I'm taking notes, by the way. Okay. Yeah. So, like, my. I think my line on my website, I'm going to have to look, I'm in the middle of, like, a whole rework for My website, but is you have the power to change your life, but that's kind of vague. So I need your expertise on what? You know me well, give me a quick tagline.

Come on. Well, I would say, come on, girl. I would say, start with your. Well, I mean, I had my opinions, but I would say what I did to finally get more yes. Is I asked my top repeat clients that have booked me for two, three, five keynotes over the last five years. I'm like, why? Like, because a lot of times, you know, it's a small industry and so meet, like, meeting planners are what hire us for our keynotes. And a lot of times they hop around in different companies. Well, I love when they change jobs. Because you're like, yes, I just got another gig. Right. Because there's companies that can bring you in. Right. But I asked them, I'm like, so when you walk away, like, how do I best serve you? And I heard, like, first energy. But then they said, I just like, I know how to get more. Yes. I feel like I can get more. Yes. From my team or from my buyers or from my followers. And I kept hearing this phrase, I feel like you helped me just get more. Yes. And I'm like, that's what I do then. So it's like, ask your people and listen for that pattern and they'll unearth it for you. Because sometimes it's hard for us to see what our real value is. And so start by asking and then listen for that. If you hear it more than twice, that's your jam. That is what you bring. And just lead with that.

You know, that's such good advice to. Yeah. And you know what? That's how I actually even started my unstoppable life mastermind.

Oh, nice.

Because I took the questions that people ask me over and over all the time. There's only so much time I can't do one on one with each and every person that's asking me these questions. So I thought, why not make a mastermind and bring all these amazing women together? And that's how I actually started. My mastermind was I just listened to my audience and to the questions they were asking over and over. Like, how do I become a speaker? How do I write a book, how do I start a podcast? Like, how do I get media, all these things? And I'm like, well, let me time collapse all the. The learning that it took me years to make, and I'm going to open up my playbook. But yeah, I think it's so important to Ask.

Yeah, Take the pressure off of you. Even my last book, just like you said, we sit here and think, oh, what do I write? What do I type? What do I say? Right? Like, oh, chapters of a book. Oh, my God, where do I start? Well, just like you, I combed through thousands of DMs and I looked for patterns, and the top 10 questions that women and men asked me became the chapters of the book. And everyone's like, I love your chapters. And I'm like, cool. Well, I didn't make them. So I just have my audience to thank for being honest and vulnerable and brave enough to ask these tough questions on their heart. So if we have the audacity to listen and to check our ego and realize that we don't have to have all the answers, we don't have to always create from scratch. We can start by listening. I always say, research is the new listening. And just research is the new listening. Ask and you will receive. They will tell you. And then you can just sit there and figure out, okay, well, this is the word people describe me as. Number two. This is the value that my most die hard repeat customers and clients say that I bring. And then number three, how can I sum that up in a tweet or in a sentence? Because the problem is so many of us, it's so hard to be simple. And nothing is worse. I know this for myself. I know my brand is not clear when I'm going through an identity evolution, which I do every couple of years, every new book, right? You're kind of like, okay, yeah, yeah, like, fix the. You know, the brand. And the minute that you're confusing is the minute that your business suffers. Like, if you confuse, you lose. Right? So. So for a little while, my bookings went down because I had digital persuasion. And then I launched Big Deal Book. So on my website, they were like, does she teach digital persuasion or is she teaching big deal energy? Live your best life. So it was too much confusion. And I saw my booking start to go down. Not because my quality of my. Of my work went down, but because I was offering too much. And so I had to take a step back and say, we are confusing and we are losing. So what is my new brand? Okay, well, a lot of us would say, well, you got to pick one. You got to be either or. I'm an and person. Like, I want all the things. Like, I don't like being in a box. I live in gray. Fifty shades of gray. Sometimes to be a little sassy, right? Like, I love gray. I don't like black and white. I like gray. Okay, well, how can I marry these two things together? So that makes more sense. So get more yes. Is my new book coming out in March. Online, offline, all the Time. We're talking about how to get yes online, get yes offline, and then get yes all the time. And that's the mindset component, saying yes to ourselves and believing we have what it takes. So it's a new brand that is very easy to explain in one sentence, and it marries everything I'm offering in three key things. Online, offline, all the time, you are getting more yes. So if you can't explain it in one sentence, like, I couldn't, it is way too complicated. So you have to figure out how to boil it down. If someone says, what do you do? I found myself stuttering and stumbling. I mean, no wonder we're at Christmas and my poor parents can't explain it. I can't explain it. I'm like, this is. There's too much going on. So we have to boil it down to that one sentence. And it's so freeing and so liberating. When you can explain what your business is doing in one sentence, I cannot tell you. Talk about success, talk about feeling good. When you can boil it down to that one sentence, it is like you just want to sing. I mean, it is so liberating. So I would challenge anyone listening if you find yourself saying, well, I am a coach, speaker, slash author, slash mentor, slash trainer, slash like. Like. And because, yes, of course, we're all multi passionate, multi hyphenate. And in a perfect world, that would be super fun. But if you want to be viable, you got to be clear.

That is so powerful. It's so interesting because this, I think it was like, Friday night. What I was doing Friday night is what I was rewriting my bio for LinkedIn. My husband was like, gosh, do you ever stop working? And it's like, you know, nine o' clock on Friday night. And I'm like, I'll be right out, you know, But I enjoy doing that. But I was like, gosh, I hadn't updated my bio on LinkedIn in years. Seriously, years. And my friend Jordan Mendoza was like, amberly, your bio is like, are you on LinkedIn ever? Have you looked at your bio? And I was like, oh, wow. So redoing that. But even as simple as, like, your bio on your Instagram page, like, what you say sometimes it's just the first two little sentences. People's got a couple of seconds Are they gonna see more about what you're about or that's it, they're gonna be turned on. So I've been sitting here taking notes, but I wanna know a little bit more about your new book when it's coming out.

You said spring, March 2023. We're very excited. Yeah. And it's so exciting because, you know, I think sometimes also what I'm most excited about is sometimes we think we have to always reinvent everything from scratch, like a brand new concept. You know, I love the Joy is the Journey, by the way. And I have never actually used that specific phrase except for today. I thought it in my head like progress over perfection. But I never actually said joy is the journey until this conversation. Really that is 100% supposed to be yours and, and supposed to have been hitting you over the head with like, it's, it's like that book Big Magic with Elizabeth Gilbert where she says ideas have their own life and, and like they'll find you. It's up to you. Like capture it and bring it in or else someone else will. And that, that seems to be maybe your big idea. So I can't wait to hear about When Joy is the Journey is coming out. But for this book for March, I'm so excited because we don't have to always create something from scratch. Like we can look back and say like, well what, what if we built up some equity within like what has really resonated? Like. So for me, like my pub method is my sales methodology. It's trademarked. It's been used by some of the world's biggest sales and marketing organizations. It helps leaders, entrepreneurs and executives in a three step methodology to type more like they talk and show up online, offline all the time, more powerfully. So that's one component I talk about in digital persuasion. In my book Big Deal Energy. I talk a lot about this idea of audacity, of like believing in yourself and knowing that you have what it takes. Like in the moment where I was pitching the tampon business to the guys and it's just literally a flick of the switch in your mind is all the difference between getting more. Yes. So I talk about it in the book, but the book is pink and it's girl power and it's fabulous. But it's not necessarily a message that's going to land with all audiences. So I'm pulling that element in now. I'm packaging it into this new book. Get more. Yes. And there's going to be tons of new content, but there are some key elements that have served my clients so well for the last couple of years. And so you can look back at your work and say, like, what has worked so well and how can I repurpose and refresh it for these new times? Like, you don't have to always toss the baby out with the bathwater and blow the whole thing up. You can migrate these magic nuggets and take them to the next level and then you're just getting better. You're taking the greatest hits and building on them. So I think that's a really interesting way to approach creation, is it doesn't have to always be this overwhelming blank slate. If you're in a creation season, you can look and say, gosh, well, what was really working? And how does that look today? That maybe it didn't look the same when I first made it. How can we evolve? And that's why some of the best selling books of all time are just another edition of a classic principle. I mean, we don't have to always start from scratch. So this book, I'm really excited because it's taking things that have worked, it's leveling them up, it's updating them for these times and also adding some fresh stories, some fresh perspectives. And as you can tell, I'm very excited for it to come out. So it's called get more. Yes. And it's coming out in March, 2000 and 23.

Oh my goodness. Well, I want to know a couple questions. When do you find time to write?

Well, I usually write first thing in the morning. I'm a morning person. And then I don't know about you, but every single time I get in the shower, does it happen to you?

Yeah. In the shower.

Dangerous. I'm like jumping out of the shower, sliding across the floor. There's water all over my phone, there's water all over the pen. Like, can someone please invent, like, somebody we can write in the shower? Because all my ideas, you know what?

Yeah, it's in the shower, but also late at night, like for some reason, like right before I go to bed. And so I'm like, okay, I got to get up, turn the light on, go write this out.

Oh, good for you. You know, my brain stops working right around 6pm I am not a morning person. My perfect day is I AM midnight by 9:01pm Like, I'm a morning person. And I love Julia Cameron's morning pages. I started subscribing to that concept years ago. And you know, I just first, I'm a Writer. I've always been a writer. Like, I was an English major in college, and I. I was the editor of our school newspaper.

I feel amazing.

Like, I just. Writing for me, it's so cathartic, and I would rather write than speak. Believe it or not, I just. I love it. But for some of my friends that are like, I don't like writing, I hate. Like, I have so many girlfriends that are like. Like, they have done so well with using dictation apps. I mean, I have a buddy of mine, he literally just finished his entire book. He went away to book jail for one week, and he just walked and walked and talked and walked into this dictation app and had it transcribed. The whole thing. A week of walking away from the world, and he got a whole book done. Like, 35,000 words in, like, seven days of just chatting away to this thing.

Oh, my God.

Of course, you'll have to edit it and do all that kind of. But the hardest thing is getting that. That rough draft to start with. And so, you know, if you're like, oh, my God, I'm not a writer, that's okay. You know, are you a talker? You know, are you. There's a lot of ways that you can bring your ideas out into the world, and maybe you're not either. Maybe that's why a podcast, like, your podcast is so powerful. I mean, you share your ideas. I mean, you probably have so much content. I mean, I can't even imagine all the amazing guests you've had over the last couple of years, all the ideas just by osmosis. You are full of so much of your own brilliance, but also the brilliance that you've learned from all these different, amazing guests. It's like, for you, I would imagine, it's not like, what to write are like, oh, gosh, I need something to write. It's like, which concept? Because you have so much to choose from.

Oh, my goodness. Having a podcast is such a blessing. It's.

I agree.

Oh, I love it. And I love to write, too. And a lot of times my husband will be like, what are you doing? Get off your phone. And I do like to. Like, I've got the, you know, big journals and stuff on my. My desk that I like to write in. And it's different when you hand write things. It just comes out different. But I also like to write. But there's something that's hard for me about sitting at a laptop and typing things out. It doesn't come out the same. I don't feel like yeah, so I hand wrote about 90% of my entire book was about handwritten. I know that's crazy.

Good for you.

But I turn into a perfectionist when I'm typing. I like, start to go, oh, that's a misspelled. Oh. I didn't punctuate that. Right. The parentheses aren't right or whatever. So. Yeah, but I think it's just starting and doing it. I can't wait for your new book. And congratulations on doing this podcast with Success magazine.

Oh, thank you. Thank you for being one of the most incredible guests so far. Of course. You were literally one of my very first episodes. I was like, okay, who is going to bring the heat for the very launch of this new, you know, high profile show? And you were at the top of my list. So our interview was fire. You are so. Oh, my gosh. I mean, I haven't checked with all the stats, but I'm sure it's gonna be one of our most downloaded episodes. So if you guys are listening, after you listen to all the episodes of Grit and Grace, head over to my podcast and search Amberly Lago, because her episode is absolutely so vulnerable and just chock full of nuggets. I mean, you were incredible.

Oh, my gosh. I didn't even know that it came out yet.

Yeah, it's out.

Oh, my gosh. Well, I'm gonna go check that out and I'm gonna.

Well, we did. We did that thing where you started a new podcast and we published a bunch just like, like the first 10. We just put them live and then we're gonna be like, promoting like each one at a time. So I haven't actually promoted your episode yet, but it technically, people can get a sneak. Sneak peek.

Okay, awesome. Well, yeah, how do they go listen to that. And I'll put that. That link in the show notes here too.

Yeah, we're on everything. All the Apple podcasts. All of it.

Okay, awesome. Okay, we'll get that. You guys can look in the show notes for the link to go check that out. Also, do you have your book? I know it's not coming out until your new book isn't coming out till March of 2023. Do you have a link for pre ordering that yet or is it not completely done?

There is a pre order. Yeah. Amaze me.

Are you serious?

Yeah, we just. I actually put it up this morning because I had a weird feeling you were going to ask me that.

Is that wild?

I was cranking it out this morning. Yeah. So it's erinking.com and if you just scroll down, you'll see it right there. It says get more yes for pre order.

You are incredible.

I knew you were going to ask me that. I swear.

You know what, I was looking at your website this morning and I was like, oh, she changed her website up a little bit since the last time. But your website, out of everybody's website. And I'm not just saying this out of everybody's website, your site is the one that I look to for inspiration and ideas.

Well, let me tell you, I'll peel back the layers and be totally honest. Okay, so here is where I got the website. I learned about it on Jenna Kutcher's show about two years ago, who is just a dynamo, as we know. I used her code. The company is called Showit Sh o w I t Showit Co that's sort of like, you know, the place that you build it and manage it. The template I bought at a shop called Tonic T O N I C Tonic and they integrate together so they work together. I'm not an ambassador for them or anything like that. I don't have like a code or anything. But I have been working in this space, as you know, for 15 years. And I found their design to be the most aesthetically pleasing with doing a really good job of ab testing the persuasiveness of how they lay out their content and then finally the ability for non website people to be able to go in and update and change if they don't have a team backing them up. Because I have a small team just like you. We have. There's. We're five all in five people. And to this day sometimes this is terrible, but I'll just be like, you know what, let me just go in and do it really fast because I literally know exactly what I have in mind and it's going to take me longer to explain, explain it and just go in and do it. That is not advice. That is great advice for anyone trying to scale their business. But for me at this stage, that's how I'm rolling. So I like to be an expert. You can just go in and just click.

I love that.

It's very easy.

I took notes on that. But. And, but believe me, also too like I have a web guy that I love. I've got two web guys, one I really love. I can have him create a whole new website. Seriously. Like I have a whole new landing page for true written grace.com and he. I gave him all. It took me like a day to write up everything for it and get him the information that he needed. Like, I. I had a layover, and I literally was. I think I was in Denver at a layover, and I got stuck at the. And I went into a lounge, and from 9 o' clock in the morning until 6 o' clock at night, I wrote, like, took that time all but good for you. So, yeah, I got it all done and he got that. But another time, I have a web designer and it takes longer, like you said, to explain it, but for him to actually do it. So I love that I can go and have the ability. It's always better if somebody else does it, but sometimes you just want to go in and do something. And so I love that you can do it with this because sometimes WordPress is a little bit overwhelming.

It's out of my pay grade. Nope.

Yeah. Well, I can't wait to share this episode. And I can't wait. I'm asking, like, I'm going to be a part of this. Like, what are we doing to celebrate your. Your book launch? I want to know what you're doing.

We sure are. We sure are.

Like, seriously, I want to be there. I want to be there.

We are going to throw a party because my last book came out during quarantine, and all the authors that published books during quarantine, we all got robbed of, like, the fun book launch party with the buddies and all the fun. So we are cooking up a huge celebration. And, you know, you are at the very top of that VIP list, so I cannot wait. Hopefully in person, you can come to Orange County. We might do a little tour around here. We're not. We're not. We got some. Some time, so.

No, I will be there. I will jump on a plane and be there in a heartbeat. And I'll even make an appointment to see your hair, girl.

You're awesome, Amberly.

Thank you. Oh, my goodness. Thank you. Y' all go check her out. It's Ms. Erin King on Instagram, where you can see her, like, inspiring and her reels full of wisdom, like, really great tips. Check out her podcast, incredible books, and for sure, her new book. I just adore you. Thank you so much for being on the show. And I was taking notes as you're talking. I'm sure the audience took a ton of notes and all the, you know, taking notes. Go ahead and screenshot this episode and tag me at Amberly Lago. Motivation and tag Ms. Erin King. When I see that you've tagged me on Instagram especially, that's kind of where I hang out the most. I reshare that. Let's make this go viral and show Erin how much we love her. Just thank you so much for being here.

Amberly, you are such a special light. I am so glad that our paths have come together this year, and I cannot wait to team up with you and create more magic in the future. So you are a bright light, and I adore you. Thanks for having me.

Thank you. And thank y' all for tuning in. I will see you next week,

Sam.