Episode 148: Voice and Vulnerability: How to Manage the Fear of Sharing Your Story

Today I’m exploring the connection between being visible and using our voice and the vulnerability that comes with it.

148: Voice and Vulnerability: How to Manage the Fear of Sharing Your Story

Now more than ever, audiences want to feel connected to the people behind the brands. They want to hear from you. In last week's episode, I shared why I believe 2023 is the Year of the Coach and referenced an article from the US Chamber of Commerce that shared predictions for 2023.

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Show Notes

Now more than ever, audiences want to feel connected to the people behind the brands. They want to hear from you.

In last week’s episode, I shared why I believe 2023 is the Year of the Coach and referenced an article from the US Chamber of Commerce that shared predictions for 2023. One of those predictions – the rise in founder-led businesses – is an especially golden opportunity for many small business owners. We’re the very definition of a founder-led brand!

With this shift in what clients want to see, it’s increasingly important that we are willing to show up and share our story and ourselves with our people. At the same time, sharing yourself can be one of the hardest things we will do as coaches and business owners. As our visibility increases, our vulnerability increases, and putting ourselves out there opens us up to criticism.

Today I’m exploring what it looks like to navigate these waters and how to do it in a way that aligns with your values, connects you with the more profound meaning, and acknowledges the vulnerability and the consequences of sharing your voice. I know you have a message that only you can share, and we’re waiting to hear it.

Topics covered

  • The importance of showing up fully in our brand and letting our people know who we are
  • As our visibility increases, our vulnerability increases
  • How our minds try to protect us from compromising our social safety
  • Normalizing the fear that comes up when we put ourselves out there
  • Questions to ask to check in with yourself
  • Remembering that silence is not necessarily a bad thing
  • Working through the painful experience I had after writing a nationally published article
  • Differentiating between the sting of being accused by strangers and the hurt of being rejected by people you know
  • Learning to set and maintain firm emotional boundaries

Resources mentioned

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TRANSCRIPT

 

Well, hello, my friend. Thank you so much for joining me this week on the Coach with Clarity podcast. My name is Lee Chaix McDonough, and today we're going to talk about a topic that in many ways is a continuation of our discussion last week, where I shared that 2023 was the year of the coach. And it's not just me who thinks that in fact, there's a fantastic blog post over at the US Chamber of Commerce website that discusses six predictions for 2023. And three of them, I felt were directly relevant for the coaching industry. And one of the predictions and my subsequent recommendations stuck with me after I recorded the podcast. And I realized that this was a topic we probably needed to talk about in greater depth this week. So one of the predictions I shared with you is that we are going to see a rise in founder led brands, which means that consumers want to feel connected to the people behind the brand. And this is such a golden opportunity for most of us who are small business owners, maybe we are a company of one, and we are our brand. So we are the very definition of a founder led brand. Even those of us who have a brand identity, including me, I have Coach with Clarity, that is my brand. But I am still very much an integral part of that brand. And I said last week, that my hope is that when people engage with Coach with Clarity, they really feel like they are connecting with me, and that we are building a relationship. And so my advice to you around how to maximize this rise in founder led brands, is that we need to show up fully in our brand, we cannot be afraid to let our audience let our people know who we are, that covers everything from what we stand for, what we value, what our vision is for the world. It can also be more personal stories about what it's like to live our lives, whether that's a little bit about our family, our creative hobbies, our passions, people really want to know us. I want to know you, hopefully, if you're listening, you want to know me. And so it's increasingly important that we are willing to show up and share our story and ourselves with our people. 

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