This is another one of my "asking for a friend" episodes. I thought you'd be as interested in me in learning how performance golf coach, Eric Cogorno, built a 7-figure business with his popular YouTube channel and online training platform, cogornogolf.com.

I got that and so much more: A masterclass in working through fear, setting goals, writing a detailed 10-year plan that includes income projections, the power of meditation and daily visualizations and showing up consistently even when you feel like quitting.

Eric credits having a great creative partner, Mary Lengle, reading Feel the Fear...and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers and following Jim Rohn's Goal Setting Method.

The result is deeply inspiring and totally actionable.

Also visit Eric's second channel Lessons I've Learned with Eric Cogorno including this keeper: The Secret to Stopping Fear & Anxiety.

This episode with life, business and career coach, Brian Patacca, has been one of my go-to's ever since he shared this nugget with me: Marketing is going public with your gifts and being seen for your gifts. If you build it and you tell people about it, they will come.

Grab your journal. Brian and I begin with marketing and end with dignity and respect.

Along the way, Brian reframes the entire concept of marketing around generosity and purpose:

• Be determined each day, not to leave your function unfulfilled.
• Clarity is kindness and kindness is clarity - banish the vague and wishy washy and ASK.
• Your creativity is your birthright and the world is a better place when you are doing what you are called to do.
• Effective marketing does 3 things, makes you FEEL something, makes you DO something, makes you NOTICE something.
• Don't be afraid of the word No. Hearing No frees you to focus your energy on where you'll find your Yes.

Brian is a spiritual practitioner who engages creative professionals seeking to ignite their businesses with fierce accountability, marketing innovation and soul satisfying success. He is the founder of a coaching organization and creative community with locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Now based in Los Angeles, Brian coaches nationwide in several web-based group courses including his latest programs, Agent Goals and Actor Operating System.

Get more Brian by tuning into his podcast at www.BrianBreaksCharacter.com and download his free guide to 23 stories of people growing their networks in unusual ways that you can put into practice, at supersneakyauditons.com.

I used to think sales was a dirty word, especially when it came to selling myself and my services. I know I'm not alone in this, which is why I am excited about this episode with Aleasha Bahr who shares everything you need to know about sales.

We're all in sales - whether you're selling yourself to an employer in an audition or job interview or pitching your idea to a network or for financing or trying to get your boss or team to buy into your idea.

Aleasha is a woman in a male-dominated industry who is calling out the common lies in sales - primarily, that sales is a one-size-fits-all proposition and that you have to do things that feel “weird” or "yucky" and out of alignment to close the deal.

Aleasha says embrace the Black Sheep Sales Method instead:

• Find your tribe and thrive (because if it's a fit, it's a fact)
• Ask yourself: what are better questions I could be asking?
• Put yourselves in your customer's shoes (empathy)
• Focus on what makes your customer's life better/easier
• Customize your pitch to motivate your customer
• Prioritize building relationships and you naturally sell yourself
• Try different approaches to see what works best for you
• Be mindful of reputation management

Try this action step: I am going to innovate my approach to pitching myself by innovating my approach to ______ (fill in the blank). Aleasha explains how around 25 minutes into the episode.

Learn How to Sell Like a Natural via Aleasha's Sales is NOT a Dirty Word podcast + so much more on Aleasha's website including how you can work with her.

Listen to Aleasha and me discuss How to Stand Out in a Saturated World.