244: Showing Up Authentically - Interview LIVE from INBOUND 2018 with Strother Gaines

Hey there word nerds!

Today we have a little change of pace in store for you. As you may recall, when I’m at different conferences, I’ll sometimes record a live-from-the-conference interview, and this happens to be one of those episodes!

This interview was recorded in front of a LIVE studio audience at INBOUND 2018. Now, if you’re not familiar with INBOUND, it’s a fantastic conference hosted by HubSpot and takes place in Boston every fall. INBOUND has featured some truly incredible keynote speakers during the years I’ve attended like Michelle Obama, Brene Brown, and Deepak Chopra. I know right!

Now if you’re a marketing nerd like me, or your day job happens to be in marketing, social media, or design, this is the conference to attend. And the INBOUND team has graciously given us a discount code, which will give you $150 off a 4-Day, All-Access pass to this year’s event. Check out our show notes page for the info to take advantage of this amazing deal!

So why do I love INBOUND so much? Well over the years I have been attending, I have had the awesome opportunity to speak at this event, and have been able to foster several friendships. And one of the people I’ve connected with happens to be today’s guest, Strother Gaines.

Strother is a business and personal coach for creative entrepreneurs and those who want to become one.

He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and his coaching business has just about the best name of all time: “But I'm a Unicorn, Dammit!” In his business, Strother works passionately to help as many people as possible own up to the fact that they're a unique f($!@& snowflake.

He also served as the event director for the DC Chapter of Network Under 40 and he recently spoke at the TEDx MidAtlantic Festival on on the topic of storytelling.

I have also had the opportunity to hear Strother speak at INBOUND on networking, and after hearing his talk I knew I had to have him on the show to discuss this very topic. If you’re anything like me, you might look forward to networking about as much as you look forward to a deadline. It’s both terrifying and invigorating at the same time.

So listen in as Strother and I chat about why networking is so freaking hard, and how the best way to make it easy is to show up as authentically you.

In this episode Strother and I discuss:

Tools to access your authentic self. Clamping down on what you share vs. keeping your privacy boundaries up. The benefits of getting a “no”. Networking pitfalls to avoid. Ice breakers and best practices in networking environments. Plus, Strother’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/244