Finding Your Joy - Rachel Sheerin

I'm the host of On the Schmooze, a weekly podcast that features interviews with talented professionals who have achieved success in their field or industry. I ask probing questions to get them to share untold stories about their leadership journey and how they built and sustained their professional network.

Put insights from me and my guests into action this week and you’ll benefit from for years to come.

OTS 235: Finding Your Joy - Rachel Sheerin

Today’s guest believes everyone deserves to do what sets their souls ablaze and it’s her mission to help them do just that while not burning out.

She is a keynote speaker and virtual emcee aimed at helping people love their work, succeed on their own terms, and live a life they love. Her clients range from Fortune 500s to non-profit associations, with her keynotes focused on boosting success and happiness. Teams that want their profits to grow alongside their personal fulfillment and authenticity are drawn to her energy, style, and actionable takeaways.

She is a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst which means she pairs her executive leadership and sales experience with behavioral science to understand what makes people trust, buy and connect. That coveted knowledge is a powerful and often lucrative competitive advantage for her clients.

She knows happy people are successful people and is on a mission to help individuals become their own joy generators.

Please join me in welcoming Rachel Sheerin.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is very self-focused. It’s not about the others, it has to start with me. Leadership is a verb - having a title is not being a leader. Leadership is a journey.”
• her love of being spontaneous
• her acceptance that she could be many things and how that multifacetedness helped her become an entrepreneur.
• her passion for bringing people together and celebrating moments.
• her history of working for small businesses and how that has changed and helped evolve her own business.
• the link between finding one’s joy and making that money generating.
• her theory about sales and how it’s more about advocacy than actual sales.
• how quitting her last job changed her and led her into a spiral of guilt and shame but also helped her find her true calling.
• when she knew she had made it by believing in her rebrand.
• her tips for nurturing and sustaining the outer levels of her network.
• her boomerang tip for happy marriages. ;)
• her mission of living the three C’s: when you see someone you Celebrate with them, Congratulate them on the good things, and Console them.

What were the key takeaways you plan to put into practice this week and benefit from for years to come? Post about them in the show notes.

Listen, subscribe, and read show notes at www.OntheSchmooze.com - go directly to episode 235.

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About Robbie:

Robbie Samuels wrote "How to Host a Virtual a Happy Hour" for Harvard Business Review, was quoted in "The History of the Webinar and Why It Should Be History" in Forbes, and recognized as an “industry expert in the field of digital event design” by JDC Events. He is a Certified Virtual Convener and Certified Virtual Presenter.

As a Virtual Event Design Consultant and Executive Zoom Producer, he assists organizations with bringing their in-person events strategically online. He provides virtual event design strategy, emceeing, production (managing the tech, including chat and breakout rooms), and training/supporting presenters.

His clients include national and statewide advocacy organizations, including the California WIC Association, Feeding America, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Association of Talent & Development chapter, The National At-Home Dad Network, the California Notary Symposium, and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.

He created The 5% Advantage Program, a four-week certification program that helps presenters and meeting professionals grow in their confidence with Zoom, online facilitation, and virtual event design so they can reduce their tech angst and host more engaging online experiences. Participants have the opportunity to become Certified Virtual Event Professional #NoMoreBadZoom. 

Since March 13, 2020, he has hosted #NoMoreBadZoom Virtual Happy Hours, a weekly virtual event that explores new ways to design engaging virtual experiences while creating opportunities for networking. This event attracts 50-60 participants each week, 50% of them have attended 8 or more times, 20% have attended more than 20 times.

PRE- AND BEYOND VIRTUAL EVENTS

Robbie is also a keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and business growth strategist who has been recognized as a “networking expert” by Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Lifehacker, and Inc. He is the author of the best-selling business book Croissants vs. Bagels: Strategic, Effective, and Inclusive Networking at Conferences and has been profiled in the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company. He writes for Harvard Business Review Ascend. 

He has been featured in several books including Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It by Dorie Clark and The Connector’s Advantage: 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact by Michelle Tillis Lederman. Since 2016, Robbie has hosted his On the Schmooze podcast which features his interviews with talented professionals sharing their untold stories of leadership and networking.

He has guest lectured at many leading educational institutions including Harvard University, Brown University, Cornell University, and Northeastern University. He has presented for associations, women’s leadership summits, and corporations including Marriott, AmeriCorps, Hostelling International, and General Assembly.

READ his "9 Ways to Network in a Pandemic" - www.robbiesamuels.com/9ways

SIGN UP for his free weekly #NoMoreBadZoom Virtual Happy Hours - www.NoMoreBadZoom.com

Keynote Speaker

Interested in booking Robbie to speak? At www.robbiesamuels.com/speaking you'll find video clips and a description of his signature session, Art of the Schmooze. Call 617-600-8240 to speak directly with Robbie.

Watch his TEDx talk "Hate networking? Stop bageling and be the croissant!" at www.robbiesamuels.com/TEDx.

The 5% Advantage Program - #NoMoreBadZoom

Are virtual events a big part of your business plan? People have started to be less forgiving when it comes to bad Zoom, causing "Zoom fatigue."

• You need the confidence and skills to up your game. The problem is that there are so many new pieces of technology to master quickly that you can feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you're running out of time.
• The reason options are overwhelming is that you're trying to go from zero to 100 immediately, when -- to make the most of your time -- focusing on getting 5% better every time you host would allow you to focus on the most important and highest-impact options.
• Why? Because you know it's true that if you try to do everything, you will accomplish nothing. This means, to achieve your goal, you have to invest in a strategy to put time on your side.
• How? The 5% Advantage Program teaches online facilitation and virtual event design, but even more so, give you the tools for reflection and continuous improvement.
• Through this interactive and experiential 4-week program you will grow in your confidence with Zoom, online facilitation, and virtual event design so you can reduce your tech angst and host more engaging online experiences that meet the purpose of the convening and participants' need for content and connection.
• The time to start getting 5% better is now because you will be sought out, not just for your expertise, but for your ability to deliver that expertise on an interactive virtual platform.
• Interested to learn more about this program and get on the waitlist? Details at www.the5percentadvantage.com.

Business Growth Strategist & Business Coach

As a relationship-based business growth strategist, I work directly with a limited number of self-employed professionals, aka solopreneurs. 

WHO YOU ARE:

You want to have a greater impact and increased income. The problem is that there are so many options for how to build your business that you can feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you're running out of time.

The reason options are overwhelming is that you're looking at them as a series of disconnected steps, when to make the most of your time, you need a strategy that connects only the most important and highest impact ones.

You know that if you try to do everything, you’ll accomplish nothing. This means, to achieve your goal, you have to invest in a strategy to put time on your side.

What’s Included:

As a relationship-based business growth strategist, I will work with you to design a year-long plan that consists of three 12-week sprints, each followed by 4 weeks of reflection/assessment, rejuvenation/vacation, and strategic planning. This will allow you to sequence your goals, create momentum, and leverage your limited time. 

We can build your plan through a half-day strategy session, a coaching engagement, or a mastermind program.

These are not right for everyone; they're personalized offerings and are priced accordingly. 

What might you work on?

In my coaching work with entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, we focus on the areas where you'd like to grow, which may include:

• Creating a strong sales conversation framework 
• Building your referral network
• Lead generation through a relationships
• Growing your visibility in your industry
• Increasing your ability to attract the right kind of clients
• Identifying and launching a minimally-viable offer
• Breaking through whatever bottleneck is holding you back from getting the results you want and deserve
• Becoming a published author and marketing your book successfully
• Improving your virtual presentation skills

Ready to get started or have questions? Contact me. I’m excited to support you in reaching or exceeding your goals.

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Robbie on LinkedIn
• @RobbieSamuels on Twitter and Instagram
• New to his website? Start here
• On the Schmooze podcast archive - over 200 episodes!