How will you level up?

Sometimes something completely unexpected happens that totally stuns you to the core.?

Last week I went to the annual National Speakers Association MN Awards Gala just to hang with speaker pals and have a couple drinks and a good meal after a super busy spring speaker season.?

The awards portion started and I was just chilling and cheering on my fellow speaker friends when suddenly my name was called for the Next Level Award!

WHAT?!

I was shocked! I didn’t nominate myself. I didn’t know I was nominated or vote on the awards. I have been a member for so many years. I’ve served on the board, presented at the national conference twice and done a deep dive for the MN Chapter, and won a Chapter Member of the Year Award a few years back when I innovated the event experience. So it felt like I was just a lifer speaker doing the things speakers do to grow their business.?

At first I almost felt undeserving or fraudulent somehow but then I followed my own advice and said, “Kristen you are awesome!”?

I went up to get the award and totally inarticulately and with a few tears told my story of how I’ve had to start and stop so many times with life’s rollercoaster of widowhood, solo parenting, leaving corporate to start my biz so many years ago and more. Then I sat back down and did a little reality check.

I know I’ve been working my ass off but out of curiosity I wanted to look at the actual data to justify winning this award. My nerd brain needed numbers…so the next morning I went to the woods to do a little data analysis.

Since the start of the pandemic I have:

• Delivered 75-ish speaking events. I say 75-ish because some had multiple sessions or had an in-person session with a bonus virtual option later so tracking is a little messy with those.?
• Of those 75-ish events 40-ish of them were in person.
• I drove my butt 14K miles around the Midwest to avoid airport hassles but also got on planes when necessary too.
• Recorded over 300 videos for clients, my internal courses, and website and app.?
• Hosted dozens of workshops, meditations, and classes online and in-person.
• Hosted six 5-Day Challenges complete with sponsors, daily videos, an online Facebook group and more.
• Created three brand new speaking programs based on pandemic research and audience needs. (Renew-Reconnect-Recharge, Energy NOW, and Energy Sells)
• Rented a studio space for virtual and in-person events. (This was a game-changer!)
• Upgraded to a new contract and invoicing system.
• Redesigned my website. (It launches the first week of June!)
• Created the free Energy NOW! app with free content and online courses so you can keep learning and energizing after my speaking sessions or if your company hasn’t hired me YET. (Get it here: https://energy-now.passion.io/?Once you’ve signed up for free on your phone simply add it to your Home Screen and it shows up as an app icon with all the app-based features!)

WHEW!?

I guess this Next Level Award is legit! And rather than minimize it or say I’m not deserving or it took a village I’m going to simply say…I am amazing! I have worked my tail off as a solo parent and solopreneur to build something sustainable for my daughter and me and something impactful that truly helps people and organizations level up.?

HOW DID I DO IT?

Now for those of you who have followed me for awhile you likely know my backstory but for my new connections here is a little snapshot…

I was in corporate for many years and was unexpectedly widowed 15 years ago while in a high-level leadership role and with a 10-month-old baby. I powered through for a few years but eventually it became clear I needed to leave the traditional corporate world and go after my dream of speaking. I left corporate and went back three times as I built the biz and by 2018 I was making more money than I did in corporate.?

Then, as life often does, I was knocked back down in 2019 when my daughter was diagnosed with a rare tumor in her head that required most of my attention and pulled focus from my biz. While thankfully it was benign and has never been life-threatening, she still had to have multiple surgeries and six weeks of daily radiation at Mayo Clinic that we would drive back and forth to every day 90 minutes each way from our home in Minneapolis. That drained my finances, time, and energy so my business tanked. But…?

I am resilient as hell and wasn’t going to stay down. Once she was through the major stuff I re-activated and things were back on track early 2020 and then…well we all know what happened then. The pandemic shut down the world…and the speaking industry.?

It was a scary time for my colleagues and me as we were forced to learn new ways to speak virtually and make money not related to being on a stage. Many speakers shut down out of fear. Many slowed their roll out of comfort because they had a spouse to carry them through or out of cushion that they had financially so they could ride the wave. But I didn’t have the luxury of a second income or financial cushion because of solo parenting and my daughter’s medical expenses.??

Luckily I didn’t feel the fear of what was happening. Instead I saw it as an opportunity. I could let the stress of the past 15 years of solo parenting and medical drama and a worldwide pandemic paralyze me or I could let it inspire me to take me to the next level. So - I started over.?

I spent the first month of lockdown just letting my body, mind, and spirit rest and sync up. They had all been running at different frequencies for so long I needed to get them on the same path again. All that time I also worked on my infrastructure of my business. I streamlined my website and speaking topics to only what I was truly passionate about sharing. I created some new systems. (I still need more…and an assistant! But that’s coming next.)?

Once I felt the release of the stress and like I was back on track I went full steam selling virtual programs. I truly believe I manifested all the virtual work that came to me after that while the world was shut down. I sold two or three within a week and then they just snowballed.?

Every day I would meditate and take naps and read and take the dog to the woods and just hang out with my daughter who was home distance learning. It was such a transformative time and I really sank in to the awesomeness of that opportunity rather than get sucked into the fear and stress playing out in the wider world. Of course there were unknowns and worry over what was happening but I chose to focus on making my little corner of the world awesome (which I’ve done a few times now as life has played out) so I could make an impact on the bigger world with my message.

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!

There’s another key element of leveling up and that is letting go.?

I knew I had to let go of some things either permanently or temporarily and only work on things that tied to my goals. Everything else was just a distraction. I didn’t socialize. I stopped dating (which was actually pretty awesome – haha)! I let go of my normal need to constantly be taking classes and learning. I didn’t stress about eating or exercise. I simply settled into work flow with a side of deep body/mind/spirit work to keep the focus and energy aligned to the bigger picture.?

Leveling up isn’t easy and sometimes it’s not fun. But when you want something badly enough you have to make sacrifices and say no to anything that doesn’t serve you. Anything that felt like an energy drain was nixed from my list!

What’s next for me? More levels of course!?

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

1. Identify your #1 goal. What's that deep driving energy calling to you?
2. Determine the top five action steps needed to make it real that are realistic and aligned to your current work/life dynamics.
3. Say no to anything that doesn't align with that goal. It doesn't mean things go away forever. They just go away for now while you prioritize the energy of your #1 goal.
4. Focus on body/mind/spirit work so you stay on track. Open your mindset to new ways of activating your energy. Keep that spark for your goal turned on and turned up! (Let's talk if you need help with this. Leveling up your seven key energy centers are critical for this.)
5. Energize your goal every day with small steps to keep it alive. Every little step makes a difference.

What’s next for you?

Learn more and check Kristen's availability to bring the energy to your next conference, sales convention, annual meeting, or association event as a keynote speaker or emcee! KristenBrownPresents.com