Welcome to the Join Up Dots business coaching podcast interview with Karen Brown
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Introducing Karen Brown
Karen Brown is today’s guest joining us on the Join Up Dots podcast business coaching interview.
She is a lady who is living an amazing life of inspiration, mind altering process and travelling the world helping others through mindset mastery.
She is an unconscious mind expert in the field of leadership and professional performance, world-class ultra-endurance athlete, successful corporate executive, professionally certified executive coach, keynote presenter and best-selling author.
After many years of coaching leaders, our guest discovered that the unconscious mind is the scientific key to elevated levels of success, with greater velocity and ease and founded her company, Velocity Leadership Consulting to bring this difference-making model and tools of success to all leaders.
How The Dots Joined Up For Karen
She realized her own transformation and discovered the keys to achieving greater success in her personal and professional life when she achieved a 28-year dream of competing in the toughest race in the world, the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, as an amateur, non-triathlete at age 46.
As we will see she parlayed this experience to the business world and now helps CEOs, executives and managers connect with and realize their own goals, with greater velocity and ease.
She helps us get unstuck, loosen the handbrake, put on lives running shoes and grow a kick ass life of our owns.
So its all very easy to say these things, but build them into a business that people want is a different ballgame altogether.
And most importantly, how did she then allow as many people as possible to find it?
Well let’s find out as we bring onto the the show, to joining up dots, the one and only Karen Brown.
Show Highlights
Karen talks about how she has changed her life simply by uncovering the six mental barriers that was holding her back from the future that she deserves
We discuss the naviety that allows us to discover our dream business and think that we have all the skills to make it occur without issues.
Karen talks about having to make the decision to limit the amount of people that she was willing to work with. Go for the cream of the crop and it pays back bigtime.
And lastly……..
Progress not perfection is the mantra that all entrepreneurs should be living. We struggle with the vision being bigger and more realised than the reality.
Connect With Karen Brown
If you enjoyed this episode with Karen Brown why not check out other inspirational chat with Jack Canfield, Johnny FD and the amazing Christopher Lochhead
You can also check our extensive podcast archive by clicking here – enjoy
Audio Transcription Of Karen Brown Interview
Intro [0:00]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling. join up dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK, David Ralph.
David Ralph [0:25]
Yes, you betcha. I’m live from the United Kingdom ready to blast across the world to every single corner of the globe, it seems that we’re in join up dots now. So it’s very, very exciting. And if you’ve been listening to join up dots for the last four years, you will know but I kept on mentioning but I didn’t get any listens in Greenland. Nothing in Greenland at all. You’re getting on board, you’re getting on board. So if you are my listener or listeners in Greenland, send us a message send us an email and I can personally connect with you because it’s at the light it was it was bothering me green then it was bothering me. Well, today’s guest is somebody who looks like nothing could pop through at all. She’s already told me. She got up at four o’clock this morning and she’s at a workout and she’s ready to rock and it’s not even quarter to seven. She’s a lady who is living an amazing life of inspiration, mind altering process and traveling the world helping others. She’s an unconscious mind expert in the field of leadership and professional performance, world class ultra endurance athlete, successful corporate executive, professionally certified executive coach and a keynote presenter and best selling author. Now after many years of coaching leaders, our guests discovered that the unconscious mind is a scientific key to elevated levels of success with greater velocity and ease and founded a company guess what velocity leadership consulting to bring this difference making model and tools of success to all leaders. Now she realized her own transformation and discovered the keys to achieving greater success in her personal professional life when she achieved a 28 year dream of competing in the toughest race in the world, the Iron Man World Championships in Kona, Hawaii as an amateur non triathlete, age 46. She doesn’t look old enough, she doesn’t look old enough, I promise you. As we will see she ventured this experience to the business world and now help CEOs, executives and managers connect with and realize their own goals with greater velocity and ease. She helps us get unstuck loosen the handbrake and put our lives into running shoes and grow a kick ass life of our own. So it’s all very easy to say these things, but then build them into a business that people want is a different ball game altogether. And most importantly, how did she vent allow as many people as possible to find out that she’s got this business and she’s got these skills? Well, let’s find out as we bring them to the show to start joining up with the one and only Karen Brown. Morning. How are you?
Karen Brown [2:51]
I am fantastic, David.
David Ralph [2:54]
I bet you are I bet you are Yeah, it’s a four o’clock drag yourself out of bed kinda time. Is Is it light when you get up at the moment because it’s getting darker in the United Kingdom? And so I’m I’m reaching out for those extra lady cuddles, but I can get that keep me in my bed? Is it? Is it light? Or is it dark? When you drag yourself out of bed?
Karen Brown [3:16]
It is dark. So it seems like night and I am not dragging myself out of bed. I am waking up charged and ready for the day. You say that cow and you say that and the most positive person in the world will say that. But it’s not true is it? It’s completely true. It’s completely true. I am living my purpose. I’m living my dreams every day. And when I wake up fully rested, because I’ll just give you a little insight. I do go to bed rather early so that I can get up early and kick ass in the day. And so when I wake up I am so I am excited and ready to go.
David Ralph [3:54]
And what time do you go to bed and Karen
Karen Brown [3:57]
830 at night,
David Ralph [3:58]
he said my kids, my kids are still around. Honestly, we have ice cream bands still driving around our setting ice cream. That’s a child’s time, Karen Brown your a fully grown woman.
Karen Brown [4:14]
This is true. This is true. And you know this came from me stepping into the gateway to the life I was meant to live through the Ironman World Championships. And now being in the ultra endurance racing community for eight years, which you know, this is this is the big expansive, supercharged life I was meant to live. And you know, what just works for me, which is I think one of the keys, you know, is finding what works for you. Yeah, is you know, going to bed early and getting up early. Because when I’ve already woken up, read, you know, sort of fed and nourished myself physically and mentally and emotionally. And then I’ve done a great workout man, I can do anything in the day, I am ready.
David Ralph [5:01]
As I go to bed about half past 12 to one o’clock morning, and I get up about 10 past 26. So I get about five hours, or snore inducing coma. Basically, by the time I go to bed, I’m ready for bed event I wake up, and I feel pretty good on it. Because when I started doing what you’re doing, because it was a badge of honor, people were saying, Yes, I get up at three o’clock in the morning, and I get up at two o’clock in the morning. And I was thinking I should do this. I should do this. It sounds brilliant. You’ve got so much time. Bye bye. past nine, I was ready for a nap. And by the time lunchtime came, I was exhausted and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. How do you keep going all the way through today?
Karen Brown [5:47]
Well, first of all, I realized that I need more sleep than you I need about eight or nine hours a night. And you know that that goes along with something called rest. And I recently wrote about this, the rest is not a four letter word. And I think in our constantly connected society, we’ve almost made it a four letter word. But I found the balance between rest and activity. And it’s just what works for me, I’m able to think at my highest most productive level, I’m very efficient. And I really don’t get tired during the day, I’m able to truly focus in on everything that I’m doing, which makes me most efficient. And honestly, that makes me happy. You know, I feel like, if I’m living my purpose, well, then I better be doing a good job of it. And so when I, when I’m able to and you know, this was a change, I wasn’t always like that, you know, before I pursued and achieved the Ironman World Championships, I had a very similar schedule to you. And I didn’t get the right amount of sleep for myself every night. And I was out of balance. And I felt that. So what I what I discovered when I leaned into that was Okay, wait a minute, I need more rest than I’m getting? And what does that really look like? And quite frankly, what am I going to have to say no to so that I can say yes to living the life that I want the life that I feel is out there that is in fact knocking at the door for me. And so that I can open up that door and say yes, and live that life and be my best self and step into my potential. And that means you have to do have a husband
David Ralph [7:31]
or a family? Or do you have people that are still walking around the house when you’ve gone off to bed?
Unknown Speaker [7:38]
Yes, I do.
David Ralph [7:40]
So do not say to stay up, stay up mom and watch this, this. We’re binge watching this box set on Netflix. It’s brilliant. And we want to get it all done tonight. And I’m not saying that to you
Karen Brown [7:51]
know, because if I did stay up with them, I would just be snoring and annoying them through the bench set. So no, and they know that, that I’m going to be my best self. And I’m going to be happiest with that kind of schedule. And that you know, what works for me may not be the same that works for them. But there may be some, some convergence, some overlap in it. And you know, I said no to TV A long time ago and it and also news and it really works for me.
David Ralph [8:23]
Yeah, you’re not missing much. You’re not missing much at all, especially news. I don’t think I I’ve seen a newspaper or watch the news since my last child was born really about 13 years ago. And I always say if it’s big stuff, you find out about it anyway. And if it’s little stuff, you don’t really care about it. It’s just going to occur naturally. So So we’ve you said, what’s really struck me already and why I was digging around with that is the fact that you are if it’s right for me, I’m going to do it. You know, it’s got to fit into other people’s schedules. And it’s not a selfish way of being in any shape or form. It’s us saying it my life. I know what’s best for me. And so I’m going to operate on my own terms, my own rulebook. And Was that something that has come recently for you? Were you somebody that would have been pulled from pillar to post by what other people expected of you?
Karen Brown [9:16]
Yes, absolutely. Yeah, that this has come in the last eight years. And like I said, with the the gateway and transition to Iron Man, and being an ultra endurance athlete, that was just my, my vehicle of expansion, if you will, you know that that athletic vehicle is really easy for me. And that’s not to say, you know, going to and achieving the Ironman World Championships as an amateur athlete at age 46, when I wasn’t a triathlete, I wasn’t a swimmer, I wasn’t a road cyclist was easy. It wasn’t, I had to make a lot of changes. And specifically, most of them were in my mind, I mean, it, it was 90% mental and 10% colon at the beginning, I thought it was exactly the opposite. But up until then, you know, I was 44 years of, you know, beating or, you know, running along to everyone else’s drummer. And, you know, I would go with societal norms, and you know, do what I thought was working for everyone else. It was it was only through that journey that I really unlocked. Exploring, first of all, what was going to work for me and me alone, it didn’t have to work for everyone else, but to find my own path. And then to live that. And what I found through that is keys that actually do work for everyone else, because they were in my unconscious mind. And I didn’t know them for 44 years. I mean, nobody talks about this stuff. And that’s also one of the reasons I wrote the best selling book, because I thought I want this should be accessible to everyone, we all need this kind of information, right? There is more out there, then we realize, and the keys are finding those things for ourselves.
David Ralph [11:07]
What I love about the entrepreneurial life, and it is what you’ve done is you basically freed your, your mind to accept the possibilities. And now possibilities everywhere around you. And for many, many years, I was earning 30,000 40,000 50,000, you know, a year, I’m thinking that’s good. That’s a good salary. And I look back on it now. And I think to myself, why did I think that was a good salary? It paid my bills, but where was I? Keeping that ceiling of it’s a good salary? Now I look at it and think to myself, you know, that’s possible in a month, if you make the right decisions and take the right opportunities and, and develop yourself. Why do you think people can’t see that? Why do you think that people are living in a box, we have a tiny little ceiling on that they’re almost unwilling to push through, you pushed through it big time, I push through it. And I could never go back, I could never go back to having that mindset of, I was grateful for having a job.
Karen Brown [12:12]
I know exactly why we hold ourselves back. And it’s something called limiting beliefs. And it happens in the unconscious mind. And our unconscious mind was basically created to keep us safe, to protect us from stretching ourselves too much into anything that was going to kill us. I mean, if you think about caveman times, our unconscious mind had to immediately size up whether something was friend, food or foe, and then forced us to act accordingly. Immediately. And so that still happens. That’s still how our operating system called our unconscious mind works today, even though we want to expand ourselves, we want to go bigger, we want to do you know, bigger, better things and, and live this life that we feel is out there for us. But we still have this operating system, you know, from from back then from ancient times. And so this is, this is another reason I want to put this in front of everyone and share this with everyone, and actually make it a movement. I mean, it’s my mission with us to eradicate limiting beliefs, and transform the world. Because you and I have done it right. And look at how it transformed our lives and the impact that it had on the world. Look at the impact that your show alone has had on the world over the last four years. That’s what I’m talking about. And all of us are capable of doing that, we just have to know how our operating system called our unconscious mind is wired. And once we know that, it’s really easy to change that wiring to what we want. So Case in point, I was holding myself back through limiting beliefs where I would, I would think to myself, well, I think I might have what it takes inside me to do the Ironman World Championships. And then all of a sudden, I would think, well wait a minute, everybody who competes in that are elite level athletes. And here I am this amateur recreational athlete, so I couldn’t possibly compete. That is the essence of a limiting belief. Anytime we say I’m not smart enough, fast enough, skilled enough, or have enough support or time or money, that is a limiting belief. And what I came to understand in 2010, I mean, I went through 28 years of limiting beliefs, until 2010, when I discovered that it is a scientifically proven concept. It’s a scientific thing that happens in your brain. And then I also discovered how to transform and conquer a limiting belief and unlimited. That’s what I did in 2010. And then that’s when I went all in on the Ironman World Championships. And then using that and six other keys to your unconscious mind that I discovered through that process. I crossed the finish line in Kona, Hawaii, two short years later.
David Ralph [15:16]
Now, the thing about with this cabin is I agree with you totally. But there comes a point in many people’s lives where they start questioning is there more. Now I did I for many years, I went through school didn’t really consider anything I came out of school, went to college, he was just what you did, went into a job, floated through the job, got some promotions, got up to management, you know, and I just didn’t really consider anything else. When I started looking around thinking I’m bored, I’m bored, it came down to the fact that I was thinking, I don’t care for this anymore. So I started looking around and making those those questions. A lot of people and I would say but bulk of people don’t even get to at that point, they don’t even consider that there is a different way of living, would you would you say? Or am I looking at it from a totally whacked out point of view?
Karen Brown [16:11]
Well, I think I think what happens is, we all feel that knock on the door. Intuitively, emotionally, we we see or feel something like that. And it honestly, it’s whether we admit it or not. It’s whether we acknowledge it or not. Because you know what, I had that knock at the door for 28 straight years. And very similar to what you felt, you know, but I, I wouldn’t admit it for a long time. Because like you I was climbing the corporate ladder, I was becoming an executive I made good money, I had a nice looking life. But I also at the same time had this growing nagging feeling inside that I couldn’t identify, I didn’t know what it was. And I kept just kind of shoving it down. And or trying to fill it with other stuff. Like material things, you know, a car, a house, really nice clothes, you know, vacations, whatever experiences. And I think we also do that today. But it really is our opportunity when we really sit up and take notice of that and maybe open up the door. You know, dig into that nagging feeling ago, okay, what is this? I want to know what this is? So what is it? And we sit in it for a little while and actually sit in it long enough to answer the question, and then face up to the answer. That’s I think what makes the difference there?
David Ralph [17:49]
Well, I think makes a difference, though, is majority people. And you know, this is sweeping stereotypes. But I think it’s true as well won’t do anything until something really happens in their life. And for me, it was a combination of boredom for many years, and been a drummer or manager. And I was thinking I’m not putting up with this. This is just terrible. And it forced me to take decisions. And once you start taking those decisions, you realize actually, they’re not too bad. Now what I want to do, Karen Brown, I want to just play some motivational words. And I want to come back to your story. I’ve just had an idea in my head, I want to ask you about it. He’s Jim Carrey,
Jim Carrey [18:27]
my father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him. And so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. And when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. And our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.
David Ralph [18:53]
So you have found what you love, or you 40 was but you’ve turned it into something and that that is harder. I think, man, the Iron Man championship in certain regards. Because there’s so much upscaling. We all have this idea. We think my I’m going to create a business, but you don’t understand the marketing. You don’t understand the branding, you don’t understand the personal branding, you don’t understand the content creation, everything that makes people look in your direction and make that business a success. Was it tough for you? Do you look back on it now and go bloody hell yeah, that that was probably my biggest challenge. Actually, I talked about the Iron Man a lot, but actually getting velocity of ground was hard.
Karen Brown [19:35]
Absolutely, yeah. And I think I think one is just a euphemism for the other. It’s it’s the same process that you go through. And yeah, I like to say that, you know, I was just dumb enough to believe that I could do it. I mean, you know, and then and then I think I did a good job of looking at other icons that went before me, who were the same. I mean, look at Steve Jobs, you you reference him on your show, every day. Look at Elon Musk, look at Richard Branson. I mean, look at Oprah Winfrey. I mean, there’s just so the list is so long. And folks that did the same thing. You know, they were just naive enough to think, Hey, you know, I really feel in my gut in the core of my being, that this is what I meant to do. You know, when I came in touch with my purpose, in that two year journey, and crystallized it, in that two year journey to Kona, I had that feeling of being unstoppable. And also a peaceful reticence about it, and thought, This is what I meant to do. And so even though it’s going to be tough, and you know, they’re going to be times when I’m unsure. I know, this is what I’m supposed to pursue
David Ralph [20:52]
is true what you said, and it made me laugh, you know, I was just dumb enough to think that I could sort of pull it off. Because you don’t know what you know, you know, five years down the line from running join up dots. Ah, I’ll tell you why. I just can’t believe how naive I was when I started. But of course, I was going to be naive because I’d never done it. But I’d never it never dawned on me that it was so much to it. And people walk into it blindly. And I see them all the time. And I say, Oh, I just launched my podcast. And I think Yeah, good luck. Good luck. You know? We’ll see how you go in a year’s time or five months time or three months time even? Very few.
Karen Brown [21:30]
How No, yeah, cuz here’s the thing. Oh, well, here’s what I say a lot about the Iron Man, because what we’re talking about is just like an Iron Man. I mean, if if someone would have sat me down, when I decided to pursue it and told me everything that was involved, that I was going to have to do to cross that line at Kona, I wouldn’t have done it. It would have been too big and too daunting. But here’s the thing. It’s that naivete. It’s that stupidity, if you will, that allows us to fully launch headlong into something and just keep with it day after day after day, step after step, you know, in that discovery process of, oh, crap, here’s another thing that I have to do. Oh, and guess what, there’s gonna be another one tomorrow that I figure out. And maybe the next day, there’s going to be three more that I figure out. But each time we take that step, we get closer and closer and closer. And that is the juice that is the supercharged fuel that keeps us going.
David Ralph [22:38]
No, I agree with that. And it fuels me up and five years into this process. I can just see where it’s going. And every day, I’m doing stuff. But a lot of people stop. A lot of people stop and I start and I imagine the the world’s internet is full of six page blogs, where people have launched something written a few pages and been they’ve stopped. What is the difference? Why is that mentor difference that you’ve grasped? That makes somebody willing to keep going? And when it’s not working? They keep going? And they do another hour and they do another web page, and I do another whatever it is? What do you think it is that that difference that makes all the difference?
Karen Brown [23:20]
The difference that makes all the difference is something in my book, it’s one of the keys, and it’s one of the first keys that I go through which is tapping into your dream. And not just any dream, this isn’t, you know what you just played in the Jim Carrey thing about, you know that that safe, small, stable kind of job, or dream or life or goal? No, it is the biggest, scariest, audacious, ridiculous dream that you can think of that maybe you’ve never admitted to anyone nor yourself. The dream that, you know, it used to make me breakout in a cold sweat and almost throw up when I thought about it. But that that is that is one of the scientific precepts to tapping into the motivation, and that, that consistent energy and motivation that’s going to get you there. And it’s tapping into the dream And specifically, what achieving that dream will look sound and feel like when I thought about the Ironman World Championships after, you know, the initial wave of oh my gosh, I’m going to vomit, and the cold sweat wore off. I could literally put myself in Kona. And I had never been there before. But I could literally see feel and hear what it was going to be like to cross the finish line running down Ali drive, I could smell what it would smell like I could feel the air on my skin. And I could hear the roar of the crowd at the finish line. And I could feel exactly what it would feel like to jump across the finish line, which is what I ended up doing. And it that that fueled me every single day. I mean, even when I had a swim coach that basically dressed me down in front of everyone several times and said, You will never get there. You don’t deserve to get there and you have a horrible feel for the water. I mean, even my own husband at the time said you don’t have what it takes to get there. I mean, this this happened fairly frequently. So I had to have something, you know, that was going to keep me going. And it I’m telling everybody this is this is why I am on a mission with us. It is the power of our unconscious mind that does all of that.
David Ralph [25:54]
I don’t know about being in Kona, I think I’d be in a coma. But if I was tackling all that thing about the alien man, which makes it you know, I wouldn’t even be a tin foil, man. I really wouldn’t, because I think they do it the wrong way round. I don’t get why you want. Actually I’ve just solved it in my head. For many years, I was thinking Why do you get in the swimming pool? Or the lake or a river or whatever the ocean? And then get out and then half the cycle? But of course, if you did that last you might drown because you’re exhausted? Is that one
Karen Brown [26:27]
course you’d you’d be at the bottom of the ocean?
David Ralph [26:31]
As I was saying it I suddenly bow that’s the reason I’ve always thought I wouldn’t want to be cycling or running really soaking wet and stuff. But of course Yeah. You’re not gonna drown on the land. Oh, yeah. I’m just genius. Karen, you see how quickly? Yeah. So away from that, away from that what has been the biggest part of the struggle of building your business because I am now I used to be obsessed podcasting. I’m not, I’m obsessed with personal branding, because I now know that personal branding is the thing. That is the Rocket Power that fuels everything. And anybody I coach, I’ve really pushed them to get front and center of their business to hold themselves accountable. So the world will look at Cameron Brown, and know that she is the one driving on there. Look at join up dots and know that David Ralph is the one driving it on, what is the thing that has been your struggle, but now is your obsession.
Karen Brown [27:33]
The biggest struggle I’ve had is
becoming crystal clear, and laser focused on Who are we serving? Because at the at the beginning, when you’re starting a business and even as you work through it, you know, I think there’s such a such a natural desire there to do what you have set out to do that you just want to do it so bad badly that you’ll take anybody, you’ll take anybody and you you just cast this really wide net. And you know it, it comes across as many things most of which is desperation, and a lack of clarity, and it is so detrimental honestly. And it, it causes us to struggle longer and harder than we actually need to, rather than if we just sat ourselves down and forced ourselves at the beginning to come up with, you know, okay, who is the one person that I’m serving here, because that one person, there’s a lot of them, there’s more than enough of them, you know, for what I want to accomplish. But, you know, I think it It comes from limiting beliefs. And also, there’s, there’s a journey that we have to go through, you know, I think there’s a discovery process, there’s an educational piece, you know, we’ve got to build the blocks, so to speak. And, you know, it’s what you discover every day. I mean, I discovered through the process that, you know, I don’t want to do workshops, I don’t want to do training, I want us to specifically work with the top leaders in the world. And here’s a distinction that I’ve probably just realized and set out to do, which is another mission in the last six, eight months. So this is pretty recent, where I want to make a difference, I want to penetrate the what I’m calling 60% of the senior leadership market, where the senior leaders are still blind. These are bad bosses, the same leader that you talked about earlier, and the pathetic excuse for human being boss that I had, in my journey in the corporate world, that that caused me to become an entrepreneur, actually. and grateful to him, because if he if he wasn’t a pathetic excuse for human being and a really bad boss, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now. But towards those bad bosses that no one is pursuing, and no one will tell them the truth. Right, everyone’s scared. They they just cycle in and out of the business. Because, you know, it’s that boss that’s going well, I’m all good. But it’s all of you people that need work, and you need to change. Well, no, that’s not true. And I’m ready to be the first one that puts the d’esprit mirror in front of them and says, Wait a minute here, you know, to provide that painful opening that you talked about, which is pivotal in people actually making changes and being who they’re meant to be doing what they’re meant to do. So that, you know, and I had to, you know, that took, that took five years to get clear. And to come to that point of understanding, okay, here’s, here’s really what I want to do with this. And don’t get me wrong. I mean, you know, we work with the other 40%. But let’s face it, the other 40% of leaders have already raised their hand and said, Yes, I know that I have a big impact. And it’s me that needs to work. And I am ready to do the work and make changes and develop myself. Those people are easy to work with. Right? It’s a 60%, those bad bosses was terrible leaders, who were not self aware it they are tough. And I am ready to make a difference there.
David Ralph [31:38]
Yeah, but what you’re saying there is you’ve made a conscious decision to provide the best value you can to the people who want that value. And when we start off in business, as you said, we grab anyone, and I was out for dinner in America recently with a load of friends that I’ve met through. And actually every single person could talk all evening about dealing with, as we call them, the bottom dwellers, the ones that try to get everything for nothing, or suck up your energy, and just leave you in a pile at the end of the week. And you’ve made you know, $60, I was talking to a lady who is a web designer. And she does it for Hollywood companies. And you know, she makes a great living a fantastic living. And she was telling me that she used to do like a whole website design for about $50. And now she’s on like, 50,000 100,000 200,000. and above. That is the journey that you’ve got to go through, isn’t it to realize that actually, your value as it grows up, as you develop as you up skill has to match the value that you actually request from the world, you’ve got to say no, I’m not going to do it for 1000, I’m going to do it for 5000, I’m not going to do it for 5000, I’m going to do it for 10,000. And then your life becomes easier because the people that are paying it actually want to get the transformation, they actually want the value that they’re paying for. And people that pay cheap. Just don’t just don’t it’s a real journey, you’re going to go through that.
Karen Brown [33:09]
Absolutely. And I love that you brought this up because I just had this conversation with a colleague yesterday, who was saying something to me like, well, I feel obligated to take on this client, because they referred to me by this other great client of mine. And I said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. What’s the evidence of that? No. So we had this conversation, and I let her through it. And I said, You know what, the more people that you say no to because they are not a fit for you. And it has to be a two way fit, right? It’s got to be a fit for me, and it’s got to be a fit for you. And if it’s not a two way fit, then let’s just honor that and say no and move on. Because there’s somebody else out there that you are a fit for. And I think that’s part of that process. You know, we when we say no to the people that we are not a fit for, there’s all these other people that are standing in the wings that are sort of watching, I think that we get to say yes to then they get to step onto our stage. And they are the the wonderful, they’re the most wonderful clients, you know, when we work with them, you know, they experience that massive value, the high level results that they’re looking for. And you know, that that’s, that’s really the Genesis a quad. That’s, that’s what we all are looking for that I mean, that’s why we’re building this business, right? I mean, you can say it’s something materialistic, like, well, I want to make a ton of money or, you know, massive success or whatever. Yeah, those are byproducts of actually achieving what we’ve set out to do.
David Ralph [34:49]
Yeah, but you can only do right. Yeah, I agree. Totally, totally, totally, totally, totally. But you can only do that once you’ve started paying the bills and got a little bit extra, you know, and a beginning, your you just can’t be fussy, can you because you are scrambling around trying to pay for this and paper and dealing with people, I think it’d be a very strong person to launch a business and right from the very start saying no to people who were coming to them, wouldn’t it?
Karen Brown [35:16]
Yeah, I do agree with that. However, statistically speaking, studies show that when you can do that when you can take those limiting beliefs and those fears, because that’s what it is really. And you can step into them, look them in the eye, and conquer them transform them into and limiting beliefs that allows you because I actually did this when I first started in real estate, right? I mean, I actually was in that world twice, once in commercial real estate, and then once in residential real estate. And that’s actually what I did. When I stepped into residential real estate. My first client was a $1.2 million client, and I only got them because I said no, to other clients that were you know, and it doesn’t have anything to do with price. But it had everything to do with the people that I wanted to serve. And honestly, that got me further faster, with a lot less brain damage in or damaging, and beating my head against the wall than my counterparts who were just saying yes to everybody, you know, trying to build it sequentially, you know, kind of trying to, oh, I need to pay the bills, no, needing to pay the bills, is is something neuro linguistically that shows you’re still operating in fear and scarcity, instead of unlimited your beliefs so that you can see clearly who you need to work with and opening the door to working with them. I mean, that’s what really allows you to find them more quickly. And, you know, be able to, to translate and communicate your value to them. And then, you know, for you to get paid either more handsomely, then, you know, taking those initial, you know, little clients that you really shouldn’t have said yes to but you have to pay the bills for
David Ralph [37:09]
Do you know, as you were talking, I won’t share it on the show. But I had an epiphany, it was like a light bulb going off in my head, which doesn’t happen very often nowadays. But as you were speaking, and I will share that with you after this show, Karen Brown because it’s Yeah, it’s interesting thing. So with your business as it’s going you you say that you don’t want to be doing the workshops, you don’t want to be doing the coaching, you want to go boom to the to the main people, how do you find them? And how did I find you?
Karen Brown [37:42]
It’s virtualization. It is virtualization. And going back to tapping into the dream, which I said earlier, you know, I, early on, I could definitely visualize, you know, what it would look feel and sound like to work with these people. And so I took that and then thought, okay, getting into action around that. It means finding those schools of fish, you know, I needed to go hang out with CEOs. And you know, I’ll be real open with everybody. At first, I felt like an imposter. I was like, Oh, my God, these people are going to figure me out, you know, and they’re going to give me the big hook and remove me from the room. But the more I did it, the better I got at it. And the more adept I became, at explaining what we do, and how it is so different, and so much more effective than anything else that’s out there. That and that I could speak about it in a natural non salesy valuable way. Because at first, quite frankly, I was all salesy, you know, and it It sounded like I was, you know, trying to talk people into everything, because I was, because I wasn’t clear on our truth value. And what we really brought to people’s table that was so much different and better than anything else they could get. So that was part of that, that process, if you will.
David Ralph [39:14]
And the key is you don’t sell to people who aren’t willing to buy in the first place, you know, this, this is what I teach so many people constantly, if somebody isn’t looking for you, they’re never going to buy it. But if they’re already looking for you, then you don’t really have to sell, you just have to show them the transformation. and the value that you walk, give them you don’t say, I’m going to charge you 10 grand, and you’re going to get x y Zed, you show them where they’re going to be. So they have at that point of saying yes, anyway, before they literally gagging for you to say how much you’re going to charge.
Karen Brown [39:53]
Exactly, yep. Nobody wants to be sold. And everybody wants value. So yeah, well, again, I just figured out, okay, where is my school of fish. And then I just jumped into the ocean, if you will, into those schools of fish. And I would just, you know, talk to everyone I could and begin relationships, you know, and I, here’s the thing, I would ask some questions, you know, I got out of talking about myself and what we do, and you know, the whole commercial, and into asking them questions, you know, once I jumped into their world to understand what they were going through, then I could literally just ask them the right question that then unearthed their need, which we could fill, and then all I had to do was just stand in it with them just show up. And you’re right, then they were they sold themselves, they close themselves.
David Ralph [40:52]
People won’t be emotion, don’t they, they want to be free from pain, they want to be closer to pleasure. They want the feeling of freedom. You know, if you’re buying any product outside, you know, the eight never toilet paper, for example, toilet paper never tells you what it does. It’s always telling you that it’s soft, and it’s great. And it’s it is like the emotion isn’t it, it never gets down to the actual benefits of what you want. And that’s what we need to do in business, we need to paint the emotion, we need to show the transformation that will take somebody from where they want to be, I’m sorry, where they are now to where they want to be in a short as time as possible.
Karen Brown [41:33]
Absolutely, absolutely. And let me throw this this word on the table for everyone. Because this is this, this really defines what we’re talking about. And the word is mutuality. And what that means is when you can actually show up in a conversation with someone where you are totally focused on them. And that that what that means is, you don’t have an agenda, you’re not constantly thinking in your mind. Okay, well, here’s the next I’m going to say, or here’s where I want to take this conversation. And you’re also not applying your filters and your meaning that you apply to things to what they’re saying, You’re literally you can just step aside from all of that stuff. And you can literally just focus in on what they’re saying and where they are, where they’re coming from. And then you can ask them questions to understand at a deeper level. That is exactly what everyone’s looking for. And it doesn’t matter what your businesses or what you’re selling, because you know what, once you come up with an understanding of the other person, like truly where they are and what they’re looking for. First of all, that’s the best gift we can give each other as human beings. And second of all, it is if what they’re looking for is not what you have to offer, Well, great. You can refer them to someone, or you can just stand in it with them and say, Oh, I get that. Yeah, cool. Hey, you know, let’s keep in touch. I’d love to know more about when you find that. Or nine times out of 10. They do need something that you do. And that just leads naturally there. Yeah. Really? stepping into what that person?
David Ralph [43:31]
Yeah. And you can’t even do it yourself, to be honest. Did you find this? Sometimes you will say yes, you can do this. And then actually, as you’re teaching them, you look at it and you think this is great advice. This is amazing advice. I’m not actually doing it myself in my own business. I should I should bring this in. It’s almost like you speak the lesson and listen to the lesson yourself.
Karen Brown [43:55]
Absolutely, right. Yes.
David Ralph [43:58]
It’s weird when we do that, Oh, isn’t it you know why? All mechanics drive around in rubbish cars. And if you go into somebody who’s a painter, and decorator, their house is a tip, even though they spend all the time doing it. It’s amazing how so many people can point their finger at what’s wrong or right with other people. But actually, they need a different mindset to be able to point that finger back at themselves.
Karen Brown [44:22]
Absolutely, you know, this is the essence of coaching, right? Because we can’t coach ourselves. If we could, we wouldn’t have podcasts like this, we would have no problems, we would have figured it all out. And you know, we’d all be as successful as we want to be, right. But this is this is why coaching is such a powerful and successful thing. And in in the scenario that I just laid out for everyone, you know, mutuality, we can actually sort of coach each other. Right. And it’s also that piece of, you know, when the student is ready, the teacher shows up when that teacher is in the form of a client that deliver something that we need as well, or it’s vice versa, or it’s the two things happening simultaneously for each other.
David Ralph [45:14]
This is powerful stuff, and I’ll tell you why it could go on for five or six hours, it really could I could go off on a journey with you, Karen Brown, we could run away together, as long as you don’t expect me to get up at four o’clock in the morning, because it’s not gonna happen, it promised. So let’s play the words of Steve Jobs, you’ve already referenced him. Here is Steve Jobs. Of
Unknown Speaker [45:33]
course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards. 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [46:08]
I’ve listened to those three times a day because I’ve been recording episodes, and they hit home literally every single time.
Unknown Speaker [46:15]
Yes, it’s powerful stuff.
David Ralph [46:19]
And you listen to that, do you think to yourself that you are on the right path now? Or do you think this is just one of your next bigger, sexier parts?
Karen Brown [46:31]
I know that I’m on the right path. And I know, I know that it’s going to continue to bring more things and to expand itself every day that I walk the path. Yeah, this is this is not, this is not all of it. And I can’t see all of it. But I do push myself every day to really go to the limits of what I’m able to imagine. And to embrace what comes, you know, it’s going to get bigger. And instead of being fearful or reticent about that, I just go great. Bring it on. And does that kind of
David Ralph [47:10]
bother you that that is you’ve got this vision of where it’s going, you’ve got this idea of perfection. And when you look at your business, it’s not where it is or where it should be. Does that bother you? Because it certainly used to bother me a lot. Well, I used to be Oh, yeah. So much effort into this, it should be here and it should be there. And I’m a lot more chilled by it now but but does it bother you because you obviously a high achiever? Do you look around and think I should have done that should have done this got do that? You know,
Karen Brown [47:40]
it used to bother me a lot. I’m a I’m an achiever, and what’s worse, I’m an impatient achiever, you know, instant gratification, come on, let’s go already. And probably just in the last two years, I have been able to mellow on that, and, and sit in it. And what really resonates with me now is progress, not perfection. Just keep making progress. And the more progress I can make every day, the quicker it’ll come, the quicker I will get there. And you know what, I see that that works like that action. And that mindset really brings it actually does bring faster, higher level greater results. So yeah, that’s been really helpful. You know, to, to, to, to change that impatience into progress, not perfection.
David Ralph [48:39]
Yeah, progress, not perfection. That is it, isn’t it? It’s just one, one day after another an hour after another, just do one more thing and see, see where it gets to. And it always gets to somewhere, you know, I could walk around the world, if I want to take one step after another. I could come from my house here to your house instantly. And I know that it’s just a logical process says, but when you’re working on something, you kind of feel like it’s not a logical process. You feel like there should be some quick route to it. And there’s no is it it’s just keep on doing it progress, not perfection.
Karen Brown [49:13]
Absolutely. Yeah, I saw a presentation one time where they drew a line from, you know, the beginning point to what you wanted to achieve to the end point or the goal. And they said, you know, you want it to be a straight line. Or you want it to be this straight up trajectory, right? They said, but it’s not, it ends up you know, looking like a zigzag, or a spider web or, you know, something like that. Because sometimes you’ve got a circle back. And for me, I’m hard headed. And sometimes I’m really stubborn. And so I’ve got to learn things over and over and over again, before I finally go. Geez, yeah, I think I’ve learned that for the last time. And now I’m not going to make that mistake again. Because I was a ready fire aim girl forever. You know, and even even, you know, building our website in the business, I went through two rounds of where I had to pay dearly, to revise the website with content that I felt I just felt was going to be effective. And it wasn’t, it wasn’t converting anybody. It wasn’t helping the people we wanted to help. And finally, I had to look at that and go Alright, enough, that’s painful enough, you’ve paid enough money. So now why don’t you actually do a study on what resonated with clients, what brought clients to us who they are, how they found us all of that, like really dig into it and get that information? And then that’s what you put on the website. Hello.
David Ralph [50:54]
It’s not rocket science is it’s not NASA.
Karen Brown [50:58]
It’s not NASA, but sometimes we make it like that. Because we are in such Hot Pursuit of it. And I, for me, it’s that word perfection. I should be here by now. I should have this by now. You know, I had a goal of an initial goal of 50 clients. And that would drive me crazy, because I would just constantly be, you know, comparing myself to that. Well, you know, we have we have 10 clients, we need 50. Why do we not have 50? yet? No, wait a minute. No, just what’s the progress towards 50 that I can make today?
David Ralph [51:36]
And what was the onset? Well, I was hanging on that cabin, you can’t walk away from that. What was the answer from 10? To 15?
Karen Brown [51:43]
The answer is, okay. Look at look at what 50 is, okay, what is it going to mean to us? Top 50? client? Where are they going to come from? Where have the first 10 come from? and build on that? And you know, it’s it’s really scary scaling it up, right? What is going to enable us to bring on 40 more clients. What can I do right now today? What is the thing, the most pivotal thing I can do right now today? That’s going to bridge that gap from 10 to 50. And quite honestly, that was talking to the right people. And asking them those questions. mutuality showing up in that way. And not being all about, well, I’ve got to get from 10 to 50. I’ve got to get get get get get know that’s being in need and scarcity. No, it was turning it around and saying, okay, those 40 people are out there. I’m just going to start talking to people and find them.
David Ralph [52:45]
And they will come one night, though, it’s not as simple as if you build it, they will come. But if you build it and then connect with people, they will come.
Karen Brown [52:54]
Yeah, I mean, if you talk to people long enough, and you you, you ask them questions to understand what they’re looking for, then that’s actually what I did with the website, I got the real information, and then I put it out there. And then that’s what the conversation was with people when I would meet them face to face. And that’s what resonated. That’s who we are. That’s what we do. Those are our peeps. And you know what, the people you know, the clients were literally just waiting right outside the door. And it took me to understand what they were really looking for, and how we needed to show up for that. That allowed me to open the door to them and boom, there they were, was like, oh, wow, here’s where you guys have been hiding.
David Ralph [53:42]
Oh, and in a walked and I bet they were delighted, as we have been on the show today. But we’ve got a good lead you to a point that we’ve been leading up to right from the very beginning. And that’s the bit called the Sermon on the mic, when we’re going to send you away from the conversation of today. And back to the conversation with your younger self. So if you could walk into a room and meet the young Calvin, what age and what advice would you give her? Well, I’m going to play the music and when it beats you up, this is the Sermon on the mic.
Unknown Speaker [54:19]
With the best bit of the show.
Karen Brown [54:35]
All right, what I would say to my younger self, first of all, is this, Karen, listen up. Because this will save you great pain and time and anguish. So listen up, then what I would say is, first of all, stop lying to yourself, that what you have now is good enough. It’s not your, your intuition is right, there is a lot more out there, and you are not tapping into it. Don’t be afraid. I would also unlimited my limiting beliefs because that’s still causing me to be in that fear and to be afraid. Dream big, taking it to the literal edge of my imagination. It’s a waste of time to think small. and answer the opportunity that keeps knocking at your door. The Ironman World Championship knocked on my door for 28 years through a nagging, intuitive feeling deep inside, that I had bigger capability that I and I was wasting it. So when opportunity keeps knocking answer the door, open it up. That’s exactly what you need. right then. Also, I would tell my younger self that my my personal dream is the gateway to greater clarity and achievement in my professional life. It is the gateway to my purpose. It’s not two separate things. It’s not you know, over here is the personal dream. And over here separate from it on the other side is the personal or the professional achievement in my professional life. No, it is one in the same. One is a gateway for the other. And it’s not a gateway through my professional achievements. Because it’s the personal achievements, the personal dream, that helps me be who I have to be to step into the personal or the professional achievements.
David Ralph [56:46]
Common what’s the number one best way that our audience can connect with you.
Karen Brown [56:51]
Number one best way is to go to this website, which is a specific landing page for your gas. And I’ve got a couple of of great tools for on how to use the techniques and the keys that I’ve talked about today. And that website is, drumroll please. The website is velocity, leadership consulting.com forward slash join up dots.
David Ralph [57:20]
We will have the link on the show notes. And that will be as easy as peasy to find Karen Brown. Well, Karen, thank you so much for being here today. joining those dots. And please come back again when you got more dots to join up. Because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures. But Cameron Brown, it’s been an absolute delight. Thank you so much.
Karen Brown [57:41]
Thank you, David. It has been super fun being on your show. Thank you for having me on to make a difference.
David Ralph [57:48]
Karen Brown, so she was a powerful talker Wasn’t she, you know, I hung on to every word because what she was saying was absolutely true. It’s not about selling is about providing the value and providing the value in a way that your your guests, your visitor, your customer, whatever you want to call them is already looking for, you know, they’ve got the question. I used to be a sales manager many, many years ago up in London. And one of the things we always used to do in the sales process was actually invite the obstacles up when somebody was going to say I can’t afford it. We wanted them to save it because we could have been just move through naturally. Sales and Marketing should be an easy process, as long as you’re focused on yourself focuses on the value you’re providing to the customer, and then putting it in front of the people that actually want it. I thought Karen was great on that. And I’m sure that we will hear a lot more of her. Until next time. Thank you so much for listening to join up dots. As always. We’ll see you again.
Outro [58:52]
Cheers. See, David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are wants to become so he’s put together and amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to join up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on join up dots.
