Stage-Driven Leadership: Trusting the Nudge and Building Visibility With Love Heather Black

I welcome back to the Love Inspired Leadership Podcast. We are both incredibly grateful that you've made the decision to be here. I'm very excited about this podcast interview, and I know the conversation will be meaningful for you, and this podcast has really been created to support business leaders in realizing how important it is to be a love-led leader within their business, and to trust themselves, to trust their heart, trust that internal voice of wisdom, the courage, and that incredible opportunity to reach our own potential in serving from our highest self, so this episode is called Stage Driven Leadership, trusting the nudge and building visibility with love. So, thank you for being here. And let me introduce you to my incredible guest, and I'm super honored, and welcome Heather Black to my podcast today. She is a stage-driven visibility strategist who blends southern charm - can't do that accent, sorry, Heather - Southern charm with bold clarity in the neon world of Las Vegas, and I was just there at a conference, so it is very neon world in Las Vegas, so through her work with Phoenix collaborations, Heather helps visionary CEOs, speakers, and thought leaders get booked on the right stages and create their own, so their message turns into meaningful revenue without burning out, without guesswork, without stress or scattered effort. So, if you felt called to step into that greater visibility, but questioned your timing, your clarity, or your courage to actually do that. This conversation will speak directly to you. So, thank you so much, Heather, for saying yes to being on the Love Inspired Leadership Podcast.

Thank you for having me. I'm super excited. I think everybody has a message that they're called to share with more than just themselves, right? And you don't have to be on big stages to make an impact, and that's what I help my clients understand, is that that message, that burning desire you have in you to get that message out, we can do that in a way that feels good to you, and so that's what I love to do.

Well, and I love that, because when we give ourselves permission to just simply be who we are in that place of authenticity and genuine contribution, that's when things happen easily, so saying yes before you see the staircase is the theme of this part of the podcast. So, can you take us into that real defining moment when you said yes to yourself in building Phoenix collaborations, even though the full picture wasn't completely clear for you in that vision.

Yeah, and it was quite a journey, and it wasn't even really necessarily saying yes to myself, it was saying yes to that God nudge that I had, right, that God was like had been nudging me for over two years, you need to do this. You need to do this. I had sent so many signs that I had been like, no, I don't think so. No, I don't think so. I don't know what to do beyond starting a bit. What does that mean? What does that look like? I have no idea what I'm doing. And finally, you know, you just reached that point where, like, you just cannot ignore the nudge, you cannot ignore that burning desire that he's put inside of you any longer, you have to step out and do it, and it is one of the scariest things. When really, all I knew was that that first step was, I'm starting a business. What am I? What am I doing with this business? Who am I going to serve? What is this going to look like? And you know, the journey of the last three and a half years has just been one of the most powerful and moving experiences of my life, and is saying yes when, when you have that desire, just say take the first step, just take the first step, whatever it is, you'll figure out the next step as you go.

Well, it's true, and it's, it's listening to that internal voice. Of wisdom, and it keeps calling you, doesn't it? It doesn't go away. Is that's that's what you're just explaining, which I think is so wonderful. That's how I felt about this podcast, to be honest. For a long time, people said, Carolyn, you got to turn what you're up to into a podcast, I said no thanks, and then I just kept coming back, just kept calling me, it keeps speaking, so, and this has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me, and I know the audience to receive this depth of sharing and truth about what love and business is, and I'm so honored to host this and have you here, as well as the many guests, and I'm so glad that I took action, so we can hear that internal voice, to be honest, and it will keep knocking on that door. Say, okay, Heather, are you listening? Oh, not yet. Okay. Well, I'm going to remind you again, Carolyn, you can do this podcast. So, so were were there those quiet moments where you tried to convince yourself to stay smaller and stay safe. I mean, I knew I wanted to do a podcast too, but for I saw it's too much work. I've got too much on my plate right now. I, you know, I can't do this. And you know, how did you navigate those in internal conversations of, you know, wanting to stay comfortable, wanting to stay safe and not start your business. How did you deal with that?

Yeah, that's.. and I still deal with that. I think sometimes I think that that never goes away fully. And for me, it was like, oh, you know, I'm turning 50 this year, and who steps out of the comfort of a regular paycheck and retirement benefits and regular health care benefits at 50 years old and and starts a business that's crazy, don't do that, that sounds really, really risky, you could ruin your financial health, you could ruin, you know, if you end up with a health problem, it could, it could ruin you, and so you just go through these all these things, but at the end of the day that desire, that burning desire that God put in my heart was so much more powerful than any fear that I had, and I just had to step out. I had to do it, like not doing it became more uncomfortable than staying where I was. Right, staying where I was might be uncomfortable, because not always the nine to five isn't always the most pleasurable thing, right? Like the toxic work environment that I was in, like, oh, do I really want to deal with this, but not doing it became more uncomfortable than even dealing with that, and so when you reach that point, like, okay, I really got to do this, let me figure out how it works,

right, so the desire grew and expanded and rose within yourself that is beautiful and that's how I felt too, I, I started to just do some recordings and interviews with people on LinkedIn lives, and then I realized these conversations need to happen consistently, that so I gave, so you gave yourself permission to take the risk, would you say that's what you did, and found the courage.

Yes, I stepped back and worked. I didn't just quit the job, I stepped back and went to part-time, so I could have dedicated time. I focused on, I gave myself permission to explore it a little farther and see what it would look like, and how that would work, and it wasn't until 2023 when I went fully full time into the business, and I think that that's the thing, right? You babystep it, right? You don't, you don't run a go out and run a marathon, right? You baby step it, you start with maybe you run a mile, and then you build yourself up, right? You run a 10k then you run a half. So it's the same thing with any big goal that God has put in your heart, any big dream that you have, you baby step it, and He just trusts that He, God, the universe, whatever it is that you believe in, will be there every step of the way to hold you and support you, and the next step will reveal itself in the perfect timing.

Well, it will, and there's this position. This is what I have found over the decades. There's this position of surrender to, so it's it's making that decision to release the control, because I always call it God's plan, and I sometimes I just need to get out of the way, and it's, it's that position that I can let go, I can listen, I can learn, and I can lead, and that every single time for. Me in my lifetime business, when I have slowed down enough, so you went from full time to part time, so that gave you some space for grace, that I call it, so you could think about what was most important, you could pre plan, you could prepare, but you could also have some space that you can listen to that internal voice of guidance and directives that you can take action on intentionally, right.

Yes, 100% because it's just not about just getting up and doing the thing, it is really about having a plan and being intentional of what you're doing with your time and how you're, how you're pursuing those steps,

exactly, exactly, so let's explore how that choice now shapes the way you guide leaders, so leading with love in business, because I know you hold the same space. When I met you that first time, I was so inspired by what you shared, and I felt this immediate alignment and connection with you, because when you realize that you're in the presence of someone else that has that same authentic leadership identity that is completely declared and claimed and dedicated. It's very inspiring for me. So, so what does leading with love actually look like in the day to day business decisions that you make, especially around money and pressure, because that's what happens with business, it expands, and then there's some decisions to make to be made, I believe, that are critical. So, you know, what does that represent for you

Never shows up, it just, how I set boundaries with my clients, right, making sure that they understand when I'm available, when I'm not available, and what I'm available for, and what I can actually help them with. Right, I don't want them to ever come into me and be like, Heather, I need your help, you know, with this, that I'm like, you know, I need you to create an ad campaign for me, like, oh, that's not my thing, that is not what I do, right? Can't help me with that, but it also is supporting them and making those decisions around what energy they have, because most of them have full-time jobs or they have full-time businesses, and this is something they're doing in addition to, and so it's like, let's acknowledge what time you have to work on this each week, and we do it every week on their plan. They have an energy check-off box for their tasks. Was this energy draining, or did this pump you up? Because what I want them to be able to recognize is, okay, these tasks that drain my energy. It doesn't mean you don't have to do them. What it means is that those are the things that you do, maybe at the end of the week, when you don't have to go on and do another client call, or you don't have to be in front of your team, you don't have to do the things right. Then you can start planning your business and your visibility activities around those energy tactics, right. So it's really important to understand what my clients love to do and what lights them up and what they really don't. I don't really want to do that, Heather. And then give them that gentle nudge. I know that this drains your energy, but I really need you to do this outreach email, right? Or I need you to do the do the follow-up thing, right? Whatever it is, and that's how I support them and lead them with love is those gentle. Okay, let's be very aware of what works and what doesn't work, what drains you and what doesn't drain you, and work around those things and fit it into your

schedule, so that it naturally flows with your natural rhythm.

And what do you call that? Because that's priceless. I have, I do that within my own decisions, but what did you call that in the beginning, too? I thought it was brilliant.

Oh, I just had called their energy check-in on their roadmap. Yeah, just check in after they do their tasks. Just check in. How did this feel, energy-wise? Did it drain you? Did it pump you up? Are you excited? You know, whatever. Or it was.. I just did it, and it didn't really do either way, right, whatever that neutral thing is, because it's important for us to know it is what drains our energy.

Well, and our energy is to be cherished and respected. I mean, I, I look at energy as a beautiful gift, and what I did once, this is a great story, too. Is I was running this very large networking organization, which took up a lot of time, a lot of energy, evenings, days, and I realized I had to let some things go because there's a lot of things in there that were draining me, so I decided to make a love it list, so I'd work over about two weeks, and I just list all the things that I felt what you said energized, grateful I was in flow, the things that I loved, and it just felt so good, and I just.. this is one of them, keep that list, and then. Other side, I decided to make it my let-go list, so I was dreaming of hiring many years ago a virtual assistant who would look after all the details of those tasks, and the entire list I created it in the moment, so most of it for me is admin tasks, it's Canva. I can go down a rabbit hole for way too long there, and see creative parts of things that is not my zone of genius. So, and I ended up, this is the truth, on an event that I led. She stayed on after I said, I think you're my virtual assistant angel, and she's been working with me for almost five years now, and she just popped on an event. I didn't even do anything, but I did all the work first. See, in working with Heather, you get to be supported in your energetic energy bank, too. So, yes, there's things that we need to follow through on and take action on intentionally to be successful as a speaker, as a coach, as an author, as a business leader. Yet I just was picturing how wonderful it would be to have someone in my sphere of support that I could report into. Heather, I think that's beautiful. That's awesome. So, how do you help leaders protect their profitability while also protecting their boundaries.

Well, that's a great question. Yeah, because honestly, a profitable business is an act of love, right? When we're giving these businesses as our job to steward them properly, so that we have the profit to keep them running, to pay our employees, to give back to our families, to give back to our communities, but we can't do that if one, what we're doing is draining us to the point that we can't even show up for what we're supposed to be showing up for, and two, if it's not really bringing revenue in, we're doing all of these things in addition to, and the revenue isn't reflecting that, and so one of the ways that we look at that is, where is revenue really going to come from, so then we understand that, because you might not be being paid to be on a stage, but you're paying, you're speaking to get paid, right? You're speaking to bring in clients to your business, and how does that work? How long does that take? So that we understand their ROI on their time, and so we track how much time they spend, we track what, what activities, what events are actually bringing money in, and which ones aren't. If they're not, we're not going to continue to do those, right? There's a beautiful the window, because we don't want to do a lot of things that just are, I don't say a waste of time, because if you reach people, it's never a waste of time, but we want to do the things that are genuinely going to create not just impact but income in your business, so we make sure they're in the right rooms, that they have the right CTAs that they have the right follow-up systems in place, so that they're not calls to

CTA call to action,

Calls to action, sorry, yes, calls to action, so that they, and they have the right systems in place, so they're not spending hours sending emails and follow-up calls and meetings and all these things to make sure that it all flows the way it's supposed to, so that the revenue flows into them.

Wow, so that's not only honoring themselves, it's honoring their time and energy and effort. It's also aligning with what matters most, which is to get in the right rooms in front of their targeted ideal audience clients in order to get that return of energy, I mean, I look at money as this big circle, so we serve from our highest self, our clients receive value, and it's a circle that just continues on and on, so I love that, so, so you speak also about this concept of courageous clarity. You know, how do leaders discern what that really means in their business?

Yeah, so I think courageous clarity comes down to being courageous enough to say this is who I serve in a very clear fashion, right? I could say I serve business owners, but I serve thought leaders, I serve purpose-driven business owners, and so there are some business owners that don't fall into that category, and so we have to courageously say this is who I serve, so that you can get into the right rooms, get on the right stages, and impact the right people. You know, if you say I serve people that have trauma, well, that probably, you know, 90% of the population it needs to be I serve women with trauma who are 40 to 50. Five years old, who were in a transition phase, right, being very courageous, because it can be scary to niche down, it can be scary to say I don't help these people, and you're leaving them out in the cold, that can be scary, but you have to be very courageous and say, this is who I serve, this is how I serve them, this is the problem I solve for them, because when you do that, then you will start to automatically just attract those people, because otherwise they're like, "I don't know, does she help me or does she not help me? I don't know, maybe she does, right. So then they just wander off into the wilderness by themselves, because they're not sure who can help them. So you really have to be willing to plant your flag, so to speak.

Well, and I think it is planting that flag, and I've been serving many businesses over the last 40 years of my business too, and just of recent, I have made a clear boundary line in the sand that I am serving women in business through the Aim High sanctuary, and it is a place and a space that women have this incredible opportunity to feel safe, to be heard, and to understand the Aim High method, which is truth, alignment, and radiance, and what is beautiful in that is that when women come together and they feel that safety, they can be vulnerable, they can tell the truth, what's working, what isn't working, what matters most, and it's very finite, it's very singular, it's not about strategy, it's not about forcing, it's not about pushing, it's about listening to that internal voice of wisdom and asking, allowing, and receiving that guidance and directives, and then taking intentional action and following through. So, what you're saying is the truth, and it's so freeing personally to know what my lane of joy is, my lane of contribution. It is, I see too many women suffering, Heather, and lost and struggling, frustrated, unhappy with their business, yeah. And where, where do they go? They hire people like you, but where else do they go? So I've decided to create this extraordinary container for women to come together, and so it's very inspiring for me to witness women find that internal ownership and alignment and freedom and I'm so grateful to know that you support them as a speaker, as an author, and as a coach, so alignment in leadership means our revenue reflects our values, so when clarity replaces the hustle, because that's the exhausting part, is just trying this, trying that, going to the right, going to the left, doing all these tasks and activities, like you said, that aren't in alignment with what matters most to them, and also to their targeted audience, and the visibility becomes sustainable when that becomes clear. So, let's look

at purpose-driven visibility without burnout, because I see a lot of women exhausted, honestly, Heather, and, and they have a great service. They're making an incredible difference in the world, but they're losing their momentum, they're losing their spirit, they're losing their energy, they're, they're exhausted, and they know that they can't keep up at that pace anymore. So, how do you help these women honor their vision without exhausting themselves in the pursuit of business growth, financial abundance, and joy in the business?

Yeah, I love that question. So, my framework with my clients is every single connection that you have is in one of three phases: through the spark phase, the flame phase, or the ember phase. What happens?

Say that again, slower. Say that again: slower.

Spark phase, flame phase, and ember phase.

Spark phase, flame phase, and ember phase.

Yep.

Well, that's beautiful. Okay,

So what happens usually if they're, they're feeling really burned out and they're doing all the things, it's because they're they're spending too much time on the spark phase, not enough time in their ember phase, because the ember phase is those relationships you already have, maybe you've already been on the stage, you've been on their podcast. Us, you've they've been your client, right? And so we say, thank you so much, and we go on, and we move on, and we start over in a spark phase with a brand new connection, a brand new relationship, a brand new thing, and they're just constantly reinventing the wheel, building all these new relationships, and all the people that have relationships are over there going, well, that was a great conversation, I would like to talk to them again, but I didn't hear from them, right? And so what we do is we work on nurturing that ember face, so they spark back up into flames. That's what you really want, because doesn't take as much work and energy to nurture the relationship you've already created as it does to build brand new ones. Not that you shouldn't continue to make new connections and make new relationships, but you can spend way more time and have way more benefit from the ember phase than constantly every week trying to build 20 new relationships or 10 or whatever it is, so we really, that's what we focus on, is getting them to that point where they're spending most of their time and energy nurturing the relationships that they have, and those embers are just naturally sparking back up at the flames,

mm. I'm just picturing this beautiful fire, and the embers are going - the fire is close to going out. It's not out yet, though, and that there is this pouring of love on that ember and intentionality and follow through. I mean, I, in all the decades I've been in business, it's the relationships that mean everything to me. It's the partnerships that we have collaborated together on events, projects, retreats, programs, summits, all the different opportunities that we have to come together, and it's because I intentionally have continued nurturing and nourishing those relationships, and I used to teach a program in academia that I called Appreciation Marketing and and it was just love in business. I didn't use the word then, because I wasn't so bold as I am now in my mature years, and it was all about that. Exactly what you're saying right now, and there's so much opportunity in the relationships that we currently have, yet we keep looking outside the window, outside the door, and you know when we could, as an opportunity, as you say, and I'm sure you help people with this, is, is, is take that time and decide how you're going to create a stronger collaboration and connection, and it's always by being in service, that's what appreciation marketing is. So, it's sending a note, sending a card, sending even birthday celebrations, a book, an article, and is that what you recommend people to do too?

Yeah, absolutely. So, once once one of our connections moves into that ember phase, we actually create a plan of how often are we going to reach out to them. We consider November, September through December what I call ember months, and those are the months where we go back and we look at everyone that has had us on their stage, had us on their podcast, and what are we doing to recognize them at the end of the year, and there's Ember months, but there's a, there's a very strategic process that we go through of how are we going to continue to nurture this, and do we know their birthday, so we make sure we send them a birthday note, right, if we're on a call with them and they said, oh, my anniversary is bought, we note that down, so we recognize them on their own, or right? Just those little.. if we see an article that we know that they would benefit from, or their audience would benefit from, we share that with them. Those kind of things.. never, never ask if we meet someone that, hey, this person would be great to be on your podcast, Carolyn. I would send them to you, right? Like, as just as a referral, just to continue providing value and being a resource to you, and just doing those things, it really is about appreciation of marketing at that point.

It is, and how beautiful is that? And it just takes a moment. The other thing that I do, this is really taking it, is when people come to mind. I've just had a client that I served 28 years ago that I reached out on social media, she came to two of my workshops, and now she's inside the AIM High Sanctuary, and she's an extraordinary woman, human being, and I'm so grateful, and if I hadn't taken that time just to acknowledge her and just thought about her just intuitively, and then took action, so that's another opportunity for the audience to percolate. Now, can you share a moment when trusting your intuition felt really risky to you, yet choosing courage over certainty changed your trajectory?

Well, obviously, starting my business was a huge one, right, but there's been so many, and I will say this, like when I first started my business, I originally thought that I would just use all of my detail wrangler skills and help people plan their events and manage their speaking engagements, and it wasn't until I started working with people that I really realized that they had the gap that I now fill with having a clear strategy and being organized and focusing on profitability and understanding where and when it comes in, and so for me to stop, not stop, but to pull back from the work I was doing and create this signature process when you're just getting momentum in your business was so risky, because, like, well, am I going to lose everybody? Am I going to have to start all over? How long before I get this up off the, you know, this piece up off the ground, and but I knew that this, as I started building it out, that not only did my clients really, really need what I was creating, but that this was what I was created for, because I could look back and see how all of my experience led to me having the knowledge to create the framework that I've created and the signature process that I have, and so, as risky as it was, because yes, I did lose some momentum in my business, and yes, you know, I've had to do some rebranding, if you will, I wasn't quite that extreme, but for clarity purposes, we'll call it rebranding and restructuring. That was risky, but I knew in my heart, I knew in my gut that this was what I was supposed to be doing.

Well, and there's an internal knowing, isn't there?

Yes.

So, my aim high method right now: truth alignment and radiance, I feel like the last 40 years in business has, I used to have a six step signature process, the AIMHI system, and then now it's gone to even simpler, to just three, and I feel like within myself that I'm here to facilitate that as well, so it just feels good, doesn't it? Heather,

it does. Yeah,

so what's one practical step that our listeners can take this week to pursue more aligned visibility rather than this scattered, exhausting, scattered exposure,

I would say this week, what I want the listeners to do is think back over the last 1218 months of the stage that lit you up, the stage that you were on, it could be a podcast, it could be a networking room you spoke in, it could be on a real stage, virtual, whatever it was, think about that stage that lit you up, that you had like overwhelming response from. That's your ideal stage. Reach out to that event host, make a connection. Be hey, I wish you popped into my head. I just wanted to reach out and see how you were doing. Is there anything I can do to serve you right now? Just make that one simple outreach from somebody on your Ember list. Yeah,

Yeah. and there's certain stages, certain character of strategic partners and events that you will be on, and you'll know it's a great fit, because that's when you get a lot of people signing up for your gift, your offer, your lead magnet, and that's your audience. So, the other thing is, I'm just going to take it one step further, so that individual who ran that event also collaborates and aligns with other people the same as her. So, building the relationship with her to, I have two people like this really solidly, is they will have you as top of mind to recommend in those other events, and the other thing you can do is follow up and just ask, what other events are you participating in, and come together in that too. So, there's so much opportunity. I want the audience to realize there is so much opportunity for potential here. It is intentional. It does take focused energy, and if you feel that you can't do that on your own, talk to Heather. She has a gift for you at the end, too. Just saying, so these, these insights remind us that visibility is not about being everywhere, it's about being completely intentional with taking that action step. So I love that. So visibility as service. So what legacy do you hope that your work leaves in the leaders who serve and the audience, audiences they impact.

Yeah, so my mission is to impact over 1 million lives, one client at a time, and because I am living the power of one talk on one stage on. One day I know that the ripple effect that my clients have when they step onto that stage goes way beyond anything that they will ever see. You know, I reached out to the keynote speaker that ultimately was the final sign from God that prompted me to start my business, and he actually was my first client on the day I launched my business, and we're not like working together any any longer, because he's moved on to some other things, but I reached out to him recently, and I was like, I want you to acknowledge and understand and recognize that every client that I touch is part of your ripple effect, and every single person that they impact is part of your ripple effect, and our legacies, when we step on the stages and we start creating those ripple effects, really want the audience to understand that they really do go way beyond anything that you can even imagine or think about, and you can break generational habits, you can break generational patterns, and that could move on, that will go on for years to come, and so whatever your message is, just step out there and get it out there, because you'll start creating those ripple effects, and it will go on and on and on and on, and that's the legacy I want to leave,

And it's true. We have no idea.

Yeah,

We have no idea, and that's why this podcast, this podcast will live far beyond me. There's someone who's going to listen to this message that you have shared today, Heather, and it will impact their life. They may have that business percolating in the back of their mind or inside their heart and inside their spirit that is calling them, and you know that's that's the intention here, truly is to make that positive difference in the world, and know that the ripple effect is far beyond what we can even imagine. Yep, so Heather, thank you so much for coming on my podcast today, and you know you're reminding us of this incredible obedience of often that it comes from before understanding about love-inspired leadership, and it - this is what builds businesses to last. This is what is sustainable. This is what is meaningful. This is the the lane of joy I believe in business, and it's, it's our reason, it's our, it's our mission, it's our calling, it's, it's our living legacy. You know, I look at this, my business, and the AIM High Sanctuary. I have a daughter who's 29 years old, just turned, and you know, it's there for her too, to take on if she chooses at one point. So we're building these businesses to make a really positive impact in the world, and you're helping so many leaders from around the world in such a beautiful, beautiful way. So, thank you for sharing your courage, thank you for sharing your clarity, your heart, and your soul with us today. Now, you have a gift for our audience, too, right?

I do, and I can't remember what I told you it was.

It's a free guide, you access to a free guide on stage driven visibility.

Oh, yep, so my free guide is it will help you identify whether you should be focusing on speaking, should you be an event host, should you be a combination of both, or if you're really, really new, you'll be a trailblazer, and it'll give you some tips on how to check them all out and figure out which direction you need to be going, but it's a quick little quiz, it's like three questions, and it will tell you which visibility match you are.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And you can also visit Heather's website, Phoenix collaborations.com And for my audience, once again, my gift to you is my 21 day sacred insight journey above the line living dropped into your email box the two to three minute audio recording reflections and journal prompts to support you on your pathway as a love inspired leader with purpose, presence and inner peace. So, thank you, Heather, for coming on my podcast. And to the audience, thank you for joining us on this journey of the Love Inspired Leadership Podcast. And I look forward to seeing you at the next podcast. Take good care.

Bye.