ShareYourHeartShowYourWork Archives - Allison Crow

Unwinding Direction into Wandering for a Season

allisoncrow — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:44:08 +0000

December 6th, Last year, my book was published. And that early morning, as I sat down at my desk, my husband asked, “What are you doing#8221;

“Going to writing practice.”

This had been my answer to his morning question every day for the previous few years – and had become an affectionate ritual for us.

“But you just published your book#8221; he said with perplexed eyes.

“It’s what I do; I write. I go to writing practice.”

It’s been almost a year since I didn’t have a BIG goal to light the way in writing practice. Some mornings my body wants an objective. My peers check in to the question “What are you working on today#8221; with things like:

“My manuscript”
“Chapter 7”
“An email to my client.”
“My dissertation”
“My prompt today is….”

. . .and there I am with my wandering writing. My answer is often, “I’m not sure; we’ll see where we end up.”

In a world that demands direction, I am wandering these days. I am unwinding my body and mind from the mandates of a specific way of being in life and (especially) business that no longer fits.

There are moments when the wandering delivers pure enchantment, and there are moments when panic sets in my body because I’m not forcing her in a goal-driven direction, even though I still have financial obligations to meet. I may be wandering, but I am in no way retired.

I have only an abrupt ending here because. . . I am wandering. The journey isn’t complete, so there is no summation or conclusion.

Here is a photo of me wandering Colorado in December 1995

The post Unwinding Direction into Wandering for a Season appeared first on Allison Crow.

Business Check: Market Update & Tips To Support You

Elyse Rich — Sun, 02 Apr 2023 13:58:02 +0000

I’m Allison Crow and we are interrupting your often frequently deep and emotional philosophical personal development contact for a business check.

This is a podcast for business owners.

Welcome to those who aren’t business owners. If you listen, that’s fun!

I’m gonna be discussing what I’m noticing in the market, right!?

What I’m noticing in the economic climate, what I’m noticing in sales and what some of my research and peers are showing me around sales.

Then the second half is things you can do to shore up and be successful in a shifting economy and a shifting market.

Love,

Allison

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Resources:

Apply to become a member of the Soulies Self-Leadership Coaching Membership, where we have weekly life and business coaching calls for small business owners and a community of Soul-Full humans doing this thing called life.

Book a One on One Connection/Discovery Session

Support Rescue Dogs:
texasbostons.com

The post Business Check: Market Update & Tips To Support You appeared first on Allison Crow.

Struggling with the Social Media Marketing Machine

allisoncrow — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 17:16:25 +0000

An insight about my creative process that may point you to insights about your own creative process:

When I openly acknowledge the hard and I can compassionately witness myself and even the tiniest of suffering, the hard often lifts within a few days.

It is a part of accepting the both/and – of living in the Wild Edges of Being Human.

PS TL/DR people move on. I’m not here for your dopamine hit; my writing is here to help me and then you think differently and change your life.

Current Hard:

In my current facebook memories – are the promos and images for the course I used to teach called Share Your Heart: Show Your Work – a delightful and helpful course about authentic marketing on social media. The course was reverse-engineered from what delightfully worked for me in the first 7 years of moving my business online after leaving corporate.

I LOVED and enjoyed my relationship with social media.

And currently -I don’t feel that love. I am aware that my lenses are cloudy and the “lens cleaner” is in my own hand, not outside of me.

Since 2008 I have created and shared prolifically online. Since even before that, if you count my blogspot blog.

I do love to write and to process and share with words.

I did thousands of live videos and have recorded almost 200 Podcast episodes. For the last four years, I have written and then published a book from my heart.

For most of that time, it was effortless – truly 98% spontaneous overflow of my precious yellow heart .

And that Sharing My Heart and Showing My Work allowed you all to get to know me – and many of you – hundreds – stepped forward to work with me in some way. It never felt like selling.

Recently, I have inner parts that are overwhelmed and irritated, and deeply sad about the extreme parts of crappy capitalism. My brain can’t unsee the patterns of greed. I, like many of you, often feel the burnout of crappy capitalism and the burnout of shitty social media. And yet, here I am, a capitalist, selling a high-fee service – a luxury. And my revenue has become reliant on me “Sharing My Heart and Showing My Work.”

“Content creation” in order to….. SELL has been repulsive to me. I feel like I’m standing in a house of mirrors and can’t escape it. Go viral, get followers, convert in your DMs, do this reel, do that tiktok, get famous on booktok…….

Be in the world, not of the world, became a mandate instead of an opportunity.

Of course, instead of letting it rest, I wrestle and inquire with that repulsion; I judge myself and become hard on myself – not mean, but certainly, I put pressure to come to a conclusion.

My discernment has gotten foggy, and I’ve slipped into full-on waiting for people to ASK to hire me. It’s been easier to judge others for not choosing my credibility and value than it has been to stand in it and make offers.

In writing this and speaking with my friend Jeanine – things are already starting to clear up. It makes perfect sense that those muscles would atrophy after the year I had last year. Grief and a heart attack will do that to you.

The questions I’m tenderly pondering in this content creation marketing kerfuffle:

What do I truly desire?

What would feel fun?

What obligations could I release?

What if I didn’t give SO much..what if I let less be more.

What’s possible in business and networking relationships away from social media?

What in the garden of my business is ready to be uprooted and released, what just needs some pruning, and what needs to be planted, anew?

And for now, I’ll end right there and just BE.

The post Struggling with the Social Media Marketing Machine appeared first on Allison Crow.

Tool for Remembering Your Head and Heart in Business

allisoncrow — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 15:59:11 +0000

In this post: Tools to help you remember your professional credibility while being a heart-centered human, or to remember your heart if you can get head-bound.

All those years ago, when I told my boss, “I’m not leaving you; I’m moving toward me,” I left and started an LLC called Soul-Full Living. Systems without heart and soul suffocated me, so I set out to create what I needed.

As early as 2nd grade, I could see Human Hearts that the structures and systems glossed over. Once I’d spent a few years in a business culture that pursued profit at all costs, I knew I had to step out to help others, and myself create a business that didn’t suck the soul out of our being.

In the world, not of the world Isn’t that the saying?
A client called me this morning for some help with enrolling for the last few spots for a program she is offering. Taking a breath to remember that the head could be unbound by connecting to the heart – I helped her with a few strategies for connecting and soulfully marketing her offering.

“You’re so good at copywriting,” she said.

“Actually, I’m not,” I replied, ” What I’m good at doing is dropping beneath the head and structures and SEEING the hearts of my people and talking about that.”

Cultivate a balance of Head and Heart in your business, and you can’t help but thrive. I spent most of 2022 in my heart- holding the heart of my family, my dogs, my clients, and myself. It was what the season called for. I put my professional panties on the shelf for a season to tend to life. As life settles back in, it’s time to bring the balance back. Pro Panties ON!

Useful Tool: Create a Poster for YOURSELF – of the values that beat in your heart on one side, and then inventory your credible professional self on the other. I see head people forgetting the heart, and I see heart people forgetting their credibility.

The head and heart make a powerful partnership if you intentionally cultivate the two.

Here’s my poster.
Now make one for yourself and keep it somewhere VISIBLE to remind you of who you really are and the skills you have.

💛, Allison

#heartcenteredbusiness #humanleadership #soulfulwork #connecttoyourheart #rememberyourcredibility

The post Tool for Remembering Your Head and Heart in Business appeared first on Allison Crow.

How did I do it Secrets to Making Your Dreams Happen.

allisoncrow — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 16:43:20 +0000

How Did I Do It?

Don’t let the photo fool you:

This was a big year for me. 3 MAJOR milestones accomplished.

In May, my pool was built- If you know me, this was my dream – not a family dream – so I agreed to make the money for it myself.

This week – The first week of December 2022 -I move from writer to published Author. I first had this dream crystallized in my heart at 23 – in Boulder, Colorado, when I came across Thomas Moore’s and Sark’s books.

Next week I finish L1 training in IFS – this gives me one technical “credential,” but what I’m really proud of speaks to HOW I did ALL of these things:

I invested in myself – and boy, if it were as easy as investing cash- wouldn’t that have been fun And yes, I’ve been my own “angel investor” for years. (I will acknowledge the literally inherited privilege of being white and educated and a small trust fund from my grandfather that helped me invest in my first home and pay off some of my school debt – these gifts were MONUMENTAL support). For many years, honestly, I debted – I borrowed and played a money shell game with myself. I stopped debiting to live or work (other than my home) in 2017.

Yes, I have invested in myself and my business – things that cost money: It’s almost obscene how much I spend on personal and professional and personal development and have for years:

Coaching, reading, classes, learning, therapy, art supplies, black writing pens and journals, and more coaching – business coaching, money coaching, book coaching, profit first coaching, money coaching, creative coaching, IFS coaching, sales coaching – that’s what I can think of off-hand.

I’ve invested in implementation support: Podcasting producer who also emotionally supports my creative mojo and flow – not only does she create great sound – she gets the ebb and flow of creativity and believes in me. I invest in admin support, and off and on over the years, I’ve experimented with marketing support. And, of course, I invest in the systems and tech required to run my business – so many subscriptions and little expenses here and there that add up.

Most of these expenses have paid off – some have been monumental failures – expensive lessons.

I don’t spend lots of money on material luxuries, clothes, hair, lashes, nails – I do get good skincare and cheap makeup from the grocery store – but I don’t give a rat’s ass about a new car or highlights anymore.

But here is how I have really invested in myself even more than MONEY: TIME ON TASK. All the coaching and learning without implementation is just entertainment. I am a grand experimenter – and if YOU want to make your dreams come true, then be a daily experimenter – Time on task, over and over.

What I really invest in is Time on task:

Time spent doing my nourishing habits (reading, writing, moving my body, journaling, parts work, drinking water, etc.).

Time spent sharing my heart and showing my work – thinking and doing things that hopefully serve my audience and clients.

Time Practicing my skills in real-time – not waiting until things are perfect. (The hours – and I mean HOURS I spent coaching my ass off and doing IFS as a coach, client and student have been more effective than any class or training).

Time resting and recovering and NOT working.

Time learning how to allocate and track my money. This year I’m taking my books back from my bookkeeper to master the daily nuances of my finances- more Time spent ahead).

Time serving clients, Time making offers.

Time doing the learning and then DOING what I learn.

Time writing – every single day. Making it just what I do.

Time healing my nervous system

Time doing boring stuff – no one sees over and over and over and over.

and, yes, time-wasting (playing dumb video games, watching tv, trolling on Twitter, to name a few). Time to recover from all the time I invest doing Time on task stuff.

You don’t have to bet on yourself the exact ways I do. You don’t have to invest in yourself the way I do. But Oprah isn’t coming. Life isn’t the “Field of Dreams – where if you build it, they will come.

You do have to choose your actions, attitude, and investments – bet on yourself. No one else’s bet will be stronger, and one day you will look up and see your long tail of accomplishments and be deeply proud. If you want that for you, I want that for you – but wanting isn’t enough. So put the Time on task.

Love, Allison

The post How did I do it Secrets to Making Your Dreams Happen. appeared first on Allison Crow.

Embrace the Gamble: Max Bet On Yourself

Elyse Rich — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 18:23:22 +0000

I’ve got some stories I want to tell y’all.

This story has to do with the number one thing I see every day in the service based business world that service based business owners are not doing.

Oprah ain’t coming. Oprah ain’t coming.

No one is coming to pick you out of obscurity and so it is your job to bet on yourself.

Love,

Allison

The post Embrace the Gamble: Max Bet On Yourself appeared first on Allison Crow.

Just Hit Publish

allisoncrow — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 15:26:38 +0000

If you knew how much you sharing your heart and showing your work impacted people in the best way- you might share more.

But a part of you wants the validation and instant feel-good. I get it. Trust me.

When you create and release something, even imperfect, into the world—- it grabs the wind and goes. You don’t have control over that.

Creativity is life.

You want the result without the creative practice.

Here’s what’s funny. My last recorded podcast (other than today’s episode) was on 8/28- the day I had a heart attack.

Zero episodes in the last six weeks.

Up 24%.

Just hit send/post/publish.

Ps. Today is the final episode of The Better Life Better Work Show. Tune in to that episode today, and next week our new show begins.

The post Just Hit Publish appeared first on Allison Crow.

Amazon Best Seller List Is it legit

allisoncrow — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 14:06:42 +0000

A colleague asked a question about the Amazon Best Seller List and if it truly brought any credibility or higher opinion.

Great question. Most of the answers were indifferent or critical due to the campaigns to “manipulate of the algorithm” or “buying your way to the top of the list” to increase sales vs. innate credibility.

I get it. I used to poo-poo this. Until I wrote a book. You bet I am going to ask all my friends and family and fans and followers to buy my book. I’m gonna ask them to buy 3; the kindle version, a paperback, and one for a friend!

Yes. I’m going to make the kindle version super easy to buy early on. Yep. I’m working the algorithm. Why- for visibility. I spent three years crafting this work of words and art. And the more visible my work is because people I know buy the book (of whom some will both never read, and some will read and genuinely love). If I want my work to reach beyond my sphere and – I have to MAKE that opportunity for myself.

Oprah ain’t coming to pluck my book out of obscurity.

It’s me. And it’s my work, and I’m gonna bet on myself to get this baby out. And then yes. Maybe it will start getting traction by referral. Maybe magic will strike because of the quality and impact of my work.

But if I don’t hustle it up front, it has no chance.

I used to be one of the people outside of the ring who shit on the “game”…. But that’s because I was too chicken to put my own work in the ring.

And ps. I buy every single book people in my sphere write. Because, fuck yeah, they wrote a book, they put their heart and mind and effort into bound pages for the public review- and that is brave! And buying the $.99 kindle and a paperback is a great way for me to celebrate that courage.

And ps… Do you want visibility and credibility in your business Do you want more “success?” Do you want your skills to be validated in the marketplace Do you dream of your work – your services to move through communities and to catch fire?

No one is coming to discover you. You and the kindling to that fire. Lightning won’t strike. Be your own biggest fan.

And don’t be like me years ago. Don’t be an ass to criticize those actually out there sharing their hearts and showing their work from behind the safety of your hiding behind a screen with no work to share.

And for those who are living in the risk of putting your work out into the world, I give you all the claps .

Notice how the loudest and meanest critics or complainers are Not taking any of the risks you do. Bless them or hex them and move on.

The post Amazon Best Seller List Is it legit appeared first on Allison Crow.

Writing and Talking like Forrest Gump Runs

allisoncrow — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 13:55:17 +0000

I write and talk like Forrest Gump runs, runs, and runs.

I run my mouth out loud, sometimes in straight lines and often in zig-zags and circles. Often, I run my mouth or words out loud.

Maybe for the same reason, some people climb mountains; I use my words because they are there.

Last night, If I could have written all the thoughts and ideas, headings, and questions, running through my mind, I would, perhaps, have had a 2nd book. I did not let them out because I wanted to sleep.

Yes, You are right! I need validation. And when I speak or write outside of my head, I exist freely, and I give the validation I desire to myself.

Often, mid coaching or teaching, I say the silent part out loud, “That was GOOD, Allison, write that down!” or “Dang, I’m good at this.” Newer clients’ eyes get big. Who does that, who pats their own back, out loud, while working?

I do. It’s never contrived, it’s always pure and in the moment, and it feels go

od. Try it; you might like it.

Sometimes, when I’m getting ready in the morning, I look into my magnifying mirror, and I can see the green flecks in my eyes; as I apply my mascara, I feel beautiful, and I will say out loud, “My Gawd, your eyes are gorgeous, you are so cute.” Sometimes Bill is there to hear it, often he is not. It isn’t for him. It’s for me.

Sometimes, I write and in the privacy of my journals or notes app on my phone. And often, I write or speak on forums for the public to see. Both validate me.

All the answers to every question I have, are in the stories I tell out loud. The answers don’t come if I don’t write or talk it out. The answers you might be looking for are in the stories you aren’t telling.

When they asked Forrest Gump why he was running, he said, “I felt like running.”

And maybe someday, like Forrest, I will just stop; I will be done.

But for now, I feel like running.

The post Writing and Talking like Forrest Gump Runs appeared first on Allison Crow.

Gen X – Faith v. Trust

Elyse Rich — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 22:57:07 +0000

Hey, Hey, I have an important distinction for my recovering overachiever, high performing Gen X business people who also grew up or maybe are still in faith-based communities.

Faith versus trust.

We mix those two up. We mix faith and trust up. Faith is something we have in religion. Faith is something we have in magic. Faith is something we have even in quantum physics.

Faith is evidence and belief in the unseen.

Many of us that grew up with the language of, “Have faith in God and trust God” mix those two things up and because we’re taught at a very young age to have faith in something unseen, we don’t actually understand the power of why we can trust ourselves.

You can gather evidence of faith but trust takes time on task.

I trust in the processes that I do to create the results.

You actually can trust your results because you do put time and effort into the things that create your results.

This is just an invitation to begin the journey of what would it look like What would it sound like How would I be with myself?nbsp; What are, what are the things that I can do that I can trust?

Love,

Allison

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Resources:

Become a member of Soulies Self-Leadership Society:
www.coachwithallison.com

The post Gen X – Faith v. Trust appeared first on Allison Crow.