Hi friend,
In last week's email, I posed the question: who is deemed "qualified" to be an expert on a particular topic – and it struck a deep chord with readers.
In over a decade of sending emails, this was the most replies I've ever received. And I'm sharing that so you know you're not alone.
Many of you reading this are coaches, guides, mentors, leaders, healers, and creatives.
You've done so much of your own healing work, you carry wisdom within you, and you know the value you can offer others.
Last week's email struck a chord because we often tell ourselves that these titles (like coach or guide) aren't "credible enough" and you worry others will perceive you as "unqualified" to be an "authority" in your field without a degree behind your name.
But times have changed.
In the void of the meaning crisis, we are witnessing The Rise of the Meaning Economy.
We're transitioning from an era of institutionalize education to a renewed focus on decentralized mentorship—a return to the time-honored tradition of learning directly from those who’ve walked the path before us.
Given all the shifts in the economic landscape, this trend is going to accelerate over the next decade, which bodes extremely well for anyone committed to the path of transformation.
It means that if you can learn how to successfully solve a problem (or heal a wound) and you can help someone else do the same...you are qualified to start a business that has the potential to become wildly successful.
A major challenge I witness so many soulpreneurs struggle with is articulating "what you do" in a way that speaks to the depth, breadth, and richness of what you truly have to offer your ideal clients.
Do you feel me on this one? 🙋♀️ 🙋🏽♂️🙋🏻♀️
Many people also struggle to understand who their ideal clients actually are. And if you don't know who you are serving, how are you supposed to effectively communicate with them?
If these are some of the challenges you grapple with, here's a simple yet powerful framework I developed to help you own your credibility and build a stronger connection with those who need your support the most.
- Wound: I know the word "wound" carries a lot of baggage. But just think of it as something you struggled with that caused you pain.
- Walls: the specific obstacles and challenges you need to overcome to find relief from the pain and struggle.
- Wisdom: The learning process you go through to become embodied in your transformation on the other side of the obstacle.
- Write: How you document and codify your wisdom into teachable material. (This also points to the creative process I mentioned in the last email.)
- Wealth: The by-product of successfully helping others overcome that same struggle through crafting and articulating an offering so unique it stands alone.
Learning how to transform a wound into wisdom is the foundation of my Transilience Facilitation Training–an 80 hour training that becomes a life-long journey.
Learning how to transform wisdom into wealth is the foundation of my business masterminds–also a life-long journey.
Needless to say, there's a lot to unpack in this framework.
But...the key takeaway is actually very simple.
Learning how to clarify and articulate the journey you've been on will help you reach the people you are more than qualified to support.
I call this journey "crossing the river of change" and it's a metaphor to help you understand each step of the 5-part process.
Crossing the River of Change.
If you've been nodding your head in agreement throughout this email, I'm going to use you to help illustrate an example.
Imagine you are standing on a shore in front of a river.
You've walked through some serious fires and you embody wisdom that was learned and earned.
Yet, you're not quite having the impact you desire, and it's starting to present some unpleasant consequences.
(This is #1 = the wound.)
Maybe you're struggling to pay the bills. Maybe you're feeling self doubt or imposter syndrome. Or maybe you're spinning your wheels trying to "reach people" and you're starting to experience burnout.
You're not willing to give up because you know in your bones you are meant to support others through these extraordinary times of change.
You look off into the distance and you can faintly see the other shore.
It looks glorious. You can see abundance, fulfillment, alignment, higher impact, connection, and a depth of purpose you've (so far) only dreamed of.
You look at the river in front of you and the waters look choppy.
One of the biggest challenges (#2 = walls) I witness so many people struggling to overcome are the deeply engrained beliefs around "business" and "money."
You shouldn't "profit" from wisdom and "selling isn't spiritual."
These beliefs create all sorts of fun, self sabotaging patterns that make crossing the river much more challenging than it needs to be.
Successfully crossing this particular river of change–from wisdom to wealth–requires surfacing your hidden beliefs around these trigger words that tend to hold so much charge.
When you think of the words business or money, what immediately comes to mind? What words do you associate with them?
Seriously. Take a moment to reflect on this.
What would it take in order for you to associate the words "business" or "entrepreneurship" with words like:
Wisdom. Embodied transformation. Possibility. Creativity. Empowerment. Sacred. Growth. Transilience. Flow. Healing?
(Hint: I'm attempting to offer you this reframe.)
Maybe the solution to overcoming your limiting beliefs around money (#2 the wall) will involve unlearning current definitions and reclaiming the lost meaning of words we use every day, like wealth, for example.
