(00:01)
Welcome to Amplify with Jess Ekstrom, a show designed to help women get out of their head and into their zone of influence. Happy Monday, everyone. Here’s some food for thought to start your week.

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Okay. Jess, who? Okay, I get it. I’m not Oprah. I’m not Sarah Blakely. I don’t have a reality TV show, and I haven’t discovered some scientific formula that lets you speak to your dog. I’m not big time, but I still have something to offer that people find value in. And so do you. Recently, I was speaking at an event, and the program director who booked me had seen me speak before. However, when she approached her sponsors about funding me to bring me in to speak, one of the sponsors was hesitant, saying, “I’ve never heard of her before. We should bring in someone who’s more well known.” The program director advocated for me and told the sponsors to just trust her, and after the event, the sponsors came up to me and asked me to speak at their sales banquet that fall. So, I think that they liked it, but this is why I started Mic Drop Workshop: to remind women that ordinary stories can create extraordinary impact.

(01:17)
If you learn how to tell it as a speaker, an author, a creator, or whatever you’re working on, people need to be able to draw the line from where they are sitting to where you are standing. I’m sure the messages that resonated the most with you, whether it’s your favorite talk, podcast, or book, were not the ones that were this perfect linear path to stardom. It was the ones that were relatable, that made you feel like you could do it too. So, don’t deprive the world of your message because you feel like you need to amount to something or be recognizable to grasp their attention. Just because the world doesn’t know your name, doesn’t mean you don’t have something important to share. If we only amplify the voices of the people who already have the microphones, then our world will remain stagnant.

(02:12)
We need people like you to share, disrupt, inspire, and challenge what’s already out there. The meaning of your name doesn’t hold a candle to the meaning of your message. Lots of people haven’t heard of me before, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have something to say. Focus less on building your name and more on building your voice. I’ll leave you with this: if your motivation to build is for people to know your name, then you’ll give up quickly. If your motivation to build is for people to know your message, then that’s motivation that will last. Thanks for listening to Amplify. If you are a fan of the show, show us some podcast love by giving us a rating and review, and give us a follow at Mic Drop Workshop and Jess Ekstrom. Coming up on Amplify…

(03:07)
Often, the expectation is just pictures and words, right? We think in pictures, but we speak in words. We both say, “Hey, I need some help around here,” and it’s that extra step of saying, “Hey, what’s your picture of this look like? What’s your picture of a bedtime routine? What does that look like to you? And what about changing a diaper?” It’s going that extra step. It’s not Hollywood. It’s not sexy, but it’s reality and it’s intentionality.

(03:34)
This episode was edited and produced by Ear Fluence, and I’m Jess Ekstrom, your host. Remember that you deserve the biggest stage, so let’s find out how to get you there. I’ll see you again soon.