Whether you want to be an official “speaker” or not, it’s likely that you desire to drive impact for others. This means the world is your stage. In this conversation, I bring on a very special guest, Megan McCaleb, who is an expert at public speaking especially for those that know they have a story inside of them waiting to be unleashed. 

You’ll gain so much insight into listening to Megan share how she’s been able to build a profitable business around her unique brilliance and how she’s able to capture the hearts of audiences (on and off stage). 

Do not miss these highlights: 

00:55 Special guest and a second time in this podcast is Megan McCaleb.  

01:23 She is a comedian, and now teaching the principles of improv and comedy to help businesses and coaches. 

04:04 What she considered a success is doing things in her groove in the most effective way with her skill set and with her passion.

05:06 When you are doing it from that space of fun and potential, then people will see why you love it, and then it works better. 

06:04 Success didn't just happen overnight. When we expect things to happen faster for us, or we expect them to go a certain way, that's where the disappointment comes in.

07:52 The imposter syndrome will come in. But then if you literally have it in proof, you can see it.

08:37 What was the true hustle, or the struggle, or the journey? To be successful, one always have a long track record of continuing to put in the work. 

09:26 The craft of building a business that you want. Doing things in the way that you used to fantasize about and really intentionally visualize it.

10:12 Invest in business coaching and really take everything seriously. 

11:07 What does putting in the work or committing to something, mean and look like?

11:21 Building the business stages.

12:40 Always think about things that can help you refine your public speaking and other abilities. 

12:55 The work is, if you have the vision, you have to be the one that actually does it.

13:29 You have to be honest about which things could really make money and which things can't. It's a lot of adjusting and pivoting. 

14:11 Constantly out there refining her message. Staying true to who she was, and being honest about which elements are actually working and which ones are not. 

15:56 She is very mindful of who she allows in her space, personally and professionally. 

16:40 Listening to what the other speakers were saying. Getting a vibe for what they were talking about so that she could enhance what's going on.

17:55 She's gonna soak in it for a second, then she will take an action. It's exactly what she coaches people to do. She has to practice what she preaches.

18:32 Not just making money or making an impact. But it's also this deep self-exploration, and learning to know and love ourselves. 

19:34 Paying attention to what she does when she's by herself. What types of thoughts are going through her head, and how she spends her day. 

21:21 A desire to do something, but it just required a little bit more waiting. 

21:32 The concept of Ovation. 

22:00 Always thinking about how she can help people. She very much believes that a lot of her success comes from serving.  

22:46 She had to keep experiencing things herself. Taking inventory and listening to what her clients were asking for.  

24:23 The things that she literally lacked in order to get paid more as a speaker, to show up as an authority, to look legit.

24:42 To pull together the whole reason she does what she does. She remembered feeling incredibly compelled to share a very personal story.

25:29 The theme has always remained the same. Just staying true to herself, to her own feeling of being compelled to share. 

25:40 Ultimately, we all just need lots of positive stories, especially where unpleasant things have happened. 

26:13 We can get scared and want to shift gears but that can send us back even more if we do that too swiftly.

26:38 There's so much she could be successful in as a multi-passionate and multi-faceted person when it comes to narrowing in on that scalable offer. 

27:10 What is program Ovation? What it looks, and feels like. What does she love most about this offer of her business? 

27:25 Ovation is a training cohort where people wanting to create their own six-figure business around something they're passionate about using the vessel of public speaking primarily. 

28:02 Their kit of information to present themselves as professionals in their own space.  

28:13 She shows them how to use all the missteps that she has done and to get to those quicker. 

28:47 Finding out their “why”, usually something really drastic occurrence that was a pain point. 

28:58 Story of overcoming, and how they have almost unconsciously committed their lives to have other people not have to suffer what they did, and they didn't even realize it. 

29:35 It's about connecting humanity, and how can she share these stories in a way that will intrigue people to want to hear more?

30:45 How to actually find joy in merging professional skill sets with a deep-rooted passion to better serve clients.  

31:33 Create content and share a message that can dip into hearts. Share from there rather than from the neck, and the brain, and all the rules. 

32:47 Connect the dots between where you were and where you are now and make that a compelling message. 

33:02 Be honest with yourself about where you still are with the story. 

33:31 Embrace vulnerability to be in a space that connects and creates impact.  

34:51 Picking something you feel like you are comfortable sharing now and it should be true to the story. That's when people are gonna trust you more. 

36:08 Figure out what your role was in that story. Decide to begin today to write the story the way that you want it to be. 

37:59 Encouraging people to claim their stage and carry that movement with grace. 

39:08 Get to honor every single soul involved. Even if it is only one person because that one person that day might only be you. 

39:19 If you are sharing your own message, listened to your own stuff regularly. 

39:41 Listen to yourself and the types of messages that you're sharing, then refine them.

40:41 If you think it's worth sharing, then it's probably worth exploring. Continue to really do this from a good place. 

41:09 How you show up for yourself should determine how you show up for others.      

42:01 Part of that journey of showing up for your life and committing to the things that you wanted. 

About the Guest 

Megan McCaleb is Serious About Comedy. She is a masterful improv trainer, and the creator of Improv Team Culture, with a specialty in coaching executive leadership and their teams to adopt the simple and effective principle of "Yes, And," the core rule derived from performance improvisation. She's an award-winning author of her autobiography, "Not My Plan - Sucking it in Until I had to Push it Out," an award-winning comedian, and a rabid Jeep enthusiast.

http://kookymegan.com/

https://meganmccaleb.com/

https://improvteamculture.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kookymegan/

About the Host

Kinsey Machos, a Marketing Strategist, is also a recovering people pleaser, self-sabotager, and corporate hustler. She helps entrepreneurs create and execute magnetic marketing and build expert brands so that they can get known, seen, and heard online.

She believes that creating a business that’s 100% in alignment with SELF is one of the most important things that we can do as women — because there’s an inner magic that we all have if we commit to an infinite pursuit of discovering (and re-discovering) that.

As a wife and a mom of three, family takes priority. And having a business that’s run AROUND her lifestyle is a daily intention of hers.

https://kinseymachos.com/

Instagram: @kinseymachos

Facebook: @kinsmachos 

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Welcome to captivate and close. I'm Kinsey Machos, business consultant and marketing strategist. And I'm going to show you how to attract and enroll high paying clients using my break through online marketing strategies, all without having to rely on complicated funnels, disingenuous clickbait or spammy sales tactics. These are the messaging marketing and selling secrets that virtually no one is talking about. So let's dive in. Hey, guys, welcome back to another episode of captivate and close. I'm excited. Today I have my most favorite person ever here on the podcast with me, Megan McCaleb. Megan, say, Hey, hello. Hey, everyone. So fun that you're here. Actually, I think this is your second time lab, or we did. Yeah, we did a live training actually, that we published on the podcast. And so you're a returning guest. This is so yeah. Okay. It's for having me back. Yeah. So fun. So, Megan, if you could just tell everybody who you are and what you do?

Sure. Hey, friends. Yeah, my name is Megan. I started out as a comedian. And now I teach the principles of improv and comedy to help businesses and coaches be amazing in their own element and to amplify their message in a meaningful way as public speakers, among other random fun things. But that's my favorite stuff right there.

Um, you and I are obviously in the same. We live in the same city, same state. And I'll never forget, I reached out to you, I think somebody was like, You need to know this person. I don't know if it was before after you joined 10k Was it after I don't remember

it was before I actually kind of creeped back on our thing, because I was trying to like, remember, Tracy, because we did connect a little bit just didn't like Facebook Messenger, like almost a year might have been almost a year before we really started like actually interacting on a regular basis. So yeah, but just very kind of peripheral stuff.

Yeah. And I just had this pool of like, getting together and knowing you and also having this realization, because it was, you know, post COVID. And, you know, I'd been isolated by house which before that, you know, I had been really good at networking as I was building my business, like really getting good at local networking. And then you know, all of that went away, but just feeling that desire to know more women in my own community. Anyway, I really, I still remember that. That morning, I think that led into the early afternoon that coffee, actually, I think we started inside and moved outside. It was just such a beautiful conversation and you have just, there's so much to there is so much color to you and depth to you. And I think anybody that knows, you could probably emulate or could also probably replicate that message. But I just have loved being a part of your journey. And it's been really fun. It feels like you know, decade's worth. But it's been a very potent year for you. And it's been so fun to watch. You really just on just kind of like, unleash, you know, as I was sharing with you earlier, I think what I have loved most about this year, is you really recognizing and acknowledging your full brilliance. Would you agree that that's been sort of the theme of the last year?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I know for me, like physically and emotionally I could feel that I was like, all these things. You know, I hear all this really great feedback from people externally and and never could quite match it with what I considered success are feeling like I was in a groove and doing things in the most effective way with my skill set and with my passion. And so this past year has been pretty remarkable to like, really, actually let you know, I'm like, I'm trying to avoid the cliche things but lean into it, and trust it and recognize like that the season was finally here to harvest the stuff that has been just a long, long, long time in the making. And yeah, and just just having fun with it. I guess that's the other big thing is the stress comes when you're trying to create something around something that really lights you up and having to provide for your household with that. It's Like the tragic story of all creators, creative types and entrepreneurs is, where do you actually find that balance? And how do you make sure that it's still something that you have fun with? So people see why you love it, and then it works better. When you really are doing it from that space of fun and, and potential instead of, oh my gosh, I gotta get one, you know, when's the next client coming in? Or how do I make sure that it's actually a viable business and blah, blah, blah, all the different scenarios are head starts to, you know, Cheez Its tails with.

Yeah, so good. I think there's a lot of things that I want to unpack there. But I think I want to go back to your comment about a season of harvest. And I think like, we could easily say, like we could call, we could say in this last year, we could basically frame it up as this like rags to riches story, like we could position it's so powerfully like, you just literally woke up and decided to do this thing. And you were so successful. And your life is so amazing, right? And I think this, but what I really want to bring to life is like, yeah, your life is amazing. And also you didn't, this didn't happen overnight. And I think when we expect things to happen faster for us, or we expect them to go a certain way. That's where the disappointment comes in. And then the shame, the spiraling of shame and guilt, which leads to burnout and giving up. And so can you talk a little bit about your journey? And how, maybe not every season has been a harvest season? And what you've had to go through?

Oh, totally. Oh, yeah. In fact, I've been feeling a little guilty about it, because and I want to post more, but I always watch the way people post and people will categorize your catalogue, I guess is a better word for their time, you know, into these years, right, which I am all about, like kind of reference points in in life by using a calendar and man's creation of time as it is, but I also don't put a lot of stock into like certain years of these certain things, right? We everyone that has their like New Year's resolutions and they invest all this stuff in and an overload our plates and whatever. So I promise I'm gonna get to a point, but kind of a few things that are blurring those lines there for me, or that I've been watching people talking about what a struggle things have been this year. And it's been very difficult for people. And And I'm hearing that. And I'm feeling a little guilty because this has been one of my best years ever, in a few ways. One of them being that it was the first year ever, that I not only broke six figures, doing what I love with my own business, but I also beat it by just a scourge, it was like three or $4,000 more than my last pain, highest corporate paycheck. And so did you have done it with my own thing was like, Oh my gosh, and it actually really gave me a moment to go okay, you know, because the imposter syndrome will kind of come in. But then if you're like, Okay, no, I literally have it in proof in my books, I can see it. And then you know, how do I fine tune it then? Because a lot of it was many, many years, I recorded my LLC LLC, originally in 2010. I was working full time corporate primary breadwinner at the time, I already had one kid at that point, at that point. Three more, were still yet to come in kind of a challenging personal relationship that I was navigating and stand doing huge things then to very much trial and error. And so it is funny, you know, all the people that I think are like that Cinderella story of like this overnight thing. I love looking into their stories and read autobiographies and different things like that, just to hear like, what was the true hustle, or the struggle or the journey or whatever you want to call it, because it's always anybody that you know, that is very successful, always has this long track record of continuing to put in the work, to try the new things to gather the information and to keep dissecting like which is which things are working in which are not working. And so on the one hand, I'm feeling just, you know, really victorious and wanting to celebrate it, and I share it a lot with people who are close to me, I haven't really been super public about it, but I feel like I want to because I had a, you know, season of a few years with some personal life transitions that really kind of shook my confidence in the business space and and it's working now because of the commitment to it. The craft of building this business that I want, and it's still, you know, something that I think about every day, but I really am genuinely now doing things in the way that I used to fantasize about and really intentionally visualize. I want to be a present Mom, I want to volunteer at school. First I want to do all these different things that helped me have that balance and I want to be able to you know, really stay My flow. So it's been pretty remarkable to see that it can go super fast in a short amount of time, when I actually like really went, went for it, and honestly made a couple of big investments in myself getting I knew far as far as I could get with myself with business strategy that I knew so far. And I needed to invest in business coaching. And yeah, those elements of like, the investment matters to really take everything seriously.

Yeah. Can you tell I would love you, I love what you said, that is so good. And by the way, you should go celebrate yourself out loud, all the way to wherever, right. And I know all the people that love and care about you would celebrate alongside of you. So the other thing, too, that you mentioned that I would love for you to put into more context for us is this idea that like the people that are successful are just the ones that are committing to putting in the work. And you also just said like it was, you know, me deciding to commit to it fully. Can you give us a little bit of examples, just so we can understand like what that actually means. I think we hear about that. We hear about like putting in the work or committing to something. But what did that mean to you? And what did that look like for you?

Yeah, so a couple of specific examples that are really easy for me to relay are actually building the stages. So in my business, I perform, and I speak. And I have to actually be the one that takes the initiative sometimes, which I thought was a negative thing for a while. But I would be like, Okay, well, I want to do public speaking. And I want to talk about improv, and I want to make people laugh. So I would do live streaming, or I would do different types of I would book a venue and put on my own show. And then I would go to events or message everyone in my cell phone or everyone on my Facebook thing, to invite people to come to my show. And that's a struggle in a couple of ways. Because when you are having to invite people in and you're kind of building your own stage, it's like, well, do I deserve to be on this stage that I just made for myself? Same thing with like, is this a business I'm really qualified to do, even though I'm just saying, Hey, by the way, I do XYZ now. And then the work is that you really just have to keep showing up, you have to make sure that whatever your deliverable is, whether you're posting on social media or talking to, you know, I talked to the clerks at Target and in my grocery stores, and everywhere I go, I try to make that interaction, a practice of my craft, to either leave them giggling about something because I like to make people laugh, or to have a meaningful conversation, even in those two minutes. That's helping me refine my public speaking, you know, abilities. And so it's on my mind all the time. And I don't, I don't take any of those as like, you know, a throwaway opportunity, I really value that. So the work is, if you have the vision, you have to be the one that actually does it. Like, even with coaching, like yes, I have had several business coaches in my lifetime. And the intensity of my current coaching experience is very specific to the things I need to do. But it's like you get to show you get to see you're shown what to do. And then you have to still go in and be the one that sits there in the brainstorming mode of how do you want to tell your story? In what way? Is it even something that is actually viable? I've had to be really honest about which things could really make money and which things can't. And it's a lot of adjusting and pivoting and and just I don't know, I don't I hope that even answers the question. But as literal as I can think of is like, most of the shows that I've performed on in the first 12 years of doing stand up, were because I was out there making it happen. I was literally booking venues, I was literally making flyers and pasting them in Windows for years. And now that I get corporate people calling me, they can see there's the track record and now nothing you know, people have heard of me and then I get the word of mouth and whatever. None of that would have happened if I was not constantly out there refining my message staying true to who I was, and being honest about which elements are actually working in which one on ones are not like, I don't know. I just have a question. Like what?

There's a couple Yeah, no, this is so good. I think one of the biggest things I pulled for that is you just deciding. And um, we you mentioned like, even the conversations I have with the clerk's like every move you make is about you becoming a practice of your own craft. I love that you said that and I think we talk about this a lot is becoming a master of your craft because people want get more experience we hear a lot, right? I just need more experience to be successful or I need more credentials or whatever. And like, actually, right, you actually just need to get better at what you're doing. And you can only do that by doing it. And you have been so like, that is I think, then such a huge part of your journey is just you being so willing to freakin dive in and just do the thing. And your expectations, right, we have, you know, we'll always have some sort of, you know, mild expectation for what we think is gonna happen. But you also have been fluid in allowing it to unfold in a way that it needs to and I think it's been a really incredible thing to witness, I think, what do you think contributes to that sense of, I don't know if it's trust or faith, what would you call it?

Um, honestly, a really big thing for me is I'm very mindful of who I allow in my space, personally and professionally, because I feel pretty confident when I have like a when, if I do something where I'm like, Oh, my gosh, yeah, that hit or, you know, I had a speaking gig yesterday. And I was just, I didn't even think about getting a standing ovation, even though the name of what my training program is ovation. Because I love the energy of when someone gets a standing ovation, like why are people moved to their feet, right. But I wasn't thinking about that, literally, I was not thinking about it, that I need to get an ovation for this. I was like, just kind of doing my thing behind the scenes at the at the back of the room, just getting in my groove listening to what the other speakers were saying, getting a vibe for what they were talking about, so that I could enhance what's going on. And, and I really Yeah, I just make sure that the types of media I consume, the nutrition I consume, I hired a personal trainer several months back, because I was not taking very good care of my body. And I could tell that was helped not helpful for my ambitious goals. But that's a huge part of it is like, when I do hit the skids, I have resources in place. And that took me years to figure out how to do that. And, and I think that is, honestly that what's been the thing that keeps me in line with where I'm going without very long detours, because the pain points still come up, the moods still hit the Yikes, you know, those moments still come. And then when I can immediately, you know, I have a phone a friend that I will be like, I'm having a bad day hype me up, and she will hype me up there. You know, that's those little things that actually are the game changer for me. They keep me feeling like yeah, okay, let's this moment is here, I'm gonna just soak in it for a second. And then I need to take action. It's exactly what I coach people to do, I have to practice what I preach.

I imagine that. And I think too, you also are so good at holding space for other people, which allows you to be more open to have that space held for you. Right, which we talked about earlier is like, and I think you do that so well. And I think it requires this level of I think vulnerability, and like the walls coming down. And that is the journey that we take as entrepreneurs like we think it's about, like, you know, making money or making an impact. But like it's really just like this deep self exploration, and like learning to love ourselves in a way that Oh, really

before one of the Yeah, one of the things I think about or I've really noticed that I've intentionally put my mind on ever, really the past several years because I've been divorced about five years, dated very minimally, but I've had one person I've been dating for quite a while now. And when I'm by myself, I really consciously think what am I do when I'm by myself? What do I want to do? What do I think about? What am I drawn to? Because that's also what really matters, definitely the outward surroundings and having all of those different supports and less of the jako vibes whenever we can possibly control that are great. But I think it was really fascinating to realize how much I loved adventuring. I hadn't been doing a lot of my outdoor adventures and stuff for prior years and different things that I'm like, really paying attention to what I do when I'm by myself and what types of thoughts are going through my head and how I spend my day and it really helped me to appreciate who I am. And to want to stay in that flow even more because when we're all by ourselves and we don't have to go I don't know what do you want to do? I want to go Yeah, like it's very empowering to be super honest with yourself. Delve about what's going on your own little bubble.

That's so good. It's just like asking ourselves more often, like, Why do I want so powerful? I want to before we wrap, I want to talk about ovation. And I want you to leave our listeners with some little nuggets that they can take with them, whether they're physically on a stage or virtually on a stage, everybody, we all have a Stage Right. And so I definitely want us to talk about that. But I would love for you that one of the biggest things that you have really focused on this last year is watching your scalable offer. And I remember when you came into female founders board, the desire was there to have something. And like, we were like it, I was like, just wait, wait, I know, it'll come I know, the clarity will come and we're just kind of like, you were just letting it. And again, you you do this so well. It's like that you definitely were so pulled to do something. But the clarity wasn't quite there yet. And of course, it was I would I really feel like it just like came out there. But of course it was all the things that led up to that. But can you talk about what that might have felt like as you were you like really desire to do something, but it just required a little bit more waiting?

I don't know if you can talk about that. Oh, I can because I first thought of ovation in its like concept almost five years ago. And I was like, Ooh, I like that. I like the sound of it. I like the feel of it. I'm like, what's that going to be? And I just started doing one on one coaching at the time. And I was like, so I made some little notes, I stuck it in a folder. I was like, Okay, it's out there, it's gonna do what it's going to do. And I did kind of try to force it a couple of times, it's like, maybe that'll be my nonprofit arm. Or maybe that'll be this, or maybe it'll be whatever. Always thinking about how I can help people. You know, because I do very much believe that a lot of my success comes from serving. And whenever I feel like I'm not busy enough with clients, I look for who I can help. And I know that that is super, super helpful. So it's part of it is that you have to wait a lot of times anyways for things unfold. And so allowing it with more grace is just paramount. It can be incredibly frustrating. Like, again, this is one of those things where it looks like bam, suddenly this thing showed up, like I just came up with this thing. And then No, no, it was percolating for quite a few years. And as I would bring it up in my mind to try to decipher is this comedy related? Is this cause related is this business related. I had to keep experiencing things myself. And taking that inventory and listening to what my clients were asking for, or looking at the way people interact on my social media. And then when it finally hit was that I realized, and this is like, sometimes I feel like a dumb, dumb thing. Don't notice these things right away. But when I had people more clients asking me about public speaking specifically, instead of just some of the other things I've been doing, you know, just traditionally and like, yes, and can help you with your business stuff, which I still firmly believe in. Even though I said that floofy was I started thinking about how do you write a good speech. And then I wrote, I remembered a time that I got a standing ovation at 9am. And this like not ideal situation as far as it was not a very high high production value event that I was speaking at. And I got a standing ovation, which blew my mind because it wasn't a little bit of an older demographic than I normally am with way more men to women ratio, which is unusual for me to get that kind of feedback. And I had been incredibly vulnerable and cried about you know, some different things that I tied from my personal life into my professional tools that people can take. And so it did sort of like suddenly hit me between the eyes when we were so deeply intentionally looking for it to blossom. And I think that's why it was such clarity when it finally did, because then it was like, Okay, I had put in the friggin work all these years of really thinking thinking it through and then ovation in the way now that I'm teaching it to my speaking clients is what were the things that I was lacking, that I literally lacked in order to get paid more as a speaker to show up as an authority to look legit. And I just took the long way because I didn't know any better and then knowing what I know now I'm like, okay, that's how we bypass it. But to pull together that the whole reason I do what I do is because I remember feeling incredibly compelled to share a very personal story of mine in the topic of adoption in 2015. So again, this is years ago, and it's like just now starting to really, really amplify and so the hard part listeners is you have to be patient but trust I trust that it's there. Because when I look back, I'm like, the long game is, it's all, it's always been how I am like, the themes are the same, the way I choose to show up is the same. The principles I'm passionate about are the same. They had different iterations and different little attempts of what if I do this, or what if I do that, but the theme has always remained the same and staying true to myself and, and my own feeling of being compelled to share and seeing how much it helped other people made me realize how much other people need to be empowered to recognize that their story is going to be that helpful thing for whoever is hearing it from them. So ultimately, we all just need lots of positive stories, especially where shitty things have happened. Am I allowed to say shitty on the podcast? About a shitty, but it's like, yeah, it's just pulling all the things together. And I totally ran rambling on now. But it is like it is humbling and frustrating and awesome and crazy. The way that all of it works is because it is really difficult to have to wait sometimes when you feel the pressure of you know, being a provider and feeling like Am I on the right path? Or do these things that seem like they're not being successful mean that I should be switching gears completely, we can get scared and want to shift gears and and that sets us back even more. If we do that too swiftly. It's so

good. Yeah, it's sort of like the throwing the baby out with the bathwater mentality is like, nothing's working. Right. And I think that patience is really just such a discipline really, that we can build. Because too, I think one of the things with you and I think a lot of women can resonate with this is your soul multi passionate, multi faceted, like there's so much right that you could be successful in. And when it came to even like narrowing in on that scalable offer. And like that leverage. It was hard at first or it was unclear like well, where where should I fit? Or you know, quote, unquote, fit. And so instead of forcing it, right, you just kind of like, let it come. And it was really fun to see how everything started to click. So can you tell us or tell listeners about ovation and really just what it looks and feels like and what what you've been loving most about this, this program this offer for your business?

Yeah, I love it. Okay, so Ovation is a training cohort where people are wanting to create their own six figure business around something they're passionate about using the vessel of public speaking primarily. So I wanted to be able to give people the actual tools, they will literally be stepping onstage in front of an audience and recording their demo so that when someone does want to inquire or more likely they're going to be the ones pounding the pavement, looking for calls to speak at whatever, you know, there's appropriate fit for them have their headshot, their bio, their speaker, one sheet, their kit of information to present themselves as the professional in their space. And I show them how to use all the missteps that I've done and to get to those quicker, and, and why. So what's what's fascinating to me, and I just feel so excited. Every time I get to connect with each of these people, is they're all from a different background, I'll have different industry specifics that they're focusing on. And they all will initially tell me like, Oh, I do XYZ because of this. I like helping people save money. I like helping people feel good. Okay, well, why. And then when I finally find out there, why, and it's some sort of childhood trauma or something that happened, you know, it doesn't have to always be a childhood trauma. But commonly, it's something from a long time ago where something really drastic occurred. That was a pain point for us. And the story of overcoming and how they have an almost unconsciously committed their lives to having other people not have to suffer what they did. And they didn't even realize it. And so that's been amazing is realizing that like one of my clients, who is a mortgage lender, loves to help people get homes and she's very good at numbers and loves math and strategy. But really, she's breaking the cycle of poverty, because her little world as a five year old went upside down with personal things and her dream home as a kid on this huge property in the Playhouse and trampoline all shifted because of family dynamics. And when she realized that it was like so I love it because to me, it's about connecting humanity, how and how can we share these stories in a way that will intrigue people to want to hear more? I'm incredibly passionate about using humor and comedy of course in a way that connects that doesn't punch down or mock others or Be angry. And if we really feel passionate about something, we have to share it in a way that invites people to feel safe to inquire more so that they have an opportunity to maybe change their mind or to consider looking at something with with a different lens. There's just so much anger and friction and divisiveness in the world, that my goal is getting to the root of like, what is it in a way that we can share a story, especially when there's like really tender things that will touch other people's hearts to whatever their story is. And they will, literally, I know, I keep saying the word literally, they will rise with enthusiasm, because that that is something that they can relate to, and they will want to take action. So yeah, essentially, it's helping people understand, really, why they're doing what they're doing, and how they can actually find joy in merging their professional skill set with their deep rooted passion so that they can better serve their clients and, and thrive in a business that they love waking up to every day. Yeah,

so good. I think, well, first of all, I imagine, you know, when you're describing your client, you know, she, she's really good at, you know, buying and selling homes or numbers or whatever, right? And I think of her as like, operating from the neck up, right. But then there's this part of her that like, you know, this experience she had that she's deeply connected to, and wants to use that for. And I imagine like, then it's like, from the chest step, right. And I think this is, we talk a lot about this, right? Even when it comes to creating content and sharing your message. Like, we can dip into your heart, like drop in your heart space and share from there rather than the neck and the brain of like, all the rules. And I think you're so good at doing this. And I think your origin story, right? Which is like the the, the technical term of you know, why you do what you do in a compelling way, I think is your biggest asset in your business? Is it? Right? For one, it really makes sure you know, it keeps you anchored. But then those are like that story is what people connect with, ultimately, and learning how to, for one learning what it is, right? Cuz sometimes people don't know yet right away consciously. And then being able to share it in a way that when you said it so beautifully, I think, what are some nuggets that you could offer around that piece? Because there is a level I think it's like, well, how do I be vulnerable? And also, like, not share the details of things that are too personal? How do I, you know, how do I connect the dots from where I was and where I'm at now and make that compelling? I think there's a lot there that is missing the ball? Could you talk about that for a minute?

Yeah, that would be a really long conversation in general. But some initial insights would really be to be honest with yourself about where you are with the story. And are you still angry about it? Are you still hurt? Are you still thinking about it a lot, like sometimes people are thinking about the story, but they don't actually realize it's connected to why they do what they do. And so we have these different stories that will go on in our minds. And really, we're in we're in a season of humanity, where we want to hear the real stuff. So if you want to be in a space where you truly want to connect and impact, you need to like embrace the space of vulnerability. If you think about the types of people you follow, and that you watch and pattern yourself, you know, you're like, oh, man, I wish I could present like that. They're likely being incredibly vulnerable. They're sharing these little nuggets, and they're doing it the good ones. I know, there's some other ones that are struggling a bit. Because you can tell when someone's sharing from victim and anger and not productive. And they want to be mad and point fingers of blame versus saying this is the thing that happened. And man, it was painful. And you can give a little taste to try it out. But I the thing that is so interesting is the more I opened up to give even more of a picture of where my pain points were specifically in my case with like an adoption story that was very, very heavy. When I give a couple of examples of like, a time that I was when it was happening, like all the way flashback a 20 year 23 years ago now, when I felt XYZ in this moment, picking something you feel like you are comfortable sharing but it's true to the story. Because that's when people are gonna go oh, they're gonna trust you more. They're gonna go Oh, oh, she gets it. Like if someone is not telling you their personal story of why they're doing the thing they're doing, I don't want to work with them. I don't, I don't trust that they even can relate to me if they're covering up that vital part of their humanity. And I think that it's a beautiful season to be in that we want to share. And we just need to do it in a way that like, if you are still really upset, like in comedy, I'll say, I only just recently started making jokes about divorce. Because I'm five years out and I still, I found myself sounding still a little bit bitchy. And I don't want to sound that way. So even while I have self deprecating parts of it, for sure. I have to be very honest with myself about where I'm at on certain things, and share them in a way that is taking accountability for my role, my ownership, my experience, all the things that happened to me, might have been because of other people's choices in some ways. And I only can do something worth hearing. If I figure out what my role was in it, and decide to begin from today write the story the way that I want it to be. So it there's no easy answer, you have to just do it. Like you have to look like a real person. We watched celebrities. I know I'm totally like tangent here. But I love social media that we can follow any celebrity now. And we're like that we're just right there, we're that close. And when we get to see them be a real human being Hello. That changes everything for me to see the behind the scenes of like my favorite recording artists or singer songwriters, or comedians or whoever. And I'm seeing them do with the daily grind. And they're juggling all the family life and the whatever, are the times they do ones without makeup and whatever. Like I'm like little the playing field is leveled, like opportunity is so abundant. And I trust and love and want to support and throw my money at their products even more when I'm like, Oh my gosh, this is coming from such a true place.

Okay, I love that you said that about trust and love that opens up, right? And it's that it comes from that connection that's made is so beautiful. Tell us about give us one, maybe two little nuggets. If you imagine we all have our own stage and just encouraging listeners to realize like, if you consider yourself a coach, consultant, you know, author, whatever that looks like you are, you know, a leader and you're stewarding a movement, whether you only, quote unquote, only have hundred people, I only say that because that's what I hear, right? Or you have thousans of people you are taking on that responsibility of you know stewarding those people in your audience. So what what do you want to leave people with when when you as far as encouraging people to really claim their stage and carry that movement with grace? Yeah,

well, first of all, you all have a stage right? This second, you can sign on to social media boom, you have a stage. I remember hearing actually from Gary Vaynerchuk, a long time ago about paying attention to like the audience of one, maybe you have one follower, you're on a Facebook Live, and only one person is showing up. And it used to be like really, this, the normal thing to do would be like, I'm gonna wait to hear okay, guys, I'm gonna give it like two or three minutes until somebody is on here. And like, hello, the person that is already there, you're being so disrespectful to just go right into it. The replays aren't gonna sit there watching that anyway. Right? So I think about it like, I mean, Shakespeare said it best that all the world is a stage, we can actually just be in that mode. Anytime we decide we want to that I like, what do I want to share that day? Again, it goes back to like, maybe it's just, well, I'm having an interaction. Sometimes the only person I see on a day I don't have my kids is if I am going to the grocery store. So I want to have something meaningful happen, right? And so we get to honor every single soul involved, even if it is only one person and sometimes and guess what, folks, that one person that day might only be you. And yet if you are sharing your own message, I listened to my own stuff more regularly now just because I'm trying to get more refined with the way I deliver certain things. And it's painful it is is that something I learned from comedy as well as you got to watch your tape. You got to watch your set and see where did people laugh? Where could you have worded something differently? Where should you have taken a pause so that you can do better. So listen to yourself, like listen to the types of messages that you're you're sharing, refine it, I think I'm one of the things I'm most grateful for is that I've been doing this as long as I've been given an opportunity to just create my own stages. And so now I feel very safe. And and now more people are looking. So I feel like I'm weighing my flow as my followers have bought, you know, increased and been more effective newsflash with the ones that are already in there, I don't have gobs and gobs of followers, you know, would combine maybe several thousands between all the platforms. And yet, I'm filling the biggest ticket price items I've ever had in my life from people that are right there. So you just the stages there, you already have it, no matter anytime you're opening your mouth, unless you're alone in your room. And again, it's still like you. Why are you saying the things that you're saying? What thoughts are going through your head as you're formulating these sentences? And if you think it's worth sharing, then it's probably worth exploring, like, how can I continue to like really do this from a good place so that whoever won or 10,000 people who ever happens to see that it's coming from a really good place, because it will touch people in a more positive way, and then be more likely that they want to continue to stay in your airspace?

Yes, so good, showing up even if it's just you, right? How you show up for yourself will determine how you show up for others. So I love that you said that that's so beautiful. And I think we always are, we can easily take for granted the people that are already showing up for us and waiting in your like, they're right there right in front of you. Show up for them, the so good to all the mic drops over here. So good. I'll never forget when you I had this, I just had this vision of Hawaii when you launch ovation for the first time and you like went off to Hawaii and we're like making, it was like this most beautiful thing. And you were like, This is what I get to do. And it was such a beautiful reminder of like, why not forgetting the fact that we do this to create freedom for ourselves, and giving ourselves those options. And you, you doing that right was was also just part of that journey of showing up for your life and committing to the things that you wanted. And I think that was such a beautiful representation of that is like, Oh, I'm in the middle of lunch and I'm gonna go to Hawaii, no big deal of so good.

I was like, it's gonna work. It's gonna work. I kept telling myself, it's gonna work. And if I have to sit on a bunch of phone calls, I may as well be looking out a window to the beach. So and I don't know, it was one of the best gifts I've given myself in a very long time.

So good. Oh my gosh, Megan, what an honor. I know we could jam out forever but we'll wrap up I think there's so many nuggets here I think from really the full spectrum right when you think about like really thinking about your story why you're doing what you're doing really getting honest with yourself all the way to what does it look like to even show up on stage whether that's virtually on social physically etc. And you again, just like reiterating that commitment piece and you are such a beautiful example and then model and leader for just like taking your life by the freakin horns and doing it and it's been so fun to watch. So, where can people learn about you? We'll also include links in the show notes but tell people where to find you.

always easiest to find me at kooky Megan not cookie like the you eat kooky like she's a kooky person. KOKY. Me GA and but, man, I mean, some. I mean, I'm not a big deal, but I'm really easy to Google. I have a couple of different websites with Megan mccaleb.com and improv team culture.com. But yeah, I love connecting on the socials. It's such a fun place to just interact and see what people are up to. And yeah, that's a good stuff.

We'll include links in the show notes making. Thank you so much for being here. Again, I think people will get so much from this conversation. It's such an honor. Awesome.

Thank you. feeling's mutual.

Hey, you, thank you so much for listening. It's an honor to be able to pour into the hearts and minds of like-minded entrepreneurs all over the world. But my most favorite part is being able to connect with you in real life. If you love what you heard here, head over to the community where thousands of female CEOs just like you are changing the world one human at a time. We go deeper into the topics we discuss here and give away tangible roadmaps to help you crush your revenue goals to join this high-caliber free community head over to kinseymachos.com/community. I'll see you there