Today I have the pleasure of speaking with my friend Jo Gifford. Jo is a content creator, project manager and team member for multiple global agile teams, a podcaster, and an author. Whether it's connecting your audience to your business, connecting your team with your organization, or creating content to connect to yourself, Jo is passionate about making it happen.

You are a leader and you have brilliance even if it’s boxed. Let’s dive into this episode and learn how Jo can help you connect to your unboxed brilliance.

[00:01 - 05:00] Opening Segment

• I introduce and welcome my friend, Jo Gifford
• Jo talks a bit about herself 
• All about human connection 
• Content development lead, author, podcaster 
• Living in Cambridge, UK 
• Unboxed leaders - connecting people to their brilliance 

[05:01 - 18:24] What is Your Brilliance 

• I talk about Jo’s book Brilliance Unboxed
• Jo talks about her perception of brilliance
• It’s your unique essence 
• Articulating what makes the client awesome 
• When people start questioning their power, change happens 
• Your purpose is probably already close to you 
• Notice the moments that make you feel like you’re in your flow 
• Write those moments down 
• Ask people around you about what they see you excel at 
• It’s how you hold space 

[18:25 - 33:51] How Jo Literally Reclaimed Her Voice

• Jo shares about the times she’s felt silenced 
• Developed a stammer after parents’ divorce 
• Never said true thoughts throughout the teen years 
• Jo talks about the experiences that led to her silence 
• Jo talks about getting her voice back 
• Started blogging and sharing experiences online 
• Finding her voice through writing 
• Owning and loving who I am 
• From a weakness, to one of her most powerful tools
• The voice is your connection to other people 
• Refine your voice by expressing it through different creative outlets 
• Find the way you work best 
• I talk about my own journey stifling myself creatively 
• There is so much power with just connecting with yourself 
• Do something new everyday even if it’s tiny 
• Jo shares a story about becoming heard 

[33:52 - 43:50] Upleveling Your Environment 

• Jo talks about how she changed her friends around
• Putting up boundaries against people who use you as a dump
• Now surrounded by amazing people 
• I share a story when I felt like my gift became a pain point 
• Uplevel your environment
• Your experience seeing someone silenced in the workplace?
• Jo shares her experiences she’s had earlier in her career 
• I talk about having always been the one making sure everyone is heard
• Carrying these issues even into your own business 

[43:51 - 48:09] Closing Segment

• Advice to women in business who feel stifled 
• Write down the times you’ve felt connected to your brilliance 
• Invite your circle of friends to reflect back to you 
• Start publicly sharing something in any capacity 
• Output and use your voice even if it’s only with yourself 
• Turn the dial up when you find your confidence 
• Who would be best to connect with you and how to connect with you?
• Links below
• Final words 
• Closing 

Tweetable Quotes:

"What brilliance is for me, it’s your ‘you-ness.’ It’s your power, it’s your unique essence.” - Jo Gifford 

“I’m noticing people connect with the fact that when they question everything, when they really unbox it, and they go ‘what am I doing here, what is my power, what makes me unique?’ then there’s radical change.” - Jo Gifford 

“My voice; I began to reclaim it by sharing it, and I began to reclaim it, too, by owning more and more of who I am, and loving me for who I am.” - Jo Gifford

You can connect with Jo on Instagram, Twitter,  LinkedIn, Medium, YouTube, and Pinterest. Visit https://www.jogifford.co/ to learn more and listen to the Human Connection Experience Podcast to keep the conversation going and pick up her book Brilliance Unboxed, and start unboxing your unique voice. 

If you’d like to continue the conversation check out the Find Your Voice Course or visit https://keishashields.com/. You will now be able to see videos if you check out the Keisha Shields YouTube Channel where I will begin putting up more content for you to see. 

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to learn more about faith, leadership, and business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes. Want to see our podcast on video? Check us out http://keishashields.com/podcast/. See you there!