Hey you guys, welcome back to the podcast. I have had just such an incredible day. I'm coming off of Easter with my family. My middle daughter turned seven this weekend, which is so sweet. My parents are in town. My grandma came into town. We've just been having such a fun time. And so today I woke up. It's Monday. I went on a long walk outside in the spring, beautiful spring sunshine. Flowers are popping everywhere. There's a little breezy, like, blue sky, clouds.
You know, it was just like such a vibe. And on my walk I saw a bunch of ducks. And I've just been in a really fun, creative mood. In fact, a lot of ideas are flowing, which kind of represents the season that we're in, I think, right? Spring. And so today I'm talking about when it feels like nothing is working. And it's funny because it's kind of like a downer topic, but I'm in the energy of it is working. And so I think it's actually a really great place to have this discussion with you.
It was actually prompted in Abundance Mastermind. I gave the ladies in that group a prompt that was like, if nothing is working, how can this moment change everything? And so actually, let me back that up because I think it's really useful journal exercise. So one of the things that I've done through the years is kind of like a moment by moment mindset and action pivot, especially if it feels like nothing is working. We're going to talk in more depth about all these ideas together.
But what I would start with is this journal prompt. And I would start by writing the past, what has been happening up to this point, even like from a week ago? It could be this month. It could be this year. It could be this week. What isn't working? So you're writing as if like all the reality, clients aren't coming. My business feels hard. I feel tired. I am nervous about money. I feel like things are tight or whatever, all the stuff that's happening in your life.
And then when you get to the present moment, I like to use this prompt where I say, and this moment changed everything, or this is the moment that changed everything. Like as we're writing in real time, because what? Right. So like if I were to write it today, it's like, and this is the moment that changed everything because I listened to Amber's podcast and I got new ideas about offers, which we're going to talk about in a second. I listened to Amber's podcast and I had this awareness of like what I need to ask for this week.
I had this awareness of what action I need to take, of what mindset I need to bring, right? And you kind of write it as if it's happening now. And then you write the ripple effect of this moment. Then I connect with the right clients. Then I had an idea for a launch. Then I had a new product idea pop into my awareness. Then I reached out and pitched someone to be on their podcast, and I made more sales from that podcast, whatever it is.
Talk about the ripple effect of this moment. And so that's what I'm going to invite you into. That's the kind of the prompt that I shared with my mastermind, which I think it was useful to them. And so I want to share it here. We're going to talk about more context of what it means when it feels like nothing is working in your business. I would take that as a signal. So the way that I see business is like it is a co-creation. And it also is a journey or a voyage, right?
An inner journey, inner voyage. If you're listening to this podcast and we align probably on a lot of things, you know I teach inner work. That business is not just an outside external rewards game. So much of business is tied to our energetics, our beliefs, our stories, our expectations, our relationships, our deep-rooted beliefs. And so we have to go on the inside. And so when I feel like nothing is working in my business, I take that as a signal.
So the next time you think I'm stuck, that should trigger you. Not trigger you in the bad way, but like trigger you in a good way. Like, oh, this is a signal. Something isn't working. You don't need to get down. I mean, if you are down on yourself, it is okay. You don't need to beat yourself up. But what I want to invite you to is consider it in a different way. So if you've been feeling stuck, if you've been feeling like nothing is working, that's a signal that it's time to change something.
Whether that's change a belief or change an action or change a way of being. It's an opportunity for us to recalibrate to our higher self and realign with our purpose and to dig in to find our own wisdom to problem solve. Okay, because business is a co-creation, it could be a number of moving parts. And kind of how I work with clients, it's like one of a few, a handful of things. The first thing is, are we connecting with our ideal clients? And I don't mean like the ICA worksheet that you downloaded from Pinterest. I mean a psychographic ideal client.
So the type of client that you want to work with that thinks like you, that believes similar to you, that wants things that you help them create. Your ideal client should feel like a soulful yes. At least that's how I like to do business. I like to work with clients who it's like, yes, we're connected. We're similar in our values. We have similar missions, similar ideas of what we're working on. And we connect, right? Like there's like a deep connection.
So when we think about the ideal client, like have you been speaking to the highest version of your client? The next piece is like, are you making offers? To point B, are your offers aligned? Do you have the energy behind the offers that are connecting you with the right people? So much of how we talk about things is based on our beliefs and the energy that we're putting onto the world. I really believe that who we're being.
And so if your offer feels tight, if it feels constricted, if it feels like you're just doing it because you should, but there's no soul behind it, it's going to fall flat. We could also look at your pricing of the offer, if that's aligned, how you're delivering your offer is working. There's a number of factors that we can look at. In fact, if this is kind of where you're at, I invite you to join one of my programs where we can work this out in real time.
It's one thing for me to talk about it on a podcast. It's a whole nother thing for you and I to have a discussion about your actual offers. So we're looking at your ideal client and the psychographics. What are they thinking about? What do they want? We're thinking about your offer, the pricing, what you deliver, how you talk about it. Another thing that I think about is like your sales process, right?
Do you do things because you learned it five, ten years ago in one marketing seminar or a marketing book you read, but it lacks the aliveness that I think we are all craving, right? In the age of AI, as things become more automated and more scaled and more technological, I really believe that coaches and creators in the wisdom economy, what's going to make us stand out is our aliveness, right? Our connection, our soulfulness. And so if your sales process is overly automated, if it doesn't feel like you, it's time to revisit that.
In fact, that's why I started doing breakthrough calls again. I want to put touch points back into my business where like people can really feel me and hear me and connect with me. And I recommend you do the same because I saw this quote that was like, AI isn't going to replace creators. AI is going to replace creators who don't use AI, right? So what I took that to mean was AI could be an amazing tool. I use AI for certain things in my business, but I'm not going to let AI replace what I bring to my clients, right? What AI cannot bring to my clients.
And so that is personal connection, my stories, my voice, my energy, my presence, the unique experiences that I've had in my life, my unique take on events and ideas and principles. And so the more you that you can bring to your sales process, the better. And I would argue too, the more you, it feels like the more you're going to want to do it, right? One time I read a book about funnels, which is so funny because I don't really teach funnels anymore, but it didn't feel like me to ask for the credit card on the phone call, but that's what they were kind of walking through, like this sales script. And I realized like, I never did it because it didn't feel like me.
And so I tended to gravitate towards sales processes that felt like me, which is a whole strategy that you could create your whole business around. And this is what I help my clients do. Like what's the sales process that helps you sell what you want to sell in a way that feels like you. That's the golden trifecta. Sales that make money, sales that feels like you, sales that connects you with your ideal clients. That's the best kind of sales process. One that you actually like and enjoy doing. Not one that someone told you was right.
Not one that was like something you watch in a training or an ad or read in a book, something that feels resonant to your soul because it will resonate with your people. That's the whole idea. The next thing I'll say is like when your business feels like it's not working, it is a call to evolution. So when we look at nature, the animals and the species that don't survive are the ones that like are not able to adapt. Darwin 101. And when I think of businesses, I think this is the same thing.
So like if you are not constantly tweaking and pivoting and updating your process, you're going to fall behind because things are moving so fast. And I don't mean that to scare you. I mean it as like an invitation, right? That like you should be tweaking. You should be updating your messaging. You should be updating how you talk about your offers and how you work with clients and how you onboard and the kinds of things that you're offering the world and what you share on your, you know, social media.
We should be looking for ways to innovate and use our creativity to solve problems better for our people and to connect deeper and to share stories in a better way and to find the people who resonate the most. It's a constant evolution and process. And so if it's been a while since you've even looked at, you know, updating things, I'm going to invite you to do that too. Not in a way that like because it's broken. It's not about that. It's like how can you be the kind of creator that you really want to be?
How can you be a creator who is constantly thinking of what could be better for their clients? That has served me a lot. But the other thing that I'll add to that is this concept of aligned selfishness because it has to work for you too. I teach like life first business. So that means your life as the creator, as the coach, like you have to prioritize your own well-being trusting that that is in the best interest for your clients. And so it's this co-creation.
Good for you and good for them. And that innovation process and that creativity helps you meet people where they are. It helps you invent new solutions and new ways of doing things so that it's fresh and beautiful and unique and engaging in you. And so I'm always looking at how can I improve this and not from improvement because things are broken, but like how can I make this even better? How can I make this even more resonant?
How can I speak to my next level client? I had a coach early on who told me when you're growing really fast, which I grow really fast and all of my clients are like hyper growth people. They grow very fast. They take a concept, they apply it, they integrate it, right? They're rolling. And so when we grow really fast, we constantly kind of have to update who we're speaking to. So if you tend to grow fast, your clients probably do too.
And so we want to update and revisit and keep the touch points on who we're speaking to, how we're inviting them in, our unique process of calling them into our world so that we are in tune with the people that we're meant to be serving right now, right? It's a timing thing. And when we have all of these things working together, we're practicing evolution and growth over a lifetime. We're innovating in our sales process, in our offers, in our marketing, in our content that we're publishing. And honestly, at the edge of our creativity, we're at the leading edge of thought.
That feels magnetic. It feels enlightening. It feels exciting. It feels like you're on the brink of something. This is where I think money flows quickly. Clients are interested in what you're doing, right? Your magnet is on. And so I actually have been thinking a lot about this and what I want to help my clients do is like, is this? How do you turn that magnet on? How do you take a look at what's working and what's not in your business?
And so if you're listening to this, this is kind of fun. I have started talking about a three-month one-on-one experience with me that I'm going to start calling Illuminate. We're going to talk about your unique sales process, your golden offer, and your abundance mindset. And so it's a three-month one-on-one experience with me where we're going to go deep into all three of those things. And so you can go to www.itsambersmith.com/illuminate to learn more and then book your breakthrough call with me if you're interested in exploring that together.
But those are the three things we're going to do together, right? Your sales process, your golden offer, and then having and cultivating an abundance mindset to make all of that work. So your sales process includes things like marketing where, you know, if you're on social media, if you have a podcast, if you do email marketing, what is your process from taking someone who's a stranger and turning them into someone who's interested in working with you?
What's your golden offer? So the offer that feels the best, that works the best, that's priced right, that creates an abundance for you and a transformation for them, that's the golden offer. And then abundance mindset, which is if you like the abundant heart, let's make it real for you. Let's speak it into existence. That's Illuminate. There's whether that's I know I'm capable of more than I'm creating right now. That's very common.
It's like things are working, but like I know I'm capable of even more. Two is like things are good. I just want more of what I already have. And I resonate with that. That's where I find my coaches. It's like I have an awareness of like what I'm doing is working, but I want more to. And then the third one is like things are not working like I feel stuck and I need to change up. I need to do something different, whether that's I've been working really hard and hustling and I'm tired of that, or I learned this one way of marketing, but I'd really like to explore a different way.
Your business model resonates with me. And then we move into more like a mentorship experience. These are the main themes of when clients find me. And so I thought it'd be fun to have an experience where like we get to work together one on one, working on your business, working on you so that you can impact the world with your gifts. And one of the things that I've been studying deeply, I always joke with my clients, I'm like deep in the Jinkies right now, is transforming shadows into gifts.
When we can do that in our business, a shadow could be like something's not working. And I think coaching is like alchemy, right? We take something that's not working and we make tweaks and we add new ingredients and then we make it work even better than before. We add new ways of thinking about our offers. We add new dimensions of how we connect with our ideal clients. We transform the way that we talk about what we do, the energy that we bring to our content and calls and masterclasses and podcasts and our art.
I think all of that works together. And then when you have the abundance mindset piece locked in, where you believe you are supported and provided for, where you believe money's coming to you and that you're supported by money and that the universe is friendly and wants to help you achieve your dreams and like it's all about co-creation, right? When we've captured that essence of abundance, things start to work.
And so it's an exciting place to be, but we have to go through these ebbs and flows, law of rhythm. So the law of rhythm is like there's up and there's down. There's seasons of planting and then there's seasons of harvest. There's seasons of hardship and seasons of ease and that's by design. And so if you've been in a season where things don't feel like they're working, that's okay. You're not doing anything wrong. You're not messed up. You're not fundamentally flawed. You're not weak sauce. That's business.
And so sometimes we get all cut up and self-judgmental about our business not working when really it's just a signal like it's time to evolve. It's time to make some changes. It's time to create. One of my favorite questions to ask myself in business is like, well, what would I love to create next? And that doesn't always mean like a new offer. It could be like, I really want to create an amazing connection with a potential client. I really want to create an amazing Instagram post. I would really love to create a dope sales page.
It could be so many different things, but when we're stuck in victim mode, where the economy isn't working, and people don't want what we have, and the market is saturated, and my Instagram engagement sucks, and the algorithm isn't working for me, or whatever story we have, we lock ourselves in to where we are instead of creating what we really want. And being a creator and that mindset is different than waiting for things to happen. It's creating it. You're on the cutting edge of growth and evolution and creativity and newness.
And so the next thing I'll share, and this might be the last thing we talk about today, just because I have, I gotta run, is the quickest way to get out of a stuck experience in business is to be of high value and high service to your people. And this is something I think is missing for a lot of people. No one wants to hire a coach because of the coaching package, like what's included. No one wants to hire a coach because you get 16 calls and Voxer access. I mean, that's an important detail, but that's not why they buy. That's not why they want it.
They want it for the connection. They want it for aliveness. They want it because they want someone to witness them. They want someone who gets them and sees them and values their unique way of life and their unique desires. People want coaching because they want to be held and not, you know, not coddled, not babied, but held. Because who creates space like this? This is something that when I mentor life coaches, I'm like, who is holding space like you do for your clients?
This is why people are craving intimate, high touch experiences, because as AI and chat and all the tools come online, people do not need information. They need wisdom. They need relationship. They need context. They need depth. They are craving it. I know I'm craving it. I don't need more information from my coach. I need transformation. I want her to help me extract my own wisdom and insight. I want context of where I'm at and where I'm going. I want someone to hold up a mirror to show me my blind spots, right?
Stuff that technology and chat GBT cannot do for me. That's the power of coaching in the future. Especially if you do deep relationship work, mindset work, self-worth work, belief work, where you're not just sharing more information about how to get what you want. You really are facilitating a transformation. Giving people the experience of that is of high value and high service. Instead of spewing information, talk to people. Instead of adding to the noise, bring your wisdom. I actually posted this on threads the other day.
Your wounds become wisdom when you're not in a rush. Powerful. Powerful to live that, to not be in a rush. So the other thing that I think, I've taught this before, but I really believe that people can feel our thoughts about them. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But I think it deeply serves me because I have great thoughts about my audience. I'm not in a rush to work with you. I trust your timing and I create space and opportunities for people to opt in when they're ready, when the timing makes sense, when their soul is like, it's go time.
That's why I created Illuminate. It's why I created the Abundance Mastermind. It's why I created the Lighthouse Mentorship. It's why I trust that the right topic for my podcast will come at the right time. Because I live in a world of synchronicities and miracles and right timing. And to do that, it takes a certain level of abundance mindset. It really does because you can't be in a rush. You have to be tuned in, tapped in, slowed down.
Because when people interact with us, I think about this a lot, I can tell when someone's in a rush to get out of here. I never want my clients to feel like that. I want my clients to feel seen and supported and held. I want to be a catalyst for their transformation, which is not rushed. Wisdom is slow. Information is fast. And so the slower you can, I guess, experience your thinking and thoughts, the more depth you can bring to a client experience, the more involved you can be, I think the better it is for your people and the better it is for your business.
It's not for the faint of heart. I think we want business to be easy. We want it to be fast. And that's not what our soul is up to. Because the soul doesn't care about information. The soul is up to wisdom. It's a transformational process where we turn shadows into gifts, where we take what's hard and alchemize it into something useful. And that's wisdom. And it doesn't come overnight. It comes through love. It comes through contemplation. It comes through experience.
It comes through meditation. It comes through facilitating transformation. It comes from doing your inner work. The next time that you are in a rush of getting out of a stuck place in business, like, I hope this is kind of echoing in your head that it's like, hey, wisdom isn't in a rush. Like, what's the lesson here? How is this for me? How can I use this? What is this telling me? What is it signaling to me? And I think to wrap up this episode, what is your business signaling to you?
When it feels like nothing is working, what is the signal? What is the lesson? I used to say this a lot on Instagram. It's like, the lesson will keep showing up until you show up for the lesson. I see this in myself and in my clients that business is a big fat mirror. Our clients are mirrors. Our cash flow is a mirror. So much of it is reflecting back to us our own thinking and beliefs and expectations. And so business is the inner work, period. Like, you cannot avoid it, especially if you want growth, if you are tired of being in stagnation, right?
It's signaling something internal for you to alchemize, to turn your wound into a wisdom, to learn to be of high value and high service to your people, to co-create, to innovate, to try something new, to reach people where they're at, to have more empathy, to slow down. Those are all the things that are showing up for us in different ways. And so my invitation to you is to slow down and tune in so that you can hear the wisdom that your stuck business is offering you.
And I know that's a little spicy. I know it's hard to digest sometimes, but I can't even tell you how many lessons I've gotten because my business doesn't always work. And when I slow down and submit to the process, the wisdom comes. If it feels good to you to hop into Illuminate with me, do that. If it feels good to just keep listening to the podcast, do that. If it feels right to join me in Lighthouse or Abundance Mastermind, please do that.
And if it's not me, if it's a different mentor or coach, I still think do it. I've worked with so many people through the years that have helped me see the mirror of my business so that I could go on the inside and transform what needed to be transformed and to create what needed to be created. It's an important process and you don't have to do it alone. And I think doing it with people who understand you on a deep soul level is so useful.
In this day of more information, you probably don't need more information. You need a transformation. You need wisdom. And so going on the inside to find that and access that and extract that is how you live your genius publicly. So I hope this is helpful. You are not stuck no matter how it feels right now. You are literally one key shift, one key decision, one key belief change away from unlocking your next level of success. And that's what I want for you.
That's what the purpose of this episode is. And so if this was the moment that changed everything, what happens next? I dare you to journal about it. Please share your insights with me. I love hearing from you in the DMs on Instagram or sometimes I get an email from you guys. I genuinely love hearing how the podcast lands. So if this was useful to you, please let me know. Love you guys and I'll talk to you soon.
