purpose

How to overcome imposter syndrome

How to overcome imposter syndrome

Leonna is the owner of Shake Culture Dance where she choreographs dance classes within her own organisation and other’s. She also directs music videos for Christian hip-hop artists, offers dance fitness classes for adults and children, and more

In fact, she did an amazing dance fitness class at last year’s Media Magic retreat and will be doing the same this year too

Prior to attending Media Magic, there were plenty of platforms that she wanted to go on but they seemed out of reach

Or that she “could only dream about” them

Because of factors like imposter syndrome (which is something I wrote about in my recent article with Addicted2Success (Imposter Syndrome Is Rooted in Your Past But Here’s How You Can Rewire It), by the way)

This was brought about by limiting beliefs like telling “[ourselves] that we're not worthy of getting somewhere” or “friends… family or the people that have known us for our whole life who say ‘Maybe don't dream too big, or maybe just settle..’”

By the end of the retreat, however, she said: “Entrepreneurs with imposter syndrome should come to this retreat [because] sometimes you just need a little push and that retreat, for me personally, was that push to know that not only I can think of it, but I could actually do it...”. According to Leonna, what led to this transformation was…

Why communicating your why is so important

Why communicating your why is so important

When the ladies attended Media Magic, in Tulum (Mexico) last July, only 33% of them knew their why

I know this because of the results they got from my PR readiness assessment

This means that, at that point, they did not know what kind of impact they wanted to maķe in the world through PR

Which is an issue because not only does knowing your why keep you going when life be life-ing, in general, it helps you to remain steadfast ìn the face of having pitches ignored, rejected or ghosted

By the end of the retreat, though, I had them assess themselves again and the results revealed that 100% of them knew how to do this. What led to this success was…

How hate can give your life meaning

How hate can give your life meaning

When I was little, I would sit glued to the TV for hours upon hours watching my favourite shows during my spare time

Shout out to you if you also grew up watching Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel and Cartoon Network!

Up to today I still remember many theme songs, but do you know what else I still remember?

Why you need a North Star

Why you need a North Star

Years ago, my good sis Michelle told me I have the gift of communication

When she said this, I thought, “Yeah, I have a way of communicating, I can speak to others, teach, write, and use my gifts to convey big ideas”

But what I’ve also come to realise over the years is that my gift of communication fuels my curiosity about language

Hi, I’m Nina, and I’m a word nerd

I get curious when I hear or see a word that I’ve never come across before or suddenly have the urge to know where the origins of a phrase comes from

Even if I’ve heard it lots of times in the past

One such phrase is “North Star”

We often hear people talk about something being their North Star

I’ve always understood what this phrase meant as the thing that gives us purpose or fuels us towards a particular goal

Or our why

But, recently, I’ve been curious about why we say “North Star” in the first place

Here’s what Google told me:

How to silence your insecurity and step into your purpose with PR

How to silence your insecurity and step into your purpose with PR

How many times have you turned down opportunities, including ones you always dreamed of, simply because you thought you weren’t good enough, smart enough, or that there was someone better suited than you? I’ve certainly let my insecurities affect how I’ve showed up or not showed up before, but I’ve come to realise that no one is looking for perfection. People are simply looking for someone with solutions to their problems. 

I remind myself of this whenever I have a PR engagement, and I’m tempted to listen to that self-critical voice in my head. I silence all the negative thoughts and think about what the audience needs from me and how best I can help them. By focusing less on my insecurities and more on the fact that I have knowledge that can transform someone’s life, I step away from the unrealistic pressure of being “the very best” and step into my purpose: showing up, serving, and sharing with others.  

I shared all this and more on my recent Strength X Glory IG Live with (host) Laureen Alexa. We also talked about how you can step into the confidence needed to share your story by realising that:…

How to do purpose-driven PR

How to do purpose-driven PR

2 weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Tiwa King’s first in person event since the "panoramic". Even more special, though, is that this was actually the first time that we had met in person full stop.

This, despite the fact that we live in the same city and had spoken virtually and on the phone (for hours at a time) prior to this day.

Tiwa’s event (The Authenticity Checklist) was a full circle moment in a lot of ways because of:

#1 The nature of the event itself

I first encountered Tiwa at TEDx Peckham 2018. I use the word “encounter” because we didn’t meet. She sang “Glory” as I sat there transfixed by the power of her performance.

At the time, I had a vodcast in which I would interview inspiring Christian women in business. I made up my mind, right there and then that I would reach out to her. Then...

She ghosted me...

Or so I thought...

Why purpose is important to your PR strategy

Why purpose is important to your PR strategy

According to my mum, my 2 favourite words as a child were "no" and "why?".

This made me the kind of child that you couldn't just ask to do something/not do something. I had to be negotiated with. I had to be placated. I had to understand the reasoning behind what you were telling me to do or not do.

As you can imagine, this got me into trouble with the more traditional adults in my life who saw my inquisitive nature as rudeness and disobedience.

But, did it change anything? Not really! Chalk it up to my ENTJ personality type but even as an adult I don't do anything that I don't see the logic or sense behind, let alone commit to it.

"So what makes you so committed to helping women in business to pitch the media so that they can get more visible, attract their dream clients and get paid what they want?" You may be wondering.

Once again, the answer lies in "why".

Lessons from the ant on how to build a collaborative team

Lessons from the ant on how to build a collaborative team

One of my favourite books of the Bible is Proverbs. When I’m feeling particularly demotivated (typically first thing in the morning), my go to scripture is Proverbs 6:10-11:

A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

It literally snatches my edges and gathers me all the way together!

I’ve always really loved the lines before this scripture too. For example, Proverbs 6:6-8

Which reads:

Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.

Prior to my recent trip to Costa Rica, I always saw these lines a simple admonishment to:

  • Be a self-starter

  • Not procrastinate

  • Prepare

That all changed when I saw a group of ants in action and managed to capture it in the video below