From Afraid of Media to BEING Media in One Year!
by Kathryn Kemp Guylay
Before starting the Quantum Leap program, I did not have a business, a book, speaking gigs, revenue streams, a website, or even much of a plan to start a business to help others lead a happier, healthier life. I lived completely outside of the spotlight of the media, thinking radio and TV were only for celebrities. In fact, I was camera shy.
I was on Facebook, but I didn’t know about new media or how to use it to be in touch with potential clients and followers. I had not been in the workforce since 2003, when my second child was born, except for my work in a nonprofit organization, which I loved but provided no income. I was ready to return to the world of making money, but I wanted to do so in a way that was connected to a life purpose of helping others. I didn’t have a personal brand or even really know what that means in today’s modern world of online marketing. I was lost, discouraged, and overwhelmed with how to start.
When I made the investment in the Quantum Leap program, I was nervous and uncertain if I had chosen the right first step. I hadn’t invested that kind of money in myself since graduate school nearly 20 years prior! Was it going to pay off, or was I chasing a foolish dream?
I remember our first monthly call with Steve was learning how to brag about ourselves. I was so nervous I didn’t even want to chime in!
I went to the summer kickoff meeting and started to meet the other folks in the program who, over the next year, became key members of my virtual support team and also dear friends. I no longer felt so alone and scared. Over time, my fear of pursuing a passion-driven career melted quickly and completely.
I had been a fan of Jack Canfield for as long as I can remember, and I love to organize things into principles for success. The top three success principles I learned from Steve Harrison’s program to make my quantum leap are:
1. Claim Your Expertise and Step Into Your Role
When I started the Quantum Leap program, I did not call myself an author, a speaker, a media personality or a coach. Yet, I wanted to be all of these things. Based on advice from Steve and his team, I started to own these titles, one by one.
My first baby step was to call myself “the author of the upcoming book...”. I worked diligently with Debra, Martha, Geoffrey, and Raia to turn my disorganized written material into a beautifully organized, polished manuscript.
I had heard about a statewide conference for nonprofits. With the help of Geoffrey, Rob, and Tamra, I stepped into the role of speaker with my first paid speaking gig aligned with the launch of my book. The conference was a huge success.
I proudly realized not only the role of author and speaker but also bestselling author, since my book Mountain Mantras hit #1 in its category on Amazon, thanks to a strategic approach I learned from Martha and several other Quantum Leap group members. The book also won four awards. I was on my way!
The next role I needed to own was media personality. Having never been on radio or TV, I was again fearful. I was also afraid of looking too egotistical, touting my skills and expertise. At the start, I still felt like a stay-at-home mom with little right to shout out my messages to the world.
I enlisted the help of Mary, who suggested a look and style that felt completely comfortable, authentic and memorable. Lauren, the Publicity Scout, reminded me what topics were hot and helped me pitch interviews that filled my email inbox with interview requests. Gayle helped me create amazing press releases that drove millions of eyeballs to my content.
2. Marketing Equals Love
Something clicked when I heard Steve say , "Marketing equals love." If you really love what you are doing and can help people in their own lives by shouting out your messages to the world, you are shouting out love. I REALLY embraced that principle!
I was having so much fun I decided to attend the National Publicity Summit. With the help of Ginny, Geoffrey, Martha, Danette, Bob, Jaime and Steve, I further honed my ability to create “hooks” that were helpful and memorable to media contacts. Soon after I was doing one or two radio interviews every day. I started to appear on TV, landed dozens of articles in print and online, and hired a virtual assistant to help me with the incoming requests.
My local radio station was so impressed with my work they asked me to be on the station’s Board and in charge of producing three new shows. So I joined the ranks of the media matching up to Summit participants to get interviewees on these shows.
Over the span of just a year, I went from being afraid of the media to BEING the media!
The Marketing equals Love principle allowed me to overcome my fear of getting up in front of large groups to spread my messages. Prior to Quantum Leap, I was not doing any paid speaking—or ANY public speaking! But thanks to the help of Tamra, S. Renee, Rob, Harrison, Steve and Geoffrey, I have done public speaking events ranging from the Book Expo of America to sharing the stage with Jewel, MC Yogi, and Marianne Williamson at the Sun Valley Wellness Festival. I cannot begin to explain how transformational my foray into speaking has been. Not only have I made thousands of dollars in income, I have had FUN doing something I was completely terrified of before. This Quantum Leap would only have been possible with the support I received from the coaches.
3. Sell Your Programs First, Then Build Them
I applied the concept of "sell your programs first, then build them" to my children’s picture book, Give It a Go, Eat a Rainbow, about eating healthy fruits and vegetables. I built a Kickstarter campaign to test market interest for this type of book. We were looking for a hefty $5,000 to cover the costs of printing a 54-page, full color hardback book. We exceeded our goal! The book went on to receive five awards and hit the bestseller list multiple times. The feedback we received from the market prior to creating the book was instrumental, and we are thrilled with both the profitability of the book as well as how much it is helping families.
To quantify my Quantum Leap, I went from zero to the following in each of the following key areas:
- Not an author . . . 9x award-winning, 2x bestelling author
- Not a paid speaker . . . Over 30 speaking events in a year
- No revenue streams . . . Revenue from multiple streams (well in excess of the Quantum Leap program cost)
- Never been on TV or radio . . . Over 100 radio interviews, 50 appearances in print, and seven TV appearances
- Limited "tribe" . . . New friends, robust social media presence and email list
Thank you, Quantum Leap team!
This post is adapted from an essay Kathryn wrote as her entry in our "How I Made My Quantum Leap" contest, in which Quantum Leap members wrote about the difference the program made for them and their careers.