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"Breaking Through The Algorithm" #77
15 Plays7 months ago
How can you get people's attention without resorting to manipulation??? In this episode @betsyhoo and @halcyonpink talk about the perils and pitfalls of trying to market in social media.
Don't forget who you ARE in your pursuit to get MORE.
That being said... don't forget to FOLLOW us on Instagram @StaySparked & SUBSCRIBE on Youtube!!!!!! ;)
LINKS:
HOSTS
BETSY FINKLEHOO is a healer of massage therapy, CranioSacral and Dharma Coaching. She is an 8 year burner and has spent the last several years seeped in the personal development world, cultivating her passion for transformation and growth. Her recent project, The Power Affirmation Journal and virtual group empowers women to cultivate self awareness and healthy habits so they can live in greater freedom, mind body and spirit.
http://poweraffirmation.com/
Click here to get a FREE affirmation for Stay Sparked Listeners!
HALCYON is full-time Love Ambassador. He is the founder of Hug Nation YouTube channel and daily zoom gratitude circles. He is co-founder of the Pink Heart Burning Man camp and the 1st Saturdays project for people experiencing homelessness. In his free time he coaches individuals on how to live joyfully and authentically. His other podcast is "Hard on the 80's."
http://LifeStudent.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Host Introductions
00:00:00
Speaker
On today's episode of Stay Sparked, we talk about breaking through the algorithm.
00:00:06
Speaker
We talk about all the ways that we have faced our own personal challenges and had our own breakthroughs with putting ourselves out on social media.
00:00:15
Speaker
Enjoy the episode.
00:00:17
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Stay Sparked.
00:00:20
Speaker
We are longtime friends sharing conversations that are aimed to light you up.
00:00:26
Speaker
My name is Betsy Finkelhoo and I am the creator of the Power Affirmation Project, Somatic Body Worker and Friend to All.
00:00:34
Speaker
I am John Halcyon Stinn, the host of the Hug Nation YouTube channel and the Heart Centered Men's Gatherings in Southern California.
00:00:42
Speaker
Amazing.
00:00:43
Speaker
So grateful to be here with you.
00:00:45
Speaker
And we always love starting these conversations with gratitude.
Appreciating Nature's Beauty
00:00:50
Speaker
So Halcyon, what are you grateful for today?
00:00:53
Speaker
I am grateful for springtime blooms.
00:00:56
Speaker
I went to the gardening center yesterday and just was so struck by the incredible beauty that is available in our day-to-day lives.
00:01:09
Speaker
You know, like the finest art in the world is incredible.
00:01:14
Speaker
And you can travel the world looking for it.
00:01:16
Speaker
Or you can walk around the neighborhood and see blooms of roses and petunias and zinnias.
00:01:22
Speaker
And I just, I'm just, I so love this time of year.
00:01:26
Speaker
And I'm just feeling so grateful for flowers right now.
00:01:28
Speaker
Oh, yes.
00:01:31
Speaker
You sparked my gratitude.
00:01:33
Speaker
Yes, I feel it too.
00:01:35
Speaker
I love springtime and my gratitude this springtime
00:01:38
Speaker
moment is for planting a flower garden.
00:01:42
Speaker
It's my very first time and I planted dahlias and zinnias.
00:01:46
Speaker
I love that you mentioned that and bee balm and I also planted an herb garden in the shape of a medicine wheel and it just feels so good this time of year to be connecting to all of the flowers that serve the pollinators and there's just this lightness and
00:02:03
Speaker
freshness in the air with the springtime.
00:02:06
Speaker
So I am so grateful for this time of year as well.
00:02:10
Speaker
We should do a future episode on gardening.
00:02:12
Speaker
I think it's like the number one hobby in the world or maybe in the U.S. There's all sorts of science about how getting your hands dirty is good for you.
00:02:21
Speaker
But we'll put a pin in that.
Challenges with Social Media Algorithms
00:02:24
Speaker
Yeah, stay tuned.
00:02:26
Speaker
I love that.
00:02:28
Speaker
And that's how we create our Stay Sparked episodes.
00:02:30
Speaker
Just for any of you curious out there, we allow our conversations to be sparked in the moment to see what wants to come through.
00:02:39
Speaker
And today we are sparked to really share conversation that we both are passionate about in regards to how the algorithms impact and affect us, social media, especially creators.
00:02:54
Speaker
We both are creators.
00:02:56
Speaker
We both are on a mission to be in service in different forms through coaching, through our products.
00:03:03
Speaker
We know a lot of people that are also in that realm of entrepreneurial endeavors.
00:03:09
Speaker
And the algorithms are very, very impactful for the ways in which that we get our workout into the world.
00:03:17
Speaker
And before we started recording, we were kind of talking a little bit about Stay Sparked and how do we
00:03:23
Speaker
reach farther and wider because that's our intention.
00:03:26
Speaker
We want to spread the sparks.
00:03:28
Speaker
We want to spread inspiration.
00:03:30
Speaker
And how do we do that in the world that we live in when marketing is so different than it ever has been before?
00:03:37
Speaker
It's not like the old days where you would have a radio ad or a newspaper article or, I mean, I guess there's still options for that, putting yourself in magazines and things like that.
00:03:49
Speaker
But one of the primary ways that a lot of creators put their work out in the world is through social media.
Balancing Authenticity and Reach
00:03:56
Speaker
And my experience, and also I'm sure many of you out there, if you're creators, have experienced that social media does not really favor any kind of advertising posts.
00:04:09
Speaker
It really brings algorithms down for any kind of offering.
00:04:14
Speaker
And so we thought we might have a conversation about that and see what kind of inspiration we can gain from that.
00:04:21
Speaker
Because honestly, sometimes it's quite deflating as a creator to put a lot of energy into something that I'm passionate about, put it out in the world, and then very few people see it or reflect back that it's just not reaching as far as another post might, that it would be about something more personal.
00:04:41
Speaker
So, you know, John, you are somebody, a few people I know that have been so active in the online web presence for 20 plus years, since the early, early, early days with your life on a reality TV show and your cocky bastard era and just continuing with the Hug Nation and your daily broadcast.
00:05:07
Speaker
So I'd love to hear from you if there's any information
00:05:09
Speaker
thing inspiring that you might be able to share from your journey of putting yourself out there.
00:05:16
Speaker
I love that in our pre-recording conversation, we were just kind of sorting through the struggles and the challenges of promoting this act of service in the world.
00:05:32
Speaker
And as we could talk about, I think there's a lot of people that probably have this frustration.
00:05:38
Speaker
Because it's one thing, we're not even talking about
00:05:43
Speaker
promoting our businesses, even just promoting the things that we love, you know, like things that we're giving things away.
00:05:50
Speaker
And we want to give this gift to the world.
00:05:53
Speaker
And it feels like we have to fight.
00:05:55
Speaker
It feels like we have to like scream.
00:05:57
Speaker
We have to trick people, you know.
00:05:59
Speaker
I mean, there was a time when I felt like I had earned enough of cred.
00:06:06
Speaker
I had built trust with enough people online that if I made something and I said, hey, I made something, then people would go, cool, I'll watch it.
00:06:15
Speaker
But it was a smaller web then.
00:06:16
Speaker
There wasn't so much content being pushed at all times.
00:06:20
Speaker
And so...
00:06:23
Speaker
And there wasn't an algorithm that was being a gatekeeper, you know.
00:06:27
Speaker
So even if somebody might be trusting me and might watch something if they knew that I made it, the chances of it showing up in front of them is pretty minimal right now, unless they are already like actively trying to watch the things I do.
00:06:43
Speaker
And so we really get kind of
00:06:46
Speaker
stuck in this place of do I pay money to get my stuff in front of people that might want to see it?
00:06:53
Speaker
Or do I play these games of being controversial, of, of being, you know, catching a
Tactics for Visibility
00:07:01
Speaker
picture or what are the things of making sure I don't put a link?
00:07:05
Speaker
What are the things that I can do?
00:07:06
Speaker
Trying to get engagement.
00:07:07
Speaker
Like I actually published something this morning that I'm trying to get people to know about this offering.
00:07:14
Speaker
I'm doing this men's gathering coming up.
00:07:16
Speaker
And I made a video that invoked the name of a controversial figure.
00:07:24
Speaker
And it's not the art that I would have made because of the inspiration of the muse.
00:07:29
Speaker
I made it because I thought it might break through and get more people to see it.
00:07:34
Speaker
So I'm like, how do I talk about what I really want to talk about and also talk about something that I don't want to talk about, but also stay in integrity?
00:07:42
Speaker
And actually, I ended up making a video about how I was struggling with that because but because I did have the figure of of controversy in it, it has gotten a little bit more traction this morning than things that I've had recently, which is great and frustrating.
00:07:58
Speaker
Yeah, I could understand that.
00:08:00
Speaker
That feels like having to plug into a system that forces manipulation.
00:08:06
Speaker
Yes.
00:08:07
Speaker
Like, you know, there is this place that creators come to that have to think in the way of manipulating their audience so that way they can connect with them.
00:08:20
Speaker
Which is sometimes, I mean, it's unhealthy, really.
00:08:25
Speaker
But it is very much a part of marketing.
00:08:28
Speaker
And it always has been.
00:08:30
Speaker
Advertising is very, very manipulative.
00:08:32
Speaker
And so as a creator, I know I can read between the lines oftentimes when people are using manipulation to try to sell something.
00:08:41
Speaker
And it's subtle.
00:08:43
Speaker
It can be so subtle.
00:08:44
Speaker
Like I have some friends that are creators and that are selling courses and are pretty much in launch mode all the time.
00:08:51
Speaker
And as much as they are wanting to share their personal stories, I can still feel that there is a reason that there's a hook in there to try to get me to click on something to buy something and
00:09:03
Speaker
I get it.
00:09:03
Speaker
It's a business.
00:09:04
Speaker
You know, you're trying to sell something.
00:09:06
Speaker
And I highly support and value the people that are putting good work out in the world.
00:09:13
Speaker
But unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of other ways that people are able to just be really direct.
00:09:19
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:19
Speaker
I know personally when I share anything about the Power Affirmation Project, the journal that I have created that helps people to reprogram their limiting beliefs, as well as a deck that has affirmations for daily use.
00:09:34
Speaker
Anytime I post about that product or direct people to my website or let people know I'm doing a sale or anything like that,
00:09:43
Speaker
it's so so rare that I get more than 10 to 12 likes or more than a couple of comments it's just like the direct nature of selling something it just doesn't it doesn't work so it kind of says you're gonna have to be a little more strategic and so you know it's like
00:10:04
Speaker
How amazing this one friend of mine, she actually chose to play with the algorithms and she shared with me that it worked.
00:10:13
Speaker
So she did a beautiful picture of her bare skinned back and her long draping hair on her back, all elongated.
00:10:24
Speaker
It was a beautiful, sensual picture of her as her first story.
00:10:29
Speaker
And then it said, the next one said, now that I've got your attention,
00:10:33
Speaker
Here is something that I want to offer to you.
00:10:36
Speaker
And she said it worked.
00:10:38
Speaker
So it's so interesting how sexuality, sexuality, beauty, love.
00:10:48
Speaker
What did you say earlier?
00:10:49
Speaker
Like something that is controversial.
00:10:52
Speaker
It grabs people.
00:10:53
Speaker
And some people start to use that to try to get something.
00:10:57
Speaker
And so it's pretty obvious.
00:10:59
Speaker
And it's.
00:11:01
Speaker
very much a part of our world.
00:11:04
Speaker
Yeah.
00:11:04
Speaker
And so, yeah.
Supporting Creators' Visibility
00:11:06
Speaker
It's tough because I think
00:11:09
Speaker
I think that it's hard to gauge or even know how many people might care about the content because like I think you mentioned how many comments and likes you got.
00:11:18
Speaker
And I'm always surprised when I'm out someplace amongst I'll see friends and someone will I'll realize that they have been seeing things that I've been writing.
00:11:27
Speaker
And I'm like, I had no idea because there wasn't any comment or like.
00:11:31
Speaker
And unfortunately, the way the algorithm works is if people don't comment and like, the algorithm doesn't know that it's of interest to people.
00:11:40
Speaker
So if it doesn't get commented and liked, it's seen by fewer and fewer people.
00:11:44
Speaker
So I think one thing that we were talking about earlier is that.
00:11:49
Speaker
you know, as kind of like a plea to our friends and anybody that likes us and just as letting you know that it's such a service.
00:11:57
Speaker
It's such a kindness to do to somebody that you like to make a short comment and more than a word, you know, a little comment, even saying, I'm so glad that you're doing this right now.
00:12:10
Speaker
It just that will that will make it be seen by a couple dozen more people.
00:12:16
Speaker
Yes, exactly.
00:12:17
Speaker
So you don't even have to share it on your page.
00:12:19
Speaker
Just leave a comment and saying, thank you so much.
00:12:22
Speaker
And then the algorithm will show to more people.
00:12:23
Speaker
And then maybe someone else will say, oh, I didn't know you're doing this.
00:12:26
Speaker
Oh, cool.
00:12:26
Speaker
Now I feel more people are going to see it.
00:12:28
Speaker
Yeah, I just posted on a friend of mine.
00:12:30
Speaker
She posted a three month journey that she's doing.
00:12:33
Speaker
It's like a it's an online course and she's a teacher and she's just she's amazing.
00:12:39
Speaker
She has a lot of wisdom to share.
00:12:41
Speaker
And I know she's poured a lot of energy into her course offering and it is high value.
00:12:47
Speaker
So when I saw her post,
00:12:49
Speaker
even though I'm not interested in taking the course at this moment, I saw that there was very few likes.
00:12:55
Speaker
There was no comments at all.
00:12:57
Speaker
I chose to write on there.
00:12:59
Speaker
I said, I hope this post is seen by the people that need to see it the most, you know?
00:13:05
Speaker
And then that created a little bit of energy and then people started to, it's kind of like a silent auction in a way, right?
00:13:12
Speaker
If there is nobody's bidding on the silent auction and you kind of like look around and it's like,
00:13:17
Speaker
I'm just going to go ahead and write something on there and get the wheels going.
00:13:21
Speaker
Put some energy into what you see happening out there that you believe in.
00:13:27
Speaker
I just want to grab onto this thing that we also sometimes get caught up in is the controversial...
00:13:35
Speaker
commenting, like we're putting a lot of energy and boosting those algorithms where there is divisive conversations, where there is a lot of anger, there is a lot of debate.
00:13:48
Speaker
You know, when we start to engage in those, guess what that does?
00:13:52
Speaker
It boosts the algorithms of those posts too.
00:13:55
Speaker
And so I feel like it's so valuable for us to remember where we're putting our energy out in the world, especially in social media and the context of what we're talking about is going to amplify, right?
00:14:08
Speaker
It's like, just like the same where we put our attention will grow.
00:14:13
Speaker
what our experience, what our attention lies on, our experience will grow.
00:14:21
Speaker
And so it's the same thing with how we think, it's how we act, it's where we put our energy is so powerful.
00:14:28
Speaker
Yeah.
Commercial vs. Spiritual Balance
00:14:29
Speaker
I mean, I think it's really clear that, you know, you you vote with your dollar with the way that you spend things.
00:14:35
Speaker
You tell this capitalist system, I want more of this in the world.
00:14:38
Speaker
But it's the same is true with your attention and especially with attention that is active participation with social media.
00:14:44
Speaker
You are saying more of this, more of this, more of this.
00:14:47
Speaker
And I know it's it's it's hard to to get over the hump of
00:14:51
Speaker
or the momentum from just like passively scrolling to actively contributing.
00:14:57
Speaker
So it's important, I think, to recognize that it is, you are, you're basically buying something.
00:15:05
Speaker
You're giving something to the creator saying, thank you, I value, I want to give this to you.
00:15:10
Speaker
That doesn't cost any money.
00:15:11
Speaker
You're saying, you're saying, let more people see this.
00:15:15
Speaker
Yes.
00:15:16
Speaker
Yeah.
00:15:16
Speaker
It's so powerful that we can be in service to each other.
00:15:20
Speaker
And especially if you know people that are actively working on growing their business or their products through social media, then we can support each other.
00:15:29
Speaker
You know, whenever I see a social media ad from people that I know, and I know quite a few people that put ads out, I understand how much energy and time and resources go into Facebook marketing.
00:15:42
Speaker
It's a lot.
00:15:43
Speaker
There is a complex system that goes into that process.
00:15:46
Speaker
A lot of these people have to hire assistants to create those ads.
00:15:52
Speaker
And so if that shows up on my screen, then I am going to take 10 seconds to say, go girl.
00:15:59
Speaker
I love what you're putting out there.
00:16:01
Speaker
Boost it.
00:16:01
Speaker
Put a little bit of energy.
00:16:03
Speaker
It takes just a few seconds.
00:16:04
Speaker
That's the same thing I post.
00:16:06
Speaker
I say, go girl.
00:16:09
Speaker
Especially with that little head snap, you know, and the finger.
00:16:12
Speaker
Go, girl.
00:16:12
Speaker
Yeah.
00:16:15
Speaker
You know, and then on the flip side of that, I also obviously am very passionate.
00:16:19
Speaker
You can hear my tone getting very excited.
00:16:22
Speaker
On the flip side, there is a lot of challenges that come with putting yourself out there and it can be very deflating.
00:16:31
Speaker
You know, if you put a lot of time, money, resource, just intention into creating something, and then it doesn't reach anywhere, it's like, why am I doing this?
00:16:48
Speaker
Is this worth my time?
00:16:50
Speaker
I don't really know.
00:16:52
Speaker
I just...
00:16:52
Speaker
can't even be bothered.
00:16:54
Speaker
I could have been spending my time gardening, but I just spent the last three hours creating content, you know?
00:17:00
Speaker
And so it's kind of a little, it can be sticky.
00:17:04
Speaker
It can grab content creators and service driven people in a way that can be really depleting.
00:17:12
Speaker
And so.
00:17:13
Speaker
Yeah.
00:17:13
Speaker
I mean, cause, cause you really, whatever you do,
00:17:19
Speaker
If you're working for yourself, you have to be creating content.
00:17:24
Speaker
At least that's the story that we're being told.
00:17:26
Speaker
One of my favorite creators is this cartoonist slash philosopher on Instagram named Raman Nazar.
00:17:34
Speaker
R-A-M-I-N-N-A-Z-E-R.
00:17:37
Speaker
And he's just brilliant and so funny.
00:17:39
Speaker
But he often talks about the struggle of being an artist and the need to be a marketer.
00:17:45
Speaker
And like that every single job is marketing right now.
00:17:49
Speaker
Everything.
00:17:50
Speaker
You have to sell yourself.
00:17:51
Speaker
You can't just say, oh, I'm an artist.
00:17:52
Speaker
Like, no, no, no.
00:17:53
Speaker
You got to sell yourself.
00:17:56
Speaker
He had a one, a comic this week about like,
00:18:02
Speaker
It was a picture of an artist behind his table trying to sell things.
00:18:06
Speaker
And he said, I'm sick of trying to sell myself.
00:18:09
Speaker
And so he goes into an office building like I'm I'm I'm giving up.
00:18:13
Speaker
I'm going to get a real job.
00:18:15
Speaker
And the person behind the desk goes, OK, sell us on yourself.
00:18:22
Speaker
Yeah, you can't get away from it.
00:18:24
Speaker
And it's I think it's hard when
00:18:33
Speaker
I grew up feeling like sales was slimy and gross, you know, and that it was a manipulation thing.
00:18:41
Speaker
And so trying to overcome that idea and say, no, I have it's a gifting process.
00:18:47
Speaker
I have something that is helpful.
00:18:49
Speaker
I want to make someone's life better.
00:18:53
Speaker
And I've even, you know, a lot of things I do for free, but I've also learned that it is sometimes a disservice to the recipient of the gift because they devalue something that is free.
00:19:06
Speaker
If someone wants to change their life, I want to make changes in my life that are going to make me healthier or make me happier.
00:19:17
Speaker
And they...
00:19:20
Speaker
but I'm only willing to take this free program, the chance of them quitting or not taking it seriously is pretty high.
00:19:28
Speaker
That's been my experience.
00:19:30
Speaker
If someone's got some skin in the game, then the chance of them sticking with it and gaining something from their experience is higher.
00:19:38
Speaker
So sometimes I need to sell something.
00:19:42
Speaker
I need to get the sale, not just because I want the money, but because I want to help.
00:19:46
Speaker
And if I don't get someone engaged,
00:19:50
Speaker
and committed with something more than just the momentary enthusiasm or the click, then it doesn't serve anyone.
00:19:59
Speaker
So true.
00:20:00
Speaker
And you can feel the difference.
00:20:02
Speaker
I know as a more empath, somebody who is sensitive to that, I can feel the difference when it is authentic, genuine care of service and sharing valuable content or like an invitation, an authentic invitation for making positive changes or some kind of growth.
00:20:26
Speaker
Then it's like, oh, yeah, I can feel that.
00:20:29
Speaker
But when it is kind of like threaded with just trying to get something like that, I can feel that, too.
00:20:38
Speaker
And it's usually more repulsive.
00:20:41
Speaker
And so I'll go ahead.
00:20:43
Speaker
One of the best examples that I've experienced recently.
00:20:47
Speaker
is the podcast, The Emerald.
00:20:49
Speaker
And they have a thriving Patreon community.
00:20:53
Speaker
And it's an incredible work of art, this podcast.
00:20:58
Speaker
And the creator says, you know, I don't want to put ads on this.
00:21:05
Speaker
I would love, but this is how I make a living.
00:21:09
Speaker
This is how I feed my family.
00:21:10
Speaker
And so if this is a value to you, could you help and contribute?
00:21:16
Speaker
And it's this kind of this invitation to allow this art to be created.
00:21:21
Speaker
And I was so impressed with the way I left this kind of ask for money of where it did not feel salesy at all.
00:21:31
Speaker
It felt like really transparent and really honest and
00:21:35
Speaker
And in fact, there was a recent episode that I was listening to that after listening to it, I decided to become a Patreon member.
00:21:43
Speaker
But one of the things it talked about was how there's such a Western tendency to, we have an epiphany, we have a ayahuasca journey, we have some experience of insight.
00:21:57
Speaker
And the Western immediate thing is,
00:22:03
Speaker
I need to make a product around this I can sell.
00:22:05
Speaker
Yep.
00:22:08
Speaker
Yeah.
00:22:09
Speaker
And which is often very contrary to the the root of the inspiration, which is a connection with the divine or a connection with spirit.
00:22:19
Speaker
And I think that's one of the things that creators struggle with is that we are, as Westerners, we're caught in this thing of growth paths and wanting to help people and trying to make a living so that we can be in the world.
00:22:34
Speaker
And so we're kind of fighting each other for attention in the spirit of trying to save the world.
00:22:45
Speaker
Exactly.
Marketing and Contribution
00:22:46
Speaker
In service to growth and evolution, because we are at a time in human history where we are evolving rapidly and each of us is playing a vital role in the evolution.
00:22:59
Speaker
And so many people I know have a very beautiful and important piece of the puzzle in order to be bringing to reality a new operating system.
00:23:09
Speaker
And it's a whole game.
00:23:12
Speaker
It's a game to get our work out in the world, to be able to share gifts with the world.
00:23:17
Speaker
And I can feel it with so many people.
00:23:18
Speaker
Like, I just want to help.
00:23:20
Speaker
I just want to be in service.
00:23:21
Speaker
I just want to like make this world a better place with the gifts that I have.
00:23:25
Speaker
But how do I do that?
00:23:27
Speaker
I have to become a content creator and a marketer in order to do that.
00:23:31
Speaker
Or an author or, you know, course creator.
00:23:34
Speaker
Podcaster.
00:23:35
Speaker
Podcaster.
00:23:38
Speaker
And I think that's the flip side of the deflation and the frustration is the recognition that, oh, I want to live in a world that is bursting with people who are inspired to evolve and lift and heal.
00:23:53
Speaker
So, yay.
00:23:54
Speaker
Thank goodness that the supply of healers and wisdom is so great that we have this situation.
00:24:04
Speaker
Yes.
00:24:05
Speaker
And, you know, the tagline just keeps popping up.
00:24:07
Speaker
We didn't say it this more on this one, our episode, but is how do we stay inspired in the modern world?
Inspiration Amidst Social Media Noise
00:24:14
Speaker
How do we stay inspired in a modern world?
00:24:18
Speaker
And in this conversation, we're talking about how do we stay inspired in a very saturated world?
00:24:25
Speaker
attention seeking full environment of social media and content creation right there's just so many things fighting for attention and there is just so much to weed through and to swipe through and it's like how do we actually get our message out in a way that is going to reach the people that need it the most
00:24:46
Speaker
And stay inspired while you keep doing it because it's not something that you stop doing.
00:24:51
Speaker
We just keep spreading.
00:24:53
Speaker
I know for me, my friend and I, we kind of talk about this where we just talk about casting light.
00:24:59
Speaker
How do we just keep casting light?
00:25:01
Speaker
Just cast it.
00:25:02
Speaker
Just cast it.
00:25:03
Speaker
We would stand on a balcony looking out over the mountains.
00:25:07
Speaker
And just imagine what it's like to just like cast it out, just throw out some light, just throw it out, just cast, keep casting like a like a fishing line, you know, and not knowing where that light is going to land or if it's ever going to come back to you.
00:25:22
Speaker
But the more that we can just keep putting that light out and maybe it will land somewhere and we'll never know.
00:25:29
Speaker
Maybe it goes into a black hole.
00:25:31
Speaker
It doesn't touch anyone.
00:25:33
Speaker
You know, I did a live today, for example, on Insight Timer and zero people showed up.
00:25:40
Speaker
I did one a couple of weeks ago and 60 people were there.
00:25:43
Speaker
You know, it's like, okay, well, I still showed up and I still did it.
00:25:47
Speaker
Maybe the replay will hit someone.
00:25:49
Speaker
I don't know.
00:25:50
Speaker
But it's like, okay, well, how do we just keep putting out there the message that we are passionate about in service to bringing that light and the energy out into the world?
00:26:01
Speaker
And sometimes you got to do it through a very strategic pathway of subtle manipulation.
00:26:08
Speaker
I'll post a picture of me and my boyfriend and then be like, by the way, I'm also offering a course.
00:26:18
Speaker
There reminds me of...
00:26:22
Speaker
I think it's important to balance these desires for more reach, more views with kind of what you're talking about, which is at the end of the day, the goal or the success has to be measured by the attempt, like the journey, the effort in the direction.
00:26:44
Speaker
I've talked about direction, not distance.
00:26:46
Speaker
It's not how many listeners we have.
00:26:48
Speaker
It's like, are we sharing information
00:26:50
Speaker
sparks of inspiration and if we are then winning that's it cool and if we're going to get frustrated because our numbers aren't growing or something like that then then we're we've lost track of and we're always going to be frustrated because that's a that game is it's a pyramid scheme you know at some point you you you
00:27:15
Speaker
You're chasing something that you can't get.
00:27:16
Speaker
So finding success in the process, not getting too discouraged, just keeping on.
00:27:25
Speaker
And the other part of that for me is sometimes I will say,
00:27:33
Speaker
I'm not ambitious.
00:27:34
Speaker
I'm fine being a humble, walking my path, and if people want to listen, fine.
00:27:41
Speaker
And I have to be very careful that I'm not coming to that place from a deeper fear, that I'm afraid of...
00:27:51
Speaker
really putting it out there and no one caring.
00:27:54
Speaker
You know, that's like, that hurts when I, okay, today I'm really going to promote.
00:27:58
Speaker
I'm going to email my whole list.
00:28:00
Speaker
I'm going to say, hey guys, I finally did something that I know I publish a lot, but this is something I really want you to see.
00:28:06
Speaker
And cricket, cricket, cricket.
00:28:07
Speaker
It's like,
00:28:09
Speaker
Oh, yeah.
00:28:09
Speaker
Yeah, man.
00:28:10
Speaker
I'm actually super humble and not ambitious.
00:28:12
Speaker
So I don't care, man.
00:28:13
Speaker
I don't really care.
00:28:14
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:15
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:15
Speaker
It's like so it's like it's like knowing when when am I really being genuine?
00:28:21
Speaker
When am I protecting myself?
00:28:23
Speaker
And I don't want to stay small because I'm afraid, but I don't want to want to be big because of ego.
00:28:29
Speaker
It's kind of it's a it's a it's a journey.
00:28:32
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely.
00:28:34
Speaker
And that's a lot of self-awareness to be able to really check in with yourself in the process of really putting yourself out there.
00:28:41
Speaker
And, you know, something you said really sparked me to feel our former co-host, Janus.
00:28:48
Speaker
You know, because one of the gifts that we have through honor his legacy is his voice through doing the Stay Sparked episodes.
00:28:59
Speaker
And, you know, the intention was to share inspiration.
00:29:03
Speaker
We didn't realize that we were creating his legacy.
00:29:06
Speaker
And so the words that he shared now have been turned into art and music.
00:29:12
Speaker
Same thing with Ram Dass.
00:29:15
Speaker
Ram Dass, Alan Watts, so many amazing visionaries share their voice.
00:29:19
Speaker
It gets captured and then it might make the impact much later.
Legacy and Thoughtful Sharing
00:29:25
Speaker
We don't know.
00:29:26
Speaker
You know, that last post that you posted, God forbid something might happen to you and your life is done.
00:29:34
Speaker
That's the last post.
00:29:36
Speaker
So how do we want to actually be sharing ourselves?
00:29:39
Speaker
You know, I really, I oftentimes think about that because I have
00:29:44
Speaker
unfortunately seen many people cross over.
00:29:49
Speaker
And then their Facebook page is left.
00:29:52
Speaker
And it's like, what was that last post?
00:29:55
Speaker
Shout out to this beautiful woman, Allison, who passed many years ago.
00:29:59
Speaker
And her last post was just so inspiring, so powerful.
00:30:03
Speaker
And every one of her posts
00:30:05
Speaker
was so filled with positivity and light and inspiration and beauty.
00:30:09
Speaker
You know, that was the legacy she left.
00:30:11
Speaker
You know, do we want to have that last post?
00:30:14
Speaker
Like every day we were posting, ranting, bitching, complaining.
00:30:18
Speaker
You know, we got to really think about our life from this deeper knowing that this too will change.
00:30:25
Speaker
And every single word, every single action, every piece of content that we're putting out there is creating our legacy for who we are in the world.
00:30:34
Speaker
So who do we want to be?
00:30:36
Speaker
That's a whole different perspective.
00:30:37
Speaker
It's not just about building a business, trying to sell a product, but something much bigger.
00:30:44
Speaker
I love that this is where we're landing because my closing sparks on this are that it's important to play the game, but ultimately it's who do you want to be?
00:31:03
Speaker
And trying to make sure that that question never gets drowned out by the, how do I get more?
00:31:13
Speaker
Yeah.
00:31:15
Speaker
Yeah, thank you for that.
Value of Authentic Content
00:31:17
Speaker
And I think my closing spark is really about the power of authenticity.
00:31:22
Speaker
And what a gift that really is to the world and to our relationships and to our followings, whether it's like 12 people, 100 people, thousands of people, more.
00:31:34
Speaker
You know, that authenticity is so valuable in a world where there is a lot of inauthenticity.
00:31:41
Speaker
And I think that the algorithms support that.
00:31:44
Speaker
Yeah.
00:31:46
Speaker
So I'm really grateful to get to be in this conversation with you and to be in this very unique, ever-changing world of technology that we operate in and bringing our gifts to the world.
00:31:56
Speaker
And in the spirit of that, a little plug, an authentic plug for both of the ways that we do
Hosts Promote Their Projects
00:32:04
Speaker
serve.
00:32:04
Speaker
Love to hear from you, especially about the men's work you're doing and also little shout outs to your Hug Nation channel and the Gratitude Circle.
00:32:14
Speaker
So yeah.
00:32:15
Speaker
Give it up.
00:32:15
Speaker
Let's hear your link.
00:32:16
Speaker
This feels so fun to do promo after this podcast.
00:32:20
Speaker
Everybody, please come and give a like and a comment on all my Instagram posts and YouTube channel.
00:32:27
Speaker
Please subscribe and like.
00:32:28
Speaker
Smash that subscribe button.
00:32:30
Speaker
Yep.
00:32:30
Speaker
That's why we did this episode, just so we could get more followers.
00:32:35
Speaker
Well, I would love to be connected and you to gift me a subscribe or a like on my YouTube channel, Hug Nation, or my Instagram, Halcyon Pink.
00:32:47
Speaker
And I'm really excited about the Heart Centered Men's Gathering I've got coming up on June 8th.
00:32:52
Speaker
It is about two-thirds full.
00:32:54
Speaker
If you still want to join me, reach out and ask a question, or you can go to heartcenteredmen.org and learn about the gathering that we're having in San Diego on June 6th.
00:33:02
Speaker
It's going to be a
00:33:04
Speaker
antidote for these kind of pressures in the world.
00:33:07
Speaker
How about you?
00:33:10
Speaker
Love it.
00:33:11
Speaker
Well, most recently, I have been really enjoying getting to work with people one-on-one in person.
00:33:16
Speaker
That's been such a great joy in service to transformation through body work, through energy work, through intuitive coaching.
00:33:25
Speaker
So if you're local to Asheville, hit me up.
00:33:29
Speaker
Love to create a session for you or multiple sessions.
00:33:33
Speaker
Also, San Diego, I pop back and forth.
00:33:36
Speaker
So I'll be popping back into San Diego very soon if you want to get a session from me in person.
00:33:40
Speaker
It's just so powerful.
00:33:43
Speaker
And then also virtually, my work is the Power Affirmation Project.
00:33:47
Speaker
And so you can find the link in the show notes.
00:33:49
Speaker
The journal I created has a system within it that really is designed to support real embodied transformation.
00:33:57
Speaker
So getting in touch with your belief systems and unwinding limiting beliefs and rewiring our brains in a very positive and uplifting way.
00:34:08
Speaker
way.
00:34:09
Speaker
And then of course, the deck that comes along with that, the Power Affirmation deck is one of my newer products.
00:34:15
Speaker
And it's just so fun to get to share that.
00:34:17
Speaker
So you can find more products on my website as well.
00:34:22
Speaker
Thank you.
00:34:22
Speaker
What a gift you are and your products are.
00:34:26
Speaker
And what a fun place for us to have this conversation about commerce and promotion as we are both doing things that we truly believe are making the world better.
00:34:37
Speaker
Makes it easy to have the conversation.
00:34:39
Speaker
So thank you so much, Betsy.
00:34:41
Speaker
Sparked.
00:34:42
Speaker
Thank you so much, Halcyon.
00:34:44
Speaker
So grateful for these opportunities to get to share.
00:34:47
Speaker
And thank you to our listeners out there.
00:34:50
Speaker
Your...
00:34:51
Speaker
reviews really help us spread the spread the sparks as well so of course your comments on and everything on our social medias but if you really enjoyed this episode or any of the other episodes it does help us for you to leave a review on the apple podcast app or if you want to just share the link through spotify or apple podcast to another friend that might be a content creator or of anyone else that you think might enjoy this conversation that is always deeply appreciated
00:35:21
Speaker
So thank you so much for that out there.
00:35:24
Speaker
Yes, thank you.
00:35:26
Speaker
Any chance we could get an affirmation?
00:35:29
Speaker
Of course.
00:35:30
Speaker
Yes.
00:35:31
Speaker
In the spirit of authenticity, I feel like an affirmation to cultivate that deeper truth of who we are.
Closing Affirmations on Authenticity
00:35:41
Speaker
And so let that be our affirmation today.
00:35:43
Speaker
I am authentic.
00:35:45
Speaker
I am authentic.
00:35:47
Speaker
I am authentic.
00:35:50
Speaker
I know who I am.
00:35:52
Speaker
I know who I am.
00:35:54
Speaker
I know who I am.
00:35:56
Speaker
What I have to share is a gift to the world.
00:36:00
Speaker
What I have to share is a gift to the world.
00:36:04
Speaker
What I have to share is a gift to the world.
00:36:07
Speaker
And I allow my authenticity to shine.
00:36:11
Speaker
I allow my authenticity to shine.
00:36:14
Speaker
I allow my authenticity to shine.
00:36:18
Speaker
I am not defined by my likes.
00:36:23
Speaker
I am not defined by my likes.
00:36:25
Speaker
I am worthy.
00:36:27
Speaker
I am worthy.
00:36:28
Speaker
I am joyful.
00:36:29
Speaker
I am sparked.
00:36:31
Speaker
I am sparked.
00:36:34
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:36:35
Speaker
May you continue to feel the sparks within yourself.
00:36:38
Speaker
Just take off and light a fire of passion within you.
00:36:42
Speaker
So grateful.
00:36:43
Speaker
Thank you.
00:36:45
Speaker
Thank you.
00:36:47
Speaker
Stay sparked, people.
00:36:49
Speaker
Stay sparked, friends.
00:36:51
Speaker
Find us on Instagram at stay sparked and leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts.
00:36:57
Speaker
Thanks so much for helping us spread these sparks.