Sparkle, Speak, Succeed: Using Your Voice to Transform Your Business w/Alexandria Agresta, Megs Crawford and Jessica Millhiser

Your voice is your most powerful business tool—are you using it to its full potential? 

In this episode (the third in our series), I'm joined by three more powerhouse women who were recognized as winners of the 2024 Powerful Women Rising Impact Awards:

 ✨ Alexandria Agresta - 2024 Speaker of the Year, aka MADE4MAGIC, the world's first DJing speaker!

🎙️ Megs Crawford - Podcast Host of the Year and Professional Organizer Coach for Women with ADHD

🎧 Jessica Millhiser - Podcast Guest of the Year and Business Consultant/Strategist for coaches, consultants and other service-based professionals

Together, they'll teach you how to use your voice as your most powerful business tool - whether you’re speaking on a stage, hosting a podcast, or being featured as a guest.

You'll Hear:

✅ Strategies to help you share your message through speaking and podcast guesting/hosting.

✅ What matters more than vanity metrics when growing your audience.

✅ How to overcome the fear of putting yourself out there.

✅ Why clarity and purpose matter more than downloads or follower counts

These women are proof that when you use your voice intentionally, it can transform not just your business, but the lives of those you serve.

This episode is part of our 2024 PWR Impact Awards Winner Series, featuring women entrepreneurs who are making waves in their industries.  Want more inspiration, strategies, and real-world insights?  Subscribe now so you don’t miss the next conversation in this powerful series!

Links & References:

• Join us at our next PWR Virtual Speed Networking Event!
• For even deeper connections, check out the Powerful Women Rising Community!

• Learn more about Alexandria Agresta:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaagresta

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/made4magicmusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/made4magicmusic

• Learn more about Megs Crawford:  

https://www.mindfulmegs.com

• Learn more about Jessica Millhiser:

www.jmillsconsulting.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamillhiser/

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Chapters

• 0:00 Meeting the Award Winners
• 6:15 Speaking as a Business Growth Tool
• 11:28 Starting and Growing a Podcast
• 17:01 Being an Effective Podcast Guest
• 25:42 What Makes These Women Exceptional
• 30:01 Wisdom for Female Entrepreneurs

Transcript

Melissa Snow: 0:02

Hello friends, welcome to the Powerful Woman Rising podcast. Hey, thanks for having us. I should say welcome back, because all three of you have been on the podcast already. Yeah, thank you. This is like three powerhouses here on this call. So if you're listening to this podcast or you're watching the interview on YouTube, brace yourself, because I don't think you're ready for all this.

Alexandria Agresta: 0:29

All right, ladies, a lot of energy in this Zoom. Let's make sure that no crazy electrical things happen, because that could happen If your stereo is shorting out?

Melissa Snow: 0:40

right now, it's from all this, all right. Do people even call them stereos anymore? Is that even a thing If your CB radio is not working properly? Okay, so I've done a lot of interviews today and I am nearing the end of my sanity. So here we go. I have these three fabulous women here to interview. They are three of the winners of the 2024 Powerful Women Rising Impact Awards. Megs is the winner of the Podcast Host of the Year Award. Alexandria is the Speaker of the Year recipient and then Jessica Milhiser is the Powerful Women Rising Podcast guest of the year. Yay, so super excited to talk to you three and hear some inspiration and some wisdom from you guys. So before we dive in, tell the people just a little bit about you and about what you do. We can start with Megs, if that's okay.

Megs Crawford: 1:39

Yeah, cool. Thank you so much. I'm honored to win the award. I am the host of Organizing an ADHD Brain. It's a podcast all about well organizing and having ADHD and how oftentimes our brains love to float in the wind instead of having any structure behind them to actually get the stuff done. And I found a lot of organizing and decluttering in my own life and I wanted to share my journey and became a coach for women who wanted to find more organizing and decluttering in their own lives and how to figure it out with a unique and beautiful brain like my own. And so I am a coach, I am a podcast host and I do a variety of other things like momming and I'm wifing and all kinds of other things. But, yeah, thank you so much for having me on. I'm thrilled to be here.

Melissa Snow: 2:26

Yeah, and cat momming, don't forget cat momming. Oh, yeah, and dog momming yep, very different than human momming, absolutely Better, some might say Alexandria, why don't you introduce yourself? Yeah?

Alexandria Agresta: 2:41

thanks for having me back Honored to win the award and love getting to speak to your amazing community of women. My name's Alexandria Agresta, professional speaker for going on 13 years now. It's my first love. I love getting to inspire people from stage. Professional speaker turned DJ as well. I've been a raver at night and then I go to the professional world during the day, so it was only a matter of time before I started dabbling in both and then it got really crazy. I combined the two to become the first ever DJing speaker where I speak and DJ live on stage at the same time. So really bringing together expertise, inspiration, motivation, but with that entertainment and having fun and letting loose, which I really believe we need more of in the professional world. So all things speaking, fun, raving, DJing I'm your girl. Let's sparkle, let's have fun. Thanks for having me here. The more glitter, the better.

Melissa Snow: 3:42

I got the sparkles on today just for you. You were ready. You were ready. You were ready, jessica, what about you?

Jessica Millhiser: 3:48

Hey y'all, Jessica Milheiser here. Melissa, so good to see you and it's really lovely to meet you too. Oh my gosh, you guys are incredible. So super happy to be here. I am the owner of J Mills Consulting and I am a business consultant and strategist and really my area of expertise is focusing on your business's internal structure, so your business foundation, all of those internal backend nitty gritty pieces that really need to be in place in a solid way so that your business can grow in a consistent, reliable and sustainable way. So I work with service-based entrepreneurs all over the States and I'm the winner of the podcast guest of the year award, and that just makes my heart so happy. So thank you, Melissa and PWR.

Melissa Snow: 4:36

Absolutely. You've been on podcast twice already. This is your third time, I know.

Jessica Millhiser: 4:42

Lucky, lucky, lucky, indeed, lucky indeed.

Melissa Snow: 4:47

I love this because I was listening to Jessica talk and I was going to shout her out and say you know, I always want to shout Jessica out because she I've worked with her several times, I'm working with her this year again and she's helped me so much. And then I was thinking about the two of you and listening to Meg's podcast and helping me get organized in my brain has been like a huge game changer. I'm generally pretty organized like in the space, usually because there's too much going on in here. So if there's like one thing cluttering out here, I'm like this is too much. And I've worked with Alexandria. I've taken several of her speaker courses. We're not going to talk about that infamous picture that she likes to bust out once in a while, but maybe we'll bring it out on social media sometime.

Alexandria Agresta: 5:33

It's everything we could have ever asked for in a picture of you.

Melissa Snow: 5:37

It is a winner. Listen, the assignment, ladies, was she was going to take a picture of all of us who are in this training and she said I want you to all imagine that you just landed like the biggest, best speaking gig of your life. Oh God, and that's what we were supposed to do. When she took the picture and everybody else is like she was good, good, good.

Alexandria Agresta: 6:06

You were the only one who understood the assignment girl I was I told the truth.

Melissa Snow: 6:10

People Offline.

Jessica Millhiser: 6:12

I'm going to need to see a picture of that.

Melissa Snow: 6:14

Yeah.

Melissa Snow: 6:15

We'll find it We'll find it Okay bit about what each of you does and how people can gain some expertise or some insight or some inspiration from what you do that has brought you here to winning these awards, whether it is speaking or being on podcasts or you know, all of these things are part of networking, right? Like I always say, networking doesn't just happen in a networking event. It happens anywhere that you are connecting with other humans. So when Alexandria is on stage and she's DJing, that's networking, because she's connecting with humans up there. You're connecting with humans when you're hosting a podcast or when you're guesting on a podcast.

Melissa Snow: 6:57

So let's talk a little bit about how women who are listening to this, who are also entrepreneurs, who may be thinking like maybe I could start a podcast or a guest on podcast, or start speaking, and how that kind of relates to their business. So I'm going to start with you, alexandria, because you've been doing this for a while now. So talk a little bit about the impact that being a speaker can have on a business. Obviously, speaking is your business, but for a lot of people, that's not their business, but they want to use it as a way to grow.

Alexandria Agresta: 7:29

I think it all starts with understanding that, even if you're not creating a business out of public speaking in some way, shape or form, you are publicly speaking every single day. You said it perfectly, Melissa you don't need to be at a networking event to network, it's anytime you're out connecting with humans. How do you connect with humans? You're usually speaking to them and when we're speaking, especially in the professional environment, we're usually wanting to use our words to inspire someone to do something. So if we really bring that down and understand we don't have to be on a big stage with the Britney Spears microphone, with the lights, Like I love that stuff that gets me jazzed, but if it doesn't get you jazzed, that's OK. You are speaking in a way to move people and inspire people in your business every single day Coffee chats, when you're sharing on LinkedIn, the networking calls you go to sales calls, even when you're creating your customer and client experiences. Right, You're using language and words and experiences to get someone to do something different. So I love the idea of taking out the glitz and glam of public speaking and realizing it's a skill and it's a very valuable skill that we use every single day.

Alexandria Agresta: 8:47

So, really choosing to take your community. We'll use the word public speaking, we'll put it over there. Just your communication skills, choosing to take those to the next level is going to completely transform your level of impact, your level of influence. I think of Melissa. She's such a great example. I got to be just one of her guides and trainers on her speaking journey and to see her grow and blossom, creating her own platform in her own unique way. That's the power of communication and public speaking right then and there. So communication all day. Your words create your reality and, most importantly, your words can inspire people and move people and create completely new realities. That's pretty badass that this vocal cords and this voice box can do that.

Melissa Snow: 9:41

Yeah, absolutely. And I love what you're saying too, because sometimes people hear us talk about speaking and they're like, oh no way, like I have no interest in getting on a stage in front of a bunch of people while they're all staring at me and making a joke that no one thinks is funny. Like no, thank you. But what you're saying really is. The reason I wanted all three of you on an interview together is because there's so many different ways to share your voice. You can share your voice on a big stage, you can share your voice on a podcast, you can share your voice in writing, but it's still your voice, right? And there's still that piece of authenticity that is required and also that piece of skill to be able to get what is in here and in here out into the world in the way that you want to get it out into the world.

Alexandria Agresta: 10:29

Perfectly said Exactly, that Our words matter and they play a role in every single aspect of our lives, not even if it's on a stage stage, yeah, absolutely so.

Melissa Snow: 10:42

Megs, let's talk about your podcast, because this is something that I hear from a lot of female entrepreneurs. A podcast is one of those things that is like we see other people doing it and then we're like, oh, I need to do that, Right, Like there are so many people, even just on threads. Today I saw so many threads from people that are like I think I'm going to start a podcast. All my friends say I should start a podcast. Should I start a podcast? And I'm like people I'm not really sure you grasp what all goes into having a podcast. But, Megs, let's talk to you a little bit about your decision to start a podcast and for the people who are out there listening, how has that changed your business for the better or the worse? And you're muted, by the way.

Megs Crawford: 11:35

That's because my kitten was making too many noises. What a great question. Yeah, thank you for asking. When I first started my podcast, I went into it thinking I was going to start a podcast just about organizing. I wanted to teach people how to create Pinterest perfect spaces in their homes, and I quickly realized that that was not only not the reality of my own life, but also not the reality of so many other people's lives, and more specifically with ADHD. And so when I went into it, I had this one vision of what was going to happen, and then, as I continued to do it, my vision continued to evolve, which I think is the brilliance behind setting an intention to do something, or even having a vision or a goal for the future, like you set your eyes on the prize and then you take these little baby steps in the direction of what that is, and, as you come along, like the universe puts these other opportunities in your place, that you get to discover what you're truly meant to be and you get to kind of follow this path that really makes sense for you.

Megs Crawford: 12:37

I took a course on podcasting before I started this thing. I probably spent way too much money on it, but it helped me in so many different ways, and some of the things I heard was hey, most people who podcast quit after seven episodes. And sure enough, after seven episodes I'm like, why am I doing this? Who is even listening to me? And then I kept doing it and I kept going, and as I continued to do it, I realized that I needed to put more meaning behind what the podcast meant to me. I know some people want to start a podcast because they expect to generate money from it right away. And while there's so many different ways that you can make money with your podcast, that's not necessarily the norm for everyone. And there's so many different ways to generate money, how do you pick just one? Where do you start? Because, like, where you put your effort, that's where that grows. And then what about the downloads? Did the downloads matter? How many people are listening? And if you get caught up in that number, you can get focused on the wrong thing too quickly.

Megs Crawford: 13:32

So when I really honed in on my message and and just decided that I wanted to be authentic in the voice that I was delivering, that's where things I felt changed for me, and in the beginning I was very, very, um, just confident. I went out and asked Peter Shankman he wrote the book faster than normal about ADHD brains and I was like hey, do you want to be on my podcast? And he said yes, and he was my first interview. I didn't even have the podcast launched yet, so I just decided that if I'm going to go for this, I might as well go for it big time, because I want my voice to be heard.

Megs Crawford: 14:11

And but for those of you who are just thinking about starting a podcast, I will say that when you do solo episodes, putting yourself out there in a way that people are just listening to your voice feels scary, and the more you do it, the less scary it is. And then same with podcast interviews. I know sometimes I sit there and I nod too much and I'm like, oh my gosh, megan, stop it with your head. Or sometimes I'll like be making noises in the background and I'm listening to the editing and I'm like, what am I doing? Right, but it's, it's just fascinating how you can evolve in this space and how you grow into something so much more. And so, um, I'm excited where I am now. I hit one year as my podcast. Um, my podcast launched February 12th of last year. So one year is right around the corner, and I can't wait to see what it does in the next year. So thank you so much.

Melissa Snow: 15:03

Yeah, that's awesome. I love what you said about knowing your intention. Like why are you starting the podcast and staying focused on that? And I think that's true for any of the things that we're talking about today because it's easy to get caught up. Like I do it too.

Melissa Snow: 15:18

I get so caught up in, like how many downloads there are, how many subscribers I have on YouTube, and I'm like it's not even that many more downloads than I had six months ago. But it's like, first of all, lots of people listen without downloading. Second of all, lots of people are listening on other platforms that you have no idea. Lots of people are downloading and not listening. So, like it's not really helpful.

Melissa Snow: 15:40

But for me, the thing I always come back to is I'm like why do I keep doing the podcast? Because it is one of the best ways that I network. Like I get to connect with people who, granted, they're coming because they want something from me, right, like they want to be on the podcast, but it allows me to connect with so many people who I otherwise might not have the opportunity to connect with when it comes to my guests, and every time I come back to that and I remember, like that is a huge part of why I'm still doing it. Then I'm like okay, no one cares about how many subscribers you have on YouTube, so know why you're doing it and stay focused on that, even if it changes, because it will change.

Megs Crawford: 16:19

Oh my gosh, totally. And I think what's also really cool is I've grown through all of these interviews Like I'm asking the questions I want to know and if you want to know them, too cool because you're listening to my podcast. But now I've gotten to grow in a way that I didn't even expect, so that was definitely a reward. I didn't even see coming and, jess, I can't wait to have you on my podcast.

Jessica Millhiser: 16:45

I saw I'm like oh, we could totally find a way for you to be on my podcast, we can make this work?

Melissa Snow: 16:52

Obviously, I would love that, yeah. So, jess, let's go to you. Let's talk a little bit about being a podcast guest. I know you do a lot of speaking. You do a lot of like in-person live workshops, so using your voice and communicating effectively is not new to you. But when it comes to being a podcast guest, what do you think it is that makes you so?

Jessica Millhiser: 17:09

awesome. So I guess what I would say is number one have a really solid understanding of what it is you are going to talk about, like, what are my topics, what are my areas of expertise, what do I feel passionate about? And again, coming back to the intention, right, what is my intention of utilizing these spaces, speaking, podcasting, et cetera? So, really having a solid understanding about that. And then, based on your topics, based on your areas of expertise, what podcasts would be appropriate for you? What audience are you trying to target? What audience are you trying to educate, empower, inspire, et cetera? What is a great? Or even, you know, maybe you've got tangential audiences that could still be great introductions for you as well. So, who are you trying to get in front of? And a lot of that is based on your topics and areas of expertise. And then, once you have an understanding of that, it's not about you, it's about the podcast's audience, it's about their members, it's about their community and how can you contribute, within your area of expertise, to their audience and to their members?

Jessica Millhiser: 18:21

And I think sometimes it's easy to lose sight of that because you're like oh, this is a great visibility piece for me and oh, I just wanna keep educating and promoting and like all the things. But, like with podcast guesting in particular and I really kind of think with all speaking engagements in particular it's really about what your audience, what the audience is going to take away and what are you doing to engage them and guide them or offer them some kind of tangible takeaways. So I think that's a key piece when you are looking at podcast guesting in particular, and a lot of that can also come down to is this the right fit for me? Because maybe not every podcast is the right fit for you. You're like, eh, there's not a lot of overlap or there's not a lot of collaboration, or I'm just not loving that vibe.

Jessica Millhiser: 19:10

And that gets back to the heart of, like, your intention and your characters and your integrity and things like that. To make those choices for yourself, but it really is, and things like that. To make those choices for yourself, but it really is. How can you help the podcast host and their members?

Melissa Snow: 19:22

Yeah, that's really good. I was just talking to Jen Hart, who won the business support person of the year. I was interviewing her before this and she was talking about how one of the most important things that she's learned in business is how to say no to people who want to give her money or people who want to give her opportunities or people who want to give her stages, because in the beginning it was like I will work with anyone, I will do anything for any price, I will get on any stage, I will talk to whoever, and we were talking about learning and getting to that place. That's like it's always surprising to me when someone applies to be a guest on the podcast and they've never listened to it. I'm like you might want to change this practice because I may be nothing like what you are interested in vibing with Right and same for you, alex, you can probably talk about this as far as being on stages, like you don't want to just get on any stage that anyone will let you get on and speak Right, oh yeah.

Alexandria Agresta: 20:26

Yeah, I learned that the hard way. Yeah, not every stage is for you, and I think we have that blind hope in a way. And what that means to me is we're so passionate, we're so excited and we know that our message and our business can help everyone. But we have to think about the other side. Not everyone is the perfect fit for you and not everyone's in a position to even hear what you have to say. Maybe their ear holes are hearing it, but they're not hearing it like from here. So, yeah, learn that the hard way. And now this girl does some serious vetting of a lot of states.

Jessica Millhiser: 21:06

Yeah, and I think it's also a good point that you brought up Melissa is like if you are going to be like maybe you are applying to a bunch of different podcasts with that, you know kind of fit your vibe If you get accepted, definitely listen to an episode or two prior to getting on so that you can understand what they're, because not everybody does interview style, Some people do conversational style, some people don't really provide you like, here are some questions that I'm probably going to ask you. Some people just wing it. So, having a really strong understanding of like, what is their vibe, what is their flow, no-transcript.

Megs Crawford: 21:55

Ooh, that's so amazing Um.

Melissa Snow: 21:59

I didn't prepare you for that question at all, but that's such a good question.

Megs Crawford: 22:03

So I find the best guests are the ones that are just willing to answer any questions. I love to have just a natural, organic conversation, and so some people are like what questions are you going to ask me? So I love that you asked me this question, right, because I want the off the cuff answers that you haven't necessarily prepared for and and really just willing to share your true story without giving me facts and data and all of this stuff, like really people want to know about you. And I love podcasts for the reason that we're having conversations that are so much more than just like how's the weather, like what's your job doing nowadays? Right, like we're doing so much more and we're asking so much more. That really impacts people's lives because people can relate to it.

Megs Crawford: 22:53

Right, and that's why people keep tuning in, because they hear your story and you're like, oh my gosh, I hear myself in you, which means I want to come back and listen to you more. Or I hear myself in Jess and I feel like not, like maybe Jess could help me, or I just want to follow her. She seems like someone who has all of the words that I want to hear, and I think with business ownership nowadays, it's so much more than just finding the right business for you. It's finding the right person you want to work with and understanding their ethics and the way that they're going to deliver on promises. And I think that you can get a lot from listening to them on a podcast and I know I've listened to people on podcasts through someone else's show to get to their show, to then go to their program, to then like, buy their book right. There's so many different aspects of finding things to support you and conversations to support you on the platform. And then I forgot the original question. So there's.

Megs Crawford: 23:48

ADHD for you, hopefully, I answered it.

Melissa Snow: 23:51

You did answer it, you did answer it. I was just asking about what makes a good guest.

Megs Crawford: 23:55

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So. One that's listened to your podcast, I think, if they come in. I had this incredible guest from Denmark and she is just this vivacious, beautiful soul. She emailed me and she said hey, I love your podcast and here's the review I've already left for you, so already she had me hooked and sinker. I was like, yes, woman, absolutely.

Megs Crawford: 24:20

Then she told me about her own business. She's an audio HD artist out of Denmark and she creates these visual aesthetic pieces for neurodivergent people. And she's like here's why I would be a good fit for your podcast. And it was like love at first email. And from there she connected me with another podcast host in England and I'll never forget he sent me a so this is what makes a good host too. But he sent me a voice message on Instagram the voice recording from his job in the middle of the night in England and he's like, hey, I'm really excited about her, but like he's whispering in the back room somewhere and I'm just like, oh my gosh, I already love you that you took this time to like think about me and get me this message right away. So it's just really neat when people show you that they actually care and they're not just trying to get on your podcast to get more likes or things like that. It's that connection piece again. So yeah.

Melissa Snow: 25:17

So you're saying be a human.

Megs Crawford: 25:19

Yeah, Just be a human. So like there you go.

Melissa Snow: 25:23

Great advice. Great advice, well, I can tell you because I know all three of you pretty well, some of you more well than others. Some of you I've seen more late nights, wine, induced parties but I can tell you what I think about the three of you, which is, I think, one of the things that makes Alexandria so awesome, is her authenticity, her willingness to just show up as she is and the person that she is and you know, share her goofy heart and, like she has these funny little Alexandria isms that everybody's like did she really what? What is that? And she just like goes with it and by the end you're like I love this person. I don't know even what she is, but I love her.

Melissa Snow: 26:13

And to be able to balance that like authenticity with professionalism, and also like your ability to entertain people while also educating and inspiring them, like having all of those things in one, is not something that a lot of people have and have been able to like hone and perfect, and I think that's one of the things that makes you such an amazing speaker For Megs. I think, obviously, the authenticity is a big piece of it, especially with people with ADHD, especially adults with ADHD, those of us diagnosed later in life, that spent our whole life thinking like what is wrong with me? Why does my brain work like this? And other people's brains seems to work much better. To hear from someone that is so relatable, right? Like you say things that you're just like me. Like you say things like you come up with really weird examples, like we're not just having a conversation about like what is the weather and how are things going at your job. That then, like after, you replay in your head and you're like did I really just say that? That's why people love?

Alexandria Agresta: 27:16

you right.

Melissa Snow: 27:17

Because they see themselves in you and you're not this like perfect polish, like I've figured everything out about how to live with ADHD and now I will bestow all of my wisdom and perfection upon you. And I think, too, the big thing being a podcast host is that you ask the questions that other people are like screaming at their phone wanting you to ask. Like nothing makes me crazier than listening to a podcast interview where the person they're interviewing is like yeah, and then you just have to do X, y and Z, and then amazing things happen and you make $10 million and you're like but how do you do that? And the podcast host is like great, that's fabulous.

Melissa Snow: 27:56

So anyway and you're like no, how did he do it? So I love that you always ask the questions that people want to know the answers to and, jess, I think a big part of it, what you touched on, is your willingness to share very openly. Like there's never this sense of like you know how they teach to do webinars. In a way, that's like you are kind of teaching them something, but what you're really doing is showing them like how much they don't know and how much they need to hire you Right, and so you're holding a lot of things back. And when you come on as a podcast guest and do that and it's really just this veiled, like I know something that you don't know, so call me if you want to know the thing. Like Jess is the opposite of that. Jess is like here's what I know, here's what's going to be helpful for you. She can explain it in a very like concise, simple way that makes sense to those of us who don't have this like big fancy business brain that she has and shares it very like willingly and generously and in a way that people can understand, and I think that resonates a lot with the audience and I think it is very much appreciated by the host because there's nothing worse.

Melissa Snow: 29:11

Well, there are some worse things, but it's pretty bad when you are doing an interview with somebody and you're like five, pretty bad when you are doing an interview with somebody and you're like five 10 minutes into it and you're like this is so not the vibe. It hasn't happened to me very often, but I will say I probably have had two or three interviews that I've done in all the time that I've been a podcast host that I've been like I cannot even air this. This is so much salesy, weirdo stuff Like I just can't even do it. So there's my buildup of you three. I would love to know from the three of you before we wrap up, for anybody who's listening to this um, particularly female entrepreneurs who are newer in business they're just getting started or maybe they've been going for a few years and they are struggling what's one piece of advice or inspiration that you have for them today? Any of you can go first.

Alexandria Agresta: 30:09

Pick us off. Okay, this is always my little nugget of wisdom and it's especially relevant. If you're wanting to do something new, step into that thing. That might feel a little big, a little scary. It's really easy to rely on time. Oh, that takes too much time, I don't know right. We use these excuses to keep us where we are. So my little nugget of wisdom to share with you is that things don't take time. They take courage. Time just watches you it's like a painting on the wall Watches you do stuff. It watches you, not do stuff. It's courage.

Alexandria Agresta: 30:46

That is this catalyst that breaks your heart wide open. That gives you that oomph, the zhuzh as we say here. I love that, we all say the zhuzh. It gives you that sparkle to go forward and just take a risk and be you Cause. What do you have to lose? And it ultimately helps you be who you want to be and do what you want to do now. So we're going to let all those little time excuses go away, because the time is now, especially for these incredible women in your community. I can only imagine the depth and the wisdom and the just everything that all of your people have to offer. The world needs to hear it, and there is literally no better time in history than to get on a dang platform, whether it's your own or somebody else's, and go share it with the world. So that's my little, my little chicken nugget of wisdom today.

Melissa Snow: 31:35

I love it. It doesn't take time, it takes courage. What about you, megs?

Megs Crawford: 31:41

I'd say well, there's only one of you, and so, building off of what you had said, alexandria is, the world deserves to hear your voice, and you're depriving them of this incredibleness if you don't give them your voice. But my piece of advice that's actionable, that you could take action on today, is take a walk, because oftentimes we get so caught up in the day to day, we get so caught up and just going through the motions and trying to just get one more thing done. Give some time back to yourself and take a walk, because every time you take a little bit of time for yourself, you get to show up for the world and yourself even that much more. I'm truly a believer of filling up your own cup first, because when you do that, you get to shine so much brighter for the whole entire world.

Jessica Millhiser: 32:32

I love that I took a walk today, in fact.

Megs Crawford: 32:34

Me too I love it.

Jessica Millhiser: 32:38

Yes, look at us all. Yes, I know what I'm doing after this.

Melissa Snow: 32:41

Yes, Weren't you also the one who just posted on Instagram this morning that reel of the mom like face down in the grass? That was like me outside touching grass getting grounded after getting the kids ready for school, wasn't?

Megs Crawford: 32:53

that you. Yeah, I'm reminding myself I'm not getting chased by a lion, my children just need to go to school. Yeah, this fight or flight response I'm like constantly in. Yeah, I just have to remind myself like you're safe right now and not about to get eaten, it's okay.

Melissa Snow: 33:12

So either take a walk or go lay face down in the grass for a moment whatever you need to do. Jessica, what words of wisdom do you have for us?

Jessica Millhiser: 33:21

I mean, I love talking about this stuff. I could talk about business identity, I could talk about client journey, but really what I'm going to say is stay the course and give consistency. It's due, Cause I feel like, especially if you're in the earlier stages or you're in kind of transition or maybe you're feeling like you're in a rut, take a minute and reflect why did I do this in the first place? What am I actually shooting towards? What is my goal? What is my objective with X, Y or Z? And just because, kind of to your point, Alexandria, like some things take time. Some things take time. So give consistency its due and stay the course and then reevaluate and see where things are at. So don't maybe things are taking longer than you would like, but don't be quick to react. Oh, it's not working. Have you given it enough time? And then sit with that and make a decision based on that.

Melissa Snow: 34:22

So that's what I would say that's great advice, especially with all the shiny objects out there. Yeah, not the Alexandria glitter, we're good with that.

Alexandria Agresta: 34:31

We like those.

Melissa Snow: 34:33

The other shiny objects that we're like. I had a podcast for seven episodes and now what should I do? That didn't work. I didn't go viral. Now what will I do? I love it, okay. So, uh, wrapping up, if people want to connect with you further which they do, if you're listening to this podcast, you definitely want to connect with these three women. They're amazing. Uh, what is the best way for them to get in touch with you? Learn more about you. Connect with you, jessica. What is the best way for them to get in touch with you? Learn more about you. Connect with you.

Jessica Millhiser: 34:58

Jessica, my website is jmillsconsultingcom, my email is jessica at jmillsconsultingcom and I'm on LinkedIn as Jessica Millheiser.

Melissa Snow: 35:15

I'd love to connect with you, Megs. If people want to see reels of moms face down in the grass.

Megs Crawford: 35:21

Yes, find me on Instagram at organizing an ADHD brain. There's periods in between all the words. My website is mindfulmegscom. And then you can also find me on any podcast platform, including YouTube, but I'm not on there very much. Organizing an ADHD brain.

Alexandria Agresta: 35:42

Love it, and you, alexandria, yeah. So I'm going all in on Instagram. I love the gram these days. My DJ name is Made for Magic, so you can follow me at Made the number four, magic music, and if you want to listen to some mixes, you can find me on SoundCloud as well. I usually give my professional stuff, but I'm switching it up. I'm giving my music stuff today. Let's go on a walk and listen to music and wear sparkly clothes.

Melissa Snow: 36:02

Yes, Do it, push it up and get out there Awesome. Well, I will put the links for all of your information in the show notes so that people can connect with you. Congratulations again on these well-deserved awards and thank you so much for coming on the podcast to share your wisdom and your inspiration with us. You guys are fabulous.

Jessica Millhiser: 36:23

Thank you, Melissa. It's truly an honor. I really appreciate it.