by Amy Matthews | Sep 24, 2018 | Business, In-Power |
I am super excited and honored to be moderating a panel tomorrow at Dreamforce, Sales Force’s annual conference! The topic is Women In Leadership and is hosted by Map AnyThing and Women In Tech International.
So up my alley, right?
I’ll be having a lively and honest conversation with three distinguished panelists. Topics we’ll discuss will range from their personal experiences as female leaders in the workplace, biases they have encountered, and the effects the #MeToo Movement has had on their day-to-day professional lives.
We’ve made a ton of progress recently to close the gender inequality gap. And, the truth is, we still have a long way to go. I think it’s up to us.
We need to fully step into our power and claim it. Claim what we want and ask for it. Unapologetically. No more waiting for permission or until we are “ready”. No more waiting for old structures to change. For things to significantly be different, we need to speak up and team up with both women and men, and collaboratively and courageously lead the change.
You’ve Always Had the Power My Dear, You Just Had to Learn It For Yourself.
Glinda – Wizard of Oz
In leadership and in life:
Show Up Authentically.
Show up with Confidence.
Own Your Brilliance and Grace.
Rightfully Claim Your Seat at the Table.
It’s Time.
by Amy Matthews | Sep 18, 2018 | Business |
I help clients with personal branding and I often write and edit their resumes, bios, and LinkedIn profiles.
One of my clients who is quite accomplished, asked me to edit her bio last week. I tightened it up and added one line at the beginning so her educational background and work experience tied together. These minor changes made it read more powerfully.
My client’s response was, “That sounds like bragging.”
Huh? Then I said, “Not at all. It’s the Truth.”
Most of us hate the idea of self promotion. We’re socialized to minimize ourselves and our accomplishments. Perhaps for fear of sounding boastful. Or for fear that we’ll be labeled or judged. Or the worst fear of all..that we won’t be liked.
I’m not suggesting that you flag people down like “Hey, look at me!” People abhor that. But…
Emphasize Your Strengths.
Highlight Your True Talents.
Genuinely Be Yourself.
Communicate your truth of who you are, verbally and in writing, with authenticity, confidence and grace.
Think of one thing this week you want to toot your horn about. Then do it!
Come on..I dare you.
by Amy Matthews | Aug 28, 2018 | Business |
There’s an epidemic of over functioning among women. It’s as if it’s expected of us because overdoing is respected in our culture.
So we do more. We push ahead. We stack more on our plates. We multi task. We overdo for others. We manage and control situations and people around us. We make sure the outcome is exactly how we want it to be.
Without realizing it, our self worth becomes wrapped up in overdoing. We make it our identity. We take pride in how much we get done. If we’re not constantly busy, doing more at work or for others, we feel bad about ourselves. We even feel guilty.
Over functioning always leads to exhaustion and burnout. It’s just a matter of time.
Here’s the thing:
You are not what you accomplish.
You are loved for who you are, not what you do.
You are enough.
Unless we learn to love and accept ourselves for who we really are, our authentic qualities that make us unique, how can we expect others to give us the love and
respect we so want and deserve?
Respect Yourself. You are AMAZING - exactly as you are.
by Amy Matthews | May 10, 2018 | Business, In-Power |
I know what it’s like to lose. A lot.
Here’s my story and why I started Woman UnRuled.
In my first career, I worked for technology companies in sales and sales leadership positions. By the time I was 30, I had a ton of responsibility and managed a national sales team. We worked hard and had fun. At the time, I was making good money, $300K a year plus stock options. Fast forward a few years, as I continued to take on more responsibility, I finally got the VP title. Each year I was with the company, I was granted more options.
The company was acquired by a Fortune 100 and the stock continued to rise. And split. And then it would rise again. Two years after the acquisition, those of us in leadership roles were asked to integrate our teams within the larger company. We had to decide if we wanted to stay with the company and find a new position, or leave with a package. I rose my hand for the package and planned to take a year off before deciding what to do next.
I didn’t sell my stock all at once because I would have had a greater tax consequence. This is what happened next. The stock started to go down.. and down. Even though I was losing equity, I still didn’t sell it, thinking it would go back up. 9 months later, the stock that was once worth $3.2M was worth nothing at all. I felt I had the rug pulled out from underneath me.
Here’s the thing: when I had the money, I thought I didn’t have enough. I lived in my head, not in my heart. As I look back, I understand that I let fear stop me. By losing so much, in an odd way, it gave me a greater sense of freedom. Realizing that I was still okay after that epic loss was a profound learning which has made a huge impact on how I live today. Ultimately, it was empowering.
This sense of empowerment is why I started Woman UnRuled. I believe in living by your own rules and living a life you truly love with exponential freedom and joy – everyday. Woman UnRuled is about living with no regrets and no fear and taking action towards what you truly want. I believe you can be, do or have anything you want. It’s up to you.
If you’re a business woman who’s serious about the next level, I want to talk. Believe me when I say, I’ve been in your shoes. Maybe you’re questioning things in your career or life right now and you feel the weight of wanting more. I want to talk to you.
Would you like to feel more empowered, energized and inspired? There’s no better time than now to start living the big, juicy, joyful, abundant life you’ve always imagined.
by Amy Matthews | May 7, 2018 | Business |
Are you doing what you really want to do in your life? This may be a daunting question. So many women I talk with are either unclear about what they want to be doing in their lives, or they know what it is but are afraid to actually do it. I can relate. Before I created Woman UnRuled, I knew for a long time I wanted to be a business and life-freedom coach. It took some time for things in my life to line up so I could pursue it. And honestly, I needed the confidence to make it happen.
If you are a woman who isn’t clear on what you’d like to do, here are a few ways to invite in more clarity. First, ask yourself a few questions:
* What Am I Passionate About?
* What Lights Me Up?
* What Have I Always Wanted to Do?
Once you have a long list, pick 2 or 3 which really jump out to you, try them on and test them out. Go on informational interviews, follow someone around for a day. Pretend you’re doing a research project. You’ll know whether the experience is something you want to take further. Is it a fuck yeah or just a yeah?
If something doesn’t fully light you up, that’s okay because something else will.
If it’s aFuck yeah, choose it and declare that you want it. Yep, declare it out loud. There is so much strength in our words and our voices.
Now that you know what you want to do, it’s time to get into action to make it a reality.
Develop a strategy and a plan. Work It. And most importantly, do not quit. See it through.
by Amy Matthews | May 3, 2018 | Business |
Getting clear on what you really want to do is a process. This means it takes time, effort, and patience with yourself. Once you have clarity, the next step is to develop a clear strategy and action plan to bring your idea or dream into reality.
I’ve worked with many female entrepreneurs on business strategy. Most want to fall in love with their business idea before they actually put a stake in the ground. They keep their idea close to their chest, nurture and protect it like it was a newborn child. That’s all well and good, and there is a time for that, at the beginning of the process. I’ve learned, however, that to be successful, you’ve got to be objective and not get married to any one idea.
Use the 6 D’s to test the viability of your idea:
1) Develop Your Vision for Your Company
2) Define Your Services or Products
3) Determine Your Target Market
4) Develop a Clear Value Proposition and Why It’s Better than the Competition
5) Define Your Business Model
6) Develop Your Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy
By going through these 6 steps, you’ll get a sense if your business idea has legs.
If it does, now the hard work begins. You gotta put your heart, body and soul into it. You gotta want it bad. You gotta commit. It will take blood, sweat, tears and lots of time. You gotta work it. You gotta remain flexible. You gotta ask for help. You gotta be willing to pivot. And most importantly, you gotta stay the course, even when the terrain gets rocky.
