I help CEOs build their online authority and accelerate revenue growth | Mix of Jocko Willink & Mr. Rogers | 10+ Years Growth Strategist | Resilient AF
2 years ago today, my dog attacked me.
I almost didn't make it.
100s of stitches, 2 surgeries, 6 months of treatment healed my wounds,
But exposed my trauma.
That's when my real road to recovery began:
I've hemmed and hawed, but I've made the decision...
@BernieSanders
is what our country needs. He is the only candidate that has been fighting for what's right - never wavering, never giving into corporate powers - for his entire life.
Enough is enough.
Do you remember the veteran who told
@BernieSanders
that he wanted to kill himself over medical debt due to the inadequacy of the VA?
Well, this young man’s adoptive veteran father pulled the trigger with $12 left in his bank account and $180k in debt
When I left my ex-husband, I was lost.
Depressed, broke, and broken.
But I made one decision that helped me rebuild happier, wealthier, and stronger.
In public, my ex was super charming.
Everyone loved him. Probably still does.
Behind closed doors, he was hyper-critical,
I know Twitter makes all us geriatric millennials feel old as shit.
But I just want to remind you:
The average age that a successful entrepreneur starts their business is 42.
Not 18.
You're not done. You're not old. You're not behind.
You're just getting started.
I love and respect that Gen Z is so emotionally aware.
But I worry they seem to think trauma, anxiety, and insecurity are life sentences for others to accommodate instead of wounds to heal for themselves.
I'm tired of seeing the all male curation threads.
So I made one for the women.
Follow these 11 badass women creators that will teach you more than the top 50 dudes combined:
2 weeks ago, I married the love of my life. We have a dream relationship.
But we didn’t always.
My husband (OMG, I have a husband!) and I are passionate, fiery people.
For a long time, so was our relationship.
High highs, but such low lows.
When we met, I was recovering from
On Wednesday, I was laid off. And I'm really freaking glad.
A year ago, after 5 years of entrepreneurship, I took a day job. Something I NEVER thought I would do again.
I worked with some fabulous humans who will be lifelong friends. And some amazing clients who inspire the
I know Twitter (won't call it X) makes all of us elder millennials feel old as shit.
But I want to remind you:
The average age that a successful entrepreneur starts their business is 42.
Not 18.
You're not done. You're not old. You're not behind.
You're just getting started.
Everyone says: "you HAVE to pick a niche"
Bullsh*t!
You can build a scroll-stopping personal brand WITHOUT limiting yourself.
Instead, pick a THEME using this framework:
(Which I've used to teach 100s to build their authority + revenue)
I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but almost dying was one of the greatest blessings in my life.
Because it transformed me into a stronger, more authentic version of me.
And gave me a sense of purpose to help others transform too.
You can turn pain into purpose.
If you try.
One skill separates the best salespeople from the worst.
Asking better questions.
Learn the 5 questioning strategies that instantly turn you into a rainmaker: (without being pushy, fake, or sleazy)
I have ADHD & a full-time consulting job.
But in the last 6 months, my side hustles STILL made $46,864.
Knowing what to focus on is HARD.
My Fool Proof Focus Formula makes it 10x easier.
Want it?
Retweet + comment FOCUS and I'll DM it to you
(Must be following or can't send)
In sales, you win or lose a deal in discovery.
In 10+ years of selling, I've sourced or closed $10M+ in revenue. And I've tried everything to improve that first call.
Wanna know the secret to a killer discovery call?
Introducing — The Pain Primer:
"I want to build my personal brand but I don't have anything to say."
Bullsh*t.
You are sitting on a goldmine of compelling content ideas.
5 Strategies for engineering your creative idea engine:
I'm so damn grateful for the music of
@JasonIsbell
Your music has gotten me through some hard times and helped me find so much beauty and meaning in this life.
And I'm forever grateful.
My wounds were so deep they released more than blood.
My troubled past bled out of me – my lonely childhood, my toxic marriage, business betrayals, chronic health...
Turns out milder, but persistent traumas impact our brains the same way as life or death experiences.
Gratitude is life-changing.
Suddenly feeling grateful for every little part of life made every experience feel more beautiful, powerful, and meaningful.
Whatever you have to do, appreciate the little things, all the things - especially the people.
Thanks for reading my story.
I hope it can help even one person going through hard times.
And turn their pain into purpose the way I did.
If it helped in any way or you learned something, follow me
@ABetterJones
.
And please, retweet to share this with your audience.
2 years ago today, my dog attacked me.
I almost didn't make it.
100s of stitches, 2 surgeries, 6 months of treatment healed my wounds,
But exposed my trauma.
That's when my real road to recovery began:
I lived, but Pillsbury didn't make it.
We did everything we could to save him,
But it wasn't enough.
Unhealed trauma can have devastating consequences for all of us.
But I loved my tears.
They were more raw and real than the numbness I'd felt for years.
With each day, I peeled back layers of grief to find myself.
Who I was. What I wanted. What mattered.
This pain led me to me.
A gift I can't possibly quantify.
Why are so many personal brand coaches 20-somethings with no experience?
They have less to lose.
I know you've seen the trend.
These kids (smart, gutsy, gritty kids) absolutely killing it on Twitter.
While CEOs with decades of experience struggle to find their voice.
What do
In 7+ years, I've mentored, coached and consulted 100s of entrepreneurs.
The biggest difference between the wildly successful and the rest?
Mindset.
The 10 mental blocks that predict failure (and how to avoid them).
Twitter is boring if you only follow big accounts.
Same templates
Same advice
Same vibe
Instead, follow these rising women creators and be inspired, educated, and motivated as hell:
Other people don't know what to say
At first people cried with me + asked me questions.
But as time went on they got awkward.
First time I saw family, they saw my scars but didn't say anything.
They were trying to be nice, but it made me feel lonelier than I'd ever felt.
Talking about my trauma was the best decision I made.
I didn't want to talk at all.
But somehow knew every day I didn't, it would be exponentially harder.
I reached out. I posted on social. I talked to anyone I could.
I cried every time but felt less alone and a bit stronger.
Everyone says "Learn marketing — it's the best skill to make money!"
But where the heck do you start?
Here are 6 simple rules that will deliver huge results to beat 98% of the high-priced marketing agencies:
@balajis
Only a man in tech wouldn’t understand this term.
The women all know how we are condescended to, marginalized, and sexually harassed just like we were in high school but now by the nerds.
Once the nerds have power they’re just as bad as the bullies were to them.
Burnout destroys your health, hurts your relationships, and puts your career on hold.
But most people don't realize they're burning out until it's too late.
4 signs of burnout you must not ignore:
They gave me ketamine 3 times.
It worked. I was overcome by the feeling everything would work out.
That I would be OK.
By the time I came down, I was calm and present.
I know without it, healing emotionally would have been 10x harder.
Psychedelics saved me.
@davidbrunelle
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This means so much to me and to so many women like me - esp those of us that are or have been in sales.
This kind of bro behavior is way too common and it’s going to take strong allies like you to change this dynamic.
You always have a choice in life.
I could view myself as an unlucky victim.
Instead, I choose to focus on everything this experience taught me.
It helped me uncover myself.
Connected me to people more deeply than I knew possible.
And showed me the depth of my resilience.
LinkedIn used to make me feel like a fraud.
Until I figured out how to make it MINE.
I started creating content on LinkedIn in 2018.
Some call me a LinkedIn dinosaur. 🦕
And I was good at it.
Let's be clear, though.
I had no clue what I was doing.
-> No strategy
-> No
Next Tuesday, I'll share a podcast episode where I tell the whole story.
Also, my newsletter will explain how trauma is more common than you might think and the specific strategies I used to heal from mine.
I'd be honored if you'd give a listen or a read.
Most personal branding advice is a WASTE OF TIME.
You want to create business opportunity.
Not become a creator.
The 7 myths of personal branding you NEED to ignore:
Adrenaline is a helluva drug.
EMTs wouldn't come near me, afraid Pillsbury would attack them.
Covered in blood + tissue, my arms shredded to the bone, and still afraid I'd die,
I said, 'I got this.'
Shocking everyone, I stood up + walked to the EMTs + collapsed in their arms.
I never knew how far I'd go to save my life until I had to
Always assumed I'd freeze or crumble.
Nope, I fought like hell!
I kicked. I pushed. I hit him with a wine bottle 3x. I even bit him.
It was an all-out brawl until I realized I wouldn't make it on my own.
I learned to accept help.
Which had never been easy for me.
Having no choice helped me realize I wasn't a burden.
People felt honored to support me. And they did in ways I couldn't have predicted.
I'm still not good at it, but I'm a whole lot better.
The ER was the scariest part.
Adrenaline had run out. Pain was at its peak.
It was pure chaos. They focused on saving me. Not calming me.
They needed to x-ray every part of my body, but because of pain I couldn't stop screaming + moving.
To give me an out-of-body experience
But they're also easier to ignore and lock away.
Until we have no choice but to address them.
If I wanted to heal, I had to heal from all of it.
Once I opened the gates to my past, the pain came flooding back.
And the tears.
Personal brand advice is EVERYWHERE.
And most of it sets you up for failure.
7 personal branding "rules" you should ignore if you want to build a high-impact brand:
(And what to do instead)
@shl
I’m really tired of the idea that a business isn’t successful or worth pursuing unless it can get $1b+ valuation.
Our country runs on small businesses. Celebrate them. They matter. A lot.
They say you care less about what others think as you age.
But they do a shit job of explaining why.
As I celebrate turning 41, let me share what I've learned.
They make it seem like this confidence happens magically.
It doesn't.
It happens because, by the time you
Procrastination isn't laziness.
It's emotional regulation.
You're avoiding something for a reason.
— It's a task you do NOT want to do
— It kicks up fear or self-doubt
— It feels overwhelming
Figure out WHY and fixing it will be 10x easier.
A friend rescued a dog trained to fight.
Pillsbury had been sent back to the shelter 4x.
He was on the kill list, so she took him home.
But a month later she asked us to take him for 2 weeks.
2 years later, we still had him.
Everyone says: "You HAVE to pick a niche!"
Screw that!
Instead, be your OWN niche.
Build a scroll-stopping personal brand by being YOURSELF.
Study these ## compelling creators who beat all the odds by defining their own niche:
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
My neighbors heard me and ran to help.
My neighbor Scott squeezed Pillsbury from behind while he gnawed on my arm.
Pillsbury instantly let go.
They called 911, and stayed w/ me.
Kept me calm + assured me I wouldn't die.
Last Monday, in a hurricane, on a deserted island, and all alone...
I married the love of my life.
There is nothing typical about our relationship:
- How we met
- How we fell in love
- How we work as a couple
- How we build our life together
So why would we get married in a
He attacked my dog, Madchen, a few times, but never us.
We loved him! He went everywhere with my partner Andy.
We were a family.
But Pillsbury's past was always top of mind.
We knew how easily he could get triggered.
Then one day, it happened.
Mascara streaked tears running down my face, trembling with fear. It was February 2020.
I asked myself: "What if I just...stopped?"
Relief washed over me.
I knew what I needed to do.
I had just come from the doctor's office a few days after developing severe vertigo and a
No one ever tells you the most important part of Imposter Syndrome.
You usually feel it when you're leveling up.
When you are stretching yourself.
- Learn something new
- Reach a new level
- Become greater
It can feel like failure.
But it's a sign of growth.
Embrace it.
Madchen, a bird dog who is always on patrol, started barking.
I knew Pillsbury was getting triggered.
So I grabbed Madchen and got her out the back door.
But it was too late, he attacked me instead.
People used to call me “bitchy and aloof.” It cut me to my core.
But they were right. Until I changed 3 things.
Now, people call me:
- Brave and inspiring
- Grounded and calming
- Empathetic and encouraging
I wasn't ACTUALLY bitchy and aloof. But I seemed that way.
In class,
I'm getting pretty tired of the testosterone fueled, bro-tastic vibe of a lot of the big creators on this app.
Who are your favorite creators that:
- Are kind
- Are humble
- Lift people up
- Make you want to be a better person
- Make you believe you CAN be a better person
Everyone who gives a damn about entrepreneurship, your community, our economy, our country should read this.
Startups are hard but it’s entrepreneurs that fuel our country in so many ways.
A friend and founder that I respect immensely announced that she was shutting down her startup this weekend. As a customer, it sucked because there truly isn't a competitor offering what they were but as a fellow founder, it was a gut punch that rippled through our community.
During my personal annual review, I realized I've been investing a ton of time, energy, and passion in something Future Me doesn't give a damn about.
HUGE realization and an instant shift in my attention.
12 years ago, 4 days before Christmas, I found out my 4th boyfriend in a row was cheating on me.
All my friends said, "you have the worst luck!"
Hell no! If it's luck, I can't change it.
I was determined to figure out how:
Here is the most important lesson you can learn in entrepreneurship...
And I'm relearning it now.
(for the 1000th time)
When you start your business, you feel like you are on fire 🔥
You are fueled by:
- Excitement
- Passion
- Drive
It's exhilarating.
But if you want to
I've tried every productivity tool ever invented.
Most of them suck.
Especially if you've got ADHD like me.
Here are the 7 tools I use to get sh*t done and only occasionally drop balls:
6 years ago today, I took this picture and bought the domain: to start my business.
Since then, I have been a marketing strategist, an agency owner, a coach, and a consultant.
If I had to do it all over again, here's what I would do differently.
1️⃣ 𝗜
Entrepreneurs are notoriously bad at asking for help.
Often they're proud of their independence.
But they don't realize it's holding them back.
- Hire a coach
- Find a mentor
- Join a mastermind
- Get an accountability partner
Practice asking for help. Over and over again.
You want to be more creative.
But no one teaches you how.
So I gathered the 10 best videos from experts, artists, and masters to increase your creativity:
Stop spending time with people who make you feel like sh*t.
I don't care if they:
- Are old friends
- Pay your salary
- Gave birth to you
- Have had a hard life
Life is too short to waste a moment with them.
You deserve better.
@jmj
1. Gender pay equity
2. A woman president
3. Universal healthcare
4. Gov’t trying to solve global warming not ignoring/accelerating it
5. Male birth control
6. Paid maternity leave + affordable childcare
7. End to mass incarceration
8. End of the prison industrial complex
How to overcome imposter syndrome:
- Do things that scare you
- Collect positive feedback
- Call a friend to hype you up
- Learn the art of positive self-talk
- Recognize it's normal and common
- Save examples of work that makes you proud
What else would you add?
There are no hacks for anything truly important in life.
- Growing a business
- Building relationships
- Improving your health
Take your time. Show up consistently. Keep striving.
Your future self will thank you.
The Greatest F*cking Checklist to Maximize the Impact of EVERY Social Post
This is
@ericasmyname
and my cheat sheet to:
- Build authority
- Grab attention
- Grow your audience
- Turn followers into fans!
Reply with IMPACT and I'll DM.
Answer a few ?s and get instant access.
As an entrepreneur, you MUST trust your intuition.
- Person seems sketchy? Don't do business with them.
- Opportunity looks too good to be true? Might be.
- Strategy doesn't seem right? Figure out why.
- Deal feels unfair? Walk away.
Trust. Your. Gut.
Fuck resilience.
Resilience is just surviving.
I want to THRIVE.
I want to turn every challenge into fuel for my growth.
Into the lesson that changed everything for me.
Into the aha that propelled my progress.
Turn adversity into advantage.
Go BEYOND resilience.
Twitter, we need your help.
What is this symbol called? |
We're in a massive debate on the subject.
Current answers:
- Pipe
- Vertical Slash
- Vertical Bar
- Glyph
What is it called?!
I know the Twitter bros act like it's easy to:
- Get the girl
- Quit the job
- Lose the weight
- Make the millions
It's not.
It will take more work and longer hours than they claim.
But you CAN do it.
Don't give up just because it's 10x harder than they made it seem.
I'm tired of hearing how famous entrepreneurs, athletes, and leaders achieved their success DESPITE their challenges.
I want to hear the stories of how they reached these heights BECAUSE of their struggles.
That is far more compelling, IMO.
Every aspect of your life is your responsibility.
Yes, you have been influenced by the actions of others. But how you respond is up to you.
They won't save. Only you can do that.
The sooner you accept your responsibility, the sooner your life will change.
In 20 years, you won't regret the mistakes you made.
You'll regret the chances you didn't take.
The dates you didn't go on.
The impact you didn't create in the world.
The time you didn't spend with people you love.
Life's too short to play it safe.
Go out and get it.
I restarted my fitness journey 8 weeks ago. If I hadn't made one decision, I would have already quit.
In the last 5 years, I've dealt with a lot of health challenges — Lyme disease, a dog attack, a cancer scare, and 30 extra pounds. UGH.
For 8 weeks, I've lifted weights
#1
mistake entrepreneurs make?
Target a broad audience to earn more money.
It does NOT work.
Instead, get hyper-specific on the problem you solve and for whom you solve it.
DOMINATE that niche.
Then and only then expand to serve others.
You will make 10x more money.
Most people avoid the most important step in transformational growth.
Because it's boring.
It's unsexy.
It's slow.
It also forces you to face the truth.
And admit how bad things are.
Which is uncomfortable AF.
What is it?
Collecting data. 😴
It is the step that unlocks all
After 13 applications at 7 different financial institutions, I just got approved for the PPP.
And then I started crying.
I can't even tell you what this means or what a relief it is.
We've been muddling through, but holy moly this means we can actually GROW.
My greatest personal challenge in life has never been time or opportunity.
It's been focus.
I try to do too much and finish too little.
This changes now. I will finally take my own advice and do one thing at a time.
Watch out world.