IAM181- Event Planning Expert and Podcast Host Advocates for Self-care and Living a Life Full of Grace

Allie Hembree Martin is a public relations and event planning expert with more than a decade of experience. She currently serves as the Community Relations and Event Manager for Kendra Scott, formerly working in public relations for Amazon, Alltech and the International SPA Association. 

Allie completed her Master’s in Business Administration at Midway College and received her Bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University in Broadcast Journalism, Political Science and Theatre. Now in its third season, Allie enjoys serving as host of the podcast, Selfish, a show that advocates for self-care and living a life full of grace.

• CEO Hack:  Powersheets by Lara Casey of Cultivate What Matters to help achieve goals
• CEO Nugget: Hard work prevails, be willing to put in more hours than any other
• CEO Defined: Putting others first and taking that back seat

Website: https://www.selfishthepodcast.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealliemartin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selfishpodcast

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Transcription:

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:27

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Allie Martin of The Selfish Podcast. Allie, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Allie Hembree Martin 0:36

Thanks so much for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:38

No problem. Super excited to have you on and what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Allie, so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Allie Hembree Martin is a public relations and event planning expert with more than a decade of experience. She currently serves as the Community Relations and Event Manager for Kendra Scott, formerly working in public relations for Amazon, Alltech, and the International SPA Association.

Allie completed her Master’s in Business Administration at Midway College and received her Bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University in Broadcast Journalism, Political Science, and Theatre. Now in its third season, Allie enjoys serving as host of the podcast, Selfish, a show that advocates for self-care and living a life full of grace. Allie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Allie Hembree Martin 1:23

Yes, you've got it.

Gresham Harkless 1:25

Awesome. Let's do it. So the first question I had was to hear a little bit more about your CEO story. And what led you to start your business and your podcast?

Allie Hembree Martin 1:32

Yeah, as you mentioned, I came from the world of the International SPA Association. And as you can imagine, that is a world full of Zen, keeping your cool, and advocating for wellness. And I was talking to so many experts when I was in that field. And so many people had such good advice for the world.

And I felt like I needed to tell their stories and get that information out to the masses. So that really led me to want to dive into the World of Wellness and self-care. But then having that background in Broadcast Journalism from Western Kentucky University, I did have that knowledge of podcasting.

And how to create a show. So I kind of join those two worlds together and put together a podcast that really brings experts from around the world to you know, whether they are specializing in self-care or wellness, or if they just have a story of somebody that went after their goal, you know, either to me is somebody that really is taking time for themselves and considering what they want to do in the world, not just living by the daily grind every day just because they have to. So to me, being Selfish is different for everyone. And I want to tell that story and share it with the world.

Gresham Harkless 2:53

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I find that and you probably have found it too as far as guests like usually when you are selfish, it kind of sometimes might get a negative perception. But I always tell myself to put my oxygen mask on first, it's one of the things I tell myself all the time, because in order for you to give, and sometimes to provide value, you have to be able to make sure that you're also taking care of yourself. So that's my view of what selfish means. But I think it's an incredible podcast.

And I love that you're giving light to that. I know you touched a little bit upon it. But could you tell us I guess a little bit more about your podcasts and everything that you're doing from that standpoint, and how you're serving your listeners?

Allie Hembree Martin 3:24

Yes, so I have a little bit different of a format with my podcast, I do seasons, so there are seasons of 10 episodes. And they're a mixture of men and then women and either experts in the wellness world or individuals that have taken risks and kind of put themselves out there and just kind of listening to their stories and finding what inspiration we can take from their stories to inspire us to live out our own dreams.

The format is about 30 minutes long. So bite size for us that you can easily listen to on your drive to work and really I integrate my own story into each season. So where I am in different seasons of life, I lost my job during one of the seasons.

So telling the story of what lesson that taught me and how I really do have to be my own advocate because your job and your career can be easily taken from you. That's one lesson that I feel like a lot of us fall into that trap of our identity being wrapped up in our job title and solely finding our purpose on this earth in what we are doing from 9 to 5 every day but that can easily be taken away from you so what can we find in ourselves that goes beyond that job title.

Gresham Harkless 4:47

Yeah, and I absolutely love that and I think I remember exactly what episode that was and how sometimes you like you mentioned you're so wrapped up in your work is who you are as a person that if that is taken away from me I've been laid off myself. So when that happens sometimes this can be a devastating thing. But the thing that I love the most is that you're bringing light to like you said, you're telling your story, but you're bringing on people as well that are going through similar things or maybe can shine a light on certain things.

And it makes us feel closer. Because sometimes when we go through difficult things, especially we feel alone, but having an opportunity, like on your podcasts to hear a lot more about, you know, hey, this person might be going through the exact same thing that I went through, and this is how they fought through it or got through it, and everything kind of helps bring us all closer.

Allie Hembree Martin 5:27

It's amazing how those conversations kind of come up at the right time. And they're just what you need to hear when you're going through something. So it was amazing for me to kind of have that path and be interviewing people right alongside what I was going through and saying, okay, they got through this, so can I so really just being that inspiration, but that encouraged are two people that are struggling to find that identity, you know, what is their identity beyond their job title, but really, at the end of the day, what at the end of our lives even what are we going to be known for? So, it's not that job title, even though, you know, being a CEO is fantastic. There is more to life than that. So finding out what that is.

Gresham Harkless 6:13

Exactly, exactly. That makes perfect sense. And now I wanted to ask you what I call your secret sauce, and what do you feel kind of sets you or your podcast apart?

Allie Hembree Martin 6:19

I think my motto in life is I fall back on the Bible verse too much is given much as expected. And being able to share these stories. These people are coming to me willing to talk to me about what's happened in their lives, sometimes very vulnerable stories, and very a lot of pain surrounding those stories. And I feel like I've been given so much opportunity for these people being willing to talk to me that there's much expected of me to be able to share these stories and get that word out to people.

And you know, but even within myself, you know, I've been given a platform and an audience and to make sure that I'm telling very encouraging and uplifting stories because that's what we need.

So I feel like that has really helped guide me in keeping me going, because I'm sure you know, there are those days where you don't want to edit one more thing, or you don't, you know, it really gets tiring and you think no one listens. Well, why does this matter? But when you think about it from that perspective you know, this is a job you've been given. And whether you took it on yourself or not, there's much expected of you. So I think that's kept me going but also allowed me to look at this as a very big privilege. And I get to do it and not just a hobby.

Gresham Harkless 7:46

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And it's funny that you mentioned that one of my absolute favorite Bible verses, or I should say passages, maybe is the parable of the talents. And it talks a lot about that about you're giving certain talents, and you're supposed to do with them, you know what God wanted you to do. But people that are maybe afraid like it which falls right in line with your podcasts, or maybe you're afraid and they bury, they don't actually fulfill them. And they are not doing actually what was ordained for them to do. So it's great that you remind yourself of that and reminded us of that as well.

Allie Hembree Martin 8:15

I think we're so afraid of failure. So to hear stories of people that have said, I am going to quit my 9 to 5 job and start this business in the middle of a recession, I am going to sell my house and move across the country so that I can pursue this dream. Those are stories we all need to hear. Because we can say, Wow, that's similar to what I wanted to do. And they did it and they didn't fail.

Gresham Harkless 8:40

All right.

Allie Hembree Martin 8:40

So that sometimes is the only thing holding us back. And really, if you look at it years later, I think I would be very upset if I did pursue those dreams just because I was afraid of failure. But then you see other people around you succeeding. So it's worth a shot.

Gresham Harkless 8:57

Absolutely, it's a good reminder to make sure to go for it. And now I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app or book or a habit that you have but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Allie Hembree Martin 9:08

I love that something that I loved and has done in the last couple of years is a product called Powersheets it's a program put on by Lara Casey of Cultivate What Matter and she has put together a yearly binder that is a monthly guide to achieving your goals. And essentially at the beginning of the program, you determine what your goals are for the year and very much like a New Year's resolution type of style. However, you then break it down into months or weeks.

So that can look like I want to start a podcast. Alright, in the first month of the year, I need to do research, and then in the second month of the year I need to interview an individual weekly, and then maybe in March every day. You need to be working on editing those podcasts. So it takes it into bite-sized chunks that can achieve something over a day, week, or month. And then at the end of the year, you've accomplished it. And I'll give you one example, I only have a week left as we're recording this now of reading the entire Bible from start to finish.

And that is a goal that I never thought I would ever be able to achieve. Because who can consistently remember to sit down and read every single day, by having this on every month's power sheets I have listed out, read my Bible verse for the day, and there's an app on your phone that breaks it down into a yearly plan. And I am just a week away from finishing that that was one area of my life that I wanted to achieve and I needed something to keep me accountable. So I'm going to keep rocking the Powersheets, as long as they can keep helping me achieve these goals.

Gresham Harkless 10:59

Yeah, I think that's a phenomenal CEO hack. And I was just gonna say I always hear the quickest way to quickest way to eat elephants is one bite at a time. So I love how that breaks down your long-term goals or your year goals and breaks it down from month to week today. So that you can figure out exactly how to take each of those bites so that you can reach your overall goal. And definitely, that's awesome that you've been able to read the Bible in a year. So kudos to you for being able to do that.

Allie Hembree Martin 11:24

Thanks.

Gresham Harkless 11:25

And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. Or if you can happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Allie Hembree Martin 11:34

Luckily, I did hear this nugget early in my career, but I think it will live with me until the day I die. It was hard work prevails. And the individual that told me this explained. She was a president of a company. But she started out as an intern moved into the assistant role and worked her way up to the president role. And it's so simple, yet, it's so powerful because she explained it as I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I'm guaranteed to work harder than anyone else. And at the end of the day, that's what matters. And that's what comes out on top.

So, that really takes all the fear away from going into any situation. If you think about it from that perspective, if you're willing to work hard, which anybody can work hard, you go into a new job, you go into a new career, you become selfish and decide you want to chase your dreams, you can achieve all of those things if you just work hard.

So you don't need the knowledge or the expertise that others may have as long as you're willing to put in more hours than any other. And I just read a story the other day about two NBA players that decided they were going to practice before the game. And they both went into the gym three hours before the game. And we're practicing, and one decided to call it quits and kind of focus on getting ready for the game instead of continuing to practice. And the other player continued to practice all the way up until he was no longer able to. That player that practice for the longest ended up winning the game.

And so the other one came over to him later and said why did you practice for so long? Like you're so good, you don't need to practice that long. And he said I wanted you to know that I was willing to work harder than you were. So I wanted to stay out there just to show you that I'm here ready to work harder. So I mean, again, it just really takes all the fear and all the anxiety out of doing something for yourself or doing something that is a little scary because you are going to prevail if you work hard.

Gresham Harkless 13:59

Awesome. Yeah, that's an incredible reminder. I'm not sure if that was Kobe Bryant if that was that same story, but I heard it was. Brian, that's so I definitely know.

Allie Hembree Martin 14:08

I didn't know the other one was that Kobe

Gresham Harkless 14:11

J. Williams.

Allie Hembree Martin 14:12

Okay, there you go.

Gresham Harkless 14:13

Yeah. Jason Williams, who, He said, I remember he said that he was. And yeah, and I'm, and that's one of the reasons I read a lot about Kobe Bryant and listen so much to him, because he talked so much about hard work. So I definitely echo bad and it's that kind of like great reminder that you can control what you can control. You can't control outside circumstances, but you can't control how much effort and work you put in. So it's a great reminder.

And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of being a CEO and we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So what does being a CEO mean to you?

Allie Hembree Martin 14:46

I fall back on this Simon Sinek quote of leaders eat last and to me being a CEO is putting others first and taking the backseat and it's not all about the fame and the fortune and the title, it goes back to that Bible verse If to whom much is given much is expected. Once you've reached this point, and you are in control of your own company, and you're leading that team, you are expected to put others first and take that back seat.

And ultimately, I find that to be the most successful type of leadership out there as far as keeping people motivated, keeping people satisfied, and allowing them to do what you've hired them to do.

Gresham Harkless 15:33

Definitely, yeah, that makes perfect sense. And that's a great perspective for us to kind of remember as leaders, how we can kind of make sure that we're making a true impact. So Allie, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and our listeners know and then how best they can get a hold of you, and of course, subscribe to your podcast.

Allie Hembree Martin 15:52

Thanks, Gresham. You can visit selfishthepodcast.com and I'm also on Instagram @thealliemartin. So please send me a message. I would love to hear from you. And if you have a suggestion of someone that needs to be interviewed on the selfish podcast, I would love to hear it.

Gresham Harkless 16:14

Awesome, awesome, awesome. We'll make sure to have those links in the show notes and that information. But Allie, thank you so much for all the awesome things that you're doing. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Allie Hembree Martin 16:22

Thank you so much.

Outro 16:23

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co

I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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