IAM344 – Coachsultant Teaches Coaches/ Consultants How to Build Thought Leadership

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski

HER S𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

 At 29, at the peak of her corporate career & deep unhappiness, she quit her job & started from scratch
 During a 9-month sabbatical she changed the way she think, speak & act. Dr. Natalia was committed to designing her purposeful dream life & founded Think Natalia

HER 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

 Her obsession is coachsulting people who left corporate to do their own thing. Teaching coaches/ consultants how to market themselves, how to build thought leadership personal brands on LinkedIn
 Her aim: A tribe of 1 million thinkers & doers to challenge, to change the status quo

• CEO Hack: Meditating
• CEO Nugget: The right way of running a business does not exist
• CEO Defined: Chief entertainment officer – to the clients and people who work with you

Website: http://www.thinknatalia.com/

LinkedIn: https://ae.linkedin.com/in/nataliawiechowski/en
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thinknatalia
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thinknatalia
YouTube: www.youtube.com/thinknatalia

Full Interview

Check out one of our favorite CEO Hack’s Audible. Get your free audiobook and check out more of our favorite CEO Hacks HERE.

Transcription

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

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 0:30

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 Dr. Natalia Wiechowski of Think Natalia, Dr. Natalia, it is awesome to have you on the show.

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 0:42

Thank you so much for having me over Gresh

Gresham Harkless 0:45

No problem was great to have you on and what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Dr. Natalia so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And at the age of 29, at the peak of her corporate career in deep unhappiness, she quit her job and started from scratch. During a nine-month sabbatical, she changed the way she thought spoke, and acted. She committed to designing her purposeful dream life and founded Think Natalia, her obsession is Coaching assaulting people who left corporate to do their own thing, teaching Coaches and Consultants how to market themselves and how to build thought leadership and personal brands on LinkedIn. Her aim is to build a tribe of 1 million thinkers and doers to challenge and change the status quo. Dr. Natalia, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

[restrict paid=”true”]

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 1:31

Oh, I'm so ready. Let's do this.

Gresham Harkless 1:34

Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story, what led you to start your business?

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 1:42

I finished my studies. And when you're a social scientist, you like the perfect job for you doesn't exist because nobody almost looks for social scientists. So you would either end up in marketing or HR or in a nonprofit organization. So what I did is I first experimented with working for the government and educational sector. So I did that I realized, the competition is not really high. I mean, it's secure, it's safe, it's well paid. But I'm too young for that stuff.

So then I changed to the private economy, and I worked in marketing. And I realized, yeah. I don't know, I just don't feel it. So I asked myself, What is another alternative, there were, I think around three, the first one was to get married, become a mom Shut up, and just don't work, get a sugar daddy, and all of the problems are gone. Unfortunately, that doesn't work. Because I'm a very ambitious person, I want to create them and do stuff. So that didn't work. c

The second option would be going back to Germany, because back then I lived in UAE, where they've already been right now or still live right now. But the opportunity would be to go back to Germany. And making sure that the government pays for me and I say I'm unemployed. And there is also a way how you can live like that. But I don't appreciate such strategies.

And I think it should be only for people who have some serious problems. Like for example, a mom was going through a divorce and had to look after two kids. I was like, okay, so it was option number three, it is starting your own business. And I was terrified and scared as hell that I said, You know what, I need to try it because obviously wanted to sound boring, and lame, and I don't want to do that. Right.

Gresham Harkless 3:32

That's awesome. And I appreciate you for deciding to do that. And I'm sure there are a million other people, as we said in the intro, that are also excited about you doing that as well. So I wanted to hear a little bit more about what you're doing. I think Natalia, you can tell us how you serve the clients and what you will find there. And tell us a little bit more about that.

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 3:50

Sure. So I realized that a lot of people don't know how to market themselves. They don't know how to present themselves. They don't like speaking about themselves. And they're very shy when it comes to saying I am the expert almost as if you have to whisper it. And especially when you come from Germany and when you are a woman I think it's also a little bit tougher, because that's not how we were raised or how we were socialized.

So I realized that there is a big gap because for me in the end, personal branding, or marketing yourself, is a communication tool. And when you are not clear in your communication, when you do not know who you are, what you stand for what you're great at, what kind of people do your health, what kind of results you can get them when they expect the results or when they can expect the results.

If you don't know that and if you do not clearly communicate that chances are really high that potential clients or project owners or your potential employer also doesn't know that so I said that I need to test all of that on my brand. First I need to experiment I need to be a guinea pig and see what works, what doesn't work.

Then I've created a formula for myself, that surgery literally starts with profile sharpening and daily routines and your story and content creation and continues up to networking lead generation. So this is what I've developed now. So it's a group coaching program with a focus on personal branding. And I primarily help people who left corporate to do their own thing, as you said in the beginning.

And These people are usually coaches, consultants, keynote speakers, all sorts of experts who say, I want to turn my passion, I want to turn that one I'm burning for into my dream job, I want to make a lot of money, I want to be financially independent, but I really want to make a difference, because I disagree with whatever it is, and everybody has a different field that gets very close to our heart to our core, it could be women in parliament, it could be saving the environment, it could be whatever it is helping kids in a specific geographical area. And yeah, this is why I love working with people because give back and through that, we create the ripple effect and create a better society than it was yesterday.

Gresham Harkless 6:10

Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate you definitely, being the catalyst for that. And it sounds like, at the core foundation is a person's, why they want to create to do something like they have a strong passion about X, Y, and Z. Like you mentioned, it could be women empowerment, or whatever that might be. But it's great that in today's world, we have the tools at our disposal to be able to do that to build those personal brands and to be able to say, hey, we're great because x y &z

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 6:35

Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, nowadays, for me, social media is a little bit like your stage. And we all believe that we are actors and that we need to stand up on the stage and speak to our audiences in order to make a difference in order to be seen and heard. And my philosophy is also based on the idea that maybe life is just a stage. And maybe we do not need to take ourselves so seriously. And maybe it's all about giving back and entertaining people, or educating them to entertain them and teaching them something, adding value. And through that, imagine if everybody would do that. I mean, I'm 100% convinced that we would live more, we will live more balanced, more successful, and definitely happier.

Gresham Harkless 7:24

Absolutely, yeah. Especially if you're doing it from alignment of who you are and what you stand for what you're supposed to be doing, rather than what somebody else is telling you to do, or you should be doing X y&z just because of that. So I love that. And I definitely appreciate that. So would that be what you consider to be like your secret sauce, and this is what you feel kind of distinguishes you or your organization and kind of sets you apart? Is that what you consider that to be?

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 7:46

My personal branding approach is holistic if I can call it that way. Because I believe that a lot of the personal branding, consultancy or agencies, or coaches out there, start a lot on the outside. So they start with the wording and they start with the colors and with the logo and everything that you can see on the outside. And I always say that's fantastic. But you need to start from scratch, you need to start on the inside, you need to tell me how you want to be perceived, you need to tell me how your day looks and you need to tell me about your morning routines. If you want to make it in life, you need to start with things like meditation, and gratitude practices and actions every day. Because the personal brands that I'm building are not any kind of personal brands. But these are thought leader personal brands or leadership brands.

So for me, you will only be successful if you turn into the person that you would follow. So this is what I asked my clients, you want to be inspirational, you want to be a motivation. But if you would have a critical look at yourself right now, would you follow yourself? And then 99.9% of the cases people say no. And I was like, so what would you have to change in order to get there? And I have a few suggestions. And it's very funny, because, in the beginning, there's quite some resistance, especially when I talk about how you structure your day. And do you have enough space or time for yourself, which is not selfish? It is the core. If you don't look after yourself, you cannot serve others. So make sure you love and you accept yourself and respect yourself first.

And yeah, a lot of people again are a little confused in the beginning, but then the further we progress and the whole personal branding concept. They're like, Oh, now it makes sense. Now I understand why we did at the beginning, I would be never ever able to speak to so many people online, if I would take things so first or if I wouldn't have enough sleep, or if I wouldn't have created enough space to create content. So thank you for getting me or starting with the basics. Starting to crawl then run until we fly.

Gresham Harkless 10:00

Yeah, I absolutely love that. And especially the word brand is used a lot, and it's hard sometimes to understand exactly what that means. But I love that you start from scratch, just as you did in your story where you start to see what exactly you want to stand for and what exactly motivates you to follow that person that you want to be. And once you start to do that, it starts to manifest itself in the color of the logo or the font that you use and all those things. But you really have to start at that bare bones, or you never really can showcase its greatest potential.

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 10:27

Absolutely, absolutely. And I mean, see it as an opportunity to totally reinvent yourself as if you would hit the reset button. And imagine you could be anybody in the world, who would you like to be? I mean, that's an amazing opportunity for a second or third life, for me, I'm always super excited about my clients. And I'm really looking forward to seeing in which area they are, in which direction they develop. And it's awesome to see this massive transformation. And this shift in how far people can go, and the self-confidence that people get after six, seven, or eight weeks. I love it.

Gresham Harkless 11:07

Yes, absolutely, definitely sounds exciting. So I appreciate you for doing that and sharing that with us. And 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, or some of the things you might have touched on already. But something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 11:24

For me, it's meditating every day, and it's 15 -20 minutes if you can, and even longer, of course, 30 minutes, although that's challenging, it is a super high-efficiency tool. And it makes me also, I believe, a kinder and nicer person.

Gresham Harkless 11:44

Yes, absolutely. I think we can all use a little bit more meditation in our lives. And it's funny, the first time I did meditation, I think the visual that I think I went through some app, or I can't remember the app that I was using, but it basically had a visualization of a balloon, just what you talked about where you have whatever that feeling might be frustration, whatever that is, but you have it in your hand. And it's okay that it comes to you, but you let it go. And after you let it go, then it's gone.

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 12:10

Exactly.

Gresham Harkless 12:10

So I truly appreciate that visualization as well that you provided, because a lot of times you think you're doing it wrong if you have those things that you're thinking about, but in reality, you want to just be able to create that space to release it. I appreciate that. 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 a time machine. What would you tell your younger business self?

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 12:33

Well, I would tell that younger business self that the right way of running a business does not exist. So when you observe people on social media, or you talk to people at a business event or the networking get-together, especially in the beginning, everybody seems to have it figured out and everybody knows it best. Everybody has the best lead magnet or the best, I don't know, a management tool to manage their clients and conversion tools and all of that.

And I was just sitting there was like, oh, maybe I'm too stupid to run a business. I just don't know. And I don't understand it. And for me, a gentleman who changed my life I think it was Derek Severs, I think who wrote Any Thing You Want. I think that was the book in which he said, there are a few rules that you need to accept when it comes to law, and everything that is business related, that is legal. But besides that, it's your baby, you can do whatever you want, read different articles, and books, work with different consultants, experiment with it, and then find your own way.

Gresham Harkless 13:43

Yeah, that's very powerful. And I think is right in line with everything you stand for and everything you talk about with the clients that you work with. I always see business sometimes as like an artist, you have a canvas, you are the painter, and you decide exactly what colors you want, where you want them. And a lot of times because there are experts and gurus, you're always doing it wrong, but you can't really lose if you are doing it in alignment with who you're, what you're passionate about.

So that's definitely a great CEO nugget. I appreciate you for sharing that with us. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Dr. Natalia, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 14:23

For me, CEO means Chief Entertainment Officer. So you need to keep your clients entertained. You need to keep the people entertained that work for you. Or ideally, you keep them entertained, because I love the word entertainer to mix between education and entertainment.

Gresham Harkless 14:43

Nice. I definitely love that definition. edutainment is the word of the day now so I press the appreciate that as well too. But I think yeah, sometimes when we look at business, we think of big institutions. But when we peel back the onion, everything's made up of people and if you are in the people business, you understand people, you're able to communicate and direct and educate and entertain people, then you're definitely on the right track. So I appreciate that definition and Dr. Natalia, I appreciate your time even more, what I wanted to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you can let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can get out of you.

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 15:19

I think what's very important is that we need to understand that perfection is just an illusion. So we need our core target should be being authentic, and not really being perfect. So because if you wait until you're perfect, you're never going to start, perfect is an illusion, it doesn't make sense. And the best place where to find me is either on LinkedIn, you'll find me under What is it at Dr. Natalia Wiechowski. On Instagram, you'll find me under thinknatalia. And if you want to know more about what I do, then simply go to www.coachingwithnatalia.com.

Gresham Harkless 15:55

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, thank you so much, Dr. Natalia, we'll make sure to have those links in the show notes as well, so that everybody can follow up with you. But I appreciate you. Appreciate your time. Appreciate all the awesome things you're doing to make the world a better place and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Dr. Natalia Wiechowski 16:08

Thanks a lot. And likewise.

Outro 16:11

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.

[/restrict]