Motivational Speaker, Podcaster and Author Helps Clients Cope with Unique Societal Challenges

Title: Transcript - Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:05:01 GMT

Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:05:01 GMT, Duration: [00:16:27.36]

[00:00:00.24] - Judy Davis

And more and more, we learned that parents had no idea how to give their kids the skills to deal with things like technology and social media and the added pressures that they're feeling because they're in competition. Their competition pool is so much bigger.

[00:00:19.46] - Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEO's without listening to a long, long, long? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkness 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.

[00:00:44.72] - Gresham Harkless

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 Judy Davis of Dasium and the Mighty Parenting podcast. Judy, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:55.57] - Judy Davis

I am excited to be here and thanks for inviting me on. I love what you're doing.

[00:01:00.14] - Gresham Harkless

I appreciate it. And I love everything that you're doing too. This is why I was super excited to have you on the show and wanted to read a little bit more about Judy so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Judy Davis, aka the direction diva, is a sought after motivational speaker, entrepreneur, author, and the host of the Mighty Parenting podcast. She is an expert on parenting, stress relief and teen suicide prevention, as well as an influencer in the military spouse community. Judy is passionate about providing programs and resources to families across the nation and is the CEO of Dasium, a brand leading the way in depression, addiction, and suicide prevention in teens and young adults. Her books, the right side up and warning signs. Is your teen at risk? Our go to resources. Judy, are you ready to speak to the ImCEO community?

[00:01:46.95] - Judy Davis

I am ready.

[00:01:48.40] - Gresham Harkless

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.

[00:01:54.87] - Judy Davis

Gosh, you know, if you would have asked me five years ago if I would be doing suicide prevention and parenting things, no, that was not my radar. I've been a speaker for a long time, but personal experience. Our son was in college and attempted suicide during his sophomore year. And in sharing our story, I was shocked at how many families were dealing with depression, addiction and suicide ideation in their teens and 20 somethings. You know, their kids were, didn't have the coping skills. And so I wanted to make sure that no one experienced what our family did. And my son felt the same way after he got out of treatment. He's now celebrating six years clean and sober. He was addicted to prescription meds. That was his coping strategy for the depression he was feeling. And when we started sharing our story, we realized that parents didn't know what to look for, and kids didn't have the coping skills that they needed to be able to deal with the unique challenges that they're facing. And more and more, we learned that parents had no idea how to give their kids the skills to deal with things like technology and social media and the added pressures that they're feeling because they're in competition. Their competition pool is so much bigger, and we didn't have to deal with that kind of stuff when we were young. So as parents, it's really hard to give skills when you've never experienced that. So we saw this huge need to bring hope to teens and young adults because we felt they really need that and to bring information to parents that would help us provide upstream solutions to this crisis that we're facing as a nation with the rising suicide rates and things like that. So we just began to share our story. I believe that experiential support is the thing that's helping us grow so quickly. I mean, we are able to connect in a way that traditional medicine doesn't, in that when they hear our talks or use our resources, they know that someone gets what they're going through. So the kids are able to say, I need help, and the parents are able to go, gosh, I have a resource where I can go to to find out how to provide my kids help. So it started out from searching for what we needed as a family. And then I partnered with my business partner, who the two of us have just taken it to a whole different level. And my son speaks with us, and the three of us really have this passion for making a difference for families. And that's how Dassium started. And we ended up helping in that space. And we had parents come to us and say, wait a minute, we want to get ahead of that. We want to prevent that from happening. And mighty parenting was born. And that's what we started with as a podcast earlier this year. And it's exploded into a business of its own because parents are hungry. Parents that are raising teens are feeling very isolated. They're alone, and they need help, and we can provide that and help them know that they are not. It takes a village, and we can be that village.

[00:05:14.22] - Gresham Harkless

And I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper. I know you touched on it a little bit to hear a little bit more about like everything you're doing with Dassium, and tell us a little bit more about the podcast as well.

[00:05:22.37] - Judy Davis

Well, the podcast, you know, like I said, it started out as this place where we could kind of bring topics that are relevant to parents of teenagers. And we have been able to bring on guests from all over the country that have specific topics, and we discuss all the real raw and relevant stuff. We're not afraid of topics like suicide. We're not afraid of addiction topics. And we talk about dating. We talk about how to communicate with your kidney. And one of the things that I love about it is that we're in there. We're parents. We have 20 somethings, and we are not afraid to say all the things we did wrong and really kind of pull at the heartstrings of our experts and share our experiences, because that's how people learn. And what we're finding is that our listeners are guiding us to what they need. How to talk to your teen is a topic that is huge and how to deal with stress. So what we've been able to do is create not only live programs, so we go to universities, we go to high schools, we go to military installations, we go to PTA organizations and local groups where we can talk about what is really going on with our kids, what are the challenges they're dealing with, and how we as a community, or we as a parent can actually parent through those challenges. So those are our live programs. And then we have a couple books more on the horizon. We have a parent workshop that's in the making of how to actually communicate with your teen. And it's really more than just talking. Parents think that they just have to talk and lecture, and it's really about listening. Our kids need us to listen. And in the day and age where everyone is so glued to their technology and paying, you know, more attention to what's going on in their screen, our kids and parents are feeling very left out. So, so we're. We have resources from cards to deal with stress and anxiety that you can carry with you to, like I said, programs to outreach campaigns. So we can help schools, we can help organizations get to their communities, as well as help them create things that actually meet the needs of the people that they're working with. So we work with the user, but we also work with the individuals that are serving our end users, the parents and teens, right?

[00:08:01.79] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that's huge, because obviously you're going direct to the people that need help, but you're also going to those avenues where they also might go for assistance as well, too. So that's a very smart way to kind of spread.

[00:08:10.68] - Judy Davis

Yeah, so we do b, two b, two c. You know, it's all of those kind of things. And depending on the needs of the people that we're talking to, we're really into customizing, because depending on the demographic or where they are or if we're dealing with a group of college students or something, their needs are very different from a high school's kids needs or even just a parent group, you know. So we really do customize everything as well as have our general products that they can use.

[00:08:41.74] - Gresham Harkless

And I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And your secret sauce might be for your organization or it might even be for yourself, but do you have a secret sauce you can share with us?

[00:08:50.51] - Judy Davis

Don't give up. I mean, it's one of those things. Every day there's a moment, and, you know, I call them direction moments, actually. But every day there's a moment in my business or even in my personal life that I question, am I worthy? Am I doing the right thing? Because, you know, things work and they don't. And we oftentimes put so much effort into something and then we find out it was just the wrong effort, or we think that something is not going to work and some little connection turns into the biggest contract we ever got, you know? So it's one of those things that I focus really hard on not letting the little things or the day to day things trip me up. Just focus on what is it that I'm trying to do long term. And as long as I'm moving forward, I have to let go of the speed at which that happens, the way at which that happens, and just look at everything with a critical eye. Let go of the things that aren't working, continue to put effort in, but just to let go and truly not get so caught up in the day to day rollercoaster ride that we all can be on and just take care of my mind. I think that's the biggest key. I mean, they kind of go hand in hand. That's why it's hard for me to pick one. As an entrepreneur, I think the hardest thing is to keep your mind right and know and not let it get the best of you and just truly keeping that long term vision and not letting the naysayers and the doubters get in there and create those little pockets where you can just hide in, because it's really easy to sit behind your computer and go, oh, I'm going to advertise something on social media. Oh, it didn't work. Oh, I'm a failure. You know, it's not like that. We have to get back to the. There's more than just putting your stuff on the Internet is the way to success in a business. And I think that that's really, those three key things are part of the secret sauce, you know, and sometimes I do it really well, and other times I don't. I'm not gonna lie.

[00:10:59.41] - Gresham Harkless

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, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that you feel like makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.

[00:11:10.74] - Judy Davis

Airtable, by far. Airtable. I don't know if you use it.

[00:11:15.94] - Gresham Harkless

I don't. I'm curious to hear about it.

[00:11:18.03] - Judy Davis

Oh, my gosh. So, airtable, think of database and spreadsheet all in one. Literally, we track all of our podcast things, all of our images, all of our bios of every guest, and we can search within it to find topics. And let me tell you, it has been a lifesaver. You know, my business partner lives in Michigan. I live out here in Seattle area. And we are able to utilize that technology and that service a hundred thousand different ways. I'm not kidding. It was a game changer. So I encourage everyone to check out airtable. It is a business owner's best friend.

[00:12:03.24] - Gresham Harkless

Now, I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And you might have already touched on this, but this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice, or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business owner?

[00:12:13.05] - Judy Davis

Capitalize on the moments as they happen, and don't get discouraged if they're not happening at the rate that you want them to. I mean, every single moment that comes to us as entrepreneurs is a chance to either move forward or move back, and it's up to us. And if we let those moments pass because we're afraid to make that phone call, or we are intimidated by the success of the other person, or we let ourselves get in our own head, it's those small little moments that will bring us success. And we need to learn to have them move us in the right direction.

[00:12:53.28] - Gresham Harkless

And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is definition of being a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote unquote CEO's and looking at entrepreneurship and business, exactly what that means. But I wanted to ask you, Judy, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:13:06.25] - Judy Davis

Oh, that's a tough question. I think being a CEO means that I have an incredible opportunity to make a difference in a very unique way. I think that I can take something that I'm passionate about and motivate other people to help me make a difference. And I think that that's what I can do as a CEO is lead and make a difference in the lives of people who are hurting and, you know, who may have children that are hurting. You know, my business is so much intertwined into helping parents and helping families. And I think that that's really a responsibility that is unique, and I'm honored to do that. And I think that that's the, as a CEO, that's the thing that I keep forefront in my mind, that I'm humbled, that I get to be in the space where I can really make a difference in the happiness that someone has or the joy or the stress they feel. I can give them relief of that. And that's what fills me up. So I don't know if that answers your question.

[00:14:15.74] - Gresham Harkless

It absolutely does. I think that's an incredible thing to kind of remind us of, and we all should be, you know, aware of is that the impact that we can have and by doing the daily things that we do, we have, can have such a high impact. So I think that's definitely an incredible definition, and I appreciate you for sharing that with us.

[00:14:31.00] - Judy Davis

Although it makes me tired. I mean, weird time, but being a CEO is tiring.

[00:14:36.34] - Gresham Harkless

Yes, it is. Have you ever been on a treadmill for 24, 25 hours out of 24 hours?

[00:14:41.72] - Judy Davis

Ten years. Ten years in a row. You know, whatever. It's a whole other show.

[00:14:47.28] - Gresham Harkless

Exactly. Exactly. Well, Judy, I truly appreciate your time and obviously all the awesome things that you're doing. What I wanted to do was 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 and grab your books.

[00:15:03.98] - Judy Davis

Yeah, well, you know, there's a lot of different things that we do. And hopefully you've heard something today that you know yourself you might need or you know someone else that need, or you can put us in contact with an organization or university because we really want to help make a difference. You can just go to dacium.net or mightyparenting.com. and also the mighty Parenting podcast is available on all the players, any of the podcast players out there we are on. So we'd love to see you over in that community.

[00:15:34.46] - Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. We'll make sure to have those links in the show notes just so that anybody can follow up. But again, Judy, you are awesome. This podcast was awesome. So I appreciate you and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[00:15:44.88] - Judy Davis

All right, great. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

[00:15:47.58] - Intro

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