Thats Audacious

In this insightful episode of That's Audacious, host Lauren Clemett welcomes Maggie Miller, the dynamic President of the World's Premier Business Awards - The Stevie Awards. Maggie shares her unique journey, from a 10-year-old momentarily concerned about a new sibling to leading a global organisation that celebrates business excellence across nine distinct award programs.

The Stevie Awards, founded by Maggie's father, Michael Gallagher, emerged from a simple yet powerful question: "Why aren't there more awards for people like me?" This question, born from his own experiences in the marketing world, ignited a vision to recognise the hard work, creativity, and impact of professionals worldwide. The name "Stevie," a nod to Maggie's grandfather Stephen and the Greek word for "crowned," encapsulates the awards' mission to honour and elevate outstanding achievements.

Lauren and Maggie delve into the core values that have propelled the Stevie Awards to global prominence. Integrity, transparency, and a commitment to providing valuable feedback to entrants are hallmarks of the program. Unlike many awards, the Stevies offer judges' comments to all participants, enabling improvement and encouraging future success. This supportive approach extends to offering entrants who didn't win a chance to enter another Stevie program at no additional cost.

Key Insights from Maggie Miller:

• A Personal Origin: The Stevie Awards' inception story, embedded in a desire to recognise everyday excellence, adds a human touch to a global brand.
• Feedback as a Gift: The Stevies' commitment to providing judges' comments and free leveraging resources sets them apart, offering valuable insights for growth and improvement.
• Celebrating Impact: The awards prioritise real-world impact, recognising achievements that benefit employees, customers, and stakeholders.
• Global Reach, Personal Touch: Despite their international scale, the Stevies maintain a personal touch, ensuring a fair and supportive experience for all entrants no matter how big or small the company is.
• Leveraging Recognition: Winners receive comprehensive resources, including press releases and opportunities to be featured in Stevie Awards marketing materials.
• The Power of Connection: The Stevie Awards for Women in Business ceremony promotes invaluable networking and connections, leading to friendships and even new business ventures.
• Overcoming Barriers: Maggie encourages women to recognise the value of their accomplishments and to overcome the common hesitation to seek recognition.

Maggie also shares her experience working in a family business, highlighting the rewarding journey of witnessing the Stevie Awards' growth from a small operation to a global force. She emphasises the importance of remaining unbiased as president, focusing on ensuring a fair and transparent process for all participants.

The conversation touches on the challenges and adaptations of the awards industry, including navigating the impact of COVID-19 and the rise of AI. Maggie highlights the Stevies' commitment to human judgment, banning AI in the judging process to ensure authentic evaluation.

For those considering entering the Stevie Awards, Maggie advises reflecting on the specific achievements they wish to highlight and exploring the diverse categories available. She encourages potential entrants to view winning nominations from previous years for inspiration and to see the value of their own contributions.

As the episode concludes, Maggie alerts us about a brand-new Stevie Awards website, promising an even more user-friendly experience for participants worldwide.

Connect with the Stevie Awards:

Ready to celebrate your achievements and gain global recognition? 

Explore the Stevie Awards and discover the perfect platform to showcase your success. You'll find all the necessary links below this episode.

Don't let your hard work go unnoticed. Embrace the opportunity to be crowned a Stevie winner and amplify your impact on the world stage!

https://stevieawards.com/

Check Out The Audacious Agency Stevie Awards For Women In Business Package: https://theaudaciousagency.com/stevie-women-in-business-awards/

In this inspiring episode of That's Audacious, host Lauren Clemett interviews the driven Brett Farmiloe, Founder & CEO of Featured and the visionary behind the revival of HARO (Help A Reporter Out).

Brett's story is a powerful example of the impact of pursuing your passions, from his early days interviewing people about their career journeys across America to his current mission of empowering experts to share their knowledge with the world's leading publications.

Brett's initial quest to understand how individuals find passion in their work, documented during his cross-country "Pursue the Passion" road trips, revealed a fundamental human need: a meaningful outlet to share accumulated expertise. This insight became the driving force behind Featured, a platform that now connects over 50,000 subject-matter experts with top publishers like Fast Company and Entrepreneur.com, fuelling the creation of impactful Q&A content.

Lauren and Brett explore how Featured provides a streamlined and effective way for leaders – from entrepreneurs and marketers to credentialed professionals – to amplify their voices and build their profiles. The platform's accessible model and intelligent AI-powered matching system democratise access to media opportunities, ensuring that valuable knowledge reaches a wider audience. The coolest part is the AI-driven questions that overcome the ‘blank page’ barrier, so contributors know what topics to submit content on, making the connection with publications real and engaging.

Adding another layer to his passionate pursuit, Brett shares his excitement about acquiring and revitalising HARO, a beloved platform for connecting journalists with expert sources. HARO is a legacy brand and one of the first platforms to link experts with journalists. His commitment to breathing new life into this iconic brand underscores his dedication to facilitating the exchange of knowledge and empowering experts to become go-to resources.

Key Insights on Pursuing Passion and Profile Building from Brett Farmiloe:

• Follow Your Curiosity: Brett's initial "Pursue the Passion" journey highlights the power of following your curiosity to uncover fundamental human needs.
• Passion as a Foundation: The desire to help others share their expertise is the core passion driving Brett's work with Featured and HARO.
• Featured: Your Outlet for Expertise: Embrace Featured as a platform to channel your passion and knowledge into impactful contributions to top publications.
• HARO: Rekindling Connections: Discover how the revived HARO offers another powerful avenue to connect your expertise with journalists seeking insights.
• Turn Passion into Purpose: Brett's journey demonstrates how a personal passion can evolve into a purposeful mission to empower others.
• Your Unique Story Matters: Just as Brett's cross-country interviews revealed, everyone has valuable expertise born from their unique experiences.
• Consistency Fuels Recognition: Like any passion project, building a strong profile requires consistent effort and a dedicated focus on sharing your knowledge.

Brett's own audacious career, from helping Hugh Jackman launch a charitable coffee company to his adventures in the early days of digital marketing and even a memorable (and never-to-be-repeated) Hot Pocket-fueled startup phase, showcases the diverse paths passion can lead to. His current focus on Featured and HARO is a clear continuation of his initial drive to provide meaningful outlets for expertise.

Brett's advice for those looking to build their profile while staying true to their passions is to be strategic, focus on the areas where your passion and expertise intersect, and consistently share your unique insights. Platforms like Featured and HARO are invaluable tools in this journey, providing the connections and opportunities to turn your passion into recognized authority.

Brett's enthusiasm for profile building is palpable. His work is more than just business; it's a direct extension of his long-standing passion for helping individuals share their stories and expertise.

Ready to channel your passion into a powerful profile?

Check out Featured here: https://featured.com/

Subscribe to HARO here: https://www.helpareporter.com/

Don't let your passion remain a personal pursuit. Share your expertise, build your profile, and make an audacious impact!

This episode of That's Audacious is a captivating conversation with George Hedon, the visionary founder and CEO of Pause Fest and the esteemed Pause Awards. 

Dubbed Australia's flagship innovation festival and a recognised innovation capital, Pause Fest, under George's guidance, has drawn over 80,000 attendees and established itself as a significant benchmark for business excellence. We eagerly delve into the origins and inner workings of Pause Fest and the Pause Awards, uncovering the passion and perseverance behind this remarkable platform.  

George recounts his journey, sparked by a post-university sojourn in Europe that ignited a creative fire within him. Upon returning to Melbourne, he identified a crucial gap in the landscape: a space where individuals with side hustles, nascent ideas, and unconventional projects could connect and share. In a pre-startup boom era, Pause Fest emerged as a "moment in time" for these audacious thinkers to converge.

The conversation beautifully illustrates the evolution of Pause Fest from its initial focus on animation, screen film, and digital culture to the dynamic hub it is today, championing creativity, technology, and business. George candidly shares the challenging early years, navigating the complexities of building something entirely new and finding its commercial footing.

Key Insights from George Hedon:

• Identifying the Gap: Pause Fest's inception highlights the power of meeting unmet needs and creating solutions where none exist.
• The Importance of Community: The festival's foundation was built on the desire to connect like-minded individuals, creating collaboration and shared growth around the many breakthrough moments in a successful journey.
• Embracing Evolution: Pause Fest's journey demonstrates the necessity of adapting and expanding a vision to achieve broader impact and sustainability.
• Celebrating Incremental Breakthroughs: The Pause Awards uniquely focus on the significant, small steps of innovation within businesses, rather than solely celebrating major events and achievements.  
• Transparency in Judging: George shares the clear criteria and rigorous two-round judging process of the Pause Awards, encouraging entrants to articulate their breakthrough moment, implementation tactics, results, and market impact.  
• Focus on Relevance and Impact: The Pause Awards are for recent achievements (within the last year) and tangible results, moving beyond mere concepts. 
• An Infinite Number of Winners: Unlike traditional awards, Pause Awards celebrates all entries that meet their criteria, with unlimited finalists and winners - a spirit of recognition for genuine innovation.
• The Power of Curiosity: George's personal journey and advice underscore the vital role of curiosity in driving innovation and personal growth.

For those contemplating entering the Pause Awards, George offers a clear directive: articulate your breakthrough in under 1000 words, focusing on the situation before, the tactics employed, the results achieved, and the broader impact. Honesty and a clear articulation of your "interesting" and impactful work are key to standing out.  

As the episode concludes, George leaves listeners with a simple yet profound call to action: "Just be curious. Look up things, engage, go to meetups, find out stuff slowly, meet people. It starts with small steps, and there's this saying, small steps lead to big things." His words resonate with the core ethos of the podcast – to embrace the audacious journey of innovation, one step at a time.

Step into your creativity, be curious, and dare to be audacious!

Ready to explore the world of innovation and perhaps even be seen and noticed for your own breakthroughs? 

Discover more about Pause Fest and the Pause Awards here:
https://www.pausefest.com.au/
https://pauseawards.com/

In this engaging episode of That's Audacious, host Lauren Clemett welcomes the insightful Nic Hayes, a media professional with an impressive three decades of experience spanning broadcasting, podcasting, storytelling, writing, and communication. Nic takes us on a fascinating journey, recounting his unexpected pivot from the discipline of the army and the Victorian Police Force to the vibrant realm of media.

Nic's story underscores the often unpredictable paths that lead to fulfilling careers. His initial foray into media intelligence, monitoring the pulse of the news provided him with a unique perspective on the media landscape. He talks about the increasing pressure on media outlets to find credible experts and commentators and his pivotal observation that sparked the audacious idea for Media Stable, now a thriving business in its fourteenth year, connecting media professionals with trusted experts across various fields.

Lauren and Nic delve into the significant transformations within the media industry over the years. From the era of faxes and the nascent stages of email to the seismic shift brought about by social media and the 24/7 digital world, Nic shares his firsthand experience of these changes, highlighting the paradox of our time – that we’re more connected globally yet increasingly disconnected on a personal level.

The conversation navigates the challenges of the overwhelming volume of content and the constant emergence of self-proclaimed experts, requiring established relationships and trust.

Key Insights from Nic Hayes:

• Authenticity Over Vanity: Forget flashy logos and focus on substance, journos can quickly identify genuine expertise versus superficial claims (Australian experts, leave the Fox News badges off your profile!)
• Relationships are Key: Building direct relationships with journalists is far more effective than relying solely on press releases if you want to become a known and trusted entity.
• Be Ready and Available: Media opportunities often arise with little notice, so being prepared and responsive is crucial.
• Provide Value: Offer journalists well-researched information, compelling case studies, and insightful opinions to make their job easier. A "ready-made package" increases your chances of being featured.
• Leverage Everything: Don't let your media moments go to waste! Share your interviews and features with your audience to build credibility.
• Understand Paid vs. Earned Media: Be transparent about any paid media opportunities and avoid misrepresenting them as organic features. Your integrity is paramount if you want to build a credible profile.

Nic also sheds light on Media Stable and the Expert Registry platform that serves as an accessible entry point for those beginning their media journey, offering training and a profile visible to the media. Media Stable connects vetted experts with media professionals actively seeking credible sources and runs “Meet The Media’ events around the country.

As the conversation draws to a close, Nic offers a powerful piece of advice: "Put your hand up. Say that you're ready. You are an expert. You are an award winner. Get out there and do it. Don't regret anything." His words serve as an empowering call to action for anyone ready to share their knowledge and make their mark in the world of media.

Don't just be knowledgeable, be audacious! Get your voice heard.

Find out more here:
www.mediastable.com.au

https://expertregistry.com.au/

In this episode of That's Audacious, host Lauren Clemett interviews Angela Dion, the founder of Simple Breastfeeding and the creator of the revolutionary Blissful Bond Boobie Pillow. Angela shares her inspiring journey of turning her own breastfeeding challenges into a groundbreaking product that is helping mothers worldwide.

Angela's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and innovation. Frustrated with the inadequate solutions offered to her, she took matters into her own hands and created a product that addresses the real needs of breastfeeding mothers. Her dedication to quality and her willingness to seek out unconventional solutions have led to the creation of a product that is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing.

This episode is a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those who have identified a problem and are passionate about creating a solution. Angela's journey is a reminder that with tenacity and a willingness to think outside the box, even the most challenging obstacles can be overcome.

Key Takeaways:

• Solving a Personal Problem: Angela's story highlights the power of turning personal frustrations into innovative solutions.
• Perseverance and Tenacity: The journey to create the Blissful Bond Boobie Pillow was filled with challenges, but Angela's determination to find the right solution ultimately led to her success.
• Quality and Attention to Detail: Angela's commitment to quality and her refusal to compromise on the design of her product have been key to its success.
• The Power of Awards: Winning prestigious awards like the Stevie Awards has provided Angela with credibility and opened doors to new opportunities.
• Outsourcing and Leveraging Expertise: Angela emphasizes the importance of outsourcing tasks and leveraging the expertise of others to accelerate business growth.

About Angela Dion:

Angela Dion is the founder of Simple Breastfeeding and the creator of the Blissful Bond Boobie Pillow. Her innovative product is designed to provide comfort and support to breastfeeding mothers. Angela's dedication to improving the breastfeeding experience has made her a respected figure in the parenting community.

Don't let your frustrations hold you back. Turn them into innovations!

Find out more about Anglea Dion of Simple Breastfeeding and the Blissful Bond Boobie Pillow here: https://simplebreastfeeding.com/