Dawnna St. Louis

The phone rang and I glanced over to see who was interrupting my busy day. It was Dawnna St. Louis, one of my mentors. I happily took her call because she always has nuggets of wisdom to share. This time it was different. It was a business offer.

Dawnna asked if I wanted to go with her to New Orleans to the Promotional Products Association International Women Leadership Conference. She was the closing keynote speaker. She wanted me to network for her during the conference. I would intermingle with the attendees, share information about Dawnna, and collect information that the attendees want to learn. Our mission was to secure at least two solid speaking engagements for Dawnna after the conference.

Of course I said “Yes.” Someone is going to fly me out to New Orleans, pay for my hotel, air and for what I love doing: networking and meeting new people? Absolutely, I was going.

The first night of the conference we attended the welcoming cocktail party. While Dawnna chatted with one of the other speakers, I floated around to meet the women. These women were quite friendly and welcomed me into their circle. I told them that I worked with Dawnna and she wanted to know what it is that they wanted to learn at the conference. Dawnna’s desired to ensure she delivered the most impactful speech and teach them “The Audacious Acts of Powerful Women Leaders,”  her keynote speech title.

The workshops and networking sessions started on Monday and concluded on Wednesday with Dawnna’s keynote speech. Throughout that time, I mingled with the attendees. As I learned about the women’s interests and career concerns, I shared the information with Dawnna. She incorporated this information in her speech to make it more effective for the audience. I also told the women they shouldn’t miss Dawnna’s speech. She would be sharing valuable tips for them to be more successful in their industry. I informed these women that Dawnna was one of my mentors that have given me the confidence to start and grow my business.

By the time Dawnna to take the stage, the women’s expectation and curiosity had grown. Dawnna entered the room with a lot of energy, boldness and music playing to engage the audience.  She threw out a challenge for four of them to get up on stage; if they thought they were audacious enough. The room exploded with excitement. The women rushed to the stage. I was in position to allow only four of them on stage. These women overcame whatever shyness they had and performed whatever acts Dawnna asked of them up on that stage. Here is an image of them having fun and the audience laughing along with them.

Next Dawnna shared her powerful story about going from being homeless to being the CIO of a multi-million-dollar company. She shared the challenges she faced in a male-dominated industry. This story resonated with the audience. Next she taught them how they can use audacious acts to become powerful women leaders in their careers. Finally, she concluded with questions from the audience that gave them an opportunity to get answers to burning questions they had. The event was a great success!

Here are things I learned from networking for Dawnna:

  1. Care about what the audience needs/wants and not what you think they want to know.
  2. Take the time to get to know them by listening more and talking less.
  3. Be open and genuine when you approach them, you will be accepted more readily.
  4. Offer to be of assistance to the event organizer. This goes a long way in getting access to your audience.
  5. It is not about you, the networker, it is about the person your are networking for and his/her audience.
  6. Perform your best for your client by going the extra mile.

The organizer requested that Dawnna and I attend the final dinner party in order for the women to speak with Dawnna in an informal setting. At the event, some of the women chatted with Dawnna while I got testimonials from the others on a cell phone. They were too happy to share that they thought Dawnna was the best speaker at the conference. They also told Dawnna what I great job I did for her. Our goal was to secure two new speaking engagements after the conference. We secured five! Mission Accomplished!

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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a Speaker, an Author and a Business Coach.

 

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One of my favorite pastimes and form of exercises is riding my bicycle. Since learning to ride a bike as a child, I’ve enjoyed the sport immensely. I bought an aluminum, 21-speed, men’s mountain bike for my birthday, some years ago. I like men’s bike because that is what I first learn to ride. I chose the aluminum bike due to the lightweight…I can pick it up with one hand. It also has front shocks to absorb going over rough roads (not much of that in the city area…but you never know).

There were many mornings that I would jump on the bike and ride. It gave me a feeling of freedom and exhilaration. When I moved to South Florida, I rode it less and less due to my fear of the traffic. Let’s face it, if you live in South Florida, you know people drive crazy around here. One would often hear of a biker being hit by an automobile. The bike sat for a few years not begin touched…parked on the balcony.

Recently, I made up my mind that I’m going to get on the bike and face my fear. I bought a helmet to give me a sense of security. Putting the bike on the elevator, excitement bundled with nerves ran around my gut. I pushed the door open to the parking lot, got on the bike and road off into the street. Keeping to the more residential part of the city, I road along feeling the freedom I love returning. The breeze felt great on my face as my legs kept on pedaling around the neighborhood. The more I kept on pedaling, the more the fears subsided. The chains of my fear broke, replaced by a feeling of accomplishment and self-confidence.

Then I thought about all the other fears that I allowed to keep me from accomplishing more goals. Goals that align with my achieving my life’s purpose. Now, I’m committing to facing these fears and riding them out of my mind. I’m going to keep on pedaling towards those goal lines. Won’t you come riding with me…Keep Pedaling those fears away, my friends!!!

Get your autographed copy of Live a Diamond Life, Live a Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters at “A Day with the Authors Event” Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 (10:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.) at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. 

Follow me on Facebooksearch-e1395241973582 Let’s Link on LinkedIn  linkedin-logo-webtreats Tweet with me on Twitter twitter-icon

 

Giants-Cowboys

Looking back on Joan Rivers’ life, my views of her are: a woman that paved the way for other female comics in her field, provided laughter to millions of people and was constantly re-inventing herself. Most of all I recall that she spoke exactly what was on her mind…sometimes, the truth isn’t so easy to swallow. Whether you agree or disagree with her she had MOJO, Brass, and was a BadA$$!

Well, my friend, Dawnna St. Louis, may not be a comedian like Joan Rivers, but she is funny as heck and she doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. I love that Dawnna is willing to share her knowledge with others. She keeps it real for her clients. In one of her latest article “SALES MOJO: WHAT FOOTBALL CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT INCREASING SALES,” Dawnna shares how she guided her client, Jay, through his sales struggle using Football analogies.

I really enjoyed reading the article and learned a few pointers that I intend to utilize in growing my business. Here is the link to read the article: http://www.dawnna.com/salesmojopart5/

As an international speaker, mentor, business coach and author, Dawnna strives, like Joan Rivers, to constantly improve herself and others around her. She has written several books including MOJO MOGUL MAVEN: Smart Strategies to Smash the Glass Ceiling. She will be signing her books at the upcoming “A Day with the Authors” event on Saturday, September 13, 2014, 10a.m. – 5p.m. at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Come out and meet Dawnna and the other authors!

A Day with the Authors
A Day with the Authors

Enjoy your Fun Facet Friday and Keep Living a Diamond Life. Live a Life of Purpose!

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A Day with the Authors
A Day with the Authors

Do you want to write a book? Do you need to learn ways to publish and market your book?

Many people have the desire to write a book to share their personal messages or knowledge of various topics. However, they struggle with getting started or deciding what to write. Or some folks have written books but don’t know how to published or market them to their audience.

It was with this premise in mind that a group of authors got together and planned “A Day with the Authors” event scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 (10:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.). These authors will share tips, experiences and secrets to the attendees in special workshops/panel discussions.

This wonderful event is being hosted by Seminole Casino Hollywood Toastmasters club in conjunction with Friends of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center. It is a privilege and honor for me to work with these other exciting authors to share our knowledge with our communities.

Please watch the video to learn more about the event and download the flyer. Share it with others!

Register here for the event: https://adaywiththeauthors.eventbrite.com

Sharing your knowledge with others to help them grow is the one of the best feeling one can have, in my opinion. It not only adds to their growth, but also to yours.

Keep Living a Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose!

Dawnna St. Louis at D47 TLI. Picture by Jesus Diaz.
Dawnna St. Louis at D47 TLI. Picture by Jesus Diaz.

When planning an event for Toastmasters, I wanted to select the Keynote Speaker that would get the event going with the right tempo. I wanted the person that would understand the audience and would get them excited about the event and the upcoming workshops.  As I thought about the folks that I know as great speakers, I thought who better than someone that has been a Toastmaster. Someone that I have been impressed with the way she/he delivered her/his message with such bravado and energy.

An image of Dawnna St. Louis popped up in my head. Dawnna works as a Keynote speaker for International Organizations, Private Corporations, and Direct Marketing companies. She has inspired sales teams and entrepreneurs to have the confidence to close bigger deals, women’s groups to shameless self promote, and executives to become confident leaders and strong decision makers.

I was worried that she may not be available because Dawnna’s schedule has been jam packed with her travels around the USA and abroad. With fingers crossed, I typed a short email message to her: “Keynote, TLI???” She responded: “When?” I replied: “Sat. Jan. 4, 2014 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.” She sent: “For you, anything!” I jumped out of my chair and yelled “Yipeeee!!!” I have known Dawnna for a few years now and she has been my business coach. I know how busy she normally is and I was quite happy that the event was scheduled on a date that she was available.

Dawnna asked me before hand what message I wanted the audience to take away with them. I told her about the theme: “New Year, New You.” I wanted them to learn something she did to improve herself or overcame an obstacle; letting them know that they too can do the same in their lives. The day of the event, Dawnna delivered a motivating and inspirational speech. Her speech did just that and more. She had the audience laughing with her skillful use of humor. She had them empathizing with her when she opened up about her fears. She had them celebrating with her when she faced and overcame those fears. She left them with hope that they too can overcome obstacles and their fears.

Dawnna set the right tempo for our audience. They left out of her session with smiles on their faces and headed off to the other workshops with enthusiasm and great anticipation. Dawnna did not only gain more fans for herself, but she set the stage for the other presenters to shine. Dawnna is a fantastic example of a talented Diamond Cutter! Leave a comment and share this article.

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Live a Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose!

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