Episode 244: Showing Up Authentically — Interview LIVE from INBOUND 2018 with Strother Gaines

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hey there word nerds!

Today we have a little change of pace in store for you. As you may recall, when I’m at different conferences, I’ll sometimes record a live-from-the-conference interview, and this happens to be one of those episodes!

This interview was recorded in front of a LIVE studio audience at INBOUND 2018. Now, if you’re not familiar with INBOUND, it’s a fantastic conference hosted by HubSpot and takes place in Boston every fall. INBOUND has featured some truly incredible keynote speakers during the years I’ve attended like Michelle Obama, Brene Brown, and Deepak Chopra. I know right!

Now if you’re a marketing nerd like me, or your day job happens to be in marketing, social media, or design, this is the conference to attend. And the INBOUND team has graciously given us a discount code, which will give you $150 off a 4-Day, All-Access pass to this year’s event. Check out our show notes page for the info to take advantage of this amazing deal!

So why do I love INBOUND so much? Well over the years I have been attending, I have had the awesome opportunity to speak at this event, and have been able to foster several friendships. And one of the people I’ve connected with happens to be today’s guest, Strother Gaines.

Strother is a business and personal coach for creative entrepreneurs and those who want to become one.

He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and his coaching business has just about the best name of all time: “But I’m a Unicorn, Dammit!” In his business, Strother works passionately to help as many people as possible own up to the fact that they’re a unique f($!@& snowflake.

He also served as the event director for the DC Chapter of Network Under 40 and he recently spoke at the TEDx MidAtlantic Festival on on the topic of storytelling.

I have also had the opportunity to hear Strother speak at INBOUND on networking, and after hearing his talk I knew I had to have him on the show to discuss this very topic. If you’re anything like me, you might look forward to networking about as much as you look forward to a deadline. It’s both terrifying and invigorating at the same time.

So listen in as Strother and I chat about why networking is so freaking hard, and how the best way to make it easy is to show up as authentically you.

In this episode Strother and I discuss:

  • Tools to access your authentic self.
  • Clamping down on what you share vs. keeping your privacy boundaries up.
  • The benefits of getting a “no”.
  • Networking pitfalls to avoid.
  • Ice breakers and best practices in networking environments.

Plus, Strother’s #1 tip for writers.

About Strother Gaines

Strother Gaines is a business and personal coach for creative entrepreneurs and those who want to become one. He works with lawyers who just wanna dance, programmers who wish they were potters and undercover Yogi CFO’s to integrate their professional life with their authentic creative self.

He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur with a background in theatre, public speaking, education, sales, management, leadership and segway-tour-guiding.  His private practice is called “But I’m a Unicorn, Dammit!” and he is passionately working to help as many people as possible own up to the fact that they’re a unique fu($!@& snowflake.

He is the artistic director for DC’s only immersive theatre company, TBD Immersive, which just closed the smash hit Cabaret Rising. He served as the event director for the DC Chapter of Network Under 40 and he recently spoke at the TEDx MidAtlantic Festival on the topic of storytelling.

To connect with Strother check out his website at unicorndammit.com.

INBOUND

The INBOUND conference is more than just four days of learning and inspiration. It’s a place where you can step back from your day-to-day, and think about big ideas. It is a community of people who are passionate about marketing, selling, and delighting customers in an inbound way. Their annual event and year-round media platform inspires and educates hundreds of thousands of people so that they—and their businesses—can grow better.

The INBOUND philosophy is that we’re all people first, and that empathy and humanity are at the core of doing business. They bring together speakers who are passionate not just about improving the bottom line, but also about building a brighter, kinder, and more inclusive future.

If that all resonates with you then mark your calendars for INBOUND 2019 which will be held in Boston from September 3rd to the 6th.

And the INBOUND team has graciously given us Word Nerds a discount code, which will give you $150 off a 4-Day, All-Access pass to INBOUND19! Just use our code DIYINBOUND at checkout or click this link: https://www.inbound.com/register?promo=DIYINBOUND.

To learn even more about INBOUND19 check out their website at www.inbound.com.

Link to Episode 244

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

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