Mama's Cup of Ambition

Mastering Your Messaging with Certified Story Brand Guide Brooke Greening

• Rachel Mae | Brooke Greening • Season 2 • Episode 63

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Get ready to explore the art of clear messaging with me as I delve deep into the Story Brand framework alongside Brooke Greening in this bonus second part to our conversation in episode 61 (Embracing Your Inner Sales Expert with Certified StoryBrand).

Brooke and I explore the magic of the Story Brand framework, and challenge you to consider how this tool can transform your own messaging approach as well.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Brooke Greening
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller

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Next Week on Mama's Cup of Ambition...
Do you believe in signs? Tune in next week for a solo episode with Rachel Mae about signs and the importance of  trusting your intuition. 

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May your dreams be ambitious and may your coffee be strong! xoxo -Rachel Mae

Rachel Mae:

Hey, i'm Rachel Mae, Country Singer, songwriter and host of Mamas Cup of Ambition, the podcast for ambitious mamas with big dreams and little kids. Or maybe your kids aren't so little anymore, but your dreams are still just as big as ever. Wherever you find yourself in your motherhood journey, if you've got ambitious goals that you're longing to achieve and you're looking to spark inspiration, cultivate motivation and develop community with like-minded mamas, you're in the right place. As a new mama myself, i created this show as a place for honest and empowering conversations about motherhood, entrepreneurship and dream chasing. So grab a notebook, top off that cup of coffee and let's turn our goals into action plans and our dreams into reality together. Now let's jump in to today's episode. Hello, hello and welcome to another episode of Mamas Cup of Ambition. If this is your first time here, welcome. So happy that you found the show. And if this is not your first time here, welcome back. I really appreciate that you came back to spend some more time with me. So in today's episode, i'm going to share with you what happened when I had Brooke Greening on the show and after we wrapped our main interview.

Rachel Mae:

A lot of times, when I have guests on the podcast and our recording ends, we often start chatting and get into like some pretty fun and engaging conversations, and I don't typically start recording again because I want to be in the moment with my guests and also I really try to be respectful of everyone's time, right. But when Brooke offered to demonstrate a piece of the story brand framework that helps to clarify messaging by putting me and the ambitious mama's club in the hot seat, i had to ask to turn the mics back on and Brooke graciously agreed. So, as you're listening to Brooke, take me through this process I'd really encourage you to think through how you would take your own messaging through this same framework, because if you've got something that you're creating or dreaming up and you really want to simplify the way that you talk about it so that it connects with your intended audience and gives you that sort of like quick, easy way to share your vision, then this is really going to be a framework that helps you to get clear on your messaging. So here we go.

Rachel Mae:

This is the second part of my conversation with Brooke Greening. So we just stopped recording, but we're hitting record again because, as Brooke and I were sitting here chatting and closing up our conversation, we decided to lay a little bonus exercise in real time on you here. So let's get into it, brooke. What do we have for them?

Brooke Greening:

All right. Well, as they're beginning to start talking about their business, sometimes it can get a little uncomfortable of how to explain it. They may be at a networking event, chamber event, whatever the case may be. They might be just trying to tell their in-laws what they're doing and they're just looking at them weird. But there's a way that you can be able to explain what you do in just a few short sentences. That's going to be able to resonate with them so that they'll want to ask more. It's not that you're explaining everything, but you're just helping them to understand a little bit of what it is.

Brooke Greening:

The way that it works is you use a problem that you believe you can help solve for your audience, you have a solution and you have a result. So it's three pieces Problem solution, result. Okay, i'll give you an example of my one-liner. And then I wanted to talk with you, rachel, with your company, and see if we could come up with something. Okay, realizing this is on the fly, this is what I'm doing with clients. It's about an hour and a half to an hour process. I get to go and think about it for a little bit and then come back. But we're going to do this because I just want it to be helpful and you can see how it can work.

Brooke Greening:

So one of my one-liners is sales conversations are intimidating when the only thing you're not sure of is you don't want to be salesy. Building Momentum has created a sales framework that feels natural and gives you confidence to sell more. So that's what you can put like on your website, on your posts. You can put literally those few sentences. And so if someone said, hey, brooke, what do you do, i can say well, you know how, when you're having a sales conversation, it can feel pretty intimidating if you don't want to be salesy. Well, i've created a framework that feels natural and gives you confidence to sell more Done. And then people will say, well, what do you do? How do you do it? Thank you, i talk to people, i, and so if you know what you're going to say, it helps in any of those conversations.

Brooke Greening:

So, rachel, May what is the biggest problem that you help solve?

Rachel Mae:

So I help mamas who are feeling lost and disconnected from themselves in motherhood come back to themselves and prioritize their own needs and dreams again. Well, that's gonna be hard to talk about. At least that's my ambition of what I'd like to solve Now. Whether or not I'm actually doing that, i don't entirely know, but that is the journey I'm on and that's the journey that I am hoping to bring other mamas alongside with me And you completely are.

Brooke Greening:

No, you completely are, from the first time that we met for this exercise. Let's try to break it down a little bit more. So what's one problem? Just one that you help themselves. That, you think, is the biggest, i think it's.

Rachel Mae:

I help them prioritize time for themselves. Okay, because that's what it comes back to really. We need to carve out or stake out a piece of time for ourselves to do the things we want to do. Yes, Now.

Brooke Greening:

So you're saying for the mamas out there. They're struggling to be able to make time for themselves.

Rachel Mae:

We wear all the hats and do all the things for everybody else, and then we get the scraps more often than not. So I'm out here shouting from the rooftops and advocating that we need to take more than the scraps for ourselves.

Brooke Greening:

That would be a tagline. Put that over there. Okay, So mamas are struggling to make time for themselves. and then what do you do to help with that?

Rachel Mae:

So I host the Ambitious Mamas Club and it's a community and accountability group for mamas to come together and hold each other accountable to that ambition of carving out time for themselves. So just because we do it all doesn't mean we have to do it all alone, is sort of my mantra.

Brooke Greening:

There you go. Don't have to be alone, all right, so they're struggling to make time for themselves. The Ambitious Mamas Club is a community. Is it making time for themselves or making time for the business? Like, specifically, what is it?

Rachel Mae:

I think for most of the mamas that I've connected with, it starts with themselves. Like I think they may have the dream or the idea of the business or the thing, but they are so far removed from having even time to shower sometimes or like do the things, like work out or make nutritious meals for themselves, because they're so busy making sure that their kids have stimulating, engaging activities for the day and healthy meals that it's like it almost feels like we're starting first with just time for themselves, like even the littlest things, before we can even get to the point of layering in the dream or the business or ambition that's outside of that.

Rachel Mae:

At least that seems to be like the experience of most of the mamas that I've talked with in my community.

Brooke Greening:

No, that makes sense. And then the Ambitious Mamas Club provides community right. Is it something where you get together? because I was looking at it. How does that work?

Rachel Mae:

There's a quarterly book club feature in there, so we choose a book that's like, based on personal development and growth mindset. So, like this first quarter, we did Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky.

Rachel Mae:

So I go through the book with the members in real time and I record like a chapter a week or depending on how many chapters are in the book. I record a companion episode sharing my experiences and we talk through the exercises and then in our group we talk about what we're experiencing as we implement what we're reading. And we do it quarterly because we're mamas and trying to do a book every month Like that's a lot. So we do it quarterly so we have time not only to read the book and go through and do the exercises but then implement what we're learning. And it's a new Club. So one of the things that we're starting to incorporate in is Mama Magic hours, where virtually over zoom, where we can get together and that's where the accountability piece comes into play where we can all sort of talk about where we're at in, whatever it is that we're currently pursuing and what like our main focus is for the quarter ahead, and set some goals so that the next time we come together we can all check in with each other and then in the Facebook group in between those Mama Magic hours we can have more like real time, day to day sort of like. I need help with this, it's you kind of building that support network of Mama's who are in the same boat as you, trying to carve out that time, like whether you already know what you're ambitious about. Are you just trying to rediscover it? like it just helps to be in proximity.

Rachel Mae:

I think, of mama's who are like I had an hour carved out during nap time that I was gonna work on my email list and then my kid didn't nap, and it's like just being able to have that shared space and Support in the community, that you can share those moments with each other.

Rachel Mae:

I feel like it just makes you feel not so lonely. There's some real connection that happens there, that I think that's that's where the magic is, because you realize like, okay, i might have hard days, but this isn't just unique to me. We all have those Those challenging moments where you intended to do something and then that hour got swallowed up because your kid decided not to nap and so you didn't have any time that day and by the time The kids got to sleep you're so tired you can do is just crash in bed yourself, and I think there's like something so isolating about that, if you feel like everyone else is out crushing their goals and reaching their dreams and ambitions, and you're just trying to like Squirrel away a minute here and there and so the ambitious mama's club is a place where you can come and realize one, you can speak those frustrations and just let it get out and get some support from mama's who understand, and then we'll also encourage you to like it's okay, tomorrow's a fresh day.

Rachel Mae:

Prioritize what you need in this moment, yeah, yeah, just to love on each other and lift each other up so we can all move forward. Right, that's my vision here, i love it.

Brooke Greening:

So we're going to talk about and again, we're just winging it. Here we're talking about the problem, the solution and the result. So the problem is you're saying that they're struggling to find time for themselves. That's what they're. That's where the problem is, that, and the solution is always the company, is always you, so you don't need, you don't even have to be creative. Okay, so ambitious mama's club. And then we're going to talk about like, well, what does it do? how does it help solve the problem of feeling alone and struggling to find time for yourself? and so it provides you community accountability and gives you support to keep raising your baby, so you can keep growing your dreams, because it is more so like for young mamas, right zero to four.

Rachel Mae:

Yeah, most, most of the mamas in my community have little kids at home, and and not everybody, but the majority of the community has little kids at home and that makes perfect sense.

Brooke Greening:

And you're saying there's almost two problems you're feeling alone and you're struggling to find time for yourself. Because struggling to find time for yourself doesn't necessarily mean you're alone, but it just it. It complicates things. Yeah, because you feel like, well, i can't do what I need to do. And so then, if we're looking on Facebook or anything else, we see all these other mamas. We see all these other mamas out there who are like having the baby on the hip and they're enjoying their latte at Target, getting all of their supplies for school and listening to a podcast of how to who knows what. But and so then we feel like, okay, i couldn't, i literally just tried to put on a clean shirt today. That's literally my goal.

Rachel Mae:

Yeah, yeah, and I think even with this podcast. That's why I try to be very transparent and pull the curtain back all the time of like I'm doing this thing, but you will hear my kids in the background. Very often you will hear a dog barking. Like it's not perfect. That's the only way I can do this and I try to be. I don't ever want somebody to look at what I'm doing to be like, oh, wow, like she's creating a weekly podcast, like it's It's a production and it takes a lot of work, but it's also like I am just letting it be messy and imperfect to be able to do it, because it's the only way that I can get it done So.

Rachel Mae:

I hope that what I'm creating here is like showing other mamas that you don't have to have it perfectly polished or have No, you don't have to have it all together. To just heard Stu McClaren saying that of like, you don't have to have it all together, you just have to get it going.

Brooke Greening:

Exactly. That's exactly what you're doing and you're not just getting it going You. it's a beautiful system that you have set up and you take time in regards to who your guests are and giving them big questions, like you are not just winning it and hiding yourself in a closet and pushing record. That is not what's happening.

Rachel Mae:

It's evolved to this point, but there was a time where I was like precariously on, like the edge of my bed with my laptop and it's an evolution. right, you have to start somewhere and grow it to what it's, what it's become. But I will take those kind words.

Brooke Greening:

No absolutely So I would say just kind of winging it like it's easy for moms to feel alone and to struggle to find times for themselves, and the ambitious mamas club provides community online support book clubs so that you can get the support you need to keep raising your babies and building your dreams.

Rachel Mae:

It's so good, why is it so hard to distill that down? And I feel like when somebody asks me about the ambitious mamas club, i'm like I want to tell them all the things. There's something so powerful about the way that you just distilled that down right. It's like when you do that, it's like we're taking a bless mental bandwidth which, like, let's be honest, all of us mamas like we need you to take a bless mental. Get to the point Help me understand what this is right, because I've got a toddler who's hanging up with me asking for snacks right now and the dog is asking to go outside and like a pile of laundry that has been sitting there for a week Like I need you to like make it super simple.

Brooke Greening:

Yeah, and it's not just you either, because just in general, like the way we process information, like we can take three to five seconds and then we're out, and so story is the only thing that will keep you engaged longer than that. And so when you do it that way and you start with a problem, then they start to listen to you because they're like oh wait, i feel alone, i feel like I want time for myself, and then you can explain, explain what you do, and then I just encourage just do one liners all the time, like do it for each part of your business, like it doesn't have to be, you just have one. And so hopefully that can be an encouragement to those who are listening. You always just want a problem. The solution is always your business. And then how does your business solve the problem that you just talked about? and what does life look like when you do that?

Rachel Mae:

This is so good. I'm so happy that we just hit record again. You just dropped so much more value on us. I mean, I personally just benefited from that, but I know my audience is going to take away so many gyms from that as well. Thank you so much for that, Brooke.

Brooke Greening:

Oh, it's my pleasure. Now I'm going to go back and I'm going to be like, okay, now how do I fix this and how do I make this tighter and make it run? But it gives you a good idea of how to be able to put it together.

Rachel Mae:

Oh, my gosh Y'all. She's good at this. She's good at this. So if you need a sales coach, right, or you need some help with your sales and marketing, we know where to go. Now We've got we've got Brooke in our network of folks to call on when we need some support. So thank you, thank you for being so generous and for taking me through that process and letting my audience see that little like behind the scenes framework.

Brooke Greening:

It's my pleasure. I'm glad we were able to do it. I hope it's helpful for you.

Rachel Mae:

Okay, wasn't that fun. Now I have to admit that the Ambitious Mamas Club is still a work in progress And right now I'm kind of in the process of like tweaking and reimagining some of the things within the club, because I have so many ideas for what I believe this has the potential to be, and stitching those ideas together in like a cohesive way That really takes some strategy and a lot of refinement. And, just like anything in life and business, i really believe that you have to walk into these things with a spirit of curiosity and flexibility, because sometimes the vision that you cast, it just takes time to come to life And there's a good chance that when it does take shape, it may look different than it did on paper. So talking through my vision for the club with Brooke was really fun and eyeopening for me, and I hope that hearing that process gave you some ideas for whatever it is that you're dreaming up.

Rachel Mae:

And I really just want to reiterate here that you don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going, and it's okay to not have every single detail perfectly laid out before you start the thing that you want to do, because the truth is so much of the clarity you need to move forward toward your biggest goals or ambitions.

Rachel Mae:

It's going to reveal itself in the action you take. So please don't feel like you need to work away trying to perfect something behind the scenes and have it all figured out before you're allowed to share it with the world. I understand that desire And it's something that I'm actively trying to rewire in my own mind, because that route it really stifles our progress and it keeps you stuck, and not to mention that it's really freaking isolating. So I just want to encourage you to let it be messy and to build your dreams out in the open, because I promise you you will be blown away by the support that reveals itself, and the momentum that you'll build will be so much more powerful when you just give yourself permission to not have to do it.

Rachel Mae:

Perfectly The truth is none of us have it all figured out. Like none of us are starting knowing exactly what our dreams and ambitions, how they're going to look at the finish line, like what is the finish line? We don't even know what the finish line is. Right, that's just some elusive thing. Like dreams are always evolving and changing, and so it's. There's not just like one final destination of like well, i did it. There's benchmarks of success along the way, and that's different for each of us. But all of our dreams and visions, they're constantly going to be evolving.

Rachel Mae:

And I mean, if you think about how many successful ventures hit the ground running with a business that evolved into something different right, like Amazon started out primarily as an online bookstore And now look at what it's become. Love it or hate it. We all know about Amazon And they sell a whole lot more than just books. And did you know that Wrigley's gum? they originally started out by selling soap, then baking powder And then at some point, they ran this campaign offering free gum as like a promotional gimmick to boost the sales of the baking powder. But then the gum ultimately became way more popular than the baking powder, and so they just like leaned into what the people wanted and completely shifted the focus of the company to become a manufacturer of gum.

Rachel Mae:

So what I'm trying to get at here is that you won't know what's going to land and connect with the people you're trying to connect with unless you give yourself permission to just start putting things out there and give yourself the freedom to change and grow as things evolve. So if there's something that you're holding back because you don't have all of the details figured out, just remember what Dolly Parton once said you got to get your dreams in line and then just shine, design, refine till they come true. I quote that all the time because I think it is just brilliant. I need to really should like frame that and hang it up somewhere in my house because it's always on my mind. So I hope you got something valuable out of today's episode And, as always, you know, i'd really love to continue the conversation with you over on Instagram. You can find me there at mama's cup of ambition. So until next time, may your dreams be ambitious, may your coffee be strong, and may we all have clear messaging and the courage to just start. I'll talk to you soon.

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