Brandi Milloy is no stranger to the public eye. From the red carpet and Today Show to the Food Network and Cooking Channel series, Brandi provides tried and true tips and tricks for building a brand with personality.
Whether you're a lifestyle influencer or sell a product, branding is everything and it all starts with YOU. Join us as we get real and discuss what it means to step up in order to step in to the next level of success in marketing.
Brandi Milloy is no stranger to the public eye. From the red carpet and Today Show to the Food Network and Cooking Channel series, Brandi provides tried and true tips and tricks for building a brand with personality.
Whether you're a lifestyle influencer or sell a product, branding is everything and it all starts with YOU. Join us as we get real and discuss what it means to step up in order to step in to the next level of success in marketing.
Welcome to the conquering chaos podcast. I'm your host Aaron, equally president and founder of multimillion dollar ecommerce children's clothing line, Bailey's blossoms. So it turns out I'm pretty good at business, but what really lights my soul on fire is providing other entrepreneurs and a mompreneurs with the tools they need to truly succeed. So if you have a business or have one on your heart, you're in good company. Pull up a chair or dropping some ear buds and let's conquer some chaos today.
Speaker 2:Okay guys, I am so excited to be speaking with Brandy Malloy today about finding your voice and building your brand. She's a TV host, food reporter, lifestyle in parenting expert and so much more and she recently started in the food network series. Let's eat and it's also a contributor for the today show and cooking channels. The best thing I ever ate, which is not in front of the camera. She shares her recipes, stories, time and money savings hats on her popular blog, Brandi of[inaudible] dot com Brandon, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today.
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for having me. You know, it's always funny when you hear your bio because you forget all those things. You know? Right now I'm in mommy mode.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. You're like, oh wow. I have done all of that. Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's, I think it's a good reminder for everyone to kind of, you know, write their accolades down and remind them yes. And some cool and fun things.
Speaker 2:No, I've done a lot of cool and fun things. It's funny, just so that all of our listeners know, so I got connected with brandy through Bailey's blossoms actually. She had tagged us on her social media and Mike shut the front door. She's so cute. Ridiculous. Oh, before we get started, I'd love for you to share a bit of your story and your background. You've got a lot on your resume, so to speak, in a lot of fantastic experience and I know that our listeners are going to be able to pick up some huge nuggets from you and all that you've accomplished.
Speaker 3:Sure. You know, I think for me is I always knew I wanted to be a journalist from when I was a little girl. And I think that's so important to always remember those little dreams that you have, um, that maybe you've thought of doing something. Um, but really to continue pursuing them. So ever since I was young, I wanted to be a storyteller, a producer. And so I majored in journalism. I was the editor in chief of my college paper. I interned at a local news station, but you know, being in front of the camera was never really that the main thing. I just wanted to meet people and hear their stories and be a messenger. And what's great is I've always also had this passion for food. My mom was a caterer growing up. My Dad always cooked really delicious recipes. And then eventually as I pursued my journalism degree, I ended up being able to combine my passion for food and culture and ingredients and that big storytelling of what food really is for all of us with journalism. And so I always tell people, you know, I feel like I have the best job in the world because I get to eat for a living. And when you really get to
Speaker 2:meet some amazing looking donuts, I can have a donut kick lately. I don't know if it's because I'm expecting our second and it's crazy. Congratulations by the way. And you look ridiculous way perfect. I mean seriously, I don't know how you do it, especially being in the food industry and Mike girl, I can, I can't look in an Oreo and not have it go start into my thighs. So, oh my gosh, it's all on the camera. Cause you know, I gained like 55 pounds with my daughter Millie, who's 22 months. And every time I went to the doctor, uh, my midwife would just be like, okay, you're good. Like you've gained enough and you're good. And I just put it, stop eating and gaining. And um, those cookies are good. Thank you. That's the bad thing. The sugar is not good for you, but I have been trying to watch a, all the cookie is indebted it. Well you've got a lot of fantastic experience when it comes to, I mean, the first time you got into the spotlight was really your pageantry years, wasn't it?
Speaker 3:I never thought I would get into pageants. I actually trained as a soccer player and basketball player my whole life and my dad and I always thought I would get a scholarship. And then when I was in eighth grade I was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, and ended up wearing a back brace for over three years during the first part of my adolescence. And then I had three total back surgeries. Um, and you know, anytime I talk about my backstory, I always mentioned my back because, um, it really catapulted my idea of where my college experience would be. Um, and so yeah, I did my first pageant really just to pay for college. Wow. French line was going to do a pageant and she had a pageant coach and all the fancy dresses. And after losing a scholarship opportunity, um, I ended up going to junior college and did my first pageant. Wow. And from there I did a couple more. And pageantry was, was great because I'd always been involved in my community, in both my parents have gotten volunteer of the year awards in the state of Arizona. We love giving back. We love, I'm just being a part of our community and pageantry really gives you that, that microphone to do that. Right. So pageantry absolutely was a huge part of me not having any college debt. Um, I was able to get some scholarships and then also through pageantry gets scholarships and, and I think that's really what gave me the confidence to pursue journalism in front of it as well because I felt confident in talking and meeting people face to face.
Speaker 2:And so, I mean, and that brings me to a good point too, because so much of your career has been in the spotlight and you've worked with some of the most influential people in the country and you make it look incredibly effortless and easy. So how do you ever struggle to find your voice and what did that process look like for you?
Speaker 3:Yeah. You know, I think so much of that is, is knowing who you are and being confident in your perspective, your point of view, especially living in California, which is a super liberal state and community. Uh, knowing where I come from. Like I'm a Christian girl, I'm Catholic. Um, our faith is so important to us and in our family. And there's been so many times where I haven't gotten jobs because I'm a part of who I am. Uh, didn't really align with who, you know, they were looking for. Wow. And I think surrounding yourself with likeminded people and what's great is, you know, when I moved to La I was so intimidated that I wouldn't find my group of people. And it's never, you should never think that because like attracts like. Yeah. And my husband, you know, I found my husband and we have very similar obviously values and goals and so forth, but also the people that you surround yourself with and those jobs will find you. So I think most importantly is every day, um, identifying whether it's a, whether you meditate or you journal or you have a gratitude list. But really knowing who you are, setting those strategic goals for yourself short term and long term and and being the queen of, no, I mentioned this to you when we were doing some back and forth about what I wanted to share with your viewers, but really knowing exactly who you are and what stands in line with what you stand for is super important when you're building your brand and building your voice. And sometimes, you know, I go back to dating because I love telling people no, you know, and I love just knowing, okay, you know what that person is really isn't. You know my person. Right? But feeling confident in your convictions and being able to say no to opportunities that seem great, but in the long run just wouldn't be the right fit for you.
Speaker 2:That sounds like your, you are your ultimate empower us, so to speak. You empower yourself to be able to say no. Determine what those priorities are, what you're going to be pursuing, what's not worth your time because time really is our most precious commodity.
Speaker 3:I think something that's really important when you're building your brand, especially in the beginning, is to know when it's important to say no to make a list of your goals and to envision the projectory of where you want to be and to look at the steps that it's going to take to go there. I moved to La with a degree internships. I did a really cool project with Oprah Winfrey. I mean, I used to joke to people that like, okay, I've done, you know, I've done it all, but I also knew that in order to get where I wanted to be, I was going to have to make sacrifices. And I think sometimes when you make decisions based on money, that's when it gets tough to stay true to who you are. And so I remember telling my parents, I will go back to being a cocktail waitress. I will work at Starbucks, you know, I will do whatever to pay the bills so that when I make those decisions in my career, they're strictly because of my passion and where I see my career going.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. What I'm hearing is that you're getting very clear on who you are and very clear on what your values are to make sure that every decision that you make aligns within those boundaries. Right?
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think that's really crucial for people. Um, when you're building your brand and knowing your perspective and your voice and then going deeper into that is really knowing your audience. Yes. Who is your target audience? Because, uh, I, my, my mom's, my mom demographic, that was my audience before I even became a mom. And, and what's interesting is because the food that I was showing how to make on television or online, when I hosted some digital shows, they're quick, easy, approachable, accessible, and the people that were watching me where the moms that have no time left at all. And as soon as I really locked into that, I could really target who I wanted to reach. And then when I had the blessing of meeting my husband and starting our own family, it really just felt right. It naturally just took this course of this is who I want to reach and this is who I want to speak to.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. And you're so right because the reality is if you try to speak to everybody, you end up speaking to nobody. You wouldn't talk to a 20 year old who's single and in the dating scene the same way that you're going to talk to a 30 year old who has a child or two under their belt. Right. So yeah, being able to finesse and, and finalize and really structured that voice to be relatable to who's listening to you.
Speaker 3:And I think that can be hard too because, um, I think most people want to be liked by everyone. Yes. And so, um, even little things like I'm a carnivore. I love all foods. And so knowing that I'm not going to be the target audience for someone that's Vegan or vegetarian, but standing in those convictions and knowing, hey, I might not be for everyone, but this is who I am. And I also can respect other people's views and opinions.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that. So you mentioned that you did a special project with Oprah. So I've got to ask you, I know that I would be shaking in my boots. So have you ever dealt with imposter syndrome and just feeling like you're, you're faking it until you make it. Have you ever dealt with that and what does that look like for you?
Speaker 3:Oh goodness. I think everyone has, you know, I always say if you don't have butterflies before a big meeting or for me being on camera, you're dead inside. Yes. I mean people ask me like, Oh, you don't get, still get nervous. And I say, of course I do because you know, it's in my blood. I just, I want to do my best job. And something like that. A meeting or where you're presenting yourself as exhilarating and you want to be the best person you can. Yes. When I met Oprah Winfrey, I was a called to do this awesome show she did in 2008 called Oprah's big gift and she chose 10 people to go across the United States making dreams come true, rallying communities together, all for a great cause. And none of us knew that we were getting recruited for a reality show because we kind of thought we were being interviewed for her angel network. Uh, so, so absolutely when I met her, I'm like, she's sure that she wants me to be a part of this team. Like I'm just this small fry from Arizona and you know, have no clue what I'm doing. But um, for me it's all about having that passion and that desire in your heart. You can learn all the other skills and tools and protocols in a job, but if you had that desire in your heart and that passion and that drive, nothing can stand in your way.
Speaker 2:Yeah. That's awesome. I love it. Okay, so I'm going to be honest, I hate video. I hate it. I get so, so nervous and not until someone member by team within the past like year said, Aaron, it's time you need to, you're the owner of the company. You need to step out. This is where the trends are moving. This is all the ways that people consume content. Video is quickly becoming number one, embrace it or get left behind. And I thought, Oh snap. And I even tried to have other people be the spokesperson for me cause I didn't want to do it. And that all comes down to that self sabotaging. Oh I don't like the way I look. I don't like the way sound I don't like, I don't like, I don't like. And so I really had to come to terms with, with myself and, and reconstruct what confidence looks like for me and be okay to embrace my imperfections. But the one thing that I still struggle with now, the only video that I do is live video because it forces me top stop if I mess up. Whereas if it's prerecorded, I will record that stupid thing 30 times and never be seen as spikes. It's not perfect. So your normal, your normal, my gosh,
Speaker 3:you know, um, I've heard this story so many times and you know, no one can talk about your brand and your baby like you can. And you know what's funny is it's so not fair. It's so not fair that this is so out of your comfort zone. But it's interesting because if you look, if you turn the mirror and you look at the people that you enjoy watching on camera, they're just being themselves. Most of the time the people that we look up to, um, online or otherwise, especially in, in like a lifestyle host space, they're just being themselves. And, um, I'm proud of you because I, I have friends that have been in that situation where they just don't want to do,
Speaker 2:it's not natural. It just doesn't[inaudible] what tips or tricks would you give to people where maybe it's not natural and they feel uncomfortable? What do you do to prepare yourself so that it becomes a little bit more?
Speaker 3:So I think, uh, preparing is huge. Even the biggest pros still prepare. I prepare my talking points days, weeks in advance. Um, and also doing mock interviews with yourself and seeing how you look on camera. I do media coaching for a lot of people in culinary. And that's a whole other layer because you're talking and doing at the same time, which is really hard for you to do, but no one is your biggest critique more than you are as you've learned. Yeah. But doing just even on an iPhone, just a quick, um, mock interview of yourself. Because a lot of times we think that we are smiling. We think that we sound pleasant, we think that we sound confident and then we look and we realize, oh goodness, that is not how I want to look. Right. And uh, you know, this can be a slippery slope if you start getting too technical. But I think the first thing is feeling comfortable looking at yourself on camera and doing it by yourself. You don't need to, you know, do these mock interviews with anyone else, but just do it with yourself. And what's great is eventually it becomes muscle memory. And so as you're saying certain words, you're looking a certain way. I'm old school highlighting, highlighting those message and key points that you want to say. And knowing that when I say this, I want to recall that actual memory of when it happened and that's what actors do. And that's what's, what's interesting about, uh, this form of being on camera is a lot of it is really, you know, channeling that interact so that you can trigger those emotions that you actually had when you were starting your business or when you're talking about your daughter who inspired it. Um, and, and so forth. That's the biggest key and, and biggest lesson is practice. Makes Perfect. Yeah. And, and smiling.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I didn't love it. She should hurt. Seriously. It was the first time I ever did. I got so raw and so real in my eye. I default to no filter and I share everything and I started crying. I'm going, oh my gosh, this is why I don't go like, here I am now I'm crying on camera. I'm like, Oh my word. So, so many learning experiences, but I do feel like as time has progressed, it's become more natural for me. And even though it was a skill that I never anticipated that I really wanted to learn, I'm glad that I'm finessing that and it's becoming something where I can put that in my tool box and say, oh, okay, this is something that I can learn to do. Even though it's not natural for me, even though it's really never probably going to be 100% comfortable, I can learn to do this. I think that's a reassuring reality.
Speaker 3:Totally. And you know, communication is so important. Being able to communicate your brand, who you are, public speaking is, uh, you know, we all know it's the number one fear of everyone. So you're not the only one that, that things that, but I think you should definitely apply yourself on forcing yourself to do this and good jobs here. Teams and making you stay up with the trends for sure.
Speaker 2:No, that's really funny. Now you do do a lot of public speaking as well. And funny enough, I actually love public speaking because I'm engaging with an audience, but when I'm still around to a phone and no one's staring back at me and it's like this audience that you can't see, that's a completely different degree of odd.
Speaker 3:Oh, weird. And I love that you actually said that because I don't think people realize there something that happens physically when you're actually connecting emotion. Yes. With other people. Uh, the energy in the room, their response. Absolutely. And it's easier to speak to a huge crowd of people than like 10 people
Speaker 2:I told you. Yes. Oh yeah. Especially when there's a spotlight blind to you half the time. Yeah, that is great. Okay. So are you ever intimidated by the people that you work with and does that ever shut you down or how do you propel yourself through that?
Speaker 3:Oh Man. You know what's interesting is when you're on camera with someone or in the same room, sometimes their tone and energy, um, how they act sets up your reaction, which can sometimes be a bad news. So yes, this has happened to me before. First of all, if I know who I'm going to be around, I do as much research as I can about them, even if I've known who they are on camera, but actually like what projects they're working on, um, what their goals are, you know, et Cetera. Right. But yes, I've had so many moments where I turn to my manager or I call my husband before and I just have a fan girl moment. I just cannot believe I'm going to be in the same room as this person. That's awesome. But I think it's important that when you're in that space, uh, in a professional environment, you have to stay grounded and be a professional and be exactly who you are proud of. Yeah. But yes, I think it happens to all of us where I, I've been around someone where I, they, they are a comedian by trade and I just tried to be funny and I tried to, and it was the most weirdest 6 million effort. Uh, but, um, yeah, I see both fortantly as stay professional no matter what. And then also just having that humility and grace and gratitude and people never get tired of hearing compliments. You know? I mean, I feel like to break the ice, it's, it's totally okay to say, you know, I'm a huge fan of yours. I really love your work. Right. Or that's an honor to be here. It sets the tone for the relationship you're going to have. Yes. Right off the bat.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I love that. You know, this past weekend, actually on Saturday, um, two of my kids had recitals where they had to go in front of a judge and be judged on a one on one performance and asked if I could be in the room to video on the camera. And my phone had died. So I asked one of my girlfriends if I could use one of her phones. And while my daughter Bailey was playing the cello, and she looked at me because I shouldn't expect my friend to be in there in the room, and did it, give her the heads up, she hadn't mentally or emotionally prepared for it. And I just watch her eyes. She freaked and I thought, oh, please, please, please, please do. Okay, steal your soap. Ready for this. It's going to be fine. And of course I can't go up and have this conversation now. It's too late. And so she starts playing and she messed up and then I could just see her, her eyes shift where she was watching her music and then she would look down at her instrument and she had this brief panic mode and I thought, oh, this is either make it or break it zone here. Either you're going to focus on that mistake and it's going to spiral out of control or you're going to take control and focus on something bigger, something else, something futuristic, right? Yes, and she ended up, sadly, she ended up doing the spiral, but then afterward she's just sobbing. I said, honey, I said, this is such a great learning experience for you. This happens to everybody. I said, but I could see in your face what happened, right when you made that mistake, what were you focusing on? And she set the mistake and I said, yes, did. When you, when you make a mistake, you can't focus on the mistake. You have to focus on something else. You have to focus on your next staff, your next bar, whatever it is that you're doing something in the future and keep your, keep your morale up and keep your spirit up. And I told her, I said that recently. I heard somebody say the most powerful person in the room is the person with the steadiest breathing. And I love that. I love that. And I thought, oh, how can I, cause it's so true when I get nervous, my breath is up here and what's in my throat, it's in my chest. But they were talking about keep your breathing deep and in your diaphragm and if you can keep yourself calm, you're composed and in a situation that you have control over. But once you let that kind of get away from you, that's when things start to spiral. So it's kind of doing that check of where is my breathing? You know, kind of where she gets your diaphragm a little bit. Take some deep breaths and say, okay, I've got this. This is going to be fine, even though I'm so out of my zone right now and out of my element, I could do this anyways.
Speaker 3:You will. You just reminded me of something that um, I've done before. It's a common mistake that a lot of people do is you stop active listening. You stop being in the moment of where you are and you start looking, you know, at yourself instead of beside know where you are and staying focused. Yeah. And before you know what you blacked out and you've forgotten everything that's just happened. And so you're totally right. I did hypnobirthing when I um, had my daughter Millie and a lot of the principles is about breathing and I'm tricking your body just completely yellow relax. Because as soon as you're tense in your eyes, in your jaw, clenching your teeth, you're tense in your whole body. Yeah. And there is so many powerful things that the power of breath can do to our body and our mind. So I love that you brought that up cause that's, that's major.
Speaker 2:Oh that's awesome. And that's a perfect point to cause. It's that inability to then have a natural conversation and then it does seem for us, it does seem fake or phony or or unrealistic. And so what do you struggle with? A wandering mind? Cause Mine's insane.
Speaker 3:You know, it happens a lot and that's why I gave you that example is that I've totally been in an interview on camera live interview where I made a mistake just like Bailey. And then before I knew it the whole segments over and I don't even remember if I did the next step in my recipe or what's even worse is when a host makes a joke and I'm so focused on what I'm supposed to be doing but I didn't need. Yeah, yeah, no it happens all the time. And that's another reason why before I'm preparing for anything, the phone is off. You know, I'm not looking at one last minute email trying to reply or checking in about something. I have got to just clear my mind and focus on where I am. And what's unfortunate, and I'm sure your team and you talk about it, is staying on top of the social media. The behind the scenes connecting with your audience. And so a lot of times, so much of my content is a later Graham, we'll capture it and then I put my phone away because I have to mentally get into zone with one I'm about to do.
Speaker 2:And that's a great question too. Are a great point. How much of the content that you put out there to your audience is curated and, and meticulously thought out versus how much of it is behind the scenes real kind of sneaking things, what you're doing on a day to day basis?
Speaker 3:Well for me I like the behind the scenes, real rawness. And so that's what I like to put out there. You know, I've never had um, my Instagram's APP, Randy Malloy and maybe if you look at my grid, you know, there isn't this beautifully curated color Palette and rhythm. But what you will see is my personal life mixed in with my work life and especially on stories people do get to know the real me and who I am. Just when, you know, when there's no cameras, when I'm just at home with my friends and family and I've always said, I'm not paying for our photographer to follow me around to do photos of this and that. And I'm not going to hire a media manager to manage things because that's my space. And what I've learned is that brands that I work with and companies that I work for, uh, they are so much more attracted to someone who is a subject matter expert on whatever they need and who can do a really good job and have a good relationship and work professionally then the numbers game. Right. And some, some friends of mine who are influencers or are big bloggers online, it blows their mind when I tell them that. And I say, you know, I've worked with brands, cost plus world market, the blueberry counsel. I, I've, uh, today's show, I've worked with different companies and brands, and at the end of the day, that one on one relationship that we've nurtured and cultivated is so much more important to them than if I have, you know, a six digit or following me.
Speaker 2:No, I love it. So there's, there's this big epidemic, if you will, of what people would call vulnerability marketing. Right? And I think that a grenade Brown's concept, I don't know if you've listened to her, her ted talk and, or read any of her books, but she talks a lot about vulnerability and it's really quite profound. But then I think what happened or what has been happening is that you've got marketers who are looking at this and say, oh, vulnerability, how do we capitalize on this? And then it becomes phone or a goals, right? Where it's just this carotid concept to be vulnerable, which is the complete opposite of what vulnerability is. So it's really kind of this interesting thing. Um, have you seen that and how do you keep yourself from crossing over into that realm?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's really weird because, uh, for me, especially sharing my birth story with Millie and what our plans are with our second, no, that's such a vulnerable place and being authentic about who we are and what we've decided as a family, I think it just goes back to deciding what's important to you, what relationships you want to establish and if that's worth it. Right. You know, there's so many opportunities that I think come all of our way and it's like, that kind of feels like selling my soul a bit. Yeah. You know what I mean? It really is just kind of feels like that's not who I am. I think if something's authentic to you and let's say let's talk about products and you've been using that product for awhile, then it makes so much sense. Right. Um, but I, I have people that I follow online, um, you know, just going to Instagram and sometimes it's like every single thing they talk about is sponsored and you start to question, is that really something that they love or is it just, and I never, and I never want people to think that. So that's why I talk about everything that I love and then if I happen to do an awesome partnership with someone, then that's great, but if not, I think it's just important to stay consistent and authentic no matter what vulnerability you're sharing.
Speaker 2:I liked that a lot because in essence you're saying that when you're picking up sponsorships, when you're, you're bringing in relationships, it's still staying true to who you are and what those are. Those boundaries that you set up for personal value and what you, what your passions and what your driving forces are. Yes, that's exactly what you said. That was so well said. I love it. Should write that down. I love it. Okay, so what would you say to those who are in the trenches but maybe feel discouraged by their current situation? Maybe a lack of progress that they're feeling. What would you say to those people?
Speaker 3:Oh, it is. So first of all, I feel you, it is so hard when you feel stagnant and you feel like you are just burning the wicks on both sides of the candle. I, I totally get that. I think it's really important to almost have like a focus group with some people that you trust and admire but really have the perspective from other people because the power of brainstorming is so awesome and it can be very isolating when you are just in one lane focused on a dream. Yes. So I would definitely invite people to give you critique first of all and then secondly, write things down. It, it's interesting how having a programming calendar of what you want to work on and I'm priority list, uh, and just having it in writing, whether it's in a notebook or in your Google docs, writing that down so you can really check things off a list. Sometimes I think people you know, have like the five year or three year plan, but they don't really have those daily tasks. Yes. And as a working mom, one of the most powerful things I did pretty much when my husband and I when we first got married was having a quiet time to ourselves in the morning. Or we can just connect with ourselves, have our coffee and put the cell phones away and no work, you know? Or as a first time mom with a newborn. Yes. Being attached to the pub, I decided I was always going to wake up before my daughter and give myself time for me and that's when I actually get a lot of efficient, powerful time. I mean it is Bulger
Speaker 2:good ideas, right
Speaker 3:Lee, when you set time for yourself. Yeah. So I think that um, that's important. All of those things and uh, but really getting some perspective from other people because it's so hard when you're in the trenches to relax CBB adjustments you could be making.
Speaker 2:I love that and I love that you mentioned critique because getting feedback from people isn't only about just receiving price and Oh, you're so wonderful. Keep doing what you're doing. I don't want people to sit tell me all the things I'm doing well, I actually really want that feedback so that I can improve. And so it's surrounding yourself with people, a good balance of people who are maybe a separate two ahead of you. Just briefly talk about what's working, what's not working, what you can do to improve, because your business grows as you grow individually. So if I'm not growing as a person, I can't expect that my company's going to grow. We will grow in tandem.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And um, I've been fortunate to connect myself with different nonprofits or organizations. There's so many across the United States, the Quantas Club, the Rotary Club, a toastmasters, there's a step up women's networking program. And so I tried to involve myself in these awesome power breakfast where I can learn and develop either personal mentors, business mentors. I love that you mentioned that because the power of having someone that is one, two, three, 10 steps ahead of you, this is so crucial. And, and you know, making it easy for them to share those amazing nuggets and tips. So, you know, inviting them for coffee or saying you'll come to them. You know, I have a lot of people reach out to me and I want to answer everyone's question and mentor everyone. Um, but a lot of times it's about positioning yourself so that it makes it easy for that person to be able to connect with you. For sure.
Speaker 2:I love that. And then the other thing that you said that I loved was the concept of writing it down. I didn't have a fantastic idea and five minutes later on, do you remember what the heck I was thinking about? Yeah. The days when I get up in the morning before my kids are oh ways. Hands down. My most productive days, most productive days, even if it just means taking a 30 minute walk with the dog before the kids get up for school, it's just an the number of times that I can write an entire podcast episode. Um, or at least the outlet. Yeah. While I'm walking because I just, the, the wheels are spinning and that's when things happen. And so I'm walking in dictating to myself on my phone so that I want to remember. But if I don't write it down right in that instant, no matter how profound the thought was, it's gone. It's just gone. It's not coming back.
Speaker 3:You know, what's tough is, especially women and, and I know that there's been science behind this is yes, we are multitaskers and we can totally do 10 things at once. But I, I still think there's something we said about doing everything at the same time. Good. Or doing one thing great. Yes. And there's also something about connecting with nature. Um, people that follow me know that I love going to the beach. I love being outside. There was something so powerful about being able to turn off the technology and other people. And when I'm on a walk with my daughter in the stroller and I am just hearing the birds and the sound of the leaves and just feeling so connected to the earth and to God, I mean something magical happens. And so yes, going outside and doing your brainstorming, not always being behind a desk or you know, having the TV on. I always see people like I'm walking my Netflix while I'm working.
Speaker 2:Like, how do you do that? I don't get it. I love it. No, it really is that, that whole concept of disconnect to reconnect and it's reconnecting to yourself, reconnecting to your maker, reconnecting to all of it so that you can become the best version of yourself. I love that. I love that. So have you ever been tempted to change who you are and how would you combat this? I mean, with all the pressures, especially on social media, you've got your followers and here you can look at your analytics. Oh, they liked this better than they liked that. Just does that ever bog you down or do you ever get stuck in all of that noise?
Speaker 3:Well, I'll give you an example. I did some work for e news when I first moved to La and it was so exciting to be a part of that team, to be on the red carpet interviewing people, be a part of pop culture. Yeah. But what's funny is I'm not a big pop culture junkie. I'm just not. Yeah. I, I love to pretend I'm solving hard crimes, right?
Speaker 2:Ladies, you'll see
Speaker 3:me watching HGTV and food network and I love watching renovation shows, but I don't watch a lot of reality shows. It's just not something that I naturally consume. Right. Love. So just because you might see your analytics perk up or you see this new found interest or a new audience showing interest in something, if it's not something that you naturally enjoy and is authentic to you, there really is no point in doing it. Because you know, I love the saying that you'll never work a day in your life if you're, you know, doing something you love. Yes. And so it's very tempting to do stuff that isn't quite, you know, I get asked all the time, please show us your makeup routine. And I've done it once and it's just so silly because when I am on a con camera, they have hair and makeup people. So when people see me on camera, I did not do that. I'm never going to start doing beauty tutorial videos. Right. I'm not an expert on it. Yeah,
Speaker 2:it's not,
Speaker 3:I don't need the, I barely like wearing lip.
Speaker 2:So like I do
Speaker 3:for the job, but it's not something that I like and so yes, it happens to all of us and that's why you have to really stay zoned in and what your goals are, your personal and professional goals.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that. What advice would you give to yourself just starting out?
Speaker 3:You know, the advice that I would have given to myself, I've been in La a little over 10 years, is this saying that I heard it takes 10 years for an overnight success. That's what I would've told myself. I would have reminded myself to give myself grace and time to build towards something and to remember not to compare, compare yourself to other people in your field, um, and it can be really tiresome to do that. So I think that's the advice I would've given myself. And, and luckily I've had some really awesome mentors and my manager that have really helped me stay focused and stay kind of calm and confident throughout the store. Yes. Yeah. Looking back, it's really easy to think everything should happen instantly because it did maybe for someone else or because you are doing all the things, but it's when opportunity meets hard work. Yeah. No, and just timing.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that. So you have your sweet daughter and now you're expecting number two. So yeah. What are some tips that you would give fellow mothers and just parents in general for how are you balancing these two aspects of your life that you're so passionate about? You're passionate about your work, you're clearly passionate about your family. How do you make time to do it all and what does balance mean to you?
Speaker 3:For me, there's no such thing as Mellon. It's really just being present in every single moment and having the intention to be present in whatever you're doing. You know, the first couple of years and Millie's life for me is important and, and I look forward to when she's in school full time and, and there will be more of a balance. Yeah. But right now I love just really immersing myself in everything that is her and putting and putting really being a wife and a mom first. And it's finding ways that these awesome job experiences can work around that. I've learned so much from so many of my mom and friends that had done this before me. My sister's been a mom for 11 years. My little sister. And being able to watch and see, um, kind of how she was able to navigate working and being a mama learning from other moms has really helped me. It's important to have that Momma tribe around you.
Speaker 2:Yes. And I almost feel like even more than the experience, it's the attitude of the people you surround yourself. Oh yes. Oh my goodness. I mean people that have that, that fire and that passion for life and that optimism can make the biggest difference on how I'm conquering my day.
Speaker 3:And Aaron, I didn't actually understand that until I became a parent. Yeah. And I say that because I know I'm a positive, bubbly person, but oh my goodness. Sometimes I realize, wow, I'm, hi, I really see the glass half full. And it's so important to surround yourself with people that don't suck energy out of you. Yes. That orange always, you know, using you as a way to make themselves feel better. Right. It's important to have, yeah. People around you that continue to keep the momentum because life is so hard and when you add in expectations you have for yourself, for your children and things that are out of our control, you have to have a support system that is equally engaged and excited and enthusiastic. And so much of that goes down to gratitude, I think. I think so much of our attitude is as of gratitude, just being grateful.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for pets for bringing that up. That's so cute. So let's break this down into the fine. What are the five key tips that you would get to somebody just starting out? Just grasping what it looks like to be able to brand their voice and their personality and insert that, whether they're doing coaching and mentoring or if they're putting it into more of a retail scenario with a, with an existing brand.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think number one is writing a business plan for yourself. So not just the store, not just the product or the book, writing a business plan for who you are. So if you were selling yourself, what are the characteristics that you embody? Who are you? Um, and I think the second is, is also knowing your voice. So after you write that business plan, knowing your voice and what you stand for, what is your point of view? What is your perspective? Number three is researching your target audience and also researching, uh, competitors, uh, comp, competitive products or people that are along the same lines of, of who you'll be competing with. And number four is finding a mentor. And that can be someone that um, you personally connect with and their job might have nothing to do with what you're doing, but it's something you want to build towards. Or it could be someone in your same field and then five would be really knowing the reason why you're doing this. Do you know, reaching down into your heart because there's, you know, you might have to take out business loans, um, you're going to probably skip, you know, drinks every Friday night with your friends are going to come. Yeah. There was a, there was a lot of sacrifice when you're trying to start anything and you have to hold onto that one thing that you're doing this for. Yeah. And I think connecting with that every day. I do a vision board every start of the year and sometimes I do one, the start of the season, having a vision board really gives me that daily constant reminder of where I want to go, where I'm going. And something that actually my husband and I did in our marriage counseling before we got married was we wrote a mission statement for our family. And I think it's also important that each of us write a mission statement for who we are. So, uh, I think those would be the five things I would tell someone to do right now. I love that. Or they do anything.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, there's so much wisdom in that. Thank you so much for any, this is such a treat to have you on here. I know that my followers, my listeners where are going to want to see a lot and hear a lot more from you. So for those people, how would they follow her? See more of brandy.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at Brandy Malloy, B, r a n, d I, m, I l, l, O, y and then also my website, brandy[inaudible] dot com.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Brandi, thank you so much. This has been such a treat.
Speaker 3:Oh, I feel so honored. Thank you for including me. I hope I helped your viewers and followers conquer chaos some degree. And again, thank you so much for having me,
Speaker 1:me. I really appreciate it. Thank you brandy. Thank you for taking the time to connect with me here on the conquering chaos podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, will you please take a moment to leave a review? It's the fuel to my fire and lets me know that my efforts to enact change and broaden your perspective of what's possible matter. Thank you so much for your support. If you want more content like this, don't forget to subscribe and connect with me on social media at Aaron equally or at Aaron equally. Dot Com. Have a fantastic day. Get out there and congress and chaos.