Rise & Thrive: Celebrating 200 Episodes of True Grit and Grace

Thank you for tuning in to the True Grit and Grace podcast. I'm Amberly Lago, and I'll be sharing inspirational stories of resilience and empowering ideas to elevate your business and your life, ignite your passion, and fuel your purpose. Hey, thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you so much for tuning in to True Grit and Grace. I'm Amberly Lago, and I'm excited that you're here, especially if you're interested in increasing your influence, your income for sure, and making an impact on the world. In fact, I just released a free video series. That's right. I said free. I said free. It's 52 videos that I've worked on. It's been something that it's been in the making for the last 6 months, and I'm finally excited that I can release this. So if you want to know how to build your personal brand, to share your story, and to make a meaningful impact, just go to go.amberlylago.com/thrive and you're in. You're in. You're going to get all the videos. You're going to learn all the things that I have learned over the past 6 years on how to build my brand, And all that good stuff. And speaking of that, today's episode marks the 200th episode of True Grit and Grace. Oh my goodness, 200 episodes! And thanks to you, thanks to you, you have made this podcast a top 1% podcast globally. So I appreciate you. I appreciate you tuning in, listening in, because it wouldn't be here without you. So thank you. So much. And I really pay attention to the questions that are asked of me through DMs. I get a lot of questions, um, through DMs on Amberly Lago Motivation on Instagram. Mostly a lot of the questions are about, well, how do I do it? How do I increase my influence? How do I increase my impact and skyrocket my income? And so I thought today for the 200th episode, I would share some things with you that I have learned along the way, sometimes hard, sometimes through a lot of failure. But we learn everything through— we can learn a lot through our failures. But I want to give you a shortcut and give you the Cliff Notes version and time collapse your goals. So you can make a meaningful impact. And so I thought first I would start with how I started, because, you know, 6 years ago, I didn't own a computer. It's kind of crazy that I'm here sitting on a computer with ring lights and a mic and a computer. I didn't even own a computer. And I say that because my whole business was run On before on the dance floor and then on the gym floor. And I contacted all my clients through text messages. I didn't even use email, like seriously. And everything was always handwritten. But when I had this accident, I lost everything. Well, they say I lost everything. I didn't lose my mindset and I didn't lose my faith. I had to completely reinvent myself. And I remember when I wanted to write a book, and this is what I want to share with you. When I wanted to write a book, I had a lot of people that were telling me, that's crazy. You're the fitness girl. You don't need to write a book. You just need to stick to fitness. I knew in my heart that all the pain that I went through could serve as a purpose for others. To overcome, that I could inspire them, that I could give them hope. And so I set out on a mission. I handwrote 90% of my book on a journal and in a journal. And then I went out and bought a laptop. And then lo and behold, I got a book deal. They said, we don't do any marketing for you. If you want to do the marketing, it's up to you. You got to do that yourself. And so I didn't have a lot of money. Well, I didn't really have any money to spend on marketing or anything. And so I thought, well, what can I do? Well, that's when I used social media. And the thing is, social media, you may have a love-hate relationship with social media, but let me tell you, social media has been the tool that has Enabled me to get a TED Talk, to get on big stages, to sell out, like completely sell out of books at book signings. Where I remember being at Books and Books in Miami, and the guy goes, "Oh my gosh! How'd you do this? You sold out of books right away. Like we've had famous politicians and celebrities and." We've never had a turnout like this. It's the power of social media. And so on today's episode, I want to share a few things with you to help you use the power of social media and the power of storytelling to really get your message across so you can time collapse your goals and you can get your message out there and you can make an incredible impact and income. So first of all, the first thing I thought was, okay, what's free? I've got Facebook and Instagram. I started posting things on both Facebook, Instagram, created a LinkedIn profile, and I started getting the most attraction and the most engagement on Instagram. So that's where my main hub is, which is Amberly Lago Motivation. But it's important to go out first of all, if you're, if you're just starting and you have an idea or you have a book or you, or anything that you're like, oh, I think I want to do this course on this subject, go out there right away, go buy the domain. I bought— I went to GoDaddy and I bought the domain of True Grit and Grace long before I knew what I was going to use it for. Go on Instagram and get the handle, search the handle, get the handle, and know, like, maybe you don't know exactly what you're going to do, but you've got the handle. I searched for the True Grit and Grace handle, and it was taken, and it was taken from someone. Who hadn't posted in like 2 years. And so I just kept my eye on it. And one day I looked and the True Grit and Grace handle was available. So I took it and I didn't even know what I was going to— this is before I had a podcast and I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I had the True Grit and Grace handle. So first of all, when you're starting, go get the handle on all social media. Platforms. Start your website. And that's one of the things I teach in my mastermind is I'm big on connecting people with the right web designers and the right people to help you build things because there is a lot of BS out there. That's what I've learned the hard way. There's a lot of BS. First of all, do that. Next, we're going to get to Instagram. Because that's where I got the most traction. And I'm going to go through shortly. Now I go into detail week by week in my video series that's free, by the way, at go.amberlylago/thrive. It'll be in the show notes. Don't worry. And I go through these things very specifically, especially if you're somebody who's like, I'm ready to share my story. I just don't know how. I'm ready to share my story and I want to make an impact. How do I do it? So what I'm going to do for you first is go through the Instagram stuff. And I've made a lot of notes. You should see my desk right now. I want to give you all that I can in this time together, but just know that when you go into the Rise and Thrive video series, we get more specific and more detail-oriented. So So first of all, for your Instagram, and I know I have a lot of people that they don't like Instagram, they don't like social media. And I'm like, yeah, I know that it can be like a love-hate relationship, but I will tell you that I love it because it has enabled me to get a TED Talk on stages, on big podcasts, book signings everywhere in the country. And, you know, my first, I remember getting a DM from someone and they were like, they were a TED Talk curator and they wanted me to do a TED Talk. And I was like, how real can this be? And lo and behold, that's how I booked my first TED Talk, TEDxBerkeley. It was a 10-year reunion. It was a huge Packed out, sold out event, and that was booked through Instagram. So I'm sharing that with you because Instagram can be a great tool. And I'm going to tell you something right now. Instagram is your scorecard. When you go to any event, and when I've been to any event, people don't ask you, oh, well, what's your name on LinkedIn? Or What's your TikTok handle? Or what's your handle on Threads? They don't ask that. They ask, what is your handle on Instagram? And so it's very, very important for you to build up your Instagram social, like social media in general, but Instagram for sure, because it's your scorecard. People will want to have you speak at their events. Based on how many followers that you have. People will want to have you come and do a podcast based on how many followers, because they're looking at your following to see how many people will be willing to come over to my page and listen to my podcast, or how many people are going to look at the thing that she's posted and they're going to buy a ticket to my program. So as far as that's concerned, Instagram is your scorecard. Let's get down to the basics for Instagram. So many people that I know have handles that are like Crunchy Yoga Girl. Guess what? You got to brand yourself. It's a personal brand. People are going to buy from you. They're going to follow you based on you and how they know you. And you know what? I can't tell you how many times I have met people that are extraordinary and I've tried to find them and I couldn't find them because they had handles like Crunchy Granola Girl, girl, or whatever. Have your name. You are your brand. So have your name as your brand. That's your handle. Grab that handle. That way you can get verified. Also, you can't get verified— well, I don't know, the rules has kind of changed with verification. But back in the day, you know, I've been verified for probably about 4 years. And back in the day, you had to be a public figure and you had to have a name. To get verified, but it's— please brand yourself. Next, it's so much about consistency, and there are so many people out there that are like, post 2 times a day on Instagram, 2 times a day on Facebook, 2 times a day on TikTok, 2 times a day on Threads, all 2 times a day on LinkedIn. You know what? You have to figure out what works for you and your schedule. And this is not a permission slip to get lazy and not do it, but I want you to really take time to focus what is going to work for you. Is it 3 times a week? Like I know for me, for example, 3 times a week for my podcast page, which is True Grit and Grace. On Instagram, and I know that I'm committed to every Monday I post a quote card or a carousel. Every Wednesday I post an interview with me and my guest on the show. Every Friday I post—it's usually just the guest that is on the show—and then I ask them to collaborate. And that's a whole other direction we are going to be going on. But for now, I want you to think about how can you be consistent? Honestly, the only reason I really think that— well, I don't want to say that. I think this show is amazing, but I think that the reason that it's a top 1% podcast globally is because I have been Consistent. Consistency is where you're going to find your results. It's where you're going to find your results across whether you're doing a podcast or speaking or Instagram. So think about what you can post consistently. So you might want to come up for something for yourself. Like, for instance, like you might want to have, if you're going to post 5 days a week, Maybe you want to have Mindset Monday or Motivational Monday, and every Monday you are teaching the people that you follow that every Monday they're going to get a motivational quote or something inspiring from you. You might— Tuesday, you might want to have a transformation. So if you're a coach, you might want to have a picture of you as a before and after, or of one of your clients as a before and after, and make every Tuesday Your viewers know that they're going to get a transformational Tuesday. Wednesday, and these are all just examples, okay? Wednesday, you might want to have something like, I have something like, we get it Wednesday. Like, yeah, let's go team. Like, whatever you're going to post on Wednesday is like something inspirational and something that's going to drive action. Uh, Thursday could be anything from like a Thankful Thursday. I'm huge on gratitude and I even have a downloadable gratitude journal, which it's in the link of the show notes, by the way. But these are some things that I do. And then Friday, what if you had a Friday feels like how you're feeling, checking in, checking in with your audience, what's been going on. But you come up with your Monday through Friday, or Monday through Sunday if you want. I just noticed that I really need to have a little bit of time off on the weekends, and don't feel that I need to post every single day. But when you're posting your content, post proudly, post confidently. And don't sell, sell, sell every single post. I mean, I could go on about this for like 2 hours. When I first got my book signing, I knew I had from that date until 1 year to sell my book. So you better believe that entire year, all I did was provide value. Value, value, value, value. And then I was like, oh, by the way, I have a book for you to buy. And I promoted my book and it became a bestseller. Don't just try to sell, sell, sell, sell. Let people in, like in your world, like what's going on with you. And so I, I always say that, you know, your post The posts that you do are your storefront. They're basically like your storefront. Like if you were going to look at like, okay, I'm going to Nordstrom's, this is my storefront. So your stories make the sale. So all the emails and stuff that like Nordstrom sends out or the text messages and you're like, we gotta sell family and family discount or Family and friend discount, whatever. That makes the sales. So your stories let people know who you are, and they get people to know, like, and trust you. And your DMs are when you cash in. So that's when you go and like, oh, this person is looking at all my stories and they're responding to them. Then go to your DM. And that's how you make your sales. Okay, so little on that. Moving on next to what is your intention for your post on Instagram? So everything you do, whether you're posting or you're speaking, or it, it has to have intention behind it. So any posts that you're making on Instagram should have an intention behind it. Are you trying to get more follows? Are you trying to get more shares? Are you trying to get more people to collaborate with you? Are you trying to get people to sign up for your product? Are you trying people to just leave an emoji? Are you trying people for people to go directly into your DM? Every single post has an intention, and so it's really, really, really important for you to think about. What intention you have for every post that you do? So, for example, for me on my True Grit and Grace page, my intention on the Monday is to create a quote card that so many people that will love it and they will want to share it out, and they'll want to tag me, and then more people will hear about the podcast. My intention for Wednesday's post. Is to collaborate with my main page and to get the podcast out there, and of course get comments and all that. But it's like a collaboration post. My intention on Friday is mainly for that amazing guest that I've had on the show, and it's like I want them to share it on their page. So I've made a beautifully crafted video for them to share on their page, and it's a collaboration. So it's a collaboration, but it's with somebody big. It's with somebody that I'm like, oh, I hope I share— they share it on their page. So every post you do have has an intention. And now I'm gonna get down to basics, like really basics. Of Instagram. And I thought this was kind of basics, but I've shared this with other people and they're like, oh, I didn't think of that before you go to post. And let me tell you, I started with like 12 followers and they were friends and family of people that I knew. I start with nothing. And I remember when I would do a happy dance when I got double digits of likes. I was like, oh my God, 11 people liked my post. And I, by the way, leave my crappy post up that I did back when I first started. And the reason being is because we all start from somewhere and we're all building. And I see a lot of people that are like, oh my gosh, they did one post and they got millions of followers. I'm like, nah. No, I'm going to keep it real with you. I started, I didn't know what I was doing, didn't know how to make a caption. And I leave those posts up there to show you how bad it really was and how you can grow. What I learned is like, yes, hashtags make a difference. Yes, your content makes a difference, but more than anything, it's the value that you're adding. That makes a difference. Like, that is what makes a difference. If you're constantly either making people laugh, cry, or think, you've won them over. So share from your experience, strength, and hope. Really be authentic and share from that point of view, from where you're sharing value of what you have learned. From your situation. Like, think about sharing your obstacle, sharing the solution, and then sharing the benefit. Because honestly, everybody always just really wants to get the benefit. They want to know what is in it for them. When I first started on Instagram, I will tell you some things that really helped me build my algorithm, build my success, because I don't have a lot of followers. I mean, everything in perspective, right? But I think I have like 220,000 followers, but I have a very engaged audience. And it's because I have put the time in to really build that audience. And I love these people. I mean, People say followers. I say they're my family because man, they've got me through a lot. I love my Instagram people. They lift me up like no other words. And so how I started to do that in the beginning was I would get on Instagram, I would carve out time. And a lot of you're like, I don't have time to do Instagram. I don't have time to do this. I made time because I knew it was my only way that I was gonna be able to try to promote my book, and I didn't have money to hire somebody to do it for me. So I knew I had to do it myself. And so I found the time that I did have or could carve out, and that's when I did it. That time happened to be 6 in the morning, between 6 in the morning and 7:30 in the morning before I took my daughter to school. And so it still happens to be around that time. You teach people how to treat you. You teach people how to respond to you, and you teach people like how long it's going to take for you to respond to them. And so I was basically teaching my audience like every day at this time, I am going to make this post. And I was consistent with it. And so you have to be really, really consistent and you build trust with your audience. And before long, they're like seeing your post at that time. Then they're like, okay, there's another post at Amberly from that time. Then before long, they're like, I am expecting to see that post from Amberly at that time. And then they're like, they want to see that post from that time. And now let me tell you, I'm not a marketer. I'm not a brander. I have figured out all this crap on my own through blood, sweat, and tears. Okay, I'm just telling you, this is what's worked for me, and it's suggestions on what can help you. So find your time, be consistent with it. And let me tell you one thing, don't post and ghost. Okay? So don't post and go, oh, got my post done. I'm done for the day. No. Social media was created because it was meant to be social. And so what I would do when I first started Was, and, and still to this day, I still do this sometimes, is before I'm about to post, I get on Instagram and I start commenting on other people's posts, especially if you have somebody that you love, whether it's like Katherine Gordon or Ed Mylett or John Gordon or Brendan Burchard. Turn on your notification. So every time they post, you're notified and you can go comment on their post. Go to somebody's post, whoever has your audience, your ideal audience, turn on their notifications so you can post a comment every single time they post a beautiful reel or quote card or carousel or anything. And so go on, and I'm telling you, this might sound crazy, but if you're trying to build your brand and your Instagram, this is how I did it. And you'll have a lot of other gurus. I'm not a guru, by the way. I'm just still all trying to figure it out. You might have people out there like, oh, only spend 10 minutes a day on social media. Well, guess what? That is not how I built my social media. I spent 30 minutes commenting on other people's posts. I did my post, and then I spent 30 minutes commenting back to the people who who responded to my post. And guess what? Then I would go to their post and I would leave them a comment. Because here's the thing, people are more likely to comment on your page when they know you care about them and you are commenting on their page. And you know, I, I've had people say to me before, like, Well, you don't need to comment on that person's page. Like, you're basically like celebrity status. Well, I don't know if I'm celebrity status. Believe me, I don't think I am, to be honest with you. I'm just a, a girl trying to make a difference. But I always, always want to be able to go make a comment on somebody else's page. Because we're all in this together. We're all building together. And so that's what really helped me. And then I know, gosh, man, you know what? Building your influence. Y'all have notes of pages that I've highlighted. That's just not about Instagram. It's also about sharing your story. So I guess maybe the next. Episode that I will do will be about how to put together a talk, share your story, and, and really cultivate your message. Because I think I could go on for hours about that. But also, you know what, that's what we talk about in the Rise and Thrive video series that's for free. It's 52 videos that are free. You should definitely subscribe to it, by the way. It's go.amberlylago.com. Forward slash thrive. One more thing about IG before we go. So you found your time and you stuck to it. You don't post and ghost. Keep it simple. Focus on your intention before every single post. Why are you doing that post? And that goes like focusing on your intention before every single post. Is like, do that before every single phone call, every single keynote, every single elevator pitch. What is your intention? So with Instagram, you really have to get specific. What's your intention? Like, are you trying to get more views? Are you trying to— if you're trying to get more views, then you should definitely do a Reels. Are you trying to get more shares? Well, then you should definitely do a quote card or a carousel. Are you trying to get more comments? Well, you should definitely do something that's more controversial or ask people in the very beginning of your post, at the top of your post, drop a heart if this hit you. On Instagram, your post— again, your posts are the storefront, your stories make the sale, and your DMs are where you cash in. So it can definitely be a great way for you to promote your business. So again, just to recap, I want you to look at your bio, and I want you to, on your bio, say who you are, what you do, and have a call to action. Like, what do you want your people to do? Even do a finger pointing down to the link that you want them To provide. As far as growing, there are several ways. The best way is collaboration. Collaboration. But I want you to make a hit list of people, like seriously a hit list of people, like 100 people. Write down 100 people that you want to truly connect with on Instagram and start attacking their page with positivity and appreciation. and adding value, value, value. Let me tell you something, that is how I got my graphics designer who I've had now for 3 years. Him and his whole family, they're amazing. I'll put their link in the bio too. But they started creating videos for me, and that's how I was like, you know what, maybe I would like to work with you. So if you can start adding value to the people that you really want to connect with, it's really going to help. And I think that's it. Oh, one more thing. One more thing. I'm looking at all my notes. When I say promote proudly, pick 4 subjects that you're going to talk about. Don't talk about everything in the world. Like, you got to break through with hopefully one subject. And nail it hard and go with that. And you know what? I'll do another, um, solo cast on speaking because let me tell you, I have a whole book together on how I've put together a talk and how you can put together a talk, how you can get a TED Talk, how you can, um, speak on more stages. I will definitely be sharing more on that. And until then, Again, you can get the Rise to Thrive video series, and that's go.amberlylago.com/thrive, and you'll get all my insider tips for free, by the way, for free. And then also be on the lookout for more info for the Unstoppable Success Summit 2024. It's going to be at the Renaissance here in Dallas. April 19th through the 20th, and I can't wait to share more information with you about that. So mark your calendar, and I am so appreciative of you being here. Thank you for tuning in each week. If you have any questions at all, you can always text me at 214-818-7378. If you have questions, I'll answer them on the podcast. But otherwise, please leave a rating and a review. That always helps. And we'll see you next week. Thank you again for tuning in to True Grit and Grace. See you next time.