Transforming Shame into Success: Allison Walsh's Journey of Resilience

Welcome to the Amberly Lago Show, stories of true grit and grace. Thank you so much for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show. And I've got a real treat for you today. One of my good friends, Allison Walsh, is here with us. And if you have ever struggled with confidence, if you have ever been ashamed about something. I know I have. She has really turned shame to grace, pain to purpose, and used everything that she has gone through to make a huge, huge impact in the world. She's an expert business consultant, founder, bestselling author, international speaker, impactful leader, and a certified positive psychology coach.

Coach.

And she's on a mission to help influential, high-stakes women of all ages build their confidence, lean into their passions and achieve abundant success. And we're going to get into her story and what all she's doing, the huge impact that she is making. And it's going to really inspire you to take any struggle that you have and any adversity that you might have and thrive, especially in 2025. So first, big shout out to Julie Nee and Amy P. Kelly, who are friends and also mastermind members of mine who introduced us. Allison, thank you so much for being here and welcome to the show.

Thank you so much for having me. I'm thrilled to be here.

I just, I mean, so we met and then I got to meet you in person at a Day With. Actually, look, I have my little Day With here on my desk. Me too.

I'm using it as well.

Yeah, I love it. So we got to go to a day with John, the amazing John Gordon and Ed Mylett, which was incredible. And I got to meet you in person, and it was like I felt like I knew you for my whole life. And then we shared the stage at an event, and I got to hear— I was like glued to the screen. We did a virtual event, and I was blown away by your story, but Not only that, what an incredible speaker you are. And I really want to kind of give people an idea of how you turned your— any shame to grace and where you are now. So can we take it back to, like, what inspired you to really do all the things that you're doing?

Thank you for that question, because I feel very fortunate that amazing people have poured into me over the course of my life. And it really started when I was 17, 18 years old, I had a woman look at me and see in me something I didn't see in myself, which was a story that could help other people. And I'll never forget it. It was like a big look in the mirror moment where a mentor of mine said, Alison, you have been blessed with a voice to tell your story, and you can change a lot of lives if you really lean into that and, and really put the purpose behind the pain, you know? And, and that's where I recognized that at a very early age that you can connect with people on such a deep level when they don't feel like they are alone, and they can see themselves in you. And so I had struggled with an eating disorder, a pretty severe one, when I was in high school, both anorexia and bulimia, struggled with a lot of anxiety and depression. And it was very difficult for me. I felt very alone for 3 and a half years as I suffered in silence, but thankfully got the help that I needed and wanted to do something about it. I wanted to channel it for good. I didn't want it to be a struggle that I suffered in vain and never did anything with. And it was that mentor that said, you got to start telling the story. You've got to start sharing it. And as a result, so many incredible doors opened up as I lost myself in the service of others, right? I just really focused on how can I help more people. I got to the University of Florida. There was no organization on campus at the time that was really helping individuals in recovery or those struggling find resources. And so I started one, and then that turned into a nonprofit, and then that led me into working in the behavioral health industry for many, many years. But it also allowed me the opportunity to also be able to help other people find their mess in their message and really be able to pull it all together for them to be able to have a similar impact based on the causes that they cared about.

Oh, that's amazing. And there are so many people that are suffering in silence, especially young girls today. And I know, looking back, I didn't realize it at the time, Allison, but when I was a dancer there, I remember when I first got to Los Angeles and I went into an agent. And, you know, I'm shrinking now. I'm not 5'11 anymore, but I was 5'11, and my dance agent wanted me to go into this modeling agency. And I walked in, and because I was a dancer, I was a little more muscular. My legs were a little more muscular, and I was 125 pounds at 5'11. And they said, you need to lose weight. And I was like, oh, wow. You know, and I remember I didn't realize it back then, but it was really borderline eating disorder because I was overexercising. I would eat and then I would just run or do cardio or get to the gym. And there was a time I was so unhealthy, like when I was dancing, I lived on coffee and Power Bars. Like, Power Bars was one of the first protein bars, and I lived on that. And I look back and I'm like, that was so unhealthy. unhealthy, and I really started to get my health back when I got into the fitness industry and started to accept the way that I looked. What would you say to other people out there who are struggling with body image, how to gain the confidence to reach out to a mentor or for help with that?

Yeah, I mean, my number one piece of advice would be if you have any inclination that it could be an issue, get help now because it can get out of control very, very fast, right? It can be something that's perpetual and long-term and, and ongoing, and you don't recognize that it's compounding over time and getting worse and worse and worse. Or it could be something that you trigger something in yourself when you start to, to modify your behaviors and your eating habits that could trigger something much more severe and much more acute. So if you're struggling with something, I really encourage you to get help. And, and usually there's something else that's going on, and that's the thing that, you know, underneath I think there's always—

yeah, there's always something going on. And it's exactly coping mechanism.

It's a coping mechanism. It's a— it's the manifestation of something else that is rearing its ugly head inside of you. And, you know, mine was never I wanted to be a certain size and shape. Mine was a very much control issue. And that's something that, you know, I want people to recognize and just hear and understand that you're not alone if you're experiencing it. And there are great people that can help you. Trauma is also something that triggers a lot of eating disorders. And so if you've had traumatic experiences that so many of us have. I feel like everybody's had trauma, big T, little t, all the T's, right? Like, over the course of our lives. But recognize if something is surfacing. And I mean, always you can reach out to me. I'm happy to connect you with amazing people. So I've got a beautiful network across the United States, especially, that I can help people get connected to care.

Thank you. And yes, I love that you bring up that it's usually something else, or most of the time, maybe all the time, it's something else from trauma or control. And Correct me if I'm wrong, because I don't know. I mean, you're the expert on this, but is anorexia— the difference between anorexia and bulimia? So anorexia is— I've heard, and I don't know if this is true, that a lot of times it does come from control. You feel out of control, and that's one thing that you can control. And a lot of Women do start, or young girls start because of a relationship with their mom. And then bulimia is more of you feel out of control and you want to control the situation, and it's more of a coping mechanism. So you don't have to think about the trauma, you don't have to think about the stress, or you don't have to think about the overwhelm. Can you tell the difference, or can you explain the difference between the two?

Yeah, I mean, really, it's restriction versus intake and purging of some form, right? Whether it's overexercising or it's, you know, inducing the excavation of everything that you've got inside of you. So, you know, I think with it, we have to always recognize that there are certain tendencies and character traits behind some of this, right? Like, when it comes to anorexia, we see a lot of individuals that are high achievers, right? They are perfectionists to the core. They are pushing themselves. to, to reach a degree that might be unrealistic. And sometimes that's where anorexia stems from. Um, both sides struggle with trauma and, you know, that, that lack of control. It's just a matter of what is, what is the method of control? Is it controlling the intake or is it controlling how it's getting out?

So—

Oh, wow.

I never thought of it that way.

Yeah. And, and just that release, unfortunately. And, and that was really my struggle was that I didn't even realize how bad it had gotten by the time I was so, so sick. And, uh, and then once I recognized it, I, I asked for help at one point. And yeah, because, you know, my sweet parents, well-intentioned, but they had very little exposure to this. People 25 years ago weren't talking about this, especially not to the degree that we are now. But they thought that, okay, you, we, you've recognized it, right? And you've, we, we're calling it out, right? That this is a problem. It'll get better now.

Yeah.

Right? Like, that's not how this works, right? There was a lot of other stuff that I needed to unpack. And as, you know, bulimia and anorexia kind of took hold, both of them, that's when I got just deathly ill. And so, um, oh, wow. It was scary. It was terrifying. And I'm, I'm grateful every single day to be on this planet because I recognize full well that God could have called me home earlier. And I'm, I'm very thankful that I got the help that I needed and that I'm, I'm doing the work that I'm doing and I've done over the course of my career and helped You know, almost 100,000 people get access to care.

Yeah, you're incredible. You are a life changer and you are a miracle. And what gave you the courage to reach out for help? Because I know when I was at my lowest, when I was, you know, deep in the disease of alcoholism after my motorcycle accident, it took so much courage, every ounce of me, like to just reach out for help. And for me, it was desperation. And I think there's a gift in desperation. What gave you the courage to actually— did somebody— was it the mentor that saw you and kind of called you out and you were like, okay, the gig is up. I got to like, yes, I do need help. What gave you the courage?

Yeah, it was another look in the mirror moment from somebody else.

Right.

So it was actually my high school boyfriend's His sister had struggled, and she recognized some of the behaviors in me.

Really?

And she talked to him about it and said, we need to get Allison some help, and this is not okay, and she's really, really struggling. And so it was really their family that kind of planted the seed, made me recognize like the secret that I thought I had is not so much a secret. And that's when I first had the conversation with my parents.

Mm-hmm.

About it. And then it was about 3 months later that I actually was able to start to get the help that I needed. Um, I went back to them again and I just, at that point, I was so aware of how sick I was and I was so terrified of everything that was going on. And I recognized that all of the things that I was feeling was— were not okay and that it, this was much bigger than me. And it, it had, what had started as me controlling something was now completely controlling my life. Everything about my day was fixated in and controlled by this eating disorder. And, and that's not uncommon. That is very common when you are deep in the disease. And it was something that just was debilitating. And I didn't want to live like that anymore.

Wow. Thank goodness that she saw that in you. And then, yeah, back then, 25 years ago, people weren't talking about— nope, this— there was not social— there wasn't Instagram. There wasn't all the social media where it is become— there is a lot more awareness around this. What made you think, okay, I am going to do something about this and I'm going to impact others and help others? What was that moment and where did you start to do what you're doing now?

Yeah, so I mean, I remember vividly there were like 2 organizations that existed back then and the internet was still slow and the dial-up was very real logging on and researching. But I did. And I remember I had these 2 binders. years that I had printed out, like, all of this information because I was also trying to understand what I had gone through. And, you know, I was in therapy and, like, going through all the things, right? But I remember thinking, like, it should not be this hard to find help. This should— it should not be this hard to find community. It should not be this hard to find other people like me, right? Like, and so that just kind of planted the seed. And then when I got to UF, because obviously I, I was pretty fragile still when I, like, left to go to college, right? One of two things was gonna happen. I was either gonna be strong in my recovery or I was gonna relapse, right? We knew that. And so that's where I reached out to the student health organization or healthcare center at UF. And, and that's why I was trying to find like my people, right? Like I was trying to find other people that we could keep each other strong. And so when I couldn't find that, I was like, okay, God, I'm paying attention and I'm a motivated human and I like to advocate for others. And so I remember walking in there and saying like, can I do this? And they're like, sure, find, you know, a sponsor on campus and go ahead and start your organization. Well, Then fast forward, I came home from a school that summer and there was nothing in Orlando really, and that's where I'm based. And so I was like, oh, hmm, this could be bigger. Like we should start a nonprofit. And that's where it took off. So my student organization that was helping other people eat, which is HOPE, became a nonprofit organization. It got a tremendous amount of momentum a few years later when I became Miss Florida and had the chance to compete for Miss America. It became my platform. Um, you know, I traveled all over the country. I had hundreds of speaking engagements and That's where I was.

Wait, wait. How is that? Miss Florida?

Like, yes.

Oh my goodness. And how old were you when you started this nonprofit? Because that's no easy feat.

No, it's not. So we, um, we got our 501 status around the same time that I became Miss Florida. It was, you know, we incorporated and did everything, but then we're like, nope, we're gonna do this the right way and really start to raise some money and align with other organizations and be able to fund uh, you know, different initiatives and care for people and scholarships and all of these things, because that was something that I just didn't— again, wasn't available. And the cost of treatment is very, very expensive. And so I became Miss Florida when I was 23. I was crowned on my 23rd birthday, and that was an incredible opportunity to just live out a dream that I had always wanted. And I got to champion a cause that I really cared about. And because I had a lot of visibility and opportunities during that year, and I was sitting around a lot of tables with people that were listening to the message that I had, right, like it amplifies your microphone big time when you have an opportunity like that. And I took full advantage of it to continue to make a bigger difference. But that's really where I got super plugged in with a lot of the national organizations. I was starting to do a lot of collaborations before, like, collaborations were cool, right? Like, I was collaborating with a lot of different groups because I thought we were stronger together than we were separately. And, uh, that really took off. And, and that was what prompted me to go to law school because I saw, like, all of these people weren't getting access to care. They didn't have coverage. Insurance was, like, not covering the cost of mental health treatment back then. There was no parity, all of that. And I was like, I'm gonna fight that fight. So that's what initially prompted me to go to law school. And then during that time is where, you know, I was like, okay, law school isn't the thing for me, but treatment and working in the treatment industry is. And that's where I got involved on the business side of healthcare and then got involved with 2 different startups that were just unbelievable. Like literally dirt and a dream, built them, you know, from 0 to 1,000 team members and just had the coolest experience working in a mission-driven role where I knew every single day that we were helping people change their lives, whether it was an eating disorder that they were getting help with or it was addiction. Most of our clients were struggling with primary substance use disorder and we were helping them change their lives. And then that led to working in, you know, primary mental health, really focused on ending youth suicide. And that's been my career, you know, as I've also had my coaching and consulting company, as I've been helping other women just really refine their message and make a big difference too.

Oh, you are incredible. And so, yeah, Miss Florida, if you, if you're listening to this, you should head over to YouTube because, Allison, you're beautiful on the outside, but you are just as beautiful on the inside. You're just such an amazing human and the impact that you're making. And by age 30, you were a VP at a company destined for unicorn status. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Yeah. So that was my dirt in the dream moment, right? Like, that was the company that a year into me being on the business side of healthcare, there was a company that was gonna start in my backyard. And I thought, how cool would it be to be involved with creating access to care in my community? The community that wrapped their arms around me when I was so sick, the community that has championed my cause, that has supported me as I've built my nonprofit, has always been there. I would love to be a part of building something special here. And I met with the founders. You never know, right? A startup can be such a risk. This totally was a risk. I had no idea if this was gonna work or not, but, uh, they were physician entrepreneurs who really cared about quality patient care and had a vision to build a network of treatment centers across the country, not just in Orlando, but the first one was here. And so I joined the team. I was the second person hired at that company. And, you know, the team is at 1,000 strong now, and there's 10 centers. We've helped 50,000 patients in those programs since we opened. And then after I was there for almost 10 years, I jumped into another startup and helped to scale that tremendously as well. And that was incredibly fulfilling and just incredible work. You know, when you know you're making a difference every day, it's just a really wonderful feeling.

Well, you are such an incredible leader, and I have experienced the kind of person you are firsthand, because I remember when we were at that event, I stood up and asked a question. I was like, John and Ed, like, is there a process that you use to hire people on? And I had been praying for an assistant, and you're like, Amberly, I can help you. This I this is what I did, and you offered to help. Well, guess what, Allison? Prayers come true because I had so many people come up to me at that event and say, "I am praying that you find the right person." Do you know I finally have a good assistant? Yay!

I love that for you.

I'm telling you, it was a prayer. But I just appreciated that you took the time and came up to me, and you're like, "You know what? I can help you with this." And that's the kind of person you are. That's the kind of leader. That you are. And I— when, when you are speaking, man, that event where you were speaking, I was taking notes and you were just on fire. And I was like, can she, can she go on a little bit more? Because she's amazing. Because now you have taken everything that you have learned along the way and you're helping others build their brands so they can make a bigger impact and influence and income in the world.

Mm-hmm.

Tell us a little bit, because there are a lot of people that they have a story to share and they have no idea how to package their gift to share with the world. Can you tell us a little bit about consulting and branding and where, first of all, where should somebody start?

Yes. No, there's so much. I mean, I could talk for hours about this. I love this topic. And I think we have to focus on what is your unique ability to help other people. And when you start Start there, right? Who do you want to serve and how do you want to serve them? And then naturally, how do you need to show up? Where do you need to show up? And so that is the most basic way of putting it. But with all of the, the clients that I've coached, I mean, I've had 300 private clients over the last decade that I've worked with that are just unbelievable, uh, individuals of all ages. Honestly, when I first started this, the vast majority of my clients were under the age of 25 where their parents recognized What an important separator effect this could create for them and their futures. And so that was super fun, right? So you can be early in your career or you can be reinventing yourself late stage as you know, you start your next chapter. It doesn't matter where you are in your journey. What matters is that you are consciously and thoughtfully putting together a brand that allows you to accelerate your impact. And so when you get clear on who you wanna serve, You remove the mindset blocks behind showing up and actually sharing your story and what it is that you do. And then I take clients through a process, um, it's 5 very clear steps, but it helps them march through building their brand so that they have the confidence to show up and share. Because oftentimes the people that I'm working with are very accomplished, they've had success in their career, maybe it's been in a lot of different places and spaces, and now it's about packaging it in a way that when they show up or somebody hears their name, they're like, I know who that is, or I can easily understand what it is that they do and how they can help me. And so that's what I do with my clients and I love it. And it has been so much fun. It's, it's one of the coolest things to experience, Amberly, because, you know, when you see something in somebody and they don't quite see it in themselves, kind of like what my mentor did for me, right? Held up the mirror and said, I see this in you and I believe that we can get you there. And you take them through this process of discovery and building them up and creating everything that they need to be able to confidently step into that next level of themselves. It unlocks so much for them that every single one of my clients says at the end, and it's like, I, I should just record them all saying it at this point and have like a highlight reel. But every one of them says like, not only is it cool that we got done what we said we were gonna do, right? We always start with goals. What are we trying to achieve? You know, what's the purpose behind this? But they all say the journey to getting there was so far beyond what I expected, and it was my favorite part of the process. And so like, that's everything to me. I love that.

I love that. Hello, uh, joy through the journey. Yes, that's what you're creating. And you know what, I think that's why we connected like instantly, instantly, because we love doing the same Things. Sometimes I feel like we need someone to believe in us. I know I did before I could really believe in myself.

Yeah.

And I love being able to see the potential or see someone and go, oh, I can see this for you. And they're like, really? And then also being able to put women on stage and give them a platform and then seeing them thrive and seeing them. It's that ripple effect of the good that they you know, show up and they do all this good in the world. Um, so for people, and I know, you know what, y'all, if you don't sign up for Allison's newsletter, you really need to get it. I get all your newsletters and I read every word first. So really quick, how can they sign up for your newsletter?

Yeah, if you go to allisonwalshconsulting.com, you can sign up right there and you can get access to our weekly inspiration. I'm always just pouring into people and listening to my community and then creating as a result of that. And so So we've been heads down creating some amazing resources over the last 6 months. It has been so fun. Um, again, listening to the responses, listening to the feedback that comes from people that are reading the newsletter. Of course, I'm super active on Instagram, so I'm always listening there. Um, and it's just, it's been wonderful and I just, I love our community. I'm so grateful that the She Believed She Could community exists and that there's so many amazing women that, to your point, Amberly, we're all holding up the mirrors for each other. We're all supporting and cheering each other on, and that is the point, because there's enough success out there for all of us. And it is so much more fun with friends and people that are running this journey, too. And that's really the whole point, is just to continue to see in each other what we see the potential to be and to also share that.

Oh, I love that. But I want to go back to something you said that's very important, because I was just in Nashville. Just, I mean, I just flew back in, and I had several people because I was with Coach Michael Burt. And He was so kind and, like, was telling everybody about my upcoming book. And, and so people were coming up to me and they were asking over and over and over. I got the question, how did you start doing what you're doing? What inspired you to write your book? And how did you get on this journey? Was there something that— and how did you start your mastermind? And I want to go back to something you said because this is very important. I told them, I was like, it was feedback. I listened to— I read the DMs on Instagram. I look at the emails. And yeah, that's all me. I'm doing that. That's why I'm a little slow to getting back to DMs sometimes, because it's me looking at it. But I took that feedback just like you do to create the newsletters. Listen to the feedback. I think that's so important. So I love that you said that. And that's how you create your newsletter. And I also want to go back to something because I love what you share about the 5 things that you do with someone. So there are a lot of people that listen to the show and they want to build their brands. They want to get their message out there, and they're not clear on maybe what, who their avatar is or how they should start. Can you take us quickly? And I know that you've got amazing courses where you dive deep into this, but could you take us on a quick journey of the 5 things that you do?

Yeah.

clients?

Absolutely.

Help them, some of the listeners today.

I would love to. I could again spend all my time here. So the 5 steps when it comes to building your brand, it starts with mindset. Mindset is also, you know, removing any barriers that you might have, mental blocks, right? We talk about doing a checkup from the neck up, getting super clear on anything that could get in your way, but then also getting super clear on who you're intended to serve. And so we do work there around your Who is it? What are you trying to solve for them? How can you be of best service? The second one is messaging. Messaging takes probably the most amount of time out of the 5 because we gotta get real clear with what we're saying and the, the way in which we're showing up. Oftentimes people think when they're like building their brand, they're like, it's the colors and the fonts. Yeah. That's like a little itty bitty, itty bitty part of this.

Yeah.

But the messaging part is where we're getting clear on your content pillars. What are you talking about? What's the strategy behind this? Like, what are we actually saying and how are we saying it so that we are attracting the right people, right, into our world? And that is an art. And so the, the message—

It is. It's— yes, it is.

It is. And the best compliment you can get is when somebody says, it sounds like you were speaking directly to me. And so that's what our goal is, is to make it so that your ideal client or customer or avatar thinks that you are talking directly to them. And so That, that takes some time. Uh, then there's the, the marketing piece, which is like, where are all of your people? Where do you need to be showing up? You might love LinkedIn, but if your people are on TikTok, guess what? We gotta go there. So it's getting really clear and making sure that you're not spreading yourself too thin, but that you have a strategy around your marketing for your brand. Um, and again, making sure we're calling in the right people, repelling the ones that aren't right for you. Um, then the next piece we're gonna look at, how are we gonna monetize this, right? Because at the end of the day, we have to provide for ourselves and making money is a good thing. You have a, a greater opportunity to make a bigger impact in this world. Even if you want to give it all away, the more you make, the better it is. And so we want to talk about monetization. How are you going to monetize your brand? If you are trying to get on the speaking circuit, what does that look like? If you want a paid book deal, what do we need to do to get there? Like, all of those different facets. What are the revenue streams that can come from investing in your brand, and how can we drive revenue over the years, right? Like, this was something that I love talking about because I was able to, within 2 years, replace my corporate salary And I was, you know, in a very high position that I was, you know, that I was in. Um, but it was because I was thoughtful about how I was growing my personal brand. And so I want to just always showcase that you can create an unbelievable experience for yourself, um, and for your future financially when you do this. And how are we gonna do that? And then the last one is momentum, because objects in motion stay in motion, right? The last thing we wanna do is put all this energy in and then stop, right? So understanding that your personal brand is going to evolve as you do. I like live and die by the quote. quote from the queen, Oprah, that the whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be. And that means that as you evolve, your brand evolves, and you just, you stay dialed into that and you're looking for those next opportunities. You're looking for those ways to serve. You're looking for those new ways to show up. Who can you collaborate with? What are the other opportunities that are out there? And like, that is so fun. And I am a strategist at heart, and I also like my top 5 strengths. I've got strategy and futuristic, right? Strategic and futuristic in there. So I have the ability to see the potential And then the ability to create the strategy to get people there. And that's where that momentum piece is just so fun because a lot of my clients end up staying on for years. And, you know, we pick up new goals and new targets every 3 to 6 months that we're running towards. And just to see that momentum, and it's just so much fun. There's such— there's so much energy behind it that it's almost infectious, right? Like, it's just so exciting to see that growth and development happen over time.

Oh, I could talk to you all day.

Okay.

Um, I've got so many questions. Okay. So momentum. So many people lose momentum. How do you keep that momentum going?

So my clients, a lot of them, after we've done the work, right, my private clients, they end up staying on for like a quarterly touchpoint because they know after working with me that I'm an accountability queen. Like, I expect there to be progress in between sessions. And so when we have have, you know, after we've finished their plan and we've done the initial launch of their brand, having that quarterly touch base every 90 days. And I check in with them about 6 weeks through the quarter. How are you doing? Are there any roadblocks? Is there anything that I can help you with? That helps to keep those wheels turning. And, and that's why my clients stay for so long, is because they know that when they show up for me, they're going to have their homework done because they're used to that. Even if there's longer timelines now because we're giving the brand time to really grow and bloom. Um, but that there's, we're chasing something new. A perfect example, right? So I have this amazing client, her name is Becca, and I've had, she's been one of my clients now for several years. She came to me to help, um, her with her business and her brand, and she had self-published a book at that point that had done very well. But the goal was to be a published author and she wanted to, you know, get a book deal, do the thing. So. So, you know, building the brand around her, building, you know, the, the strategy around her. She got the brand deal, paid book deal. Heck yes. And then the goal was bestseller status, right? So she was being traditionally published. She would qualify if she hit a certain number of sales. So we ran towards that.

Wait, wait, what are the certain numbers sales?

So it depends on which list that you're trying to hit, right? There's USA Today bestseller and they fluctuate. Wall Street Journal's not doing theirs right now, but there's the New York Times and there's certain thresholds. Holds of a volume of books that you need to sell, um, in order to be able to get to that point. And so myself and the team that she had built around her, we were super focused on her October publishing date because we knew what we needed to do to get there. And so we ran towards that together. She hit USA Today bestseller. She came in number 44 on the list, um, Return to Radiance. And like, but that was the intention. And we have You know, quarterly touchpoints, right? That we are now, we're gonna reset for 2025. We have time on the calendar the first week of January where the whole year we're mapping out for her. Um, and that will have, you know, different touchpoints every 90 days where we are making progress on building her business and building her brand. And so it's gonna be really cool because that what she did over the course of a couple of years, being very thoughtful, like I remember our intensive day sitting down and mapping out the framework. with her that then became the framework of the book, that that book then got bought by a publisher, and that book ended up on the USA Today bestseller list, right? So it's just so cool to see this stuff happen for people.

Yeah.

But it was because she was intentional. And we, we could have easily stopped after we kind of did a brand refresh, but it was like, nope, what's next? Level up, queen, let's go. So, and we ran towards that together. And it— that is, that is one of hundreds of stories that I could share, but it has been so fun to see women bet on themselves and go for it.

Yeah.

And to have somebody that's running alongside them, keeping that momentum going and saying like, hey, have you thought about this? Or, oh, there's opportunity over here. Or this is a perfect opportunity for you to get in front of this crowd, right? And grow your network and grow your impact. It's like we all have so much opportunity to make a massive difference in this world. It is a disservice if you don't invest the time and energy in your own brand and not, and you don't share that with the world. And so that is what I'm super focused on, is helping to amplify those spotlights and turn up the volume on the microphones and get those words on paper for people and help to just put the rocket fuel behind their message.

Well, you have got me fueled up, girl.

Let's go.

Oh my gosh. So I was looking down just so you know, cuz I'm taking notes from what you're saying. And I think that every— you're destined to meet the people that you are supposed to meet in life. I really think that when you are in alignment with who you are, what you're doing, you meet the right people. And I know why I met you, not just because you're an amazing person and Miss Florida and just all of the things, but what you said. Okay. Accountability. That's what we need. Look, you can go to an event and hear something that inspires you, and that's great. But it's working with a coach or a mentor, and it's having somebody run alongside you who believes in you, who is accountable, that is going to get you from point A to point B. And so, but Allison, it's having the right person because there is a lot of BS out there, let me just say. And I'm on fire about this because something just happened to me, and I'm going to share this on the show. I wasn't going to share it, but this is really— you touched something for me. Now, I love that you helped get your client to Wall Street— or not Wall Street Journal because they're not doing it anymore, but USA Today. Now, when— and it's so political because there are some books that no matter how many books that you sell, you can't hit New York Times bestseller. Take Ed Mylett, for instance. He sold hundreds of thousands of books, still hasn't hit New York Times bestseller because it's a political thing with his publisher. I really believe that. And I've heard other people say that. I think it's finding the right person that is honest, that has the, just the passion for helping others like you do. You are the rocket fuel. And that is everything. But I will tell you something that just happened is I paid thousands of dollars to someone who was supposed to be the rocket fuel, who was supposed to be the expert to help me. Because the reason I have a goal of getting USA Today bestseller is not just because for my new book, I want to help people. It's a self-help book about finding joy along the journey, and it's shifting your mindset and embracing the present moment and cultivating that resilience. But the reason— and this is a reason for others, I think, to even write a book. So whether you're going for bestseller or you're just like, you're writing a book, it gets you on stages. When you have a book, it is the— it's like the ultimate business card. It's the ultimate way that you can get on more podcasts, that you can get paid more to get on more stages. And I shifted my whole mindset around money. And I think I used to think money was like, oh, I don't want to do it for the money. I'm like, no, the more money I make, the more people I can help. I mean, I've got the same graphics team that I've had for years, and since they've been working with me, they've bought a car, they have an office space now, they moved to a nicer neighborhood, and that makes— that fills my heart. Um, but yeah, I needed to meet you for more than I knew, Allison, because the person that I paid to help me took the money and ran. And so—

Oh no.

Yeah, my book comes out in February, and I thought it shouldn't be too hard to get me on media and stuff like that because I've been on The Doctors, I've been on the Today Show, I've been on Hallmark, I've been featured in Forbes. So I could use that because when I had my first book, I had nothing. I didn't even really— I had hardly any platform at all. I was just trying to figure out social media. Well, I still am. I'm going to be real selfish. Sorry, sorry, listeners, but hopefully you can learn from this. Allison, what should I do? I'm at a point where I'm like, well, I guess I'm just going to figure this out. And I am doing some speaking events where, thank goodness, they want to buy books for their attendees, and that's great. But what is a suggestion you should do for— I should do, or for anybody out there that isn't— doesn't have a publicist and they're trying to figure it out. What should they do? What should I do?

Yeah, well, I mean, the speaking side of it is definitely a good place to start. Podcast tours are doing better than traditional media right now. Just podcasts are.

I believe that because, yes. Do you know when I was on Ed Mylett's show? Thank you very much, Ed. I'm sure you're listening to this episode. Um, but no, when I was on Ed Mylett's show, do you know I had more— a bigger spike in book sales than when I was on the Today Show?

I believe it. I believe it 100%.

I mean, that's the influence that Ed Mylett has.

Well, and it's the right influence because you think about— let's just use the Today Show for an example. You're going to have a lot of people with varying perspectives and mindsets on things listening. versus somebody listening on Ed Mylett's show that's going to be dialed in and be like drinking the Amberly Kool-Aid because you're, you know, that's the right audience for you, right?

Yeah.

So looking at, you know, there's great tools. You can go on listennotes.com and type in podcasts and find a ton of podcasts that are all similar in nature, theme, topic, relevance, hosts, etc. And having your assistant— what I would do is I'd say, assistant, your project for next month and a half is to get me on as many shows as possible. Here's the outreach, here's the pitch. Also, um, any corporations that could do large bulk buys, and then I can connect you with some different people that can help you with the distribution element of it, because that's really the key. And so, uh, but the more that you can secure those bulk purchases and then have the right distribution team working on your behalf, that is where you should spend your energy. Between now and then.

Thank you.

You want to have as many pre-sales as possible. That's the goal, because all of your orders stack, and that first week that your book comes out, you get the accumulated amount of sales for that week. So everything you pre-sell will add up and will register on BookScan that first week, and that is what's going to determine your list.

Yeah, well, thank you for saying that, because, um, you know, I have Thankfully. Oh, thank you, Jesus. I've got some big speaking events coming up, and 3 of them are buying— like, one event's buying 400 books for all their attendees. They're pre-ordering. Another event is buying 350, and another event is buying 350, and they're going to pre-order. But I intentionally was like, hey, instead of paying my full speaker fee, Could you— how about buying some books? And I would say how generous you are to provide all your attendees with the book. And it goes right along with my topic of having joy through the journey to cultivate resilience and get through adversity, through life's ups and downs. And so, Allison, I didn't know what I was doing. I'm just figuring it out along the way. But luckily, I guess they liked the idea. So I've got 3 events that are preordering. And, um, so that is helpful. And I have amazing listeners and amazing friends on social media and all my mastermind ladies who are like, I bought my book and I came up and I don't know if this is something you recommend, but, uh, anybody out there who's thinking about writing a book or writing a book, because I think, did you know 81% of people want to write a book?

And only 1% do it.

Yep. 1%. Do it. And I'm saying, if you're listening and you're like, well, I have a book in me, I think we all have a story to share. This is your sign to write the book.

Do it. Yes.

And you need to reach out to Allison. I'm going to have all her information in the show notes. And Allison, I would actually love for you to come in and speak to my mastermind members.

Yeah, I would love that.

I would love that. I bring in experts to talk to them. And, you know, I'm the cheerleader. I'm the one who sees it in them. I'm like, okay, who are the experts I can pull in and make introductions? But another thing that I did is I created bonuses. So people who order my book, preorder book, whether it's one book they get, I created a whole compilation book, a companion playbook. My husband was like, I thought you finished your book. What are you doing? And I was like, oh, no, now I'm working a companion playbook. And he's like, he does not get it. But I've created all these bonuses. Is that something that you recommend to do?

Yes, absolutely. All of your pre-order bonuses are really important as well. And also thinking about your strategy when you're going on podcasts, right? So you've got your companion workbook or how— whatever you've created. But if there's something that is also like very dialed into that particular audience, so for example, We're kind of doing a second launch of my book, and what we've done now is that we've created a companion devotional, right?

Oh, okay.

So the first time I had like my, you know, like the behind, like all of the companion work that went along with the book, the exercises, the frameworks, all of that, the workbook, the course, blah, blah, blah. But now we've also added the devotional in because we're doing a lot more within the faith community. And so thinking about the audience that you're also trying to connect with, going back to those ideal clients, those ideal avatars, right? Like who are you trying to reach? And it doesn't have to be overly complicated, but it does need to speak to their heart. And I think the right approach too, Amberly, is like, people don't recognize how important those presales are. So not holding back by saying it, by saying like, the greatest gift that you could give me right now is if you would preorder the book. Like, and as simple as that.

Yeah.

Because oftentimes the 99.9% of the population does not, uh, know that the presales matter tremendously to you. you and to your success. And so I'm going to ask your audience so you don't have to— please go order Amberly's book today because it is going to make a massive difference for you. And you deserve that because you've poured your heart and soul into that book, and we want it to have an accelerated reach. The other thing that we need people to do is as soon as that book comes out, the first week, you want to get at least 50 reviews on Amazon, on Barnes Noble, on those— on sites, right, on Goodreads, all of it, because that is also going to point the algorithm in your favor. And so you need those champions of your message, Amberly, and you're gonna have it. You're gonna— people are gonna show up for you because you show up for people every single day. So I'm asking everybody to do the work today. Show up for Amberly, go order the book, and commit to writing the review as soon as it comes out.

Thank you. You can see you're making me cry.

Giving you a virtual hug. Oh.

I love you.

Love you too. It's going to be great.

Yeah. Because man, it's been hard. I know it's not easy.

No, it's not.

And I remember when I wrote my first book, I had somebody on my podcast and I was like, wow, we, our books came out at the same time. And I said, you have so many reviews. How'd you get all these reviews? And she goes, I asked for them. And I'm I'm like, oh, oh, okay. You know, sometimes we have to ask. And, and you know what I have to say? You know, like one of my friends, Kerry Jack, who I love this man. If y'all don't know Kerry Jack, he's been on the podcast twice, actually. He's such a good human. And he just texted me when his book was coming out and he was like, hey, can you help me out and buy 1,000 books? And I knew how important presale numbers were. And I was like, you bet, man. I'm going to buy them now. So I bought 1,000 books.

So yes.

I have 1,000 of his books, but I'm giving them away, like, as gifts. And at my conference, I'm giving his book away. So I appreciate you so much just saying right now to go buy my book. I mean, this, this episode was— it's supposed to be all about you. And you've just— again, you're so— that's the kind of person that you are. You're always helping people. You're always pouring into people. And I know that's why so many people come to you, because They can see, they can feel, they can feel your heart in what you do. I wish I would have met you sooner, actually. I wish I would have met you sooner. And I mean, how can people order your book?

Yeah, thank you for asking. Oh, um, shebelievedbook.com, and you can access all of the, the, uh, you know, the companion work there too. We actually just released— my daughter and I took the book and turned it into the devotional. So that's actually something did together. Um, that's, uh, you know, you can download that at shebelievedbook.com/devotional. And that was written by Maddie and I. She's 12 and—

Oh my goodness.

The most incredible relationship with the Lord, which I'm just so proud of. Um, so there's all kinds of great things and, you know, I'm just, I appreciate the opportunity to share with your audience. Amberly, you are an amazing woman and have created just such an incredible community of people that care deeply and that want to make a difference in this world and do it gracefully and build resilience and build grit. And, and do it despite of the odds being stacked against us. And I think that that is inspiration for everybody. And I'm just really grateful to be in your presence and to be your friend.

Oh my goodness, I'm so grateful for you. And our, our time is up. And let me tell you, I gotta have you back on because I didn't even get through half of my questions. But you are just— you're so amazing. And you guys Go listen to her podcast. It's a top 1% podcast. She's such an incredible interviewer and the guests. I mean, I'm so grateful that I got to be on your show. She believed she, she could. And so go head over and follow her on social media because she's constantly giving such good, I mean, amazing, brilliant wisdom that you're going to learn from. Listen to her show. Just don't listen to Just go subscribe to it and leave her a review and go grab her book. And if you are like, I need her help, all of her information is in the show notes. Don't worry. So go look in the show notes. Um, you can find Allison Walsh there. And Allison, thank you for just being who you are and all that you do in the world. It just gets me all emotional thinking about what a miracle.

Thank you.

You are, and how you help so many women with their mental health, with their struggles. Companies just scale up. And now all that you're doing with your book and your podcast and your consulting. So thank you for being you. Thank you for taking the time to be on the show. And I just love you.

Love you too. Thank you. I receive all of those wonderful words, and I'm just grateful. I'm so grateful for all of this time with you today. It was such a treat.

Oh, thank you. And I'm hoping people— we're— I couldn't wait to have you on the show. So we're not in the studio today. We're recording from my home. And it's definitely a Friday the 13th because, oh my goodness, I hope y'all couldn't hear the blower and the motor. I mean, the gardeners are here outside. So I was like, I'm staying focused. I'm not letting the man right outside the window with the blower distract me. I appreciate y'all tuning in. Tuning into the show, please take a screenshot of this. Whether you're listening on Apple or Spotify, or you're looking at you're watching this on YouTube, screenshot it and tag us. When I see your tag, I love that. It just fills my heart, and I reshare it on my story. And please, you know, subscribe to the show, leave a rating and review because that helps others tune into the show, and it helps me to know what is resonating with you. more so I can give you more of what you love on the podcast. And Allison, thank you again for being here, and thank you for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show. I hope to see y'all in person in April at the Unstoppable Success Summit. Uh, Allison, I hope you can come to Dallas.

I would love that.

I would love to hug your neck again. Yes. So y'all, I hope to see you in Allison, thank you again, and thank y'all for tuning in. We will see you next week.