Tamara Thompson: Why Your Story Matters for Influence, Community, and Real Growth

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What we do today with broadcast your authority Authority, which is a very simplified similar system on the data driven side, right. We wanted to still fill that void where business owners and CEOs and founders felt like they could broadcast their authority in a more impactful way, but also have the data behind it. Like here's. Here's what people are actually searching.

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of mcplug. And today we've got a great one. We've got a guest who is a visionary in video marketing, a master of brand storytelling and the force behind one of my favorite podcasts, Broadcast yout Authority. With the track record for transforming entrepreneurs into industry leaders, she's built a powerhouse plan. Sorry, she's built a powerhouse platform that's amplified voices and skyrockets influence. Get ready for a game changing conversation with insights from the innovative, the empowering, the unstoppable. My good friend, T Squared, Tamara Thompson. How are you doing T.T.

I'M doing awesome. Thanks Mick. I appreciate the T Squared introduction. I was like that goes way back.

There you go. Good stuff, good stuff. So T Squared, man, I want to get right there, go into it. You do a lot of amazing things for a lot of people. We probably have known each other for close to a year now since I started this podcast thing.

What is your because?

What's that thing that drives you? That is your. That accountability to whatever it is. What's Tamara's? Because.

You know, people have asked me similar frame questions. I like yours better than like what's your why? What's your because it's very, very powerful.

My.

Because, you know, I think it started and I didn't even realize what my because was probably over the years as things were actually growing and formulating, my. Because was going down, down the line and years back, I actually just wanted to actually connect with more people. Like, I genuinely just wanted to connect people, help people, talk to people. It was one of those things that was just kind of part of my personality, I guess. I just wanted to be there to help support people and in different experiences, being able to help people with not just their podcast, but their life or introductions or connections or driving someone to the doctor or just, like, doing something out of the norm. Like, I always wanted to do something, give back. It wasn't something where I just wanted to say, hey and like, expect something from it. So, like, then I started to, like, kind of tap into what that really looked like. And I truly believe, because, you know, a lot of people in my family live these generations of entrepreneurships and thing like that. And my mom was actually an entrepreneur growing up as a kid, and I saw how hard she put work into things and she helped build our family, actually. She was actually the stable one in the family. And my. My dad would go through jobs like underwear, you know, rest in peace. He's no longer with us today. And I still love you, dad. And so. But we had this, like, stress and stress level piece of it. But there was this part of my mom that she would always, like, do certain things and she would build the success and she would always talk about, like, how I had these dreams and how I could always help other people. And so I believed her and I really wanted to. She was like, you can go and do whatever you want and help more people in the world. You could be an entrepreneur too, Tamara. And that wasn't something that I actually thought of until I was an entrepreneur, because I really didn't think I was going to go down that. That path. But I think it was because of some of the struggles that we had in our life growing up that started leading me onto this path of understanding that I could do something much more for other people. That led back to a bigger mission. And that's what we did at Broadcaster Authority, because we've now built a network of over thousands of business influencers and CEOs and work with them with their podcast pieces. And I was like, wow. I'm like, I'm actually doing that because I wanted to help more people in that line. It may sound a little cliche, but, you know, it really is that point. Like, when I was decided I could actually help more people, and I actually showed results for more people. Then the doors also started opening in My space as well. So hopefully that answers a little bit of the backstory. But it really kind of stemmed from the entrepreneurial path that my mom had. And then she kind of guided me and showed me my dad was a dreamer, and he really stepped into, like, that dreamer part. He didn't quite keep the jobs, but. But he was the dreamer. He was always like, you can do it, you know, but then he's like, I'm sorry I lost my job, you know, but it like that, that stress. But I was like, oh. I was like, I know I can go out there and impact more people and serve more people, but actually do something and make money from it, because my mom showed me that path, and so that really inspired me to go into that. And it was just kind of a mentality I had growing up and then stepping it forth into business and, you know, connections at this point.

Yeah. So, you know, I'm gonna unplug a few things that you said there, but I want to give you a quick shout out while I'm looking at you face to face. So one of the things that I truly admire about ET Is you're a genuine friend, right? Like, there. I can't tell you how many times you just shoot me an email, right, that says, hey, how you doing? Or shoot me an Instagram message, like, just checking in on you. And that crap means a lot. Right. That tells me who you are at your core. And I just wanted to tell you face to face, or, you know, monitor to monitor. Just really appreciate the soul that you are.

See, I appreciate that. Well, I appreciate your soul, too. And, you know, when people come into your path, like, you genuinely feel connected more to certain souls. And when I have conversations with people, including yourself, it's just like, I want to stay connected. I want to touch base. You could touch base somebody every seven days or every seven months or every seven weeks, and you still feel connected to that person. You still want to see how they're doing. And. And that's what I put forth to with most of our connections that I built over the years. Like, literally today, I was like, you know, I should reach out to so and so and so and so. It's like I literally would just, like, started messaging a bunch of my connections, even today and this morning, because I was like, I want to know what's going on in their lives, Right? So I like, set up all these calls for this week, and I just, like, I go into these spurts where I just want to understand what people need, what they want, and how I can help serve them. And then other things start to open from there. And that's really what happens with those. Just even. We call them maybe basic touch points, but it really means something to most people.

So, yeah. And so if you're listening, if you're watching, do me a favor, do Tamara a favor. Right now, there's somebody that's on your heart, that's on your mind, and we all have it, right? But right now, there's really somebody that's like, you know, you should reach out, or your heart's telling you to reach out. Do that. As soon as you listen to this episode, I want you to really take three minutes and just reach out to that person that right now is on your heart, that's on your mind. Do that for me and T. You.

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Right now, right now, right now, right now. So, Tamara, let's talk about broadcast your authority. What was in your mind, the gap that you felt like was missing in order for you to start that company? Because what most people don't understand is when an entrepreneur starts a business, usually they see that there's a void, there's something missing and that they're the ones to fulfill. Their company can fulfill it. So what was that gap? What was that void that was missing that said, oh, I'm going to start a company and solve this problem?

That's a great question. So at times I felt like there was multiple gaps that were, that we're jumping in there with. I was like, can't just point just one down. You know, what was unique about it is originally it started way back actually when we had our production company first, before we evolved into broadcast your authority. So to give you some context here, we had a production company where we really felt like we wanted to help people share their message and their stories in a more impactful way, but also got them results. And so we would create these short form content pieces which we call teaser videos, trailer videos, and we led them back to a long form content piece which back then we were directing impactful documentary films. But of course those, we were brands, celebrities, influencers, entrepreneurs, CEOs. We started doing all these films. But a lot of that of course is just like a one off project, right? And so we thought to ourselves, well, how can we help work with more people? And there was a moment where we had a teaser video take off and it had 888,000 views. That's angel numbers for you. 8, 8, 8.

Right.

And so when it took off, it had that in a matter of like less than 10 days taking off on YouTube. And we were literally like, what? What was that? And so we were like, okay, let's, let's learn and figure out this YouTube beast. And that was back in 2012. So we jumped in, learn all the algorithms. All that was a mixture of like content, topics, inspiration, even the music used that was impactful, that took off on the channel. So we turned around and said, well, how can we. And that's where it evolved and shifted into what we do today with broadcast your authority, which is a very simplified, similar system on the data driven side. Right. We wanted to still fill that void where business owners and CEOs and founders felt like they could broadcast their authority in a more impactful way, but also have the data behind it. Like, here's what people are actually searching for. This is what actually performed the best on your channel. This is what we suggest you do more of because this content took off. So if your audience has already spoken about your content, your episodes do more of what they love and pay attention to that data. So it really turned into this platform that people were able to share their message in an impactful way, but also have direction so that they could analyze the data, see what's taking off, take feedback like, hey, this isn't working. This is working. Hey, let's try something else. Let's, let's change the thumbnails. You know, let's do YouTube thumbnails. So there's a lot of, you know, techie stuff, data stuff in there as well. But it was always back to everyone that we talked to said they wanted to share their message more and they wanted to share it more consistently. And so we stepped into that space because podcasting wasn't necessarily as big as it is today. But what was unique about when Covid came came online, there was so many more listeners to podcasts, there were more creators to podcasts, but far more listeners. And then now it's such a huge medium to be able to help people share their stories through podcasting and broadcast. Your authority has been able to help in different ways. From the side of the creation side, from the actually one stop shop for your show or on the side of your podcast booking tours if you want to be booked on other people's shows. And then we have our experience model. So that's my favorite part of it because I get to connect with people in person, put together these awesome PR experiences, connect the dots and bring people together. And that's really what we do as a whole. So it's. I call it the three tripod legs because that's really what it was. With the background of videography and filmmaking in the background, it evolved from that into the three tripod legs of broadcast, your authority and how we serve our clients at this point. So that's really why I felt like we kind of came into that one stop shop filling different things. But it really came back from stemming that they really wanted to share their message in a more data driven way.

Yeah. And so, so impressed with that. And obviously I know you, so I want you to tell the world this, but why is storytelling so important to someone or some entities brand? So for the viewers and listeners, right now you're about to hear from the guru. And y' all know I don't throw that word out a lot, but the guru, when it comes to storytelling as it relates to your overall brand. So t, like, why is that important? And then I'm going to do a follow up with for the people that are listening, what are some steps they can take to get that in action?

You know what's interesting, Mick, is the fact that a lot of people don't believe that they have a strong enough story to share. I think a lot of people, actually, there's big brands, corporations that tell the company brand story, which is very important. Right. We work with corporations, brands, entrepreneurs. The ones that I have the most passionate for, though, is the. The business owners, the. The entrepreneurs on that side. And we, when they're able to step in and understand that they actually have a story to share, but having an expert come in and kind of pull that story out, I think people also start to share the wrong stories. One of the things that I did in my early years, I went way back and was like, telling my story from, like, way back here all the way through this, these trenches to, like, build this part to success. Right. There's incremental stories within. So if you could take those little bitty pieces of the stories that has an overarching over, you know, the arch basically of storytelling, right. And understand that you can tell these stories in different ways, especially on podcasts. Right. So obviously you have podcasts with multiple episodes, right. You're not going to talk about the same thing over and over and over again. Right. So if they have a specific show, you want to make sure that they have a story that aligns with the content of the day. Right. And so I think when people can really hone in on what that overall arc story is for the show and the brand and the company or themselves, and then find all the mini stories within so then they can leverage those pieces out to come back to the arc storytelling piece of it. That's the most important part is to find, like, what is the bigger picture? What is the because of the company, what is it because of the brand? And you wrap that back, back around really nicely on that side. So hopefully that answers that question.

Absolutely. And the second question I wanted to talk to the guru about is this. And I've been saying this for the past two and a half, almost three years, because the trajectory of who I am outside of what most people know me for in the insurance space started happening when I looked at growth as PR over marketing. Right. Like, I'll never say marketing is not important. Those that are listening, you know, I've said this probably 100 times now. Marketing is important. But to me, PR is much more important. Like, to me, PR supersedes marketing because you've got an email list and you're marketing to the same thousand people. That list can only shrink.

You have to expand more with PR because you're getting that exposure. You're leveraging different credibility options out there, right? You're getting on other people's shows that have, you know, a large following too. Or you're. When you do a PR tour, like, let's say a podcast booking tour, or you're getting booked on TV shows, maybe you're at Good Morning America, maybe you have a book launch. All those things are super important for when you're doing something with a big push or you want more of a consistent growth method. Because once you do that push with PR first, that's where the marketing comes in. Second, because then you're going through and then you're nurturing those people that come in from those interviews, those campaigns, those appearances, they come through like, oh, I found you on mixed podcasts. I loved your story. I'd love to get connect with you. Because that would be a PR positioning factor, right? So when you do that, it's a great opportunity and be very grateful for all the PR opportunities that are out there, and then step forth and say, like, great. Like, how. How can we now serve this individual or this person that's reaching out? That turns into the marketing efforts of how. How that that funnel goes through. But it's more than just a funnel. You know what I mean? It's just like you're building relationships where you're building community aspects. So I agree with you 100%. I believe PR is one exponential tool and resource that can help brands, individuals, leaders, authors, speakers to really position themselves out there. And that really helps. See that that effort that goes into the marketing that is should be consistent on a marketing side of it.

Wholeheartedly. Wholeheartedly. So t now I want to talk. I mean, I've been talking to you personally this whole time, but I want to talk about you a little bit, your journey, like, what's the biggest challenge that you've had to overcome?

Personal or business or both, wherever you.

Want to take it, I don't care.

You know what's funny, Mick, is I went through my personal journey first. So.

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Years ago in December, I decided to sober up. I stopped drinking alcohol, any. Any substances, cigarettes, you name it, anything. Just cold, cold turkey due to having some run on, run ins with the law multiple times. So I had this very deep state story of the ins and outs of jail Systems in my 20s and putting together this opportunity for myself that actually created my life path from there. But I wouldn't take it back for the world. I. On a deeper note, I was actually put away for a few months. Locked up, locked away. I was put on house arrest for nine months. So a total of a year I was put away. Basically, if it was locked up with an ankle bracelet like Lindsay Lohan, it was back around the same time she was dealing with it too. Look at her now, today, she's doing great.

There you go.

You know, I went through that, that journey, but the things that I went through, through that process of ins and outs of jail and courtrooms and attorneys and going in debt from going through these experiences, that was because I went through my own depression period. And I won't go into that, that part of it, but once I came out of that depression and I sobered up, that was actually when I decided to go into the entrepreneurial space and actually went back to film school in my late 20s. And then I started a company at the age of 30. And so that was when I actually sobered up. It took the first two years to really figure out that. That point of what I wanted to do. But I took that hobby of filmmaking and YouTube and turned it into a company. And then I told myself later, online, later in life that by going through that stuff I became extremely resilient. Things just didn't phase me, the BS bullshitter, you know, Sorry, didn't mean to.

Swear, but yeah, it's my podcast. You can say what you want. There you go.

Yeah, I can. I could read people. And so when I went through that process of really understanding that and trusting my gut and intuition through different experiences, joining masterminds, attending events, I really started to figuring out like, what my soul's purpose, purpose really was on this journey. And so I started living that life the way that I wanted to. And then I wanted to help more people, but I wanted to do it through some sort of service that I enjoyed, which back then, of course was. Was video and filmmaking. And then it evolved into podcasting. And so. But what's Unique about it is I've hit like tons of like, barriers, walls, failures, fall, fallovers through business opportunity and growth. I may have hit a specific set of success that people see as success at this point in life, but it didn't come easy. Right? And so, but all of those trials and tribulations that went through in the business side of it, all of it was because of everything that went through in that personal, rock bottom journey. Everything today. I always tell my team, they're always like, how did you, how did you handle that conversation? I'm like, I was like, it really didn't faze me. It's just something that had to be done because of the fact that I've dealt with harder in my life. And it pushed me and propelled me into a stronger woman in business because of those life stories that I had with my past. And so it all evolves and changes and shifts and my mindset completely shifted and stepped into as more of like a leader with the company and started removing myself from different things and started focusing on what I was passionate about and allowing everybody else to do everything that they were passionate about and skilled at. And so that was really more of my path, but that's a little bit more of my backstory.

So I just learned something I didn't know. My best friend went to prison, like cell block D, solitary. You were good.

It wasn't that bad, but it was more of like a women's correctional facility. So we like shared the space.

Space.

And it was, it was hard because people were coming in, you know, like late at night, they like bring them in. You had people come in, like, oh, she just came in from the psych ward. You know, it was, or, oh, she's coming down off meth. So there were like some very intriguing times where I just, they actually saw me as a leader in there. And the women in there respected me as they got to know me, the ones that were in there with me for the time. And it was very interesting to see because I, I, I'm fairly tall for a woman, five, nine. And I was in the, actually in the best shape of my life because I was constantly doing like, you know, tricep depth, dips off the bunks, you know, wall sits off the wall, lunges across the room doing stuff off the picnic table that was pinned to the floor. You know, like, everything was pinned down. So there's just like this crazy, you know, the stories that I have in there as well. But, like, everything that went through, like, I was even told that I inspired the officers in there, too, too. Like, it was, it was, it was weird. Like, after I got out, like, all of a sudden the officers, like in there were trying to add me on Facebook and I was like, I do not believe this is a good idea. So. But yeah, that really, like, there was so many, like, crazy stories that went on, went on in there. There was a gal one day that literally came in from the insane asylum and this gal was being bullied. And this is another thing that in my past, I was bullied, very much bullied in middle school. And I don't ever appreciate anyone talking down to anybody or bullying somebody. And I will step in and say something when I see fit. And she was bullying this, this nice woman that had been in there. And she came in and I was sitting on that bolted down bench, right? And so she was standing in front of me and I was wearing glasses at the time, just like you. I haven't had LASIK since then, but grateful for, for that, but I was wearing glasses. And the first thing I thought when she came at me was, I'm going to get my glasses smashed in my eyes right about now, but I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna flinch. So I literally said, hey, you know, you don't need to speak with her like that. Like, she's, you know, just asking a question. I could tell that the mental health was, was not stable. Um, and at that point, after I opened my mouth, the gal lunged at me, basically pulls her fist up right into my face. And I literally was like, okay, I could lose my eye right now or I could stay calm and they'll get the officers in here. Which it was the latter. And so it went through that process that got. Was removed, but it was like after that, all the women also saw me as a leader too. In that scenario. They always, like, would flock and be like, what do you want to watch on tv? I was like, well, what do you guys want to watch as a collectively whole, you know, and so things like Shark Tank and other things like that. So I started learning more business while I was away and then watched it more when I was out. And so then I went into entrepreneurship later on in life. But it was very interesting to, you know, see that. But that really was part of my monumental experience. From a personal path, from being bullied younger, to being pulled over for DUIs, to being put away to, to the jail, to the house arrest, to interlock on my car for five years. You know, those little blowy things. Yeah, five years. So that's how bad it was. I also lived in Seattle, Washington, which was probably the second worst state for DUIs at that point, which I understand. But I'm actually grateful I went through all of it because it. It put me in debt. It put me through these experiences. I had to live and learn and figure out how to grow and get through them. And I actually ended up negotiating with the judge for my sentence and got the best case scenario for myself with the lesser amount through the experience because of the knowledge of negotiation, which has also applied in business.

So.

But yeah, I've just taken all those things. So, yeah, it's a lot more backstory there. But that really propelled me into the woman I am today. So.

And you are amazing today. So I want you to know that. So appreciate it. Again, I just realized that T, you know, to be a gangster. Look at that. The exclusive that we get on Mick unplug. Look at that. So, Tamara, like, where can people find you? Follow you? Like, where do you want people to know? Where should we go?

Yeah, no, every. Everything Broadcast yout authority, our YouTube channel. It's where we host our podcast. We're excited because we have our annual event coming up in April, the end of April for Broadcast your Authority. We're on Instagram Broadcasting Authority, TikTok. But for me personally, though, my favorite platform is Instagram. And you could connect with me at Tamara Thompson official. Mick knows. We message in there, you know, each month. We're like, hey, what's up? How's it going? What are you doing? You traveling? What are you speaking? Right. You know.

Right.

So. So yeah, that's my favorite spot. But yeah, I'm definitely on. On Facebook and all the other platforms, but definitely connect on Broadcast your Authority. Even our website sponsors broadcast your authority.com and we're just super excited for all the stuff coming up the rest of the year.

And I'm excited for you. I'll make sure all the descriptions are in the show notes. Seriously, Tamara is one of those people you can message. She actually engages with her followers and the people that she connects with. So definitely make sure that you are following Tamara. All the great things that broadcast your authority. Again, one of my favorite podcasts is her. So I appreciate you and the team and all the amazing things that you are doing the world.

I appreciate you, T. Well, we. We appreciate you as well. And thank you so much for having me on your show. Appreciate you.

I appreciate you back. And for all the viewers and listeners, remember your. Because is your superpower. Go unleash it.

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Mick Unplugged. If today hits you hard, then imagine what's next. Be sure to subscribe, rate and share this with someone who needs it. And most of all, make a plan and take action, because the next level is already waiting for you. Have a question or insight to share? Send us an email to hellockunplugged.com until next time, ask yourself how you can step up.

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