Audacious Expansion: Turning Life's Greatest Setbacks Into Your Biggest Breakthroughs

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I think it's really important to share is I not only publicly on day 999 when I was in the courtroom looking this man in the eyes with my husband sitting there, one of my best friends, and looking him and reminding him that I forgave him. Not for what he did, but because I knew it was the only way that I could move on. And if I kept that energy inside, I knew there was no way that I could do the work that I'm doing now.

Yeah, that's courage. That takes strength.

Incredible.

Now, she doesn't believe audacity is something you're born with. She believes it's a choice that changes everything when you finally make it. Success didn't come to her because she had all the answers. It became because she stopped asking for permission. In today's episode, she's going to share one decision to embrace audacity. It's the big word you're going to hear today. And how it transformed her career, her purpose, and why she believed the biggest risk that people take is waiting until they feel ready. Now, Erica Rothenberger out of Philly is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, media personality, thought leader on audacity, resilience, and bold leadership. She's known for her powerful storytelling and actionable insights. She inspires audiences to expand beyond limitations and step into courageous leadership. She's on Fox News, been featured across multiple national media outlets, and in 2025, she was actually named the Dynamic Woman of the Year by modern luxury. Amazing and exciting. I actually was witnessing as she's got a mega following on Instagram, over 50,000 followers. She's just had best-selling author of her latest book called The Audacious Expansion. So excited to be able to grab her today because she's all over the place doing episodes and book tours and all great stuff, and we finally got a chance to talk today. Welcome, Erica Rothenberger.

Oh, Eric, I'm so excited to be here. Thanks so much for having me.

Yeah, I'm so excited, and we had a great chat. I get you like back-to-back days. You're part of our amazing Philadelphia group. We're going rocking and rolling out there with some incredible entrepreneurs out in Philadelphia.

There's some good stuff, some audacity really brewing out here.

Yeah. So let's get right into it because I know everything really starts a little over 4 years ago. Something changed in your life. Seemed like quite an interesting battle that occurred and really opened up your audacious expansion. You want to start with that?

Yeah, let's, let's go there. Let's go to like where, you know, like that pinnacle is in our life. And we all have that punch that's happened in our life, right? We all have a moment where something has changed or evolved. And I want to remind everyone that as I tell you this story, Your story's not worse or better than anyone's. We just all have a story and it's a tapestry of it. And right, it's what we decide to do with the story that can bring us to that next level. And, you know, Eric, I thought I was living this big, bold, audacious life. I'm originally from Plymouth, Massachusetts. I had the two kids, the husband, the hard hat, the steel-toe boots, a woman in construction for the last 20 years of her life, right? Civil engineer with her MBA. Corner office thinking like I was living this really juicy life. And it was the day on June 16th, 2022 that reminded me that I was actually kind of playing small. It was that day that reminded me that I really wasn't necessarily audaciously expanding to the level that I thought I would. And sometimes it is that interruption in our life that becomes the invitation that reminds us of what we want to do. So let's rewind. Let's rewind to that day, that day with the pink blazer and the matching pink heels, the day that my husband was in Kansas City. The two kids were with the sitter at the ages of 6 and 9. They had just gotten out of school and I remember leaving them with the sitter that morning and reminding them to have the most beautiful day and that I'd be home that evening, not knowing that that could have been the last time that I got to say bye to Drew and Adelyn, the last moment that perhaps I got to live that big, bold, audacious life because I was like any other day. I drove to work the exact same way that I always did. And as I pulled into the parking lot that morning, I took that last sip of Himalayan sea salt water, the one that JLo told me at 2 AM that was going to give me this glowy complexion. I'm still trying to figure if it's working. And I went to go gather my belongings, opened my car door, and there he was. You see, it was a man I had never seen before. And I quickly asked him, sir, can I help you? And as those words murmured out of my mouth, his fist hit my face.

Whoa.

He grabbed me by the hair and he threw me to that asphalt pavement. He proceeded to punch me 4, 5, 6 more times. His tears, saliva, blood, fear, anxiety, adrenaline raced through every inch of my body, not knowing again if that was the last breath that I would take on earth. And as he proceeded to do that, I bit, I screamed, I tried to do everything to get away from his wrath. What I didn't know, Eric, is at the time that this man had been an ex boxer. What I also didn't know is this man was in prison for 12 years prior to that. He had assaulted 4 prison guards, got out prematurely, and was in Philadelphia the night before on June 15th, where he assaulted 4 other women. What I didn't know is that that morning, just an hour before my assault, he had raped a woman, a woman he pushed into a vestibule. And what I didn't know is that moment right before the large crease of his elbow went under my throat. What was a matter of probably milliseconds felt like forever, knowing that the moment he squeezed, that could have been my last breath of oxygen. Oh God. And everything went black. And for 45 seconds, I was— could have been dead. And for the act of God, a higher power, the universe, I was able to come back to life, right? The adrenaline, the lights, the panic that raced through my body, and being able to actually get up on my feet and looking over my shoulder and seeing him in my car just inches away from me and knowing that if I didn't run for help that he could have continued to attack me. I didn't know if he had a gun, if he would chase me, if he would come after me. So I ran as hard as I could by foot and I ran into that office building, the place that I'd worked at for 10 years, that I always felt so safe in this beautiful town in Pennsylvania, and screamed at the top of my lungs. The police, the detectives, Everything for the next 48 hours were an utter blur. He escaped by foot and actually ran to the local marshes and grasses and started burying himself, where the dogs and drones later found him. And they raced me off to trauma. And I just remember so clearly the lights and the doctors and the nurses. And after finally going through trauma and them saying, we cannot believe that you're alive because what this man brutally did to you was— and luckily they were able to find him burying himself and took him into the police station. And I remember being in that hospital bed and the doctors and the nurses and the sirens and the everything around me and realizing that I had another day, that I was going to be the mom to Drew and Adeline again, the wife to Andy, my sister who drove that hundreds of miles to come be by my side, my husband who jumped on an airplane and had no Wi-Fi and didn't know what he was walking into. The friends and families and cards and vision and everyone that showed up in my life. And I'll never forget a few days later being at home so scared to even be outside in my own backyard that always felt so safe with the big hooded sweatshirt on and tears dripping down my face. And it was in that moment, Eric, that I realized it wasn't the prescriptions they tried to give me, it wasn't the police reports, it wasn't the doctors or the nurses. It was the laughter of my kids that day. Drew doing a cannonball in the and hearing Adeline's little giggle, and I realized that there was something so much bigger that I was living for. And I had a choice in that moment to be a victim. I wanted to be that victim in that moment. Why did this happen to me? Why would God do this to me? I wanted to be maybe a survivor, but in that moment I decided I needed to thrive. I decided that this was an interruption that was an invitation to go to that next level. And what I will say is that 999 days later, 11 trials of having to see him and having to fight for every of justice because when you get strangled in Pennsylvania by a stranger, it is a misdemeanor versus a felony. What they were getting him more for was the actual attempted carjack than for the actual strangulation or attempted murder, which in most other states would be up to 20 years in prison. And in the state of Pennsylvania, it's 1 to 2 years for an aggravated assault. So what I'm doing right now and what the doors that it's opened was to be able to say, I want to change this law. I want to go do the TEDx. I want to write the book. I want to make the change. I want to change and really live that big, bold, audacious life, not the one that I thought I was living. And what I want to remind anyone that's listening today is that we've all had a punch. Mine is not worse or better. And yes, it was bloody and gory and the news was part of it and all of that, but we've all had punches or interruptions in life and that we get to decide what we want to do with it. And that this has really been a gift, a gift for me to audaciously expand.

Wow. Oh my gosh. Well, thanks for sharing that. I think the big lesson there, I mean, other than I don't know how you got through all that, but you sort of said you have a choice to decide what to do with that. And I think it's interesting you started off talking about the corner office and thinking you made it and what success, a definition of success and what it looked like to you. And somehow that changed. And I definitely want to circle back on what's going on with the legalities of Philadelphia because, God, that seems like a no-brainer, but I imagine playing politics cannot be fun there. But what did you see? What did you find other than saying, well, I could turn this into a positive. I have a choice to make here. How do I look at the positive and saying, I am living another day. I get to see my family and my kids. What What was the next level? You started teaching now as a leader.

Well, what I realized that day is the minute I thought my oxygen was getting taken away, and again, that would be my last breath, is I realized that what brought me back to life was connection with other people, was the people that showed up in my life, the people that were there for me with the days that I didn't want to keep going, the days that I didn't want to fight for the law, the days that I didn't want to do the things. And what I recognized is how important it was to build that connection and remind other people of that connection. And then there was a fire in me after that, Eric. There was a fire in me that I knew that this didn't happen to me, it happened for me, and to really reframe it. But I will tell you, there was a pivotal moment that changed the way that I thought about the situation. And when I say this, sometimes this can come across like, what? But I think it's really important to share is I not only publicly on day 999 when I was in the courtroom looking this man in the eyes with my husband sitting there, one of my best friends, and looking him and reminding him that I forgave him, not for what he did, but because I knew it was the only way that I could move on. And if I kept that energy inside, I knew there was no way that I could do the work that I'm doing now. And that came from a lot of therapy, a lot of work on myself, a lot of mindset changes, right? But I truly believe that that was a gift by saying that, as hard as it was. Wow. Genuine courage, not just to say it but to actually believe it.

Yeah, that's courage. That takes strength. Incredible. Wow. Okay, so what happened to him again? What's his status?

So like, he finally is in max security prison in Pennsylvania, up to 30 years. I finally got to hear his story and all 11 trials. It wasn't until the last trial that I actually got to hear his past, right, and what he's been through. And again, we have to remind ourselves, again, doesn't ever say that what he did was okay, but like, he had a pretty horrible past, right? We have to remind ourselves that everyone has had a story, and it doesn't make— no excuses does not make what he did okay, but we have to remind everyone that everyone's coming from different places. And so now we're fighting for to change the law because I firmly believe that unless I went through all of the trials that I did that he wouldn't have gotten that maximum sentencing. And I wanted to make sure that no other male or female, regardless, in the state of Pennsylvania has to go through what I went through. And so the law that's being put into play, or will be put in play— I'm speaking it into being— is a 3-part law, and it's actually called the Erica's Law. I didn't name it, the legislation named it.

Amazing.

I say, listen, if that's the legacy that I was intended to leave on this earth, then that was a gift in itself, right? That it could change someone else. And do I need know who that person is, never, that the fact that one day someone's getting their justice will be easier than what I had to go through.

Wow, wow, good for you. Again, incredible story. Thank you for sharing that. How have you taken that energy and that momentum? Talk about what you're doing right now. Maybe we just start with the book Audacious Expansion. What's the core concepts of what you're teaching now?

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I love that, you know, it started with the TEDx, and then I decided that I really needed to write this book. And the first chapter is actually called Punch or Pivot, and it's reminding us that, like, again, we've We've all had certain punches and how do we pivot? And reminding organizations, reminding individuals, reminding parents that no matter what we're up against right now in life, that we have the ultimate choice to change. And I talk about my method called BOLD in this book and how you can use that method in any aspect of your life to literally create that muscle of resiliency because I believe the muscle of resiliency is like anything else. And the reason I named Audacious Expansion isn't because when you read the true definition of audacious, you think that it needs to be big and bold and brave and all these massive things. Well, I want to remind you, it's actually in my— the way that I write this in the book, the audacious things are the things that you're doing when no one's watching. It's the things that you're doing behind the scenes. It's the day that you decide to get up and still tie your sneakers even though you know no one's waiting for you at the gym that day. It's the day that you decide to make the extra phone call, create the boundary, quit the job, like when No one's there applauding you or cheering you on, right? It's the days. And the reason the expansion is reminding ourselves that it is a muscle that we need to build. And for so much of my life, I pushed down other trauma that had happened, and I decided that this would not be the time that I would do it again. I was going to take this and change the way that I did it. And through expansion, reminding ourselves, you know, I give out in my keynotes a pink rubber band, and I always say, listen, I paid a little extra for the pink, I think like an extra half a penny, but reminding as a symbol yourself that we can stay in this safe space. We can stay in a circumference that feels comfortable in life, but we have a 1 in 400 trillion chance of being on this Earth. Like, we weren't put here to play small, but every time we decide to expand, right? When you first get that rubber band, it's hard to stretch it, right? But it becomes easier and easier, just like going to the gym, just like starting to write the book, just like trying the new job, right? And every time we're willing to expand it, it becomes a little bit easier. And sometimes we're going to stretch that limit, but sometimes it takes that quantum leap to get to that next area of our life. And then I ask everyone, including yourself, and whether you have a rubber band or not, but to wear it around their wrist for at least the next week and to remind themselves that they can always expand, that they can go to that next level, to snap themselves out of it when things feel tight. Because life is gonna life, but we get the decision. And time is— we can't go and buy time. We can't go and pick it up on Amazon 2-day Prime or Walmart. Last time I checked.

Yeah, you can't, right? That's right. I remember learning early on, I mean, similar analogies, you know, the really, you said the comfort zone where, you know, we all have that comfort zone, that circle. It's nice and warm and cozy inside the comfort zone, right? Then you take a step out, it's like wind's blowing, it gets cold. It's like, I'm not sure. So often we just close the door and stay in our comfort zone.

Yeah.

You know, but once you get that first step out, your circle gets bigger, right? The rubber band expands and all of a sudden you're able to achieve that whole level more that you didn't think you could get there. Which I love is the, the analogy you put together. That's exactly right. And so you're really helping give people a great visual on how they should be doing that and examples of that. Everything you hear on this show comes back to one idea: proximity. I wrote the book on it, literally. Proximity Pays, my best-selling book, available now at proximitypays.com.

And at the end of every chapter, there's an audacity and action that I challenge the reader to take, right, to actually then go and put it into play. And it comes with a free downloadable journal because I'm a firm believer that when we elect to take pen to paper and write something down, we're 43% more likely to make it happen. And then if we're willing to share it with someone else— when I first shared that I was going to do this Audacious Woman Summit and everyone's like, what is that? I'm like, I don't know yet, but I spoke it into being— we're 78% more likely to make it happen. So if we write it and then share it, which goes along with the BOLD method— L is lean on others and D is developing others, right? That's when the action actually starts to come.

So it's so B-O— what's the B-O-O part?

So B-O-O, believing in yourself, starting with you, your foundation, What you do each and every day. O is the ongoing process, reminding ourselves that like Rome wasn't built in a day. It's going to take consistency and the time and effort and continuing to work towards it. L is leaning on others. We're not intended to do life alone. Who is that tribe that you have? Just like Speakeasy Mastermind Mastermind is all about, right? We were not intended to build this world by ourselves. And D is developing others, deciding that now you're going to serve others, right? Because when we serve others, our bar raises, we become about, right? We're not meant to be selfish.

That's right. That's right. Oh, that's brilliant. I love it. All right, so be bold. You set intentions essentially, and you threw it out there. I'm going to do the, uh, the Audacious Women's Summit. So have you done it? What is it about?

Yeah, so last year in 2025 was our first Audacious Women's Summit. Sold out, you know, weeks before the actual event. We had phenomenal sponsorship. We brought speakers in, we brought panelists in, we had music. I had violinist. I mean, it was next level, but it was— the energy in that room was explosive. But my favorite part about the whole thing, Eric, was the stories that happened after we left the room. And I challenged every woman in that room, do not leave that energy in here. Bring it out there. Bring it out to the world and go and create that ripple impact, not only on your life, but on everyone else's life that you touch. And it was the stories that I heard after. It was the woman who went back home and lost those 15 pounds to be able to get back into those jeans she wanted to wear. It was the other woman who decided decided to start her own Women of Wisconsin event that she's hosting and asked me to be her keynote speaker. It was the woman who decided to go and end the marriage that she knew no longer was serving her, right? And I want to remind people that sometimes you need to be in that room to be able to expand yourself and be intimidated by other people, not in a bad way, but in a good way that challenges you, that sharpens your pencil.

That's right. You're not alone. And for those men that are listening too, despite the fact that she has the Women's Summit, you know, does do lots of coaching leadership to men just as much as women. But what do you think the core message is that they left with so inspired to go make those changes in life, to be bold? What do you think the main things that you sort of shook them and got them to get to the next level?

I think it was actually deciding on what that one thing was, right? Like, I think a confused mind does nothing. So walking away with what's that one audacious, hairy, scary goal that they were going to go work on and having an action plan to be able to do it. I think the second part was was understanding that they had a community. There was other people in that room who felt the exact same way and didn't know exactly where to start. And then I think the third part of it is the mastermind that comes after it for the person in that room who's really ready to go to that next level, decides to say, listen, I'm going to make a commitment for the next 12 weeks and I'm going to work on this every day with you, Erica. I'm going to work with this community on it to take it to that next level because we all need accountability.

Accountability. That's right. Yep. Yep. So, that's great. So, I think a lot of it, like you said, sometimes we're isolated, we're operating alone. They realize that, "Wait, I'm not alone in this issue. Everybody else has got their own issue that they need help solving. Let's be bold. Let's believe in ourselves." The B that you're talking about, it's not going to happen overnight. You really taught your BOLD framework. I could see that threaded through as you're talking now and your energy now. And I see that once people have that path and the clarity and the confidence to believe in it and then a team and accountability, boom, they're hitting that big goal. And guess what? That rubber band on their lives expanded, I imagine.

Yes, yes, absolutely. And that stretch no longer feels hard, right? Like, it's like I always say, it reminds me of that song, "The first cut's the deepest," right? Like, it's always hard when you first get started. The first day you go to the gym, you can barely sit down to use the bathroom the next day because your quads are burning. But it becomes easier and easier when we build that habit. And I truly believe the master to anything— none of us are just naturally talented. It takes consistency. And anyone you talk to, whether you're a pro athlete, you're a singer, you're a songwriter, you're a speaker, you've started a business, it takes the tenacity to keep showing up, the grit to keep showing up. And it's the reason that my podcast is called Grit, Grace, and Glitz. The grit that it takes in life, the glitz, the things that we need to celebrate every day that we're working towards, and the confetti we're putting out into the world to share with others. But with the grace being in the middle, because we have to give ourselves grace, we have to give other people grace, and that has to be the conduit between the it and the glitz.

Love it. So for those listening right now, um, what is a tool tactic? You said something kind of earlier, we need to have a confused mind, we have to eliminate that. Obviously we don't have the opportunity to be at your summit right now in the present, maybe in the future, but as we're listening to this podcast, what action can we take? What's a good thing to get started on that you would advise to get momentum?

So, you know, I have a method I call my 3-3-30 method, and it's 36 minutes a day. And someone's like, I don't have that much time in your day. I'm like, listen, I was like, everyone can find of their day, right? Like everyone has doom scrolled for more than 36 minutes in a day. And if you can make the commitment, and I truly believe it's the 3 minutes before I get out of bed and it's setting the intention in my head before the phone goes on, before the doom scrolling, before you've even taken a sip of coffee, washed your face, or brushed your teeth. What is the intention, the foundation you're building for that day? The next thing is 3 things that you are so grateful for, or you're working on the pen to paper, right? Like every day writing it. I know when I wanted to be that TEDx speaker, I wanted to start to be that keynote speaker, I wrote it into being every single day. Take 3 minutes to actually put your pen to paper first thing in the morning and just allow it to flow, but speak it, manifest it into being. And then that 30 minutes, what is that audacious goal and what are you doing to work on it every day? Because you tell me you want to write the book, you tell me you want to find the new job, but then you tell me that you spent no time looking for the new job. Your pages still blank, right? You've got to find that time every day. 36 minutes is 2% of your day. Easy habit, right? But also easy not to do. You have to defend the time. And I truly believe defending your schedule every day, just like you would make it to get your nail appointment, you'd make it to the dentist appointment, you'd make it to your kid's game— why are you neglecting to do it for yourself, right?

Momentum, priority, comfort zone, all the reasons we gave ourselves, the lack of knowledge, the lack of fear, the insecurities, are we good enough, you know, all the things that get stand in our way of doing that. And I truly think that, back to your rubber band, the comfort zone is such an enemy to us sometimes because it is easy for us to go to that safe place of, like you said, do something simple and basic and doom scroll and go get my coffee and do all the little things that are easy because it's natural. I don't have to push myself too hard, which is why we get in there. So that's great. I love that.

I just want to remind anyone listening to you, Eric, is like, I'm guilty of it, you're guilty of it. Like, this is not— like, it takes the practice every day, right? Like, of course, I get in my comfort zone, I go back into that comfort cocoon, like, oh, this feels safe, right? But like, if you're not like growing, you're dying, right? And so you have to die, right? Like, it's what hard do you want?

Yeah. And I want to reemphasize something else you said earlier too. The more you share your goal with others and have the others around you to help keep you accountable, that's going to help you get there. You're writing it down, you're sharing it, you're making it, you're putting your fist in the sand and saying, this is what I'm going to be doing. Now put it out there and you're sort of forcing yourself to get it done. Otherwise you're gonna look bad amongst your peers and you can't let yourself and others down. So I mean, that was a great little tip you threw in there. We talked earlier in the quote Green Room, you were reading a book earlier. You and I are both big believers in connection. I thought it was really interesting, the angle of the author of the book you were talking about, somebody you just had in your podcast, not only connection, but actually mattering was the word I wrote down here. And people want to feel like they matter and having connections. Do you want to expand a little bit more on that and your big belief in that topic?

Yeah. So I had the fortune of picking up this book. I read just a little shy of 30 books last year, and my favorite book out of all of it was The Power of Mattering by Zach Mukherjee. And it really just changed my thinking. Not that I didn't already feel that way. My keynote, The Audacity of Meaningful Connections, covers a lot of this, but it reminding people how much they matter and the words you can say to people to make them really feel seen. Like, we wouldn't be here without you. Reminding ourselves that 53% of people feel lonely every single day. 30% of people go to work every day feel absolutely invisible. Invisible. Not even like not cared for, but like it wouldn't matter if they were there or not. Like, we're living in a world where we're more connected than ever, but yet so disconnected. And we can't— we have to remind ourselves that we can even be in the same rooms with people and feel disconnected.

Totally.

We need to decide on that transaction and that quality of relationship. And there's 3 words that I love that I share in that keynote and it's tell me more, right? Constantly be thinking about how someone else can tell you more and hear more about you than— or you can learn more about them than you learn about— than they learn about you, right? And just genuinely interested. You know, one of my favorite things is asking people about like something that's going to happen in the future, where they're going on vacation, what they're excited about, right? We love to talk about the future. What you can find out about about when someone tells you about a vacation. I mean, all of a sudden they'll light up, right, about where they last went, where they're going, where they're planning. You can find out, do they like the mountains, do they like the beach? Like, and it gets people excited. The dopamine starts to hit, right? And the conversation just goes to another level. Like, stop— let's stop asking the rudimentary questions like, how's the weather, or what's your title. I have an exercise that I do in my keynote, and I actually ask everyone, because this happened to me when I was first interviewing for a job, and I I remember going into the SVP's office and his last question was the make or break question. Like, and I thought he was going to ask me what the salary should be. Do I want the corner office? Do I like gray chairs or black chairs or like, you know, something like that? And he went and said, what's the one word that you would use to describe yourself if you didn't have a title, you didn't have accolades, you didn't have the MBA? And you know the word I blurted out?

Effervescent.

Effervescent.

Okay.

He looked at me and he said, do you know how to spell that? I said, no. And it was the funniest thing. But to this day, he asked me, he goes, well, what do you— why that word? He goes, I have— I've asked everyone this, this question in an interview. I have hundreds of words written on this paper and no one's ever said that word. I said, well, I like to bring things to life. I love a lot of different ideas. I love to bubble things to the surface. Like, and to this day, I wear that word loud and proud. And I ask people to do this in the keynote and then use that to introduce themselves instead of their name, instead of the title, instead of where they work and why they chose that word. And let me tell you, the conversation— what you can find out about someone is so intriguing.

Nice.

Because at the end of the day, we're going to probably forget your title or your name or how to spell it, but we're not going to forget about how you made us feel. And to this day, I want people to feel effervescent around me. I want the people to feel excited and energized, right?

Yep, yep. I love that.

Decide what that word is for us.

I love that. So many takeaways from you just said. So thank you.

I remember—

so, listener, people listening with your teams, I hope you're taking some good takeaways on just this topic. I mean, ask people what their word is. I call it active listening, what you mentioned. Show that you care. Ask the questions. A couple of things I used to do on this topic when I was running big teams. One is I would rotate one-on-ones with everybody in the team and actively listen, ask the questions, show them I care. But more importantly, listen, I would take action on the feedback and suggestions. They had. So they actually felt like their feedback mattered and it gave them confidence to bring up ideas again, because the best hidden ideas are the ones from the team, probably not even us. The other thing I would do is I'd have something called— I use software called 15Five. Every Friday they'd spend 5 minutes, actually 15 minutes doing 5 questions to answer kind of their day. And every Saturday my ritual was literally looking at everybody's feedback and there was all sorts of questions that would rotate every week, but I'd be responding to them. Oh my God, that was a great idea, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Just, they're like, oh my God, the CEO actually cares. They listen to me. I matter. Like, they felt that they genuinely mattered, and it made all the difference. That's why our retention was so high back in the day, me having lots of employees, which no longer is the case. But so I love, love, love that topic, and they do want to feel matter. And I think it's so— I mean, us as entrepreneurs, sometimes we just go forward and think that people really give a shit or care, but it's our vision often, and they do want to feel like they matter. They're working a lot often for us.

Yeah, and so often I think we think like the number one key to longevity and happiness happiness. Sometimes we think it was the title or the money in the bank account or the car that we drive, but the number one is feeling the sense of like belonging and connection with other people, right? Like, you look at Blue Zones around the world, there's like 5 or 6 Blue Zones where they've studied people that live the longest and have like the most depth of life, and that the denominator with all of them is the social connection. And I think so often we're not talking about that. We're not talking about the psychological safety that people should feel when they show up to that meeting and want to say that new idea, but they're scared because they're like, who— what's the team going to say about this?

Yeah. Uh, all right, two more points, and then I know I've taken up a lot of your time. One is I want to talk about the, uh, TED Talk. Uh, you had the keynote.

So, The Audacity That Builds You, and that's based on the BOLD method. I bring that into a lot of corporations about how we can innovate and think differently. And then The Audacity of Meaningful Connections, finding ourselves that connection was my oxygen that day, and I wouldn't be here or doing the work that I'm doing now truly without connection with other people. And to me, it's just the torch I want to carry along.

Love it. Love it. Okay. Something else I think would be interesting to our listeners today. By the time people listen to the podcast, we actually might hit the 50,000 mark. You're at like 49,900, right? Right there. How'd you grow your following? Was this all post-incident or were you already had a big following prior to that? And how'd you grow it?

Yeah, I was working on a lot of that and sharing my brand, sharing my visibility, and I'm constantly changing and sharpening my pencil and evolving. And what's the messaging and the branding we want to share? And some of it it is just throwing spaghetti at the wall, right? Let's face it. But I think genuinely making the connection, and I want to go back that if you want to grow your following, you have to be consistent. Like, it's just like Home Depot. Like, imagine if they were only open on Tuesdays, right? Like, well, maybe you want to do flooring on Friday, right? Like, or maybe you want to do plumbing on Sunday, right? Like, they need to— like, the lights need to be on and people need to know your brand. But you also need to show your vulnerability. And show, like, who you are. And I don't mean you have to show all your dirty laundry, but I really believe that in a world where AI has taken over, where there is so much disconnection, more than ever we need that social trust with people. And when people get online and are willing to share who they are, you know, behind the scenes, not just, hey, this is my brand and I need you to buy, right? Like, people don't want to be bought to. They want to, like, know, like, and trust the person that they're, you know, that they're standing behind and be like, hey, could I relate to her? Like, do I want to be at her summit? Like, you know what I mean? Does that make sense to me to be— have to be stuck in a room with her for 8 hours?

Right. So how did you go from that? What was her big surge? Was there something you did? Is it just posting every day authentic stuff that people can relate to?

Listen, I have to say, it was just like— it's been methodical growth, and it's taken dives and sweeps. But I think it's really making sure that you're talking to who your avatar is and really honing in on branding. I'll be honest with you, even this past weekend I was in Fort Lauderdale working with, uh, Jen Kotlieb was a massive influencer, and I have to constantly be learning, right? Like, I'm not satisfied with 49.9,000 views. Like, I want— and again, it's not just to say what the number is, but I want to make it a much larger impact than just that. The right people. Yeah, that's right.

Well done on that. That's great.

I just want to remind anyone that's listening today that if you haven't picked up that phone, if you don't have that group, if you don't have that connection like, go and find it, right? Like, we all deserve to be in those groups where there's people that are lifting us. But we have to also remember that, like, who lifted us and how are we lifting the person behind us? Because I truly believe that as we rise, we need to take other people along with us, and we need to lift as we rise and show other people to come on the journey with us. And that's what I love that you've built with Speakeasy Mastermind Mastermind, that it's not like, hey, listen, this person got ahead, but these 3 people are floundering, right? Right? Like, it's like, hey, how can we all just continue to raise the bar?

Right? Right. Well, fill it with the right people, the right hearts and minds that have the abundance concept. And that's right, we're all going to give and take, and there's going to be some things that I'm learning from others, and we're going to lift each other up. And, and, you know, I love what you said. It's a big part of my first couple chapters of my, my book is, is finding the room, whatever room it is. Make sure you find a room, but find a room. Don't give up at the first room is, is taking away your energy. There'll be a different one. Don't just assume this is not going to work for you, but find that room. And speaking of Finding Rooms, if you're listening and you see the power of Erica, I know you're out there looking to get on a few more stages and do some more talks. So feel free to reach out to Erica. I know her info will be listed in here to get her up on your stage. She's an absolute powerhouse, amazing heart, amazing soul. She's going to bring the audience to a big applause and obviously is an incredible podcast guest, as you could see. So great to connect with you today and looking forward to our continued relationship.

Thank you so much, Eric. Go out there. Let's be audacious. Let's give the grit, the grace, and A glance.

I love it. Let's be bold and audacious. I love it. And that's a wrap from the Speakeasy Podcast. If something sparked for you, don't keep it to yourself. Share it, review it, and pass it to the one person who needs to hear this right now. Want in on the Real Mastermind? Tap the link in the show notes to apply. Until next time, keep scaling, stay sharp, and don't be the smartest one in the room. Hello, I've been noticing you've been following along to Inside the Speakeasy Mastermind podcast, and the conversations I'm having out there resonates with you, then I'd like to invite you to apply to learn more about becoming a member of Speakeasy Mastermind.