As a white Christian man, the last few years have been a bit of a wake-up call. There’s been a reckoning for guys who look like me. Previously well-respected leaders have been publicly exposed for the liars, bullies, and misogynists they’ve been behind closed doors. So many wrongs are coming to light, and that is good. But this time has also been a period of reflection for men like me. Men who want to love and lead their families well. Men who work with and serve some pretty incredible women, and men who don’t want to be part of the problem.

So I think I figured something out recently. To move forward, sometimes you have to start by looking back. And for many guys, including me, it means saying "I’m sorry."

Guys, it’s time to start apologizing.

It’s time to apologize to the women in our lives. To fellow sisters, to our wives, and to our daughters. “I’m sorry for being THAT guy.”

I’m sorry for cutting you off before...

There is a concept that I have been applying to my life in many different ways. It's called: emulate before you innovate. Let's break down those two words real quick.

Emulate

Emulate means to follow a model -- to implement a plan and follow somebody else's process.

Innovate

Innovate means to create your own script, your own journey, your own path, but that shouldn't be done until you emulate. Emulate before you innovate.

Here is an example...my team and I have been going through this process called EOS -- the entrepreneur operating system. As we go through EOS, it's really easy to try to come up with new ideas and say, "Oh, we're not going to do it that way." For example, they have a weekly 90-minute meeting. My first thought was, "Well, we have a 60-minute meeting, so let's just do a 60-minute meeting." But what I'm learning to do is emulate before I innovate -- to follow the system before I try to change the system.

Why?

The reason for that is because I need to acknowledge that...

Ever thought about signing up for a high-level mastermind? You might first be wondering: what is a high-level mastermind? Well, generally it's led by a thought leader in your space. This might be an author or a speaker or a marketing consultant -- somebody who has been doing what they do for a while who you can trust because they have the kind of results that you want.

Their mastermind is usually a small group of people that they invest in over the course of a year. So the reason I'm talking about this topic is because we're just launching our own high-level mastermind for our writing community called Hope Writers.

You want to serve one person the same way you would serve 100. I can't serve 3000 people and give them personalized feedback and coaching and encouragement, but I could for 30 people. So the idea is instead of a hundred, how can you focus down to that 1% of your audience. That's what a mastermind does. It's the highest level that you could potentially give to your...

Episode 11 of The Clarity Sessions podcast features Patty Scott. 

In this episode, we cover how to promote your published work and grow as an author.

Patty has published two books and she wants to build a bridge between the excitement she has over her books and how to widen her reach to help people actually buy her book. She wants to do more speaking and coaching as a result of her book topics: how to slow down as mothers and how to parent teens. Right now her writing is a hobby, but with her great word-of-mouth grown and willingness to try new things, it can be so much more.

Patty is working on some videos and wonders if it is better to do Youtube videos or Facebook live.

Here are my main tips for Patty:

1. Determine what your people want.

People buy things they want, not what they need. So what is the want behind the need? How do we find what someone will actually pay for? Youtube is a video library you can share with your email list. The videos are made with specific topics...

Episode 13 is all about getting ready for a writing conference -- an opportunity for writers to talk to an editor or an agent. At writer's conferences, there are meetings with prospective agents and editors, people who could potentially help you move your project or book idea forward.

So how do you talk to agents and editors at writer's conferences? I have four tips based on what I have learned over the last twenty years of trying to get a book published and working with new authors trying to get theirs published as well.

I remember my first time at a writing conference. It was the San Diego Christian writing conference. There was a lottery at this conference where you won the chance to meet with different people. I went there three years in a row, and I had an opportunity to meet with a few different agents, editors, and small publishing houses. Those opportunities were the number one reason I went to those conferences. It wasn't for the things that people were teaching from the...

As I look back on the past year, most of the greatest opportunities I had were the result of networking with influencers.

If this sounds scary to you or you don't think it's possible to build an "influential network," I want to introduce you to the Dream 100 Strategy. It's a concept originating with business strategist Chet Holmes in his book The Ultimate Sales Machine.

The Dream 100 is a proven process to serve people by continually staying in touch with them.

The strategy works as follows:

1. Identify the key influencers in your industry with whom you want to build a relationship.

2. Create a strategic outreach campaign that nurtures the relationship with those influencers and gets their attention over time.

3. Consistently communicate with them until they do business with you.

Don't hesitate to reach out and build your network! When you do, be sure you are giving as much as you are receiving. Don't reach out with questions. Reach out with encouragement and gratitude first!...

To learn more about Brian's personal coaching packages, click here.

To learn more about Brian's personal coaching packages, click here.

To learn more about Brian's personal coaching packages, click here.

Zeena is a grief counselor and hospice chaplain who wants to know how to start a faith-based community where the members can connect with one another and share resources about end-of-life care and about how to handle grief. She is considering a blog, podcast and/or web portal where people can share best practices on what has worked for them.

The first step is to get to know your audience. As you get to know your audience you will find an opportunity that will become your product.

Here are three suggested exercises:

1. Create a narrative.

Zeena's avatar (ideal reader) is a person she has named Anne. Anne wants to support her friend whose mother has passed away. Write a narrative of “Anne” from the point when Anne heard that her friend’s mom is...

To learn more about Brian's personal coaching packages, click here.