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Speech Transcript

Unknown Speaker  0:00  

Hey, this is Leo, for the smartphone Media Group. And if you really want to learn how to level up your life, you should be listening to time to shine today, podcast with my friend got

Unknown Speaker  0:12  

time to shine today podcast squad. It’s Scott Ferguson and I have someone that I respect admire a ton and she is just an absolute Rockstar. And her name is Leah Woodford. She is the CEO of smart femme Media Group. She is all about breaking through the glass ceiling. She really focuses in on females but she also does not cut out the males either. I am very privileged to be part of her group as well. She resides out on the west side of the United States and she is has a fantastic lifestyle fantastic family. And her business is just off the charts. She’s going to share with us so many great knowledge nuggets about leadership, and about how you can level up and help others Level up so without further ado break out your notebooks sit back relax because here comes my friend, Leah Woodford

Unknown Speaker  1:16  

Hey, time to shine today varsity squad This is Scott Ferguson and I’ve been like waiting with bated breath for like 45 days to get this amazing woman on the time to shine today podcast, the knowledge nuggets she’s about to drop on you is going to be like your own free mastermind class that you’re not even having to pay for. And who I’m speaking about is my good friend Leah Woodford. Leah is the CEO of smart femme Media Group. Smart femme is a digital marketing advertising agency with two magazines, two TV shows, which aired nationally on Roku and Amazon Prime’s some serious credentials here people just listen. She authored lead, share empower, which is on Amazon. It’ll be in the show notes. Make sure you pick that up, or strategies strategies for success in life and business. So that’s her book. She’s an international speaker and branding strategist. She and her husband reside in Scottsdale Arizona. And again Leah I am so stoked. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Please introduce yourself to the squad but first, what is your favorite color? And why?

Unknown Speaker  2:26  

Pink

Unknown Speaker  2:27  

Pink is perfect for for the feminine.

Unknown Speaker  2:32  

And pink shows feminine energy but it’s all it also flatters my skin tone so little chance parents I think

Unknown Speaker  2:39  

a color is in your color wheel you if you’re watching on YouTube here peeps, she’s very beautiful woman shows well spoken yet powerful. She’s a fantastic one. So Leah, take us to the origins a little bit and work your way up how you came up with smartphone media.

Unknown Speaker  2:58  

I would love to see That it was a brilliant idea that I just had, but that wouldn’t be true. It actually came from my youngest daughter. She went it was in 2009. For point of reference, I was a dating and relationship columnist and TV correspondent here in Scottsdale. And she was a freshman at Northern Arizona University. And one of my TV segments on dating came on and and I got the phone call afterwards. Oh, my God, mom. You know, you need to use your influence to educate, inspire and empower women, because I am married to the education you’re providing. But most of the girls that I go to school with had no idea what they want to do, but they can describe every single second of their wedding day. Oh, she was embarrassed but that I remember that conversation word for word. Because it was so powerful because that is you know, Out of the mouths of babes. You know, nobody will get you in the heart the way your kids do.

Unknown Speaker  4:04  

Oh, absolutely right.

Unknown Speaker  4:07  

But I knew she was right. Yeah. And that’s when I made the decision to start smart money and I had cancer divorce the husband in the in motorcycle accident. So, you know, it’s gotten a little sideline till 2000, late 2010 before we could launch, but that’s really the origin story.

Unknown Speaker  4:28  

No, I love it. What But was there like a was the aha moment kind of come from your daughter and having the backstory of what you did as a columnist.

Unknown Speaker  4:38  

Oh, yeah. Because I wasn’t the columnist forever. I didn’t actually get that until like my 40s. You know, I studied broadcasting. And, you know, I never followed that career because I found myself divorced to 23 with two little boys and the starting pay for an anchor is 25,005 Yeah, so there was no way. You know, even though I was awarded child support, I knew I was never going to get it. So I, I actually found myself in sales. And I worked a lot. I was gone a lot. And my kids remember that, you know, and my daughter does too. You know, this isn’t congruent with the way you raised me. You told me a man sort of plant you’re perpetuating that, you know, develop vision. So really, it was, you know, it was a come to Jesus with her that really kind of brought me to my knees on this.

Unknown Speaker  5:33  

I love that. So what do you think makes a great leader, a great coach, great strategist. Do you think them in capsules encapsulates?

Unknown Speaker  5:42  

Um, yeah, I think it’s a couple of different things. I think more leadership has really evolved over the years. Um, I think being an accessible leader, accessible and i and i believe i believe that you lead through inspiration You lead at the front not from pushing from the back. I don’t believe in micromanagement. I believe that if you believe and you see the very best in your people, your people will rise to meet your, you know your view of them.

Unknown Speaker  6:16  

I love that. I love it. And so if I’m out networking at an event I’m pressing flesh even though we’re in like, day 9000 quarantine right now, no one’s really doing that. But

Unknown Speaker  6:27  

do that, Scott.

Unknown Speaker  6:29  

If we’re, if we can get back to it, if I’m not working somebody, what kind of keywords am I listening to that would make them a great prospect contact connection or referral for Leo?

Unknown Speaker  6:42  

I just listened to people. You know, that’s the biggest. That’s the biggest problem that I have with networking. Everybody’s so busy shoving their cards in there, actually, if I’m into them, if I’m listening to

Unknown Speaker  6:53  

them, what kind of what kind of keywords am I listening to? listening for to make sure that I’m sending you the right

Unknown Speaker  7:01  

As a referral,

Unknown Speaker  7:03  

you know, I, I work with smartphones and smart dudes all the time people that really are looking to create a side hustle, they’re wanting to exit their day ob or their small business owners and they want to scale to sell.

Unknown Speaker  7:21  

They want to level off right? At one

Unknown Speaker  7:23  

level, and they don’t know how, sadly Scott entrepreneurs isn’t taught in school right now. I think it’s starting to come around but I can tell you nothing. Like that was an in school that I you know, we have.

Unknown Speaker  7:40  

So, if you It’s true, though, you know, it’s funny is I was in the first class at Western Michigan University, where there’s an entrepreneurship course, you know, like a not even a major was like a minor, and I was in it and it still doesn’t make sense of their curriculum they had it was still trying to push you into a specialty instead of real estate. entrepreneurial ism. And what you said is so true because there’s so many different aspects to it. And I use this and actually hate me and ask permission for this from you yet, but I actually am named in kind of one of my chapters get your asking gear, which I got from you, which is, you know, part of, you know, the entrepreneur, they’re so ingrained in their, their business that they don’t ask for the right help from the right people. I mean, everybody needs that coach to lead from the front, and also be behind them with a foot up their butt to get them going, that you’re the perfect person for I know, when we spoken through this time that you are, you’re so driven. So saying that when you bring on a new referral, new prospect, and you’re talking to them, how do you help them? Is there a secret sauce that you don’t mind sharing with us, that helps them find their blind spot?

Unknown Speaker  8:52  

Sure, um, well, I start with their mindset. Okay, you know, because a lot of people, especially people have paycheck players, we’ve got to transition them from paycheck players, to entrepreneurs. It’s a completely different mindset. When you’re an entrepreneur, you know, you don’t know if you if you if you especially if you’re brand new, you don’t know when that new, you know that next paycheck is coming. So you actually have to create an infrastructure for your business, but I think people overcomplicate it, what’s the business? Let’s start there. A business is simply a promise that you keep. You write a promise. And even sometimes it’s painful to keep those promises but you do what you even if it’s dead or detrimental and bokashi money, you still keep that promise. Wow.

Unknown Speaker  9:42  

Yeah, that’s so true. It and it’s funny that, you know, I had the good fortune to be able to speak to the Tony Robbins last week and a roundtable kind of zoom in. And he said that his extraordinary commitment or extraordinary commitment to his commitments, is what makes a great honor. intrapreneur is what you just said from moving from a paycheck player to an entrepreneur is a huge, huge step. But there’s so many more commitments that are in there. And Tony will do these. I’m sure you might have been to one of his events, but he does these things where he puts out so much energy, like craziness for 12 hours, but then he still goes and walks around the block here in Palm Beach. You know, when he’s done, you know, he stays that commitment because he’s made it it’s so small, but like you just said, You stay the little details that help you level up in every area. And that’s a phenomenal way to find the blind spot. That’s, that kind of blows my mind. So let me ask you something, Leah, let’s get in our DeLorean with Michael J. Fox, or Marty McFly. Let’s go back to the 22 year old layer. And what kind of knowledge nuggets are you dropping on her to help her maybe shorten the learning curve of leveling up in life

Unknown Speaker  10:57  

I would tell her to stop looking for Other people to validator that she’s all she needs. And that, you know, just just keep going, you know, when the road gets tough and you hit a wall, find a workaround.

Unknown Speaker  11:15  

Love it. And you do that by getting your asking gear to write out that in your mentioned in the book too. So it’s a it’s it’s fantastic. I learned that night I have notes upon notes of the discovery meeting Leah and I had in the beginning of March of this year, it’s fantastic. She spent a lot of time with me. So again, thank you for that. That’s what you know, don’t look for others to validate you. That’s, that’s strong. That’s what even though a lot of times a 22 year olds aren’t gonna listen to you anyways, but it’s a strong statement to be able to give to them.

Unknown Speaker  11:51  

Actually, Scott, I think they are starting to listen.

Unknown Speaker  11:55  

I think they are because they’ve been raised by a different generation. No I was raised by the boomers you know before the boomers right you know children were not were seen and not heard

Unknown Speaker  12:08  

I was just gonna say that yeah so leave accomplished so much so far in your life is there a big a big thing that Leah relates to to account

Unknown Speaker  12:21  

my goal for smart men is to leave legacy and I want to see the glass ceiling gone for women in my lifetime.

Unknown Speaker  12:29  

Love that.

Unknown Speaker  12:31  

And I’m just gonna say though,

Unknown Speaker  12:35  

that while at one time it was men holding us back I don’t believe that’s it anymore. I believe that we do it to ourselves and we do it to each other that you know, women I implore you to send the ladder back down to the next girl coming up. And you

Unknown Speaker  12:52  

you practice what you preach right there. We’re saying men so much not are the cause anymore in prove that the In the pudding with you is like I’m a part her smartphone, you know? Yeah, allow people in that that are male, that they get it in there, there should be no ceiling. I mean, I compete against some of the most ruthless real estate agents that are females down here and I have the best time with them. You know, because we can kind of relate we bounce stuff off each other because I don’t come at them like, I’m some alpha male, you know, I come at him like, hey, that’s fine. You kicked my butt today. Thank you very much. And I’ve made more friends by being that way with females and watching them level up and being happy for their success. That’s That’s fantastic. So let me ask you something. What is the one thing people misunderstand about Lia the most?

Unknown Speaker  13:44  

I think they think and I’ve actually had people say this on this, you know, event planners asked me, you know, how are people going to believe that you ever had a struggle Life. And oh my god, you know, that really has been, you know, I think a lot of people really look at where I am now. But they don’t look at the humble beginnings or the massive do over that I ended up having to go through and

Unknown Speaker  14:18  

yeah, you shared a lot of deep stuff with me then. And it’s just amazing from where you were to where you are, but the journey you were always progressing, you’re always failing forward. That’s just amazing to see. And is there any, like you start bringing people in whether it’s into your company, or you’re bringing somebody into coach them? Is there any good question that you wish people would ask you, but never do?

Unknown Speaker  14:48  

No, I don’t think so. I think I think people pretty much ask, I’m an open book and people who know me know they can ask anything. You know, I think transparency is the new currency.

Unknown Speaker  15:01  

Yeah, I hear you in with you, I would the first thing I would probably ask you is like, tell me about a failure. If I’m gonna, oh my god, we want to know that people are afraid to ask that they are there’s a lot of people that are afraid. I just wish the clients that I coach would ask that because I’ll come out and ask them Is there anything you want to ask me that you haven’t

Unknown Speaker  15:20  

usually share my failures because I because that is part of being an entrepreneur, you got to get used to failing. Have I had feels Yeah, I’ve had met massive epic fails. But the one thing that you want to do is you want to take action because you don’t see that you’re failing. If you’re sitting on the fence and not making a decision. The nice thing about taking action is you can see that it’s a course correction and I don’t really call them failures. I call them force corrections,

Unknown Speaker  15:50  

or corrections.

Unknown Speaker  15:52  

Because, you know, when you take action and you see that you’re steering in the wrong direction, you can you can make that change, but if You are still sitting on this fence and haven’t made a decision. You know, my dad used to say this and aviation is indecision will kill you faster than a bad decision. You can course correct. But if you’re sitting fence and you’re never making decisions, then that’s a decision to. And the other thing I’m going to say is, I’m going to simplify being an entrepreneur for you. First of all, you’ve got to know who you are, who you serve, how you serve, but you’re a problem solver and you’re a fast decision maker. And if you take action, you can fail fast and you can fail cheap. That’s my favorite one.

Unknown Speaker  16:39  

I love that. That’s so true. You can fail fast. You feel cheap, because you haven’t really invested too much.

Unknown Speaker  16:45  

Exactly that time. That’s the

Unknown Speaker  16:48  

longer you wait, the more expensive that course correction is going to be.

Unknown Speaker  16:52  

Right. That’s fantastic. So we’re gonna move into kind of time to shine today. We in my client my coaching clients and just people that listen, I always am talking about that dash in the dash. You have your life date and your death date and that dashes in the middle. Okay, so what do you how do you want to be remembered within that dash godmother say,

Unknown Speaker  17:22  

I want to be a fairy godmother

Unknown Speaker  17:24  

Got it? I love it.

Unknown Speaker  17:26  

I want I want to, and I’m doing this already, but I love it. It’s what I love about doing I work with a team of millennials. And I get to help them make their dreams of going to New York and you know getting these big journalism jobs that’s I love that I love

Unknown Speaker  17:43  

go giver.

Unknown Speaker  17:45  

I love that.

Unknown Speaker  17:46  

Right? So let’s take our cell phone out. Let’s take our computer out of all this right now. This question what are three things Leah can’t live without

Unknown Speaker  17:58  

my my Husband

Unknown Speaker  18:03  

my puppy, okay. And my fake face love not necessarily in that order, right?

Unknown Speaker  18:10  

I love it. No, I love that. I love it. So give me your definition of a life well lived.

Unknown Speaker  18:19  

You know when you can look back

Unknown Speaker  18:23  

and not really have any regrets. You may have made some mistakes but they made you who are you are. But if you can live, looking forward instead of the rearview mirror and making people happy, loving making a difference, you’re making the world a better place than it was when you got here. I

Unknown Speaker  18:44  

love that you said that about the rearview mirror. I mean, you know, cars are designed even with huge windshields but we take a lot of time to look at that little thing. That rearview mirror, you know, and it really doesn’t make sense to do that. I mean, it’s great to learn that some lessons there but don’t live there. Love that you said that. We’re going to get We kind of wind down a little bit, Leah. We’re going to move into our leveling up lightning round. There’s five or six questions I’m going to ask you. You and I could talk for 1520 you and I could talk for an hour and each one, but five seconds. First thing that comes to your head, no explanation. Just fire it right back to me. You’re ready. Here we go. What’s the best leveling up advice you’ve ever received?

Unknown Speaker  19:23  

Get a mentor.

Unknown Speaker  19:25  

share one of your personal habits that contributes to your success.

Unknown Speaker  19:28  

I don’t compare myself to other people. Yes,

Unknown Speaker  19:31  

yes. Yes. Outside of that fantastic book that’s sitting back there in that bookshelf. What and of course, the great book the Bible if that’s what you read, for faith, named one other book, not the flavor of the week, not the flavor of the month but the book that if I was in my doldrums say Scott read this.

Unknown Speaker  19:51  

The Strangest Secret

Unknown Speaker  19:53  

my ego. Oh, Love it. Love. Earl Nightingale. It’s funny. I’m breaking my own rule right now. But if you look at Tony Robbins goes back to Jim Jim Rohn goes back to a nightingale, you know, all the way back to like Marcus Aurelius. So it’s like funny Earl Nightingale was kind of sandwich there people forget about him. So right, sorry for digressing. Which sure most commonly used emoji when you’re texting. Okay, love at that. If you can be one age for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Unknown Speaker  20:25  

Think at this age, I really love my life right now.

Unknown Speaker  20:27  

You do have a great life, that’s for sure. What’s your favorite charity? And or

Unknown Speaker  20:34  

Alice Cooper solid rock.

Unknown Speaker  20:35  

Love it. Love it. You’re a good friend. His That’s fantastic. And lastly, what is the best decade of music 6070s 80s or 90s

Unknown Speaker  20:45  

Oh God, I love them all. I just

Unknown Speaker  20:50  

better say 70s without

Unknown Speaker  20:55  

those weird people that Oh yeah, I love the BGS but the seven These, you know, I, I liked when music was happy and it wasn’t angry and, and, you know, I bought a like some rap I sometimes I think the words are so divisive and angry, right? And music is supposed to change our state just look for happy so I’m gonna say 60s 70s 80s because music can take you, you know, depending on the decade, it can take you to wherever you were. That’s it. It’s like a mom’s home.

Unknown Speaker  21:34  

turns on that? What is the RF system in our brains that are just like kind of taking

Unknown Speaker  21:41  

you right

Unknown Speaker  21:43  

back to that you can hear it and you can smell stuff that you remember from back back then. That’s fantastic. Thank you for answering those. Look, Leah what is how can we find you

Unknown Speaker  21:53  

get a smartphone calm. actually hit me up on all the social media platforms.

Unknown Speaker  22:00  

For all of our information, folks, we’ll be down in the show notes. And make sure you do pick up a book as well. It’s on amazon.com, lead, share empower my strategies for success in life in business. So Leah, please leave us with one last Knowledge Nugget that you want us to take with us internalize and take action.

Unknown Speaker  22:24  

I would like for you to stop thinking as stop competing and start collaborating. You’ll go there faster and farther. I love

Unknown Speaker  22:35  

that stop comedians start collaborating. And that is the essence of Leah here people if you picked up some of what I picked up, where she said failures, not really failures, actually, course corrections. She wants to glass ceiling to disappear but not by alienating men. Make men you know part of it. Don’t look for others to validate you to go from a patient Check player to an entrepreneur make sure you find that right guidance that person is going to lead from the front but kick your butt in the behind when you need it. Always lead from the front if you are a leader, and good leadership needs to be accessible and accessible is I feel privileged that I have access to you today, Leo, thank you so so much for coming on. You’re so humble. You’re hungry, you level up your health. You’re leveling up your wealth, and you’re always shining. Thank you so so much for coming on.

Unknown Speaker  23:29  

Thank you, my friend. Awesome. Have a great day.

Unknown Speaker  23:31  

You too.

Unknown Speaker  23:33  

Hey, thanks so much for listening to this episode of time to shine today podcast. Proudly brought to you by southern New Jersey real estate real estate excellence who can be reached at 561-249-7266 and online at www dot Sutter and nugent.com. If you’re a business owner or professional who would like to be interviewed on time to shine today, please visit time to shine today.com flash guests. If you liked this episode, please Subscribe on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcast. There’s a link in the show notes to our website. Also there you will see a recommended resources. We hope that you will support our show by supporting them. If you like what you’ve been listening to, it’d be great if you could just give us a five star rating and tell your friends how to subscribe while you’re at it. I’m your host, Scott Ferguson. And until next time, let’s level up it’s our time to shine.

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