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So what does it mean to be an influential woman and in particular an influential woman in business? Well, guess what? We're going to have a conversation about that today. And also an amazing event spotlight that's all happening right here on the Sharvette Mitchell Radio Show. We're going to be right back after this quick intro. Don't you move. You're listening in. You don't know. Sharvette Mitchell is on the radio.

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It's time to get motivated, excited and influenced. Why, it's the Sharvette Mitchell Radio Show. Live from Richmond, Virginia. And now here to motivate, excite and influence you, Sharvette Mitchell.

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Well, hello and welcome to the Sharvette Mitchell Radio Show broadcasting live, live from the capital city of Richmond, Virginia but heard and seen all across the worldwide web. We are so excited to have all of those that are tuning in live, live from Facebook and YouTube and LinkedIn and Twitter. Certainly those that are checking us out in all of our podcast platforms. So Apple podcast and Stitcher and iHeartRadio and Spotify and then certainly blog talk radio. We are so excited to have you joining us. Listen, if you are with us on YouTube and you like our channel, go ahead and hit subscribe and hit like. We want to make sure that we stay connected to you. So listen, we are all around. We are all around. Welcome again. Absolutely. You know what? We cannot do it without my mother. Hey girl. Hey. My mom is hanging out there. Listen, YouTube is warming up. My sister, Kim and Deborah, they keep it hot over there on YouTube. Hey, Sean. Happy New Year. If you are brands new and you are a live viewer and listener, go ahead and let us know where you are listening and watching from.

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We want to shout you out. And even if you are a faithful veteran that just listens in all of the time, we want you to shout out so we can show you and give you some love. Listen, this segment is brought to you by my Facebook group #CoachingwithVette. Join us at Heygirlhey.today. That will take you right into the Facebook group. And in particular, you want to definitely join us because we have a new weekly training that is starting for 2023. And so we've got a new exclusive weekly training that is going to be offered complimentary in the group. The first one is this Thursday at 6:00 P.m. And we'll be talking about 2023 marketing trends. So again, this segment is brought to you by my Facebook group, hey Girl. Hey. I see some of you all are listening in over there.

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We have our guest that is on tonight. Again, an event spotlight and former guest. So back by popular demand, Kimberly Lawson is hanging out with us in the virtual studio. Let me tell you a little bit about her so I can bring her up to the mic. Kimberly Lawson is a TEDx speaker. She is an international bestselling author, bestselling publisher, international speaker, and business strategist. Kimberly began writing at the age of six. Her latest work, the amazing adventures of Kimmy, became a number one new release on Amazon in two categories within a couple of days of its release. Additionally, Kimberly is a member of the board of directors for Nick's kids, nix kicks, excuse me, charity, and was the founding CEO of the national black media and press association as well. And though Kimberly wears many titles, mini hats mom is the title she's most proud to propose. Best. So without further ado, put your virtual hands together. Clap it up. Coming up to the mic live on the Sharvette mattel radio show, we have Kimberly Lawson. Hey, girl.

Hello. It's so great to be back. Hey, girl. Hey, girl.

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Hey. It is so good to see you and have you here on the show and again, kind of get caught up with all the great things that's going on in your world. And so certainly I actually want to start off and kind of hear a little bit about your TEDx talk. So I know that you were which is a huge platform, those that are watchers and listeners, you know, just google TEDx if you've never heard of it, but you were featured in with the TEDx talk broken compass. Tell us a little bit about that experience.

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Okay, so, yes, I am a Teddy speaker, and it was by far the most humbling experience to date of my career. So broken compass is about finding your direction when it seems like your compass is broken? Very much so. Here in America, we have this assembly line that we feel like we have to be on in life. You finish high school, you go off to college, or you join the military. You find a good job. You find a person to marry you. You have children, and you spend the remaining years raising your children and working. So you're on, like, a rent, recycle, repeat way. But what if there's still something missing? Like, you have everything that the world says you should want, and when you have them, you should be happy. You should be satisfied. And there's something to eating a meal that will satisfy your hunger, but satisfying your soul and your spirit, that's a different topic.

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Wow.

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And as adults, we're not talked to, particularly women and women of color. We're not taught that our happiness matters. We're supposed to be that pillar of strength. We're supposed to be this backbone. We're supposed to put everybody else in front of us.

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Yeah.

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So in 2018, I found myself in the saddest place that I've ever been today. My first cousin, who was my twin in all sense of the words, to say, we didn't share a womb, he took a nap and he didn't wake back up. And to date, my life has never been the same since his passing. And so death makes you painfully aware that you're alive.

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Yeah.

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And COVID has been that for many people, because we live through a pandemic. It had been 100 years since America had experienced such a thing. And they call it the Great Resign, because now you're realizing that I'm spending a lot of hours of my day working for someone else or working at just a job in general that I hate. Why am I doing this? And I am a firm believer, and you can always get more money, but your time is priceless gone. So, yes, you can never get more time. There are two things unequivocally you could never get again that you can't make more of land. That's why land is so valuable on this planet, because the land that's here is all the land that's going to exist. And time, because once time passes by, you can never get those moments back. And so I speak about finding your passion and how to do that, because that's where I found myself, in this place of grief, in this place of brokenness. I realized that my compass was broken because it was directing me through life, but not at my destiny. And I had to get off the assembly line.

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And that's what I'm encouraging people to do, to reevaluate how you're spending your time. And are you following your passion? It is possible to work a job that supports you and your family, but to also have something else that's just for you, that fulfills your passion.

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So well said. Well said. And that TEDx Talk to see that, that's on your website. And so listeners and viewers that are coming in with us, you can see right on the screen kimberlylawson net. And if you are listening to the podcast, just look down below in the show notes. Or Sharvette.com has the full blog and blog. Talk Radio has all the links, so that's an easy connection point. And so certainly you mentioned the pandemic and things that impacted people, but you had an opportunity to really, actually kind of start Women of Influence Summit kind of at the tail end or during that. So what prompted you to create the Woman of Influence Summit?

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So when March happened of 2020, March 13, I believe it was the date the world shut down. And at firstever I was thinking it was a week or two. And by April, my entire calendar was clear. I literally had speaking engagements every single month. Speaking engagements, appearances, pop ups, everything to do at least once a month for the remainder of the year. And my entire calendar was clear, but it opened a segue for me to connect and collaborate with other women. And so I did several virtual things. And sometimes the events were amazing and I got so much out of it, and other times I was scratching my head and I just kept thinking, like, how powerful it is when I'm in a room with other influential women who are entrepreneurs, who are moms, who are authors, who are corporate preneurs in the corporate world, but also have their own business. And I was thinking it would be great if we could share our experiences, the good, the bad, the ugly, together. And so out of that, women of influence just kept sitting in my spirit and I said, okay, this is what the name of it is.

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And I interviewed ten women from all over the globe to share their experiences, to talk about what it is like being in business, what that journey was like, lessons that we have learned, and put that out there because it does not need to be a secret. It doesn't need to be a secret how you achieved your success, because the clients that are for you are always going to be for you. The secret sauce you can give someone else. Like right now, I could give you my red velvet cake recipe and you want some of the recipe, but your red velvet cake will not taste like my red velvet cake. They're both taste and they both have the same ingredients. But the way that you're going to stir it all together is going to be a little bit different than how I do it. So there's no need for me to worry about you replacing me. It's all about collaboration and not at all about competition. Those are two different Cwords. I do not believe in competition. I believe in collaboration.

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Yeah, good. And so was it virtual? Was it in person when you first launched it?

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So the first one was January of 2021, which is right when everybody is kind of coming back outside a little bit. But we were still on a virtual space. So it was virtual and it had over 200 viewers of the virtual summit of people being able to just listen to those interviews. And the feedback that I received was just humbling because people were talking about what they were learning from the experiences and then from that, people were connecting with the speakers and working with them. And some of the speakers connected with each other and did projects together. So it was a true sense of my goals. I want it to be a day of teaching and learning and a day of networking and collaboration. And some people even were able to sell some products and gain some new clients from it. So I considered that to be a success. And so when I started it. I had no intentions of it being something that was recurring, but I keep hearing, man, when are you going to do your own event? I'm going to event still every month. And the questions that I receive all the time from attendees and even from some of the speakers that I'm speaking with is, when are you going to do your own event?

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I mean, we love what you're saying. We want more. And so I wanted to move in a different direction, but God had other plans.

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Okay. And so here we are.

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I could not make anything else make sense in my mind. Things have to make sense to me before I do them. And women of influence. 2023. I was like, okay, we're back.

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And it fell into place, and we are back. Women of influence. And so right here on the screen, we have those that are watching live. You can see the information and certainly our main website, which is linked to all of the places where you are. So, February 4 of this year, in person, virtual, it's back full on, right? As intended?

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Yes. So it is in person. I am an energy person. There is something electric about when you are in the room with like minded individuals, you feed off of each other because energy can never be created or destroyed. It can merely be transferred. And so when you are in the room with other women, you are able to transfer that energy around. It's like a song. It's electric. And so we are coming together in south metro Atlanta on this Saturday. It is a jampacked day full of teaching, learning, networking, and collaboration on Saturday, February 4, 2023, this year. I'm so excited.

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All right, and what would be the best type of person to attend? What type of person do you think would get the most out of it?

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A person with a heartbeat.

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Okay.

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Honestly, truly, if you are a person who has ever had any interest in business, whether it's just simply an idea or you don't have an idea and you would like to be in business, this is for you. Have you been in business for 20 years? This is for you. This is really just truly, it's a day to inspire your action. This is not all about, hey, you need to come and start a business. Quit your job. No, I'm not Beyonce. I can't tell you to quit your job, but I can tell you that the information that's going to be shared is for everyone. Moms, auntie's, cousins, sisters. You have a heartbeat. There's something in the room for you.

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All right. And what made you come up with this name? How did you create the name?

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So, an influencer, contrary to what social norms are teaching us social cues, I should say an influencer is not an instagram model.

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Right.

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The definition of an influencer is someone who inspires others to take action. And I have been surrounded by women who inspire action. I can say that your pop up conference was the first time I was like women in business. I am a woman in business. There's so much more that I can do with my platform. I learned so much from your platform builders. I go to other conferences and so as women, we're sitting on a plethora of information. And if we put it out there, if you are a woman at all on social media, and if you post, you're good, you're bad, you're ugly, you are an influencer. You are influencing other people to take action because someone is watching and they are learning from you. They're learning what to do, what not to do. They're getting other ideas. You're inspiring action. And so truly, God placed the title in my spirit because I had to go back and look up the definition of an influencer. I decided that that was the name and I didn't know why. And I said inspiring others to take action because that's what I like to do anytime I get around people.

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What are your hobbies? What are you thinking? What are you doing? And then the little wheels in my brain start turning and I have other ideas for them.

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I love that you bring that point. It's not a number, it's not an influencer. You are officially an influencer. When you have X amount of followers or X amount of views or what have you, it really happens at all stages and all phases. Tell us about the types of speakers that you have coming in the room.

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Oh, my goodness. So my speaker lineup is absolutely amazing. And let me just say this, every speaker I have collaborated or networked with prior to this event, I am living up to what I want the goals to be. So I have Juanita Dozier, who is just an entrepreneur powerhouse. She has her own app, a magazine, a channel on Roku, she's written several books. She's just a powerhouse. She has done so much in business. It's absolutely amazing.

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Wow.

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Doctor Yolanda Ross, who is a nurse practitioner. She has been chasing her dream since she was in her early twenty s, and she's unapologetic about it. She will be on Grace in the stage. Erica Johnson, who is just a brand expert and an entrepreneur powerhouse in her own right. Doctor Tonika Jackson, who is a licensed counselor here in Georgia, and she gives phenomenal advice and she does it with grace and love, just really inspiring everyone around her. Carol Ray, who is our etiquette expert, she's going to be talking about that workplace etiquette. Because all your thoughts on me to go in your email, girl no. And just so much about how to maneuver yourself in the workplace. As a woman in corporate America and even in business, we are playing a man's game and navigating it, particularly as a woman of color, is tricky. So we want you to learn how to do it with grace. So we also have Francesca Sparkle, who is Miss Corporate Washington DC 2023, and she's going to be talking about that. So, yes, I do have a pageant lady in the house and she has so much experience and things to talk about as far as customer service and etiquette and all of those things.

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Judge Shannon Lewis a judge, so we know she's in a male dominated world. She is just really going to bring it. That's all I'm going to say. She's going to bring it.

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All right.

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And Chanel Martin, who is just a media and author powerhouse, she's gracing the stage. CD. Giles, who is an entrepreneur, several books running it as a business. Shakira Demetia, she is an actress, you can Google her. She's a film actress and she has been chasing her dreams and doing those things. And we also have Doctor C. Nicole, who is pediatric obesity specialist. She's going to be giving us some real health advice as far as things that moms and women we can do that will also be appropriate for our children. And rounding it all out is my amazing MC, Dr. Roxanne Dixon. She is just full of life. She's an author, she's an entrepreneur, she's an educator, she is a minister. She is just a phenomenal woman who has deepest energy ever. And so having her on the stage to really just round everything out, this is a day you do not want to miss. You need in the room, all right?

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I'm telling you that speaker lineup is fire and the different types of people that you have. So how can people register? Where do they go? All of the details.

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So tickets are available now and you can register on the website that is on the screen, www. Dot woistomit. Net tickets are available. I still have a few VIP tickets available and general admission, so you can go there and register. We're also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and all of the links are posted in those sites. There's a link in my bio on Instagram that will take you right there to purchase your ticket. So visit the Summit website that is on the screen so that you can be in the room with us, all right, in Atlanta.

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So people want to come from out of town, they can fly in to Atlanta and experience this.

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Yes, and we do have hotel blocks for hotels that are within walking distance practically of the seminar. I recommend you walk, girl. I'm just saying you're going to be cute with your hands on, don't do it. But we do have hotel blocks that are available. But flying into Atlanta, every airport flies into Atlanta. So you can get here and be in the room with us. And I have to say that the phenomenal Sharvette Mitchell is one of our sponsors. She believes in champion women. So if you were looking for a sign, if you should buy your ticket. This is it.

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All right. There you go. And really influential women and those of us in that space, what is our responsibility as we kind of, like, bring things to a close? Really? What should we be thinking about we're in this new year and the influence that we have, whether we're influencing five people or 50,000 people.

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Really?

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What's our responsibility?

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Your responsibility is to teach others. You don't want the knowledge that you have learned on your entrepreneurial journey to die with you.

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Wow.

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You need to share those experiences, the good, the bad, and especially the ugly, because why should others waste time and energy learning lessons that you've already mastered, but you didn't share that knowledge? So the responsibility of an influential woman is to share the knowledge you need to teach others, be a mentor, everything. I understand that in business, there is money associated with it, but every single lesson that you learn, there should not be a dollar sign associated with it. To whom much is given, much is required. So as an influential woman, it is your responsibility to reach behind you and bring somebody else along to help them move forward in that journey. It's also your responsibility to network and collaborate with others. You have to learn how to play well with others if you're going to be an influential woman, because someone is watching you. Someone is looking at you, and they're wishing that they are where you are. And the world is just going to be a much better place. The more of us that continue to mentor other young women or others that are new in business and help them have that success, because small businesses are truly the heartbeat of America.

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What keeps this country going? It is not these major corporations. So we need to help others be able to do more, because your customers will always be for you. So it's okay to be a mentor.

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All right. Wonderful. Wonderful. Well, I'm telling you, the time flew on by. I don't even really know how that happened, but it flew by. But the goal of the show is to motivate excite and influence, and we want to know what continues to motivate Kimberly.

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I will say the biggest motivator in my life are my babies. And that goes beyond just my children, my nieces and nephews and little cousins. I consider all of them to be my babies, and they motivate me to be a better person every single day that my eyes open. I actually started my children's book series based The Amazing Adventures of Kimmy that's loosely based on me as a child. But because of my cousin twin that passed, he has a daughter that was born after he died. So I feel like it's my responsibility to give her a little bit of what he was like growing up, because nobody was together more than he and I growing up. And so I started that so that I can share those stories and connect with others because that's the main reason why I get out of bed. It's my babies. I'm like, oh, they look and let me get up. I want to greet them with a smile when I see them and be able to encourage them and let them see me working hard so that it also inspires them to take the same action, to be passionate about what you do and focus on making the world a better place.

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Because money will follow if you focus on your passion. Money comes. You don't have to worry about that.

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Yeah. Wonderful motivation. Well, thank you for stopping by. Certainly much success we wish for you and send towards your event. And I'm sure you'll be doing more and bigger things and people can connect with you. Those that are listening, just look down below in the Show Notes YouTube, look down below in the video notes and wherever you are, shyvette.com is one of the easiest places to go to see all of the details for our guests. Thank you for stopping by.

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Thank you for having me.

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Hey, girl. Hey, girl. Hey. Awesome. Wow. All right. An amazing event. Again, all of the details. Check out the Show Notes or our blog post on shard.com. That's a great connection point there. And as a reminder, this segment is brought to you by my very own Facebook group, hey girl. Hey. We say that that's like the language we use when we greet each other, but you can find that on Facebook at hashtag coaching with Vet. I'm Vet. But the easy way to get to that group is hey, girlheid, today, not not heygirlhay today. That will drop you right into the group. And this is a really great time to join because we have a live weekly training that is kicking off for 2023. This is something new. So every week we'll be hosting a live weekly training, and this week we'll be talking about 2023 marketing trends and what that means for you and your business and your organization. That's going to be Thursday, January 12 at 06:00 P.m., exclusively in my Facebook group. So join us there and then we'll keep on going. You also get a complimentary worksheet you can download. So all of that is over there.

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And so we look forward to connecting with you there. That group is all about marketing, visibility, your branding, your positioning for your business or your organization. Well, it has been great chatting with you and having you tune in. I'm Sharvette Mitchell, the fearless host of this show. In this broadcast, Check Me Out@Sharvette.com, that's our main show website, and you can find out all the details. And guess what? We're going to just see you all later on the web. Thanks for being here and make sure you share this out. Bye.

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Live from Richmond, Virginia, you've been listening to the Sharvette Mitchell radio show, Sharvette Mitchell every Tuesday at 06:00 P.m., interviewing all the stars you want to hear from. So until next week, stay motivated, excited and influence. This is the Sharvette Mitchell radio show.