This week in Episode #67, I sit down with  transformational life coach and speaker, Ashton Cantou,. Ashton helps individuals struggling with trauma as well as entrepreneurs get clear on their goals in life, own their power, and take action. She credits her deep understanding of people’s situations and behavior to her personal life lessons and experiences growing up.  
    Ashton shares how as a little girl she dreamt of becoming a veterinarian or a dancer but realizes these goals may have been imposed upon her rather than what she truly wanted to pursue in life. 
​We take a moment here to discuss our parent’s goals for our lives and what that means to us as adults.  She tells us: 
    “Once we can let go of the need to be approved of by our parents, we really have the freedom to go after our dreams in a way that makes sense to our soul.  At the end of the day it’s about love and acceptance and less about validation & approval.”
Ashton discusses with us how she was always passionate about philanthropy and helping others but often times found where her talent would take her, her character could not keep her. She discusses her struggles as a teenager and how she would make decisions that showed that she didn’t truly value her life.  Ashton shares with us how the decisions she made presented her as a failure in other peoples eyes, and in turn, that started to become her identity. She says that she felt as if every time she took two steps forward, she consistently took one step back. 
    "My talent would take me where my character couldn’t keep me I didn’t deem myself worthy.”
Ashton tells us that even in the midst of the fire and turmoil she could recognize the anointing on her life and God‘s work in her journey. Eventually after struggling with her faith for quite some time, she was baptized, left an abusive relationship and began mentoring battered women. She explains to us that this was her point of a literal surrender, and this was where she could see God‘s plan aligning for her life.
     “Finding this place of self love and confidence and tapping into my own purpose is why I went through it all.”
 She took a job in special ed serving special needs children, has become a life coach, is a motivational speaker, and is soon releasing a social emotional book for teen girls that are struggling with identity self-worth, and value.  Having worked with children, Ashton realizes that a young girl’s confidence begins to plummet from the age of 8-14 and hopes that with this book, they can own their beauty and come to a place of self love early in life.  


Ashton shares her 3 Greatest Life Lessons with us: 

1. When you lose your joy, you are out of alignment. 
2. Listen to your inner wise woman and quiet the noise. 
3. When experiencing failure, embrace the power off the pivot.  

I swear I have the best guests!  You can connect with Ashton over on IG @ashtoncantou and check out her LinkTree for her coaching services! 
Have you written a review?  Would you do me a huge favor and go let Ashton know how much you enjoyed this show?  Pretty Please! 


FREE STUFF------->>>>
Want to check out the best email platform I have ever tried?  I’m not even kidding guys, l love the templates and layouts, and it’s so easy to use!  Use code POWERPROJECT for 50% OFF!
https://flodesk.com/c/POWERPROJECT


Thinking about starting a podcast?  You’re going to want to check out the Class for Beginners that I created over on Skillshare!  Did you know you can learn all types of new information over there?  Take a look at my Podcasting 101 course and while you’re at it, see if there’s anything else you want to learn.  Use my code to get two free months of Skillshare to learn whatever new skill it is that you need to step into your purpose!  https://skl.sh/2lpoNBU


Does your skin need some help to get ready for those Instaworthy photo shoots? You’re going to want to jump on board and try the products that have literally saved my skin!  Check those out here!  Become a preferred customer and score 10% off plus free shipping! https://brandivoth.myrandf.com/solution-tool

Hey friends!  Happy 2020!  Each year I pick a word to guide me through the rest of the year.  My words for the past few years have been: Purpose, Reach, Focus, and this year, Vision.  Often times we hear people tell us to focus on the vision, but we don't always hear about the distractions that can get in the way of that vision. 

This week, while lounging in this cozy chair, next to this fireplace, I took time out to think about the literal distractions in life that can get in the way.  In Episode #66, I share with you lessons that I learned in the mountains about  3 things that can cloud your vision.  I hope you enjoy!

1. Focusing On Distractions that Can Cloud Your Vision

• The White out 
  • We are currently enjoying a holiday vacation in a beautiful lodged perched atop a mountain.  The lodge has wrap around windows and a view that is breathtaking.  From my bedroom, I can see a massive range of pine tree clad mountainous snow capped peaks that extend into the heavens in a serene setting where you can’t tell exactly where the mountains end and the clouds begin.  We’ve gazed out the windows watching the sunrise and sunset over this spectacular landscape.  However, this morning, we awoke to heavy snowfall and close to a white out situation.  All I could see were a few pine trees right outside the window.  There were no mountains, forest, or peaks extending into the clouds in the background.  Just white, a solid sheet of white.  I had to stop and think to myself that so often, we are distracted by the current circumstances that can keep us from seeing the whole vision.  The mountains are still there.  They are still waiting to be climbed, skiied, and traversed.  They haven’t gone anywhere.  There is just simply a blanket of snow clouding the view and keeping us from being able to truly see them and the endless possibilities.   
  • HOW THIS APPLIES IN LIFE: 
    • Often times, we cast our vision on the goals we wish to achieve.  We decide to start a new career, begin a healthy lifestyle, or venture out onto our very own purpose journey.  We write down our goals that we wish to achieve in the future.  We create action plans and set time frames.  We can feel the excitement of the vision we have casted.  We can imagine ourselves at the end goal, seeing the vision come to fruition.  And, then, a whiteout begins:  A friend or family member says something negative about your vision and the sun becomes a little less bright as the view gets a little less clear and precise.  An advisor, investor, or prospective partner tells you no and that it will never work.  The snow begins falling and you start to squint to see the top of the mountain.  You realize how much hard work this vision is going to take and the snow falls harder.  You’re only seeing the mountains closest to you at this point.  You realize the financial investment this vision will require of you and before you realize it, the sheets of snow in the form of doubt, insecurity, rejection, and mental exhaustion have completely blanketed the vision in one giant white out.  
    • The vision is still there.  It is still waiting for you to bring it to fruition.  You have to accept the distractions for exactly what they are:  obstacles that will hide your vision momentarily.  However, when the snow stops falling, the vision is there.  You just have to see beyond it.  
    • TWO STEPS TO A VISION: 
      • ​Mental:  Your vision has developed in your mind.  You’ve dreamt it and can see it vivid detail. 
      • Physical:  You have to take action in order to achieve your vision. 

                              Most people never get past the mental stage. They see the vision and then let          the whiteout shut them down. The mountains are still there but you have to physically take the    steps to fully explore and enjoy all that they have to offer.  

1. Once you can accept the distractions in your life as simply a mental block, you have to put one foot in front of the other and put the work in to achieve your vision.  
2. Not Casting Your Vision Where You Want to Go

• I’ve been working with my god daughter this year to help her learn to ski.  Last year she did ski school but this year she felt confident enough to take on the mountain without an instructor.   We are in a new place and a mountain that she and I don’t know.  But, I wanted her to know that I believed in her and she could do it.  So, as we disembarked from the life, I went over our plan.  I talked to her about the slopes we would be skiing, reminded her to make her big swooping “S’s” and told her to just follow me and do what I did.  We took off down the mountain and I was so incredibly proud of how well she was doing and how great she had listened.  I told her to keep her eyes on me because, just as her instructor had taught her, where your eyes go, your skis follow.  She followed my path like a permanent shadow for the rest of the day.  There wasn’t one turn I made that she didn’t take as well.  When I sped up, she sped up.  When I stopped, she stopped.  However, along the way, I forgot to heed my own advice.  We were making our way down a bit of a difficult blue that had uneven terrain with piles of fresh powder as well as a few patches of ice.  Very aware of the two little girls that were following my tracks, I was doing my best to stay on the smoothest path possible.  As I was trying to avoid the powdery mounds, I didn’t quite make the turn as smooth as possible, crossed the back of my skis up, and couldn’t get them uncrossed.  I was quickly lying on the ground on my back, skis uphill, and my goddaughter standing there watching me as I heaved myself back up.  I had broken the most important rule.  Don’t look down.  When you look down, you go down.  My goddaughter wasn’t on the ground because she wasn’t looking down.  She was looking up, at me and following where I went.  (I’ll also add that I was thrilled that she was able to stop quickly and not plow into me.  That is all on her here!)
• When I looked down the mountain and at the trail I was skiing, that’s where I went.  I didn’t focus on my current location and the ground below me because that wasn’t where I was going. I was going down the mountain so that is where my focus needed to remain. 
• HOW THIS APPLIES IN LIFE: 

1. Cast your vision on where you are going.  
2. Find a leader that has already accomplished the goal that you wish to accomplish and follow them.  
3. Set your eyes on your future vision and not your current postion.  

• Our vision was to reach the bottom of the mountain and hop on another lift to find another slope to conquer.  In order to accomplish that, I had to set my focus on the vision and she had to set hers on me.  Together, we reached our goals.  

1. Unforseen Dangers & Chasing The Wrong Things: 

• We were enjoying a lazy New Year’s Day morning in the lodge.  Some of the group had headed out for skiing while the rest of us had chosen to stay near the fireplace as the snow fell.  The kids at the house decided to bundle up and head outside for some snowman building, snowball fights, and sledding down the driveway.  We adults huddled around a table near the window, sipping coffee and mimosas, while we watched the kids play in the snow.  As we were visiting, I mentioned that on one trail that we ran the day before, I had seen signs posted warning of a moose in the area and how they can be aggressive.  We all laughed about this because we knew the odds of seeing a moose were incredibly rare.  It was literally less than 5 minutes later when my best friend in the middle of recording the kids playing in the snow shouted “There’s a moose!”  We all jumped to the window to see much to our horror, a moose charging up the driveway and hillside towards our kids.  We scrambled around the large house trying too find the quickest way possible to warn the kids and scare the moose off.  As we tried to determine the quickest way to warn the kids, the moose turned from having a stare down with the oldest, and decided to charge towards the house.  The kids, unaware that these are aggressive dangerous animals, began running after him.  As my husband bolted out a lower level side door to shoo the animal away, we opened windows from the upstairs shouting at the kids to get in the house and stay away from the animal because it was dangerous.  We were able to safely get the kids in the house and shoo the moose off into the trees where it plopped down and staked its territory.  The entire event was both terrifying, hilarious, and exhilarating.  I marveled at the innocence of the kids and how they never realized they were in danger.  
• HOW THIS APPLIES IN LIFE:

• How often do we see an opportunity present itself that is actually an unforeseen danger.  It swiftly appears along the journey of reaching our vision and we can’t help but take notice.  It’s impressive, grand, and like nothing we’ve ever seen before.  We want to grab a hold and welcome it into our journey.  However, often times, these “opportunities” are detrimental to your vision.  They can cost you time, money, and harm.  They can send you chasing after the wrong things and further distance you from achieving your vision.  You need to be cautious before accepting people or things that want to further your vision in life.  You need to be aware of the unforeseen dangers.  You need to educate yourself.  

1. If you are starting a new business, build a team of advisors that you trust that you can go to for advice along the way, that will help you understand the parts of business that you struggle with.  But, do your research while assembling this team. 
2. If you are beginning a health journey, don’t accept everyone and everything that claim to help you along the way.  Ask those you trust for recommendations as to what has helped them.  Find what is best for you and your personal journey. 
3. If you are embarking on a journey of purpose, make sure that you stay true to what you value.  Seek out mentorship.  And, while I am an advocate of expanding your network and welcoming new people in, make certain that those you bring alongside your journey have the best intentions for your vision. 

• Bottom line, the world is full of moose and they are highly aggressive animals.  Do not chase after them.    
• 
  
• As we embark on the first day of a new decade, I hope you have cast your vision for 2020.  I hope you have set your goals, and I hope that you are able to identify distractions that may hinder your vision along the way. 
    

**Have you written a review & rated us yet?  Go do that please!  We’ll take 5 stars!!  And, I'll love you forever!  
**Make sure to follow my page for all the vision casting tips to carry you through 2020. https://www.facebook.com/thepowerprojectvlog/

As you cast your vision for 2020, here are some free resources that may help you reach your goals. 
***FloDesk is the best email platform I have ever tried!  I’m not even kidding guys, l love the templates and layouts, and it’s so easy to use!  Use code POWERPROJECT for 50% OFF!
https://flodesk.com/c/POWERPROJECT

****Thinking about starting a podcast?  You’re going to want to check out the Class for Beginners that I created over on Skillshare!  Did you know you can learn all types of new information over there?  Take a look at my Podcasting 101 course and while you’re at it, see if there’s anything else you want to learn.  Use my code to get two free months of Skillshare to learn whatever new skill it is that you need to step into your purpose!  https://skl.sh/2lpoNBU

****Interested in starting a business of your own with low overhead and quick ROI?  Checkout my blog: www.the-powerproject.com/powerfulbusiness Read my story and let’s schedule a power call to chat more about how you can get started.  

I can't wait to see your Vision come clear in 2020.  
~B

​

In Episode# 65, I sit down with Annette Brechbill, military spouse, mom, entrepreneur, and global citizen.  Annette has a widely varied background in her career from working in the travel industry as a flight attendant to serving as a diplomat at the American Embassy in London, where she hosted 23 Secretary of State visits, the G8 Summit, NATO meetings, and multiple presidential visits.  While she found her passion in the networking and relationship building aspect of those careers, she realized that she enjoyed connecting people and meeting needs.  She has taken that passion and turned it into a career as a speaker’s agent where she is able to promote speakers and match the right speakers with the right audience. 

Annette shares with us how Arianna Huffington and William McCraven were two of the most impactful speakers she has had the privilege of knowing and how she has a desire to bring the right people to the right stages to impact more lives.  Her vision for  building a speaker representation consultancy company was to be able to connect the right people who aligned with the way that she values business and making a positive impact in the world.  Annette first had the idea of building this company while watching a documentary about Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine.  She realized that while Dr. Dre was the artist, Jimmy Iovine was the force behind the artist that connected him with the right opportunities. I loved that this was her Ah-Ha moment when she knew that, much like Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, she too wanted to sell speakers, but a different kind all together! 
    “I didn’t want to be Dr. Dre, but I sure as heck wanted to be Jimmy Iovine."
Annette shares her 3 tips with us for expanding how speakers can see the value in a speaking activity rather than just the income it generates. 

3 WAYS TO REALIZE THE VALUE OF A SPEAKING ACTIVITY:

1. Look beyond the payment of a speech. Focus on the impact you can make on other’s lives with the message 
2. Connect with the audience on an emotional level in order to build community and broaden your reach. 
3. Identify how the experience will positively impact and further your mission or goal.

For tips on giving a power speech, download your GUIDE--->  HERE

Last year at my company's convention, I had the privilege of hearing Kristen Brown speak about The Happy Hour Effect.  Since, then, we've been "friends" on social media and she was kind enough to let me interview her for the Power Project Podcast.  We followed it up with an amazing meal of charbroiled oysters at Dragos and had a great evening in New Orleans.  


You're going to be inspired and motivated by what she has to say.  In this episode, we hear from Speaker Kristen Brown, author of The Happy Hour Effect. She is a self-proclaimed occasional know-it-all, sometimes workaholic, and frequent wine aficionado, but more importantly, my friend & mentor. Kristen uses her world-class industry expertise and research into human behavior to motivate exceptional business leaders to elevate their brand and skyrocket their performance for maximum impact on results even during change and stress. She has shared her expertise with clients around the U.S. such as Target, Women Presidents Organization, Live with Kelly, and many more. But, today, she's sharing with us her approach for overcoming obstacles, interrupting your thoughts, and taking action in your life. 

You can follow her as your very own virtual accountability partner on:
Instagram: @speakerkristen 
Facebook: Kristen Brown Presents 
For speaker coaching, podcast interviews, or speaking appearances, find her at www.kristenbrownpresents.com
​

At the Power Project, W stands for Wisdom. Wisdom is the intersection of knowledge and experience.  We can have all the knowledge in the world, but it's not until until we put that knowledge to use and apply in order to gather experience that we gain Wisdom.  Mattie will share with us how she organically built her community through trial and error.  She not only possesses the knowledge of how to navigate You Tube and Instagram, but she also exhibits Wisdom well beyond her years.  

Instead of sitting back and waiting for followers to come to her, she went out and built a community of devoted followers that engage with her. Wait...  do you mean I have to go out and actively engage and build a community?   You better believe it.  But, Mattie can teach you just how to do that. 

You can subscribe to Mattie's You Tube channel:  jungshook jams
Follow Mattie on Instagram: @mattie.yt
Learn tips and tricks about studying a new language on Mattie's study gram: @shookstudying

As always, if you like what you've heard, do us a favor:  follow along, subscribe to the podcast, write a review, and share on social media.  Thanks so much!  I'll love you forever Friend!