Together Digital Power Lounge, Women in Digital with Power to Share

Turn Your Story into Strategy

• Chief Empowerment Officer, Amy Vaughan

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In this episode of the Together Digital Power Lounge, Amy Vaughan talks with Emmy-nominated producer and video marketing strategist Deborah Mitchell about the real power of showing up on video. Deborah breaks down why perfection holds women back, how authenticity builds trust, and what it takes to turn visibility into real influence and business growth.

She also opens up about balancing entrepreneurship with caregiving, and how that experience reshaped her leadership with more patience and clarity. From supporting women of color in claiming their digital space to creating video content that actually converts, Deborah offers practical, empowering strategies for anyone ready to be more visible.

Chapters:

00:10 – Welcome to the Power Lounge & Together Digital
01:26 – Meet Emmy-Nominated Producer Deborah Mitchell
02:29 – When Video Visibility Becomes Power
04:46 – Perfectionism, Bloopers, and Being Relatable on Camera
07:39 – Caregiving, Boundaries, and Grace-Filled Leadership
11:13 – Bringing Caregiving into Your Brand Story (Without Oversharing)
13:06 – Women of Color, Layoffs, and Building Your Own Stage Online
20:04 – Client Case Study: A Podcast that Hit 1 Million Downloads
22:47 – Using AI Without Losing Your Voice and Humanity
28:03 – Small, Brave Steps Toward Showing Up More Authentically
30:26 – Batching, Meta Glasses, and Time-Saving Video Routines
34:44 – Q&A: Being Off-Camera with POV & Voiceover Video
41:03 – Q&A: Being the Face of a Brand You Don’t Own
46:05 – Final Takeaways, Where to Find Deborah, and Join Together Digital

Quotes:

“Showing up on video isn’t just about being seen — it’s about claiming your space and sharing your expertise with intention.” - Amy Vaughan

“You don’t need to be perfect on camera. In fact, your imperfections are what make you human — and that’s what truly connects with people.” - Deborah Mitchell

Key Takeaways:

Imperfection makes you relatable — not less professional.
Caregiving teaches boundaries, grace, and empathy.
Women of color can build their own digital stage.
Batch content to save time and stay consistent.
Use AI for support, but keep your human voice.
Authenticity always outperforms polish.
Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

Connect with the guest Deborah Mitchell:

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahjmitchell/

Guest Website:https://www.deborahmitchellmediaassociates.com/

Popl Link (for all ways to digitally connect with Debbie): https://popl.co/card/DsfBm0DJ/2

Episode Feedback Survey Link: https://talk.ac/deborahjmitchell?code=TDPL  

Mailing List Link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/lPfcUAl/DMMAVideoVisibility

Sign Up For Deborah Mitchell Media Associates webinar series on Video Visibility- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxrMnHiPGcMa8Fk8oQDnnOM20QjVZHoAPvkBU4piL-K84ctA/viewform


Connect with the host Amy Vaughan:
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/amypvaughan
Podcast:Power Lounge Podcast  - Together Digital

Learn more about Together Digital and consider joining the movement by visiting Home - Together Digital

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello everyone and welcome to our weekly Power Lounge. This is your place to hear authentic conversations from those who have power to share. My name is Amy Vaughn and I am the owner and chief empowerment officer of Together Digital, a diverse and collaborative community of women who work in digital and choose to share their knowledge, power, and connections. You can join the movement at Togetherindigital.com. And today we are joined by someone who has transformed personal challenges into professional power moves. Just the kind of lady we love to have here in the power lounge. Deborah J. Mitchell is an Emmy nominated producer, video marketing strategist, and founder of Deborah Mitchell Media and Associates with over 20 years in storytelling media and media, from co-hosting alongside Geraldo Rivera, maybe you've heard of him, to producing the CBS for CBS News. Deborah has mastered the art of helping executives and entrepreneurs turn video visibility into business growth. What makes her story particularly compelling is how she has navigated caregiving responsibilities and career pivots to become a CEO who now empowers others, especially women of color, to claim their digital space and authority and authenticity. Deborah, I can't tell you how excited we are to have you here with us today.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh my gosh, thank you for having me. What a great time we're gonna have.

SPEAKER_00:

I know, absolutely. And I think so many of our members and listeners today are going to be able to relate to everything I just read through because some of them are in the thick of some of that right now. And I think having women on like you, Deborah, just gives us hope that there is the other side.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, there is hope, and we you can get to the other side. It's gonna take a little work, but you can get to the other side, definitely.

SPEAKER_00:

So, live listeners, we know we love to hear questions from you. You are the reason why we're here. So if you have a question, if you have a comment, anything like that, please drop it into the chat. We'll make sure we hear you. We make sure we'll make sure you get we get your question asked. Thank you all for joining us today. All right, so Deborah, you have had an incredible journey from network television to finding uh founding your own video marketing firm. You know, I know it doesn't always come down to any one pivotal moment, but um, when was it that you realized, or what was it that made you realize that video visibility wasn't just about being on camera? It was actually about wielding power.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, you know, the interesting thing is working in television my entire career, I always knew the power of video. Being on television, being in front of an audience on a regular basis. Your audience gets to know you. They um feel that you are friends, whether it's their character or in real life. So I actually spent some time on television. I was Geraldo's co-host for a few years. So people would see me in the street and talk to me as though we were friends. So I knew the power of video. What was interesting was after the pandemic or during the pandemic, when everyone went online, that was the time where I saw the power of video, how it could actually work for you online. Now everyone has video on their phones. Every video is accessible. You can post whenever you want. Anyone can find you any place in the world, can anyone can Google you or look you up. So the fact that you have video now accessible on your smartphone, that's what's that's huge. So yeah, you see the power there. And people building community with the video online.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, exactly. We were just talking about that, weren't we? Yeah. How you know through Together Digital and the shifts and the dynamics we've had to make changes in and do a lot of Zoom networking now, which sounds really atrocious, but I promise you all, it has literally led to some of the best friendships of my life. And I've I literally was telling Deborah right before we got on. I was like, I spent all week in Costa Rica with my good friend Molly. Um, because like it just you can still, you can like connect, you can resonate with people. And I think you're so right. And I love it so much, Deborah, because I feel like you're putting words to things that we often think, but we don't capitalize on, right? We don't actually like take that concerted effort to say, oh, there's something here. How do I leverage this and and make it work in my favor? So on that note, like I said, with the colonels, like the this is quote unquote Zoom fatigue. I even as somebody who's a former creative director who produced a lot of videos, I I never wanted to be on the other side of the camera. That's hard, even for me now, right? And I know a lot of our listeners and women within our community show up or struggle to show up consistently on video. What do you think is like the biggest misconception about video visibility that holds, I want to say professionals, but also just women in general back from getting started?

SPEAKER_03:

I would say the biggest obstacle, and I've heard this because I did a survey recently because I have a webinar series coming up, and I hear it all the time. They want to be perfect. They want everything to be perfect, look good and sound good. So they're either telling me they don't like the way their voice sounds or they don't like the way they look. They don't know what colors to wear, they don't know how to come off as professional. They get paralyzed by trying to be perfect, and you don't have to be perfect.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

As a matter of fact, being not being perfect plays in your favor because it really is relatable. It's it humanizes you. You know, absolutely, absolutely. So, yeah, that's I think the biggest problem that that women or any or most people have when it comes to doing on camera and creating video content.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I love that. It reminds me of a story I heard of a college professor who was like at an Ivy League school and you know, fought and worked so hard to get to where he was getting and needed to come in and command the um, you know, respect of his students from day one, he felt, um, based on kind of the culture and like the implications of him having gone to an Ivy League school. And he rode his bike um to class that day and literally splattered mud all up the backside of his pants to he looked like he pooped himself. And he was like, Oh my God, I cannot walk into this classroom. But if class is starting, I don't have an option. And he was like, Why am I worrying about this? Why? Why am I even caring? Walked in, turned around, showed the classes ass and was like, Look what happened to me on the way in the day. This is why you get a splash card for the back of your bike. And everybody laughed. And he was like, Listen, we all are coming into a new classroom and a new environment. And he's like, I want you guys to know that you're allowed to be vulnerable. Like, that's how you learn is by falling down, by failing, by not doing the right thing, by not always thinking ahead into the next step. And sometimes it just means you just kind of have to show up with the mistake on your backside and own it. And it like he said that changed how his class saw him and the respect he got from them was insurmountable in the ways in which they showed up for him after that.

SPEAKER_03:

But if you think about TV, one of the more popular shows are bloopers when you do that. Oh my God, yeah. You know, everybody loves you, you catch them off guard, they're making mistakes, everybody's relaxed, and that's what makes it fun. And it humanizes you. So yeah, it's so true. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

We're trying so hard to be perfect when everybody just wants imperfection.

SPEAKER_03:

That's what it is. Yeah. So good, Deborah.

SPEAKER_00:

Perfect, yeah. All right. So you have navigated. This is another big topic within Together Digital. In fact, we have a channel on Slack just for um uh just for caregivers, um, for aging parents, and then a parenting channel as well. Um, you were doing this as you were building your CEO journey. What, what, how did those dual responsibilities actually strengthen your approach to authentic leadership on camera?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, so first I'm gonna tell you, I've interviewed many caregivers. I've done stories on it, I've done stories on entrepreneurs. Being a caregiver and being an entrepreneur are two of the hardest things I've ever done. So yeah, to them together is just it's just been unbelievable. And um, what being a caregiver has taught me, I've had to be very focused on what I'm doing with my mom. She's 96 now. She requires time, she requires my attention, the paperwork that I have to fill out, there's maneuver. So I had to realize that I couldn't be as perfect as a business person, the way I used to be when I was producing full time and that's what all I was focused on. I had to give myself grace. So I wasn't able to be in the business the way I would usually be if it was just the business I was focusing on. So I think that's one of the biggest lessons that I learned. Give yourself grace and you have to be organized. Learn to be, learn how to manage your time because you have to divvy up the time that it takes to do the caregiving and then do what you need to do for your business. So I've learned and I've learned to be a more patient leader because nobody knows what I'm going, what's going on with me when I'm caregiving for my mom. I may not be able to, maybe, may not be able to show up at networking events the way I used to. I'm working from home. I'm I have to take care of mom first, but I have to realize other people might be going through the same thing. So as a leader, it's uh I've just been a little bit more patient and more understanding because you don't know what other people are going through. And a lot of us are trying to juggle 10 million things at the same time. And you can't do everything all at the same time.

SPEAKER_00:

No, you can't. Um, that space and grace is so necessary when you're playing multiple roles for multiple people like that. Um, because you know, as much as you need to do that for everybody else, it needs to be done for yourself. I think look back to before I was a parent and before my mom needed me for caregiving as much. And yeah, I'm like, oh my God, what did I do with my time? I think I always joke and say, for women who get penalized for having kids and then trying to come back to the workforce, like I am more productive, I am more focused on my time, I am more intentional, I am more driven and committed to earning and in my career and making sure that work is good so that I can go home and have my quality time with my kids and creating boundaries. And I'm just always like, yeah, yeah, like being a parent and being a caretaker is 100,000 percent made me a better leader because on the other side of that too, it's made you more empathetic. I was looking at and like, not that I was ever like pegging moms as lazy, as I've heard some people say, or that they don't have their priority straight, which is absolutely ridiculous. Heard that once from another woman who was an HR too, by the way. Lovely. But it gave me empathy to think, wow, like I I kind of took for granted all these really powerful, strong women leaders that I had who were doing the dual role of leader and parent. Um, and knowing the stats and where particularly mothers are with the parenting load.

SPEAKER_03:

You don't know somebody else's shoes. That's what I have kids, I don't have children, so it was this was really a new experience.

SPEAKER_00:

You're like, wait a minute. Like, whoa.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's really, and she depends, she needs me. So it she comes first, and you know, I have learned to be a better person as a kid.

SPEAKER_00:

She's got a fantastic daughter. That's important. Thank you. Love it. Oh, you're doing a good job. It ain't easy. Like I said, that's why we got that caregiver change.

SPEAKER_03:

And November is family caregivers month.

SPEAKER_00:

So to all the caregivers Oh, yay!

SPEAKER_03:

November's family caregivers month. Give a caregiver a hug.

SPEAKER_00:

I did not know that. Oh my god, give them a 10-minute hug because they need it. Nobody, it's like one of those things when you're a teenager like, I can't wait to tell you what to do. Dude, parenting a parent sucks.

SPEAKER_03:

This is a good transition because I really m people who know me know that I'm caring for my mom, but I never put mom on video. I never put her out as part of my my, I don't want to say my brand, but I just didn't put her out on video. But this month I've decided to do that. And you know, she's gotten more likes or more comments than everyone's gonna love mom. Yeah. So just be her. And so um, yeah, it's interesting because the content that you put out, it doesn't always have to be, it has to be a compilation of who you are, and so yeah, you're putting out the the information about your brand and who you are and the work you do. But again, I talk about humanizing. I'm all just putting another side to my life, and so you know, you decide, you control what you can put out there. And so I've decided for this month to put a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I know that. I think that's great. Um, it actually reminded me of a friend of mine, Cindy Gallup, who's I love following her on LinkedIn. And she um has done that from time to time. And in fact, if I don't see a post of mom after a while, I'm like, okay, yeah, how's mom? Um, because again, like I think it's that humanization, it's that um vulnerability that opens up and allows others to speak their truths and to share their realities as well, which is so necessary. Um, let's let's shift it to some of our audience here too about specifically challenged for women of color and digital visibility. Um, I'd be curious to hear like what have been the struggles there, and then what are some of the strategies that you've developed to help them specifically create and claim their space with confidence and authority?

SPEAKER_03:

So I'm gonna break it up into two categories. First of all, the women, I'm gonna age-wise, I'm gonna break it up. I'm from the where you go to school, get all your degrees, you get a job, and you hunker down and you do your work. Yeah, that is no longer the case. You're not getting the rewards that you used to. So with the major layoffs that you've had with that we've had, what is it, over 300,000 women of color have been put out into the out of the workforce, and now they have to decide what's next. So they're gonna look for work or they're going to start many of them are gonna try and start their own company, which is why not use the expertise that you use to build and work for your for an organization to build your own company. So I talked to them about upgrading their skills. AI is not going away. No, you can't ignore it. So you have to take on all the skills that you can so that you can be competitive and upgrade your uh abilities, your expertise using AI. So that's really important. The younger generation who are coming out of school, they they're growing up with it. So they already think differently about how they work. So lean into them too. You have a niece, daughter, nephew, whoever. Not yet. Yeah, it the younger generation, lean into them so that they can help you. Then also look for other companies, other individuals who are working in the space. I just met a young lady, um, Kelly Charles Collins. She's created this great program, Mobile Operations Systems, where it helps you to focus your business, figure out your revenue, and help you figure out what you're going to put out there to your target audience. So I'm taking a lot of classes. I'm constantly taking classes, I'm constantly looking at ways that I can reach my audience in the newest way with the newest tools. And women of color, I think it's a great opportunity for women of color because in we're usually shut down in the corporate world. We don't get to speak to our best, the best of our abilities. But when you create your own stage online, that's your opportunity. That's your show. So it's your opportunity to put your expertise out there. So I think it's a great, a great time for women of color to be out there online.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, oh, a thousand percent. Because, like you said, it's like if you're not gonna give me a seat at the table, I'm gonna go over here and build my own damn table. I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, and I think it's I for all women, that's such an important thing to think about and consider that, you know, if I will get the room, the space, and the voice, where can I go? Because somebody needs to hear you. Somebody needs to hear you. Somebody, we need you in the world. We need your voice. Like so, whatever way you can do that.

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely. So make put your voice out there, and this is the time. So once you decide to start your business, you got to figure out who your target audience is. What's the message? Your why. Why are you putting yourself out there? What is the message? What do you want to say to them? What problem do you want to solve of theirs? And then you create your plan. So I'm big on planning, strategy, and executing. And so I tell that to all my clients, no matter what, what you're doing. That's how you start.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Oh, you're gonna love this together digital community so much, Deborah. Like they are all lifelong learners, they are go-getters, you know, and they all come different shape, sizes, age, backgrounds, everything. But that that one thing remains true. It's just the tenacity to keep learning and to keep looking for the opportunities when people aren't opening the doors for you. You're going and building and finding the doors. So yeah, yeah. I love it so much. Um, all right, let's talk about um working kind of between because we have a we have a good mix within our community as well. We have a lot of women who are still within corporate or agencies, so like corporate executives, but then we also have this emergence of entrepreneurs, which I agree with you. That number of women specifically is growing and it makes me excited. It's out of the circumstances and it's not in the most ideal circumstances, but by golly, I'm glad it's happening. What do you feel is the difference between creating video content and creating video content that actually converts viewers into clients, especially for our entrepreneurial folks? Because that sometimes feels like a challenge, right too, as you're doing your planning and your strategy and your messaging. It's like, I don't want to say all these things, but what is actually moving the needle for me?

SPEAKER_03:

So I would say you can create what the content is gonna convert is the content that content that resonates with your target audience. So first you need to know who your target audience is, where you're gonna find them, where do they live, what platforms. Um, and then figure out their pro what problem are you gonna solve for them? I'm actually I I'm doing a survey with some of my clients because I want to find out what their challenges are when it comes to video. Uh again, being on camera is one. Uh another one, another I hear is that they don't have the time to create video. They don't have the budget to create video. So, you know, though that's important information for me to use because okay, if enough of you are saying it, then that's definitely something that it's a pain point. I need to help you solve it. So that's how I'm gonna come up with my content. I'm gonna use that information to figure out, answer those questions. And you'd be surprised, again, using AI to help with your content as far as pushing it out, but also putting your touch on it as far as what you're gonna bring to solving their problem. So, yeah, I definitely say that's the first place. That's the difference. Fantastic listening, it's so key. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, and falling in love with the problem, not the solution. I think that's another thing too. We often think that we have to like market ourselves, which feels kind of ick to some people. Um, but at the end of the day, it's like, but I have something to offer. I have I want to help people. So what is the problem and how do I speak to the problem in a way, like you said, that relates to them? So that then they are like, okay, she is a trusted resource, she knows what she's doing. Yeah. Um, and you build that credibility and then you create that awareness, and then you make it relatable, and there you go.

SPEAKER_03:

Like and be consistent, don't just go up and disappear. Be consistent because people do business with people they know, like, and trust. I hear, you know, and I'm I don't come from sales at all. I'm a term sales but you know it.

SPEAKER_00:

But I know it.

SPEAKER_03:

And so the way someone said, well, sales is kind of like booking a guest for a show. I was like, oh, I guess it is in a way, because you meet someone and you're talking to them, getting to know them, and you're trying to get their interviews. So in a way, it's this it's the same. But you want to be um, you want to be compassionate, you want to be, you really do want to listen, you do want to care, and you don't want to be salesy. It doesn't have to be about sell, sell, sell. It's about really helping the person solve their problem. Agree.

SPEAKER_00:

That feels so much better. Feels better to you, feels better to them. And a thousand percent on the consistency. That's a great call out right there. All right. Um, I would love to hear maybe a little bit about a time when some strategic video visibility, that was hard to say, dramatically transformed someone's business trajectory. Like, what was it that made the difference? I'd love to hear some stories about like the success you've had with your clients in the past.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, so I'm gonna have to talk about my my main client who I love to death, the Amazon conservation team, the president, the founder, Dr. Mark Mark J. Plotkin. He we actually got together during the pandemic when everybody was locked down, he couldn't travel, nothing. So he always wanted to do a podcast. And I started working with him on the podcast, and it has surpassed a million downloads seven seasons. And I didn't know a lot about the Amazon, I've learned so much from him. He's a well-respected ethnobotanist, so I was like, okay. So cool. Yes, and he has his community, and they are a devoted community. So, you know, to see him grow, because when we started, it was just Mark on the mic talking each episode. And I say, Mark, you know, let's invite some guests to be on. And it took a little while to um to get to that point where we had guests on, but then he started inviting guests on. And so it was the back and forth, the conversation that they were having, made took the took took the episodes up to another level. So it was just really good to see the growth. And then we started doing multiple part series, and then so all of this took time. And again, people come in, uh you meet them where they are. In the beginning, he just wanted to do it himself, and that was great, but slowly over time, trust grew, and then we were able to develop a great product. So, like I said, we just wrapped season seven. He um he was very good friends with Dr. Jane Goodall. She just passed away. Unfortunately, we didn't get to interview her before. But I mean, yeah, but it was just really a great experience. So to surpass a million downloads, yeah, that's one of the great one of our stories.

SPEAKER_00:

And what's the podcast called? I don't know if you mentioned that.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, Plants of the Gods. Oh my gosh, it's called Plants of the Gods.

SPEAKER_00:

We got I gotta check it out. I'm such a nature nerd. Oh my god, dude, you're gonna love it. Jane was like my idol growing up, so yeah, like I'll be tuning in. I'll be downloading more.

SPEAKER_03:

We've done so many episodes on ayahuasca. It's our number one topic that people uh people have questions about, and Mark shares his personal experiences, so it's really great. Yeah, it's a very good idea. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

I'll try not to nerd out, I'll tamper the nerd out and I'll I'll get back to our questions here, but I'm so going to go listen to that. I love it. All right. Um, with you mentioned AI earlier, um, which is great because there's not a minute we're not talking about it or thinking about it or using it around here. Um, with that plus other technologies disrupting content creation, how do you maintain authentic human connection while leveraging these tools? Because we know that they are good for efficiency.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, oh, that's a great question. So, yes, AI is great for automation and efficiency. But as I said, you don't just put it into AI, cut and paste. You have to use it more as an outline or a template, and you still have to put your your twist. I put Debbie's twist on whatever I'm doing. Um, I'm telling my personal stories. So you don't just rely on it. I I think that AI could come in handy for especially the people who are um afraid of being on camera. You could there are so many options that you can use so that you don't have to be on camera. Use A, there are so many AR AI softwares that are available that you're writing to B-roll and visuals, so your voice or other voices. So I there are definitely ways to use it in uh in a constructive, instructive way.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I love it. That's great. Yeah, again, efficiencies and insights, I feel like that's the other thing is like having it review and analyze data because all it's looking for is patterns, right? Just a really good at pattern recognition um and regurgitation, which is something else you just have to be wary of and never necessarily trust everything because it'll hallucinate people.

SPEAKER_03:

But in that to for your with your information, that's the thing that people you if you've written articles, if you've been interviewed, put that into AI so this beginning to get your voice, it's beginning to know who you are. You're training it. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Love it. Yeah, make it make it let it do the robotic things, you do the human things. All right. So you mentioned Tabitha Brown and Jesse Naylor as inspiration in um some of the stuff that you sent us before this conversation. What specific visibility strategies could our members learn from maybe them and their success stories?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, so I'm gonna talk about Janae first because I first saw Janae online during the pandemic. She was a fashion influencer, she was she was in her closet trying on clothes, doing outfits of the day, and she had a community, she, a Facebook community where people could write in and she would interact and talk to talk to us. And I I was watching her and I said, there's something about this woman. There's just she used to work for Target. That's her start story. She worked for Target, she uh left Target when she didn't get a promotion that she wanted, and she decided to go online full-time. But when I looked at her, I thought, if I was still in television, I would book her. That was one of the fun parts of being about a television producer. You'd meet someone and they'd start talking, and you'd think, this would be a good guest. And I looked at her and I thought, she is gonna go places. What she has done in the last five years is amazing. She just launched a brand, a brand of sunglasses. So she has grown her brand from just being a not just, but being a blogger, a fashion influencer, to slowly building a community of followers and people who are supporting her. Brands pay her. She's able to build put out her own sunglasses line. But what's great about her is that she's not afraid to walk. She tries things and then she walks away from it if it's not working. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, great.

SPEAKER_03:

And that's, I think, a very valuable lesson for any entrepreneur. This is very fluid what we're doing, being entrepreneurial. And sometimes you might think something's gonna work, and it might work for a little while, and then you have to change it up. So you have to be ready to pivot. And that's what I that's one of the lessons that I actually learned from her. And I'm still learning the same thing from Tabitha. A lot of people know Tabitha Brown's story. She also V, got online sharing vegan recipes during the pandemic. Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres found her, put her on, and things just blew up from there. It's just unbelievable to unbelievable and amazing and inspirational to see what these two ladies have done. And you can do it. And they've always been consistent, they've always be been authentic. And that's something else that people want authenticity. So they've always been authentic, and you just want to relate to them and they've grown their followers. And that's those are the lessons that I've taken away from the book. Those are great.

SPEAKER_00:

I love those because I would also say, too, um, there's just, and maybe this also just comes after being like a going over 40 now, too. It's like there's just something so freeing about owning that authenticity. Like we all as women, and you know, you put on so many masks in a day to be able to set those aside and sit those down and take those off. And it's just to me, it's like a little bit at a time. Like sometimes it's just a little bit of trial and error. And that's what I love about community because community is usually that safe space where you can sort of start to show up authentically and speak your truths. And then it's like, oh, people agreed. Oh, they nodded their heads when I said that thing that nobody's ever said.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And it starts to feel so freeing. And so for those of you who are listening and thinking, I have to fit a mold, those two women are perfect examples of people who decided not to fit the mold and look at how it served them. Look at how it served every person you choose to follow online for the most part. It's likely that they are living in some sort of truth. And we see that, and then we're like, oh, and we compare, and then we get jealous. And I'm like, no, follow your envy. It's showing you what you want. Like you want that freedom. You want the ability to show up and speak your truths. And then find do it and find just how much people are actually going to appreciate you for it.

SPEAKER_03:

But don't be afraid. That's I think people are afraid. Just don't be afraid. Yeah. That was well said.

SPEAKER_00:

And it's not jumping off the building. It's not jumping off the edge. It's just taking a first step. You know, it's just kind of showing up like five percent more authentic this time than maybe you did last time in a situation where you feel kind of forced to show up and be a certain way. And that could be like your next meeting at work. So you get off the listening to this and your next call, your next meeting, you're like, I'm gonna ask that hard question.

SPEAKER_03:

Ask the question. Always ask. All you're gonna get is a no. That's the one thing I did learn about being a when I was a producer. You gotta ask. Just ask.

SPEAKER_00:

You don't get it otherwise, which is a big part of Together Digital too, our ask, give, grow. You know, we really encourage our members to build that muscle of asking because it's scary at first. But once you learn and then you realize, oh my gosh, people actually want to show up and help me. Oh, yeah, I'm gonna do some asking. And I'm gonna do some giving in the meantime, too. But that part comes into it.

SPEAKER_03:

Giving and yes. And you know what you meant? You there's a good point there because you talked about asking, asking for help too. I have to tell you, we as women, we're afraid to ask for help. And okay to ask and accept help.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh. And you're doing something for them. People want to help. Your friends want to show up, your coworkers want to show you that they, you know, can do their jobs and their roles. And I think, you know, a lot of us, you know, at least a lot of within our group, it's like very A-type, very strong, very capable women, but we uh tend to overfunction. And then that doesn't give room or space for other people to grow and thrive and reach their potential because we feel like we have to be the ones covering it and doing it all. But that's a whole other topic for another day. We'll come back to that one. I've got one more question for you, and then we're gonna go into our fun little power round questions. Okay. Um, we've had a couple comments in the chat, which is great. It's nice that our live listeners are here listening to us. They agree with us on the bloopers point. Um, but if you all do have a question, don't be afraid, right? Ask the questions, drop it in the chat. Um, before we go into the power round, my question I have for you next is looking at the evolution. Um oh no, wait. We actually I skipped a question. I have two. So um we touched on the whole I don't I don't have time for video. Um so to help that, because I I I know that that is a common thing outside of not wanting to be seen or on camera or the perfection time. What is your framework for creating consistent strategic strategic content content without it consuming their entire schedule?

SPEAKER_03:

Got all the words out. Okay. I I talked about this before, but I'll say it again. I'm a big fan of batching videos when it comes to creating um saving time, being efficient with your time and getting the most out of it as far as product batching. So that means that you decide you're going to take an hour or two hours out of your week and you're gonna create video content. So that means you had you've already decided on what you want to talk about, the topics that you're gonna talk about. You've chosen a couple of different outfits so that you can change outfits during the two hours. You you've taped on different days, and you decide how many uh snippets of video you are going to create, whether it's 10, 20, whatever you can do in those two hours. Again, it's you're taping it, so it doesn't have to be perfect. If you don't like the first tape, the uh the first um what is the first taping, you don't have to use it. Redo it. So give yourself that grace, but also set aside those two hours every week, and you could at least get 10 or 15 little snippets of video, two minutes long at least, that you have in store, and then you could schedule them out on your calendar. So batching is a big thing. I actually just started wearing metaglasses, so I'm I I am Ah, how's that going? You know what? I kind of like I kind of I'm always wearing sunglasses. I'm known for my sunglasses, so it can come in pretty handy. So I'm I'm wearing them, and when something catches my attention or I feel I can get some video, some point of view video out of it, I'm grabbing point of view video. So it's I try my best to be as efficient, work smarter, not harder. And that's how I'm capturing video and making time to get my content together. That's one great example.

SPEAKER_00:

Cool. I love it. Those are great examples, yeah. Um, all right. Next is uh looking at the evolution of personal branding. How should digital leaders prepare for the future of video visibility? Because, like you said, it's it's everywhere. There's not really any getting kind of like AI. There's no getting away from it.

SPEAKER_03:

There's no getting away from it. Um, that's a great question. How to prepare for it. Think long and hard about what if you're going to put yourself out there as an entrepreneur, what do you want, how do you want to be seen? What do you want your message to be? Who do you want to serve? That's a big question. Because you need to know that before you start anything. And again, that goes back to the target audience because once you figure out who you want to serve, you can start to focus in on them and creating start building relationships with them where they live online.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

I love it. Love it. Great advice. You know, and sometimes it's just a matter of ripping off the band-aid, little baby steps at a time.

SPEAKER_03:

My my yoga teacher, I've said this before, always says the first time is the hardest.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yes. I tell that. Even to my kids a lot. My daughter wanted to try diving. Um, she's doing swim team and was like, I'm gonna, I might try diving, but I'm really scared. I said, It's okay to be scared. I said, What if you just showed up? What if you just showed up and talked to the coaches and shared your fears so that they could talk you through like safety practices or you could just watch and see what it's like for other students to do it.

SPEAKER_03:

Um I'm a diver out of the water for a while, but every time I'm going to get in the water, I'm scared. So now obviously the first time was the scariest, but tell her to do it. It is the thing. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00:

She's gonna keep trying. She showed up and she was upset with herself because she wasn't able to get on the diving board and do it. But I was like, You showed up. That was like the first stop, and you always have the option to go back.

SPEAKER_03:

This is funny because you said diving. I automatically thought scuba diving. Oh scuba.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, no, diving off a diving board. Yeah, scuba. She wants to do scuba. She does not maybe once we're in the water and trying it, she'll get a little afraid. But she snuggles and stuff like that. She's a great okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I'd be afraid. Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

You're like, never mind, I ain't diving off a diving board. But I love that you did scuba. That's awesome. That's something I we both wanted to get certified in. Okay. Well, we have a question from one of our live listeners, Melanie. Thanks for dropping the question in the chat. Are there ways I can utilize video without literally being on camera? Here we go. We're still avoiding it, aren't we? Yes, do POV VO videos.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, point of view videos where that means you're shooting. You're talking, you could hear you. I hope you if you like your voice, your voice can carry the conversation, but you're just shooting in front of you and your it's your point of view. Then you have um different uh AI tools that you can um that you can use so that you're putting B-roll, which is video visuals of the story over to tell the story, as opposed to having you on camera. So yeah, there are different ways.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So then I her second like part of that question is is a great follow-up too. It's like, does do those videos do as well on um online? Like is in the from a performance standpoint, do POVs and voiceover videos versus like person on camera do as well? You know what? What you've seen.

SPEAKER_03:

The the um point of view videos, they people are having fun with it. It depends on what you're shooting, and um, but obviously being on camera is more personal, so there's no getting around it. You're you're putting a face, a face to the voice and a person to the experience.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, I would agree. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, there's no doubt about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Because it's one of those things that's like marketing to like most marketers we know, faces are what people want to see. But I will say there's like, you know, I've I've young kids, so they're like watching YouTube folks, and um, which is still weird and beyond me, but um, one of them, one of their favorite ones, she is a crafter and a creator, and so she has like a little character. I can't even think of his name right now, but they haven't watched him for a minute, but they were obsessed with their videos for a while. And then you just see her hands and her voice and the character. And the character to me was kind of an expression of her and who she was. Um, and so she would have him be like the the the the the kind of thing that you could see and relate to, which I thought was kind of an interesting strategy because the kids loved the little character and the little guy, and that was like her way of connecting to the audience without putting her face on camera.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and there are a couple of chefs who are out there who are they're just cooking, you just see their hands and the ingredients, and you're not seeing their faces. So I can't think of the names off the top, but yeah, yeah, it can work in some instances. It all depends on what it is you're covering.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, maybe you can get creative with it even. All right. Uh let's go to the our power round questions. Live listening audience. If you have additional questions, we have time. You feel free to ask them. That's why we're here. All right, this is a good one. First thing you do to shake off on-camera nerves because that's real.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Well, always remember that you're the expert. But yes, being on camera can be nerve-wracking. So I would say that you can practice in the front of the mirror. Practice, practice, practice, practice in front of the mirror. And you can say to yourself, I know what I'm talking about. I'm the expert. I know what I'm talking about. Um, we you and I were talking about getting the questions beforehand. I know we never did that in when you're on live TV, you don't have that. Um, or you know, you don't want to get yourself confused. You don't want to get confused by what you're saying. You're the expert. Think slowly, think fast, slow, speak slowly. That's what it is. Yeah. And that's one of the best ways to just kind of relax.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that. That is a good piece of advice to sometimes just slow it down. One of my favorite tricks is like your nervous system doesn't know the difference between um excited and scared. And so if you're getting nervous right before you go on camera for something, I will just tell myself, I'm just really excited to be here. I'm really excited to do this. I'm really just that's what it is. And it kind of tricks your body, your brain, that you're using your brain to kind of trick your body into saying like these sensory feelings, these feelings that I'm having, you know, it really has more to do with the narrative that's up in my head versus like what's actually going on in my body because it really won't know the difference. And so it's worked for me. You guys can try it if it helps you. Uh, best piece of video equipment under 50 bucks that changes everything for us who like to go out and get the tools.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh my gosh. I would say you'd have to have a good mic, a lavalier mic. People will tolerate bad video, but they won't tolerate bad audio.

SPEAKER_00:

So that is a great point.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I would say that's one piece of equipment that you should focus on getting.

SPEAKER_00:

I love it. Great piece of advice. And um, our heart cast media friends here in Mali and Matt would definitely agree. Uh, all right, your go-to confidence booster before hitting record.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, um, my go-to confidence booster. Like I said earlier, I know what I'm talking about. Yeah, yeah. I'm the expert. I know, I know this inside out. Um, and don't be afraid to say you don't know the answer.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Don't yeah, don't try and fluff it. Don't try and pretend. Yeah, if you don't know an answer, just say you don't know it, or you can get back to whoever's asking the question, but don't, yeah, don't take it. Pretending's exhausting, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00:

If you're the expert, can we just not? I'm the expert. I know.

SPEAKER_03:

I know what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love it. Yeah, you know what you know, and that's definitely something to step in with. But when you don't, gosh, just let's not even pretend. Like, why? Yeah. I love it. It's authenticity, vulnerability, all the things we need right now in life. All right. One video myth you wish that you could delete forever.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, that's a good one. We talked about being perfect, but that you have to be on all the platforms. But I think people get overwhelmed. I think they feel as though, oh, I can't post everywhere, and you don't need to post everywhere. Choose the two platforms where you think your target audience resides, lives, and and focus on posting them.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's great. 100%. Absolutely. Don't exhaust yourself trying to be everywhere and everything to everyone.

SPEAKER_03:

Exactly. You can't please everyone. And I'd say have a YouTube channel. That's the other thing. Have a YouTube channel.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, if you're doing a video, you gotta be on there. That one, like it or not. All right, we've got one more question. Currently, I'm selling for a video production studio that's super tiny, but I don't own it. Do you have any tips as someone who is the face of a brand but isn't the owner? Sometimes I feel like I am putting too much of my personality into the company and I'm afraid of feeling inauthentic.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_00:

That's an interesting spot to be in.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, she's he or she is working for a company and they're using their personality to build the brand's company. So her quest the question is, how do they?

SPEAKER_00:

And so she's selling. So how does she how do you have any tips for do you have any tips for someone who is the face of a brand? So it sounds like she's actually like herself, like is the part of the brand that she is selling, um, who isn't the owner.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. But she still wants to sell the product.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep, she says sometimes I feel like I'm putting too much of my personality into the company and I'm afraid of feeling of feeling inauthentic.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, that's a good I'm gonna have to think about that one. What do you what do you think?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I think my question would be why isn't the owner the personality that's being put forward into the brand versus the person who's doing the selling? Because ultimately, if you're a small independent business, um usually we're buy we're buying from, like you said, people we like know and trust. Um, and then again, so as the person who is doing the selling, that's hard. So it sounds like that the owner isn't really the front kind of face person.

SPEAKER_03:

And so she's being on camera, and they're using this person is a better person on camera. So is there a way to she says she answered my question?

SPEAKER_00:

She said, Oh well, great question. He likes being behind the scenes and trusting his team to run things. So I think in that if that's the case, I would also then say, you know, use your personality to build the relationships and do the selling, but make sure the brand is well defined so that you're not having to make the extra emotional effort and putting your personality into play where there is a lack of brand. It sounds like there's a lack of branding.

SPEAKER_03:

But there must be something about her personality that is appealing. Yeah, she wouldn't have been chosen.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, which I mean you could work into the brand.

SPEAKER_03:

That's what I'm thinking. You could work into the brand because there's something about your personality that the owner likes or feels like. So you must be good at it. And um, yeah, so that's I think you should look at that too. What is it, how you can better define the brand so that you feel better about what you're doing. But it's obvious that you have some type of talent. That's why you're there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, no, exactly. It sounds like they're lucky to have our. Um, and it is that thing of like, um, what was I getting ready to say? It was like uh brand. Um shit, it was a good one too. It was like something along the lines of oh, brand should be a sales enablement tool. Sales should not be enabling brand. That's a little backwards. Like you should make sure that the brand is there and well defined to enable how you sell. It shouldn't be that like the sales, like the your personality should be enabling, like a sales should not be enabling the brand. Like you need to accept the brand first because what's going to happen is as a business, if you're ever going to scale or grow, or if you leave or you like something happens and you're not there anymore, like where does the selling and how does the selling happen? That's why the brand has to kind of come and be there first as a tool for enable for sales enablement, not sales enabling the brand, because then you're setting up a volatile situation for your business. And this is more advice for your boss than you, honestly.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's the boss to and say that conversation with her boss. But right.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it's as if he's trusting to for them to run things. I think it would be fair for you, Melanie, to go back and say, listen, I'm putting a lot of myself into the selling and it's feeling like it's taking the place of your brand. I want your brand to be known and established so that people have trust in you and what you provide and do as a company versus just me. Because I always have that whole if I get hit by a bus tomorrow theory, it's like, if I'm gone tomorrow, God for like forbid, whatever that might be. I never wanted to ever, and this is just being overly responsible on my part, but I never wanted to leave any company I worked for in the lurch. I wanted to make sure that my process, my communications were documented in a place that made it so that if there was a transition that needed to happen, it could happen.

unknown:

But yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Did you like that? Okay, Melanie, I hope that works for you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I hope that helps. She did. She put it with a little heart. Okay. Fantastic. Yeah, no, great question. I love it. And again, you know, when you ask those questions, what's that, hon?

SPEAKER_03:

That was a good one. No, that was a great question.

SPEAKER_00:

And and people, when you ask questions, like there's other people that are sitting here listening that might be in a similar situation, either now, in the past, or in the future. And you just help them out by asking a really great question. So thank you so much for bringing it to us. All right, friends. I think, let's see. Yep, that's it. We got to the last myth busting question. Deborah, thank you so much for giving all these amazing.

SPEAKER_03:

Great conversation.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, very powerful insights, all about turning um visibility and strategic um into a strategic advantage. And hopefully it has encouraged you all to just even just like I said, five percent, just a little bit more. Just let yourselves be visible a little bit more. We absolutely need you um for all of you to step into your video power. And um, Deborah, I want people to know where can they connect with you? Oh where can they find you?

SPEAKER_03:

Deborah Mitchell Media and Associates.com. Go to the website, you can find me there or on LinkedIn, Deborah Debbie Mitchell, Deborah Debbie Mitchell.

SPEAKER_00:

Debbie, all right, Debbie. Uh, into our Together Digital community. Remember that showing up on video isn't just about being seen. It's about claiming your space and sharing your expertise with intention, as Debbie shared with us earlier. If you're ready to harness that power of visibility alongside some other women in digital, be sure to join us. Learn more about the organization, togetherindigital.com. Until next time, friends, thank you so much for showing up and being here with us today and for listening. Um, until next time, keep asking, keep giving, and keep growing. We hope to see you soon. Bye, everybody.

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Amy Vaughan

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