insecurity

Why you are already enough

Why you are already enough

Earlier this week I attended the funeral of Mr Williams, my old secondary (or high) school teacher

He was my very first form tutor and my chemistry teacher throughout

More than that, though, he was one of my favourites

It's literally impossible for me to talk about my best memories from that time without mentioning his humour, passion and huge impact

One of the things I remember most about him is that he practised something called “peer teaching”

I.e.

If I managed to solve a problem or really impress him with my work, he would have me come up to the board, write out how I solved the equation and talk both him and my classmates through my process

But the reason that he did this wasn't because he thought I was a science genius, but because he wanted to:

  • Check my understanding (or that I didn’t cheat!)

  • Give the class the opportunity to hear an explanation in language that they could understand and relate to

When Mr Williams was calling me to the front of the class to help my classmates, he didn't require me to:

  • Become more of an expert

  • Gain more experience

  • Jump through a bunch of hoops to prove myself before diving in (or further)

That wasn't an issue or what he was even looking for

What he wanted was someone who knew just a bit more than his other students and could share it effectively

And that's all you need when it comes to PR too!

How to overcome imposter syndrome

How to overcome imposter syndrome

Before Sarah achieved her dream of conceiving Isaac, she disqualified herself- believing she was too old to do so

Hence the whole Hagar debacle

Yet Hebrews 11:11 makes it clear that she went on to receive "strength to conceive seed, and...bore a child when she was past the age..."

Which means that none of her "undesirable" circumstances changed in order for her to achieve her dream, so what did?

Sarah was able to do this "by faith" because "she judged Him faithful who had promised" (Hebrews 11:11)

In other words, she took her eyes off her perceived inadequacies and placed them on God

That was the game changer that helped her to get what she wanted and is the thing that has helped me in every iteration of my entrepreneurial journey, including my most recent one with Media Magic

My retreat for business women who want to uncover a quick and systemised process to pitch the media so that they can get onto more top platforms, be seen as industry experts, and start raking in larger paydays

Want to get out of the chokehold that imposter syndrome has on you too?

How to find your why and achieve your PR goals

How to find your why and achieve your PR goals

Last week we talked about the fact that despite what we’re commonly told, simply setting your goals or having a clear vision for what you want for 2024 isn’t enough to keep you on track

Remember that,? If not, will you check that post out here?

Which is why as you set your goals or create that vision board, it's important to consider the why behind every goal

Not sure how?

The 5 WHYS Technique is one of my favourite journaling prompts because it has helped me and my clients stay consistent and accountable with achieving our goals - even when motivation runs a little dry

So, whether you want to start or grow your business, get PR success, or travel the world - the 5 WHYS technique can help you identify the core reason behind your aspirations. What’s great is that it’s super simple. Just grab a pen and notebook and ask yourself why you want to achieve a particular goal. Ask yourself this question 5 times to get to the core why.

Here's an example of how that works in practice...

Why using your voice is the key to unlocking your next level

Why using your voice is the key to unlocking your next level

How many times have you shrunk or downplayed your personality? And how many times did you think doing this would help you advance in the business world? One of my earliest memories of being told I was being “too much” was the feedback I’d get on my school report cards. They often read, “Nina is great, but she talks too much.” Well, all I can say is look at me now (lol). I literally get paid to speak and coach other women to use their voices to pitch the media and tell their stories. 

But I’m not the only woman who’s turned her “too much” into her superpower. I recently asked my IG community what they got in trouble for when they were younger and how they’ve turned that into their superpower as adults and businesswomen. Here are some of their responses:

How to sell yourself for PR success

How to sell yourself for PR success

"Self-promotion is an essential tool for career advancement [and] networking" (The Harvard Gazette).

In other words, visibility begets visibility because people (rightly or wrongly) believe that those who've been featured in/on respected media platforms are more credible; have greater expertise and authority. Here's the catch, though:

Women are less likely to reap these benefits because, according to research, women feel less at ease with promoting themselves than men- which in turn means that they're less likely to do it. What this really translates to is less access to:

  • PR opportunities

  • Clients who will trust and want to work with you

  • Brands and influencers wanting to collaborate with you

Moral of the story?

How to silence your insecurity and step into your purpose with PR

How to silence your insecurity and step into your purpose with PR

How many times have you turned down opportunities, including ones you always dreamed of, simply because you thought you weren’t good enough, smart enough, or that there was someone better suited than you? I’ve certainly let my insecurities affect how I’ve showed up or not showed up before, but I’ve come to realise that no one is looking for perfection. People are simply looking for someone with solutions to their problems. 

I remind myself of this whenever I have a PR engagement, and I’m tempted to listen to that self-critical voice in my head. I silence all the negative thoughts and think about what the audience needs from me and how best I can help them. By focusing less on my insecurities and more on the fact that I have knowledge that can transform someone’s life, I step away from the unrealistic pressure of being “the very best” and step into my purpose: showing up, serving, and sharing with others.  

I shared all this and more on my recent Strength X Glory IG Live with (host) Laureen Alexa. We also talked about how you can step into the confidence needed to share your story by realising that:…

4 mistakes when it comes to using HARO

4 mistakes when it comes to using HARO

One of the positive things to come out of lockdown last year was that I started exercising more by walking in the park for about an hour before I started my work from home routine. I enjoyed it for many reasons, not least because it became one of the only reasons that I would leave my house.

As life returned back to ‘normal’ and I became busier, I found that I was walking less and less until finally, I just wasn’t walking at all. Wanting to revive this healthy habit and develop some others, I decided that I would incorporate ‘become more healthy’ into my plans for 2022.

But by the following month, I had succumbed to the statistic about people tending to give up on their resolutions by February. It started out well enough, drinking water and moving around more, but I found that this quickly escalated into feeling guilty about eating certain foods or beating myself up when I didn’t sweat that day.

I also found myself becoming more critical of my body, frustrated that after all of my sacrifice and effort, I couldn’t see any ‘positive results’ to make it all worth it. “You didn’t even start this journey to lose weight, though,” I remember saying to myself out loud in response to my negative self-talk. “You just wanted to be healthier.”

It was then that I realised that I had internalised diet culture’s message that healthier means thinner and that certain foods were inherently good or bad. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed in myself. These were thoughts that I had not had since I was a teenager who loathed her plus sized body because the world told her to. It had taken me a long time to shed those beliefs and truly love myself, only to find that I had never really formed new ideas of health that included me.

In order to rectify this mistake, I interviewed experts like:

and collated their expert advise into an article on How To Become Healthier Without Succumbing To Diet Culture for Black Ballad.

Continuing in this spirit of rectifying mistakes, today I'll be switching gears from talking about my recent blip with diet culture to talking about the ones that I had with HARO initially and what I now do to avoid them (so that you can too!) For example:

3 pieces of PR advice for my younger self

3 pieces of PR advice for my younger self

As we entered the new year, one of the trends that caught my attention was the resurgence of the ten year challenge on social media. This got me thinking about who I was ten years ago and what I would tell that version of myself if I had the chance. In the absence of that kind of technology and know-how, I wrote an article on what millennial women want Gen Z to know for Black Ballad- outlining my advice to the younger generation coming up after me as well as the advice of 10 other women that I interviewed. While that article features general life advice, here’s what I would tell my younger self about getting started with PR: