The Whole-Hearted Profile

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“Very often what people would accurately claim as what they DO isn’t where they want to GO.” – Dr. Vicki Atkinson

I wonder if Leonardo da Vinci would have had trouble creating a LinkedIn profile. Here’s how Wikipedia describes him: painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect.

We might not have a list as long as da Vinci’s but we’re all Renaissance people to a degree, right? People who pivot between roles and evolve to own different titles throughout life. Writers, moms or dads, professionals, leaders, caretakers, gardeners, woodworkers, advocates, seekers, athletes to name a few.

A few months ago I asked my dear friend, Dr. Vicki Atkinson, for some tips about updating my LinkedIn profile. And then I sat on her expert advice for two months because marketing one’s self seems so vulnerable.

When I sat down to actually follow her clear and helpful advice, it only took me about 90 minutes. So we podcasted about this effort to build profiles that honor all our facets.

Dr. Atkinson has so much good guidance on how to build a presence that reflects our many facets. Her professional experience as a career counselor, therapist, and educator comes shining through in this episode. We learn some great how-to’s in this episode.

I found updating my LinkedIn profile to be challenging. I have 30+ years in the technology industry and I’m unsure how to marry that with my writing and experience as an author.

So Vicki walks me through using headlines instead of titles. She provides a great tip about using tags to introduce some dynamism into our profile and ability to be found.

Dr. Atkinson talks me through the idea of integrity as it applies to building a profile that honors ALL of who we are. As we pivot from professional experiences, interests and passions, she coaches us to do the story-telling to paint a picture of our whole-hearted experience.

And finally, we talk about the use of images to compliment our presentation.

I’m confident you’ll learn a lot — and also love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling in our profiles.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 87: LinkedIn Tweaks for Authors with Dr. Vicki Atkinson

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

HoTM episode 87 transcript

PDF presentation of Vicki’s recommendations and LinkedIn changes

Wynne Leon | LinkedIn

Dr. Victoria Atkinson, Ed.D. | LinkedIn

It’s Never Too Late for Courage – Victoria Ponders

Realizing Potential – Victoria Ponders

Vicki’s book: Surviving Sue

27 thoughts on “The Whole-Hearted Profile”

  1. Reading this from the perspective of an “older person” who, happily, does not have to consider how to market herself, it strikes me that perhaps some of the techniques you’re suggesting might be relevant to writing one’s own obituary! 😊

    Liked by 4 people

    3. That’s a funny take on it, Jane!

      But I’d think this could be incredibly useful to someone who has retired. All the great passions and projects you write about like concern for our planet, genealogy, and map Mondays could be more findable by others that could be inspired!

      Liked by 3 people

  2. If I weren’t retired, I suspect I would fell uncomfortable in the world of LinkedIn, dealing with concepts like a personal brand and thinking of selling the product while recognizing myself as the product I had to sell!

    I can only wish the very best to all those who seek employment or are creating a business of their own these days. With the help of Wynne and Vicki, I know they will get expert attention of a kind to humanize the process.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. I can so relate Wynne to your trepidation. It’s such aa touch challenge. I found that I did the same thing for a long time — wrapped myself in my job title. It helped me explain who I was even as I was trying to break the chains of limiting myself simply by my job. We really are so much more. It’s such a courageous act to go beyond. Thanks for sharing the journey with us. Can’t wait to listen to the podcast later today.

    Liked by 3 people

  4. You know Wynne, we can give kudos to others without effort, but when we have to pat ourselves on the back verbally or written, it’s challenging to be accurate without being arrogant. I think we put so much pressure on ourselves when we are are put on the front burner to talk about ourselves. We gradually learn how. Excellent points to ponder. And kudos to Vicki too! 👏🏼🥰👍🏼

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Oh my dear Wynne, thank you for stirring up our gift of knowing! 🤔 Thank you for your teachable moments as always my friend. You’re a great storyteller! 🥰💞💐💖😍

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  5. This is very timely as I’ve been updating my LinkedIn profile to reflect my “reinvention” and new retirement coaching business. In fact, I’m attending a training webinar next week on how one retirement coach is using LinkedIn to promote his business. I’ll be sure to give this a listen before then!

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Lol, after listening, now I think I need to overhaul my LinkedIn page! I haven’t done that in a long time! Good advice, thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. We do have so many sides and talents, it’s difficult to pull all of it under one umbrella. Especially for people like yourself whose interests, abilities and talents are multifaceted. That’s often because we have been conditioned to only deliver parts of ourselves in each genre. We now live in a world where we need to blend all these parts. How lucky that you have a great friend and guide in Vicki. Wishing you much success. 💕

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  11. As I noted on the HOTM post, I really enjoyed your conversation and the format upon which you explored the topic.

    You have so many strengths, Wynne, including those desirable soft skills. I bet with those suggested tweaks from Vicki, your LinkedIn profile will pop out!

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