Tag: thelifeoftry

Finding The Right Audience

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“Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” – Maya Angelou

I’ve talked with a lot of authors about their marketing strategy, I’ve promoted many who are trying to sell their books, I’ve written reviews of books I’ve read, I’ve connected with a lot of incredible people on WordPress. But if you ask me my marketing strategy, I think my best description would be “organic.” That is to say, I’m doing my best work and hoping that others will find it.

This is probably something you all know – but mostly I have podcast conversations because they are what I need to hear. They just happen to be recorded in the case they are useful to others. 🙂 The podcast conversation I had with Nancy Martira of Clew Strategy for this week’s The Life of Try episode about how to create a brand strategy for humans (in this age of machines) is one of the most helpful and informative.

So I loved talking with Nancy who is an incredibly smart and practical brand strategist. She helped me see some really key points:

  • Reputation vs brand: Reputation is how people perceive us and brand is what you say you are. There is risk when they are at odds. Think of a snarky blogger who tries to market an uplifting book. I only give that example because I don’t know any snarky bloggers but you can see why one might not believe that snark and uplifting go together.
  • We don’t have to be on all the platforms. This is one I wrestle with on a regular basis. It feels like there are too many platforms and I am always behind. Nancy’s advice is to be much more thoughtful about trying to reach for audiences that are already looking for what we have to give. (Big thanks to the WP community – I’m so grateful I’ve found you).

    My dear friend, Victoria Atkinson of the Victoria Ponders blog does this so well. She regularly speaks to audiences about writing for wellness, goes to lit fests, and serves on panels, and in doing so shows she knows how to find readers… and writers that need her beautiful guidance and her incredible books, Surviving Sue, a memoir, and Slivers, the companion novel.
  • Of course, finding the right audience means knowing what our value proposition is — or in Nancy’s great story about George Saunders, our “iconic space” (reference link below). Whether it is finding a job, marketing a book or a podcast, or anything else, knowing what it is that only we can create is essential. Nancy has some great actionable ways to do this.
  • How can we appeal to humans when technology like SEO, algorithms, and AI are cluttering the process? This one often makes my head hurt. Nancy offers some great suggestions for how and when to use technology in a way that doesn’t lessen the human appeal of what we have to offer.

Nancy helps expert-led businesses, authors, job seekers, and knowledge-based professionals find what makes them impossible to ignore. This conversation is especially helpful for writers, creators, entrepreneurs, and professionals who feel uncomfortable with self-promotion just like I do. Nancy’s approach to brand strategy is deeply human, clear, and encouraging — perfect for anyone trying to become more visible while staying true to themselves.

Nancy has a lot of incredible experience and actionable wisdom so the full episode is 46 minutes. Here’s a short clip that contains some great advice for authors:

If you’ve ever wondered how to market a book, promote your business, refresh your LinkedIn profile, stand out in a crowded job market, or build a personal brand that feels authentic, this episode will help you think more clearly about reputation, positioning, storytelling, and the courage to be seen.

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this full episode:

Links for this episode:

Nancy Martira at Clew Strategy: ⁠https://www.clewstrategy.com/⁠ and her Career Positioning Workshop.

Hyperfixed Podcast with Alex Goldman, September 2025. “Alex and the Impossible Ask” 

George Saunders is a best-selling author and a professor of English at Syracuse University. Nancy quotes from his book A Swim in a Pond in the Rain in our conversation. The book is available on Bookshop.org and the audiobook is available on Libro.fm. 

Nancy tells a charming origin story about her company name. This blog post goes more in-depth into what “Clew” means to her. 

 Other episodes you might enjoy

⁠Identity Before Strategy: How to Break Through Invisible Ceilings with Kevin Yoder⁠

⁠The Power of Looking At Your Life Through a New Lens⁠

⁠How to Tell Relatable Stories⁠

(featured photo from Pexels)

If my work has encouraged, inspired, or helped you try something new, consider supporting it with a small “cup of coffee” donation. Your support helps me keep creating conversations, stories, and resources that cheer people on as they do brave, meaningful work.

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

How Badly Do You Want It?

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“A child can teach an adult three things:
To be happy for no reason,
To always be busy with something, and
To know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.” – Paulo Coehlo

I think we are born with a great capacity for persistence. It’s not just the quote that makes me think so.

The other day I was out beach combing with my kids. After we spent about 45 minutes tickling the clams so they’d squirt, picking up the jagged sea glass (that sounds so much better than broken bottles) so it wouldn’t cut any paws, and hunting for moon snail shells, my seven-year-old son, Mr. D discovered a wide tide pool.

There were tiny fish in the pool. He declared he wanted to catch one. I wandered nearby looking at the rocks and shells and watching his efforts out of the corner of my eye. All the while thinking, “He’s never going to catch a fish with his hands.”

So I emptied out our little beach bucket that I’d collected the broken glass and shells in and handed it to him.  The sand was too wet to sit so I kept circling as I daydreamed about sitting down with another cup of tea.

Finally, I took off my shoes and socks and waded in to the tide pool with him. It was warm and about the size a swimming pool with plenty of seaweed for the fish to hide under. I thought I could scare the fish towards him and hopefully speed up the process.

We spotted a flat fish that was almost an inch wide and the color of the sand. He was bigger than the other fish Mr. D had been chasing so he named him, “The King.” Every time Mr. D would get close, the fish would embed himself in the sand. The King’s camouflage was so good that he was nearly impossible to spot.

But Mr. D stayed at it and within minutes, we’d spot him again. As much as I wanted Mr. D to have success, I also was tiring of what seemed like a fruitless process. Isn’t this where we give up and call it a lesson in resilience?

I stepped out of the tide pool and started walking towards my shoes. I called over to Mr. D that we were heading back in five minutes. He responded with a verbal groan but kept working at catching The King.

And about five minutes later, he bent down with his hands together and scooped up some sand. He shouted, “I caught The King!!”

Indeed he did – with his bare hands. I took in his glowing grin as I brought him the bucket to put The King in. Then we happily headed back to where we were staying so Mr. D could show his sister the fish.

Then, after taking a couple of photos and telling the story, he walked The King down to the water and returned him to the bay.

That’s when I realized that persistence was something purer than I often see it these days: it’s keeping with our goals, finding the people that will wade in and help, ignoring anyone that tells us we can’t do it. And that staying with it doesn’t have to preclude being kind and accepting – because we can still tell the story and then let the fish swim away.

So… how badly do you want it?

(featured photo is mine of Mr. D returning The King to the water, second picture is of Mr. D with The King)

If my work has encouraged, inspired, or helped you try something new, consider supporting it with a small “cup of coffee” donation. Your support helps me keep creating conversations, stories, and resources that cheer people on as they do brave, meaningful work.

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

Please check out the The Life of Try podcast Where trying becomes the spark for personal growth, discovery, and re-invention!