Unleashing The Soul of Your Business & Embracing Vulnerability with Charissa Higgins

Welcome to Captivate and Close. I'm Kinsey Machos, business consultant and marketing strategist. And I'm going to show you how to attract and enroll high paying clients using my break through online marketing strategies, all without having to rely on complicated funnels, disingenuous clickbait, or spammy sales tactics. These are the messaging marketing and selling secrets that virtually no one is talking about. So let's dive in. Hey, guys, welcome back to another episode. It's so good to be here. I have a special guest with me today, Charissa Higgins, say, hey, hey, oh my gosh, so fun. We were just jamming out for a minute. I'm always like, coming into these discussions with so much fire, it's definitely different energy, talking to yourself, versus bringing somebody like you on here with your energy. So I'm really excited, per se, you are a creative marketing coach consultant. We're actually just talking about titles before this. Because in some ways, I'm always like, I want to introduce you as something. But I also think that like just like you, I'm like always trying on something new is like, some days, I'm a business coach, some days, I'm a marketing consultant, it's really not that important. What's more important is the message behind it and the mission behind it, which we're going to unpack it today. But Charissa, if you just want to share who you are and what you do. And let's let's start there. All right,

that sounds great. All right. So I'm Charissa Higgins, I am a creative marketing coach. And I am obsessed, like freaking obsessed. And I profoundly fucking care about activating more boldness in the creative business woman, right. And I really do this by unleashing the soul of your business. And what I think about the soul of your business is it is that message, it is that movement and mission. And if you don't have clarity on that, then you cannot fully show up with that potency that everybody wants. So I take all your creative energy, and I just help you bring massive clarity and confidence in to how you show up. But also, how you make people feel like your brand, right? So that you can really pull in your hell yes, clients. Yes, I call them Hell, yes. Clients on repeat, and it feels really good to you. So that's no good. Yeah.

In a nutshell, right? So just a nutshell, I love everything you said words like activate and the soul of your business and unleashing that message. It's like, so good here. So we're going to talk a little bit about that. Obviously, there's so much alignment to what we do. And also though, what I want to start with is how you came into my world, and the journey that you've had. So you came to us last year, crush, I can leave it's last year, like it's 2023 or 14 Quarter do What is even happening. So came to us last year, and we're actually just talking about this because Charissa, uh, you were a little bit more quiet. I didn't see you on coaching calls. And you came in with full energy. And I always love to see how people introduce themselves in the community when they join, because I get a good sense of like, okay, where are they at, as far as you know, how they show up and their confidence levels and like, sometimes even get a feel for where they might be going and how, where you're meeting them. So that was really fun. I remember your introduction, it was so potent. And magnetic, obviously. But I was starting to what I noticed was I didn't see you on coaching calls. And I actually didn't really notice that until you shared a win in the Facebook group. I was like, oh, Charissa, out, where have you been? Right? And I think it's so it's so important to call out because there's a couple things. I think one, I think a lot of coaches and consultants get nervous when they don't hear from clients, or they're not. They're not doing certain things. We put a lot of judgment around like, Oh, am I doing enough? Are they getting enough? Oh, and so sometimes that can create frantic energy and we do things out, like we start to do crazy things. But it's it's really an indicator that every every client that you have in your business, whether it's private coaching or group coaching or a mastermind, or you know a course, every class is going to come in and experience that differently. And we have to honor that. The other piece is going back to this scalable offer framework. When you have a blend of coaching and curriculum and community, right. There's just going to be people that leverage one or the other. They don't need certain parts or again, they're just quietly observing in the back Crown. So Charissa, I would love for you to dive into that journey and what that was like for you?

Well, I want to preface this by saying, I think there's something to be said, when you are fully aligned with somebody like you meet someone you get in their world. And there is like this. It's this connection that you're like, where did this come from? Like, they just came into my world, when you are fully aligned with the person who you want to link arms with, I think you can be a little bit more quiet. Because the person alone almost motivates you to show up, you don't need to be like, they don't have to assure you like, you just know you do it. Right. So I came into your world, literally out of nowhere. I think there was maybe there was a post that popped up about a challenge.

And it was probably our content lab challenge. Yeah.

Yes, it was the content lab. And I was like, You know what, I want to get more potent with my content. And I had tried the more masculine approach with it with my first coach. And I was not aligned. And I felt like I was always on coaching calls. And yet nothing was moving forward. Like it just there was no alignment there. When I found you. And I tapped into what you guys were saying. I felt myself almost opening up and expanding even after that challenge, like I was like, wow, I am writing now more freely. And I am doing it without overthinking. So that challenge, I think I watched two challenges of yours. I'm not gonna lie.

Yeah, that's statistics show. That's very normal.

And then I just said, This is it. This is I just knew it. This is it. I didn't ask for a call. I just signed up one night. And I think I talked to Alicia and I said, I'm doing it. I'm doing it. So when I joined the way that I was joined, it was amazing, because the experience was welcoming. And I felt safe. I was like, Okay, there's a plan. This is how I do it. There's a whole layout of what I need to do. And I started working on it instantly. And I work a part time job as a interior designer. The coaching calls didn't line up, but I was very self LED. I watched the replays, I follow the guided trainings that there were and my content started blowing up. I was like, Oh, I love it. And I felt really good. And what that did for me is I could show up with more ease. It wasn't overthinking, I was simplifying it, which I thought you had to overthink. So with all the noise out here, so I didn't want to I didn't hop on live a lot. I think I hopped on a handful of times, but I got so much value on the back end. And the love that.

And I love that you shared that too. Because a lot sometimes before people join and you might get this too is like, well, when are the coaching calls? And obviously I know what they're really asking, you know, when people ask questions like that they're not sold on the offer yet and and they think that the coaching calls are going to determine like, well, they join or not. But if you write if you believe in in the in the solution you believe in the offer, it's really less relevant. And I don't love to answer the question either because a I don't want to be in you know, I don't want to say that this is the only time and it's going to be like this forever, because that puts us in a hole. But also I don't want people to come in with that being the reason that their coaching calls align with their schedule. And so I love that you said that I was like I didn't it the coaching calls didn't work for me, but I still got what I needed and more. And you really aligned it to your lifestyle and your schedule. And what you said was like I was really self LED. And this is another thing with coaching programs and services that blend coaching and curriculum and community. Again, people can come in, take what they need, and lead themselves under me your guidance. And I think that's really powerful. And this is something I know that you and your program have, as well. And you just said you have a client that comes she just really just wants to get coached. She

gets the most from coaching. So she makes it a priority. And she gets on and she's the first one that can raise your hand every single time.

That's so good. I love that. I love that you said that. So you've had just like this really incredible journey and you what you said about feeling safe, I think is really important to unpack. I actually had this breakthrough about a year ago when I was in a training about safety, trusting belonging, and realize that if people don't feel safe in your programs, they will never be able to have that full transformation that they came for. And I never I think subconsciously I knew this. But I didn't actually think about it tactically of like, how does this look and feel in our own programs and so I walked way from that training, asking myself that question, and really talking to the team about like, what elements can we create in this environment that people immediately feel safety, and also that carries through and they feel like they belong? Because you also said like it was welcoming. And right. And so I think that safety pieces is important. Can you talk a little bit about what that means for you feeling safe?

Yeah, in simple terms, that feeling of I got you, I got you, even if you don't need them, like, Hey, it's okay. You don't need me today. But I got you when you do. So having that, you know, even the group and the community to go back on like to celebrate, and when it feels really good to celebrate your win. And sometimes not everyone understands the win, like the community or in your coaching community. So it just felt it felt so good. I was like, I'm gonna share this with this community, because I know they'll get it right. Or just being able, if I needed to jump on. I knew if I was totally stumped. If I was like, I can't figure this out on my own. I knew that I could jump on a coaching call if I needed to, like that felt safe to me. And another thing like I knew I had you, which I know sometimes people like, oh, you know, if you tell them there's a time limit. Sometimes they, if you tell them there's a year time limit, they'll wait to the last minute, but that actually gave me so much security that I had a year and I didn't look at it like oh my gosh, I waited, I said I have a year to clarify and elevate myself, and my message like holy crap is so good.

Good. Oh, good. It's these little decisions, right, that feed into that overall safety, trust and belonging. So I'm really glad you mentioned that. Tell me more about you made a comment here. And also right before we started recording about this idea of fully showing up as yourself. without overthinking I think this is such a huge challenge for all of us, myself included as over thinkers, over achievers, we want to like do the things right? We want to follow the rules. But sometimes that ultimately, like suppresses that true, the truest version of ourselves and our message. What was it for you that? Was there anything specific or not that helped you shift into that, and allowed you to really step into that powerful version of you and your message?

Honestly, I was, I was opened up to the more feminine side of marketing, something that I always struggled with was expressing myself, because I was always living in the shadows of my older sister. I was just like the, you know, life of the party. But that was all like, I wasn't the smart one, or I wasn't the pretty one. Like I lived in the shadows. So I suppressed my brilliance as you call like, I really suppressed it. So when I came into your world, I understood the importance of really tapping into the feminine side and really understanding what I want not what all these leaders and all these gurus are saying, but what do I actually want. And it's okay to break the dang rules. Because I am a rebel at heart.

I always, you know, like, entrepreneurs, right, which makes us a rebel for sure.

Yeah. And so you tell me, I have to do it this way. And I was like, Well, why do I have to do it this way? Like, I don't feel it doesn't fire me up to do it that way. So I actually unfollowed a lot of business coaches, because I was religiously who has gotten stuck in the scroll of what are they doing? So I unfollowed and I focused on what do I want? And what is my actually actual mission here? And who am I? How can I impact the women? Yeah, so that was I think the biggest thing where you you did lend a lot of feminine energy that I needed, because I was trying to go off the masculine and only strategy and I missed the other side of that.

Yeah. Oh, that's so good. Oh, my gosh, I think this is huge. Because what you just said really resonated where it's like, we think we want to follow the rules. But actually, when you sit down with yourself, you're like, I actually don't like which is why I do what I do. Right, which is that I like I'm an entrepreneur, because I wanted to get out of the system, whatever that was, whether it was corporate or a system of non decisions, right. And so that's really powerful to have that recognition of like I'm a rebel and I want to do it my way and what you said about that energy that comes through when you're, you're just being you and you're not really thinking about well, how should I be doing it?

That Got it? Right there? Yeah, yeah,

yeah. And so you now also are helping your clients do like you're going deeper with them in this regards to, which is so fun. And helping them create this potency around their brand, their message and their presence. Can you talk a little bit about how you are helping women see their own power? And like how you can really help women extract that out? Through your frameworks in your programs?

Mm hmm. Yeah, absolutely. So our mantra is, if you can master who you are, your true being, what you do will always yield more potent results, right. So if we are able to master who we are, you will get that potency. And what we do inside of our program is really encouraged. Because we are entrepreneurs, right? We encourage you to show up differently and break some rules. And we want you to unlearn everything that you've been taught about, you know, you have to show this is the only way to do it. And we help you by extracting your truth. I mean, that's really what we do. So we have like, our first session that you have with us it is simply pouring into your story has nothing to do with business, not and this could go on for almost two weeks, sometimes people actually bringing up like, oh my gosh, this is why I'm doing this. This is why I'm acting this way. This is why I'm showing up this way. So we extract that story for as long as it takes to get to the root of why are you here? And what do you really want to do?

In a way so

good? Yeah, I am, I've been really leaning into this idea that everything had like even each offer has a storyline behind it. And it's not really what you think it is. It's not like I want to help you create a better launch right? Or create better content, it's actually not that and if you start to unpack, like the true desire there and like, why, what purpose this is serving in your life, not just at the big the macro, but like the micro and like how these little evolutions of your gifts are coming out into the market. There's a storyline behind it. Yeah. And that's Yeah, and when you start to unpack that, like, that's the content that pulls people in, right, it's not like I'm gonna, you know, we have weekly copy clinic, and we're meeting every week, and we're going to build your launch system. Like, that's kind of cool. But now anymore, as the industry becomes more noisy, people are just tired of seeing and hearing the same things, the storyline now, nobody has that.

Other than you. Yeah,

nobody can compete with your story, because we are humans. And our experiences are all different. So if we can tap into that, and learn how to share it, or market it in a way that people can put themselves into your experience, and be like, oh, like, that's what I've been needing to hear. I was just there and I didn't know what to do. I was stuck. You need that clarity, because you went through it?

That's so good. How do you is there a lot I'm just curious here. There's at I'm imagine, as you start to help people unpack their stories, there's trauma that comes up from that, and the remembrance of things that maybe they didn't realize had an impact on them like it did, or some things that they wanted to forget. How does that? And I don't know, do you guys talk about this at all in when you start to? Yeah. How do you? I just want to know, for people that feel like they have like they're broken, or have had trauma that don't feel like they're worthy enough to create something extraordinary? What message would you have for them since this is ultimately, you know, what you do is extracting that all the parts and pieces of people's stories and helping them put it into a message and mission.

Your story is your magic and sometimes it's we always explain it like this. It's like a ball of yarn. Right? There's it's all tangled and you haven't actually taken the time to understand it or bring awareness to really why you even feel like this are the fears you have even the fears of like, Oh, I'm not I show up people are gonna judge me or whatever. It's like a ball of yarn. So we take that ball of yarn that's so mangled and nodded and just unclear. And we help you pull that out and create this very, very clear line of this is why you're here. This is who you are. And it all make sense to them and there are tears. There's a lot that we have to work through but they feel every single client every single clarity call that we get on everyone's like, I never thought of it that way. And I and I got so much clarity Just from that, like just from unraveling your Bolyard Yeah, yeah, word after you do that, huh? That's so incredible.

And when we start to recognize and really honor all parts of ourselves, including what we might have perceived as bad, or ugly or forgotten, I think that's when, like you said, the magic really comes in. That's where authenticity comes. I think authenticity is, you know, a lot of people use this word in a way that maybe is misinterpreted. Because I think that the only way you can be authentic is if you are really on a journey to know yourself more. And, and I think this, again, is part of the work even with what you do, right is like, how do we be genuine and authentic when we're not even willing to embrace and accept ourselves as who we are, and really bring more of that magic to the market. And when we deny, right, a part of ourselves, it, I think it goes back to like the suppressing creativity, and we're starting to feel a little bit disconnected or out of alignment with what we do, or our message or content or offers.

Yeah, I just did a live on this. Like, it's so funny. I was just doing a live on vulnerability and authenticity. And sometimes, we'll take advantage of it and share their most authentic self for self serving reasons. And I think that's why people look at when you say authenticity, they're like, authenticity again, right? But what you said that I mean, that's really what authenticity is, and really, truly showing up truly with your authenticity with your story. It's going to create such a strong connection and trust in your community that you're building. And there's nothing like it. And

oh, my gosh, I feel like we could jam on that forever. That not really is everything, right? And then it plays into the vision, right? Because I think we have the story we have, where we've been, where we're at and where we're going. And when we're anchored in that destination. That's when we become unstoppable. Which I would love to ask you, how do you manage the ebbs and flows of entrepreneurship, because you've had incredible success over the last year and before, obviously, but I can't imagine that every day is amazing. And we have the ups and downs and everybody, you know, we make so much meaning around those ups and downs. But what are some things that you do to really create that consistency and the momentum in your business that you created?

Well, that's a good point that I, it's a very big value of mine, where I want to kind of take the current like I'm veil the curtain and allow women to know, this is hard. It's hard, but it's super fulfilling. So it's important for us as entrepreneurs to collaborate, put our heads together and be there for each other when the ebb is there, because it will happen. And for me, one I would I can have, that is the best way to describe it. I was watching my kids do gymnastics. And this thought came to me. And I was like, This just makes sense to me. So when I watch these girls trust themselves and have all this focus, they're on the balance beam, right? And when they are totally focused on that bounce beam, and they know exactly what they need to do. They know the moves they need to make. And they know that they have belief in themselves to do this, even if they feel unsure. When they have total focus on that bounce beam, they're unstoppable. They get it, they nail it. But as soon as you watch them, and they're like, unfocused, looking at what other people are doing, or aren't going through their head of exactly that move that they have to make the fall. So in my life, I have to make sure that I'm focused on the balance beam, what is what am I creating? And I have to ground myself every morning. I have created a morning routine that if I don't do, I won't have that focus. So I hated to be a morning person like 5am I wanted to puke I'm like, No. Yes. But I wake up at 5am to have at least two to three hours to myself to brain dump the noise. And if I can brain dump all of the noise that's going on and really look at okay, this is what I actually have to do today. Right? I can stay focused and that ebb that I might be feeling isn't so Abby anymore. Like I can tackle it. I'm like, okay, and if it doesn't, you know, go back to the flow today. There's tomorrow I'll just work on it tomorrow. No, but the focus is the main thing for me. I need to know why I'm doing this. And if it's unclear to me, I don't have the focus. And I'm bored. Quite frankly.

100% Yeah, I love that you said that because it's like, I think when we don't know where we're going, Yeah, you get lost in the weeds, which is Abby is very in the weeds, right? When we think about like, the algorithm changes and find saying no, and these weird people showing up in your DMS hating on you, like, there's all these ABI things in the weeds. And when we just like, oh, okay, this is a part of the process. As far as where I'm going, it feels maybe a little bit normal. And I think to what you said, really opened up this idea of the fact that we want people to know that it's not easy. And I remember for the first few years of my coaching business, in my marketing, I use words like easy and simple. And I realize that, and I honestly genuinely believed it was just easy, but it wasn't that my days where he's, like, I have all the moments, right of crying, and, you know, feeling discouraged and feeling doubtful. But what happened was, it was just a non, it's always been a non option for me. And so in that sense, where it's like, it doesn't matter, because I'm not, there's no other options for me. And in in that sense, it's easy, because I'm just, you know, you just accept that journey. Yeah, right. And so because people will come, they're like, you've told me, it's easy, but I, this is so fucking hard. And I'm like, Okay, so I've been actually really careful about that. But honestly, when you just like, embrace all of it, you know, like you said, you know where you're going, which is meaning like, it's a non option, then it all kind of, in a lot of cases kind of fades or takes care of itself. Would you agree?

Yeah. I get asked all the time. How do you stay so consistent? How do you stay consistent in what you do? That right there? Yeah. No. And it's not an option just to say, well, all this work for nothing like no. Yeah. Journey. It's yeah.

Yeah. And I think what we've been, we've been doing a lot of coaching around comfortability, because what people are starting to notice, is like, Oh, they do have, they're actually giving themselves options, subconsciously, it's like, I'm actually kind of comfortable in my job. So I haven't been working very hard on my business, right. And I've even had friends that have had this scenario play out for them until they got fired, you know, from their high level executive leaders, and they're like, oh, shit, and guess what, they created success in three months, right? massive success. So when it becomes a non option, you create very different results for yourself. And also the feelings are you just allow for the feelings. It's not about that they're not there, or that you're out creating resistance around them. It's just you allow them

to level. Yeah, yeah, I go with,

I go with the flows. I go with the ebbs. I go with the crying in the closet, like I just go with.

Yeah, yeah. So I love that you said that about pulling the curtain back, because that's something I want to do more of, in, I realize I don't share more of that. Because the feeling that I have when I create content is just, it's abundance, and it's creative. And I'm just, you know, just that's what comes through more naturally. But I think it is important, like Yeah, fucking the other day, right? This is what I did. And it was hard. And yeah, part of me wanted to throw in the towel. So I think it's important to highlight more, it's, you know, it's all vulnerability, but also defining what easy and hard is, yeah, right. And choosing your hard, because anything worth really, you know, creating, you know, is isn't necessarily going to be like a straight path forward.

Oh, no, no, it's all over under the bridge over the bridge. It's falling into holes. It's everything. Yeah.

Oh my gosh, such it's so good. So Charissa, what is next for you and McKenna? So McKenna is your business partner? Yes. And you actually you guys are in launched like a queen with us, which is so fun. So I've gotten to know more about your offer and your launch process and we're starting to design that out which is so amazing. I could do launch processes all day long. But I digress. So it's really been fun to go in like deeper in that regards with you guys. But what is next for you guys? Oh,

we got well, we want to do more live events and we want to do next year we want to do a retreat. Yeah, that's our two big projects. Right now. We have one live event that we are creating for next October I can't remember. And then we're talking to some people about different places for retreats. But we think when you can bring In a, you know, small group of women and really pour into them, you leave with a feeling that's like, I'm on top of this world, like you're on the mountain, you're saying I can fucking do this.

Yeah, and there is nothing like that in person experience. And I think that the more the online industry has grown and like, it's so lucrative to do online and trainings and things like that. But I actually think the industry needs more of those in person experiences, you just don't, the way that you experience somebody's energy and the way that you can coach them, the connections they create with each other. That's huge. You just can't replicate that all the way online. So I know for us too, we want to create more of those in person experiences. And I'm so glad to hear that that's important for you guys, as well. And also, I can imagine that your clients would in a room with you, you would literally blow their minds.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Once again, gives me goosebumps to think about and, you know, I'm trying to do the same in my little community here. Like, even though I don't have my MS partner, like, I want people to experience what what I have and get those aha moments just in my little small community, like coffee shops and stuff. So

yeah, it was so good. So good, Charissa, that we could jam for. But this is so fun. I think it's really fun for and this is also a good representation of like the fact that we have very overlapped expertise, and philosophies and concepts. But we're still so different in the way that we do it and the way that we talk about it. And I think this is just again, for people that feel like there's no room for them in the industry anymore. I think you and I are good example. Like there is so much fucking room for you. And like don't let that be the thing that stops you from really, like you said, activating that boldness within you. Because that's like that uniqueness, the energy behind that that's what's really going to help you and that's definitely what you help them do. So, so fun. Charissa, where can people find you?

You can find me My home is Facebook, you can find me on Instagram to it, Charissa Higgins, but my home is definitely Facebook. That's where I spend most of my time. And then our our group learn impact. That's where we bring a smaller community of women who really are looking to unpack their stories and impact.

So really good. Oh my gosh, so good. All include those links in the show notes. But Charissa, thank you so much for your time. There are so many people that I have tons of notes here. So I'm already like, oh my gosh, what am I even write about on this one. But thank you so much for being here. It was so potent and amazing. And I'm just so thankful that you were able to pour into us today. It's really good to have you.

Thank you for giving me the stage to speak. I appreciate it.

Alright guys, see you nexty time. Hey, you, thank you so much for listening. It's an honor to be able to pour into the hearts and minds of like minded entrepreneurs all over the world. But my most favorite part is being able to connect with you in real life. If you love what you heard here, head over to the community where thousands of female CEOs, just like you are changing the world one human at a time. We go deeper into the topics you discuss here and giveaway tangible roadmaps to help you crush your revenue goals to join this high caliber free community head over to kinseymachos.com/community. I'll see you there