I’m a lot like many of my clients: A GenXer who values freedom and avoids BS, phoniness, and anything else that wastes our time.
I want to tell you my story so that you can get a better feel for how I work, my general philosophy and MO, and the kinds of people I enjoy working with.
You may find aspects of yourself in this story.
My hope is that I can show you how to make this whole marketing game a lot more “easeful” and even an enjoyable process, so that you can also experience the freedom and meaning you desire at this stage in your entrepreneurial journey.
My Story
I had an acupuncture practice, from 2012 to 2017, which I ran the way I wanted to. I went against the grain of how we were “supposed to” run a practice, and pretty much invented my own business model based on bundled packages and memberships. I had 2 niches: Sports medicine and hormone balancing for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
I didn’t know at the time that this would become more of a normal thing. I just knew that I wasn’t interested in running a patient mill, working at only a superficial level with patients, or stressing about admin tasks, insurance billing, and cancellations/no shows, which I was running out of patience for. I just wasn’t going to accept that these things were going to be part of doing business. Fighting to get paid and not having enough time to make a real impact? For me, that was a HARD pass
My acupuncture business was created by me, and I designed it to work for me, on my OWN terms.
It was grand, but I was called into another direction. Not a complete 180 degree turn, but certainly a big change.
In the spring of 2017, I decided to sell everything I own, including my practice, and move to Europe. (in particular, SE Europe, as I speak some Croatian/Bosnian/Serbian)
This was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I’ve done some hard things before, including joining the Air Force, participating in some “extreme sports” and moving to a new state without a job lined up.
On July 4, 2017 (yep) I made my one way trip to Amsterdam, and from there, ended up in my current location.
At first, the goal was to make everything I did previously in my practice “portable” so that I could experience location independence. This was before digital nomadism became a “thing,” and before the pandemic. It was also before things got really weird in the US. Although I knew deep down that “job” prospects for women my age have been pretty dismal for a while now, and that most of us are better off taking matters into our own hands by working for ourselves, everything got even HARDER.
But I’m still hopeful, in some ways (in my own GenX way)
Since then, I’ve discovered that location independence isn’t the ONLY thing. TIME and FINANCIAL independence are also part of the freedom “trifecta.”
This is why I love helping women just like me, who have a lot to offer the world, but in addition to being “GenX invisible” it can feel as if we’ve been erased and irrelevant after the age of 50. The best revenge? Freedom.
One other thing…
I’m a natural introvert, meaning that I feel most energized by living and working alone. This has almost been a superpower for me, because it’s allowed me to function quite independently of my local surroundings and in a world that seems to becoming more dysfunctional. Meaning: Hey, I’m actually fine, really!
After a while, I discovered that what I really enjoy is marketing, solving problems, and being a strategist. I enjoy working with people on a deep level and also in creating repeatable systems so that I don’t have to be around hundreds of people in any given week.
So this is what I’ve been focusing on, starting with solving tactical, “technical” problems and building websites. This eventually evolved into creating entire, step-by-step processes and “ecosystems” for clients who also want to create location, time, and financial independence.
Many are just like you, feeling a bit overwhelmed by marketing and “tech” stuff. Marketing is also a creative process, and is also an easy part of the process to get stuck in.
Entrepreneurs like you, in this stage of the game, know they need to promote their offerings so that they can continue to serve AND build a sustainable, freedom-based business. But they don’t want it to turn into another part time job or spend hours and hours on social media.
Fast forward to today..
I don’t have any wild success stories, but I’m steadily building and getting closer to the “trifecta.” I also have much more clarity than I did even a year ago.
Has it been a smooth and linear process? Nope. I did struggle, though. FOMO, comparison, skipping steps, and working with the wrong clients at times, made me wonder if I was cut out for all of this or just wasting my time. Sometimes, it was a blessing in disguise. In fact, one client “ghosting me” was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to me and my business.
Maybe you can relate..
Yep, I didn’t have any savings or disposable income. I couldn’t just put whatever on a credit card. At times, I had to pare down to the bare essentials, but I also had to figure out when cutting corners really just hurt my ability to make it all work.
And even investing when I wasn’t making money yet and my business pretty freaking terrifying. I was constantly thinking that “maybe I shouldn’t spend any money until I have a consistent track record” but also, I knew that it was true that I couldn’t make money without spending it, either. PLUS I’m still pretty much on my own in foreign territory.
How did it feel? Sometimes depressing. I had zero credibility. I was selling mostly short-term tech solutions because of it, because I could figure things out reasonably quickly, but I wasn’t really solving any ultimate problems. Because I was basically positioning myself so that I was only solving the little tactical solutions people wanted, (like how to build a website or connect apps) but not really the strategic solutions they really needed.
Again, I learned that although I like solving tactical problems, my soul is more of a strategist. I like seeing how things fit together in a holistic way. I like creating ecosystems. This makes sense, being that Chinese Medicine requires a similar lens to work through.
I know that I’ll never be a complete expert on every single detailed aspect of creating this ecosystem, even if I were to spend every waking hour on studying it all. For this reason I know I’ll be connecting with more experts, rather than claiming to know everything.
I also know that by studying each piece of the entire ecosystem, I can better see how the pieces fit together and the steps to take, and in what order. I still offer some tactical solutions from time to time, but my focus is now on putting it all together, which is the hardest part, for my clients and students.
I hope you get to join me, whether it’s a blog, a podcast, a course, working with me 1:1, or even a collaboration as a peer. Cheers!
how i can help you
I can help you see how everything fits together, by understanding your own ecoystem and strategies.
Because 1 piece won’t get you where you want to go, and doing it all in random order will only make you more frustrated and wanting to quit.
If you ever find yourself wondering:
Why isn’t this working for me? Solving one technical problem or relying on random tactics isn’t the answer.
I can help you because I’ve taken the time to vet out what’s working and what isn’t, without getting stuck in the weeds of the “latest thing” or what everyone else is doing.
Hint: There’s still a LOT of health and wellness professionals and coaches that are just patching together a system that is based on what their peers are doing, not what actually works. They are focused on random to-dos and are adrift without a strategy, process or a map, and they are skipping the essential foundational work: They dive in without developing or defining a niche, ideal client, message, story, positioning, and branding,
No bypassing here..
At this stage.. if you are looking for the freedom trifecta, you ARE scaling and out of the newbie zone!
I love to be able to explain complex concepts in a way that is easy to understand. Not because you aren’t smart, but because your brain wants to, and needs to, focus on other things.
If you need to know how just ONE part of your ecosystem is working or needs to be set up, I still offer some ” a la carte” workshops and private trainings.
I do this so that you don’t have to go to Google or YouTube to piece it all together.
I also do my best to keep this all engaging. There’s lots of visual references, analogies, stories, charts, screenshots, and a dose of humor sprinkled throughout.
I want to help you understand not just the tactical solutions you want to get solved and off your to-do list, but the strategic solutions that you need.
I do this by offering:
1. Step by step solutions (an entire process, in order, not just the random steps you can get via Google or Youtube) This is true for both my signature courses and my 1:1 coaching. Even though each business owner is different and requires a different solution, there still needs to be a process or a framework.
2. Support, via a private facebook group or meeting with you 1:1. Even us introverts need support!
3. Accountability and structure, which is baked into my courses, memberships, and coaching. Even though I like to make it all as “easeful” as possible, there IS work to do, mostly up front, which I promise will pay off.
4. Free and low cost content that is organized in a way that easy to browse, find what you are looking for, and get started without the distractions and fickleness of social media platforms
It’s also important to me that you feel respected, as someone who has a LOT to contribute to the world, even though some of us may tend to be on the “quiet” side compared to others we see on a daily basis.
I want you to feel confident, get your wisdom out into the world, and leave a legacy.
Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, but what you do CONSISTENTLY
– Marie Forleo
The project outline she sent me triggered my own creativity for new client content. And, Julie suggested marketing strategies I never would have thought of on my own.
It was like have a tech guru and business mentor rolled into one!
I recently took a class with Julie: Using Storytelling in Your Email Marketing. This workshop is jam packed with information that I believe will help anyone as they incorporate storytelling into their business and marketing. It really opened my eyes to all the ways I can incorporate storytelling in not only my emails but also on my website and with Social Media.
Julie walked us through step by step WHY Storytelling is so powerful and important in any marketing strategy. And then she explained how to go about it using different examples. The class was incredibly thorough, touching on lots of information and tidbits that I would never have thought of.
My biggest take-away was in making the information I share, not about me and my qualifications, but rather how I can help others solve their unique problems by making the client ‘The Hero’ of the story.
The Future Proof Your Practice course helped me feel more confident about learning how to use tech as a hybrid practitioner and the possibilities of working outside of my physical practice. I really needed this as a mom with two kids in virtual school during the pandemic. It gave me a purpose while my practice was closed and showed me how I could one day earn an income in the virtual world by using my knowledge.
Julie breaks it all down for you, from attracting your ideal client to the platforms and software to implement, and progressing to more advanced concepts like analytics. I feel that anyone at any stage of their practice can benefit from this course, and it is so much better than researching and putting things together piece by piece on your own.
I am getting ready to launch my first program thanks to her course and the tools she has shared!
Business (and marketing) is all about creating your OWN definition of success and building the systems and infrastructure to carry out your dreams.. over the LONG run.
Some of my Current Offerings
The Future Proof Your Business Toolkit
My Future Proof Your Business Toolkit has all the lessons offered by more well-known and expensive programs, but for a fraction of the price.
It’s created specifically for health and wellnes professionals, creative entrepreneurs and coaches who are interested in time and location independence or going beyond serving their local area.
It’s designed to get your innovative offering out into the world in 30 days or less, even if you are starting from scratch.
The Tell Your Story DIY Website Kit
Everything you need to build your own StoryBrand-based website: Beautiful DIVI templates, copywriting prompts, step-by-step instructions, and guidance
Need some 1:1 help?
LET’S TALK! IT’S EASY. JUST CLICK ON the button below (schedule and appointment)
Still a little confused by all the “digital marketing” jargon? Check out the Glossary page.
Also feel free to join the companion Facebook group I put together which can help answer day-to-day questions as they come up. (Digital marketing changes SO fast!)
