Lead Like A Queen Coaching and Consulting, LLC

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  • Transformative Coaching and Mentorship for Women Leaders by Coach Donna Marie

    Transformative Coaching and Mentorship for Women Leaders by Coach Donna Marie

    Coach Donna Marie provides leadership and financial coaching. Angie R. was a satisfied coaching client who provided a detailed testimonial. Read on to learn more.

    Coach Donna Marie is the founder of Lead Like A Queen Coaching and Consulting, LLC, and the writer of this blog at LeadLikeAQueen.com. She is a 2021 Master of Arts graduate of Liberty University’s Executive Leadership program (MA-EL). She also obtained her coaching certification in Spiritual Leadership and Financial Coaching through the American Association of Christian Counseling in 2022 via Liberty University. To get in touch with Coach Donna Marie and stay updated, visit CoachDonnaMarie.com.

    CoachDonnaMarie.com

    As a life and leadership coach, I am very focused on supporting leaders, specifically women leaders, whose lives, businesses, or careers have been interrupted by trauma or crisis. Despite these traumatic disruptions and interruptions, I want them to be inspired to know that they can still go after their big goals. I love to support these women beyond just inspiring them, so I provide mentorship and coaching to help them discover their purpose, set their goals, and stay motivated throughout the journey until they attain their goals.

    I help them through my free public podcast, Plant Your Seeds of Transformation, available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and most podcast platforms. I also help by providing an online mentorship group to facilitate their ongoing learning in an affordable way beyond the free podcast episodes. When they’re ready to invest in coaching, I also offer valuable coaching services that give them a supportive framework for taking consistent action over time while going after their goals.

    It is a great honor and a pleasure to share my journey through my writing and podcasting to help inspire and inform other women leaders. If you want to read or hear more about me, stay plugged into this business blog by subscribing here, or check out my new coachdonnamarie.com blog where I share more recent updates. And if you would like some insight into my coaching work, read on for a client testimonial below.

    New Testimonial from Angie R.

    Screen Capture From Coach Donna Marie’s Financial
    Coaching Session with Angie R.

    Angie R came to me for financial coaching*, and this is what she shared about her experience. (Her answers are paraphrased for conciseness.)

    • What did you get out of your session with Coach Donna Marie?
      • You showed me that I already have some of this knowledge and understanding inside of me to help me manage my finances better. For the things I need more help with, I realize that I need to tap into my local community for what is already here and that is accessible and affordable for me, instead of assuming that I cannot afford more help. Your suggestions for local and online resources were helpful, and I will look into those now that I am aware of them.
    • How would you rate your 90-minute session?
      • 10 out of 10
    • Any other feedback?
      • I felt that 90 minutes was not enough time, but I understand that I need to tap into the resources around me in my community for additional help over time.

    *Disclaimer: This was a complimentary financial coaching session for this client to support her after she posted a cry for help on the NextDoor App and many community members, including Coach Donna Marie, came to her aid.

    How Can You Get Help from Coach Donna Marie?

    Based on your needs, use one of the buttons or links below to listen to or watch her podcast, sign up for mentorship, register for coaching, or to request a free call to talk with Coach Donna Marie.

    Hear/Watch Podcast
    Get Mentorship
    Register for Coaching
    Ask for A Free Call
  • Slow Simmer for Summer

    Slow Simmer for Summer

    What if slow was a superpower instead of a weakness? In our current fast-paced world, slow is seen as never good enough. But can you think of times when slowly planning and progressing has been best to make you and what’s important to you better in the long run? Read this article and use the journal prompts to help you plan your summer. – Coach Donna Marie

    MY SLOW SIMMER SUMMER 

    I am using this summer to slowly simmer all of my creative juices. If you’re a cook or a foodie, you know that only good things come from slowly simmering your food. All the flavors in the dish seep all the way through every bite when you let it just cook down on the lowest setting and slowly. This is what I’m doing to myself and my creativity for this summer. The goal is that when I’m ready to launch season 5 of the Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast in the late summer or early fall, every single interaction or piece of content will be absolutely delicious for my audience and clients. 

    WHAT ARE YOUR SUMMER PLANS? 

    Summertime can be a great time for families to focus more on family time without the normal daily distractions or weekly interruptions created by the school year. For many workers and business owners, summertime can offer more opportunities to get away for a retreat where you can rest, reflect, and be refreshed. 

    Journal Prompts to Help You Plan Your Summer

    What is your most important summer goal, and what will you put on your calendar and in your budget for it? Pick one or more of the following journal prompts to start planning your own slow summer with something that is realistic and attainable for you at this time of year. 

    • Rest: Schedule dedicated downtime for relaxation and self-care. 
      • Date and Time ________ Budget $______ 
    • Reflect: Set aside time to ponder your experiences and insights. 
      • Date and Time ________ Budget $______ 
    • Refresh & Renew: Plan activities that rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit. 
      • Date and Time ________ Budget $______ 

    MY SUMMER PRIORITIES 

    I will share mine with you. I need more rest because my now more mature body (including my brain) is going through a major transition and experiencing things I have never experienced before. So, I am making more rest my top priority. This includes getting more help from a sleep doctor so I can sleep better. Unfortunately, a hefty co-pay is attached to this, but I am worth the time and the money needed to make my sleep better. 

    As I rest more, I am also reflecting more. I am learning more about myself than I ever have before. I agree with what my wise father used to say: as I get older, I realize just how much I do not know. I am grateful to have behavioral health support which is helping me become more compassionate and gentler with myself during this self-discovery process. I am also grateful that I have the time and resources needed to stay consistent with managing my mental wellness. 

    As I get more rest and reflect more, I am definitely being refreshed and renewed. My commitment to loving myself and taking better care of myself is definitely paying off, over time. There are no instant results here, but I have peace and joy in this journey. I am truly grateful and willing to be patient with my process. 

    PROTECT YOUR SUMMER PLANS 

    If you’re committing to do similar things for yourself during your summer, I hope that you are setting good boundaries around your plans so that you don’t allow anyone (or anything) to disrupt these plans. This is something that was hard for me in the past, but I am becoming better at setting and keeping my boundaries so that I can take better care of myself. If this is an ongoing struggle for you, you deserve support so you can learn and improve your boundary management. Listen to one of my podcast episodes where I discuss the topic of boundary-setting and let me know what information you found to be most helpful. 

    • Who Helps the Caregivers: God and Good Boundaries – article link 
    • Relationship Between Trauma Recovery and Good Boundaries – article link 
    • What Can Black Women Do To Listen To Their Hearts, Set Boundaries, and Get Unstuck – article link 

    Your summer has potential for immense power because there is power in planning and setting up sturdy boundaries that can support you for the rest of the year. Even when progress seems gradual, remember that each small step toward better self-care is a victory. During this warmer and brighter season, reflect on your journey. What specific small shifts can you make? What moments of rest, reflection, and renewal will you intentionally weave into your days (and your budget)? Put it on your calendar, and save money for it as part of your boundary management.

    Share Your Insights: I’d love to hear from you. Reach out and let me know how this article has resonated with you. Maybe you will make your own summer plan to nourish your spirit, fuel your growth, and bring joy to your days.

    As you think about this and prepare to plan, please remember that progress can be slow over time. It doesn’t have to be instant or fast. It is most important that whatever you do is intentional. Here’s to a summer of taking small purposeful steps! 

  • What Makes Me Nervous? Remote Work is H.A.R.D.

    What Makes Me Nervous? Remote Work is H.A.R.D.

    Daily writing prompt
    What makes you nervous?
    View all responses

    Why Am I Continuing to Be a Remote Work Entrepreneur Despite It Being H.A.R.D.?

    Even though entrepreneurship as a remote worker scares me and makes me nervous, I am continuing to do it anyway because:

    • The success is mine all mine, just as much as any failure or hardship is mine when it happens.
    • My personal and professional growth has been accelerated by the constant challenges I face – facing my fears breeds growth. That’s very personally satisfying for me.
    • I am constantly learning and growing, and as a naturally curious person (aka a nerd), this is ideal for me mentally.
    • My time is mine all mine, sort of, I have a bit more flexibility than I would have as a new person in a new job.
    • I love being supportive as a coach/mentor to new agents and seeing their transformation and growth as they overcome their own fears and go after their goals. Honestly, this was one of my goals before I ever started this work, so fulfilling the goal of being a coach/mentor has been a win for me.

    Why does remote work entrepreneurship make me nervous?

    Remote Work Entrepreneurship is H.A.R.D. Everything falls on your own shoulders, both the good and the bad, the success and the failure. You are responsible for

    List of Responsibilities for an Entrepreneur:

    • license, registration, or certification: if you do not remember to register, to renew, to re-certify, or whatever’s required for your business structure or contract, then your business could be in jeopardy
    • taxes: no one pays your taxes for you but you, and if you don’t pay now, you’ll pay a lot more later
    • invoicing: to make sure you actually get paid by your clients you have to do the work to submit the invoices to them in a timely manner
    • assets, equipment, and inventory: you have to make sure everything you need to keep the business up and running is taken care of or purchased in a timely manner to meet business needs
    • insurance: you have to make sure your business is protected in case of disaster or crime
    • bills: if you don’t pay them, they won’t get paid, and then your business could suffer and/or be shut down

    Are you interested in a more detailed list of my actual bills, taxes, expenses, and other responsibilities as I continue my journey with a micro-small business as an Independent LiveOps agent? If you want to give me quick feedback, use this survey to give me feedback:

  • UPDATED: Content to Support Remote Workers

    UPDATED: Content to Support Remote Workers

    LeadLikeAQueen.com/support-remote-workers

    UPDATE: The link for the free download has been updated, scroll down, see the menu bar area, or click here.

    I am Coach Donna Marie. I am a remote worker who opted-in for a more flexible schedule and the ability to make a legitimate income from the same home office where I spent years working on my masters degree during the pandemic. After graduating with a Masters of Art in Executive Leadership, I was interviewing for positions for a few months when I found out about remote work that seemed to be a good opportunity for me.

    ABOUT THE PODCAST AND UPCOMING EPISODES

    Did you know that I am the host of the Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast? In previous seasons, we covered topics targeted towards women leaders who are recovering from trauma and crisis. These ranged from recognizing toxic perfectionism, to getting rid of money mistake shame, to managing grief during the holidays. During our upcoming 5th season, we’ll have more episodes just for remote workers (potentially in late summer or early fall of 2024). To listen to the Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast, go to PlantYourSeeds.show or search for it most podcast platforms.

    Grief Series: Get Practical Tips to Help Navigate Trauma or Crisis

    REMOTE WORKERS DESERVE MORE SUPPORT

    I am committing to providing content just for remote workers in this upcoming season because I am well aware they don’t always get as much support as their in-office counterparts. But remote workers work just as hard, if not harder, and deserve to be well supported, too. One thing that I am making available to help remote workers is a free download with business tips. You can see the link in the menu for this blog or use the link below.

    FREE DOWNLOAD – BUSINESS TIPS FOR REMOTE WORKERS, CLICK HERE.

    WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT REMOTE WORK?

    As I plan for this upcoming season, I would love to have input from you on questions you would like for me to address about remote work. For instance, are you curious which remote work platforms are available that are legitimate, legal opportunities? Do you want to know if it is a business (i.e., 1099-NEC tax form) or if it is a real job (i.e., w-2 tax form)? (If you want to email me, use my contact page – click here.)

    I know for sure there are specific questions that I asked before I got started in my remote work. I’ll be publishing additional content about this (e.g. types of questions to ask before starting remote work) on my medium blog soon. If you follow me on Medium and join my newsletter there, then you’ll receive updates when new articles are posted. I posted a list of past articles about remote work below, also.

    This blog, the podcast, and the medium blog are all produced by Lead Like A Queen Coaching and Consulting, LLC.

    Why do you use Medium? “I love Medium. I started reading the articles there because they have a very diverse mix of writers and topics. The topics can range from financial and business tips to cold case stories and beyond. I am a naturally curious person, so my Medium reading list continues to grow so that I’ll remember to go back and read articles over time.

    I also started using their audio feature so I could keep reading hands-free. And then I started becoming friends with other Medium writers, many of whom are remote workers or digital nomads.

    I am a member on Medium because the ad-free reading experience is truly excellent, as compared to other blog or news websites where I have to dodge ads from the start to the finish of the article.

    If you’d like to join Medium, use my profile link (click here) to check it out.”

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson

    PREVIOUS ARTICLES ABOUT REMOTE WORK

    My medium blog already has some content about remote work. Here’s a hyperlinked list of some of those articles, which you’ll be able to read (or listen to) without any advertisements if you have a medium membership. The first article I posted below is available to you for free, my friend.:

    Even though this is cute, it’s just his work break, I hope. Being able to focus while working from home is crucial. Would you like some tips to help you focus better when working from home?

    LOOKING FOR COACHING OR MENTORING WHILE PURSUING REMOTE WORK?

    The podcast and the articles I am writing all provide some level of help for you as you pursue remote work, and as you navigate trauma or crisis as a leader. And do you also need or want additional support, such as mentorship or coaching to help you achieve your goals for your remote work? If so, use the links below to check out my current programs:

  • Free Business Tips for Remote Workers

    Free Business Tips for Remote Workers

    If you look in the menu bar area of this blog website (or click here) you can grab a free copy of my business tips document. It was created to help support new independent LiveOps agents who have been coming on board to work as part of the team I am on. I wrote this because I am a successful remote worker who has been mentoring other remote workers to help them become successful, also.

    If you choose to share the business tips document, please remember to share the whole document so I can receive proper attribution for my work. (This document contains a Creative Commons share-alike license.)

    NEW JOURNAL NOW IN ONLINE STORE! You can also now purchase the Transformation Journal for Remote Workers, which contains more than just tips, it gives you guidance for goal setting and planning your independent remote worker business.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie

    I am still enjoying my work as an independent LiveOps agent, and it still comes with its challenges, like every other part of life. One of the most recent challenges was that I had some health challenges I was recovering from, and this interrupted my work schedule. I made the mistake of not tracking my time properly… but not anymore. I developed a tracker to help me do better.

    While recovering my health, the main challenge I had was being able to sit for more than an hour. So, I had to stagger my shifts more so that I could take more frequent breaks. This was devastating for my ability to keep track of my hours in my head like I used to do. I had to pivot to using my own tracking system so that I could compare my records to the client’s records to ensure none of my very scattered disorganized shifts were missed.

    Now that I am feeling better, I am using the tracking system to help me ramp up my work more so that I can achieve higher goals. So, the tracking started as a necessity to prevent a crisis, and now I have been able to pivot it as a planner to help me be more proactive with goal setting. If you’d like a copy of the tracking template, let me know so that I can make that available through my online store, also.

    Would you like more content about remote work? I also have provided some of my insights about remote work on my medium blog which is at LeadLikeAQueen.Medium.com

  • What Creative Activities Do I Lose Myself In and How?

    What Creative Activities Do I Lose Myself In and How?

    Daily writing prompt
    What activities do you lose yourself in?
    View all responses
    Our Creativity is Beautiful Because Our Creator Made Us Like Himself.

    What is losing myself?

    Losing myself to me means that I am “in the zone”. It means I am in a meditative space where my whole focus is just on that one thing. There’s no multi-tasking when I am in the zone. And it’s kind of a place of selfishness or self-centeredness, also, which, ultimately, can be a blessing to others who benefit from my creative endeavors.

    Note: This is not a place of self-harm or of neglecting or abusing others. That’s not the type of losing myself that I’m referring to. This is not about whigging out / or blanking out while attacking others, nor about numbing out or vegging out to the point of self-neglect or the neglect of my responsibilities to others.

    Why I Now Embrace Unique Activities

    Making time for things I love is so important to me, at this stage of my life, even if it’s not things that others around me also love. It took me until I got to about 40 years old to finally give myself permission to focus in on things that I love without a seal of approval from others around me. Sometimes this is called codependency… being reliant on others to approve your activities. And I realize that I was miserable and anxious before I started doing that, and I have no plans of returning to that place of being on pins and needles worried about what others think of me and my unique interests.

    Another Note: Full disclosure, I started making these changes for myself in my late 30’s or early 40’s, but I didn’t really understand why this is important for me until my 50’s, when I began seeing a therapist that specializes in healing from complex post-traumatic stress disorder, along with co-dependency and narcissitic abuse.

    My Unique Activities

    Obviously, I am a blogger (and author), and have been blogging since before it was called blogging (year 2000)… it used to be called online journaling. I’ve also been making YouTube videos and podcasting since I first started homeschooling my kids when they were little (about 2008), and they’re now all young adults. Nowadays, I have been using these skills in other ways, including sharing a series about healthier ways for dealing with grief.

    Losing Myself In My Unique Activities

    I am an extroverted introvert, meaning that I am able to speak in public, be on camera, and talk with strangers, but I still LOVE being alone and delving into creative activities. My creative activities lately have included:

    • Creating a podcast and YouTube channel that is designed to help women leaders who have survived trauma (including caregivers) and are now striving towards their lofty goals despite the setbacks of life
    • Creating a mentorship program for my co-workers to help them improve their independent LiveOps businesses so they can have better quality work and get paid more

    Focus / Meditative Processes or Activities

    Ok so things I do that really help me get into and stay in my “creativity bag” or “stay in the zone” include:

    • Putting my iPhone (and all ios devices) into Personal Focus mode for 1 hour so that no notifications come through at all for that period of time
    • Attending co-working events with a group of trusted Women leaders who are doing the same, focusing on their own important activity/work
    • Turning off all inputs, radio, tv, podcasts, youtube, everything, and just sitting in quiet so I can listen to my own heart-spirit because that’s when/where God’s Holy Spirit speaks to me and boosts my creativity the most

    What I Mean By Meditation

    Meditation has come to mean different things to different people. For me, meditation literally means just that. Sitting and thinking (or not thinking) while breathing and just existing in a quiet space. But, it is also sometimes walking or doing another activity that is “mindless” while I am alone with my own thoughts.

    And, with the help of my therapist, now I also sometimes incorporate tapping. It’s an EMDR therapy to help with healing from post-traumatic stress. I use this when I am upset and recovering from recent hard things / traumas, such as when a family member went missing. This has been a very useful and helpful therapy for me, and it’s surprisingly simple, but what’s not simple is remembering to use it when there’s a high-pressure situation going on.

    When Do I Have Time For Meditation

    My main time for meditation is early in the morning before my youngest gets ready for school. This is my time for prayer, for reading and/or listening to Holy Scripture, and for meditation because I need to give Father God, by His Holy Spirit, time to speak back to me after I have concluded praying and laying my heart out to Him. This is the time when I know that no one and nothing will interrupt me.

    To make meditation even more effective, sometimes journaling also helps, including: a) the type of journal that is discarded after brain dumping, and b) journaling the responses that Spirit speaks back to me in answer to my prayers

    However, I’ve also started using my lunch times for meditation, which means that I spend less time on my phone scrolling, and more time just sitting in quiet. This lunch time to focus and listen to my own heart also helps on the days when I was more rushed in the morning and didn’t get my early morning time in. And sometimes I do this when work has been more stressful than normal, so that I can center myself before I get back to interacting with others.

    Making meditation time a priority has become more prominent in my life because I can see the fruit of it in my life. I am definitely calmer during crisis. I am definitely more resilient after dealing with trauma. So having time for meditiation is my choice, and I choose it more every day.

    Segmenting my time, not just daily, but also yearly, quarterly, monthly and weekly, also helps me to have more time for meditation. So, for instance, I took off from social media and from meetings during the first two months of the year to ensure that I had more time to rest, recover, and refill before pouring out my creativity for the benefit of others. I am confident that choosing to set aside these months, along with weekly times (e.g., on Sunday’s) are helping me to hear my own heart more clearly so that I am not as easily distracted by shiny objects or not as easily swayed by other people’s priorities (agendas) for me that do not align with my own priorities.

    Conclusion

    Viewing my time as the treasure that it is has really helped me to stop letting others waste my time and to make more time for my unique interests. Finding a good place and time to meditate helps open up my creativity more and brings me into a place of being refreshed and refilled. In this way, I am able to be a better leader and to serve others from a full pitcher as I pour out into their cups/pitchers. And it also helps me to remember to keep stopping for my regular refills of my pitcher by those who I trust with pouring into me, including the Holy Spirit and other people who God is using in my life.

  • What I Hope People Say About Me

    What I Hope People Say About Me

    Daily writing prompt
    Tell us one thing you hope people say about you.
    View all responses

    Coach Donna Marie shares insights about managing holiday season grief
    on the Plant Your Seeds of Transformation Podcast

    What I Hope They Say

    Because I have dedicated a lot of time to writing and speaking on topics like how to manage #holidaygrief, I hope people say I am helpful in a season where others’ grief and trauma are often overlooked or ignored in favor of all the usual happy holiday narratives.

    What I Hope For You

    If you’re grieving or recovering from a trauma or crisis, I hope that you find those who really love you selflessly, even if those are just babies or pets. I hope that you allow yourself to grieve in whatever way you need to grieve, while not giving up on your own life and goals. I hope that you’ll download my free grief guide over at PlantYourSeeds.show

    God bless you and yours this holiday season.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie

  • Finally! I Updated My LiveOps Testimonial

    Finally! I Updated My LiveOps Testimonial

    For those of you who may have been interested in my updated testimonial about my experience of becoming an Independent LiveOps Agent, the original testimonial from last year is at this link. And the newly updated story from after I was an agent for over 1.5 years is at this medium link.

    In both articles, I shared my genuine testimonial of my own experience. And in the newer article, I also shared a testimonial from someone else who I referred that was accepted by a LiveOps client and has been working in her very own Independent LiveOps Agent business for a little while now. I would love to share more details like the names of the people and of the clients, but I am maintaining professional confidentiality.

    If you register to become a LiveOps agent (use my referral link if you like), then I would be able to share more details with you as a fellow agent and can introduce you to other agents. The most important thing I love about LiveOps is that I am part of a real community of real people that I know care about me. They show me each and every weekday. I am so very grateful. Have a look at that new article to see more about why I say this.

    ENCOURAGEMENT FOR REMOTE WORKERS AND SELF-EMPLOYED

    If you’re a person who has been experiencing some type of trauma, crisis, or hardship, and you refuse to give up hope that you can still set big goals for yourself and even have your own business to work from home, you might also enjoy hearing my podcast to learn more about why I chose this kind of work. The podcast is called “Plant Your Seeds of Transformation” and is on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most other podcast platforms. In one of the episodes, I shared about what you can do to let go of money shame so that it won’t keep making you feel bad about yourself and keep you stuck in bad cycles.

    When you’re starting a new venture or an unconventional type of work, like remote work, sometimes you need as much encouragement as you can get. I hope you’ll check out the podcast show, check out the new article, and share if you find value in what I’m sharing through my writing and podcasting.

    I hope all is well for you and yours. Thanks for reading.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie

  • My Hardest Personal Goal for 2023

    My Hardest Personal Goal for 2023

    This has been a very rough year for me. Here’s part of my story.

    Daily writing prompt
    What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?
    View all responses

    During the end of 2022 and for the first half of 2023, our family experienced a major crisis that deeply traumatized all of us and then we had other unexpected crises that set us back a bit more, too. So, following through on some of my personal goals in the first half of 2023 fell by the wayside while we recovered. The hardest personal goal for me to fulfill this year was getting back to podcasting, which I originally started back in 2020. So, I started season 4 of the podcast (Plant Your Seeds of Transformation) knowing that: 1) I was truly afraid to share what I had been through over the past many months, and 2) my schedule and availability were much more challenging than ever before due to new responsibilities.

    Reflecting on My Hardest Personal Goal for 2023
    Photo by Houcine Ncib on Unsplash

    Despite the fear, I found the inspiration and motivation to get me moving forward with creating season 4 of the podcast. And now, guess what?! I just finished episode 10 of season 4! Wow, that’s amazing that I went from not planning to follow through to now having over two months of content. It feels good to be able to celebrate this.

    If you’d like to check out that last episode, I discussed the fact that money mistake shame is dangerous. I gave advice on ways you can start to get past it and get unstuck from cycles of the same money mistakes happening over and over.

    If you decide to check out my channel, here’s a link to the community tab so you can comment and leave a note and let me know you found the podcast through this blog article.

  • I Got Excited by Community

    I Got Excited by Community

    Daily writing prompt
    Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.
    View all responses

    My last very exciting thing was plugging in with community: with like-minded women leaders who are passionate about pursuing their goals, just as I am, and who are also committed to loving and taking care of themselves as they pursue those goals. I had the awesome opportunity to interview one of these ladies on Tuesday morning. I am honored that she joined me on the live for The Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast. She, like me, has experienced trauma and neurodivergence which impacts how she implements productivity strategies. She gave really good advice and raised very good questions during her interview, and I hope you’ll take a look or listen on YouTube or your favorite podcast app, like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. I also wrote a brief article about building your beautiful community for my Plant Your Seeds of Transformation newsletter/publication on Medium.

    Photo by unsplash.com/@voneciacarswell
    Photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash

    If you’d like to connect with me, the easiest way to reach out to me is by using the contact form on this website. I do read those emails, and I will reply to non-spam genuine emails. I love meeting new like-minded people, and if you’d like to get to know me because you think we might be like-minded, I’m all for that.

    Being part of the WordPress community is exciting, too, so I just want to say thanks so much for reading and following and sharing.

  • This Creative Tool Is Always With Me

    This Creative Tool Is Always With Me

    Daily writing prompt
    What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
    View all responses

    I carry my iPhone (and Apple watch) with me everywhere, even to the bathroom and shower*, because I can type/text or record my creative ideas whenever they pop into my head. This has been a crucial part of my progress as a writer, a podcaster, and an entrepreneur. There are other tools I also use, but my watch and phone are my ever-present tools that are versatile enough for me to use even if my hands are covered in grease or occupied in a sink of dishes. Sometimes I record a video journal while I am driving… my watch can turn on my camera handsfree. And sometimes I send a text to myself if I don’t have time to open my notes app. Other times, I’ll open up a blogging app or a podcasting app to start a draft that I can finish once I’m back at my computer.

    Buy A Smartphone*

    There are really a lot more ways that I can get my creative ideas down, and these are just brief examples. As a creative, getting my ideas down has become just part of my daily routine. AND… sometimes the best ideas come at the weirdest times, like when I am just regaining consciousness after a nap or a full night’s sleep, so I keep my phone next to me in bed to record these types of ideas, too. Remembering my ideas so I can develop them more later when I have time to sit down at a computer is one of the most important skills that I’ve learned for continuously improving as a solo-micro-small business owner.

    As I mentioned earlier, I am a podcaster, and if you’d like to listen, it’s over at PlantYourSeeds.show here on the WordPress platform, or you can Google or search for it on YouTube or any other podcast platform under the podcast name, “Plant Your Seeds of Transformation“. I also write over on Medium, and I’d love to have you follow me there, also at leadlikeaqueen.medium.com.

    I love that WordPress is making it easy to remember to answer these writing prompts. Thank you for reading my answer. I hope it’s helpful if you’re a creative who always has ideas popping up for you at weird times like I do.

    *Important Notes:

    —My devices (phone and watch) are waterproof, but not all of them are, so please be careful to learn the waterproof (or dustproof ) level of your devices before wearing or using them constantly as I do.

    –AFFILIATE LINK DISCLAIMER: f you use my Amazon Affiliate link to search for a smartphone on Amazon, they may compensate me for referring you, so , thank you in advance for supporting my work in this way, if you choose to do so.

  • Planting My Own Seeds of Transformation

    Planting My Own Seeds of Transformation

    Plant Your Seeds of Transformation Podcast Episode – Traumas: How to Survive and Thrive

    What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?

    I am the host of the Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast. On the first episode for Season 4, I shared about how I have learned to survive multiple crises and thrive despite complex ongoing traumas. I am so glad to see this writing prompt because everyone needs to be intentional about self-care and that means we need to take time to really think about it and plan, instead of just going through the motions like a robot every day.

    In the podcast (on YouTube), I shared tips to help you understand what real transformation can look like for you. This is important that you will truly be better from the inside out and not just look better.

    I am determined to understand myself better and better over time so I can be a better me inside out. My wellness has to start inside so it can manifest outside. Think of this like a seed that you can’t see in the dirt, but eventually it pops up through the soil and one day it has beautiful flowers or delicious fruit. The flowers and fruit came last! It took time and pressure and heat and water and sun to get to the pretty or delicious result.

    I hope my podcast will help you or someone you know to plant your seeds of transformation. Please subscribe, like, share and turn on notifications.

    – Coach Donna Marie, Host of Plant Your Seeds of Transformation

  • Mother’s Day Reflection: Daily Practices That Make Me A Better Solo Mom

    Mother’s Day Reflection: Daily Practices That Make Me A Better Solo Mom

    Daily writing prompt
    What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?
    View all responses

    Improving my own life as a solo mom is my own choice. I refuse to remain a victim of the unexpected twists and turns in my life. Taking daily action, even in the smallest ways, like meditating and journaling, is how I stand in my own power for my own life to be my best self and to be a better parent, with Father God’s Help.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie aka @leadlikeaqueen

    If you’re familiar with my podcast, Plant Your Seeds of Transformation (see YouTube or Apple/Spotify/Google Podcasts), you may know my personal story of becoming an unexpected solo mom. I have been married for over 20 years, but my partner has not been partnering with me as a parent due to his illness. When I realized that things were only getting worse and that I was becoming a true Solo Mom, it completely freaked me out and sent me into an emotional and mental tailspin. I was afraid that I could not take care of him and the kids all on my own. And I was right. I can’t do any of this on my own, and I need affordable help and relevant advice. So, I started plugging in more spiritually with God through prayer and Bible study, connecting with the community more via online/virtual/phone methods (because my husband was mostly homebound), and asking for and accepting practical and financial help. I am so grateful for the community that God has led me to, some of which are biological family and some of which are chosen family.

    What Helps Me Think and Be Better

    And I’m even more grateful for how Father God continues to lead and guide me internally so that I am now a better person and parent. I use meditation and journaling to help me become more self-aware, which has helped me think better and make better choices that have improved my life. The 2nd edition of my book (#smallbizbigimpact) includes an integrated journal for this reason. Because I am a trained and certified coach, I keenly understand the value of journaling as an essential practice for ongoing growth and true life changes. Journaling allows the writer to reflect on their experiences and gain insight into their decisions, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in a safe space. Building better self-awareness helps leaders see how to motivate themselves so they can keep achieving their goals, even when they’re not around other people who sometimes motivate and encourage them.

    What you and I both need to be better is already inside of us, and we deserve to give ourselves the time and space to discover and become more aware of it.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie @leadlikeaqueen
    Small Biz Big Impact But How 2nd Edition with Journal

    What about you?

    Do you journal, meditate, pray or something else? How do you use daily practices that help improve your life?

    Gift For Becoming A Better You

    Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, biological or not, and even if you only have fur-babies. Here is a gift for you to access the HeadSpace app. I believe it’s one of the best tools you can use to become more self-aware and become a better version of yourself. It can really complement your journaling practice, also, by reminding you to make room for and set aside time for meditation and for journaling. Use the button linked below to grab your gift now of one free month use of the Headspace app*. Honestly, I was skeptical that it would help me, but after trying it, I realized this is exactly what I needed to help me become more mindful on a daily basis.

    Get Free Month of HeadSpace*
    *Affiliate Disclaimer: I recommend this resource because I use it myself, but you need to do your own research to see if this works for you. If you choose to click my link, I may be compensated by this affiliate partner at no cost to you. Thank you in advance if you choose to support my work as a coach and mentor in this way.
  • Precious Community Helps Recovery From Trauma or Crisis

    Precious Community Helps Recovery From Trauma or Crisis

    Daily writing prompt
    What do you do to be involved in the community?
    View all responses

    I am so grateful that I’ve been able to plug in with like-minded communities via online tools like zoom, Discord, Patreon, Facebook groups, YouTube live chats, and more.

    Community is precious, especially as you recover from trauma or crisis.

    ~ Coach Donna Marie

    One of the main groups that I’m consistently plugging in with uses our membership dues to support a black woman creator with a sabbatical grant. This group was founded by Stephanie Perry of Vaycarious. She already sent over $20,000 to the first grant recipient in 2022, along with smaller grants as scholarships for short retreats for creative black women who needed time to rest and refresh their creative juices.

    The way this group supports me is via daily/weekly co-working events in a private zoom video chat format. I helped to co-found these events which are sponsored by Stephanie Perry’s Vaycarious group and are led by the wonderful Dr. Jessica. I am grateful that I was able to teach them a system that helps us all get our work done more effectively, and we even now have incorporated exercise within this framework, too. I talked about it in a prior podcast episode, << click that link, if you’d like to listen or watch the show to learn more.

    What about you, how do you plug in with community and how does it help you?

    ~ Coach Donna Marie Johnson

    CoachDonnaMarie.com
  • Newsletter Invitation

    Newsletter Invitation

    If you didn’t notice, I don’t write much on this WordPress-based blog anymore. This is because I’ve fallen in love with the blogging community and platform at Medium. I am not trying to maintain multiple blogs anymore. So, if you’d like to join me over there, and if you’d like to receive my newsletter there, please click here to read my latest and subscribe to my newsletter.

    There are many blogging communities, however, I believe the reason why Medium has gained such a following is because they listen to their writers and keep making it a better experience for us. They make it easy to publish a newsletter. They empower us to monetize our content. And they include a robust social networking foundation with tagging of others and linking back to other content. You can also include audio and video. And for me, the clincher for using the paid version of Medium is the ability to listen to every article as I read via the Medium app or in my browser. I don’t know why, but as I’ve matured, I read much more effectively when I listen while I read… that’s a major key for helping me get through graduate school with honors.

    If you’d like to follow my Medium page it is: medium.com/@leadlikeaqueen

    I hope to connect with you over there, too.

    If you’d like to see my other social links, you can find them all on my one page profile at:

    CoachDonnaMarie.com

  • The Future of LeadLikeAQueen.biz Blog

    The Future of LeadLikeAQueen.biz Blog

    Photo by Mike Enerio on Unsplash

    NEW YEAR. NEW THANKS.

    I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to share via this WordPress blog. As you have noticed, my sharing shifted a lot last year because I found a new blogging home over on Medium. If you’d like to join me over there, here is the link:

    LeadLikeAQueen.medium.com

    Becoming a part of that expansive blogging community on Medium has expanded my readership and my writing in ways that were very unexpected and a huge blessing for me. So, I am shifting my blogging away from this WordPress blog to my medium blog. I hope you’ll join me over there, too.

    Happy New Year!

    Check out my latest article on how my perfectionism has gotten triggered by all the talk about new year’s resolutions and how I’ve learned to combat that old tendency.

    To read the full article:

    Use my friend link to access this article on medium – click here.

    PODCAST – HELPING YOU PLANT YOUR SEEDS OF TRANSFORMATION

    In addition to expanding my blogging during 2022, I also completed season 3 of the Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast show via youtube and most major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and many more. If you’d like to see who our guests were for season 3, you can check them out at PlantYourSeeds.show/guests, they included leaders who are black women or allies of black women. Our main topic of discussion for 2023 was centered around understanding what perfectionism can look like so you can keep it from stealing your life and love.

    On A Personal Note

    On a personal note, I’ve learned much more about myself and my community within the past 3 months than in a very long time because of the pressure/friction placed on me due to family crises and traumas. If you follow my personal Instagram reels, you’ll already know what happened. I am sharing here just briefly to encourage you to know that you don’t have to give up everything during a crisis, but it is ok for you to slow down, or pause, and take stock of things.

    God bless you and your 2023. May you get and stay free in all areas where you need that, including staying free from perfectionism and its toxic impacts.

  • How Can a VA or a Remote Worker Be Perfect?

    How Can a VA or a Remote Worker Be Perfect?

    How can a VA or a remote worker be perfect in their career, business, or life? Well in one sense, that is impossible, and in another sense it is possible, but there are some things you need to understand first.

    First… know that it is not possible to be completely and totally perfect all at one moment in time all by yourself. This is an unrealistic expectation that many of us (yes I include myself) place on ourselves (and on others), and this is toxic. It is impossible to be totally perfect at one moment in time, especially given other factors such as being new to the endeavor or having extenuating circumstances, like being sick or being isolated without support.

    However, you can become better over time. That is the goal: a VA or a remote worker can become better over time, and within a supportive community, your work can begin to look like a well-oiled nearly perfect “machine”.

    Once you are aware of this, you can take care of yourself better and advocate for yourself with anyone else who is placing this unrealistic, toxic expectation on you. Unfortunately, for VA’s and other remote workers, this is very common, and many of them are isolated and without a supportive community to help them address issues with employers or clients. So, they leave their remote careers demoralized and traumatized. Many times they do not even know that being treated this way is abusive because they may have been conditioned to accept this behavior by their pre-existing culture in their community, family, or in a prior work culture.

    What Are Some Personal Stories of Perfectionism?

    If you have listened to some of the episodes of my podcast (Plant Your Seeds of Transformation podcast show), you would have heard me and my guests share our own stories on this topic. One of my guests, Nia Ridgle, discussed how toxic perfectionism impacted her life saying, “We are leading other people, but we don’t even know how to take care of ourselves behind close doors.”

    How Can You Get Help With Perfectionism?

    This is where a coach can help fill the gap of support that a VA or remote worker may need. If you would like my support, you can ask me for a free discovery call by registering at this link:

    CoachDonnaMarie.com

    ABOUT SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY

    Also, this is where becoming part of a supportive community can also help fill the gap of support you need. If you’re a high achieving black woman leader looking to expand your community, learn more about mine and how you can connect with us every Thursday in the previous article I wrote called, “It’s Back! Thursday Co-working“. We start on 9/1/22, but you can join us any time during this 12 weeks of co-working.

    After you join our community, you can access this journal as a tool to help you during your 12-week co-working journey.
    Click here to learn more.
  • It’s Back! Thursday Co-Working

    It’s Back! Thursday Co-Working

    HOW TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

    Click Here to Join

    click button to join and access co-working link (starting as low as $3 per month)

    What to Expect after Joining?

    • Access to 12-week Fall Co-working via Zoom Audio/Video Chat
      • **Zoom Link provided to patrons at all tier support levels**
    • Vibrant Supportive Community of Black Women Leaders
    • Early access to Some Podcast Episodes
    • Exclusive Live Interactive Events
    • Weekly Co-Working Coaching Action and Progress Journal (for higher tier levels)

    FALL 2022 CO-WORKING & MENTORSHIP UPDATES

    I am so excited to announce that I am BACK from my summer hiatus! I am hosting co-working weekly for 12 weeks starting…

    WHEN? Starts Thursday 9-1-22 at 7pm EST, Weekly for 12 Weeks

    (See this time in your own time zone: click here)

    WHERE? Private, Secure, Moderated Live Event

    (via Zoom on any device or by phone/dial-in)

    Learn More About How To Join and Support Our Community at PlantYourSeeds.show/support

    [If you haven’t yet heard about our co-working community, check out the episode from The Plant Your Seeds of Transformation Podcast where I talked about it in more detail.]

    OUR PARTNERS FOR THE CO-WORKING COMMUNITY

    This co-working group is in partnership with Wanda Duncan of Black Women Trvl.

    Thank you again to Jessica for hosting co-working almost daily for the Vaycarians, including on Thursday’s (my usual day to host) during my summer hiatus. If you’re not yet part of that awesome Vaycarious community, join Stephanie Perry’s Patreon so you can gain access to her discord.

    (See their community links below.)

    Thanks again to Wanda, Jessica, and Stephanie for seeing the value of co-working and supporting me in my endeavors to partner with Jessica in creating a thriving co-working community that helps us all get more results as we focus and get important stuff done within a 2-hour time frame.

    Regarding Mentorship and Coaching

    MENTORSHIP

    This co-working group is a form of mentorship, and being part of this community is highly empowering. We learn a ton from each other every time, during our breaks in between each working Pomodoro. We also support each other and encourage each other, during our weekly sessions and beyond the session. That is mentorship.

    COACHING

    Coaching is a higher-value service that is much more systematic and intentional. So, as an added perk for higher tier patrons, you will be able to access the co-working journal to use for writing down your intentions and tracking your progress as you take action on them during each weekly co-working session. This is a form of coaching that is done via guided journaling.

    FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

    Other modes of mentorship or coaching beyond the co-working may be added in the future, as the community grows, but for now, this is plenty. This co-working is enough to provide you with an empowering mentorship community, and if you’re investing in yourself to receive coaching, you will have access to the journal and to other live coaching opportunities that go beyond the Thursday session.

    SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES FOR BLACK WOMEN LEADERS

    • Coach Donna Marie’s Patreon – click to join here
    • Wanda Duncan’s Patreon – click to join here
    • Stephanie Perry’s Patreon – click to join here
      • (Jessica’s co-working schedule is contained within Stephanie’s Vaycarious community on other days and at other times besides Thursday nights.)
  • [FALL WINTER UPDATE – TESTIMONIAL] Becoming A LiveOps Agent

    [FALL WINTER UPDATE – TESTIMONIAL] Becoming A LiveOps Agent

    Why and How I Became a Product Coach & Remote Customer Service Agent

    SCROLL DOWN FOR MOST RECENT UPDATES ABOUT MY JOURNEY AS LIVEOPS AGENT

    REFERRAL LINK FOR JOINING LIVEOPS*: CLICK HERE

    FALL-WINTER UPDATE 2022

    NOTE – What to expect in 2023: I will be incorporating more content related to the topic of remote work/business in my YouTube channel and podcast. Also, I will be adding some exclusive remote work content to my Patreon community for patrons only.

    I have been very busy training and working with a new client so I just was not able to really update this blog very much. Also, now I’m waiting to hear if I am going to be picked up by a second client.

    So things are going well and moving forward for me. I also have referred at least three new people who have applied because of what I have been sharing.

    Everybody’s process with developing their own remote customer service independent business is different. What I am sharing here and also on my Instagram videos (@LeadLikeAQueen) is to give you a little bit of insight into my journey, but you will have your own journey. If you connect with me on Instagram, I hope that you will share about your journey.

    MY BACK STORY

    After I finished my master of arts in executive leadership in 2021, I could see so many different paths to take with my career and my business, and that plethora of options actually became overwhelming. I applied for a lot of jobs in different industries with different titles, and where all could use my skill sets as a coach and a small business owner. I will say that I wasn’t extremely excited about many of those jobs that I found, but at the very least, I tried to target the companies that I liked the most in terms of their corporate culture and corporate responsibility.

    Why did I choose to become a remote customer service agent with LiveOps?

    Initially I wanted a remote customer service job simply because of the flexibility and freedom of doing my own business from home and getting paid by a major corporation. During and after the actual training for the job it became more about helping people, and less about the money, even though that financial piece is still high on my list of priorities.

    Because I’m already very familiar with their product, I felt very confident that I would be able to learn well during the training and use what I learned to help their customers with excellence. Also, prior to choosing to work for this client, I had an opportunity to preview their training and knew the quality of the training was on par with what I needed and expected. I did my own due diligence before choosing this path because this was not my first time choosing a remote customer service position. I was with a previous remote customer service company, and the training was not as good as this training, so I felt like I wasted my time with the other company and didn’t want that to happen again.

    Please note that the training for this type of position is not paid, but it is lengthy, detailed, and rigorous, so if you’re not confident that this is the work you want to do, that training period could be very frustrating.

    After actually getting on the phones with the customers, I can see how my skills as a coach are coming into play. I am very happy that this particular client is very focused on soft skills, which is an area of strength for me. It feels good to be valued for my strengths. Similar positions I’ve sought in the past were very focused on the products and the technology, and not as much towards helping people as towards selling. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see that it is different here.

    “I love that I’m being rewarded for focusing on people and helping them, and not just for trying to get them to purchase more products.”

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson, Product Coach / Customer Service Agent

    When I’ve interviewed for lots of different jobs and applied for lots of different jobs, it always felt like I was just tweaking my resume to fit into whatever container they wanted me to fit into, instead of me just highlighting what I’m already strong in that would align well with the position being offered.

    HIGH-QUALITY TRAINING

    I would say that I also came to respect their training process and trust that they care about me as a person enough to give me the support I need for improving over time. I feel like they have realistic expectations that I can fulfill now and can improve for going forward. So this also speaks to my own mental health journey, which I’ve shared about in my blog, podcast, and interviews. It’s important for me to stay away from toxic perfectionism, so having work that aligns well with this part of my priorities is super important to me.

    The care that this corporate culture shows towards the customers is extended to the agents and I appreciate that. And this culture is very balanced with a rigorous environment that expects us to set high standards for our own performance, while at the same time, we are provided with the training and metrics reporting we need to continue improving our performance over time.

    Furthermore, they are super committed to also keep improving the training process and the way that they run this program. Seeing their devotion to an iterative (or continuous improvement) process gave me confidence to know that this is the right kind of company with a good culture that cares about the people and about excellence, but not at the expense of the people.

    The process of training and doing this work is very rigorous, and in the midst of it all they show they care by making sure that I and fellow agents have what we need to do our best and I appreciate that. Even so, the handholding here is limited and so anyone who is not able to stay self-motivated and to continue improving their own performance will not do well here. The other agents are often very supportive, and so we come together in groups to chat and help each other and give each other advice and encouragement, but these groups are comprised of individuals who have their own businesses that literally have to compete for some of this work. So, if you happen to find a good group with people that are good-hearted and willing to help you, you need to reciprocate and be willing to help in that group, as well. It’s not good to just get in these types of groups to get support and never offer support, it needs to be reciprocal.

    Again the training is very rigorous and not everyone responds well to this type of rigor. Also this client is very popular and so agents have to compete to get the work. Not everyone is up for this type of competitive situation.

    So I would never set you up to think that this is a perfect situation for everyone, however I am sure it’s a great situation for a lot of people because I am only one of many happy new agents, and that doesn’t even include those agents who have been doing this work for over 20 years. I have been so blessed to get to know some of the more senior agents.

    I am a person who is well known for keeping personal and proprietary information confidential. I have worked in the mental health arena, in corporate executive headquarters, and of course in my own business for clients. Therefore I cannot talk details about my work, but I am sharing transparently on the things I can speak on without breaking confidence.

    UPDATE (8/21/2022)

    I am, as always, going to share the authentic truth and reality with you, without disclosing proprietary or confidential information. So, to be honest, even though the hot season for the client was lucrative for me, things quickly cooled. As a result, despite my performance and being praised by management, I was removed from serving that client due to lack of hours which is a breach of contract. CAVEAT: No work was available to me for at least two months (not my fault). Despite this, I continued to check in and check for hours, but nothing was there (absolutely nothing … and they know that and they warned us of that). I held onto the position thinking that things would be picking up in the fall, but now that seems to be out of reach due to the removal. I feel that removing me is short-sighted and unfair because the lack of hours was not within my control, but, alas, it’s all about that contract. This is a business, after all, so I get that. However, I am a human being and would love to know that other human beings have their eyes on the situation and will give me some consideration. So, I await a response to my email. I will update this if I hear back.

    Just be forewarned that if you decide to work with a client, be careful about attaining the required hours as listed in the contract, even if there are little to no hours available. And if there are none available, you may want to move on to another client, instead of sticking around to wait for another peak season, as I have done.

    Regarding moving on to other clients…

    I did try to get in with many other clients, and, unfortunately, they just did not have enough spaces for all of the applicants (the CEO told us this himself). So, then I had to move on to other things, like getting back in school to finish my MBA in Executive Coaching. I also had to make a shift in my schedule due to a shift in my family’s schedule. So, after the first several tries, I was no longer able to commit to a new client due to the rigorous unpaid training requirements conflicting with my new schedule. So, again, I was waiting to due another bout of seasonal work for the same client, but now this looks unlikely.

    LIVE UPDATES VIA INSTAGRAM (@LeadLikeAQueen)

    For the most current updates, connect with me on Instagram and check my stories/reels. Here is a live I did recently about what’s been going on:

    Next Steps…

    Now that my summer semester is finished and my family’s schedule seems to be more predictable, my next steps will be to start applying for new clients (and re-apply for the old one). I will be able to fit a two-week unpaid training into my schedule now, so I am optimistic about this. Also, they recently announced that they’re expecting a lot more work to become available this Fall. If you’re interested, use my referral link below… and stay tuned for my updates.

    If you want to apply for a remote customer service job*, use my referral link below:

    (*Note: This is a 1099 contract job.)

    WOULD YOU LIKE SUPPORT FROM COACH DONNA MARIE?

    If you want coaching support as you move forward with your life, career and business, use the links below:

    VA and Remote Worker Coaching | Lead Like A Queen | Lead Like A Queen

  • [UPDATE] Mentorship for Black Women Remote Workers

    [UPDATE] Mentorship for Black Women Remote Workers

    UPDATE TO MENTORSHIP PROGRAM:

    READ ARTICLE or WATCH VIDEO- CLICK HERE

    If you would like to become a mentor or to be mentored by a mentor, let me know by registering in the contact form below. I or someone from my team will be in touch regarding upcoming events and information about this program. Also, read the FAQ’s below, and submit any questions you have about the program when you register. We will keep growing the FAQ list with answers to your questions.


    Use the updated article (see link near the top of this article) to learn how to join the community and receive mentorship.

    FAQ’s

    What is a remote worker?

    This could be a woman who has been working as a contractor (self-employed, 1099 worker) or who has a small business such as a virtual assistant or marketing freelancer.

    What is a mentor versus a mentee? Who does what and how?

    According to Ambition in Motion, horizontal mentorship is where both the mentor and the mentee give and receive wisdom, knowledge, and encouragement reciprocally. It’s more like a friendship and less like an autocratic relationship than some of the older more traditional mentorship styles based in toxic power dynamics.

    What is a resource where I can learn more about what mentorship can look like for women of color?

    Diversity in Best Practices has provided a recording of their webinar “Candid Advice on Mentoring Women of Color“. They give excellent advice that aligns with some of the things that I know as a professional coach. I highly recommend

    How can we learn more about ourselves and understand ourselves better?

    You can use assessments to help understanding yourself better. Check out the CloverLeaf app and sign up for free to try out an assessment for yourself.

  • [COACHING] Visualize Your VA Business

    [COACHING] Visualize Your VA Business

    Is your VA business (or remote working career) more like a forest or a garden? Take the poll below and share.

    In my latest podcast for the “Plant Your Seeds of Transformation” show, I talked about the topic of intentionality and how that is connected to having a small business that makes a big impact in the world. I hope you will listen (or watch) and leave me feedback to let me know what “aha moments” you had while you listened.

    Listen on Spotify or Your Favorite Player

    The Plant Your Seeds of Transformation Podcast Show via Spotify includes Relevant Music Excerpts

    During this podcast, I discussed intentionality from a spiritual perspective and from a practical perspective.

    What is your understanding of what it means to be more intentional in your life and in your business?

    One example I used was related to how mothers hope and dream for their children. How do you allow your parenting to inform how you handle your business as a VA or your career as a remote worker?

    Group or Individualized Coaching for You

    What are you doing to be more intentional about your VA business or remote worker career? How could having a coach who really understands your world impact how you keep moving forward in your business/career?

    If you would like for me to coach you and support you one-on-one (or in a group) as you continue to grow your VA business (or your remote work career), you can use the contact form at the bottom of this article to request a complimentary get acquainted session where we can get to know one another better and see if we would be a good fit for each other. Even if we are not a good fit, I have a trusted network of coaches that I can refer you to.*

    “Small Business Is A Misnomer” #SmallBizBigImpact (TM) – Coffee Mug Available as a Perk for Patrons

    Questions, Comments, or Feedback

    Use the contact form below to share any questions, comments, or feedback for Donna so that she can reply to you.

    Go back

    Your message has been sent

    *Affiliate Referral Link: The affiliate links shared on this website are for reputable resources that I have used and that I trust. Evenso, you should do your own due diligence to ensure this resource is a good fit for your needs. If you decide to click the link, they will know that I referred you and may provide me with compensation to thank me for sending you over. Thank you in advance for supporting me by using my referrals.

  • Update to My Divorce Journal

    Update to My Divorce Journal

    Continuing to divorce perfectionism

    If you haven’t already read my prior article about my journey with divorcing perfectionism, you can click here to read it now.

    Currently, I am typing with a brace on my dominant arm (right). The pain is better, but I need to make sure I’m not over stressing and re-injuring it. So, I will be sharing the video version of my podcast as the meat of this blog article. Below is an excerpt of the show notes, and the full show notes live over on the podcast website at plantyourseeds.show – click here to go there now.

    This video discusses:

    • what toxic perfectionism can look like in your life
    • ways you can begin to effectively address it and get past it

    [PODCAST VIDEO] UNDERSTANDING AND LETTING GO OF TOXIC PERFECTIONISM

    This video is part of the podcast show called:

    Plant Your Seeds of Transformation

    If you found value here, consider becoming a patron to support the continuous improvement of this show at:

    patreon.com/leadlikeaqueen

  • Free eBook via Amazon Kindle Unlimited

    Free eBook via Amazon Kindle Unlimited

    Small Biz Big Impact but How?

    How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World

    One of the most important things for an experienced VA (virtual assistant) to know is that her work is making a difference for the client she is serving, and as a result, is having an impact on the world through her client’s endeavors. An experienced VA does not do this service-based work just so that she can bring home a check. Even though the money is important to her, it has its place, but it is not her top priority. I wrote my book “Small Biz Big Impact But How?” to speak to the needs of small/micro business leaders like you who want to serve well while also building a profitable business. The book explores a specific case study of a business owner that literally started small and now has a nationally-known brand.

    eBook PDF Version
    eBook #SmallBizBigImpact [Kindle] – Link: DonnaMarieJohnson.com

    There are some fundamental principles that a small business leader must understand and intentionally use in her own life and business if she wants to consciously and selflessly impact the world. If you visit the Amazon link shared above (in the book image caption), you can preview the book for free. And if you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can get a complimentary copy of this Kindle ebook with your subscription.

    How Can I Get A Free Copy If I Don’t Use Amazon Kindle?

    Alternatively, if you would like a complimentary pdf download emailed to your inbox, go to SmallBizBigImpact.com and request your copy. This is not an instant download, you will need to look out for my email and answer my questions, and in return, I will email the pdf download link to you. Gathering this information is important because it helps me with continuing my research so I can improve for the future.

    Do I Have to Leave a Review? No.

    No, I am not asking for reviews on Amazon, but if you choose to leave an honest review with your honest feedback, it will help me to know which parts of the book help most and which parts I need to continue improving.

    Excerpt

    About Selfless Service “Overtime, your small business can build a platform based on selfless service, but all of this starts with you, the head leader in the business, developing a heart with a selfless service focus.”

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson, Author of “Small Biz Big Impact But How?”
    Author Donna Marie Johnson, Leadership Coach & Consultant | AuthorDonnaMarie.com
  • VA Training and Internship

    VA Training and Internship

    [UPDATE: Program is no longer available, but I have other good news for you… read below. ]

    I am truly grateful for my experience as an administrative assistant over the past 20+ years and as a virtual assistant (VA) in the marketing arena over the past decade. It has enabled me to continue using my marketing skills and to keep learning and improving because marketing changes pretty much every day due to constant technology changes. This has helped me in my business as a coach and consultant. I have been able to train other entrepreneurs and support them with moving their projects forward [See testimonials].

    [UPDATE FOR 2022]

    And now I am using my VA experience as a coach for VA’s and a mentor to remote workers. I am no longer doing any VA training, just VA coaching, but I can refer you to an awesome ~VA certification program that can support you with actually gaining clients.

    Old News

    Starting Tuesday 9/21, I will be starting the first weekly VA training with my VA interns who will reimburse me for their training by working as unpaid interns. This is a great way for them to get experience as they learn, while also helping me to keep improving my business without continuing to do everything all on my own. This is the manifestation of something that’s been in my heart for years. If you cannot tell, I am very excited about this and looking forward to building my team of interns.

    If you’d like to apply for an internship position, please go to my one page profile and request an appointment at this link:

    AuthorDonnaMarie.com

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    • Is there a fee for the VA training program?
      • VA Interns, after agreeing to do unpaid work for an hour for every hour of training they participate in, will receive a 100% coupon discount for training.
      • If non-interns want to attend the training, yes there is a fee.
    • How do I apply to be a VA intern?
      • Schedule an interview appointment with Donna.
      • This internship program is no longer offered, please see the VA certification link shared in the article above.
    • What kind of work do VA’s do?
      • In general, a virtual assistant (VA) can do a variety of things from replying to emails to searching google for information and more.
      • Specifically, my VA interns have the opportunity to get training and do work that aligns with the work that I do. At this time, my focus is on the volunteer work I am doing as a support group founder for spousal caregivers.

    DISCLOSURE – AFFILIATE LINKS

    *Note: Affiliate Links are included in my website so that I can be compensated for referring my audience to awesome services, books, and products that I have used and that I have received value from. If you choose to click and use them for yourself, thank you in advance for trusting me and for supporting my business.

  • Why Do You Keep Insisting on Doing It All By Yourself?

    Why Do You Keep Insisting on Doing It All By Yourself?

    Help is available when you’re ready. VA Support: I am available for about 20 hours per week to provide virtual assistant support, especially for implementing your marketing tasks or doing your market research. I also have supported clients with editing and publishing via Amazon Kindle. I no longer offer VA services, but I know who does certifications for VA’s (~click here). I also coach VA’s to support them with developing their leadership skills.

    Marketing is easier with help.
    I learned a BIG lesson: get. help. ASAP

    So many leaders, especially women leaders, keep learning about all of the latest and greatest marketing tips, tricks, and tools AND then trying to do most of the tasks on their own. They aren’t being taught how to start incorporating the new things with what they’re already doing in business and at home. So, they either end up stressed and overwhelmed OR totally sidetracked from the main thing they wanted to do to help their clients. I know because, in the past, that was totally me.

    So my answer to the question in this article title comes from own experience:

    I used to keep trying to do everything on my own because I kept going to free webinars that kept telling me that I could do it all on my own. But those people teaching me didn’t have several kids and a disabled adult at home to take care of. All of the free trials and all of the free basic accounts I kept getting access to did not fully help in my unique situation.

    So then I hired a team of folks to help me support my clients, and then I couldn’t grow my business because of my limited business knowledge. So, I chose to close things down and go to business school at a Christian university.

    The motivation for going it alone was sometimes due to feeling like I needed to prove myself as an entrepreneur. As a stay-at-home mom and a spousal caregiver, I just can’t try to keep proving myself. Being in school has boosted my confidence as a business leader, and has helped me to develop my spiritual life more. I truly have greater trust in the Lord to help me with my career and business aspirations.

    So, the need to chase all of the free marketing tool webinars is gone… the temptation is always there because I am constantly getting invitations, but now I just say no with ease. And the temptation to try to walk in the pride of looking like I can handle everything on my own is also gone because it exhausts me to even think about trying that again.

    Also, in the past, when I was neglecting to expand my team, sometimes it was just a cost savings measure. Sometimes it was a trust issue thing because I knew that I could do some things better on my own and didn’t want to have to go behind someone to fix or redo the work. But now, with learning from my coaches, I know how to pick and choose which tasks I should and shouldn’t be delegating. There are some things that I just cannot let anyone else do because they’re my strengths.

    Honestly, I finally got to a place of being burnt out and stressed out and snapping at my loved ones. I got tired of going through the cycles of burnout. I learned that I didn’t have to run my business or my life in burnout mode. I finally started getting the coaching support I needed that was more relevant to my lifestyle as a mom who’s constantly facing the struggle of the juggle… managing multiple roles at home, in addition to my academic career and my business.

    RESOURCE REFERRAL: WHO HAS BEEN HELPING ME MANAGE THINGS BETTER?

    One of my business coaches actually gets what the struggle of the juggle is like. She was a brand new mom when she started building her new business. She’s a pro that rejects all of that free bad advice that is not relevant to the kind of lifestyles that mom entrepreneurs lead. I watched her free webinar*, and it is full of pretty much everything you need to thrive in your business even though you have so much going on at home. If you watch it, let me know how it helped you.

    DON’T KNOW ME, YET?

    Use my one page profile to learn more about me at:

    AuthorDonnaMarie.com

    Donna Marie Johnson, @leadlikeaqueen
    Donna Marie Johnson @leadlikeaqueen

    KNOW ME AND LIKE ME?

    If you already know me and are ready to get started getting virtual assistant support with marketing tasks, go to this link:

    VA Services Page

    (See the link I inserted near the top of this article for a VA certification that could help you become a sought after VA and/or can help you find a certified VA.)

    ~Note: Affiliate Links are included in my website so that I can be compensated for referring my audience to awesome services, books, and products that I have used and that I have received value from. If you choose to click and use them for yourself, thank you in advance for trusting me and for supporting my business in this way.

  • I Can See the Light

    I Can See the Light

    The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter for…

    *finishing degree

    *finding new team members for the personal care side of our team

    *revamping and rebooting the Lead Like A Queen events (after the New Year)

    As I said in the previous article about my New Season of Service in Newnan, this has been a good time for growing trust in Divine Guidance every step of the way with each area of life and business. In the past, I’ve been very impatient with my process, and it has ruined my enjoyment of my journey. So, I am enjoying the journey this time, and it’s very refreshing.

    Trusting Divine Guidance helps me give myself permission to rest, and this restfulness mindset infuses a different flavor into the journey this time around. God is good to me, and it tastes so good. I am grateful that not only am I seeing the light, but I am feeling lighter, too.

    One part of my process that’s different is that I have a rest coach who has been helping me to develop my restfulness mindset. As a caregiver, I have learned that neglecting myself and not getting enough rest is not just unhealthy, but deadly. Unfortunately, I have watched other caregivers literally work themselves into their early graves (this includes my own father). I made a decision to learn from their mistakes.

    In the future, I hope to share more about my journey as a young spousal caregiver and to encourage other young spousal caregivers, especially those who are also still raising children. There are so many dynamics at play when you’re still raising a family while you’re caregiving. This is not the time for me to get into that, but I plan to share more in the future.

    Finally, because I am in the home stretch to finish my degree, I will not be posting as much online for the rest of this year. However, I plan to come back next year stronger and with much more focus. So, for now, check out the archived blog articles, past videos and podcasts, and follow me on most social media under the alias @leadlikeaqueen and on LinkedIn under my name. To make it easy to find my social media pages, use the one page profile I created at the link in my signature below.

    Thank you for reading. God bless you.

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson

    AuthorDonnaMarie.com

  • New Season of Service in Newnan

    New Season of Service in Newnan

    Looking back over the past several years, if you have been following me, you would have seen my progression:

    • 2012 – Incorporating my company and running the Market Like A Queen digital marketing and coaching agency with a small virtual team based out of the South Fulton region of Metro Atlanta
    • 2014 – Founded the Lead Like A Queen seminar and event series to help turn the conversation about marketing towards improving our leadership as marketers
    • 2017 – Being accepted into Liberty University’s Business School and taking hiatus from business to focus on full-time graduate studies
    • 2018 – Becoming a full-time caregiver to my husband while taking graduate classes and dropping to part-time graduate studies
    • 2019 – Relocating family and business to Newnan, Coweta County, Georgia USA
    • 2020 – Took forced hiatus from the Lead Like A Queen event series due to pandemic lockdown and unavailability of our normal local venues and sponsors
    • 2021- Building new team as I finish my degree in 2021 (MAEL, Masters of Arts in Executive Leadership), including caregiver jobs

    Honestly, I was not sure I would ever complete graduate school because it has taken twice as long as what I originally thought, but it has been a blessed journey and I am grateful. I also never imagined that I would move my family and my business to another region of metro Atlanta, even further south, to Coweta County’s capital in Newnan. I am grateful to be here in this beautiful, diverse community, and to now get to know the community (post lockdown) and how I can serve them well in the areas of career coaching and leadership development training, along with supporting small businesses and solopreneurs with marketing. I also am learning how I can find others to serve alongside me as part of my new team, starting with the focus towards professionals who would serve as personal care providers in our home.

    My work is intellectually and creatively intensive (research and writing), so I minimize distractions and temptations for multi-tasking by delegating most caregiving tasks and home chores. Currently other family members fulfill some of these tasks and chores, but, after the new school year starts, their availability will be more limited. So, our goal is to hire and train two part-time caregiving professionals during the summer so that we will have consistent reliable support available in the Fall and Spring. Even though that’s our goal, current labor market trends are just not cooperating. So, basically, we are just relying on God to answer our prayers and send us the right people when we need them.

    Truthfully, that’s the best way: to just depend on God, and stop trying to control everything on my own. This means that I do the work that is mine to do, and leave God’s work to Him. I have my part, and He has his part. This is all part of me staying divorced from perfectionism. I do not want even a hint of that creeping into my hiring activities. I refuse to let the work of hiring take over my life. I have hiring work to do, and I am doing it, and I am keeping it within the schedule I have set aside for it. The outcome of this work is up to the Lord, and I trust Him with that. He is faithful to answer our prayers and honor the work we’re putting in.

    I am truly honored to have a season of my life to serve as my husband’s main caregiver as we enjoy living, learning, working, and serving in Newnan. I humbly admit that I am only “adequate” at this caregiving job. I look forward to him having caregivers who are excellent at it and passionate about serving. As we continue our search for professional caregivers, we have adjusted our expectations and our job listings to help make these jobs both meet our needs and attract the type of professionals we need. That’s part of my work in the hiring process, to research and learn how to hire, including how to write the job listings and how to set the pay rate scale, etc.

    The original job listing was just for one full-time caregiver, but now it has been split into two positions. The first job listing has now been shifted into a weekend position for an entry-level care provider who is also available on-call/PRN for week days when the main care provider is not available. The newer job listing is a lead caregiver position for a more experienced professional who is consistently available on most week days. As a small business owner, I recognize the importance of having a well-built team and support network with experts who use their strengths to serve in areas where I am not as strong. So, I view caregiving professionals in the same way, as strong experts who are part of my team and support network. I also view both caregivers as a team that can support one another with continuing to grow in their careers and with providing full coverage of all the days to ensure my husband has enough help. The pay scale has also been adjusted to attract more experienced professional care providers with a scale of up to $16 per hour for up to 15 hours per week in the lead care giver position. The weekend PRN (on-call) entry-level position will pay up to $16 per hour for up to 10 hours per week.

    My job as the hiring manager for my own company is to ensure that the recruiting process is sound and the marketing of the job listings is appropriate and targeted towards professionals who want to work in this region of Coweta County. My job is also to pray and keep God at the middle of all of my relationships, including starting new relationships with new people. Since I know that I am called to love God and to love people, I am encouraged in my journey as an employer and looking forward to being a blessing to my new teammates.

    Clarification: When I say that God is in the center of all of my relationships, I mean that the unconditional love of Jesus is what motivates me to do all that I do, for the benefit of all, not just for my own benefit. I have shared about the spiritual side of my business journey in previous blog articles, videos, podcast interviews, and in my book. I pray that my authentic spirituality will be evident to everyone who meets me, and that there will not be any fear of self-righteousness nor of religious fakeness. Simply put, I live to serve like Jesus would serve if he was standing right here with me in the flesh. I truly believe He is standing right here with me in the Spirit.

    So, if you’re a potential client or a potential new team member, I hope this new article sheds some more light on who I am, who I serve, and how I serve here from my business headquarters in Newnan.

    God bless you and yours.

  • Progress of Promise – UPDATED

    Progress of Promise – UPDATED

    UPDATES

    As of August 2021, I am starting my last two classes and will be eligible to receive my Masters of Arts degree in December 2021 (I will walk in May 2022). Can you feel my excitement! This journey, this very spiritual journey, has been extremely fruitful. I get so much further in my life when I surrender the details to God, and just focus on what I can do moment to moment and day by day. Perfectionism sucks and is unhealthy. That’s all for now.

    What has your experience with perfectionism been?

    I really want to know. For real.

    Leave me a note in my contact form to share your story with me.

    As of March 2021, I am 1/4 finished with my last two semesters of graduate school. I have been able to move forward in school with the help of the good Lord and my family, and have been able to maintain my promise to stay present in all of my relationships. It feels good. I am not super stressed out. I have to say no to some events, but it’s worth it. This has been giving me more practice with protecting my peace, my time, and my space so that I can maintain my focus on what I am doing and who I am with right now. How about you? Will you answer my questionnaire (scroll down)?

    As I enter into a new season of my own personal and professional development (via my last two semesters of graduate school), I am making a critical spiritually-based promise to myself and my family that I wanted to share with you, my audience and clients, also.

    Before I get into the details of this promise, let me also say that I included my family in this promise because, besides getting my own oxygen first (i.e., parents put on oxygen mask first on an airplane to prevent passing out before they can help their child), they are my first priority and deserve my best. My oxygen, spiritually speaking, is continuing to grow and transform in my own personal walk with God.

    Ok, so, my promise follows.

    I promise to gratefully and gracefully live with love and excellence in this moment right now and to do the same for each moment today and every day.

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson, @leadlikeaqueen
    my promise via @leadlikeaqueen
    my promise via @leadlikeaqueen

    My Complex Promise Explained

    This is a simply stated and complex promise. What this complex promise means is that I will:

    * Be content right here right now in this moment.

    * Be grateful for the people, resources and money that I have right now in this moment.

    * Focus all of my best positive energy full of love and grace to engage with and be a blessing to whoever I am with right now in this moment.

    * Focus all of my excellence to complete all assignments that I need to work on right now in this moment (in whatever area needs to be addressed… chores, work, school, etc.).

    * Trust God with guiding my steps so that I am where I need to be right now.

    * Trust God with placing the people around me He has destined for me to be with right now.

    Living From My Core

    I believe that the core of my being is to live each day with focused positive love and grace-filled energy and gratefulness. My core’s source is Christ Jesus himself. At my core, I am in the center of God’s will. And I believe that in times when I am tempted to step outside of the core of who I am, it’s usually when I am living in a place of fear, anxiety, anger, and/or spacing/vegging out. The great news at these times is that Father God always uses Holy Spirit within my core to guide me gracefully and lovingly as I wake up and step back into being present to who I am at my core. From the moment of that new choice, I am whole again and can keep moving forward.

    In these times of great uncertainty and constant change, my promise helps me to keep walking in faith despite it all. It helps me remember who I am and whose I am. It supports me in getting back on track when I stumble and/or fail. I always know I can make a new choice in this moment right now, no matter the outcome of past choices. Because of God’s grace and mercy via Jesus’ shed blood, each moment for me is new, as I continue to be mindful of my promise and live from my core.

    Complex Calling

    Ultimately, I am very aware that I cannot serve anyone God has called me to serve without keeping Him at the center of my heart, mind and life at all times because my calling is very complex. There is no humanly possible way I can do all of this without HIM. (All of This = schooling at home, supporting my disabled spouse, attending grad school, re-building my business, writing, and speaking… and all while taking care of my own ‘oxygen’ needs first)

    complex calling via @leadlikeaqueen
    complex calling via @leadlikeaqueen

    Want to Share Your Story With Me?

    I want to keep encouraging you by continuing to share my own journey. Would you like to share the story of your journey as an author and/or speaker with me?

    Question:

    How do you stay focused on your personal relationship with Christ Jesus even in the face of your own fear, anxiety or failures, especially during these uncertain times?

    Go back

    Your message has been sent

    PRIVACY PROMISE: Your privacy is important to me. I will not share your story with others unless you specifically ask me to share it. So, if you do want me to share, please say so in the comment area above as you share your story there.

    Donna Marie Johnson, @leadlikeaqueen
    <p class="has-drop-cap" value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">UPDATE: One of the huge reasons why my promise is important is to keep me from falling back into the patterns that unhealthy perfectionism created in the past. I used to lose myself in my academics and in my work so that I didn't leave enough room for relationships because I was always worried about school/work even while I was with other people. So, it caused me to be a mile away from them even though I was physically with them. I am still working on this, but, at least I am aware and intentionally working on it.UPDATE: One of the huge reasons why my promise is important is to keep me from falling back into the patterns that unhealthy perfectionism created in the past. I used to lose myself in my academics and in my work so that I didn’t leave enough room for relationships because I was always worried about school/work even while I was with other people. So, it caused me to be a mile away from them even though I was physically with them. I am still working on this, but, at least I am aware and intentionally working on it.

    <p class="has-drop-cap" value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">My goal used to be to be perfect, especially when others could see me or see what I was doing. Now my goal is to just be present and excellent in this moment, trusting that Father God is using me to be a blessing to someone right here right now. This really takes the pressure off and helps me just be me and just serve.My goal used to be to be perfect, especially when others could see me or see what I was doing. Now my goal is to just be present and excellent in this moment, trusting that Father God is using me to be a blessing to someone right here right now. This really takes the pressure off and helps me just be me and just serve.

    JOURNAL CONFESSIONAL VIDEOS

    Part 1

    Also, see my most recent video updates via Instagram. (Link to IGTV, click here)

    Important Update

    In taking my own advice about checking on your people, especially during this pandemic era, I have had to end my graduate school journey for now so I can support a family member who needs me to be fully present for them at this time. This was a truly tough choice, but as I looked back at my promise… and at the advice I’ve shared with others, I had to remember to live what I say. I am very sad about this choice, but I trust God to help me and my family despite my feelings and to help me get past my feelings.

  • [UPDATED Research and Results] Survey for Authors and Speakers

    [UPDATED Research and Results] Survey for Authors and Speakers

    UPDATED SURVEY – click here if you want to participate

    Thank you so much for reading my blog and for participating in my surveys and research interviews. I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those of you who are truly “feeling me” or resonating with me, I am here for you. I am here to encourage and support you, especially Christian Women who are authors and speakers. The best way for me to support you is for me to understand you, your goals and your needs better. This is why I am conducting ongoing research via surveys and interview calls.

    If you want to help me serve authors and speakers better, please take my survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J8YCYJV (old survey closed)

    NEW SURVEY – click here to participate and claim a complimentary gift* at the end

    “I believe I am a queen in God’s kingdom and a selfless servant like Jesus. A queen impacts the world as a selfless servant and part of a community of sister queens, starting with her own family first, like how Ruth loyally served and supported Naomi.”

    ~ Manifesto Part 1 by Donna Marie Johnson

    UPDATE ABOUT BASIC RESEARCH FINDINGS SO FAR…

    * I surveyed and interviewed mostly Christian Women Leaders who are authors and speakers.

    * Most do not understand the metrics/numbers for their audiences.

    * Most want to grow their audiences.

    There are other questions that I asked during interviews where I cannot share the answers publicly. I will summarize by saying that my Sister Queens have surprised and blessed me with their diversity and with their passion to continue serving and supporting their audiences and clients. One of the most common questions they had for me were qualifiers around whether or not other types of writers besides book writers should take the survey, and I said yes. Also, most of those who do training or teaching as part of their job at work did consider themselves as speakers, although that term is also a little ambiguous or confusing, at times.

    TESTIMONIALS

    Check out testimonials from clients and colleagues who have worked with me in the past.

    “I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Donna Marie Johnson over the past several years on several projects. Donna has offered her expertise and contributed to my education blog and podcast for business women. She is knowledgeable, patient, and thorough, and her expertise shines through every time! Donna was fun to interview and offered my audience valuable insights that prove beneficial in their business endeavors.”

    ~ Demetria Zinga, Web Designer, Content Marketing Strategist, Teacher

    HOW I SUPPORT AUTHORS AND SPEAKERS

    I look forward to continuing to more effectively listen to and learn from my Sister Queens so I can continue supporting them better over time. Here are some of the ways I support them:

    • I have been holding free spring/summer seminar events locally in Atlanta with co-sponsorship from Fayette Public Library and other partners since 2014 called “Lead Like A Queen”.
    • In spring/summer of 2020, I held these free seminar events online because all public venues were shut down.
    • I provide consulting services including, but not limited to:
      • market research (understand your audience metrics better)
      • leadership strengths development (foundation for connecting with audience better)
      • other services customized to your specific needs (i.e., we edited and published a book to Kindle for Author/Life Coach Dee Salley)

    What can I do to serve you better?

    If you want to chat with me briefly to share your goals and needs, send me a text to request an appointment. Since it is back to school time for me as a graduate student and for my family of 2 teens and one young adult going to college, I have to be more flexible with my scheduling. After I hear from you, I will text you back with a proposed time for a brief 10-15 minute phone chat. After you share your goals and needs, I will give you a specific recommended service and price quote based on your goals and immediate needs.

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson, Founder of Lead Like A Queen | Mobile Number: +1(678)861-8121

    *Note: The free gift at the end of the survey is my interactive strengths journal. Learn more about it by clicking here to see my previous post about it.

  • [FREE OFFER] 8th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

    [FREE OFFER] 8th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

    I started my business more than a decade ago, and started the official registered business eight years ago today. I am so grateful for all that I have learned during this time. I am also most grateful for the wonderful, beautiful-soul leaders, mostly authors and speakers, who I have been able to serve and support over the years.

    testimonial about donna by lucinda
    TESTIMONIAL ABOUT DONNA BY AUTHOR/SPEAKER/COACH LUCINDA CROSS-OTITI

    My goal for the next 8 years and beyond is to make greater impact on even more micro / solo small business leaders, so I wrote a book that includes an assessment to help them understand their strengths and weaknesses as leaders of their solo / micro small businesses. I am super focused on continuing to support authors and speakers because that is mostly who I’ve been supporting since before I registered my business.

    One example is Lucinda Cross-Otiti, who I was able to support with creating a workbook that she could use to accompany her existing book at that time, along with her coaching events and online community. She and several other colleagues and clients very graciously left LinkedIn recommendations for me.

    I highly recommend Donna as a consultant and trusted advisor for executing your projects and expanding your brand visibility.

    Lucinda Cross-Otiti, Author / Speaker / Coach

    INTERACTIVE STRENGTHS JOURNAL

    Now, to help celebrate our 8th anniversary, I am offering free access to my interactive Strengths Journal. (This free offer ended on 8/15/2020.)

    Identify your strengths. Celebrate them. Enhance them. Serve your audience better over time. Make bigger impact on the world.

    8th anniversary blog header
    My Gift is for You for My 8th Anniversary . Identify and Celebrate Your Strengths as an Author / Speaker. (expired 8/15/2020)
    Yes, Give Me Your Strengths Journal (exp 8/15/20)

    The reason why I wrote the book (Small Biz Big Impact But How?) is to help solo and micro small businesses understand (not just that they can but) HOW they can make big impact in the world. And the reason the assessment is in the book is to help you see where you already are doing well with these impactful actions, but to also see areas where you need to improve

    FOCUS =

    STRENGTHS +

    GRATEFULNESS +

    CELEBRATION

    Evenso, while working with clients over the years, I have seen the best and most meaningful impact for them came through understanding the areas where they are strongest so they can enhance those and make them even stronger. So, the free offer today, THE STRENGTHS INTERACTIVE JOURNAL, will help in this area.

    This journal can support you as you continue serving your audience selflessly and help you be an even greater gift to them. Even though understanding your weaknesses has a place of importance, the focus of this journal is to help foster awareness of your strengths along with invoking gratefulness and motivating you to celebrate what works. When you focus on your strengths in this way, it is powerful to help you move forward with unparalleled momentum.

    YOU are the best gift to the audience you have been serving, so get stronger in your strengths and make a bigger impact.

    I would love to give you complimentary access so that you can see which strong areas you can enhance in your solo or micro small business leadership so that you can get even better results for making bigger impact on the world.

    Would you mind taking a quick one question poll in exchange for free access to the interactive journal? (expired 8/15)

    Go to this link (click here) to take the quick poll and claim your free interactive strengths journal.
    Yes, I want to take the poll and get the free journal. (exp 8/15)

    In addition to helping established authors and speakers look back and understand their strengths based on past results, the strengths journal and accompanying assessment can help newer leaders establish a starting point (a baseline) so that overtime they can track their progress as they keep enhancing their strengths. Periodically, they can look back at their previous journal entries and see what is the same or what has changed. This will help them to stay grateful and to keep celebrating their progress and building momentum.

    If you know an author or speaker who is just getting started, would you share this offer with them?

    How to Share? Just click on the sharing buttons on this website or just reshare from one of my social media posts.

    Thank you for reading, and God bless you.

    Donna Marie Johnson use your voice responsibly
    Donna Marie Johnson. Use your voice (and vote) responsibly.
  • [COVID-19 OFFERING] Supporting Small Businesses to Emerge and Thrive

    [COVID-19 OFFERING] Supporting Small Businesses to Emerge and Thrive

    [UPDATE: Our usual annual free event series is now virtual for 2020 due to COVID-19, register today to get access to a free early bird gift. Click Here to Learn More: https://mailchi.mp/3d1fc0f8679f/leadlikeaqueen2020 ]

    Since the start of the pandemic, I started blogging here at Lead Like A Queen again to encourage and support small business leaders, especially those deemed as non-essential and forced to close down storefront or in-person operations. If you didn’t see previous articles, I encourage you to read and let me know how they helped you (or not). Your feedback means the world to me so that I can serve you better over time.

    Previous 2020 Articles: * Transition in 2019 | * Helping Your Small Biz Stay Connected in 2020

    As we are nearing the summer months, I long to see all non-essential small businesses emerge from this and begin to restart and recover. So, for a limited time I am offering myself as a supportive coach to get your small business through this pandemic, and, prayerfully, thriving even better after this epic season in world history has become a memory for us all.

    Decide to Live in Hope. You Will Emerge. Get Support Today.

    COVID-19 OFFERING

    I have a coaching offer for small business leaders. I am a small business leadership development coach. My COVID-19 OFFERING is:

    Complimentary 20-minute Pandemic Recovery Coaching sessions

    This is for small business leaders who need support with making a plan for making it through this pandemic. (Expiration Date: 5/1/2020; 1 session per business leader; no other offers apply; free get acquainted session required first)

    GOAL OF COACHING

    My primary goal for leadership coaching is to help you focus on what’s most important right now so you come out of the pandemic as a better small business leader than when you went in. My secondary goal is to support you with creating a viable, realistic baby-step plan for going forward and thriving over time.

    GET ACQUAINTED. BUILD TRUST.

    As a leadership coach, I guide you and support you with your process. This requires for us to be acquainted with each other as a way to start building essential trust. So, before you schedule your complimentary coaching session, we can meet by phone for free and chat to get to know one another.

    To Schedule Your Get Acquainted Session, Use The Calendar Widget Below:

    I hope to talk with you soon.

    (If you can’t see the widget with my calendly calendar shown above, then just go to calendly.com/leadlikeaqueen.)

    Sincerely,

    Donna Marie Johnson

    Donna Marie Johnson, @leadlikeaqueen
  • [RE-UPDATED] How We Can Help Your Small Biz Stay Connected With Customers While Social Distancing

    [RE-UPDATED] How We Can Help Your Small Biz Stay Connected With Customers While Social Distancing

    COMPLIMENTARY EVENT UPDATE: In April and May, you can join us for the Lead Like A Queen 2020 virtual event series. Seats are limited so learn more and register ASAP at leadlikeaqueenseries2020.eventbrite.com/

    ——-

    The irony of current global events is humorous and sad at the same time. I recently asked my audience to express interest by contacting me if they want to participate in online seminars, in addition to the in person seminars that I have previously hosted at local libraries. My hand is now forced towards online seminars, for now, because most public venues are now closed for several weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak in America and abroad.

    Online networking is a wonderful thing for small businesses who are already adept at it. However, for those who are “techno-phobes” or just “techno-ignorant”, they are now forced to go through a learning curve to provide online networking for their support groups, work team groups, online services, and retail sales.

    I have great news for those of you who want or need help bridging the gap across that technology learning curve, I am opening up availability to assist you in a small group setting. I am working on a schedule of small groups by phone and/or video chat. I just need you to reach out and let me know your availability.

    Just click the contact link on my blog or CALL/TEXT _+1(678)203-8789_

    …and fill out the contact form with all of your information and a comment about your 3 best days and times to attend a small group session. Expect a reply from me within 3 business days. After you receive my reply message, register for the small group session that you want to attend. Before the session starts, I will send instructions on how to connect with the small group by phone and/or video to everyone who pre-registered.

    What To Expect*

    • *Initial free first small group seminar meeting to help me learn what help each group member needs
    • *Help and practice with using online seminar tools for voice and video chat
    • *Transparent pricing for ongoing seminars so you can determine how to best fit this training into your training budget for your small business
    • *A customized seminar tailored to meet the needs of your specific small group’s members
    • *A customized schedule that fits all group member needs for in person attendance and for replay after the seminar

    How can you help me if I don’t have time to learn this stuff?

    If you are not already familiar with me, Donna Marie Johnson, check out my LinkedIn profile or other social media, and plan to attend the initial free small group seminar so that you can learn more and ask questions.

    Donna Marie Johnson, Small Business Leadership Consultant
    @leadlikeaqueen

  • [UPDATED] Hiatus Over After Important Transition

    [UPDATED] Hiatus Over After Important Transition

    2020 COMPLIMENTARY EVENT UPDATE: The complimentary webinar series for 2020 is now replacing the previous years’ local events at the libraries because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    To learn more and register, click here asap (seats are limited).

    To those of you who are paying attention to the Lead Like A Queen blog and local events, thank you for your patience as I went through an important transition with my family. We are now relocated to the Newnan, Georgia community in Coweta County, after living in College Park, GA in South Fulton County for many years. So far so good, we really like it here.

    In 2019, I was blessed to have the co-sponsorship of the Fayette County Public Library for the Lead Like A Queen events series. You can learn more about past events and the topics discussed by exploring this blog. The most recent event was in the summer of 2019 [click here to read summary].

    Benefits of Events Revealed

    The most important take away that I got from our last event was that small business leaders who are just starting or restarting want free and affordable events to attend in person where they can connect with more experienced entrepreneurs in a safe, moderated setting. They want to glean wisdom from their peers’ sharing and use it to help themselves improve as leaders in their own small businesses.

    They have good, specific questions to ask, some of which can be answered in this type of free seminar setting, and some of which requires more skilled, focused support. So, providing this type of introductory event can be a gateway for facilitating important supportive relationships between entrepreneurs that help them keep growing over time.

    Another important take away that I got from surveys about past events is that there is a demand for an online version of these events. In the past, I did not design these sessions as online seminars/webinars because I wanted small business leaders, who are often working from home and isolated, to get the benefit of in-person connections with other small business leaders. However, in the face of current changes and challenges in our local communities, I am planning to offer an online version of the Lead Like A Queen Events.

    Upcoming Events for 2020

    If you would like to attend future events, either online or in person, and want to develop relationships with other local entrepreneurs:

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson @leadlikeaqueen
  • [UPCOMING EVENT] How Well Do You Express Vision & Mission?

    [UPCOMING EVENT] How Well Do You Express Vision & Mission?

    How Well Do You Express

    Vision & Mission

    as a Small Business Leader?

    Part of the Lead Like A Queen Complimentary Seminar Series

    If you are not sure how to clearly express your vision and mission as a small business leader, plant seed for your transformation by learning more and improving your leadership so you’re able to Lead Like A Queen and see more business growth.

    In small business, you become a leader as soon as you start selling your products or services, but being a “queen” is about the mindset of responsibility, instead of privilege.  Keeping this mindset empowers you to impact the whole world with your “small” business.

    This is truly a big responsibility, and many small business leaders start feeling overwhelmed and/or unsure as they start to grow. It is hard to understand how to keep your business moving forward over time.

    TIP: you must clearly communicate your vision and mission…

    …so you can build the right team who will keep your clients happy for the long-term.

    learn how to clearly express your vision and mission as a small business leader

    “Until you understand how to assess and improve your leadership in this area of communicating your vision and mission, it will impact your team’s effectiveness, your customers’ happiness, and, most importantly, your profit growth.”

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson

    WHAT TO EXPECT? An inspiring & empowering event to support you with:

    • Assessing your small business leadership;
    • Improving how you express vision and mission;
    • Hearing other small business leaders’ insights; and
    • Asking your small business leadership questions

    Event Name: “How Well Do You Express Vision & Mission as a Small Business Leader?”

    Why Attend? Make business better: communicate better, lead better & make more money

    Date & Time: Tentatively Spring 2020

    Location: Tentatively the Historic Newnan, Georgia

    FREE Registration: Will be available soon. (Use contact form to express interest now.)

    Contact: Donna Marie Johnson, CEO of GGene S.I.S., LLC

    mobile: (678) 203-8789

    email: DonnaMarie @ LeadLikeAQueen.com

    Donna Marie Johnson, CEO of GGene S.I.S., LLC | @leadlikeaqueen
  • Summary of Last Night’s Seminar

    Summary of Last Night’s Seminar

    The Fayette County Public Library co-hosted our summer seminar as the second of two Lead Like A Queen leadership development events in their small meeting room. We had 11 very engaged attendees which made this an awesome event, with some of them asking me to do this type of event again.

    See photos and videos on instagram. Connect with @LeadLikeAQueen
    See photos and videos on instagram. Connect with @LeadLikeAQueen

    Our topic for the 6/4 event last night was…

    “How Well Are You Focusing as a Small Business Leader?”

    Thank you, again, to the Fayette County Public Library for co-hosting our summer seminar in the Lead Like A Queen leadership development event series.

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson @leadlikeaqueen

    Brief Summary of Discussion

    • We discussed our completed basic focus assessments to see which areas we are strong or weak in.
    • We heard from our interview guest, Magaline Harvey, about her journey as a small business owner and what helps her develop and maintain a strong focus as a small business leader.
    • We answered audience questions to address topics including:
      • how to follow-through on a project/task and see it completed successfully;
      • how to prevent burnout; and
      • how to find a mentor/coach

    [TESTIMONIAL]

    How Did Assessment Help Val?

    One of the audience members, Valerie Anderson, stated that the assessment helped her to think about WHY she has been allowing too many distractions to interrupt her morning routine while she’s completing important high-priority tasks: fear of missing out (aka FOMO). But the assessment and the discussion helped her to remember wisdom she’s heard in the past and realize that other people’s remote urgencies are totally out of her control anyway, so those notifications can wait for her to look at them later at a designated time where the interruptions won’t affect her most important priorities.

    Basic Assessment Helped Attendees to See Strengths and Weaknesses and Engage in Discussion for Answers on How to Improve on Strengths and Eliminate Weaknesses

    What Can YOU Do Differently?

    If you can relate to Val’s testimony, please turn off notifications for 30 minutes to an hour while working on an important task, such as writing a blog article to attract new customers or creating a new product to sell in your store. Other people can wait for 30 minutes. It won’t kill them…

    …but those highly focused 30 minutes can make a world of difference for you as a small business leader.

    [Side note... in the middle of writing this, my email popped up and interrupted me. I have to figure out how to turn that off! LOL!]
    Watch and hear a bit more detail from Donna Marie Johnson about the event and an important main point to help you stay super focused.

    Want a Copy of Assessment Form?

    BASIC ASSESSMENT

    If you wanted to come to this event and are disappointed that you missed it, join my newsletter email list (click here) so that I can send you a more detailed summary of our discussion, including a copy of the assessment form that we all completed at the start of the event.

    MORE IN-DEPTH ASSESSMENT

    NOTE: The assessment is basic and not comprehensive. It doesn’t cover every area that small business leaders need to address, but it gives you a good start. If you’d like a more in-depth comprehensive assessment, schedule a free 15 minute call (click here) to learn more about the Lead Like A Queen Small Business Impact Assessment.

    RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: “SMALL BIZ BIG IMPACT BUT HOW?“

    This more in-depth assessment is based off of my book “Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World”, available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers. To see the book preview on the blog, click here.

    Donna Marie Johnson, Small Business Leadership Coach @leadlikeaqueen
  • [UPDATE] Value of Vulnerability in Leadership

    [UPDATE] Value of Vulnerability in Leadership

    UPDATE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, this topic is now more relevant than ever, as you can see in news reports and social media posts by very lonely professionals all over the world who have been isolated for months. In addition to YouTube and Apple Podcasts, you can now find this episode on other platforms, including Spotify and Anchor. There’s also a new podcast cover to help illustrate the power of purposely cultivating your own growth and transformation.

    How do you like the new podcast name and cover art for the renamed podcast “Plant Your Seeds of Transformation”?

    [ORIGINAL ARTICLE]

    As I write this, I realize that the topic of “vulnerability” has been hot for several years because of the popularity of a researcher and author who has been featured on the TED Talks video series and on Oprah’s OWN network (i.e., Super Soul Sunday). Her name is Brene Brown, and she has influenced me, but this is not the reason for this blog article.

    In the summer of 2018, I started a series entitled “Loneliness and Leadership” on my previous blog and podcast. To see the video about this topic, visit my youtube channel for Lead Like A Queen at this link (click here) or watch it below:

    Here is a summary of the main points from what I addressed in this video:

    #1 Admitting loneliness is difficult due to its social stigma* and due to unwillingness to be vulnerable. (See research resource listed below.)

    #2 Failing to admit you need help dealing with loneliness keeps you in bondage to it.

    #3 Failing to get free from the impacts of loneliness within you affects how you act and react at home and at work. It may cause you to lead in unhealthy ways.

    #4 Failing to admit your need for help prevents you from seeking help which empowers you to plant seeds for your own transformation.

    “Personal and professional transformation, just like gardening, takes time, but it can’t even start until you start seeking help as your way of planting the seeds for your own change.”

    ~ Donna Marie Johnson @leadlikeaqueen

    *Resource: Rokach, A. (2013). Loneliness updated: Recent research on loneliness and how it affects our lives. Oxon [England]: Routledge.

    Note: This is an older video, so the offer included in the video is no longer available. To get updates about current offers, join the email newsletter community for Lead Like A Queen (click here).

  • Summer Seminar – Eventbrite Registration Now Open

    Summer Seminar – Eventbrite Registration Now Open

    Registration now open for "How Well Are You Focusing as a Small Business Leader?"
    Registration is now open @: leadlikeaqueensummer.eventbrite.com

    Register for the summer seminar coming up on Tuesday June 4, 2019 at 7pm at the Fayette County Public Library in the South Metro Atlanta Region.

    EVENT SERIES INFORMATION

    “How Well Are You Focusing as a Small Business Leader?” is part of the Lead Like A Queen Seminar Series, co-sponsored by the Fayette County Public Library. This is our second event for 2019, and the first one was held on Tuesday January 8, 2019 at Fayette County Public Library on Heritage Parkway in Fayetteville, Georgia USA. The recap of that event is available to newsletter subscribers.

    EVENT BACKGROUND INFORMATION

    If you are not sure how to answer that question in the event title, you need to learn more and tweak your leadership so you’re able to Lead Like A Queen, focus better, & see more growth.

    In small business, you become a leader as soon as you start selling your products or services. Leading like a “queen” is about the servant leadership mindset of responsibility, instead of privilege, which empowers you to impact the world with your “small” business. Evenso, many leaders start feeling overwhelmed and/or unsure as we start to grow.

    SMALL BIZ FOCUS – AN ONGOING CHALLENGE

    It is hard to understand which mole to whack to keep your business from becoming part of the small biz fail statistics. It takes great FOCUS to handle each part of your small business effectively and avoid overwhelm and burnout.

    HOW TO FIX FOCUS PROBLEM?

    Until you understand how to assess and improve your own leadership, including but not limited to problems with focus, it will impact your ability to focus plus your confidence, your effectiveness, and, most importantly, your profit growth.

    Q: “Where can I get help with tweaking my focus as I lead my small business?”

    Join us for a free inspiring event to encourage and inform you about:

    • Assessing and improving your small business leadership;
    • Improving the foundation of your small business focus;
    • Hear from an experienced small business leader to give insight into their perspective on this area of focus; and
    • Brief question and answer session for small business leadership questions

    Event Registration Link:

        LeadLikeAQueenSummer.EventBrite.com

    Event Name:

         “How Well Are You Focusing as a Small Business Leader?”

    Why Attend?

         Make business better: focus better, lead better & make more money

    Date & Time:

         Tuesday June 4, 2019 @ 7pm

    Location:

         Fayette County Library

         1821 Heritage Pkwy, Fayetteville, GA 30214

    Contact:

         Donna Marie Johnson, CEO of GGene S.I.S., LLC

         m: (678)  203 – 8789

         e: DonnaMarie @ LeadLikeAQueen.com

  • [BOOK TRAILER] #SmallBizBigImpact But How?

    [BOOK TRAILER] #SmallBizBigImpact But How?

    Update: You can now buy the Small Biz Big Impact ebook here on this website.

    This article gives you an overview of my Free* Amazon Kindle book called:

    “Small Biz Big Impact But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World”

    by Author Donna Marie Johnson

    Link: https://www.amazon.com/author/donnamariejohnson
    https://www.amazon.com/author/donnamariejohnson

    *Note: If you subscribe to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, it is available for free to you.

    Watch the video to see the slideshow, and scroll down further to read informative and inspiring commentary along with each quote.

    These excerpts of the book are designed to help you:

    • Discover some main ways small business leaders can make big impact.
    • Understand linkages between key leadership habits and your small business success.
    • Be inspired and empowered by a book created with small business leaders in mind.

    WATCH BOOK TRAILER VIDEO

    #SmallBizBigImpact But How?

    Here are excerpts from my book that discuss what it means to build up your small business with diversity, selfless service, humility, servant leadership, empowerment, faith, and hope & healing.

    SMALL BUSINESS

    Just because you are a small business owner or entrepreneur does not mean that you cannot make a big impact, but you definitely cannot do your business the same way as larger organizations and stay sustainably successful.

    “…with wise project management, entrepreneurs and small business owners can learn which resources and tools they can use, and which ones they can modify, to meet the same needs [as large organizations, but] more affordably for their own organizational culture development.”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    DIVERSITY

    If you, your teammates, or your stakeholders have differences, that only serves as an advantage. Embrace that and learn to use those differences in ways no one else can.

    “Studies were done within multicultural organizations to show the benefit of having a diverse group of individuals who contribute to the organizational culture, and therefore, to the organizational knowledge.”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    SELFLESS SERVICE

    Being selfless is not the same as being a doormat. It must be guided by your personal relationship with Jesus Christ and your understanding the example He laid out for you in His Holy Word.

    “Over time, your small business can build a platform based on selfless service, but all of this starts with you, the head leader in the business, developing a heart with a selfless service focus.”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    HUMILITY

    A personal relationship with Christ Jesus gives you a desire and thirst to know Him more and more so that you can humbly allow Him to lead your leadership choices.

    “Quiet time alone in prayer, in Bible study, and in quiet Holy Spirit-led reflection are daily rituals that empower leaders to develop Christ-focused vision aligned with this truth [of humble servant leadership].”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    SERVANT LEADERSHIP

    When serving others as your way of serving the Lord remains your focus, it prevents ethical and moral leadership problems for the top leadership and everyone else who serves within your organization.

    “Primarily, the focus of biblical servant leadership on serving others as a way to serve Christ Jesus is perceived by followers as authentic leadership, which boosts their trust in and emulation of their leaders.”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    EMPOWERMENT

    The most potent type of empowerment any entrepreneurial leader gives to their team is their example.

    “After being purposely mentored and developed by their leaders, followers can succeed them as future leaders and mentors who serve first just as Christ served first, and just as it was emulated for them by their own leaders.”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    FAITH

    The most authentic form of servant leadership is coupled with deeply rooted faith in the one who was the author of servant leadership, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his life for all human beings. In my book, I interviewed a christian business leader who shared about how his faith shapes his business.

    “authentic servant leadership can have far reaching impact within and outside of a company by creating an environment that fosters change at all levels due to the love and trust that ensues”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    HOPE AND HEALING

    One of the most common ways small business leaders cause damage to their businesses and brands is in how they manage their people resources. In my book, I interviewed a christian business leader who shared about how his faith shapes how he manages his people.

    “Humble leaders provide a supportive atmosphere for followers which gives them hope and brings healing.”

    Johnson, D. (2019, January 7). Small Biz Big Impact, But How?: How Conscious Selfless Servants Impact the World 

    QUESTIONS?

    If you’d like to discuss these topics in person or have questions, join me for upcoming events or contact me. You can see announcements about events and find my contact information on this blog and my social pages, including if you follow my Amazon Author page at… and the easiest way to remember is just to use my name:

    DonnaMarieJohnson.com

  • Free Event Helps Understand How Well You Are Leading Your Small Business

    Free Event Helps Understand How Well You Are Leading Your Small Business

    In small business, you become a leader as soon as you start selling your products or services, but many of us start feeling overwhelmed and/or unsure as we start to grow.

    How Well Are You Leading Your Small Business?

    If you are not sure how to answer this, you need to learn more and tweak your leadership so you’re able to Lead Like A Queen and see more growth.

    Until you understand how to assess and improve your own leadership, it will impact your confidence, your effectiveness, and, most importantly, your profit growth.  Researchers have also found that good, fair leaders who are concerned about other people (customers and staff) usually care more for their communities also, which fosters business growth (Amisano & Anthony, 2017, p. 85).

    Where can I get help with tweaking my small business leadership?

    Join me for a free* inspiring event to encourage and inform you about:

    • Assessing and improving your small business leadership;
    • Improving foundation of small business with correct structure (e.g., LLC); and
    • Brief question and answer session for business and leadership questions

    Event Name:

    “How Well Are You Leading Your Small Business?”

    Why Attend?

    Make business better: understand better, lead better & make more money

    Who is this for?

    Sole proprietors, consultants, or contractors (In state of Georgia, they may be paying home business taxes with personal taxes).  This could look like doing direct sales of personal or home products; catering; or doing photography.

    Date & Time:

    Tuesday January 8, 2019 @ 7pm

    Location:

    Fayette County Library 1821 Heritage Pkwy, Fayetteville, GA 30214 

    Contact:

    Donna Marie Johnson, CEO of GGene S.I.S., LLC

    m: (678) 203-8789

    e: DonnaMarie @ LeadLikeAQueen.com

    REGISTRATION LINK FOR LEAD LIKE A QUEEN EVENT

    *Note: Free Event Open to Patrons of Library. Registration Recommended, Not Required.

    **Registration Gift Offer: Free Small Biz Consult ($47 Value). Bring Ticket to Claim.**

     

    Reference: Amisano, D. C., & Anthony, P. (2017). Relationship between ethical leadership and sustainability in small businesses. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 14(3), 76-90. Retrieved from Proquest.com

    To Download, Print &/Or Share the Flier (pdf document) click the link below:

    “How Well Are You Leading Your Small Business?” event flier for Fayette Library – click to download

  • Updates for This Website LeadLikeAQueen.com

    This website is being downgraded and archived. You may see it looking a little weird because it will have to be changed to a new template, but until I get to it, it may look weird. However, my main website is now at CoachDonnaMarie.com. Please use that website if you’re trying to reach me or to see what I’ve been up to lately.