Lead Like A Queen Coaching and Consulting, LLC

Tag: leadership

  • 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