We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karen Hewitt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Karen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?
I want to speak to inclusivity in two directions.
First, as a pansexual woman, I always felt like I had to hide who I was in the workplace because it wasn’t as obvious to my leaning as it may have been to others. When I was younger, I would get comments that if I couldn’t make up my mind on who I wanted, how could I make business decisions. So I hid that part of me for years, literally only feeling safe to bring it out into the open in 2022. What changed – being in charge of my own workplace, I realized that my team knew I treated them with respect and trust, and hiding part of who I am, made it so they may feel uncomfortable.
The real thing about this is we are in working environments, and I personally take on clients with many different personal aspects; if we are not comfortable with it ourselves, how can we expect our teams to be inclusive. Pronoun recognition has to be built into the culture of your company as well as trusting in authenticity. I am very honored to currently be the only coaching company featured by a Trans Directory for being an ally to the community as a coach in Arizona.
Secondly, inclusivity is not just orientation, it’s race, age, disability, neuro diversion, and personality traits. I do focus on helping those that are introverted to lean more into their strengths rather than attempt to be extroverted. The key takeaway is that we must make authentic behaviors our defining characteristic.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Let me be completely transparent; I started my business because I got mad. I was desperately trying to gain an edge in business (network marketing) several years ago, so I hired business coaches, social media coaches, and leadership coaches, and there was a common thread.
To succeed, be more extroverted.
Why did I get mad? We never tell extroverted individuals to stop, be quiet and listen more, but somehow it’s become commonplace to tell introverts…be louder, do more, get out there, network, video, stage…..It was soul-crushing.
I knew there had to be another way, so I started researching. I became certified as a life coach, as an NLP practitioner, and then an NLP coach and certified in many different social media, and that is when I started to isolate what I call the hidden gifts of an introvert.
That introverts are observant, tend to have EQ skills, are empathic, organized, natural problems solvers, great educators, very passion-driven, and lean into purpose-driven work. Not saying extroverts arent skilled in these, because many are, yet imagine if you had someone help you dig deep into your strengths and what gave you joy in business in life, how fulfilled and successful you would be?
Not only that, but I work with clients on sharing their stories through social media, presentations, and more in an authentic compassionate manner that will help them build a community that thrives with them.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As an introvert, I always came across as shy; however, what was hiding beneath that was an agoraphobic woman that endured 6 years of domestic violence. I was terrified to go out in public, to speak to others; I literally wanted to blend into the walls so no one would see me or pay me any attention. After my mom passed away suddenly, I knew that I had to do something to change this. I had a story to tell; I was tired of being told how I was less than because of who I am, what I had been through, and how I reacted to the world. Just because I was different, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t make a difference.
I chose to walk into a Toastmasters meeting that week and learn how to present and how to speak. I never expected the journey; I have received educational awards that less than 2% of Toastmasters and currently serving in a volunteer capacity as a Program Quality Director for education within the State of Arizona until June 2022.
Why would I bring this up, I was terrified, but a special trait of a lot of Introverts is that we plan; I had to come up with a plan to overcome, I didn’t need to be afraid anymore, and then I set forward to do the best job possible and its ended up with me currently presiding in the second-highest position in the State of Arizona for Toastmasters. I want to share because no matter what is holding you back, it is possible and you can achieve it.
*******(If this publishes after June, I may be the district director for the State of Arizona, I will know by May 20th, 2022 if I am elected)********
How did you build your audience on social media?
I did it all wrong at first and made every mistake. Let me explain; I was taught a copy-paste method at first; you see a successful post, copy it, and repost it. This is probably the most inauthentic way to market on social media. Now there are some merits to looking at what works and capitalizing on how it’s done, but a blanket copy and paste doesn’t work.
Your clients need to be attracted to your vibe because when you can create a relationship based on the trust you create a return client.
The second mistake I made was always happy; no, I am not saying be whiny, negative, but be real. I share what’s going on behind the scenes authentically, such as taking my audience along with me when my then almost 2-year-old was involved in a nonfatal drowning which allowed me to advocate heavily for child CPR lessons. Or now on his autism diagnosis journey, or my daughter’s ADHD diagnosis journey.
Being authentically you is key, that includes the bad and ugly, however, what I recommend is to have a reason you are sharing what is it you want your audience to take from your post
They want to see real people, it helps build a community, helps them see who you are and can lead to you being the reason they achieved something today. People want YOU, not just a blanket company, they want your story, your why and what problems you will solve for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Blossomtosuccess.com
- Instagram: @Blossomtosuccess
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blossomtosuccess
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhewittblossomtosuccess/
- Twitter: @Blossomtosucces
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BlossomToSuccess
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@blossom.tosuccess Podcast https://blossomtosuccess.libsyn.com