We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mary Hemphill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mary below.
Mary, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Our leadership development approach is unique in that we focus on transforming human doings into human beings. We believe that in order to be truly effective leaders, we must first understand ourselves and our purpose. One of the ways we do this is through our Limitless Leadership Catalyst.. We do not refer to any of our leadership development options as “programs” but rather “catalysts.” Programs typically have a distinct beginning, middle, and end, and any leader will tell you that the journey of leadership is never ending. It is a lifelong exploration of who you are and how you are able to impact others in the process. Our Limitless Leader Catalyst is designed to accelerate your professional, mental, and emotional capacity on a lifelong journey. This catalyst helps leaders at every level to tap into their limitless potential, identify their areas of celebration and areas of challenge, intentionally develop their emotional intelligence, and create a living, breathing vision for their future.
I recently had a client who had been feeling stagnant in her profession for almost 10 years. She was a successful and impactful executive, but she felt as if she was just going through the motions. She wasn’t passionate about her work, and she didn’t feel like she was making a difference in the world. She decided to enroll in our Limitless Leadership Catalyst, and it deeply impacted her mindset thus impacting her ability to navigate to new pathways that better served her. She got regrounded in her purpose, created an action plan with short and long terms goals for her personal and professional growth, and started her own coaching and consulting company! She is now more fulfilled and aligned than she has ever been. Our approach is different because we focus on the whole person, not just the professional. We believe that in order to be successful leaders, we must also be healthy, purpose-aligned, and intentional in all areas of our lives.
Mary, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am Dr. Mary Hemphill, a leadership expert, development coach, and self-proclaimed “edupreneur.” With over 20 years of professional experience as a teacher, administrator, state director, and adjunct professor, I understand the importance of fusing education, empowerment, and leadership together. I have led, coached, and impacted close to 50,000 educational and corporate leaders around the world on transformational and innovative strategy, self-empowerment, and leadership development.
I am the proud CEO and Founder of The Limitless Leader, an organization that helps people ignite the leader in themselves so they can better serve their community, company, and personal career. I believe that in order to show up in the world as your most authentic and powerful self, you must break through limiting beliefs that keep you from maximizing your full potential. If we want to create opportunities, pathways, and impacts that shift our world in a more positive direction, then we need young adults, learning communities, and organizations who are prepared to lead the movement.
When clients come to The Limitless Leader they typically are experiencing a lack of clarity and direction in their personal or professional life; they feel stuck or unfulfilled in their career; they may have experienced difficulty leading and motivating others; or they lack of confidence and self-belief. What I want potential clients/followers/fans to know about my work is that I am passionate about helping humans reach their full potential. I believe that everyone has the ability to be a leader, and I provide practical tools and strategies that can be immediately applied to improve leadership skills.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
When I first started out on social media, I did not have a large following. I had a few hundred followers, and it was difficult to get people to engage with my content because I was not clear on my brand messaging. But I was consistent and over time as my business evolved, so did my message of living a limitless lifestyle as a leader. I posted every day, even when I didn’t feel like it. I posted when I got zero likes or zero interaction, and it was the consistency that was key.
I shared valuable content that I thought my audience would find interesting and helpful. Over time, my audience started to grow. People began to appreciate my content and they started to follow me. The one thing I realized about social media, is that people wanted to get to know me – the real me. Finding ways to incorporate my everyday life from a perspective of leadership started to attract new followers and new interactions because I developed content that featured leadership in action across every area of my life – emotional, physical, mental, and professional. Now, I have a larger following on social media, and reach thousands of people every day with my content. But it all started with consistency, and developing that discipline within myself for myself first, helped me show up on social media in a way that felt authentic for me and resonated deeply with my followers.
For those just starting to build their social media presence, start with deciding how you want people to experience you and your brand. Develop your brand message, and ask yourself, “How do I want people to feel when they engage with my content?” Once you can acutely name the feelings and emotions you want to evoke, align your content around that emotional message. For me, I wanted people to feel inspired and empowered when they engage with my content, and that helped me curate visuals that aligned with those sentiments. Also, don’t just post for the sake of posting. Share content that your audience will find interesting and helpful. Ask yourself, “What would I want to know/learn/gain if I were in this specific circumstance? Then curate content that answers that question. This could include blog posts, articles, videos, or infographics. Make it yours and add your unique voice, style, and personality into it because you are one of one. No one can be you. No one can deliver it the way you can.
As a coach, it’s important to live a life that you’re encouraging others to lead. Your followers want to know that you’re practicing what you preach. So be authentic and transparent on social media. Share your struggles and your successes. Show your followers that you’re a real person who is on a journey just like they are. That helps you develop brand trust. The muscles you focus on in training yourself in your business are the ones that will get stronger over time. If you want to build a strong social media presence, focus on consistency, value, and engagement. Over time, you will see results.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Atomic Habits** by James Clear is a book that has significantly impacted my management, entrepreneurial thinking, and philosophy. The book provides a framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones. Clear argues that small, incremental changes can lead to big results over time. This has helped me to focus on making small, sustainable changes in my own life and in my work as a manager and entrepreneur.
Dare to Lead** by Brené Brown is another book that has had a major impact on my thinking. Brown argues that vulnerability is essential for leadership. She encourages leaders to be open and honest about their own struggles and fears. This has helped me to become a more authentic and effective leader.
Lastly, “Start with Why** by Simon Sinek is a book that has helped me to clarify my purpose as a leader and entrepreneur. Sinek argues that people are inspired to follow leaders who have a clear sense of purpose. This has helped me to focus on my own why and to communicate it more effectively to my team and to my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bealimitlessleader.com
- Instagram: @thelimitlesslady
- Linkedin: Dr. Mary Hemphill
Image Credits
Dr. Mary Hemphill, CEO & Founder of The Limitless Leader