Starting as a corporate employee for many years in training, strategic planning, and business coaching domestically and internationally, Ashley Allen was let go and pivoted to creating her own business. Ashley continues to train, help with personal branding, and coach as her own boss now. Our lively conversation with Ashley not only talks about how she helps entrepreneurs, but also her new interest - playing the fiddle. Tune in for this exciting and entertaining conversation with Ashley. Learn more about Changing the Rules at www.theluckiestpeopleintheworld.com
Find Ashely at www.acaciainsights.com
TRANSCRIPT
Diane Dayton 0:02
This is Changing the Rules, a podcast about designing the life you want to live, hosted by KC Dempster and Ray Loewe, the luckiest guy in the world.
Ray Loewe 0:13
Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Changing the Rules. I'm KC Dempster. And I'm here with Ray Loewe. And once again, we are bringing you a podcast that is intended to help you become one of the luckiest people in the world. And one of the things that we want people to do is to, to explore opportunities and and learn about things so that they can decide what they want in their personally designed life. And they can bring that in and then they can live their life to the fullest. Yeah, good morning, Ray.
Thank you. And so we have a wonderful guest today, this is a guest that I've known for quite a while, okay. And I've sat in many meetings with her over the years. And she certainly is one of the luckiest people in the world. She has transformed her life over that period of time, and gone from a corporate employee, which may have been a good thing for her at that point in time, but to an independent contractor, where she controls the way she does business and how she does business. And what she's done is some magnificent, magnificent things. For other people.
KC Dempster 1:19
It's all about control for you, right?
Ray Loewe 1:22
We'll get that right. So Taylor, why don't you tell everybody where we are, and then we'll bring Ashley Allen on.
Diane Dayton 1:30
You're listening to Changing the Rules with KC Dempster and Ray Loewe, the luckiest guy in the world. We will be right back with more exciting information.
Ray Loewe 1:40
Welcome back, everybody, I am delighted to be able to introduce to you Ashley Allen, who has an amazing career behind her and ahead of her. And as Ray mentioned earlier, she started out in the corporate world, you know, doing all the business training and management and strategic planning and so forth. Extensive domestic and international experience facilitating programs and a lot of companies. And then she ended up having a decision made for her that opened up the world of entrepreneurship to her and she started her own business. And rather than spend a lot of time on details that will probably come out during the conversation. I just want to say that for me, the most important thing on this bio that Ashley sent us is that she is learning to play the fiddle. Good morning, Ashley. Welcome.
Okay, actually, before we get into the really good stuff, okay, you got to tell us now about the fiddle. I mean, it's it's open. Right? So when did this happen? How did it happen? And why the fiddle?
Ashley Allen 2:55
Oh, well, good. Good morning. Good morning, KC. It is just such a delight to be with both of you today and also with all your listeners. And the fiddle was actually a very practical application. For me, I'm a firm believer that the two ways to keep your brain fresh as you go through the decades is to learn a musical instrument and to learn a new language. And I've dabbled in languages. But I wanted to learn a musical instrument. And one of my brothers in law said, well, you should consider the fiddle. It's portable, and it plays the melody. Very practical, I'll go rent a fiddle. And little did I know and now five years later, just how difficult it is. But my my phrase for anyone starting a new language, a new adventure, a new instrument, is the fact that it's very counterintuitive. You can be so bad at something, but enjoy it so much. And that's true with fiddling.
Ray Loewe 4:01
So I asked you the question of when you were going to do a bluegrass concert for me and you said no, that's not what I'm doing. So So what are you playing?
Ashley Allen 4:10
Most of the music that I play is I do Irish a Scottish old time and as we all know, they're just they're, you know, hundreds of types of music and they can be very either country specific region specific, decades specific. But I've kind of focused on old time Irish and Scottish and holiday songs. I'm starting to practice those again now. Okay,
Ray Loewe 4:35
so quickly. Is there a difference between a violin and a fiddle?
Ashley Allen 4:41
It is the same instrument, okay. And there can be tiny little tweaks made to one part of the instrument but it is it is really the kind of music that you play. You have to have a fiddle, you have a bow, they're the same instrument. It's just how it's played. And I have such a deep respect for people who are who play well, because I certainly don't at this point.
Ray Loewe 5:05
Well think of think of the luckiest people in the world here because this is a trait they play the fiddle, right?
Ashley Allen 5:12
They try new things, Ray, they try new things
KC Dempster 5:14
You don't write you don't play the fiddle.
Ray Loewe 5:16
Well, there must be something wrong with me, I fiddle around a while. Yeah. Okay. So the other thing I found out about you when we were having a discussion is you went to college and you got this magnificent degree in English, among other things. And you came out and you're one of your first jobs was as a copywriter.
Ashley Allen 5:35
Yes, I actually am, Ray, Ray knew this, I actually had a major that was pretty much physical anthropology and religion. So very marketable skills. And I, my first job out of college was in radio, and which was fun, because it allowed me to do what what you're doing today, but also as a copywriter. And I will say, though, that my father was not particularly pleased with this. His his comment to me was, after all that education, you're being paid to write incomplete sentences,
Ray Loewe 6:13
as only a father would.
Okay. So this was our lead into why Ashley Allen is one of the luckiest people in the world. You know, you look at we started in anthropology, we we went and we took care of the tribune newspapers, right. We ran them for years, and years and years. And then we came off, and we crafted our own business, doing some incredibly interesting things. And today, what we want to focus on is this concept of personal branding. So tell us what personal branding is Ashely?
Ashley Allen 6:48
Well, I think probably the best thing to do is to say that all of those things that you mentioned, whether it was the sciences, whether it was debating philosophy and religion, whether it was a my career in in media, and I really didn't run those, those business units, little tiny parts of them.
Ray Loewe 7:07
That's what I heard.
Ashley Allen 7:10
When you think of what is a personal brand, it really is how an individual shows up. It's what do you want to be known for? And it's that notion of how you provide value how you interact with people. And what's interesting about it is every single person has a personal brand, if you know whether it's in business, whether it's your personal life, whether you're your parent, a child, you know, think of your siblings, think of your family members, everyone has a brand. It's whether or not you are aware of what your brand is. And to add to that, is it the brand that you want to project? Is it who you want to be? Is it who you want to be known for?
Ray Loewe 7:50
Okay, you gave me an example, when we were talking earlier about this business client of yours. And she evidently had this image that you wanted to have in the corporate world. And can you can you relate that story? Do you remember?
Ashley Allen 8:08
Oh, exactly. And this, this is going back probably now about maybe even six or seven years ago, my as I said, my background was in marketing and copywriting. So I've, I've kind of been dealing with consumer and product branding for many, many years. And my my colleague had wanted to be known for being strategic, she wanted to be known for being a future oriented leader, a kind of a futurist, if you will, someone who really looks out onto the, into the future and helps people innovate. When she did a simple ask of people, she asked people, how am I showing up? You know, what am I known for? She got all these great words, she had collaborative team player, smart, you know, effective, great presenter, but she didn't get the words she wanted. No one said she was strategic. No one said she was future oriented. So in a very meaningful, unintentional, but also a very authentic way, she realized, I need to shift my behavior, and again, very genuinely, but instead of immediately going into things and saying, what are our deadlines tomorrow for this project? She said, you know, let's, before we get this meeting started, let's talk about where we want to be three years from now, and then kind of go into that.
Ray Loewe 9:27
Okay, so let's recap I we're not done with this personal brand thing. I got a whole lot of questions there. But this is just a part of what you do. Is that correct? You go into companies and you help build teams, and you do some consulting I'm going to use the word Kolbe, KC's not allowed to come in on that. And, and and you help people develop a personal brand. What am I missing? What are the other things that you do for people and for companies?
Ashley Allen 9:54
Well, you pretty much touched on them what one of the things because my background from a professional standpoint earlier in my career was in strategic planning, scenario planning, corporate communications and marketing, I realized that so many of these wonderful classic business processes can be applied to us personally. So when you think of a strategic plan for your career or a strategic plan, for, you know, how you want your life to unfold, or a brand architecture of, you know, who do you want to be known as, what do you want to be known for, they're very simple processes that can be applied to people as individuals. But I have had the pleasure of working with people all around the world, and really, you know, collaborating with them to help them transform Good to Great, and it's it certainly has just been a wonderful pleasure.
Ray Loewe 10:47
Now, this is different than I always had this thought, going back about being able to step into a role and having a role that would really somebody else. And when I needed to be powerful in a business meeting, I would become Lucy from Charlie Brown. And when I when I wanted to back off and be subservient, I could be peanuts, or, or, or, or whatever. Okay. And that's not what you're talking about here. Because we're not talking about fictitiously, doing some things. We're talking about really going into our lives and figuring out who we are first. And then how do we modify it? So you're on comment, Miss Ashley?
Ashley Allen 11:28
Well, I think as you said, well, and I can perfectly see you as Lucy here, to see that, when, because we all have a brand, we all have self perceptions, we we think we know how we are seen by others. But oftentimes, that's an inaccurate picture. And when you ask people, it's actually it's very humbling. It's also eye opening of the way others perceive us. And I think the best thing to do is get clarity on on who you want to be, and do kind of that wonderful exploratory process. And then get comments from a wide group of people and then start to think what minor, genuine behavior shifts Could I make to reflect the brand that I want?
Ray Loewe 12:18
I'm gonna jump in here and just say, how, how tough is it to balance changing your behaviors and working against your Kolbe?
Ashley Allen 12:39
KC, I'm so glad you mentioned Kolbe, I use a lot of different assessments and behavioral assessments and 360s in my practice, including Kolbe wisdom, and wisdom and the Kobe A index. All of those assessments are really wonderful lenses, they, each one is a little bit different. They measure something as part of us as human beings are. And so they're great language, they're really wonderful resources. But none of them reflect the entire person. I think, first and foremost, your brand needs to reflect your own values, your personal values, so you never want to stray from that. because quite honestly, people will know it, people will notice that immediately. And you think of it from a consumer product standpoint, it's a brand and disconnect. You know, you're saying one thing, but you're showing me something else. A brand isn't, you know, it's an emotional response, whether it's about your, you know, McDonald's french fries, or it's about your best friend. And you want that emotional response to be genuine. So you can have a wide range of emotions and still have them be very uniquely and authentically you. But it needs to be you as opposed to someone, someone else is simple.
Ray Loewe 13:56
But it comes down to it. It's the way other people perceive you. That's what the brand is. It's not really what you want. Well, it is what you want. But it's the way it comes down to the perception is that correct?
Ashley Allen 14:08
That's how it's gauged you. And again, I encourage both of you and everyone in your audience to really try that you know, ask a group of 10 or 15 of your colleagues or friends, how do I show up Give me three or four adjectives give me some couple of brief descriptors that describe you know who I am, and you will be amazed what you hear some of them will be things that are you know, comforting and complimentary. But you might have some real surprises that come through both in a positive way and maybe not so positive way.
Ray Loewe 14:41
How much does this change with the audience that you have? I mean, do you do you have a brand for each audience like if I want to be perceived by my grandchildren one way and by my spouse in another way, and by my friends and other way and by my business associates another way or is this wrong? Do I do one personal brand.
Ashley Allen 15:03
Personally, I believe you are who you are. And if you can make some minor, minor modifications, you might be a little more formal at work than you might be with your grandchildren. But and Ray I, as you said, I've known you for years, you have an incredibly strong personal brand. And if you are in whatever setting, right, I don't think that's the best way. Because think about it, if you try to be someone you're not, it just takes a whole lot of energy. And, and people recognize that and see that there's something not quite in sync or not something, you know, aligning
Ray Loewe 15:41
So, there's hope for me being the luckiest guy in the world.
Ashley Allen 15:44
You, you know, you reflect that. And again, I do think you have an incredibly strong brand. And not only it's not only how you reflect it Ray, and in your joy in that in your appreciation in that it's how you widen the circle. It's how you bring others in, and help them find ways to be the luckiest people in the world and appreciate their strengths and gifts. And you just bring us all in which is that is a rare gift.
Ray Loewe 16:14
Okay, so how do you ask the question, if you're trying to assess what your brand is the way people feel about you? What's the question you ask and and who do you ask it to? Anybody? Yeah, you ask it to little kids, you ask it to adults? What do you do? Oh, I'm
Ashley Allen 16:31
so glad you mentioned little kids, because I'm a firm believer in even if you're in a business setting, trying to understand how you are perceived at work, ask children now, perhaps not tweens or teens. But ask the six year old because that you know five or six year old will give you an honest response. Usually it's with humor. And it's just a completely different way that you are perceived. But I always say ask a wide range of people ask your fan club, you know your great champions. Ask people that might be you know, people, you've locked horns with some of your critics. Ask people who've known you for two weeks, and for 25 years, get as wide a range of observers, if you will, that you can
Ray Loewe 17:21
Do I just go out and say, Hi, KC, what do you think of me? I don't know my answer.
KC Dempster 17:26
You don't want to ask me that?
Unknown Speaker 17:30
I wouldn't pay me What do you think? I would say? How would you describe me? How do I show up?
Ray Loewe 17:37
Oh my god, I'm not sure I'm ready for that.
Ashley Allen 17:41
I always say make sure you know, you're not looking for a testimonial. I mean, tell people I want your honest opinion, give me four adjectives give me a couple of brief phrases. And, and be honest, and realistically I prefer to ask people via you know, email or, you know, other social media, as opposed to in person, partly because people need some think time. Um, but, and then thank them for their comments whether you love them or not.
Ray Loewe 18:10
Okay, so if we want to get into really discovering our personal brand, you are able and willing to coach us for an exorbitant amount of money, of course, right?
Ashley Allen 18:20
an exhobitant amount of money. That's why I'm one of the luckiest people in the world. Right. Now I do work. I've worked with several executives and leaders in different industries on first of all, understanding what brand they're projecting now, as well as what is the brand that they want to project, you know, what would they want to be known for? in the future? How do they want to create value in the future and it's an interesting, it's a fun process. It's a it's it's a wonderful kind of introspective process as well. And, and it's, it's an enjoyable one.
Ray Loewe 18:55
Okay, so we're just about out of time over here. And this is Ashley Allen from Acacia insight, LLC. And your website is www Acacia insights.com. Right. And we'll post that with our with our podcast notes so that people can remember and find that and thank you so much for being with us because this is something I didn't think about you know, you think about Coca Cola being a brand you think about Xerox you think about these, but Casey dumpster is a brand
KC Dempster 19:28
you better believe it?
Ashley Allen 19:30
Yes. and a very positive one
Ray Loewe 19:33
And and i think i think it's it's wonderful insight and I really think that there are most of us walk around without understanding that we are a brand and you better understand what you're purveying and the way people perceive you if you want to enjoy life. So we're going to add this now to the criteria for being one of the luckiest people in the world. I love it. We're gonna end and we're gonna we're gonna give you credit for it. So Ashley Allen says that to be one of the luckiest people in the world, you have to have a personal brand and be with it. Right? Right.
Ashley Allen 20:07
Good. Sounds good.
Ray Loewe 20:09
Okay, so I, thanks so much for being with us. And I think you can see why Ashley is one of the luckiest people in the world. She, she just exudes so much interesting stuff. And I want to learn to play the fiddle and there's no hope for me.
KC Dempster 20:24
And yeah, I feel sorry for your wife.
Ashley Allen 20:28
My husband has noise cancelling headphones.
Ray Loewe 20:32
Thanks again, Ashley. And, KC, what are we going to be doing next week?
Next week, we're going to have another great interview and we want people to continue to listen because we are working very hard to bring you interesting and insightful interviews.
And and people we should look at Ashley Allen, icon. Right? Yes, for the luckiest people in the world. That's right. Okay. Thanks again, everybody, and we'll see you next week. Thank you for
Diane Dayton 21:01
listening to Changing the Rules, a podcast designed to help you and your life the way you want and give you what you need to make it happen. Join us in two weeks our next exciting topics on Changing the Rules with KC Dempster and Ray Loewe the luckiest guy in the world.