Are you the typical “woe-is-me” person who always has something or someone to blame when something doesn’t go your way? Where you are at this point in your life right now is a product of your own choices. Today’s guest, Johanna White, an award-winning graphic designer and visual branding strategist, started three companies within one year while battling a brain tumor. And she did all that because she not only believed in what she was capable of, but she knew she had to show up at her highest value and choose joy amidst the pain. Today, she’s living her life symptom-free, and the last time she walked out of the surgeon’s office was seven years ago.
As the founder of Designed by Jo studio, Johanna believes that if someone is the best at what they do, they deserve to look like it. For the past decade, she’s worked with individuals, startups, and Fortune 200 brands worldwide to help them cut through the noise, attract more of their ideal clients and be as delightfully expensive as they deserve to be.
Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:
- Dealing with a diagnosis that changed her life
- The story of healing and tackling the fear
- Choosing joy even when in pain
- How she’s getting better, and now with no symptoms
- How your thoughts dictate your success
- A random opportunity that was presented to her at a coffee shop
- Thoughts on branding: knowing your value and showing up as your highest value
Episode Highlights:
[13:02] Take Action Over What You Can Control
Whatever you’re going through right now, the only one responsible for the outcome is you. And so, stop focusing on all the reasons why you think something won’t work and shut out those thoughts. It doesn’t serve you when you focus on the negative things. Instead, focus on what you want and how you’re going to get there and start talking and living like it, today. It doesn’t mean you’re going to lie or pretend everything’s okay. But be careful about how you talk about your circumstances.
[19:46] Joy is a Choice
Dealing with her tumor, Johanna eventually decided to surrender and choose to have joy, even in pain. She realized there was nothing left to fear because joy is a choice and what she thought she needed was only an illusion after all. And so, you could find yourself in the lowest points of your life, but you can still choose how you respond to it.
[36:51] The Power of Thoughts
What you believe matters, but what you do about what you believe matters even more. You have to show the world what you’re capable of, and you’ve got to show up as that.
[42:39] Branding 101: Knowing Your Value and Showing Up as Your Highest Value
Before you can show your value, you have to know what it is. If you don’t actually know what makes you unique, amazing, and different, or why people are going to line up to work with you, then you’ve got to do some deep diving and some messaging around that first.
Once you know your value, you have to show it and show up through what you wear, what your website looks like, and your social media. Show up to the world as your highest value, with your brands, and in every touch point – with how you answer the phone, how you send an email, etc. If all those are not lining up and visually validating your value, then it’s not the customer’s fault and the world’s fault that they don’t perceive something that you have NOT put out there. Therefore, you have to be intentional with your branding.
Resources Mentioned:
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