Unleashing Creativity: Empower Leaders to Build, Transform, and Thrive with MaryLou Kayser

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation! JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, the only daily show interviewing the world's top entrepreneurs seven days a week. Today, we'll be breaking down how to unleash creativity, empower leaders to build, transform, and thrive. To drop these value bombs, I are brought to Mary Lou Kayser and to EO Fire Studios. Mary Lou is a transformative author, speaker, and educator who empowers leaders and creatives to embrace self-discovery, amplify their voices, and unlock their creativity for profound impact. In today's foundation, we'll talk about how your creativity is your superpower.

0:34We're also going to talk about the importance of self-discovery in the entrepreneurial process. We're gonna talk about common challenges that people have amplifying their voice and standing out in the marketplace and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Mary Lou and our sponsors. If you've ever considered launching a show on YouTube, I may have the solution for you after launching a very successful show on YouTube in 2024, MicroStrategy Today. I've learned a lot on what it takes to create a successful show and have launched a one-on-one mentorship program called YouTube 100.

1:06If you want to jump on a call and learn more about this program, shoot me an email, john at eofire.com. This is the year of YouTube. Let's go. Mary Lou, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. Hey, Fire Nation. So great to be here. Something that I believe that most people don't is that everything that you want from your business, from your life already exists. It's already here and it's just your job to discover it. And it takes a whole lot of different ways to do it. There's no one right way, but I really do believe that because I've experienced it myself.

1:56I didn't at one time, but I do now. Wow. I mean, with those kinds of answers, Fire Nation, I can't believe I waited 10 years to get Mary Lou back on the mic to talk about unleashing creativity, empowering leaders to build, to transform, to thrive. Now, I love your tagline. Your creativity is your superpower. Use it. Why do you believe creativity is such a vital asset for entrepreneurs in today's world? One reason is because the world is changing so fast that without creative skills to manage the changes, to take advantage of the changes, people are getting left behind left and right we are i would say right now in one of the most highly accelerated climates that we've ever been in and i'm not talking about the environment although that is happening as well with technology with artificial intelligence with just the fact that we are a quarter of a century into the 21st century without creativity i don't think people can survive, let alone thrive, whether you're an entrepreneur or not.

3:11Mary Lou, you had a fascinating journey. I mean, you went from guiding whitewater rafting expeditions to leading workshops and publishing books. How will these experiences shape your perspective on both leadership and creativity? We were talking in the pre-chat, John, about when I first appeared on your show, I was talking about my experience as a whitewater rafting guide up in Alaska on the Kenai River for any members of Fire Nation who have been there and know about what the great fishing is like and how beautiful Alaska is. I mean, that was truly a magical and special time in my life. And I'm not going to obviously reiterate.

3:52People can go back and listen to that episode. It's number 720. But one of the things that has been instrumental in my life since that time was this awareness of what I call the gravel bars of life. When you get stuck, when you find yourself literally sitting in a space in your life and looking around and wondering, what am I doing? Yeah. Feeling no sense of direction or purpose and, and needing that, um, whether it's a spark, you know, you use the, the metaphor of ignite, um, it's, we're going to have those ebbs and flows in life. And, um, you know, being a creative entrepreneur, I have found that sometimes those times in our life, John, are the most rich and we aren't necessarily aware that they are.

4:54And that awareness that I've developed over the years has helped me manage all the things that I do from, you know, raising two children who I'm very proud I've launched into the world and they are succeeding. They are, to use the vernacular of the day, adulting exceptionally well. and I've written books yes and published them I've you inspired me to start my podcast I love your position and I'm I'm entering my 11th year next month um which is incredible to me that I have been doing this for for 10 years and within the scope of those 10 years a lot has happened in my life and it hasn't always been easy but I've always kept it sounds cliche but I've always kept the big picture in mind and creativity honestly is the umbrella under which I operate everything in my life.

5:52And when I find myself feeling overwhelmed or at the times when I've lost direction, I actively take a step back and say, okay, creatively speaking, what's the problem here? And what are some different angles I could come at this from to solve it? Fire Nation, such powerful words coming from Mary Lou. And Mary Lou, I clearly remember you telling that story about whitewater rafting like it was yesterday. I mean, it was right there. What I don't remember though, is me coming back and saying that I've been whitewater rafting one time. It was for my senior year in high school. I had so much fun, even though it was such a tame little brook, I'm sure.

6:38It was somewhere up in Maine, like the Candybeck River, which does have some decent whitewater rafting, but nothing like Alaska. And I loved it and I've never been back and I don't know why. You have a lot of life ahead of you, John. And there's lots of rivers just waiting for you to jump on them. Hey, new life goal, what's gonna happen? Fire Nation, hold me to it. And I wanna talk now about the importance of self-discovery and the entrepreneurial process. Specifically, what are some practical ways that entrepreneurs can explore and unlock their creative potential? I have been a journaler, a writer my whole life.

7:11And I feel like when I answer a question like this, it's not fair in a way because I developed that discipline young. And it's also it's a passion of mine. So it's easy for me to do. However, that said, anybody can learn it. And I still believe so strongly, despite the advances in technology that we now all have access to, that putting pen to paper or pencil to paper once a day, multiple times a day is one of the best ways to really get to know yourself. And the other way that I've probably been doing now actively for the last seven or eight years is study. And what I mean by that is I practice every morning.

7:57I call it my holy hour. I get up. I make my tea or my coffee. I go into my home office, which is a private space, and I journal for 20 minutes. I practice yoga for 20 minutes, and I read from a book for 20 minutes. Now, I am not a traditional reader where I will start a book and I will read it front to cover or front to back. I just have I have a huge library and I will have a collection of books nearby where I'm practicing my holy hour. I'll just open to a page and I will read what that says for 10, 15 minutes. And whatever the message is, John, in those pages, I needed to hear that day. And I'll tell you, it is amazing how accurate it is.

8:43Like I'll read it and go, oh my gosh, this is exactly the challenge I've been facing or how did it know? It's very bizarre and may sound a little woo-woo. However, it works. Fire Nation, stick with what works. And we have a lot that's gonna be working for you, our listeners, when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Let's talk YouTube. Have you ever considered launching a show on YouTube or do you currently have one that's struggling to gain traction? I may have the solution for you. After focusing on audio for 13 years, I launched my first YouTube show in late 2024 and have seen fantastic results.

9:21Over 12 ,000 subscribers, every show getting well over 10 ,000 views, all 100 % organic, zero dollar spent on promotion or advertising. That is the beauty of YouTube. If you create the right content with the right cadence, YouTube will make sure it gets in front of the right people. My show is called MicroStrategy today and I'm having a blast creating content on a daily basis because it's on a topic I love about a company that I truly admire. What excites you? What fires you up? If you want to launch a show around that passion or improve your current one, I'm launching an exclusive coaching program called YouTube 100, where in 100 days, I will mentor you one-on-one and together we will create a show that you love and that's successful.

10:03I hired the best mentors when I first started and have learned so much along the way. I'm ready to help you ignite your show and let YouTube do the heavy lifting of building a meaningful audience that will allow you to grow and monetize your show in ways you might not currently think possible. If you want to jump on a call and learn more about this program, shoot me an email, john at eofire.com. Put YouTube 100 in the subject line and we'll schedule a time to chat, j-o-h-n at eofire.com. This is the year of YouTube. Let's go. Mary Lou, we're back and you've worked with a lot of leaders. Give us some of the common challenges that they have amplifying their voices and standing out in a crowded marketplace.

10:47Yeah, I was thinking about this question because, again, I don't know if there's one answer. What I have found over the years, I've interviewed over 400 leaders from all different industries for my podcast. And I know Fire Nation, if they've been listening to you for any length of time, have heard so many different voices and perspectives. And the one thing that I have gleaned that keeps people from really stepping up is a lack of belief that they can. We in America were programmed through the school system not to trust ourselves, believe it or not. We are programmed to answer to an authority figure, to turn in our assignments at certain times and then be graded accordingly, you know, against the rubrics that usually the states or the government set forth of this is what it means to be at this age and level of intelligence and skill set and whatnot.

11:48And over time, you know this, when we are programmed over and over and over again with the same message, we lose our ability, I think, to really be in tune with what we want, what matters to us. And some people get into their 40s, 50s, and even 60s and like, I've never, no one's ever asked me what I really wanted from my life. And when you're first presented with that question of what do you really want, it can be daunting. And it's why I think many people who have great ideas and may have the, even the like, oh, I'm going to do it this time. And they don't. And it's because you have to unravel from all those layers of programming and get down to why is it that you don't believe that you can or even that you deserve it.

12:42That's a whole other track we could go down. But that's what I've noticed over the years is what keeps people from really amplifying their voice and stepping up into the marketplace to share their amazing gifts and talents. Now, you've built a career that spanned writing, speaking, podcasting, coaching. How do you stay inspired and manage your creative energy while juggling all those different roles? I take breaks. I spend time in nature. that's very important to me. I recently, this past summer, I took six months off from my podcast. I just needed a break to recharge my brain, to recharge my body, to not be thinking about a schedule.

13:25I think, again, it sounds cliche in today's world, but we are so tied to our digital devices and our digital lives that actively walking away from the phone, from the laptop and going outside, whether it's a forest or a beach or even a park, if you live in an urban area. I mean, I was just in New York city last week and believe it or not, there are a lot of green spaces in New York city. You can find a place to escape from the constant stimulation that, that the digital world presents to us. And, um, that's, I would say that's probably at the top of how I, I keep sane and keep coming back to be creative.

14:09Fire Nation, breaks are so key. I mean, burnout is real for people. And if you, man, don't even smell that burnout coming, it could be too late. So you just have to plan this and you just have to know. Like for me, I wake up super early. And the first thing that I look forward to doing is I go on a three mile hike with my dog. It is written in stone, three miles outside in the Caribbean air and sun and feeling that breeze on my face. And that's how I close my day down too. Like every day, 4.30 to 5 PM, I'm out for another three mile walk outside, just smelling that ocean air, feeling that sun on the face.

14:46Like you have to just lock these things in. Otherwise you look up one day and you're like, wow, I haven't been outside for weeks. And it just happens sometimes. And for entrepreneurs, Mary Lou, who are listening, they want to take that next step in their personal or professional growth, give us one piece of advice or an action step that you would recommend that they take today. Get yourself a little notebook or a legal pad and commit to the next start today. And for the next 30 days, write an affirmation. It can be short and sweet. Something like I am worthy. I am wealthy. I am fit and healthy.

15:23You pick one affirmation and with your non-dominant hand. You write that 10 times and you do that for 30 days. And I will tell you the times when I commit to doing that, my creative output, there is a definite correlation between an uptick when I'm actively using my non-dominant hand to write one simple affirmation 10 different times and it takes about 15 minutes. So that's my tip. Wow. I mean, I was just picturing doing that. And then anybody that's going to pick up that journal, which I'm going to have here in my office, because I am going to try to do this. They're going to say, did your 13 month old son write this?

16:07It's what it looks like. I am so not coordinated with my left hand. That's just not my thing. Oh, man. Mary Lou, if Fire Nation is listening to you right now and they're connecting with the words that you're saying, give us a call to action for our listeners to connect with you to learn more. Best place to go is my website, which is MaryLouKaiser.com, M-A-R-Y-L-O-U-K-A-Y-S-E-R.com. And that's where, basically, that's my hub. I love hubs. And Fire Nation, you're the average. Of the five people you spend the most time with, you've been hanging out with MK and JLD today. So keep up the heat. And for links to everything we talked about, visit EOFire.com.

16:47Just type Mary Lou in the search bar and the show notes page will pop right up. Mary Lou, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thanks so much, John. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Mary Lou for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, successful entrepreneurs, accomplished big goals. That is why I created the Freedom Journal to guide you in accomplishing your number one goal in 100 days. We're talking step-by-step. Visit thefreedomjournal.com. And I'll catch you there or on the flip side.

17:20If you've ever considered launching a show on YouTube, I may have the solution for you after launching a very successful show on YouTube in 2024, MicroStrategy Today. I've learned a lot on what it takes to create a successful show and have launched a one-on-one mentorship program called YouTube 100. If you want to jump on a call and learn more about this program, shoot me an email, john at eofire.com. This is the year of YouTube. Let's go.

17:51Thank you.