Beyond Comfort: Personal Growth and Brand Authority with Ty Schmidt

0:00Hey everybody, really excited to bring you this episode with my good friend Ty Schmidt. Ty and I actually met on Instagram. She reached out to me. hit me up and she is one of the best brand experts in the business. So if your social media is struggling, if your storytelling is struggling, this episode is for you. But we start out really personal. We talk about, you know, Ty overcoming some things in her life and moving forward with a lot of things in her life. We talk about her love for roller coasters that started as a fear, but she's going to give you a lot of really cool tips to enhance your leadership brand, why you should be focused on your brand in general.

0:36Ladies and gentlemen, I present my really good friend, Ty Schmidt. You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get unplugged. How are you doing today, dear? You know what? I am so grateful to be here. Thank you for that kind intro. I'm the honored one. I'm the honored one. You know, like a lot of times on LinkedIn, I don't accept every request.

1:20I don't even look at things. You came across, I mean, this was months ago. And then I go look at your bio and then I'm listening to your content and watching your content and I was like, oh, I need to learn from Ty. So Ty, like I've been, I've been implementing a lot of the things that you talk about just in my overall strategy of brand and brand development and visibility. Where did that come from? When did you know that that was who you were destined to be? Wow. What a good question. Well, you know, I honestly, it goes back to storytelling. I was a reporter for the local newspaper and I was a reporter for a national teen magazine written for teens by teens in Milwaukee, Wisconsin called Gumbo Teen Magazine back in the early 2000s.

2:10It was such a fun experience and I got to meet and learn from some amazing humans who taught me so much through their stories and through the process and over time, I realized how much we can all learn and grow from each other's stories. So, you know, when I think about branding, I really think I think of it more as storytelling. and you know I've tried to integrate that into my social media which is why it's really special to me that you recognize that because I actually purposely and intentionally leave different parts of my story in different places because what reason is there for people to follow you in all the places if you're not giving them something a little different in in each of the places so storytelling is at the soul of branding to me and that's that's really how you know it it goes way back with the, with the journalism, you know, the journalism interest.

3:05Yeah. And I think what, what initially drew me to you was one of the storytelling, but just how after watching a few pieces of your content, like I felt like I knew Ty and, and by that meaning I genuinely knew you, right? Like, like maybe not the person that you were, I don't mean this the wrong way, but the person you were trying to put out there in content, because you know, a lot of times, right? I like even myself, like sometimes it's like, I don't want you to know everything about me. So I'm going to give you this. Right. I felt like I genuinely knew who Ty was, what your core values were, what family means to you and just all the things.

3:44And you were not necessarily trying to do that in your content, but that's that's what drew me to you. And because I know more about you than probably I than most people that I follow on social media, because I interact with you and all that jazz. I'd love for you to tell us what's your because like, what's that thing that's deeper than your why? Like, and I'll tell you, she's going to answer it, but if you just go look at her Instagram, you're going to figure out, you're going to see her because because she lives it in this day every day. But for us that are listening and watching Tyler, what's your because?

4:20Thank you for that question. It's very honestly soulful and layered question for me. So I ask for your patience as I've given it some thought. As a fan of yours, I had a feeling that I would be working through this because you are the king of purpose and understanding and getting to know your purpose. So thank you for the opportunity to answer a bit lengthy. So when I think about my because, it's kind of something that's evolved over time. And the common thread is people and helping, helping people. So my because started with wanting to help my dad. He had bipolar disorder and I went to school to be a counselor so that I could help people like him because his doctors didn't end up helping him.

5:12And he ultimately went to heaven early in 2009 by his choice in a choice that my mom and my sister and I were left to figure out the why. And when that happened, I was actually studying to get my master's degree in clinical psychology to do the thing to help the people. And I told more than one person that, you know, when that happened, I said, I just, I'm not, there's no way. There's no way I'm going to finish this degree. There's no way I can actually help people. This is too hard. And when you are as optimistic and bright and happy and sunny as I am just naturally, it was very hard to feel so dark and so down and so depressed.

5:54And working through that, I didn't cope well. I turned to alcohol and it nearly killed me. And I gave up alcohol when I became a mom. And that's the first layer of my because or my why, because my boys have, I always wanted to be a girl mom and God had other plans. So he gave me these two boys who are ruckus and loud and not like they're they're they're crazy and I love every every bit of being their mom but they've taught me so much and and the biggest and most important thing that they've taught me is how important it is to really go just go outside your comfort zone because growth happens outside your comfort zone and one of the ways that they've taught me that is through roller coasters we we I was not a roller coaster person and somehow I found myself on roller coasters.

6:44I was ridden 50, 50 roller coasters in two years. And I've learned a lot. That's like the whole sidebar of its own. But the first part of my why is my voice. And the second part comes into play where, you know, things got rough during COVID again, and I made bad decisions again. And I landed myself in the transplant ICU for 16 days. At the age of 35 years old, I was told that I would need a liver transplant and that I was probably, I probably had cirrhosis. Wow. That was hard. That was, you talk about a wake up call. That was a wake up call. And also very much the second part of my why or my because, because I am very grateful and I get kind of emotional talking about it, but I'm very grateful and happy to report that after a lot of hard work, a lot of God's work, a lot of inner work and all of that, I now have a healthy, normal liver and my doctors call me a miracle and they call me that, you know, I see that as a calling.

7:50I see that as like a purpose. I see that as a how God has given me the second chance and I am here to do something with it. I want to empower people to build their unreal life from the ground up using tools like music, mindset, and movement to build their unreal life from the ground up so that they can remember who they are while they're building who they're becoming. I want to listen. I want to serve. And I want to be Matthew 5, verse 16. I want to be the light. And that is my full circle because. Simply amazing. Simply amazing. Amazing. And there's so much of just that and that story that I want to unpack and unplug a little bit.

8:39So, you know, talking about you going to college and majoring in something specifically to help your father. What was not to not to go into the deep memory bank, but talk to us about, you know, what that's like as a child to to see a void. and then to want to go help, you know, complete that void or solve that void. Like, talk to us through that decision process and what that was like for you growing up. Well, my childhood was a lot of fun. We had a lot of really good times, but we lacked stability. and you know that that remains something that I continue to work on because the lack of stability led to a lot of just kind of chaos and the inability to find your footing and you know just kind of uncertainty knowing because you know when you have bipolar it's really really really good or it's really really really bad and we had a lot of both and you know figuring out that I I truly and sincerely wanted to help people like my dad.

9:52You know, it wasn't even like I thought about it that much. It just felt, again, almost like a calling. Like I just felt like, you know, this empathy for him, but also for everybody that has something heavy or has something that they're carrying behind the scenes. Because breaking news, everybody does, right? Like everybody and every family and every single situation that you come across, you know, I think I saw Jay Shetty had a clip on his social the other day with some people like walking in the road. And, you know, the little the words above them, like got laid off today, got in a car crash, going to visit their grandma in the hospital.

10:32You know, like you never really know what a person is going through. So, you know, figuring out that I wanted to bring some level of stability and clarity for the people that are struggling, it just seemed obvious. Like it seemed like, well, this is what I'm supposed to do. But then I recognized the fact that I am also very, very empathetic. And my concern with deciding to do counseling and be a therapist right away after everything that happened with my dad was that I knew I couldn't leave it at the office. I knew I would take it home with me. And that that's something that I, you know, actively decided then to not pursue, even though now, you know, a few years later, I'm thinking, well, gee, maybe I should go back to school.

11:16Maybe I should get that 3000 hours of, you know, supervised service to people because, you know, just it feels it feels like it might be right. But I think I think that answered your question. I'm not I'm not sure. No, no, no. It totally did. It totally did. And so then the next part that I want to like unpack and kind of start to parallel is. Psychology. Right. Doesn't equal brand development, brand building. so when did little big media like when did that become a thought process um as you're going from all the things that you've overcome personally from your father from your personal all the great things that you've done when did little big media when did that become like a focal point well i would argue that psychology plays much more role in branding than we think Let's argue.

12:12I'm good with that. I think it does. I think that psychology and branding go hand in hand because you think about branding as one of your tools in your tool belt for marketing. And marketing is very heavily based in psychology. So I decided to do and to pursue Little Big Media as a relatively intentional career pivot. So I loved my job as a newspaper reporter. I loved my job at the magazine and I recognized very early on that just as papers like newspapers get smaller and thinner, it means there's less people working there. So I decided to pivot. How can I tell story? How can I continue to offer a platform and be a storyteller in this emerging world?

13:04And that happened through Little Big Media. So I started Little Big and it's named after my my little and my big, my sons. That's what it's named after. And I started it in an era, right? The day after I accepted an award from the Wisconsin, I think, my goodness, I'm going to mess this up, but the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, I won an award for some investigative journalism that I did. That next day, I started Little Big Media as a way to be a stay-at-home mom and also continue to tell people's stories through branding, through content, through marketing and social media. And I did a lot of different things.

13:48I've done so many. I'm trying not to like laugh in my microphone too much because I breathe too heavy because it's I'm learning how to use this microphone. But I got to do so many. I mean, I wrote I wrote pieces for like$3 from Upwork. I did a lot of random work that I learned something from. Every single thing I learned something from. And I'm very grateful for every little opportunity that I had along the way. But that's kind of how it happened. I evolved with time and I made that intentional choice that I had this very expensive degree, which I'll be paying off until after I'm dead. And I wanted to be a mom.

14:25So I was like, how can I be a mom and continue to tell stories? And that's that's where little big was born. Amazing. Amazing. And so for those that are watching or listening, let's talk about the things that little big does. Like, so what are some of the services that you provide that you do? Thank you for that. My goodness. I'm so grateful for the, for the open door and I will, I will run through it. Let's go. So little big is a, you know, conduit for for storytelling with the with the branding specifically so what I want to do is I want to help people businesses and companies tell their story through social media and one of the ways you know one of the I'll just give you an example of like a like a format and a structure and this is this is just added value for your listeners who you know particularly like non-fiction authors, right?

15:20Like I love helping nonfiction authors because they've written something that they're very proud of as they should be. And a lot of times just because you're an author doesn't mean you know how to do any amount of social media marketing. So something that I find to be very helpful for clients is a framework that I've, I've started to call HSA. So it's hook and then it's story and then it's action. So a lot of times I'll see an author, particularly in the nonfiction space, they'll put their video out there, which is oftentimes really hard because they're used to kind of working in a silo of writing in an office and then they have to like do this thing with a camera.

16:03Why? So they tell it and I hear it and I hear it backwards. Like I have a good friend who finally posted her very first video on her book last week. And I was so excited because I've been coaching her. I've been talking with her. I'm like, let's get this out there. Let's get your story out there. So she finally posts her video and I listened to it and she buried the lead. Like she buried the hook. The hook was like three fourths into it. And I just said, friend, you did so good. And you need to put that little nugget that you saved for a minute or, you know, for 45 seconds in, you need to put that at the beginning.

16:42that's the hook right that's the pain that's what people will stop the scroll for you need to put that at the beginning then you tell the story and then you give the call to action and she just watching her face she said oh my gosh of course that makes sense but we don't we don't you know authors don't necessarily think of things that way so it's it's an what little big is is for is helping to provide the clarity and then the strategy so that people so that these authors who are very gifted, particularly in, you know, so many ways to just shuffle things around a little bit and have more impact ultimately.

17:20So we're friends. We're friends. So we're going to have a friend. So everybody is watching and listening, you know, over a million downloads and streams a month. A million people are about to hear this. We're friends. I'm mad at you. I needed help. I needed help. But I need help. Where was my help, Ty? Just because, yes, I did Out of the Gate Go USA Today bestseller. I did. Yes, you did. But I didn't do anything social media with the book. And my best friend over here didn't give me wisdom, a nugget. Okay, I'm joking, everybody. She did offer, I'm just saying. But you didn't give me a proposal.

18:09You were just like, hey, here you go. So, you know, my question to you is, Ty, am I not good enough for you to work with? Is that really what it is? Like, I'm just not good enough. You know, I'm not going to lie, Mick. I, too, get imposter syndrome. And I, too, feel sometimes uncomfortable, which is here we go with the growth and the uncomfort. But I feel uncomfortable throwing myself out there sometimes. But I would be honored to help you in any way, which is why, as you know, and if our friends want to go check it out. I mean, honestly, any of this is like, Nick keeps saying any of it is documented on the internet.

18:45Like I have all the things that you can go and follow any of these, any of these loops and any of these threads that we're talking through. And one of the things that I, that I do actively on social is, you know, maybe I wasn't comfortable asking, Hey, I want to help you. And I, and I still do. We can talk about that later, but the, the bigger kind of maybe more important thing is I do find ways to support and elevate and lift people who I see that are doing amazing work. So I actually have, you know, a little bit of a reputation of being a fangirl. And, you know, I've had some leaders in my life tell me that that's not a good thing.

19:24Like, you know, stop, stop, that's embarrassing. And I've decided to embrace it as a superpower, because I think being a fangirl of the people and the places and the things and the music and all of the things that bring you joy and happiness and inspire you, it's almost like your job. Like you need to share that because they're, you know, these people are, these artists, these, you know, storytellers, these people are not, you know, necessarily, they don't know how to always do it. So I feel it's part of my job to say, hey, I love this song. You guys need this song in your life or you need this book in your life.

20:02And to bring things back full circle for us, that is what I did do, even though I didn't reach out about helping with your social, which I would love to still do. I did, you know, go out of my way to make sure that everybody that follows Ty Schmidt knows that they needed Mick Hunt in their life and they needed Mick Hunt's book in their life. So. I mean, that was a very long winded way of saying, yeah, Mick, you just were not good enough for my services. Like you can just say that. It's not like, I don't have an ego. It's Okay. Sorry. I hired somebody yesterday though. So, so I'm good now moving forward.

20:38I missed my chance. See that. See guys, that's why you can't wait. Don't be a waiter. Maha Abu Elanine. That's like one of her number one things. Don't be a waiter. Get it done. Do it now. Absolutely. Absolutely. So I want to shift gears, but not shift gears. I want to talk more about little big media, but more about your perspective of what do you see people doing wrong that they can improve on. So let's just say Ty has a big clientele and she can't really bring on new clients, especially me. Like she couldn't even bring me on. So whatever. But you can give tips and wisdom right now for the person that's watching this listing.

21:15That's like, all right, Ty, I get it. I'm probably doing something wrong. One, what's the big thing that you see most people doing wrong? And then two, what's the fix for that? You're making it too much about you. A lot of people make it too much about them and their pain and their story. And I think we all have the gift of connection to so many people. And like we've talked about, everybody's got something going on. So when I think of my content, I think about what people will gain or the value that I'm bringing to the table for other people. and then I work into my story, you know, like, and, and, and carefully.

21:59And I try, I try to use highest value, fewest words, but it doesn't always work out that way because I've always been a wordy human. And, you know, I just think that if you come from a place of abundance and gratitude in every part of life, not just in this, but if you come from a place of service and of honestly trying to fix a problem that somebody doesn't necessarily even know they have, that's the best way to truly serve and the business will follow. And because you're, you're leading with heart and you're, and then, and that, that is value that people, especially with like our era of AI and things kind of feeling very chaotic and out of control with content right now.

22:41The thing that really resonates and really brings people in is that authenticity and it's that humanity part of it. So the thing, the biggest thing I would say is serve, you serve, serve, serve, serve, and then you sell, right? Like you, but it has to be like that. And it has to come from an authentic and genuine place. Yeah, totally agree. Totally agree with that. And, you know, when you talk about people making it about them, I see that all the time, especially, I mean, I'm not even talking social media here. I'm talking when you look at professionals and their websites, or you look at people that are consultants, and I hate that term now, but you look at people that provide personal services, right?

23:31Like, it's never about the problem you solve and the people that you've helped solve with. Like, I'm a huge fan, and I'm not just talking about authors here. I'm talking about entrepreneurs in general. The way viewers and prospects and clients connect isn't necessarily about you. It's being able to see that, oh, they solved this problem that I have and someone else can validate that they've done it. I'd love to get your viewpoint on just that, the power of testimonials, the power of third-party validation to sell yourself or to sell your product or to sell your service because people don't want to hear from you how great you are or how great your product is.

24:12But someone else can say the exact same thing and it goes further because I can see myself or I see my pain or I see the solution I'm seeking into what someone else just said. I feel like I'm a little bit of a broken record saying this, but I think it really comes down to connection and feeling that sense of connection and community with whoever you're selling to. You know, in terms of, I have a website that needs some love. My website needs like TLC, it needs updating. And simultaneously, I have been able to work with some of the most incredible thought leaders and authors and businesses and organizations.

24:50And I've done almost no marketing as I mean, aside from having that website, right? Like it exists on the internet and people, my people have found me because of that. Exactly what you said because of they, they trust it. It has to do with trust and it, they trust other people. and what other people are saying about you matters. Your reputation matters. Honestly, you know, that's another, I don't know if you can tell, but Maha Abu El-Anin's seven rules of self-reliance has become a bit of my, you know, cultural Bible of sorts. And, you know, that's another one of her things is that your reputation is your currency.

25:32And people speaking about you matters more than you speaking about you for exactly that reason. Amazing. Amazing. What are some things that business leaders can be doing right now to show, to build, to develop their leadership brand in that visibility? Because I don't care. These are the thoughts and beliefs of Mick and Mick only. but we're at a day and age now where not only is everyone a brand, everyone's a, their own publicist, right? Like, like meaning you can say, do promote however you want to. And you have the power to do that. But I don't think most people understand that, especially when you talk about C-suite leaders, right?

26:22You talk about folks that are running fortune 500, 1 ,000, 1500 companies. And they're like, Oh no, my, my company is the brand. And I'm like, no, no, I promise you externally and internally, you are the brand and you are your publicist. Like, talk to us about how folks can develop that or the strategy that they need to look at. Thank you. Well, people follow people, not companies. And it's increasingly that way in this in this climate we're in. So knowing that it's so important and I think it's different for everybody. I have, fortunately, I have been blessed with opportunities to work with some C-suite leaders who needed that exact help and coaching them and working with them taught me a lot too.

27:09But the thing that I would say is, I think the most important thing that they can do is just start and just be themselves. And a lot of them don't start. A lot of them just say, well, I don't know where to start. so I'm not going to do it. And, you know, you can get help too. Like asking for help is a thing. And I think maybe, maybe that's something that the C-suite folks struggle a little bit with is, is literally making the ask for help because it shows a level of vulnerability and, you know, they have learning to do too. But there's, there's a lot to be, to gained from these leaders who may not have like the right words to say or don't know where to go.

27:56But the most important thing they can do is just start and not be afraid to mess it up and not be afraid to fail and not be afraid to really just be themselves because people will sniff out the not themselves real quick these days. So I think it's just so important. And who they are is a gift. You know, We all have struggle and we all have gifts that need translating sometimes, but they are no different than that. And they absolutely have so much to offer. So I think getting through and just honestly starting and not being afraid to fail and ask for help is the most important thing. No, I agree.

28:37You've dropped so many amazing insights and tips, Ty. I adore you so much. before I get you out of here with my rapid fire top five I know how to find and follow you but where can everyone else find and follow Ty Schmidt oh my gosh Mick I am so grateful for you I am so so grateful because I I am really trying to build all the social right now so my most I have actually like 15 million views across all the different platforms and the majority of those came on TikTok. So I have been posting daily very much of my dear diary behind the scenes, very private, but super public diary is on TikTok. So that's TY Schmitty.

29:25And then on Instagram, I am Tyler T. Schmidt. And there I share more of like the snapshots. And I do try very hard on all the platforms, honestly, to share the good and the bad and the ups and the downs. And that, you know, know, that speaks to the roller coaster stuff and all that. But I've learned so much from riding so many roller coasters too, by the way. But, um, and then Facebook is, you know, mostly very specific group oriented folks. So, but I'm also on Facebook and sub stack. I launched a sub stack called quick before you forget based on my very, very brand new podcast, which is also called quick before you forget and is aimed at bringing people on to honestly, I really truly want to listen.