Back in 2021 when I was about a year into trying to run online programs, I came across a book that changed how I think.
​
But let me rewind slightly.

Prior to Covid I NEVER thought I could make money online because I didn’t really know that whole world existed.
​
But in March 2020, when everything shut down and I had a video production company that suddenly couldn’t… produce videos… I had to figure something out fast.
​
So I scrambled.

And I launched a scrappy 4-week online bootcamp for $247 teaching people how to make videos.

I die looking back on it now.

Like, “link in bio!! uninspiring” energy. Truly mortifying humbling.

But I kept launching this bootcamp.

One after the other all of 2020.

Tweaking it on every launch.
​
By 2021, I was making some money online, but more importantly, a ceiling of belief cracked open.
​
​However, trying to figure out pricing, positioning, who I even was in this space, why anyone should listen to me, was basically the 8th wonder of the world at that point in time.
​
Then someone told me about this book: “We Should All Be Millionaires” by Rachel Rodgers known for teaching historically excluded communities how to build wealth and seven-figure businesses.

I remember thinking… a million dollars? Me? I had never given any thought to that “implausibility.”

A few years earlier I’d been on my apartment floor with a newborn, a toddler, and a toxic job exit.
​
But I devoured the book and something shifted.

For the first time, I actually believed I could build something REALLY big.

Can we take a minute where I then not only made my students read it but made my PR queen Sabina and former TODAY show work wife Joelle (my co-teachers) record a creepy “HEEEEEEYYYY Rachel” video and tag her in it.

Fast forward to this week on Monday.

I knew Rachel and her three kids had moved to Lisbon last year because of tags like this:

Then on Monday, one of MyStoryPro members (Thank you Denise!) messages me:

So I took that as a sign and paid (100 euros ) to be in the room.

As I’m watching her live coach creator after founder after fractional leader after solopreneur here’s what became painfully clear.

There were a lot of people who got up in that chair….and confused us all.

To the point where at one point Rachel turned to us and said, “Are you clear on what she/he does?”
​
And the whole room would say in unison, “Nooooooo.” #ouch

But the clear ones…knew exactly who they were, who they served, and why they were different.

They commanded attention without trying and were the ones getting approached for business details at the end. (including me approaching this amazing woman, an accomplished book coach, who COMMANDED the stage next to Rachel and also commanded $30,000 per private client.)

To which Rachel told her she needed to charge more. ​
​And yes that is a microphone surrounded by a wad of fake money.🤣

The vague ones fumbled through explanations, used soft language, talked A LOT but said nothing specific.

And I’m sitting there thinking… Oh my God.. this is also playing out everywhere on Social Media right now because people THINK being vague is safe as they are appealing to EVERYONE in their audience.

For example, huge creators that make millions off of telling people to be “bold and brave” yet won’t be bold and brave and call out ICE or the cruelty of this administration.

You know that low-drum “ick” feeling you might get when you watch certain people’s content but can’t always put your finger on why it makes you feel weird?

It’s because they are talking around everything but committing to nothing.
It’s meaningless.

As I watched a lot of these people get coached by Rachel I kept WISHING the vague ones would just confidently DECLARE “IT.”

Because their vagueness kept them indistinguishable.

And it makes you wonder: Are they even good at what they do?

Being vague eroded trust immediately.

Rachel’s advice was simple:
Get CLEAR.
Get SPECIFIC.
​Double down on the one thing you do really well.

Sitting in that room watching people fumble their clarity made me think of Brin’na.

Because she’s living proof of what happens when you DO get clear work as we caught up in my storytelling alumni group this past Wednesday.

Since graduating from my Founder’s Fire storytelling program 18 months ago fresh out of corporate but wanting to embark on her own path, her executive leadership business has exploded.
​
While in the program she landed her first big retainer client.. and has not stopped since.

She was telling us about her 3 paid speaking engagements in the next 2 months.

One to 850 women -all her exact target audience.

​She credits Founder’s Fire with transforming how she moves through the world.

Clarity is what lets you walk into rooms and ask for what you want, something I’m learning firsthand as I raise my angel round for MyStoryPro. **cue the scary organ music.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you about building a business that you eventually learn if you’re lucky enough to be in it long enough.

You can’t stand out in a huge way until you go inward.

You can’t command a room (or a pitch meeting or a sales call, or a stage) if you don’t know what you stand for.

And right now being vague isn’t just bad for business. It’s a liability.

Which brings me to Monday.

In that room with Rachel, the clear ones weren’t just confident.

They were NECESSARY.
You could feel it.

And right now the world needs more of those people.

Tara and I are going live at 11:30am ET on Instagram.

Tara’s a Founder’s Fire alumni and now co-teaching a final cohort with me before I transition to full-time CEO of MyStoryPro.​

She’s also a former ICU COVID nurse, mom of twins who survived a school shooting this year, primary caretaker to her quadriplegic younger sister, and a badass business owner who just asked for half a million dollars to fund her programs for healthcare workers. ​
​
​Come to this live if you’ve been thinking:

“I want to speak up / build / lead/ transition… but I don’t know what to say that is memorable or how to do it without burning out…especially now.”

We’re talking about:

• How to show up when systems work against you.
• Why clarity is resistance.
• Why the world needs your business NOW—especially if you’re from a historically excluded group.

Whether you’re just starting out or in transition like me, this conversation is for you.

Monday, February 3rd at 11:30am ET on Instagram.

Link in my stories this weekend or just come on over to my Instagram on Monday. ​

And if you know this work is calling to you?

​We are still filling our cohort for the end of February. ​

This is for established founders or corporate transitioners ready to get CLEAR on who they are and what they stand for.
​
We’ll package this into a story ready for YOUR stage—whatever that looks like for you.

Applications are open

Because right now? The world needs more people who know exactly who they are and what they stand for.

See you Monday.

XO
Patrice

P.S. My question for Rachel didn’t get picked.. BUT.. I of course sat first row, ran up to her at the end, introduced myself and she asked me if I’d like to get coffee one day.

Full circle doesn’t even begin to explain it. More to come….