Molly Gomez on Personal Branding, Confidence & the Stories We Hide

[00:00:00] Welcome to Plot Twist Radio, the show where creativity, storytelling, and the unpredictable path of the creative life all collide. I'm your host, Erin Egnatz. Hi Molly, welcome to the show. Thank you. I'm excited to be here, Erin. I'm glad to have you. Before we get going, can you introduce yourself to the audience? Of course. Well, my husband and I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, recent California explants.

[00:00:26] I tell people, Nevada, honestly, Las Vegas is just an extension of California. But we moved here and we absolutely love it. My husband and I both moved here at Entrepreneurs. Recently, he shifted from being an entrepreneur into being enlisted in the U.S. military. So that's a whole other story. I own my own consulting business, a signature story strategist to help people elevate and create a new standard with their sound, be able to create a personal brand that matches. So whether that is in the private consulting space or through the Align and Assigned

[00:00:55] Inner Circle, which is a high level mastermind for six, seven figure faith founders, that is what I get to do. I just help people take what they have and how can we amplify it with your sound and deeper stewardship? I love that. That sounds amazing. And to touch on the whole Vegas thing, I was there last year and it had been a few years since I'd been there. It has grown immensely. Yes. Yes. A lot of the locals are like, what are you guys doing here? I'm like, well, we discovered this is a hidden gem. So we're coming out here. It's a tax haven. It's good weather. It's a lot of great things.

[00:01:25] It really is. I can't wait to get back there. I'm going to drag my husband there or I'll go myself. I don't care. There you go. So you started as a television reporter. Yes. What did that career teach you about everything that's led to the point where you're at now? Oh, my goodness. Well, I got into television to tell stories. And when I realized those stories, well, I'm just making people worse than better because they're so depressing.

[00:01:49] I realized it was a training ground. So I took what I learned and then eventually dove into the realm of entrepreneurship. And I discovered so many people have such a passion to be able to tell stories. And the news gave me great frameworks, how to speak in 15, 30, 60, 90 seconds, which is super helpful even today, where you can condense a story to get to the good parts. And then you can always expand on podcast form or longer forms. So I'm grateful for my time in the news.

[00:02:17] I became a very fast thinker, but I'm even more thankful for the skills it taught me because now helping business owners being able to really express why they are different. The transformation that people can receive working with them and coming alongside them. It's what's so needed right now when the Internet is flooded with information everywhere. People are looking for transformation and formation and now more than ever before. They really are. And your business is so important because it's so easy to get lost in the weeds.

[00:02:46] It's so easy. So how do you go about doing that? Because that's something I can't do. I just can't figure it out. The biggest thing and I just got off a networking call with a woman where most people will just be so general in what they do, because most people understand the general language. This is my business. I help people do this. If you're interested, let me know. Well, people are used to being pitched all the time. The part that is missing, I call it the messy middle. It's the part where you had to overcome certain situations in order to get to where you are now.

[00:03:13] That lived experience, the tenacity, the grit, the discipline to be able to hold the weight of, hey, you've gone through, you're going through this right now. Well, I'm the one to help to get you through on the other side. That will always separate you from, you know, the business coach, the operations person, the life coach, whatever it may be. Because if they can't trust you and you have to share your lived experience in order to build trust, they will keep scrolling or moving on to the next person. Those are the pieces that people are terrified of going into.

[00:03:42] So the lady I just spoke with, you know, I told her this. It's the low hanging fruit. When you work with me, your business will expand. People will be able to see who you really are. Like we all want those things. The high hanging fruit is actually the healing that takes place when we dig into your own story. The things that you were trying to hide because in fear of dot, dot, dot. That's the piece that nobody wants to sign up for. But it happens as a byproduct of you really digging in and I call it seven layers deep into the real part of the why in the story.

[00:04:10] So you have to take time to do that. I used to do it in like 90 day increments, but now it's more of a long term journey because people have gone through so much. They need time and proximity in order to really pull out the stuff that matters and to make it a habit so they can do it moving forward. Excellent. I love that. So I was doing a little bit of research on you and you talk about signature story. What is the difference between a story and a strategic story?

[00:04:39] That is a great question. So I would say if you listen to speakers like Tony Robbins or Dean Graziosi or, you know, Lewis Howes or anybody out there, they all have these stories that they say time and time again. I like to call that a signature story. I mean, Tony Robbins has been saying similar stories for years and I'm sure he's tired of it, but it works because there's new ears. Or maybe you've heard it for like the 20th time and then the 21st time. Oh, it was on the right soil. You were able to absorb it and take it in a little differently. So a signature story.

[00:05:09] What we start out with, it's usually your brand story, who you are, what you've overcome, how you serve people. But then we dig into deeper, like more intentional stories or maybe it's a health transformation that really spurred you on. Maybe it's, you know, you almost lost your marriage and this is how you're able to overcome that adversity. Mental toughness. I mean, that is huge. Everybody talks about it. But this is what stops people is right here is what the thoughts that we are having rent free on repeat in our head, but how you're able to overcome that.

[00:05:39] And when you share those certain stories where the signature part is it's repeatable, it sticks, it's repeatable. People recognize it. Then you just have to repeat it over and over and over again. Just like Tony Robbins. He has been sharing the same stories for a long time, adding new bits of information as he's learning and growing as well. But people resonate with the familiar. And so you want them to attach to that familiar piece to stay in your ecosystem. And then there'll be newer content to keep driving them deeper for more retention. Absolutely.

[00:06:09] So what's the biggest mistake you see people making when they try to build their personal story or their personal brand? Oh, my gosh. They just don't go deep enough. It's what it always comes down to. They just don't go deep enough because they're either a they don't they try it on their own and they only can go that go so far. That's where coaches and mentors come in. B they don't want to go there because they're like, ah, if I tell those things, I might get canceled. I could even give you a personal story if you want me to share. There was one where I thought I was going to get canceled for sure.

[00:06:36] But the opposite happened and it was huge. It's it's just this fear of the unknown. And honestly, it's not fear of failure. It's fear of success. What if this actually blows up and, whoa, this is the thing that people needed? You just need the right proximity and mentorship to guide you. How do you handle that? How do you prepare for that? Because when people get a taste of something real, they're going to be like, hey, guys, over here, come here, come here. You got to like come check this out. Like this is something that's real. And they're needing that right now in this time that we're in.

[00:07:04] They're so tired of the fake. They need something they can latch on to that. Like, this is real. This gives me hope. Yes. And you bring up an excellent point. People are tired of the fake, you know, and people are at each other's throats online and everything all day, every day. And it really does. It causes a fear that to go to that next level. I know I have it. I've pulled back a lot with because I was known as a ghost hunter to begin with. But, you know, people are just like, you know, ghost hunters, they're weird or whatever.

[00:07:33] So I never really pushed it very hard. But I think that I probably could have went a lot further if I just didn't get out of my own way, you know, it's and you're not alone. You're not alone. So many people do that. And even I find times where I constantly audit myself. So whatever I do with my clients, I audit myself being like, OK, what are we learning? What are we taking in? So I journal. I even voice note to myself. I go back to see what I'm learning. And then I do my own audits of how can we get deeper? And I'm plugged into masterminds and have coaches as well, where I'm like, you see my blind spots.

[00:08:03] Show me. Point them out. Now, I used to be that person was like, no, I got this. You know, I can do it on my own. I had a ton of pride, ton of ego. And then I was like, you are in the frame. You have to have somebody come in and be a ruthless mentor. That's what I need, at least of like, hey, I love you. And we're done with this and we need to try this. Go. And I'm like, OK.

[00:08:24] So you talk about basically the authority of yourself. So how much of authority is about what you've done versus how you communicate what you've done? Hmm. What's the repeat that one more time? Sure. How much of authority is about what you've done versus how you communicate what you've done? Hmm. OK. The reason I heard like you said it great the first time I'm like, this is such a good question. I'm like, she needs to repeat it for people to really like settle in with this.

[00:08:54] So people won't know what you've done unless you share it or somebody else shares it. Right. So there's either a PR aspect or other people are sharing on your behalf of what you've done. But until that gets going, you have to share. So a lot of people I was actually looking through an application with the mastermind that I run of a lady who's coming in. And it's always the fear of like, oh, I need to be seen. I need to be visible. But I'm kind of nervous. And people, again, put themselves in the way of the thing that they really want of, well, I don't want to make it about me.

[00:09:24] You're the vessel. So you're actually being selfish when you're making it about you of like, oh, I don't want to I don't want to go there. Well, who's going to do it? So nobody will actually have authority unless you start speaking, unless you start sharing. Here's what I'm learning or here are the people that I'm helping in testimonials and even encouraging other people to share on your behalf. A LinkedIn review or just a Google review or something. So you might be sitting on a like huge hill of authority of like, look at all this lived experience.

[00:09:52] But nobody knows. It's like writing a book and keeping it on the shelf and never marketing it. It's collecting dust. And it's like the best hidden secret. And there are so many hidden secrets all over. So my passion is like, oh, you're a hidden secret. Come here. You're a hidden secret. Come here. Like we're getting you out there because it's time for people to see you and what you carry. Absolutely. I love that. I love your confidence. I need that confidence.

[00:10:15] Do you think confidence comes before clarity or does kind of clarity create confidence? Clarity definitely creates confidence. People want confidence first, but the reason why they don't have it is because they're not clear. How do you become clear? You have to take the time to really go seven layers deep. Why are you doing this? Why is this important? Am I in my own way? You know, I work with a lot of faith-led founders where it's like, okay, bringing in the Lord, Lord, show me what I can't see.

[00:10:43] Reveal what I need to, what needs to be revealed. You know, I am in my own way. And so it's really being still. One of my favorite scriptures, be still and know. It's the hardest thing to do as an A-type entrepreneur, but the most impactful when you can really just cancel out the noise. Let me just sit with me and see where it goes. And a lot of things come up that people don't want to address, but it's like, it's like an injury. It's like, if you have, if your arm was split open and it's bleeding, what are you going to go do? You are going to go get stitches or bandage it up or something.

[00:11:13] You're not just going to like bleed out. Like that sounds crazy. Why do we let other things just run and run and run and we avoid and avoid? And then we only wait till it's a 9-1-1 dire situation to address it. I'm sure there's plenty of people listening now. They're like, okay, I'm like maybe at a 9-1, almost the second one, but I should probably start addressing it because it's time. So we have to be able to get clear with ourselves. When we start acting on that, confidence comes after. And I've had people ask me, you were just born with confidence.

[00:11:41] I was like, you know how many times I had to fail? You know how many times I had to follow my face and just my teeth are blown out and just had to get a new set every single time? But it was worth it every time because I found more of what needs to come out of me, what needs to like be built so I can be able to steward what I've been given to help other people in their calling. That's brilliant. It really is. It's brilliant. So when you're working with high-level founders or executives, what's the first thing you look for when refining their authority?

[00:12:11] How willing they are to go deep. It always comes back to the depth and most are usually like, okay, that's enough. And I'm like, okay, tell me more. What's coming up for you? So it's really about creating the safe space. You know, I've talked to so many people where they're like, okay, you know, I really want to work with you, but I feel like there's other things I need to do in therapy first. And I was like, it's funny that you say that. The high-hanging fruit of what I do is there is healing that will take place. I don't market that out front because no one wants to sign up for that. They want to sign up for their business to grow.

[00:12:40] But when you can create a safe environment for people to be still, be heard, and let's sit in that for a second to really discover what needs to come out. What's been holding you back? Quit trying to go a million miles an hour and be Speedy Gonzalez. Slow it down. And I think of the story from the tell, like, it's so such an old story that the tortoise and the hare, there's a reason why the tortoise won. It was slow and steady and it was focused, but the hare was all over the place. I'm like, oh, I got this full of pride and ego and

[00:13:08] ended up losing. And so, so many people aren't willing to sit, especially at that higher level because they're like, well, I don't have time to sit. I'm like, this is your problem. You're not stewarding your calling, your story, the things that you have well, and you're expecting your systems to hold it all. Systems are there for a reason, but your voice is what amplifies those systems and amplifies the things that you've already built to be able to multiply faster. Wow. That is, that is very interesting. I'm thinking of a couple

[00:13:34] people actually in my mind right now who could definitely benefit, you know, my, my dad, he, he's always been a high level executive. He, you know, he was vice president of a company and everything, but he, he is not one that will sit and just think, you know, he's just like, I look good on paper. So that's what we're going with. And he never really expanded. And I think that he really could have. And if he really looked in on himself, but I call him a realist all the

[00:14:01] time because he's just like not into that kind of thing. But how do you, how do you reach someone like that? They have to be willing. So there's plenty of people that are like that. They have to be willing to know it's bigger than you, your story of what you went through. It's so much bigger than you, but we are now in a generation being in a millennial where we share a lot more and where there's a lot more feelings that come out, which are important. But before that feelings were locked down. They were like nowhere to be found. It's like, do what you do, get it done. And Hey,

[00:14:29] follow my footsteps. Well, how come people haven't been able to replicate what you do? Because you're not sharing those stories in the overcoming part. And it's not like, Hey, I'm going to save you from all the hardship. You actually get to go through that. And I'm happy for you because that builds character, but it's in those connection pieces that literally can change somebody's life. And if we are really about it for impact and somebody is willing to go there, I would love to have a conversation, but many aren't. And I think of one of the scriptures, it's a Matthew 22, 14. I

[00:14:55] believe many are called fewer chosen, fewer are willing. That's my little ad on the end, fewer are willing. So not everybody, most people are not willing to go there and that's okay. But those that are, it's the safe place where they know their vulnerability is not going to be used against them. It's how can we use this to be proactive, not reactive. I think of a, and I'll just insert this really quickly, a personal story where I used to smoke marijuana for 10 years. And I hid that in the back. I would smoke after work and just be like, I need to come down. Like, I'm just,

[00:15:24] oh, I'm so stressed, whatever. Well, I eventually ended up becoming a co-founder of a Christian led organization. And I'm, and it was always this shame in the back pocket of like, okay, if they knew, if this got exposed, this is going to be bad. Well, then I ended up getting released and delivered from that. And I dropped it and never picked it back up. It was out of a prayer and fasting group from Texas. And I would get on at three o'clock in the morning to be a part of that. And I lived in California at the time. Long story short, dropped it like a bad habit, never picked it up again.

[00:15:52] A year later, the Lord said, you need to post this and you need to share this with other people. And I was like, you are nuts, dude. I was like, there's no way. Well, I did. And I'm like sweating bullets. Like, oh, here we go. Like send the amount of messages that I had coming in of, I struggle with that too. How did you overcome it? Thank you for sharing. I had no idea. I thought I was going to get hit with like blazing fire of condemnation. I was met with love and please tell me more. And it's my only TikTok that's ever gone viral. I don't really care about virality,

[00:16:21] to be honest, but that you can see the healing in the comments of people like this is for me. I need to step away and get away from this thing that has been disconnecting me from life for so long. So I thought that story would be used against me. And it was actually, he was like, just wait. And it's for you, but it's, it's understanding when and where and how. And so having the right mentorship and people around you to show you how to shape a story really matters because otherwise it just kind of goes out there like paint on a wall, like splat. And then you're

[00:16:49] like, I don't really know where to go from here. It's all about being strategic with it and how you can use it for good. Absolutely. And you bring up a really good point because I've noticed, especially with Christianity, they're so welcoming and understanding of your past. You know, I, I had stepped away from the church for a long time, just, you know, busy with life and everything. And as I came back recently and I was a little worried because I have like tattoos and everything.

[00:17:16] You're worried, girl. Yeah. You're worried you're going to get judged, but no one even like flinched. You know, they, they had tattoos. They, you know, they do go out and have a drink. They, they smoke, whatever, but they're very welcoming. And I think that that can be a huge boost for those, especially those that are like embarrassed by their past, I guess. Absolutely. I meet more people than you could ever imagine that are so embarrassed, feeling like no one will ever accept me.

[00:17:43] So then I just lay my cards. I'm like, what story do you want? You want something of a drug addiction? You want something of a sexual assault? You want something of like you, you fill in the blank. I will share this with you. And there are, you know, amazing places and amazing Christian churches that are super welcoming. There's also ones that are under a religious spirit that are all about judgment. They can repeat scripture, but they don't live it. So you want to be with people that love you as you are, as Jesus did love you. Like you come as you are. And then just by being in proximity, diving into the word, being in prayer, you will transform whatever that looks like,

[00:18:12] but I'm not here to rush it. It's, it's on your call. So I still meet a lot of people. They do, they struggle with porn addiction, drug addiction, sex addiction, you name it. They struggle with these things, but you know what? Just get in the right environment of the people that want to love on you, where you are, and it'll ultimately call you higher. Not because like, Hey, we're better up here. It's, it's just a better version of you that's more healed and more whole. So I always hope that that my story comes across like that because I've been in church my entire life and I've been

[00:18:39] burned plenty. But when you understand people are people and they're going to just do what they've brought up in a religious system, but I am about the relationship now and have been for quite some time. And that has transformed my life, how I speak, how gentle and loving I am, empathetic I am to people because we're all going through so much, just doing the best we can. But it's understanding let's get in better environment so we can just be that better version and not be stuck by these

[00:19:06] bondages and chains that have been on us probably for a long time. Yes. Very well said. Very well said. Um, so before I let you go, I wanted to kind of talk about your inner circle a little bit. Could you tell us a little bit about that? Yes. So this was something that was birthed earlier this year. I had no idea it was coming, but the Lord's like, Hey, we're doing it. Okay, here we are. So there are a lot of spaces out there for professionals to grow. A lot of spaces where strategy and just community are built, but I want, I wanted something that was deeper than that for people at that six,

[00:19:36] seven figure level where they can come together and women in some environments, actually a lot of environments. We don't play well with each other and that is not cool, but there are spaces of tight proximity where you can be able to grow with people who are mission minded at similar executive levels where you're typically running the show, but you need a place to plug into as well, where you can grow professionally, personally, spiritually all rolled into one. And you don't have to kind of like, just like pick it apart of all these different places.

[00:20:04] Those rooms have drastically impacted my life. And so the aligned and assigned inner circle is birthed this year. There are still a few spots that are open for women that are, you know what? I want that close proximity of other faith-led founders to be able to multiply what's in my hands, which requires deeper levels of stewardship. We all want the multiplication, but are we stewarding what we've been given? Our thoughts, our experiences, our environments, our relationships, our finances, right? But then our sound, our sound is a huge part of that. You were likely a hidden

[00:20:33] secret, even at a seven figure level, a great hidden secret, because there are things that you haven't shared yet. They're going to unlock new multiplication, bigger impact. And it's just a matter of being in that right space. So it's a 12 month opportunity for women to come in for formation, to have that transformation. There's a three day retreat that is included that'll happen in the fall. And I also pair a couple one-on-one sessions in there just to have that tighter proximity, because a lot of women in this room

[00:20:59] right now are building new things, which I absolutely love. There's a lot of new things that are birthing, but sometimes you just need that, that one-on-one space. So you get all that rolled into one and be aligned and assigned inner circle. That's beautiful. How can people find more information about that? Yes. So, um, gosh, you can find me pretty much anywhere. So signaturestoryco.com, uh, the Molly Gomez on Instagram, Molly Gomez on Facebook, LinkedIn, pretty much everywhere.

[00:21:23] So I am all, I mean, my phone's always dinging at me. So you just, you pick your location of where you want to connect. Um, but Erin, thank you so much for having me on the show. I hope somebody got some value out of this today. And if any of this resonates, I would love to have a conversation with those people to help them find their space in their room to grow in the season. That's awesome. And I will make sure that all of your links are in the show notes. Molly, thank you. This has been great.