Breaking the Mold: From Silent Ballerina to Authentic Speaker

In this interactive episode of Soulful Speaking, Bridget Baker, brand strategist and former ballet dancer, shares her transformative journey from communicating through movement to finding her voice after a life-altering car accident. Bridget and Lauri explore the challenges of speaking authentically, overcoming inner critics, and letting go of societal molds to embrace the power of self-expression. Together, they delve into what it means to speak with soul and how stepping into one’s uniqueness can be a game-changer in both life and business.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Life’s unexpected pivots can awaken new passions
2. Connecting deeply with our values helps us build a brand and embody a  message that truly represents us.
3. Embracing imperfections and focusing on connection over perfection when presenting makes us relatable and memorable..
4. Speaking isn’t just about words—it's about energy, intention, and connection.
5. Setting clear intentions allows us to focus on who we’’re serving rather than what we fear.

About Bridget:
​​Bridget Baker's upbringing in a creatively nurturing environment shaped her into being a multifaceted force.  From retail and jewelry making and professional dancing, she found her superpower is giving people permission to be themselves.  Today, she is the founder and CEO of Bridget Baker Branding, a company dedicated to crafting impactul brands and websites for people who help people. Her work emphasizes amplifying the voices of BIPOC clients and advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Connect with Bridget:
bridgetbakerbranding.com
instagram.com/bridgetbakerbranding

Story Magic
A Soulful Speaking Playshop for loving rebels on a soul-driven mission.

Join me for Story Magic — a live, interactive Soulful Speaking Playshop where you’ll learn powerful secrets from the ancient art of theatre for telling engaging, dynamic stories.

The Speaker Alter Ego Quiz

Take the Speaker Alter Ego quiz to find out which protective mask hides your natural radiance so you can learn how to get present, connect deeply, and share your vision when it matters most!

https://voice-matters.com/speaker-alter-ego-quiz/

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Bridget Baker - a multifaceted creative force
• 7:20 Bridget’s Dreams for Her Voice
• 8:34 Interactive Coaching: Lauri and Bridget explore and refine a 60-second pitch.
• 24:16 Body, Breath, and Energy Alignment
• 31:42 The Power of Inviting
• 36:51 Empathetic Connection in Networking
• 40:24 From Noise to Resonance
• 43:10 Pivot Pivot Lightning Round

Transcript

Lauri: 1:08

Hello and welcome back to the Soulful Speaking Podcast. My guest today is Bridget Baker. Bridget's upbringing in a creatively nurturing environment shaped her into being a multifaceted force, and I love that so much. We're going to save most of the details on that for her story as she shares it. Bridget, where did your speaking journey begin?

Bridget: 1:39

Oh, my speaking journey began so for years I was a ballet dancer, so I did not get to use my voice, I used my body to communicate and then, at the of 21, I was at the peak of my career and I got into a very serious car accident and threw me out of dancing.

Bridget: 2:04

I did get back to it a few years later, but in the time I was out of it, what kept coming to me was I have so much more to say literally, physically, than I could say with my body, even though I was a choreographer. All these things just like there, I had.

Bridget: 2:20

No, I have more within me that needs to actually be spoken and so I went to journalism school and started writing, and that started leading into me using my, my actual voice, and the reason even why I stopped dancing was, yes, I need to use my voice in the world more. So yeah, I got my voice from a car accident, if you will.

Lauri: 2:41

Yeah, I love all of that because I do feel like all of our voices are connected. Even though one might be kind of our soul's primary language, for me I feel like my primary language, my soul's primary language, is talking. I'm a verbal processor. If I don't tell somebody about the thing, it's almost like it doesn't exist. And my second one actually is body, actually is. Is body, um, never a dancer, but, and an actor who was telling a story in a corporate environment once and a woman watched me tell it and then she said I'm just curious, if you sat on your hands, could you even tell that story? And I couldn't do it. It was a story about a shower breaking. So it was. You know, I was going like this and I hear all the voices, like your body was speaking and you've got the writing in your story and then eventually, using your literal voice, to speak. Tell us a little bit about the public speaking journey, the challenges.

Bridget: 3:52

Tell us a little bit about the public speaking journey. The challenges, yeah. So mostly facilitating groups and doing some speaking engagements, kind of figuring out what my voice was for, I think was the other thing. Similar to you, I'm a verbal processor also. So, yeah, I could talk about anything all day long. I'm an extrovert. I have no problems getting in front of a room full of people.

Bridget: 4:21

But I was doing some training on actually leading and facilitating programs and I remember just feeling like, oh, I was delivering someone else's information. You know it was here's this information. You're trained, you memorize it, sort of like acting, and then you sort of make it your own and you go up there and nothing about it ever felt right for me. It made me feel like I don't think I wanna deliver other people's information. I could, but you know, and it kept, the feedback I kept getting were things around presentation. You know you can't show your bare arms or you don't look perfect, whatever all these things. That seemed to serve me as a dancer in this more corporate environment where you don't fit into this mold, and I'm like that's what I left with dancing anyway.

Bridget: 5:02

Why do I want to go back to this with speaking? So that was a good intro to public speaking for me and to go great, I'm comfortable speaking in front of a room, but I want to give my own, I want to be able to give my own spin, spin to it. I want to tell my own stories, um, and so you know, over the years just facilitating workshops and speaking at workshops and things like that Um, you know, now I'm in what I call my podcast era, so most of my speaking is podcasting. Um, yeah, and I'm looking sort of into my next. What's my next phase of speaking from that?

Lauri: 5:38

I love you going more and more toward your own mold and really expressing what you're here to express, out how you are here to express it. How has your podcast era been going?

Bridget: 5:56

It's been going really well. I thought I wanted a podcast and then I've been podcast guesting. I'm like I don't, maybe I don't need to have one. I love the. I love getting challenged by other people's questions and lenses. I love being. I actually love being put on the spot. There was a great podcast. I was a guest on the Wise and Wine podcast. It's called similar to Rise and Shine. It's Wise and Wine and she had this. She was very organized. She had this prescriptive list of questions, all these things, and I was like great. And then once I got on there, she goes I'm going to throw you like a zinger. And it was great. I loved it. Just, I love talking to people and I've always loved the idea of having a talk show or being on a talk show or something like that. So podcasts have that very intimate energy. Yet you also know you're speaking to an audience of people that aren't there.

Bridget: 6:45

So, I think that's fascinating, because there's so many things that happen in a one-on-one conversation. You're like I wish somebody was recording this, because this is pretty great. What is this? So that's what I love about it is getting different parts of myself drawn out. So I've done some pop culture podcasts. I've done business podcasts mostly. So it's really a treat to be on this and actually talking about my voice, because that's a direction that I'm heading more and more.

Lauri: 7:12

So, yeah, what are your biggest dreams for your voice?

Bridget: 7:21

Oh, my biggest dreams for my voice, I mean really, as I when I envisioned when I first kind of came to the idea of voice, it was sort being like an oprah, was kind of my using my voice to bring other voices forward. I think was, was the um, the space in the container that I hold to sort of bringing in that journalism, bringing in the choreographer, bringing all these like the ways to just bring people and their uniqueness more forward. So asking sort of the unexpected questions or the really secret superpower kind of questions of people. Those are the things that really fascinate me.

Bridget: 8:02

So that's what I'm excited about using my voice, to really just give people permission to use their voices, essentially.

Lauri: 8:11

Yeah, that gives me chills. Of course, not sure if the chills are coming from you or for me in this specific instance. Well, I told you I might throw you a curveball, and since you said you love them, I I feel like I would like to do that I'm going to ask you to speak something and then potentially coach you oh, exciting.

Lauri: 9:50

So I'll give you a couple different options. I'm going to have you speak for 60 seconds and then I'll work with you and coach you and we'll see where it goes, and then you'll speak the same kind of topic for 60 seconds again, after we've played a little bit again. After we've played a little bit, topics are you could do a 60-second networking kind of introduction. That would kill two birds with one stone, because everybody listening would get to hear like who is this woman and how do I work with her early, and they would get to hear it more than once. You could share a story of a time you lost your voice.

Bridget: 10:37

Or you could share 60 seconds about something that you're passionate about, which one of those is calling to you, that you want to express today I think it's sort of the uh, the business one I think is probably the best one's sort of the business one I think is probably the best one, the sort of networking pitch one I think would be the best for me.

Lauri: 10:55

Okay, great, whenever you're ready, go ahead and start talking and I will start the timer, and then I'll go like this with my phone when the time is up.

Bridget: 11:05

Hello everyone. My name is Bridget Baker of Bridget Baker Branding, and I am a brand and website designer. I also support people in collaborative copy and bringing out their uniqueness. My motto is being uniquely and unapologetically you. So I'm here to support you in not only telling your audience about what you do, marketing your work, sharing what you do, but really having you feel connected to your brand and website. I think that is the key To me. Branding is the foundation. Branding is I call it. I say branding is everything. Branding is all around. It's really the way to get deeply into your own values and what's important to you and then build your business and your brand and website from there. I draw on the work that I have done in my life so I'm a former ballet dancer and choreographer and a journalist and taking all that kind of together in a creative package, if you will, to help you and support you.

Lauri: 12:10

Thank you so much. It's so courageous to do that. So thank you very much for for jumping in. How did the first one feel? What is one thing that you loved about how that went, and what is one thing, if any, that you wish were different in some?

Bridget: 12:26

way Okay. So I love that I kind of cut to the chase. That was good. I love that I did sort of tie into really making it about them and who I am for people beyond just the work that I do, because that's my biggest value is really who we are and how we connect. I feel there was missing things in the succinctness actually I can't even say the word succinctness of it, the tying it up in a nice bow way, obviously 60 seconds. I started rambling because I felt like I needed to fill time so I noticed myself going oh, I was in my head, I was okay, what else do I need to say?

Bridget: 13:08

Where else do I need to go with this? What's the like big, shiny bow I can put on this? And I found myself searching for words a little bit.

Lauri: 13:16

So yeah, that's yeah, yeah and I'm, and I want to just one thing about content and the 60 seconds. Having been the person who does the timer for those rooms full of people, we don't need to fill the time. They will be so grateful if you stop after 40 seconds because somebody else is going to run over and they're going to be sitting there going. Oh my god, please stop talking. We have 40 people to get through so for you and everyone listening.

Lauri: 13:44

it's always okay to repeat your name again and be done. That's good to know. Okay, and that feeling of like I've got to fill the space feels like it's coming from the inner critics, the soul suckers. I remember when you took the quiz, your loudest soul suckers were the imposter monsters. How are the imposter monsters and other soul suckers and inner critics showing up for you in that?

Bridget: 14:28

but what? Why are you qualified to do this? Just because this is what you do? There was a let that started creeping in like credibility. Uh, you know, all of that, I, we always like. I mean, I say we always, but a lot of people think they're not qualified enough, even when they're totally credentialed, qualified, whatever. So even when I was talking about what makes me qualified, it was like, yeah, but there's still something I'm not saying and I can't access it. So I think that was part of it. It was like these are the details, but it's the real. It's the oddly, the work that I just had a session with a client and this is the work that I do with my clients, where I'm working on their branding and their website content and I'm drawing it out of them, you know, and it's like that's what I can do for other people, but I'm thinking, oh, doing that for myself in my head is not so easy.

Lauri: 15:10

Yeah, yeah. Which is? You know? There was a reason that we clicked and aligned, and like the way that you help extract things from people in branding in the written and visual world. I don't have those gifts in the written and visual world. I've got them over in the okay. Now let's have you stand up and speak and basically be you and we'll help mirror for people anything that is not you. We're going to help move it out of the way like the imposter monster soul suckers. You also got the deranged mannequin mask.

Lauri: 15:50

The mask is not our own type reminder for people. The mask is. What's the thing that's hiding our true full one in eight billion people on the earth presence? Was the deranged mannequin mask sneaking their way in at all in your first one?

Bridget: 16:08

Oh, yes, I was definitely having the because I'm looking at myself on video and that criticism coming in, versus if I was speaking to a room full of people, I'd be with the people, yeah, but I kept looking at like me. Looking at myself was throwing me off from like, oh, I'd look weird. I don't like how I look today. Whatever, all the things right, the lighting's weird on my glasses, glasses like all these things where those kept jumping in too um, yeah like this doesn't look perfect and I'm speaking and I feel weird about that.

Bridget: 16:36

But if I was probably speaking in front of people, I wouldn't notice that as much too.

Lauri: 16:40

So yeah, yeah and and the I never recommend looking at yourself. I was just a guest on someone else's podcast where they asked me that and I was like, look, I really definitely don't be trying to practice for your speaking while you're looking at yourself, because you will not, most of the time, be able to repeat that. You want to know what to do from the inside.

Bridget: 17:05

Anyway, that's like a side tangent. Yeah.

Lauri: 17:08

The other thing that feels like it can happen is sometimes the imposter monsters are questioning am I enough, am I good enough, am I experienced enough? Do I have the right qualifications? And then that, like intensifies, whatever mask we have, whether it's a jive and jokester or a peppy pleaser, or you and I both top score, deranged mannequin, raise your hands. It can cause us to like, add extra work to our passion, like I'm going to work a little harder to prove to myself and you that this thing that I'm passionate about is really worthwhile.

Lauri: 17:52

So let's play and see if we can turn the volume down on the imposter monsters and soften, if not get rid of, the deranged mannequin mask altogether. I love sharing three words with people. It's the equivalent of like if I watch Steph Curry shooting a basketball and somebody says, in order to shoot it like Steph or your version of Steph, you need to bend your knees, you need to look at the back of the rim and you need to follow through. Hopefully it's going to be powerful for you and you can spend the rest of your life getting even better and unlike if I try to shoot like steph. You were actually born a one in eight billion radiant, vibrant, alive, from head to toe, unique, one-of-a-kind being, and then the world told you to do other things to cover that up. So we're going to reawaken it. Ooh, what just happened over there?

Bridget: 18:57

No, that's fascinating. I mean, I, just the minute I thought to the other part about the voice was being a ballet dancer was to be so much like other people, Like you. You're not supposed to be unique, there's a very. That's why it's so passionate for me, in a way. And so you saying that thing about you being yourself in that way was oh wow, yeah, I get to be me now at 52 years old, like, finally get to be myself.

Lauri: 19:24

Yeah, you finally get to be yourself, and the world is craving you being you.

Bridget: 19:30

Yeah.

Lauri: 19:30

The.

Lauri: 19:31

you know, all the ballet dancers need to be the same, and even the speaking when you were facilitating for another company, wanting you all to do it exactly the same, and we are beyond that era. We don't need the cookie cutter leaders who are trying to be what leaders in the 1950s needed to be to churn out a bunch of cars on a factory floor. We need the unique leader that you are to bring your voice to create the harmony in the world. So it's not just like, yay, we get to. Today, I'm feeling the like, yay, we get to. Today, I'm feeling the like you get to. And, please, we need you, we need you. So a way to do that is intend, align, invite. I want to ask what was the I like that.

Bridget: 20:28

Well, I mean, I tend to line I love it was all vowels, but there's something about yeah, just as a branding person, I'm seeing it. I'm like, oh, I see it on a website immediately, like I just love it. But, um, yeah, I, I love that. It's sort of a intend is like the, the genesis, and then alignment is like the you, and then invite is like the external is kind of how I saw it.

Lauri: 20:53

So yeah, yeah, I'm so glad I I saw the ooh, and I asked yeah, intend is what's the intention that you have emotionally or energetically for the audience, since we did a networking example? It's one of my favorite ones because, like we think our inner critic is usually in charge and our subconscious intention is like please hire me, or I hope I don't bore you, or something you know something like that, when the inner critics are in charge versus what pops into your mind.

Lauri: 21:34

For, like, if you imagine your potential dream soulmate, clients, whole journey from you, know where do they start and then how do they transform, and I'm making gestures, but you can't totally see them by the time they're done working with you. And then what's the vibe like at this very beginning? What might they experience emotionally when they first meet you? What pops to your mind?

Bridget: 22:01

The intention. I mean I think it's that's in the intention. There's something. There's something they like can't put their finger on. They're like I know I'm good at what I do, but I just can't, like, I can't get it to feel like me. You know, I'm trying.

Bridget: 22:14

And then and then and the opposite. I'm actually comparing myself to other people and just feeling like I'm not like them, but I don't really know how to say about what who I am. There's like this missing, and they've tried to do it. They're real smart people, they're good writers, maybe even all those things, but it's like still not getting there.

Lauri: 22:31

Yeah, yeah. So they might feel frustrated or dismayed, something like that. That's where they are, and then, when they hear you and how you work, how might they feel instead? And I'm going to open it up to. It could be word, it could be a sound, it could be a short phrase, it could even be a gesture, where it's like you don't know exactly what the word is, but you're like. They're gonna feel like, um, that's not the one but like sometimes, people have to make a gesture instead of coming up with a word.

Lauri: 23:07

What comes to you for how you want them to feel?

Bridget: 23:11

coming up with a word, what comes to you, for how you want them to feel. Thank you. I want them to feel like oh my gosh, I would have to do this by myself, like, yeah, yeah. Like somebody gets it, somebody sees me.

Lauri: 23:23

Yeah, and and for those of you listening she kind of leaned forward as she said thank you, like there was this huge relief that went through her whole body.

Bridget: 23:37

Yeah, Like, instead of yeah, the backwards. When my body was backwards it was sort of like uh-huh, Uh-huh, Hello. And then I leaned in like oh my gosh, like you're, you get me, really yeah.

Lauri: 23:47

Yeah, yeah. So. So, thank you, and they're leaning forward. Okay, aligning is aligning the body, the breath and the energy for the fullest expression. Um, this is where we'll do a bit, and there could be a lot. That's the like three-point shot. Like steph curry, we were born breathing and sending energy to other humans, and when we breathed and we cried or laughed as babies, people could feel their arm hairs stand up on end on the other side of the house. And then people told us don't be too big, don't be too much, you don't fit into the box. You got to try to fit into the box and she just took a nice big juicy breath.

Lauri: 25:50

Yep, socialized female at 52, lots lots of box fitting into yeah yeah, and it's like we're gonna let the breath out of the box so that when you speak, you inhale like you just did, and then use that air to support the sound of your voice so that it shifts from being kind of like this version to this version of us Still ringing, and I will touch it and set it down.

Lauri: 26:25

So let's make some sounds. We're going to inhale like you just did and make an S sound like a hissing snake, thank you. And it's like our torsos are like pear-shaped balloons where they expand more at the bottom and less up here by the neck. And let's inhale and expand that pear-shaped balloon 360 degrees in all directions and then exhale on a z. And then we're going to do like some elevators with our voice, which is almost like somebody taking their hands on a piano and making sure all those white and black keys work. The ivory, none of it's sticky, and another piece of the aligning the body, breath and the energy is also breathing life into the experience by having some moments of silence so that we speak a little bit less like this and a little bit more like this. And because you do branding and website design it's like we're not.

Lauri: 28:25

we're not the speaking version of a website from like 1998, where it was just text, text, text, text, text, text, text. It's like white space and visual. We're doing that with our voices, by weaving in moments of silence, and those moments of silence are great moments to re-nourish your body with breath, nourish your body with breath, and over there they're emotionally processing what you're saying.

Lauri: 29:00

in those moments of silence let's do an OM sound like in yoga. And now we're going to bring in the energy piece and I kind of skipped body, because I'm looking at your body and you're a dancer and there are people where their body's all hunched over. It's like your spine is carrying the rest of your body.

Lauri: 29:14

So I just kind of skipped that and went straight to breath Other people listening. You might want to straighten up your spine if you're having trouble with the breathing. If you're playing along with us, the energy is hugging the whole room with your energetic arms. So we're going to play with doing an OM sound as if we were in a cafe and we don't want it like we're bringing our energy in making it nice and small and private. We're just going to do this. It's a tool set that I use called anchoring, and including is what we will ultimately do.

Lauri: 29:56

We're going to do anchoring and excluding because most people have sat in a cafe or a restaurant where you want to be in deep connection but you don't want other people hearing it, which is the opposite of when you're recording a podcast or a video or being on a stage. So we'll send a nice, private OM to each other and now imagine that there are other people here and we're still deeply connecting with each other and we do want to allow everyone else to hear it. So our energetic arms are out, our body language is inclusive and we're going to allow our sound to ring out a little bit more. And it's like we both have plants and stuff. We're including the plants and the animals in our space, inhale nice. And how did the second Ohm, with the energy out, feel different from the first one?

Bridget: 31:13

It made me want to start. I almost started laughing because I was like yay people.

Lauri: 31:20

Nice, I'm a people lover. I love people, yeah, and it's like that part of you that was told to go fit in this box is like I can be me and allow this to ring out Yay, yay, yay, yay. Inviting is the bookend, because you kind of it felt like you intuitively knew it and I'm going to say it aloud for you and for our listeners it is listening to our nonverbal half of the conversation. So you've set the intention for more thank you, and I'm not there when you start and as you use your instrument body, breath and energy the inviting is listening to our nonverbal half of the conversation, looking for signs of that happening, Whereas when inner critics are in charge, they conversation, looking for signs of that happening, whereas when inner critics are in charge, they're looking for I hope I don't screw it up, I hope I don't say something wrong, I hope I don't bore people, and they're looking for signs of that.

Lauri: 32:21

So we're shifting to look for what you do want. Now we're going to move into speaking and you're going to put this all back together and do your 60 second networking introduction again. And before you do the whole 60 seconds, let me ask you a question and breathe, so fill up by inhaling and then use that air as you talk your answer and if it's a longer answer, you might re-inhale to replace any error that you've used. Okay, tell our listeners what your plans are for this evening once we're done with this podcast.

Bridget: 32:59

Well, I have decided that my husband and I are going to treat today like a celebration. We're taking care of ourselves. We're going to go out to dinner. That's what we're doing go out to dinner.

Lauri: 33:13

That's what we're doing, fantastic. Okay, now let's have you do your 60 second networking intro again, and this time, if it feels like your body is like like my dad always used to tell me on a road trip from UC Davis, where I went to school, back down to Burbank, california, where I lived, to fill up the gas tank before you run all the way to empty If it feels like you're going and going, I might say inhale and just inhale and replace what air you've used. So you've got your intention and you can use me and plants and things behind me to create that yes, feeling, and I'll even give you a little bit of like oh, my god, I'm in this networking meeting and she's like the fifth person to talk and we've got 40 to go, so it can feel real whenever you're ready, we'll All that, just put all that together.

Bridget: 34:09

Just put all that and you're a dancer.

Lauri: 34:15

Let your body lead this. It knows more than your mind.

Bridget: 34:27

Hello everyone. My name is Bridget Baker and I'm a brand and website designer. I work through a collaborative process to support you in being uniquely and unapologetically you. So most people think of brands and websites, they think of best practices, they think of I want to look like someone else, but I am here to make you feel more like you on the web. I work primarily with coaches, consultants, people who help people, people who think they can do it themselves, but they're sort of struggling with that moment of I really just don't want to and this just doesn't really feel like me. So I'm here for you. I've got you Again. I'm Bridget Baker for you.

Lauri: 35:13

I've got you Again. I'm Bridget Baker. Can you go back just to the very end? I'm here for you, I've got you and inhale before you say that it got a little floating in on I-5.

Bridget: 35:22

I know exactly what that means. I'm here for you. I've got you. I'm Bridget Baker.

Lauri: 35:31

Awesome. How did that one feel different from your first one?

Bridget: 35:41

It felt different because I felt like I was having a conversation versus speaking. I think I was not trying to get all the details in, I was trying to connect. I think that's the difference, because saying that intention, it was like oh, I didn't have intention the first time. I was just like let me read you my bio on my website without and even that has intention. So I mean it's like I skipped that.

Bridget: 36:01

Yeah, it's like I skipped that part. You know, I was like let's just skip the intention part and just tell you and people what I always tell people. It's not necessarily what you do, it's who you're for specifically.

Lauri: 36:12

It's like exactly who you're for who's the right fit yeah, and when you have that intention, you start speaking to who you're for, live and with your mouth, and there will be people in the room who maybe are not for you, and instead, instead of trying to like, let me give you all the logical details it's I'm speaking to the hearts and souls of the people that I'm for and it feels different.

Bridget: 36:39

Yeah, that gave me a lot of feels, just the hearts and souls now, because it is. You're not just marketing, you're not just selling, you're not, you're just connecting. And you're not just selling. You're not, you're just connecting and you're that's what you want. I mean, the goal of what you want, beyond capitalism right, is to actually help people like that's, that's what we're here for, yeah, the serving, the helping people is at the top of the pyramid and the money helps us stay in business.

Lauri: 37:06

To do more of that, yeah, and then potentially even give back in other ways.

Bridget: 37:13

Yeah exactly.

Lauri: 37:15

Will you try this the next time you go to a networking meeting?

Bridget: 37:19

Definitely, because I've been doing these 30 second pitch ones and things like that. And people give you feedback and they're so not this, they're so not this version, they're missing the mark, they're. Mostly the feedback comes from that Well, you didn't get in this and you didn't say that. And you're like but does that even matter? Like, really, when I'm speaking to you like that, I need to say enough to get you to contact me and really have a 30 minute conversation, like that's what we really need to do yeah.

Bridget: 37:46

So what's enough of to draw them in? I think is.

Lauri: 37:49

Yeah, it's the appetizer. You're giving them the appetizer or you're giving them the small scoop of ice cream in the ice cream shop, that's enough. If they bite the ice cream and they're like, oh, I like that flavor of ice cream, it's for me, they will come to the ice cream shop and ask for the full scoop or the two scoops or the whole hot fudge sundae. You don't want to try to cram a hot fudge sundae onto the little tiny mini scoop and that's what you're sort of feeling, yeah, in this moment, like I don't want to cram the whole hot fudge sundae onto that little spoon that'll be meant yeah, it's a lot I think of.

Bridget: 38:30

I think of pistachio gelato or something like that that has you can still give them the taste of pistachio. But then when they get the cone, there's actual chunks of pistachio in there. It's like, oh, if I buy the cone, really get that kind of yeah, yeah, yeah, experience sort of you know.

Lauri: 38:46

Yeah, and you don't want to overstuff them with the whole buffet so that they just in 60 seconds. They're like their hairs. Yeah, they're like.

Bridget: 38:54

I don't even know where I, because, yeah, I don't even know where I am in there. You want them enough of them to be in there and them to see themselves in that too. Yeah, I love that totally. Again, attention align and invite invite okay. Again, attention align and invite, invite Okay.

Lauri: 39:10

Yeah, and at a networking meeting it can be a literal invitation. This is more of like the figurative invitation that's going on underneath the words. And, yes, you can literally say if this speaks to you, let's book a one-on-one and have a coffee or something like that. Yeah, yeah, beautiful. How do you see speaking like this impacting your life?

Bridget: 39:35

Visibility, mostly because I've got some juicy things that I'm creating and there's this level of like how do I get people to know what this is and how it's? By talking about it more and talking about it in bigger spaces and and things like that. So the more comfortable I am with this, the more embodied I am with it. That's because we think of Instagram stories or something right, you're doing an Instagram story, your speed, it's a speaking engagement, basically, exactly, you're thinking about algorithm or who's viewing it or whatever. But it's still a speaking engagement.

Bridget: 40:12

And I avoid sometimes because I go, oh, I don't have it perfectly crafted, or oh, I don't have it done in this pot, so then we just don't do anything. And so, if I know I have things to say and things to offer in ways I want to support people, it's just being able to talk about that more. So I think that's what it is, not having to go like, oh wait, let me get it perfect before I talk. Oops, now I didn't talk at all Because I wait, it's perfect. It's just that freedom to go. I can just talk about this Because I'm connecting, I'm, I'm doing, doing the three steps, so I know how to do those, so I can just do this.

Lauri: 40:52

Is not as interesting as Like at this point. This is actually a very quote, unquote, flawed, imperfect Tibetan singing bowl. It's beautiful and it's like there's chips and dings, because I used to use this and be like if you're trying to whack it really hard, that's not the same thing. That's the deranged mannequin like wax this thing really hard and like you're still not going to move anybody. Yeah, versus, when you share yourself out from your heart, they are moved by you and that's far more interesting on those Instagram stories than perfect.

Bridget: 41:36

Yeah, and I heard what I heard and you doing. I heard it the first time, but I heard it even more the second time you did the Tibetan bowl. First time I heard noise. It was just noise, just keep like who needs more noise? And the second time was resonance. There's like, oh, it's noise that actually like reaches somebody and it makes a difference and like makes their day, makes them. They don't have to buy anything from you yet, they don't even. Maybe they're going to contact you later, maybe they're about to contact you right now. It's not about that, it's just like, wow, that really moved me and they're going to respond back to you and you're in their mind and and you've changed their life just in this little moment, or something yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Lauri: 42:14

And sometimes it's them or a friend. They catch your story and they're thinking, oh God, I wish I knew her 10 years ago. And I have a friend who you're moving people, you're touching them. Okay, now I have to ask, since you wet people's appetite with your networking introduction for people driving cars who are not going to read the show notes, make it easy on them. How can they get in touch with you if they're wanting to go deeper and to work with you?

Bridget: 42:50

Yes, so my website is Bridget Baker brandingcom or on Instagram. I'm on Instagram mostly at Bridget Baker branding on Instagram Beautiful.

Lauri: 43:02

Thank you, and now let's do our lightning round, our Pivo pivot. One word, short phrase, a sound, a gesture for each. What is your favorite word?

Bridget: 43:19

Succulents.

Lauri: 43:22

What is your least favorite word?

Bridget: 43:26

Moist which they're so similar. That's so weird.

Lauri: 43:32

They are what turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally.

Bridget: 43:42

Oh, that's a big one Laughter.

Lauri: 43:49

What turns you off Rigidity? What's your favorite curse word? Shit? What sound or noise do you love?

Bridget: 44:08

My dog sighing. I love that sound so much Puppy sigh.

Lauri: 44:13

Puppy sigh, puppy sigh. What sound or noise do you hate?

Bridget: 44:23

Wow, screeching, like cars screeching.

Lauri: 44:31

What job other than your own would be fun to try?

Bridget: 44:39

Talk show host. I mean that's.

Lauri: 44:43

It's coming. What job would you not like to do? Bus driver, Bridget. What do you hope people say about you on your 100th birthday?

Bridget: 45:00

She's still really cool. That's what I noticed, like turning 50, people are like you're so cool, like and you're old or something. I'm like I'm only 50.

Lauri: 45:13

Yeah, you're halfway to 100 and you're still really cool.

Bridget: 45:15

You're halfway there, I want to always be cool.

Lauri: 45:21

I think you will be. I have a feeling you will be. Thank you so much. Thank you for your courage, thank you for your willingness to play and please let me know how playing with this goes for you. I will.

Bridget: 45:36

Thank you.