This week I attended and spoke on the topic of sales at The Event Planner Expo. My real reason for initially attending was to meet Mel Robbins! My all-time favorite ADHD Entrepreneur. Little did I know there was a lot more in store for me.
As an individual with ADHD, I suffer from analysis paralysis. My impulsivity led me to apply to be a speaker and I was accepted! Then, of course, reality set in, and my thoughts were spiraling...The questions that went through my head were endless, " Do I fly from Florida to NY for this event for 3 days and miss out on working with my clients and leave my family?", " Is it worth it to leave my 8 month old baby for the first time for 3 whole days? These are Event Planners, what does this have to do with me?!? The questions went on and on.
Well was I thrilled I went! EMRG Media put on a fantastic event. I met Erica Maurer, Jessica Stewart, and Catherine Kang who were rockstars! Everything was thought out from beginning to end. It feels like they spent at least 10 years putting together their 10 year anniversary, and to boot, I come to find out that more than half of their keynote celebrity and accomplished speakers have claimed or suspected ADHD!
The truth about ADHD Entrepreneurs...
How many of you reading this know that individuals with ADHD are 300% more likely to be entrepreneurs? I would imagine that the significant struggles and accomplishments that the keynote speakers including Jesse Itzler and Mel Robbins shared had to do with their ADHD.
Mel Robbins mentioned she put all of her and her family’s life savings into a restaurant which failed and was $800,000 in debt. She was in a very dark place until she decided she had to get out of her bed and take action. She saw a rocket blast off on the news and realized the power of counting down from 5 and took action. She later coined her 5-4-3-2-1 method and it has embodied the habit of many individuals' days. By hearing what Mel has gone through, the very next day, by chance, I happened to connect to a powerhouse in the ADHD Women Entrepreneur space. She was afraid to tell her story and background for fear of judgment, especially from her children, but I believe feels like after hearing Mel’s story, she is less scared and is now truly empowered to share hers.
Jessi Itzler, ADHD Serial Entrepreneur and an owner of the Atlanta Hawks, also a Long Island native like me, likes extreme action. He recently ran 100 miles with a navy seal, not because he was better than professional runners and athletes, but because he wanted it more. Let’s talk about an ADHDer's drive. When we are determined, we are hyper-focused and there is NOTHING that can stop us from accomplishing our goal.
Mario Armstrong, suspected ADHD, won 2 Emmy awards, and became more clever than the norm in coining the questioning “Do you have 11 minutes?” and discussing the power of video messaging. Well, I used his own method on him and he will now be joining me and co-host Ali Idriss from Different Brains on our 11 minute or less podcast “ADHD Power Tools.”
Jason Feifer and Sharon Lechter were also fantastic (I have not seen anywhere that they have ADHD). Jason Feifer proved that familiarity allows others to trust you more. Starbucks anyone? They came from the idea of Dunkin Donuts but just slightly changed their focus to become an experience for customers to meet and dine with their coffee. Additionally, I would like to mention that Jason is a genuinely amazing human, and I have already learned so much through our online and in-person communication. I really believed in his approach of being thorough, informative, and not selling his products. These traits made me want to learn more about him, his message, and how I can collaborate with him in addition to meeting an amazing new attendee and friend Amanda Hudes, who also was moved by Jason’s personality and message.
Sharon Lechter, the co-author of “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” and so much more, asked the powerful question “Why Not?” I quickly used that question with one of my clients with ADHD who joined me at the Event Planner Expo on Day 3, when he was questioning himself if he should go or not. Long story short, he went and he was VERY HAPPY and made many powerful connections for his photography business!
Elliot Zimet was a ridiculously talented illusionist who also has ADHD. Boy does he make a powerful presence. I think we’re going to be buddies for quite some time. The number of tricks “he has up his sleeves,” (that weren’t actually up his sleeves), was incredible. I was lucky enough to be on stage where he was doing his act and he left me and the audience dumbfounded.
Ali Schwartz, Sr. Marketing Manager of Yelp, was on the panel of speakers on Day 2. She is also fantastic. We got to chat on Instagram, met up on Day 3, and then her colleague Andie from Yelp interviewed me for 10 minutes about time management and advice I would give to business owners. She then posted it on Yelp for Business. In her spare time, Ali is a Singer and Choreographer. I was able to introduce her to one of my best friends, Shuffles Tap Dancer, and Choreographer, Shelby Kaufman. I have a strong feeling these two will be able to collaborate moving forward.
Finally, I had the chance to speak about sales on a panel of speakers. I had an awesome time talking about the 2023 trends, the characteristics of a good salesperson, the close, and more.
I am honored to have been a speaker let alone an attendee of this event. My dopamine has spiked over the past 3 days, and believe it or not the momentum is still paying forward in my confidence with my family, and my clients, and creating strategic partnerships with other ADHD experts. I spent my last day in NYC continuing to meet up with other business professionals I have met over the past year networking.
When you think there is no power in strategic partnerships and networking, think again. There is so much power in just listening to others in and OUT of your field. You never know the information you will learn, the tools you can apply, and the connections and confidence you will have for a long time coming!
Thank you EMRG, for helping to inspire me and I know thousands of others.
Coaching With Brooke’s 5 year vision has been to impact 1 million individuals with ADHD. We have already hit this vision less than halfway there through speaking events like "The Event Planner Expo", social media, ADHD Power Tools, and free ADHD EdCamp Conferences. Looks like we are now going to need to up it to 10 million!
For more information about ADHD and tools on how to get over your fears, and make decisions with confidence and ease, feel free to connect with us at www.coachingwithbrooke.com or on social media at @coachingwithbrooke.
-Coach Brooke