Some of you may have heard...
I am going to be on MTV on Sunday, Aug 10th at 4pm. How does a up and coming life coach land a spot on MTV? I would like to tell you that I did a crazy publicity blitz and spent a lot of money on advertising and worked tirelessly just to been seen on a national television program. However that is the farthest from the truth. Read on to find out just how it happened....
Out With the Old in With the New.My 11 year old daughter has been on me to upgrade my cell phone to something that would be more, well, "cool." In her opinion I needed a phone that had a keyboard, took pictures, videos, held my MP3's and looked professional. My pink razr just wasn't doing the trick. It was just too, pre-teen. She assured me that upgrading my cell phone would surely upgrade my image and in turn help me attract more business. So she cut out a picture of a Blackberry Curve and stuck it in my purse, where I would see it often.
The Magical Blackberry. Well that little picture ended up being enough to motivate me to visit a local shop and see what they had to offer. It turns out, the guy at the counter recommended that same Blackberry Curve for my needs. "The Magical Blackberry" I brought it home that night charged the battery and woke up the next morning expecting miracles.
When Opportunity Knocks..Are you aware when opportunity knocks? Well, I had just walked in the door of my sister-in-law's house because I was free for the day and had offered to watch her kids for a few hours. We were in the door way getting our shoes off and my phone rang. The sound of my new phone's ringing was still new to me and I normally let it go to voice mail when I am with the kids, however this time I answered the phone. Standing there with 6 kids, 5 under 5, I slid out the door onto the porch so I could talk without the noise of "the littles" in the background. Although they were amazingly quiet, I wanted to ensure that I could hear every word. The voice on the other end of the line said, "Hi, I am a producer from MTV's award winning series 'MADE'. I am looking for a Columbus Life Coach for an episode we are filming in central Ohio. Are you interested?" Well, that is the short version. There really was more to her introduction than that. I asked her to email me the information and I would get back with her later that day. I was totally aware of the opportunity that was at hand.
I Was Willing The producer asked if I was interested, but the real question was, "Was I willing?" There I stood, faced with the opportunity to have free publicity by being on national television, however I wasn't feeling all that excited. I was feeling a bit of discomfort. It was a feeling I hadn't had in a while, pure fear! My face on TV? What if I say something entirely stupid? Worse yet, what if I can't help Alex? Well, that last one was entirely ridiculous. What really makes me stand out is that I believe in people. I believe that people can change and I believe that everyone of us is capable of doing whatever our hearts desire. And that belief in people helps to creates amazing change in others. I see it happen every day. And so what if I looked silly or stumbled on my words. I was being asked to coach Alex. It really was about helping her overcome her fears, so the focus would be on her. What do I know about fear? I know that fear is just an indicator of change happening at a cellular level. It is like a warning sign that says something different is happening, check your target before making a move.
So, I checked my target, my life's purpose. "...to cultivate an army of wildly successful women..." That was enough for me.
Yes, I was willing!
I Was Able When they asked for a Columbus Life Coach, the answer to the question of being able seemed like an easy yes. However when I found out that Alex was from Tipp City, which is about an hour and a half away from Columbus, the question of being able had be be taken into consideration. Could I shuffle clients if needed? Would I need to cancel any classes? The producer had originally asked me to recap two more times before the competition, which would be even more time out of my schedule. My husband had just left on a business trip for 3 weeks, which means I would also need to consider babysitting. Could I do it? I made the decision that I would make it work. Yes, I was able!
The Results The entire coaching session with Alex took less than an hour and a half. We met here in Columbus, which was a blessing. Having a camera, 2 actually, in our face for the entire session was a little strange, however I did my best to remain present with Alex during our time together. I had faith in Alex and her ability to pull it together and make it through the next 3 weeks. It turned out that something must have changed. They didn't need me to come back for further coaching sessions. Maybe spending extra time with Jill, the filmer/producer, after the shoot or the coaching session on the phone with Holly Lyons the pro skateboarder/MADE coach had something to do with that?
I was invited back for the final day of filming. I decided to make the trip to the competition in Kettering, Ohio and bring my daughter along. It was a beautiful day. It was great meeting Holly in person. She is a great skater and was gratefull and ready to return to California where she was scheduled to be a stunt double in the new Hannah Montana movie. It was wonderful to see Alex on the skateboard, she looked happier, more confident, and she definitely looked like a skater!
Air time! I'd love to have you watch with me to see how they take 6 weeks of filming and turn it into an hour long episode. Remember I haven't seen it yet either, so we will all be watching at the same time together! Look for me in the middle of the show and at the end during the competition. I'll be in the audience.
Air times:
Sunday (It's today!)
August 10, 2008 at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST
August 12th at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST Tuesday
All the Best!
Your Personal Life Success Coach,
Dawn Nocera
www.DawnNocera.comTo find out more about personal coaching for teens, please email coach@dawnnocera.com to find out how you can get started today from anywhere in the world!
