Why your story is so important to your brand or business with Lou Hamilton

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Never miss an episode and subscribe and listen at dawnmcgruer.com. Welcome to a very special podcast today. We have the lovely Lou Hamilton, who is joining me today, and we're going to be talking about the importance of brand storytelling and why it's so important for your brand and business in particular.

We'll be talking about elements of promoting yourself through podcasts, which is very apt, seeing as my podcast is now a year old this month, something that I'd wanted to do for a very long time. Now, Lou has been working with me for guesting on podcasts, and as much as I wanted to do my own podcast, I wanted to guest on podcasts and had been for sort of many years, really, while I procrastinated about launching mine. Now, Lou and I share a hobby or an interest, which is art, and we're going to be talking a little bit about creativity and how that ties in with your brand storytelling, because I think we talk about the professionalism, and the corporateness all the time, and being an entrepreneur and business owner, but there's a lot more flair that comes into our world because you don't just have your podcast agency, and you're not just obviously an artist; you're also an author with three books, one that's coming out in autumn, which is Dare to Share. The previous books were How to Be Fearless, and the second one was Fear Less.

But you've also done documentaries, haven't you, as well, and filmmaking. So you've got a very varied background, but very creative. Is that fair to say? Yeah, it's been a kind of wiggly winding road, but always creative.

So I went to art school and did a fine art degree, and then a few years later I did an MA in public art, which was much more about sort of being responsible as an artist for the work that you put out into people's public spaces. You know, people are going to be using it, so you want to make work that is relevant for them. And I was making a big sculpture out of scrap steel that was placed on the side of the M4 near Swindon. And there was, you know, it was a few months in the making, and I worked with the local community, and we did poetry workshops, and we made kind of little sculptures and kind of words that led up to the piece itself.

And then I did a plaque with the poem that I'd written that had really inspired the sculpture. And I'd had to sign a document saying that, which was the same contract that architects have to sign, which is that your sculpture has to still be standing in 50 years' time. And I thought, do I really want to? And I was getting more and more into kind of social issues and making work that had a social context, and I thought, you know, maybe this sculpture is not going to be even relevant if it is still standing in 50 years' time.

And I loved the kind of the process of the story behind the sculpture, and that kind of really made me think, oh, maybe that's where my interest really lies. And, you know, to cut a long story short, I sort of got into artist video, and then I got invited to co-direct, co-produce, co-write a series on terminal illness for Channel 4. I was going to say, it's interesting because your journey, obviously, you know, you've done lots of different things. Do you think there's a stigma, again, sort of around becoming an artist in terms of, you know, being successful and well paid and things?

Because I remember when— And I was very much into art. I did art A-levels, and I studied art, and I had favourite artists were Francis Bacon and Salvador Dali. And I was really keen to get into it. And I remember being advised against it, you know, like you'll hit a point, Dawn, that, you know, your success and, you know, is it a well-paid job?

I mean, I think things have moved on massively since then, but do you think that there was a stigma back then, or still is? Oh yeah, definitely. There was, you know, I knew going and doing a fine art degree was not going to pave my way to gold, and it sure didn't. But I think that it wasn't just sort of external pressures, it was internal as well, that you just thought, well, you're not going to earn money being a creative person or being an artist, so you're going to have to have a job on the side.

But what happened a few years later was that people like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, their lot came along, and they were like, no, why is that the truth? Why can't we earn money making the work that we're passionate about and that we're really good at? And so they did find ways to make money with their art, and they were very successful for doing it. But I think that their group kind of changed the mindset, although they took a lot of flak and, you know, there was so much criticism about their work and that, oh, well, this is commercial, so it's not proper art.

Well, you know, time has proven that it is proper art, and they made money out of it. So I think that over time, artists ourselves have had to challenge that idea. But it has only been recently that I've really... Taken that on board.

And I actually had hypnotherapy around my money mindset and my creativity, and that shifted everything. And from the—I had three sessions, and from after that final session, the commissions just started rolling in. It's funny, isn't it? We were talking about challenges on one of my previous podcasts in terms of you don't realize that when you're holding on to things, that every future decision, you know, is determined by that challenge.

And, you know, sometimes you have to kind of go way back and start cleansing out some of that. I think a lot of people have done that during COVID because we've had more time. I think one of the things that I like about your journey is that when I started in sort of the corporate world, I've always been the complete opposite to what I was working in. So even when I was a programmer, I was the complete opposite of what everyone would expect.

And I think that's my creativity kind of coming out all the time. And even now, you know, people say, you know, your hair's a different color, your makeup's different. I have no routine, and I know that every day that is my artistic streak that comes through in terms of either my dress sense or the way that I structure my day. So I think I am a natural-born artist or creative, and I think that anything I do, that comes out.

When we think about, obviously, your journey and how you've told your story, tell us how that kind of pans out, because I think a lot of people, especially in corporate, when they step out and they go into the entrepreneurial world, they find it hard to share them. You know, they see a brand as the identity, but when it's you, what's your sort of advice in terms of how you've managed to bring your story into play? Well, I think for me, once I decided or recognised that painting was my passion, but always my purpose was using creativity to help others and somehow sort of make some kind of positive change in the world. And that side of things, you know, that was through film.

It definitely played out with the documentaries. We actually raised a lot of money for one of the people that we were following just by the nature of it going on television. And that was the first time I recognised that creative output could have a massive impact on others. And so using media in various forms was how I wanted to be able to do that.

And so as technology developed and podcasting sort of came to the UK, I mean, it'd been there in the US for ages, but the UK were a bit kind of slower on the uptake. I really recognised that podcasting was a way to tell people's stories. And with filming, it had become quite hard work raising the money, getting films off the ground. It was slow, and I was like, do I really want to spend years and years and years trying to get these films off the ground?

Whereas with podcasting, you know, especially when we went remote, it was just like, well, I can have a new person on each week talking about some amazing thing, telling their story. And then I thought, well, now I'm doing this, but I can only have 52 women on a year. So how else can I help more women get out there and tell their stories? And that was when I came up with the concept of the podcast guest agency, Silk Studios.

And that has become my absolute purpose and running parallel.

Part of that is my painting and painting commissions. So I really feel like I've got two hats, and that my passion feeds me so that I can then do my purpose, which is to help others. I love it because it's all about alignment, isn't it? And I totally get what you say about being able to share the authentic you through your podcast, because for me, it was something I wanted to do for a while, as you know.

And when Dawn of a New Era came out, it just gave me an opportunity and a media that I could show up but really talk about things that, you know, running an academy and an agency, I hadn't had that platform to be able to share, and it would feel, you know, wrong to be talking about that on a social media course. So for me, I feel like by sharing my story, I've met some amazing and some of the most inspiring leaders in the world. But I also think when you talk out your pains and challenges, one of the things that I've spoken to you about is success. How do we recognise what success is?

Because I think for many years I had a list of things I wanted to do. I'd tick them off, I'd move on to the next, and I was kind of on like a carousel. You know, I wasn't stopping to realise or absorb what I'd achieved. And actually, by doing my podcast and sharing the pitfalls, the pains and the challenges, it does make you feel more connected to your story.

What do you see as, you know, success? I think it's a really difficult topic, but your alignment, obviously, to your passion and purpose, I think is testimony to your success. But what do you feel is success for you? Yeah, I feel that success is contentment in what you're doing, and it's taken me a long time to get to this place.

But I feel like now I'm in alignment. I'm really clear about what I'm doing and what I need to be doing to feel successful, whatever that word is. But, you know, for me, it's contentment. It's feeling that I'm doing the right thing for me and that I'm somehow having an impact for others.

And as you, you know, it's true, success looks very different. But I think that what we all know now is that success isn't at the end of the rainbow. It's kind of as you're walking along through the rainbow. It's kind of every day.

It's, you know, both you and I love... Our time, we really value time. So if I was doing all the things that I'm doing, but absolutely up against deadlines and up against the mark all of the time, I wouldn't feel successful because I haven't got those kind of breathing spaces. And, you know, earlier on, the room here kind of looks over the river, and just every so often through the day, I just need to go and stand by the window and look at the water.

And if I'm in my head just like mad, rushing from one thing to another, and that I can't even take those moments, then that does not feel like success, even if I'm doing the same as I, you know, all the things that I'm doing. So I think it is looking at what success feels good to you. You know, what's that life? And if time is important or being with your family is important or, you know, whatever those things are that make your life feel kind of wholesome, then it's about kind of building that in.

And it's not necessarily, you know, you might have some money goals, but if that money goal is so big that it requires you to work every single minute of the day and to have a massive team that you need to manage, and then suddenly all of that starts to not look really or not feel very great, then maybe reducing the money goal and then being able to create the things that are important to you along the way to making that money. The only thing, you know, the pandemic has really made people stop and think. It certainly has for me. And, you know, what success is is often what society drives it to be.

So you do get caught up in money goals and, you know, and ticking off these things on a to-do list. And for me especially, you know, I feel having a more enriched life is what I want, and really putting the fun back into business. You know, you think back to, you know, your past business years and you think about the times you really truly enjoyed. And it is, it's about enjoying the journey, isn't it, to getting to the goal.

It's not just kind of getting to it. I feel that a lot of us now will want to kind of push forward and do something different. And that's certainly why I'm launching my new program in September for all the things you've said about freedom, flexibility, enjoying life, feeling connected, and really bringing my purpose into alignment. In terms of, obviously, your books, talk us through then a bit of your brand story in terms of, you know, where did this all start?

How did the Fearless books come out? You've got, obviously, How to Be Fearless and then Fearless. What was the lead-up for that? Well, I've always been fearful.

And then, you know, I lost a very good friend when I was little, where we were kind of... Eight. But, you know, in those days you didn't kind of deal with it. You know, there weren't people to kind of go, Well, this, you've been through this.

We need to kind of help you through that. Then in my early twenties, we'd moved to Scotland, and the Lockerbie bombing happened, which was a plane was blown out of the sky above where we lived, and everything just kind of rained down into our midst. And, you know, that was a massive sort of traumatic impact that, again, I didn't know to kind of deal with at the time. You know, I hadn't lost anyone, I hadn't been injured, so I just thought, well, you kind of, you know, you pick up the pieces and carry on.

And it wasn't until I was doing that series on terminal illness and then another film on soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder that I realised that actually I was suffering with PTSD and huge fear and anxiety. And it was kind of by then I was in my early forties, so I was probably perimenopausal, so those kind of feelings were getting worse. But what was happening was that I couldn't suppress them anymore, and I was going to need to deal with them. And so I kind of, I trained to be a coach.

I had coaching myself as part of the training. I also had therapy along the way. And then when I hit 50, kind of now in sort of full-blown menopause at that point, my children were leaving home, my granny died, and I was sort of facing this sort of, well, you know, what now? My anxiety had kind of gone off the scale with the menopause, and I thought, God, what's this?

And is this what my life is going to look like? You know, my kids are gone. And anyway, I just was sort of contemplating all of this, and I just suddenly had the urge to pick up a pencil and start drawing again. And out popped this little, what later became known as Break New Girl, this kind of little stick.

Sick character that was sort of totally fearless, could do anything. Nothing stopped her, and if there were things that sort of, there were obstacles, she just kind of invented ways to get around it. So I don't know whether she was kind of for me, or whether I was doing her kind of to sort of send out with my children into the world, although they're perfectly capable and fearless, they didn't need that. And so I just kept posting these drawings, and the response I got was just phenomenal.

And so I just kept drawing them and posting them with these little kind of sayings, and eventually someone said, Well, you should really try and get it published. And so I searched for an agent, got an agent, and then it got published. And it sort of, it was a gift book, so it's something that, you know, you just open on a page and this little drawing is there with a message to kind of help you for that day in that moment, and you take from it what feels right. And then the next book was that I wanted to kind of really go into what fear was and, you know, we're never going to get rid of fear, but how can we use that energy to move forward, to keep going, to rise up against the things, the obstacles, the challenges, the traumas, everything.

And I felt very strongly that it was our kind of inbuilt creativity as humans that allows us to kind of evolve and grow out of our fear. And so that was when I wrote Fear Less. It's interesting because there's a lot of people who will be listening to this who have a fear or a phobia, and one of the things that I think is quite ironic for me and what I do is that I used to absolutely hate public speaking. And then I won Best Female Speaker, I think it was in 2018.

The years are merging into one at the moment. And actually, when I feel fear for something, it actually does spur me on. So what you say is that you do use it as a positive energy. And now, before I go on stage, I do kind of still feel that fear, but it's almost an excitement.

So it's changing how I feel about it, and I used to push fear away, where now I just sit with it and kind of feel it. And I think this is something that probably people are fearing the future with the pandemic. We're fearing, you know, what could happen. And I think the fact that this came out of nowhere, I think it has induced more fear because no one could...

Have thought about it. What would you say to someone who is feeling the fear about showing up authentically? Because you've got your new book, obviously, Dare to Share. How would you advise or give a tip to someone to just step out and show themselves as them rather than just a corporate brand?

I think it's the kind of overarching mission. Why are you doing this? Why is it so important to you to do this? And when you know that, that will get you over your own personal fear.

So for me, I was always phone phobic. I couldn't talk on the phone. Well, here I am running, as it were, speaking to you. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, this would never, ever—I would never have thought I would have been able to do this. I certainly wouldn't have thought that I could have a podcast myself and talk every week to somebody that, you know, quite often I don't even know, that I've never spoken to before. You know, and even before, you know, if I'm going to do an interview and I'm a little bit nervous, I can feel the fear. But I just think this is so exciting to have a conversation with another woman that is kind of doing their thing and has been through, you know, has their story to tell.

And I can, you know, I'm in the position to share those stories. And, you know, here today we're talking together about, you know, our stories and how, you know, how it's impacted us and how we've grown from them. And so that just gets me past the fear straight away because I know that there's a bigger thing here. This is bigger than my fear.

So I would definitely say look to the things that are kind of bigger than you and why is it important? And if you focus on that, then it will get you through. And, you know, a good dose of deep breathing and... See, a lot of people, I think, think, and I was probably guilty of this a bit, like, you know, why does someone want to know that about me?

And I know when we charted out my story and we went right the way back to my childhood and things like that, that I actually thought, you know, this is what made me, you know, and made me make the decisions I have made, and it's why I became a business owner in the first place. And I think through sharing this, either as guesting on a podcast or for my own, or even just writing blogs or social media posts or just doing lives, I'm sharing more and more about that. And I think what's fascinating is the more I've shared, the more connected and the deeper the relationships I've formed with people I've met on social media, which, you know, I was connecting before, but I think people do want to know, like, how did you get here? Because a lot of people will see you on a platform like on LinkedIn and think, oh, you know, you've got 30,000 connections, but it's important to tell people how you got there and also, I guess, share the pains and pitfalls along the way, because that's what makes it believable and people resonate with it.

If you were to give our listeners then one thing that they could do this week to really help use brand storytelling, what would it be? What would be your number one tip? Well, first of all, I would look at, even before you sort of even think about podcast guesting, I'd look at the about you on your website, because I don't know if you're the same, but, you know, if I go onto a business website or a brand website, the first thing I look at is the about you. I want to know who is this person behind the brand, you know, how they started, where did they, you know, it's relatable, isn't it?

It's just like, oh right, now I'm buying into what they're doing because I get where they've come from. And it's like, you know, if they've been through these pitfalls and they've shared that, then it's like, oh right, okay, so they're not so different from me then. You know, it all becomes possible. And so, you know, maybe look at a few about pages of other ones, look at yours and see whether your...

You're giving, you know, a story that people can relate to and feel like, Oh, you know, this is something I could buy into, and then start listening to podcasts and listening to the different ways that people tell their stories. And, you know, there might be one that you think, Oh yeah, I really like how they've told that. So then think about your own story. Maybe jot down some key points through your journey that you think, you know, that relates to your business and how you got to your business.

And, you know, it is, it's the ups and the downs and, you know, your passion, your purpose, the things that were really difficult for you and how you overcome them. For sure. So in terms of, obviously, you've got your new book coming out in autumn. We know that you're obviously a keen artist and very creative.

What's your favourite artist or favourite author that you'd like to share with us? Well, in terms of art, there's a sort of mix of them, and they're very much sort of abstract expressionists. So, but also artists like Anish Kapoor, who's a sculptor, but the way that he uses colour and shape is very much kind of relatable to my abstract paintings. And Sean Scully, I love his stripes, so I definitely kind of use...

You know, I'm definitely influenced by him. People always say about my work, Oh, it's like Rothko, Mark Rothko's work, and there's definitely kind of, I'm definitely sort of inspired by his work. And my own grandfather, I grew up with his paintings around, and even though he's a figurative painter, he was a figurative painter, if you look in between the figures, the way that he works with paint is very kind of abstract, and I love that, and I think I'm very inspired by that. And in terms of books, I just love writers who are telling their stories, but I love biographies and I love self-development books because I love to hear how people have got from A to B and how they're surviving.

The very latest book that I've read is Blue Spaces by Dr. Catherine Kelly about how water, wild swimming, has healed her in times of grief, and it's a beautiful book, and she sort of helps you to sort of understand how water can help you. So yeah, I'd highly recommend that. I think there is something about reading, and I still—I'm not a Kindle person.

I have to have actual hard copy or paperback or something like that. And I remember, and I still think about this a lot, one of the books that made such an impact on me was Rita Carter, Mapping the Mind, and I remember reading it, and I was probably in my late teens, but it was all about sort of the differences between men and women and why people think things. And you know what? Even when I go into meetings and things now, or I meet somebody who maybe has a different personality to me, I still go back to that book.

I still think about how I read it and how I perceive people. And I think there are books now that I still would go back to that are many, many years old that I would love to read. And one of the things I've just done this week is reorganized my bookcase, which was an absolute mess, and I'm reading one book at a time because I'm one of these people who likes to read about eight, so I've now limited myself. I'm not allowed to start a new one until I finish it, and it's really reinvigorated my love of reading.

And I don't know what it is about it. Podcasts and books for me at the moment, I'm finding really, really motivating and just— It's really opening my thought space in terms of the way I'm thinking about things and making my decision-making process slightly different. What's your favourite podcasts at the moment? Any recommendations that we can go into?

Well, yours, of course. Obviously, Dawn McGruer. And Breaking You Girl second. I'm going to be appearing on yours tomorrow.

Yes, yes, I'm very excited about that. I love podcasts that are people's stories. I mean, as a podcast guest agency, I'm listening to different podcasts all the time, and I'm so excited that, you know, there's just not enough hours in the week for all the brilliant ones that I listen to. But actually, one that I do come back to a lot is Dr.

Tabitha, the functional gynaecologist. And, you know, I think, you know, I've been through the menopause. I think I'm out the other side, yay. But she's brilliant, and the people she has on, and, you know, I think as entrepreneurs and businesswomen, and men, you know, we work really hard, and we kind of do more hours than really we should, even with our little moments out for enjoying water or whatever it is.

Yeah, yeah. And I've just taken a social media sabbatical. You have. Apart from LinkedIn, I feel like that's different.

Yeah, so I think that, you know, I think it's really important to try and stay as healthy as possible as we get older, because we want a good quality of life, and we want to not kind of just go around down the rabbit hole of being stressed and overworked and not eating right and, you know, all of those things. So as I've gotten older, I feel like my luxury is health. Yeah, and you know, this is something for me I've struggled with over the years. I don't know whether I've just been kind of brought up in this kind of staunch sort of work ethic where it was like business first.

I've just really kind of reprioritised and...

care first. And, you know, I talk about motivation, mindset, and marketing. And honestly, the motivation and mindset, this is like the biggest part of my business at the moment because it's having such an impact on the marketing side of things. Because, you know, if I'm feeling good, I'm eating well, I just, it does, it opens up a whole new way of thinking.

And the more time I'm taking out, the better I'm performing in business. And, you know, I suppose when you're creating a program or you're writing your book, you know, you know this is the thing. You need the space and the time. You can't rush these things.

And I've spent about a year now creating my new program, launching in September. I could have launched it earlier, but I think we need sometimes just to kind of walk away, as you say, from social media or other things and do what we want to do, not what we think we need to do. And honestly, if anyone's listening to this today, like you lose down, if you feel like social media is draining you, take a step back, you know. Is there a final thought that you can leave our listeners with today?

Anything that you feel that's important for people or something that's been pivotal for you? I think that, you know, the power of your story, the power of your voice to share your experiences, your challenges, your ups and downs. I think, you know, you just never know who's going to be listening and that your words may land in their ears just at the moment they need to hear it. And then they'll find you, they'll follow you, they'll trust you, they'll want to be in your world.

And I think, you know, that's why perhaps the story is so powerful, because we can bring ourselves to our businesses and to the ears of other people that want to find you and be part of what you're doing. So I really value other people's stories. And so, yeah, value your story and share it. Dare to share.

Absolutely. So if you want to go and find Lou, you can find her. You've got Silk Studios, you've got your social media platforms there. You've got Lou Hamilton.

Obviously your books. Your new one, Dare to Share, is coming out in autumn, but you can pick up How to Be Fearless and Fear Less. Where is the best place to connect with you, LinkedIn or? LinkedIn is really good, and my website, silk-studios.

co.uk. And I'm doing a sort of daily-ish blog where I'm not on the other socials for the time being. I am still putting out words and images and all the kind of funny things that happen along the way.

So yeah, come and join me. Yeah, definitely in a way that, you know, feels comfortable to you. So if you are feeling a little bit jaded and you are suffering the social fatigue, switch it up. Go and check out Lou, and you can read some of her blogs.

They're definitely worth checking out, very inspiring. And yeah, thank you for being our guest today. And check out the podcast Brave New Girl as well, because there's some fab episodes and guests on there too. So thank you very much, and have an amazing day.

And hopefully our listeners have taken some really good advice about showing up in a way that's authentic to them. So thanks, guys. Take care. Bye now.

Bye. Thank you for listening to Dawn of a New Era podcast, and for your free checklist to find out how to boost your business for growth, profit and success, and join our community, go to dawnmcgruer.com.