The Joy Challenge Despite extensive traveling, dancing, and the enjoyment that came with being of service to the families I worked for, I soon began to feel like something was missing. I had just turned twenty-nine and I was filled with regret. I had no boyfriend, no property, and no proper job. It felt like I was somehow being left behind. I was running out of time; if I died tomorrow, there’d be no legacy or anything to be remembered by. I decided that to find something better, I’d have to make the most of what I had. I started replacing boredom with the pursuit of even higher excellence. By reframing my daily activities, I found so much joy in the so-called tedious activities. I enjoyed arriving thirty minutes early to work and found multiple ways to leverage my house chores and school pick-ups by listening to the world's best audiobooks. I got enormous joy in waiting around at the tennis club for the children’s classes to end and reading books on my Kindle. I hired a cleaner for my own house and every time I got home, I’d feel my spirits lifted from the tidiness and gratitude for living a truly exquisite lifestyle. I raised my energy by creating my own happiness calendar. Every hour after work was filled with activities that I knew would raise my vibration: salsa dancing, swimming, getting my nails done, long walks in nature, buying red dresses, and catching up with good friends over a latte. I learnt to be grateful for, and appreciate, every moment. I may not have been rich but I was filled with abundance, love, and a sense of freedom. I soon began to feel magnetic and attractive. I had unknowingly created a Magnetic Brand for myself; it was all being reflected from the inside out. Create A Legacy By Publishing Your Book You never know what the universe holds in store for you; I certainly had no idea what publishing a book would do for me! I’d only wanted to feel like I had done something important but it led to me becoming a magnet for unbelievable opportunities. The book, Meet The Nanny, attracted hundreds of entrepreneurs to me, keen to know how I’d published my book on my own and how I’d made it so beautiful, too! I started to get invites to free marketing and entrepreneur events, invites for lunch, job offers, and even a boyfriend! George Clooney Reinvented Whilst attending marketing events, I met a lovely guy. I’d been on the lookout for my knight in shining armor and the book had brought him to me. He was no George Clooney but Harry Sardinas, or my “Clowney” was a delightful, teddy bear-looking gentleman with chubby cheeks and a 24/7 comedic streak. We soon started dating and I truly felt his generosity, kindness, and caring spirit. I was a funny, introverted person and he had a level of confidence that could match the force of an atomic explosion. We made a perfect pair together too, almost like the blind and the deaf; me with my lack of confidence and him with his imperfect English. It seemed I had a full-time job correcting Harry’s English! A “Picasso” In The Making Harry soon realized I was going to be a great asset for his business so he hired me to manage his English school, property business, and to ghostwrite and publish his books. Intuitively, I started optimizing the image and brand of the property rentals and realized I had a knack for turning ordinary things into extraordinary things. I was able to increase his property revenues and do the copywriting and branding for all his books, websites, flyers, and adverts. I was my own version of Picasso; creating extraordinary things everywhere, and just like Picasso, I was creating from the heart and the results were better than I could have imagined. I was on a high; turning my creations to reality. If You Don’t Brand Yourself, Others Brand You I had seen the impact that brand optimization had made for Harry’s business. Every new book I published worked to better the lives of thousands of potential clients and enhanced our memorable magnetic brand. I started out with putting together Harry’s ideas for his book Climbing Big Ben. This book earned Harry invites to speak at events and enhanced requests for collaborations, web designs, and done-with-you events in organizing and marketing. Harry also started to get recognized on the street as “the man in purple” so I insisted on him wearing his brand colors everywhere, at all times. Then, I published Learn English Fast which helped our tenants learn English quickly so they could get a job faster. That worked to double the price of the English courses that we were offering and to attract more clients. Speakers Are Leaders And The Making Of A Global Brand After a while, I had reached a limit. Harry was getting invited to so many events but I was still too afraid to speak about our business in front of thousands of people. I was terrified of public speaking. Harry decided to create a fun public speaking workshop to empower both me and the other leaders that he had met at various entrepreneur events. That was how the “Speakers Are Leaders” global brand was created. It was astonishing how much fun it was and how I, along with thousands of others across the world in five countries, had managed to overcome fear of speaking in just twenty-four hours. Now, this isn’t to say that my fear had disappeared, rather that I had learnt to feel the fear and do it anyway. The workshop became a book and a powerful tool for attracting our desired tribe; global, heart-centered entrepreneurs and leaders. It also became a motivational and keynote speaking topic, an online practice club, an interview topic, and the basis of many social media posts and online courses. I was focused on increasing Harry’s brand’s reputation by overdelivering and as a result, we were getting great reviews. Our attendees were raving fans, leaving thousands of great reviews. The book and workshop led to attracting high-profile entrepreneurs and influencers to us. Creating Books That Transform The World I was in awe at the incredible outcomes and opportunities that we were attracting as a result of our books and the global brands that we were building worldwide. It was then I decided that I was going to help others to optimize their businesses as well. I was the branding ninja, the Optimisation Queen, and I had the Midas touch. I created Brand For Speakers (Book Publishing) and, after seeing Marie Diamond speak at our event, my mission became to empower 100 million people to be happier, to go after what it was they wanted, and to share their stories in books that transform the world. I wanted to create books that made a difference; books that mattered because to some extent, I'd always felt that I didn't. The authors that I worked with went on to achieve a range of things, such as: gaining hundreds of client referrals, speaking opportunities, media features, a brand new chance at life (and a new husband found on a speaking tour!), going from suicidal to being awarded by the USA president for impact created, getting accreditation for courses and products from a UK medical association, turning one book into an upcoming app, and rebranding from housewife to positive parenting coach. Harry even got invited to see Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Celebrations in London. Together, Harry and I reached a million people on social media and spoke in front of ten thousand people on worldwide stages. Creating A Magnetic Brand Millions of people publish books each year and the reason why a lot of them don’t work to get the right results is because they don’t have the right luxury image, the right title, the right message, the right aligned brand, or the right blueprint for the right market. The wrong title and incorrect branding can prevent you from attracting the right opportunities. Your Positioning Is Ultra Important If you position yourself as a cheap coach, you’ll get treated poorly and you’ll get asked for a discount too, regardless of your results (which is heartbreaking!) It’s hard to build trust and credibility without authority. People pay a lot more for things they want if you use the right title. That’s why it’s important to choose a simple, short, easy-to-understand, outcome-based title that speaks volumes. That’s why I recommend that you brand yourself as a high-end luxury entrepreneur. You’ll be able to look incredible in every social media post, become magnetic for your ideal target market, and get paid your worth. Ensure to leverage copywriting, extraordinary branding, and a luxury book cover to make your uniqueness stand out. Through branding makeovers, fun photoshoots, wardrobe styling sessions, and social media image makeovers, I can create extraordinary luxury brands and I get incredible fulfillment knowing I, who was once seen as the ugly duckling, is now the helping hand to help clients show their confidence and attract more business. People Judge A Book By Its Cover Whether you like it or not, people will judge your image, your business, your book. That’s why I invest so much time in creating spectacular branding for influencer websites, social media, media kits, and speaker reels. So, whether you’ve been thinking about publishing a book for one year or ten, I know one thing: It’s Your Time Now To Publish Books That Transform The World And Create A Magnetic Brand. Born To Be Adventurous I grew up feeling like the ugly duckling, the black sheep of the family. Having acne since I was thirteen cemented the belief I had that I just wasn’t pretty. My grandma beat me from the age of four until I was eighteen years old. She’d say that I was stupid, ugly, and fat. Growing up, this couldn’t help but affect my confidence and I became very introverted, afraid of confrontations, phone calls, and speaking out in public. Anytime I even thought about speaking to anyone over the phone or speaking to groups larger than three people, I became overwhelmed with anxiety. Surely everyone would be able to notice that I wasn’t that smart, not that pretty, and simply just not good enough? The world was a scary place to me - I was afraid of people and I wanted to hide. I liked working on my own as it was safer to only have to rely on myself and stay out of crowds. I had low confidence but deep down, I knew I was a champion and that I could manifest anything into my life when I really wanted to. There was something strange about how I was so scared of the world, and yet I traveled all the way to London on my own to work as an au pair. It seemed deeply ironic that my fear had paralyzed me so many times and yet had given me wings to fly to London. Born To Leave A Legacy I published my first book as a way to leave a legacy and my life transformed overnight. The book brought so many opportunities for speaking, collaborations, business, branding, and influencer endorsements. I had suddenly become a magnetic opportunity attractor! I started publishing books for entrepreneurs and speaking worldwide. I knew I could change anyone’s life with a book. I knew I had a magic transformational wand, the Midas touch. I could feel everyone’s gift before they could feel it in themselves. Discovering everyone’s purpose and infinite potential for business growth filled me up with so much joy. Entrepreneurs, survivors, housewives - I could find a way to revamp their confidence and branding in just a matter of days. I could find attractive book titles and brand names for anyone. However, for a long time, I was afraid to show myself on social media. I was afraid of talking to people on the phone to explain what I had to offer, and afraid to make sales or PowerPoint presentations, either online or on world stages. I was afraid to be myself. Harry, my life partner, was my shield and my protector from people. He was my spokesperson and I was his. To some extent, I was hiding behind his “Speakers Are Leaders” brand, promoting and supporting him but avoiding the spotlight for myself. It was easier to speak highly of him than of myself, although I was secretly his public speaking coach and he was secretly critiquing my branding makeovers. He’d say: “Lily is the best in the world”, and it was so easy for me to push that thought aside as a big load of crap. He’d call me on stage unexpectedly so that I couldn’t back out. What if I was going to be criticized, unloved, and unwanted? I’d get anxiety posting on social media, thinking that nobody would like me. I felt like an impostor. There’s nothing worse than becoming an opportunity magnet, attracting the right people, and yet falling victim to self-sabotage. I was afraid of being in the limelight. I missed so many opportunities because of fear. Richard Tan, the founder of Success Resources with 10 million attendees for his events, was looking for an MC for his event with an audience of 200 people. I knew I was one of the best, but I was just too fearful to take the opportunity. I was comfortable helping others shine through book publishing, personal branding makeovers, and speaking courses but I felt inauthentic and unable to help myself. Until one day. A message flowed through me and it said: “It’s YOUR time now”. Sheepishly, I started “dipping my toe” in the social media water. I still felt like a scaredy cat, but hey, doing something with fear is better than not doing it at all. Born To Empower I started doing the “It’s your time now” speech online and on-stage. I felt it really was my time now. I shared my sarcastic humor on stage and I noticed people would get inspired and follow their dreams of becoming published authors with my book publishing program. I embarked on a journey of deep energy healing, forgiveness, reflection, self-love, and self-acceptance. I learnt to ask the Universe for exactly what I wanted. I grew less afraid of posting on social media and gradually started to accept myself, my message, my power, and my influence. I grew to 140k followers and reached one million people on social media. I got invited to speak in twenty countries, I shared vulnerable stories with no makeup photos online, and I noticed that people seemed to respond positively to my authenticity. I was invited to feature in three movies as a supporting actress. I was regularly speaking at online events and grew my confidence so much that I no longer felt the need to prepare anymore. I embraced my sassy humor and alluring voice, especially as a duo on-stage or online with Harry. He’d take care of the tech and the PowerPoints that used to stress me out so much, and I’d focus on just being entertaining and sharing life-changing information. Born To Love I knew I had so much love and support to give, and I was willing to do whatever it took to create iconic brands for entrepreneurs through book publishing, influencer marketing, and personal branding makeovers. My core message seemed to call out, “I want to support and love you, can you love me too? Let’s collaborate and grow together.” Some authors got that message and were coachable and fully involved in their personal transformation. Others didn’t agree with my opinion and pushed me to the limit with thousands of unreasonable requests. I became overwhelmed and unable to set boundaries. I simply wanted to please my clients and to avoid conflict. At one point, I fell into depression and felt myself just going through the motions but unable to really focus on my mission. I was afraid and felt disappointed by people again. In this mindset, I didn’t feel as though I could continue. Born To Create Iconic Brands I continued publishing books and building brands but mentally, I had given up. I had lost my voice, literally. My body was overtaken by migraines, sore throats and coughing. Would I ever get decent clients to appreciate my work and see the magnanimous behind-the-scenes effort that went into building their brands? Maybe I was exaggerating, most clients were okay but it was just the tiny percentage that weren’t that really drove me crazy. And then, I remembered why I was here. To love. To empower. To inspire. To be bold and conquer the seemingly impossible. I wanted to work with inspirational clients who could truly see my value. And just like that, superstar Marie Diamond appeared in her magical fairy godmother dust and involved me in her mission to impact millions of people with her new book publishing company. The first four books marketed with my branding and marketing strategy and Marie’s network became #1 Amazon best-sellers in multiple countries, for multiple weeks, and featured in multiple media. I knew I could make Marie’s vision a reality and add even more value to her already iconic conscious luxury brand. The collaboration with Marie was mind-blowing and super dynamic - I knew then I needed to work with the Marie Diamonds of the world. The iconic brands who understood what I could do, or the entrepreneurs who wanted to become iconic brands, but they just didn’t know how. The pain I had been carrying for many years had prepared me for a moment like this. Born To Be Iconic Marie’s network was everything I wanted: heart-centered influencers so appreciative of my work, healers sending good vibes, and psychics confirming that yes, the future was indeed bright. Multiple breakthroughs struck me during one of Marie’s retreats with influencer Ken Honda. He had impacted fifty-four million people with his podcast and eight million people with his books. He said: “You’re as bubbly as a glass of champagne, but you need to help yourself more. Come out of the perception you need to give in order to get. People should pay you just for existing, just for YOU being YOU. You need a bigger community, and you need to give a lot more value to people online without expecting anything. Then, people will support your work.” I knew he was right. For years, I had put myself on the back burner, done the minimum for my own brand, and focused on building other people’s brands and supporting their businesses. With that realization, the Titan in me had been awakened. During the retreat, I was paired up with Gosia Gorna and she saw my future. It looked a lot brighter than I imagined. I was given a card which said: “You are a magician. You can make anything happen - just find a way to express your creativity”. I cried. I was a magician. Always. I had simply forgotten. The next lesson I received was: “Some people won’t like you. You’ll be misunderstood. Be you anyway.” And with that note, Marie Diamond, the fairy godmother, had sparked a massive personal transformation within me. I cried so much that night. I wanted everyone to love me and yet, I didn’t love myself. I didn’t stand up for myself. I never showed that I was an entertainer on social media, yet I yearned for fun clients. I did personal branding makeovers for others but my own style sucked. I did glam websites for entrepreneurs, whilst my own website was in dire need of a facelift. I felt like a whirlwind; spinning around and helping everyone else apart from myself. There’s still so much I can do that nobody knows about. In the course of just a few weeks, I glammed up my style, my website, and my social media. I’ve almost healed my voice. I started sharing entertaining content. It seems I even have the Angels approval too; I see 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 777, 888 everywhere. Nobody believes you can do something until they see it done for you. You need to embody what you teach. You need to be so fearless, bold, and aligned with what you do that nobody can doubt you. Especially not yourself. You need to showcase your uniqueness, which is something that we all have. You need to showcase your signature style, your signature perfume, your signature way of being or creating. Your signature way of doing something. What you want is for people to say - “That’s a Lily” in the same way they say “That’s a Van Gogh”. A book can change your life, clarify your message, and help you become an iconic brand. It’s YOUR time now.