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You are here: Home / Archives for Zonie Living

Zonie Living

Be Irresistibly Newsworthy in Story, Soul, Style

August 1, 2023 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Telling that story and speaking with passion are skills that can be mastered. Sharing that message broadly can impact the world.

While attending a Phoenix-area Chamber of Commerce mixer, I couldn’t help but notice a woman who was speaking so passionately about her business that she had a crowd of about a dozen women completely entranced. In a tiny restaurant where people milled about smiling politely, pretending to be interested in the latest tax law and plumbing fixtures, she was holding court in a big way.

As a journalist and public relations consultant who is constantly on the lookout for people who have great stories to tell, I drew closer to find out what it was about this woman and her product or service that was so compelling. My curiosity level shot even higher when I felt a spark of familiarity.

And that’s when I saw them. On the counter next to her and in her hand were these beautifully polished metal objects. You could tell just by looking at them that they had heft. They were about an inch-and-a-half long and came to a point. “Jewelry!” I thought. “Beautiful, metallic jewelry. Earrings. Pendants. What a statement they made!”

I had no idea.

And this woman, she was a magnetic force in her own right. I was pulled in closer.

She was saying something like, “These don’t exit. They are designed to tumble and spin and continue to cause damage.”

“Wait. What does this jewelry do?” I was confused.

As I leaned in to hold one of these shiny, weighty things, something like the sound of a hammer on a gun being pulled back clicked for me. These were bullets. Bullets that made a statement. Then another click, as I studied her eyes, her jawline, her voice.

This was JoJo (not her real nickname), a shy girl I knew from grade school. Thrilled with the joy of seeing a childhood friend, I excitedly called out, “JoJo!” –  the only name I knew her by.

What followed pierced my heart. Her eyes darted my way in what looked like panic and sheer terror. She froze. My instinct to rush in for an embrace also froze. Her crowd dissipated. It felt like we had entered the vacuum of some weird time warp. I was a threat, someone from her sad past, dredging up memories and pain that she had carefully buried and locked away decades ago.

JoJo had been mercilessly bullied. She was a year or so younger than me. I wasn’t aware of the deep hurt she suffered every day at the bus stop, in the classroom, on the playground. Everywhere. I knew this because she told me. She explained she didn’t go by “JoJo” anymore. And she told me why. The stabbing pain in my heart dropped to my stomach when I realized what seeing me had done to her, all over again.

We finally embraced. I told her I was proud of her and stepped away so she could recover. And she did. Moments later, a new crowd of women was drawn in, captivated by her knowledge, her confidence, her passion. Before my eyes, JoJo had time-traveled and transformed from a frightened little girl to a powerful, strong woman driven to help other women feel safe. The sleek bullet she held in her exquisitely manicured hand would not just wound or anger a threat; it would eliminate it.

JoJo was passionately speaking to women who never wanted to feel frightened, weak, vulnerable and helpless. And they listened. The message landed and stuck.

When you speak with passion to your target audience, your message is received on a level that hits deep. Like JoJo’s products, it doesn’t exit. It stays with you.

That’s what passionately speaking does. In business, passionately speaking has the power to captivate an audience and to resonate with potential clients and customers. We all have a story to tell. There’s a reason we do what we do. Telling that story and speaking with passion are skills that can be mastered. Sharing that message broadly can impact the world.

In February, I am hosting a unique immersive media relations retreat in Sedona for women. Participants will have the rare opportunity to spend time with globally powerful, successful mentors such as the first newswoman inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters Hall of Fame, anchorwoman Mary Jo West, FOX 10 Weekend News Co-Anchor Linda Williams, Expression Expert Bobbie Casalino Lewis, journalist, author and storyteller Lisa Schnebly-Heidinger, Peak Potential business coach Colleen Biggs and clinical hypnotherapist Rosemary Powell. QCBN

By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN

Find out more about how to receive “Your First-Class Ticket to the News Media World” at MediaRelationsWorkshop.com or contact Bonnie Stevens at bonnie.stevens@gmail. com.

Bonnie Stevens is a public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@gmail.com.

Filed Under: Business, Education, Local News, Tourism Tagged With: Bonnie Stevens, business, public speaking, Your First-Class Ticket to the News Media World, Zonie Living

Five Reasons to Hire a Business Coach

August 28, 2022 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Would you say that you are a proficient business owner?

As a child, many of us might remember trying several different sports, dance classes, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, etc., to see which sport we loved and which sport we naturally were drawn to. I’m sure you remember the day when your parents dropped you off to play your favorite sport. For me, I had just purchased a new glove, bought new cleats and had my hair pulled back in a ponytail. I was ready for my first practice to learn how to perfect the game of softball. That day, I remember meeting my coach. He was soft-spoken, kind, and full of knowledge about how to play softball. I always wanted to be the pitcher, so of course when he asked us what positions we wanted to play I blurted out “I’ll be the pitcher,” or so I thought. I remember him taking us through several drills to really understand our skill sets, areas that we were stronger in than others, as well as moving us around the field to try several different positions. Turns out, I wasn’t a very good pitcher; second base was where I landed. Who would have thought?

I was only about 4 feet tall when I started playing softball, but I was quick, I was small, and great at catching. However, I couldn’t throw accurately to save my life, so second base was the perfect fit for me with my skill advantages and disadvantages. It took the coach testing me in several areas to figure this out. What about you? Do you remember your favorite sport and where you landed based on your knowledge, skill sets and advantages? I bet you do! Without having the coach on the field in practice, I bet neither of us would have been able to become state champions or even win a game. I certainly know as a mother raising children I wouldn’t have dropped my children off to “practice” if a coach wasn’t present. Yet, as business owners, many believe they don’t need a coach anymore in their lives.

By definition, a coach is someone who teaches and trains an athlete or performer. And the definition of an athlete is someone that is trained, skilled and proficient. Would you say that you are a proficient business owner? Just because you are passionate at what you do doesn’t mean you know how to run a business. I meet many women on my journey that are skilled, proficient and truly athletes in their industries, but they lack the understanding and skills to build a successful business.

I’d like you to meet Dr. Melissa Balizan. She has 50,000 clinical hours, has been working as a pharmacist for more than two decades and knows more about medication and the properties of them than probably 1,000 of us combined. She is truly an “athlete” in her industry. Where she lacked was the knowledge of turning her two decades of experience into her own business that had paying customers. When I met her, she was a concierge pharmacist with no private clients. A year later, after hiring me, she was leveraging her skills to work with large corporate businesses to facilitate medicine management for their employees to cut their healthcare costs. Now, she works with physicians to assist their clients, because general physicians are so busy treating clients that they don’t have the time to meet with them regularly to discuss their medication reviews. This is one example of how a business coach is able to see a different perspective in your business and can “move you around the field” to test your skill sets and leverage your knowledge to have a successful career, on your terms.

Here are five quick reasons why you should consider hiring a business coach if you own a business:

  1. Accountability If for no other reason, hiring a business coach for accountability will be the greatest decision you have ever made in your life.
  2. Navigate Challenges and Meet Your Goals A business coach can assist you in creating measurable goals, based on your industry, that will surely come up against some challenges that you may be experiencing for the first time. However, your coach has already been there and done that!
  3. Recognize Your Blind Spots We all have them and they are called “blind spots” because you can’t see them yourself, but your coach can!
  4. Close Knowledge Gaps Be sure to hire a business coach that is always a few steps, if not 10, ahead of you so they can teach you what to expect at every turn.
  5. Unblock Limits We all have these, too, and they are all self-imposed. Your coach will bring these to light so you can work through the blocks and eventually set yourself free of limiting beliefs.

I want to meet you and will be speaking at the Athena Awards in Prescott on Sept. 18. Connect with me on social media, LinkedIn, or even track me down on my website. QCBN

By Colleen Biggs

For more information on how you can schedule a 30-minute strategy call with Colleen Biggs visit her website at https://colleenbiggs.net/  and schedule that call at https://calendly.com/colleenbiggs/30min and see how your business can accelerate, scale and dominate with coaching with Colleen Biggs https://colleenbiggs.net/coaching/

Hear more from Colleen Biggs on Zonie Living, the Leading Ladies edition, at StarWorldwideNetworks.com

Filed Under: Business, Local News Tagged With: Athena Awards in Prescott, business coach, Colleen Biggs, hiring a business coach, Zonie Living

Northern Arizona Business News Vodcast About to Launch

October 30, 2021 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Zonie Living: Business, Adventure and Leadership Coming in November.

Business news seekers soon will be able to watch a fresh new program designed specifically for Northern Arizona, created to inform, engage and inspire. Zonie Living: Business, Adventure and Leadership is a television show or vodcast (video podcast) that will expand on Quad Cities Business News feature stories and take viewers right to the scene, whether it’s inside a local inventor’s workshop, outside for the view on little-known trails or alongside seasoned professionals for a dose of some hard-earned wisdom and smart leadership tips.

Bonnie Stevens’ Communication Station, with support from Quad Cities Business News, will be shining the spotlight on Northern Arizona’s small businesses, career opportunities and community values, including a vibrant economy, healthy lifestyles, outdoor activities, businesses with competitive salaries and light-on-the-land impact, an appreciation for quality education and lifelong learning, and legacy-minded leaders focused on the next generation.

“We have so much to work with and be excited about,” she said, “innovative entrepreneurs, committed community leaders, a business retention focus, workforce development programs, a spectacular natural environment, astro-, eco-, cultural and recreational attractions, a legacy of discovery and hunger for excellence. This all adds up to an extraordinary quality of life.”

Zonie Living is being developed to create positive awareness, news attention and buzz supported and connected by Dave Pratt’s Star Worldwide Networks and an experienced, professional and creative marketing and production team.

As stated in Stevens’ business plan, “Zonie Living will examine not only what forward-thinking, successful people of excellence are doing and how well they are doing it, but more importantly why and the passion and purpose behind their actions. Aren’t these the smart businesses we all want to support, work for and have in our communities? Aren’t these the quality people we want to see on the slopes, sit next to at the symphony or wave to in our neighborhoods? Isn’t this the landscape and nightscape we want to enjoy and take care of for generations to come?”

From out of the bleakness of a global pandemic, Stevens believes now is the time for positive stories to burst onto the scene and onto the screen. “Zonie Living will offer interviews about business success, meaningful innovations, medical advances, leadership strategies, mentoring opportunities, interesting characters, inspirational people, extraordinary places and high-elevation fun,” she said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to get involved in a program that’s pro-business, pro-excellence, pro-leadership and pro-healthy living, promoting our mountain town’s positive, vivacious aspects for achieving the life many dream of,” said QCBN Owner/Publisher Troy Bix.

Along with the vodcast comes a new book from Stevens, “Life Lessons from a Zonie Girl: How to Stay Sunny, Grounded and Resilient.” Also, Stevens is teaming up with pioneering Arizona television news anchorwoman Mary Jo West to offer the CCC2NAU Mary Jo West Excellence in Communication Scholarship.

“The scholarship award, slated for fall 2022, certainly will help a student financially, but perhaps the greatest value is the mentorship opportunity that comes with it,” said Stevens, as she and West will schedule time each semester for coaching and guidance.

“The vodcast, the book and the scholarship are all things I wish I would have had access to in the past, and that is my hope moving forward, that we can all learn from others, gain encouragement, draw inspiration and recognize what a wonderful environment we have all around us. Apollo 12 moon-walking astronaut Alan Bean once said to me, ‘We live in the Garden of Eden,’ and I’ve never forgotten it. To me, he was saying we have beauty and abundance and everything we need for a wonderful life. And that’s what we’ll be focusing on.” QCBN

Zonie Living: Business, Adventure and Leadership goes live Nov. 5. Go to https://starworldwidenetworks.com/shows/bonnie-stevens.

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Adventure and Leadership, Bonnie Stevens, business success, businesses with competitive salaries, extraordinary places, healthy lifestyles, inspirational people, interesting characters, leadership strategies, meaningful innovations, medical advances, mentoring opportunities, outdoor activities, Quad Cities Business News, vibrant economy, Zonie Living, Zonie Living Vodcast, Zonie Living: Business

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