68: What It Really Takes to Create Bold Visibility (and Attract High-Level Opportunities)
Sure, Instagram strategy matters, but what about the energy behind the content? In this special episode, I’m pausing tactical tips and sharing a personal story about the exact process I used to land my biggest visibility win to date: getting invited to speak on the Social Media Marketing Podcast hosted by Michael Stelzner.
This didn’t happen by chance. It happened because I became the version of myself who could handle it, and I’m teaching you the exact 3 steps I followed so you can start manifesting your bold business dreams, too.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[00:00] Why strategy isn’t the only ingredient in long-term success
[02:58] What prompted this mindset-focused episode
[03:53] The "impossible" dream I whispered to myself two years ago
[06:15] The email that changed everything: getting invited by Social Media Examiner
[08:07] Three steps that helped me manifest this dream
[10:05] Step 1: Claim the vision out loud (no more “maybe someday” energy)
[11:59] Step 2: Take action before you feel ready
[15:46] Step 3: 1% upgrades every day to become the person who’s ready
[18:34] The quote that guided me: “Participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings”
[20:58] A sneak peek at next week’s new series: How to Sell on Social Media
Key Takeaways:
The dreams that feel far away aren’t impossible, you just haven’t grown into them yet.
You don’t need permission to take bold action. Pitch before you’re “ready.” Create before you have it all figured out.
Micro moves matter. 1% upgrades every day will carry you further than you think.
Consistency compounds. When you show up relentlessly, the right people will start to find you.
The biggest opportunities don’t show up randomly, they show up when you’ve done the inner work to be able to hold them.
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
My interview on the Social Media Marketing Podcast
Apply for a Free Instagram Breakthrough Session
A Truth You Need to Hear:
“You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings.” - Elizabeth Gilbert
S3 Ep68 Transcript: What It Really Takes to Create Bold Visibility (and Attract High-Level Opportunities)
00:00
I'm obsessed with teaching you Instagram strategies that actually work, the kind that grow your audience, attract your dreamboat clients, and of course, turn your content into real revenue. And while it's so important to dive into the strategy behind the content, there's one piece we don't talk about enough, and that's the mindset and energetics required for long-term success. In today's episode, I'm pulling back the curtain and teaching you the three steps I follow
00:28
to manifest and create bold visibility in my business, including the exact process that helped me land the biggest opportunity of my career so far. So if you've been holding a big vision for your brand or your business, but it still feels out of reach, this episode will give you the shift you didn't know you needed. Are you ready? Let's go.
00:53
Welcome to Strut It, a podcast about creating bold visibility on social media with zero apologies. I'm Elizabeth Marberry, your host and Instagram marketing coach. I help small business owners get seen on Instagram and monetize their offers so they can make more money doing their sole lead work. If you're tired of spinning your wheels on Instagram and you're seeking simple, proven Instagram marketing strategies that actually work, you're in the right place.
01:22
Let's dive in.
01:32
Welcome back to the show. As always, thank you for spending your time with me today. I have a really special episode in store for you. And if you've been around here for a while, you already know this podcast, we practice zero gatekeeping. Each week I teach the exact organic Instagram marketing strategies that I use to grow both of my businesses from my local brick and mortar business in Denver to my online coaching brand.
02:01
and I share exactly what's working for my clients inside my group and private programs as well. So if you're looking for real proven marketing tips that you can actually implement, you're totally in the right place. But today's episode is going to feel a little different. As I'm recording this, we are heading into summer. My kids are home from school. I have two young kids. I have an eight and 11 year old.
02:29
And I don't know about you, but when the seasons shift, I always need a little more brain space, especially as a creative and visionary entrepreneur. And with one of my biggest visibility opportunities airing this week, and I'm gonna tell you more about what I'm talking about in a minute, I felt like this was the perfect moment to pause and talk about the mindset and energetics it takes.
02:58
to achieve your wildest visibility goals. So whether you're brand new here or you've been listening from day one, my hope is that today's episode will serve your heart and remind you what's really possible when you stay the course and keep showing up relentlessly in the pursuit of what you desire. Okay, so let me rewind.
03:25
About two years ago, I was doing what most of us do when we set a big, scary goal. I was quietly dreaming about it. I had just heard about the Social Media Marketing World Conference, on social media, of course, and I saw the speaker lineup, I saw photos of the speakers on stage, and I remember thinking, I want to be on that stage someday.
03:53
I want to be known in this space that is social media marketing world. Even though I didn't even know much about the conference, it was just a feeling. It was a very strong desire and vision. I wanted to be respected as a top voice in Instagram marketing. So I did my research. I went to the social media marketing world website. I did a whole Google search on
04:22
for speakers for social media marketing world. If you're a professional speaker, you know that a call for speakers is kind of like an audition, right? It's how you apply to get a speaking gig. And I was doing some digging usually with events. You're savvy. You can find that application somewhere, right? If it's out there in the public domain. And I was coming up with nothing. So.
04:47
I reached out to my colleague and I said, hey, do you know how to apply for this conference? And she said something like, I think you need to be invited onto Michael Stelzner's podcast first. I think that's how he finds his speakers. And with that information, I totally stalked Michael Stelzner, okay, and I...
05:17
looked at his Instagram, looked at his podcast, his LinkedIn, his whole presence, and I just started researching and I found out that he is the CEO of the Social Media Examiner, which is a go-to resource for marketers since 2009. So this man is seriously an OG in the marketing space, and he is the force and visionary and creator behind
05:45
Social Media Marketing World, which is an annual conference that draws in thousands of professionals from around the world. So, you know, he's kind of a big deal. So with this insider information, I decided, okay, at some future point, because I didn't feel ready yet, I knew that I was going to pitch myself as a potential podcast guest for their show. And I kind of put a pin in it.
06:15
It was a very clear vision, but I set it aside as a someday opportunity. Just over a month ago, they found me. Mike's executive assistant reached out to me directly. They researched extensively before they invite their guests onto the show. Of course, they had been watching my content, seeing how I showed up on all the different platforms.
06:44
And now I can't even believe I'm saying this. I am going to be on the show this week. That's right. I landed an interview with Michael Stelzner on the social media marketing podcast. It drops this week on June 12th. So whether you're listening to this as the show is coming out and it hasn't dropped yet, or it's in the past, you can definitely go find that. But wow, it was a total
07:14
dream manifested. And as I was reflecting about how I went from this dream and vision in my brain that honestly kind of seemed impossible at the time, a little bit crazy, like if I just told someone, oh, I'm going to do this someday, they'd be like, you? Like, are you sure? There's so many other Instagram marketing.
07:38
strategists and coaches and experts out there like Elizabeth, why you? Right? That's kind of how I felt at that time. So how did I go from that place to them finding me, reaching out to me, pitching me as to why I should be on their show, right? And really giving me the biggest visibility hit that I will have for my career thus far for my social media marketing coaching business. Getting in front of hundreds.
08:07
and thousands of my ideal clients. It truly is a dream come true. So I was reflecting on this and I broke it down to three steps that I took to manifest this impossible dream. And I'm sharing this with you because I want you to take this in and see how it resonates with you, your heart, your soul, your life, and
08:37
maybe, just maybe, you're gonna walk away with a clearer path of how to get where you want to go. Because I am a firm believer that if you have a vision for your life, for your business, it is meant for you. When I say vision, I see pictures in my mind. Like I could see myself standing on the stage, I was wearing a red outfit, I was standing in front of hundreds of people, I didn't know where I was. But like I see pictures in my mind.
09:06
Okay, some of us do. Some of us, it's more spoken. Some of us, it's more of a feeling that we have. There's so many different ways that being a visionary can show up. But I wanna teach you these three steps because I think they're gonna change how you operate. And for some of you, they might just be great reminders of things that it's easy to kind of forget when you're hustling, when you're working, when you're striving, right? And that's why I wanted to kind of, ah.
09:36
Let's pause and let's reconnect into the mindset and energetics that is going to help us to create that long-term success, both inside of us, inside of our hearts and souls, but also outside of us and the people that we're gonna impact with our businesses, our families, and all of that. Okay, so here's the truth that no one tells you about these insane moments that occur in your career. They don't.
10:05
happened by accident. It was not luck. It wasn't like, oh, lucky for you, Elizabeth. They happen because you become the version of yourself who can handle them. I'm gonna say that again. You become the version of yourself who can handle them. And here's what that looked like for me. This is really the three steps that I took without even
10:34
necessarily intentionally knowing it at the time to get to this place. Number one, I claimed the vision out loud. I didn't say maybe someday or well, you know, I'd love to if and then I had a long list of excuses. I said, I want this period. I see myself on that stage. I want to be on that stage.
11:03
I want to be known in my space. And many of us are afraid to actually claim our desires. Many of us have fear around actually saying what we want. I do a lot of discovery calls, sales calls with potential clients, and sometimes I'll say, what is it that you want? Like, what do you want Instagram to do for your business, your life? They almost kind of freeze. It's like,
11:32
They've been chasing a follower count or they've been chasing views, but they haven't even stopped to think like, why do I want this? What do I actually want? So you need to be clear and you need to claim your vision, whether you speak it out loud, whether you write it down, whether you tell a colleague like I did, claim it. Step two, I acted before I felt ready.
11:59
I created a speaker page on my website before I booked a single speaking gig. I created and posted Instagram reels before I knew how to go viral or before I knew how to hook my audience. I was in creation mode. I pitched guests on my podcast before I had the numbers and downloads to justify it. I didn't wait for.
12:27
I didn't wait for a permission slip. I built the proof. I took action. And this is a huge piece that I learned from one of my mentors. And actually, a lot of what I'm sharing with you today, I learned from my past success mentor, Kiki Lovely. So I want to give her a shout out. She taught me that if you want new results, you have to take new
12:56
When you say it out loud like that, it just seems so obvious, right? Like, yeah, Elizabeth, I know, right? What is that quote? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We all do it. We all have parts of our lives right now, including myself, where I'm just on autopilot, right? I'm just doing it because that's how I've always done it.
13:24
to manifest an impossible dream for your business or to land a massive visibility opportunity, you have to take new actions, right? And I'm thinking of one of my private clients right now. She is a fitness coach helping women over 40. And I remember she was struggling with her reels. She was feeling really frustrated with just...
13:52
them underperforming, low views, low likes, just low engagement. And I did a quick audit of her feed and her recent posts. And I noticed that it was like a before and after video of her body. And she was sharing that. And every time she shared it, it just didn't perform well on Instagram for whatever reason. And I told her, we got a change of the video. Like, you can't keep doing the exact same thing and expecting new results.
14:22
So we have to really get creative about how we're gonna tell that transformation story without this very specific piece of content that I can tell that you love, because you keep repurposing it and posting it again. But if it keeps not working, you have to pivot, right? And that's really the power of having a mentor is sometimes when we are swimming in the soup of our business, we just can't see our way out. A good mentor can.
14:51
help you to see your blind spots. Because when you're swimming in the soup, all you see is soup. But your mentor, your coach is not in the soup with you, so they have a clearer vision. So whether that's a mentor, a friend, a colleague, you don't have to do it alone. So with my client, if she wanted new results, she had to take new actions. She had to test out new content types and videos before she probably felt ready to do it.
15:19
We all have our ways that we like doing things. But if you want new results, you have to take new action. And the third step I took to really manifest this impossible dream was I made 1 % upgrades every day. This is another thing I learned from my past mentor, Kiki Lovelace, is I didn't try to overhaul everything in my business all at once.
15:46
I didn't immediately try to pitch Mike, like the minute I decided I wanted to, you know? I had to become the person who could be on the show, right? I knew I wasn't quite ready and it wasn't really a mindset of, oh, I'll never be ready. It's like a far away impossible dream. It was like, I want to feel really rooted in myself and my brand and my offerings before I would ever pitch to someone like Mike.
16:16
So was more strategic in my choice there. But I really committed to 1 % upgrades every day in my business for those two years. I committed to daily refinement. I committed to clearer messaging, constantly refining my messaging, creating better offers that are gonna deliver my clients better results. And that takes time and implementation and feedback.
16:45
Every time I create content, I'm trying to upgrade it 1%. You get 1 % better than it was yesterday. It's incredible the power of just taking it one thing at a time. And so over the course of these two years, since I had a clear vision and was invited on the podcast, I really honed my expertise. I...
17:11
got more clear on what is my zone of genius in the Instagram marketing space, and I claimed it. I showed up consistently, I posted content consistently on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok. I have been relentlessly consistent with this podcast. This podcast that you're listening to is one of my top priorities. And
17:39
that dedication and heart of service and showing up and my team that I've built to ensure that I can produce this podcast for you every single week, every Monday without a blip, right? No matter what's going on in my life. Thank God for my team supporting me, my podcast manager, Lena, my executive assistant, Kristen. I have a small team, but we are mighty. But that process of recording podcasts every week.
18:08
for over a year teaching this stuff, you get better and better. In the last two years, I have improved my speaking ability. I'm a much better speaker. I'm a much better teacher. So was I ready to be on Mike's podcast two years ago? I don't think so. I would have done my best, but was I ready? I had to become the version of myself to claim that vision I had.
18:34
I found this quote by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of E! Pray Love that I absolutely love, and she says, you have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings. And so my challenge for you this week is what is the big scary vision you've been whispering to yourself about? And what would it look like to say it out loud?
19:03
And if you've been feeling stuck and really wondering what action to take next, I invite you to start just with claiming your vision, writing it down, talk about it, share it with someone. And then you must take action. You must take action before you feel ready. You need to take that imperfect action and you need to do those 1 % upgrades in the direction of your goals.
19:32
of your visions and I promise you, if you are relentless and you do not give up, you will achieve your impossible goals in business and in life. It takes what it takes. Don't make how long it's taking wrong. It takes what it takes and the people who are the most successful at creating the life they want, they know it takes what it takes and I am going to keep
20:01
going until I reach that vision, that desire. I hope today's episode inspired you. If it did, please share it with another business colleague or marketer or creator or friend who is trying to grow a brand while also having a life. I really appreciate that. That helps us reach more people, more incredible people like yourself. And if you're feeling stuck or wondering what
20:31
action to take with your Instagram strategy. I got you. You have to go check out my episode on the social media marketing podcast. As I mentioned, it's out on June 12th, 2025. And I'm sharing real practical tips on how to make Instagram work for your business without you being glued to your phone 24 seven. We walk through it step by step. I teach you the exact strategy that I use to grow.
20:58
a multi six figure brand with Instagram. You definitely want to listen. And starting next week, I'm kicking off a brand new podcast series, How to Sell on social media. It's gonna be packed with simple, actionable content strategies you can use to grow your following. Of course, drive more conversions, more conversations, and just show up with way more ease this summer. I also have some killer guests coming on my show.
21:24
So make sure you have subscribed and followed the show and I cannot wait to strut it with you next week. Thank you for listening to strut it. If you're ready to start leveraging Instagram to grow your business, then you're gonna wanna grab my free monetize your IG guide where you'll learn seven simple and proven ways to finally make money on Instagram. You can grab your guide at Elizabethmarberry.com slash freebies.
21:53
ElizabethMarberry.com slash freebies to get my monetize your IG guide. If you got some incredible value from today's episode, be sure to leave a review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. And I cannot wait to start it with you again next week.
