Mahara Wayman [00:00:00]:
Welcome to the Art of Badassery, where I explore what it takes to live life on your own terms. Break free from the status quo and unleash your inner badass. Whether you're a rebel at heart or simply seeking inspiration to step outside your comfort zone, this podcast is for you. I'm your host, Mahara Wayman, and each week I dive into the stories, insights and strategies of those who have mastered the art of badassery and are living life to the fullest. They smile when no one is looking. Welcome to the Art of badassery. Meet Taya McLaughlin, Toronto's go to crisis PR consultant who turns chaos into calm.
Mahara Wayman [00:00:49]:
Her story is amazing. From her small town, blue collar roots to leading high stakes conversations on the big stage, Tay has built her success on grit, integrity, and unapologetic pride in where she comes from. No wonder she's on the show today. Taya, welcome to the Art of Badassery.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:01:06]:
Thank you so much for having me.
Mahara Wayman [00:01:08]:
Oh my God. PR consultant. I have visions of like, you know, fancy suits and can you give us the lowdown? Like, what exactly does that do you do?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:01:20]:
It's not as glamorous as maybe the TV shows make it out to be. You know, I often get references to Scandal, the TV show that was quite popular, or Flack is another one. But as most tv, those are obviously very exaggerated, glamorized. So, in short, I'm a crisis PR consultant and I'm based out of Toronto and I mostly manage reputation is the very simple way to say it. So people come to me with a problem, whether or not that may be a scandal, an incident, accident, natural disaster, or anything that can cause a company reputational damage. And I help them to get through that.
Mahara Wayman [00:02:02]:
Okay, how the hell did you find yourself in that? Because it's not one of those normal, oh, I want to be a pr, you know, crisis consultant. How did you get into that role?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:02:14]:
It's not, honestly, this is not even a job that I knew existed when I was going through school. So it's. It's often a common question I get asked is, how did you land here? So I actually used to be on the opposite side of things. I was a reporter about 10 years early in my career and I, you know, switched sides, so to speak, and, and ended up in. In PR and then found my niche in dealing with crisis. Specifically, it's where I have found that I really excel. So in the last few years of my business, what used to be a broader focus on PR has really niched into just crisis. Scenarios and it works for me.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:02:58]:
It doesn't work for everybody, but it works for my personality and I just love it.
Mahara Wayman [00:03:03]:
Two things come to mind. First off, what is it about you that really connects to the crisis?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:03:11]:
That's a very good question. I think there's many layers to this, right. I think we're all motivated in different ways in what we do for a living is rooted in many different things. So I would say at its core, I, I really do enjoy helping people. I like being, being able to provide, you know, confidence and a sense of calm when somebody else is going through turmoil. To say, like, let's get through this. You know, like, we've got this, let's get through it. And then I think I've never been a 9 to 5 person ever.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:03:47]:
So I enjoy periods of intense, deeply intense work and then periods of strict time off. So the cycles of my work in crisis pr, it's very much, you know, I'll get a call out of, most of the time out of nowhere. You can't predict crisis or most of them anyways. So I'll get a call out of nowhere. We do, you know, several weeks of really intense work, long hours, and then I take some time off after that. So lifestyle wise, it also works for me. So the motivation is there to help people, but then also it fits my lifestyle really well.
Mahara Wayman [00:04:27]:
So, so good. Curious though, what part of what personality trait are you having to pull on the most when you first connect with the crisis? Because I'm a coach. I'm also a podcaster, but I coach and I meet people when they're at their saddest for the most. And I'm curious what part of your personality really has to take the reins when you first connect with a client?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:04:55]:
I would say I'm very good at getting organized in, in the midst of chaos. Right. I mean, that's just my personality. I like, you know, making sense of things and getting a task list, a to do list. Right. Some would say that type A personality, people come to me and, and I'm sure you experienced this in your work as well, in, you know, the 3F state. You know, fight, flight or freeze or font would be another one as well. So they come to me in the state and it's my job to understand what state they're in, get them sort of to a place where they can make some more rational decisions.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:05:34]:
Because in our, you know, our flight, fight or fright, excuse me, fight, flight or freeze response, we're not making rational decisions. So, you know, when a client comes to me, the first thing I have to do is be that steady, calming voice to get them to just a place where we can talk rationally, strategically, make smart decisions. And, you know, without that, there's. We really can't face the crisis head on without just understanding where we're at emotionally first to be able to make decisions and to get through this.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:13]:
So, so true. Honestly, it's so similar to what I do with clients. One thing that I've noticed recently in my work is energy is everything. Whether she is very low or frenetic, frantic, definitely. There's. There's a. There's a sweet spot for feeling motivated, there's a sweet creativity. There's a sweet spot for acceptance.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:36]:
Right. I know with some of my work, I've got clients that are not willing to accept what they're. What they're seeing. Absolutely denial. And it's like, okay, wait a second. We can't work towards a goal unless we've got some acceptance for what's actually happened or what you find yourself, so. Which is why we love what we do. I am curious, though.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:58]:
A lot of the work that I do with my clients today centers around recognizing our own challenges and our own voices. I refer to it as our inner critic because our inner critic is always with us. Whether we listen to her or not is up for debate or, you know, that's. Everybody's different. But I'm curious, how has your inner critic played. Supported you or not as you develop this amazing business?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:07:26]:
I mean, you. You're absolutely right. It's always there. It's just what we choose to do with it. There's always moments of self. Self doubt. But the more, I guess the more I grow in my business, I. And the more walks of life I'm exposed to, the more, you know, these.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:07:46]:
These corporate people that I work with who, you know, I. I initially walk in completely intimidated, and you realize that everyone's kind of in the same boat as you are. You know, everybody has moments of doubt. And again, it's just what you choose to do with it. So you can let that doubt cripple you and go nowhere, or you build up your muscle memory. You just continue to do it time and time again to the point where you're no longer faking it. You are it, you know, and seeing it, these feelings mirrored in other people who I look up to or admire, it just really makes you realize that we're all going through it. You know, it's.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:08:27]:
It's really. Just deal with it and move forward.
Mahara Wayman [00:08:31]:
A great Observation. We are all one. Like we really are. What I was curious though about what you said and I. Is this. Would you say that your personal growth is reflected in your business growth or does your business growth reflect like which comes first, personal growth?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:08:47]:
The chicken or the egg question? I would say my growth is reflected in, in the business. It's, it's more difficult for me to recognize my own self growth because I am a perfectionist and because I do want more and better and, and I'm always looking towards the next goal. So it's hard to stop and recognize the growth that I've made as a, as an individual. But then when I see the growth my business has made, it's along the same trajectory as my personal growth. So it's very much reflective of, of that and it's, it's great to be able to have that as, as something to, to showcase my own personal growth when I can't see it on my own.
Mahara Wayman [00:09:32]:
So cool. I would love to know, and I suspect our listeners would love to know too, is, can you give us some examples of times in your business when you were like, what the actual fucking like, sir, I'm curious if that's ever happened to you.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:09:47]:
All the time. All the time, I would say, because each situation that I'm brought into and I, and I unfortunately can't go into too much detail because I, I do really, you know, honor discretion for my clients because we are dealing with some interesting situations. But, but everyone is unique. There's no two crises that are really the same. They can have similar brushstrokes in terms of what's happening, but each one is so unique because the people at the heart of it are so unique. So people will come to you and just when you think you see it all really is something new. And it's, it gives me an opportunity to be challenged in different ways. It gives me an opportunity to connect with people that I may not have otherwise connected with in my regular life.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:10:41]:
I, I just see so much and it gives me an opportunity to expand my mind as well. But in terms of that just I guess like shock factor, it's actually interesting though because the, the shock factor sort of has worn over time. Right. I think initially you're kind of like, wow, this happened and this happened. But then as you continue to see more and more unique things, what I consider a crisis now, as opposed to eight years ago when I started, this has radically changed. So someone may come to me and they think that it is the end of the world. They'll Never work again. This is the end of their career and the end of their life.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:11:26]:
And having now seen so many different crises, I can confidently say to them that this isn't the end. What is the worst to you isn't the worst to somebody else. And I don't want to minimize what you're going through because it's valid, but I can let you know that other people have, you know, either experienced something similar or worse and have been able to come through it.
Mahara Wayman [00:11:49]:
But what's the biggest thing that you've learned about yourself?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:11:53]:
Oh, that's a great. Reflective. Reflective question. I would say that I am. Well, I've always known that I'm resilient, but I think in business self employment, you're just constantly faced with that every day. There's, there's no one else to support. You're supporting yourself. It really is all on your shoulders.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:12:16]:
So this sense of resilience to, you know, how am I paying my bills this month? How am I putting food on the table like that? It's on me, like there's nobody else. So I'm, I'm really proud of that sense of resilience, which I think is a reflection of how and where I was raised. And without that, there, there is no business. It is a constant grind every day, which I'm sure you experience as well. And it does require a lot of grit, a lot of resilience.
Mahara Wayman [00:12:49]:
So just a reminder, folks, this is called the art of badassery. Yes, it's pretty safe to say that badasses are typically very resilient. They're also very cur. Curious. So take us back to when you first, let's say, left school to get into and chose to be a reporter. Was there anything there that sort of was a. Let me. What's the word I'm looking for? Did you get an inkling that the reporting was fine, but it wasn't quite right what you wanted? I'm just curious.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:13:20]:
Well, speaking of curiosity, I think reporting does require a lot of curiosity. Curiosity about people's story and a deep interest in learning about just human beings. It's, it's. I love human interest stories. Just like, what is the. Who are you at the heart? Like, what is this story? That's what I really admire less. You know, investigative reporting has its place and it's very important and other, you know, areas of journalism are very important. But for me, it's the human interest story.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:13:52]:
And that is absolutely transferable to what I do now. Because when you come to me with a problem, it's often the symptom of something that's underneath. So I have to better appeal the onions back to better understand what's a part of this. And that's not unlike journalism where you're asking a million questions to get to what is the root problem? Because if you hire me just to fix this, most of the time, symptom of a deeper problem, you're going to be in a constant cycle of hiring me again. And if I've done my job correctly, you shouldn't need to hire me again because we've got to the true root of the problem. You know, if you're engulfed in some scandal that's broken out online, well, that's usually a reflection of like your culture, your, your people, like someone's, you know, your team is not feeling the way that they should feel in a team environment, something culturally is off. You don't know what, what you stand for. It's always just the crisis is always, usually reflective of, of something a bit deeper.
Mahara Wayman [00:14:53]:
Out of curiosity, ballpark, how is when you work with somebody, do you work with them for like month? Typically it only takes of the problem solve the crisis. Or is it more like, hello my friend, this is a 12 month challenge.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:15:06]:
Just like, well, hopefully they don't need to hire me for 12 months. That would be, I don't think I'd be doing my job very well if it was a 12 month engagement. Although to be fair, different businesses are more prone to crises depending on the industry. So they can experience a number of different problems that just kind of come with the territory. But more often than not, dealing with the initial sort of crisis, I mean the saying is a news cycle is 24 hours and you know, in today's day and age, news cycles go even quicker than that with the digital ecosystem. So to answer your question more directly, usually two weeks is a good buffer to get over just the initial crisis. You know, when we're in, in the midst of the crisis, sort of the eye of the storm, if you want to use an analogy. But then afterwards there's sort of a period where you want to, you know, get back on track.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:16:10]:
So you've dealt with the crisis which, you know, two weeks, typically, if we can just get over that hurdle and then you want to, you know, maybe tack on another two weeks to just, you know, ensure business continuity, things go back to a smooth operations. So I would say most of my engagements are about you know, one to two months depending on the needs of the situation. And my client are most of your.
Mahara Wayman [00:16:38]:
Clients, corporate then most.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:16:41]:
But I found a quite a niche in being able to provide services for people that don't necessarily, you know, other crisis communications firms would provide strictly corporate services and have a very high price tag. So while I do do a lot of corporate work, I do also work with just the average small business owner, for example, or influencers is another big one. Artists, athletes, more individuals who may not necessarily need or want to hire a five or six figure firm just to get a little bit of help, right? And because everybody's online, right, it's so easy for anybody to come under fire or under scrutiny. And if you're a small business owner and your revenues are, you know, not at a place where you can afford a six figure service contract, how do you get the help you need? And that's where I come in. Like, look, if you, if you need an hour on the phone just to talk through, because you know your, your options and your steps because you don't know who else to go to, I can provide that. I can give you a playbook if you want to try and DIY it to save some money or I can take it off of your plate and do it all myself. But I like being able to offer that option for, for people who don't necessarily want to go to a bigger firm.
Mahara Wayman [00:18:13]:
Fair enough. I'm curious though, speaking of social media, because you're right, we're all online. Look, we're doing this online right now and it is easy to get caught up in, let's shall we say, worldly distractions because, right, be honest, there's what's going on in the world right now. But when it comes to social media, I've got two young, I've got two young children. Well, they're not young, they're adults, but young adults. And I'm curious, can you give us some tips? Even for myself as a small business owner, solopreneur, that's online all the time, what are some tips that you can share with us? General best practices to not get in the shit?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:18:56]:
Well, I'll take a bit of a different approach to this because I think, you know, trying to stay out of shit is probably going to get you into more shit. Because I think the first thing to acknowledge is the fact that not 100% of people are never going to like what you do. Like you could be Mother Teresa and somebody's still going to have a problem with it. So I think the first step of all of this is realizing that putting yourself out there online, whatever your business is not everybody's gonna like it. So that's kind of step number one, because when you try to make everybody happy, you make nobody happy. So then from there it's deciding who am I and what do I stand for? And just that it's, it's shocking how difficult it is for most people, most business owners, most executives, to just like, what are your five values? What are your non negotiables that you don't compromise on and that you would always advocate for these five things? And just getting that determined is a challenge in itself. But then once we have our north compass is what I call it, everything else falls into place from there. So then if we put out a piece of content, it should fall within our values that we've defined.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:20:11]:
And if it does and people don't like it, well, now we can stand behind it because it's what we passionately believe in. If we put up a piece of content that we've just done to appease somebody else or some other group and then we receive criticism for it, it's difficult to stand behind it then because we just don't. And any statement that's either apologetic or standing up for it, people can see through something that is smoke and mirrors. So kind of a unique answer, how to stay out of shit. Is Percy going to define who, who you are and what you stand for? And the, the rest of it then I think falls into place, but you're never going to appeal to 100% of people. So that's just the reality.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:01]:
Just to tie this into the, the topic or the idea that I, that this whole podcast is about. What I'm hearing is, guys, be yourself, be authentic.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:21:11]:
Yes.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:12]:
Badass is all about. It's not about appeasing someone else. It's not about pretending to be someone else. There's power in authenticity. And it's not. This isn't a. This isn't a. A call to action to be an.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:24]:
It's just a. Action to be you. And yes. So thank you for sharing that. And I love the way that you put it. First you got to figure out who you are. And in the corporate world, I, I come from the corporate world. Often who you are is actually somebody else.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:41]:
You're just. You just signed on, you just agreed. Right. I promise. Or to be what the company says. And that's why things can be quite challenging. Even as a solopreneur, I have had to consistently remind myself, who am I? What do I stand for? What won't I put up with, what won't I post what won't respond to. I mean, I'm online all day, every day and it is a constant reminder to just, well, to honor who I am.
Mahara Wayman [00:22:07]:
And full disclosure, I'm still figuring my shit out. Right. I'm still.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:22:10]:
We all are. We all are, of course.
Mahara Wayman [00:22:13]:
So one of the other things, and I mentioned to you offline that I work with women, specifically with Trinity trifecta, let's say, of personalities or parts. I look at the shadow queen, I look at the inner critic. We. And we look at our divine guide. I'm curious where your intuition has really supported you on your journey. Because our divine guide, AKA our intuition, is also really important component to being a badass and to being authentic. So let's tell us a little bit about your intuition and how it's either helped you or hindered you.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:22:49]:
I think the way you summarize that was so, just bang on, so lovely. The intuition and leaning into it is such a critical part of being a badass. Being a business owner, just navigating life. The more I lean into that, just business, personal life, professional life is, is so much better for it. You know, how does that look practically in my professional life, when you have a new client or prospective client reach out to you and you're discussing, you know, terms of an agreement or how you may be able to help them, you get a gut feeling. If it's not a good fit, you get that. And you know, of course the price tag that comes with that new client could be the little double on your shoulder, so to speak of. Okay, well, you know, I also need to support myself.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:23:44]:
Right? But you know, that gut feeling, years ago I took something a client on that I just, I had a gut feeling that it was off. And I, my business was very new at the time and I, you know, quite frankly, I wanted the work. And interestingly enough, while that short term gain of that contract was helpful, over the long term, the client didn't end up paying their final bill. I ended up losing more in the end, just having to go through like legal avenues to try and collect that money and just the headache and hassle of having to deal with it meanwhile, that could have been avoided just by listening to that intuition. And it's really. I. The only way I can summarize it is that feeling in your gut that just something is off. And sometimes there's not even like evidence to reflect that it's off.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:24:35]:
So you. There's a bit of a, at least for me, a bit of a, you know, I have to Work through whether or not those feelings are legitimate. But it's always a gut feeling. And I just. It's. That's one client that I had. Have regretted taking. Fortunately, it hasn't happened since because you learn quite quickly after that to.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:25:04]:
To listen to that, to that feeling.
Mahara Wayman [00:25:06]:
But thank you for sharing that. And a really good point comes up a lot with, with my clients. Is, is it my intuition or is it just my fear? Say, is your fear. Your inner critic is typically very loud. You can't handle this client. Right. For versus Our. Our gut tends to be more subtle and more quiet.
Mahara Wayman [00:25:33]:
Right. It's just. It's just a thing. It's just a thing. So if you're ever wondering, is this intuition or just my fear, how loud is it? Is it. Are you actually hearing a voice in your head saying, you know, don't take this client because you're not good enough, or is it just a. Don't go there.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:25:52]:
And thank you for summarizing that. That is. That is so well said. And I, you know, I have. I've learned something new from this as well. The way you've summarized that fear versus intuition and the. Yeah, you're right. One is always, always louder.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:26:07]:
You're absolutely right about that.
Mahara Wayman [00:26:09]:
And here's the thing. Sometimes the fear has good reason, but it's just, I find that it really helps to understand what part of us is coming, is speaking out and why. Because that's where the lesson comes. Right? That's where opportunity for growth. So anyway, thank you for sharing that. Where are you at right now with your business? You've been in it for over eight years, I think I heard you say.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:26:32]:
Yes.
Mahara Wayman [00:26:35]:
Is there anything coming up around the corner that you can share with us as far as perhaps just a slight pivot or a broadening of the horizons for your company?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:26:47]:
Yeah, I think in the direction that I'm. That I'm heading is. And I think this is actually an interesting time for a lot of different careers in terms of the integration of artificial intelligence and how that's shaping a lot of work going forward. It has been a reflective period for me of how do I work with these programs, how do they influence my work, where do I fit in? Fortunately for me, the strategy around crisis communications. I'm known for my strategy. That's, I would say my what people hire me for. You know, I'm good at execution, obviously, but I think more than anything, it's my ideas and my strategy that is really something that I am known for. So fortunately, the robots will Say, don't have the capacity to think in sort of a strategic level.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:27:43]:
They regurgitate content that's from various sources, public, open sources. So as for, you know, where I'm going in the future, I think it's very much leaning into that strategic advisory role. And then the second piece of that is, you know, where Google and SEO would be such a, has historically been such a key driver for reputation. Now we're looking at, well, how do chatbots. So chat GPT, for example, how do those influence reputation? So if I'm looking for information on a person or a company, typically the first place I'm going is Google. So that used to be search engine optimization. So if we can, you know, control the messaging on those platforms, we can better shape our reputation. Now we have to look at, well, how do I influence the results that are showing up on chatbots? How do I influence the AI summaries on Google? This is a whole new, you know, skill set we're leaning here on here.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:28:52]:
So that's very much going to be something that's going to take front and center stage in my work going forward. So I'm excited. It's another, it's always a new challenge. Every day is a challenge, and this is another one to tackle. So that's, yeah, that's kind of where things are headed going forward. I'd like to incorporate some more online service offerings. I, I do have some, like, online media training, but I'd like to do some more video offerings as well for people that, you know, just need some quick advice and don't necessarily want to invest in a more expensive contract and they can just, you know, take a course, learn a couple things and then apply that to, to their own work.
Mahara Wayman [00:29:37]:
My God, when you started to share with us the difference between the levels that are going to be required to navigate reputation through chat. Oh, yeah, my mind just went kind of exploded, to be honest, because I use ChatGPT and I use AI in lots of different ways. And of course now I'm thinking, holy hell, what does that mean for me? Like, what do I do? I go into chat and say, hey, chatgpt, if somebody Googled my name, what would come up? Is that Chat or is that Google? Like, is there a difference? And if there's a difference, where would I go, the layman go to address that?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:30:17]:
Yeah. So Google would be a separate sort of ecosystem and that would be considered SEO. And then chatbots, large language models. LLMs is the abbreviation. That would be ChatGPT. Grok is Twitter or X's chatbot meta has a different one those people are calling aio, so artificial Intelligence Optimization. So essentially what we have to do if we're trying to influence reputation and influence what shows up in those results is we have to reverse engineer well, what, where, what are the data sources of these LLMs. So I'll just continue to use ChatGPT because I think it's the one that most people are familiar with.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:31:03]:
So where is chat GPT getting its information from? What are its sources? And then how do we place ourselves within those sources positively to then have a better likelihood of showing up in those results? So we've so far gotten to a place where, you know, people and experts have done studies to figure out that something along the lines of like 85% of results in these LLMs are unpaid media sources. So, you know, a lot of people will pay. I don't like this, but some people will pay to play and get featured in like Forbes for example. You can pay to have a feature on there. Well, that money is now wasted if you're looking to show up in positively in a chatbot results. So things like ensuring you have your name, domain and on a website. So like I have tamwlan.com so your name, domain and optimizing your website, having all of your social media channels set up because social platforms are very authoritative and ranked very high. So those will also funnel into the results and getting featured, you know, organically getting featured in media.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:32:20]:
So you know, pitching a story and having a reporter write a, write a story on it. But again, unpaid, when you, when you start paying for it is, is where the chat bots don't like that. So this is a, there's a lot of, a lot of moving pieces. There's not kind of like a one. There's not one simple answer. There's, there's many. It's, it's like a spider web, you know, there's many different pieces that, that feed in to ultimately give the result. And the idea is for you then to insert yourself in those source.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:32:56]:
In the source data.
Mahara Wayman [00:32:58]:
Okay. My mind is kind of blown because only four short years ago when I got into this business, it was all the rage to pay to be featured. Right?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:33:06]:
Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:33:06]:
How to get featured. Right. And you'd scroll to the bottom. It's like for $5,000, take my course, learn how to get featured. I'm like, I don't think so. But that's a really big and important. Not big, but that's a, that's an interesting and important nuance to AI as the average person is learning to navigate it. So thank you for sharing that with just bringing this back to this idea of being a badass.
Mahara Wayman [00:33:27]:
We've talked predominantly about your life as an adult and the work that you do. Is there anything else that you'd like to share that you think would shed a little bit of light or a little bit of depth to our conversation today at all? In any area of your life?
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:33:44]:
Something that I've experienced that has influenced my work or career, you want to share so much. I think there are so many experience. I mean, especially if you go back to, like, my younger days. I think there's so much we go through personally that is ultimately guides us to where we are, where to start. I've been. There's so many experiences. But I will say that I think those challenging experiences and I've been through a few, like some, you know, more public than others, some more well known than others, and others that maybe affected me more deeply. They were more private.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:34:34]:
But I think all of those things create this sense of resilience where at the time that you're going through what you think is the worst moment of your life and you'll never get through it. You do get through it. And having experienced that firsthand is something that I am so honored to be able to then share with my clients. Like, you're not in this alone. Because I've been through it, and I can name so many other people that have been through it that I've had the privilege of meeting and working with. So for me, like, being that sense of light and direction and being able to be empathetic and connect on a deeper level with the clients. That is just something that has come with my own lived experience. And without that, I wouldn't be able to do what I do or I don't think I'd be as good as it as I am.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:35:34]:
And I think it does really set me apart from some others on the more corporate side that do what I do. I'm not advising out of a textbook. I'm not advising from, like, an ivory tower and giving you some academic response. Like, I'm giving you the, like, boots on the ground, been there, done that version. That's just like, no, right. Like, it's like what you see is what you get. I'm always gonna shoot from the hip and tell it like it is, because I've been there and I've done it. And if I can help you navigate your own, avoid some missteps, avoid some mistakes, that I've already been through, then that's to me, doing a job well done.
Mahara Wayman [00:36:23]:
I agree wholeheartedly. And again, just to bring it back to this whole idea of being authentic, right. Admit when they either had a tough time or what they learned from it or when they screwed up and what they learned from it. Right? It's all about being curious and learning as you go and as you grow. So I want to thank you, Taya, for joining me today and telling us more about this amazing business that you do. Because to your point, most of us don't know anything about it. And yes, it sounds very glamorous, but underneath it all, what I really heard and I want to, I want to make sure our audience hears it as well, is that you see people for who they are and companies for who they are, right? What they represent and where they want to go. And you're just this amazing problem solver, right? That's what you are.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:05]:
You're a problem solver. That's it, interestingly enough, is what I do for a living too. It's just different. Crisis manager. I'm a, I'm a, I'm a coach manager. Right? I'm a life manager. But yes, so much for sharing and how can people connect with you to say it out loud. Show notes, guys.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:24]:
So check the show notes. But also I'd love to hear Kaya say it out loud. Your website.
Tieja MacLaughlin [00:37:29]:
Yeah, so my website is my first name, last name, dot com. My name is spelled very uniquely so I will encourage you to check the show notes. But every, all my socials and everything is under my name. So just Tamma Blocklin and I, I do post my thoughts on various, you know, sort of high profile trending scandals or different topics that come up in the news. So I think most people enjoy following for my take on different things that come up in the news.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:57]:
And there's so much going on in the world these days. I'm sure that there's always, there's lots of, lots of juicy stuff there. Well, once again, folks, thanks for joining us today on the Art of Badassery. Shout out to my guest Taya McLaughlin, who shared her story with us and if you've got any thoughts on this, just, you know, drop us a, let us know what you thought. If you got any questions, reach out to either Taya or myself and I will see you next time on the Art of Badassery. Take care everyone. If this episode lit a fire in your soul or smacked you with some needed truth and don't keep it to yourself, like comment and share it with another badass who's ready to rise. And if you're done second guessing your intuition and want some clarity that cuts through the noise, book your free intuitive strategy reading with me now.
Mahara Wayman [00:38:41]:
No fluff, I promise. No bs, just soul deep insight to help you move forward with power. The link is in the show notes. Until next time, stay bold, stay brilliant, and for the love of God, stay badass.
