---

Read the transcript for this episode:

[00:00:00] Selena Soo: I would say that it really increases your credibility. And that’s important because you know, so many of the people that I work with, they have information, a story that can not just change people’s lives, but in some cases save their life. 

[00:00:14] Cynthia Garcia: Selena, thank you so much for taking the time and stopping by. I know this is a very busy time for you launching your new or not your new, but your proven program.

I love this program. I’ve known you for a while now, and I’ve seen the results that you get for your clients. You’ve gotten me results. I’ve been published in Forbes. Thanks to you. And I see you doing this just across the board. And so one of the reasons I wanted to chat with you today is because. You know, listen, the world is in an interesting state right now.

And with our coaches, I know that they can help so many people, but how do we get their message and their work out in a bigger way. And every time I ask myself that question, it always comes with. To publicity. And so I thought, I know no one better than Selena Soo. So let’s mind a few secrets from her so that our students again, can get out there and do this work that they’re meant to do so.

Thank you for being here and sharing all of your wisdom and thank you for what you do. 

[00:01:16] Selena Soo: Oh, thank you so much for having me, Cynthia. Yeah. I’m so excited to have this conversation because I think publicity is so essential to entrepreneurs. So I can’t wait to dive in. 

[00:01:25] Cynthia Garcia: Well, let’s dive right in then let’s not waste time.

So tell me a little bit about how you got into publicity. Let’s start 

[00:01:31] Selena Soo: with. Absolutely. So I got started because when I was in my mid twenties, I had a quarter life crisis, and I was working in a nonprofit at the time I was under earning. I knew I was meant for something more, but I didn’t know what. And I reached a state where I was clinically depressed and I had trouble eating.

I had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. And so my mom flew all the way from Vancouver, Canada to New York, just to be by my side to make sure I was getting out of it. To make sure I was putting food in my mouth and to make sure I was getting on the subway to work. And there were times when I felt like I was the school girl, like my mom was accompanying me to.

And I just remember thinking to myself, like, I really need to find a way to get better. I need someone to help me. And so I asked a friend, do you know anyone that could help me? And that’s when I got introduced to a female life coach. And through that life coach and her group program, I got exposed to this world of experts, authors, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.

And I remember, you know, learning about all these new concepts and ideas and thinking like this is the most amazing thing. And I would ask my friends, have you heard of. The person, that person, because our ideas are changing my life. And most of the time, no one knew what I was talking about, who I was talking about.

And so it really dawned on me that sometimes when, you know, someone has something so important, sometimes the most important message, the most important story, product, or service to share they are that best kept secret. And for me, you know, I just really realized that when people like me are struggling and suffering, we don’t just need information.

Do we also need inspiration. And I think that there is nothing more inspiring than someone who I call a role model, which is a person who embodies his message of hope and possibility. Whether it’s hope around, you know, healing your health or leaving a toxic relationship, finding your life purpose, or starting a business.

Like we all need these role models and personal brands and entrepreneurs and leaders out there. So that’s how I just fell in love with publicity because. The fastest way to, for people to get their message out. And then we can dive more into the benefits, but I just felt like it was so essential because so many people that are meant to be seen and play a bigger game are that best kept secret.

[00:03:40] Cynthia Garcia: Yeah. It’s so true. And I love that so very much. And for me, I don’t know, like for me, I’ve seen it be the shortest route to getting people to really know your work, to know your name, to know what you do and what you’re about. And I’ve done a lot of things. I mean, listen, I’ve done, you know, a ton of ads.

I’ve done affiliate. Partnered with people. But the one thing that is just next level is publicity. So let’s start there really quickly because before we go deeper into like the tips, the tricks and all of that publicity, cause I think sometimes we think, oh, well that’s just for celebrities or do I need a press agent?

Like, what is that? So how do you define 

[00:04:18] Selena Soo: public? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. There’s this misconception that you have to hit certain financial milestones in your business at, around for a certain years in order to qualify for publicity. But publicity is all about getting your message out on other people’s platforms.

So, you know, if you’re just sharing your message via your own email list or your own social media channels while that’s great, you’re only going to reach so many people. So other channels could look like traditional media. Like magazines, TV, and newspapers to what I call the new media, which includes podcasts or being a guest expert in someone’s program.

And you’re being spotlighted, or maybe you are doing an IgE TV interview, but it’s about other people, media outlets, influencers, entrepreneurs, colleagues who have these platforms and these audiences, and then you’re being basically promoted to those people. So, yeah, that’s what publicity is. It’s quite broad.

[00:05:13] Cynthia Garcia: Okay. Let’s pause for a moment and hear from one of our certified transformational nutrition coaches, Sarah joy. You’re going to discover how Sarah’s background and her life experiences set her on track to becoming a coach.

[00:05:35] Sarah Joy: My personal health journey started after the 2008 crash. At that time, I was newly married with a toddler and thanks to the crash. Me and my then husbands lives completely fell apart. I had a sudden onset of symptoms about six months after, and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2000. Yeah. My health slowly declined yearly after that, as my conditions worse.

And I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I was overtaken by anxiety and panic attacks. I had severe fatigue and about 25 other symptoms. Thanks to all of these symptoms. I could no longer work drive, go to the grocery store, play with my kids. And honestly, I can barely take care of my family.

I basically exhausted both medical systems, Eastern and Western after battling we’re about eight long years, I completely gave up hope and I decided to let my illness kill me, but the universe had a different plan. My brother was released from 10 years in prison in August of 2016. He had a hard time reacclimating to society.

He also struggled with his health daily, especially low energy. He ended up turning to drugs to cope. And after a run in with the Sheriff’s department, three days before his 39th birthday, he was shot 14 times and ended up dying in an SUV and a ditch on the side of the road. This tragedy changed my life literally forever.

I fortunately. Use this tragedy to propel me into a better life. And it ended up reviving my hope and renewing my fight to live again because it showed me how short life really is. That’s when I decided to move out file for divorce and enroll in school for.

[00:07:48] Cynthia Garcia: I love that. So I want to talk more about that. And before we get into like, okay, who should go after publicity? Is it. Anyone and everyone, because I think that’s another question. I get asked a lot when I bring up publicity, like, Hey, have you thought about going to this media outlet or going on this podcast?

I was like, Ooh, I don’t know if I’m ready, but first let’s talk about the benefits before we even get into the am I ready? Conversation. Is it really worth spending the time on, you know, because listen, there’s a lot of places these days we can put our time and energy. You know, I mentioned ads. I mentioned showing up on your own social media, there’s email newsletters as your own website or your own podcast, but tell us what you really see as the biggest benefit to entrepreneurs and coaches when it comes to 

[00:08:36] Selena Soo: publicity.

I would say the number one biggest benefit to getting publicity is the credibility piece, because the thing is right. If you’re the only one saying, Hey, I’m really good at what I do. I’m the best follow me by for me, that message is only going to mean so much and go so far, you know, as entrepreneurs and as coaches, we need other people talking about as influencers and the media, and there’s a lot of different ways to get credibility.

And I think they all have. You know, meaningful value, but some of them just take longer than others. For example, writing a book is a, such a powerful way to gain authority, but we also know that writing a book could take like two years or three years or more, you know, trying to get 10,000, 20,000 Instagram followers that could build a credibility.

That also takes a really long time. Whereas once you learn the skills of getting publicity, you can start landing media features and a matter of. Right. And we all have like these low hanging fruit opportunities that we don’t even realize are around us. So I would say that it really increases your credibility and that’s important because you know, so many of the people that I work with, they have information, a story that can not just change people’s lives, but in some cases save their life.

Right. It’s so important and also to get people, to stop their patterns and to do something different. So, you know, you want people to see you as that authority because when they do, they’re going to pay attention to what you’re saying and do what you are saying. And also, you know, in this world, there are so many options for people to choose from.

And so you want to have that authority, that credibility, that story that people resonate with. And so publicity is a way to kind of get your message, your story in front of more people, but at the same time, really amping up that credibility. 

[00:10:15] Cynthia Garcia: Yeah, that’s so good. And you’re so right. Like truly, really it’s interesting because publicity changed everything.

It shifted the entire trajectory of my career. I mean, it opened me up to getting celebrity clients to my first book deal. I mean, I could go on and on. And I didn’t get it at first. I didn’t really see the benefit. I thought, oh, I’m going to go on TV. This’ll be fun. But it wasn’t until after my first media appearance that I was like, oh, I get it.

Right. And then once you get media, then other people want to bring you on. Right. I see you out there as an expert. So you’re a hundred percent, right. That credibility, it creates, at least it did for me. Maybe you can talk about this. It creates a snowball effect, right? So, so certain shows would see me on other shows and then they would call and say, Hey, can you come on and do a segment about this?

And then magazines would reach out and say, Hey, can you comment on this thing we saw that you did an episode for. So and so, so it really, once you get it started, I found it’s a real snowball effect because everybody is looking for that credibility. Now you can lend, do you think that’s true? 

[00:11:23] Selena Soo: Yeah. I mean, that’s so true because when you think about the media, right, they are reporting on important stories and ideas, but they are not the expert in health and lifestyle.

So they need to find other people that are the. First and while there are other experts out there, not everybody is, mediagenic not, everyone knows how to convey their message succinctly and powerfully and really have those powerful takeaways for other people. I find that sometimes, you know, when people are out in the media, they’re kind of speaking in this inside baseball language and the way that they would with our colleagues or we clients would deep into the relationship versus people who are just learning about.

This incredible information for the first time. So yeah, the media desperately needs experts and they’re often not looking for the same expert all the time. They need different places representing different kinds of ideas and so forth. So you do want to be ready. And once the media sees some of them, they’re like, oh my gosh, this person did so well on that TV segment, we should have her on.

Oh, wow. This person has been on these podcasts. We should have her on our podcast too. The media actually has do research on other media opportunities and connect to that. I think that sometimes, you know, we can look at the people we admire. Like, I’m sure people look at you, Cynthia. And they’re like, wow, she’s been featured in all these places.

I’m not ready for that yet, but that was not day one. Right? So for all on day, one of our publicity journey, it’s going to be, you know, Smaller opportunities, perhaps the lower hanging fruit. Maybe it’s a conversation with a friend that has a podcast or just an opportunity that’s more accessible, but then there is that snowball effect.

And the thing is your first media interview is not going to be as good as your 20th or 50th or a hundred and galleys. You just have to do the work and get better. But yeah, there really is that powerful snowball effect.

[00:13:10] Cynthia Garcia: All right. Let’s check back in with Sarah. Last time we heard from her, she had just decided to change her life completely. So now let’s find out how and why she decided to enroll at the Institute of transformational nutrition. 

[00:13:25] Selena Soo: Um,

[00:13:31] Sarah Joy: when I signed up for college in 2017, I knew I wanted to do something in the health industry, but I wasn’t sure what I thought I wanted to become a registered dietician. But after one look at the food guide pyramid and the government nutrition website, I knew that was not the way I wanted to teach people to eat my counselors.

And I looked all over. The nation for colleges. And I didn’t like any of the health programs that I saw. So one day I was making lunch and I put on the model health show and I heard Cynthia and she started sharing her story about ITN and why and how she started ITN. And I was just lit up inside. It was like angels started singing.

And it was my answer. I knew it. And there was just no doubt. And I was just filled with so much happiness and I knew that joining ITN was exactly what I needed to do next. So I signed up immediately and because it is accredited, my counselors were able to add it to my transfer and graduation plan. I finished out two more semesters.

At regular college while starting the CTN C chorus at the same time. And I had a duel graduation December of 2019. And honestly it was the best month of my life.

[00:15:03] Cynthia Garcia: It just, I think brings you so much more attention. And I love that you also talked about how, you know, we can say anything. I can tell you I’m the best at this and that. And, but when someone else says it, that third party, this trusted media source, it just elevate. You to a whole different place. So I want to talk about a couple of things, especially like the skills.

Cause you talked about like, oh, your first one, won’t be as good as like your 50th one. So I want to talk about that. But before we do, how do you know when you’re ready? Like we mentioned that a little bit earlier and so I want to kind of circle back because especially with coach, I’ll see like new coaches who are great at what they do, but they think, oh, I’m not quite ready.

Am I ready? I don’t know if I’m ready. So you tell us, we know, how do you know when you’re ready? Yeah, 

[00:15:49] Selena Soo: absolutely. I mean, I think with publicity, you can get a very early on in your business. Like I got my first media feature before my website was even up. Um, I think that people are first, second, what do I even say?

Right. So, yeah, is right. As an entrepreneur, as a coach, you have a personal story that led you to this point. There’s a reason why you started your business. You have a passion, you have a purpose. So even sharing your own personal story, that can be a part of your publicity. Maybe you are guest posting.

Maybe you are talking about your baby. And sharing your top takeaways and so forth. But chances are that if you are a coach, you probably know more about your topic than 99% of people. So you don’t have to be several years in, in order to start sharing knowledge. You know, if you have clients, whether pay clients or pro bono clients, and you are giving them advice, you are helping them.

You are inspiring them. You are solving problems for them. That same information is information that you can share with immediate. Yeah, 

[00:16:48] Cynthia Garcia: gosh, I love that. I hear people say that all the time. I don’t know enough. I don’t know enough. And I think it’s because we’re always hanging around the same people who are also coaches or who are also experts in the things that we are an expert in.

And so we think, oh, I don’t know any more. Person, but we’re comparing ourselves to other coaches, other experts when the truth is exactly what you said. We know so much, that could be so valuable to so many. So you’re right. I love that. And I think it’s just kind of resetting that thought pattern that we’ve all kind of become accustomed to.

You mentioned your personal story and I love it so much. I’m all about rewriting the story. My personal story, I know has opened so many doors. Can you talk briefly about like, what is your personal story? Because listen, we all have a story and a lot of us have had a lot of stories. How do you know what part of your story to share, especially when it comes to publicity.

I know you teach on this, so can you give us a few pointers? 

[00:17:49] Selena Soo: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we all have so many stories. So, you know, one of the stories I shared in the beginning is how I had my quarter-life crisis and was searching for role models. And that got me to start my publicity business. Um, another story that I share that I didn’t expect to share, um, but this happened a year ago.

Breaking my silence and sharing the story about how, um, a number of years back, I found myself in an emotionally abusive relationship and I found the courage to leave that situation. And that was really powerful for me. I think it’s one of the most important things I’ve done. Probably the, in the top three things I’m most proud of.

And my life, one of them is starting a business and other one is sharing my story because you know, there, a lot of the times, like when we are struggling and suffering, there’s so much shame around it. And shame is what keeps us, you know, in these unhealthy situations where it’s a toxic relationship or poor health or low self-esteem or whatever it is.

And I think once you share your story, And then you start to release the shame around it. And other people are like, you know, I had no idea that was happening to you. I heard things like I have the exact same story, just different details. And so much of what we struggle and suffer with is on some level universal.

And so, you know, I was really excited to, I mean, I actually did reach a point where I was like excited to share this story also terrified because when you share something that is so personal, sometimes you wonder. Well, what could be the consequences of that, right? Are there going to be people around me that are not supportive and so forth, but I think when it comes to sharing our stories, I don’t think that, you know, we are required in any way to share every single shameful, personal story in our lives.

But sometimes our soul just knows, like this is a story that I’m meant to share. This is a story that I think can really help other people and the way they actually see it as connected to my work is the whole reason why I start my business. As cause I wanted to promote these ideas. I could help people improve the quality of their lives and for other people to share their stories and for people to see a piece of themselves in that person’s story.

And so it wasn’t the story I was expecting to tell, but at the same time, I think it’s helped a lot of people. And I really believe that, you know, when we’re not taking care of ourselves and if we have people in our lives who are negative, who are really eroding. Esteem who are unsupportive and we’re holding that inside of us.

We’re not showing up as our, you know, most amazing self, right? So I think it’s, it’s important to share these stories and to give people permission, to be like, you know what, like I find myself in this situation and now I’m feeling inspired to make a change. And they’re having people that said to me, like this story saved my life, right?

So there are so many stories that we can share that change people’s lives and literally save their lives. 

[00:20:41] Cynthia Garcia: All right. Let’s bring Sarah back one last time to share what her life looks like now as a transformational nutrition coach, you’ll find out how she got past her fear of starting and what her biggest moments of six tests have been since launching her coaching business.

[00:21:05] Sarah Joy: So now I coach women also suffering from thyroid conditions to help them restore their health, happiness and lives in my 90 day program, energy for life. And I was very nervous. I’ve never been a business owner. You know, I’ve never been a CEO. And I didn’t know, I really am still learning how to run a business all the way.

And you can’t let that stop you. If you have a passion for helping changing people’s lives, serving. If this is your Coleen, you can’t hold yourself back. You got to get out of your own way and you have to do the uncomfortable thing. Your strength is really on the other side of your affairs. I never knew that becoming a CEO and coach was going to set me on my own path of personal discovery.

Since I launched coach Sarah joy and March of 2020, this path of overcoming my insecurity. Imposter syndrome, money, lack and more has been the greatest blessing in my life and my clients. My biggest moment of success up until this point has been signing three new clients and one week or having a $9,000 a week.

My second biggest moment of success is always having the pleasure of watching my clients get better and they’re simply. Sub-site there is nothing better to me than helping people restore their glow. Honestly, that has been prepping.

[00:23:04] Cynthia Garcia: That’s so powerful. And I think too, you know, again, when it comes to coaches and business and entrepreneurs, we’re often thinking, well, how can I stand out? What’s my specialty. What makes me different. And oftentimes what we turn to is the, how, right. It’s our system that we created, or it’s our method that we’ve developed or what have you.

But the one thing that makes you unique as your story, because no one else shares that. And you’re right. When you share that it’s like humans connect at the point of suffering, you know? So if I hear your story of going through like an emotionally abusive relationship, I’m like, Oh, and I remember that when I first read your story, I was like, gosh, I wasn’t thinking about your story so much.

As I was thinking about my own and I felt less shame, you know, I was like, well, first of all, I was like, I can’t believe she’s sharing this. Wow. So I was just in awe of you. I really truly was. And then the second thing was like, gosh, me too. Like, I know exactly what, and I just felt even closer to you and that’s the power of storytelling.

Right? And that’s the power of using your story in the media, as well as you do draw in these other people who might not be able to relate to you or the work that you’ve done necessarily, or a method that you’ve created. But they eat to you as a human and the struggle that you’ve gone through, if that makes sense.

Absolutely. Yeah. Love it. So I know we don’t have much time with you. I want to, I know that you’ve got a special gift for everyone, which is so good. I’m actually using this myself and I’m excited when I first saw it. I was like, what? She’s just giving this away. So I’m super excited about. Two things really quickly, I would say, can you tell us just a little bit about your program impacting millions?

Because honestly, like I see so many things come through and I, I very rarely will promote anything or very rarely will I say this is a must have, like, this really is truly something you have to have. Like, I can’t remember the last time I’ve done that. And that’s just the truth. So, but your program impacting millions, because again, I see the state of the world that we’re in.

And I know this coaches that we educate and I know the power that they hold to change people’s lives. I mean, you want to change the world, you do it one person at a time. So I’m so passionate about this. And I want everyone’s voices and stories to be heard. And you have the one program I know, like, and trust that does that.

It’s worked for me. It’s worked for so many of our friends. Like I know it, it works. Tell us a little bit about your program impacting millions, and then tell us about this free gift you have 

[00:25:44] Selena Soo: for everyone. Yes. So impacting millions is my signature program and it helps entrepreneurs and coaches go from feeling like a basket secret to becoming a leader in their industry, through the power of publicity.

And I’m just so passionate about. Because I really believe that every entrepreneur needs publicity, every entrepreneur needs to be seen as that go-to expert. Every entrepreneur needs to be reaching more people, because if you’re only talking to one person at a time while that is powerful, you know, it’s going to take a long time to spread your message or as with a podcast interview.

There could be hundreds of thousands, even 10,000 people listening to your message and story. In one guy, if you are on national TV, there are millions of people seeing you in one go. So it’s a way to really create leverage in your business, around your message, your story, your impact, and really attach people’s hearts on a really deep level.

And so, you know, I know as entrepreneurs we can get by without publicity, we can still build a business and get clients. I think so often we’re just scratching the surface of what our true potential is. And I just love this saying that I didn’t come this far to just come this far. You know, if you know that deep down you have a personal responsibility, maybe even a spiritual responsibility to reach more people, it might feel uncomfortable for you, but you know, you have something and you express it in a way that no one else can.

Then I really feel like publicity is important. And so in impacting millions, this is year. And we help you develop your own custom game plan because everyone’s publicity plan will be different. You know, if you’re looking to, you know, if you have a book coming out and it’s a $20 buck, right? That’s a different game plan than if you have a five or $10,000 coaching package at some more niche audience.

So we help you really get clear on what publicity plan makes sense for you. What are the exact right media outlets to pitch and then how to go for. Whether it is, you know, being on online publications or print publications or being a guest expert in people’s masterminds or podcasting and so forth. So that’s what impacting millions is all about.

And it’s also alive one year program with coaching throughout the year. So really helping people like finesse their messaging, their story ideas, or pitches. We have working sessions for people to get. Done every quarter, I’m leading a strategy session. They’re called publicity check ins to make sure that, you know, things are going well with your game plan.

So it’s a really high level of support that we offer throughout the year. So that’s impacting millions. That’s 

[00:28:19] Cynthia Garcia: amazing. I love that you have so much, hands-on, you know, it’s not just a recorded program that you’re going to go through. It’s your own pace and maybe finish or likely not like I’d love that you really show up and you have an amazing team to have coaches and support that I’ve worked with and they’re such professionals.

And so next level, they never wasted my time. Like we just got in, we did the work and it was a huge success. So I love that you’re doing this it’s again, I don’t recommend very many things because most of the stuff we just teach because I’ve done so much of it, but publicity, like there’s no one like you Selena.

So I’m just so grateful that you put it, this work into the world. So thank you for. 

[00:29:01] Selena Soo: Thank you. And I’m really excited to share the free gift that we have with people. So this is my publicity calendar. So my publicity calendar is over 40 pages worth of story, ideas, tips, special dates, and hugs to get into the media.

Because a big thing people ask me is like, well, how do I get the media’s attention? What do I say to them? Every single month, there are certain types of story ideas and events and things are happening in the world that the media is hungry for and waiting for. And so it’s so powerful to know what these are.

So, yeah, it’s over 40 pages worth of stray ideas, dates and hooks for the media every single month of the year. And people actually use this publicity calendar, not just to map out their publicity plans, but actually also their social media calendar and newsletter calendar. So people can download their very own free copy@impactingmillions.com slash Cynthia calendar.

So it’s impacting millions.com/cynthia calendar. So the calendar for access, 

[00:30:01] Cynthia Garcia: I love it. It’s no seriously. So valuable really, truly I’m using it. My team, like as soon as I got it, I was like, cause we’re, we’re doing a big push this year for publicity. And I was like, use this. This is the one this has had the direction that we’re going.

And they were like, oh my God, this is so great. So I’ve paid so much money per publicist in the past, like just full disclosure. I mean, thousands, tens of thousands of dollars a month, Selena, like, you know, it’s insane in this. I mean the value of absurd. So thank you so much for. 

[00:30:31] Selena Soo: You’re so welcome. 

[00:30:33] Cynthia Garcia: Awesome.

So everyone get your free gifts, Leah, thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate and love the work that you do for everyone listening. Please check out Selena’s work and check out her program impacting millions. It is one of a kind. I could not recommend it anymore. B go from that best kept secret to household name with Selena and her coaches by your side.

So thank you so much, Selena 

[00:30:56] Selena Soo: and Kingston.