Episode 32

From Communication Classroom to Personal Brand with Dr. Rowena Winkler

Welcome the talented Dr. Rowena Winkler to Saturday Soundbites! This phenomenal communications pro & Cosmic Catalyst Coach and Realignment Strategist brings the conversation full circle and shares her amazing journey: "From Communication Classroom to Personal Brand." 

After leaving her tenured-tracked career in higher education, she tuned into her spiritual gifts to bring light and support to others. Dr. Winkler's insight will open your eyes to what is possible for you and your business. You don't want to miss this great episode!

Transcript

[00:00:00] Veronica: Hello. Hello and welcome to Saturday soundbites. I'm your host, Veronica Sofer. And we have a fantastic episode for you today. So we are going to go ahead and get started. But before we do that, I want to make sure we take care of a little housekeeping. If you were watching on Facebook, go ahead and give us some comments.

[00:00:18] So we know that you're here and so that we can say hello, and if you are listening to our podcast, make sure you hit subscribe because we want to make sure that you don't miss any episodes as they come. So we, uh, Saudi soundbites. We talk about all kinds of things around visibility strategy and advertising.

[00:00:36] Marketing PR are kind of our favorite things to chat about. And every once in a while, we get an opportunity to really focus on some other components that make us successful in terms of our networking, our branding, aligning to our brand, aligning to our purpose, and then really an opportunity to figure out how we can take some of these nuggets that we're learning and build them into our business.

[00:00:56] So I know we've got a lot of viewers and we've got a lot of lists. I have traditional brick and mortar businesses. Some of you are online entrepreneurs and some of you are strictly in the communications field. So regardless of where you're listening from, we want to make sure the lens that you're listening through and watching through is one.

[00:01:12] That's going to help bring some tips and strategies to grow your business so that you can be a more successful communicator and show up authentically the way you're supposed to in your business. So with that, we're going to go ahead and get our episode started. I have a fantastic guest. I'm going to go ahead and let her introduce herself.

[00:01:27] But Dr. Rowena Winkler is a cosmic catalyst coach and realignment strategist. And I am bringing her on now because I want you guys to meet this phenomenal woman. Dr. Weaker. Thank you for

[00:01:39] Rowena: being here. Goodness, Veronica. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited about this conversation. That's great.

[00:01:45] Veronica: So tell us a little bit, first of all, are you an MD, a PhD? What's the, what's the doctor part about? And, uh, this is a story that I love the most. So it let's, let's learn a little bit more about you. Sure.

[00:01:57] Rowena: So the doctor is for my PhD. I have a doctorate in philosophy and my area of expertise is communication, which I think aligned, definitely aligns with what you're talking about on this show.

[00:02:10] So my story is that I have always been very hustler, recovering perfectionist tendencies, and this was due to growing up in a family where I was, or I am a first generation American. My parents came here from the Philippines to provide a good life for my sister and I, and with that, I'm sure if there are friends out there who are also first-generation American.

[00:02:39] There was a lot of pressure to perform. And for me, in particular, it was definitely in the academic realm. And so with that, I worked my way through school. I got my bachelor's, my master's and my PhD in less than 10 years. Yeah. Yeah. So it was a lot of, a lot of work, a lot of writing and I was here for it.

[00:03:01] Um, and then after that I went off to my first tenure track job position. As a professor, I taught public relations. I taught public speaking, social media, crisis communication, all that fun stuff that I'm sure you talk about on the show, Veronica. And it was going well until it wasn't. So going into this job, I realized that this was not what I had anticipated it.

[00:03:31] The, the higher ed space. Can be a little, what to say outdated. I suppose. It's not as open in terms of, of innovation and trying new things. It's interesting because I'm not sure if you're familiar with the new Netflix. So that show the chair.

[00:03:55] Veronica: No, I haven't seen it. I'm going to have to check it

[00:03:57] Rowena: out. Sandra was in it and she plays a department chairs.

[00:04:01] Asian-American in this English. And there's an article in the Atlantic from an actual department chair who talks about how, you know, higher ed education. The university system is seen as this progressive space, but in actuality from the seats and from the perspective of folks like us who want to try new things, it's actually quite limiting.

[00:04:26] And so that's how I felt. And in addition to that, My father passed away from cancer my first year at my new job. And as I'm sure you and others connect. When you lose someone so close to you and I'm hearing this new job, my father was sick all throughout my, my, my dissertation writing process. I dedicated my dissertation to him.

[00:04:49] And when he passed it, it really just changed my world. It, it changed my thought process on what I'm doing here, what my legacy is, what I hope to bring. And I knew, I knew that. There was more that I can do with the gifts and talents that I have in communication and marketing and branding. And so I moved into industry work and, you know, doing the in-house communications.

[00:05:16] Now I work for a digital marketing agency, but then another life milestone happened, which was the birth of my beautiful baby girl character. And that was a process in and of itself. I went through in vitro fertilization to have her after almost two years of trying to get pregnant and having her made me again, think about it.

[00:05:39] What am I doing here? What is my purpose? What do I have to offer the world in this lifetime? And that's when I started my business, I initially started off as just an astrologer, you know, doing readings. I am very interested in the astrological landscape and space, just doing readings for friends and clients.

[00:06:02] But then the third thing that happened was. COVID-19 or what I like to call the collective retreat. Another time for us to sit with ourselves because we can't go anywhere and lock down and reflect and think about what are we doing here? Because as COVID has shown us and continues to show us, you never know, you never know what is going to happen.

[00:06:27] And so. I made a bit of a pivot and now I infuse astrology and other modalities like taro human design, Crystal's artistic expression. I am a theater performer and we'll see, maybe you'll get it. Yup. I'm waiting.

[00:06:44] Veronica: I'm waiting for it.

[00:06:46] Rowena: But if you then integrate all these sides of me, my experiences as a teacher, a professor, a writer, a communicator, and I use that to build this coaching business where I help women.

[00:06:56] Yeah. Tap into that divine essence, that, that, that desire that, that need, that you want to come out and be, and step into this sole purpose, this full embodiment, this alignment you are meant to be. Honestly, Veronica, it has been transformational for me and for my clients. So that's

[00:07:19] Veronica: so exciting. I love that.

[00:07:21] And what I love most about that story is you were able to very succinctly see where there were moments in time in your career that changed the trajectory. Of who you were going to be for the world moving forward. And that's what I love most about your story. So I just, I love hearing it every time I do.

[00:07:41] Cause I think there are a lot of people who have used this time during the last, you know, 24 months probably to really reevaluate.

[00:07:49] Rowena: Yeah. Yeah. I think, you know, having that self-awareness and knowing that. There's nothing, you know, there's nothing wrong with my previous jobs. There's if you want to be an academic and work in higher ed and that works for you, that's totally fine.

[00:08:05] I'm not, I'm not demonizing. I'm not putting down other people's choices, but for me, I have I've changed and these experiences have happened, right. I found the courage, the strength, and it wasn't easy. Veronica. I want to put that out there. I wasn't like, oh, boop, I'm going to leave. Or, you know, I'm going to start this business.

[00:08:24] These are very challenging decisions that you have to take into consideration. I, I just found that it's something that I had to do and I didn't want to regret it or ask what ifs I just wanted to go for it. So, yeah.

[00:08:39] Veronica: That's so exciting. And so that's a really great point you made about it was the challenges.

[00:08:44] What are some of the challenges from leaving? It's not necessarily a communications job, but I'm just leaving what some might consider the pinnacle of success of being a professor or being a doctor of communications. And we've had, we've had probably two or three. Communication professionals on this show alone.

[00:09:04] And I know that there's rigor in their life, but there also comes some prestige. What are some of the challenges with leaving a job like that to one where people are asking, what are you doing for a living now? How does that work? What does it mean

[00:09:18] Rowena: to be a coach? Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, goodness, just starting off with me internally, the internal team.

[00:09:27] As, you know, it takes a lot of time, money, energy to go through so much school and to take these classes and to build toward this career. And so for a while I felt that I was a failure that I didn't quote unquote it right. That I couldn't make it, that it was too difficult. And. I also wanted to add that another challenge and reason why I had left was as a woman of color, I am Filipino American.

[00:09:58] I found it very difficult to be in this space where. My students are marching in the streets protesting, right. Black lives matter and all these things. And I was seen as the, their only professor that looks like them, that, and it was, it was a huge task. It was a huge to do. And I felt that I became that token, you know, person of color on committees and whatnot.

[00:10:29] And it. It just didn't sit well with me. I just had a conversation recently with a client where it was either I stay and keep my mouth shut and do what I'm supposed to do and keep my head down and wait until all those older folks are tired so that I can make my mark and have that person. Or I can walk away now build, build the career and life that I know I'm destined to have and be the person that I know I'm meant to be with this degree, because that degree it's not going away.

[00:11:01] Right. It's not been taken away since I'm no longer in the classroom. I have those skills, talents, and that knowledge with me, I'm just going to put it into something else. Is much more in alignment with my purpose and is the container that I know I can thrive in. Yeah.

[00:11:18] Veronica: And I love that part because that's essentially what you've done.

[00:11:21] You've left the classroom, but you're still teaching. You're still teaching. You're working with your clients and we have great conversations offline about branding and alignment and visibility strategy. And so tell me how you work with clients. And so you obviously support them. In the metaphysical space and in that kind of spiritual space.

[00:11:42] Um, but how does the communications part of it support you doing that? Because I'm sure when someone's having an astrological reading, it's not just, here's the information. I get a sense that you take a step further with your extended skills and grow that so they can do something

[00:11:57] Rowena: with it. Oh my goodness.

[00:11:58] Veronica. Yes. You hit the nail on the head and that one. One of the, one of the epiphany that I had, because when I was starting off doing astrology readings, it was very lecture. We're going to use a classroom paradigm. I was kind of like, here's your chart and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, oh no, this, this could not be the way that I am doing this.

[00:12:20] And that is when I took this approach where I use your astrological chart. To ask questions, to have a dialogue, to have a conversation with my clients and ask them, oh, so this came up, this X, Y, Z thing in your astrological chart. What does that mean for you? What has happened in your experience? Where do you see yourself in, in the future with this, given this, this insight?

[00:12:46] Right. So astrology it's just like any other tool too. Find out more information about ourselves and give ourselves that insight on what our assets, what are our limitations so that we can move forward audaciously and boldly. And, and so, yeah, so I was able to, you know, evaluate say, this is not, this is not working out as you with any campaign, right.

[00:13:14] Or any tactic. And I strategize and I reframed it. I tweaked it. I now communicate that information in a different way. And again, it's not in a vacuum with anything you, you take time to see what's working tweak. What's not adjust. Ask for feedback. I do get feedback from my clients, clients on what, what works and what doesn't and how we can do better next time.

[00:13:43] So it's, it's all cyclical and that's just it, right. It doesn't have to be set it and forget it. Right? Yeah. Let's, let's, uh, let's do things organically. And also what I love is that I personally tailor things to clients too. So I work with writers. So I do scripting and writing exercises with those clients.

[00:14:04] I work with other fellow creatives, dancers, artists. So I have some of my friends. Singh. I also have academic clients that are looking to leave academia like I did. So I look at their teaching philosophy. So it's, it's just a beautiful culmination integration of all my experiences that I then infuse and use.

[00:14:28] All of my client interactions. It's really fun.

[00:14:31] Veronica: Yeah. It's just phenomenal. It blows my mind because I think for some of us who have been in the corporate space, there is a way things are done. You might get up an executive coach who coaches you through maybe a transition of a new leader or a company takeover.

[00:14:46] And then those of us in the academic space, like you said, there were different philosophies and tracks that we're used to. Working through, and you have this unique skill of being able to bring all of that in and you add the wound to it. And I love when you can wooed to it because that's exactly what some of us need.

[00:15:03] And so I think that, um, that the service you provide is just exceptional. Um, tell us, give us a couple of tips. You know, we've got about maybe 10 more minutes on the show, but I want to find out from you some of the things that you've been able to work with your clients on. That are just obvious for those of you or you for coaches who are on the outside helping a professional, but let's give us some tips and nuggets that people can take away.

[00:15:26] Rowena: Yeah. So first of all, as you heard from my story, it really was going into that why? Right. So Simon Sinek, you know, we'll get to that golden circle. What is the Y because the Y is going to drive everything. We do every activity, every strategy, every marketing tactic, all communications, knowing what the, why isn't getting, you know, deeper and deeper and asking those questions so that you're intentional and thoughtful with everything that you do with your business and with, with your communication strategy.

[00:16:01] That's so important. So that's my first tip. My second tip is to share your story right. As I shared mine, it wasn't all puppies and rainbows. There were some challenging moments there. There were definitely times where I felt that I wasn't sure what I was doing or if I was going the right path. But I'm here to tell you that that's all part of that hero's journey, right.

[00:16:25] That we're going to have that challenging time, that darkness, that despair. But then we collect our community, our mentors folks, like you, Veronica, that can help us find our voice and find that why. And then being able to look back on it, like we've done today. And share those stories. When I have voiced my vulnerability, when I have been completely transparent about where I had been and how difficult it was, that has been the messages that resonate.

[00:16:56] Nobody wants to see perfection. That's contrived, that's fake, and audiences can sense that ASAP. Yeah. So that's super, super important. Share that story. All the roadblocks. Those are that. That's just, that's crucial. And there's a brand story too. Right? So if you're working for a product, it doesn't necessarily have to be an individual.

[00:17:21] Your brand has a story, too, right? Your company came from something and it made something out of nothing. That's a story as well. That's just as compelling. So I think that's really, really important. So that's my second tip. And then the third one, I know Veronica, we talked about this before we went live and recorded is having that.

[00:17:44] That heart, that aura of service. Right. So I know for us communication PR marketing professionals, it can be seen as spin or manipulative that there has been misnomers or, you know, there's reputational things that have come along with the title, but I know for you and for me and for our friends out there.

[00:18:08] Yeah. We do this work because there is a problem. There is an issue that our clients, our audiences, the folks out there that we want to help, we want to serve them. We provide these products and services as a way to help you solve your problem. And to help you get on the other side, more magnificent and vibrant and wonderful than ever.

[00:18:33] So

[00:18:35] Veronica: I love that. That's so true. That's a great, great tip. And that's exactly what a lot of people fall short out when they think about a career in communications, whether it's a formal career or even a version of it. And I got to tell you that what you said really resonated with me because the strongest leaders, the strongest CEOs.

[00:18:54] The the strongest. Most effective leaders of a department, whether it's a department chair or a college president, um, or even a president of a nonprofit organization, when you allow that vulnerability to be communicated to people, then it's received and the call to action resonates with people. And we always talk about that.

[00:19:17] And, and you know, when you're in an executive coaching space, People will say, well, what's the CTA, the CTA, the call to action. The call to action will really, the call to action is going to come from people's willingness to hear your story. And your story has to resonate

[00:19:32] Rowena: with people. Yes, yes. It has to resonate.

[00:19:35] And that's how you build that trust. Right? The audiences are not going to click that CTA button or do that call to action. If they don't trust you, if they don't know you, if you're just. Image on a website, but they don't know your story or don't feel connected to you in some way. That's, that's not going to translate to $2.

[00:19:58] Right. So yeah, really, really important.

[00:20:01] Veronica: And I love that because everything we've talked about is really in the PR or the last few things we talked about, it's in the PR space and we were having this conversation offline advertising. And I tell people all the time when I'm doing trainings, advertising is paid for it's a paid for direct communication, but public relations is an opportunity to build trust.

[00:20:21] It's PR at its core public relations is designed to build trust. That's why it's not guaranteed. And that's why it may not come out exactly the way you, you wrote that press release. You spend a lot of time formatting that press release and w you know, you were hoping that some editor would just copy and paste it, but that's not what it's about.

[00:20:40] It's about sharing a story and earning some trust, and then having someone else endorse your story. To, to legitimize who you are.

[00:20:48] Rowena: Yeah. And if you, you know, that's that just underscores the importance of building those relationships from the get-go from the jump. Right? So if you're able to build that mutually beneficial relationship, whether it is with an editor or it is with your audiences, then that trust is going to be even stronger.

[00:21:05] And that message will wrinkle. So, yeah, and

[00:21:08] Veronica: I think you're doing a phenomenal job translating all those skills into your business now. So let's transition real quick. Let's tell people how they can work with you, uh, share some of the services that you offer and let's, um, let's make sure the world knows what Dr.

[00:21:22] Rowena Winkler's up to these

[00:21:23] Rowena: days. I'll thank you. I really appreciate that. And actually in alignment with this show, I am working toward an intuitive marketing offering. So using my skillsets in marketing and communication to work with fellow coaches, healers and paths Lightworkers who have that heart of service, but are not quite sure how that translates.

[00:21:48] Into messaging, marketing strategy. So stay tuned for that. That's coming up hopefully, and by the end of the year, but for now you can just go to Rowena, winkler.com and what you'll find there are my services. I do have the coaching offerings, but I also, if you're just interested in an astrology, right. I can do that for you as well.

[00:22:11] And then for my friends who also are on the academic path, but are not quite sure if they want to stay in higher ed, I have an offering where I can help you translate your CV. So taking that third, but then again,

[00:22:26] Veronica: because I know we have a lot of academics and a lot of executives tuning it. So, you know, that that's our core audience.

[00:22:32] So say that last part again. How do you manage people? See me

[00:22:36] Rowena: it's translate that CV because I know for me that was a hurdle I had to go over. I had this log document of, of academic co-locations and whatnot. And I was like, ah, I don't know how I can make this into a one to two page resume and to a cover letter.

[00:22:53] And so I took what I've learned and I. Folks use, get rid of that academic language and jargon that a lot of employers don't really know, understand and put it in terms that will get you. Do an interview and do a job.

[00:23:11] Veronica: Yeah, I love it. Okay guys. Well, that is the website right there. It's Rowena, winkler.com.

[00:23:15] So make sure you tune in and for those of you listening on the podcast, we're going to, how can people follow you other than your website? What are your social media handles? Let's

[00:23:23] Rowena: give them the lowdown. So my Instagram handle is R B Winkler PhD, and I have an Instagram live every Wednesday at 5:00 PM Eastern standard time called resets with Rowena, where I talk about ways to reset your mindset and to.

[00:23:44] You know, again, step into that authenticity to build that trust as we talked about.

[00:23:49] Veronica: Yes. Yes, yes. Yes. Love it. Love it. Love it. And

[00:23:53] Rowena: Amy, you too. Look at that. Oh, I love you too.

[00:23:57] Veronica: All right. Well with that, I'm going to sign off and think Dr. Rowena Winkler for being here. I love talking shop. I love talking shops.

[00:24:06] So you really made my day.

[00:24:08] Rowena: Well, thank you too. There you go.

[00:24:13] Veronica: I was giving you the opening

[00:24:16] Rowena: beautiful job, but go forth on those opportunities frenzy. You never know. You never

[00:24:22] Veronica: know. All right. Thank you so much. That guys we're going to wrap up this episode of Saturday soundbites. I had a blast talking shop, uh, and it was a combination of all of our favorite things.

[00:24:34] We talked about some PR we talked about branding. We talked about alignment, living and working in. And now, you know, someone who can help you do that. So if that's what you're looking for, make sure you check out Dr. Rowena Winkler. Her website is where we don't winkler.com and you can get all the details in the show notes, especially if you're listening on our podcast.

[00:24:51] So we will wrap up this episode. Thank you everyone for joining us, we will go back and communicate in the comments for those of you who left comments on our Facebook post. And for those of you who are listening on the podcast, don't forget to hit subscribe. We want to make sure. You know, every time we've got an episode available to you guys.

[00:25:09] So with that, I'm going to wish you lots of love and positive energy and light. We will see you next week.