July 8, 2025 • 31 mins
🎧 Episode 171: Wealthy, Well-Known & Wildly Intentional with AJ Vaden (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our powerful conversation, AJ Vaden returns to share what happens after the breakdown, how she redefined identity, rebuilt her priorities, and found peace on the other side of losing everything.
From re-centering faith and family to redefining success through obedience and clarity, AJ opens up about the deeper message behind Wealthy and Well-Known and why your past might just be the key to your purpose.
We explore:
- How AJ unraveled the lie that her identity was tied to work
- What obedience looked like after her “super firing”
- The moment that shifted her question from “Why is this happening?” to “What do you want to teach me?”
- How she and Rory restructured their life, marriage, and business from the ground up
- Why being seen in the struggle creates real connection
- The principle behind her most quoted line: “You are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were”
- What she hopes every reader takes away from Wealthy and Well-Known
🔑 Key takeaways:
- Your identity is not your title
- Peace starts when purpose takes the lead
- Real leadership begins in the valleys not the mountaintops
- You don’t need more platforms, you need more alignment
đź’ˇ Quotes to remember:
“Work doesn’t come first anymore. It’s not who we are. It’s what we do.”
“Real relationships are found in the struggle.”
“You are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.”
đź“š Resources mentioned:
✨ Order Wealthy and Well-Known:
www.wealthyandwellknown.com
🎧 Get the audiobook for FREE:
 freebrandaudiobook.com/aj
📲 Follow AJ on Instagram:
 @aj_vaden
A rising tide raises all ships, and I invite you along on this journey to Evoke Greatness!
Check out my website: www.evokegreatness.com
Follow me on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonnie-linebarger-899b9a52/
https://www.instagram.com/evoke.greatness/
https://www.tiktok.com/@evoke.greatness
http://www.youtube.com/@evokegreatness
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
you are most powerfully positioned to serve
the person you once were.
Why?
Because you know them.
You were them.
Nobody knows that person betterthan you.
You're intimately acquaintedwith every fear, every doubt,
every goal, every dream, and ifwe can tap into that and align
our business to that, then theworld will change, you will
(00:21):
change, and there will be apositive domino effect that is
unstoppable.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Welcome to Evoke Greatness, the podcast for bold
leaders and big dreamers whorefuse to settle.
I'm your host, sunny.
I started in scrubs over 20years ago doing the gritty,
unseen work and climbed my wayto CEO.
Every rung of that laddertaught me something worth
passing on Lessons in leadership, resilience and what it really
(00:52):
takes to rise.
You'll hear raw conversations,unfiltered truths and the kind
of wisdom that ignites somethingdeeper in you your courage,
your conviction, your calling.
This show will help you thinkbigger, lead better and show up
bolder in every part of yourlife.
This is your place to grow.
Let's rise together.
(01:25):
Welcome back to part two ofWealthy, well-known and Wildly
Intentional, with my guest, ajBeaton.
Aj shares the faith-fueledrebuild after losing everything,
the hard truth about identityand idolizing work, and the
radical shift that saved hermarriage, mission and mindset.
We unpack how wealthy andwell-known is more than a brand.
(01:45):
It's a blueprint for becomingwho you were called to be.
And if you missed part one, goback to last week's episode and
catch AJ's raw story of gettingsuper fired and how her
reputation showed up beforerevenue.
Let's hop into it.
There's so much to unpack justin your answer there.
Two things One is going back tothat moment of your super
(02:07):
firing you talked about.
There's a choice after thatright, and one requires action
and one requires inaction, butboth have outcomes.
I'm curious for those who maybe in that same situation.
They may have just gotten awfulnews that feels devastating.
It feels like their world wasjust rocked.
Awful news that feelsdevastating.
It feels like their world wasjust rocked.
(02:28):
How did you, or what guidancewould you give others in being
unwilling to allow your identityto be decimated in that process
?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Now I wish I had some profound words that would make
anyone who's listening feel somuch better if you're going
through a transition state likethat, and here's what I would
tell you.
What I found in all of that andit wasn't an overnight fix, and
I am sorry to tell you itprobably won't be an overnight
fix for you either, but here'swhat I found Two things that
(02:58):
really made a huge differencefor me is, instead of asking the
question, why is this happening?
Because I think that's a lot ofwhat we do when we're going
through an unexpected transitionor a really hard time or we got
bad news we go why?
Why is this happening?
Why to me?
Why this way?
And this was from some wisecounsel, not of my own volition,
(03:22):
and they said, instead ofasking why this is happening,
what if you just changed that?
And instead asked God, what doyou want me to learn from this
and that?
Why?
To what was revolutionary forme.
It went from a self-loathing,self-pity woe is me, look what's
happening to me to a lookwhat's happening for me.
(03:47):
And I do believe some thingshappen to us, but I think we
often confuse what happens to usinstead of what happens for us,
Because the truth is, at leastin my case, with real
soul-searching reflection.
I knew I should not have beenthere.
I knew in my soul that this wasnot good for me, that the
(04:10):
ambition had taken over.
I had made work an idol in mylife.
I had become so consumed withperforming and being productive
that it was coming at a reallygreat cost to help my
relationships, specifically myrelationship with God.
I had put all of my self-worthinto my work, and that's
(04:32):
dangerous for all of us, becauseour identity is not a title,
it's not what you do, and wetalk a ton about this in chapter
three of our new book Wealthyand Well-Known.
The entire chapter three was mypersonal revelation of going.
Why was everything about mewrapped up in a job title?
(04:57):
What was it about that?
And I feel like when I stoppedasking why is this happening and
what do you want to teach me,God, what I started to unpack is
that he wanted to teach me thatI had made work an idol, that
my identity was tied to a what,not a who.
And when everything fell apart,it's why I got lost, it's why I
(05:19):
felt so broken and I felt soashamed.
But when I started realizing,no, I didn't even want that.
Like why was I mourningsomething that I didn't even
want it all kind of unraveledinto?
I was mourning this perceptionof me that other people had that
, quite honestly, I didn't evenlove, I didn't even like to be
(05:40):
honest.
And so this what conversationreally helped me to be more
future focused versus the whyconversation really helped me to
be more future focused versusthe why conversation was holding
me in the past, and that was avery defining point of am I
going to look back or am I goingto choose to look forward,
Because what is done is done andI can rather learn from it and
I can be better, or I cannotlearn from it and be stuck
(06:04):
exactly where I was.
And it was really thatconversation of not asking why
is this happening, but what canI learn from it?
And a transition of lookingbackwards to instead looking
forward.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
I think so.
So many people who listen tothis podcast can relate.
I'm sure they almost just had avisceral reaction, as you kind
of explained how you first feltabout it.
Because I think that's the realraw element is, and I think the
permission of it's okay.
It's okay to honor what you'refeeling in that moment, but not
(06:37):
get stuck there.
And so my mom, in all of herwise counsel, has always told me
when hard things like thathappen, sometimes God has to
step in and make a decision thatmaybe you should have made
prior to.
And I thought, yes, you'reright, you're right.
So, yeah, it's so true, it isso true, and that has been I've
(06:59):
had to ask it many a times whereI'm like you know what, if I
look back now, I can see where Ishould have maybe taken a
different turn, and where I'mlike you know what, if I look
back now, I can see where Ishould have maybe taken a
different turn.
And so you know, hindsight'salways 20-20.
But the other piece that Iwanted to share that there were
two things is when you talkabout reputation.
This really is like a kind of afull circle moment for me
Started listening to podcastsand kind of getting into
(07:19):
personal development 12 yearsago now, and so prior to that,
my outlook on life was verydifferent, very much fixed
mindset, like my circumstancesreally kind of are what they are
.
I don't know that I have awhole lot of control over it,
and the very first podcast Iever listened to couldn't tell
you whose podcast it was, Icouldn't tell you who the other
person was, but it was Rory.
(07:41):
It was this whole new world of,like the way that he was
speaking just lit something upinside of me, and on that
podcast he ended up talkingabout Lewis Howes, and so I
would proceed to dive deep intoLewis Howes podcast and it
opened up this world of personaldevelopment for me.
And I tell you, literally 12years ago, there was a line of
(08:03):
demarcation in my life and thatwas as a result of your husband
and something that he wassharing on a podcast that spoke
to something inside of me thatwas so hungry for this element
of growth.
But I didn't really even knowwhat that meant.
And so when you talk aboutreputation, and then I look back
in the last 12 years and do Iknow that I would have taken a
(08:24):
right turn or a left turn ifthat wouldn't have happened, I
don't know, but what I do knowis I leaned so hard into
personal development andwidening the lens in which I
view the world as a directresult of that one thing that I
heard, and then I wouldobviously, over the course of
the last 12 years, learn a wholelot more about you, about Rory,
(08:45):
about Lewis.
It's why I'm here hosting apodcast, and sometimes, when we
lean into not just being soclosed off to everything, part
of that to me speaks a littlebit to obedience, right, I think
God creates us for magnificentthings in life and oftentimes we
get in the way and we want totemper that.
(09:06):
We don't want to do those scarythings or we don't want to get
uncomfortable.
And I got to a point where I'mlike I am just going to throw
myself into uncomfortability,and so I think, through
obedience, as I look back thecourse of the last 12 years,
like, wow, a whole new world hasopened up for me.
I have opportunities today tosit with you and talk through
(09:27):
your new book and be able toshare these things with you, so
it's really kind of that fullcircle moment that I felt was
important to share.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I had no idea.
That's the best thing I haveheard always.
That is amazing, yes.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I always think it's important to go back to those
moments where life feels like itchanged a little bit and give
credit to where those things youknow that led to some
remarkable new ways of life andnew ways of being.
So I wanted to share that withyou.
But I think about how you andRory you built a life, a
business book, what's in yourrelationship, what's a dynamic
(10:03):
that you guys had to renegotiateto make sure that you protected
both your marriage and yourmission?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yeah, I love that question because it's I think, a
lot of people struggle with it,even if they don't work
together in business.
We live in a very connectedworld that can make us really
disconnected from each otherworld.
That can make us reallydisconnected from each other.
And so when everything happenedback in 2018, and I was fired
(10:30):
and Rory resigned and we're inthis let's just call it chaos it
was chaos.
Brand Builders Group, ourcompany, was formed in the midst
of a crisis, and when peopleask, like you know, why did you
start Brand Builders Group?
We did it.
God did.
I don't know why he chose us.
We were just obedient enough tosay if you say so, we'll do it.
And one of the things thathappened in that very unique
(10:53):
season of it was all burnt down.
I tell people it was our Cortezmoment, it was our burn the
boats moment.
God knew he had to burn it tothe ground so that we wouldn't
go back, but in the midst of allof that, it gave us a really
beautiful perspective of well,there's no going back, it's all
gone, all of it.
So how do we want to rebuild it?
(11:14):
How do we want to do itdifferent?
What worked, what didn't?
What did we like?
What didn't we like?
What would we want tore-emulate some ways, what would
we never do again if we had thechance?
And one of the things was ourpersonal schedules.
One of the things wasreprioritizing our marriage and
our family and our health and,most importantly, our time with
(11:36):
the Lord.
And a huge part of what werestructured in that season that
we still hold very tight totoday is that season that we
still hold very tight to todayis work doesn't come first
anymore, and that was new for usand we said it's God, marriage,
kids, business, and we justwe're very much believers.
A happy marriage equals a happyfamily.
(11:56):
But if the marriage is notintact, then the family is on
the rocks and it's like if we'rehappy, our kids are happy
because we're happy, right, butif the kids are happy and we're
not happy, it doesn't always gothe other way.
We worked really hard to resetsome boundaries of God first,
marriage, second, family, third,work comes fourth, not last per
(12:17):
se, but there is an order ofpriority of how we dictate what
we do, when we do it, how we doit.
One of those things is we justan open hand, surrendered moment
, said God, we'll give youeverything we have, every ounce
of our beings, between the hoursof eight and five, and after
(12:40):
that it's up to you.
And I, just, I love that,saying like work like only you
can, pray like only he can, andwe work like only we can from
eight to five, and the rest wegive it up.
Whatever you want to do with it, as fast as you want, as slow
as you want, as big as you want,as small as you want, whatever
you want, lord, we're here forit and you're going to get all
(13:01):
of us in these hours.
And that's it.
Because after that werecommitted our life to
community and relationships, andour marriage and our kids and
our health and rest Stillstruggle with that a little bit,
to be honest, but it's a workin progress and I think for us
(13:21):
that recommitment didn't happenovernight.
Right, it took a minute probablytwo full years, to be honest of
us resettling into a new rhythm, because there was a lot, a lot
we had to shed, a lot we had tolet go, and if you've been
living a certain way for areally long time, let's just
give ourselves some grace andsome patience.
(13:41):
It's not going to changeovernight, or in a week or in a
month.
Sometimes it's going to take aminute, right, and it's not to
say we don't ever work after 5pm.
We've been in the middle of abook launch for the last few
months.
We have had plenty of eveningsand mornings that extended those
hours.
However, that's our baseline.
That's the expectation of ourbusiness, of our friends, of our
(14:02):
community and our family ofwe're done at five.
And I have two amazingaccountability partners, aged
eight and six, who bust into myoffice every single day at 5 pm
and they just walk over, don'teven ask, they just walk over,
put their little fingers up andshut my computer and they're
like you're done.
And they have full permissionto do so, because work doesn't
(14:25):
come first anymore.
It's not who we are, it's whatwe do, and we redefined that.
Our work is not our identityand our brand, our reputation.
Who we are is not tied up intothis thing we do.
It's not a business, it's not abusiness model, it's not a book
, it's none of that.
It's like our personal brand isa reflection of who we are, who
(14:47):
we're meant to be and how wewant the world to see us.
And when we startedreformulating everything else
around that we just said ifthat's true, like if I really
want to be known as someone whois obedient to the word of God,
then I have to start my dayevery day in the word.
And I may have said that before, but I didn't do that before,
(15:08):
and it wasn't until the last fewyears where I was like no, like
I'm actually going to be theperson I want to be.
I'm not going to say I want tobe this person and not be it.
And so it was my words and myactions had to start aligning,
and a lot of that was withintentionality around, like what
legacy do I want to leave?
What do I want to be known for?
(15:28):
How do I want people tointroduce me?
And that even was within ourmarriage.
Like, how do I want to show upfor my husband and my kids and
our team and my friends?
And a whole lot of things thatI had said didn't really line up
with what I was doing.
And that was again a lot ofthought and intentionality went
(15:49):
behind.
What do I want to be known for?
How do I want to show up inthis world, and how does that
play into our work, our family,our marriage, our relationships
and it was a resetting ofpriorities.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
And that's that is a perfect depiction of walking
through I think how having itall you know air quotes, having
it all morphs in life Again,based on our value system, like
that's typically what we go backto, right and it's what we make
time and priority in our life,and sometimes it's false idols,
like we've all been guilty of.
(16:23):
When we get re-centered andbecome obedient, it's like all
of a sudden, things thenseamlessly start to come
together.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yeah, almost always right.
And you know one of the thingsand no judgment with anyone out
there maybe you're an amazingplanner and you spend so much
time doing this.
I wasn't, and what I have foundis that most people that we
interact with within our companyand our community most of us
spend more time planning ourannual vacations and our weekly
(16:56):
grocery lists.
Then we do our reputation, thenwe do our legacy, we do how we
want to show up in the world,and what happens is we create
this by default brand, this bydefault reputation, and that's
typically not usually going toend with the result of the one
(17:16):
you want, right.
That requires intention andattention, which requires time,
and if you don't, you look upone day and you're like how did
I get here?
Well, you got there because youdidn't plan where you wanted to
be and we got to take ownershipfor that in our lives, and I
had to take ownership for it inmine.
I was the only one who couldfix it, so I had to do the work.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
You say the best form of marketing is a changed life.
So let me flip that a littlebit right.
What's one life-changing moment?
You've shared some already, butwhat's a life-changing moment
that you had that no one wouldsee in your bio?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Something that stitched itself into who you've
become today.
Great question, that wholequote.
The best form of marketing is achanged life.
The whole reason we startedsaying that and the reason we
put that as a central theme ofthe book is because 18 months
ago, after four years ofstruggling with some really
(18:18):
interesting health challengesthat resulted post-pregnancy
high cholesterol gallstones hadto have emergency gallbladder
surgery.
Aging it happens to all of us.
I had like a really awfulhormonal imbalance and I was
carrying about 35 pounds ofextra weight that, no matter
what I did, I could not lose.
(18:38):
And I was and am a prettyhealthy human, don't eat a lot
of sugar.
But in that season, after I hadto have this emergency
gallbladder surgery, I was justlike I have tried everything.
I hardly eat.
I only eat lettuce, it's onlywater.
I don't drink alcohol, I don'tdo sugar.
I work out like I was sodistraught about why can't I get
(19:02):
back to the way my body used tobe right?
And it wasn't just a physicalappearance thing, which, trust
me, I wanted that too.
I wanted back in those jeans, Iwanted that too.
But it was more of like I can'tsleep at night.
I wake up every night two orthree times Chronic insomnia,
like I don't feel good.
I'm always tired in the middleof the day.
(19:23):
I have this chronic fatigueLike why, what do I have to do
to fix this?
And then I was introduced to agentleman named Dr Cody Goldman
and at this point I had triedevery other fad diet, health
regime, nutrient plan,supplement plan on the planet
and I'm like what do I have tolose?
Right, and he said but we'renot going to do any of that.
(19:44):
He goes I'm not.
When I say the best form ofmarketing is a changed life, I
bet I have sent 100 people tothis man, no joke, and it's
because it worked.
And he said everything youthink you know about health and
and I was like, well, I don'tknow, I don't agree with that,
dr Cody.
I've done a lot of researchhere.
(20:04):
And he was like I'm telling youright now from the conversation
we just had in 30 minutes, andif you give me 40 days, 40 days,
six weeks, I'll change yourlife.
And I was like I'll do anythingfor 40 days.
I go what do you got?
What are we doing here?
And everything that I thought Iwas doing right, I was doing
(20:27):
wrong when I thought you knowthat thing.
One of the biggest things that Iwould tell you in all this is
the myth of less calories, right, right, if you intake less more
than you outtake, you'll loseweight.
That's not true this in thisworld, the more I eat, the more
I lost.
And it was the right things atthe right time, and so I think
one of the things that reallydeveloped in that is when it
(20:49):
started working, like my wholelife changed.
I was sleeping through thenight, which means like I was
better performing.
I didn't have midday crashesanymore.
I didn't need a 4 pm coffeepick me up All that extra weight
losing, it was the added bonus.
I 4 pm coffee picked me up Allthat extra weight losing, it was
the added bonus.
I had mental clarity again.
I felt like I looked likemyself again.
My skin got better, my hair gotbetter and I lost the 35 pounds
(21:12):
that I had been holding on tofor the five years
post-pregnancy.
And this whole thing changed mylife and it will continue to
change my life forever, becauseI am a new person with a new
outlook on.
You know, food is thy medicine,medicine is thy food, and it was
a restructuring of a beliefsystem I had about me and food
(21:35):
and thinking that the less I ate, that's how this all worked and
it was a very, I think,unknowing, unhealthy
relationship that I haddeveloped because I was so
desperate to get back to thisprevious version of me.
And as soon as I let that go andI just focused on I want to be
healthy, I want to age well, Iwant to sleep, that's what I
(21:56):
really want it all changed.
And so we actually internallywe laugh and we say we call that
the Goldman principle the bestform of marketing is a changed
life, because after this changedmy life.
As I am on the show right now,I talk about it everywhere I go
because I can't not.
It actually changed my life,and so I'd say that would be
(22:16):
probably one thing that peopledon't really know.
It's like if you meet me rightnow, you would have no idea that
two years ago I was in chronicpain because of gallstones and
gallbladder disease and I was 35pounds heavier and hardly
eating lettuce to survive anddrinking water, trying to make
it all work and I was doing itall wrong.
And I think that would be agreat kind of thing of this
(22:39):
concept of the best form ofmarketing is a changed life is.
I talk about him everywhere Igo because he changed my life.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
It's amazing and I just appreciate how much as we
wrap up here and I appreciatehow much you show up as such an
open book.
Yeah, we're talking about yourbook, but truly just from a life
and reflection perspective.
I think that really says a lotabout you and your character,
right, I think that willingness,because I'm a firm believer
that our successes are not thepeak of the mountain.
(23:11):
Our successes are going throughthe cold, hard valley because
we get a lot of lessons thereand then, once we get those hard
lessons, those super firingmoments, those health crises,
those super firing moments,those health crises we then come
to a place where we have achoice to make, you know, and as
we actively choose, or chooseto be an inaction, that then
(23:34):
creates our outcomes.
So I appreciate how just of anopen book and transparent that
you show up.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
I know that people can relate so much to all that
you're sharing.
I appreciate that and one ofthe things I will tell you is
what I believe is that realrelationships are found in the
struggle, and I just know frompersonal experience.
There's never been a time on apodcast or on a stage or at an
event where I talked about allof my accolades and all of the
successes, Iolades, and all ofthe successes I've had and all
of the awards I won.
When someone came up to me andsaid, wow, can you tell me more?
Right, Can you talk more aboutall the success you've had?
(24:14):
That just doesn't happen.
It just doesn't.
But every single time I'mwilling to share the hard parts,
every time.
Now there was a lot of yearswhere I had a hard time saying
the words.
I got fired.
I had a really hard time.
I would say, well, we left,right, it's like no, I got fired
.
The moment I could just behonest with the realness of what
(24:36):
happened.
People came out of thewoodworks of going.
I can't believe you shared thattoday.
That is my story.
And when I started talkingabout this aging and can't lose
this weight and I'm trying allthe things the amount of people
who approach me off to this sideand they're like can you please
give me his number?
That is me.
I feel like something's wrongwith me, Can you help?
(24:59):
And I'm like I can't help you,but he can right.
And it's like every single timeI share the hard part, there is
a real connection made.
I cannot tell you one time everin my life, by sharing a
mountaintop moment, that a realconnection was made, but every
time I share a valley moment,something magical happens, and
(25:20):
it's because people connect inthe struggle.
They need to know they're notalone, and that is where real
relationships are founded.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And they feel, maybe for the first time in a really
long time, they feel seen, theyfeel heard, but alone.
And what a gift, what a gift tojust share our trials.
Well, one more question, we'llwrap up.
I want to know, when someonereads Wealthy, wealthy and
well-known, what do you hopethey believe about themselves at
the end of the book that maybethey didn't believe before they
(25:49):
opened it up?
Speaker 1 (25:51):
My gosh, such a great question.
We put an entire epilogue atthe very end kind of answering
this, and I think there's threeparts to this book that a lot of
people don't realize becausethe title is wealthy, andy and
Well-Known Build your PersonalBrand and Turn your Reputation
into Revenue.
So, on the very general outside, on the cover, it looks like a
(26:14):
pretty tactical business bookaround personal branding,
revenue and business, and I willsay a good majority of the book
is that it is a blueprint.
It is a playbook of figuringout what problem you solve, how
you uniquely solve it, who yousolve it for and how you want to
make money solving it.
We talk about online presence,offline presence.
We talk about personal brandstrategy.
(26:35):
It is a blueprint, so don't getme wrong, it is very oriented.
However, there is also a hugecomponent of it that is part
memoir and part inspiration,because we believe that people
remember the stories and thatstories connect people and that
if you're not inspired, you willnever act.
(26:56):
And so here's what I would sayIf somebody finished the book.
What would make me know thatthis was a book, well-written
job, well, a job well done, andto make me feel like this is why
we spent seven years doing thiswould be very simply stated and
kind of how we started theinterview is to know that you
(27:18):
were made for a divine purposeand for a very specific person.
And I think that's reallydivine purpose and for a very
specific person, and I thinkthat's really two separate
things that are connected.
That you have purpose, yourlife has meaning.
The pains that you haveexperienced were not for naught.
They were for a reason.
They will be used for good ifyou let it, but you have to let
(27:42):
it, and part of letting it meansyou share it, that you embrace
like this.
This thing happened and sharingit is helping other people know
that it's it's okay to feelthese things and it's okay to
have gone through these thingsand that you're not alone, but
also to give them a way out.
Right, it's to give them a wayout, and that's the person part.
(28:03):
One of our signature quotes inthe book is that you are most
powerfully positioned to servethe person you once were.
Why?
Because you know them.
You were them.
Nobody knows that person betterthan you.
You're intimately acquaintedwith every fear, every doubt,
every goal, every dream, and ifwe can tap into that and align
(28:26):
our business to that.
Then the world will change, youwill change, your community
will change and there will be apositive domino effect that is
unstoppable.
I believe that to be true.
I am seeing that being livedout right now in my life and I
know that if it can happen forus, it can happen for you.
It can happen for you, but youhave to embrace the hard parts.
(28:47):
You have to know that they werefor a purpose and for a person
and that you're uniquelydesigned and called to reach and
serve a very specific person,and it's the person that you
once were and that is how youfind your purpose.
We don't even need to say anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
That just like so beautifully wrapped it up.
We're going to put everythingin the show notes, but where can
people find and follow you?
Share the book website?
We want to make sure thatpeople go grab a copy.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Yes.
So please, grab a copy, please,please, please.
You can get a copy atwealthyandwellknowncom.
That's where you can grab acopy at wealthyandwellknowncom.
That's where you can grab acopy.
Now, of course, you can gothere and just pick it from any
of your favorite retailers.
You can also pick it up onAmazon.
It's going to be in all theplaces.
But then also, I want to saythat we're also giving away the
audiobook for free, and so we'dlove for you to pick up a copy,
(29:38):
but we're also giving away theaudiobook for free, and so if
you would like to visitfreebrandaudiobookcom, forward,
slash AJ, then you can get thefree audiobook at absolute no
charge.
We'd love for you to have both.
It depends if you're just alistener or a reader.
I like to do both, but theaudiobook is for free because we
(30:00):
just want to get it out intothe world.
And if you want to follow me,my preferred platform is
Instagram.
My handle is at AJ, underscoreVaden, and you can find all the
interesting things about me, mykids, my husband and our work on
my Instagram.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
So well.
I can't wait to get the book.
I'm a physical copy book.
I love to be able to listen,maybe when I'm hiking, but I
want to underline and mark it up.
And I want to underline andmark it up and you know I love
to get into a book like that, soI can't wait for it.
Aj, thank you so much for yourtime and just your openness and
sharing all the lessons andstories that people can so so
much connect to their ownexperience and you've made
(30:39):
people feel seen and you've madepeople feel like they're not
alone and I don't think they'llforget that.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Well, thank you, and thank you for being such a
wonderful and gracious host.
This was my pleasure today.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
If today's episode challenged you, moved you or lit
a fire in your soul, don't keepit to yourself.
Share it with somebody who'sready to rise.
Could I ask you to take 30seconds to leave a review?
It's the best way to say thankyou and help this show reach
more bold leaders like you,because this isn't just a
podcast, it's a movement.
We're not here to play small.
(31:17):
We're here to lead loud, onebold and unapologetic step at a
time.
Until next time, stay bold,stay grounded and make moves
that make mediocre uncomfortable.
you are most powerfully positioned to serve
the person you once were.
Why?
Because you know them.
You were them.
Nobody knows that person betterthan you.
You're intimately acquaintedwith every fear, every doubt,
every goal, every dream, and ifwe can tap into that and align
our business to that, then theworld will change, you will
(00:21):
change, and there will be apositive domino effect that is
unstoppable.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Welcome to Evoke Greatness, the podcast for bold
leaders and big dreamers whorefuse to settle.
I'm your host, sunny.
I started in scrubs over 20years ago doing the gritty,
unseen work and climbed my wayto CEO.
Every rung of that laddertaught me something worth
passing on Lessons in leadership, resilience and what it really
(00:52):
takes to rise.
You'll hear raw conversations,unfiltered truths and the kind
of wisdom that ignites somethingdeeper in you your courage,
your conviction, your calling.
This show will help you thinkbigger, lead better and show up
bolder in every part of yourlife.
This is your place to grow.
Let's rise together.
(01:25):
Welcome back to part two ofWealthy, well-known and Wildly
Intentional, with my guest, ajBeaton.
Aj shares the faith-fueledrebuild after losing everything,
the hard truth about identityand idolizing work, and the
radical shift that saved hermarriage, mission and mindset.
We unpack how wealthy andwell-known is more than a brand.
(01:45):
It's a blueprint for becomingwho you were called to be.
And if you missed part one, goback to last week's episode and
catch AJ's raw story of gettingsuper fired and how her
reputation showed up beforerevenue.
Let's hop into it.
There's so much to unpack justin your answer there.
Two things One is going back tothat moment of your super
(02:07):
firing you talked about.
There's a choice after thatright, and one requires action
and one requires inaction, butboth have outcomes.
I'm curious for those who maybe in that same situation.
They may have just gotten awfulnews that feels devastating.
It feels like their world wasjust rocked.
Awful news that feelsdevastating.
It feels like their world wasjust rocked.
(02:28):
How did you, or what guidancewould you give others in being
unwilling to allow your identityto be decimated in that process
?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Now I wish I had some profound words that would make
anyone who's listening feel somuch better if you're going
through a transition state likethat, and here's what I would
tell you.
What I found in all of that andit wasn't an overnight fix, and
I am sorry to tell you itprobably won't be an overnight
fix for you either, but here'swhat I found Two things that
(02:58):
really made a huge differencefor me is, instead of asking the
question, why is this happening?
Because I think that's a lot ofwhat we do when we're going
through an unexpected transitionor a really hard time or we got
bad news we go why?
Why is this happening?
Why to me?
Why this way?
And this was from some wisecounsel, not of my own volition,
(03:22):
and they said, instead ofasking why this is happening,
what if you just changed that?
And instead asked God, what doyou want me to learn from this
and that?
Why?
To what was revolutionary forme.
It went from a self-loathing,self-pity woe is me, look what's
happening to me to a lookwhat's happening for me.
(03:47):
And I do believe some thingshappen to us, but I think we
often confuse what happens to usinstead of what happens for us,
Because the truth is, at leastin my case, with real
soul-searching reflection.
I knew I should not have beenthere.
I knew in my soul that this wasnot good for me, that the
(04:10):
ambition had taken over.
I had made work an idol in mylife.
I had become so consumed withperforming and being productive
that it was coming at a reallygreat cost to help my
relationships, specifically myrelationship with God.
I had put all of my self-worthinto my work, and that's
(04:32):
dangerous for all of us, becauseour identity is not a title,
it's not what you do, and wetalk a ton about this in chapter
three of our new book Wealthyand Well-Known.
The entire chapter three was mypersonal revelation of going.
Why was everything about mewrapped up in a job title?
(04:57):
What was it about that?
And I feel like when I stoppedasking why is this happening and
what do you want to teach me,God, what I started to unpack is
that he wanted to teach me thatI had made work an idol, that
my identity was tied to a what,not a who.
And when everything fell apart,it's why I got lost, it's why I
(05:19):
felt so broken and I felt soashamed.
But when I started realizing,no, I didn't even want that.
Like why was I mourningsomething that I didn't even
want it all kind of unraveledinto?
I was mourning this perceptionof me that other people had that
, quite honestly, I didn't evenlove, I didn't even like to be
(05:40):
honest.
And so this what conversationreally helped me to be more
future focused versus the whyconversation really helped me to
be more future focused versusthe why conversation was holding
me in the past, and that was avery defining point of am I
going to look back or am I goingto choose to look forward,
Because what is done is done andI can rather learn from it and
I can be better, or I cannotlearn from it and be stuck
(06:04):
exactly where I was.
And it was really thatconversation of not asking why
is this happening, but what canI learn from it?
And a transition of lookingbackwards to instead looking
forward.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
I think so.
So many people who listen tothis podcast can relate.
I'm sure they almost just had avisceral reaction, as you kind
of explained how you first feltabout it.
Because I think that's the realraw element is, and I think the
permission of it's okay.
It's okay to honor what you'refeeling in that moment, but not
(06:37):
get stuck there.
And so my mom, in all of herwise counsel, has always told me
when hard things like thathappen, sometimes God has to
step in and make a decision thatmaybe you should have made
prior to.
And I thought, yes, you'reright, you're right.
So, yeah, it's so true, it isso true, and that has been I've
(06:59):
had to ask it many a times whereI'm like you know what, if I
look back now, I can see where Ishould have maybe taken a
different turn, and where I'mlike you know what, if I look
back now, I can see where Ishould have maybe taken a
different turn.
And so you know, hindsight'salways 20-20.
But the other piece that Iwanted to share that there were
two things is when you talkabout reputation.
This really is like a kind of afull circle moment for me
Started listening to podcastsand kind of getting into
(07:19):
personal development 12 yearsago now, and so prior to that,
my outlook on life was verydifferent, very much fixed
mindset, like my circumstancesreally kind of are what they are
.
I don't know that I have awhole lot of control over it,
and the very first podcast Iever listened to couldn't tell
you whose podcast it was, Icouldn't tell you who the other
person was, but it was Rory.
(07:41):
It was this whole new world of,like the way that he was
speaking just lit something upinside of me, and on that
podcast he ended up talkingabout Lewis Howes, and so I
would proceed to dive deep intoLewis Howes podcast and it
opened up this world of personaldevelopment for me.
And I tell you, literally 12years ago, there was a line of
(08:03):
demarcation in my life and thatwas as a result of your husband
and something that he wassharing on a podcast that spoke
to something inside of me thatwas so hungry for this element
of growth.
But I didn't really even knowwhat that meant.
And so when you talk aboutreputation, and then I look back
in the last 12 years and do Iknow that I would have taken a
(08:24):
right turn or a left turn ifthat wouldn't have happened, I
don't know, but what I do knowis I leaned so hard into
personal development andwidening the lens in which I
view the world as a directresult of that one thing that I
heard, and then I wouldobviously, over the course of
the last 12 years, learn a wholelot more about you, about Rory,
(08:45):
about Lewis.
It's why I'm here hosting apodcast, and sometimes, when we
lean into not just being soclosed off to everything, part
of that to me speaks a littlebit to obedience, right, I think
God creates us for magnificentthings in life and oftentimes we
get in the way and we want totemper that.
(09:06):
We don't want to do those scarythings or we don't want to get
uncomfortable.
And I got to a point where I'mlike I am just going to throw
myself into uncomfortability,and so I think, through
obedience, as I look back thecourse of the last 12 years,
like, wow, a whole new world hasopened up for me.
I have opportunities today tosit with you and talk through
(09:27):
your new book and be able toshare these things with you, so
it's really kind of that fullcircle moment that I felt was
important to share.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I had no idea.
That's the best thing I haveheard always.
That is amazing, yes.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I always think it's important to go back to those
moments where life feels like itchanged a little bit and give
credit to where those things youknow that led to some
remarkable new ways of life andnew ways of being.
So I wanted to share that withyou.
But I think about how you andRory you built a life, a
business book, what's in yourrelationship, what's a dynamic
(10:03):
that you guys had to renegotiateto make sure that you protected
both your marriage and yourmission?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yeah, I love that question because it's I think, a
lot of people struggle with it,even if they don't work
together in business.
We live in a very connectedworld that can make us really
disconnected from each otherworld.
That can make us reallydisconnected from each other.
And so when everything happenedback in 2018, and I was fired
(10:30):
and Rory resigned and we're inthis let's just call it chaos it
was chaos.
Brand Builders Group, ourcompany, was formed in the midst
of a crisis, and when peopleask, like you know, why did you
start Brand Builders Group?
We did it.
God did.
I don't know why he chose us.
We were just obedient enough tosay if you say so, we'll do it.
And one of the things thathappened in that very unique
(10:53):
season of it was all burnt down.
I tell people it was our Cortezmoment, it was our burn the
boats moment.
God knew he had to burn it tothe ground so that we wouldn't
go back, but in the midst of allof that, it gave us a really
beautiful perspective of well,there's no going back, it's all
gone, all of it.
So how do we want to rebuild it?
(11:14):
How do we want to do itdifferent?
What worked, what didn't?
What did we like?
What didn't we like?
What would we want tore-emulate some ways, what would
we never do again if we had thechance?
And one of the things was ourpersonal schedules.
One of the things wasreprioritizing our marriage and
our family and our health and,most importantly, our time with
(11:36):
the Lord.
And a huge part of what werestructured in that season that
we still hold very tight totoday is that season that we
still hold very tight to todayis work doesn't come first
anymore, and that was new for usand we said it's God, marriage,
kids, business, and we justwe're very much believers.
A happy marriage equals a happyfamily.
(11:56):
But if the marriage is notintact, then the family is on
the rocks and it's like if we'rehappy, our kids are happy
because we're happy, right, butif the kids are happy and we're
not happy, it doesn't always gothe other way.
We worked really hard to resetsome boundaries of God first,
marriage, second, family, third,work comes fourth, not last per
(12:17):
se, but there is an order ofpriority of how we dictate what
we do, when we do it, how we doit.
One of those things is we justan open hand, surrendered moment
, said God, we'll give youeverything we have, every ounce
of our beings, between the hoursof eight and five, and after
(12:40):
that it's up to you.
And I, just, I love that,saying like work like only you
can, pray like only he can, andwe work like only we can from
eight to five, and the rest wegive it up.
Whatever you want to do with it, as fast as you want, as slow
as you want, as big as you want,as small as you want, whatever
you want, lord, we're here forit and you're going to get all
(13:01):
of us in these hours.
And that's it.
Because after that werecommitted our life to
community and relationships, andour marriage and our kids and
our health and rest Stillstruggle with that a little bit,
to be honest, but it's a workin progress and I think for us
(13:21):
that recommitment didn't happenovernight.
Right, it took a minute probablytwo full years, to be honest of
us resettling into a new rhythm, because there was a lot, a lot
we had to shed, a lot we had tolet go, and if you've been
living a certain way for areally long time, let's just
give ourselves some grace andsome patience.
(13:41):
It's not going to changeovernight, or in a week or in a
month.
Sometimes it's going to take aminute, right, and it's not to
say we don't ever work after 5pm.
We've been in the middle of abook launch for the last few
months.
We have had plenty of eveningsand mornings that extended those
hours.
However, that's our baseline.
That's the expectation of ourbusiness, of our friends, of our
(14:02):
community and our family ofwe're done at five.
And I have two amazingaccountability partners, aged
eight and six, who bust into myoffice every single day at 5 pm
and they just walk over, don'teven ask, they just walk over,
put their little fingers up andshut my computer and they're
like you're done.
And they have full permissionto do so, because work doesn't
(14:25):
come first anymore.
It's not who we are, it's whatwe do, and we redefined that.
Our work is not our identityand our brand, our reputation.
Who we are is not tied up intothis thing we do.
It's not a business, it's not abusiness model, it's not a book
, it's none of that.
It's like our personal brand isa reflection of who we are, who
(14:47):
we're meant to be and how wewant the world to see us.
And when we startedreformulating everything else
around that we just said ifthat's true, like if I really
want to be known as someone whois obedient to the word of God,
then I have to start my dayevery day in the word.
And I may have said that before, but I didn't do that before,
(15:08):
and it wasn't until the last fewyears where I was like no, like
I'm actually going to be theperson I want to be.
I'm not going to say I want tobe this person and not be it.
And so it was my words and myactions had to start aligning,
and a lot of that was withintentionality around, like what
legacy do I want to leave?
What do I want to be known for?
(15:28):
How do I want people tointroduce me?
And that even was within ourmarriage.
Like, how do I want to show upfor my husband and my kids and
our team and my friends?
And a whole lot of things thatI had said didn't really line up
with what I was doing.
And that was again a lot ofthought and intentionality went
(15:49):
behind.
What do I want to be known for?
How do I want to show up inthis world, and how does that
play into our work, our family,our marriage, our relationships
and it was a resetting ofpriorities.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
And that's that is a perfect depiction of walking
through I think how having itall you know air quotes, having
it all morphs in life Again,based on our value system, like
that's typically what we go backto, right and it's what we make
time and priority in our life,and sometimes it's false idols,
like we've all been guilty of.
(16:23):
When we get re-centered andbecome obedient, it's like all
of a sudden, things thenseamlessly start to come
together.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yeah, almost always right.
And you know one of the thingsand no judgment with anyone out
there maybe you're an amazingplanner and you spend so much
time doing this.
I wasn't, and what I have foundis that most people that we
interact with within our companyand our community most of us
spend more time planning ourannual vacations and our weekly
(16:56):
grocery lists.
Then we do our reputation, thenwe do our legacy, we do how we
want to show up in the world,and what happens is we create
this by default brand, this bydefault reputation, and that's
typically not usually going toend with the result of the one
(17:16):
you want, right.
That requires intention andattention, which requires time,
and if you don't, you look upone day and you're like how did
I get here?
Well, you got there because youdidn't plan where you wanted to
be and we got to take ownershipfor that in our lives, and I
had to take ownership for it inmine.
I was the only one who couldfix it, so I had to do the work.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
You say the best form of marketing is a changed life.
So let me flip that a littlebit right.
What's one life-changing moment?
You've shared some already, butwhat's a life-changing moment
that you had that no one wouldsee in your bio?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Something that stitched itself into who you've
become today.
Great question, that wholequote.
The best form of marketing is achanged life.
The whole reason we startedsaying that and the reason we
put that as a central theme ofthe book is because 18 months
ago, after four years ofstruggling with some really
(18:18):
interesting health challengesthat resulted post-pregnancy
high cholesterol gallstones hadto have emergency gallbladder
surgery.
Aging it happens to all of us.
I had like a really awfulhormonal imbalance and I was
carrying about 35 pounds ofextra weight that, no matter
what I did, I could not lose.
(18:38):
And I was and am a prettyhealthy human, don't eat a lot
of sugar.
But in that season, after I hadto have this emergency
gallbladder surgery, I was justlike I have tried everything.
I hardly eat.
I only eat lettuce, it's onlywater.
I don't drink alcohol, I don'tdo sugar.
I work out like I was sodistraught about why can't I get
(19:02):
back to the way my body used tobe right?
And it wasn't just a physicalappearance thing, which, trust
me, I wanted that too.
I wanted back in those jeans, Iwanted that too.
But it was more of like I can'tsleep at night.
I wake up every night two orthree times Chronic insomnia,
like I don't feel good.
I'm always tired in the middleof the day.
(19:23):
I have this chronic fatigueLike why, what do I have to do
to fix this?
And then I was introduced to agentleman named Dr Cody Goldman
and at this point I had triedevery other fad diet, health
regime, nutrient plan,supplement plan on the planet
and I'm like what do I have tolose?
Right, and he said but we'renot going to do any of that.
(19:44):
He goes I'm not.
When I say the best form ofmarketing is a changed life, I
bet I have sent 100 people tothis man, no joke, and it's
because it worked.
And he said everything youthink you know about health and
and I was like, well, I don'tknow, I don't agree with that,
dr Cody.
I've done a lot of researchhere.
(20:04):
And he was like I'm telling youright now from the conversation
we just had in 30 minutes, andif you give me 40 days, 40 days,
six weeks, I'll change yourlife.
And I was like I'll do anythingfor 40 days.
I go what do you got?
What are we doing here?
And everything that I thought Iwas doing right, I was doing
(20:27):
wrong when I thought you knowthat thing.
One of the biggest things that Iwould tell you in all this is
the myth of less calories, right, right, if you intake less more
than you outtake, you'll loseweight.
That's not true this in thisworld, the more I eat, the more
I lost.
And it was the right things atthe right time, and so I think
one of the things that reallydeveloped in that is when it
(20:49):
started working, like my wholelife changed.
I was sleeping through thenight, which means like I was
better performing.
I didn't have midday crashesanymore.
I didn't need a 4 pm coffeepick me up All that extra weight
losing, it was the added bonus.
I 4 pm coffee picked me up Allthat extra weight losing, it was
the added bonus.
I had mental clarity again.
I felt like I looked likemyself again.
My skin got better, my hair gotbetter and I lost the 35 pounds
(21:12):
that I had been holding on tofor the five years
post-pregnancy.
And this whole thing changed mylife and it will continue to
change my life forever, becauseI am a new person with a new
outlook on.
You know, food is thy medicine,medicine is thy food, and it was
a restructuring of a beliefsystem I had about me and food
(21:35):
and thinking that the less I ate, that's how this all worked and
it was a very, I think,unknowing, unhealthy
relationship that I haddeveloped because I was so
desperate to get back to thisprevious version of me.
And as soon as I let that go andI just focused on I want to be
healthy, I want to age well, Iwant to sleep, that's what I
(21:56):
really want it all changed.
And so we actually internallywe laugh and we say we call that
the Goldman principle the bestform of marketing is a changed
life, because after this changedmy life.
As I am on the show right now,I talk about it everywhere I go
because I can't not.
It actually changed my life,and so I'd say that would be
(22:16):
probably one thing that peopledon't really know.
It's like if you meet me rightnow, you would have no idea that
two years ago I was in chronicpain because of gallstones and
gallbladder disease and I was 35pounds heavier and hardly
eating lettuce to survive anddrinking water, trying to make
it all work and I was doing itall wrong.
And I think that would be agreat kind of thing of this
(22:39):
concept of the best form ofmarketing is a changed life is.
I talk about him everywhere Igo because he changed my life.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
It's amazing and I just appreciate how much as we
wrap up here and I appreciatehow much you show up as such an
open book.
Yeah, we're talking about yourbook, but truly just from a life
and reflection perspective.
I think that really says a lotabout you and your character,
right, I think that willingness,because I'm a firm believer
that our successes are not thepeak of the mountain.
(23:11):
Our successes are going throughthe cold, hard valley because
we get a lot of lessons thereand then, once we get those hard
lessons, those super firingmoments, those health crises,
those super firing moments,those health crises we then come
to a place where we have achoice to make, you know, and as
we actively choose, or chooseto be an inaction, that then
(23:34):
creates our outcomes.
So I appreciate how just of anopen book and transparent that
you show up.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
I know that people can relate so much to all that
you're sharing.
I appreciate that and one ofthe things I will tell you is
what I believe is that realrelationships are found in the
struggle, and I just know frompersonal experience.
There's never been a time on apodcast or on a stage or at an
event where I talked about allof my accolades and all of the
successes, Iolades, and all ofthe successes I've had and all
of the awards I won.
When someone came up to me andsaid, wow, can you tell me more?
Right, Can you talk more aboutall the success you've had?
(24:14):
That just doesn't happen.
It just doesn't.
But every single time I'mwilling to share the hard parts,
every time.
Now there was a lot of yearswhere I had a hard time saying
the words.
I got fired.
I had a really hard time.
I would say, well, we left,right, it's like no, I got fired
.
The moment I could just behonest with the realness of what
(24:36):
happened.
People came out of thewoodworks of going.
I can't believe you shared thattoday.
That is my story.
And when I started talkingabout this aging and can't lose
this weight and I'm trying allthe things the amount of people
who approach me off to this sideand they're like can you please
give me his number?
That is me.
I feel like something's wrongwith me, Can you help?
(24:59):
And I'm like I can't help you,but he can right.
And it's like every single timeI share the hard part, there is
a real connection made.
I cannot tell you one time everin my life, by sharing a
mountaintop moment, that a realconnection was made, but every
time I share a valley moment,something magical happens, and
(25:20):
it's because people connect inthe struggle.
They need to know they're notalone, and that is where real
relationships are founded.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And they feel, maybe for the first time in a really
long time, they feel seen, theyfeel heard, but alone.
And what a gift, what a gift tojust share our trials.
Well, one more question, we'llwrap up.
I want to know, when someonereads Wealthy, wealthy and
well-known, what do you hopethey believe about themselves at
the end of the book that maybethey didn't believe before they
(25:49):
opened it up?
Speaker 1 (25:51):
My gosh, such a great question.
We put an entire epilogue atthe very end kind of answering
this, and I think there's threeparts to this book that a lot of
people don't realize becausethe title is wealthy, andy and
Well-Known Build your PersonalBrand and Turn your Reputation
into Revenue.
So, on the very general outside, on the cover, it looks like a
(26:14):
pretty tactical business bookaround personal branding,
revenue and business, and I willsay a good majority of the book
is that it is a blueprint.
It is a playbook of figuringout what problem you solve, how
you uniquely solve it, who yousolve it for and how you want to
make money solving it.
We talk about online presence,offline presence.
We talk about personal brandstrategy.
(26:35):
It is a blueprint, so don't getme wrong, it is very oriented.
However, there is also a hugecomponent of it that is part
memoir and part inspiration,because we believe that people
remember the stories and thatstories connect people and that
if you're not inspired, you willnever act.
(26:56):
And so here's what I would sayIf somebody finished the book.
What would make me know thatthis was a book, well-written
job, well, a job well done, andto make me feel like this is why
we spent seven years doing thiswould be very simply stated and
kind of how we started theinterview is to know that you
(27:18):
were made for a divine purposeand for a very specific person.
And I think that's reallydivine purpose and for a very
specific person, and I thinkthat's really two separate
things that are connected.
That you have purpose, yourlife has meaning.
The pains that you haveexperienced were not for naught.
They were for a reason.
They will be used for good ifyou let it, but you have to let
(27:42):
it, and part of letting it meansyou share it, that you embrace
like this.
This thing happened and sharingit is helping other people know
that it's it's okay to feelthese things and it's okay to
have gone through these thingsand that you're not alone, but
also to give them a way out.
Right, it's to give them a wayout, and that's the person part.
(28:03):
One of our signature quotes inthe book is that you are most
powerfully positioned to servethe person you once were.
Why?
Because you know them.
You were them.
Nobody knows that person betterthan you.
You're intimately acquaintedwith every fear, every doubt,
every goal, every dream, and ifwe can tap into that and align
(28:26):
our business to that.
Then the world will change, youwill change, your community
will change and there will be apositive domino effect that is
unstoppable.
I believe that to be true.
I am seeing that being livedout right now in my life and I
know that if it can happen forus, it can happen for you.
It can happen for you, but youhave to embrace the hard parts.
(28:47):
You have to know that they werefor a purpose and for a person
and that you're uniquelydesigned and called to reach and
serve a very specific person,and it's the person that you
once were and that is how youfind your purpose.
We don't even need to say anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
That just like so beautifully wrapped it up.
We're going to put everythingin the show notes, but where can
people find and follow you?
Share the book website?
We want to make sure thatpeople go grab a copy.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Yes.
So please, grab a copy, please,please, please.
You can get a copy atwealthyandwellknowncom.
That's where you can grab acopy at wealthyandwellknowncom.
That's where you can grab acopy.
Now, of course, you can gothere and just pick it from any
of your favorite retailers.
You can also pick it up onAmazon.
It's going to be in all theplaces.
But then also, I want to saythat we're also giving away the
audiobook for free, and so we'dlove for you to pick up a copy,
(29:38):
but we're also giving away theaudiobook for free, and so if
you would like to visitfreebrandaudiobookcom, forward,
slash AJ, then you can get thefree audiobook at absolute no
charge.
We'd love for you to have both.
It depends if you're just alistener or a reader.
I like to do both, but theaudiobook is for free because we
(30:00):
just want to get it out intothe world.
And if you want to follow me,my preferred platform is
Instagram.
My handle is at AJ, underscoreVaden, and you can find all the
interesting things about me, mykids, my husband and our work on
my Instagram.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
So well.
I can't wait to get the book.
I'm a physical copy book.
I love to be able to listen,maybe when I'm hiking, but I
want to underline and mark it up.
And I want to underline andmark it up and you know I love
to get into a book like that, soI can't wait for it.
Aj, thank you so much for yourtime and just your openness and
sharing all the lessons andstories that people can so so
much connect to their ownexperience and you've made
(30:39):
people feel seen and you've madepeople feel like they're not
alone and I don't think they'llforget that.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Well, thank you, and thank you for being such a
wonderful and gracious host.
This was my pleasure today.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
If today's episode challenged you, moved you or lit
a fire in your soul, don't keepit to yourself.
Share it with somebody who'sready to rise.
Could I ask you to take 30seconds to leave a review?
It's the best way to say thankyou and help this show reach
more bold leaders like you,because this isn't just a
podcast, it's a movement.
We're not here to play small.
(31:17):
We're here to lead loud, onebold and unapologetic step at a
time.
Until next time, stay bold,stay grounded and make moves
that make mediocre uncomfortable.
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