0 (2s):
Who’s ready to rock today, Fire Nation? JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Science of Scaling. Today, we'll be breaking down how to get what you want by owning the stage. To drop these value bombs, I brought Freya Casey into EOFire Studios. From opera singer to bestselling author and entrepreneur, Freya, who's a single mother of three transforms voices and turn dreams into reality. And today, we'll talk about being unapologetically authentic. We'll also talk about ignoring other people's opinions, immersing in your character and how that's gonna influence your life ambitions and so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today’s episode goes to Freya and our sponsors, Marketing Made Simple hosted by my friend Dr. JJ Peterson, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Marketing Made Simple brings you practical tips to make your marketing easy and more importantly make it work. A recent episode on whether vulnerability is a superpower in business is a must listen. Listen to Marketing Made Simple wherever you get your podcasts.

0 (1m 14s):
Freya say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1 (1m 23s):
Well first of all, I'm excited to be here. Yes, this is really, really awesome. And the thing that I have learned over the years that I used to disagree with is that I have made the most progress when I actually didn't do anything. When I took a break, when I was on sabbatical, when I walked in the forest, when I meditated, when I was not working on the business is when I made the most progress. Just taking A step back and seeing the big picture versus being immersed in all the little bitty details that we used to we just get caught up in has helped me always to kind of see the bigger vision of it all.

0 (1m 58s):
I love starting here at Fire Nation because I can tell you with certainty every one of my seven figure ideas has come on one of my daily walks. I do a three mile walk in the morning with my dog, three mile walk in the evening with Gus. And that's just my reflection time, that's my relaxing time. I'm listening to podcasts, music, audio books, and then ideas seem to come and it's never when I'm rushing or trying to force something that that idea comes. So I love that because we're talking about how to get what you want, Fire Nation by Owning the stage. And I wanna talk about what exactly unapologetic authenticity is and how it opens up opportunities on the stage.

1 (2m 42s):
As a opera singer who is on stage, you have to always play a role, but it's so much more than just playing something that is not you. You have to immerse yourself in the character and kind of get to this point of not judging, not scrutinizing anything that the character does or thinks or believes, but you have to accept that this is authentically who this person is and this is their experience. And I feel like when you wanna sell anything to anyone, whether it's whatever you believe in or anything that you want them to do, you have to be very secure in who you authentically are and what that character is or that belief is that you're standing for.

1 (3m 25s):
I have had the experience that, you know, I used to stand in front of people and ask myself, is that BS what I'm saying? What are they thinking? Hmm. Do they judge me right now? Maybe they're hating what I'm doing, but what I've learned being an opera. And there are sometimes characters you might not be agree, you know, agree with because it's not what you stand for. But whenever you wanna sell an idea or anything that you stand for, you have to be the one experiencing everything that it stands for. And unless you authentically are that person that believes what it is that you, that message that you have, human beings are very empathetic.

1 (4m 8s):
They can smell BS when you're, you know, when you're talking about something that you're not fully behind and fully in an immersive way, in a very authentic way stand for, they're not going to believe you. And they, they can smell that even on stage. It's just the light in your eyes, the color of your voice, that tone that you have that gives everything away. And that's why I've learned, in order to really get what you want, you have to get to that point to where you fully believe in that character that you are in the story that you are selling.

0 (4m 46s):
Freya, I wanna talk about desire because you believe that focusing on our intrinsic desires impacts our business and our own personal success. So talk about how this has been the truth for you and specifically how,

1 (5m 2s):
Well, there are always some extrinsic desires. There might be vanity metrics. You know, I wanna be a, I wanna have a million subscribers on YouTube, or I wanna make amount X, Y, Z as revenue. That is an extrinsic desire, but really what stands behind that is more, it's the vehicle that gets us where we really wanna go. For example, for me the intrinsic desire behind everything that I do is really number one for my children. It's the drive why I do everything that I do. And there's nothing that could substitute for that intrinsic desire. All the outside things that I want to achieve that I wanna, all those goals that I have there will always be the next bigger goal.

1 (5m 49s):
But the underlying intrinsic desire is what's really gonna help me not burn out. It's gonna help me be more authentic. It's going to help me be like full of fire when I talk about something, when I think of my kids. And why do I want a bigger house? It's not just to have a bigger house, but it's, I want to be the place where all the friends that my children bring home feel safe and heard and understood and they can have all these conversations with me. It's that underlying intrinsic desire that drives everything and all the, the message that I bring across that, I mean really if you know, there are always times when we feel like, I don't feel like doing this now or I think it's too hard.

1 (6m 36s):
I've come to this point several times where I felt like, why is it so hard? What don't I know that everyone else knows? That seems to get so far ahead sometimes. But knowing that intrinsic underlying desire is what keeps me on track, it keeps my eyes on the focus. And that is more than just a million followers on YouTube or X amount of revenue

0 (7m 0s):
Fire Nation, how is this resonating with you? What is this touching cord wise for you in your life? And I wanna move into OPO other people's opinions because you Freya believe very strongly that we need to ignore other people's opinions if we're to create a convincing performance, whether that be in life, on stage. Can you share what you mean by this?

1 (7m 26s):
Well, there's a difference of course between taking into account what others say. We want to take advice. Obviously I have a coach, I'm part of mastermind groups. I highly value their opinions and sometimes I might be on the wrong tra on the wrong track and I wanna correct the course. But what I'm talking about is that moment when you stand in front of an audience. Now that might be on the opera stage, that might be when you're recording a podcast. It might be when you're recording that video or when you're doing a webinar. That moment when you're on, when everyone is watching you, when you are bringing your message across, you can't stand there asking yourself, is this really what I stand for?

1 (8m 10s):
Is this, I touched on that in the beginning. What do others think? I remember that time like I was in, I was on a cruise ship, I was hired as the soloist and each and every concert that was this one lady, she sat in the audience with her arms crossed with a very serious face and frequently she would just Shake her head really slowly and the whole, the entire performance. I was thinking, oh my goodness, is she hating what I'm doing? What like does she do? I suck and I questioned everything. I had enough experience to where I could just continue on, but I questioned everything I did every single note.

1 (8m 51s):
I was like, is she hating it? But here's the thing, don't make assumptions about your audience, what anyone thinks. I met her in the hallway a few days later and then she suddenly lit up. She's like, are you that singer? And I was just thinking, oh my goodness, she's just gonna tell me all the things she hated. And suddenly she smiled at me is like, you know what? I have been coming on this cruise ship here for 20 years and you are the best artist I have ever seen on here. Which is to say that when you are convinced of what it is that you're doing, when you stand there and you are bringing your message across, don't question anything, you kind of have to just start not caring.

1 (9m 34s):
It's like in this moment, this is not the time to question everything that you're standing for. This is the moment to be very unapologetic and just to be fully yourself and just do whatever it is, be polarizing, say What it is that. You mean don't be wishy-washy. Don't water it down, just beat the truth.

0 (9m 53s):
This really goes to assumptions as well. Fire Nation. I mean there's been so many times when I've been on stage and I've been in going back and forth delivering value and you see a lot of people like eyes wide open nodding and they're taking notes. I mean those people, obviously they're enjoying it and they're, they're getting great value. And then there are those people like talking about arms crossed sour expression on their face, whatever it might be. And I've had the same experience in the hallway afterwards they've been like, oh my god, that was a great experience. Like I really enjoyed that talk. And it's just their natural expression or it's just, you know, they were thinking about something else at that time that I glanced at them or whatever it might be like. Don't assume 'cause Fire Nation, it can make an a SS out of you and me.

0 (10m 33s):
Never assume. Now we have a lot to talk about around this topic when we get back from thanking our sponsors

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0 (12m 49s):
Freya, we're back. And one thing that you also believe very strongly that's immersing yourself in a character can help maintain that focus on our goals. Can you give us an example of how you've done this in your life?

1 (13m 4s):
When I was studying opera, whenever you study a role, you have to study it on all levels. So there's the music, all the notes, there are the words, the lyrics, and I've had to sing entire operas in foreign languages like Italian for example. So there are the words, there's the music, then there are the rehearsals with the orchestra. So you have like, your brain literally has to divide up into all these different parts that you have to pay attention to. And there's the actual performance like the, you know, the theater of it, the acting part. And then you have to bring it all together. And it's the same really in business. When you wanna deliver an amazing performance, you kind of have to take it apart.

1 (13m 48s):
You first have to do your homework and take it apart into little bitty pieces and then put it back together. But you can only immerse if you understand every little detail about it. If you don't understand what is the motivation behind that? What is the goal? What, how do I achieve that goal? Where do I come from? What is that entire life story like? When I studied characters in opera, basically I had to come up with all questions to anything you could have asked me about that character as if it were me for real. And that is hard work. You really have to dig deep in yourself and ask yourself, so what would be the favorite color? Or why? Why was there, what was the motivation behind that action?

1 (14m 29s):
She just took Like why did she not say straight out that she loved the guy? What is the motivation and what, what is wrong? You know, maybe there's a pain underlying and I think even understanding your audience, put yourself in the shoes, you know, it's like a character. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience, of that person that you're trying to solve. The problem, it's like what is that experience? Where are they coming from? What are the details? It's the language we use. Even when we sell something, you have to be specific, you know, like in in singing there are a lot of, I love you in music, but that is very broad, that is very generic.

1 (15m 10s):
It doesn't really have a meaning unless you have all that subtext that goes with it. You know, maybe it's an, I love you, oh you know what, I've loved you for so many years. We're like an old couple now we're also best friends and we do everything together. Maybe it's an I love you that is more like, oh my goodness, I am so attracted. I just met this person and I'm all hormones. So that there are different shades that you know, that are, that it could take on. And so really immersing yourself in the character in order to understand, you know, what is your message, but also to understand what, where does that person coming from that you're talking to? What is their pain point or what, what are their hopes? What are their dreams?

1 (15m 51s):
What are they hoping for? 'cause you play the character, but you also, that character never stands alone. That character is surrounded by other human beings that have an entire story to tell also. And I feel keeping that in mind when we, you know, when we sell something or when we sell an idea or when we talk to anyone, that we want to understand where we are coming from. We have to kind of keep that entire play in the back of our minds. What is that play of life with everyone who's involved?

0 (16m 21s):
Ryan, one thing that you've been able to do is embody your stage character and this has really influenced your life as well as the ambitions that you've had. So can you share some of the specifics on this?

1 (16m 33s):
I've had a past that was, you know, like my childhood has a lot to do with where I went later in life and why I actually became someone who's on stage. I feel like a lot of singers, when you look at all the singers that are really famous, a lot of them are very much introverts and they've had, they were either a very hurt child or they've, they've had a very life changing experience at some point. Now some can handle it as some of course drift off and have big problems and get into drugs and stuff. But the way to embody a stage character has helped me to kind of, it is fully me, but I can, I can separate out, I can separate out the negativity that I might carry with me.

1 (17m 20s):
Like when my, when my dad always griped me out, when I was a child, I was, I was paralyzed a lot of times I was paralyzed because it was like I didn't have any power against it. You know, I, I was just in that situation, I could not get away from it. So what I did was, it's almost like I flee, I fled into this character that was really asking myself, who am I deeply and believing that deep within, it's not true. What are you saying about me? It's, I am authentically this good child with the best intentions. And when you study a stage character, it's the same what I said in the beginning.

1 (18m 4s):
It's really like not judging anything, whether it's positive or negative. Don't give it a color. It's not good or bad. That is something that a lot of times our upbringing tells us or society tells us what is good or bad, what is desirable or not desirable or like, you know, the language we use is really important for judging whatever is good or bad or we want it, we don't want it. This, this is a good guy, this is a bad guy, this is a good product, this is a bad product. The question really is, is there a congruency and asking yourself if there's this congruency between you and that character that you're embodying.

1 (18m 45s):
In this case, of course it could be the message that you have for the world. You know, we all have these experiences had that were painful in the past, but I feel that can contribute to understanding ourselves better and understanding our customers, understanding the people that we in interact with because there, there's always this entire world of what, where the experience is positive and negative in the past. And that has in influenced me a lot because understanding that that hurt child only made me stronger and it made me understand everyone else in this world who is also that hurt or was that hurt child.

1 (19m 31s):
Now it helps me connect with a lot of people because they have that same story. So yeah, just not, you know, being authentic about and accepting that character that is you.

0 (19m 45s):
Freya, we've talked about unapologetic, authenticity, other people's opinions, intrinsic desires. What is the main takeaway from our chat that you really want to make sure Fire Nation gets?

1 (19m 59s):
I feel like you really can, you can only have success and fun when you're truly authentically yourself. Like you have to come to this point to, I mean there are gonna be haters. I get this all the time on YouTube. There are people who think they like they have an opinion and they think they know something and don't feel offended. If you are truly secure in what it is that you have to offer and you understand that person that you're talking to, that you might change their life by offering the thing that you can help them with. And if you allow other people from the outside to judge you in the way that it will cause you to lose focus and to question what it is that you have to, to deliver it will just take, it will make your message so much weaker and you will not be able to help as many people.

1 (20m 54s):
Like, just think about that one person. If you can just be unapologetically who you are and get that message across to them in a strong way. When it's watered down, no one listens to you, but there is, there is that person who needs you and who needs you to change their life because it's exactly what they need. They don't need generic, they don't need broad like, you know, there's tons of stuff out in the media and there are so many offers, but that human connection that we have with someone by sharing our own experience, our vulnerabilities, it might just make the world of difference.

1 (21m 35s):
I mean, John, you do this too. You have followed a path. No matter what anyone said, you were very secure and like, this is what I want to do. And I know there are those people I'm going to change their lives. And I'm sure you get tons of messages from people all the time that tell you, John, I listened to this episode and it changed my life. The takeaway changed my life. But if you had been always playing it's safe, it may not have gone that way because it's too generic. I always tell everyone it's like, you know, chat GPT nowadays, you, you'd give chat GPTA prompt and it spits out something extremely generic and broad and general and that's not gonna touch anyone.

1 (22m 22s):
It's the human story. It's that underlying intrinsic value, that pain that is behind that that you want to help solve. That's what it's really all about.

0 (22m 34s):
I love that. And Fire Nation, when you can truly at your core know what it is that you want to be unapologetically known for in the track that you wanna follow and you just follow and focus, follow that one course until success. That's where it is. That's where the magic is. And Fry is right. I mean E, everybody told me my path was the wrong path before I started that path. And then of course once I got down that path and there was success, everybody's like, of course that was the right path. Like that was very obvious. Well of course it wasn't obvious at the time, only in hindsight. And Fire Nation, when it comes to haters, just remember this, hurt people, hurt people.

0 (23m 14s):
Those individuals that are spewing negativity about other people or even you when when you're doing something they're lashing out because they're hurting and they're trying to make themselves feel better. And of course it's not working for them. And don't let it get toxic for you. Just let that go. Let it just wash over you and in some ways and in the right times, feel empathy for those individuals. 'cause again, they are hurting in a lot of ways, shapes, and forms. So Fry, let's dive into you sharing with Fire Nation a call to action that you have for our listeners who want to connect with you, learn more from you.

0 (23m 55s):
What is that call to action for Fire Nation today?

1 (23m 59s):
I have a free course that I would offer to everyone. If you have a goal, a very specific goal and you're just not sure about how do I go about it, I have a free course, how to Achieve Any Goal and you can find it when you go to find Your Voice TV along with some resources and my podcast and all the good stuff. I would highly encourage you to check that out.

0 (24m 25s):
Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with FC and JLD today, so keep up the heat. For links to everything we talked about, visit EOFire.com, just type Freya in the search bar and that is F-R-E-Y-A and the show notes page will pop right up with links to all that jazz, her free course that she mentioned and everything else. And Freya, I wanna say thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge at your value with Fire Nation. For that we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Awesome.

1 (24m 58s):
Thank you so much.

0 (24m 60s):
Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors, Freya for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, over the last decade, I've interviewed more than 4,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and I've created a revolutionary 17 step roadmap to your financial freedom and fulfillment. I put it all into my first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, personally endorsed by Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. The Common Path to Uncommon. Success is the step-by-step guidance that you need to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams. Visit Uncommonsuccessbook.com. It'll catch you there or on the flip side. Marketing Made Simple hosted by my friend Dr. JJ Peterson, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Marketing Made Simple brings you practical tips to make your marketing easy and more importantly make it work. A recent episode on whether vulnerability is a superpower in business is a must listen. Listen to Marketing Made Simple wherever you get your podcasts.