Imagine trying to raise money in instrument science during the Elizabeth Holmes scandal.

That’s exactly what happened to Ellen Williams.

She’s the VP of Business Development at Exum Instruments, who developed an actual mass spectrometer box that can give you the full periodic table of anything you test in a matter of minutes, without using a full lab’s worth of equipment and a staff full of PhD chemists. So when her company was trying to raise funds, they ran into a few stumbling blocks along the way because people couldn't get Theranos out of their brains.

How do you navigate that? What can you do when there’s a scandal in the media related to what you’re trying to do? Ellen says it comes down to being able to listen and adapt. Listen to the episode for her full story.

Link up with Ellen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-scott-williams/

Check out Exum Instruments: https://www.exuminstruments.com/

Link up with Rachel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelelstsdowney/

Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts

In this replay episode, As Rachel is investigating what makes the best brands the best as she grows her own company and brand. What makes brands stand the test of time?

Enter Kristin Hillery, Head of Brand and Content at Voiceflow. She’s been crafting and strategizing brand-defining content for over a decade.

Her answer? Take inspiration from what left an impression on you as a kid. Even (or especially?) if that impression is left by a talking toaster. Tune in to the episode to find out what she means.

Link up with Kristin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinhillery/

Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts

Welcome to another episode of Voicemails with Rachel: Creator Edition. As we're all exploring and redefining what it means to build a brand with a media-led strategy, Rachel is asking the most innovative people she knows for their thoughts and questions to help us all create better, human, intentional content. (This is a special series part of the TACK Network. For more about that, click here.)

Devin Bramhall, Growth Advisor, former CEO, and podcast host, left Rachel a message: what can a media-led content strategy solve for the busy, not-involved-enough-in-marketing CEO or Founder? Why should they start a podcast or something similar?

Rachel says the answer is simple: communication with your buyer and with your team is made easier with this type of strategy. And doesn’t every leader want to communicate with both their buyer and their teams more often and more clearly? Press play for her full breakdown.

Link up with Devin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinbramhall/ 
Listen to Don’t Say Content: https://www.dontsaycontent.com/

This is a special episode of Voicemails with Rachel: Creator Edition. Check out more as a part of the TACK Network here: https://tacknetwork.com/voicemail-with-rachel-creator-s-edition

Link up with Rachel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelelstsdowney/
Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts

Welcome to the first episode of Voicemails with Rachel: Creator Edition. As we're all exploring and redefining what it means to build a brand with a media-led strategy, Rachel is asking the most innovative people she knows for their thoughts and questions to help us all create better, human, intentional content. (This is a special series part of the TACK Network. For more about that, click here.)

So to kick us off, CEO and Founder of People Forward Network, Nikki Lewallen Gregory left Rachel a message about how the power of podcasting can do two major things for your business: accelerate growth and fuel culture. As a founder of a podcasting business herself, she’s got so many strategies to share when it comes to how podcasting can achieve those outcomes. And Rachel leaves us with a question—how are you thinking about audio in a media-rich world? Because it’s never just a podcast.

Link up with Nikki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkilewallen/
Check out People Forward Network: https://peopleforwardnetwork.com/

This is a special episode of Voicemails with Rachel: Creator Edition. Check out more as a part of the TACK Network here: https://tacknetwork.com/voicemail-with-rachel-creator-s-edition

Link up with Rachel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelelstsdowney/
Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts

How do you maintain motivation when you’re bored? What can you do to help stay engaged in working towards your goals?

Rachel turns to Joe Mills, sales leader at Element Three, for his strategies for keeping his motivation and drive for progress in high gear.

Rachel and Joe dive into the topic of maintaining motivation and finding the drive to keep growing, even after achieving goals. Joe shares his insightful perspective, emphasizing the importance of balance and variety in activities. He explains that mixing performance, training, and recovery is crucial for staying interested and fulfilled. Too much time spent on one aspect can lead to burnout or boredom. Joe draws parallels between his professional life, where he sees sales calls as performances, and his personal life as a fitness enthusiast.

Press play to discover how to keep the wheel of motivation spinning smoothly by finding the right mix of practice, performance, and recovery.

Link up with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemillse3/

Listen to 1,000 Stories: https://elementthree.com/resource_types/podcast/

Listen to Double Shot: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/double-shot/id1662370657

Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts

While nothing is perfect, how close can you get? In your work product or in life.

Rachel turns to Reid Morris, Sr. Marketing Manager at Element Three to answer this question. His high standard for video and podcasting content alone inspired her to ask this question (check those out below).

But what seems like an inquiry into how perfectionistic we should be turned into how we can constantly be working toward leveling each other up, not just our work product. Tune in for some thought-provoking reflections on creative excellence.

Link up with Reid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidmorris/

Listen to 1,000 Stories: https://elementthree.com/resource_types/podcast/

Listen to Double Shot: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/double-shot/id1662370657

Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts

Are you team choose-your-own-adventure? Or team go where life takes you?

Jackie Yafremava, Head of Delivery Services at Share Your Genius, left Rachel a voicemail seeking advice on transitioning from a mindset from the latter to the former. So how does Rachel choose her own adventure? She shares her insights on prioritizing personal goals and emphasizes regularly revisiting and refining them in this episode.

One important takeaway? It's not selfish to set goals and map out where you want your life to go. It's your's, after all! Tune in to gain valuable insights on intentional living and goal setting from Rachel's advice and Jackie's candid questions.

Link up with Jackie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-yafremava-58825a236/

Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts

Founders’ stories captivate us. We love hearing about bringing a new idea to life. But it’s not always easy.

As Rachel was reflecting on her own founder’s journey, she called up her friend, co-founder and CEO of Qualifi, Darrian Mikell, and asked:

What traits do successful founders have in common? And how do those traits shape your thought leadership strategy?

His unique POV on what to do with the lessons you learn from leading and growing is simple but impactful: share it.

Link up with Darrian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrianmikell/

Listen to Rachel’s founder story (Part 1 of 3) here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rachel-downey-and-the-first-million-part-1/id1555762235?i=1000588299274

Have a question for Rachel? https://www.speakpipe.com/vmswithrachel

Want more from Rachel and her crew of brand content experts? Sign up for Genius Cuts. https://www.shareyourgenius.com/genius-cuts