Last weekend, I had the privilege of presenting at the Paleo(f)x conference in Austin, TX.

I got to speak on #moderation365, and also internet business for health professionals—how to create an online platform to reach a new audience and help even more people than you could locally.

One huge theme of the business portion of the weekend was authenticity.

I have to admit, I kind of hate the word “authenticity” because it gets thrown around so much, and oftentimes we wonder, okay but WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY MEAN.

If you have a personal brand on the internet, it means that your face, your voice and your messages are front and center. People come to know you the person, not just your messages and what your credential are.

And surprise, surprise, not everyone is going to love you. Or even like you.

And being “authentic”—sharing who you are and what you’re about—is a key part of connection, but intrinsic in that definition, is that you are not always going to be everyone’s favorite flavor.

The cool thing is that, especially now, we have so many more flavors to choose from.

Two coaches or trainers can have very similar messages and beliefs about fitness and nutrition, yet we choose to connect with one over the other because they have the same taste in music as we do (hello, Drake) or like the same foods we do (#BAS, anyone?) or enjoy a glass of wine now and again (ahem).

We get to be discerning in our tastes, which is both amazing because our connections with online friends can be that much deeper, but also challenging because … what if we’re trying to build a platform online and people don’t like us?

Case and point: last week I sent you an email referencing Oprah in the subject line, and guess what happened?

A LOT of people unsubscribed from this newsletter because they don’t like Oprah.

They might like my info just fine, but because I mentioned something they don’t agree with, they had the opportunity to leave, and many did.

It’s not right or wrong, it’s just personal preference. And it’s a beautiful system.

To me, this kind of thing used to really hurt my feelings.

I’d look back at my email and ask, what could I have possibly written that people didn’t like?? I’d want to be sitting right next to each of my 65k subscribers to manage their response when they opened my emails!

Ha! Obviously not possible. And also, a lesson in self-trust and authenticity.

As a business owner and content creator, my job is to provide tools, insights and solutions for people who want those things.

And as I press publish again and again, I don’t have a say in how you feel about what I write. You either like it or you don’t. You find it useful or you don’t. You’re either inspired by Oprah (like me) or you’re not.

Out of my hands.

Authentically putting your thoughts, feelings, stories, struggles, successes and sometimes straight-up inner dialogue (!!!) out into the world is a practice in self-trust. I have to like my own content enough so that if everyone leaves, I still like what I’m providing.

You create from your heart. You do your best. And you let the chips fall.

I love this space. It’s always challenging me.

And if you are someone who wants practice in this area—authenticity and ownership—there’s no better personal development than putting yourself on the chopping block online, ha!

So, I am inviting you to join me in this adventure if you’re ready. It’s not easy, but it’s the most fulfilling thing I have ever pursued in my life.

Starting Monday May 7^th, I’m hosting a FREE 5-day online business-building challenge called #ActionAcademy Accelerated.

In the free course, I’m going to be pulling back the curtain in my own business to show you exactly how I create content, how I organize the info to make an impact and build a brand. It’s going to be 5 days of massive action (duh) and a lot of accountability and coaching.

If you’re a health/fitness professional or enthusiast, or are just curious about how all this stuff works, I’d love for you to join me.

Enroll in the FREE #ActionAcademy challenge right here.

We start on Monday!

Let me know if you have any questions and see you there ;)

Xo,

Jill