Lisa Robbin Young

[Creative Freedom S7E9]

Ever been on a bad date? I mean a really bad date? One that was so bad you felt the urge to write a song about it? Have you ever been the subject of a song about a really bad date?

I’ve kissed a few frogs in my day, but none of them warranted the kind of song that Nile Rogers of the famous music group CHIC wrote back in 1981. He went out with a woman and at some point in the evening, she started expecting him to use his celebrity status for her benefit. The nerve!

This young lady may well be the first person to ever be canceled. Seriously. You may not know her name, but that date was so bad that Niles went home and wrote the song “Your Love Is Canceled” He equated cancellation to the way television shows are canceled. They’re just gone… never to be seen or heard from again.

Boycotting and public shaming has been around for a very long time. But thanks in large part to the rise of social media, Cancel Culture has become a popular tool to villainize celebrity types - even folks that are only famous in their industry. And Cancel Culture Vultures are at the heart of that.

Download Season 7 Episode 9 | iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify

Podcast Show Notes

Inside this episode, we're talking about:

  • There's a difference between calling out, calling in, and canceling someone
  • The students who canceled an actor for a 100-year-old movie
  • Birth of a Nation
  • How to make a comeback after being canceled

Links I Mentioned

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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io

[Creative Freedom S7E8]

Picture it: 1985.

Big hair, neon colors, the Rubik’s cube, and capri pants are all the rage. At a high school in Philadelphia, three kids are trying to start a new musical group. 

Instead of using their own names (Grimaldi, Morris, and Nelson), they decide to call themselves “Unique Attraction”. Three more classmates joined their group, eager to bring their R&B stylings to the masses. 

This budding group of vocalists worked hard and persisted despite graduations, creative differences, and other changes to the group. They got a big break when they snuck into a concert and crossed paths with Michael Bivins of the newly formed Bell Biv DeVoe. 

Talk about perfect timing! 

Seizing the opportunity, they did an impromptu performance, which led Bivins to give the group his phone number. Eventually, they called, which led them (eventually) to being signed by Motown Records as the soulful quartet known today as Boyz II Men.

B2M didn’t hit the big time immediately. They got a PHONE NUMBER.

There was still a lot more work to do before they got that record contract.

They still had to graduate, for one thing! And practice... and call Michael Bivins... and practice!

This story of not-so-overnight success points to a common problem I find when clients come to me wanting to be the celebrity of their space. Most people think they have a visibility problem - “ooh, I just need to get in front of more people! I just need more eyeballs on my work” and while that may be true, it’s usually more of a capacity problem that’s causing the visibility problem. That's what we're exploring in this episode.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: If you want help with YOUR capacity, I'm doing a One-Time-Only special event at the end of November. Stop being a best-kept secret and build your custom roadmap to celebrity status in your niche. Join me for the Unleash Your Star Power Workshop!

Download Season 7 Episode 8 | iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify

Podcast Show Notes

Inside this episode, we're talking about:

  • The big break for Boyz II Men that almost didn’t happen
  • If you need more visibility, you might have a capacity problem
  • The importance of developing mastery before getting more visibility
  • How a change in a band’s local network turned “Smile” into “Queen”
  • You can make the ask, but you can’t control the outcome
  • What a McDonald’s bathroom can teach you about consistency and frequency

Links I Mentioned

Rising Tide Members

Our Rising Tide Community has moved! If you're already a member, you can login and access your free downloads here.

Not a member yet? It's free! When you register for the Rising Tide, you also get email updates, the FREE learning library, and access to episode transcripts, worksheets, and more!

Sponsors & Credits

Special thanks to our Patrons for your continued support.
Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io