Camille Leon - Stay Supported with More Connections

Camille Leon 

[00:00:00] Wendy Manganaro: Hi everyone. My name's Wendy Manganaro and I am the Host of the Wellness and Wealth podcast. I'm so happy to have you find us. And if you could take a moment and hit that subscribe button, I'd really appreciate it. This is the podcast where we believe when you show up better for yourself as a woman business owner, you show up better for your business. 

So sit back, relax. And learn from the practical to the woo-hoo, how to best take care of you. Have a great day. Stay blessed. And leave a review when you're done listening to the show, thanks so much. 

[00:00:38] Wendy: Hi everyone. I'm so glad you're here to listen. Our Topic this week is staying supported with more connections. And I have special guest, Camille Leon on and, I'll read her bio and then we'll get right into it. 

She's the author of Fresh Start Transformation and Action and Project Director for the Holistic Chamber of Commerce. Camille is an artist and adventurer and so welcome Camille. 

[00:01:06] Camille Leon: Thank you Wendy. I'm so glad to be here. 

[00:01:09] Wendy: Thank you. And I just wanna tell you that I thought it was so neat that you have started a holistic chamber of commerce, by the way.

But we'll get right into the questions cause I am excited about this topic. So with that idea of the chamber, why is connecting with others so important in your experience? 

[00:01:30] Camille Leon: Oh, I think there are a couple of key reasons today. First there's so much going on out there.

We're almost overwhelmed with all of this input. But much of it is not a personal connection, so that's part of it is keeping personal connections in play. And the other thing is, For people who work out of home offices, for people who, work in places where they're surrounded by all kinds of different energy, but not necessarily like-minded.

It's making sure that we stay supported in who we are. If you're in the space of I gotta do it all on my own, maybe you don't have to do it all on your own. And certainly there are times when it helps to have somebody to talk it through. If I answer all my own questions, I might end up doing all the same stuff that, that I've done before.

Whereas if I'm having a conversation with you as an example or somebody else at my local holistic chamber of commerce or wherever, or at my online holistic chamber of commerce. Then I get new answers, new input, new insights, and that helps when I work out of a home office or when you're surrounded by people who maybe don't get you.

anyway, so that's connections for me. They make all the difference. 

[00:03:18] Wendy: I agree and thank you for mentioning this because I think that happens a lot to female entrepreneurs, we get so bogged down in our work, which is great, we all love what we do

but then we forget that we need that connection cuz you can go all week and go, I worked and who did I talk to this week, besides going out and dealing with family and coming back in. And I think the other side of why it's really important is that idea of like-minded people.

Because it can be stressful to go out and when you do get out and it doesn't challenge you in that way of going, okay, let me run my ideas past somebody who's gonna understand. 

[00:03:54] Camille Leon: And I think you, alluded to family.

So a lot of women give, give, give all the time. So one thing that I have gotten out of being connected with others is I can receive and sometimes receiving is listening to their ideas. Getting perspective from somebody else. The other thing is conversations with family. I love them.

And at the same time, family is so close and so invested in a particular outcome. And sometimes that's a very short term outcome that I've found that connecting with friends and colleagues who are a little further removed can give me better input for that big game or for the longer term. It gets me outta my head too.

Which not that I'm an overthinker from way back when, but maybe. 

[00:04:58] Wendy: Good point. With the family, I think you're more connected to it when your family bring in their own fears or their own concerns into your business.

I've had conversations about this with other entrepreneurs where they can give you their non-intentional fears of what they think your business should look like as opposed to going outside and gaining actual experience from those who, understand.

[00:05:23] Camille Leon: Well, they want you to be successful.

But most of us, us included, have a definition of what that success is supposed to look like, and it's always more and better, and I'm not gonna pretend that I'm not about more and better, but I also recognize that sometimes my decision today has to be about what I need today. But sometimes my decision today needs to be about.

Three months from now. Or a year from now. And those are different considerations and your family can be so close. And they really wanna support you, but they're also trying to protect you. That I think that protectiveness comes in. I don't want you to be in whatever way.

[00:06:13] Wendy: Absolutely. I can't agree more. And I have found networking for that reason alone. Just being able to get all those perspectives super helpful. To the growth of, myself and my business. Because it helps input different ideas that you may not have heard or had because of that.

Curious to know after the pandemic we definitely connected differently. We didn't necessarily not connect. It definitely been different. How has it been affecting how people connect with others in general? 

[00:06:43] Camille Leon: I think it's been so odd, if you will. We've gotten both more global. And more local at the same time.

People who never would've used Zoom or any video format now using video on a regular basis. And at the same time, is it available locally? Is this something that I can get at the corner store. Is this something I can support a local business with? So we've gotten both that global and local aspect and we've brought them together in different ways.

We've learned many of us how much we value and appreciate in-person connections for that personal touch. I'll admit. Comfortable as I am on screen, on video chat, I can be a little bit of an introvert, and after the first year, I was all I miss people. I miss people. I'm going to go, yeah, I'm gonna go get a fancy schmancy coffee because I want that in person.

Short connection with another person. And still broadened our horizon. So for example, prior to the pandemic, we were not doing a we, the holistic chamber of commerce. We weren't doing. A lot of online networking. We now have a monthly global online networking Zoom. It's a private Zoom, and we have members joining from all over the place, and we've got regulars who just love it.

So I think we're just connecting differently, but we're also recognizing the value of our connections and recognizing that sometimes the online version is great and other times it makes a lot of sense to make it more local and more close to home. 

[00:08:58] Wendy: And I wanna mention this cuz we were talking, my listeners know I always talk to my guests a little bit

beforehand and we were talking and you were telling me that they were gonna hopefully open one close to me where I live in New Jersey. So are you finding more people looking to open? Or your local chapters. Going back to more in-person things like are they starting to feel much more comfortable at this point doing that?

[00:09:24] Camille Leon: Most of our local chapters have gone back to in-person or hybrid. Some of our chapters are still using Zoom, even though I do know there are other, it's a little bit of an energetic group, the holistic marketplace professionals, practitioners, business owners, whatever you wanna call us.

We like connection, even the introverts among us, like connection. It's just a question of how we're connecting. And we've had new chapters sign up. Initially there was, what a lot of businesses experienced, which was people shutting down in order to figure out how to deal with

all the change, massive change. And since then we have seen growth. We have seen new chapters open. We've seen new members sign up. Heck, we've had old members come back and reactivate. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So. The world is reopening and our holistic niche marketplace is also reopening. And we are seeing that show up in terms of chapters getting started and it's great.

And our global online chapter has been growing as well because some people, are like, I want this type of connection. I wanna collaborate more. But I'm not gonna start my own chapter and there's nothing near me. And so I think part of what came out of the pandemic is that practitioners, professionals, business owners, are in the space of how do I actually create solutions that work for my people?

And we are all in the space of, let me find a solution that works for me. Recognizing that there are lots of different solutions and just gotta find the right ones. The ones that fit. 

[00:11:27] Wendy: Yeah. that's how I do marketing for people, so I understand those statements completely. I like that you're talking about this, because health and wellness professionals

Do like connection and authenticity. And I think that it's good that you are giving both options because some people, and you know that I deal with this a lot when people write their content, is they don't wanna not be authentic. And so for some people in the health and wellness field, I know that being in person makes 'em feel like they're being more authentic. They can touch, they can feel, all of those senses are activated for them. And then there, there's others who also are in that field who feel better doing this from a safe different distance.

So I think that it's really important to be able to know who you are, to find the right type of networking even in, within the health and wellness. Community or the holistic community. I think that's super important. So can you describe a little bit what your meetings are like? Cuz I'm just curious cuz I know I have a lot of health and wealth listeners.

And as an entrepreneur who is in those fields, how does it help their business? 

[00:12:34] Camille Leon: So, our average meeting, and we give our chapter presidents a fair amount of autonomy.

So we provide a structure, right? And a platform, and it's the holistic crowd. So we tend to be creative and we like a fair amount of our independence. So, I like to think that any holistic Chamber of Commerce chapter you visit, you're going to feel like you're in the same place. Even as I recognize there are some things that I can't control that a certain chapter president or leadership team might do differently.

But in general, we have structured introductions, so you're not actually, hi, I'm Camille. Hi, I'm Wendy without that initial go around of who everybody is and what we all do, what you do, what gets you in the holistic room in the first place. We do talk about business building cuz we are a chamber of commerce.

And. If you're in one of our rooms, odds are you're in business. And that's how do I meet more customers, clients, patients, consumers. So there are two things that help. There are a few things, actually more than two, that help us build our businesses. One is that conversation about how do I meet and connect with more customers, clients, patients, consumers, people who can and will buy my products and services.

We also do that online. All of our members are in our online direct. Because as a chamber of commerce, we attract a lot of consumers. Consumers have heard the brand Chamber of Commerce. When they're looking for something, they're usually going to their local Chamber of Commerce. In our case, if they're looking for holistic products and services, they come to us.

So referrals happen in meetings. Referrals happen online. We've got a Facebook group members only Facebook group referrals happen there. So there are a lot of cross-referrals that are happening with us, but also I've seen a lot of collaborations come out of our chapter meetings, both the local chapters and the global online Zoom networking.

and then sometimes the ideas and insights you get just from a conversation about, would you look at my website and give me some actual solid feedback on my website? Would you look at my business card and give me some feedback on my business card? Like those little tweaks. make it easier to sign up somebody who's not in the room right now, but I hand my business card late to later.

Or somebody who finds me on Google and gets to my website in, instead of seeing a sign up for my free email newsletter, also sees something that says, looking for help now. Call me at now. Not everybody. Their phone ringing off the hook. So you might not want your phone number front and center on your website, but it should be a mindful, conscious decision.

And it should still be easy for somebody on your website to find out how to contact you and connect with you without necessarily signing up for your newsletter. Cause I might want your product or service, but I don't wanna sign up for your newsletter. So I think there are a lot of ways that membership really supports our members in building their business.

And I also talk about time and money because frankly, when you're in business, there's the game. Time and money. Time and money. But an hour and a half at an H C C meeting ends up saving me a lot of time because I connect with so many people all in one place. So it expands. 

[00:16:52] Wendy: it's so funny because I was like the pro, networker at one time.

I actually won an award from one of my networking groups, cuz I was, there was 54 meetings in a year and I made every one of them. Because I knew that if I went, I'd see all my clients in one place. I had a whole thing that was actually how I self cared because I knew if I went to the one event twice a month, I'd see every client in one place.

I'd say, hello. It was so efficient for me. But I also love networking. So that's the other part which is so funny cuz the older I get I'm like, I'm okay with some sort of more balance about that. But when I was younger, I've really fed off that, that energy. saying that though, like I love that, that you talk about this though, is there are people who feed off.

The energy of networking and then there are people who do not feed off the energy of networking. It just puts them into an anxiety thing. But I like that you said there's a choice. And there's a choice in. Whether or not it'd be more comfortable for me to go to something online or something in person.

That's the great thing about being in a holistic business is that you understand. I think that's really key. And even for mindfulness, you understand that it's all about choices. It's not that everyone is gonna have the same exact thing, the same exact way, and it's gonna be acceptable for somebody. So I think that, That's really an important piece that you're talking about, whether it's networking or not.

I just think that like when you're in mindful, holistic way of thinking, you find out what's right for you and your business, which is really key.

[00:18:27] Camille Leon: Just like we don't all need the same product or service to take care of our health. Some people might prefer massage. Some people might prefer acupuncture or chiropractic, or essential oils.

It's not a one size fits all. Here's the one pill and it will fix everything for everybody. Businesses are the same. Now, here are my two favs so Target and Tiffany, both very successful. Both sell jewelry, both would be considered retail, but they're different in so many ways as well. And there is plenty for both.

There is plenty for everybody. Heck, we talk about the law of abundance all the time. There's plenty for everybody. . And so it's really operating in that space, and recognizing that as we come together with those connections, we raise ourselves up along with everybody else. 

[00:19:28] Wendy: Absolutely. So when it comes to female entrepreneurship and connecting with others, do you think consistency of staying connected plays a role in staying inspired? 

[00:19:39] Camille Leon: Without a doubt. It helps to have connections, friends, colleagues who support us and can be honest with us, and those relationships develop over time.

 I think that's part of that value in you going to all of those meetings is people saw you, they knew you were consistent, they knew you were dependable, they knew you were still in business. And in the world we live in, some businesses come and go, but when we're talking about health and wellness, we want that level of consistency.

We want to be seeing someone who we know we can depend on and trust. And I think for inspiration, seeing other people being successful on an ongoing basis, that pulls me forward. That keeps me inspi, oh, if Wendy's doing it, I can do it too. If Camille's doing it, I can do it too. And actually let me connect with Camille and Wendy and learn.

What's making it work for them. And by the way, here are the seven steps of success. Wendy might have the same seven steps, but they're in a different order. And you've gotta figure out the order for yourself. But staying connected is that First level of inspiration that's gonna bring you the ideas and the input that you really need.

So I think that consistency counts for far more than we give a credit for. And especially with consumers. Consumers who are trying hypnotherapy as an example for the first time, they wanna know that you've been around for a while. Oh, I've never tried crystals, but I see that this business has been here for 10 years.

They are probably doing something right. 

[00:21:37] Wendy: There is so much truth to that. And it was funny as you were saying that about me going to all those networking events and I still have connections with the women from back then, by the way. I had moved. Part of the reason why I didn't go anymore is because I moved states and like those connections followed me there for years and when I came back, those connections are the same, in the same connections I have today.

There's something about the consistency of allowing people to know you're available. And universally I think that, as we talk about the law of attraction, I'm always one that believes that when your actions and your thoughts match, it's much easier for the universe to give you something.

 And so that was one of those lessons I had learned from consistent networking. And again, a lot of that part of that was like the self-care piece to me too. And I love those women to death. They were just fabulous, phenomenal women. But, this self-care of how can I do this in a way that really nurtures who I am, be in this room because it was a female networking group and also, honor my time, honor my commit.

And that allowed me to do it in one place, which was wonderful. I have a final question for any entrepreneur, cuz this is what I hear a lot, I'm an introvert, I can't go there.

A lot of times introverts very nervous about going to networking events, that kind of thing. How do they take care of themselves in that event. So do you have, on how they can still connect with the others even though they're an introvert and that still feels good to them, even though they, oh, 

[00:23:02] Camille Leon: Here are, I love this question.

I have some top tips because again, I'm loud on video but in a crowd I am a little bit of a, I'm gonna hang back. So, for introverts, It's helpful for you to network with a mix of both introverts and extroverts. And I think that is one of the challenges for introverts is they go to standard conventional networking meetings, which are almost always filled with extroverts.

That's who they cater to. We're a holistic chamber of commerce. We know that we have a high percentage of introverts involved. So we've actually set up structures, in our online meetings and also in our local chapters that make it a little bit easier for introverts to stretch their comfort zones and to think about it.

it's stretching your comfort zone, which as a coach you probably talk about with your clients all the time. So it's a chance to walk your talk, but in just a one to two hour stretch, so it's not gonna be all day. So in terms of mindset, I remind myself that it's only an hour and a half meeting and.

During a portion of that meeting, it's not networking, so. That makes it a little easier for me as well. I like to come with a couple of solid questions, so if I have to open a conversation I'm not opening it with some line about the weather though. We do have some crazy weather these days but why did you get into your business?

I find to be a great question. Because it's gonna get you beyond the, what is it you sell into the heart of why somebody, started doing what they're doing. Just remember to listen to their response because it can be really easy to say, okay, I'm gonna ask you this question. And in your brain, you're just waiting for them to finish.

So you can talk about why you started the business that you started. You'll get to that. But the conversation is how do I create a relationship? I want a relationship that lasts. Cuz Wendy, frankly, you may not join, but I want you to have enough fun in our conversation that you refer other people to me that you.

Tell other people you know about, oh, I just learned about the holistic chamber of commerce, or I just met this great hypnotherapist. I just met this great wealth coach. It's not just about the one person you're talking to, it's going to their connections as well. And that starts with your listening to their answers.

And then here's another tip for you, introverts out there. Wear something professional yet distinctive. So I don't like to wear tie dye because in the marketplace, there's already a box around. Oh, she's holistic. But I do like to reflect that I'm creative. You can see my jacket here.

It's a professional looking jacket, and yet there's a creative print on it. So if you find that right item might be a necklace, it might be you have a name tag on your jacket, then. You'll very often attract the extroverts to you. You give them a conversation starter just because you stand out a little bit more.

So by the way, what makes this such an interesting trick? Many of us as introverts, we think, oh, I just wanna blend in. But if you stand out a little bit more, people will come to you. So you won't have to be the one making that cold intro. because somebody is coming to you and saying, oh, I'm curious about that.

Where did you get it? Or, that's such a bright color. You've got a lot of courage to wear a bright, and you're thinking, yeah, right. Courage to wear a bright color. But best networking is creating lasting relationships. And those all start with conversations. And I think everybody who is conscious and mindful, and intuitive and empathic, that I know that's what they really want, that's what authenticity is about, is how can we have a real conversation, not just that hit or miss.

[00:27:31] Wendy: I love those tips. And one of the things that you mentioned is the other thing that I've learned even for introverts is strangely enough, which I know I have seen my friends who are, introverts, they wanna sit in the back of the room. They want to sit all the way in the back.

They don't like to be in the front. But actually if you go, and that was one of the things even for me, who's not necessarily an introvert, I had to learn to sit in the front because. It was easier to get into the conversations like if it was a speaker or something, not that conversations aren't going to happen in the back, but if you don't wanna be sitting with six other introverts, go to the front of the room where it'll be easier to jump into a conversation cuz you're extroverts are up there.

[00:28:19] Camille Leon: Good point. The back of the room is a bit of a defensive position. It's making sure your back is protected. But it's also a closed position. And if we're here to help open the world to more a light, then we get to start by opening up a little bit and 

sitting, near that front row and your right, that's where the extroverts are. And they'll open conversations for you. So all you have to do is stand there and every once in a while you'll be able to pipe in with something or somebody will say, whoa, Wendy, what do you think?

[00:28:55] Wendy: Exactly. So yeah, that's the other little trick that I learned early on was go sit in the front of the room because you'll be part of that conversation cuz they draw you in. A true extrovert will draw you right in and it puts a little less pressure on you having to figure out how to do that.

So this has been lovely. Thank you so much. I want you to tell people, about how to join the Chamber if they're interested so that people can know how to reach you.

[00:29:20] Camille Leon: This is my favorite.

Well, I have so many favorite questions, but this is right up there near the top. So, you could go to Google and you can Google Holistic Chamber of Commerce or you can, type in holisticchamberofcommerce.com. It's gonna bring up our website. And on that front horizontal menu, there is a spot where it says, join now.

So you can see your membership options. Members can start for as little as 2 37 a year. That's probably less than you spend on your fancy schmancy coffees. And other options are available for people who want more. And we do have a program for people who want to start a chapter near them.

But like I said, we are doing online networking. That is actually networking. It's not come to our workshop, come see a speaker. It's pure networking. For our tribe, for our marketplace, for the niche that we're in, because we need it, we want it. 

[00:30:21] Wendy: And I like it because I always say this as like self-care from the practical to the woo-woo, when you're around right people, it is a lot easier to self-care because people who are in holistic, industries will understand what it looks like for everybody to self-care. .

Camille thank you so much for being on the show today. 

[00:30:40] Camille Leon: Thank you, Wendy. This was lovely. 

[00:30:44] Wendy: To my listeners, if you love what you hear, make sure you subscribe and leave a review. In the meantime, we will be back with another great topic this Saturday. 

Have an abundant week.