Now & Center: Entrepreneurial Voices from the Margin

Thought Leadership Branding, the Growth Journey, & Burnout with Tania Bhattacharyya, Founder of Lumos Marketing

October 18, 2022 Karen Bartlett Episode 26
Now & Center: Entrepreneurial Voices from the Margin
Thought Leadership Branding, the Growth Journey, & Burnout with Tania Bhattacharyya, Founder of Lumos Marketing
Show Notes Transcript

Episode Description:  

Karen talks with Tania Bhattacharyya, Founder of Lumos Marketing, about thought leadership branding and how to use your values and mission to create a sustainable stream of people who want to support and work with you, including leaning into the discomfort and taking a stand.  Karen and Tania discuss overcoming “systemic limiting beliefs,” feeling the need to over deliver, and perfectionism.  The dive into the challenges of burn out that we’re seeing with the collective trauma of COVID and the experiences of the last few years.

Links:

Schedule an Exploratory Call with Karen: https://calendly.com/karenbartlett/30min

Learn more about Kite + Dart Group:  www.kiteanddartgroup.com

Register for an upcoming event:  https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-kite-dart-group-16435043586

Learn more about Lumos Marketing:  https://lumosmarketing.co/

Connect with Tania Bhattacharyya:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-bhattacharyya/

Connect with Carin Huebner at Public Good Media:  publicgood.media

Original music credit goes to DJ Ishe:  https://soundcloud.com/ishe

00:00.00

kitedart

Hello everyone and welcome to today's session of Now & Center. Today I have with me Tania Bhattacharyya. She's the founder of Lumos Marketing and I'm really excited for the conversation that we get to have today so Tania welcome and thank you for being here.


00:16.46

Tania Bhattacharyya

Thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here.


00:22.35

kitedart

Yeah, and I always kind of like to share a little bit about how I know people um, just to give a little context and so and and I'm just I'm so appreciative to have you here. We um I attended a conference that you were presenting at so we didn't actually meet personally. And it's just funny. I really appreciated the energy that you brought and what you had to share um to the people at the conference and I think that once you explain your business, this will make a little more sense too. But just in the course of who I connected with through the conference got on Linkedin and just took a gamble on like reaching out and being like hey I'd love to chat and learn more. So um I just appreciate the ah you know when that alignment shows out I guess and you kind of. Just take that chance to reach out to someone without any real explicit intention but just like hey this is a person I'd like to connect with and learn more It might be cool to do some collaboration. So just really appreciative that you were interested in exploring.


01:16.70

Tania Bhattacharyya

Right.


01:30.33

kitedart

What it could look like to collaborate.


01:30.83

Tania Bhattacharyya

Oh my gosh. Absolutely well, you know that's that's such an important thing for me I think all beautiful things happen. They spark from a brave conversation and from reaching out and I think that we live in a world where everything is so digital first and online and I think that. You know I think of Linkedin as a like a 24/7/365 networking event but one that I would actually feel comfortable. You know you can you can decide when you want to be on there decide when you don't want to be on there people are on there just looking to build relationships and when you go into things without any sort of. Like end goal in mind just with good intention I think really beautiful things come from that so I'm so this is a beautiful example of that happening. Yeah.


02:12.86

kitedart

Yeah, yeah I think so and it's I like I'm not much with with social media like I don't love social media. So for me, it's like I am very selective about um where I go in terms of social media and what I do and then I also know that there's been a lot Of. Um, I've been the recipient of a lot of reaching out that felt disingenuous and felt like there was like I was trying to be sold to without me giving any consent of having that interest and so um I think it's I think it's important.


02:32.41

Tania Bhattacharyya

Okay.


02:45.87

kitedart

And and particularly maybe for someone like me who's just not super into social media to remember that it is this tool and it can be used to build meaningful relationships and that it isn't just this like scammy place. So yeah I Very much appreciate that.


02:58.28

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah, Absolutely yeah I know nothing is worse than accepting a connection request that you think is going to be you know values aligned and neat and then all of a sudden you just get hit with like a spammy ask. Nothing feels worse than that. So I Totally get it and that's enough to be driven off of social Media. So I I So when you do find a friend on there. It feels it. It feels even Better. You know.


03:19.13

kitedart

Yeah, yeah, and it helps that we had a connection through somewhere else too. But you know like I mean that's how it is right? so.


03:26.78

Tania Bhattacharyya

It's totally.


03:27.62

kitedart

Um, so with that and and obviously it relates to the conversation. Will you share with everyone about Lumos Marketing and and the work that you're doing.


03:35.87

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah I would love to so you know so I came out of the nonprofit space I was raised in the nonprofit space for about 12 years and through that work. You know I was I was doing fundraising marketing. You know communications really wearing a lot of hats. But everything had to do with. You know, cheerleading our mission and getting more people in the loop with our work and through that time I realized that you know when we talk about competition. The real competition is not other nonprofits some others. It's not others who are trying to do good work right? It's actually distraction right? It's noise. It's a chaotic world that is that is more and more chaotic by the by the year I feel like and so throughout that process I saw how powerful thought leadership branding was and really what I define what I mean by that is like.


04:08.22

kitedart

Um.


04:26.70

Tania Bhattacharyya

Using our passion right? Our wisdom our lived experience those those innate things that we are so that we that we work on on and on a daily basis right? taking those things and sharing that with the world in a way that builds community in a way that builds trust and. I know how busy nonprofit and social impact leaders are right I know that very intimately and so it can be really laughable to somebody to think oh my gosh after a long day of dealing with board members and you know affecting change like I'm not going to get on Linkedin and share my thoughts that's silly, but the thing is. Is so neat is as you start to do that work and as you start to get strategically visible and as you start to share your experiences and your stories um on a platform that can help you make shift happen right? which I think is Linkedin. Um.


05:19.77

Tania Bhattacharyya

Magical things start to happen right? You don't have to work as hard because you're attracting a sustainable stream of people who are interested in what you have to offer and interested in helping you and so I saw that happening in my old career in the nonprofit world and so. When the pandemic hit and I decided to start my own business and and spark something new on my own that is what I kept coming back to I really wanted to work with social impact leaders on building their thought leadership on Linkedin so they could drive change and raise revenue and you know there are a lot of reasons. Why. Why they didn't like lot of barriers that stopped them and I think the biggest ones are you know, not having a strategy like having a really busy schedule like we talked about. But I think one of the biggest ones is really self-limiting beliefs or I like to sometimes say systematically limited beliefs because they're not actually our beliefs. they're they're you know protective responses from from systems that make us feel these ways feel this way you know whether it's imposter syndrome or perfectionism. But I think that's what really stops us, you know that's what really stops us but that um and I think that's by design I think I think that's by design because.


06:24.10

kitedart

Yeah.


06:31.50

Tania Bhattacharyya

When we don't show up in our fullest power. Nothing changes. The status quo remains. So I think that's the biggest part for me. That's the thing I'm most passionate about is helping people overcome those. Systematically limited belief self-limiting beliefs to really shine as a thought leader so that was a long answer but that's really what I'm passionate about doing at Lumos Marketing


06:49.61

kitedart

Yeah I love that I love that and and I it's just so aligned to the work that I do as well and you know I I work with some leaders of nonprofits I work more with leaders of for profit businesses.


06:56.54

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah.


07:08.11

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah.


07:08.44

kitedart

A lot of consultants and and solopreneurs and that kind of thing and I think it's but I think it's the same thing right? And even I mean 1 thing that I think it sounds like that I know is different a lot of times in the nonprofit world right? is that in the nonprofit world because it's a nonprofit. They don't necessarily think of needing to sell themselves.


07:13.24

Tania Bhattacharyya

Totally.


07:28.26

kitedart

Right? But that that is that is a thing that nonprofit leaders constantly have to do they have to sell themselves they have to sell their mission and that even though it's not a for profit company. There is still this building the no like and trust.


07:28.83

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, and then.


07:35.14

Tania Bhattacharyya

Right.


07:45.73

kitedart

Building the alignment and the passion for the cause and they that our capitalist society tends to I think.


08:02.60

kitedart

It's it's kind of like it causes a lot of people like it becomes very transactional I guess right? and that it's all about sort of the sale or the you know getting the funding dollars getting the sale getting those kinds of things but when they lead with the values and the mission and what they care about.


08:06.45

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, yeah.


08:21.30

kitedart

To your point. That's how they're going to attract the right people but it also really does help spread the word and just you know the whole idea of thought leadership. It's like getting those ideas out in the world and getting more and more people to buy in is so much like that's as much gold As. Dollar bills. You know what? I mean I know it doesn't always further the mission in the same way that dollar bills do but you've got to create the the following for what you're doing so.


08:51.97

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah I couldn't agree more and in a lot of ways you know I I have always tended to work on stigmatized issues. So I worked um for twelve years I worked for an organization that helped women especially moms and pregnant women get sober.


08:56.70

kitedart

S.


09:04.90

Tania Bhattacharyya

Which is an incredible mission but especially ten fifteen years ago when I started. There's ah even more stigma than exists now around you know addiction and it being a moral issue versus an actual disease and you know I remember going to roderie ah places I don't want to call anyone out but I remember going to places. And folks saying you know? Well why would we support that mission like they're choosing to use drinks to use drugs and alcohol while they're pregnant and so I think in a lot of ways that thought leadership work that communications work that that being very clear in your messaging is actually the work itself right? It's not just a like a tactical. You know you know cost center. It's actually the work itself because you're changing hearts and minds and I think the impact of thought leadership like you said it's different from dollars and I think in some ways it's even more impactful than dollars because really when we're working for a nonprofit so often we're thinking about the organization itself. But I think we need to take a step further and look at the mission like we're not working for the organization. We're working for the mission. We're working for the cause and I think as we get our message out into the world from a thought leadership strategy perspective. We're actually activating supporters that we're never going to meet like we don't even know.


10:07.40

kitedart

He asked.


10:20.28

Tania Bhattacharyya

I Don't even know who this podcast is going to touch I hope that it touches somebody that whether they tell me or not it changes the way that they do something in their life right? and similarly social impact leaders nonprofit leaders you know entrepreneurs as they share their thought leadership they might they might never. Know how it's impacting their p and L or how it's impacting their bottom line or impacting their issue but it but it is and so I think metrics and analytics have to look a little little bit different to me. Um I just have accepted that I'm never going to know the full impact of this work and that's okay, right? because because it's it's multi-generational. Right? It's this work of thought leadership touches people who are not even born yet and I think that's such a beautiful thing because we're working on multi-generational issues that aren't going to be solved in our lifetime. So We must have an impact that's greater than our lifetime as well.


11:13.16

kitedart

Yeah, oh I love that I love that So what that brings up for me Tania is this is ah a thing that I say a lot to my clients is commitment over comfort and I think this relates a little bit to the.


11:25.60

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, and.


11:28.30

kitedart

The work that it sounds like you do with leaders because for me well when I started I think I think it was really when I came over to kitten dark full time. So this was a few years ago. I. Was really nervous to stand in my power and to use my voice and to stand up as that thought leader and like I remember you know getting some like emails back from people where they were like calling me out on something that I you know sent out to the email list. And like 1 in particular. Ah there was that we were collaborating with someone on this entrepreneurs of color event and I got this like email that was just like how dare you have this this group for just you know entrepreneurs of color and if we had a entrepreneur you know, white people white entrepreneurs group.


12:09.76

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um.


12:22.54

kitedart

Um, you know you'd have the news down here and I'm just like oh my gosh. Are you kidding me like first of all, you totally don't get it at all. But you know I think it was actually that email. But anytime I'd gotten emails before that I think it just made me like it kind of made me feel like oh my gosh I'm bad right? that whole like I need to be.


12:38.53

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah.


12:41.26

kitedart

Good I'm bad and and those limiting beliefs that you're talking about that one in particular I remember just being like oh yeah, like embracing this I'm saying something that's ruffling. People's feathers and upsetting people who want to maintain the status quo.


12:52.65

Tania Bhattacharyya

And.


12:58.57

Tania Bhattacharyya

And.


13:00.62

kitedart

And that felt really liberating but up until that point it felt so uncomfortable for me to do that and I did feel like I was I don't I don't know that I'd say I was being bad but it it disrupted this I need to be good limiting belief.


13:17.35

Tania Bhattacharyya

And and and.


13:20.58

kitedart

And um, so I just I don't know I'm just kind of calling it out as an example of like how important it is and that I am committed to a world where we have more justice and social equity and environmental equity and. That my commitment to that is more important than my need to be comfortable, really pretty much in any setting. So.


13:46.95

Tania Bhattacharyya

This is such a juicy piece I Love that you've brought that up This is something I sit and I think about a lot I I love that you've put words to this so much. This is so juicy because I think with thought leadership I think vision is extremely important I think it's where you start.


14:00.75

kitedart

Yeah.


14:02.33

Tania Bhattacharyya

And you have to start with vision or you don't know where you're going and you don't know where you're leading the the community that you have activated and so once you get so clear on your vision I think as thought leaders like we are people who are you know, activating their thought leadership I think you have to be so clear for your vision that you're actually. Acting as if that world really already exists. So for example in the future world that I'm creating I don't believe Scarf Scarcity has to exist right? And so I recently came across an example where I'm working on ah on a thing and they're and I'm in a group coaching program about it and there were all these things I were recommending that I do.


14:19.48

kitedart

Bloom.


14:38.16

Tania Bhattacharyya

That I know are touching on that scarcity part of people's brains like the deadline funnel and the countdown and like the you only have this much time and and it just didn't feel right and I understand that those kinds of things can drive sales. But I think everybody has to make a decision.


14:43.10

kitedart

Ah.


14:53.50

Tania Bhattacharyya

Do we want to stand up for what we know for the future world that we're working to believe in and that and that includes sometimes you know maybe not doing the thing that is proven to get you more sales but believing so strongly that a world can exist where that doesn't need to happen. To reach the right people that you're trying to bring into your program. You know so I recently just came across that very thing and I think that embodying your vision living your vision is is really key because you know you can say whatever you want on Linkedin. But if you aren't living that people are going to notice and it's It's not going to be a good look. You know people are not going to um that that movement is not going to be activated in the same way you know and that's just a little example, but um, yeah I love that I love and one of the.


15:34.10

kitedart

Yeah, yeah, yeah.


15:40.61

Tania Bhattacharyya

I wanted to share that that came up for me as you were sharing that example of putting together that entrepreneurs of color event. Um, one of the coolest trainings I've ever been through was the op Ed project are you familiar with that? Yeah, it's a workshop that I went to where we learn how to create a really powerful op Ed and it's geared towards.


15:52.51

kitedart

I'm not no.


15:59.45

Tania Bhattacharyya

People from. Ah you know identities that have been historically overlooked and underestimated because really the goal of this project is to get more leaders of color published and they shared the stats on that and of course you can guess you know it's it's very uneven and so one of the things that um Kitty Orstein shared she's ah she was a facilitator and founder of this project was that if your op ed doesn't have any if you can't think of any potential opposition to what you're sharing then it's not really an op Ed right? It's just whatff if nobody has an objection to what you're saying. It's not an op ed it's not an opinion. It's it's just like.


16:32.96

kitedart

Ah, ah.


16:37.25

Tania Bhattacharyya

Ah, you know like a fluff of Cotton candy. Um, and so I've really thought about that because if what I'm putting out into the world if there's not somebody out there who would respond and say you know, but you know be a troll about it then I'm probably not taking a stand you know.


16:55.41

kitedart

Yes I love that and we we overhear we we refer to that as having a ah brand with teeth is what we call that having a brand with teeth and I know that in my previous business.


16:55.94

Tania Bhattacharyya

Or what I believe in so that's another piece. That's that stick with me.


17:03.98

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah.


17:12.40

kitedart

Or Well I still have that business.. It's just morphine a little bit I was working within the education system and I was terrified to call up the education system right? because it's like I think so much of that ends up it. It does come from that scarcity mindset fear of missing out like all of these things and again. That things are so transactionalized that it's just about selling and that I had to sort of speak to the middle I couldn't be divisive or I might miss out on selling and it was so liberating to embrace. But idea that no I do want to take a stand and I do want to be divisive in a way and it' not about being mean but it is about taking that stand for what I believe in the world I'm working to create because the people who that resonates with are going to be the best people for me to work with. They're the ones I'll be able to make a difference for um, the sort of the easiest. Do. You know what? I mean and and ah it's It's also about like contribution and being a contribution to them I don't want to just sell to anybody because if I sell to someone who's not aligned I'm not going to make. Like of a difference for that. You know so love that.


18:27.89

Tania Bhattacharyya

Absolutely absolutely I Love what you said about it not being mean. In fact, I'd say it's the opposite because it's it's it's it's being clear and being clear is kind and as you're clear about your positioning and what you stand for and who you can make the biggest difference for oftentimes because it's the person that you once were.


18:35.32

kitedart

Yeah, ah.


18:45.64

Tania Bhattacharyya

And you have figured out how to claw your way out of that situation and you can now guide others in that space. Um, you just like magic. It feels like magic. That's why it was part of why I named my company Lumos Marketing because it's actually a spell from the world of Harry Potter it's the elimination spell but it feels like magic because people start. Just start arriving like in your comment section in your inbox in your in your honeybook leads like they just start arriving. They're like oh my gosh I felt so seen I resonated with that so much I couldn't believe what I was reading. It felt like you were like um. Felt like you are reading my brain and that's that's the kind of comments that you get when you really take that clear positioning because chances are there are so many people out there who are struggling through the same things that you have dealing with the same things you have and so it's just a matter of getting really clear on who that is and speaking directly to them. Yeah.


19:26.76

kitedart

Yeah.


19:34.97

kitedart

Yeah, yeah, no thanks for sharing that I love that um I and it's funny because it's like this totally relates to your business and the work that you do and how you support people It also relates to doing business right? and so I would sort of love to.


19:47.42

Tania Bhattacharyya

And.


19:51.61

kitedart

Use that as a segue into would you just share with us some of the challenges that you've grappled with in starting and running your own and business to share to share your wisdom and learnings.


20:06.44

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah, absolutely so I mean I think one of the pieces that have come up for me is you know I I tend to to love talking about this piece around overcoming those self-liveting beliefs or systematically limited beliefs. Um, because I have been doing that myself right? of course and so. A lot of the things that have come up in my um career and then we're starting to really bubble up as well in my entrepreneurship journey is like that overwork that overdelivering um perfectionism like you know, like no email was ever going to come out from my flow desk with a typo. You know what? I mean. Um. Ah, yeah, just really over like over delivering is a big one that one that one and and impossters thoughts which I think are two sides of the same coin because you over deliverver because you want to make sure you know people don't realize that you don't actually belong there in the first place right? and yet. To speak to what I was sharing earlier about really embodying that vision. It has been such a um self-actualization journey to actually start my business which I didn't realize it was going to be that I thought I was just going to you know start my business but it has been such a growth journey and like dealing with you know doing the shadow work. Um. Figuring out how to like come right up to my fears and face them. Um figuring out what what my strengths are what my needs are what my abilities are what my preferences are I'm building a business around that you know instead of just doing what I think what? what I see on what I see everyone else doing on Instagram right? um.


21:38.91

Tania Bhattacharyya

Really using it as a process to become a better person right? And and I've had my business now for a year and a half so it hasn't been super super long but in that time I've gone from you know, having retainers to really delivering services in a different way. Um. I got really clear on the type of person I wanted to serve you know and and it all correlates with what we just talked about right because I too had to have an experience where I stopped serving everyone and had to get really clear with who I was talking to and that excluded a lot of people because I came out of a nonprofit. Community where I was fundraising a lot of and I had a lot of connections that I could have potentially worked with right and who had the resources to to like to work with me but that wasn't who I wanted to serve so I think that? um yeah I think that launching a business has been a huge kind of just growth opportunity. And so and and also something I want to speak to is finally identifying certain comments as what they truly are right? So and not let me explain that so as I started my business. You know I ah. Let everyone know what I was doing I posted on Linkedin. You know, got the word out there and I got a lot of interesting responses some great and some that sat funny with me and I had to really explore why they sat funny.

So my friend, Jillian Mama J, who I know you've connected with, she has this really amazing thing that was an aha moment for me.


23:43.59

Tania Bhattacharyya

Which is so clear now. But in the moment you know her message came to me at the perfect time because this was just a couple months after I started my business and what she said was so many of us as we start our businesses just recreate the same hamster wheel effect that we. Escaped that we were running from in our full time careers right? because we don't know anything different. We just think that's what work has to feel like you know we think it has to feel like a hustle and a grind. We think we have to work 10 twelve fourteen hours a day right? We think we have to check our email all hours in the night and can't take vacation. But now that we are. Writing our own story creating our own businesses. We get to craft that. However, it needs to look like and we we can be really intentionable intentional about crafting that in a way where we get rest where you know she has this thing called a radical rest you know and she takes sabbaticals every. 4 to six weeks or 6 to eight weeks and so it's like how do we radically redefine what having a business looks like and have it look so different from what we are honestly many of us are escaping in launching our businesses. You know.


24:48.78

kitedart

Yeah, yeah I love that I love that I think that equates very much to what we talk all the time about entrepreneurial activism and that relates a lot to that because my goal in my business is to.


24:59.17

Tania Bhattacharyya

Are.


25:06.83

kitedart

Make a difference in the world right? and in a deep deep commitment to creating in that world I Want to see through the services I offer and it's also through the way I run my business and and even this podcast like redefining what business means and.


25:22.46

Tania Bhattacharyya

And.


25:24.96

kitedart

Getting away from this old quote unquote definition rooted in you know, white supremacy Patriarchy capitalism extraction and creating something new. So I Really love that.


25:37.10

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah, absolutely and I think that requires um, not just like my my medium is words I but I'm like you know I'm you know I'm getting away from it. But I'm a ghost writer I'm a brand message strategist but something that I've really learned from some of my clients and others that I work with. Is. It doesn't always have to be words like like draw your vision right? paint you know, um dream dream What that might look like and sometimes that is a really great tool in identifying How things can look different because it's hard to imagine something that we've never seen before like we keep getting drawn back.


25:54.87

kitedart

And.


26:09.31

kitedart

Yes.


26:12.81

Tania Bhattacharyya

To how things have always been. Um, yeah so how do we dream up new ways of of being you know 1 thing 1 thing for me is like people always talk about the boardroom table right? They're like oh you know you don't have a seat at the boardroom table bring a folding chair but it's like why I don't want to sit at that table.


26:26.64

kitedart

Yes, to the period. Yes.


26:28.78

Tania Bhattacharyya

Want to go I know I Want to be done with that table. You know why do we have to be in a in it at a table like why can't we be in nature around a campfire circle sharing stories like huddling for warmth growing community like that to me is what leadership can look like right and that came to me in a like ah like a fever dream you know before even Before. Started my business right? So How do we?? How do we? How do we tap into these inklings and visions that we have that maybe aren't in words but are in images you know so just just a little tidbit I had to throw in there.


26:57.71

kitedart

Yeah I love that and I'll go ahead and put in a little plug for you Kids you've got a podcast as well which is called the campfire circle is that right? I think I got that? Yes, so well I love that that you know that was your inspiration for for that podcast and changing that conversation. So.


27:02.40

Tania Bhattacharyya

You know it is it is That's right.


27:16.67

kitedart

I'd Also love to pull out and and I so I will just say that So me too on this one is the whole idea that you're sharing around the opportunity for personal growth and development that um and I think you might have said self-actualization right? But that.


27:30.49

Tania Bhattacharyya

Ran on.


27:33.24

kitedart

That this journey as a business owner has been and me too I mean and it's it's literally why I do the work that I do right because I work with business owners and I.


27:35.61

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, yeah.


27:48.75

kitedart

My background is in education I'm not sure if I share that with you but the things that I was hoping to come out of my work as an educator I found that the extent to which those things get to show up for people inside of the sandbox I call business.


28:08.34

Tania Bhattacharyya

A.


28:08.42

kitedart

Has just been phenomenal and that it's It's like it's a really confronting thing to do and it's a really relevant thing to do and so it becomes this very very fertile soil. Um I think to like play around in and really grow grow In. So I Love that you said that.


28:29.12

Tania Bhattacharyya

Absolutely that's such a big piece and you know, um, yes, it is that way with business growth and I think it is that way with thought leadership and I just have to say like when I started my business I thought I was just going to help people grow their Linkedin and get more leads and you know grow their recognition and their and influence. But what kept happening. What people kept saying was oh my gosh I'm so much more confident in every area of my life like oh my gosh I can go into this ask with a donor and feel a hundred percent aligned and like ready to have these words come out of my mouth whereas whereas I would have been afraid before right? like oh my gosh I'm I'm so in my so. I so have the ceo persona that I never had before I was baking it before but now it's real and so you know no matter what it is that we're doing I think as we get deeper into our purpose and our vision and then take the actions and build the habits that come along with trying to meet that vision and get to that vision confidence is just a natural byproduct.


29:05.80

kitedart

Man.


29:24.40

Tania Bhattacharyya

You know and self-actualization. Yeah.


29:24.43

kitedart

Yeah, yeah I Love that. That's Great. So I'm curious to know. Um right? I mean thank you for sharing about just some of those struggles along the way or or touch points for growth along the way are there Any additional. You know challenges that you grappled with specifically because of any identities that you hold.


29:47.61

Tania Bhattacharyya

Well, you know one challenge that I've had this and I don't you know, let me talk this through with you because I don't know if this specifically relates to an identity that I hold I'm sure it does because everything that I do is through through my lens right? But this summer um this year in general you know it's been a little bit of a cluster. Ah there's been a lot of global tragedies. You know we have gone through a major collective global trauma with covered um people I've just sensed and felt the burnout.


30:12.98

kitedart

Ah.


30:20.33

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, people are tired right? and so to go out there and share share what I'm doing and share my content not to like sell the content but even showing up sometimes has felt challenging because of what's happening in the world right? and I don't.


30:31.72

kitedart

My.


30:39.65

Tania Bhattacharyya

Know if that has to do with my with my with one of my identities per say I have to think about that but that has been a challenge that I've really been facing this year really been struggling with this year have you had any similar similar thoughts on that.


30:50.12

kitedart

Um, yeah.


30:57.00

kitedart

Yeah I mean and and I I mean I feel like I see it I I do feel like I see it right? like I mostly work with women fam Bipac Lgbt Q identifying people Neuro divergent identifying people.


30:58.83

Tania Bhattacharyya

I.


31:10.48

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah.


31:16.46

kitedart

So I do feel like I work with a lot of people who have identities I think it goes back to to some extent. Um I think there's a couple things I mean one I think that just.


31:33.35

kitedart

Holding a marginalized identity holding an oppressed identity is exhausting and that there's a lot of trauma. There's a lot right? like there's and that's like that can be carried through your life and intergenerationally I think that.


31:36.73

Tania Bhattacharyya

I.


31:52.12

kitedart

Um, you I'm trying to remember your exact wording you were talking about limiting beliefs. But then I think you are self limiting beliefs. But then I think you said systemically held Beliefs I'm not sure if that was the right wording that you said sister.


32:00.89

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah, says systematically or systemically limited beliefs That's still and that's still something I'm gnawing on and chewing on. But I think that distinction is important because self limiting Beliefs puts the blame on us when an actuality. It's all a.


32:09.85

kitedart

Yeah.


32:14.63

kitedart

Yes.


32:18.55

Tania Bhattacharyya

Response right? to our conditioning to to making to make to how to society making us feel less than right? It's not us. Yeah.


32:24.32

kitedart

Yes, right? Oh I Love no I I Absolutely love that terminology because and I even think when people talk about imposter syndrome that imposter syndrome is like internalized oppression. It's It's like those pieces of.


32:38.90

Tania Bhattacharyya

Ah.


32:40.51

kitedart

Systemically limiting beliefs that we've been given and conditioned for um that that those affect all of us and even um, you know so for me, let's say as a woman I know when I started my last business. Even though it was the third business I started when I started my last business I was feeling very much like an impostor as a woman and so it's like I was taking on that lesser than I am not ideal. That's not the right word but that lesser than identity or being told that.


33:01.67

Tania Bhattacharyya

A.


33:16.34

kitedart

That that identity is lesser than I was I was carrying that around with me. So I you know I think that that there's that piece of that. Um, and I think that and then just given everything I mean Covid and I mean there's been so many things. The. Climate Crisis What's happening in government or been happening in government like there's so many things that I do think that a lot of people have really reevaluated their relationship to a lot of things in their life right? and. There's been a lot of burnout and there's been a lot of I don't know I just feel like a lot of sort of stepping back and taking stock and trying to intentionally choose and try to get off the hamster wheel of all the shoulds and supposed to so I don't know if that addresses what you're saying but I feel like.


34:06.60

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah.


34:11.70

kitedart

There's a collective kind of all of us. But there's extra layers I Think for people who have ah endure oppression or who hold oppressed identities.


34:25.23

Tania Bhattacharyya

Absolutely and I think as I sit with that you know I um I don't know if I told you this or not but I have recently went through a six month um I don't even know what to call it I guess it's I guess it's called communal consultations and it's with res mamenicum and it was all about, um.


34:39.60

kitedart

Oh yeah.


34:40.96

Tania Bhattacharyya

You know, somatic abolitionism work and during that six months the war in Ukraine started and one of the things that we were able to process together as a group was how much that was activating you know ancestral trauma that we held you know that had been passed down.


34:58.60

kitedart

Ah.


34:59.33

Tania Bhattacharyya

Because so many of us had lineages that um, where our ancestors had to escape right? There were refugees. They were fleeing war. Um, and so yes, there's a war in Ukraine and we are so interdependent that we are that that we are we are we are feeling that too right? and yet. That in conjunction with everything else going on that you mentioned climate crisis et cetera et cetera we're expected to show up. We're expected to work. We're expected to grow our businesses and so like how do we manage all of that you know and so I think some of that guilt of showing up and like do I still promote my business during this time it you know. It's all related right? It's all related.


35:38.16

kitedart

Yeah, yeah, which I know is is part of you know something that you've also been grappling with so even what I like I What I'd love for you to introduce it. But from the little conversation we had before we hit record talking about. Selling in this climate and it sounds like it's also affecting you not just in terms of how do you show and up in your business promoting yourself or selling or whatever but that just even inside of your business in other ways it's showing up for you.


35:57.92

Tania Bhattacharyya

Okay.


36:12.32

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah, and you know selling is interesting because because you know every every business every person has to sell every business person has to sell what I have found with the effects of thought leadership is by the time somebody books, a discovery call the the thought leadership work has done the. Work of so like they're just showing up to make sure that I haven't like catfish them and I'm that I'm a real person. You know what I mean and I and I am who I say I am so the selling piece is okay because once they get there. It's It's like it's pretty easy. But I think just in general showing up when we don't feel like showing up. Right? showing up when we would rather just be like under the covers dissociated like not not in in that work Mindset. So yeah, you know that's an interesting One. Um.


36:51.99

kitedart

Um, Mary and.


36:56.90

kitedart

And.


37:00.64

Tania Bhattacharyya

Should I share how I have kind of tried overcoming that or or would you like to kind of coach me through what what you would you say if I were your client.


37:08.63

kitedart

I kind of feel like a both. Maybe 1 thing I'd love to offer and I guess this is what I would say as a coach is reflecting back on earlier in the conversation right? when we were talking about this idea of commitment over comfort and. It's about the mission and holding that mission or the stand you're taking for the world. You want to create at the forefront and if on those days when you're like I think would kind of love to pull the covers over my head. Ah 1 I think it can be back to radical rest I think that it can be okay to recognize that and and give ourselves base and permission for that when we're feeling it and at the same time. How can we hold onto this vision.


37:51.79

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, yeah.


38:05.60

kitedart

Because like we know like you said it's intergenerational. We're not going to see the world that we want to see in our lifetime but we're committed to the impacts that will that are generations in the making and so I feel like.


38:10.73

Tania Bhattacharyya

I.


38:19.36

Tania Bhattacharyya

Right.


38:23.99

kitedart

You already answered that question on both sides right? Like not that it's an either or but that sure there's a range of of possibilities in between but it's okay to rest and holding that vision at the forefront. That's what helps me get out of bed on those days.


38:25.65

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah.


38:42.27

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah that's so good and you know what just came up for me as you said that is I have a um you know when I was a nonprofit executive director learning how to do thought leadership I read a book by Denise Brusseau and then I was called ah, what? what is it called like. Shoot I should know what it's called, but it's really all about being a thought leader and so I had her on my podcast and I got to ask her all the questions I wanted to you know I wanted to ask her and she said something so good that I really cling onto which is that this work of thought leadership is a relay race like. You're not trying to get to the end of the race on your own this is this is a this is a group sport right? thought leadership's a group sport so something that I feel like I could do in those moments when I just want to go under the covers is because I don't necessarily want to go under the covers from everyone.


39:15.88

kitedart

Man.


39:27.70

Tania Bhattacharyya

I think what would feel good in those moments actually is to reach out to those co-conspirators those ambassadors those people who are working with me to affect this change and create this shift people who have aligned shared visions with me and just literally saying hey how you doing today I'm thinking about you. How are you like have you eaten today. You know what what's going on and to me that is thought leadership work because you're convening people. Um and and working to take you know you're yeah, you're still, you're still doing that work of showing up. It just looks like community care which I think.


40:06.36

kitedart

Ah, yeah.


40:06.66

Tania Bhattacharyya

Is part of it I think that's part of that leadership I think it's a part of it that no one talks about but without that you know how do you build community. How do you bring your mission forward. So yeah, really and I feel I love that I love that That's a really cool insight I can use for the next time I want to just not show up.


40:12.82

kitedart

Yeah.


40:24.93

kitedart

Yeah I love that and I mean we we call it getting communication too and so the other thing I think I'd offer is that ah reaching out and checking in and saying how are you and I'm here and I see you and I care about you and what do you need. And that it's also okay to share like hey I'm having a hard time today and I just wanted to reach out because I know if I'm having a hard time you might be having a hard time and and I love that idea of the the relay race right? and and it is collective work and so I think that's really really.


40:48.76

Tania Bhattacharyya

And.


41:00.13

kitedart

Powerful and like that's not a hard thing to do you know it really isn't and I love that that you're also kind of equating that with the thought leadership because I think that's ah embodied the living of your commitment.


41:04.62

Tania Bhattacharyya

Bright.


41:19.95

kitedart

To a different future.


41:21.28

Tania Bhattacharyya

Exactly right? exactly right? It's like a concept I've been playing with you know, thought leadership as a bad rap like people when that people think of thought leadership like so not always, but sometimes I see some eye rolls and I get it like I get why because I think that term has been commandeered by like.


41:28.36

kitedart

Yeah.


41:41.34

Tania Bhattacharyya

Male Pale stale energy right? It's just like yet yet. It's such a I mean it's It's such a powerful strategy and I think that speaks to um how excluded people from overlooked and underestimated communities have been that.


41:44.66

kitedart

Ah.


42:00.74

Tania Bhattacharyya

They are not thought of when you think of the word thought leader. So I'm trying to really reframe that and I think a word that a phrase that captures what thought leadership to be is for a lived leadership right? because you are embodying those principles you're embodying that vision and you're right like that's not a hard thing to do and actually it It feels really good to do.


42:01.52

kitedart

A.


42:17.28

kitedart

Yeah.


42:18.62

Tania Bhattacharyya

It feels really good to do and it builds those strong bonds and those working relationships which is what you're going to need to bring your mission forward.


42:24.80

kitedart

Absolutely absolutely and it's you know and it it gets hard out there. It does and it's fair. But yeah, the more that we can hold 1 another and have community care and you know it's like passing off the baton I need a little.


42:40.80

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yes, yeah, it feels really heavy today. Yeah, it.


42:43.71

kitedart

Ah, hope carrying the baton today your turn can do you got it? Yeah I love that I think it's great. Well hopefully that's helpful and um I I would love to ask a couple of more quick kind of quick answer things.


42:58.11

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, yeah, that's okay.


43:01.15

kitedart

1 of them and I didn't prep you for this. So I apologize I pitied you on the spot. But I I brought up the idea of entrepreneurial activism earlier. So I would love to hear what does entrepreneurial activism mean to you.


43:09.42

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um.


43:13.59

Tania Bhattacharyya

You know I Love I Love it. I Love I Love this concept. You know and I it brings up the concept of like what is Activism right? So I spoke to my friend Ila not too long ago and she she is an activist right. But the perception she had in her mind of what an activist looks like right similar to what I just said around the perception of what thought leadership is for her when you know and this is when she was younger but the perception of in her mind of what an activist was was like someone who lives in a tree. Who doesn't like shave their armpits who like does you know like all of those kinds of things and it was very a Rigid definition. But I think that um she has learned right? as you know as have I The activism can take place in any interaction and on any given day. It doesn't have to be this Big. You know this big thing.


43:48.36

kitedart

Man.


44:06.60

Tania Bhattacharyya

Um, entrepreneurial and entrepreneurial activism to me is building a business around a vision and a purpose and being really clear with how you're going to activate that mission or that I'm sorry that vision through your mission. Um, and you know knowing that you're going to raise revenue through your business. But that driving change is actually the purpose of your business. So to me I think that entrepreneurial Activism is a really easy interesting concept Because. It's not just nonprofits and ngos and you know community organizations that get to do all the change making I think we get to do that through our business and the more and more we realize that the more quickly The world is going to become just right? Um, yeah, there's a lot of there's a lot of power in.


44:51.59

kitedart

Yeah.


44:58.16

Tania Bhattacharyya

In entrepreneurship and so how do we harness that for good right.


45:00.81

kitedart

Yeah I Love that I Love that Well I will share that I think you're an incredible whether you identify as it or not I think that you are an incredible example, an inspiring example of an entrepreneurial activist. So Thank you for that. The last question. I'll put this in the show notes but will you just share with us. What's the best way for folks to connect with you if they want to learn more.


45:25.54

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah, absolutely so I would say the best way to connect with me is probably Linkedin that really is my playground that's kind of like where I hang out. Um, so you can just find me under my name Tania Bhattacharyya and another place to find me is my website which is lumosmarketing.com. And those 2 would probably be the best places and yeah I look forward to it. I'm always happy to answer any questions about Linkedin or just about social impact work in general just get to make make a new friend which is how you and I got to connect so we're bringing it full circle.


45:55.96

kitedart

I Know which is there we go Absolutely absolutely I'll also encourage people to check out your podcast and I assume that can be found on all of the usual platforms I'm trying to remember where I went and checked it out. But I think you sent me the link. So ah.


46:07.80

Tania Bhattacharyya

Yeah, yeah, any anywhere podcasts are found Apple Podcasts Spotify all those cool places.


46:12.70

kitedart

Yeah, fabulous, well Tania. Thank you so much for being here today and thank you for being a co-conspirator on this journey I really appreciate it.


46:21.90

Tania Bhattacharyya

Oh my gosh. Absolutely right back at you I'm so grateful for this and I just know that I hope that the ripple effect of this conversation will will will will spark out to where it's needed. You know.


46:34.53

kitedart

Yeah I'm sure I will.