I recently had the pleasure of joining Abbey Crane on the Unscripted Small Business Podcast, where I shared insights from my journey as a lifestyle mentor and executive coach. During our conversation, I highlighted the crucial role of storytelling in coaching and how intuition and creativity guide the process. We discussed practical strategies for overcoming moments of feeling stuck, the benefits of simplifying daily routines, and how embracing curiosity can fuel both personal and professional growth.
We also delved into the interplay between branding, authenticity, and storytelling. I emphasized how confidence in our creations can streamline the branding process and the importance of leading teams with genuine, heart-based authenticity. Additionally, we explored how technology impacts branding, the necessity of empathy in entrepreneurship, and why understanding our roots is essential for building compassion.
To listen to the full conversation, click here.
Quotes From Our Conversation:
"Life has a fun way of connecting the dots, but somehow we often just realize that looking backwards, and I was very eager to find a way to connect the dots going forwards."
"When you start to know yourself better, you understand your taste, what feels good to you, what you really want to do, what you're actually curious about."
"Curiosity is aligned with passion, but I also believe that we're not super passionate every day about our passion topic, but we can be curious every day about it."
"To me right now, because it evolves and changes, intuition is your own divinity, if you will, your own source to look within. And through that, we have access to the vibration that is around us, the energy that is around us."
"We can create our own lives no matter where we are."
"You have to know your story to create your future."
Key Takeaways:
Authenticity drives meaningful brand development
Creative backgrounds can enhance business success
Understanding your story is crucial for future growth
Curiosity can be more reliable than passion
Heart-centered leadership creates lasting impact
Self-care fundamentals include quality sleep
AI should enhance, not replace, human creativity
Community involvement strengthens entrepreneurship
Empathy and business success are interconnected
Simplification leads to clearer outcomes
Here's a Snapshot of Our Conversation:
Abbey Crane: Anna, it's so wonderful having you in the studio today. Tell us about your background - I know you do coaching and you're originally from Iceland and now you're in New York.
Anna Rósa Parker: Yes, I'm from Iceland and live in New York. I live in both places, actually. I spend a fair amount of time in Iceland as well. I am a lifestyle mentor and executive coach, meaning I work with individuals on their lives and then I also go to workplaces and coach teams. Life has a fun way of connecting the dots, but somehow we often just realize that looking backwards and I was very eager to find a way how to connect the dots going forwards.
Abbey Crane: Tell us about your journey from theater to where you are today.
Anna Rósa Parker: I went to University of Washington in Seattle from Iceland. That was a big thing for me. American universities are very expensive, especially if you're not from here. I graduated with a drama degree, and there's a lot of storytelling involved. You learn how to build out a solo show. I was in theater for about 10 years, doing commercials and indie films. But after a while, I realized I wasn't passionate about it anymore. I wanted more control over my creative direction.
Abbey Crane: How did you transition into marketing and eventually coaching?
Anna Rósa Parker: I got a job at Nordstrom in their Couture department. They had this open door policy, and I thought, "Does that mean you can just knock on any door and ask those people to help you get a different job?" So I got an appointment with Blake Nordstrom - went straight to the top. He is no longer with us, but he was so lovely and introduced me to many people. Eventually, I became a marketing coordinator in the designer division. That experience taught me a certain polish you don't learn in university or the arts.
Abbey Crane: Tell us about your coaching method.
Anna Rósa Parker: I created a method called EVOKE. It stands for Earth, Values, Objectives, Knowledge, and Essence. We look at your roots and knowledge, your objectives, your values, and then your essence - how it's all wrapped up. Most of the time, we don't know the story we're telling when we walk into a room because we haven't gone through all that. After the process, clients end with a paragraph that represents where they are now - like a cold opening of a film. Then we map out their future story from there.
Abbey Crane: What's your perspective on intuition and authenticity in business?
Anna Rósa Parker: Intuition is your own divinity, your own source to look within. Through that, we have access to the vibration that is around us. When everything's external, we lose this quality. We can always come back to it, but it needs to be practiced. The same goes for authenticity in business - it's about understanding your story and values, then building from there. That's why at Nordstrom, for example, their values and integrity showed through in everything they did.
Abbey Crane: How do you see AI impacting storytelling and brand development?
Anna Rósa Parker: There are huge pros and cons. AI can be a powerful tool, but it shouldn't write your brand story or copy – I see through that right away because it lacks personality. AI doesn't understand consciousness or empathy yet. It's a tool that's exciting to work with, but it won't write our stories for us. I use it more like an assistant, helping to polish and refine while keeping the authentic voice intact.
Abbey Crane: What's your philosophy on creating one's future?
Anna Rósa Parker: You have to know your story to create your future. If you understand who you are and your authentic self - what your heart is telling you and what your intuition is saying - there are so many answers in that. It's not about external pressures or others' expectations, but who you truly are. Once you have that authentic story, you can create your future, building it block by block, brick by brick.
