Rae is the The Solution Architect (How freaking perfect is that title, btw?) - an Innovative Strategist & International Speaker who basically teaches you how to stop your problems from slapping you in the face.

And create a simplified approach to usher GOOD stuff into your life & business!

If you’re struggling to see the forest because of all the trees,

And you know there’s a problem - but you can’t quite figure it out -

This conversation will help you!

Rae breaks down the FIVE simple steps of how to stop spinning your wheels so you can move to a more productive place in your life.

She generously teaches us HOW to get control, take action, and optimize our situations!

(She even provided an infographic shared below) but in her interview she explains it with helpful examples!

Start assessing what’s going on for you -

In fact, you might even want to do this exercise with a trusted, non-judgmental friend who CAN see the forest even WITH all the trees!

Watch The Full Interview! 

Full Transcript: 

Jen: Hey. Welcome to today's interview all month long here in December I am talking about how to let go of all the garbage all the nonsense, the dumpster fire that has been 2020, how to let it go so that we can allow in what's going to come for us in 2021. We have done hard things before. We have survived. We are surviving now and I don't want you to stop whatever momentum you are creating and that's why I have invited Rae Johnson on. Actually she's Raechelle Johnson, so if you're searching for her online, that's how you'll find her, but I'm calling her Rae today.

And Rae is an innovative strategist and she works with businesses who are looking to define their version of success. You're going to learn a lot more about her. But today she's going to be talking about how to optimize where we are right now so that we can move toward what we want and usher in some good shit in 2021.

So Rae, thank you so much for taking time out of your day today.

I appreicate you being here.

Raechelle: And thank you for having me and thanks to your audience for trusting me. I really appreciate it. I don't take it lightly at all.

Jen: That's so sweet. Hey, tell us about your business. Who do you help? Who you love helping? What results do you help people get?

Raechelle: So I work with a very diverse group of individuals. I work with small businesses all the way through to legacy organizations. So from small to large and everything in between and when asked what I do, because it is so diverse, I like to tell people what I really do is align those complex challenges that happen with opportunities while maintaining change. Because when change come in, we tend to get nervous and no matter how good we are at what we do, it causes initially of scramble

And being an Innovative strategist I'm able to take a look at the big picture, that overarching achievement, "our goals" and look at the finer detail, which is going to be our objectives and help people strategically. That plan, that purpose, that action and step us through. So take us where we are to where we desire to be.

Jen: You're the perfect person to talk to. You're the perfect person for me to talk to today. What I'm getting from you already is that there's not a "but", there's an "and". Right now we have these two disparate things. We are in the middle of a storm maybe and we have some goals. They're not two opposite things. We're not talking about "but"s we're talking about "and"s and how to hold those two disparate things at the same time so that we can achieve our goals.

That's what you help people do.

Raechelle: Yes, most definitely. A lot of times when change happens we're looking for a way and what I love what you're doing with December is we want to minimize the noise and the distraction so that we can optimize where it is ee want to go so we can get there with proficiency, efficiency, and power. And that's what happens when the solution architect comes into the individual situation or into your organization.

Jen: The Solution Architect, which is you is here to help us like comb through the big mess so that we can see the path more clearly. Is that right?

Raechelle: Exactly.

Jen: So, tell us about some of the struggles that your clients tend to get stuck, mired down with

Raechelle: Because it's difficult for you to recognize the opportunity is almost like not being able to to see it. I know imma get this wrong because I do it all the time. What is it see the forest for the trees?

So because it's hard to see it, a lot of times what happens when we're trying to diagnose we're bombarded with the symptoms. So what happens a lot of times with the challenges in the struggles with my clients is when they're self-diagnosing, they're running around in circles. So what I say, A lot of times is when I come in they look like Keystone Cops. The problem is right there, but they are running in circles because they are too busy addressing the symptom and not diagnosing the problem.

Jen: That makes so much sense. So they can't even... they have zero clarity at that point. They are getting hit every day with problem-problem-problem

Raechelle: And they're spinning their wheels and exhausting their resources. So it is my job to help them leverage their resources. And I do it not just with strategy because I'm a strategist, but it is that Innovative strategy is that part that is important so I'm Bridging the Gap between the ideation process and the action in the planning and strategy.

Jen: Yeah so important. So let's talk about this. So here we are December 2020. There has been a lot of problems hitting us in the face and for some of us all we can see are our problems and not everybody has access to a strategist. Not everybody has access to somebody who can help them gain clarity.

So can you talk about some tools and strategies like some of your favorites that you present and work with with your clients that we can start to implement to help us stop the problems from pecking us and start looking toward the solutions.

Raechelle: Now I thought about this for a moment because a lot of what I do, believe it or not, is very simple. But it's kind of scientific. Like for instance change management, self readiness, self-efficacy. These are terminologies that we use within industry, but they are very practical.

So my thought was I know I'm coming to talk to Jen. What do I say to her audience where I'm not throwing these terms where people going to have to go Google it and go "How do I do that?"

Jen: Yeah, like "What is that?" 

Raechelle: Yeah, exactly. So when I say self-efficacy, basically what this is, is how do I see my ability to change? I'm looking at all of this stuff that's coming at me at one time. Nine out of ten times if we have to change a process it's not real difficult.

I have to do something a different way. But change doesn't normally come at us that way. It comes at us five things at a time 10 things at a time 20 things at a time. Because by the time we realized something needs to change it's usually 10 to 20 things that it has affected and all of those things need to change and it's when we have to change everything at one time that change bombards us.

Jen: And that's how 2020 has felt, right?

Raechelle: Exactly. It was just one thing after another and then the pandemic affected everything because there was no resiliency plan. There was no exit plan.

There just was not a lot of plans in place that probably should have been in place if we were paying attention to just one thing that snowballed. 

So there is a change management infographic that I put together that I would like to offer your audience:

And the basic part of this is understanding, realizing, which is mindset, the change management and readiness. "A change has to happen." I know it sounds real simple, but we get sometimes in such a denial process. "I can do this or I'm not doing anything because I'm so overwhelmed." If we can just take a breath and say "A change has to happen".

And then communication. Where it is just you yourself or a team. It has to actually be said. If action stays in your head and it doesn't literally come out of your mouth, you're not gonna move.

Jen: This makes so much sense if you just and I know that you work with big companies small companies, but if you even think about what you're saying inside of our own families, inside of our own home,s inside of our own units of the people that we spend time with. There's a problem. Something needs to change. That's the first thing acknowledging something needs to change. Yousaid that was the first thing the second thing is, I've got to tell somebody else about this because if there's an issue and I don't talk to my husband or my partner about it...nothing changes.

Raechelle: I'm going to trivialize it even more than that if I'm in a house by myself, and I know my space has overwhelmed me because I haven't made it as tidy as I needed to be. It's a function mentally I need to say "This is a mess" because if I don't say it and I keep sitting down in it, I'll just keep spreading things out to the place where I'm sitting and I put blinders on. But once I verbalize this is a mess, I've made it real in my space. I have to do something about this but a part of communicating it is now that I've said it I need to form some questions. Now that I've diagnosed it now that I've said it...

• What does that mean?
• What am I going to do about it?
• How am I going to address it?
• Is anybody else involved?
• What resources?

So now I need to start asking questions about this is where I am, where do I want to be with it? And that will automatically start to make me ask questions about the road that needs to be taken to get there.

Jen: This is really self-reflection at a very basic level and I love that you started this conversation by saying "what I'm about to present to you isn't like brain surgery."

Raechelle: Not rocket science.

Jen: But if you don't do this simple shit, you're never going to get anywhere. And so many of us have trouble saying "Oh my God, this is a mess." Like it's so hard to say that to ourselves sometimes

Raechelle: And using your voice starting this Is what minimizes the noise externally and internally so that you can maximize and optimize the next move because now what you're going to do is develop a plan.

Now this part in change management and time management is key. This mess didn't come about this problem didn't come about overnight. Don't try to solve it overnight. This is where we start to eat an elephant. Now, I'm going to add some humor.

I don't know why we want to eat a pachyderm. Their cows are huge. Pigs are huge. But this is where we eat an elephant take it one bite at a time. Okay?

Jen: That is a bad metaphor.  Yeah, I get it.

Raechelle: But it's the one we have.  So,  create a plan. Decide realistically what you're going to do the steps you're going to take. And keep yourself accountable.

Okay.

I'm going to attack this on this day for this amount of time and stop. Even if you feel good about it, and you want to keep going stop. It's almost like going to the gym. You say you want to do 45 minutes you feel good you do an hour and a half and then the next day you can't lift your arms. You feel as though to gym tried to kill you so you don't go back.

But if you commit to what you said you were going to do...

Jen: You'll be fine! 

Raechelle:  You'll be fine. You'll go back You keep doing it. And before it's over and done with you lost a hundred pounds, you\ feel beautiful and you can inspire other people. Develop the plan and then the next step is implement the plan. But this is a caveat. Share it with someone because when somebody else knows what you plan to do is hard to cave in and not do it.

Now the last thing is not on the infographic, but this is something I always do. I celebrate. 

Jen: I never do that! I suck at that! 

Raechelle: It doesn't have to be balloons and confetti. But as you can see, I'm the Purple Princess! Purple hair, violet contacts, purple lipstick and nails. Purple is my happy place. I will go to the dollar store and purchase myself something purple. Because I've done a good job but celebrates yourself when you've accomplished something. And for those business owners who have teams celebrate them. Send the email to says "Yay team". Find out what they like. Send a gift card. Do a post-it sticker that says "Yes!" Do something that says validation, gratitude, because we accomplished this

Jen: So good. When you take your clients through this simple system, right and we know that it's simple on the outside, but it's not simple to do on the inside or else we wouldn't be where we are right now. We wouldn't be struggling with anything. Right?

What do they say that they wish they had known before starting. Like they get to the other side and they're just like "Jesus, Rae. How come I couldn't just do this myself?" What do they wish they had known?

Raechelle: Believe it or not how toxic perception is.

Jen: Can you talk more about that?

Raechelle: I always tell people that perception is reality and reality is truth. We will see the same thing, but perceive it differently. I don't do well if everything is not in its place. Everything has a place everything in its place.

One of my parents is from the military. So everything had to be regimented. Okay, so it was embedded in me. Some people may look at something out of place and it has a Snowball Effect and then they just think this is overwhelming. I can't deal with it that is there. That is their perception that is their reality. That is their truth.

I see things out of order and I have to put it in order because things out of order means that things are not going to function. That's my perception. That's my reality. That's my truth.

When I go to work with people, I try to figure out what their reality is what their perception is because then I can help us all come to the same truth. So when it's all over and done with you have people say a lot of times "We can't do this. This is not going to work. This is too much. This is too hard," because of their perception of how they're all looking at one thing. They each have a different perception which gives them a different reality which gives them a different truth.

Jen: It makes so much sense. You know how I see this in my clients. They'll desperately need some help and I know that they need a virtual assistant of some sort and in their head, they're like, "I can't afford a virtual assistant. I don't even have time to tell you what a virtual assistant would you, much less train a virtual assistant, much less hire a virtual assistant. I don't have time for this. I can't afford it."

And that's the perception but the truth is like you might need that virtual assistant for two hours a week, five hours a month, and then it just becomes that little bite rather than trying to eat the whole Pachyderm. But it's Shifting the perception for people like letting them know what's possible.

It sounds like that's what you do for people is help them see for themselves what's possible and sometimes we need somebody outside of ourselves to do that.

Raechelle: Yes. Someone who can see the big picture and break it down to the finest detail.

Jen: Yes. This is really a helpful path that you've taken us on and I'm really excited to look at your infographic later. What advice would you give to women entrepreneurs besides everything you've already shared with us? Is there some advice to help grow a business that you would share?

Raechelle: Yes. Do it scared.

Do it scared.

If anything, what I've learned in 2020 because it was a very unnerving year, a very unnerving year...There was some businesses that thrived. There were a few businesses...

Well, let me change that, there were some businesses that survived, there were a few businesses that thrived but there were many businesses, unfortunately, they closed their doors and died.

Yeah, and it was a little bit because they were not prepared. But as many people were calling me and asking me how to transition, how to pivot. What do we monetize now that we aren't face-to-face and I have to take my business from brick-and-mortar to click and mortar?

What I realized was it was less being prepared and more fear. And what I started to tell people was do it afraid because regret is more heartbreaking than fear is disappointing. Because the more you don't move, time gives you the illusion of inability because distance makes you feel like the gap is greater. When one step is still one step whether it's one day or one year is still just one step. Where when you fold or you fail, you've not lost anything you've actually learned and you just get up and you try a new way.

Jen:  Right. 

Raechelle:  So failure it may be disappointing, but regret robs you of so much more because you have no idea of what you would have learned and what you could have accomplished

Jen: So true.

Raechelle: So do it afraid. Absolutely do it afraid.

Jen: So you might fail but at least you're not going to be...  So if you fail and you fall and you fall into the hole, at least you can climb out of the hole

Raechelle: Exactly you have movement and you know what you could have done.

Jen: Yeah, exactly.

Raechelle: Like I couldn't do it this way, but I still have this opportunity.

Jen: Yes. I love that. This is so important. People are always waiting to stop feeling afraid and it just never comes because you just keep getting to the next level and then you're afraid again.

Raechelle: I am an international speaker. I started off having speaking engagements at restaurants and schools and recreation centers. And I am just as nervous. Going up on platforms to speak to thousands of people as I was when I first got up at that first recreation center.

Jen: Right.

Raechelle: And the return on investment and the reaction from the audience, is as gratifying and the same if not better each time, but the butterflies don't go anywhere. But if I were not to do it, I would be miserable because I have a message.

Jen: Yeah, the fear is not worse than the regret feeling.  The fear is... it's kind of like you make friends with your fear.

Like "Oh, there you are. I know what this feeling is," but regret is like a heavier feeling like a darker heavier energy to me.

Raechelle: Exactly, exactly because it's almost like it taunts you.

Jen: Yeah, yeah.

Raechelle: You knew you couldn't do it. You knew you weren't worth it. 

Jen: Yes, yes.  So good. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the audience?How they can get in touch with you? How can they work with you? Follow you?

Raechelle: Yes, actually I would. I do want everyone to know that that infographic is available.

Jen: Great. We'll put the link to that. 

Raechelle: Yes. I have two books that I would love to share. One book is "Content Marketing Strategy: How To Win Clients And Influence Markets" and the other one is "Women Influencing Nations: Volume 3 I'm Still Standing". The second one, you can pre-order it now and it will be available in January. Would it make a perfect Christmas gift? It'll actually be available around my birthday. So make me happy if you would. 

Jen: Happy birthday. You're little birthday gift.

Raechelle: Yes, and you can get them both from my website. My website is https://www.kreativeinkllc.com/ I'm also launching my digital TV program Creative Insights. I'm very excited about that. It's a platform that's going to allow me to share alongside some of the industry's top leaders in real-world solutions proven to improve productivity as well as increase profit growth, right? So that's going to be available on Onstage Plus and Roku. So if you go to the website, you'll be able to get the link in the new year to participate in that.

And I'm available for connection. Always love new friends on Instagram as well as Facebook.

On Facebook. It's Kreative Ink LLC the same way as the website with the k and ink.

And on Instagram the same way but there's dots it's so @kreative.ink.llc . 

Jen: You love your K's and you love your purples.

Raechelle: Yes. Yes! I have to be different. So Kreative needed to be spelt differently.

Jen: Well, I highly recommend that people reach out to you in all any of these forms because we had a conversation that's I mean... I met Rae through a group that we're in together that meets monthly and just having a conversation with somebody who lives in a different part of the country than you live, looks different than you look has a different, you know whole job than you have. It's the way that we expand our Network in our circles of influence.

So if you're looking to grow your business, and I know you are else you wouldn't be listening to my podcast or reading my blog or showing up for my content. You have to grow your network, so please Rae just invited you to reach out to her. And so, please please please let her know that you heard her on The Idea Space and that you want to connect.

So you're so generous to do that. Thank you Rae. It's awesome. Thank you.

Raechelle: And again, I really appreciate being a part of your audience. I greatly appreciate the invitation and for trusting me to share my insight with them again. I don't take it for granted. I appreciate it.

Jen: I totally understand it because I feel like showing up and serving our audience is you know, like I love content marketing, and showing up in serving my audience at this level is really important to me. So I totally understand that and I love what you shared with us today because 2020 has just been one of those things where it's been problem poking-poking-poking and we have to get out of our own way to get to allow in what's coming in 2021. Because we can handle it.

Raechelle: Yeah.

Jen: We can handle it. 

Raechelle: Yes.

Jen: Thanks Rae. Thanks everybody for showing up today and listening and watching and

I will see you next week.

Bye everyone.