Today I have the pleasure of speaking with my friend Jo Gifford. Jo is a content creator, project manager and team member for multiple global agile teams, a podcaster, and an author. Whether it's connecting your audience to your business, connecting your team with your organization, or creating content to connect to yourself, Jo is passionate about making it happen. You are a leader and you have brilliance even if it’s boxed. Let’s dive into this episode and learn how Jo can help you connect to your unboxed brilliance. [00:01 - 05:00] Opening Segment I introduce and welcome my friend, Jo Gifford Jo talks a bit about herself  All about human connection  Content development lead, author, podcaster  Living in Cambridge, UK  Unboxed leaders - connecting people to their brilliance 

[05:01 - 18:24] What is Your Brilliance  I talk about Jo’s book https://www.amazon.com/Brilliance-Unboxed-Jo-Gifford-ebook/dp/B0868X2NDC (Brilliance Unboxed) Jo talks about her perception of brilliance It’s your unique essence  Articulating what makes the client awesome  When people start questioning their power, change happens  Your purpose is probably already close to you  Notice the moments that make you feel like you’re in your flow  Write those moments down  Ask people around you about what they see you excel at  It’s how you hold space 

[18:25 - 33:51] How Jo Literally Reclaimed Her Voice Jo shares about the times she’s felt silenced  Developed a stammer after parents’ divorce  Never said true thoughts throughout the teen years  Jo talks about the experiences that led to her silence  Jo talks about getting her voice back  Started blogging and sharing experiences online  Finding her voice through writing  Owning and loving who I am  From a weakness, to one of her most powerful tools The voice is your connection to other people  Refine your voice by expressing it through different creative outlets  Find the way you work best  I talk about my own journey stifling myself creatively  There is so much power with just connecting with yourself  Do something new everyday even if it’s tiny  Jo shares a story about becoming heard 

[33:52 - 43:50] Upleveling Your Environment  Jo talks about how she changed her friends around Putting up boundaries against people who use you as a dump Now surrounded by amazing people  I share a story when I felt like my gift became a pain point  Uplevel your environment Your experience seeing someone silenced in the workplace? Jo shares her experiences she’s had earlier in her career  I talk about having always been the one making sure everyone is heard Carrying these issues even into your own business 

[43:51 - 48:09] Closing Segment Advice to women in business who feel stifled  Write down the times you’ve felt connected to your brilliance  Invite your circle of friends to reflect back to you  Start publicly sharing something in any capacity  Output and use your voice even if it’s only with yourself  Turn the dial up when you find your confidence  Who would be best to connect with you and how to connect with you? Links below Final words  Closing 

Tweetable Quotes:

"What brilliance is for me, it’s your ‘you-ness.’ It’s your power, it’s your unique essence.” - Jo Gifford 

“I’m noticing people connect with the fact that when they question everything, when they really unbox it, and they go ‘what am I doing here, what is my power, what makes me unique?’ then there’s radical change.” - Jo Gifford 

“My voice; I began to reclaim it by sharing it, and I began to reclaim it, too, by owning more and more of who I am, and loving me for who I am.” - Jo Gifford

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