Every year I take stock of the biggest points of impact, both in my life and my community. As always, thank you for being on this journey with me. Your participation in and support of my abilities is what propels me forward every year.
40 Under 40
At 32, I received the distinguished honor of Des Moines Business Record’s 2019 40 Under 40. To me, this was recognition of the contribution one small business owner can make in their community. I was so proud to walk across that stage, knowing that my HR department is my mom, my team includes my 2 dedicated employees and loads of friends, and every single hour and resource I donate to my community come directly out of my own pocket.
If I have one goal in life, it’s to lead by example and inspire EVERY person to know they can make a difference simply by showing up and having the confidence to walk out on to the shaky, unstable branches of life, contributing everything they have to the causes and community they love.
I photographed over 100 individuals for $100 Headshots
I started the $100 headshot campaign in 2017. The concept is simple. Once a year I lower my portrait prices to $100 for 15 minutes of my time and one polished file. On top of that great deal, I donate $10 from every session to a charity of choice.
This year, there was so much interest, I ran two $100 headshot sessions, one to benefit Dress for Success and the other benefiting Food Bank of Iowa. The most mind-boggling part of the whole experience? These offers sold out in less than 48 hours. Talk about an all-around win.
Your Personal Brand Launch: Online Course Launched in 2020
Emily and I started Brand Launch with one major goal: teach people how to elevate their lives and business through intentional personal branding. After 2 years of successful workshops, we’ve poured our hearts, souls, and knowledge into this course curriculum and couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve created! The course launched TODAY, Jan 8th, and is already bringing us so much joy and fulfillment.
On top of this great accomplishment, we wrote our first E-book, Showing up Social, sharing our perspective on why social is important and how you can make an impact by simply telling your own story. Grab the E-Book HERE.
HEARTCORE LEADERSHIP
The Universe sent me all sorts of signs this year and I was finally in a mental position to listen. One of the biggest signs I received was during No Meetings March (read past post on that). My friend and client Kathleen Riessen called me during this meeting hiatus and I actually had the energy to pick up the phone. Kathleen said, “Whitney, I’m in this leadership program right now and this is it. This is what you need to do. Here are the dates and here is the price point.”
At the time of Kathleen’s call, I was digging myself out of a deep emotional hole, working hard to correct 3 years of working from the burnout zone. I knew I needed something but I didn’t know what. I took Kathleen’s call as a sign and I paid the deposit the next day. Little did I know the massive amount of serendipity I’d just set in motion.
From August to December, I traveled to San Diego 4 times, diving deep into myself and my leadership capacities. I learned more, grew more and built more in those 4 months than I have at any other point in my life. Of the life-changing experiences I’ve been through, this one takes the cake. I chose it. I committed to it. And I completed it. And at the end of the day, I received a sense of calm in myself, grounding and clarity I never thought possible. Of the things I’m most grateful for this year, HCL and the friends I made there are at the top of the list.
DSM Hummingbirds went from a concept to a platform!
In July of 2018, Emily and I launched the concept of DSM Hummingbirds, a community marketing strategy pairing enthusiastic community members with brands, services, and experience that need a little buzz and momentum. The idea was simple. EVERYONE has influence, especially in hyper-local markets and we were eager to show what impact your neighbors could have on local business growth.
Over and over, this concept continues to prove itself. Our Hummingbirds LOVE trying new things and sharing their experiences with their friends on social and in person. And the businesses? They are getting new ideal client exposure with the added benefit of authentic social posting. EVERYONE WINS.
And this year, we started the long process of creating the technology to support this. It’s been a long journey, but we’re so excited to say that by mid-2020, we’ll have a fully functioning Hummingbird site and are looking to expand outside of DSM! We’ll keep you posted on these exciting developments.
I wore shorts
and lived to tell about it.
I realize that this might seem like the silliest win of 2019 but for me, it was huge. 2019 was a year of true body acceptance. It was also the year I discovered Eloquii, the site where curvy girls like me can go to unload all their extra money and come out looking fabulous.
Because of this site, I wore shorts, crop tops, many jumpsuits, sequin skirts…. the list goes on. I preach a lot about what it means to be unapologetically extra, being bold in our bodies and our brains, but even I struggle with giving my external self the praise it deserves. So here’s to 2020, perhaps this is the year of the two-piece bathing suit. You never know!
Left to right: Megan, Production Manager - Whitney, Chief Empowerment Officer - Amanda, Operations Manager
My teams GREW!
Running two business’s isn’t easy and I don’t do it alone.
Megan and I have been operating as the dynamic duo of Ivory House for too long and we desperately needed an admin to keep everything on track! Amanda Arnold entered our lives at the most amazing time and provided both of us the support and space we needed to really take Ivory House to the next level. With Amanda by our side, we’ve honed in on our systems and made Ivory House an efficient business with loads of personal impact!
Left to right: Callie, Integration specialist. Whitney, Co-Founder. Emily, Co-Founder, Amanda, Operations Manager. Matt, Technology specialist.
Our Brand Launch team also grew! Emily and I have been doing as much as we can as a duo, but we were pleased to bring on several team members in 2019! Amanda, also joined the Brand Launch team as our operations manager (so basically she runs every aspect of Emily and my calendar), Callie came on board this summer as an intern and we quickly found that she is an extraordinary integrator. Now we can’t imagine our team without her. And Matt came on the team earlier this year as our technology lead to take DSM Hummingbirds to the next level. It’s with his help and guidance that we have watched DSM Hummingbirds grow from a concept to a platform.
I had my first fine art gallery show in DSM!
And I did my first artist talk and I sold my first fine artwork ever!!! These are pretty big personal wins. I loved being able to share my thesis work, Self Control, with the people of DSM and Liz Lidgett’s Gallery was the perfect place to showcase this work.
Presenting at LEAP on the Power of Personal Branding!
I got a jump start on my public speaking career!
I got to stand on lots of stages this year and it absolutely thrilled me! I spoke on topics ranging from personal branding, community marketing, being your own nano influencer to being unapologetically extra and defining your own path. Every single one of these opportunities was a thrill and a learning opportunity.
These lead me to my 2020 goal of speaking on 10 big stages across the country. So if you know of anyone looking to bring in an Unapologetically Extra speaker or personal brand strategist, let me know!
May in Amsterdam!
On a personal note….
I traveled to:
Denver
Charlotte
Rochester, NY
NYC
Copenhagen
Took a river cruise down the Rhine from Amsterdam to Frankfurt
San Diego (4 times) for leadership training
Kansas City
Napa
Every single one of these adventures adds to the beautiful, vibrant texture of my life and l’m so grateful for this life I get to lead.
AND…. I fell in love. Yup, if you’re reading this to the very end, you get the juicy bits. I met a man named Erik in June. We bonded over a mutual love of the Enneagram, tacos, The Storytellers Project and deep conversations. We’re pretty smitten and having a great time doing life together.
