That’s right—this year Medusa’s headquarters moved from Phoenix, AZ to Baltimore, MD. I’m excited to live closer to family and in a timezone between western USA and Europe. If you’re in the DMV, I’d love to treat you to a coffee—details here.

It felt great to return to work (after mat leave) in January, and since we’ve hosted a cohort of our thought leader program Exponential Influence, a workshop, a fireside chat (see the replay), and welcomed new clients and connections.

Clients past and current have achieved big milestones this year: two USA Today bestselling books is just one example, and there’s more below.

Speaking of which, this Client Impact Report has a new section celebrating our fantastic client alumnae, so make sure you scroll to the Celebrating Alumnae section.

Thank you for being here with us.

– Eva and the MMG team

Q1-Q2 2024 Client Impact Report Table of Contents

• Client Feature: Kandi Wiens, USA Today bestselling author of “Burnout Immunity”
• Thought Leadership: awards, speaking & site launch
• Work with Medusa: Grow Your Audience, Opportunities & Authority
• Successes & Milestones: strategy, 35% growth & open discussions
• Celebrating Alumnae
• Medusa News
• 1% Donation Recipient

You can also view of the PDF version (with more images!).

Client Feature: Kandi Wiens

“Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work” by Kandi Wiens is a moving blend of original research, inspiring stories, and Kandi’s own experience recovering from extreme stress. Buy from your fave retailer here.

It was also a USA Today Bestseller the week it came out and recognized by Financial Times as one of this year’s best business books. Congratulations, Kandi!

The world urgently needs the skills Kandi teaches in her book—global burnout levels were at 63% in 2022. As Kandi wrote, “That’s staggeringly high for something that I know can be prevented. It’s my mission to see global burnout levels plummet, and I know that can happen if more of us understand how to use our emotional intelligence and build resilience.”

If you’re wondering why Kandi looks familiar, it may be thanks to her appearance on the Tamron Hall Show, being selected for the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2024, her articles in Harvard Business Review or her session at SXSW.

When I asked Kandi to share one of her most meaningful moments this year, she said,

“People stood in line after my session at SXSW (some even missing the next session) to thank me and share their burnout stories. Three women had tears in their eyes, and we’ve stayed in touch.”

Thought Leadership

Selena’s recent wins

The accolades keep rolling in for leadership speaker and author Selena Rezvani:

• Selena’s best-performing post this year highlights the trajectory of her LinkedIn-newsletter-turned-WSJ-bestselling book, reaching nearly 20K people, earning over 300 reactions, and over 120 comments.
• Quick Confidence earned a Book Excellence Award.
• It was also the #1 business download in French and #5 download in English on getAbstract in 2023!
• Selena was named among the top women public speakers by Mic Drop Workshop.

Amy goes global

Author and speaker Amy Gallo has been speaking all over the globe, including to a packed room at SXSW (for the 2nd time) and in London to celebrate the paperback launch of her book, Getting Along.

Amy also launched a gorgeous new website designed by Sy Agency. Congrats, Amy!

Grow Your Audience, Opportunities & Authority

To make intellectual and emotional impact, your body of work must be articulated and distributed. That’s why we help clients:

• Grow engaged & profitable audiences that
• Attract lucrative opportunities and establish authority with our
• Thought Leader Ecosystem (TLE) model, leading to
• Bestselling books, strong speaking fees, awards and recognition, podcast invitations, confidence and authority, and strong networks of fellow thought leaders
  
  

Micro case studies: one client increased her base speaking fee by 200% within the first year of working with Medusa.

Another turned a weekly LinkedIn newsletter into a Wall Street Journal bestselling book.

Our clients see a 94% average audience growth on LinkedIn after one year and 109% growth after two.

We have space for several new private clients in 2024. Our fall thought leader program begins in September. How to work with us.

HOW WE WORK:

Exponential Influence: Command change-making authority, audience and opportunities with a profitable and thriving thought leader ecosystem. Get the details.

Thought Leader Advisory: From training and advisory to ghostwriting, producing and marketing, work with us privately on your ecosystem.

Launch a Bestselling Book: Leverage your ecosystem (from your network to allies and audience) to pre-sell books and earn bestselling status and impact.

Successes & Milestones

Exponential Influence graduate updates

Dr. Katina Sawyer and Dr. Patricia Grabarek, co-founders of Workr Beeing, signed a book deal with Wiley, which will allow them to bring specific, research-based strategies to leaders to help employees thrive. Congratulations, you two!

About being part of our Exponential Influence program, Katina said:

“Working with Eva boosted my confidence by providing me with tools to ensure my content is seen and read by more people. A key conversation changed our strategy for writing blog posts, helping us repurpose content and use AI more strategically, which is saving time, streamlining our efforts, and leveraging our body of work more fully. I feel knowledgeable about how to enhance our reach and engagement, and ready to use the skills we learned in our upcoming book launch. I highly recommended Eva’s program for anyone looking to expand the impact of their content online.”

Caroline’s successes on LinkedIn

Leadership coach and author Caroline Webb saw a 35% increase in her LinkedIn engagement in the first three months of working with Medusa.

Her most popular post this year is The kindness of clear communication: a lesson I learned.

Stacey’s Open Invitation

As a companion to Unconscious Inclusion, workplace culture consultant Stacey Gordon has been hosting free monthly open discussions. Recent discussions have covered censorship and how we use labels, and July’s topic will be effective DEI programs and how to support DEI professionals this year. Join the July discussion.

Celebrating Alumnae

Booklandia

• Author and speaker Elaine Lin Hering launched her first book, the USA Today bestselling Unlearning Silence. We sent free copies of the book to a few lucky email subscribers, including Shonda, pictured right
• Author Ruchika T launched the paperback of Inclusion on Purpose and turned in the manuscript for her second book Uncompete (forthcoming, Penguin/Viking)
  

Speaklandia

• Professor and author Dolly Chugh’s TED Talk just surpassed over 5 million views (with 14 new views every hour, even six years after it first launched)
• Parent coach Sarah Wayland presented at the invitation-only Psychotherapy Networker Conference
• Author and speaker Charlene Li gave the commencement address at her high school, the place where she “found her voice.” Read about the experience (and keep scrolling for a pic of us—we met in person for the first time this year!)
  

& More

• “We launched our Play Facilitator Certification program to teach other facilitators/coaches/consultants how to bring more play and experiential learning into their work.” – Alex Suchman, Barometer XP co-founder
• “I wrote and filmed (in Portugal!) a course for a new B2B learning platform in Europe. The course is Stop Overthinking: Master Your Mind and Start Trusting Yourself “ – Jay Moon Fields, somatic coach
• Dolly exchanged a moderate pay cut for fewer institutional and teaching responsibilities for a year. During her sabbatical she built her skills, knowledge, and CONFIDENCE (the big one!) in creative, collaborative spaces: documentary filmmaking, jazz dance, improv theater, the Artist’s Way & more
• “I am working with an organization that is aligned to my vision around a world where workplaces contribute to greater civility in society and enjoying meeting leadership teams that are working to improve the employee experience. I have the opportunity in my role to write articles and blogs and continue to use what I learned from your thought leader program, which I also apply to the speaking engagements I have done.” – Anne Cesak, Senior Consultant Great Place to Work Canada

Medusa News

How to LinkedIn Joyfully & Effectively

We covered a lot of ground in this fireside chat, from “chaotic” authenticity, unhelpful ideas about authenticity, gender, keeping blinders on, play, awkwardness and more.

The replay is free and ready for you! Get it here.

Media & Features

Why does slowing down feel risky? I open up about what’s changing for me personally this summer, as well as how it’s influencing how I work. I talk about pants on fire, squeamishness, book recommendations, upcoming plans, and more. To get updates like these from me regularly, subscribe.

On having audacity in tackling entrepreneurship without allowing the difficulties to deter you | Allowing your business to grow and develop into a particular niche as your client base and skills develop | How you can take the journey of thought leadership for your niche | That’s a sample of what Kalish Nesbitt and I discuss on her Proactively Present Podcast.

1% of Profits

We donated 1% of our profits from Q1-2 to the National Council. Founded in 2010 by Andrea James, National Council is an organization committed to ending incarceration of women and girls and creating the infrastructure for the systems in support of building healthy, thriving people and communities. Thank you Katie Couric for sharing about this organization.

And just for fun…

Charlene and I met IRL this year! She was in Scottsdale for a speaking event, and we sat outside on a lovely day. She’s a gem and I am so glad to know her.

The post Client Impact Report: Q1-Q2 2024 appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

I enjoyed the heck out of my maternity leave… and it feels great to be back at Medusa Media!

Our clients achieved some terrific personal and professional wins in 2023 and I’m thrilled to share them with you. Think:

• A Wall Street Journal bestselling book
• A submitted manuscript
• Over 500% growth in LinkedIn followers
  

I’m also excited to work with a new cohort of thought leaders in our signature program, Exponential Influence. If you’re ready to grow your audience, authority, revenues and impact, I’d love to work with you. Details on page 3.

A break is a wonderful thing for the mind and body. Several of our clients took sabbaticals this year. How I prepped for mine is on page 8.

To an energizing New Year . Yours,

– Eva and the Medusa team

PS For the PDF-version of this report, go here.

Exponential Influence

The struggle is real: lost opportunities for income and impact, overwhelm from all the marketing options, feeling stuck on where to focus your thought leadership.

The system is the solution.

That’s why clients come to us: to create a simple, repeatable system that leverages their network and content for growth, income, & authority.

Exponential Influence helps you develop that system—we call it your eco-system—by strengthening your core ideology and distribution process.

You’ll walk away with more authority in the marketplace, new opportunities to earn, accelerated audience growth, greater confidence and team capacity. Clients include keynote speakers, professors, founders, consultants, authors, and more.

We begin on February 29th, and I’d love to have you join us. Secure your seat, and I’ll see you on the inside.

Her Words

Professor and author Dolly Chugh:

“Thought leadership, especially social media, used to drain me completely. But since completing Exponential Influence, I see a different way forward. Eva showed me and my team a more intentional, steady approach that feels right for how I want to put myself out there—it’s sustainable and genuine.

Over the weeks we worked together the changes were subtle, but like a ton of feathers adding up, by the end my entire philosophy and approach had completely changed for the better. If you’re feeling overwhelmed like I was, working with Medusa is a must. Eva’s teaching is powerful.”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

“Quick Confidence” was a WSJ bestseller!

Selena Rezvani did a beautiful job leveraging her network to boost bulk orders. We also collaborated on leveraging her 100k-strong LinkedIn newsletter audience and email audience. It worked!

Congratulations, Selena, on this dream come true. You did it!

In other book news, speaker, researcher and forthcoming author Kandi Wiens submitted the manuscript for “BURNOUT IMMUNITY: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work.” We’re thrilled to work with Kandi to launch her book, which comes out on April 23rd. It’s now available for pre-order!

Author and speaker Amy Gallo’s ideas were highlighted in a “Big Think” video:

Professor and author Dolly Chugh’s book “A More Just Future“ captivated audiences on big stages, including SXSW. Dolly was also featured on many podcasts, including Dr. Phil’s “Phil in the Blanks,” where Dr. Phil praised her work, stating, “This book should be required reading.”

Thought Leader Roundup

• Selena Rezvani was featured on the TODAY show and interviewed by Washington Post and Bloomberg about her creator journey.

• Author and speaker Charlene Li’s LinkedIn Learning course, Generative AI and Workplace Transformation, debuted.

• Somatic educator Jay Moon Fields’ signature program Yours Truly is now evergreen! Jay’s 4th LinkedIn Learning course, Learning to Prioritize and Express Your Needs at Work debuted.

• Leadership consultant Aiko Bethea and the RARE Coaching and Consulting team debuted their LinkedIn newsletter, Street Lights.
  
• Amy Gallo and Kandi Wiens will be speaking at SXSW 2024.

• Executive coach Muriel Wilkens hosted two seasons of her popular podcast, Coaching Real Leaders.

• Has Cynicism Infected Your Organization? and Stop Overworking After Vacation by Kandi Wiens were published by Harvard Business Review.

• I cared too much about my job and landed in the ER. Here’s how to spot the red flags of ‘overcaring’ by Executive Coach Teresa Vozza was published by Fast Company.

SUCCESSESS AND MILESTONES

Melina Cordero, DEI advisor and founder of P20, says:

“I had posts featured by the LinkedIn News team 3 times in 2023, each one generating a big spike in engagement and followers. I definitely attribute that to the strategies and consistency Medusa trained me on!

On another note, I had a random LinkedIn post go my-version of “viral” with 32k impressions. It was a post of a blog I wrote almost 2 years ago which I was recycling. I followed Medusa’s learnings and BOOM! How wild is that?”

Speaking of viral, Amy’s LinkedIn post “Women are held back at work due to 30 biases out of their control, says new study” earned over 100k impressions, 866 likes, 51 comments, and 123 shares.

On Sabbatical:

• Amy: “I had my biggest revenue year yet – while taking 4 months off!”

• Jay: “I took a sabbatical/family medical leave for the last four months of 2023. I’ve worked very hard over the years to build a business that can sustain me even if I need to take a break. I’ve built that business, and I need that break.”

• During her academic sabbatical, Dolly explored two new spaces— documentary filmmaking and improv theater—showcasing her “semi-bold” willingness to explore new avenues of non-fiction storytelling and science communication.

5 million and 10k:

• Dolly’s TED Talk How to Let Go of Being a ‘Good’ Person — and Become a Better Person crossed over 5 million views, further solidifying her impact globally.
• Through her popular email newsletter Dear Good People, Dolly connects with over 10,000 readers monthly, with zeitgeist-y, evidence- based and action oriented tips.

Elaine Lin Hering, speaker, facilitator, and author “Unlearning Silence” says,

“I continue to use the approaches you taught me about LinkedIn and am approaching 8k followers. I also found a rhythm with the newsletter that feels good and sustainable, and recently crossed a big subscriber milestone. It still boggles my mind that people beyond ’everyone I know’ want to hear what I have to say. Thank you for getting me started on both those ventures.”

Elaine’s book is available for pre-order!

Achievements and Awards:

• Dolly was promoted to Full Professor and remains Jacob B. Melnick Term Professor at NYU Stern.

• Amy was shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Talent Award.

• Selena was awarded Thinkers50 Radar, named a LinkedIn Top Voice, and earned the title of Premier Expert on Self-Advocacy at Work by Forbes.

IMPACTING OTHERS

• Dolly remains involved with the NYU Prison Education Program as well as the High Mountain Institute. And thanks to Exponential Influence with Eva and Medusa Media, Dolly’s thought leadership on LinkedIn continues to grow.

• Kandi delivered 6 keynotes and facilitated 27 workshops helping professionals lead with resilience and develop burnout immunity.

• Jay shared her talk “What Thought You Here Won’t Get You There: When Smart Isn’t Enough)” at the 15 Seconds Festival in Graz, Austria.

• Amy says, “One of my favorite audiences was a group of staff from the National Health Service in Belfast!”
  
• Bias disruptor and speaker Stacey Gordon’s company debuted Unconscious Inclusion: the Work Beyond the Workshop: “Unconscious Inclusion is an all-encompassing, neuroscience-backed program that delivers meaningful cultural trans-formation. It’s not just about awareness; it’s about action, evolution and sustainable change.” All participants receive a DEI Professional Certificate upon completion, and HR professionals receive 13 CEU’s.

HIGHLIGHTS

I share how I planned my sabbatical, including what I had to build, let go, and risks. My time off was for maternity leave, but how I planned it applies to anyone taking an extended leave from self-employment. Read about my sabbatical >>

Features

What is the curse of knowledge? [11:26] Why are “non-consensual coaching” (and unsolicited advice) my pet peeves? [18:37] These are some of my favorite topics which Jessica Fearnley and I cover in this episode! Listen to Seven Figure Consultant >>

If you read others’ content and think, “Yeah but…”, that’s the sign of a hot idea! In this episode, I explain how to develop your thought leader ecosystem. Diane Mayor and I also go over: What exactly thought leadership is, how it differs from content marketing, and more. Listen to Coffee and Converse >>

1% OF PROFITS

We donated 1% of our profits in Q2-4 to Black Feminist Fund—one of a kind funding focused on supporting Black feminist movements that are fighting against systems of oppression and building another world that is affirming of Black women and gender expansive people. Thanks to Ellen McGirt for sharing about this organization.

The post Client Impact Report: Q2-Q4 2023 appeared first on Medusa Media Group.

I write this Q1 Client Impact Report just weeks before my maternity leave (for my first child) begins. Whoa!

Of course I’m excited, and of course I’m a little nervous. To stay in touch with me and the Medusa team while I’m away, make sure you join our private email list.

Now! On to our clients:

One client’s book is out (!), another is giving a huge talk in Austria (!), still more have seen great leaps in their audience growth and incoming opportunities (!!!).

We also published an important resource about thought leadership accessibility, and are proud to donate 1% of our profits to a wonderful organization — scroll down to see both.

Wishing you good thoughts and feelings,

– Eva & the Medusa team

PS For the PDF-version of this report, go here.

Exponential Influence

I’m extremely lucky (by USA standards) to be able to take a 7 month caregiving leave after I have my first baby.

That means I’ll work with new clients again in January, 2024!

However, I am super-early-bird enrolling a handful of qualified women leaders in our signature thought leader program, Exponential Influence.

These are women who know what they want and value planning their learning and development.

Sound like you? Apply here.

In the program we work with authors, speakers, coaches, and consultants to build inner depth and outer resonance — the key components of a thriving and profitable thought leader ecosystem.

If you’re considering working with Medusa, now is a special time to begin. I’m offering unique bonuses (and the best investment price ever) to honor early enrollers. I hope you’re among them!

Recent Exponential Influence members include:

Dolly Chugh

• NYU Stern professor, author of two acclaimed books and creator of the popular “Dear Good People” newsletter. (Dolly’s assistant Anna McMullen is also pictured below!)

Maryam Kouchaki

• Kellogg School of Management professor and organizational psychologist

Simone Ahuja

• Keynote Speaker, bestselling author of two books, and global authority on innovation and intrapreneurship.

Thought Leadership

Selena Rezvani launches a book and is named among LinkedIn’s Top Voices

Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Boost Connections, and Make Bold Bets on Yourself by leadership and self-advocacy expert Selena Rezvani is out!

You can support Selena’s dream of making this book a bestseller by ordering your copy today!

Bestseller lists tend to be overwhelmingly male and white. Getting Quick Confidence on such a list would be an achievement for Selena, and a powerful symbol to anyone who’s felt like they don’t fit in due to their identities.

Selena Rezvani has also been named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices! She shares her insights on agile growth here.

Top Voices is an invitation-only program featuring experts in a range of professional topics, to help users uncover valuable knowledge relevant to them. Congratulations on the recognition, Selena!

Jay and Amy’s highest-performing posts

Congrats to Amy Gallo for her highest-performing post since working with Medusa Media, earning over 1500 engagements: Stop Undervaluing Exceptional Women. Amy shared the article during Women’s History Month and it resonated strongly.

Somatic coach and educator Jay Fields had her highest-performing post since working with Medusa Media: Empathy is the Most Important Leadership Skill According to Research, earning 860 engagements.

Elaine Lin Hering made immediate impact

“A CEO is adding a feature to their product for reporting harassment and mis-conduct based on what I posted last night on LinkedIn.”

– Elaine Lin Hering, speaker, facilitator, and author of Unlearning Silence (2024)

Charlene Li featured on Idea of the Day

Charlene Li, a disruptive leadership expert and author, was featured by LinkedIn’s Idea of the Day for her valuable insights on how how to navigate change in uncertain times. Read her article: 2022 Reflections: Crisis, Change, and Continuous Opportunity

Congrats, Charlene!

Success & Milestones

We’re thrilled that not one but TWO of our clients made Thinkers50 Radar!

Congratulations Selena Rezvani and author and HBR editor Amy Gallo, for your dedication to delivering transformative knowledge to your communities.

Jay’s joining a big European Stage

Speaking of milestones, Jay Fields is proud to be filming her 4th course for LinkedIn Learning, and…

Prepping for her talk at Europe’s leading Future Conference, the Fifteen Seconds Festival (a prestigious event often compared to TEDx)!

Elaine and Melina’s successes on LinkedIn

I got my first client referral off LinkedIn. Here’s to thought leadership and social media monogamy in action! I’m starting to see the power of this network in action and am all for it.”

And:

“LinkedIn wins for the week so far: a leader DMed me to ask if I would be interested in being a guest on her podcast after seeing the comment I left in her thread.”

– Elaine Lin Hering

“Wow. I wanted to share that I’ve been seeing steady growth in my Linkedin follower numbers since starting your Micro Marketing Method program. Today I had a really big lead reach out ON LINKEDIN for an opportunity! Proof is in the pudding…”

And:

“Update: I’m up 50 followers… and they aren’t just ‘followers’, they’re the kind of people I want in my network and to partner with!”

– DEI advisor Melina Cordero

Stacey Gordon’s Impact Stories

Workplace culture consultant and global keynote speaker Stacey Gordon published the first edition of DEI Impact Stories.

It’s a valuable resource for starting genuine, transparent conversations about DEI, featuring five incredible organizational leaders whom Stacey has worked with through her firm, Rework Work.

JJ Jank accepted at a major speaking event

“I’m excited that my application to speak at a major California HR conference (CAHR 2023, put on by Professionals in Human Resources Association or PIHRA) was accepted!”

– Chief Brain Hacker Jennifer “JJ” Jank

Highlights from Medusa Media

Do you provide alt text on social media?

If you’re like a lot of people (including us, until recently) the answer is probably no.

That means you’re missing a critical step in making your work accessible. Not using alt text isn’t only ableist, it also limits your audience… by the millions!

In our resource learn what alt text is, why it matters, and how to include it in your thought leadership going forward:

1% of Profits

IllumiNative is a Native woman-led racial and social justice organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of—and challenging the narrative about—Native peoples. Thank you Amanda Hirsch for introducing us to this organization.

The post Client Impact Report: Q1 2023 appeared first on Medusa Media Group.