How to use life’s challenges as motivation for success

12/01/22 • 55 min

Today's guest requires no introduction if you tuned in to our previous podcast episode together, this is part two! As a business owner we are often pushed into being really uncomfortable. It's those uncomfortable situations where growth can happen.

Johanna White is an award winning graphic designer and visual branding strategist who designs premium brand identities that create impactful first impressions. As the founder of Design by Jo studio, she believes that if someone is the best at what they do, they deserve to look like it. For the past decade, she's worked with individuals, startups and fortune 200 brands worldwide, to help them cut through the noise, attract more of their ideal clients and be as delightfully expensive as they can deserve to be.

So it's funny, like, let's define expensive, right? Because everyone may have a different approach to what that actually means. She knows there's no limit to success, and she's proved it several times when she took life by the horns and started three companies within a year while battling a brain tumor! Wow, no words. At a time when everyone else in her life was suggesting that she quit working and go on her social security to cover her medical bills, she chose to do the complete opposite and defy the odds.

As a result, Johanna is a dreamer extraordinaire for top performers, goal oriented individuals and brands specializing in premium brand identities from start to finish. She assists her clients in a large range of needs, from brand messaging to visual brand identities to premium custom websites that convert visitors into customers. She believes that excellence applied across all customer touchpoints results in brand experiences that matter.

To find out more about making every brand moment count visit https://www.designbyjostudio.com/.

Main Topics:

Consistent brand touchpoints for max ROI- Your brand is more than a logo- What you believe matters, what you do about what you believe matters more

Key Takeaways:

If you don’t say it about yourself, and show it about yourself, you can’t expect your customers to know it about yourself! - If you want to attract the best, you need to look the best- If you are stuck undercharging because your leads are not qualified then you have a branding problem

To find out more about making every brand moment count visit https://www.designbyjostudio.com/.

Main Topics:

Consistent brand touchpoints for max ROI- Your brand is more than a logo- What you believe matters, what you do about what you believe matters more

Key Takeaways:

Previous Episode

Family activity for Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving!! I am SO thankful for YOU! Thank you for being here and for your support. This family activity is a great tool to lead to better communication and understanding of eachothers differences, as well as, helping you to be present and bring you closer together! If you try this with your family take a pic or video, post it and tag me @angelaproffit! It means the world to me!

Next Episode

Breathing New Life Into History: Preserving Our Past For Future Generations

Listen as we dive in to the experience of Chateau Challain! Our guest, Cynthia Nicholson's story is one of family and determination to restore history. The creation and development of Chateau Challain, one of the grandest private homes in the 19th century, was not an easy task, but with hard work and a talented international team of craftsman,Cynthia and her family succeeded in revitalizing this French estate home.

Together they created a breathtaking destination to host special events - like romantic weddings – while bringing back all the beauty from its midieval past. There’s no doubt that their journey has been one of passion where art, architecture meets culture for visitors and locals alike!

Main Topics:

*The difference in destination venues and venues that are “close to home”*The journey of revitalizing and giving new life to historic properties *Intentionally prioritize business and personal life so you can give quality to both

Key Takeaways:

*Each wedding is a new business and you don't know what kind of rocky roads you're going to go down*Self learning is many times the avenue to success*When you drive the client experience and anticipate their needs your guests have a lifelong memorable experience

More About Our Guest:

The earliest recorded chateau on our site dates all the way back to the medieval age in 1050, in a time of knights and chivalry. The original castle was probably part of the ‘Les Marches de Bretagne’ a series of fortresses that acted as a defensive line that protected the people of the ancient region of France known as Brittany. That chateau, and many others that followed it were destroyed in the wars, and conflicts that wracked the area in the centuries that followed.

But our story truly starts with Louise-Ida de La Potherie, an exceptional woman that lived through some of France’s most turbulent times. She was the last of her line, from a noble family steeped in history. Her was father a famous colonel that fought in the Spanish wars, and against the forces of revolution, her only brother was killed in a duel. Alone, in this difficult period she finally found the love of her life, Le comte de La Rochefoucauld-Bayers. They married, and sought to make a refuge for themselves in the seat of her ancestral home. Together they set about to build a sanctuary, a testament of their love, and it is this monument that we know as the ‘Chateau Challain’.

Work began in 1847, they commissioned Parisian architect Louis Visconti, famed for designing the Louvre extension, to replace the original 16th century castle. The owners chose Rene Hode, a well-known Angevin architect to oversee the building project. The chateau was designed to commemorate the passing of time. Its 4 towers represent the seasons, 12 turrets represent the lunar months, 26 spiral staircases represent the fortnights per year, 52 fireplaces represent the weeks of the year, and 365 windows represent each passing day. It covers an area of 7,600 square meters (nearly 82,000 square feet).

Over 700 artisans worked on the construction, and although worked progressed quickly it was far from straightforward, with the work being delayed by yet another revolution in 1848. With the work close to completion tragedy struck once more. In the early winter of 1854, and in the shadow of the nearly completed chateau Le Comte died. Heartbroken, and with two children, Louise, now Countess La Rochefoucauld-Bayers, was determined to see the project through to the end, and personally oversaw the final stages of construction.

Ultimately, the chateau became one of the grandest private French homes of the 19th century. It boasts a wealth of architectural detail, including intricate woodcarvings, Gothic panelling and sculptures, large working fireplaces, and hand painted ceilings. It is situated on a beautifully manicured estate, which occupies one corner of a quaint village. Because of the property’s ambiance and the design of the castle itself, Chateau Challain is often referred to as the "Neo-Gothic Jewel of Anjou" or "Le Petite Chambord.”

In 2002, the Nicholson family purchased Chateau Challain and began the painstaking process of restoring the castle to its original splendour.