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May 25, 2022

Dana P. Rowe On How To Create A Business Narrative That Gets Results (#128)

Dana P. Rowe On How To Create A Business Narrative That Gets Results (#128)

“Allow for the person you are helping to be the hero.” - Dana P. Rowe

Dana's musical theatre works are performed worldwide. His scores for The Fix and The Witches Of Eastwick, produced in London by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, earned critical acclaim and two Olivier Award nominations for best new musical.

Rowe also provides original music for film and media. He recently scored the documentary Crystal City, a hard-hitting look into the crystal meth epidemic and its impact on New York City's LGBTQ community. Crystal City is included in NBC's Best LGBTQ-inclusive TV shows and films list, alongside Pose, Schitt's Creek, Euphoria, Pain & Glory, and many other notable works.

Dana's coaching practice blends 30+ years of musical theatre arts with practical business expertise to guide Artists and Creative Professionals on their individual creative journeys. He helps clients in every corner of the creative industry, including those who write and produce musicals, act in feature films, publish books, fill art galleries, and sing on Broadway and the West End.

He partners with Business Leaders who want more creative ease and flow in their lives and leadership style.

Please enjoy!

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SELECTED LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE

Dana P. Rowe | Leadership Coaching

dana@danaprowe.com

Dana P. Rowe (@danaprowe) / Twitter

Dana P. Rowe (@danaprowe) • Instagram photos and videos

Dana P. Rowe

Dana P. Rowe - Composer, Business and Success Coach for Arts Professionals - Self-employed | LinkedIn

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Jeffrey Feldberg: Welcome to the Sell My Business Podcast. I'm your host Jeffrey Feldberg. 

This podcast is brought to you by Deep Wealth and the 90-day Deep Wealth Experience. 

Your liquidity event is the largest and most important financial transaction of your life. 

But unfortunately, up to 90% of liquidity events fail. Think about all that time, money and effort wasted. Of the "successful" liquidity events, most business owners leave anywhere from 50% to over 100% of their deal value in the buyer's pocket and don't even know it.

I should know. I said no to a seven-figure offer and yes, to mastering the art and science of a liquidity event. Two years later, I said yes to a different buyer with a nine-figure offer. 

Are you thinking about an exit or liquidity event? 

If you believe that you either don't have the time or you'll prepare closer to your liquidity event, think again. 

Don't become a statistic and make the fatal mistake of believing that the skills that built your business are the same ones for your liquidity event. 

After all, how can you master something you've never done before? 

Let the 90-day Deep Wealth Experience and our nine-step roadmap of preparation help you capture the maximum value for your liquidity event. 

At the end of this episode, take a moment to hear from business owners, just like you, who went through the Deep Wealth Experience. Dana P. Rowe's musical theater works are performed worldwide. His scores for The Fix and The Witches of Eastwick produced in London by Sir Cameron Mackintosh earned critical acclaim and two Oliver Award nominations for best new musical. 

[00:02:00] Jeffrey Feldberg: Rowe also provides original music for film and media. He recently scored the documentary Crystal City: a hard-hitting look into the crystal meth epidemic and its impact on New York. City's LGBTQ community. 

Crystal City is included in NBC's best LGBTQ inclusive TV shows and films list alongside, Pose, Schitt's Creek, Euphoria, pain and Glory, and many other notable works. Dana's coaching practice blends 30-plus years of musical theater arts with practical business expertise to guide artists and creative a professionals on their individual creative journeys. 

He helps clients in every corner of the creative industry including those who write and produce musicals, act in feature films, publish books, fill art galleries, and sing on Broadway and the West End. He partners with business leaders who want more creative ease and flow in their lives and leadership style. 

Welcome to The Sell My Business Podcast and all you listeners out stop what you're doing this episode is just going to knock your socks off because let me ask you this.

What does musical theater, business coaching, and a liquidity event have in common? And if you're scratching your head, there's no spoiler alert here. You're just going to have to keep on listening, but I promise you, it is going to be worth your while because our guests are just out of this world. So Dana, thank you so much for being part of The Sell My Business Podcast and being on this episode. Let me start things off with this. There's always a story behind the story. What's your story?

[00:03:47] Dana P. Rowe: Oh, wow. Okay. How long you got? I'll try to make this, I'll try to make this succinct. First of all, thanks for having me, Jeffrey. It's a delight. It's been lovely to get to know you here. And my story was I was this little kid who was a voracious reader who also played the piano and also stuttered.

And when it came time for me to give my oral book reports in third and fourth grade, my teacher, Mrs. Martin did everything she could to help me, but I would stand in front of the class and I would stutter and it was painful and it was tragic and kids can be cruel and I could barely get one word out.

And then one day we had indoor recess in Columbus, Ohio, the Midwest of the United States, the winters are really, you don't go outside and play in the winter for kids in third and fourth grade. We had recess indoors in the gymnasium where there happened to be a piano.

And because I did stutter and there are a lot of reasons, again, one day when you have a year or we'll go into that and we can psychoanalyze the whole thing, but the piano was my safe place. And it was how I expressed myself. And my teacher saw me go to the piano and start making up music for my friends who were playing in the gymnasium.

And she got this bright idea and she just came over to me and she was a Dana next time you give your book report makeup music to tell the story and I got that light bulb that goes off in comic strips, it's like, boom, that was wow I can do that! And, so I did, and when I shared it with the class I was so excited.

I would play it. This is where they go through the tunnel and this is where it's really dark. And this is where they're exploring the old house. And I would play music that sort of, I felt like accompanied that. They couldn't get me to shut up after that basically. And I have Mrs. Martin to thank for that. And also that today what I do my day job is I provide music for the dramatic moment. I call it, I create an emotional bed for the action. 

[00:05:56] Jeffrey Feldberg: The dramatic moment and emotional bed. Okay. You got me. We gotta talk about what is that?

[00:06:03] Dana P. Rowe: I believe that you know, music is a language and when people say do you speak languages? I said well music is my first language. It was the first way I was able to express myself. And yeah it's sort of music tells us how to feel and words tell us what to think. And so when they come together, like in a song. And of course, we talked earlier, everything to me is a song, it's all about that?

When they come together, beautifully married words and music, then you have an emotional experience. You come away from the end of that song, a changed person.

You may be happier. You may have processed sadness. You may have learned something, but you will be different when it's a good song. 

[00:06:49] Jeffrey Feldberg: So talk to us about this and for our listeners, I'm going to tie this all together. So just stay with us here because there is a method to this madness. 

[00:06:57] Dana P. Rowe: I'm counting on you, Jeffrey. 

[00:07:00] Jeffrey Feldberg: So Dana, you're very modest because you've put together some theater works that worldwide audiences are listening to. You've done things for documentaries and for some of the major television networks. You are out there and for our listeners who are maybe just, maybe not even seeing a musical or just showing up and having no idea on the art side what's going on. But the arts is really a business and offline you had a terrific term with the word show business. 

Why don't you talk to us about the business of music and theater, and then we're going to tie that altogether of why this is so important. And for our listeners, one more just a little bit of a suspense kind of tidbit for you. What we're going to be talking about this is probably the biggest mistake that both business owners and founders and entrepreneurs that you're making. You can have an incredibly profitable company, but if you're not doing this one thing for your liquidity event, you're making a fatal mistake that's really gonna hurt on the bottom line. So we're going to come back to that in just a moment, but to the business of show business, what's going on behind the scenes of what you're doing Dana?

[00:08:12] Dana P. Rowe: Well, Everything especially in musical theater and actually songs too. When I talk about songs it begins with story, and story is the only thing that's really capable of getting any of us to not daydream. Have you ever been in a meeting and, you're just hearing numbers and facts and figures and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah?

And then all of a sudden someone starts a very interesting, and by the way, here's the story here's, what's going on behind the scenes. And this is how we got all of a sudden, you perk right up and you remember, and when that story resonates and by a resonating, something connects with you then it starts meaning more to you.

There's a reason. If you want to go even further, think of any of your favorite reality TV shows. And of course, guilty pleasure aside, any reality TV show. The backstory is really what sells you on the contestants, the people who are participating. And just like in business, like who are my people?

What problem, am I the solution for them? How am I solving a problem for them? And how am I uniquely qualified to solve that problem for them? And, the backstory that what tells them why you're the one. 

And so that same thing, if you think of reality TV shows and the show business of show, for instance, every musical that I've ever been part of or even any film that I'm putting music, writing music for, it's thought of as a startup. You don't just write a musical because you know, this is great. You can, don't get me wrong. A lot of people write songs because they are drawn they're called to write songs, but it doesn't necessarily mean that there are songs that are going to get airplay all over the world. Anybody can write a musical, but is it a good business idea?

And you know, one of the producers I've worked with Cameron Mackintosh, who is a producer on Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon. And he produced my show, the Witches of Eastwick in London and it all begins with story. He always it's like, well, what's the story? And if the story doesn't fly, nothing else gets started. 

[00:10:31] Jeffey Feldberg: I love that. And firstly, my accolades to you, for just putting things out there that are just world-renowned and raving audiences who are coming out of that, but Dana, let's talk about that story and for the listener, did the light bulb go off just now? Because for your business, for your liquidity event, the story is everything.

And Dana offline, you and I were talking and I'll share this story with the listeners. Here we go. We're talking stories. Look at that. We're baking what we eat. When it comes to your liquidity event, when it comes to establishing the enterprise value for your business at Deep Wealth, with the 9-step roadmap, we don't believe in comparables and people think we're nuts, which may maybe we are.

But we like to create your own category with the right narrative that puts your enterprise value wherever you want it to be. So just because the business down the road, which may be, is doing something similar to you is at one level, why should he be stuck at that when you're so much better and so much more unique and it's the narrative.

And so Dana, I want to now tie in, you do business coaching with successful business owners and entrepreneurs and founders. You're writing different musical scores and productions. So let's bring all that together now with the narrative because regardless of whether it's business, whether it's the arts, a narrative, and a story as humans, we're wired for stories and you're absolutely right. You won't remember facts and data, but you will remember facts and data in an interesting story.

[00:12:05] Dana P. Rowe: That's a hundred percent true. And I think Maya Angelou is the one who said people will remember a lot of things. They might remember what you say. They might remember, you know, many things, but they'll never forget how you made them feel. And what people are craving is some sort of emotional experience. 

Why is it important for me to do this and how do I help the world? Why is this important? So getting down into that, I would challenge people to find the why. How are you going to save the cat you know, By doing this? If you're writing a movie, have you ever heard the Hero's Journey?

You know It's sort of like, why are you the person who's going to save the day for these people? And some of that is getting down into dropping what I call dropping into the middle of the conversation they're having in their head and continuing that conversation and helping them solve the problem. 

[00:13:04] Jeffrey Feldberg: Well, you said so many things are to unpack problem, the why solving. So let's imagine, let's have a quick thought experiment here. And our listeners will know this all too well. So, Dana, we are a business owners now and we have a successful business. We're smart though. We know, Hey, you can't master something you've never done before. So we're going to educate ourselves. We're going to go through the preparation who knows, maybe we'll do the Deep Wealth, 9-step roadmap through the Deep Wealth Experience, all those good things. Maybe even some business coaching with you, Dana. We're now working with you and you're the master narrator.

You're the master storyteller and the creator of stories. What makes a narrative compelling and interesting and powerful? What are those elements?

[00:13:53] Dana P. Rowe: Well, again, I think it's polling your people into the story with you or dropping into theirs. It's sort of making sure, that they are part of the story. And every story has when you think of any of the movies, it's like, there's the hero, there's the guide along the side, there's Obi-Wan Kenobi and then there's the villain and you know, there all kinds of character is all these archetypes. 

What we need to allow is allow for the person you are helping to be the hero. It's not our job to be the hero. We need to let them be the hero and you are the guide, helping them get what they want.

[00:14:35] Jeffrey Feldberg: You know, we have to bottle that wisdom and just get that out there because you are drinking from the Deep Wealth Kool-Aid in, in step number three of the 9-step roadmap, the future buyer. One of the things I want to say a little bit differently, but it's the same thing we say. hey, everyone's favorite radio station worldwide.

The number one favorite radio station around the world is WII.FM. What's in it for me? And so bringing what you're just saying, bringing that prospective buyer or that prospective person, whoever that is into the story, making them feel like the hero and just really pandering to Loma in a respectful way, obviously.

And integral, but that's the key. Can you talk more about that? 

[00:15:21] Dana P. Rowe: Yeah, and you really hit on something. I think that's really important. People can smell manipulation a hundred miles away, so it has to be authentic and what really are you providing for them? How are you helping them live their dream? They are the hero we're the guide, but we're also giving them a plan.

People need to know what to do next. It's very important that they understand what's the next step here. And so when you, we can be very clear about that. Then they can be clear about whether they need to take that next step or not. And it's just pretty cut and drive that way. Also, we were talking about emotion and, there's something that's really a wonderful thing at the beginning of a musical.

Usually, our hero sings a song, whether it's a woman or a man, or anyone who's singing, they sing a song it's called the I want song. It's like when. this show is over. This is where I'm going to be and wow, is that going to feel great? And when we can share with them the vision of having achieved, having followed through, having gotten the very thing, that's going to be an emotional payday for them, then that's people buy because of that?

They very rarely buy for anything more than, I mean, and mind you, I am not a professional in that way, but I do have my spidey senses tell me, people are want to be emotionally engaged. 

[00:16:52] Jeffrey Feldberg: Oh wow, Dana I mean, you know what you're sharing here. As I like to say in the show, when I hear these tidbits, it's not gold. It's platinum. And for our listeners out there, what Dana just shared, think about this for a moment. And this is what we say at Deep Wealth, Dana, you're saying the exact same thing.

People buy on emotion first and they justify it with logic later.

[00:17:16] Dana P. Rowe: Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing. 

[00:17:18] Jeffey Feldberg: So all you business owners out there. Think about this for a moment. Let's now begin to connect the dots you want to have as high and enterprise value as you possibly can. After all, you have one kick at the can. Your liquidity event is the largest, most important financial decision of your lifetime.

And statistically speaking, it's probably. Just one, two, or beyond, yeah maybe it happens from time to time, but not likely according to the stats. So if you're gonna do it once. If you want the highest value for your business, what Dana is sharing with us, this is the formula that he's piecing together for a step-by-step.

So I love that you're really practicing what you're preaching with us here is you're getting us engaged. You're telling us what to do next. Having us feel like the hero, hey, I can do this, but you're being instructive and authentic all the way through, but let me ask you this question because my suspicion is we're talking on the business side but my own personal thesis is business and personal. I don't really differentiate. So if you have a not-so-great personal side, it's probably going to spill over onto the business side and vice versa. How do you apply this or in your business coaching or coaching in general? How can you apply this on the personal side for people who may be just stressed, not feeling so great? All those not-so-nice things?

[00:18:43] Dana P. Rowe: Alright, it does. I didn't make this up, it's that old phrase, it's an inside job. I'm a big believer in mindfulness practices and that's one thing that coaching can help too, is with mindset, having a growth mindset, understanding that. And also, where are you coming from?

I love when I'm working with folks To help them reconnect to their aspirations. So many of us as we go along in life, we go, oh that can never happen. Then you start pushing aside things, that maybe really light you up inside. And also then we start making decisions based on beliefs rather than values.

And to me, I think that is really when we can get into trouble. So reconnecting, not only to aspirations that light us up and those things, because I believe we have an inner GPS that was installed. And I think along the lines, we somehow turn it off become desensitized to it, and reconnecting to those values that we have, whether it's people, family, I heard you talking about family when we were offline. 

Those are the things that really drive everything. And when we can be that authentic, Perfect. Nah, I, you know, like our perfectly imperfect version of ourselves, then that's when people pick that up and in the world, you know, just a very quick aside in the world of theater, the people who become stars, the people that we will pay the top dollar to go and see are the people that we want to hang out with. And there's usually a reason for that. 

[00:20:24] Jeffey Feldberg: So true. So true now with what you're saying, Dana, it just as my wheels are turning here and I'm thinking all of these things, but really when you sum it all up with what you've shared, and again, you and I talked offline and then listeners are going to think that we were having this hour or two or three-hour offline conversation. It was maybe 10 or 15 minutes that were talking about. We just connected, but you said something. You said the F-word fulfillment. 

And can you talk to us about how in your coaching practice, you bring fulfillment back into the picture because I'll share one thing with you before you jump in there?

And you know, for me, what I say, I don't care how many accolades you have or what your successes are, or even how many zeros you have in the bank account. If part of your success doesn't include fulfillment in my books that's a failure. Talk to us about the F-word fulfillment.

[00:21:19] Dana P. Rowe: No, I love it that you call the F-word. That's fantastic, Jeffrey. You know, a lot of the people that I do work with it, I mean, I work with creative entrepreneurs and help them create a business because most creatives they know how to do the art, they're not as trained in and adept at creating a really functioning, lucrative business.

And so what I find myself being hired to do is work with executives, leaders who are hugely successful, but are not feeling fulfilled. And one of the first things I do with them is help them reconnect to their values when we are not connected to these values, we are not connected Probably to our purpose or a big why as they say.

And it's really easy to lose sight of that. And when you're not in alignment with those values, like for instance, just off the top of your head, do you mind my asking you, what are some of your top values, Jeffrey? 

[00:22:21] Jeffrey Feldberg: Oh, gosh, what are my top values? I love this. The guest is turning the tables here. Values for me are family's an important value for me, I'd put that number one on my list. Integrity, honesty, the passion that you can put into things, just generally speaking and look for this and people and in businesses and situations of just really authentic people or companies that make a difference out there in the world that are helping people improving lives and just doing it in the right way.

[00:22:52] Dana P. Rowe: So I heard passion, authenticity, integrity, honesty, and you know, one of the litmus tests I love this is like when somebody comes into your house, how will they know what your values are? Will they see that when they walk in? You know, will this resonate for them.

Are you living that? And when you feel like you're living that and it really the fulfillment, the F-word it gets amped up hugely. That's something that my husband and I did, I was doing some coach training and I said, you know I've decided that I want people to know that my value is family. And so we created a family wall so that when people walk in, they see pictures of all of our family members lining the wall. And to me, that's a way of living in alignment with my values. Is it okay for me to offer a values worksheet to your listeners? 

If you want, you can go download it.

It's just my name, danaprowe.com /values. And I've created a PDF where you can just kind of maybe get back in touch with them. 

[00:23:59] Jeffey Feldberg: I love that. And you know, Dana for our listeners we'll make this really easy. We'll put that in the show notes. It'll be a point and click. You don't even have to remember that. But I'm thinking now. And in, let me ask this question to you. So I'm a listener here and I'm putting myself in that mindset of a listener saying, you know what?

Wow. I haven't realized, I just don't feel fulfilled. I just don't feel happy. Yes, I'll get that sheet. But hey, Dana, I'm reaching out to you from wherever in cyberspace. Now give me the quick 4, 1, 1 on what do I need to do on the fulfillment side? So coming out of this episode, what would be some steps that I can connect to fulfillment?

And hopefully that fulfillment will spill over to not just one side or the other side, but all areas of my life. What does that look like?

[00:24:45] Dana P. Rowe: The next step, you can do, start a list. Really that's all that worksheet is like start of list of what's important to you and take a look at it and say, am I living and honoring that value? Honesty, integrity. You know, in, In music there's consonance and dissonance, you hear notes that clash against each other, and you hear notes that sound beautiful and sonorous with each other.

And where are you in dissonance with yourself? It means stopping and taking a moment And really feeling deep down inside. And am I living that value?

[00:25:26] Jeffrey Feldberg: And it's really interesting Dana, that you bring this up because I'm thinking of one particular guest we had on The Sell My Business Podcast. A personality and incredibly successful is known out there. And the individual became very vulnerable in the podcast and we were just talking about things and he said something interesting, which goes back to values.

But he said one thing and I think this goes back to the fulfillment side. He said you know, Jeffrey, as I look back on my career and I've lived the life and I've had the career and he's still a young guy, by the way, I regret, he said, the time I did not spend with my family and I can't go back in time and correct that. And some of those family members are now passed away. And some of the family members there's just in that time and distance between us that looking back now, I wish I could have spent more time with my family.

I can't even remember what was keeping me so busy. That was so important that I overlook the most important people in my life, my family. And then I share this with you. And I share this with the listeners in the hopes that get Dana's worksheet, have Dana do some business coaching with you, some life coaching with you to really connect you back to your core of what you're about because of my experience when you're following your north star.

And I'd love to get your thoughts on this Dana. When you're following your north star of what your values are. You become a rockstar and whatever you're working on, just flourishes, or if you're not in that area, you will get to that area to make that happen. What's your experience with that Dana? What was that like for you? 

[00:27:00] Dana P. Rowe: Oh, a hundred percent. I love that you use north star. It's our inner GPS. Everything to me is song, everything to me is music. And it's connecting to your inner song. It's what is it that drives you? What is it that buoys you along? I also love the metaphor of one of my favorite questions to ask someone I'm working with is well, that idea is that idea does it feel like a really heavy suitcase or does it give you wings? And when it gives you wings, generally speaking, it means it's in alignment with why you're here, who you're here to help and listen, make no mistake. We are all here in service of others. And when we're out of connection with that, then we're going to really not be very happy. 

[00:27:48] Jeffrey Feldberg: Let's bring this full circle for just a moment. And again, I'm thinking now as a business owner, and Dana, there may be some people saying, Dana, you are just so talented and you have the gift, you have the gift of story, the gift of narrative, the gift of music. And you really apply that this person may be thinking though that isn't necessarily me.

And I'm hearing you guys talk about a liquidity event and how I need to create this narrative and how the narratives are important. And now I'm starting to feel some pressure because I've never really been someone on the creative side, but that narrative sounds like it's something I really need to really hit out of the park and get this out there.

How do we create a narrative that's only meaningful for us, but in a business environment will have that impact. I mean, you've shared the big steps of how we want the people to feel and what those roles are going to be. How would you get started with that though? If you knew you were having a liquidity event and you had this terrific company, what would that look like for you? And in terms of coming out of here some first steps?

[00:28:49] Dana P. Rowe: That's really good. It's also individualized, it depends on where you are in this journey of being able to connect what it is that lights you up and what is your purpose and the reason you're doing this. And you know, I always go to the four points. It's who are the people I'm helping here?

Who is it I'm serving? What is the problem I'm solving for them? And what is the payoff for understanding that? Is that helpful? It really is just a Bing bang. It's also becoming I love this phrase, it's becoming more interested than interesting, really paying attention to them, really learning to listen.

I think listening is a wonderful skill too, and there's so many things that happen as a result of really listening that are wonderful. 

[00:29:36] Jeffrey Feldberg: Dana, I think that's so spot on. And at the same time, as I think about that, and you ask, is that helping the short answer is yes. It's spot on. And on the flip side, I think part of that answer was also in the question that I asked in the sense that and I catch myself doing this all the time, even in the question that I ask, I know as business owners, there's that pressure.

Well, have to do it all on my own. I shouldn't be asking for help. And so maybe part of the answer is in addition to what you said, hey, if you're not feeling comfortable, why don't you get some coaching, get some help. We have Dana, you can reach out to, and you can figure things out and you don't have to do it on your own. You're not alone with these things.

[00:30:15] Dana P. Rowe: It really does help to have another set of eyes and ears. And someone who can, you know, I think one of my things is I love seeing the immense potential that people have. I love spotting the gold that they're carrying around inside them and the wonderful magic they have inside.

And having someone who can support you in that way is invaluable. It just is. And so thanks for pointing to that. It definitely, it's great. Great to get help and it's worth it. I'm one of those weird, nerdy, artists, and that I love reading the ROI on coaching alone and that sort of thing. So it's pretty outstanding, really. 

[00:30:55] Jeffrey Feldberg: Well, that's a big takeaway for our listeners and it's an important message. I don't think we hear that enough with all the noise that's out there. You're not alone. There are people, this is all that they do. Look, I asked Dana a question and he didn't have to think about it in a millisecond Jeffrey, well, just do A, B, C, D, and E. And they're all brilliant things in and of themselves. And so there are resources and we're not alone. And all we have to do is reach out and ask for help. Now, speaking of asking for help, Dana here's a question for you. The pandemic really has changed society. The new normal as it's called seems to be changing by the day and being written by the moment when it comes to your world, whether it's in the arts or whether it's with narratives or stories, has any of that changed, or has it been more or less the same pandemic or no pandemic?

[00:31:48] Dana P. Rowe: Well, I think it has been really a great opportunity for people who were dependent upon life theater for instance, and, or live music it's really been an opportunity for them to go wait. Okay. What am I about? Who am I and who am I without this? Without this, you know, expression of myself. It's also like feeding, there's this great integration that's happening, along with what they call The Resignation.

I think along with The Great Resignation, we're getting people who are going, you know what, I am not fulfilled. I am going to do X, Y, and Z, and I will find my creative self and I will learn to honor, what it is that's calling me forward, and so for performers, a lot of them have had to stop.

And take a moment and go, what is it I can do here? And they're doing a lot more things. All of my coachings certainly amped up when all of my shows, we're no longer able to play. And I think it's feeding. I think in some ways it's helping us integrate with one another and share, for instance, musical ideas that create life whatever you call it. What's the word that I'm looking for theories on living, really philosophies, if you will, and how they become metaphors for living in general.

[00:33:11] Jeffrey Feldberg: I love what you just shared because when you think about it, you're right. The pandemic was a game-changer and our hearts go out to all the people who were impacted so negatively from what happened and it's just really indescribable. And at the same time, as I like to say, there's always two sides to a coin and maybe it took the pandemic for people to begin to realize, hey, I'm not fulfilled.

And if life is at fragile, as I just saw in front of me with this pandemic of life, is that fragile? What am I doing? Right here right now, not being fulfilled. Maybe I should change that and do that quickly to get to a better place. And perhaps that can be some of the silver linings. I'm hoping that comes out of the pandemic.

That's really for the betterment of all of us that find that fulfillment and just do those things that have our heart singing and just help people and make that difference.

[00:34:05] Dana P. Rowe: I do believe, I believe it's going to create in a way, a new Renaissance. I believe that a lot of artists during that time of the first wave of quarantine and lockdown got really busy, really creative wrote a lot, created a lot of art. And I think that the world is in for a treat when it all is able to come to fruition. 

[00:34:29] Jeffrey Feldberg: I'm looking forward to that perhaps a period of rest where that creativity just soared through the roof. And now what will be the benefactors of that as things start to get back out there and we are ever able to enjoy that. Dana, before we start transitioning over in the wrap-up of this episode when you look at the power of story, you look at the power of fulfillment and the narrative, big picture-wise, what do you think would be some takeaways for our listeners on that topic that's near and dear to your heart?

[00:35:00] Dana P. Rowe: Some takeaways. I think if I wanted to get something across and have you hold it is to embrace your story. So many of us, we try and edit ourselves. We try to edit what it is we've experienced. And I would challenge your listeners to embrace every imperfectly perfect part of themselves because that's where the gold is. 

[00:35:29] Jeffrey Feldberg: That's terrific advice and is actually a wonderful segue into the wrap-up question for our time together today. And this is a story. So here's a story for you. I'd like you to think of the movie Back to the Future. And in the movie Back to the Future, you have this magical DeLorean car that can take you to any point in time.

So Dana is now tomorrow morning and you look outside your window and you see the DeLorean car. It's curbside. It's waiting for you. The door is open and you hop on in. And so now you can go back to any point in your life. Dana as a young child or a teenager, adult, whatever point in time that would be. What do you think you would tell your younger self in terms of life lessons or wisdom learned or anything that would come to mind for you?

What would that be?

[00:36:21] Dana P. Rowe: My younger self, ah you're a really good kid and you have a good heart. And you're very talented and someday it's going to help you and never worry about what others have to say because you got this. 

[00:36:38] Jeffrey Feldberg: I love that it's such terrific wisdom and a wonderful takeaway for our listeners. Dana, speaking of our listeners, and I will put this in the show notes. So again, it'll be point and click just like your worksheet. If somebody would like to get in touch with you online, what would be the best place?

[00:36:53] Dana P. Rowe: Go to my website. the easiest way to get there is, again, my name with the middle initial danaprowe .com/coaching. And that'll take you to my coaching page and you sign up for my newsletter. You'll get my newsletter, shoot me back an email. Let's start a dialogue and let's find out if maybe there's some way I can help you. 

[00:37:14] Jeffrey Feldberg: Well, That sounds like a terrific offer. And for our listeners, why not? The master storyteller narrator and just overall terrific guy. I think we'd be nuts not to take him up on that. 

Well, Dana, listen, we are going to wrap this up. Thank you so much for spending part of your day on The Sell My Business podcast with us and as always, please stay healthy and safe. 

[00:37:36] Dana P. Rowe: And you too, Jeffrey. Thank you. 

[00:37:38] Sharon S.: The Deep Wealth Experience was definitely a game-changer for me. 

[00:37:41] Lyn M.: This course is one of the best investments you will ever make because you will get an ROI of a hundred times that. Anybody who doesn't go through it will lose millions. 

[00:37:51] Kam H.: If you don't have time for this program, you'll never have time for a successful liquidity 

[00:37:56] Sharon S.: It was the best value of any business course I've ever taken. The money was very well spent.

[00:38:02] Lyn M.: Compared to when we first began, today I feel better prepared, but in some respects, may be less prepared, not because of the course, but because the course brought to light so many things that I thought we were on top of that we need to fix. 

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[00:38:50] Lyn M.: The Deep Wealth Experience compared to other programs is the top. What we learned is very practical. Sometimes you learn stuff that it's great to learn, but you never use it. The stuff we learned from Deep Wealth Experience, I believe it's going to benefit us a boatload.

[00:39:04] Kam H.: I've done an executive MBA. I've worked for billion-dollar companies before. I've worked for smaller companies before I started my business. I've been running my business successfully now for getting close to a decade. We're on a growth trajectory. Reflecting back on the Deep Wealth, I knew less than 10% what I know now, maybe close to 1% even. 

[00:39:22] Sharon S.: Hands down the best program in which I've ever participated. And we've done a lot of different things over the years. We've been in other mastermind groups, gone to many seminars, workshops, conferences, retreats, read books. This was so different. I haven't had an experience that's anything close to this in all the years that we've been at this.

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[00:39:49] Kam H.: I would highly recommend it to any super busy business owner out there.

Deep Wealth is an accurate name for it. This program leads to deeper wealth and happier wealth, not just deeper wealth. I don't think there's a dollar value that could be associated with such an experience and knowledge that could be applied today and forever. 

[00:40:07] Jeffrey Feldberg: Are you leaving millions on the table? 

Please visit www.deepwealth.com/success to learn more.

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As we close out this episode, a heartfelt thank you for your time. And as always, please stay healthy and safe. 

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