S4 Bonus 06: What Next Level Support Looks Like

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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Genius Womxn Podcast. I'm your host, Yulia, Denisyuk, an award-winning travel photographer and writer with work in some incredible publications like National Geographic, AFAR Magazine, and more. And this year you see my name in places like Conde Nast Traveler. I'm on a mission to help other women who want to grow their trouble, storytelling, careers, go after their dreams while feeling supported, worthy, and bold. If you're ready to ditch your fear and doubts to the side, step into your brilliance and take action on your dreams. You're in the right place. Let's go.

[00:00:40] Hey, everyone. Welcome to the last bonus episode of our podcast. I can't wait to share with you some of the amazing new interviews and content we've been preparing for you for our season. If you've been enjoying the conversations I've shared with you throughout this bonus series. And if you have aspirations to see your name out there in travel magazines, then I believe you're going to appreciate today's bonus episode.

[00:01:06] So they were digging into what our membership, the circle is all about. You're going to learn about my reason for starting the circle and how it can be useful for you. We will also talk about the results our members are seeing and the three different tiers at which you can join us as well. I recorded this circle info session in a coffee shop in a manager then where I recently spent two months studying Arabic.

[00:01:32] If you're interested in learning more about the circus. Keep listening and you can also find more information@geniuswomen.com slash circle. All right, let's get started. 

[00:01:45] Hello, everyone. Hello? Hello, and welcome to our circle emphasis session. I'm super excited to meet you today. and my name is Yulia Denosumab. I'm a travel photographer and writer. I'm an entrepreneur. and right now I'm doing this in possession, from juror then actually, I just had my, group trips.

[00:02:08] injured and, and now I'm staying here in Durden's for the rest of the year. I'm in the Capitol right now, Amman I'm in this lovely place called the RoomIQ of it. So if there is some noises around me, that's why it's because I'm in the coffee shop. You can see behind me here is a very lovely illustration of the LA whirling.

[00:02:28] just sort of the theme for this, proper shop here. but so I thought I would take a, take an hour and do the sessions for you guys to, help explain a little bit more on what we do in the circle and how the circle can be useful for you. we have a really amazing community here and of course I'm very biased, but, we really do.

[00:02:50] an incredible community of people inside the circle. support and encourage one another. And, I'd love to, to see how the circle can be helpful for you as well. so if you are watching this session and you are wondering how you can start pitching your stories to publication, if you want to work with different tourism boards around the world, if you want to make travel in general, a bigger part of your life.

[00:03:17] Uh, if you want to be in community with some pretty amazing women, women, creators, photographers, writers, storytellers who support each other, if you want to do all of these things, and then the circle is definitely the right place for you and you feel like you don't have the support that you need right now, you feel like you're sort of just on your own, trying to figure this out.

[00:03:38] And then the circle is definitely the place for you. How did the circle even come about? I started teaching trouble journalism last year. and I had a master class inaction, uh, which is the class that I now teach twice a year. And our next one. actually enrolling very soon in November. and the class gives you the foundation or the travel journalism industry.

[00:04:04] Um,uh, you know, the media landscape, what are the first steps you need to take? How do you pitch publications? How do you work with tourism boards, all of that spot. and it's really a combination of, you know, my, my own five years of experience of working in this field that I put in that class and the class is great.

[00:04:20] But what I've heard students tell me after the class is over, was sort of like, well now what, what did we do now in the classes over the support that you've been giving us is over. and a lot of them felt like they were sort of falling off. and that's how the circle really came about. It was, it was meant to be this ongoing support for people who want to continue in the industry for once a continuum.

[00:04:43] Continue working with editors and,uh, getting their stories published. So. You're looking for that ongoing support, then the circle is definitely the right place for you. I wanted to tell you a little bit about what we do in the third mode, right? So what is, a typical month inside a circle?

[00:05:00] It looks like, so there are sort of three, three big components to what we do. 

[00:05:05] First. We have a session together, calls together, zoom calls together. Just like the one we're having now where, we, uh, All kinds of different things. We have Coles, once a month at the beginning of the month, we have a coal where I said the seed for the month.

[00:05:23] So what are we going to be talking about inside the circle for the rest of the month? And for example, last month in a sober, the theme was working with tourism boards. So. With our members, you know, some best practices of working with tourism boards this month, we, we have a theme of asking for more money.

[00:05:41] So how do you negotiate? And when, when your pitch gets accepted, for example, and then editors comes back to you with a certain rates, how do you negotiate and bigger rate higher? From the get-go when you're just a beginner, when you're just building your portfolio, you can already start asking for a higher rate.

[00:05:58] So that's, a topic that we're covering this month. And then, you know, for example, at the beginning of next year, one of our topics for the month will be a responsible storytelling and we'll have a, uh, troubled writer come in. Who's going to tell us about. you know, best practices of doing that.

[00:06:14] So these are sort of these, uh, very structured Coles at the beginning of the month that said the theme for what we're going to be doing inside the circle. 

[00:06:22] Now we also have another monthly call where we do a round Robin style brainstorming session, where we all come with ideas. that we perhaps want to pitch somebody, or we don't even know where to pitch, but we have some ideas that we want to discuss.

[00:06:36] We come into this call and we'll share those ideas. We'll give feedback to each other and spark new ideas. And that goal is usually one of our most favorites for our members, because, you know, they, they always come away with more ideas as well. And then we also have weekly check-in. 30 minutes long at the, you know, every Monday we have a coal that just sort of get, get, get our heads straight for the week.

[00:06:59] And we're like, Hey, what's, what's up? You know, what's coming up for you this week. What do you, what are you perhaps maybe some challenges that you want to discuss or anything that's on your mind sort of really quick. But again, let us know that we're not alone, right? That we're working on, our pitches, on our ideas, altogether.

[00:07:16] And we have the support when we need the support. We have it all here. So that's, that's the coolest part of the circle. 

[00:07:22] The second part of the social is the online discussion space that we have. It's not only Facebook. I created a full, complete. Like a separate space, a separate platform. So you're not going to be distracted by Facebook groups or any of that.

[00:07:36] And what we do inside that space is of course we have different discussions. People ask questions, you know, I answer them other members. We have a pitch review, which has a section where you can put your pitch up for review and I will critique it and I will give you some feedback and some suggestions before you send it out.

[00:07:55] And we also have a, top five opportunities section. Which is where I post curated opportunities to pursue in the travel media space. I hand-select them every two weeks and I post them there and I'll go pitch this magazine right now. They're looking for stories or we'll submit your idea here and you know, that kind of thing.

[00:08:15] that you can always, look at and see if there's something there that be sure interest that you want to have. Spitch somebody or approach somebody. 

[00:08:23] And finally, we also have a WhatsApp group where, you know, if you, if you need the most direct access to me, if you need to ask me some urgent questions, or if you want to just share.

[00:08:32] Some of your wins or some of your worries, some of your challenges that WhatsApp group is there for us as well. So that's sort of a. Big picture overview of what the circle looks like. and again, my incense with this community is to really make sure that you feel supported that whenever you have a question, whenever you're not sure what to do, uh, you know, that there is a resource that you can start.

[00:08:59] That will guide you on this career path. 

[00:09:02] I want to talk a little bit about the results that you get in the circle rides, because at the end of the day, yes, we are joining people are joining the circle because they don't want to be alone. They want. The support. They, they wants to get resources if they want their trouble stories published.

[00:09:20] But at the end of the day, why aren't we all here? We're here to get published, right? We're here to advance our careers to build portfolios and such. And so I want to talk a little bit about the results that our members are getting. And what I want you to understand here is that. pitching and publishing your stories is not an overnight success kind of story, unfortunately.

[00:09:40] Right. It's been a safe. It's going to take time to build relationships with editors. It's going to take time to hone your voice, to understand your needs and the kinds of stories you want to sell. It's going to think time to build portfolio, even the timeline, or, you know, pitching and getting stories, like getting pitches accepted and them getting stories published.

[00:09:59] It's a long timeline, a lot of times. So all that takes time. But if you are a dedicated, if you're a consistent. If you're systematic in your approach, then you're going to see results. You're absolutely going to see results. And that is what our members are seeing. And I think the big benefit of the circle is that we help you stay on that path.

[00:10:20] Right. We help. We help you keep the change. We'll help you keep reaching out to. Because you feel like somebody's got your back, when you do that, but in terms of the results. So our members, since joining us in the circle have been published in places, life, and lots of door networks, like, Bilbrey magazine, like.

[00:10:40] A Canadian newspaper called thrown the star, outlets like Huffington post Tonglen and, uh, even find magazine. So that's, that's a story that I'm especially proud of that,one of our members has been published in time magazine. So, but beyond those, tangible results of getting published, what our members are also getting is that they're getting this expanded definition of what's possible for them.

[00:11:07] And in some ways I think that's even more powerful because when you feel. Suddenly your vision of what you can create for yourself, in the travel space, suddenly that vision expands and you suddenly feel like you can do much more than you ever thought was possible. That is a huge, huge benefits that a lot of our members are.

[00:11:30] Talking about as well. Okay. And there's also opportunities inside our community, that our members are sharing with each other. So for example, we recently had a member share an opportunity to ride for a travel. For example, right? So you can start building your portfolio that way.

[00:11:46] There is lots of the families that we, try to nurture and support each other inside the circle. 

[00:11:52] Okay. So, uh, let's not talk about, the three different tiers that you can join us ads because, at first, when we first started to circle, we only had one. Sort of level once a year, as which you can join us, but I wanted to give people more options on how they can engage with us.

[00:12:10] And so we recently came up with three different spheres in which you can join the circle. We have the imaginative. We have the rise here and we have the source here and they sort of go from the least engagement that most engagement inside the circle. So you sort of dip your toes and see what the circle is all about.

[00:12:32] Then the imagines here is great for you. it's a, this year gets the access to, a private podcast that we offer to all of our members where all of the recordings of all the polls we have are, are issued. So you won't find this podcast for anywhere. But for our members, we offer this as an additional benefit that, you know, if you, if you weren't able to make a live call, but you want to catch up on all the conversations that we're having on the workshops, on the, you know, things that we're learning inside the circle, then you have this private podcast that you can just listen to anywhere you want.

[00:13:06] If you just want to sort of dip your toes into the circle, then that's a great level to start at. Because again, it gives you that access to the private podcasts. You can listen, you can sort of get a feel if that's something that you wants to engage with more and imagine level is $27. 

[00:13:22] The next level is called the rise level and it's $97 a month.

[00:13:27] And what you get here is everything in the imagine, right? So you're getting that private podcast, but you're also getting access to our online space that I talked about, where you can post your questions, where you can see what other members are talking about. You can post your. For review again, very important because you will get my feedback, my critique of your pitches.

[00:13:48] Uh, you will get access to that top five opportunities I talked about. So you can start pitching already and you also get access to one. Month's me brainstorming that's pitch brainstorming call. I talked about the round Robin style calls. You get live access to that, so you can join us for one life. And you have the online space and the private podcast.

[00:14:09] That's all yours for $97 a month. That's the rise level. 

[00:14:13] And then if you're ready to engage with us in the fullest way possible, if you want to get. more access to me, weekly access to me right? Every week we do those Monday. Check-ins, uh, where I, guide and coach, all of our members. Uh, if you want access to the WhatsApp group that we have, where you can ask, you, ask your questions at any time.

[00:14:35] then the, the sorts here our highest year is, is right for you. It's $247 a month. And it includes basically everything we're doing the circle, including all the live calls and everything else as well. Okay. So three tiers you can choose which one is right for you and depending on how you want to engage.

[00:14:55] Uh, with our communities. 

[00:14:57] So I want to keep this short. I don't want to do like a very long, hour long session. Everybody's time is limited now. And attention spans are really short as well. So this is a really brief overview of what the circle is all about. Again, I am very fortunate and very grateful to be able to do this work with our members.

[00:15:21] Again, I'm very biased, but I think we have the best community travel media industry out there really supportive, really encouraging. And our members really, uh, are on the, on the back of doing incredible things in this industry. Um, so I hope this, overview was useful to you and I'm going to answer now some, some of the questions.

[00:15:44] People often ask us, but if you have any more questions, officer watching this feel free to send me an email or message me on Instagram, you can send me an email at hello at genius women that see hello and genius women that see. Or you can also send me a message on Instagram ads in search of, or also genius women.

[00:16:07] We have an Instagram account as well. So if you have any more questions after watching this feel free to reach out, I'm very happy to answer your questions. Okay. So now let me see. So we often have questions that people ask us. We cover some of them now. People often ask is, what level of their career do they need to be at in order to join?

[00:16:29] what level of their careers they need to be at? Do they need to be completed? Do they need to be already published. Do they need to be experienced like right. what is the level? And my answer to that is all of the box, honestly, all of their box, because if you are a beginner, if you don't know anything about this industry, if you have this dream of getting published, but you really have no idea where to start.

[00:16:51] If you don't have. Anybody that you can reach out to and ask questions and get some guidance. Then the circle is going to be amazing for you. If you've already been published, maybe you've been published here and there, but it's been sort of uneven or not. Then we're going to get, we're going to provide that consistency and that structure and that support for you because you keep going and you keep pitching and you keep building your portfolio.

[00:17:14] And if you're already established in the industry like myself, I am so happy to welcome you in the circle. Even as an established creator, and this is speaking from personal experience, we still need support. We still need that community. And for myself, for the most part of the last five years, this has been a very, very lonely journey.

[00:17:36] I didn't have people that I could reach out to. This industry is quite competitive and people don't want to share resources. They don't want to share knowledge. And you know, I want to change all of that with the third one. So if you're an experienced level creator in the trouble media space, you will find amazing value from the support from the.

[00:17:56] From the brainstorming, the community that we have as well. Okay. you know, the other question that people often ask us is, do I need to be a writer or do I need to be a videographer? Who do I need to be? I need a good blogger. and. The people who have already joined us in the circle are sort of coming from all walks of life, but they are interested in creating stories, right?

[00:18:20] They're interested in creating stories. We have photographers in the, in the community. We have writers in the community. We have people who have never done this before. Well, it comes from corporate backgrounds or marketing backgrounds and who are now starting on this path as well. So don't worry so much about, you know, I'm not a writer, I'm not a photographer or I am a photographer.

[00:18:41] Do I need to be a writer as well? The main thing is that you want to create stories, right? Do you want to pitch photography stories? He wants to pitch article. Maybe he wants to pitch videos to travel magazines. Maybe he wants to be a blogger. They're all in a publishing empire. It's not as important. what your actual hard skill is more important is what is your motivation?

[00:19:04] and if you want to publish stories in the travel space or not, why that's more important because that's, that's the guidance that we're going to give you. And yes, we work with writers, as well. And again, sorry about the noises. And like I mentioned earlier, I'm in the coffee shop here in Jersey, but hopefully you guys can hear me well.

[00:19:22] Okay. the other question I wanted to answer is, What if I don't find the circle useful. And what I want to say to that is that I'm pretty sure that you will. I'm pretty sure that you will find the inspiration, the support, the guidance from me, inside the circle. But if you don't, the good thing about the circle is that it's a month to month situation, right?

[00:19:43] So it's pretty. Really low-risk so try it for one month. If you don't like it, you know, you can cancel, you can just reach out to me and, and cancel it with no questions asked. so I'm pretty sure you will love it then you won't want to cancel. Of course, you know, that's, that's totally possible. And then finally people also ask us what if I am not based in the United States?

[00:20:06] Can I still join the circle? And the answer to that is absolutely. Yes. As you can see right now, I'm not in the United States as well. I've led our coasts from Chicago, from California, from Barcelona, from Jordan as well. we try really hard to come up with the schedule for our calls that works for most time zones.

[00:20:26] So that people can join us from most, anywhere, but if that's not the case, then you know, you always have the recording of the quality as well. So you're not based in the us. That's absolutely not a problem. We try to work with our members to come up with a schedule that works for everyone. Okay. So that's about it.

[00:20:44] That's what I wanted to share with you today. And again, I hope that was a useful info session for you. I am really looking forward to meeting you inside the circle. I'm really looking forward to supporting you, supporting you towards your goals and your dreams and encouraging you to start on this path or to continue on this path or to thrive.

[00:21:07] On the spot, if you've already been on this for some time. So again, thank you so much for checking us out. my name is Charles writer and founder of ingenious women. And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. And I hope to see you inside the circle as well. Okay. Thanks so much guys.

[00:21:32] Thanks again for listening to our podcasts during the break with soup in between our seasons. I'm so excited to welcome you back next week with fresh interviews and content we've prepared for you for our season. If you're looking for support opportunities and community in the travel media space, consider joining us in the circle.

[00:21:54] I would love to get to know you and support you on this journey. Visit genius women that com slash circle to learn more. Thank you again for listening, and I will see you in season five of our podcast next week.