Own It! Your Business & Your Life

Nicola’s running a 30 Day Challenge and asks why do they work and why are they so popular? Judith doesn’t have the answer – she loathes them (mostly). Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube | RadioPublic In the Show… It’s been a quiet week in Stoupa, although Nicola is taking bookings from friends and family to visit her in the spring and summer and she’s been out and about with Write Club and to Dave’s Dining Club too. Judith talks about Maundy Thursday and moving house tomorrow which was Good Friday at the time of recording the show. She’s moving from SE England to SW England and that would normally take her past Stonehenge on a Bank Holiday. Yikes – what WAS she thinking? What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola’s all fired up about running her current 30 Day Challenge, not least because so many of the 70 participants are actively engaging with the content delivered in emails, videos and a Facebook group. Judith’s had a lovely piece of feedback which she shares on the podcast and in her newsletter and also a correspondence with a very woo-woo client. Nicola thinks she knows who it is. FOCUS of the Week – 30 Day Challenges Do you think they are a good idea? Who’s up for a challenge? What benefit do they have for the organiser and for the participant? Who loves them, who finds them overwhelming and why? Do they work, if so why? J&N work out it all comes down to chunking down the learning content into bite-sized daily pieces, and accountability and community (“the gang”). Nicola loves them and Judith takes the opposing view on behalf of the overwhelmed and those who really don’t need life to be any more challenging. Nicola's running a 30 Day Challenge and asks why do they work and why are they so popular? Judith doesn't have the answer - she loathes them (mostly). Bite-sized learning. Accountability. Community. #ownit Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith chooses Consistent and Nicola picks Sunshine. Project Updates The huge spike in podcast download numbers is explained and Judith’s published 45 out of 52 blogfesters with only two days to go to the deadline; it’s going right to the wire! Who or What’s Impressed? Nicola is impressed by Vishen Lakhiani’s interview with James Schramko, and Vishen’s app which includes a six-phase meditation lasting 15 minutes. Judith is amazed at Nicola taking up meditation in the last couple of months and wouldn’t have put money on that even as recently as January. Judith continues to be impressed with those early adopters of her low-carb adventure, specifically the first one to fall off and get back on the wagon. She wishes she could persuade everyone to give up cereal and toast. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 175 | 30 Day Challenges appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Own It! the Podcast enjoys a first today – guest Tom Evans who teaches us How to Own Time. This is the first of a series of guests educating the podcast’s listeners on various topics to do with business and life. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube | RadioPublic In the Show… Judith finally gets her hands on her foreign currency after three attempts, and Stoupa’s enjoyed a Big Wind and a lightning strike which takes out Nicola’s leccy and turns her into a Victorian lady, reading by the light of her candelabra. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith is cheered by her newsletter readers’ feedback, helpful hints and comments, and by her three now paying clients in her Fabulous Adventure low-carb lifestyle coaching. Nicola felt inspired to offer a new 30 Day challenge of her Be Everywhere Online and attract 50 participants and counting. FOCUS of the Week – Tom Evans and How to Own Time Today the Podcast enjoys a historic first in guest Tom Evans who teaches Own It! how to own time. He talks about many things but mostly about how the brain works and how to switch off a busy mind with meditation and find a timeless flow state. 10 minutes of meditation a day and then going straight into your creative work creates an interruption barrier. Do your meditation before the most creative part of your day for optimum time-slowing time-bending. The body has an awareness of time in many different ways – your heartbeat, circadian rhythms and ultimately cell death but slow breathing is the one Tom recommends. Slow down the number of breaths you take per minute and live longer was a promise held out by Tom in a few moments during which he takes the listener from mystics and sages to modern neuroscience. Today the Podcast enjoys a historic first in guest Tom Evans who teaches Own It! how to own time. #ownit Click To Tweet TomEvans.co – grab a free minute meditation from Tom on his Home Page Tom on the Insight Timer Words of the Week Judith chooses Orthodox and Nicola picks Weather. Project Updates Judith’s book sales numbers (104) and Blogfest contributors (4), Nicola’s word count for her novel (another 1000) and a massive spike in download numbers during the last week, 1500 in one day alone! Judith’s massive spike in Twitter impressions continues too at 103,000 in the last 28 days. N&J are somewhat bamboozled by the last two but cheered very much by the spike in OI listener numbers. Keep ’em coming! Who or What’s Impressed? Judith is impressed by a tough decision taken by Dec (of Ant & Dec) and by the entertainers putting themselves through hell in the name of Sport Relief, specifically Zoe Ball. Nicola is very definitely NOT impressed by her affiliate partner who (again) has turned flaky and unreliable in meeting payment terms. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 174 | Tom Evans: How to Own Time appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

The topic of today’s show is Being Unbusy, going from Ambition to Meaning as Wayne Dyer called it.  It happens at a different time in everyone’s life, a switching of gears from something which appeared to matter to something which now looks more inviting and valuable. In Own It! terms it’s the “And Your Life” bit. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola’s encouraging local Stoupa eatery the Tamarisk Tree to have a Facebook Page and tells a story about upgrading broadband to match Judith’s story of chasing ten bucks’ worth of foreign currency all over the south east of England! What’s Fuelled Their Fire? A new pair of blue Mum jeans and FB making some changes to pages and groups for Nicola, and Judith deciding to read her weekly newsletter into her podcast for those who prefer audio to reading. FOCUS of the Week Today’s focus falls on Being Unbusy. Nicola says “There is something in this unbusy thing…..Justin Brooke’s just bought a big RV and is travelling the States with Chaunna and the kids. Lots of IM gurus are slowing down, trimming costs, automating and starting to have a life rather than living from launch to launch.” A discussion ensues about moving from the Ambition stage of life to Meaning, and when and why that happens as each of us is ready and no sooner. Own It! the Podcast #173: A discussion about moving from the Ambition stage of life to Meaning, and when and why that happens as each of us is ready and no sooner. #ownit Your Business AND Your Life Click To Tweet Justin’s Facebook post which prompted this discussion Lisa Warner’s YouTube channel: A Life Full of Meaning Words of the Week Judith chooses Numpty and Nicola picks Streamline. Project Updates Nicola’s got a new Done For You client and Judith’s sold 102 books and opened a Facebook Page for her Fabulous Adventure. Who or What’s Impressed? Judith is impressed by Stephen Hawking outliving his doctors’ diagnosis for his life expectancy by more than 40 years. And Nicola recommends The Wonder by Emma Donoghue who wrote The Room. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 173 | Being Unbusy appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Nicola brings the Law of Attraction to today’s call and it turns out to be so rich a topic that this show had to be called Part 1, which surprised both Nicola and Judith. Nicola wasn’t a fan of The Secret initially but spends a lot of time catching her thoughts and working on mindset for herself and with her clients. N&J both like Joe Vitale’s book Zero Limits and now, thanks to Michael Neill’s book Creating the Impossible, Nicola has started daily meditation too which is helping. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… It’s nice and warm in Stoupa and Nicola’s been sharpening up her look by wearing makeup which surprised the ladies at Write Club. Judith was up all night on Sunday watching the Oscars and was sleep-deprived on Monday too but for the very best reasons – most of her faves won! What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola’s organised a dinner party, in part for her friend Steph who was in a near-miss car accident on Saturday and its Steph who normally organises all the local parties and social goings-on. Judith had a second sleepless night, thanks to an entrepreneurial seizure. She’s going to use her coaching skills and life experience to help people do what she’s done and beat the carb addiction. She spent all day Tuesday crafting an offer and put it out to the Big U before bedtime, waking up on Wednesday to her first client. FOCUS of the Week – The Law of Attraction (Part 1) What’s in the Law of Attraction for people like us? Is it all woo-woo, or is there something to it? Nicola wasn’t a fan initially, but she knows the two men behind the Law of Attraction Facebook Page which has a massive following of 6.5 million people, so she’s been having a second look. She knows why The Secret didn’t speak to her initially but she is interested in mindset and catching her thoughts and Zero Limits by Joe Vitale. Judith and Nicola discuss matters arising and realise its a rich seam, thus Part 1. The Law of Attraction turns out to be such a rich a topic of conversation that this show had to be called Part 1, which surprised both Nicola and Judith. #ownit Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith picks Adventure (in lieu of program) and Nicola chooses Power including electrical power, willpower and all sorts. Project Updates Nicola and sister Sarah are focusing on the newish Clicks & Leads Done For You service, all SOPs (standard operating procedures) are done and tested and they are taking on their third client. Judith doesn’t have much to report on her book or the Blogfest this week but confesses her focus has been elsewhere, on her new project. Nicola agrees that she gets better results from whatever she puts her attention on or, as Judith likes to call it, One Woman One Website or One Woman One Thing. Who or What’s Impressed? Nicola is impressed by Steve Bartlett of Social Chain and his impending move to New York, and Judith by Christi Daniels who remembered (and reminded J of ) an interview they did together in 2015 which Christi offered up this week as the solution to a client’s problem in lieu of her own, which Judith felt was very generous and abundant. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 172 | Law of Attraction (Part 1) appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Snowmageddon in the UK prompts a brief discussion about what’s an essential journey. When the weather blindsides you, what’s an essential journey compared to protecting the health and safety of those you care about? Stay home. Be safe. Don’t put others at risk, especially the emergency services, when you don’t have to. Today we reconsider the meaning of essential journeys. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola’s discovered that Jules Verne visited nearby Itilo in the Mani where she lives now, and she’s had a frustrating week with almost nothing working at her house, including the internet which is always a challenge for a digital nomad. Judith’s had an equally up and down week with news of possible impending digital homelessness, meeting up with an old friend and falling right back in as if the intervening 20 years hadn’t been lost. She’s been broadcast by Engel Jones and she’s decided upon an App instead of Patreon. Here’s a link to the Gumroad/Patreon comparison article she mentions in the show. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola’s been shopping for new clothes and Barbara Winter’s called Judith a “poster girl for her program Small, Sassy and Successful!” FOCUS of the Week A focus was hard to find given so much going on by way of distraction and frustration. Facebook yielded nothing Loose Women-style, so J&N had a brief discussion around what constitutes an essential journey in the circumstances of Snowmageddon in the UK and extreme weather which puts lives at risk, not a normal thing for the UK at all so we have little practice at making that decision. Different thinking is required to calculate risks and priorities. Look after those you care about, be neighbourly and don’t put yourself needlessly at risk because it has a knock-on effect and can endanger the lives of others. Snowmageddon! Stay home. Be safe. Don't put others at risk, especially the emergency services. Reconsider the meaning of essential journeys. #ownit Click To Tweet Words of the Week Nicola chooses Confusion and Judith Testimonials. Project Updates Judith’s scheduled all 12 upcoming guest interviews for March and April and agreed on discussion topics with nine of them. She’s reviewed her FB Insights in regard to videos as per Nicola’s request last week and shares the answers, but is gobsmacked to have discovered a huge surge in Twitter impressions with no apparent explanation or benefits so far. Who or What’s Impressed/Inspired? Viddyoze.com MissingLettr.com BeingAuthor.com Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 171 | Essential Journeys appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Facebook has written to both Judith and Nicola (and everyone) to ask us all to review the setting of the groups we belong to. What does this mean and why have they done it? What implications does this sort of thing have when it comes to reliance on Facebook and other third-party platforms. And why are we up in arms when invited to pay for something we so value? Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola’s learning to become a day trader, Judith’s been reading two very short books, one about financial abundance and one about Patreon, and she’s noticed something interesting about her clients especially those whose websites are eponymous. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith is revisiting Patreon, thanks to Esther’s donation last week, and Nicola’s got into hot water with YouTube while discovering and re-purposing some of her old Money Gym audio and video content. It’s OK, she’s appealing their “strikeout”. FOCUS of the Week Facebook has written asking us to review our group settings, specifically how much do we want to hear from each of the groups to which we belong? Nicola says this is because they are running out of feed space for sponsored content (ads). Given that, and her news about YouTube and Judith’s interest in Patreon, this causes a review of what we put on our own websites -v- the usage we make of third-party platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Patreon. Facebook has written to both Judith and Nicola (and everyone) to ask us all to review the setting of the groups we belong to. What does this mean and why have they done it? Click To Tweet Words of the Week Nicola chooses Lessons (repeating) and Judith picks Compliant. Project Updates Judith’s sold 93 out of her first target of 100 books, podcast download numbers are holding steady at about 400 per show and Nicola’s finding ways to work with her sister Sarah when it comes to her Done For You services. Who or What’s Impressed? The Chart Guys (N) and Frances McDormand (J). Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 170 | Facebook Group Changes appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Today Nicola and Judith debate the ongoing challenge to come up with a new topic for the podcast each week and reveal their three or four solutions including the Loose Women idea which they pilot on the hoof today. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… It has been a quiet week for both Judith and Nicola. Nicola’s been helping a neighbour to bust some techie challenges and Judith’s had a day out with a friend she met in 2006 courtesy of an event Nicola and Judith put on together in at Shakespeare’s The Globe in London. Judith’s been trying to spend less time at her desk and getting out and about instead, including a trip to the beautician – on a Wednesday! What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola’s been reading Gary Vee’s new book called Crushing It and helping a new Done For You client to resolve some website issues. Judith’s enjoying the Blogfest entries she’s published so far and talks about the Grammarly issues with everyone’s different usage of punctuation and her desire to curate a house style on her own blog. FOCUS of the Week  The focus of this week’s show is how to keep on coming up with new content for Own It! and N&J describe some discussions and thoughts they’ve been exploring including the Loose Women idea, the Manifesto idea and the Guests idea. Today they pilot the Loose Women idea which is surprisingly fruitful. The focus of this week's show is how to keep on coming up with new content for Own It! and N&J describe some discussions and thoughts they've been exploring including the Loose Women idea, the Manifesto idea and the… Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith picks Healing and  Nicola chooses Voice. Project Updates All-time download numbers for Own It! the Podcast are 65,692 across 168 episodes. Judith wonders aloud if there’s a more efficient way to achieve their desired outcome with the podcast; this is a perennial conundrum. Who or What’s Impressed? Longbourne by Jo Baker and Altered Carbon, both from Nicola, and the David Letterman chat show on Netflix, the answer to Judith’s prayers – the return to the hour-long talk show without interruption, without adverts and without the guests being required to perform tricks. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 169 | The Loose Women Pilot appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Today’s show is inspired by Elon Musk’s Falcon Heavy, specifically the red Tesla roadster he included onboard instead of a lump of concrete! Mr Musk said “Fun crazy things are important too” – do you agree? If yes, how can you get more of that into your own business? Does fun compromise your professionalism? Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Judith’s booking herself to go out on lots of meetings which is most uncharacteristic, plus she’s becoming quite the Canva whiz. Nicola discovered during the recording of the sci-fi episode of Write Club the Podcast that Kalamata airport is going to get a spaceport where she’ll be able to get her geek on. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola’s been talking to potential clients, all of whom are interested in her Done For You Service, including Jennifer who’s in India and listens to the podcast and loves the humour in the show. Also, she’s getting into using Lumen5 videos for Facebook Ads. Judith’s re-opened her Amazon Author page, put some videos on it, put her book up for sale on Kindle and sold two copies. She’s noticing a trend for third party platforms to pay for content, not just Kindle where they pay by the page but also podcast platforms too. FOCUS of the Week Nicola’s totally inspired by Elon Musk and his space launch and this provokes a discussion about whether or not professionalism and fun can go hand in hand in business. Judith thinks that although they both love their work, the red sportscar factor could come into play inserting extra fun, rather like Musk’s Tesla which is circling in space playing David Bowie’s Space Oddity. Nicola's totally inspired by Elon Musk and his space launch and this provokes a discussion about whether or not professionalism and fun can go hand in hand in business. #ownit 168 Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith chooses Obsession and Nicola picks Space. Project Updates Own It! has received another Patreon donation, this time a recurring $5 a month. Thank you, Esther Harris (hope you didn’t want to be an anonymous donor?)! Judith’s up to 87 sales out of her first target of 100 and rather fascinated by Kindle’s updated online stats. She’s feeling the urge to run a Facebook Event. Who or What’s Impressed/Inspired? Nicola talks about Gary Vee’s new book Crushing It and Judith about Margaret Rode’s Storytelling for Small Business. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 168 | Professionalism v Fun appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola’s had a flurry of potential clients booking into her diary, been out three times this week for the  15 euro taverna dinner (walking home by the light of the super moon) and there’ve been 11 entries in the Write Club Flash Fiction competition. Judith’s excited about the Supermoon, 31 days of January completed and new daily spiritual journalling habits formed,  lots of techie changes she’s made to her own website and submissions she’s made to third-party writing platforms like Medium and TUT. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith’s found lots of her books in a file on her computer and thinks she can have 7 ebooks up for sale in her Selz bookshop within the 90 days of her Creating the Impossible book project. Her first income from Amazon has landed in her bank a/c too, bringing sales for month1 of her book to about £500 which is really very gratifying. Nicola had a little miracle of her own when listener Anne Walsh emailed her with something which led to N’s discovery online of a list of the Top 10 Sci-Fi agents which are normally very hard to find.  She’s also happy that Judith talked her down from doing something she didn’t want to do in her business. FOCUS of the Week – Business Reflections and Revelations Following on from her slash and burn approach to overheads, leading to simplification of her business model and processes, Nicola’s clearing the decks to work with her clients in a new way which she thinks will be easier for all, and it’s about eyeballs and leads. Her question is how often do business owners take the time to reflect and make the space for revelations to come in which re-shape how we work and how we help our clients. Could you make room for more of that, especially when you hear her enthusiasm and her results? How often do business owners take time to reflect and make space for revelations which re-shape how we work and how we help our clients? Could you make room for more of that? #ownit Click To Tweet Words of the Week Nicola chooses Reveal and Judith goes for Verve, with thanks to Paula Gardner for using it in her Blogfest contribution. Project Updates Nicola’s got to write 750 words of her own sci-fi novel to read aloud at the next recording of the Write Club podcast, which is only six days away. She’s the chosen writer/member to read aloud her work in progress. Judith runs through an audit of book sales numbers, reviews, Amazon rankings, blogfest contributors, free chapter opt-ins, people joining the Ask Judith group on Facebook through her 22 Social gate and thus into her CRM system. Her new obsession is book marketing! She’s pleased to see her book lining up, thanks to Amazon, next to titles by Carrie Green, Gabby Bernstein and also Start with Why, The War of Art and the Chimp Paradox. Who or What’s Impressed or Inspired? Judith’s been out for a face-to-face meeting with gorgeous tall blue-eye Frank, he of the two degrees in Eng Lit. And Nicola’s scoping out a new tool called BonJoro.com for welcoming your clients with a little personalised video which totally freaks Judith! Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 167 | Business Reflections and Revelations appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

What do you do when it comes to implementing great ideas fast? Do you launch or do you sit on yours? How do you know when it’s a great idea? What gives you pause for thought? Is speed of the essence? Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Judith’s fixing tech glitches and lets Nicola know about a recent update of Intel’s processor called Spectre affecting nearly every computer and device – wow! And Nicola’s had an epiphany about her expensive tech set-up reducing overheads and streamlining in a way which brings a satisfying simplicity to her membership site business. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith’s happy with her new Surface Pro and the new working arrangement that brought into her working ergonomics and she too has had an epiphany for a Blogfest to carry on the conversation started in her book with 52 bloggers. Nicola’s writing colleague Teresa has won a £250 writing competition and already bought a glockenspiel with the prize money! FOCUS of the Week: Implementing Great Ideas – Fast! What do you do when you have a brilliant idea? Do you implement it fast? Or sit on it and worry that people won’t like it? Judith was frightened of failure and Nicola of her frugality being scarce but nevertheless, they both plunged ahead with their good ideas within 24-48 hours of having them this week, despite quite large amounts of work being involved. What’s your process for this? Are you a fast-starter or do you procrastinate and look for perfection before launching anything? What puts you off, and what spurs you on? What do you do when you have a brilliant idea? Do you implement it fast? Or sit on it and worry that people won't like it? #ownit 166 Click To Tweet Words of the Week Nicola picks Frugal and Judith chooses Help. Project Updates Book sales (74), reviews (19), free chapters (30), blogfest yesses (46), all measured and reported in the spirit of accountability, also Selz analytics (174 views to achieve 34 sales = 19.5%). Podcast download numbers holding steady. Who or What’s Impressed? Nicola has read Lindsay Spencer-Matthews’ book Why Clever People Do Dumb Things and Judith talks about all the interesting matters arising around and in the film about John Paul Getty called All the Money in the World. How much is enough? Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 166 | Implementing Great Ideas – Fast! appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

How do you make progress, move forward and get things done in your business? To Do List? Accountability check-ins with your coach? Focus buddy? Today Nicola and Judith describe what works for them and for their clients, specifically creating supportive environments. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… It’s sunny and windy in Greece, Nicola’s keeping up with her daily email, and her newly revamped email signature now opens up her diary to potential new clients. She shares stories of being misunderstood with her attempts at Greek in the butchers and in restaurants. Much hilarity ensues. Judith’s been blogging every day, Monday to Saturday (mainly). She compares notes with Nicola about Instant Articles, tells about her new digital newsletter template which goes out for the first time on 19th January, and is amused to have been someone’s Christmas present! What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola has created a sales video for her Clicks & Leads Academy and intends to try a long-form sales letter next, split testing. Judith’s received three very nice pieces of feedback about her book “Your Biz Your Way” and wonders if she doesn’t enjoy those as much, if not more, than the sales revenue. People changing their lives and thoughts and the way they work as a result of her writing fires her up to do lots more.  FOCUS of the Week How do you get things done and move forward in your business? What keeps you on track? A deadline, a buddy, a coach, public accountability, your own red-hot fire for your project? Today N&J discuss how creating supportive environments could be the answer, from joining a group, putting a team around you, measuring something meaningful, having a coach in lieu of a boss or signing up for/joining something (anything!) that helps. Judith mentions FocusMate. How do you get things done and move forward in your business? What keeps you on track? A deadline, a buddy, a coach, public accountability, your own red-hot fire for your project? #ownit Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith picks Worry (don’t, about anything, ever) and Nicola brings Catch-up and talks about all the things she’s been catching up with since Christmas. Project Updates Podcast download numbers are holding steady. Nicola’s written a scene she’s pleased with for her sci-fi novel and read it to her Write Club The Podcast group to good effect. Judith’s sold 68 books and garnered 17 reviews, and counting. What or Who has Impressed or Inspired? Nicola has impressed herself by applying various fixes to her computer. She’s also enjoyed the Penn Cage novels by Greg Iles. Judith loves The Post film starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, specifically the inspiration of Katharine Graham as publisher of The Washington Post at a very difficult time in American political history. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 165 | Creating Supportive Environments appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Today, the main focus of the show is on successful membership sites, specifically what combinations of software and systems do Nicola and Judith use and what would they recommend to someone starting their own in 2018. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola’s had a catch-up week, recording, editing and busting tolerations. She’s committed to doing an email a day to her list for at least the month of January and is on track with that. Judith’s back up to normal speed now after the holidays, she’s feeling much better than she has done for ages and has enjoyed a couple of “giant-killer” days this week. She’s settling into her Creating the Impossible project following Michael Neill’s book of the same name and is making that all about selling Book 1 and creating Book 2. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith’s uploading all her Lumen5 videos to her YouTube channel, and Nicola’s given her Infusionsoft funnels a complete overhaul. FOCUS of the Week One of Judith’s clients is looking at Kajabi, a reasonably expensive option for creating her membership site. Judith asked Nicola to talk this week about the various options for membership sites and she started out by making the distinction between hosting all your content on your own website using something like Optimise Press or WP Wishlist -v-the hosted options like Teachable, Thinkific and Kajabi. Nicola uses a combination of Xenforo and BB Press, and Judith believes she can use 22Social to do it for her if she wanted, although she is reminded she already owns WP Wishlist. Hosting it all on your own website is highly desirable and is what one of Nicola’s mentors describes as “owning the racecourse”. As ever, it is recommended to start really simply and affordably with a sales page, an opt-in and a Facebook Group until you know you have a scalable business. Honorable mentions also go to Ning, Thrive Architect, ActiveCampaign and ClickFunnels. The focus of the OwnIt! #164 is membership sites. What combinations of software and systems do Nicola and Judith use and what would they recommend to someone starting their own in 2018. #ownit Click To Tweet Words of the Week Nicola chooses Storytelling and Judith picks Laughter. Project Updates Nicola updates the listeners about the Podcast and Judith about book sales and other measurables. Who or What’s Inspired or Impressed? Judith likes a Chrome extension called Invite to Like, and Nicola is impressed by Oprah at the Golden Globes, Tracee Ellis Ross and the new series of The Voice. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 164 | Successful Membership Sites appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Nicola and Judith re-start their podcasting after a few weeks’ break over Christmas and their Focus of the day is 2018 goals, plans and intentions. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola’s enjoyed nearly three weeks back in the UK with family and friends. She’s completed one of her Dinner and a Day sessions with a client and run a 2-day workshop at Gatwick with 20 clients. In the last week, she’s been happy to spend time with her children, busy though they are with work and New Year celebrations. Judith’s enjoyed her downtime too and isn’t ready to go back to work. Her holiday included a day out in Canary Wharf with an old friend which was very special. Christmas is now but a distant memory. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith’s been inspired by Neil Gaiman’s encouragement to make mistakes. Nicola’s been invited to be an expert panellist by the ICF in May so she’s going to schedule another UK workshop then too. FOCUS of the Week Nicola’s made her plan for 2018 based on choosing seven words: Focus and Simplicity Writing Leverage Email (a day) Fun Travel Financial Security Nicola and Judith re-start their podcasting after a few weeks' break over Christmas and their Focus of the day is 2018 goals, plans and intentions. #OwnIt Click To Tweet Judith’s still working on her plans for the New Year. So far she has committed to continuing with her low-carb lifestyle, reading 52 books in 2018 and writing and publishing her own second book as part of a plan to write one book a year for the rest of her life. The intention-setting resources she’s working her way through include books from Michael Neill, Moorea Seal and Janet Conner, and stuff on point from Hare in the Moon Astrology and TUT. She mentions this list of 50 questions from Anuschka Rees which gets you to review your 2017 and get excited about your 2018. Words of the Week Nicola chooses Gratitude and Judith picks Hug. Project Updates Nicola is relieved to discover that the holiday from podcasting has not affected download numbers, and also that her new Write Club podcast is not doing significantly better (yet) than Own It! Judith reminds her it is early days and perhaps too early to judge after only 7 episodes. Judith has sold 57 copies of her book split almost equally between print and digital, just as predicted by those who know but delighted that a weekly reminder in her newsletter could be a way to pay for that, one of her 2017 goals. 57 book sales put her in profit. Who or What’s Impressed? Nicola’s enjoyed The Road by Cormac McCarthy over the holidays, pulling an all-nighter, one of the joys of being on holiday with no need to get up early in the morning. She reminds the listeners about More Cheese Less Whiskers, the podcast by Dean Jackson, and talks about seven videos called The Hidden Secrets of Money by Mike Maloney especially #5 which made her angry. Judith’s been inspired by the way 80-year old Judi Dench described herself at the opening of her recent BBC TV show about trees. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 163 | 2018 Goals, Plans and Intentions appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

The Focus of episode 162 is a year-end review of their respective 2017 by Nicola and Judith, warts and all. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Judith tells Nicola about the wrangle she’s had with CreateSpace about ownership of her own ISBN number, and Nicola’s had no internet for four days which has enabled her to do some deep work on her own sci-fi novel. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith’s been interviewed by Frank Foley for his Stories of Our Lives series, out soon. And Nicola is really pleased to be working with talented people such as Kate Cocker and Angela Durrant, leading to thoughts of opening up a mastermind level of her membership site. FOCUS of the week Nicola and Judith review their respective 2017, all highs and lows. Judith’s list includes her book, photoshoot, another 50 podcasts with Nicola, continued low-carb success, reading 45 books and counting and planning to read 52 in 2018. Nicola gives the listener a month-by-month recap and weather report for Stoupa, Greece. Her list includes her app and membership site, a book, creating  Be Everywhere Online, going to Brisbane, creating the Clicks & Leads Academy, taking up Greek lessons, joining Write Club and learning about alt currencies. Both J&N are really grateful to be doing work they enjoy with lovely clients and that this fulfils so many different needs for all concerned. The Focus of episode 162 is a year-end review of their respective 2017 by Nicola and Judith, warts and all. #OwnIt Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith chooses Optimism and Nicola picks Work. Project Updates The podcast trend for 30 days continues to be strongly upward. And Judith is waiting to receive the first physical copy of her book – today! Who or What’s Impressed? Nicola is impressed by Nathan Hague’s 1 Cent Leads webinar, and by Pod Cards where you put in a name and three adjectives you’d use to describe a friend, colleague or family member and they are sent tailored podcast recommendations. And Judith describes a client who’s had a difficult 2017 too and yet a miraculous recent turnaround. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 162 | 2017 Year-End Review appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Today Judith tells the listeners all about self-publishing a Book with Amazon, something which Nicola has done many times before. She wasn’t sure this was the right platform for her but, in the end, it proved the best place to do print on demand. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola describes her trepidation about her upcoming visit to the UK. And Judith her excitement about launching her first proper book on 1st December by giving away copies to current clients, colleagues, supporters and contributors. And all the tech she managed to do herself using Selz. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola’s worked out she can spend leisure time during the day reading so long as she has some classical music on softly in the background, so it’s not too quiet. She also talks about deciding to start doing daily Facebook Lives in some (not all) weeks, what tech she plans to use for that, and about overhead control choosing not to spend $49 on an upgrade at Zoom having sourced some free software instead. Judith spent the weekend joining up the tech dots to sell the digital version of her book herself, and to offer email list subscribers a chance to download a chunky sample. Then she turned her attention to finding a way for those who wanted a print copy to be able to print on demand, and that’s when her problems began! FOCUS of the Week – Self-publishing a Book with Amazon Judith discovered that she had to increase the price of her book on Amazon by more than 50% in order to make less than half what she does by selling direct. She felt some resistance to using Amazon for all sorts of reasons, not least that she still has to do all the marketing herself, knowing that being on Amazon alone is no guarantee of sales. Why then would anyone self-publish a book with Amazon? The answer is mainly for the reach, and for the ease of download/ delivery for customers all over the world. Judith never reads a real book and is somewhat regretful that she made a promise that she would produce this one in that format because she teaches clients to “sell as you buy” and so this goes against her own principles. That’s only part of the longish Amazon story, to be continued next week. Why on earth would anyone ever self-publish on Amazon? Click To Tweet Nicola reminds the listener that if you want the accolade of being a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon it is all about an initial sales flurry and lots of reviews. N&J have both studied how to do this and are not comfortable with all of the tricks which leads to Nicola’s choice of her word this week. Words of the Week Nicola chooses Integrity and Judith Author. Project Updates The podcast is up to #35 and #40 respectively in the new categories on iTunes and recent download numbers are also up strongly. Judith gives Nicola some stats about her first few days’ digital book sales (20), opt-ins for the sample (12) and joiners to her Ask Judith group on Facebook (4). Nicola winds up with her Be Everyone Online client Kate Cocker who reports she has trebled her income but not yet sold a course. No sooner does Kate say that than she makes her first online sale! Nicola talks about how much data you need to make an online business plan, and now they know how many people had to see that product before the first sale was achieved so they can make that plan for Kate’s biz. Who or What’s Impressed? Judith is impressed by her own online bookshop at Selz.com and Nicola by teachers making a difference in the world – MissionU.com which she heard about listening to Adam Braun, the pioneer behind it and behind Pencils of Promise which led her to  Real Rap with Reynolds.  Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 161 | Self-Publishing a Book with Amazon appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

The Focus of today’s show is bespoke -v- compromise. How much are you prepared to bend to your clients with bespoke offerings, or do you oblige them to do all the bending? If a compromise is involved, how does that suit you and your business? Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Judith’s been without internet for three days with resultant frustrations slowing down her output this week and her ability to be with clients on Skype. Nicola describes the ups and downs of getting going with her new Write Club podcast, editing and artwork. They’ve recently interviewed a writer of erotica which prompts Judith to tell Nicola about the Bad Sex awards. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith’s noticing a few more things about Facebook, namely how she doesn’t like scheduled content as it takes her away from live interaction which she appreciates would be a blessing for many. And also how more people Like her page than opt-in to receive her email newsletter and that may be advance notice of its death knell in 2018.  Nicola’s chuffed that business is up and also noticing that all new clients have contacted her first via Facebook Messenger rather than email as would have been the case historically. Focus of the Week One of Nicola’s potential new clients has asked for something which she doesn’t think will work for either party, which prompts a discussion about how bespoke/responsive to clients should a business owner consider being. Given that Judith brought up this last week and here it is again, it is obviously the way clients are in 2017 and likely to increase going forward until they change again. Useful discussion enables both to realise that bespoke is great, compromise is not. Do offer your clients bespoke or do you ask them to do all the bending? If compromise is involved, how does that suit you and your biz? Click To Tweet Nicola explains something she’s learned from Dean Jackson which suggests that their newsletters and the podcast are part of the marketing mix even if they do not lead directly to sales. This is a helpful re-frame for both Judith and Nicola. Words of the Week Judith chooses Complicit and Nicola ROI. Project Updates Judith had wanted to publish the digital version of her book in November but that isn’t possible now due to having been without internet for three days. Nicola reports that the 10-day downloads for the podcast are up which suggests the new marketing initiatives are working though J&N haven’t corroborated that yet. Who or What’s Impressed? Judith is impressed by Matt of CandescentPress.co.uk and Adazing’s latest video offer of 40+ templates for $30.  And Nicola is very proud of Phoebe’s latest achievements. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 160 | Bespoke -v- Compromise appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Today’s podcast answers a question from a listener about Client Comms 21c. If your clients want to communicate with you on social media but you prefer email, what are your options? Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Nicola and the ladies from her Write Club have recorded the first 10 episodes of their podcast which will launch on 4th December on Audioboom. That gives Nicola plenty of editing work to do which she finds creative. And Judith’s been noticing her clients behaving idiosyncratically this week. She’s also done a rare thing, some batching and scheduling of social media content in anticipation of a busy week. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Nicola’s woken up to two new clients in her Clicks & Leads Academy including one total stranger. And she’s in touch with a third who is making personal contact before clicking.  Judith’s noticing that her clients are choosing playing big as their theme of the week. FOCUS of the week Chloe sends in a challenge she’s experiencing in her business which she runs with her sister, Pippa. Increasingly clients are choosing to contact them via Facebook and other social apps and platforms, instead of their own preferred and somewhat old school email, phone and texts. They lost a couple when they tried to drag them from Facebook to email. What should they do, mirror their clients’ preferred method of contact or stick to their guns? Should you mirror your clients' communication choices, or drag them over to your way of doing it? #OwnIt Click To Tweet Nicola mentions CRM resources: Close.io ManyChat.com Words of the Week Judith chooses Bespoke and Nicola picks Editing. Project Updates Nicola loves how serious the ladies in Write Club are about their writing, and notices she’s not had much time for any other projects herself this week while recording the first ten shows. Judith’s feeling some frustration and losing focus in her own book project while waiting and hanging on for the Foreword to be delivered. She noted this on Monday and Tuesday this week. Who or What’s Impressed? And then Judith woke up on Wednesday morning and everything had changed. John Parkin had delivered 400 exquisite words and she immediately slotted it into the Word doc and supplied it all to Matt who is doing the formatting, graphics and making the book look great. He can do that work immediately and so the project immediately zooms to the top of Judith’s project list again. Nicola’s impressed with the stamina of her writing colleagues. She’s the youngest at 56 and their ages range all the way up to 80 and yet they could still record six episodes and go out to dinner afterwards! *** If you are interested in finding out more about the Pre-Raphaelite makeover and photoshoot experience discussed in this show and the previous one, see Phoebe’s Film and Edit. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 159 | Client Comms 21C appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

Today’s Focus of the Week is about doing improving work, doing the hard stuff. Why would you persevere with a book you are not enjoying? Why would you study something which is difficult and delivered in a format you do not enjoy? Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Judith’s studying the basic principles of Facebook Ads in a 4-day learnalong with Julia Bramble and discovering it’s just like marketing, more about touches and attraction, connection and engagement than sales. And Nicola’s had a short story accepted to go in a book by Daphne Kapsali about how to get over a breakup. WOW! What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith is terribly excited about Lumen5 and her ability to create little videos as often and as easily as she likes, using her own words and pictures or their library shots and music, brand them, download them, upload them to Facebook as “native” video and share them with ease. Nicola encourages her to create a custom audience out of those who watch at least 50% of the videos and Judith asks for Sarah’s help with that. Nicola’s been asked by a friend to help him with his Facebook Ads for a Brighton event and is delighted to have re-discovered how they fire her creativity if she has the right client with the right budget, and Pete Jenkins not only fits both of those criteria but also employs Phoebe too. Focus of the Week Born of a discussion N&J have been having during the week about why on earth you would persevere to finish a book which is improving, they debate that firstly as writers and then broaden the topic to include why anyone would do it in their business too. For the sense of achievement, for the opportunity to improve and grow at anything and everything. What’s the game with doing improving work? Today's Focus of the Week is about doing improving work, doing the hard stuff. Why would you persevere with a book you are not enjoying? Why would you study something which is difficult? Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith picks Myriad and Nicola brings Doughnuts – not literally, of course. Shame! Project Updates Not much to report from either Nicola or Judith, but J reminds N that good results were achieved in the iTunes charts simply by putting the podcast into two new categories, though neither is impressed by what that might mean for the podcast download numbers as yet as it is too soon to tell. 7 days is always too soon. You usually need a much longer period of time in which to evaluate almost anything in your business and in your marketing, though there are exceptions, Facebook Ads for starters – leave those too long and you’ll be surprised by the bill! Who or What’s Impressed? Judith is enjoying Rick Stein’s new BBC cookery travelogue, The Road to Mexico, which starts in California in San Francisco, LA and San Diego, and Nicola loved Harry Styles on last week’s X-Factor, reminding her of Bowie and Iggy Pop and the Rolling Stones. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 158 | Doing Improving Work appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

After last week’s show where the future of the podcast was looking uncertain, today Nicola and Judith discuss their plan for marketing this show and increasing listener numbers a.k.a. downloads, their preferred new metric. Subscribe via iTunes | Stitcher | YouTube In the Show… Judith’s hit 1,000 organic Likes on her Facebook Page and she’s got a newer lighter iPad with which she’s thoroughly delighted. Nicola booked her flights for three weeks at home in the UK for Christmas and the New Year and then discovered that where she was intending to stay might not be available to her. Oops! What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith’s received a comment from a client which has helped her to understand her own value from a different perspective. Nicola’s client Kate Cocker has had a busy three weeks with another project but her leads have carried on coming in from her Be Everywhere Online strategy. Focus of the Week – Marketing This Podcast Nicola and Judith had a meeting after last week’s show where the future of Own It! The Podcast looked uncertain. They have brainstormed a series of marketing initiatives which they describe to the listeners in the new focus section of the show. They’ve opened a Facebook Group called Supporters and Sharers to make it easy for listeners who love the show to help it surge forward by sharing the content easily online. New Facebook Supporters and Sharers Group Wavve.co Lumen5 Click to Tweet They’ve decided to stop fretting about reviews at iTunes and position in the What’s Hot charts and focus instead on download numbers at Libsyn (listener numbers). Judith is polling listeners to discover their favourite ways for doing that and she’s going to experiment with Lumen5 videos instead of Facebook Notes until the end of the year and compare reach and engagement on Facebook Insights to see which works best for spreading the word about the podcast. They have added their podcast to a couple of additional new categories at iTunes, just in case they are a better fit. All marketing needs to be regularly reviewed - and fun! #OwnItThePodcast Click To Tweet Words of the Week Judith chooses Snowflake and Nicola chooses Collaboration. Project Updates Not much to report this week from Judith about her book although she’s doing lots of pre-publication promotion, about which Nicola is both encouraging and complimentary.  Nicola’s Write Club is intent upon their own British writers’ podcast and Judith tells her about Ex Libris the game, and its sister podcast recorded in Blackwells Bookshop, Oxford. Nicola’s got up a Facebook Page for her Torus Trilogy. Who or What’s Impressed? Judith is impressed by Adazing.com where she bought 28 social media images of her own book cover in various formats and layouts for just $12.95 and Nicola is impressed by ConvertFox.com for similar reasons of outstanding value at just $49 for lifetime access. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 157 | Marketing This Podcast appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.

The theme of this week’s radio show turns out to be the future of this podcast itself, of our own show. After 156 episodes should we kill it or keep it? In the Show… Judith’s out and about this week, to her brother’s for Sunday lunch, to her best friends’ for dinner and networking by bringing together two colleagues who work in similar industries. Nicola’s new sci-fi trilogy is coming on in leaps and bounds, she’s enjoying research and even taking photographs now that she has this energised focus of her book. What’s Fuelled Their Fire? Judith is fired up by NaNoWriMo, though not participating. She’s using it to encourage herself to create some daily content on her Facebook Page. And she’s cheered by three unsolicited pieces of feedback from clients this week and emboldened by coming through last week’s fall relatively unscathed. Nicola’s been talking to her son, Nelson, about giving up his first awful job in cubicle nation and finding a purposeful direction with his music, encouraging his interest in property by suggesting a short stint as an estate agent. Focus of the Week Since N&J struggle to find a client challenge of the week every week, after 156 shows, they decide to rename this section Focus of the Week so that they have permission to discuss anything which has been central to their own businesses and lives. And also they debate what to do with this podcast, keep it or kill it off? Nicola is a bit dispirited by download numbers after three years, the failure of the “hockey stick” to appear, and comparisonitis. Judith thinks they are still way ahead of the general curve when it comes to podcasting and recommends calling it a radio show just as often as using the word podcast and encouraging people to listen at the website so they can see how easy it is without their having to get their head around iTunes necessarily. And to do away with the Facebook Page in favour of the Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/OwnItThePodcast/ Words of the Week Nicola picks Research and Judith chooses Whispernet. Project Updates Nicola’s Gatwick workshop between Xmas and New Year is filling up well and Judith has nothing to report on book progress for a couple of weeks, waiting on the foreword scheduled for w/c 8th November. Who or What’s Impressed? Nicola is impressed by her ex-husband Irving and his attitude to their children finding stimulating work, and Judith by self-employed parents and their juggling act at half-term. Enjoyed the show? Please rate and review us in iTunes, it takes less than a minute and will help keep the podcast going. Here’s a short video showing you how to do it and to thank you, some free gifts >> Discover more…   NicolaCairncross.com   JudithMorgan.com The post 156 | The Future of This Podcast appeared first on Own It! The Podcast.