Childress Business Communication

08/26/2025

I am THAT kind of nerd.
Are you?
You might call me a progress calculation nerd.

I have even coached a foster kitten.

He was 5 weeks old and not eating, so I had to syringe feed him his food.

Each time I fed him, I measured what he ate.

And at the next meal, I challenged both of us to equal or exceed that amount.

We always wanted to at least get his previous smallest meal size.

It didn't always happen, but that wasn't the point.

The point was to try and, as Stephen Covey would say, to have an end in mind.

I'm happy to say the kitten was soon wolfing his food down... and this got me to wondering, Is thinking in increments normal?

Of course, as a ghostwriter and with the A-List Author Studio, I keep track of many clients' projects.

How much of the book is written or edited, what's left to finish, and the stage of the book launch.

But I didn't learn to measure progress from my business or higher education.

I learned it as a marathon runner and Certified Personal Trainer.

In fact, the other day I was resistance strength training with my personal trainer, David (at the boutique gym I used to manage), and I had a weight increase on the chest press.

That's the machine where you sit and push your arms forward to hit your chest muscles.

I almost didn't get my last rep.

My hands were pushed halfway in front of me, and I got stuck.

It felt like the handles were pushing my shoulder blades into the seat back.

Then, I did my best attempt at Ujjayi breathing to find the strength to keep pushing.

I got that rep and added three seconds to my previous time.

"Way to persevere," David said.

𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

For me, counting every tiny increment I push keeps me in forward motion.

There's no such thing as stasis, so if we're not expanding, we're shrinking.

We know that's true for the universe, it's true for that kitten, and it's true for any goal you have in life.

So, I invite you to join me in calculating progress.

Don't save your strength for a whale of a milestone.

You'll miss the opportunities to push through your micro-goals, arriving to that milestone stronger.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘰𝘶𝘵.

Choose a task you do regularly, and put some numbers to it.

Measure the task to establish your baseline, and then monitor it for changes.

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦? 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴? 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤.

𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧.

04/13/2025

The weather’s perfect to read a book outside on my balcony.

It’s Twelve Caesars by Mary Beard.

A bit of art history and political intrigue.

What are you reading?

04/12/2025

I’m so excited for this book!

After much debate, my book title has been finalized - yay! 🎉

The journey continues.
(Do you hear the narrator from Pokémon every time you see these words? Just me? 😳)

Sign up for my newsletter and text messages here:
➡️ https://transformations-cc.com

us

02/22/2025

It’s a normal Caturday 🐾

Notice the pink cat bed beside Principessa.

And the plush pet mat on the floor.

Yet somehow she’s rejected both and just disabled the Bluetooth on my wireless keyboard by stretching her back legs across the F-keys

For no reason?

Not quite.

Because… cats 😻

10/03/2024

I have a confession.

I'm an irrational optimist at heart, but let’s be real: Entrepreneurship in 2024 is... uniquely challenging.

Things are heavy out there.

So, if you’re finding it harder than ever to:

😔 Call in ready-to-invest, high ticket clients

😣 Sell your services, or fill your workshops

😖 Get people to buy your products (I know--You worked so hard on them!)

You're not alone.

To help you move the needle forward, my friend and mentor Selena Soo (a 7-figure business mentor and publicity expert) has revamped one of her best-loved, free offers to give you a clear, proven roadmap to make more money, call in clients you love, and reignite your business.

You're invited to join Selena’s free business workshop series, "High Ticket Accelerator: Your Proven 5-Step Roadmap to Attract High Ticket Clients in Today’s Challenging Market."

But first, she’s kicking it off with a live virtual panel that yours truly will be speaking at called "What’s Working Now: The Must-Know Secrets of Today’s 6 & 7-Figure Entrepreneurs."

Like, WOWZER. I'm sharing the stage with my business crushes like...

Laura Belgray, bestselling author and email copy queen, who has supported me with grace, ingenuity, and her own irrational optimism for YEARS

Michelle Martello (dubbed 'Smartello' by Marie Forleo), a brilliant online business strategist who generously brainstormed with me most recently last January on a business mastermind Bahamas cruise

Tiffany Neuman, Creative Director and branding extraordiaire who I first met on a personal level and then found out what a Rock Star she is helping Conscious Brands lead with values

While my YTD earnings for 2024 are a little ahead of where I was last year at this time (that's humbling to say out loud), this year's revenue is coming from different places.

Behind-the-scenes, I've had to be creative, change my marketing, and try different offers. I'll be dishing out about all of this on the panel.

High Ticket Accelerator continues Monday, October 7th - Friday, October 11th and you’ll be amazed by how much information you’ll leave with that you’ll be able to start implementing immediately in your business.

Such as:

✅ What it REALLY takes to make 6 or 7 figures in today’s challenging market—and why what worked in the past, no longer works.

✅ The #1 reason why premium offers are easier to fill than non-premium, especially in today’s economy—and how to create your own in 10 minutes. (Seriously, this will blow your mind!)

✅ How Selena personally recruited over 400+ affiliates and referral partners to promote her business—and how you can start generating high-quality referrals today.

✅ The top 4 cash injection strategies that are working right now (and several real-life examples for each).

You don’t want to miss this…trust me! I’ll be there too.

p.s. Being a business owner can be tough, confusing—and littered with dead ends, and bad advice.

It's also deelpy rewarding and worthwhile.

Keep your forward momentum going like The Little Engine That Could.

When you get to the crest of whatever obstacle you face, it will be SO satisfying.

And if you're like me, you need someone experienced who you trust cheering and guiding you every step of the way.

p.p.s. Don't miss Selena Soo's free business workshop series, High Ticket Accelerator.

Hope to see you October 4th for the panel discussion (that includes me!).

07/16/2024

No offense, but I have THE BEST hair stylist in the universe.

Randall Valentino Gonzales doesn’t just keep my hair silky and platinum blond.

Sitting in his chair, you get “hairapy”

He has a degree in behavioral science and a heart of gold.

He’s like my ADHD twin-that’s how well we understand each other.

He can also be spicy 🌶️

The thing that gets him riled up is other stylists who rush the process and leave people’s hair fried.

And wet cutting.

That means he takes his time.

He cares to understand you, your hair, and the greatness inside you that wants to be seen.

Visit his salon in River Oaks, Houston

❤️❤️❤️

06/26/2024

My usual relationship with outdoors is respectful distance…

But last week at a women’s writing retreat with Marcella Allison, I got out of my comfort zone and went hiking every morning 🥾

Twice I saw this rabbit hopping down the bunny trail 🐇

I was at the Loretto Community Loretto Motherhouse, outside Bardstown, KY

And I spent my days at an antique writing desk overlooking greenery 🌳, totally ignoring my phone (which is how I missed my tele-health follow up, but ahem)

I took a turn at dinner (with assistance from spud chefs Mary Ann Gramig and Julie Ann) and made this fabulous chocolate mousse for dessert 😋

Are you venturing out of your comfort zone this summer?

06/19/2024

True story.

I can dread someone's (or multiple people's) reaction so much I let go of a dream before I whisper it aloud.

Or shut it down at the first hint of rejection.

That happened to me last year after I paid good people to help me do something new that I abandoned.

Then I feel ashamed for being so thin-skinned. And for ever daring to go for what I wanted.

It's sad, really.

And I feel sad when I hear things like these from would-be authors:

"I can't write my book until someone dies."

"I can't write my book because my mentor always talks about writing one and hasn't yet."

"I can't write my book because a famous influencer won't like it."

And on and on.

**A lot of the time, those people we feel hold us back aren't doing so directly**

We hear them in our heads, and we're often completely making it up with little-to-no-proof.

So, to feel safe from an imagined attack, we retreat from what we want.

Sometimes I notice when that could be happening and ask, "Is that really true?"

If it is, I try to find a way around the other person so they can still write the book.

When it's not true and it's an assumption, I get curious.

Once, a CEO didn't think he could tell a story because it included someone that left the company on poor terms. But he reached out, and the person said it was fine to tell the story and even mention their name.

Another client wanted to put her children in the book but feared one child wouldn't like it. She finally asked, and that child didn't want to be in the book, but didn't mind for her mom to write it at all.

Then, a client wanted to reprint a famous researcher's chart in her book and was afraid they'd say no. This stopped her from writing that chapter. She finally asked, and they politely declined. So, we described the chart, distilling what was most important. The book was better for it.

For me, based on one "no," I had made up 18 more stories of why other people wouldn't be interested in my new project. Then I asked that person for clarity, and they didn't even remember saying no. Truly.

Now, some of you are probably thinking: Sure, Cindy, but you don't know my person (people) and why they're stopping me.

And I don't.

But I'll tell you many people do and have felt that before (myself included), and it's so much easier once you rip the bandaid off.

Not knowing and fearing the worst can paralyze you.

Hearing what the person actually says can allow you to make choices and move forward.

06/15/2024

We’re all the heroes of our own stories🤩

Yesterday I was reminded of my favorite writing exercise to lead because it illustrates how true that statement is

The exercise is about finding the intersection between your storyline and another one to reveal a new insight

Basically, it’s an 💡idea + 🧐 new information = ⭐️ greater insight story formula

Here’s the prompt:

Write the story of a time you thought you were right, but it turned out you were wrong

🪄Time yourself for five minutes

🪄Write without stopping (if you don’t know what to write, just write “I don’t know what to write” until you think of something

🪄Then read it back to yourself

I bet it’s good enough to share, so post it and tag me or put it in the comments below.

And remember this when you think you’re right in the future. Maybe so 😘 Maybe not 🤯

05/24/2024

🤩New article on Medium🤩

“My ideas are all over the place. I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of words.”

A client in my Author Mentorship confessed this to me after she hadn’t written a word of her book for weeks.

She felt terrible for letting herself and her big ideas down.

Have you been there before? I sure have.

I felt so much compassion for her and was glad she reached out for help.

I asked what was going on, and she felt like she was repeating herself and knew she was mixing topics together.

“That’s perfectly normal,” I said. “Write it messy, and we’ll straighten it out in editing.”

So, she gave herself permission to just write.

In the next two days, she wrote 600 words and 700 words respectively. Amazing 😲

I was so inspired by how she busted through writer’s block that I wrote an article with 3 tips to help other overwhelmed writers confidently go forth and write their messy drafts. Here are the tips:

✒️Tip #1: Repurpose where you already said your ideas best in your Authority Ecosystem.

✒️Tip #2: Add structure to your Table of Contents with a Compelling Narrative Arc.

✒️Tip #3: Write the book messy and edit it later because: you can’t edit a blank page.

My new Medium article, “Ideas for your nonfiction book all over the place? 3 Tips to Go From Overwhelmed to Confidently Writing Your Book” goes into detail on each tip.

I had a blast writing this article and held back nothing with my best ideas.

You’ll see me quoting authors I deeply respect, like and Joan Didion, and a joke about the Oregon Trail computer game.

💡For extra credit, do all three tips in order to gain a clear sense of how best to write your book so everything fits together, then put pen to paper and crank out the first draft.

Which tip is your favorite? Hit reply and tell me.

05/24/2024

*New article on Medium*

"My ideas are all over the place. I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of words."

A client in my Author Mentorship confessed this to me after she hadn't written a word of her book for weeks.

She felt terrible for letting herself and her big ideas down.

Have you been there before? I sure have.

I felt so much compassion for her and was glad she reached out for help.

I asked what was going on, and she felt like she was repeating herself and knew she was mixing topics together.

"That's perfectly normal," I said. "Write it messy, and we'll straighten it out in editing."

So, she gave herself permission to just write.

In the next two days, she wrote 600 words and 700 words respectively. Amazing!

I was so inspired by how she busted through writer's block that I wrote an article with 3 tips to help other overwhelmed writers confidently go forth and write their messy drafts.

Here are the tips:

Tip #1: Repurpose where you already said your ideas best in your Authority Ecosystem.

Tip #2: Add structure to your Table of Contents with a Compelling Narrative Arc.

Tip #3: Write the book messy and edit it later because: you can’t edit a blank page.

My new Medium article, "Ideas for your nonfiction book all over the place? 3 Tips to Go From Overwhelmed to Confidently Writing Your Book" goes into detail on each tip.

I had a blast writing this article and held back nothing with my best ideas.

You'll see me quoting authors I deeply respect, like Stephen King and Joan Didion, and a joke about the Oregon Trail computer game.

For extra credit, do all three tips in order to gain a clear sense of how best to write your book so everything fits together, then put pen to paper and crank out the first draft.

Which tip is your favorite? Hit reply and tell me.

05/02/2024

When I’m in the writing zone in the service of your book, it’s like I’m playing an immersive video game.

You should know that I only follow ONE RULE when reviewing a client’s writing.

Yes, I will mark it up, mark things out, and make margin notes.

But I do not judge the writer or the writing.

Why?

Well, for sure not judging is way more fun and collaborative.

Being judgy would be very inefficient on my time and energy.

And it would detract from my role to help your writing shine with brilliant clarity.

So, how do I follow the “no judging” rule?

I rig the game so we both win.

I look for what’s right or can be more right.

The objective is for me to find your hidden gems of ideas and insights and put them together like solving a puzzle so everything clicks.

If you struggle not to judge your own writing, try gamifying your review process.