Your Back To School Survival Kit: How to Start Iconic & Slay the Year
Radiant Icons, class is officially in session — and this tea time sesh is your ultimate survival guide to slay the school year unapologetically. This week, Amanda shares the four iconic rules you need to walk into this new season with confidence, clarity, and main character energy.
From setting the vibe with a morning routine that fuels your glow, to protecting your peace and upgrading your mindset, Amanda spills all the tea — including how to ditch the robotic hustle and actually study like an Icon. Plus, she dives into the power move that will set you apart: building your personal brand on LinkedIn like a future CEO.
✨ Whether you’re heading back to campus, starting a new chapter, or just hitting reset, this episode is your permission slip to show up as your most iconic self. Stay till the end for a sneak peek into a wild new chapter of Dare To Be Iconic!
Connect with Amanda:
Shop the Paddock Icons Collection today!
Got a question for Amanda or a topic you'd love to hear discussed on a future episode? Submit your question to the "Dare To Be Iconic Hotline" today!
Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome to Dare To Be Iconic
01:06 Your Iconic Back-to-School Survival Kit
02:10 Rule 1: Set the Vibe, Set the Tone
04:06 Rule 2: Protect Your Peace, Power Your Mind
07:04 Rule 3: Study Like an Icon, Not a Robot
13:45 Rule 4: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
19:06 Iconic Reveal: A wild era of DTBI is dropping next week! 👀✨
Transcript
What's up, radiant icons and welcome back to Dare To Be
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:Iconic, the podcast made for icons
who are daring to be themselves.
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:I'm your host Amanda Paolicelli,
and for today's tea time sesh.
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:We are hitting the books Radiant Icons.
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:Okay.
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:It is back to school season.
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:I know.
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:I know.
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:Iconic girl summer is no longer here.
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:When we're back to hitting the books.
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:I know we're not really excited about it.
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:I'm saying the four words,
or maybe it's three.
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:Who knows that we all hate to hear,
but honestly this tea time sesh is
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:packed with Iconicness because whether
you are heading into a new semester.
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:Or you are starting a fresh
new chapter in your life.
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:This is your iconic survival kit to
slaying the year with confidence.
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:But before we get into
all that piping hot tea.
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:Make sure to connect with me on socials.
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:It's @amandapaolicelli_ and
@daretobeiconic_ on Instagram and TikTok.
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:And if you are on LinkedIn radiant icons.
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:You already know what I'm gonna say.
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:You already know what I'm gonna say.
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:Make sure to connect with me on there.
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:It's Amanda Paolicelli.
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:All of my socials are linked
in the show notes below.
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:But anyway, reading into icons.
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:Let's get to that.
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:Good stuff, shall we?
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:Because you don't have to
just survive this year.
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:Okay?
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:No, no, no, no, no.
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:You can thrive, I promise you.
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:I know.
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:It's hard to believe.
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:I know.
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:We're all dreading it.
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:But you can thrive.
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:You can thrive this school year.
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:So let's just keep it simple.
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:Okay?
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:Let's keep it simple with four powerful
rules that will help you stay grounded,
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:will help you stay focused and will help
you be unstoppable this school year.
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:Are you ready?
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:radiant icons, because your
tea time ses is starting now.
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:Rule number one, radiant icons:
set the vibe, set the tone.
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:An iconic day starts with an iconic vibe
because your routine is your runway.
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:Start the day in a way that fuels you.
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:So some ways that that can look
like are building a simple morning
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:ritual, like playing your favorite
morning playlist that makes you.
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:Feel like the icon that you
are, it could be journaling.
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:It could be stretching.
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:It could be going on a 15 minute walk.
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:It could literally, honestly just
be going outside, taking in the sun,
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:and then coming back inside, right?
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:It could be making your morning coffee,
your morning smoothie, doing your skincare
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:routine, and listening to a TED Talk.
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:Whatever it is that you
want to become your morning
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:ritual, build it for yourself.
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:Focus on things that fuel your soul
and set the tone right, because
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:remember, you've gotta set the
vibe, you've gotta set the tone.
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:So do things that ring true to you.
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:Another way that you can do
this is keeping your space
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:organized and inspiring.
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:You can put sticky notes on
your mirrors in the morning.
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:You can put notifications on your
phone that when it has your like
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:little alarm that you wanna snooze.
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:No, no, no, no, no.
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:You're gonna put an affirmation on there.
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:Something empowering and inspiring to make
you get up out of bed and start your day.
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:And another way is planning
your week with intention.
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:You know, I love the word intention
here on Dare To Be Iconic.
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:You know, we actually have
been going through that.
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:With our summer reset, right?
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:Going back into that intention
that we set at the beginning
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:of this year in January, right?
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:Bring that intention back.
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:Plan your week focused on your
intention so you can prioritize
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:what truly matters to you.
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:Now, this one may be a little bit
of tough love, but you know what?
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:Radiant icons, we need to hear it.
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:You and I both.
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:Rule number two is protect
your peace, power your mind.
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:Your mindset will make or break
your year point, blank and period.
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:Your mindset is the
foundation to everything.
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:It truly does set the tone.
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:I love a good mindset shift here
at Dare to be iconic and honestly,
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:that's what I attribute all of this
Dare to be iconicness right in my
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:life because the foundation that
I set for myself was rewiring my
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:brain and reframing my thoughts.
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:That mindset shift changed everything
for me on my Dare to be iconic journey.
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:And that is the same thing to say when it
comes to approaching a new school year.
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:Your mindset will be the foundation on
how you approach every single challenge
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:and obstacle and scenario and situation
during this entire academic year.
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:Speak kinder to yourself if that
is something you are not doing.
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:Replace.
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:I can't with I am learning
because we all are learning.
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:No matter who you are in
life, we are all learning.
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:Whether you're, a freshman in college,
a high school senior, or a 26-year-old
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:girl, honestly, trying to figure it out.
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:We are all learning.
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:So replace the "I can't" with
"I am learning" because you are
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:your biggest cheerleader in life.
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:So talk to yourself like it.
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:And when things get chaotic,
'cause I promise you they do.
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:You need to pause and reset, even if it
is literally just 60, honestly, 30 seconds
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:of your day to do some deep breathing.
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:It will allow you to
get back into your body.
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:It will allow you to become one with
yourself and really get rooted back into
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:your intention to start speaking kinder to
yourself, to rewire your brain and reframe
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:your thoughts so you can have that,
that mindset shift of I know things are.
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:Going chaotic now, but you know what?
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:It's gonna be okay
because I got this right.
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:Again, you are your biggest cheerleader,
so talk to yourself like it.
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:So when things get chaotic, you know
you need to pause and reset so you
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:can get back to that mindset, right,
that we are working on so we can
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:protect our peace and power our mind.
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:Now it's times like these radiant icons
where I wish Dare To Be Iconic existed for
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:college, Amanda, because college Amanda
needed rule number three in her life.
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:She truly needed to hear it
because dam, it would save her so
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:much time, so much aggravation.
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:Rule number three is study
like an icon, not a robot.
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:It is not about studying harder.
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:Radiant icons, okay?
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:Do not do what I did.
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:Do not be a robot when
it comes to studying.
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:Do not do.
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:What I did in college.
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:It's not about studying harder,
it is about studying smarter.
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:Studying is iconic when it
reflects how you learn best.
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:So some ways that could be is using color
coded or visual notes to stay engaged.
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:I know for me, one of my favorite
note taking methodsis color coding.
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:I love a good color coded system
that helps me stay engaged.
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:I love highlighting text and I love being
like, oh, if it's this point, it's blue.
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:If it's this point, it's green.
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:If it's this, it's yellow.
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:I love that.
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:That helps me stay on track.
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:That is iconic to me so that I'm studying
like an icon and not like a robot.
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:The second thing that I'm going
to suggest is finding your
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:focus window and protecting it.
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:Protecting it is the
key point in this rule.
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:Okay?
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:You need to protect
your focus window, okay?
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:If you are living with roommates and you
know, you know that your focus window
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:is like 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM or it's like
midnight to 3:00 AM or it's 5:00 PM to
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:7:00 PM, block that off in your calendar.
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:And if you're with roommates put it
on that dry erase board that's on the
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:fridge in every college apartment, you'll
see that dry erase board on the fridge
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:where everyone's like, this is what
I'm doing and this is what I'm doing.
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:Put your dedicated study
time, put your focus window on
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:there and say, leave me alone.
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:Put something on your door.
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:Put do not disturb on your phone.
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:Put do not disturb on your laptop.
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:Do not let anyone take away that peace..
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:Mm.
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:Let everyone know that that is
your time to study and do homework.
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:That would've saved me so
much aggravation in college.
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:So please, if you're gonna do anything
from this episode, from this tea
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:time sesh, please let it be that one.
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:Please let it be that
one for college Amanda.
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:Okay.
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:She's gonna thank you.
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:Okay.
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:All right.
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:Okay, I promise.
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:Now, the last one is don't go
at it alone, radiant icons.
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:You are in college.
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:You are in the best human
experience of your life, right?
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:You are meeting so many people because
again, your network is your net worth.
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:You are in these classes with
millions and millions of people.
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:Make friends with the
stranger sitting next to you.
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:Make friends with the really
smart kid in class that's always
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:asking the really smart questions.
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:Make friends, talk to
people, get their numbers.
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:Go to study sessions, go
to the TA, ask for help.
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:If you do not know what is going
on in class, please for the love
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:of God, go to the study session.
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:Go to the office hours, talk to the TA.
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:Make friends with the people in
your group if you have those.
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:Like I know when I was in the College
of Business at UCF, we had these
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:classes, I, I don't even remember
what they're called, but we had like,
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:we were always in groups for them.
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:Make friends with those people, get their
numbers because if there's one day where
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:you miss class or if you don't understand
something for an assignment that's
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:coming up, or if you wanna know how the
tests went for them, you can text them.
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:You have a friend in that class.
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:You have an acquaintance,
I'm sorry, an acquaintance.
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:You can make friends with them later,
but you have an acquaintance, okay?
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:Get their numbers.
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:Talk to people.
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:Your network is your net worth.
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:Those people will help you out.
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:Not everyone is scary in college.
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:I promise you.
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:We all just wanna succeed
and get the grade.
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:We all want to succeed
and get the grade, okay?
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:We are all there for the same end goal.
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:We are there to pass that class.
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:We are there to pass that class and get
that credit because college is too damn
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:expensive to fail it and retake it.
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:Okay?
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:That's the honest truth.
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:That is the honest truth.
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:I had to take macroeconomics
three times in my life.
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:Three times, and I said, you know what?
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:I'm gonna give up.
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:I'm gonna give up and take microeconomics.
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:Microeconomics was the best decision.
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:I actually understood that one.
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:I only had to take it once, but I wasted
so much money taking macroeconomics
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:three times because my ego was too
big and I didn't wanna talk to anyone
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:and I didn't wanna ask for help.
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:Don't do what I did.
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:You don't have to figure it
out all by yourself if you
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:don't understand something.
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:Ask questions.
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:Ask questions.
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:Make friends with the people
who are asking questions.
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:Make friends with the
people in your group.
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:Get their numbers.
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:Create group chats.
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:Go to study sessions.
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:Literally talk to them.
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:You are not in college alone.
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:Focus on that networking
piece of making friends.
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:You never know how it's gonna
help you in life, especially
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:when it comes to that test.
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:Not that I'm saying you're cheating.
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:No, no, no.
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:I don't condone cheating.
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:When it comes to the tests,
they're able to tell you, Hey,
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:I didn't, you know, it was hard.
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:It was hard.
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:I'm just preparing you.
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:You may cry.
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:You know how many friends I was
able to, what was in that class?
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:Managerial accounting.
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:I hated managerial accounting.
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:Okay.
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:I hated that class, Barbara.
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:My professor's name was Barbara.
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:Barbara was so sweet, but I hated that
damn class and I had around like four
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:friends in that class and I remembered
them always texting me 'cause they
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:would end up taking the test before me.
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:Because there's a window, right?
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:You can take it from like a Tuesday
to, to like a Friday or something, and
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:you just take it whenever, you know, in
that testing window when it's available
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:for you to go to the testing center.
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:And I remember I'd be like,
Hey, like how was the test?
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:Like how do you feel
you did this and that?
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:Or they would tell me and they'll be like.
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:Yeah.
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:No, it sucked.
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:Or, yeah.
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:No, it was great.
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:I mean, no one ever said it was great.
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:We all hated that class together.
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:But that's not the point.
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:That's not the point.
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:The point is basically they're
able to tell you, like do a
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:pulse check of like, yeah, no.
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:Um, you may come out in that class crying.
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:I remember one of them
or that test crying.
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:Um, I remember there was one test
for managerial accounting where
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:they're like, that one's really hard.
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:Like, you are definitely
gonna cry coming out of it.
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:Like, I promise you like.
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:You're gonna cry.
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:And I was like, okay.
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:I was like, it can't be that bad.
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:Right?
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:I, I, I was trying to be positive.
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:No, I, I, I sobbed after that
test, I walked outta the testing
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:center into my ex-boyfriend's arm
and I sobbed, sobbed my eyes out.
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:It was so hard.
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:And they were right.
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:That pulse check was right.
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:But yeah, make friends with
the people in your classes.
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:That's the end of rule number three.
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:I love me some Rule number four,
because it's about my favorite social
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:media platform in this entire world.
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:It's my favorite topic to talk
about, so let's just get into it.
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:Rule number four is build your
personal brand on LinkedIn.
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:Yes, do it now, radiant icons because
you do not need a job title to start
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:building your personal brand on LinkedIn.
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:I know what you're gonna say.
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:Amanda.
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:Isn't LinkedIn just for professionals
and like that's when you post just
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:your career updates and all this stuff?
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:No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
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:Build your personal brand on LinkedIn
because there is a need for content.
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:Your network is your network worth.
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:And you're gonna do it on LinkedIn.
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:You're gonna do it on LinkedIn because
LinkedIn is your secret weapon.
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:No one else is on LinkedIn and
using it to its advantage that
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:you need to use it to, in order to
move forward in your professional
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:career and your personal branding.
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:LinkedIn is that girl.
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:She is that girl.
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:And it changed my life and I
wish someone told college Amanda
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:to take LinkedIn seriously.
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:So I'm not gonna give away all of my
LinkedIn secrets because I will be doing
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:a LinkedIn masterclass next year in 2026
because the icon of LinkedIn is ready
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:to share her tips and tricks in detail.
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:That will be next year, but for now,
so you can start at least building your
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:personal brand and experiment with it
before you join me in that masterclass
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:next year, this is what you're gonna do.
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:The first one is updating
your LinkedIn profile.
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:I know that sounds basic.
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:I know everyone's gonna tell you that, but
you need to update your LinkedIn profile,
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:and this is how you're gonna do it.
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:You're gonna write a headline
that showcases your passion.
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:I know mine is something like
empowering young women to unleash
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:their potential, break barriers,
and embrace their iconic selves.
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:It goes so much with my brand
and business, and it tells you
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:exactly what you're gonna get from
my LinkedIn page and what I do.
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:Point blank and period.
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:That's what your headline
should look like.
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:It should show your passion and the
content that you are going to create.
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:After that, you need to upload a
headshot photo and a cover photo.
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:Do not just do a headshot
photo and no cover.
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:Do not do that.
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:Do not do that.
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:I swear to God radiant
icons, do not do that.
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:Don't do that.
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:Do not do it.
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:You are going to put a headshot
photo that represents who you are
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:and your brand and your business.
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:For me, I use the same Amanda
headshot that I use across all my
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:social media platforms, which is
the one that's right behind me.
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:If you're watching the YouTube version,
it's the F1 Girlies magazine cover.
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:It's that purple.
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:Um, that purple photo with the purple
boa and I'm like looking to the side.
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:It's like, so it's so Amanda, right?
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:It's so Amanda, you're associating Dare To
Be Iconic and me with purple and sparkles
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:and glitter and boas and all that.
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:And that's true.
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:That is the dare to be iconic color.
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:That's the dare to be iconic vibe.
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:That's who I am.
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:Right.
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:That's my headshot photo.
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:Then my cover photo is going
to be an extension of that.
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:It's going to be purple.
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:It's gonna have a call to action on it.
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:It's going to literally be an
extension of my headshot photo
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:and an extension of my brand.
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:So when people click my LinkedIn
profile, they know exactly who
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:I am and what they're gonna get.
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:After that, you're going to start
sharing your journey on LinkedIn.
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:You are going to share every
win, whether it is small or big.
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:Share it.
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:Share it.
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:Use your voice.
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:Talk about the things that matter to you.
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:There is such a demand for content on
LinkedIn, and that is what you need to do.
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:You need to start sharing your
journey and using your voice.
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:Just do it.
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:Just do it.
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:Start sharing your story in a
cadence that makes sense to you.
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:So whether it's one time a week,
two times a week, whatever it
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:is, don't burn yourself out.
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:People want to feel like they're
going on a journey with you.
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:Do that with LinkedIn.
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:That's how you build your personal brand.
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:And the last thing I'm going to say,
and I'm not gonna go too much into
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:it right now because like this is one
of my favorite topics and I'm gonna
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:go more in depth on this particular
part in my masterclass next year.
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:So definitely make sure to
keep your pulse on that.
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:It's obviously gonna be on social, so
make sure you're connected with me on
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:there on the Dare to Be Iconic page.
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:It's @daretobeiconic_ on Instagram
and TikTok and also be a part
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:of the Radiant Icon Club on the
broadcast channel on the Amanda Page.
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:It's amandapaolicelli_, but the third
step is start networking intentionally.
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:School counts too, like just like
I said in rule three, like again,
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:your network is your net worth.
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:Making friends with those people in
your class, like you never know how
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:it's gonna help you out in life.
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:Get those numbers, talk to those
people, like create your network
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:'cause you again, never know where
it's really gonna help you out in life.
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:It's the same thing with LinkedIn.
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:You need to network intentionally.
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:You need to lead with your intention.
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:Where do you wanna go?
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:Where do you see yourself going?
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:How can you get to that place, right?
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:Who do you need to talk to?
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:Who do you need to connect with to get
to that place or that vision or that
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:goal or direction that you wanna go in?
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:Who can you learn from?
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:Whose content do you wanna see?
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:All of that starts with networking
intentionally when it comes to LinkedIn,
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:and again, I will talk more about
that in my tips and tricks when it
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:comes to networking intentionally.
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:The LinkedIn Masterclass, which will be
in early:
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:pulse not only here on the podcast, but
on my socials and the broadcast channel.
398
:All right, radiant icons.
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:That is your tea time session for today.
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:If you enjoy today's episode, make
sure to subscribe to leave a rating,
401
:a review to tell your friends
about us, to tell everyone and
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:anyone, because you already know.
403
:We love more radiant icons in
our iconic community of ours.
404
:But honestly, you guys, I hope that you
enjoy today's Back to School Survival Kit.
405
:I know back to school season is not
the most exciting, but honestly,
406
:this year you're gonna kill it
because this is your year to own.
407
:It truly, truly is.
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:And if any of these rules helped you
as you are starting this new semester
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:or starting this new chapter of your
life, please make sure to let me know.
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:Send me a dm.
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:I can't wait to see all the pictures.
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:Like, please can me updated.
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:I love when you guys DMed me about.
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:Everything that's going on and like
how episodes have helped you and like
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:you send me pictures of your life.
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:Like I love it.
417
:I love it, love it, love it.
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:Please continue to do it.
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:Now, let's talk about next
week real quick, or the next
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:coming weeks I should say.
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:Um, we are entering a new era for
Dare To Be Iconic, starting next week.
422
:And if you are on my socials, then you'll
get a sneak peek of what that era is and
423
:honestly, I'm so excited.
424
:It's been a long time coming and it's
something that honestly, no one expected,
425
:but I'm so happy that it happened
and I cannot wait to share this wild,
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:wild, wild journey with you guys and
this new era for Dare To Be Iconic
427
:because it's honestly so radiant and
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:I can't wait.
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:I can't say anything else because
there's just too much and I don't
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:know how to say it cleverly yet.
431
:So just stay tuned to the
Dare To Be Iconic Instagram.
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:'Cause you already know it's
gonna be so iconic and it's gonna
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:be wild and I just can't wait.
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:All right you guys, I'll
talk to you guys next week.
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:Remember, radiant icons.
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:Dare to be iconic.
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:Bye.
