Seven days ago I saw a new doctor. I needed a second opinion on some weirdo symptoms that have been getting worse recently.

The new diagnosis…well…it wasn’t what I was expecting.

To be honest, it’s thrown me on my ass.

Rolling it over and over in my head the last seven days has impacted my view on life. It’s most definitely impacted the keynote speech I’ll deliver this Thursday morning at the Women’s Success Summit. Get your tickets here. VIP is better. The code that will save you $50 is BADASS, but I think today is the last day for the discount.

I debated about whether to struggle with the issue privately and keep it a secret until I had it all “under control.” Typing this I fear being overwhelmed by your advice, opinions and judgments.

But ultimately I’m not the only Badass Business Woman on the planet struggling with this illness. Despite my own fear I’ve decided to share my journey on Thursday morning during my keynote speech at the Summit. Chances are the speech will be recorded, but I don’t have a videographer lined up yet.

Between now and Thursday, send me good vibes. I’m not checking my email much these days so it’s better to say something nice below if you want to put a smile on my face. And…truth be told…I could use a few smiles.

After reading her book “No Excuses” I was both inspired and appalled. I wrote her an email to thank her for blowing me away with her book and calling me to action. Now we meet up in NYC scheming up a master plan to mobilize millions of women nationwide.

What are we mobilizing?

First off let’s be straight about one thing. Feminism is dead. Long gone are the days in which Gloria Feldt and Gloria Steinem put their heads together to mobilize a MASS movement. Once upon a time there was a first wave of feminism. Then there was a second wave. There is NO wave right now.

There are lots of mini-movements…pockets of women all over joining forces to advance. But it’s splintered. And that’s unfortunate.

I’m sad I missed out on Feminism.

Is it time for another wave?

SAY SOMETHING! HAVE AN OPINION BELOW!

A few nights ago I was sitting on a turquoise antique chair in the living room of Nell Merlino, my hero and business mentor. Here’s how the conversation went:

JESSICA: “Nell, am I doing all the right things with Badass?”

NELL: “Jessica, what do you WANT to be doing?”

JESSICA: “More than anything I want to write. I want to connect with my audience through my words. That’s my gift. Writing. I’m doing so many things IN ORDER TO write. But really I just want to write. I have so much to contribute to the world if I could just focus on writing.”

NELL: “Then write.”

That’s what mentors are for, right?

Talking to Nell this week I realized it’s time we get paid to do what we do best.

It’s time we raise our own perceived value so we attract people (employers, clients, sponsors, partners) who recognize and appreciate our talents.

For those of you share my sentiments, click this link to download something I just wrote to HELP YOU INCREASE YOUR PERCEIVED VALUE. It’s sizzling hot.

Download this report.
Do what you love.

Blowing you a kiss from my writing bench in Central Park…

My hands are sweating. I’m about to propose.

No, not to my girlfriend! To a prospective client.

I’m literally about to present my proposal…in 9 minutes.

I’ve thought it through. My head is swirling. I want to say everything right. I’ve practiced the proposal. I want to get a YES. I want to start immediately. I want to go go go.

Ever felt that?

The excitement, the nervousness….. and the sweating?

That’s what closing sales is all about. And if you aren’t actively learning how to better sell yourself then…..Shame on you.

Whether you’re training yourself, your team, or your computer system to make sales…. this upcoming Women’s Success Summit in Miami is a great place to hone your skills (AND practice closing since there’s tons of women and men there who could BUY YOUR STUFF).

Click on the flyer below to get my BADASS discount; if you can’t click, visit WomensSuccessSummit.com and enter BADASS as your promotional code.

PS – Want to hear how my proposal went? Stay tuned to future emails. I’ll keep you posted. Not closed yet…

I’m writing this email to thousands hoping that ONE OF YOU out there can help me solve a fairly simple problem. If you can’t personally help, can you forward this to someone you who could?

Here’s the situation: I’m being invited by all the major news outlets to be on television in New York on a regular basis. In the last four days alone I’ve spent $1,314 on hotel bills! (Ouch)

As I spend more time traveling the country talking to media and audiences of female professionals, I need support. I can’t do it alone. I need to know I can go out on the road and do what I do best!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s what I need: I need a major hotel brand who believes in female entrepreneurs to step up now and become an official sponsor of Badass Business Women. Our recent sponsors included Redbull, Fiat, Absolut Vodka, Pop Chips and Ocean Models…so you’ll be in good company.

In the short term all I need is free hotel rooms in New York…though Los Angeles and Silicon Valley would be great too!

I know for a fact that women (myself included) thrive in spaces with phenomenal energy…that’s how we refuel so we can be Badassess. We need to know which brand we should choose, and which brands are social responsible in our realm. We want to know who believes in us and wants to serve us. We women are loyal to brands who go out of their way to demonstrate their loyalty to us.

So……….drum roll……………………..Who’s the new official hotel sponsor of Badass Business Women????

Please respond directly to me via this email address. The bidding war starts now. Heeehee.

When I first started playing the guitar, I really sucked. I mean REALLY sucked.

It was one of the most humbling things I’ve ever done. I felt frustrated, awkward and impatient. My best friend Mark and I would drive up to our secret spot on Boulder Creek and sit on a rock in the middle of the river, back-to-back, each playing our guitars. We loved it because the river was so loud it almost completely drowned out the awful noise of our sucky guitar playing.

14 years later, I don’t suck anymore. Why? I didn’t just WANT to play the guitar. I dedicated myself to learning the art.

Making money is the same thing. It’s an art form. People WANT to make more, but they don’t dedicate themselves to the art form of making money.

**ARE YOU DEDICATED TO LEARNING THE ART FORM OF MAKING MONEY?

If yes, click here. I have some brand new secrets that will blow your mind.

If not, you wouldn’t care.

I don’t talk about this much, but a huge part of being Badass is giving back. It’s contributing. It’s volunteering. It’s donating your money. It’s being selfless.

HOWEVER… you must be smart about what you give and how you give it. Don’t throw your money away, and definitely don’t throw your TIME away.

*** Part of my job as The Chief Badass is to get YOU (yes…the person sitting in YOUR underwear) to PLACE HIGH VALUE ON YOUR TIME. I currently value my time at $5,000/day, and I definitely don’t give it away lightly to anyone who doesn’t understand what it’s worth. You shouldn’t either.***

Don’t freak out. I’m not saying be stingy or greedy with your time. I’m saying be smart. Make sure you engage with others who place high value on your time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EXAMPLE: Earlier this week, I sent out an email about the video production grants my company gives to non-profits. The reason Bill Kizorek, Carly Kizorek, John Kizorek and Jessica Kizorek (plus seasoned team) donate our time is to help non-profits EXPAND their ability to raise money and fulfill their programs.

After being featured on CNN and in the New York Times, we get regular requests that sound like this: “Will you make us a video for FREE?” We say: “No.” Why? On more than one project we’ve donated hundreds of hours of our time (plus expenses) at ZERO cost to the 501c3. What was our retrospective personal experience for us as Kizorek’s? Our efforts were undervalued. The videos weren’t fully leveraged. We were disappointed.

Now we don’t do videos for free. We’ve turned it into a “matching grant” for Serious Organizations (like Special Olympics and Lions Club) with Serious Budgets ($15,000-$100,000) and Serious Communications Objectives. Hello… We helped the International Rescue Committee to launch a standardized multimedia training program in refugee camps WORLDWIDE. It’s AWESOME to make SERIOUS IMPACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If we’re not working with other serious professionals it’s not worth our emotional investment. That’s how much we value our time. We will continue to value it more.

Soooooo…… you might be asking, “What’s the point of this email, Jessica?”

The point of this email was to have you take yourself SERIOUSLY. Contribute in SERIOUS ways. Value your time. Make the right emotional investments.

Oh yeah…and while you’re taking yourself so SERIOUSLY…don’t forget to have a little fun.

SHARE BELOW: Do YOU take yourself seriously? Do YOU make serious impact? Do you have FUN FUN FUN while you’re living the Badass lifestyle? Thanks for listening to my little rant… now time for yours. Make sure to catch yesterday’s email below if you missed it.

Fellow Badass:

I’ve been watching a lot of Vampire Diaries episodes on Netflix lately.

What vampires are most famous for is their CRAVING. They CRAVE blood. They thirst for it. They hunger for it. They are insane for it.

In that way I’m just like a vampire. Except I don’t crave blood.

I crave something different. I crave REALIZATION. I crave fulfilling my mission. I crave traveling and making a difference. I crave helping the right voices be heard. I crave inspiring people. I crave pulling people out of their comfort zone. I crave challenging people to think big. I crave pushing people out on a limb to live a life they love. I crave teaching people to make good money. I crave bringing together thought leaders. I crave collaborating on big projects. I crave action. I crave adrenaline. I crave change. I crave victory. I crave impact.

Like a vampire I CRAVE it. I hunger for it. To a certain degree, I am insane for it.

*** That’s why I’m on the hunt for FIVE new non-profit organizations to donate my time to. If you work at a 501c3 (or know somebody who does) – send them to this link to read more about THE KIZOREK FAMILY VIDEO PRODUCTION GRANTS. My family basically donates our time, expertise, frequent flier miles, equipment, etc. to mature non-profits for our very specific matching grant program. Our grantee list includes: Special Olympics, Lions Club and International Rescue Committee. Read the grants page closely before submitting an application.

Watch some of the videos I’ve produced in the past on our YouTube page, especially this IRC case study that gives the behind-the-scenes peek at a video project we did last year in refugee camps in Pakistan and Liberia.

Please let me know of a worthy cause who would really benefit from my ability to tell stories… especially through video.

Thanks!

The Chief

Fellow Badass:

I recommend being a Badass in business AND in bed.

Being a Badass in bed is just like being a Badass in business:

You must ask for what you want.
You must hunt what you crave.
You must study and become masterful.
You must surrender to the force.

Being a Badass in bed and in business happens with:

Solid seduction skills.
Solid stage presence.
Solid interest in learning and growing.
Solid listening skills.

Being a Badass in bed and in business entails generating:

Sex appeal.
Curiosity.
Innovation.
Vulnerability.
Ambition.
Practice.
Play.

The great news is that ANYONE can be a Badass in bed AND in business. Both are LEARNED. A huge inspiration of mine, Dr. Sonjia, just wrote a book named “Sex in South Beach” that articulated many of my recommendations for being a Badass in bed. I highly recommend picking up a copy TODAY. The book is being offered for just $.99 – TODAY ONLY! Click here for that offer.

Join us in Miami at her event TOMORROW NIGHT!!!

Sex in South Beach Launch Party
Saturday 4/21 – 8pm
Catalina Hotel & Beach Club
1732 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Register here.

How would you define a “Badass in Bed?” Comment below!

Many of you watched me speak in November 2011 at The Women’s Success Summit. You heard me do the keynote speech to introduce the summit’s theme, “Risky Business.” Watch here if you missed it.

Preparing for that speech really impacted me.

I wanted to stand on the stage that day having truly LIVED that theme so I could boldly lead you though it.

So I risked it all. I came up with a big strategic plan and invested wisely. Taking risks isn’t about foolishly tossing in your resources. It’s about being smart, skillful and strategic. It’s about digging long and hard and deep into ONE SINGLE business until you tap into oil.

Many of you have your own great stories about risk. In the last six months I personally invested about $80,000 in cash reserves towards creating a brand new (and FINALLY SCALABLE) business that will allow me to live the lifestyle of my dreams as we roll out over the course of the next 24 months. I’m all in financially and emotionally. I’ve risked.

BUT…the May Women’s Success Summit is coming up on May 17 & 18. With it comes the NEW THEME:

“The Big Close”

I’m SUPER PSYCHED. You should be too.

The theme is all about selling and CLOSING. That’s right…the magical moment where someone agrees to compensate you for your brilliance. I’m all about getting paid for my brilliance. You?

Are you coming to the Summit on May 17 & 18? If you haven’t already purchased your VIP pass, do so here while the $50 early bird discount is still in effect! Tickets start at just $37 per day.

WomensSuccessSummit.com

I’ve risked. Now I’m ready to close. BIG Deals. BIG Money. BIG Media. BIG Sponsors. BIG Audiences. BIG BIG BIG.

Let’s do it together.

Chances are you have never been to Minocqua…but you should know it is heaven on earth. After the craziness of February and March I needed a week to come home to my parent’s lake house….with Bamboo. Bamboo keeps me sane. She reminds me to keep it simple.

Being a Badass Business Woman sometimes leads to a little insanity and complexity, ya know? You need the self-awareness to know what nourishes YOU. Give yourself that gift. Spoil yourself. Be generous. Plug into what feels good. You’ll be more creative.

Can you nourish yourself AND work at the same time???

I can. Here’s an example of today’s nurturing, pleasure-filled and creatively-juiced work day:

• Woke up snuggling Bamboo.
• Read Osmara’s book* in bed.
• Drank Verona coffee.
• Work 4 hours to catch up and recalibrate. 
• Long walk around Lake Wyndock with Bamboo. 
• Homemade organic veggie shake per coach Adam Cronin.
• Finish 187-page personal branding graduate training manual!!!!! 
• Sunset over the lake! 
• Champagne! 
• Movies! 
• Popcorn with Dad. 
• More Snuggling with Bamboo!
  

Do you work AND nourish yourself at the same time? HOW?

TELL ME BELOW!



* Today I woke up and devoured the last two chapters of a GENIUS new book called, “The Unleashing,” written by our student Osmara Vindel. If you haven’t read Osmara’s book you are missing out. She dives deep into a very Badass subject…unleashing yourself from the self-sabotaging brain patterns you use to hold yourself back. Go Osmara! Click here to get your copy!