Aster Arch

I help coaches go from vague to premium by building a distinct language system that sells. In just 30 days, we build a Signature Language System™ that includes:

•  A proprietary language bank to keep their messaging consistent
•  A compelling name for their coaching program or offer
•  Named frameworks, models, and metaphors
•  Memorable phrases and taglines

By naming the steps of the transformation, the coaches offer looks and feels like a proven system, not a vague promise. That structure gives buyers confidence. It signals clarity, expertise, and repeatable results. And it makes the offer instantly referable, recognizable, and ready to sell.

Communications Consultant

•  Expanded and enhanced executive profiles (internally and externally) by creating clear, strategic, engaging, thought leadership content for keynote addresses, videos, presentations, blogs, social media, webinars, and partner/customer/media events. 
> The increased executive profile elevated the partner business, which became a pillar of SAP strategy.
•  Established and drove reputation of “advocacy & amplification” team with employees, partners, and customers.
> This led to greater support for the team and furthered the recognition of partner value.
•  Create event content (email marketing, and presenter and panel talking points) 
•  Wrote customer success stories. 
> Showcased positive relationship between SAP and partners in serving customers.
•  Supported partner public relations with strategy, direction, and content development.
> This educated and empowered partners to use public relations to grow their businesses.

Senior Editor, Partner Advocacy and Amplification 

•   Managed SAP’s global review process of partner press releases – with zero escalations.
•  Improved partner press releases for quality and clarity to increase media pickup.
•  Managed internal SAP reviews and approvals across multiple stakeholders.
•  Diplomatically integrated feedback from multiple SAP stakeholders into partner press releases to ensure accuracy and reduce legal exposure. 
•  Streamlined review process for SAP employees and partners to make it faster and easier.

Senior Editor, Public Relations and Marketing

OxiCool, Inc

•  Managed all communications, marketing, and branding activity for this clean-tech start-up.
•  Maximized the brand story (of the founder and company) to secure ongoing venture capital.
•  Coached CEO/founder in effective storytelling and messaging for media and speaking engagements.

Vice President Communications and Marketing

bswift, an Aetna company

• Developed end-to-end communication strategy, to deliver a single, clear user experience
• Drove focus on clear language to improve user experience when shopping, comparing, and buying health plans
• Created “Best Practices Guide” for account teams to improve client websites
• Led content strategy to deliver information where consumers needed it in the sales funnel

Director, Content Strategy

Aetna

•	Led in-house creative (copywriters, web managers, proofreaders to improve readability and consumer focus 
•	Cross-trained staff for greater business knowledge and to expand contributors’ value
•	Led development of department workflow process that improved productivity and reporting
•	Worked with internal clients to meet their business goals while protecting the company brand
•	Led content streamlining and re-writing of Aetna.com (Brought external work in-house to save approximately $600,000)

Director, Content and Communications (creative agency)

•	Architect of Aetna’s plain language initiative, which brought national attention to the company as a thought leader and led to the inclusion of clear communication in the new brand voice
•	Created award-winning employee newsletter on clear communication 
•	Formed editorial review board that solved language/brand voice problems
•	Consulted on user experience in creation and improvement of industry-leading Health Assessment and Payment Estimator digital tools

Digital Engagement (Content Creator, Web Manager)

•	Created content that increased visits and page views, and helped win a Webby Award
•	Delivered content and tools to DiscoveryHealth.com to further the reach of the brand
•	Ghosted articles for doctors (in Better Homes & Gardens) that increased name recognition

Writer/Editor/Digital Producer for InteliHealth, an Aetna company

You’re a coach with an offer that works.
But too many sales call feel like a 30-minute explain-athons that end in ghosting.

You're paying the Language Tax...
The hidden cost of vague, forgettable messaging that drains revenue AND confidence.

Here's what it looks like:

- Content with views but no conversions.
- Ghosted sales calls and endless explaining.
- Weak referrals – even fans struggle to explain what you do.

Every unclear phrase costs you...

- trust
- time
- and $3K–$10K per lost client 

This isn't just a marketing problem; it's a revenue leak.

I help coaches, creators, and experts eliminate the Language Tax and recover lost revenue by transforming your expertise into a Signature Language System™. 

This isn’t copy polish; it’s a revenue rescue mission to ensure your words work as hard as you do.

We'll build language that:

- Commands premium prices (no over-explaining).
- Converts without convincing (value is undeniable).
- Makes you impossible to confuse, overlook, or undersell.

Here's how my Signature Language System (30-day 1:1 engagement) systematically builds your market-ready language toolkit:

✅ Architect Core Language
Develop a stand-out program name and proprietary Signature System (your unique, easy-to-explain method).

✅ Forge Unstoppable Differentiation 
Craft a Positioning Glove and Memorability Matrix to make you uniquely unforgettable and immune to price comparison.

✅ Master Sales-Ready Content
Get a high-converting tagline, key phrases for those "So what do you do?" moments, and a Sales Copy Kit to attract ideal clients.

✅ Activate Your Rollout Playbook
Launch new language across LinkedIn, offer docs, and sales calls, seeing results from week one.

Proof It Works:
Brian Martinez, a top fitness coach, transformed his sales, booking multiple $500–$1,000 clients in 30 days. His secret? Not changing his funnel, pricing, or service — just his words.

My background ghostwriting for Fortune 100 execs, doctors, and top-tier coaches taught me this...
Brilliant ideas often get buried in jargon. The problem isn't expertise; it's weak language.

I help ambitious experts stop explaining and start enrolling by shaping brand language that sells as if your next client is already convinced.

If your message isn't pulling its weight, you're paying a silent tax. Let’s fix that.

DM me "LANGUAGE TAX" today. 
We'll find where your message is leaking money and permanently close that gap.

Brian Berkenstock

Before anyone gets themself all overheated…

I’m not saying everyone needs a college degree.
Some of the smartest, most capable people I know are self-taught.
What I am saying is that education wasn’t meant to just make us employable.

Education has serious problems that need fixing, for sure...
But that doesn't mean we should treat “educated” like a dirty word. 
Or think learning is a waste of time.

There's a difference between reasonable critique and thoughtless contempt.

Your offer’s confusing | I make it clear and memorable | This means positioning, branding, and messaging that connects | Cats can be fuzzy, your offer cannot

Our Kids Will Be Rich and Stupid

There's no HOOK for today's post.
Just some...hesitation.

I'm doing something a bit out of the ordinary for me.
Sharing a personal story.
(With the help of Sandra Macele and her Authority cohort!)

I've been trying to walk a delicate line on LinkedIn.

On one side is BUSINESS.
On the other is SOCIAL.

The biz side is a piece of cake.

I have oodles of experience.
A solid offer.
And killer testimonials.

The personal/social side has been a challenge.

I like the social sharing aspect of LinkedIn.
And getting to know people beyond their banners.
But I don't like "trauma dumping." 
Which feels both revealing and artificial at the same time.

I first need some guardrails for myself.
Here's where I landed...

I'll try to share stories to inspire or help us look at things in a new light.

Let me know how I did.

A Life of No Regret

Do you want a “catchy” program name or one that goes KA-CHING?  

Amateurs chase “catchy” because they don’t know what makes people buy. 

So they pile on adjectives, layer in excess words, and sprinkle in “elevate” for good measure. (Then they wonder why nobody remembers or buys it.) 

Meanwhile, offer names that sell aren’t "cute." 
They’re clear because they hit the right nerve.
They sound like something you’d brag about owning. 

This carousel walks through 7 rules for naming that make people stop, smile, and say, “Wait, what’s that?” 

Swipe through "Name Your Program."

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

Name Your Program

A coach said, “I used ChatGPT to name my offer." 
("Okaaaaay," I thought.)
Said it sounded great, until the realization hit that it could name anyone’s offer.

This is the silent cost of AI-created content.
(The Language Tax you pay and don't realize.)
You can publish AI content, but you can’t OWN IT.

An offer name may work thematically, but FAIL EMOTIONALLY.
That's because AI can fit a mold, but it can't build a mission.

That’s when this coach hired me.
Not to make the offer name fancy, but to make it "ownable."

AI names what exists.
I name what stands apart.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

AI Can't Write Sticky

Don't beat yourself up!
This communication stuff is hard.
For example, many folks think "clarity sells."
It doesn’t.

Clarity only works when people already CARE.

If they don’t care, “explaining it better” won't help.

That’s why your “clarity” doesn’t create clients.

In my new carousel, I show why clarity fails (and what creates conversion).

See why clarity without desire is one of the costliest traps in coaching.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging

Clarity is Only Half the Story

After a year of working with coaches and consultants, I’ve noticed a pattern. Those who convert best don’t sound smarter, they sound TRUER.

They find ways to make their words carry conviction. You can FEEL that they’ve lived what they’re saying.

AI can echo expertise, but never experiences.
It can list benefits, but not capture beliefs.

And that gap between “what sounds right” and “what feels real” is everything.

That’s why I don’t just write clearer copy. I build positioning and language to make your brand unforgettable. 

The kind of words no one but you could own.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

OK, I'm saying it, "You don’t need better AI prompts."

Every day I see people blaming AI for “Not getting it right.”
But it’s not the tech. It’s the thinking.

AI can follow instructions, but it can’t read our INTENTIONS.
AI can clean up our sentences, but it can’t clarify our THINKING.

AI doesn’t know who you’re talking to or what they care about.
AI can’t sense the tiny moments when readers stop believing you.
 
If we don’t know what we’re trying to be or prove, no prompt can save us.
If a message isn’t clear in the writer’s head, no algorithm can untangle it.

AI makes sentences.
Thinkers make sense.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

Brian vs. AI. (Good gravy, it's not even close!)

Some coaches hire a naming expert and get a list generated by ChatGPT. 

Here's what goes into building brand language that actually sells.
My process starts with a simple rule: No AI until the human work is done.
 
Generative AI is a powerful tool, but a terrible strategist. It can't understand nuance, hear the energy or excitement in your voice, or uncover metaphors you don't even know you use. That's my job.

Before any algorithm gets involved, I'm deep in the trenches with:

I. Recorded Calls 
I listen to your client calls to find hidden language that may resonate and connect.

II. Semantic Maps

I visually cluster your concepts to find the sweet spot between what you DO and what your clients NEED.

III. Brand Archetypes 
I align your name not just to your offer, but to your identity (Like Sage, Hero, and Rebel).

IV. Mouthboards 
(My alternative to visual moodboards). I collect your linguistic inspiration — podcasts, book titles, song lyrics — to define and refine your unique tone.

AI can't notice the metaphor hidden in an offhand comment. And it can't pull inspiration from your cultural identity or that phrase your grandmother used to say.

My 3-phase process does that and more:

1. FOUNDATION // The Deep Dive 
I don't start with words, but with structure. I pressure-test your offer to ensure the foundation is solid before we build language on top of it.

2. EXCAVATION // The Human Work 
Through live sessions, The Naming Forge, and The Language Lab, I excavate, shape, and polish concepts rooted in psychological and emotional truth, not rehashed buzzwords.

3. ACTIVATION // The Launchpad 
I don't just hand you a name and walk away. Through the Concept Reveal, Precision Polish, and Language Launch, I give you assets and a plan to implement.

This is a complete Signature Language System:

> A system to productize your offer and raises your perceived value. 
> A Positioning Glove that fits only you, separating you from the crowd. 
> A Word Bank that makes content creation effortless and authentic. 
> Strategic Phrases for calls, podcasts, and DMs to elevate confidence. 
> A Launch Playbook to unveil your new brand language with impact.

This isn't about simply naming an offer. This is the foundation of an ownable brand, which gives your life's work a voice that can't be ignored.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

A “good enough” name for your offer is NEVER good enough.
Especially when competitors use the same AI tools.

With so many people using the same tools, we risk language becoming like wallpaper — clean, correct, and instantly forgettable.

The difference between “content” and “communication” is ownership.
AI can help you write faster, but only humans can write something that sticks.

AI builds patterns.
I build signatures.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

NO! Your brand is not “fine.”
It’s familiar, which is a tragic weakness.

Every brand that feels “okay” borders on being irrelevant.

People wait for something obvious to "go wrong" before they fix their brand...

> A drop in sales
> A quiet pipeline
> A client saying, “We went in another direction.”

Look closely and you'll see most brands don’t collapse suddenly. 
They drift into oblivion.

A voice that once felt BAZINGA now now feels BLAH.
A story that once sold now sounds stale.

A brand audit can help you FIND YOURSELF before the market misses you.

Swipe through the carousel to see what drift looks like, and why awareness — not aesthetics — is the first step back to strength.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

How to Audit Your Brand

You know how you have a great offer…?
But you struggle to explain it clearly.
Or in a way people remember.

Well, I fix that. 

That’s all I have to say today.

*****							

👋 I’m BrianB.
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

I'd like to coin a new word today — "blanding." 
That’s the combination of "branding" and "blending in."
It's what AI does so well.

Can AI make your messaging faster and easier?
Yes.
 
Does it make your language/brand unique and "ownable?"
It does not. 

AI can do many cool things, but it’s not built to MAKE YOU STAND OUT. 

AI is built on averages. 
It studies what’s come before and predicts what’s likely to come next. 

That’s not branding, it's blending.
(C'mon, Help me out here. Let's all call is "blanding" from now on.) 

Ask AI to “Make my offer clear” and it WILL clean up your sentences. 
But it can’t see the gap between what you MEAN and what an audience HEARS. 

AI can handle grammar and punctuation — though it’s quite heavy handed with the em dash, isn't it? — but AI doesn’t do well with things that matter to your brand, like empathy and tension. 

No matter how many times you say, “Make this sound better,” AI can’t fix what it doesn’t understand. And that's the human element.

That’s why I don't worry when people say, “I’ll use AI for my positioning, branding, and naming.” 

AI can polish words. My process architects meaning. 

So shoot me a DM if you’re tired of sounding like the bland dreck AI spits out. 

***** 

👋 I’m BrianB. 
💡 I build positioning systems to make your offer unforgettable 
🎯 Names, frameworks, processes, and taglines people remember 
💬 DM me if your brilliance needs better packaging 
🐾 My cats and my kids like me!

Award-Winning PR & Brand Advisor | Build Global Recognition & Demand | Forbes-Featured | 32M+ Reach | Ex: News Executive, Press US Congress |

Turn offline expertise into online recognition so capital, stages, partnerships, and press come to you.

My team advises public figures and legacy brands around the globe. To date, clients have earned $3M+ in international media from our work.

Is this you?

You’re not an influencer, you’re a thought leader. 
You can’t afford to be misquoted, unseen, or misinterpreted.

Competitors are dominating the digital conversation in your industry.

If that’s you, welcome to your next level. In high-stakes spaces, silence gets filled by whoever is more visible. 

We make sure it’s you on LinkedIn, in the media, and beyond.

Clients call me when:
— The board says, “It’s time to be visible.”
— The media starts calling.
— The moment demands market leadership not optics.

Career highlights:

• Forbes-featured as communications and LinkedIn Expert
• Award-winning journalist (NYT Regional Group, TV, radio)
• Media strategist to U.S. Congress members, Fortune 500, Elite academia
• Advisor to six- and seven-figure leaders on visibility, brand narrative, positioning
• Google News Initiative / LION Publishers alum
• Favikon Who’s Who in Influence 2025
• Featured on a Times Square billboard as a top expert (2025)
• Best PR Firms in Orlando, Florida (Expertise)
• US Congressional Record (Hispanic Heritage Month) (Women's International Month)

This isn’t vanity. It’s velocity.
Let’s put your name where it belongs, ahead of the conversation.

Iza Montalvo 🧲

I wrote this as a reminder for myself.
Maybe you needed it too.

Everyone’s waiting for the right time.
That’s why most never start.

If success doesn’t wait
why are you?

The next quarter.
The right mood.
The perfect plan.

They never come.

Success keeps moving.
It doesn’t slow down.
It doesn’t care if you’re ready.

I used to plan everything
timelines, color codes, detailed notes.

It looked productive.
It wasn’t.

I told myself I was preparing.
But really, I was hiding.

The plan wasn’t the problem.
Standing still was.

When I finally started, things shifted.
Small steps.
Real work.

Progress I could see.
If you’re waiting, stop.

Do one thing today that proves you mean it.
Name the goal.
Do the work.

Finish something.
Protect your focus.

Discipline isn’t dramatic.
It’s quiet.
Certain.

Success doesn’t visit the planner.
It meets the worker.
PS: What’s the one thing you’ve been waiting to start?

🎥 Video credit: SM
♻️ Repost if it hit you.
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Ranked #1 in Global Branding | 35M+ Reach | 3M+ Media For Clients | Advisor To Fortune 500 & Public Figures 💎

The first hour of your day is prime real estate.
Spend it on work that moves you forward.

I see the same pattern in almost every leader and operator I work with:

They open the day with tasks that look productive, but don’t change anything.

Email.
Admin.
Quick replies.
Low-stakes work.

It feels safe.
It feels tidy.
But it doesn’t shift the needle.

The important work, the one task that demands focus or courage
gets pushed to the afternoon.

Then the afternoon fills up.
Then the task gets carried to the next day.
And the cycle repeats.

Morning is the one window where your mind is clear.
No demands.
No fires.

Use that block for the work with weight.

A project that moves the business forward.
A decision you’ve delayed.
A problem that needs thought, not speed.
A task that shapes the week, not one that fills an hour.

Block your first hour.
Protect it.

You end the day lighter.
You end the week with momentum.

If this lands, try it tomorrow: give your first hour to the task you’ve been avoiding.

Watch what shifts.

♻️Repost if you agree 
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Founder Authority Lab Open Enrollment | Personal Brand Growth for Founders | 35M+ Reach | 3M+ Media Impact 💎

You don’t need to reinvent yourself.
You just need to remember who you are.

We all reach a point in our careers where the version that got us here can’t take us where we are going next. 

For years, you built a name by persevering.
Now it’s time to be seen for leading.

That earlier version of you 

→ said yes out of loyalty, not alignment
→ stayed in rooms you’d already outgrown
→ mistook peacekeeping for professionalism
→ treated ambition like a secret

That version built safety.
But safety and visibility rarely coexist.

The next version of you demands:

• Precision over people-pleasing
• Proof over perfection
• Presence over performance

You don’t need a new story.
You just need to stop hiding inside the old one.

You can’t attract aligned opportunities
while introducing yourself as who you used to be.

If your brand voice still sounds like yesterday’s credibility,
start with your LinkedIn audit
it’s your mirror, not your résumé.

PS: The voice that built your career
isn’t the one that will build your legacy.

Video credit: SM

♻️ Repost if you’re leading your next chapter
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Ranked #1 in Global Branding & Comms | Refining Narrative, Authority & Market Expansion For Visionaries | Ex–US Congress Comms Director

Your product is strong.
Your message isn’t and that’s what’s costing you.

You use AI to work faster.
To fix your deck.
To shape your pitch.

I use it too.

But here’s the issue in this economy:

If your message isn’t clear or unique,
AI will make you sound even more like everyone else.
The problem isn’t the tool.

It’s how you explain:

✅ the problem you solve
✅ the answer you built
✅ and who you are as a founder

Right now, the market can’t feel any of that.

Anyone can say they fix a pain point.
Anyone can claim innovation.
Anyone can show a roadmap.

But very few founders can talk about their idea in a way that makes people think:

“I haven’t heard it said like that before.”

That’s what creates separation.
And separation is what gets you meetings, partners, and funding.

Let me give you a simple example:

I worked with a tech founder last month who kept pitching with heavy jargon.
Only people in his field understood him
but the people who needed his product the most didn’t get it.

So we refined his message.

We stripped out the “company mission” no one reads anymore.
We rewrote how he explained the problem and the solution in plain language anyone could follow.

In 30 days:

🔥 he closed 2 deals
🔥 booked a big presentation
🔥 and landed media

Nothing in his product changed.
Only the way he talked about it.

Here’s the part most don’t want to admit:

You’re not showing up as the founder people expect behind a company like yours, not in panels, not in industry talks, not in the rooms where decisions get made.

This isn’t about visibility.
It’s about positioning.

The founders who rise right now do 3 things well:

👉🏽They explain the problem in a way the market sees itself in.
👉🏽They describe the solution in a way only they can.
👉🏽They show they can move the space forward not just sit in it.
👉🏽They lead conversations others avoid 

And it’s why some founders jump ahead
while others keep waiting to be noticed.

PS: If you want to stand apart from your category,
send me one sentence: your biggest messaging challenge.

♻️ Repost to help others in your network
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Iza Montalvo 

Ranked #1 in Global Branding | 35M+ Reach | 3M+ Media For Clients | Advisor To Fortune 500 & Public Figures | Ask Me About My 6-Week Accelerator For More Clients, Stages & Press 💫

When life feels heavy
These 7 laws make it easier to carry.

You better save this!👇🏼

1/ Kidlin’s Law
Write the problem down.
Once it’s clear, the solution begins to form.

2/ Pareto’s Law
A small set of actions drives most results.
Identify them. Focus on them.

3/ Murphy’s Law
Fear grows when you avoid the thing you fear.
Move toward it. Momentum breaks the cycle.

4/ Wilson’s Law
When you invest in learning, opportunity follows.
Knowledge builds options.

5/ Gilbert’s Law
You are responsible for the outcome.
Not the excuses, not the limits, the outcome.

6/ Falkland’s Law
If a decision isn’t required, skip it.
Save your energy for important decisions .

7/ Hick’s Law
More choices slow you down.
Limit your options. Increase your speed.

These laws don’t fix everything.
But they make life feel lighter and more manageable.

If this helped:
👍 Like the post
🔗 Share it with someone who needs direction
👤 Follow me Iza Montalvo for more

Ranked #1 in Global Branding | 35M+ Reach | 3M+ Media For Clients | Advisor To Fortune 500 & Public Figures | I Reengineer How You’re Seen For More Clients, Stages & Press 💫

7 LAWS THAT GIVE YOU AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

Everyone says “know your worth.”
Few say “ask for it.”

Negotiation isn’t conflict.
It’s collaboration done right. 

Steal these 7 strategies to ask for more and get it:

1/ 𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗡𝗔 (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement)

🟢 Always know your fallback plan.
When you have a solid backup, 
you can negotiate from a place of confidence.

2/ Anchoring Effect

🟢 Lead with a strong number.
The first figure frames the entire discussion 
it’s your chance to set the tone.

3/ 𝗭𝗢𝗣𝗔 (Zone of Possible Agreement)

🟢 Find the overlap between what you want 
and what they can offer.
That’s where deals actually happen.

4/ Win-Win Agreement

🟢 Ask questions.
Find out what matters most to them.
Focus on building an outcome that works for both sides.

5/ The Power of Silence 

🟢  After you make your offer, stop talking.
Let the other person fill the silence.
It’s uncomfortable, but it shifts the momentum.

6/ Value-Based Negotiation

🟢 Talk about outcomes, not costs.
Show them how working with you solves their problems.

7/ Scarcity and Urgency 

🟢 Use time limits or exclusivity to motivate action.
Deadlines aren’t pushy, they create focus.

→You’re not squeezing the other side.
→You’re advocating for what’s fair.

PS: Which of these strategies will you try next?

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Ranked #1 in Global Branding | Turn Your LinkedIn Into a Deal-Flow Engine | Ex–US Congress Comms Director | I Fix The Gap Between Who You Are & How You’re Seen

I spoke with a founder who’d been in his field for almost 20 years.
Not the “social media expert” kind of experience.

The real kind.

The kind that holds companies together when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

👉 He led teams.
👉 Handled crises.
👉 Built things people relied on.

But when he tried to build something for himself, a side income, a little freedom, nothing moved.

He spent months trying to understand how others were using LinkedIn and AI to make a steady income, book stages and get featured as experts in top-tier media.

As someone who has ran campaigns for big names, and learned how to leverage LinkedIn in 1 year, I understand the pain too well. 

Then he confessed…

“I’ve signed up for webinars”
“I’ve tried posting more”
“I’ve tried writing in the right tone.”
“I’ve tried figuring out personal branding”

Every attempt ended the same way:

🚫 No traction.
🚫 No interest.
🚫 No real path forward.
🚫 Less money in the bank.

One night, he told me he sat in his car after work for almost an hour.
He didn’t want to walk into his house and pretend he wasn’t disappointed.
He said, in a quiet voice:

“I feel like I did everything right. And it still didn’t turn into anything for me.”
That’s the part most founders never share.
That’s what I call “The Hamster Wheel Trap.”

You’re not stuck because you lack experience.
You’re stuck because you think: 

I need to post more motivational content.
Which is getting you messages like: 
"You're so inspiring"
but not DMs asking for your help. 

You wait for something to click.
You spend hours prompting ChatGpt.
And none of it works.

That weekend, I showed him the part he’d been missing:

✅ How to package what he already knows.
✅ How to use AI to reduce the time it takes.
✅ How to build a simple machine that brings clients, media and stages
to him.

He didn’t expect much.
Not after months of quiet failure.

But he tried anyway.
Eleven days later, he brought in $12,400.

He didn’t cry because of the money.
He cried because something finally worked.

He said, “I just needed someone to show me the part nobody ever showed me.”
If you’re in "The Hamster Wheel Trap", era read this:

Your experience isn’t the issue.
The missing system is.
And that can be fixed.

PS: If any of this felt too familiar, that’s not failure.
It’s a sign you have been carrying everything alone. 

I speak about these topics in my newsletter: 
Sign up here: izamontalvo.com/joinnow

📸 Hotel Catalonia, Santo Domingo, November 2025

♻️Repost to help others in your network 
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Being the best isn’t enough.
Being seen as the best is.

For years, you won the same way:

✨ Referrals.
✨ Reputation.
✨ Relationships.
✨ Time in the field.

Do solid work.
Stay steady.
The next client shows up.
That pattern broke.
Attention shifted.

Here's what I've learned:

Decision-makers changed how they hire.
They search first.
They follow the ones who teach in public.
They stick with the voices they see often.

Familiarity moves faster than introductions.
This shift is shaking entire industries.

1/ A consultant with decades of wins loses a client to someone posting insights.
2/ An attorney with a track record gets replaced by someone explaining hard topics in simple language.
3/ An advisor with a full résumé gets overlooked because their thinking never shows up online.

This is the real risk:

If people can’t see how you think,
they assume someone else is a better fit.

🤚🏽 This isn’t age.
🤚🏽 This is access.
🤚🏽 This is presence.

Legacy trust still holds with the people who know you.
Everyone else meets their next expert on a screen.

If your voice isn’t there, the contract goes to the one who is.
Invisibility kills deals faster than lack of skill.

🔥 The experts who stay chosen do this:

They show their work.
They explain their point of view.
They build trust before the first meeting.

This isn’t ego.
This is staying in the deal flow.

If you want clients to think of you first and if you want new buyers to find you without a warm intro, your brand has to travel.

PS: If you’re ready for that shift,
DM me "TRANSFER".

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You didn’t outgrow your life.
You just got used to the desert.

This video reminded me how many people 
stay in places that no longer fit
simply because they’re familiar.

Take Lena.
She worked in corporate HR for nine years.
Good title. Steady paycheck.

Everyone assumed she had it figured out.
But at night, she restored old furniture in her garage
pieces people rushed to buy.

She kept saying she wasn’t “ready” to open a store.
Then one afternoon she heard herself repeat it
and felt the gap between her words and her truth.

Three months later, she rented a small workshop.
Now there’s a waiting list.

Then there’s Jordan.
He stayed close to friends who pulled him down
because it felt easier than walking away.
He wasn’t choosing connection.
He was choosing habit.

When he stepped back, his days grew quiet
and light.

Maybe you’re here too:

💫 A job that pays you but drains you
💫 An idea you keep pushing aside
💫 A version of yourself you keep delaying

Here’s something simple:

You can change your direction when the path stops matching who you’re becoming.

You didn’t outgrow your life.
You just got used to the desert.

And like that camel, you might shock yourself
when you step toward your ocean.
Not with a leap.
With one honest move.

PS: Leaving the desert for good in 2026?
Let’s talk in the comments.

♻️ Repost if this hits home
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🎥 Video credit: ytinopp34/X

Staying in a place you’ve outgrown isn’t loyalty.
It’s a slow kind of shrinking.

Most people don’t stay because they’re fulfilled.
They stay because it’s familiar.

Because it’s quiet.
Because it asks nothing new of them.
But there’s a cost to that kind of comfort:

💔 Your skills level off
💔 Your ideas stay small
💔 Your drive dims

Your network stays narrow
Your confidence stalls
You feel it long before you name it.

The meetings get predictable.
The work stops teaching you anything.
The ceiling lowers a little more each week.

You’re not dramatic.
You’re not impatient.
You’ve simply outgrown the room.

The people who move forward don’t wait for a crisis.
They pay attention to the early signs.
They choose places that stretch them.

They leave before their talent goes quiet.
You don’t need permission to want more space.
You only need to trust the part of you that knows when the season has ended.

Staying small isn’t stability.
It’s delay.
Leaving isn’t chaos.
It’s courage.

Your life expands the moment you do.

♻️ Repost if someone you know is staying somewhere they’ve outgrown
 👉 Follow me, Iza Montalvo, for more

The struggle isn’t blocking your rise, it’s shaping you for it.

Ever feel like every step forward comes with another test?
You’re not the only one.

But what if the leaders you admire didn’t rise despite their hurdles…
but because they stayed long enough to learn what those hurdles were trying to teach?

You treat this challenge like a glitch, like life dropped the wrong assignment on your desk.

But you know this pattern.

The moment you avoid is the moment that forces the shift you’ve delayed.
Not fate.
Not a lesson wrapped in a bow.
Just pressure pointing at what needs your attention.

Try this: 

1/ Take one breath before you respond.
It gives you space to see the situation, not your fear.
2/ Ask a clear question:
“What does this open right now?”
The answer often sits in plain sight.
3/ Change the method, not the aim.
If the straight line fails, use the turn.
The target stays the same.
4/ Look at what the moment exposes.
A gap.
A habit.
A truth.

Treat it as information, not judgment.
If you’re carrying something heavy today, don’t rush past it.
Stay with it long enough to understand it.

There’s direction inside it…
And once you see it, the next step becomes obvious.

PS: What is the obstacle in front of you trying to tell you?

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The Battle

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Iza Montalvo 🧲

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Brian Berkenstock's LinkedIn Performance

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