A (2:18)

Yeah, you know, I mean, I just Love music. And I sing all the time. I made all county course in high school, so. But I tell my daughter that all the time. She's like, I don't know how because you can't sing. I said, I don't care. If the thing about it is you can say I can't sing, but you're not accurate, because I do sing all the day. All the time. All day. It might not be what you want to hear, but I do sing. But, yeah, I love. I love music. It's just a. It's such a good thing for energy mood.

B (2:51)

It is, yeah.

A (2:53)

It's just awesome. And so when you were a kid and, like, a little girl, you were always singing or how did that start?

B (2:58)

I was. It really started from a very young age, like wanting to be a performer and seeing things on TV and wanting to put little shows for my family. In fact, I remember very clearly back in the day, I grew up in the 80s, I would walk around with, like, the boombox to different rooms in my house and be like, all right, whoever's in this room, I'm going to sing a song right now. And I would, you know, press play on the cassette tape. And that's. That's what I did. It was just, you know, I didn't even ask for people to come or to ask me to sing. I would say, I would inform them, I'm going to put on a little performance here, and you're going to have to sit there and watch. So that's really what I did for, you know, for the beginnings of my life. But then eventually, as my mom's a pastor, and that's how, you know, I got connected to the church. And she sang and did the worship. I started accompanying her as well. Not only singing, but playing the keyboard. So it was the evolution, but it really started with just at home.

A (4:02)

Yeah. All right. And do you mind if I talk about your testimony?

B (4:05)

Sure.

A (4:06)

Okay. Because, you know, when you grow up with a pastor, as a parent, you know, anything a parent's doing, and when they're talking to their kids, a lot of times if they're not, they don't necessarily understand the best way to talk to their kids or, you know, get their kids on the right track, so to speak, the kids will rebel. Right. Did you go through it all like a rebellion at all?

B (4:27)

Yes, I think my rebellion is a little bit different from what Americans call the being a PK or a preacher's pastor's kid. Because I know a lot of stories of, you know, kids that go off into the world, drugs, alcohol, and do all of that. And while I did feel very constricted by being raised by somebody that, you know, was conservative and. And very, you know, would shelter me, and now having kids myself, I understand a lot of that. But at the time, when you're growing up, you resented deeply. My resort to that was actually, I moved away. So I'm from Brazil. My parents are still in Brazil. And my only way out, honestly, in my mind, was to get married and leave. And that's. That's what I did. And in many ways, that was my dream already, to live in America. But that was my way of. Of rebelling, you know, of being a rebel was getting out of that, which in a way also got me out of being in the church environment, at least my mom's church environment, in a way of just creating my own identity and being my own person. But I'm very grateful for her introducing me to Christ and having that foundation, because, as the Word says, you know, you teach them the way it's going to be with them, no matter where they go, and they're going to find their way back. And I don't necessarily feel like I walked away, but in many ways, it's how I needed to find my own identity, because I feel like I was living in my mom's shadows for so long because she was the leader, you know. Yeah, that's my story.

A (6:07)

Yeah. You know, I feel like that might be a situation with my family as well, with. With the brand that I've built and me being out there. And with my son. He wants to get into acting and. And screenwriting and producing, directing and. But it can't be easy because, you know, I, you know, create a big shadow in a way, and I got to be conscious of that. And I'm glad you brought that up today because I got to make sure he understands it's, you know, he needs to be himself. He doesn't need to worry about me, where I've been, what I've done. None of that. None of that really matters except for taking the lessons and encouragement for me. But otherwise, he's his own man, you know, so I'm glad you brought that up because, you know, being a podcast host is cool because I get to learn a lot.

B (6:51)

And yes, it's cool because I get to learn a lot, because now I'm thinking I need to model this to my kids as well, because I'm casting a big shadow by everything that I'm building. So that's a reflection right there.

A (7:03)

Yeah, 100. Well. So how did you meet your husband?

B (7:08)

I met him in church, too. So after a while, my mom started hosting American ministers in her church. I actually became the official interpreter by the time I was 18. So I was on stage translating and doing all the things. And then we started coming to conferences in America, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And at the time, I was 14 when we started doing that. So the natural thing was, you know, who are the boys in this church that I can start talking to? And I had a few crushes here and there, but my husband was very persistent, I have to say, back in the day, buying, like, the international calling cards, because there wasn't, you know, social media was not the way that it is today.

A (7:45)

I remember those days.

B (7:47)

Yeah, all those things. He actually bought me a little phone that we could talk to each other, and we dated long distance for like, five years until finally got married and I moved.

A (7:57)

Oh, that's awesome. I love that story. Yeah, listen, I remember. I remember before cell phones and Internet, right? You know, oh, it seems like yesterday. Oh, man. And so then you come to the US and what did you do for work at first?

B (8:12)

So I. One of the compromises that I had to make with my parents because they didn't feel like the marriage was going to work is that they helped me go through a master's program. That's what I did for the first couple years. And I did work, which is what I used to do in Brazil, tutoring languages. I taught Portuguese to Americans. I don't even know how I found or how they found me, but I had a couple people that would come over to my house and I would teach them Portuguese. And I also did an internship at the university, at the writing center. And eventually I worked there for six months as well. So that's what I did for the first couple of years.

A (8:51)

Gotcha. And so you have experience being an employee.

B (8:55)

Right?

A (8:56)

But then you stepped out at some point and became an entrepreneur.

B (8:59)

Yes.

A (8:59)

And that's always a fun transition, isn't is?

B (9:03)

It really is. And I think for me, because I tutored. I started tutoring when I was 14. I already had that entrepreneurial mindset, even though I didn't know it. It was like, I know something that people need and they can pay me directly. That's what was going on, you know, for the beginning of things. And then I worked in language schools. I worked at an agency that helped Brazilian students apply to American universities. So I was doing very similar work, but working for other people until after I had kids. And we Moved back to America. It was when I was like, I'm not going to work for anybody. I'm just going to do my own thing.

A (9:40)

Yeah. And what did you do once you started, stopped working for anyone else? What was the first thing that you did? Entrepreneurial after that? Was it.

B (9:48)

So the very first thing was actually network marketing. That was what was all the rage. I mean, some people still do it, but I remember back when I had the kids 10 years ago, in 2016 almost, it was like, make money off your phone, sharing stuff on social media while your kids are napping. That was my reality. So I was like, okay, I can, you know, if I can make a few bucks, that'd be awesome.

A (10:09)

Right.

B (10:09)

So that's. That's how it got started. But then I started understanding that with network marketing, I was still working for people and not for myself. So I caught on kind of fast on that, and I was like, I would rather just make the money directly instead of having that middle person. And that's when I got into coaching and understanding the power of being a speaker, which was a lot similar to what I grew up seeing in church. Right. You publish books, you share your message. It was an extension of the world I already knew. So it felt pretty natural to me. What I feel was more challenging was figuring out what is my message, then what is my story and what can I help people with if I'm not just teaching languages? Because that was my identity for the longest time. I know English, Portuguese, and French. I can sit here with you and get started. Right. But I didn't want to do that anymore because I wanted to share myself and not just something else over here. So that took a little while to figure out. And that has been the journey of almost nine years now of tweaking, pivoting, and figuring out how exactly I could help people.

A (11:14)

Very interesting point. Very interesting point, because I never thought about this before. I experienced it, reacted to it, but didn't actually identify it. And what you just said was really powerful. You were doing something and sharing something else for someone, but not yourself.

B (11:32)

Yeah.

A (11:33)

And that hits me because I was in the mortgage real estate business doing the same thing. I could share myself in interacting with the people.

B (11:41)

Yeah.

A (11:42)

And then when I got out of that, then I started, you know, I was in a coaching thing, and they were like, hey, you can be a licensee type thing. Use our material. You don't have to create your own. And it just didn't resonate with me. And I was just like, I have so much experience and Things to talk about that I don't want to talk about somebody else's stuff.

B (12:01)

Yeah.

A (12:02)

And I didn't realize it, though. I wasn't really clear on that part. I just knew it didn't feel right and I wasn't aligned with it. So, man, you. You're good at bringing up some things in my head. So. Yeah, you know what? That is true. And it's not for everybody. Some people are cool. They don't want it. They're not as creative, maybe just the way they are, and they're cool with doing something for, you know, with somebody else's stuff. But, yeah, that is. That's a. That's a great point. I. I really love creating my own things, coming up with these ideas and then, you know, visual being a visionary. Right. That's really what it is.

B (12:31)

That's really what it is.

A (12:32)

And then. And then selling the vision in a good way and then getting better and better with that. So what was the first thing that you created on your own to get out to the world?

B (12:42)

So the first thing was actually a course called the Happy Mommy. So I was fresh postpartum, and it was a reflection of me. Right. I wanted to encourage myself. So I had just had triplets. It was a huge freaking change, obviously. Triplets, yes.

A (12:59)

Wow.

B (12:59)

Which they're turning 10 in about a month, and it's still unbelievable. And that's what I was trying to convey was you still get to be yourself. You still, you know, you're still a woman, but you're also a mom. It was that reflection, but also the guidance and accountability for women that were in a similar stage as me. And I remember I got about three people in, and it was a good start into, okay, I have something here. People are resonating with what I'm talking now. I get to keep going and refining it.

A (13:34)

And did you use social media to get those first clients?

B (13:37)

I did, yeah. That was the main thing because my kids were really small. So that was. That was in 20. I want to say 2017 or 2018 when I put that out. So a couple years, you know, after starting with network marketing, and I didn't get out much. The things that I did were play dates. My kids weren't even in preschool yet. So everything was social media online.

A (14:03)

When you just started creating content and started building a brand and talking about different topics.

B (14:09)

I'm very grateful for network marketing because it taught me how to do that. Right. This is how you talk about something in the way of selling, and this is how you message somebody and invite them to something. So it really opened my eyes to this is. This is how this is done. But then I get to do it for myself.

A (14:28)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's. Most people are scared to get out there and start pushing out the. To the world. They're worried about what people think they're worried about. Oh, not a lot of people are seeing it. I'm only getting a couple likes.

B (14:38)

Right.

A (14:38)

But. But what people don't understand is when you first start too, you're not always good.

B (14:42)

Exactly.

A (14:43)

You don't want a whole lot of people seeing you.

B (14:45)

Right. That's true.

A (14:47)

Right. I mean, you gotta be careful what you ask for, so. But then, you know, if you have you looked back at your earliest content and really take time to appreciate how far you've come?

B (14:59)

Oh, my gosh. Absolutely. It's so interesting because the Facebook lives that will show up in memories from, you know, the network marketing days, because I used to talk about working out and being healthy. I looked and sounded like a child. Like, my voice is like this. Hi, guys. Like, I wasn't as confident, but I was doing it, you know, and what got me today was that, you know, was that person that was like, I'm just gonna post my sweaty selfie or do the unimaginable things, you know, that people would be so embarrassed of. And then I don't. I don't even do right now. But yeah, I'm very proud of Marta back then.

A (15:38)

Yeah. Yeah. That's a start. You gotta start and you just gotta get the wheel going. And, you know, I still, you know, as far as I've come, I still. When it comes to social media, I do podcasts. I've done over 2,000 podcasts, just guesting and hosting. But, like, when it comes to social media, I still have this thing I have to handle to. To do it. You know, I still have to overcome something every time I do something on social media, whether it's a live, whether it's a video, what have you. But, you know, I can understand what people go through with that. I get it. But the. The business started to, you know, get some clients. And then how did you excel it further to. To start getting some volume?

B (16:24)

I feel like it was just the persistence of showing up, really, and attending in person things. Once my. My kids started going to preschool, that was really helpful to be able to attend in person. Networking, getting my name out there and making those connections and meet people in person. Then you connect with them on social media. Now they're seeing more of you doing more speaking? By 2019, I started doing keynotes. I started pitching myself to the local news as well. I actually invested in a media mentor that helped me get on out there. My messaging wasn't super refined because it had just been a couple years of going out on my own, but I was eager to just be in front of people and I booked some segments in the local news. So I started sharing those things, right, oh, I'm doing this and I'm doing that. And then pretty soon people were like, how are you doing that? How are you putting yourself out there more when you have triplets? Because that was always the question, like, I have no excuses if you're out there doing all of this when you have three little kids. So that helped me with the refining of message. Like, there's something here. I actually am good at this because I'm willing to put myself out there and I'm taking these steps so I can share what I'm doing with people. So that, that's how I started growing, was just being kind of relentless in this aspect of I'll just keep going to the events, I'll just keep putting myself out there because at one point somebody's going to connect with what I'm saying and they're going to want to work with me or send me referrals.

A (17:58)

Yeah, it is about extroversion. Just pumping energy out there and, you know, making sure that you're being authentic and unapologetic. Unapologetically authentic, leaning out there. Because if you don't do that, I don't know if you talk about this much, but if you don't be authentic, you're going to attract the wrong people that resonate with whatever you're portraying to be. And it's not going to, it's not going to align with you.

B (18:20)

Right.

A (18:21)

So it's just as important to push the wrong people away than it is to. You know what I mean? So. So your signature, your signature framework come up with a signature talk. Was that self taught or did you go through a lot of training yourself?

B (18:37)

So a lot of it was. Some of it I, I should say was intuitive. A lot of it came from my actual training in college and working at the writing center, which was a huge part. Like, it's crazy to see how I work with clients now is what I did with students back then in helping you create connections in spoken form. But it's actually text, argumentative essay. Right. You need an introduction, you need to create context, you need to have a thesis, you need to have talking points, quoting other sources, conclusion. This is what a signature talk essentially is what got me to really making the connection and being like, this is what I need to be doing. I actually confirmation of what I was already doing was when I did my TED Talk because. And now I know this. But different TEDx curators do different types of training with their speakers. They have that liberty. But the cohort that I was a part of, what they taught essentially was this three part argumentative essay with the conclusion, development, I mean, introduction, development and conclusion. It just had different names for it and it was like, oh my gosh, this is, this is the argumentative essay. This is what I've been doing already. And this is what I continue to teach my clients, which is not earth shattering, but it is if you don't know it and it's very simple. It's really thinking, you need to take people on this journey. You need to tell them, tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them, and that's that.

A (20:11)

Yeah, you know, I've coached a lot and consult a lot, and I run into people sometimes that, that think they're above some of the basic simple stuff. And I came up with something that amateurs need, novelty. And I'm not talking about somebody that is an amateur. It's somebody that is thinking like an amateur. Right. And you go over some basics. Like when you're talking about your framework, it's three parts. But when you go with somebody that has an amateur mindset and they're not in a learning, lifetime learning state, they don't take it because they're like, that's, that can't be that simple. They want complication.

B (20:52)

Yes, they do.

A (20:53)

Yeah. And you know, the funny thing is, is that as a professional singer, you don't stop doing the basic things, the foundational things. A baseball player, major league baseball player, the best in the world, still hit off of a tee.

B (21:05)

Right.

A (21:05)

Every single day. They're still looking at the, you know, golfer. He looks at his grip and stance, grip and stance. That is some of the basic things that you teach kids to get that are getting into golf. They're still looking at it every day. And so anybody listening out there, it is not complication that'll get you somewhere. It is simple. And you mentioned the word simple.

B (21:27)

Yes, yes.

A (21:28)

So how do you handle someone that comes to you and they're like, can't be that simple, Marta, like. Or I already know that stuff. Martha, what's the good stuff?

B (21:36)

Well, typically, by the time I ask them, you know, what is the story that you start with, or let me see some of the slides that you use in your presentations, I can convince them otherwise. Because what makes a speaker boring, typically is they're not using stories. They're being very conceptual. And then that's when you lose people. They're looking at their phones, they're looking at their watches. Right. And they're not paying attention because you're not connecting with the audience, and they don't have a clear point. So I can talk about so many things. Okay, cool. I need to know one thing, because that's what I'm walking away with, you know? So asking those questions is really what helps them know that they don't really have a signature talk, and they're not as clear, because I do get, at times, you know, people that say, oh, I've done speaking. Are you converting those opportunities into clients? Sometimes. Okay, so there's refinement to be done there. Right? So. And I think you said it perfectly is being willing to be a beginner and to learn from people, because there's always something new to learn from anybody. I mean, I learned from my kids, and they haven't been alive for that long. Right. So being willing to. To know that you don't know everything. And that's good, because if you knew everything, that would be extremely boring. So.

A (22:50)

Well, that's. That's the. That's the first barrier. Probably only barrier to learning is thinking you know everything.

B (22:55)

Yeah.

A (22:55)

Because then you fail to observe and fail to be curious. You know, so the storytelling part, you know, I was in the real estate business and mortgage business, and I was teaching realtors. When I first started doing speaking in public, I would throw these through these marketing seminars, and I would go through some marketing things that were working for me and working for others, and I would just be conceptual, and I would notice people, like you said on their phone, they would just yawning. And at the end, this is what really hit me. At the end, they would just leave. And I was like, wait a minute. Like, this is.

B (23:28)

This sucks.

A (23:29)

I don't like doing this. I mean, this is good stuff, man. They don't appreciate the stuff, the content I'm giving them. And then I saw some good speakers, and I started to observe that when I was in the crowd that felt like they were speaking to me, and I'm like, wow, man. It feels like I'm the only. There's. I'm in a crowd of thousands of people, and I feel like I'm being spoken to. Just, there's nobody else here. And I'm like, how are they doing that? And then so I went deeper and I started realizing that they were telling stories, they're being authentic and sharing stories and that we could relate to. And what it did was it hit me in my heart. And when you hit somebody in their heart, they are open to listening to you. And so then I switched it up and it was. It was the most uncomfortable thing. Okay. I had to be vulnerable and I had to share stories from my life. And the stories weren't necessarily earth shattering. Like I went to the moon or created a billion dollar company. And I had going through my head, Marta, as I was. I was thinking in my head, who cares about this story? And so I underestimated the power of my story. I underst. Underestimated the amount of people that I could help if I was just able to lean in authentically and share the story. And so the next seminar I did, once I figured that out, I went in there and I was sharing a story about where I came from and. And how I came from a rough background, all this other stuff, right. And what I learned from it and how I carried it forward and came out of it. And it was so I was like. When I was going through it the first time, I'm like, these people don't care about this. Oh, my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this. But I saw the crowd and their eyes were wide, they were leaning in. And afterwards, they all wanted to take pictures with me. And I was like, what the heck is this? This is like crazy. I could do this. Okay, I get it. They care. They really do care. And if I really want to impact millions of people, this is the way to do it.

B (25:13)

Yeah.

A (25:14)

And so what you're doing is really powerful because communication is. Is the. The cause of all problems and the solution to all problems.

B (25:23)

So true.

A (25:23)

And if you can effectively communicate, you can change people's lives, you know, and so when you talk about storytelling, that. That really hit me because I, you know, I did. I experienced that. And so. All right, so now as you're going forward with the. The business obviously evolved out of the. The just being a mom, happy mom, and talking about that part involved, you know, getting people to be better speakers, better communicators, and then convert and maybe even create a community, a following. Right. And so what was that transition like going into that part?

B (26:01)

I feel bringing in my singing and owning that. Owning myself as a singer helped me transition into Specifically focusing on speaking, because for a while I was focusing on visibility as an overarching thing. Like, I'm really good at being visible myself. I can help you with visibility. Let's strategize the ways you're going to be visible. And a lot of it now I recognize was a little bit of imposter syndrome. Like, how could I position myself as a speaker coach if I'm not traveling the world speaking every other week? And then I realized that there's a lot of people out there that don't even know how to book something local. They don't even know how to build talk. Everything that we were just talking about. And I know how to. And back into my language tutoring days, if I could teach them these small steps that they don't know and they pay me for it, then that's that. But owning the singing, writing my own songs, going through the process of understanding how do I upload this thing, become an artist on Spotify, and really stepping out, it felt like starting over in many ways. Like, I had done the business for so long, and now I'm learning all these new tools. You know, I'm, I'm taking a course to understand about the music industry and how to put myself out there. And even though I'm not the most streamed artist, it really helped me see myself as a professional singer where many people were already seeing me that way. But stepping out and saying, this is what I'm doing. What. It kind of went hand in hand with being like, I'm really good at being on stage, and people see me singing all the time. They do see me as a speaker, as an authority. Why am I not positioning myself that way? So it took me realizing all of that and putting the things together. And I think as people observed my journey, they saw it too. Like, you do something even scarier than speaking. You sing a cappella in front of thousands. You can actually help me not feel so self, you know, conscious and, and, and, and go and speak. So that. That was the big turning point for me.

A (28:08)

Yeah. And, you know, that gave you credibility and authority. Gives you credibility, authority, which is important. Now, the podcast. You started a podcast. You have a great ranking now. You're in the top half percent of all podcasts. And so as we wind down here, because we're up against the clock, how did that start? And how did you evolve into a great podcast host?

B (28:26)

Yeah, so I started because I had a mentor that had a top podcast, and she was like, this is a great tool. You, Everybody should get on It. And she had a little course inside her portal that you could just launch your show. And I was like, you know what? I was not a big podcast listener. And even to this day, I'm not one of those that just binges all the time, but I use it as a tool to get on out there. That was part of the arsenal of I'm networking, I'm doing the social media. Let me start interviewing people and getting on out there. And. And so I launched my show at around that same time. So it was in 2018 when I launched my show, and I never stopped. I just kept on creating content. And. And that's one of the things that people don't understand because they want to rise to the top super fast. The reason why I am in that top half percent is because I haven't stopped in eight years, and I have amazing people get on the show, and it's evolved, and I rebranded a few times. But the main gist of it is giving voice to entrepreneurial stories, which is what I do as a speaking coach anyways, is helping them get on out there and share their story. So. So it's been an amazing ride, too.

A (29:30)

Yeah. How do you get guests?

B (29:34)

So the majority of them come to me, because now with being a top show, agencies just pitch me. Every other day. I get a pitch, but then I also connect. I have clients on the show. Sometimes people that know me say, hey, can I be on your show? But a lot of it are people that I don't know and that I wouldn't have met otherwise. So I'm very grateful.

A (29:54)

It's a powerful networking tool. Powerful.

B (29:57)

It is.

A (29:57)

You know, it's better than, you know, for me, and especially being a man of faith, I'm more concerned with relationships and going deeper with individuals, multiple individuals, versus just being known and growing a following.

B (30:13)

Yeah.

A (30:14)

Because that. That doesn't do me any good in. In my journey and the mission that I'm on, it's. It's impacting the individuals and then building relationships that go deep, you know? So, Marta, where can people find more about you and go deeper?

B (30:28)

So I am visible. I practice what I preach. You can find me anywhere. If you Google Martha Spurk, I'm the only one that exists. So you can find me on Spotify with my music, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Just come hang out. And also my podcast.

A (30:44)

Awesome. And martyrspurc.com of course, lock that domain down. So good job. All right, Marta, thank you so much for your time today. I really appreciate it. You're phenomenal and hang tight while I wrap this up, folks. That's the what do you Made of episode for today. Make sure you like and subscribe at the top of your favorite podcast platform. Go check Marta out and keep coming back. And until next time, be that one.