Have you built the confidence in yourself that allows your radiant soul to shine? In today’s episode, Precious Williams, the pitching queen, joins us to share how she’s overcome hurdles in life to build her own legacy, wealth, and business. Listen in as she shares how this has allowed her to be booked, busy, and paid all year long while still staying humble and thankful for her second chance.
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Today’s episode is brought to you by Sober Sis and their 21 day program that helps you reset your mindset and relationship with alcohol. You can learn more about this judgement free program below!
Meet Precious:
What’s more, they’ll get unstuck and discover a renewed and refreshed energy to own the mindset of the pitch in a way they never thought possible. If you’re ready to go from milquetoast to memorable, attracting and captivating your prospects while closing the sale in an authentic way, it’s time to #pitchforprofit
And you can bet, you’re going to have fun doing it!
Precious L. Williams is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion. Besides helping women entrepreneurs and business leaders, she is also a TOP corporate sales trainer, helping sales teams to create killer communication skills, craft messaging and understand how to pitch and build sales programs. Precious is a world-class speaker/trainer for global brands including BMW, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Harvard University, Columbia University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, George Washington University, Intuit Quickbooks, Yelp, and more. As an international professional speaker, she is also hired to Keynote global conferences, summits, and events.
Favorite Childhood Memory
As a young girl, Precious looked to her grandmother as the most wonderful person in her life. She remembers laying in the bed and watching figure skating—this was only for special occasions. She remembers her grandmother smelling like Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds—it was heaven. It made her feel so special.
Lessons in Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is a journey—Precious knows this all too well. Her biggest lesson in entrepreneurship is to hang in there and stay the course. There will be times where you feel beat up, but when you stay in there, you’re helping make way for yourself and for others. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
From Homeless to Booked, Busy, & Paid All Year Long
Some of us will fall on dark and hard times—whether its due to the people you surround yourself with, a global pandemic, recessions, etc, it can happen. Precious was homeless for nearly a year, yet believed in herself. Now, she’s a speaker who is booked, busy, and paid all year long.
She didn’t have to be cookie cutter—she’s a trailblazer. If you get it right and stay the course, you’ll make it easier for others. It also took time for the world to catch up with the vision that she always had.
Mindset and Money Management as an Entrepreneur
As Precious highlights, business and success are a marathon—it’s taken her years to find her niche and her purpose. In 2016, she was on Shark Tank representing a company she lost, that wasn’t her peak.
She was mad for years. She soon saw what her second chance looked like when nothing was holding her back. She soon learned that she didn’t have to come from a family of wealth, because now she’s creating it.
This means she has to have a thoughtful mindset around money and how it’s managed. Anything could happen in your life and business—there is no safety net. At the end of the day, you have to keep pushing, because there are still people behind us waiting for us to pave the path for them.
Radiant Soul Shine
To help her radiant soul shine, she thanks God every day for another day on this earth and reads and write in her journals. When she does that, she’s showing gratitude and thanks for a second chance.
She also asks God every day for five people to reach out to and bless that day.
Here are three pieces of advice from Precious to continue to allowing your radiant soul to shine:
- Fortune favors the bold
- Be round people who are doing it at a level you’re not at yet
- Believe beyond all belief in yourself, your purpose, and why you were made.
Connect with Precious:
linkedin.com/in/precious-l-williams
pr******@pe**********************.com
Review the Transcript:
Susan Crews
She has been a practicing attorney. She has lived in her car homeless. And today, she is booked globally as the pitch master queen, precious Williams has strength, passion, love and a smile that are contagious. And I know you will glean some golden nuggets from her. Are you dreaming of having the time and energy to create a life you love? Is your calendar full of events? And you’re thinking, there’s no time for me? Do you look like you have it all together on the outside, but on the inside, you’re a hot mess. You’re frustrated and tired all the time. Susan Cruz shines the light on successful women in a few men who have busted the exhaustion cycle by prioritizing herself released any guilt and have found inner peace while creating a life they love filled with harmony. Join Susan’s candid conversations to learn how these successful women illuminated their inner light to create a radiant life. Welcome to the radiant soul sisters. Today is going to be a magical and a fun day on this episode of the radiant soul sisters podcast. I have fellow queen and friend precious Williams here with me today. Precious is the 13th time national elevator pitch wing. And you all know 13 is my favorite number. Yes, it is precious, precious. Welcome. I’m so glad to have you here today.
Precious Williams
Thank you. I’m so excited to be here too. Yeah.
Susan Crews
And, you know, listeners, I’d also like you to know, Precious has an amazing story and great stories from her childhood and growing up and overcoming adversities. She’s been to law school, an amazing lawyer. And now she is in the incredible entrepreneurial world where she works with women all over the world to help them get that pitch down. She’s a keynote speaker and so much more. So I’m really looking forward to our stories today in our conversation. Precious. I have one question before we dig into some business stories and stuff. Can you tell me about one of your favorite childhood memories?
Precious Williams
Oh, yes. One of my favorite childhood memories is when I would lay with my grandmother. And we will watch figure skating together. And the thing is, when you grew up with a black grandmother, you know, you can’t lay on beards and stuff like that unless it’s a special occasion. And that was a special occasion for us to bond and be all snuggled up and talking about what we see as far as a figure skating or even gymnastics. And I have to tell you, my grandmother smells so good. She smelled like Elizabeth Taylor’s white diamonds. And it was nothing like being in her presence. Like my grandmother has such a presence as such a loving and warm presence. And to just sit there with her all 15 to 18 years old of me with the 60 plus year old woman, it was heaven. Heaven. I have a special
Susan Crews
I can feel the love for your grandmother in your voice precious and that as you tell that story. I can see your eyes sparkle in and just reliving the joy in those moments.
Precious Williams
Yeah. And it’s funny. There’s so many moments I can think about with her. Whenever I spoke she was right there. On the right of me in the audience is making sure I was on point. And she was there. Like there was not a thing I ever did. She wasn’t there for and that’s why I’m blessed that she was retired. Because that woman right there. Listen, I say she’ll snatch your edge or she smashed your edges over me. That’s a woman be like you said, What about my blessing? You don’t want to smoke, right? That’s why I love I love precious Dolores Williams. May the Lord rest her soul.
Susan Crews
Yes, well, I am quite sure she was an amazing woman. And I know that she had a huge impact on your life. And I do know that’s probably one of the reasons why your presence is so strong part part of it is just your natural born personality. Right. And then the other part of it is the wonderful people that are in our lives as we’re growing up or as we become adults and make different connections. So it definitely has a huge impact. Oh, yes, yes, precious. You know you, you went to college and then you went to law school and you have worked so hard, but you have moved from being an attorney into the entrepreneurial world and you found your real niche. When you learned how to be a pitch master a pitch queen. Not only did you learn how to be that pitch queen, you’ve learned how to share this with other people, especially women, so they can learn how to be pitch masters to what is one real lesson that you have learned along the way about being a business woman or an entrepreneur.
Precious Williams
One of the lessons that I’ve learned in this journey to entrepreneurship,
Susan Crews
thank you. Because that’s
Precious Williams
a journey it is people think it’s like a sprint, they see things on social media, this is a journey and a marathon you could be up. Next thing you know, the whole industry is down or pandemic happens. This is a this is a journey in a marathon. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned is as much as you think, you know, there’s still more to learn. So Stay curious. Queen when I started teaching women how to win pitch competitions. I had no idea that I will be wanted and sought after by corporate America, I had no idea that I would become an international professional speaker again, after dark times. I had no idea that finally embracing all that I am full figured diva plus size fashionista, black on both sides, no Brazilian Butt Lift, no six pack abs. And there’s a place in Hollywood. For me. There’s a place in media for me, there’s a place for some of the greatest corporations, companies, foundations and nonprofits. There’s a place for me among speakers and entrepreneurs and authors. What. And I didn’t have to be cookie cutter. But again, it’s a journey. When I started, I just wanted to, you know how you want to always fit in? Man, I want to fit in? No, not at all. No. When you’re a trailblazer, you’re gonna get beat up, you’re gonna have people tell you no. And if you get it right, and you stay the course, you’ll make it easier for others. So this is a marathon, not a sprint. And it took time for the world to catch up with the vision that I’ve always had. So it took time, but it took time for me to trust myself, it took time for me to believe, beyond all belief that I was going to make it and that I was going to transform the world of pitching.
Susan Crews
I love that. And I heard so many key words in there. Number one, I hear curious, steak
Precious Williams
curious. Stay curious. And then
Susan Crews
number two, I hear believe, have faith in yourself. You know, talk, talk a little bit about that. Talk about your mindset, because I do know you have overcome some tough situations. And your mindset had to be in the right place. How’d you do that?
Precious Williams
Yes, so my mindset had to change when I you know, we’ve already spoken about this coin. But you knew I was homeless from 2017 to 2018. Right. And that’s not something you think you’ll ever encounter in your lifetime past childhood. Right. But I lost the love in my life. And that was very traumatic. It was very traumatic to finish Shark Tank and get into my business partner at the time for my first company. It was a lot for my company to complete in 2016 curvy girls lingerie. And to like I thought I had no my life was defined by accomplishments and achievements. And when that wasn’t anywhere. I didn’t feel like I was fit to live. You know? And so I tried to take my life on my 38th birthday, but luckily a very important vote but oh, yeah, so that’s so yes. When I tell you staying curious and believing in myself, it took years. There were so many people who say my best was over when I did Shark Tank Shark Tank. It’s 2016. It’s 2023. Yeah, what if I believe that my age, my race? My the class that I started off in my socio economic background was the determining factor. What if I believed that I had no place anywhere because I made a serious mistake. I made serious errors in judgment. I had the wrong people around me. Well, that’s why it’s great that I had to lose everything to win again. I will drop dead weight that takes years and it also takes I was mad at God for years and he was just like you can be mad. He said but you bought the see but the second chance looks like when nothing is holding you back. When people told me it was in gear when people say it’s impossible for me, or because of my race, you know, oh, you get hired for Black History Month and Women’s History Month. I’m like, I’m booked busy and paid all year long. What are you talking about? Right? And then how do you believe in? Yeah. How do you believe in yourself in a pandemic economic downturn, social unrest, inflation, recession, clients no longer having the money to pay you. And yet having the belief that the best truly is yet to come? I didn’t have to come from a family of money or wealth, because I’m creating it. And to go back to business, if you think about companies have been around 100 years, 50 years, or even 20. Now 10. Now, what have you encountered that most people would never be able to understand? Exactly. So if you stay curious, that’s what got me into the spaces I’m in I stay curious. And people, when I made myself the only choice that matters when it came to pitching, when I was able to show that I’m not just some sales, you know, not just some story, I don’t mean it like that. But that there is a difference in why I’m chosen. And that on a daily, there are companies and organizations reach out person, we’d like you to speak here. I mean, how about National Association of Women Business Owners, Chicago, or Kiwanis International, or Entrepreneurs Organization? In addition to the LinkedIn, the Googles and Microsoft’s of the world? Why would they choose me, it ain’t my skin color trust. It’s because of what I bring to the table. And I bring it authentically. So I get curious about my hair, I’d get curious about how do I want to show up in the world. And it took years to understand I’m colorful and bright, and I’m bold. And I gotta show up like that every day. I love
Susan Crews
that you’re colorful and bright. And you took you years to learn that. So what I’m hearing is something that you and I share in common. It took years to learn to love yourself, and love yourself well, for who you are. Yes. But once you learn to love yourself, well, what happens?
Precious Williams
It’s like the world started to open up. It’s like, what is what is? Yeah, it’s like, it’s one thing to go against the grain just to just to be stubborn. It’s another thing to be like. A lot of us have seen the world change because our vision had changed. And sometimes the world’s vision doesn’t match the vision that your heavenly Father putting you or your higher creator put in you. And so did you stay the course. I decided to stay the course and look at where I am today. Right? I’m not the homeless recheck, I’m not the severe alcoholic. No, I’m clean and sober. I have a successful thriving company. We’re rebranding, I’ve written five number one best selling books. And there are still challenges in business, can we keep it a B, you could have a month or two or six, you ball it and then you know what everybody go? What a what a money reside. And then just being like, that’s the nature of business. And that’s not talked about enough is that sometimes you don’t have months that are are as lucrative and you can sell programs, you can sell courses and stuff like that, and sometimes listen, as you’re changing. So as your audience, so maybe what you’ve created before they’re looking for the next weeks, you’re in the process of creating it. Exactly. So why do you think I speak the way I do? Because as long as I’m speaking, I’m out there in front of different audiences, and it makes it easier for them to choose me.
Susan Crews
Exactly. And you know, I heard this years ago actually, when I was in my first direct sales business, I had a side gig. And I started promoting and doing well with it. And someone told me then they said, You need to be very careful about how you handle your money. Because in this business, one month, you might be on top of the world. And the next month, you might not have near the sales, your team might not do anything. And so you might not have much, right. And in doing that I learned how to take care of money, but because there were so many people that weren’t prepared for the money that aren’t as good. So, you know, is that a lesson you had to learn to take care of your money? So those money’s not coming in as fast. You’ve got to cover?
Precious Williams
Yeah, and I have to be honest, like, like, things can happen on a dime, you could have had a year or two saved up and something could still happen. Like let’s say a medical thing comes a third times. Like I’m not one of these Pollyanna people that just says if you just had to set aside that’s gonna cover you forever. It’s not. It’s not but that’s the nature of why I chose entrepreneurship because I eat what I kill. Yes. And so the thing is at At the end of the day, I gotta keep pushing. Regardless, I don’t care who works with me or who doesn’t, I got to keep it going because they’re still young people behind us. They’re women, our ages or even older, who just need to know, there’s someone who’s gonna be out there in the streets, and I’m gonna keep grinding, I’m gonna keep on Well, I rise and grind. Do I have my times where I, you know, rest? Of course, I said, but I paid a heavy price to be an entrepreneur. Right? And that’s not what’s talked about on social media in society. It’s like, oh, well, you’ll get everything and it just stays like this forever. No, it doesn’t. There are a lot of multilevel marketing companies or a lot of direct marketing companies, or a lot of just regular service based product based companies. Things can happen where a regulation could happen, you’re out of business, it could happen where your supply is down. I don’t care how much you think you saved. It’s not going to cover everything if it keeps prolonging their Allama mom and pop businesses who put their soul into things a pandemic wiped out entire out. I don’t know when people say Oh, well, they could have did door, like know all that it eats into what you’re doing. And people aren’t coming in anymore, if you’re shut down, because the government says, Hey, shut that down. But you can do some wood if you don’t have the infrastructure for it. I don’t call these people dumb or stupid. This is not it was unprecedented. And it led to other things. That’s why your mail doesn’t come like it used to. That’s why things are like everything was impacted. So let’s give grace to people and understand it’s a marathon, it’s a marathon, and you will never understand stuff that flips on his head. And you’re like, I thought I did everything right. You did. But things change in business on a dime. Just so you know. Right?
Susan Crews
Absolutely. You know, precious there. There are so many of us, we see you on stage, we hear you speak we get to see on social media, like where you’re speaking next, or what the next audience is who gets to experience your energy and your excitement and your love. But you know, along with that comes a lot of misconceptions. Right. And sometimes people put us on pedestals. And that’s a scary place to be. So what would be a big misconception about you? What what really makes precious Williams tick?
Precious Williams
A big misconception about me is that I’m a robot. Okay, and that I have all the answers. I don’t care. Yeah, but I do understand that when you ain’t got no money, your back is against the wall. I’m gonna come out with visibility. I’m gonna come out even harder. So I don’t stop. But I’m not a robot. Another big misconception about me is that everything I’ve ever done was perfect. And it wasn’t. You may see me on stages around the world. Can we talk about the time this phones didn’t ring? Can we talk about when people straight openly disrespected me to my face when I was struggling? And now they’re in my inbox? Like, can we collaborate? Are you serious? That could be anybody. Right? Right. And I’m not angry at them. I just know babe. Anything can happen at any given time. And if you take enough time, that’ll be you too. So third misconception is that I’m so hardcore that I can’t I’m not friendly until people meet me and they’re like, Oh my God, would you want like on video is the same as we were in real life like you’re not even frightened this year, once a year because there were years I was a robot. Call it what 789 years ago, I was a robot for real today. I’m not and when people meet me there’s so much love that they get from me because I know what rock bottom feels like. I know what disrespect feels like. And I don’t want to give that to others at all. I don’t if I don’t want to work with you. I won’t. But I’m not here to disrespect anybody. Right and that I’m a real feeling person and I cry and I hurt and I go through things and I and I think gotta have loving people in my life. I thank God that I am not an alcoholic and I don’t claim that I was I was a former alcoholic I don’t claim that you know yes I’m probably one drink away from going out of control. That’s why I don’t drink but you get make sure my food is right though because I can hang around people drinking all day just make sure my food right because I could chop it up with anybody if my food was right. I hear you. Right I just leave
Susan Crews
Yeah, I hear you on that one. You know we were talking before I hit the record button button and I really want to say this again so our listeners can hear this. And you know one of the things I coach with my clients and are really have ingrained into my own head is that I have to love myself well, so I love others better. And when I talk with you, and I hear you talking about how you want people to to understand you’re a real person. You’re not a robot. I know and I hear you saying, You know what? Precious Williams is not perfect. But she has learned from her mistakes she’ll share with you but in she will love you because she loves herself.
Precious Williams
Yes. Yes. Yes, I have to tell tell you that I agree. Like am I always pleased about my lower body? No. But I gotta tell you I’d be on my whole snack confectionery please do shout out to cupcake the rapper.
Susan Crews
There you go. There you go. That is such a such an important thing. And there were there were you know, I hear you talking about you know, when you were in these really dark spots. You know, you needed some love you needed. You needed love from somebody real genuine love. And precious that as the most powerful four letter word we know. And when you can forgive yourself, and forgive the others. And even sometimes I’d say forgive God, because like you said, we can get angry at God. And I don’t think people really talk about that either. You know, you can forgive and then you can love and love well, it makes the world a better place.
Precious Williams
You are, you are talking to talking to a True Tea queen. Like I was so mad at God and God knew what it was gonna be. So everything works out in the end for your good if you pay attention long enough, stay curious and are grateful for the things that happen. Right? Equally like listen, I wasn’t I was I wasn’t a nice person either. Like, I own my my craziness, right? Today, I am so much better. You know, I started looking at people in a Bible shoot, they were real. Like, I know it sounds dumb. But like, whenever the story of David and Goliath, I realized that my slingshot is pitching. I don’t need the oh, I don’t need for the great speakers of the world to say you’re a great speaker. Baby. I know that. I know that. And, you know, when I couldn’t get into certain spaces because I didn’t have the money or whatever. You know, what got me in my ability to communicate my ability, my ability to be the only choice that matters and I went into spaces where no one had my talent. Do you know how special you all when no one has your talent? Yes, they’re great speakers. But how many of them are pitch masters? How many of them can walk into space in 30 seconds get everybody be like, Okay, I want what you got. Thank you. That’s my gift. That is your gift. Yeah, nurture it, and I invest in it. And I write about it because I’m an expert, a communication skills expert, killer, pitch, Master pitch queen. And now I’m gonna teach others how to be the Rainmaker not the worker be the Rainmaker going in,
Susan Crews
I love that. Let me ask you one other question. I have two questions for you before we end today, one of them is being you know, you you have learned to love yourself. Wow. And that leads to your radiant soul shining. It shines when you’re on stage. It shines when you’re offstage, I can imagine if I passed you, in your community, I could just feel the radiance coming out of your soul. What do you do every day or almost every day to have your radiant soul shine,
Precious Williams
to help my shoulder shine, I wake up every morning, thank God for another day on this earth. I read my devotionals are right in my journal. I have the savor beauty 90 Day journal, and it has my hopes and dreams for the next night. My big hope and dream for the next 90 days. Plus, that’s the steps I’m taking to get there. Right. And then I read in the diary, this 365 day, ladies devotional. So that’s how I have to start the day because I don’t feel right unless that’s done. And unless I know what my to do list is which I do the night before, but you got to look at it today and be like, as I’m crying. I’m crossing it out like it makes a big difference. And do things come in the whole day off? Of course they do. Of course it happens. But I have to tell you, my thankfulness for another day is important. My Thankfulness is saying, God, you gave me a second chance. I can’t waste this. I can’t I can’t waste it. And who do I Who do I get to bless today so I ask God every day for five people to reach out to just to say I see you I love you keep going and they love to get those text messages. because I’m like, Yeah, I see you. I know it’s rough. I ain’t gonna lie. It’s rough out here in the streets, these business streets is entrepreneurial streets, these women streets. And yet, don’t forget, people are seeing you at all times. Right? And somebody had to see me, for me to be here. And it had to be my grandmother, my grandfather, all these angels in my life, and I’m thankful.
Susan Crews
I love that. I absolutely love that gratitude. Having a gratitude practice really changed my life. I honestly believe that because you can look through the whole different set of lens when you come from appreciation and gratitude and thankfulness. Then when you come from really I guess it’s claiming victory over victimization, you know, but when you when you can be thankful makes all the difference in the world.
Precious Williams
It goes going, I have to tell you a really good yeah,
Susan Crews
listeners if this episode has you thinking about how to love yourself well, so you can love others better or create a life that you love. Be sure and join me in the radiant soul sisters Facebook group, precious, I have loved this conversation. I always love talking to you and being in your presence. I have one last question for you.
Precious Williams
Como greeted me bring it to him.
Susan Crews
If there is one tip, or one suggestion that you could give our listeners today, who needs to either be uplifted or figure out how to start creating a life that they love? What would be your suggestion? Well,
Precious Williams
I don’t know how to vote narrowed down to one but I will say and I say this a lot. Fortune favors the bold. So go boldly in pursuit don’t care what anybody’s saying. Number two, be around people who are doing it at a level you’re not at yet. They will stretch you, they will push you versus the people you’ve been hanging around and you have been doing the same thing for years you ain’t growing, you ain’t growing there. And number three, you have to believe beyond all belief in yourself your purpose and why you were made. And when you do that, you’re gonna have people just like Why don’t you listen to me because you’re not the one who created me. Right? He needs no cosigner. So I’m gonna need you to understand I need to step my game up and it is not here to promote, promote, promote yourself at all times. Don’t nobody tell you? It ain’t flexing if it’s true, it ain’t tricking if you got it, what?
Susan Crews
Ah, love that. And thank you because, you know, that is the hardest thing, promote, promote, promote, and especially I think a lot of times for women, they struggle with promoting themselves because they’re looking at it as being vain or they’re looking at it in you know, out of the wrong eyes. But you know what, I’m just gonna go back to what I said earlier and close this When you love yourself well, and like you said, precious, you are aligned with your purpose, and doing what you are created to do. shout from the rooftops because God has your back. Yes. Or your heart. For me. For us. It’s God right? Yes. Yep. Thank you again, precious. Thank you so much for your time today and being here with us. And I look forward to see a new soon.
Precious Williams
I do to coin and thank you so much for asking questions that no one usually asked me. And that’s the power of when people come to podcasts and podcasters and interviewers who see beyond what everybody always ask you so thank you for going deeper with me. It means
Susan Crews
you’re welcome. always a joy chat soon. Okay. That was a fun episode of the radiant soul sisters. Thank you for choosing to tune in. Be sure to join me next week when I shine the light on another beautiful woman. Till then I’m Susan cruise, your host and be sure to check out my website at Susan cruise co.com where you will find all the podcast episodes and resources for our community.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
