Mick Unplugged - Diana Lammerts | Mastering Digital Dynamics and Public Relations - Mick Unplugged [EP 16]

Episode Date: May 30, 2024

In this compelling episode, Mick Hunt discusses with Diana Lammerts her extensive experience in digital strategy and public relations. Diana shares her journey from journalism to becoming a digital strategy leader, emphasizing the importance of adapting to technological advancements like AI. She also discusses her proactive approach to remote work and her vision for future digital trends.Diana Lammerts's Background: From radio journalist and news anchor to a leader in public relations and digital strategy.Defining Moments: Diana's shift to remote work before it became mainstream, her approach to overcoming challenges, and her integration of AI into daily operations.Discussion Topics:The transition from traditional media to public relations and the evolution of digital marketing.The impact of AI on the future of digital communication and public relations.Effective remote work strategies and building a thriving remote team culture.Key Quotes:"Success has a pattern. You have to take certain steps to succeed, just like walking up stairs.""AI will free up time for creative and strategic thinking, enhancing public relations and journalism productivity."Next Steps:Learn More: Follow Diana Lammerts for insights into digital strategy and public relations.Reflect: Consider how AI can enhance your efficiency and creativity in your field.Engage: Share how you plan to apply Diana's strategies in your work using #MickUnplugged. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready to change your habits, sculpt your destiny, and light up your path to greatness? Welcome to the epicenter of transformation. This is Mic Unplugged. We'll help you identify your because, so you can create a routine that's not just productive, but powerful. You'll embrace the art of evolution, adapt strategies to stay ahead of the game, and take a step toward the extraordinary. So let's unleash your potential. Now, here's Mick. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged, where we dive deep into the stories that challenge, inspire, and fuel our because. And today I'm truly honored and excited because we're going to explore a journey of a remarkable

individual, a beacon of creativity, and impact in the digital realm. Join us as we uncover the true insights and inspirations of my friend, the incomparable Diana Lammers. Diana, how are you doing today? Thank you so much for the wonderful intro. It's a pleasure being here. Absolutely. So Diana, one of the things that attracted me to you was just a ton of conversation, a ton of insights. I mean, you truly are like that inspiration in the digital world. But when I looked at your website for the first time several months ago, when I got

introduced to you, you have because on your website. So because success follows a pattern. Tell us about that. Because success follows a pattern. What does that mean to you? And what does the world need to know about that statement? Because to me, that's a very powerful statement. It does because you have to take certain steps in order to become successful. So it's almost like, you know, if you want to walk up the stairs, you have to take certain steps in order to get to the fifth floor, you know, and it's the same with success. There is a pattern and you can, that's why everyone is talking about a blueprint. Once you have the blueprint, you can apply it everywhere. And a blueprint is basically a pattern. That's right. So talk about that. What were your patterns of success? What were the beginnings of

Diana? And where are you today? Well, the beginnings were actually, I started as a local radio journalist and then became a news anchor. The fun fact is I'm actually an introvert. So but when it comes to the job, I can be an extrovert. It's a completely different, different dynamic. And that is also a pattern, you know, like some people nowadays, we talk a lot about introverts as well, when they step into their purpose, it's easy for them, and then they are there, and then the energy is there. And then it's almost like they're a different person. That's how I started. And then they are there. And then the energy is there. And then it's almost like they're a different person. That's how I started.

And then at one point after, I think, 12 years or something on air, I wanted to look for something else. So I went to the other side of the media, public relations. And public relations, a lot of people confuse it with only media. But it's actually, it starts with perceived reality. You want to build up your brand. You want to build a reputation for yourself. So it is, of course, it is media, but it's also networking. It is connections. It is how people see you in the community as well. So there is a pattern on how to build up your brand, not through just marketing or like digital marketing or social media marketing.

No, public relations is becoming the new part of marketing. Absolutely. You know, what I've noticed with you and what I've seen by studying you is you've truly mastered your craft. Right. I believe that mastery is a key component in the things that we do. In your journey in the digital world, right, and even the PR world, was there a pivotal moment that accelerated your learning curve and how you mastered your craft? Was there that moment that said, okay, I have to master this in order to take this to the next level? Every day you face a challenge and every day there's a new challenge that you want to achieve something especially with public relations to me it was important to inform clients for example okay

this is what you can do this is what you should do but you also want to listen and when you build a team for example it is very important especially when you work remotely I started to work remotely before it was even a thing. That was back in 2012. So I learned that it is important to create something where everyone feels to be part of the team, even though they're in different locations. So when we had the whole discussion of home office, to me, that was normal. But other people ran into challenges because they weren't used to it. They didn't feel part of a team anymore, but you can actually create this culture. And that is very, very important that you can create a culture in your company. And that also applies to any industry. That's amazing. Again, one of the things that I know that you do in your work showcases your

vibrant imagination. I'm not going to believe that Diane is an introvert. There's no way you're going to convince me of that, right? But I do know that you have a crazy, amazing imagination and you just talked about, you know, the creativity of working remote before it was a thing. And in the digital world that you live in, things change daily for you, right? Like technology changes, interactions change. What have you done or where do you see the future of the digital space and how that's going to influence your project and your works as you move forward two letters ai ai is and no one can say ah it's not going to come it's like back in the days the internet we're a generation we had modems where you had to get off the phone in order to dial it on to be

online back then everyone said like why do you need that i was actually one of the few people modems where you had to get off the phone in order to dial it on to be online. Back then, everyone said like, why do you need that? I was actually one of the few people who said, oh, we don't need Wi-Fi on our phones. Who needs that? Today, it's just like we can't work without it anymore, you know. So AI is going to be very, very important. And I understand that a lot of people are afraid that it will take away jobs, but they don't see the positive part. It frees time. For example, for journalists, they have more time to do research for public relations as well. So instead of sitting there and let's say you have a writer's block, you can actually get inspired and start.

And of course, you always create your own spin and you write in order to sound like the person that you're writing for as well. But it definitely will help a lot. And, you know, we just have to learn. And that's why I'm part, for example, of the Global AI Council, because I want to learn how to use AI, how to work with AI and not against it. And if you work with something, then you don't have to be afraid of it. And it's the same thing because success has a pattern. So you want to include AI to make your life easier. That's why we delegate. I love that.

So let's unpack that a little bit. What are some of the use cases or what are some of the ways that you're using AI today? Well, number one, a lot of people have it, Alexa, for example, Siri. I'm more of an Apple person, so I use Siri. And ChatGPT, of course, that is, I use it daily. I use it daily. And you know, how many times are you sitting in front of your computer thinking, how can I word this email? I want to say this, but I don't want to sound like this. So you just enter what you want to say and tell ChatGPT, but I want it to make it sound like this a little bit. And boom, there

you go in two minutes. And then maybe you tweak a little bit here, tweak a little bit there, but it helps you so much. That is 10 minutes you saved off of your time, 10 minutes you have for your kids, for your friends, for yourself, that you can do something. can go meditate workout yoga whatever you prefer and that gives you more life quality as well and what else there's so many things that i use of course i use all dali as well and uh oh gosh there's so many then there's um ai humanizer because at one point you are getting tired of the typical chpT phrases and then you run it through this. And of course, you want to give your own spin to it as well. So nothing that I write is 100% AI.

That is just almost like the foundation and the rest is mine. Because I think that is very important. Otherwise, it loses personality. It's almost like cooking food, you know, like you have a recipe, but you put your own spin to it. Like I know my grandma always did and her food was amazing, but you know, you can only copy it, but it will always have your specific spicy taste. No, that's correct.

And I use, if we talk specifically chat GPT, I use it more as a brainstorming mechanism, right? Like I look at it like a coworker or a partner and I'm sitting around a conference table and I'm bouncing ideas and it's like, how would you frame this? Or if this is my audience, what are some things that I should consider when I say A, B, or C? And so I think a lot of people today, and this totally isn't an AI conversation, but I think they're getting so comfortable with just letting in particular chat GPT speak for them that they're not paying attention to the content that's actually coming back. And they're just posting. I see a ton on social media where it's like, oh, you can tell that that was 100 percent AI written and they didn't even try to make it personalized.

They didn't even try to delete some things. It's just copy paste and boom, there you go. And it's so inauthentic. And that's not what the world needs today. No, and that is actually going to be a problem one day, or where you separate yourself from everyone else, because people are smart. They're going to notice at one point. So that's why you always want to rewrite it

and have it sound in your own voice. So I think that is very, very important. It's like almost when you teach something or you talk about growth. Of course, we didn't reinvent the wheel, right? Like someone wrote about it, Greek philosophers, for example, right? But we take it, we rephrase it, and then we act on it. And it's the same with that. And you can actually also ask ChatGPT to always say something contra to what you say so that it keeps you thinking. And it is very helpful. It's not going to replace you. It's helping you. It's a tool. Totally agree. And so segmenting from ChatGPT and using it as a way to help you not actually do your work for you.

I know that you truly believe in character and core values. What are some of the core values of Diana Lemlars? Authenticity, definitely. And respect. And to see what the other person is about as well. Taking it in, listening, and then see then see okay how can we do this to brainstorm i brainstorm is amazing it is amazing even though if you sometimes say like okay oh how does this work why does it work like this question things that's what i love when someone comes from the

outside who's not a professional and ask those questions because that actually shows you oh this is missing because that one person that comes forward actually is the one that's speaking up. And there are many others who don't understand it, but they just don't speak up. Input is always a constructive criticism. It's the best thing that can happen to you because that shows you where you can improve things.

I'm not saying lacking because it's not necessarily lacking, but how you can improve things. And we always want to improve things because otherwise we still would ride on horses nowadays. I love that. So with what you do and all the different services that you provide, right, your work not only captures attention, but it sparks thought and action. What are some of the projects that you're most proud of when it comes to the impact that you've been able to make on a client? One is actually that is dear to my heart, the longest painted Bible that brings all kinds of religions together because we were at a book fair and there were Jewish visitors, Muslims and Christians. And they said, it's all my book

because it doesn't have any words. It's over over a mile long it was created by a German artist and he died and this is how his son actually found the artwork and stepping into it I was sitting in the attic and wrote the biography and I was almost like feeling that that the artist was still there that was very amazing And eventually we won a world record as well. And helping create a company from scratch as well, recently for the past few years, in order to make a difference in the protection industry, for example. When you come together and you come together from, and you merge your ecosystems, that is huge. Merging ecosystems, because if you come from different industries and come together, you can create something bigger, something better. Because you have different mindsets and you can bring different things to the table. And that is just amazing. That's why I love networking so much. When I see one person say, oh, you're doing this and this person is doing this. If you bring this together. Perfect. That's amazing. You talk about collaboration and networking a lot. Like I feel, especially in today's time, networking collaboration is a key ingredient to success. I

don't care what industry you're in. I don't care where you are in your career. That's what it's going to take to propel forward. How has that helped you in your life and also in your career? It's just fun. I love it. I love it. You meet so many people. For example, we're doing interviews on Fox 5, PIX11 and for other TV stations as well. And you meet so many people, you get to know them, you learn about them. And it's always such a pleasure to interview them as well. And then when I learned, okay, there's this person and that person, I can connect them and just the joy to see what they can grow out of that as well. And then at one point, maybe you jump on board and then you are part of the team as well,

which is amazing. That's awesome. What's been your most powerful collaboration? As of currently, oh, there were so many, but currently, most definitely being back as a host. I haven't done that for a long time. So that is nice to go back to the roots as well with different PR agencies and a great team. They are amazing. And it's so much joy to work with them. And because we all have one goal goal helping people to get out there and get their brand out there and actually to elevate and build credibility and the other one is a company that that I helped build in regards to to executive protection where we want to change the industry and have a more concierge-like service so that people feel heard. Because that's one of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou is people don't remember what you did for

them, but how you make them feel. And if you can make people feel happy and heard, especially heard nowadays, where everything is so loud, people don't get hurt. So that is super important, active listening, and then to adapt and then make the dreams come true, making someone's dream come true or helping being honored to be on this road and on this journey to help someone get to their goal. And when they get there, it's almost like in a movie, you know, like when, when this moment, when they finally realized they did it, and then you can be the one cheering them on and say, yes, you did it. That is, oh my gosh, that gives me goosebumps. That is the best feeling ever. Absolutely. You truly are an inspiration. Again, I'm not going to buy that you're an

introvert, but you truly are an inspiration. And I believe'm not going to buy that you're an introvert, but you truly are an inspiration. And I believe that inspiration is the gift that keeps on giving. So what advice would you give to aspiring creatives who look up to you? What advice would you give them? Reach out to others, collaborate and brainstorm. See how you can creatively add to a business because there are people who are the ones that are very technical. They're the left brain and the right brain people. So be the one who is the creative part. Help them because that can only improve the business as well, looking at it from a creative way, finding creative ways to do something. And then on the other end, of course, we need the analytical people as well to come to the creative people in order to say,

okay, no, but we still need some kind of processes. Creativity is amazing, but in order to get there, and again, there's the pattern, we need a process in order to get somewhere. I love it. What are three tips that you would give to the listeners about that blueprint that you so eloquently talk about? What are three things that people can do today to start to change their own personal blueprint? You don't always need to follow where everyone goes. That is not always necessarily the way to go, even though that everyone tells you, you need to do this you need to do that because basically it's the same we did a documentary once and the the question the documentary

where we ask a university professor what was their first the beauty image that we had or the media building it or we wanting it and he said it's actually it wasn't the media necessarily it's it's a play you know there's's a request and demand for it. And it's the same. So at one point, one person said, it's like fashion, like that was coming back, the mullet is coming back. Whoever said that, that we liked it back in the days, like no one right. But now it's coming back, because someone said, this is cool again. But you know, you have to find your own way, you have to find your own way. And what everyone does is not always necessary. That is definitely would be one. Don't lose yourself. Don't lose yourself. Stay real, be real with yourself and don't do something you don't want because then,

then it's not going to go anywhere. It's just not be authentic. Everything else is way too. It's exhausting. I tell people all the time, be yourself because everyone else is already taken. There's just room for you. So just go be you. And I promise all the things that are supposed to happen definitely will happen. And the third thing is be nice to yourself. Treat yourself. And if you have a bad day, chocolate always helps.

Especially German chocolate. No, that's truly like this is something that even even when i celebrate it is something you know that helps me so i found found this and maybe for you or working out for example it helps as well so make sure if you have a bad day or something just do it and even if you don't like it i'm i'm not that one person that gets up in the morning says yay i want to work out no i force myself like sometimes you have to convince yourself and trick yourself into things so if you don't feel like doing things trick yourself there was a time where i actually had my yoga mat right by beside my bed so i didn't find any excuse at all in order to work out in the morning so even if i didn't make it to the gym trick yourself and then

it's gonna work out at one point it's we are I didn't make it to the gym, trick yourself. And then it's going to work out. At one point, we are all here for a purpose. We wake up every morning for a purpose. Otherwise, we wouldn't wake up. And then we have to make something out of it. And it's worth it. It is worth it. Totally worth it. So what are some of the new and upcoming things that you're going to be working on over the next couple of years? What's new and exciting for Diana? Years is such a long time, especially after the pandemic. I always think when I do, when I interview people to come on the teams, like they, you can't really ask the question, well, what are you going to do in five years? Because like, we learned that you never know. Right now, I'm super excited to be part of a great team that does promote experts on TV channels, puts them in

front of the people in the audience so that they can establish themselves. And I have the challenge to create a culture. And I love that because there's this company called Zappos. And I was introduced to it, oh my gosh, 15 years ago. And I just love the culture that they had. And creating something like this is, that is my dream. A culture where everyone feels, of course, you can't make everyone happy. But a culture where everyone feels heard and where you get positive reinforcement for good behavior. That's awesome. So where can people find and hear about you? You can find me on Instagram, Diana Lamatz or dlmedia.info is my website. Yeah, on social media and online.

Love it. Everyone follow Diana. She is one of the kindest people that you will ever meet. She I call Diana. She's like that cheerleader, that pat on the back when you need it sometimes, right? Like anytime I need Diana, she's there. She's giving me encouragement. So Diana, I personally wanted to thank you for all the encouragement that not only you give me, but that you give the world. And I'm truly honored to have you on the show. Is there anything that you want to leave the guests? Any last words to Diana before we wrap this one up? I really appreciate you. Your shows are amazing. And that's why I love to like them and listen and to watch them because I just love the energy and how you're able to interview people. So that's why I love to cheer and it's authentic. And that's why

I love doing it. And again, just be authentic and be yourself and have integrity and everything will be all right. I love it. Ladies and gentlemen, the incomparable Diana Lammers. Diana, thank you for being on the show. And for the listeners, as always, remember your because is your superpower. And Diana will tell you it's your blueprint. Go unleash it.

Diana, I appreciate you. Thanks for listening to Mick Unplugged. We hope this episode helps you take the next step toward the extraordinary and launches a revolution in your life. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast and be sure to check us out on YouTube at Mick Unplugged. Remember, stay empowered, stay inspired, and stay unplugged.