How to speak your truth when you've been programmed into silence

🔥 We've all been programmed into silence in some way. Maybe you learned early that speaking up meant conflict, and conflict felt dangerous. But what kept you safe as a child is now keeping you stuck as an adult.

In this deeply personal episode, Bonnie shares her current living situation with her 87-year-old nan and how it's teaching her to navigate the challenging waters between being a reformed people pleaser and speaking her truth when it matters.

What You'll Learn:

• Why your nervous system reacts when you're about to speak your truth (and what to do about it)
• The difference between fear-based thoughts and intuitive knowing
• How to create safety before speaking up using nervous system regulation techniques
• The 4-step process: Dispel energy, Ground yourself, Activate your throat chakra, Connect to your womb wisdom
• How to handle trolls and negative feedback without losing your voice
• Why co-regulation with safe people is essential for brave communication
• The body signs that indicate you're about to stretch your comfort zone

Bonnie's Vulnerable Shares:

• Living in a small house with her nan, two young children, husband, and a Labrador after a devastating flood
• Navigating difficult conversations about boundaries and space
• Her experience going viral (4 million views) and dealing with trolls

Key Frameworks:

• The Fear vs Intuition Test: Fear contracts and speaks dramatically; intuition expands and speaks quietly
• The 90-9-1 Rule: 90% will love your content, 9% might disagree respectfully, 1% will be unpleasant
• The Throat Chakra Activation Toolkit: Practical techniques for unblocking your voice center
• Your Troll Toolkit: 5 strategies for handling negative feedback without shutting down

Key Takeaway:

Your voice isn't just your competitive advantage - it's your pathway to freedom. The goal isn't to eliminate fear, but to feel it, create safety, and speak anyway.

🧠 New episodes drop every Tuesday

Host: Bonnie Wicks - Brand & Embodiment Coach

Connect With Bonnie:

📧 Subscribe to the substack: brandbusinessbecoming.substack.com
📱 Instagram: @thebonniewicks
🌐 Website: thebonniewicks.com

Love the show?

Leave a review and share with someone who needs permission to use their voice. Tag @thebonniewicks and let her know which part of finding safety to use your voice feels most challenging for you.

Your voice matters. The world is waiting for what only you can say.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Copywriting (And How to Fix Them)

Why your copy isn't converting - and the exact framework to double your revenue

🔥 The most expensive copywriting lesson I ever learned? Thinking my luxury candles would sell themselves because they had "premium specifications." Wrong. Dead wrong.

I was selling features when I should have been selling feelings. I was listing specifications when I should have been painting moments. And I was committing the deadliest sin in copywriting - focusing on logic while completely ignoring emotion.

What You'll Learn:

• Sin #1: Vagueness - Why "unlock your potential" copy converts nobody (plus the One-Question Test)
• Sin #2: Overcomplication - The psychology of choice and why the 3-3-3 Rule saves sales
• Sin #3: Self-Obsession - How to make your customer the hero (not your business)
• Sin #4: Emotional Disconnection - The 3 buying triggers that drive 95% of decisions
• Sin #5: Trust Desert - Building your Trust Pyramid™ in a scam-saturated world
• Sin #6: Weak CTAs - The formula for calls-to-action that actually convert
• Sin #7: Copy in a Silo - Why great copy dies without design and strategy integration

Key Takeaway:

Copy isn't just about words on a page - it's about creating meaningful connections that serve your audience and your objectives. The cure isn't perfection; it's awareness.

The CONVERT Method Framework:

• C - Clarify the one thing you want them to do
• O - Outcome-focused messaging
• N - Numbers and specifics
• V - Value the customer's perspective
• E - Emotion before logic
• R - Risk removal
• T - Test and optimise

🔥 Ready to turn your copy from cricket-inducing to conversion-crushing?

Brand + Messaging VIP Day - Transform your messaging using the exact framework from this episode.

Investment: $1,111 AUD | Only 4 spots per month

Book: DM @thebonniewicks on Instagram Or find more info here: Brand + Messaging VIP DAY

Your 7-Day Copy Audit Challenge:

• Day 1: Run the One-Question Test on your homepage
• Day 2: Apply the 3-3-3 Rule to your main service page
• Day 3: Count your "I/we" vs "you/your" ratio
• Day 4: Identify your primary emotional trigger
• Day 5: Audit your Trust Pyramid
• Day 6: Rewrite your main CTA using the formula
• Day 7: Check one piece of copy across all touchpoints for consistency

Connect: 📧 Substack 📱 @thebonniewicks 🌐 thebonniewicks.com

Love the show? Leave a review and share with a fellow entrepreneur ready to stop committing copy sins.

From Cult Programming to Authentic Voice: Breaking Free, Speaking Up, and Living Fully

How to deprogram limiting beliefs, trust your intuition, and build a business that serves your life

🔥 "Growing up in a cult, you are not allowed to speak about the cult in a disparaging way. They tell you that if you leave and you speak bad about it, that you'll be thought of as dead. That is the ultimate sin. There is no coming back for that."

What does it take to go from this level of programmed silence to becoming someone who helps others find their authentic voice? Today's guest, Courtney Wilder, has made this exact transformation - and her insights about programming, deprogramming, and authentic expression will change how you think about using your voice in business and life.

What You'll Learn:

• How abandonment wounds show up in business (and why they keep you small)
• The difference between you and your business as separate entities in relationship
• Courtney's Four Cups methodology for sustainable capacity building
• Why coercive control language exists everywhere (not just in cults)
• How to practice co-regulation as a powerful healing tool
• The difference between being a victim and having victim mentality
• Why expanding wide (not going deeper) creates lasting transformation
• Practical tools for navigating fear in your body while still taking action

Courtney's Incredible Journey:

From growing up in a cult where speaking out meant social death, to becoming an intuitive coach who helps others crack open and trust themselves. Her story is proof that our deepest wounds can become our greatest gifts when we're willing to do the work.

The Four Cups Framework:

Emotional capacity, physical capacity, mental capacity, and energetic capacity - and why understanding which cup needs filling changes everything about how you rest, work, and show up.

Key Takeaway:

You are not your business. You are in a relationship with your business. When you stop expecting your business to provide all your purpose, fulfilment, and joy, both you and your business can thrive.

About Courtney Wilder:

Courtney is an intuitive life and business coach, astrologer, and author who helps people come home to themselves through embodiment, pattern recognition, and following the breadcrumbs of joy and pleasure. She specialises in helping people deprogram from limiting beliefs and expand their capacity to hold the full spectrum of human experience.

Connect with Courtney:

📱 Instagram: @seekingwilder (her favourite platform!)
🌐 Website: seekingwilder.com
📧 Substack: Courtney's Substack
📖 Book: "Words to Experience" - available wherever books are sold

The Soul Seeker Society: Join the waitlist for Courtney's transformational membership currently in its phoenix rebuild phase

Connect With Me:

📧 Substack
📱 @thebonniewicks
🌐 thebonniewicks.com

Ready to deprogram your business and build authentic capacity?