Hands down, we have some of the best coaches I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. Being part of Contributor to Creator and Public Speaking for Capital Raisers has been nothing short of transformative—not just for my speaking skills, but for my mindset, my confidence, and my life. Yesterday’s session really made me pause and think about what I’m putting out into the world. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to face the mirror and realize that growth often requires confronting denial, ego, or fear. But I’ve learned that those moments are where the real breakthroughs happen. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what authenticity truly means. It’s more than being “real.” It’s allowing yourself to be seen—fully, but wisely. It’s the balance between vulnerability and intention—knowing you can show parts of your story without being defined or misunderstood by them. Because at the end of the day, authenticity isn’t about how people see you—it’s about how they feel when they’re around you. It’s the impact your truth leaves behind. And every single day, this journey with our coaches teaches me something new—lessons I would’ve never gained staying in my comfort zone or behind the walls of my 9-to-5. Growth like this doesn’t just build better speakers; it builds better leaders, thinkers, and human beings.

So I had a conversation this morning with one of my homies — and it hit me so hard that I had to share it here. He just closed on his first deal. Massive congrats to him. That’s the dream, right? To finally do the one. We first started talking a month and a half ago, right at the start of his raise — back when I was still figuring out if I could even raise money myself. Fast-forward to today, he’s officially done it… but here’s the interesting part. He didn’t hit his full raise goal (and that's okay because he still secured the bag). His biggest learning lesson was that during the raise, people flake- so you need to have 2-4x in warm commits to the fund you wish to raise for in his mind. But... Most of it came from one person. And as we were catching up, he asked me how I’ve been able to turn conversations into actual investor calls and real relationships and how some of those social media conversations are turning into warmed up investors— even though I have a smaller following. He’s got 2,400+ connections, full systems, AI outreach, automation — the whole setup. But he’s been struggling to turn those conversations into real investor dialogue. Meanwhile, I’m sitting at around 670 connections/followers, and I’ve had consistent success converting LinkedIn convos into investor calls — introducing people to Marichel and Yonnick, getting them engaged, building traction as I'm in my preparation season. So what’s the difference? He’s casting a wide net. I’m drilling deep. Yonnick told my class: “You don’t even know what goldmine you’re sitting on — you just need to dig.” I’m not trying to be everywhere. I’m trying to be intentional with who I connect with. My network is curated — these are people who align with my investor avatars, the ones who get it. When I reach out, I don’t start with “Hey, my name’s Anarian, I’m in real estate…” Nah.I start with them. “Hey, I saw you did this — that’s dope because it looks like you’re all about [X]. I love that. We actually have a lot in common in [Y]. I’d love to jump on a quick Zoom and swap ideas.”

EDIT: OCTOBER 3, 2025 I want to provide some more motivation for the YM2 Academy Community. I gave another presentation yesterday to a different group of more established investors and real estate investment association (REIA) leaders. The presentation went well and I got about 20% interested with QR code scans. I've had many visits to my exhibitor table leading to people signing up for my program and also have been invited to present in person and virtually to a few groups in different states! The presentation was a gateway to having table visits and conversation starters at the networking opportunities which led to a lot more positive responses from these old heads, especially after getting to know one another and after building rapport. (Tip: let people talk about themselves and keep asking follow up questions. They'll lower their guard and like you a lot faster). Follow the formula for what you're learning in this program and you'll see success in relating to people by being your authentic self and showing them how you can help them in their goals! ********************************************************************************************************* If I may, I’d like to offer some Tuesday motivation for you and gratitude towards Marichel and Yonnick. I took their first Public Speaking class last year. Of course it was great, but I’m a very direct person. I was skeptical that telling people my story to relate to others would work instead of my normal method of just directly explaining what I do. I had a presentation over the weekend at a multifamily event in front of 500+ people to pitch my services. @Yonnick and Marichel Matthews critiqued my presentation a week prior and Yonnick mentored the hell out of me for about 2 hours. I did exactly what he said. I added the emotions, the panic and stress of what the audience was going through and offered the solution. My jokes hit and I asked for permission to tell them more to a very boisterous “yes!” from the crowd which actually startled me a bit. Even when the audiovisual guy mistakenly turned off the slideshow, I jokingly asked the crowd to boo him, which deflected from a minor mistake, but lightened up the moment, which would’ve otherwise probably stressed me. That moment which began with lighthearted booing, erupted into laughter from the crowd.When my presentation was done, I received a thunderous round of applause from the crowd. Shortly after I received a trickle of attendees to my exhibitor table, and I thought that maybe I didn’t do so well after all. However, upon the first break, I was bombarded over the next couple days with hundreds of conversations from different people, about 400 scans to my QR code and dozens of people registered for my webinar! I was accused and asked by attendees if I was a professional speaker, if I was an actor, and even complimented on my dramatic pauses, so the room could be filled with motion, which is what Yonnick told me to do. Little did the crowd know that I would hit periods of nervousness, which would cause me to pause and also forget what I was about to say. It turns out that while I was perceiving nervousness, stress and panic, the crowd was perceiving powerful emotions.

I struggle with self-doubt and subconscious learning from years of feeling inadequate. I constantly feel that I'm not great conversationally, never knowing what to say, what to talk about, and fear of pauses. @Parul Sharma and I went to Aspire Wealth this past weekend and Day 1 was a big struggle for me. I met a handful of connections, but everyone had FOMO. I'd be having a conversation, not arrived to the, "let's exchange numbers" part of the conversation when the break would end, and they would be eager to get back to their seats. I'm starting to see more value in multi-day events. During this event I exchanged contact information with 2 of the 5 people/couples/business partners that I met on Day 1. Day 2 and 3 were easily 2x to 3x that each day due to strengthening my connections from Day 1. Each day connections became easier by saying hello to someone you had already met, while they are speaking to others. You will usually get a quick introduction and participate in the conversation and eventually exchange numbers.

I was listening to them "Impact with Eddie Wilson" podcasts recently and one of them really hit home. Well actually all of them are powerful, but this one in particular had me thinking about my own current situation. I've spent 30+ years in Information Technology and the most recent 2 years hyper-focused on Information Security in a leadership position. I had spent quite a bit of my career wanting to get into Information Security but not having the funds for training or having found the right mentor to make it happen. I wasn't "broke" so I wasn't as hungry for success. I finally got that chance a couple of years ago because someone trusted that I could do the job well. However, now that I've been in a leadership position but not quite long enough, only 2 years, I'm finding it hard to score my next leadership role in Information Security. If you haven't listened to Impact with Eddie Wilson, I guarantee they will make you think and will be inspirational. My hunger is building as my broke a$$ increases because I know success is just right around the corner. I'm really lucky to have such a wonderful woman by my side that believes in me, inspires me, and loves me even for my flaws and hardships. As soon as we get into the first deal my expletive filter will let loose because I'll be able to afford the swear jar!