Description: Everyone sounds polished now—perfect copy, flawless videos, expert-level everything. But your audience is craving something real. In this episode of the SKILLS Podcast, Stephanie reveals why your imperfections are actually your competitive advantage and how authentic communication cuts through all the polished noise.

Discover why being "perfectly imperfect" builds more trust than any polished content strategy, and learn practical ways to share your learning moments, honest struggles, and work-in-progress without feeling like an imposter.

If you've been waiting until you feel "ready" or "expert enough" to share your message, this episode will give you permission to show up as you are.

Key Takeaway

“Your people are out there right now. They're struggling right now, today. They were struggling last week. They might have been struggling last month. And the exact problem that you're facing right now, they might be facing too. And they need your perspective. They need your solutions. They need your humanity. So I need you to be brave. I need you to be real. And I want you to stop trying to be perfect and instead get out there and help people. Do the work that you want it to do. Drive the change that you want to drive.”

— Stephanie Redcross West

Show notes:

💯 [2:57] What it means to be authentic.

🙋🏻‍♂️ [5:45] Your audience is often looking for someone like them.

👌 [8:55] If you only do perfect content, you attract people who want to see perfect content.

🔄 [12:35] Your unique perspective is what makes you stand out in the crowd.

📌 [16:53] How do you let people know where you are now?

😣 [18:37] The real struggles: sharing something that you were challenged with.

🚧 [21:02] Work in progress: sharing things while you're still testing it.

😌 [22:57] Honest opinion: something different than popular advice.

🎬 [25:09] Behind the scenes reality.

▶️ [27:12] Test things out by posting a video.

🤝 [29:15] Vega Mainstream Village: a free side of our community.

Ready to Take Action?

Free Resources: Find the complete "Authentic Authority Content System" toolkit at https://skills.veganmainstream.com/c/learn-get-inspired/ - including vulnerable content templates, behind-the-scenes prompts, and authentic voice audit worksheets.
(Note: You’ll need a free SKILLS account to access these resources. Sign up takes less than a minute, see link below)

Take It Deeper: If you want to build a complete, authentic social media strategy that attracts your ideal audience, check out our "Social Media From Scratch" course for comprehensive guidance on creating content that converts. https://veganmainstream.com/courses/social-media-from-scratch/

New to SKILLS? Join our community for free at https://veganmainstream.com/support/vegan-business-community/ and access hundreds of resources for vegan entrepreneurs, or upgrade to premium for complete course access and live coaching sessions. https://veganmainstream.com/vegan-online-training-community/

About SKILLS in Action Podcast

SKILLS in Action Podcast is your resource for building a vegan business that's profitable, sustainable, and aligned with your values. Hosted by Stephanie Redcross West, founder of Vegan Mainstream, each episode delivers practical strategies you can implement right away.