Veronica Llorca-Smith 🍋's Linkedin Analytics

Action precedes clarity. I used to think I needed clarity to get started. The result was overthinking and analysis paralysis. Inaction. But it’s the other way around: Clarity doesn’t come from thinking. It comes from doing and taking action - and running! Goodbye, Spain, hello Hong Kong (and jetlag)

My brain is my business - not a free parking lot with a vacancy sign on. What’s the most valuable asset in your business? If you're a creator, your biggest asset is not your audience or your products. It’s your brain.  You creativity. Your IP. And that’s a challenge because it’s intangible and people struggle to see value in things that are invisible.  “Can I pick on your brain?”  “Do you have 5 minutes to brainstorm?” “Can you give me your 2 cents?” In the digital world, this is your bread and butter. I struggled with this for a long time. I find it hard to say no when people ask for help. I don’t want to come across as rude or unhelpful. When I started, I used to entertain most of the pick-on-your-brain requests that landed on my plate. I wanted to be nice and helpful, and I didn’t know how to say no. The truth is, I often left those calls feeling depleted and frustrated. Every time I jumped on a 30-minute “coffee chat” or a brainstorming session, I was saying no to something else: A collaboration with a partner. A real coffee with my husband. A call with a paying client. Precious me time.  My own business. By saying yes to something I didn’t want, I was actually saying no to something I did want. Your time is precious. It’s a currency you don’t get back and you shouldn’t feel bad for not giving it away, especially for free on someone else’s terms. It’s been a journey of self-discovery, but stepping into my businesswoman’s shoes has empowered me to value my time and my brain more. I’m still nice and helpful, but on my unapologetic terms. When a stranger asks for advice, I redirect them to my free resources. Yes, I want to help but I want to do it at scale. That’s why I've published dozens of articles and 4 books with everything I know. To help people. If someone wants feedback, I don’t give them my two cents. Instead, I offer them a strategy session. It costs more than two cents and they get more than two cents. Whenever I receive an invite for a “coffee chat,” I ask for an agenda so that it's a win-win. When people understand that there's scarcity, they value your time and knowledge more. When your IP has a price, people appreciate it more because it’s not a commodity on the supermarket shelves. But the real win-win is here: I've learned to value my own time and my brain. It’s okay to decide how you want to spend your minutes and with whom. Our brain is not a free parking lot with a vacancy sign on. When you let people park on it on their terms, you give away your agency. You can say yes and be nice and friendly. But you can also say no and still be nice and friendly. Your brain is your business. Full article 👇🏽

2 months ago, I did my first book launch in India, ever. And it was a humbling experience. Traveling to a new country, meeting international bestsellers, talking to the press, moderating sessions, doing a book reading, signing copies... For someone who spent 15 years in the corporate world, it feels like a new life. And it is. I only published my first book at 42, and 5 books later, I'm only getting started here and I'm not putting the pen down anytime soon. If you have a dream you've been putting off for a while, perhaps it's time to take the dust off and make it happen. I wrote The Anti-Procrastinator to empower people to take a shot. Even if you miss it, you will get much closer. And I want to lead by example. The Anti-Procrastinator 🎯 Penguin Random House 🐧 Now on paperback 📙 Next book launch: Singapore, 24 May 2025 🇸🇬 Can't wait to join forces with my fellow author Chuen Chuen Yeo 杨荃荃

If you could meet a LinkedIn connection to meet IRL, who would you pick? Meeting my LinkedIn buddies in Sydney! So cool to have the opportunity to meet other writers IRL and have a REAL COFFEE. We talked about strategies for writers and creators, how to pitch to publishers, creating a digital ecosystem and collaboration. And of course, we exchanged books and signed copies - as we do 😎

Procrastination is not a skill: it's a choice. This is my first podcast re my new book, The Anti-Procrastinator (Penguin). Get a taste of what the book is about in this episode from Procurement Horizons👇🏽 Thank you for having me as a guest Richa Singh🙏🏼

Cultural agility is not a 'nice to have' in leadership. It’s a MUST. Because diversity alone doesn't mean inclusion. It requires the MINDSET: empathy, curiosity, self-awareness, humility... And the ACTION. My signature CULTURE FRAMEWORK helps leaders and teams develop cultural competence: CULTURE 👇🏽 C…Connect with people from different backgrounds. U…Unlearn prejudices and biases by removing your cultural lens. L…Listen actively. T…Think different and broaden your perspective. U…Understand different viewpoints. R…Reframe your thoughts and language. E…Educate yourself and others. This simple model is easy to understand, execute, and replicate. PD: May 21 is the World Day for Cultural Diversity. Ready to celebrate? If you'd like to book a workshop/ keynote on cultural agility, let's have a chat 📩 For a session in person, here are my dates around APAC: 1-6 May: Sydney 🇦🇺 14-23 May: Hong Kong 🇭🇰 24-27 May: Singapore 🇸🇬 Repost if you found this useful ♻️

Yesterday I signed the first copy of my new book in Australia. It was for fellow author Gunnar Habitz in a cozy café in downtown Sydney. Because writing is also about people, connection and good coffee. Check out The Anti-Procrastinator👇🏽

Sydney Half Marathon: Behind the scenes! Yesterday I raced in one of my favorite cities in the world. The skies were blue, the conditions were perfect and 25,000 runners showed up to give it all. I was one of them. And while I was smoked by many fit Aussies in their 60s, I'm proud of my 1h46 time and my finisher medal. Because this is your journey and you can only compare yourself against yourself. Your race, your pace.

Sydney Half Marathon: a big medal and a bigger smile. When I launched my business, my vision was to build it around my lifestyle and the things I love doing. Money is important but running, traveling and quality time with family and friends are pretty high on my list too. The picture of “success” looks different for everyone and it’s up to you to fill it with your favorite colors - one step at a time. These are mine ❤️💙🤍 PS: I was smoked by some fit Aussies in their sixties but I’m stoked with my 1h46! Ready to turn your passion into your lifestyle with your passion for writing and speaking? Let's chat 😉

Celebrating small wins from Sydney! This weekend I ran a half marathon and launched my new course. It's just sold its 10th copy! 10 doesn't sound like a lot. In fact many people would hide it. Feel embarrassed about such a small number. But remember that we all start with one little step. Whether it's a marathon, a book or a new project. Celebrating the small wins keeps you humble and hungry. PS: there's a reason top authors (James Patterson, Elizabeth Grey), solopreneurs (Justin Welsh) and creators (Dan Koe, Tim Denning, Cole) are on SS...check it out! 👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/gX3dpVED

Public speaking: From Hong Kong to Sydney! I recently hosted a keynote in Hong Kong for a major bank on the topic of Inclusive Language. It was quite intimidating: being on stage with 100+ participants from Asia, Pacific, Europe and Middle East both in person and online. I always get a bit nervous before going on stage. Doubts and insecurities creep in. Do you know that feeling? But then I take a deep breath and remember why I’m on stage in the first place. And it’s not about me. It’s about the impact. It’s about the audience. It’s about using your voice to make a positive change, however small. And that is what I call OPPORTUNITY. Next week I’ll fly to Sydney to deliver a session for the same bank, this time, on the topic of ALLYSHIP. I’d be lying if I told you that I’m not nervous. But I'd also be lying if I told you that I’m not excited and over the moon. Remember: courage is on the other side of fear. ------------------- I’m Veronica and I work with global organizations to help build inclusive, high-performing teams through keynotes and workshops.   Some of my topics are inclusive language, cultural agility, allyship and an athlete's mindset. Looking for a speaker for your next event? You can check my previous work on my website or send me a DM 📩

My first trip to Australia as a speaker and a special launch! 🇦🇺 I just arrived in Sydney to give a public speaking session at a bank. But today is special X2 because I just launched my first digital course in 2025... A Substack Masterclass for creators and solopreneurs who want to launch a newsletter, grow their community and monetize their creativity with multiple income streams. In the past year, The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋 has grown to 10,000 subscribers and generated 20K+ US$. It's become a community. *My community* - independent of algorithms and platforms, where I connect with my people with articles, webinars, group chats, and coaching. I love turning my passion into my lifestyle and my vision is to help others do the same. If that sounds like you, let's get you started today. Check out my Masterclass with 15 modules, videos and action steps👇🏽 PS: mandatory sunrise run to see the Opera House 😎 https://lnkd.in/gT-JgmNg.

Productivity is not always about doing more. It's about saying no to the things that drain you so that you can say yes to the things that lift you up: ✔️ Reading a book and forgetting about time. ✔️ Taking a long lunch break in the middle of the day. ✔️ Going for a long run in the rain to clear your mind and your soul. It's creating a lifestyle you don't want to retire from. That’s exactly what my new book, The Anti-Procrastinator is about. A reminder that you have everything in you to lift your anchors and sail in life. Because the grass is greener where you water it - smartly. Flying Down Under tomorrow to host a keynote and run the Sydney Half Marathon! 🇦🇺

When I was 6, I left my country, Spain with my family. France, Brazil, Holland, Italy, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Australia… Home became a feeling rather than a place. It’s been quite a ride. And what started as a passion became a new career: Today, I deliver workshops and keynotes on cultural agility to global organizations. Helping turn cultural differences from barriers to bridges. Enabling multicultural teams to leverage their diversity to thrive and speak in an inclusive way. Passion is a big part of the work I do. And that's why I wanted to share this non-professional post. Because what I do and who I am go hand in hand. And it feels special to be back to explore my country with my own little family. Life is all about closing loops and starting new ones. Andalucia, Spain ❤️

You don't need to be in front of a computer to work. Most of my keynotes are developed while I'm running. Bouncing ideas, reflecting, dissipating the mental fog, turning chaos into...more chaos. A whole lot of nothing until finally I find one idea worth taking home. A run always starts with a problem and ends with a solution. Good morning Barcelona ❤️

How hard was it to become a public speaker? Many people have asked me this and to be brutally honest, the beginning was painful. A steep learning curve. I didn’t have a blueprint, so I followed a combo of passion and intuition with a strong bias for action. "Fail fast and pivot faster" was my motto. The key was leverage: What is a skill, lived experience or knowledge you have that can add value to people and help organizations? The intersection between their paint point and your skill set. That's your sweet spot. From there, it was a matter of operationalizing that skill to turn it into a system that can be replicated by others with actionable steps. Once you have a system, you repackage it into a specific offer with tangible outcomes. And you keep iterating until you turn the nos into a yes. Looking back, if I were to start all over again, I could have achieved results faster, but there's beauty in the messy process. There’s value in finding your own way in the chaos. You have to get messy first to figure out what clarity looks like. There’s no shortcut and no proxy for action. But if you want some help along the way, check out my Public Speaking Playbook and drop a comment or DM👇🏽