Think about what drives you to do business with brands. It’s the people you respect most often making recommendations. Period. It’s not rocket science. It’s human behavior that helps build relationships based on trust and loyalty. Word-of- mouth is still THE MOST persuasive and successful form of marketing, bar none.

Hi, I’m Lynn Abate-Johnson. In case we haven’t “met” (yet), let me introduce myself properly. I am an author, and that makes me a creative human. I write non-fiction, and I weave my personal stories throughout my business experience, as well as lessons I’ve been learning over decades.

Once we identify and amplify our own voices, we can begin to generate ripple-effects in the communities around us, which I believe can help heal our world through radical self-expression and connection. Show Up YOU is a course designed to help you start this process of discovery in True Community.

I started using social media channels back in the “olden days” in 2008, and this powerful book was published in 2010, as I was still forming my approach and philosophy around my purpose, which is what my career stems from.

My great grandparents and grandparents were immigrants from Iraq. They came to America for business and educational opportunities. Generational patterns run deep in my DNA.

I knew that my mom was one of eight children, of course. What I didn’t remember (or know) was that my grandparents were also from big families, of 12 and eight children each.

Like the ocean, I am a force of nature that reveals new horizons

Business lessons from my mom are almost without limit. Although she died in 2017, these lessons continue to ripen and “pollinate” more as our global business climate evolves.

One thing about life: it continues to get LIFE-y. 


Business is personal. Change is constant; something to be embraced, and aligned with.

The self-doubt of younger Lynn has given way to a voice willing to speak. I am one person. And that’s “plenty enough”, as my Swiss brother-in-love always says. Full permission to use our voices, in service of the kind of leadership our world needs today.

Still true today, even all these years after I wrote this piece. I teach this stuff, and it makes a big difference, saving brands so much time if they can research candidates through public-facing media channels.