EE039 – Jennifer Royal – Pure Mind Magic

Jennifer lives in Munich, Germany and has been a professional magician for many years and worked all around the world including the UK, USA, middle-east etc.

• We discuss mentalism
• How Harry Potter changed the world of professional magicians
• How magic is perceived in different countries
• Reverse engineering high-performance athletes
• Podcast marketing and why it’s a magic door

Websites: https://jennifersroyal.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-s-royal-672428169/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-s-royal-672428169/

Episode 39 – Jennifer S Royal – 18-06-2019.mp3

[00:00:00] Exceeding expectations. Episode 39.

[00:00:12] Welcome to exceeding expectations the podcast where we help you with ways you can give a better experience to your customers because when you exceed expectations not only is it good for your business it’s good for your soul you feel good that you’ve given people a great experience but that also it’s great your business because it gives you a sense to give you better referrals more testimonials and more repeat bookings with that customer or whoever it is that you’re working with. In this week’s show we speak with a lady called Jennifer S. royal she’s a professional magician based in Germany and we discussed many things around magic and our magic can help you with businesses and podcasting. She’s a very avid podcast and has been a guest on many different podcasts. We discuss mentalism how Harry Potter changed the world of professional magicians how magic is perceived in different countries and many other areas as well. If you do like air this podcast please do leave review for us on places such as iTunes and Stitcher and Spotify etc. Maybe pop on to the expert exceeding expectations Facebook groups start a conversation talk about anything that you’ve heard in this episode or previous episodes that you particularly liked or disliked this maybe start a conversation in there. Hope you enjoyed this week’s show and it’s welcome.

[00:01:36] Jennifer.

[00:01:53] Exceeded expectations my guess this week Jennifer S. Royal. How are you Jennifer.

[00:01:59] Very good Tony. Thank you so much for having me today.

[00:02:03] It’s a pleasure to have you on the show and you’re based in Munich. That’s right. It is Munich where you’re from is that where you’ve always lived.

[00:02:11] No I actually am born and stood guard there. This like two hours away from Munich here still in the south of Germany. But I really enjoy Munich. It’s this international city and very close to the mountains and Switzerland. So a cool place to be.

[00:02:28] Very much sir. And and from all the conversations that we’ve had before the recording started you’re very much into the world of podcast not you.

[00:02:38] Yeah. You got me. I am.

[00:02:40] You’ve been on so many different podcasts. You have your own podcast. I mean where would you want to start telling us about your you know one of the most experienced people I’ve ever met on podcasts and I think you’re great.

[00:02:52] So maybe I start from the beginning and what brought me in the end into podcasting. I think it’s a really special way to approach podcasting what I did and not like a normal thing because I started out and I still am a professional magician and I got into magic at the age of four and had actually my first stage appearance at the age of seven getting my own magic set. And from that time on I’ve been always on stage doing magic shows internationally. Becoming a member of the magic circle and yeah evolving the magic studying every field of magic like from card magic close up magic manipulation big illusions. Then also down the road into mentalism what kind of got me into my magic too. How about changing your mindset and your thought patterns to create another reality and create more success in business and an entrepreneur ship. Because it has a lot to do with it and it’s still sad that it is show business. So you have to show but there is also the business side of things. So I’ve really learned a lot of that. But the problem was always had a ton of knowledge about magic tricks and concepts and you know as a magician you are not allowed to share any of this. So I was thinking to myself How can I transform what I know to help people help and to nurse get on like breakthrough plateaus and get them out of these patterns and thinks they are stuck. And so one night it occurred to me while I was listening to podcasts hey why should I not start my own show because I was always dreaming of having a big show and as a magician obviously you are limited to time and space to where you are performing at the moment. And that got kind of boring over time and was podcasting. Obviously you can reach the other end of the world. So pretty cool feature I thought and really overnight next morning I started podcasting and this is how my show the pure my magic podcast was born. And it has to do with magic but not like like explaining magic tricks. But more on how can you change or improve your mindset and how to use all this mental strategy is about reverse engineering and other things that magicians use on a daily basis to make the impossible possible and also principles that are used by a high performance athletes to visualize their end goal success and being able to deliver a 100 percent high performance on the spot when they have to. And yeah this is pretty much how I got into podcasting.

[00:05:43] Well that sounds intriguing. So your podcast I mean how long how long ago was it you started a podcast.

[00:05:48] It’s just like I think it’s ten month ago now. Yeah.

[00:05:53] And is it. Do you interview people or or what is the format.

[00:05:57] Yes I do. So this was not the basic concept when I first started out because I was thinking I’m going to teach people what they can learn from magicians like what they can learn from the mindset of Harry Houdini for example the great escape artists and other magic principles that you can transfer in to business. But then I thought wow this is a lot of content. I have to deliver. And I came across this interview concept and I just thought wow this is even better because you’re able to reach out to really high profile guests and ask them your questions what is just amazing and magical in itself. What I thought. And so I grew a tremendous network from it and really found amazing people from all around the world. And I always say that in my show there are only brilliant minds like people that create magic in their own lives and so on.

[00:06:51] Is it a weekly show that you have. Yes it is. And so of the episodes that you’ve done so far is there one. Is there any guest that really stands out that may be surprised you in some way.

[00:07:02] Yeah there are a couple of buts talking about exceeding expectations. There was one who really stood out and I learned that sometimes it’s really good to not have that kind of expectations in terms of putting so much pressure on it because then it’s not really working and I think this is a great session. Let’s listen. I mean your listeners can take away that you can learn from a magician because when you go on stage you have all this pressure because it’s life entertainment and you just have this one chance. So you can’t do it again when you go out and you have all this pressure. And the more you are focussed on that things have to work out perfectly well the worse it gets. And maybe you made this experience before and it’s like putting so much pressure on yourself. And I learned when you just let go and let things find you it’s way easier and you are more into the flow. And I was trained for so long to get into the TV world. Here in Germany and also in the United States and it was always tough and I put a lot of pressure on it and tried everything and contacts and e-mails vice versa because I was thinking again how I can make the magic bigger and not just being limited to the stage itself and didn’t work out. So one day I had this great guest who is a l a producer and he’s really big in L.A. and he’s doing a lot of great things. And we were just talking and I had this interview with him and after we finished the interview I just said Hey have you ever thought about doing something with magic like a TV serious. And he thought wow this is really interesting and you are a female magician. There are almost no other female magicians in the world. That sounds really interesting and entertaining and we started our conversation from there and started negotiating on that. And I never expected that because it was just an interview we never ever met before and it was just audio no video or just audio a conversation like we are having today. And it opened a whole new world. And yeah that was that was really strong.

[00:09:19] And so did the what happened then with the TV appearance.

[00:09:22] Well we are still in the development phase and talking about the team and the locations to shoot because we were thinking about doing something internationally. And you know this is a lot of work to get everything together and also planning the effects and having other people in the show to make it really interesting and showing kind of the world behind magic. So a lot of things to do with storyboard and the whole script. But yeah we are working.

[00:09:53] And you mentioned that one of the phrases that he said was there’s very few female magicians in the world. So is that. Has that been challenging for you. Do people have a different expectation from a from a female magician than they do from a from a guy.

[00:10:08] Well Tony yes it’s a tough question. And the thing is that you can hardly copy the effects exactly how my male colleagues do because it’s really different like the female approach to magic and I think magic is still an art that is very emotional but there is also a lot of signs and stretchy strategic thinking in walls that you have to do and also engineering and it is said that maybe this is something that not a lot of women women get into magic but there is no real proof to it. And I had to find really my own way of approaching it. And now to combine it with and to pronounce ship and the business world is something that really stands out and works very well since I also have two academic degrees. And for me it comes then full circle. But yeah there is a difference and sometimes I like this kind of understatement to just approach a group of people when there is a corporate event and doing some close up magic for them. And when you then leave them completely stunned and they weren’t expecting it. And I exceeded their expectations. That’s worth more than money.

[00:11:23] So how do you go about it. So I mean you’ve obviously been into magic for a long time since you were four years old so when you decide that you want to learn a new trick how does that process come about.

[00:11:35] Also very good question. I think it’s like in any industry that you are looking on how you can make things better improve things and make them work smoother. And with creativity it’s like it never stops. So when you are in a good state and in this flow you get inspirations from everywhere you are going and pick that up and I always write all the ideas I’m getting into my notebook and coming to them. Then later on and I don’t like this routine and I think routine can really be the killer especially when it comes to creativity and magic because you still need this excitement for things to come up with it. And so I always said that would be for me a nightmare to like go to Las Vegas and have my own show for 20 years and doing it over and over and over again like three times every day because then you just have this routine and obviously these shows are very expensive so into production costs. It’s about one hundred five million dollars. Most of them and obviously you have to work some time to get all the money back and sell a lot of tickets. And then you have this routine. And when I talk to people and business and enterprise worship I always say that there are two faces because when you are in this creativity and Start-Up and brainstorming phase it’s really important to stay alive and get all this input and inspiration in finding your ideas your concepts your branding everything but then when you have everything then it’s important to have this kind of a phase where there is this routine like without any distractions where you can really strongly focus on what you are doing to make all the processes and systems you have running perfect. And I think this is why it said that Steve Jobs always choose the same clothes to wear. Because with that he hadn’t to think about every morning knew what he would like to wear because he could save his mental energy for more important tasks.

[00:13:56] And so in your your repertoire of tricks that you have I mean how many do you have any idea of how many different tricks that you have.

[00:14:04] I get that asked very often and I don’t have a list with all of them. So it’s a couple of hundreds and it’s like with everything. When you don’t train it you lose it and you have to learn it again. So it’s important then to train. And also I mean I know so many concepts where I know how it is done that I don’t perform because it’s different knowing something how it’s working in magic and really something that is practical and working under every condition so whether it’s your performing outside where you have people from all angles. So they are really not that many tricks that work any time anywhere. And I just love them because it’s so strong when you are always ready to perform no matter where you are.

[00:14:59] And so when you say for the average public where when we see a magician we’re completely spellbound. We have no idea how it happened. When you’re watching a magician even if it’s a trick that you haven’t seen are you able to see where the deception is almost always.

[00:15:16] Yes. Because when you’re so into magic you just know the concepts. And when you break it down it’s just a few magic concepts that get repeated over and over again. So people change props and other things to the basic concept but it’s still the basic concept. So it’s very seldom that a colleague comes up with something that is completely new to the market and no one knows that is just a brilliant idea but normally it’s just something that is known and taken to another level and added like within that a story or character to it. But yeah that’s how it goes.

[00:15:56] And so in the last 20 years. Well I think it was about 20 years ago when Harry Potter started to become famous. Has that changed magic in any way or the perception of magic from the public.

[00:16:08] Well I think so and it’s interesting that people are well we are always interested in magic and they are they still are. And the kind of interest is a changing especially in Germany. People are more serious. So they are known for it. And it still is the case. So it’s different in the U.K. area because people are very open to magic and mystical things and all that. And I think this is why it’s just perfect that Harry Potter’s home is in U.K. as well. And when you look in to the TV area they have a lot of TV shows going on there also with mentalism and it’s really tough to play something here in Germany. And I think people are always on the lookout for something bigger or something to believe in like this force. And depending on how you approach it. But magic could be like a superpower. So you can imagine something. And then the next moment it appears so would be something like manifesting and we know it is working an actual life. When you do it right and when you learn it and also magic has this entertaining component and it remembers people about their childhood where everything was possible and this is where magic stands for everything is possible because you can make everything possible. Also things that are not possible. And I think that’s interesting and of course with Harry Potter it was that it brought magic back to life and into the mind of many people with all the stories and everything. J.K. Rowling created the area in her mind. So I think it was great.

[00:17:52] And that magic got new attention through the books before we were talking you mentioned something about a country club performance. You want to expand on that.

[00:18:04] Sure. So the country club was also something about talking about manifesting and letting go of too much pressure of things. So I was with a friend in Austria for a spa weekend in a nice hotel and we were driving and besides the road I saw a very nice building that looked yeah like a country club but something from the United States. Like with a range range. So it was really cool. And I just thought wow this is a cool building so I would like to be in there and find out what’s in there. So I didn’t see anything. Just a nice building off it. And then when I was home it was about two weeks later and I got a message from my publisher because I have published a book that is so far in German about how you can use the magic principles in life. And he said he had this big idea to send me to this country club in Austria to do a performance and also book presentation there. And then when I found out that it was exactly the building I wanted to be in it was kind of pretty crazy. So it exceeded my expectations first there and I saw it Wow that is so cool. That is always that is even magical. And now we went there and was really cool because it was this parking and you needed this access to get everywhere because really you know the concept of country club you just can’t get in there when you are not a member. And then I heard that they were planning for me to do the presentation and the show in their own cinema. So it got even better because it was such a nice place with so much red and very exclusive and luxury and just beautiful. And people were sitting there very comfortable and there was a stunning atmosphere and it went so well. I sold all the books I had there with me. And I remember there was one gentleman he bought five books at once. He really liked it. I was signing all the books and it was a beautiful experience and it by far exceeded my expectations and very nice.

[00:20:23] Yeah it sounds quite amazing as well. Did you just sort of build in a few weeks before. Mm hmm. Well you talked before about how you performed what you were talking about magic in England and how it was different to Germany so have you worked it. Have you performed in many different countries.

[00:20:38] Yes I did. So I even went to Abu Dhabi and then the drum and speaking area like with Switzerland. And I’ve been to London before and also in the United States and I always have something with me because magic can be this a door opener. And this is something else like a small tip. Maybe your listeners can take with them to think of something that can be a door door opener and open greater doors than for you or something that’s really interesting because when there is something that stands out and that is not like this all day life people are always interested in this fascinating things. And this is why cinema and stories and Netflix is working so well because people love this things that are not just they are all day life. They are routine and obviously magic can do that because yeah it takes them out of their of their situation in the moment and other.

[00:21:43] So in a different countries you performed in is there types of magic that work better in some countries in some countries. There are some some types that they just don’t don’t go down well.

[00:21:52] Definitely. And I didn’t really perform in Asia. So far I’ve been to Singapore where I learned to Gnosis and we had a very interesting group there and I did a performance there for them. And interestingly that all these Asian people they have a completely different relationship to everything that is kind of supernatural. So they believe that this is real magic. So an American would never believe that and also some were from U.K. too because they are used to this kind of entertainment. So yeah it’s it’s very sensitive. Are what you do and what they believe and how to how they deal with it. And as I said typical German so take some time to break the ice and with Americans I always love to have them in the audience even here in Germany because they are so open they are so interested and they just love entertainment.

[00:22:49] So it’s really different when you before you were talking about mentalism that seems to be something. Well I mean I’m not hugely into magic but it seems to be something it’s got really big over the last five or 10 years. How is it that you got into that.

[00:23:08] Yes it’s true. And it is said that you need to reach like a certain age to become serious about mentalism because it’s this kind of special field in magic and it is because it’s all about their personality. A couple of illusions are done in this field with just a pen and paper. So the whole story and atmosphere starts with the performer. So you have to be this interesting person because it’s not about making a motorcycle appear on stage it’s really about creating the magic in the mind of the spectators.

[00:23:54] Well yeah see some is it’s certainly interesting to watch someone who’s performed mentalism because it’s very different to too many kind of conventional magic tricks.

[00:24:03] That’s true and it’s also this field of magic where there is the small percentage where people think hmm maybe it was real.

[00:24:15] Mm hmm yeah well let me come back to the podcast. You were talking about I mean you’ve been you’ve been a guest on many different podcasts and your How to you. We had a brief chat and you would say Sign it turned about how podcasting can be a very good marketing exercise and maybe it probably is the future in many ways so what would you say to people who are listening about using podcasts. Go go in on a podcast as as a guest.

[00:24:46] Sure Tony. So I think I always refer to podcasting like as the magic door and I publish a book that is actually in English out there. And it is called How podcasting can change your life. Unleash endless possibilities. And I learned how I use what I learned from Magic to show people that podcasting is also something about performance and something that you have to prepare for. Like in a magic show to really deliver your message and get it across and to be in a good mood when you’re having this interview and I found it’s like multiplying yourself. So there are magic illusions where I can do that on stage but in normal life it’s pretty tough to do that. But you don’t put yourself. Tony that with podcasts when you do an interview you can sit at home and do this for one hour and you can potentially reach thousands of people maybe not at once but over time because this content is out there for ever. And during my magic time I really love doing this radio interview as it was so cool to be in the studio with this atmosphere and the microphone and everything. And I back then thought wow it would be so cool to the to do a ton of them and just being able to do it and I couldn’t see it at that time that there would be a possibility and then I came across podcasting and this is why I I took everything I learned from performance into podcasting and created a system for people that are interested in leveraging podcasts interviews to get their message across or to promote their business and show them different ways on how they can do it how they can approach the host and start this kind of relationship. And it’s really a unique approach. So sad and on my Linked In profile I have learned podcasting from a magician what I think is kind of special. And also there is a website for anyone that’s interested who can look in how to do it and then go on to many shows.

[00:26:58] Do you have any particularly favourite podcasts and what is it that you like about them.

[00:27:05] Also a good question. So I’m a big fan of having different coaches in different areas to really get a had to save a lot of time and it produces metric results quicker. And it’s also with a podcast. So because there are about 600000 out there at the moment of recording. So there are different fields and areas and I like podcasts that deal with this performance aspect and also with enterprise worship. So there are a lot that are really good. And let me think of one that is good where I’ve been a guest on besides yours obviously Tony. So that’s a great show. And this one from a female host and it’s called The Brave files. It’s really motivational because people are sharing their stories how they overcame things and how they were very brave to make a shift in their lives. And a lot of great stories and things you don’t hear anywhere else so this is a great show.

[00:28:13] And is there a podcast that you really aspire to be a guest on. Like a like a Tim Ferriss or you know really really popular podcast.

[00:28:21] Also a good question. I think I’m going to keep that secret here. So I have my own podcast wish brought here so I’ll let you know when I’ve accomplished it. But yes. And it’s the same so I’m letting it go. So this is why I won’t say it yet to not put too much pressure on it.

[00:28:40] Yeah I understand. Okay. No problem. So what is your your general thoughts on exceeding expectations and why maple why people should maybe think about that as an approach to life to business.

[00:28:52] So I think it’s really the best reward you can get when you exceed the expectations of a customer. And I would always go the way of like under promise and over deliver in what you are doing and let the customer find it out them selves without promising everything in the beginning. And it’s a better experience. And also again it takes the pressure out of it so you can say you will deliver certain things and then in the end they will find out that there is even more to it and we all know that this is just a good feeling it’s this feeling of getting a free bonus when you buy something and then the shop owner says hey because it’s day x you get three bonuses it just feels skewed and it directly exceeds your in your expectations or when you go into a restaurant and you paid the bill and you get something on top just that day. And I always did this with my magic show so that I over delivered and they booked me for an hour and I did 75 minutes or even more. And this is what people will keep in mind because this is where we strong. They you give them a good feeling by doing this over delivery and exceeding their expectations. And it’s an emotional component I think and this is why they remember you back. And I have people that have booked me like five years ago. So quite some time ago for a magic show and they call again when their son or daughter is having their wedding now or whatever because they still have this feeling that I make them feel good.

[00:30:35] So if people want to find out more about you Jennifer where would they go to. Sure.

[00:30:40] Thanks for asking Tony. So I’m not a big user of social media. I have to confess. But you can find me on linked in my profile they are Jennifer S. royal they are all the information or my home website. That is Jennifer S. royal dot com in one word. And when you are interested in this podcasting theme and how you can learn this like magic tricks on podcasts guest interviews then you can go to Gold Mine post podcasting dot com goldmine podcasting dot com. This is a Web site and I have some free resources there and just find out if this is something for you.

[00:31:19] And you mentioned about the books you have. Are they available on Amazon.

[00:31:24] Definitely. So how podcasting can change your life is on Amazon in paperback and Kindle whatever you prefer.

[00:31:32] Fantastic. So Jennifer I really appreciate the time you’ve given us and hopefully owe you some time. When I watch you perform one of your amazing magic tricks.

[00:31:42] I hope so would be great. Tony to meet you in person.

[00:31:54] Next week’s addition of exceeded expectations Episode 42 with Delano Johnson Delano worked on with Toys R Us online division and roundabouts it was 10 years ago and took them from their online division from 50 million dollars a year to 750 million dollars a year. Just a couple of years. He’s got some fascinating stories including he used to work in a restaurant. I learned things about the flags that hung from the five star restaurant. We has a great story about that and also we learn as an eight year old that really shaped his life in terms of business. You wouldn’t think he’d learn much about business as an eight year old. But isn’t. There’s another fascinating story there as well. That’s next week with Delano Johnson. Have you been joined this week show please do leave a review for us on iTunes on stitcher. Let us know about any guest you’d like to hear pop into the Facebook group exceeding expectations. Hope you have a great week and see you next week.