Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

I hit the “easy” button earlier this year. I say this not as an excuse but as a wake-up call for myself. It was May of this year and we had an incredible group of women join our Thought Leader Academy - and I couldn’t help but notice that almost all of them looked like me (white). This is in no way to discount how much I’ve enjoyed having each of them in the program, seeing their progress, and being incredibly proud and excited to see how they’re going to make positive changes in their communities and industries. And yet I also recognized that something was lost by not having a diversity of races and backgrounds in our program because I know how much we learn from each other’s experiences, perspectives, and ideas. At our team meeting that month, our executive assistant Solita Roberts pointed this out. I knew without reservation that I was responsible for this. I wanted to make sure I was doing what I should be doing to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment and to show up in the places where the women don’t all look like me. This is a very important and powerful conversation Solita and I have about: Why it was easy for me to hit the “easy” button for where I showed up in the first half of this year - and the results that led to My concerns about not wanting to be seen as a “white savior” parachuting into other groups Solita’s suggestions on how to show up in communities to empower them My 3 big takeaways: self-awareness; intentionality; and collective effort About My Guest: Solita Roberts is the creator of Style To Impact, an image consulting company that advises Women of Color and entrepreneurs on how to transform their image and style to authentically reflect their individuality and confidence. Solita has worked with TEDx speakers, lawyers, and financial advisors to elevate their image and style to match their influence and impact. Solita is also Executive Assistant and Client Concierge at Speaking Your Brand. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/294 Solita’s website: https://styletoimpact.com/ Take our free Speaker Archetype quiz: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Solita Roberts (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/solitacroberts/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 175: The Work of Anti-Racism as White Women with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking with Carol Cox

We’re continuing our podcast theme for this quarter on “Wealth” with this episode on the true value of your personal brand. You’ve most likely heard about the importance of understanding your personal brand and how you’re perceived by others. Your personal brand stays with you no matter if you change jobs, businesses, careers, or industries. The power of your personal brand is that you *can* shape it. My guest is Monique Bryan, who runs a successful personal brand consultancy that helps established professionals amplify their industry credibility and use their personal brand and visual online presence to become an in-demand business leader. Even if you think you know a lot about personal branding, you will learn something new in this conversation (I know I did!). Monique and I talk about: How she got started in the fashion business and the pivot she made Her philosophy of “build it backwards” when thinking about your personal brand Cultivating relationships, assets, and legacy Cleaning up your digital house What happens when someone damages their own brand Monique shares publicly for the first time what she would love to do with her business About My Guest: Monique Bryan is an Executive Producer of Personal Brands that helps coaches, consultants and thought-leaders build their personal brand so they can position themselves to top-tier clients, land those dream opportunities and start to scale their influence in their industry. As a former fashion designer, three-time startup founder, Monique brings over 15 years of top-level industry experience in the areas of product development, entrepreneurship, branding, business development, and personal styling. With a focus on messaging, marketing and using your personal brand as a visual communication power tool Monique is known for helping established professionals amplify their industry credibility and use their personal brand and visual online presence to become an in-demand business leader. Today Monique runs a successful personal brand consultancy while being a brand herself. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/293 Monique’s website: https://www.moniquebryan.com/ Take our free Speaker Archetype quiz: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Monique (guest) on LinkedIn = http://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquebryan Monique (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/moniquebryan_co/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 263: Finding the Emotional Heart of Your Message with Carol Cox Episode 121: Designing Your Website So It Speaks Your Brand with Melanie (Mel) Richards Episode 179: The Deep Truths You and Your Brand Need to Say with Rebeca Arbona [Finding Your Voice Series] Episode 226: Build Your Brand with Consistency and Authenticity with Sydney Cummings

This quarter on the podcast we’re focused on the theme of “Wealth.” We’ve talked about how to go from commodity speaker to thought leader (last week’s episode 291) to generating more leads from your presentations (on-air coaching call episode 290) to increasing your speaker fees (episode 289) to using our framework to create a signature talk for both impact and income (episode 288). Today we’re focusing on the wealth of your relationships. After all, your net worth is in your net work. If I think about many of the speaking invitations I’ve received over my career, the vast majority came from my network. This episode is to help you think and plan more intentionally and proactively about building and nurturing relationships in your industry and with other speakers and event organizers. My guests are Colleen O’Mara and Jessie Nagel, who are co-founders of Hype, a PR, social, and branding agency based in Los Angeles, that they started 25 years ago (so impressive!). As you’ll hear in this episode, I invited Colleen and Jessie to talk about this topic because I’ve seen the robustness of their network in action and how much their clients and relationships matter to them. They are soon-to-be graduates of our Thought Leader Academy, so they also share their experience and why they joined to work on their projects (for Colleen, a memoir; for Jessie, a non-profit initiative). We talk about: What their agency does, who they work with, and how it's evolved over the past 25 years How Colleen and Jessie have been intentional about building their network and creating trust Specific things they do to meet new people and to nurture relationships for their business Tips you can use, including “Always take the meeting” and the power of hosting your own events (big or small) The most impactful relationship they each made that changed their life/business Their experience in the Thought Leader Academy and why they joined About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/292/ Colleen’s and Jessie’s agency: http://www.hypeworld.com/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Colleen O’Mara (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleeno3/ Jessie Nagel (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/greenthebid/ About Our Guests: Colleen O'Mara: Hype Co-Founder & Special Agent Colleen O'Mara-Diamond, a former magazine editor, devised the concept for Hype and opened the agency with her good friend Jessie Nagel. Because of Colleen and Jessie's diverse interests, they built a client roster for Hype, which constantly challenges them and their energetic team. Today, the international Hype roster features an eclectic group of talent in entertainment + beyond. Hype recently expanded by adding a social media division, Hype Social, as well as a branding-design division, Hype Creative. In addition to her work co-managing Hype, Colleen enjoys her collaboration with an ever-expanding group of press contacts around the world. Beyond her co-directorship of Hype, Colleen writes short stories, poetry, essays; and has embarked on writing her first book-length project, "Raw Diamond: A Memoir" (www.colleenomaradiamond.com). She is represented by Editor-Agent Nancy Hancock, formerly of Harper Collins & Harper One. Colleen also hosts & moderates her own writing group each week with Writing Partner Catherine Simone Gray (Unsilenced Woman) called The Writer's Collective, which includes Writers from around the U.S. Jessie Nagel: Special Agent Jessie Nagel is the co-founder of Hype -- a sassy boutique communications company that provides brand-strategic PR, Marketing, and Social Media services to creative companies. Dedicated to the entertainment industry as a community, Hype is committed to keen storytelling and promoting the creative process. Just under two years ago, Jessie, along with four other co-founders from various disciplines with advertising, launched Green The Bid, a non-profit organization, educational resource, and community dedicated to transitioning the global advertising and production industry to sustainable and regenerative practices. Green The Bid currently has over 300 member companies (and growing) - comprising brands, agencies, production, and post - along with supporting trade organizations. Jessie’s participation in the development and ongoing nurturing of Green The Bid came out of volunteer work on the West B

If I take a look at your slide deck or presentation outline and I can’t tell that the content is yours (vs. another speaker on your topic), you’re in danger of being a commodity speaker. Commodity speakers are undifferentiated and interchangeable. This means that, as a commodity speaker, it will be harder for you to attract higher-profile speaking engagements, raise your speaking fees, and generate quality leads at your presentations. As more conferences, groups, and associations are returning to in-person events, they need speakers who can deliver engaging content and present ideas that get them to think differently, not speakers who share the same-old stuff their audiences have heard on countless trainings over the past few years. As a thought leader, you will have a much bigger impact on your audiences and your speaking will be an effective marketing channel and revenue stream in your business. How do you know if you’re in the commodity speaker category? What can you do to position yourself as a thought leader? Listen in! In this episode, you’ll learn: The moment I recognized I was a commodity speaker and what that had cost me The changes I made, the results I got, and what I learned that surprised me 3 key elements you need to go from commodity speaker to thought leader What’s getting in your way from making this shift, including some tough love about all the time and energy you’re spending on social media 3 things you can do now to start making this shift to thought leadership Examples of how our Thought Leader Academy clients have shifted from commodity speakers to thought leaders Join our Thought Leader Academy to develop your speaking skills and create your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ This is the audio from a live training we did on Crowdcast last week. You can watch the video at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/syb-3-elements-speaking-income-impact. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/291/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young Episode 285: 4 Speaker Archetypes: Learn How to Market and Sell Your Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 271: Providing Transformation vs. Information with Carol Cox

One of the best reasons to be a speaker is to increase brand awareness for your business and to generate leads and clients. Especially as social media gets noisier and the algorithms make it harder for our content to be seen, being a speaker standing in front of an audience (whether in person or virtually), with the built-in credibility and authority and attention that comes from that, is an incredible opportunity to connect with potential clients and take them to the next step on their buying journey with you. However, what I see happen a lot is that speakers provide too much content, especially too much training, in their lead generation presentations, which makes it less likely that they will get the leads they want. This episode is an on-air coaching call with one of our Thought Leader Academy clients, Monica Young, as she pivots from training content to thought leadership in her presentations. You’ll hear us talk through: Pinpointing her offer and ideal client Using our Signature Talk Canvas® framework to lay out her content in the 3 acts The types of questions to ask her audience Integrating her personal story as the bridge from Act 1 to Act 2 Focusing more on changing the audience’s understanding of productivity rather than giving them more things to do Using the feedback form for lead generation Monica’s experience in the Thought Leader Academy About My Guest: Monica Young, Productivity Consultant and CEO of MY Productive Biz, is passionate about helping small business owners and high-performing professionals Do L.E.S.S and Accomplish More - even when they feel like there is too much to do and not enough time. Sharing her extensive experience in business ownership and operations - and her freaky fascination with all things productivity - Monica has helped hundreds of professionals get organized and streamline their day-to-day operations so they can accomplish their work, enjoy their lives, and increase their impact. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/290 Take our free quiz to discover your Speaker Archetype: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Monica Young (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicajyoung/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact with Carol Cox Episode 275: Public Speaking Has Changed: The 3 Skills You Need Now to Get Selected, Stand Out, and Make Money as a Speaker Episode 169: Leveraging Free Speaking Engagements Into Bigger Opportunities with Angela Hosking

We have a new free LIVE training happening on Tuesday, August 16! Register today for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/training/. If I take a look at your slide deck or presentation outline and I can’t tell that the content is yours (vs. another speaker on your topic), you’re in danger of being a commodity speaker. Commodity speakers are undifferentiated and interchangeable. It will be harder for you to attract higher-profile speaking engagements, raise your speaking fees, and generate quality leads at your presentations. What you want instead is for your content to position you as a thought leader. You will have a much bigger impact on your audiences and your speaking will be an effective marketing channel and revenue stream in your business. How do you know if you’re in the commodity speaker category? What can you do to position yourself as a thought leader? Attend our free live training on "Speaking for Income & Impact: The 3 Key Elements You Need (and What’s Getting In Your Way) to Go from Commodity Speaker to Thought Leader." Register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/training/. You'll learn: The moment I recognized I was a commodity speaker and what that had cost me The changes I made, the results I got, and what I learned that surprised me 3 key elements you need to go from commodity speaker to thought leader What’s getting in your way from making this shift, including some tough love about all the time and energy you’re spending on social media 3 things you can do now to start making this shift to thought leadership Examples of how our Thought Leader Academy clients have shifted from commodity speakers to thought leaders Join your host Carol Cox of Speaking Your Brand for this webinar. Be sure to ATTEND LIVE so you can ask questions and get our special bonus. Register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/training/.

If you’ve been getting speaking requests, but they’re free or low paid, or you’ve been charging the same amount for a while and aren’t sure if (and how) to raise your speaker fees, tune in to this episode. I share 3 reasons you *should* increase your speaking fee and how to confidently do so. I also go through specific dollar amounts of what you could be charging based on where you’re at in your speaking journey. Finally, I talk about reasons why you may decide to speak for free and specific things you can do to make sure you’re getting maximum value from those speaking engagements. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/289/ Find out your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 169: Leveraging Free Speaking Engagements Into Bigger Opportu Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 271: Providing Transformation vs. Information with Carol Cox Episode 274: The Key to Booking More Speaking Engagements with Sarah Lynn Wallace

Do you sometimes sit down to create a new presentation and stare at a blank document or slide deck, not sure where to start or you feel like you have so many ideas you don’t know which to include? Or perhaps you’ve been delivering your presentations for a while and they’re not quite as effective as they could be for lead generation? Or perhaps you want to put more of your thought leadership and personal stories in your presentations but aren’t sure how to do that? This is why I created the Signature Talk Canvas® framework. I use it for my own presentations and we use it with our clients in VIP Days and in our Thought Leader Academy. It works for any topic in any industry. Our framework is a proven, repeatable process that works - so much so that it’s led to tens of thousands of dollars (at least) in clients from lead generation talks I’ve given plus all the leads and sales our clients have received from their presentations. It’s also led to highly successful TEDx and keynote talks. In this episode, I describe the Signature Talk Canvas® framework and how you can use it for income and impact. You can see what our Signature Talk Canvas® framework looks like by downloading our free thought leadership workbook at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/288/ Download our free thought leadership workbook: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 145: You Need to Create a Framework Episode 236: Using One Story with Different Angles for Different Audiences with Chanta Wilkinson Episode 243: How We Create a Signature Talk in a VIP Day Episode 284: Connecting Your Ideas into One Message with Cindy Rowe

What can you expect when you work with a speaking coach? What are the outcomes and results you get? In last week’s episode, we talked about what a public speaking coach does and when you need one. In this episode, I talk with one of our Thought Leader Academy grads, Dianna Deeney, on why she decided to invest in a speaking coach, including: What attracted her to thought leadership for her business Why public speaking wasn’t on her radar until after she joined our program The tangible results she’s seen so far, both personally and professionally What surprised her about adding storytelling and performance aspects to her presentations About My Guest: Dianna Deeney is the host of the Quality during Design Podcast and is the founder of Quality during Design. She coaches product development engineers about awareness and use of quality and reliability methods during the design development process. She is an engineer, a senior quality professional, and an active member of ASQ holding certificates as a CQE, CRE, CQA, and CMQ/OE. Dianna believes that design engineers do not need to become quality or reliability engineers to use those methods and benefit from quality thinking. She has seen that using quality as a strategic asset during concept and design development improves the design and the design process and helps design engineers to be recognized as star performers. Her mission is to bridge product managers and designers (entry-level to seasoned) to the world's quality initiatives and quality-minded people About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/287 Dianna’s website: https://www.qualityduringdesign.com/ Find out your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Dianna Deeney (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannadeeney/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 285: 4 Speaker Archetypes: Learn How to Market and Sell Your Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 286: What a Speaking Coach Is and When You Need One with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

What exactly do we do as speaking coaches when we work with our clients? When is the right time for you to work with a speaking coach? In this episode, Diane Diaz, our lead speaking coach, and I talk about: Different types of business and speciality coaches When and why we’ve hired coaches ourselves The purpose of hiring a coach What we do as speaking coaches Some trigger points for when you could benefit from working with a speaking coach About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/286 Find out your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox/ Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 236: Using One Story with Different Angles for Different Audiences with Chanta Wilkinson Episode 257: ​​Writing a Book Gives Your Ideas Depth and Longevity with Tiffany Hawk [The Medium is the Message Series] Episode 283: How to Exceed Expectations as a Speaker at an Event with Jill Janecke Episode 284: Connecting Your Ideas into One Message with Cindy Rowe

What kind of speaker are you? How would you describe your style? I’ve always told our clients that we don’t want to fit you into some type of “speaker mold” that doesn’t feel natural to you. Instead, I encourage you to take your natural speaking strengths and amplify them. This also means adding to your speaking toolkit by taking some of the elements that other speaking styles have and making them your own. I’ve been thinking a lot about this since we held our in-person client retreat speaking intensive a few months ago. It was fun to see a variety of speaking styles of our clients as they practiced on stage and to realize that each one brought something different and also what they wanted to improve. I’ve identified 4 speaker archetypes that I’m going to talk about in this episode, including what each has as their natural strengths along with areas to develop. Find out your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/. You’ll discover where you shine as a speaker along with recommendations on what you can add to your speeches and presentations to make them even better. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/285 Take our NEW Speaker Archetype quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/. Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 271: Providing Transformation vs. Information with Carol Cox Episode 275: Public Speaking Has Changed: The 3 Skills You Need Now to Get Selected, Stand Out, and Make Money as a Speaker

Have you ever felt like you have a bunch of ideas and you’re not sure how they’re connected and how to get them into one message? You are not alone! Most of us struggle with this because we’re too close to our own ideas, expertise, and stories. Our guest, Cindy Rowe, owns a marketing agency that works with small businesses. Cindy also has a passion for speaking and for spreading her message around kindness. Cindy joined our Thought Leader Academy in March and worked with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz in a VIP Day to create her signature talk. In this episode, Diane and Cindy talk about: What led Cindy to her thought leadership message and how it connects to her story The process that Diane and Cindy went through to incorporate Cindy’s story into her keynote The types of speaking engagements Cindy most enjoys doing Why Cindy joined our Thought Leader Academy and what her experience has been About My Guest: Cindy Rowe is an Entrepreneur, Mom and Kindness Spreader. Enduring a series of challenges, she was determined to rise. Her transformation happened when she focused on practicing kindness. Not only did her personal life change, but her business grew with this pivotal shift towards kindness. Her passion is to inspire and empower others to discover how kindness can be the gamechanger; the key to success in life and in business. Cindy is the perfect example of how the power of kindness can pull you through dark and difficult situations including divorce, a brain injury and childhood traumas. She resides in Northern Illinois with new found love and soon-to-be husband, her children and blended family as well as two crazy, but sweet pups. She continues to build her marketing company that serves entrepreneurs and small business owners. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. This episode is hosted by Diane Diaz, our lead speaking coach. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/284/ Cindy’s website: http://thecindyrowe.com/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on social: Diane on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Diane on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/dianediaz Cindy Rowe (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyrowe1/ Cindy Rowe (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/cindyarowe/ Cindy’s favorite book = “Chasing the Bright Side” by Jess Ekstrom: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Bright-Side-Optimism-Activate/dp/0785229329/ Cindy’s favorite TED talk = Brene Brown on vulnerability: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?language=en Cindy’s favorite quote = “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 259: Connecting Your Business and Your Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 280: Making the Shift from Expert Presenter to Storyteller in Your Keynotes with Katie Anderson

If you’re going to be speaking at an in-person conference, this episode has some excellent tips on how you can exceed expectations as a speaker to make it a win-win-win for you, the audience, and the event organizer. Our guest is Jill Janecke, who is a mental health counselor and has opened and operates 15 offices in South Dakota. Last year, Jill decided to host a conference for women around mental and brain health and recently held it for a second time. As the organizer, Jill delivered a keynote address and joined our Thought Leader Academy to develop it with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. In this episode, Diane and Jill talk about: What Jill does in her business and why she decided to create her own conference What it's like to speak at her own event vs. someone else's event The importance of practicing and envisioning your audience As an event organizer, suggestions Jill has for speakers Why Jill joined our Thought Leader Academy and what her experience has been Get our free thought leadership workbook that has our event preparation checklist in it: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/ About Our Guest: Jill Janecke has been working in mental health since 2005 and started Rising Hope Counseling, a private practice, in 2013. Her passion to help people expanded as she created a group practice and has opened 15 offices across the state of South Dakota since March of 2020. Jill yearns to bring opportunities for people to have access to hope. Annually, she presents a Women’s Conference and also provides motivational, educational and inspiring speaking engagements making mental health an approachable topic with easy to learn concepts to apply to anyone’s life. Jill embraces learning to help people achieve their goals and grow from the inside out. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. This episode is hosted by Diane Diaz, our lead speaking coach. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/283/ Jill’s website: https://risinghope605.com/jill-janecke-ms-lpc-mh/ Get our free thought leadership workbook that has our event preparation checklist in it: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on social: Diane Diaz on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Jill Janecke (guest) on Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/risinghope605 Jill’s favorite books = “Switch on Your Brain” by Dr. Caroline Leaf: https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Your-Brain-Happiness-Thinking/dp/0801018390/ and “Happy Days: The Guided Path from Trauma to Profound Freedom and Inner Peace” by Gabrielle Bernstein: https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Days-Guided-Profound-Freedom/dp/1401965490/ Jill’s favorite TED Talk = Brene Brown: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?language=en Jill’s favorite quote = “Don’t be afraid to fail.”- Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 245: How to Get Selected as a Speaker by Event Organizers with Sarah Soliman

Do you sometimes wonder how BOLD you want to be with your thought leadership message? You know you have something important and impactful to say, but you’re a bit uncertain on how it will be received and if there will be any backlash. I have definitely experienced this - and the benefits have far outweighed any negativity. My guest is Jodi Flynn, who is the founder of Women Taking the Lead, which helps corporate women advance in leadership, and the host of the Women Taking the Lead podcast. Jodi recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy, where she worked on her thought leadership message and signature talk. Jodi and I talk about: The types of speaking engagements Jodi was comfortable doing - and why she wanted to do something different What her bold thought leadership message is The hesitancy she had around sharing her message - and how she got past it A story from her childhood that influenced the work she does Why *you* are the messenger for your message This is the audio from a recent LinkedIn Live. You can watch the video at https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6930483939065118720/. About My Guest: Jodi Flynn, founder of Women Taking the Lead, is an Executive Leadership Coach, Podcaster, Author, Speaker, and Workshop Facilitator. A Certified Professional Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF), women leaders hire Jodi to develop the skills needed to thrive in Senior Leadership. She is the host of the critically acclaimed Women Taking the Lead podcast, and an Amazon bestselling author with her book, Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. Jodi has spoken at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, the Maine Bankers Association Women in Banking and Emerging Leaders Conferences, and the Michigan Bankers Association Rising Leaders Conference. She is the President of the board for The Maine Women’s Conference and has been featured in Entrepreneur and Forbes Magazine. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/282/ Jodi’s website: https://womentakingthelead.com Register for our Summit Speakers Reunion on June 21 (it’s free): https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/reunion/ Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on social: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Jodi Flynn (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodiflynn Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 232: Are You an Influencer, an Expert, or a Thought Leader? with Carol Cox Episode 233: 3 Types of Thought Leadership Models with Carol Cox Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

How should you open and close your talk? When we work with our clients on their signature talks using our framework, we always make sure to have a strong opening and closing. In the beginning, you want to make a good impression and set the right tone. You may also be nervous, so feeling confident about how you’re going to open your talk can make you feel better. At the end of your talk, you want to leave the audience feeling satisfied AND wanting more. In this episode, I’m sharing with you: 6 ways you can open your talk Examples from my own talks and from our clients How to choose which way to open your talk depending on the format of the event and the size of the audience What to do when you get to the event and you realize your planned opening isn’t going to work How to close your talk, including what not to do! Register for our Summit Speakers Reunion on June 21 (it’s free): https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/reunion/ Speakers from our past Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summits are joining us to talk about: What is was like to create a transformational TED-style talk Being vulnerable with their story and any concerns they had - and whether they had any vulnerability hangovers afterwards! How delivering this kind of talk (transformational vs. informational) helped them to see themselves as a different kind of speaker than they may have been used to How the coaching they received from us helped them to create their talks What they’ve been doing since the summits About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/281/ Register for our Summit Speakers Reunion on June 21 (it’s free): https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/reunion/ Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 137: The Missing Ingredients in Your Stories [Storytelling Series] Episode 153: Threading a Story Throughout Your Signature Talk with Amber Hawley [Coaching] Episode 193: Five Kinds of Stories to Share in Your Thought Leadership Content with Carol Cox [Storytelling Series]

Last year on this podcast, I did several episodes about the distinction between being an expert and a thought leader. As speakers, we often get stuck in what I call “the expert trap.” We get comfortable training and teaching in our area of expertise and we think that’s the only way to provide value to our audiences. The way out of this is to incorporate more of your personal journey and storytelling into your talks and to believe that providing your audiences with transformation is more important than information. My guest on the podcast is Katie Anderson, an internationally recognized leadership and learning coach, consultant, and professional speaker. Katie and I have been working together since the beginning of the year on her new keynote and helping her incorporate more storytelling and performance aspects into her delivery. Katie and I talk about: Why she wanted to get out of the expert trap and add more storytelling into her keynotes What the process has been like for her and what doubts she had The results so far from delivering two keynotes this year How she developed her own voice from the blog and book writing she’s been doing since 2015 The power of the pause and silence And much more! About My Guest: Katie Anderson is an internationally recognized leadership and learning coach, consultant, and professional speaker, best known for inspiring individuals and organizations to lead with intention and increase their personal and professional impact. Katie is passionate about helping people around the world learn to lead and lead to learn by connecting purpose, process, and practice to achieve higher levels of performance. Her book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning is an international #1 Amazon bestseller. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/280/ Katie’s website: http://kbjanderson.com/ Katie’s book “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn”: https://kbjanderson.com/learning-to-lead/ Register for our Summit Speakers Reunion on June 21 (it’s free): https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/reunion/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Katie Anderson (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson/ Katie Anderson (guest) on Twitter = https://twitter.com/kbjanderson Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 232: Are You an Influencer, an Expert, or a Thought Leader? with Carol Cox Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 271: Providing Transformation vs. Information with Carol Cox

Do you have an experience that happened to you that you’re reluctant to share with your audience? What would happen if you did? So often we feel like our stories are too uncommon or unrelatable or not interesting enough to include in our talks. What I see happen is that speakers generalize their stories - and by doing so they remove what makes a great story. It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s the specificity and details of our stories, the very thing we think is uncommon, that makes them powerful. Sharing a deeply personal story, one that shaped who you are and how you understand yourself, is what can connect you to your audience and build trust. Building trust with your audience is especially important if you want to help them go deeper and think differently. You have to go first. Being vulnerable is not always easy. You may wonder if you’re sharing too much or if your audience will look at you differently. But, the rewards are well worth it - not only for the audience but for your own personal development and confidence. My guest is Dr. Katrina Skinner, a pediatrician who is also the founder of Women in Pediatrics, an organization that provides unique, practical educational content and opportunities for female pediatricians. Katrina recently hosted an in-person retreat for Women in Pediatrics and she opened the event with her keynote talk sharing a very personal and vulnerable story. I invited Katrina on the podcast to talk about that experience and what she learned from it. About My Guest: Six weeks after residency graduation, Dr. Katrina Skinner opened the doors to her pediatric practice in her rural Alabama hometown. Twelve years later, she and her team serve thousands of their community’s children as a Patient Centered Medical Home. Dr. Skinner serves as the President of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, where she advocates for children and pediatricians across the state, from working with legislators to negotiating with payors to make sure Alabama’s children and the physicians who serve them are fairly represented. Dr. Skinner is also the founder of Women in Pediatrics, an organization that provides unique, practical educational content and opportunities for female pediatricians. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/279 Katrina’s website = https://www.katrinaskinner.com/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Dr. Katrina Skinner (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-skinner-md-faap-0a61011b2/ Dr. Katrina Skinner (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/katrinaskinner_md/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers with Carol Cox Episode 193: Five Kinds of Stories to Share in Your Thought Leadership Content with Carol Cox Episode 263: Finding the Emotional Heart of Your Message with Carol Cox

I took an improv class a couple of years ago and it has been incredibly helpful to me as a speaker, so much so that I had the attendees at our recent in-person client retreat do some improv games (they appreciated it, I swear!). Improv is not only useful for getting into your body as a speaker on a stage; improv is also a philosophy of engagement, vulnerability, and co-creation. This is what I talk about with my guest Shannon Hughes in this episode. Shannon melds business strategy with improv training techniques to embolden trustful communication, belonging, and transformational leadership. Whether you have in-person or virtual speaking engagements coming up, you’ll get a lot out of our conversation. Shannon and I talk about: How to use the improv “yes and” technique to push past fear Breaking the fourth wall to engage your audience in conversation Tools to get your audience engaged, especially during virtual presentations The scaffolding techniques Shannon uses to engage audiences About My Guest: Shannon Hughes is an experiential trainer with a calling to enliven creativity, confidence and easeful collaboration in groups of all shapes and sizes. In her practice, Enlivened Studios, she melds business strategy with improv training techniques to embolden trustful communication, belonging and transformational leadership About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/278/ Get Shannon’s free download on writing your manifesto: https://www.enlivenedstudios.com/manifesto Get Shannon’s free download on how to liven up your virtual gatherings: http://www.enlivenedstudios.com/download Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Shannon (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannondeanhughes/ Shannon (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/shannondeanhughes/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 251: What Makes Public Speaking Unique as a Medium with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

I’m going to start this podcast with a bit of a controversial question: Why do we (and, yes, I said we) often feel much more uncomfortable having a woman in a position of authority than we do men? My guest Mary Ann Sieghart is a London-based journalist and broadcaster and author of the new book “The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it.” The authority gap isn’t just a challenge of how men see women but also how we as women see other women in positions of power and authority. As women we have to go beyond “lip service feminism” - it’s important that we are aware of our own biases so we can correct them. Think about some of the choices you make, from the books you read to the television broadcasters you listen to. How many are women? This is a wide-ranging and important conversation about why women have struggled to get into more leadership positions, from companies to governments, and even when they do, why they’re taken less seriously. In this episode, Mary Ann and I talk about: Why she felt compelled to write her book and how she defines the authority gap Why it isn’t just about getting more women in senior leadership roles The awkward interaction between Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, and Pope John Paul II that’s a perfect example of the authority gap Why we shouldn’t mistake confidence for competence and how likability and warmth affect women leaders What surprised Mary Ann about the research she found - and what made her optimistic The types of public speaking that Mary Ann enjoys About My Guest: Mary Ann Sieghart is a London-based journalist and broadcaster who has worked for the Times, the Independent, the Economist, the Financial Times, and the BBC. Her new book is called “The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it.” She researched this book as a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/277/ Get Mary Ann’s book “The Authority Gap”: https://www.maryannsieghart.com/the-authority-gap/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Mary Ann Sieghart (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ann-sieghart-17a27891/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power with Carol Cox Episode 162: Why We're #ChoosingWomensVoices - and You Should Too Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

I talk a lot about storytelling and the importance of integrating stories into your presentations and talks. Well, money has a story too. Your money story may be driving behaviors in your business. My guest is Melissa Houston, a CPA and Financial Strategist for CEOs. I’ve gotten to know Melissa over the past few months as she’s gone through our Thought Leader Academy to develop her speaking skills and create her keynote signature talk. Melissa and I talk about: The #1 challenge she sees with the women she works with about their finances What it means to have a money story and how much that can impact our relationship to money and to our business The difference between using money to spend vs. invest Melissa’s own story around money Why Melissa decided she wants to be a speaker What Melissa got out of her experience in our Thought Leader Academy Join our Thought Leader Academy to develop your speaking skills and create your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ About My Guest: Melissa Houston is a CPA and Financial Strategist for CEOs. Melissa helps successful business owners increase their profit margins so they keep more money in their pocket and increase their net worth. Melissa is the host of The Business Society podcast and a columnist at Forbes.com. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/276/ Melissa’s website: http://melissahoustoncpa.com/ Melissa’s podcast “The Business Society”: https://www.melissahoustoncpa.com/think-like-a-cfo-podcast Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Melissa Houston (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahoustoncpa/ Melissa Houston (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/melissahoustoncpa/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 161: Mindset and Negotiation Strategies for Speakers with Latesha Byrd Episode 243: How We Create a Signature Talk in a VIP Day

If you plan on speaking in-person this year, you’ll want to listen to this entire episode. I'm sharing with you the 3 key skills you need now to: Get selected as a speaker Stand out by delivering the exact content your audience wants Make money, whether it’s from paid engagements or by generating leads and sales from people in your audience I recently returned from an in-person speaking engagement and put these skills into practice. Here are the results I got *that same day*: New client (worth $5,000+) New keynote speaking invitation (worth $5,000+) The old model of public speaking no longer works. Content dumps, information overload, and one-way communication don’t cut it anymore. Your audience expects more - and you have an incredible opportunity to set yourself apart as a dynamic speaker. In this episode, you'll learn: The old model vs. the new model of public speaking Myths you’ve internalized that may keep you from embracing the new model The 3 key skills you need now as a speaker How you are perfectly positioned to use the new model of public speaking to connect with your audiences and attract bigger and better speaking opportunities How we can help you shift from information presenter to transformational speaker Join our Thought Leader Academy to develop your speaking skills and create your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ This is the audio from a live training we did on Crowdcast last week. You can watch the video at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/syb-3-speaking-skills. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/275/ Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 259: Connecting Your Business and Your Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 271: Providing Transformation vs. Information with Carol Cox Episode 274: The Key to Booking More Speaking Engagements with Sarah Lynn Wallace

Speaking opportunities are increasing as more events and conferences are returning to in-person and organizations are looking to bring in trainers. Now is the time to get prepared and take action. This is exactly what our guest, Sarah Lynn Wallace, has been doing as she’s been going through our Thought Leader Academy this year. Sarah has booked several speaking and training engagements, including paid ones. I asked Sarah to come on the podcast and have a conversation with our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to talk about what has been effective for her in booking speaking engagements. Sarah has a unique take on the marketing and visibility work she does with her clients, which you’ll hear about as well. Diane and Sarah talk about: Why Sarah decided to focus on thought leadership in her business Feeling stuck in the expert trap and not differentiating herself The strategies Sarah has used to book more speaking engagements, including paid ones (at higher fees!) Sarah’s experience in our Thought Leader Academy How your Enneagram archetype number can influence your speaking style Join our Thought Leader Academy and make the shift from expert presenter to sought-after speaker and thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ About My Guest: Sarah Lynn Wallace is host of the Enneagram MBA podcast, certified Enneagram coach, workshop facilitator, speaker, and visibility consultant with over 13 years of experience in relationship management and sales, working with government agencies like the EPA and companies including Big Ass Fans, MindBody software, and adidas Outdoor. Women running a business or in a business hire Sarah to use the Enneagram to help them know, like, and trust themselves, so that they can get visible with a brand that clients and other stakeholders know, like and trust. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. This episode is hosted by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/274/ Sarah’s Enneabrand course = https://www.enneagrammba.com/enneabrand Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Diane Diaz on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Sarah Lynn (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlynnwallace/ Sarah Lynn (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/enneagrammba/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 156: Visibility Strategies That Get You Noticed with Janice Gassam, Ph.D. Episode 227: How We Pitch & Prep for Speaking Gigs with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 245: How to Get Selected as a Speaker by Event Organizers with Sarah Soliman

We have a brand new FREE live training happening on Tuesday, April 26! Register today for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/training/. After two years of virtual speaking on screens (and, let’s face it, virtual living), the old model of public speaking no longer works. Content dumps, information overload, and one-way communication don’t cut it anymore. Your audience expects more - and you have an incredible opportunity to set yourself apart as a dynamic speaker. There are 3 key skills you need now to get selected as a speaker, stand out by delivering the exact content your audience wants, and make money, whether it’s from paid engagements or by generating leads and sales from people in your audiences. You'll learn: The old model vs. the new model of public speaking The 3 key skills you need now as a speaker How you are perfectly positioned to use the new model of public speaking to connect with your audiences and attract bigger and better speaking opportunities Myths you’ve internalized that may keep you from embracing the new model 3 things you can do now to start putting this into practice How we can help you shift from information presenter to transformational speaker in our Thought Leader Academy Register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/training/.

If you’re a speaker who has in-person events coming up OR if you’re planning an in-person event, you won’t want to miss this conversation. We held our in-person client retreat speaking intensive a couple of weeks ago in Orlando, Florida, and it was incredible! We brought 12 women together to practice their speaking delivery skills (on a real stage!) and get professional videography they can use in their speaking reels. I asked two of the women who attended, Betsy Jordyn and Joy Spencer, to join me and Diane Diaz to talk about the experience. We talk about: Top takeaways from the the instruction and practice on delivering keynote speeches Favorite parts of the retreat How the retreat made them feel as speakers and thought leaders Our lessons as the hosts / planners of the retreat Will there be another retreat??? This is the audio from a LinkedIn Live. You can watch the video at https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6919241904681283584/. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/273/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Joy Spencer = https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-spencer/ Betsy Jordyn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsy-jordyn/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 249: The Relationship Between Speaking and Performance with Carol Cox Episode 238: What’s IN Your Way IS Your Way to Your Thought Leadership with Betsy Jordyn Episode 194: How to Structure a Movement-Making Speech Using Your Story with Joy Spencer [Storytelling Series]

As entrepreneurs, we have a lot on our plate and fitting in the time to build our thought leadership platforms, create presentations, and pitch ourselves can too often get relegated to the back burner. However, if you’re a service-based entrepreneur who is not a volume business (you’re not looking for thousands of clients at a time), you need speaking and thought leadership to grow your business. The other thing you need is to say “yes” to opportunities even when you don’t feel prepared and it feels scary. That’s what I want to talk to you about today. In this episode, you’ll hear: The importance of timing and saying yes to opportunities Having a bias towards action How timing has impacted my life (good and bad) The contrast between being at the mercy of social media algorithms vs. speaking to a captive audience Practical ways to fit in the time for your visibility and speaking About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/272/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 242: LA Grads: Evolving from Experts to Thought Leaders Episode 259: Connecting Your Business and Your Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 262: The Four Layers of Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

Are you providing transformation or information in your presentations and talks? Whenever I work on a presentation or a keynote or even the agenda for the in-person client retreat we’re holding in April, my default is to think of all the information I want to convey to the audience. You may be the same way. We’re usually good at coming up with lots of things we can share and teach. But, I want to challenge you (like I challenge myself) to reduce the information and increase the transformation. Why? Because you’ll have a bigger impact on your audience; you’ll get traction on your thought leadership message; and you can increase your prices, both for speaking and for the services and programs you offer. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why information is not that valuable anymore Examples of providing information vs. transformation 3 specific ways to think in terms of transformation for your content What I’ve learned from watching business TV shows like Succession, WeCrashed, and Inventing Anna that you can use About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/271 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect with Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 137: The Missing Ingredients in Your Stories Episode 193: Five Kinds of Stories to Share in Your Thought Leadership Content with Carol Cox Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 259: Connecting Your Business and Your Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

When you start putting your thought leadership out into the world, think of your overall message as the hub. You then have various spokes you can use to share the message and get others involved. These spokes can include your own podcast; a LinkedIn Live or Instagram Live show; a challenge; speaking (of course!); podcast guesting; and events you host. My guest Christie Rocha recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and we worked together on her thought leadership message and her signature talk. Christie has a really important message to share, particularly to millennial moms, about mental health and self-care. Christie has such a fun and vibrant personality, which comes across in her podcast “Sass Says” and in this interview. In this episode, Christie and I talk about: Why she wanted to delve into thought leadership The container she chose for her thought leadership message The many ways (spokes) she is sharing her thought leadership Her experience in our Thought Leader Academy Her awesome TLA graduation speech called “Give me the mic” About My Guest: Christie Rocha is the host of Sass Says, a podcast to guide women on how to heal, educate, and empower themselves through therapy and real-life stories of perseverance. She interviews mental health professionals, experts, coaches, and women who share her mission to debunk the stigmas and misconceptions about therapy and mental health. Christie is known for asking the “but how” questions so that her listeners walk away from each episode with actionable steps on what to do next when it comes to relationships, motherhood, body image, ambition, and what she calls, the Intangible. Self-care is also a hot topic on her show. Christie and her husband live in New Jersey with their two toddlers. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/270 Christie’s website & podcast “Sass Says”: https://sasssays.com/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Christie (Guest) Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/sasssays/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 259: Connecting Your Business and Your Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 262: The Four Layers of Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

As you’re working on your keynote speech (or aspiring to one), there are key elements to include that make it different from a regular business presentation or training. Along with stories and audience engagement (always!), you can also create what’s known as a “bit.” This is a section of your keynote, usually just a few minutes long, that stands out and becomes memorable for the audience. My guest Nicole Edwards recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and we worked together to create her keynote. I really enjoyed working with Nicole because she was always open to learning and improving. In this episode, Nicole and I talk about: Her background and what has brought her to thought leadership The process we went through to create her new keynote signature talk The key elements of her keynote, including stories and her framework Why we decided she needed a “bit” for her keynote and what that means Her experience in our Thought Leader Academy About My Guest: With a professional background in mental health and talent development that spans over 20 years, Nicole Edwards has been a catalyst of growth for people and organizations—working with thousands of individuals in educational, corporate, and nonprofit settings. Nicole dedicates her life’s work to stir others to live and lead from a deeply authentic space. With her masterful approach to learning design and speaking, Nicole has been afforded opportunities to design certificate and leadership courses for emerging leaders, facilitate corporate retreats, speak at international conferences, and land a spot on the big red dot with her TEDx talk called In Your Eyes. In 2019, Nicole created Edwards Authentic, a vision brought to life by providing transformative experiences for professional women. Through insightful content, courses, and retreats, Nicole aspires to create a sanctuary for women to flourish in their personal and professional endeavors. Nicole is a coauthor of the International Women of Color Who Boss Up— an Amazon best-selling book seen on CBS and NBC that features the stories of female entrepreneurs of color who have trailblazed their unique paths, overcoming adversity in the relentless pursuit of purpose. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/269 Nicole’s website: https://www.edwardsauthentic.com/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Nicole Edwards (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleedwardscplp/ Nicole Edwards (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/edwardsauthentic/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 229: 3 Speaking Styles You Can Use with Carol Cox Episode 249: The Relationship Between Speaking and Performance with Carol Cox

What does it look like to create your signature talk and put it out there for the first time? Our guest, Kelley D. Carlstrom, PharmD, did just that a couple of months ago. Kelley recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and worked with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz to create her signature talk for lead generation. Kelley took her new signature talk and presented it as a webinar to promote her program for oncology pharmacists, called the ELO Collaborative. Not only did Kelley get great feedback, she also got enrollees for her program! In this episode, Diane and Kelley talk about: What prompted Kelley to want to develop her thought leadership The process of creating her lead generation signature talk The results from the webinar she did to enroll pharmacists in her program The value of an MVP Focusing on both short-term and long-term visibility How your business and your thought leadership run on parallel tracks to support each other Prospective clients often ask us what kinds of industries we work with and it truly is a wide variety of women entrepreneurs, from executive leadership coaches, business strategists, and marketers to pharmacists, physicians, and therapists. If you’d like to join our Thought Leader Academy, you can get all the details and apply at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. About My Guest: Kelley D. Carlstrom received her Doctor of Pharmacy from The University of Colorado and completed post-graduate residency training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. She is a board-certified oncology pharmacist that has worked in a variety of traditional and non-traditional settings including at a large academic medical center where she specialized in blood and marrow transplantation, at a small community hospital, as a consultant for a large electronic medical record implementation, and most recently in the healthcare technology space helping to create digital products for oncology clinicians and patients. Kelley is passionate about oncology and sees a growing need for more pharmacists to be trained in this specialty. Despite this need, there are professional barriers for those seeking to specialize. Kelley has launched KelleyCPharmD, LLC to decolonize oncology pharmacy training and increase accessibility and inclusion. She offers unique oncology training opportunities because she believes every pharmacist deserves access to specialty training that can transform their career. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. This episode is hosted by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/268 Kelley’s website: https://www.kelleycpharmd.com/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Diane Diaz on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Kelley Carlstrom (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleydcarlstrom/ Kelley Carlstrom (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/kelleycpharmd/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 116: 16 Ways You Can Use Your Signature Talk Episode 243: How We Create a Signature Talk in a VIP Day Episode 259: Connecting Your Business and Your Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is Break the Bias. I appreciate that on the IWD website, they write, “Celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.” In this episode, I share the premise of the book I’m working on around the importance of women being public speakers as a way to advance women in leadership and gender equality and a new model of public speaking. What if I told you that the key to being more confident is not what you’ve been told in the myriad of women’s leadership and personal development books you’ve read? Well, at least it’s not the whole story. Sure, what those books have taught you about getting clear on your goals, asking for what you want, taking action, and striking a power pose in the bathroom before an important event are helpful. But, they stop short of what’s critical for building true and lasting confidence. These books tiptoe around it by encouraging women to speak up and to raise their voice, but the advice is generally limited to asking for a promotion, contributing ideas at a meeting, or pointing out unequal treatment at work. What they miss is that the act of public speaking (the right to have a public voice and {safe} access to the public sphere) is what fundamentally shapes our individual identity and who we can become as leaders, as changemakers, and as citizens. Listen to the episode to hear more. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/267 Sign up for our free Choosing Women’s Voices challenge: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge/ Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 266: How I’ve Found and Used My Voice with Carol Cox

In this episode, I share 3 ways public speaking has helped me to find and use my voice and the lessons I’ve learned along the way that may help you too. I take a broad view of public speaking = stages, in front of audiences, on TV, in the media, also virtual presentations and podcasting, live streaming, video. Public speaking, in all of these ways, helps you to get your message out, to share your thought leadership ideas, and to have a bigger impact. It’s also an incredible way for more people to know about your business and the work you do and to attract clients, speaking engagements, and media opportunities. I talk about: The one time when I was on TV that I momentarily lost my voice and had to ask for a retake The lesson I learned about going on TV to shift my goal from persuasion to validation Creating this podcast every week for the past 5 years and the role that imperfection has played in finding and using my voice How in-person speaking has shaped my voice (including failures) and the connection between the voice and body Key takeaways you can consider for finding and using your voice About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/266 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 253: TV Can Make You Famous – But Don’t Read the Comments with Dr. Christina Madison [The Medium is the Message Series] Episode 263: Finding the Emotional Heart of Your Message with Carol Cox Episode 264: The Role of Symbols and Metaphors in Our Stories with Susan Moe

We’re wrapping up the month of February talking about how we as speakers can love our audiences. Why is this important? Because the more connected the people in our audience feel to us and to each other, the more impactful and memorable our presentations and talks will be. And here’s the thing about loving our audiences: it’s about relationship, which is much different from the standard approach to public speaking which tends to put all of the spotlight on the speaker. In this episode, which is the audio from our LinkedIn Live show, we share 3 ways you can love your audience. You can watch the video replay at https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6897210513009569792/ About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/265 Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 175: The Work of Anti-Racism as White Women with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 251: What Makes Public Speaking Unique as a Medium with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz [The Medium is the Message Series] Episode 263: Closing the Gender Speaking Gap with Kristin Oakley

If you’re an analytical, left-brained thinker like me, this episode is going to give you a different perspective on your content, your speaking, and yourself. My guest Susan Moe is an MBA-trained former business executive who is now a clairvoyant reader who helps her clients understand themselves better through their own symbols and metaphors. Susan is a long-time and loyal podcast listener who did a reading for me back in December 2020 (the first one I’ve ever had). It was powerful and revealing - and I share a bit about it in this episode. You’ll hear in this conversation how I’m on my own journey to get more in touch with my intuitive, creative, right-brained side. I invite you to come along with me! Susan and I talk about: Her journey to the work she does now The reading Susan did for me and two of the symbols that stuck with me The energy exchange we have with our audiences as speakers Releasing the need to please our audiences and feeling like they need to have a certain outcome How we can use symbols and metaphors in our presentation content to form a stronger connection with our audience At the end, I’m going to share with you a realization I had about one of the symbols after my conversation with Susan About My Guest: Susan Moe helps people find solutions to problems that they haven’t been able to see through traditional thinking. Whether it’s a relationship, career, parenting, or another dilemma, getting to the core of the issue is key to its resolution. This often requires “seeing” beyond the external circumstances and into the soul deep within. Susan has worked with people around the world for nearly two decades, empowering her clients and students to have sovereignty over their own well-being by teaching them simple, yet powerful, energetic tools and techniques. When not immersed in all things metaphysical, you will find Susan out in nature, relating to her family, or pursuing her other passion project, OneGreenSmoothie, where she promotes personal and planetary health through a plant-centric lifestyle. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/264 Susan’s website: https://www.ascendedpresence.com/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Caron on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Susan Moe (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/ascendedpresence/ Susan Moe (guest) on LinkedIn= https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-moe-580a1b2/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 263: Finding the Emotional Heart of Your Message with Carol Cox

Since we’re in the month of February, I figured it was a good time to talk about finding the emotional heart of your message. As speakers, we can get so focused on the information we want to share that we neglect emotions and feelings and making a heart-to-heart connection with the people in our audiences. If you want your talk to be memorable and impactful and you want to become a keynote speaker, be on bigger stages, deliver a powerful TEDx talk, you need to have an emotional heart to your message. In this episode, I’m going to share: What I mean by the emotional heart of your message Examples ranging from Eliza Hamilton to Taylor Swift to a recent workshop I facilitated on storytelling You’ll hear a clip from my keynote about what happens when we find resistance in our purpose Question prompts to help you find the emotional heart of your message About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/263/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram= https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 197: What We Can Learn as Speakers from 'Hamilton' with Carol Cox Episode 244: Behind the Scenes of My Recent Keynote with Carol Cox Episode 262: The Four Layers of Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

I remember last year I was doing some research and I googled “famous thought leaders.” Guess what the results were? All men. Now, we know there are women thought leaders: Brene Brown, Mel Robbins, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Minda Harts all come to mind. But, Google hasn’t caught on yet. Why not? Because we need MORE women thought leaders to flood the zone. This is where you come in and this is why I’ve been talking a lot on the podcast about thought leadership and the role it plays in your business and for you getting bigger opportunities and the impact you want to have. It’s also why I created our Thought Leader Academy - to give women entrepreneurs and professionals a place where they can develop their thought leadership ideas and signature talks. In this episode, I’m going to talk about 4 key layers that make up thought leadership. These are layers I’ve identified as I’ve worked with our clients over the years on their keynotes, TEDx talks, and thought leadership messages and as I’ve worked on my own. Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/262 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect with Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Books mentioned: The Signature of All Things: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert KLF: Chaos Magic Music Money by JMR Higgs Podcast: A mind-bending, reality-warping conversation with John Higgs Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox Episode 259: Connecting Your Business and Your Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

You won't want to miss the story I share in this episode that made me so mad at the time. About 5 years ago, I was attending an event run by a very prominent women's organization and I couldn't believe who they had on stage. Here's a hint: It has to do with our topic today, which is the gender speaking gap. Similar to the gender pay gap, the gender speaking gap represents the disparity between the number of women and men we see speaking at events, from high-profile keynotes to panel discussions (#nomoremanels). We know how important it is for more women to be visible and have a public voice, so I’m excited to have Kristin Oakley as my guest. Kristin is a professional speaker, emcee, on-camera presenter and Personal Empowerment Coach™ with over 20 years of public speaking and presenting experience across multiple industries. She’s passionate about closing the gender speaking gap, which I learned more about during the VIP Day we did to create her new signature talk. In this episode, Kristin and I talk about: The gender speaking gap and what we can do about it Lessons she’s learned as a professional speaker for the past 20 years How the pandemic has changed what audiences want from speakers as in-person events are starting to return Why she decided to book a VIP Day and what the experience was like (This is the audio from one of our LinkedIn Live shows.) About My Guest: Kristin Oakley is a professional speaker, emcee, on-camera presenter and Personal Empowerment Coach™ with over 20 years of public speaking and presenting experience across multiple industries. She spent 12 years as an on-camera host and professional spokesperson, traveling throughout North America as a presenter for top brands within the automotive, technology, and financial services industries – and was even a guest presenter on QVC! She is a professional member of the National Speakers Association, and creator of the Unstoppable Speaker Program and the Unstoppable Speaker Challenge: 10 Days to Master Your Fear of Public Speaking. She was also named the 2020 Unstoppable Influencer of the Year. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/261 Watch the video of our conversation from LinkedIn Live: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6866024667812032512/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Kristin Oakley (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinoakleyspeaker/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 251: What Makes Public Speaking Unique as a Medium with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 243: How We Create a Signature Talk in a VIP Day

One of the side effects of going bigger with your message and putting yourself out there is self-doubt. Even when you’re excited about what you’re working on, self-doubt can creep in. Self-doubt can masquerade as procrastination, boredom, shiny object syndrome, distractions, filling up your to-do lists and calendar, even deciding to clean those areas of the house that never get cleaned. Self-doubt can also keep you stuck and not developing further as an entrepreneur, speaker, and thought leader. In this episode, I’m sharing my own struggles with self-doubt and specific things I do when it comes up that may be helpful to you. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/260/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 127: Developing Confidence in Public Speaking Episode 131: Pitching and Negotiating for Bigger Speaking Opportunities with Maureen Taylor Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

How is your thought leadership message connected to your business? Should it be related? I look at it this way: Thought leadership is the personal WHY to the WHAT (vision) and HOW (mission) that you have for your business. Think of your thought leadership as a parallel track to your business; it’s WHY you do what you do. I talk about thought leadership because it’s the way to get more of what you want: better speaking engagements, including paid ones, plus the way to reach more people with your message and create change. In this episode, I talk about: What thought leadership is How thought leadership is different from your marketing and sales message in your business How to connect your thought leadership and your business My own thought leadership message The a-ha moment I had when I gave my keynote talk back in September Examples from some of our clients The biggest challenges I see when working on your thought leadership About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/259 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas Series]

Happy New Year! This is the 4th year in a row I’ve done a trends episode for the start of the year. What I mean by trends are not fads or cliches or gimmicks. Trends are like currents or waves of energy that move through our society and affect everything from business and politics and the economy to popular culture and media. How do these trends impact our public speaking and thought leadership? As speakers and leaders, our talks and messages have more of an impact if our audiences can see the bigger picture of what’s affecting them and the world around them. In this episode, you’ll learn 3 trends (and action steps for each) related to format, audience, and content that you can apply to your speaking and thought leadership, as well as to your business and visibility strategy in general. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/258/ Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 251: What Makes Public Speaking Unique as a Medium with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

This is the final episode in the series we’ve been doing called “The Medium is the Message”. In this series, we’ve covered the mediums of podcasting, public speaking, video, TV, email, and social media - what makes each one unique and how to make the most of them. This episode is all about the medium of the book and my guest is author and book coach Tiffany Hawk. Writing a book allows you to develop your thought leadership in a deeper way and gives your ideas longevity. A book can also be an important asset for you to have as a speaker, especially if you want to be a keynote speaker. Tiffany and I talk about: How getting published is the ultimate vetting process and credibility marker What makes a book “a book” (the medium) The pros and cons of traditional vs. self publishing The timeline for writing and publishing a prescriptive nonfiction book The book proposal I’m working on right now with Tiffany as my book coach About My Guest: Tiffany Hawk is an author and book coach who helps leaders write agent-ready books and book proposals. Her clients have landed literary agents, traditionally published with big New York Presses and small literary presses, self published, won awards, and seen their stories in places like Harper’s, the Los Angeles Times, Narratively, McSweeney’s, and The Atlantic. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/257 Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Tiffany’s website: https://www.tiffanyhawk.com/ Get Tiffany’s “How good is your book idea?” free assessment: https://www.tiffanyhawk.com/idea Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Tiffany Hawk (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyhawk/ Good models for prescriptive nonfiction books recommended by Tiffany: Practical How-To: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz Mindset How-To: Rich As F*ck by Amanda Frances (also a great example of self-publishing the right way) Personal Self-Help: Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck Scholarly Thought Leadership: Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 186: From Hashtag to Podcast to Book: Developing Your Thought Leadership Platform with Elayne Fluker [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 250: Lessons Learned from 250 Podcast Episodes with Carol Cox [The Medium is the Message Series] Episode 256: Making the Most of LinkedIn as a Thought Leader with Tyrona Heath [The Medium is the Message Series]

This is one of the best conversations I’ve had about how to use social media effectively as a thought leader. My guest is Tyrona (Ty) Heath, who is Director, Market Engagement, at The B2B Institute at LinkedIn. You’re getting the inside scoop of the big picture of how to make the most of LinkedIn. We get past the superficial tactics and really dig into what makes social media and LinkedIn in particular unique, how to showcase your body of work as a thought leader, and what your audience wants from you. Ty and I talk about: The ways social media, and LinkedIn in particular, can be used for different goals (e.g., brand awareness, lead generation, thought leadership) What entrepreneurs often get wrong about using social media and LinkedIn effectively What's working well on LinkedIn right now How LinkedIn content is similar or different from what other social media platforms prioritize (IG reels/stories, TikTok, etc.) The key ingredients to think about when posting content This episode is part of the series we’ve been doing called “The Medium is the Message”. About My Guest: Tyrona (Ty) Heath is Director, Market Engagement, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn. Ty is passionate about connecting people with information needed to make intelligent decisions, studying the future of B2B marketing and decision making. With research, she engages and educates the industry in partnership with the leading marketing effectiveness thinkers. This effort helps better define the category, so customers can drive growth through marketing. Marketers benefit from Ty’s marketing experience at Google, consulting within IBM and leading her own B2B consulting practice. Ty serves on the Digital Marketing Institute's Global Advisory Council, on the Board of Directors for the American Advertising Federation and as an Adobe Insider with top executives and experts. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/256 Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Ty’s website: https://tyronaheath.com/ LinkedIn resources: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/linkedin-live https://members.linkedin.com/creators Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Ty Heath (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyronaheath Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 252: Using Video for Thought Leadership, Brand Awareness, and Sales with Stacy Mayer

We’re taking you behind the scenes to share what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next for us in the areas of speaking, visibility, and the business in general. Diane Diaz and I talk about: 🎉 10 things we’re celebrating that went well this year ❌ 3 things we tried that did not go as well as we had wanted 💡 5 larger lessons we’re taking from what worked and what didn’t 🎯 3 strategic priorities for next year I encourage you to use this template to reflect on and write down your own wins, experiments, lessons, and priorities. Applications are open for our next Thought Leader Academy group that starts in January. This episode is from a recent LinkedIn Live we did. You can watch the video replay at https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6871110343964323840/. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/255 Apply to join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram= https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox SYB on YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS7AtXV0f_HL09mepAON65w Diane Diaz on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 201: 2020 Year in Review: What Worked, What Didn’t, What’s Next with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

What does the *medium* of email want in order to be the most effective? What do *we* want when we look through our inboxes? The answers surprised me! We’ve heard for years that it's important to build our email list. Unlike social media platforms, you own your email list and can communicate with the people on it directly, without the filters of algorithms. However, just because someone is on your email list, that doesn’t mean they’re opening your emails, much less reading them and taking action. I like to experiment with the emails I send. I’ve sent fancy newsletter styles with lots of content and links. I’ve sent personal stories with no styling. Our open rate remains consistent, but the personal emails get the most engagement for sure. This is why I wanted to bring on an email expert, Kate Doster, for the series we’ve been doing called “The Medium is the Message”. You’re going to love this episode. Kate has fantastic energy and she’s a great guest. Kate and I talk about: What our brains want when we check our email inbox The ways email can be used for different goals (brand awareness, sales, thought leadership) What entrepreneurs often get wrong about their email list What's working well with email right now (length, format, type of content, etc.) The best way to promote a podcast episode or other content you’ve created in an email About My Guest: Kate Doster is the host of the Inbox Besties Podcast, creator of the Love Your List 2.0 email marketing mega course and is dangerously obsessed with helping ethical entrepreneurs carve out their slice of the interwebs. She helps her students woo open the hearts (and wallets) of their small but mighty audiences thanks to fun email marketing and easy yes mini-offers. She believes you don’t need to bleed the alphabet or be a dirty rotten spam face to write emails that jolt subscribers into taking action, gobbling up your paid offers like candy… or kale if that’s their thing. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/254 Get Kate’s free 2-years-worth of email ideas: https://www.katedoster.com/speaking-your-brand Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Download our free thought leadership workbook and get on our email list: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/ Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Kate Doster (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/kate_doster/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 234: How to Create Content Using Your Authentic Voice with Ashleigh Rennie

If you’ve ever thought that you’d like to be on TV as a contributing expert - or if you think you’re not qualified (you are!) - you’ll get so much out of this episode. We’re continuing our series “The Medium is the Message” and in this episode we’re focusing on TV as a platform that can quickly propel your visibility and credibility. Since 2005, I’ve appeared (too many times to count) on Orlando-area news stations as a Democratic political analyst. Being on TV can turn you into a mini-celebrity, as people who see you on the news start recognizing you at the store. (True story: During the 2016 election cycle, I was on the news frequently. I was at the store one day in yoga clothes, hair in a ponytail, and no makeup and the clerk said to me, slowly and with a hint of uncertainty, “Did I see you on TV?” Why, yes, you did, and I looked a lot more put together then!) Being on TV gives you built-in authority and credibility because so few people get the opportunity. TV is one of the last gatekeepers (along with traditional book publishing) where the audience assumes that if they're seeing you on their television, you’ve been selected and vetted as an expert. Being on TV has lots of advantages for giving you this credibility. It can also have a downside, especially as a woman and even more so as a woman of color (never read the comments). My guest today is Dr. Christina Madison, the Founder and CEO of The Public Health Pharmacist, PLLC, a public health consulting firm. Christina has been featured in over 200+ on-air TV appearances since January 2020 related to the pandemic and public health, so when I met Christina recently on a consult call and learned about her background, I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Christina and I talk about: The benefits of being on TV The challenges we’ve both faced as women having a public presence and voice Tips for working with TV stations so they keep calling you back How Christina got her first TV appearance and how she prepared What TV as a medium wants (visuals, soundbites, mass market information) How to pitch your topic to local news to make it newsworthy The importance of representation of women and women of color in the media {There is one very appropriate f-bomb in this episode, hence the "Explicit" rating. It's worth it!} About My Guest: Dr. Christina Madison is the Founder and CEO of The Public Health Pharmacist, PLLC, a public health consulting firm. She is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice with Roseman University of Health Sciences and works as a clinical pharmacist specializing in public health with a focus on infectious communicable diseases. A trusted and valued health care professional with 14 years of experience in Public Health and 17 years’ experience as a pharmacy professional. She has been asked to share her clinical public health and infectious disease expertise with Local, State, and International Media outlets and NGO’s. Dr. Madison has been featured in over 200+ on-air TV appearances since January 2020 related to the pandemic and public health. Advocating for public health and the profession of pharmacy to improve the health and wellness of vulnerable populations and the underserved is her passion and mission. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/253 Christina’s website: https://www.thepublichealthpharmacist.com/ Christina’s speaking reel: https://youtu.be/1ftHfCaVJZw Apply to join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Connect on social: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Dr. Christina Madison (guest) on LinkedIn= https://www.linkedin.com/in/drchristinamadisonthepublichealthpharmacist Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 191: Women in Politics and the Public Sphere with Rep. Anna V. Eskamani Episode 209: The Differences in Doing Interviews for Podcasts, TV, & Publications with Marie Fiebach

More and more social media platforms, from Instagram and Pinterest to LinkedIn, are encouraging users to create videos and prioritizing video in their algorithms. As entrepreneurs, speakers, and content creators, how can we effectively use different types of video formats for thought leadership, brand awareness, and sales? My guest is Stacy Mayer, a Certified Executive Coach and founder of Executive Ahead of Time, helping women get promoted into the executive suite on their own terms. I’ve noticed Stacy using video on LinkedIn, so I invited her on the podcast to share what’s been working for her. Stacy and I talk about: The types of videos she creates (length, format, content) Finding a way to be both natural and rehearsed (I love the phrase she uses) The process Stacy goes through to create and edit the videos The results she’s seeing on LinkedIn How she’s using video in her sales process and the big impact it’s had How she uses video to pitch for speaking engagements This is the third episode in our “The Medium is the Message” series. Be sure to listen to the intro to get the details on how you can enter for our special giveaway to win a 60-minute coaching session with us. About My Guest: Stacy Mayer is a Certified Executive Coach, a promotion strategist, a mother, a wife, and the creator and founder of Executive Ahead of Time, helping women get promoted into the executive suite on their own terms. Her vision is to bring more diversity to leadership by empowering women to take ownership of their careers and claim a real voice at the table. She does that through her coaching programs, podcast "Maximize Your Career with Stacy Mayer" and her soon-to-be released book "Promotions Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Executive Suite". About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/252 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Stacy Mayer (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacymayer/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 250: Lessons Learned from 250 Podcast Episodes with Carol Cox [The Medium is the Message Series]

Did you know that public speaking is one of the fastest ways that you can establish your expertise, credibility, authority, and thought leadership? Why? Because of the intrinsic benefits being the speaker standing in the front of a room or on a stage conveys, before you’ve even said a word. This in and of itself is one of the best reasons to be a speaker. This is the second episode in a new series we’re doing called “The Medium is the Message.” Each medium/platform we use, whether public speaking, podcasting, video, social media, TV, books, and so on, gives us particular benefits due to the nature of the medium itself. This also means that each medium wants different things and the content we create for each medium should reflect that. In this episode, Diane Diaz and I talk about: What makes public speaking unique as a medium The role you play as a speaker (and the huge benefits that conveys to you) Who can speak in public was historically limited to {white} men and the impact that has on women speakers today How different types of speeches (business presentations, keynotes, and TED/TEDx talks) dictate different messages/content What audiences want from speakers and how they view speakers Why public speaking is the fastest way to thought leadership Be sure to listen until the end to get the details on how you can enter for our special giveaway to win a 60-minute coaching session with us. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/251 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Carol on Instagram= https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox SYB on YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS7AtXV0f_HL09mepAON65w Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 205: The 4 Types of Talks You Need as a Speaker and Thought Leader with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz [Goals & Planning Series] Episode 249: The Relationship Between Speaking and Performance with Carol Cox Episode 250: Lessons Learned from 250 Podcast Episodes with Carol Cox [The Medium is the Message Series]

We’re celebrating 250 episodes of the Speaking Your Brand podcast! I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you lessons I’ve learned after hosting and creating 250 episodes, including what makes podcasting unique and different from video and writing and how it has impacted my business and thought leadership. This is the first episode in a new series we’re doing that I’m calling “The Medium is the Message.” This phrase is from media theorist Marshall McLuhan and books he wrote in the 1950s and 60s. McLuhan analyzed technologies (mediums) like the printing press, electric light, radio, and television and saw that it was the medium itself, not the particular content, that affected and changed society and human behavior. It was the medium that dictated how people interacted with it. I explain a bit more about this in the intro, but what I really want for us to get out of this is that as entrepreneurs, marketers, and content creators, it’s tempting for us to just copy/paste content from one platform to the next (guilty!). But, it doesn’t work that well because each platform, each channel, each medium is different, wants different things, and the audience interacts differently on it. I’m starting this series on The Medium is the Message talking about podcasting, since I’m at episode 250 and because it’s my primary content channel. Other episodes in this series will focus on the channels (mediums) of public speaking, video, TV, social media, email and other forms of writing (books and articles). Be sure to listen to the end to hear about our special giveaway and enter a chance to win a 60-minute coaching session! About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/250 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Podcast Performance Coach Tim Wohlberg: https://podcastperformancecoach.com/ Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram= https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox SYB on YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS7AtXV0f_HL09mepAON65w Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

We’ve been doing a series on in-person speaking, as more conferences and events return to in-person. Today, I’m talking about the relationship between speaking and performance. This episode was prompted by one of our Thought Leader Academy calls from a few weeks ago. I asked each woman to tell us what she liked to do when she was young and most of them loved performing, whether in school plays, singing, or dancing. There’s definitely a connection between speaking and performance. However, once we start speaking for our business, we don’t see the connection between speaking and performing and we miss out on bringing performance elements into our presentations and speeches. You don’t need to sing and dance - unless you want to! - but there are things you can do to create a more immersive and memorable experience for your audience. At the end, I’ll share an embarrassing moment from a high school performance I was in. In this episode, I talk about: Different types of performances Why we love attending performances The importance of synchrony and collective effervescence as humans Specific things you can do as a speaker to incorporate performance elements - and the benefits of doing so This episode is part of the series we’ve been doing on In-Person Speaking: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/podcast/in-person-speaking/. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/249 New York Times article by Adam Grant: “There’s a Specific Kind of Joy We’ve Been Missing” Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram= https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox SYB on YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS7AtXV0f_HL09mepAON65w Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 197: What We Can Learn as Speakers from ‘Hamilton’ with Carol Cox [Storytelling Series] Episode 244: Behind the Scenes of My Recent Keynote with Carol Cox Episode 245: How to Get Selected as a Speaker by Event Organizers with Sarah Soliman Episode 246: Audience Engagement Strategies for In-Person Speaking with Ramona J. Smith

Whether you’re presenting at a conference or running a program or course, you want to make sure that your audiences and clients are learning and, more importantly, applying what they learn. My guest is Manja Horner, who has a deep background as a learning experience designer. She now helps entrepreneurs create effective and impactful programs and courses. Manja and I talk about: Mistakes we make when designing our programs and courses Making our courses bingeable in a weekend The importance of experiential learning Assessing our audiences and clients at the beginning and along the way Suggestions for audience activities for in-person and virtual presentations I share some of the things we do in our courses and Thought Leader Academy About My Guest: An ex-corporate learning experience designer, Manja Horner is a fun and friendly trusted advisor to entrepreneurs who are in growth mode with their offers. She gets results for her clients by teaching them to think like learning designers and always putting the learners’ needs front and center. Innately curious, Manja absorbs information at an alarming rate and has an uncanny ability to make that information learnable for others. Her Masterminds and Workshops elevate your ability to craft professional learning offers to a new level. Teaching is in her blood; a certified music and business teacher, Manja makes a career creating learning and teaching others how to build supportive learning environments. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/248 Manja’s website: https://www.boostld.com/ Manja’s course creator quiz: https://www.boostld.com/Course-creator-quiz Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol Cox on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Manja Horner on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/manja-horner-73b53151 Manja Horner on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/boost_learningexperts Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 246: Audience Engagement Strategies for In-Person Speaking with Ramona J. Smith

When you think about your thought leadership, one of the questions to consider is: What is missing in your field/industry? For my guest Katrine Marçal, the question wasn’t only “what” is missing, but “who” is missing and what the consequences have been for all of us. Katrine is a bestselling author on women and innovation and her second book just came out called “Mother Of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored In An Economy Built For Men.” Katrine and I talk about: Why women have been missing from economics The innovations we’re missing as a society because women have been ignored and don’t receive funding for their ideas and businesses How Katrine is "speaking her brand" with her writings and speaking engagements I share some Ideas for Katrine’s talks About My Guest: Katrine Marçal is a bestselling author on women and innovation. Her first book “Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner?” has been translated into more than 20 languages. Margaret Atwood called it "a smart, funny and readable book on women, economics and money". It was named one of The Guardian's books of the year in 2015. BBC also named Katrine one of its 100 Women in 2015. Katrine's second book “Mother Of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored In An Economy Built For Men” became a bestseller in Sweden in 2020 and will be published in several languages during 2021 and 2022. Katrine works for the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. She has given keynotes at institutions such as Oxford University Business and Economics Programme, London School of Economics and The Royal School of Technology in Stockholm. In her role as a financial journalist she has interviewed many of the world's leading economic thinkers. Some of her interviews have been viewed more than a million times on YouTube. She lives in the English countryside with her husband and three children. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/247 Get Katrine’s new book “Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored in an Economy Built for Men”: https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Invention-Ideas-Ignored-Economy-ebook/dp/B08WJV9JBS/ Subscribe to Katrine’s Substack newsletter: https://wealthofwomen.substack.com/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Katrine Marçal (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrine-marcal/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 191: Women in Politics and the Public Sphere with Rep. Anna Eskamani [Use Your Voice Series]