Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

We’re continuing our series on in-person speaking with this episode to talk about audience engagement strategies you can use and how you can give your audience an experience. My guest is Ramona J. Smith, who holds the prestigious title of the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking from Toastmasters, only the 2nd Black woman and 5th woman overall to win this award. Ramona and I talk about: How she created her award-winning speech The importance of using your body and the stage Handling nerves Fun strategies for audience engagement Setting your speaking fees About My Guest: Ramona J. Smith is an international award-winning public speaker who holds the prestigious title of the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking. She is a powerhouse, a gracious woman beyond measure, one who courageously surpassed over 30,000 people to receive such an illustrious honor. Her ubiquitous stage presence and poised intellectual delivery of various topics has made Ramona one of the most sought-after public speakers in the world. She has given keynote addresses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and India. Ramona has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing from the famed Baldwin Wallace University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA from Prairie View A&M University in Houston, Texas. 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/246/ Watch Ramona’s winning speech at https://www.ramonajsmith.com/ Schedule a consult call 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 Ramona J. Smith = https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramona-j-smith-61390743/ Related Podcast Episodes: 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

As the speaking season is ramping up (both virtual and in person) and conferences are planning for next year, how can you stand out and get selected as a speaker? Our guest is Sarah Soliman, who’s the founder of Soliman Productions, a full video content firm that produces videos and also manages and executes hybrid events and full virtual experiences from start to finish. Sarah is also active with MPI (Meeting Professionals International). Sarah and Diane take you behind the scenes to talk about: What meeting planners look for in speakers What kinds of video clips / sizzle reels to have Getting the best from videography when you're speaking at events The importance of being consistent in your brand and your thought leadership output How you as a speaker can make the conference organizer’s job easier Leading with personal story and emotion And more! You can watch the video replay of this conversation that originally happened on our LinkedIn Live show at https://www.linkedin.com/video/live/urn:li:ugcPost:6830560911284166656/. About Our Guest: With over a decade of experience in Broadcast Journalism and Production, Sarah Soliman brings her producing and reporting experience into her own company, Soliman Productions, covering the meetings industry at large. She runs and operates a full video content firm that specializes in all aspects of visual storytelling and has worked with associations and corporations of all sizes to help them tell their story in a compelling way. In addition, Soliman Productions specializes in managing and executing hybrid events and full virtual experiences from start to finish. Sarah serves as the Immediate Past President of the MPI Greater Orlando Chapter and Vice Chair of Chapters for MPI's Global Board of Trustees. She has also served as Co-Chair for the MPI Women's Advisory Board. 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 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/245/ 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 Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Sarah Soliman (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahsolimandaudin/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 244: Behind the Scenes of My Recent Keynote with Carol Cox

I’m taking you behind the scenes to talk about the recent keynote I delivered, including how the event organizer found me, how I created and prepared for the speech, and how it went the day of. It was my first in-person speaking engagement since before the pandemic and it felt so good to be back at an event! It was in Orlando, where I live, so I was able to invite my mom and sister along with Diane Diaz and some of our clients who also live here. You can see event photos and a video clip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDEF8ZLdLb/ Video I posted on LinkedIn of how I used our Signature Talk Canvas® framework to create my speech: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6843913809497772032/ 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/244 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 119: Deconstructing a Keynote: Writing, Preparation, and Delivery Episode 194: How to Structure a Movement-Making Speech Using Your Story with Joy Spencer Episode 229: 3 Speaking Styles You Can Use Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership

What is it like to create your signature talk in a day? Can it really be done? What are the results? This episode is the audio from a LinkedIn Live we did recently with two women, Erin Austin and Casey Gromer, who’ve worked with us in VIP Days to create their signature talk. We take you behind the scenes to talk about: Why they wanted a signature talk What the VIP Day experience was like How they’ve been using their signature talk Why we like the VIP Day process to give our clients clarity and momentum Ideas for how you could offer a VIP Day for your own services You can also watch the video replay of this LinkedIn Live at https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6841484602545102849/. About Our Guests: Erin Austin is the founder of Think Beyond IP, which helps professional services firms build and protect their assets to create scalable, saleable businesses. She combines her decades of commercial transactions experience as a former COO and general counsel of IP-driven companies with her intellectual property law background. Casey Gromer is the founder and head Integrator of SHE-Suite Boutique – a business consultancy that works for female founders who are ready to stop away from being boss while still achieving growth and success as a business owner. She is also the host of the Female Founders Breaking Boundaries podcast. 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: Apply to join our Thought Leader Academy (you have the option of adding a VIP Day): https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Book a VIP Day to create your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/VIPDay Schedule a consult call 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 Erin Austin (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinaustin/ Casey Gromer (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseygromer/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 202: Measuring the Right Metrics to Get the Results You Want with Casey Gromer [Goals & Planning Series] Episode 221: Your I.P. Can Make Your Business Scalable and Saleable with Erin Austin Episode 242: TLA Grads: Evolving from Experts to Thought Leaders

How can you evolve from being an expert to a thought leader? What mindset shift needs to happen and what does thought leadership message and content look like? This episode is the audio from a LinkedIn Live we did recently with two of the women who've graduated from our Thought Leader Academy, Emily Rogers and Jackie Roby. We take you behind the scenes to talk about: What it means to them to be a thought leader The role that vulnerability plays in being a thought leader How they shifted their mindset to evolve from expert to thought leader The kind of content they create to position themselves as thought leaders Thought leadership content has a long shelf life and impacts people beyond your immediate network Why they decided to join our Thought Leader Academy and what they got out of it You can also watch the video replay of this LinkedIn Live at https://www.linkedin.com/video/live/urn:li:ugcPost:6835634155724820481/. About Our Guests: Emily Rogers is a business consultant, executive coach and retreat facilitator who strategically advises and supports businesses, teams and individuals in growing and realizing their full potential in purposeful and balanced ways. Jackie Roby is Chief Excellence Officer at Inspired Journey Consulting, a Boston-based business dedicated to wellness, healing, and transformational tourism. She is a sales strategist for wellness travel businesses & is a Diversity Equity Inclusion advocate. She’s the host of the Through Inspired Eyes podcast. 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/242 Apply to join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Schedule a consult call 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 Emily Rogers = https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyhowellrogers/ Jackie Roby = https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-roby/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 210: Finding Your Big Idea By Noticing What’s Missing with Jackie Roby [Big Idea Series] Episode 239: Leadership is about the Heart as much as the Head with Emily Rogers Episode 241: The Expert Trap: What Holds Women Back from Thought Leadership with Carol Cox

You’re an expert in what you do: you have work experience, skills, knowledge, credentials, degrees. You’re well regarded as an expert in your field. You enjoy presenting and training in your area of expertise. Being an expert is great for attracting clients who need your specialized services and for doing workshops and conference breakout sessions. And it’s holding you back. It’s holding you back from thought leadership: making a bigger and bolder impact, integrating meaning and mission into your business, and delivering speeches that are transformational and game-changing. It’s holding you back from developing your full potential. I call this “The Expert Trap” and, as women, we face this trap because of the society in which we live and how we’ve adapted to make careers and livelihoods for ourselves. But, I believe we can do and be so much more - and we must if we want to make sure all of our rights are protected. In this episode, I talk about: What it means to be a thought leader Why you would want to be a thought leader as the next stage of your evolution as an entrepreneur and speaker What “the expert trap” is Why women in particular get stuck in the expert trap What you can do to start shifting from expert to thought leader 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/241 Apply to join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Schedule a consult call 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 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

Is there something holding you back from your thought leadership? If so, it just might be the way through. In the episode from 2 weeks ago with Betsy Jordyn, we talked about Betsy’s realization, which she shared in her Thought Leader Academy graduation speech, that “What I thought was *in my way* to my thought leadership was *the way* to my thought leadership.” The idea is that what holds us back, where we get stuck, what we’re putting off doing, what we’re afraid to talk about is precisely what we need to do. Our audiences will relate to our struggles and WE will grow by pushing past the doubts and fears. I’ve been reflecting about what holds me back - and it’s that I don’t like being in the spotlight. This seems counter-intuitive and ironic and ridiculous. After all, I’ve been speaking on stages of all sizes for years, have been on TV for the past 15 years, and have been doing this podcast for 4-½ years. And yet I’ve started to realize that my default behavior has become to say ‘no’ to opportunities and find someone else to put the spotlight on instead of myself. In this episode, I share how I came to this realization, the impact that a very hard professional experience had on me, and how I’m making progress. I also share with you questions I’ve been asking myself to get to the root of what may be holding you back that you can use too. 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/240 My Summit Speech 2021: https://youtu.be/5H2FysOKvdw?t=1001 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 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 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox 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 238: What's IN Your Way IS Your Way to Your Thought Leadership with Betsy Jordyn

As a high-achieving woman and a left-brained/logical/analytical person, I've been perfectly comfortable living and working from my head. However, I’ve begun to realize over the past couple of years that leadership and coaching and, really, being human is about your heart. My guest is Emily Rogers, a high-achieving woman who has learned to tap into her somatic wisdom and helps her executive coaching clients with that as well. Emily had a very successful career as an executive in a high-profile role in a very male-dominated industry. And then one day her coach asked her, “What if you led with your heart?” Emily resisted that for a while, until she recognized what a benefit that would be for her team and for herself. Emily and I talk about: Her career and the burnout it caused Her passion for women in the workplace The importance of somatic wisdom How to get started listening to your body Finding spaciousness Why she decided to join our Thought Leader Academy and what she learned About My Guest: Emily Rogers is passionate about purposeful living, being in wide open spaces in nature, and mindful leading. As a business consultant, executive coach and retreat facilitator, Emily strategically advises and supports businesses, teams and individuals in growing and realizing their full potential in purposeful and balanced ways. Described by The Ledger as bringing a “fresh face to leadership”, Emily authors a monthly column intended to inspire leadership excellence. Prior to starting her business in 2013, as President & Chief Growth officer of IEG (a WPP company), she advised Fortune 100 brands, professional sports teams, entertainment properties and global nonprofits on how to form mutually beneficial strategic alliances. Emily is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, International Coach Federation, Institute of Coaching, Lakeland Economic Development Council, Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, and the Central Florida Development Council. She and her husband live on their family ranch in Lakeland, Florida where they raise beef cattle and grow citrus. 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/239 Emily’s website: https://emilyrogers.com Books mentioned: The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul Your Body Is Your Brain by Amanda Blake Finding the Space to Lead by Janice Marturano Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. 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 Emily Rogers = https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyhowellrogers/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 193: Five Kinds of Stories to Share in Your Thought Leadership Content Episode 214: Top Takeaways from Our Speaking Coaches

This is an incredibly powerful conversation about owning and telling our story and what it looks like to develop into a thought leader. My guest is Besty Jordyn, who is truly a brand whisperer. She has a magical ability to understand who her clients are at a deep level and help them position their business and marketing. Betsy went through our Thought Leader Academy earlier this year and on our final graduation call, Betsy shared her journey through the program. This part of her speech stopped me in my tracks: “What I thought was *in my way* to my thought leadership was *the way* to my thought leadership. What I felt crippled me actually qualifies me for the message that I want to deliver to others,” Betsy said. Betsy and I have had many conversations since then about what it means to be a thought leader, so I asked Betsy to come on the podcast to talk more about her own experiences and the insightful model she’s developed. As you listen to this episode, think for yourself if there’s something you have within yourself that could be the way to your thought leadership message, especially if it feels like right now it is what’s holding you back. Betsy and I talk about: What it means to find the right business for you What Betsy realized about her thought leadership message The surprising question Betsy asks her clients to discover what their natural passion is Normalizing our experiences and flaws and releasing shame around our story The feminist power of owning and telling our story The differences between the hero’s journey and the heroine’s journey Betsy’s 4 stages of adulthood maturity, including going through the dark night of the soul to let go of the false ego to reach stage 4 to be of authentic service to the world Examples of people who have reached stage 4, including Oprah, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Monica Lewinsky Thought leadership is about your lived experience, not just about what you know intellectually The role of loss, grief, and suffering in developing into an authentic thought leader (I share my own realization around this) Recognizing the narratives we tell ourselves and when they no longer serve us About My Guest: Betsy Jordyn is a business positioning strategist, keynote speaker, podcaster and prolific content creator. Her business development firm builds strong and powerful brands for remarkable consultants and coaches and their unique strengths. Simply put, her team designs credible online stores that position consultants and coaches as thought leaders and sought-after experts. She personally helps her clients find the words to describe the value of what they do and use them on their website and in their marketing. You can learn more about her mentoring and marketing agency services at https://www.betsyjordyn.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 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/238 Betsy’s website = https://www.betsyjordyn.com Betsy’s podcast “Enough Already” = https://www.betsyjordyn.com/podcasts/enough-already Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol on Instagram= https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Betsy on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsy-jordyn/ 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

I know from first-hand experience how hard and scary it can be to be vulnerable sharing a deeply personal story that reveals something that shows you’re not perfect. And I also know how incredibly powerful doing so can be. Not only for those who hear it, but for yourself. This is the journey that our guest Cyndi Shifrel has gone through during the past year, as COVID dramatically impacted her events businesses. As the CEO of two businesses (with nearly 40 employees) and a leader in her community, it wasn’t easy for Cyndi to decide to share what she went through, both from a business perspective and also her own personal struggles. And yet doing so has helped others and has shaped her thought leadership message. Cyndi is currently in our Thought Leader Academy and has been working one-on-one with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz, so I asked Diane to interview Cyndi about her journey. Diane and Cyndi talk about: How Cyndi’s thought leadership message emerged from the dramatic impact COVID had on her events businesses The fears of being vulnerable and sharing your personal story when you’re a CEO and leader in your community On the flip side, the benefits of being vulnerable and sharing your personal story The work Diane and Cyndi are doing on her keynote signature talk What Cyndi has most appreciated about being in our Thought Leader Academy Enrollment for our Thought Leader Academy is opening again in September! Get the details and join our interest list at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. About Our Guest: With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, Cyndi Shifrel is the President and CEO of Orlando Wedding & Party Rentals, a full service luxury event and party rental company that specializes in upscale, tailored event rentals. She is also the President and CEO of Central Florida Luxury Restroom Trailers, a company that provides luxury restroom trailers for events. Cyndi has helped to grow her award winning company to a staff of more than 40 employees and is considered to be a leader in the event rental industry. Her company was fortunate to make it on Orlando Business Journal's Fastest 50 growing companies in Central Florida for the past several years. Most recently she started her own brand, The Gingerpreneur, a podcast that provides insight, tactics and advice on the daily challenges and success stories from women making a difference in the hospitality industry. 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 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/237 Cyndi’s websites: https://thegingerpreneur.com/ and https://orlandoweddingandpartyrentals.com/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Get on the interest list 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 on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Cyndi on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndishifrel/ Cyndi on FB = https://www.facebook.com/thegingerpreneur/?ref=pages_you_manage Cyndi on Instagram = http://instagram.com/the_gingerpreneur Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas Series]

You know that including stories, especially personal stories, in your presentations is important to connect with and engage the audience. This is true whether you’re giving a keynote, a business presentation, or a training. Along with integrating various stories and examples throughout your presentations, you can also have one core story that illustrates your topic and why it’s important. This is what my guest Chanta Wilkinson and I have been working on during our coaching sessions as part of our Thought Leader Academy. Chanta provides trainings and workshops for organizations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, so we identified a story going back to when she was a young girl that perfectly illustrates why she has gravitated to this work and why DEI is so important. Even better, we’ve identified different angles she can use from this one core story, depending on who’s in the audience and what she wants to emphasize. You are going to love Chanta’s energy and passion for what she does! Enrollment for our Thought Leader Academy is opening again in September! Get the details and join our interest list at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. About My Guest: Chanta Howard Wilkinson is the founder of Chanta Wilkinson Consulting, LLC, where she provides diversity, equity and inclusion consulting and assistance to organizations implementing diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and best practices. Chanta previously served as a Human Resources Consultant for small to mid-size businesses in Delaware and New York City. Prior to that, she served as the Associate Director of EEO/AA for Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn. In addition, she also served as a Deputy Attorney General and an EEO/Affirmative Action Coordinator for the New Jersey Office of Attorney General and an Associate at a large New Jersey law firm. Chanta holds a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law, a BA from Rutgers College, and a Diversity & Inclusion for HR Certificate from Cornell University. 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/236 Chanta’s website: https://www.chantawilkinsonconsultingllc.com/ Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: 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 Chanta on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/chanta-howard-wilkinson-547ab8a0/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 137: The Missing Ingredients in Your Stories with Carol Cox Episode 193: Five Kinds of Stories to Share in Your Thought Leadership Content with Carol Cox 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

Have you been getting the feeling that you’re ready to go bigger with your ideas and message? That you want to have a bigger impact and reach more people? This is what today’s guest, therapist Marisol Erlacher, started feeling last year, as she took part in conversations with other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) women who were recognizing the role that trauma has played in their leadership development and how it has shown up in their professional lives. Marisol is currently in our Thought Leader Academy and has been working one-on-one with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz on her thought leadership platform and signature talk. I love what Marisol says towards the end of their conversation about her evolution as a thought leader: “It’s not about how other people see me. It’s about how I see myself.” In this episode, Diane and Marisol talk about: The conversations Marisol was having that led her to realize “There’s something more here” How listening to cues can guide you in identifying your thought leadership message Marisol’s transition from therapist and business owner to speaker and thought leader The scary and exciting aspects of shifting your identity Seeing yourself as a thought leader and owning that identity Enrollment for our Thought Leader Academy is opening again in September! Get the details and join our interest list at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. About Our Guest: Marisol Solarte-Erlacher, M.A., LPC is a trauma expert, speaker and workshop facilitator specializing in post-traumatic growth and resilience. She is also the creator and host of the podcast Resilience and Resistance, which features Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color who have overcome trauma and built success. Her dedication to Latinx communities and women’s issues is evident in her research and public-speaking engagements as well as her leadership with nonprofits and public health departments. 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 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/235 Marisol’s website = https://www.marisolerlacher.com/ Marisol’s podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/resilience-and-resistance-podcast/id1521769475 Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Get on the interest list 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 on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Marisol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisol-solarte-erlacher-a5566513 Marisol on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/resilience_and_resistance/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 210: Finding Your Big Idea By Noticing What's Missing with Jackie Roby Episode 215: Moving Past the Surface to Find Your Deeper Story and Message with Zaribel Clay

The best way to describe this episode is to share what my guest, copywriter Ashleigh Rennie, wrote when she scheduled our podcast interview: “When I was growing up in South Africa, the country was in the darkest days of the Apartheid. It was the 80s. Nelson Mandela had been in jail for twenty years. We were on the verge of a civil war. My parents were liberals who voted for democracy. And I was making speeches at school about social injustice, equality and marginalisation, and why Apartheid was wrong. “Then I went to work for a non-profit, The Foundation for Tolerance Education, and I held workshops and made speeches about Apartheid, the Holocaust, and what it means to be a victim, a perpetrator, and a bystander. “I'm passionate about being vocal about what you believe in. It's everything to me. It's a huge part of my business and my work as a copywriter. For me it’s feminism, human rights, animal rights, black lives matter, issues of privilege. I want my clients to find their voice and be unapologetic about putting it out there. But I also want my own voice to resonate with people.” As soon as I read this, I couldn’t wait to interview Ashleigh! Ashleigh and I talk about: Her background growing up in Apartheid South Africa How her early experiences influenced what she does now The importance of finding your authentic voice and weaving it into your business and your brand, in your copy and in your marketing Creating content that makes people fall in love with you because you're a little bit in love with yourself About My Guest: Ashleigh Rennie runs The Story Team, her copywriting business. Her mission is to empower female entrepreneurs to embrace their authentic voice and weave it into their business, creating consistent branding and copy that converts. She works with female entrepreneurs from South Africa to New Zealand, from India to South Korea, from the UK to the USA, helping them with badass brand voice and copy tips. She is an unapologetic vegan who started her business from her car while working as a care worker. She swears too much, is far too loud, is working more and more on not caring too much about what other people think, and she wants to tell her story so that it may help other women to find their power. 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/234 Ashleigh’s website: https://www.thestoryteam.org/ 7 of the Greatest Public Speakers (really, no women?!?): https://bigthink.com/stephen-johnson/7-of-the-greatest-public-speakers-in-history A more balanced list of great speeches: https://blog.wsb.com/powerful-lessons-for-speakers-from-15-great-orators Get on the interest list for 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 Ashleigh on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-rennie/ Ashleigh on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/thestoryteamldn/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox

In this episode, I share 3 types of thought leadership models: personality-driven, research-driven, and mission-driven. A lot of times we see someone who we would categorize as a thought leader and think that we can’t do what they do - and you don’t have to be just like them. You can see which of these 3 types most closely aligns with who you naturally are. Just like your business model influences your customer segments, value proposition, key activities, and channels, your thought leadership model will do the same. Once you have an understanding of which type of thought leader you are, your goals, your message, your content, and your platforms will be much clearer and easier to implement. 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/233. Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call 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 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox Episode 229: 3 Speaking Styles You Can Use Episode 232: Are You an Influencer, an Expert, or a Thought Leader? with Carol Cox

What’s the difference between an influencer and a thought leader? And what’s the difference between an expert and a thought leader? Which one you choose will determine the kind of content you create and where (what platforms) you should be spending your time and focus. Most likely, you’re currently in the expert category (which is great!) and perhaps you want to develop into a thought leader. There’s a lot of overlap between being an expert and a thought leader that you can leverage - AND there’s a critical difference between the two, which you’ll hear in this episode. In this episode, I talk about the differences between influencers, experts, and thought leaders, including examples, what they do, platforms, monetization streams, and what their content looks like. I also talk about WHY it can be hard to shift from expert to thought leader. 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/232. Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Schedule a consult call 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 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox Episode 214: Top Takeaways from Our Speaking Coaches Episode 229: 3 Speaking Styles You Can Use

How can you get selected to speak at an event? What do event organizers look for in speakers? My guest is Kelly Youngs, the founder of global women’s network She Is Fierce!, which puts on in-person and virtual events. Kelly and I talk about the balance between inspirational speakers and expertise speakers, what kinds of speakers are inspiring to us, and how she curates the content and speakers for her events. I’ll be speaking (in person!) at Kelly’s She is Fierce! Summit this September 22-24, 2021, in St. Augustine, Florida. Join me there! Show notes, links, and related episodes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/231.

Have you ended up somewhere in life that you did not expect (or was not expected of you)? Do you have a life story that people have told you is inspirational? For my guest and client Tanea Smith, the answer to both of these questions is YES. In this episode, Tanea and I talk about how she’s using her life journey for her signature talk, including identifying her big idea, how we selected specific stories, and what happened to her recently that confirmed the message she wants to share. Show notes, links, and related episodes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/230.

Are you ready to challenge yourself with your presentation content and delivery to make a memorable experience for your audience? In this episode, I share with you 3 main speaking styles, the overall goals of each, what each of them looks like including examples. You can take parts of each to create a style that’s your own - one that you enjoy, stretches you, and is memorable for the audience. After doing many, many Zoom sessions and virtual presentations over the past 16 months, I know I can’t wait to be in front of an audience and to truly make an experience for them and for me. You can use this opportunity as we shift from virtual to in-person to try new things, maybe go out of your comfort zone a bit and play with a new speaking style. Show notes, links, and related episodes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/229.

Have you attended presentations, whether in person or online, where you get frustrated or bored? Perhaps even the thought has crossed your mind to walk out of the session or to close the Zoom window? I know I’ve had those experiences as someone in the audience - and that’s definitely *not* something you want your audiences to experience when you’re the presenter. As speakers, we want to deliver a really great experience, get excellent feedback, and get leads and clients. Hear 5 mistakes I see speakers make that turn off their audiences AND what to do instead. This applies no matter the audience size and whether you’re presenting in person or online. Show notes, links, and related episodes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/228.

Get behind the scenes on what we do at Speaking Your Brand to get, pitch for, and prep for speaking engagements. When I'm at a live event, whether it's a conference with speakers or a play with actors, I'm just as curious to know what goes on *back* stage as what's going on *on* stage. As such, we’ve started a NEW LinkedIn Live show called "Back Stage with Speaking Your Brand"! This podcast episode is the audio from the first LinkedIn Live show we did last week on how we and our clients pitch for and prepare for speaking engagements. We talk about: strategies for attracting inbound speaking requests, submitting speaking proposals, and preparing for the return of in-person speaking. You can watch the video replay on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/video/live/urn:li:ugcPost:6800864573894348800/. Show notes and links at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/227

Sydney Cummings is a YouTube sensation with over 1.1 million subscribers, which she built organically over the past 3 years by uploading a new workout every day (talk about consistency!) Recently, Sydney gave a TEDx talk called “Resilience: How to Emerge from your Tragedies Stronger”, which was her first (!) experience with public speaking. Sydney was invited to give the TEDx talk because the organizers at UC Davis heard about her and her story. This is how consistency and authenticity can build your brand and lead to opportunities. Our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz has been following Sydney for a while (doing her workouts!) and invited Sydney onto the podcast to talk about her TEDx experience and how she has built her brand. Diane and Sydney talk about: Why Sydney almost said ‘no’ to doing the TEDx talk How she got the opportunity to do a TEDx talk How she came up with the specific topic and thread The importance of a strong opening Making your story relatable to the audience by taking your personal story and universalizing it How she leveraged the visibility from her TEDx talk The role of consistency and authenticity in building an audience Positioning yourself as a person, not a company (advice from Nike) About Our Guest: Sydney Cummings is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist based in Charlotte, NC. She is a Women's Health Magazine Action Hero and is the owner and founder of Royal Change, a fitness media company alongside her fiance, Dustin Houdyshell. Sydney was a West Virginia University alum and national qualifying Track & Field high jump athlete who still maintains several school and state records for high jump. Royal Change has grown into a fitness brand that has successfully provided over 115 million free workouts to people from all over the world via their YouTube channel, titled "Sydney Cummings" and has a membership community and a merchandise and apparel line that helps people all over the world represent everything Royal Change is about; Making the changes to make yourself feel like royalty! 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/226 Connect with Sydney: Her TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/HA-0rvrWu7c Website: https://www.royalchange.fit/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneycummings_/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SydneyCummings Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydneycummingsfitness

“The more you speak, the more you understand yourself and your audience.” I love this quote from my guest Dr. Zoe Shaw. Zoe is a psychotherapist, coach, podcaster, and speaker, whom I have known for the past few years as I’ve seen her speaking career grow. You’ll get a lot out of our conversation! Zoe and I talk about: How her speaking career got started How she got her first paid speaking engagement How speaking led to Zoe getting her first book contract Why Zoe has decided to re-brand her podcast and narrow her focus and audience to be more specific around faith and feminism How her hot seat in our mastermind has helped her to walk into her re-brand with confidence Setting speaking fees and deciding how many free speaking engagements to do each year About My Guest: Dr. Zoe Shaw is a passionate practitioner in the field of clinical psychology. She is licensed as a psychotherapist and divides her time between her family life, clinical practice, virtual life and relationship coaching, speaking, writing and hosting her podcast (The Dr. Zoe Show). Dr. Zoe holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA, where she also competed as a sprinter and hurdler. Dr. Zoe has been sought out as an expert and featured in Oprahmag.com, Prevention Magazine, Voyage LA Magazine and the Los Angeles APA magazine discussing issues relevant to women and psychology. Dr. Zoe has presented at the National APA Convention regarding racial identity development and has been a keynote speaker for various engagements, including the NAACP and U.S. Navy. She is author of A Year Of Self Care, published in 2021. She is currently writing her memoir. 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/225 Zoe’s website: https://drzoeshaw.com/ Listen to Zoe’s podcast: https://drzoeshaw.com/podcast/ 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 media: Carol Cox on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Dr. Zoe Shaw on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/dr-zoe-shaw-1409b5122 Carol Cox on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Dr. Zoe Shaw on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/drzoeshaw

When you have a big goal or project you want to achieve, what do you do to keep yourself on track? For me, having external deadlines and public accountability is what gives me the motivation to complete the goal. This is what happened with our first Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. I set the date of October 15, 2020, announced it to our email list and on social media, and then worked backwards from the date to make sure everything happened that needed to. I did the same thing when I launched this podcast in February 2017. I applied to speak at a podcasting conference and figured it would be helpful to have a podcast by the time of the conference, so the week leading up to it, I worked to make sure this podcast went live. My guest in today’s episode is Natalie Sisson, who has achieved a lot of big goals, both personally and professionally. Natalie has written 3 books, had 2 different podcasts, given a TEDx talk, biked across Africa, and much more. In this conversation, Natalie and I talk about: The identity shift Natalie went through when she changed her brand name and focus after being The Suitcase Entrepreneur How she prepared for her TEDx talk she gave in 2016 Why she decided to self-publish and crowdfund her latest book The success she’s had using public accountability to achieve her goals And more! About My Guest: Natalie Sisson is a New Zealand entrepreneur, author, speaker, host of the ‘Untapped’ podcast and triathlete. After ditching a successful corporate career and co-founding a technology company, Natalie decided to monetise her humble, 6-month old blog, The Suitcase Entrepreneur, into a multiple-six figure online education platform back in 2010. In her efforts to continuously innovate, Natalie, the OG of digital nomads, has since turned that content and knowledge into 8 different revenue streams including digital products, courses, workshops, international retreats, and coaching. These days, she’s passionate about helping others leverage their unique set of skills, knowledge, and experience to earn a living and make an impact from anywhere, simply by being them. She’s the author of three books, and proud Queen Bee to the Queens of the $10K Club, an international posse of women who support each other through trials and success, all while being coached and mentored by Natalie. 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/224 I’ll be participating in Natalie’s Monetise You Summit happening May 25-27! I’m talking all about how to get paid speaking engagements. Register for free at https://speakingyourbrand--nataliesisson.thrivecart.com/all-access-pass/. Natalie’s website = https://nataliesisson.com/ My episode 114 on Natalie’s podcast “Untapped”: https://nataliesisson.com/eps-114-how-to-find-your-thought-leadership-message-signature-talk-topic-with-carol-cox/ Get Natalie’s new book “Suck It Up, Princess”: https://nataliesisson.com/princess Natalie’s TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/lNNCMu1OjRQ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on social media: Carol Cox LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Natalie Sisson LinkedIn = http://linkedin.com/in/nataliesisson/ Carol Cox Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox/ Natalie Sisson Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/nataliesisson Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 65: Writing, Publishing, and Promoting Your Book with Julie Broad Episode 186: From Hashtag to Podcast to Book: Developing Your Thought Leadership Platform with Elayne Fluker [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 198: Find Your Hook for Your Book and Talk with Kelly Notaras [Storytelling Series]

Hosting your own event can be incredibly valuable for you and your business. It can position you as an expert and authority in the topic of your event; it can expand your visibility to new audiences; and it can build your email list and bring in revenue. There are different types of events you can host: live vs. pre-recorded; one day vs. multiple days; online or in person. Here at Speaking Your Brand, we hosted our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit in April 2021 and in October 2020. We chose to do it live on one day: all of our speakers delivered their talks live on the day of the event. My colleague and business coach Lisa Princic took a different approach to the summit she hosted in February (called The Profitable Membership Summit): hers was pre-recorded presentations and interviews, with some live components, over a period of a few days. I invited Lisa on to the podcast to talk about: The specific goals she had for her summit Why she decided to structure hers the way she did How she chose her speakers and curated the content The price points she had and why she decided to charge more than others typically do The results she got Changes she’ll make for next time About My Guest: Lisa Princic helps impact-driven business owners dive deep into their unique value and business models to build sustainable & profitable brands. She helps them simplify their offers, increase their visibility with bolder messaging, strengthen and deepen their marketing systems and scale with membership programs. She is a trained business strategist and the host of the Scaling Deep Podcast. Lisa is a results-oriented, deep thinker who has a knack for “seeing” the value of each business and turning that into a pipeline of ideal clients. A staunch believer in business simplicity and intention, Lisa helps her clients accomplish their goals by focusing on what to do AND what to ignore. 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/223 Lisa’s website: http://www.scalingdeep.com/ and https://scalingdeep.com/freebie/ Listen to Lisa’s podcast “Scaling Deep”: https://scalingdeep.com/podcast/ My episode 111 on Scaling Deep: https://scalingdeep.com/thought-leader-carol-cox/ Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Lisa Princic (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaprincic/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 12: Defining Your Value Proposition for Marketing with More Heart and Less Hustle with Lisa Princic Episode 142: Positioning Your Brand for Business Growth with Lisa Princic [Leadership Series] Episode 174: Hosting Your Own Virtual Summit with Dr. Holly Tucker Episode 189: Behind the Scenes of Planning Our Virtual Summit with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz [Use Your Voice Series] Episode 196: Why Our Summit Was the Best Virtual Event Experience People Have Had with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

I’ve always thought of “Speaking Your Brand” as not only how you communicate externally to audiences, whether it’s at conferences and events, on webinars, or on podcasts. It’s also how you communicate internally with your team members, your clients, and your vendors. How can you best share your vision and values with your team? I invited my friend Amber De La Garza onto the podcast to talk about how she has done this with her team members as her business has grown. Amber and I talk about: The team retreats we held for our respective teams What content we included in those retreats to help our team members better understand our businesses The 3 questions Amber asks her team as well as her clients as part of the feedback loop Speaking Your Brand’s QBR (Queen Bee Role) and how that informs what we do The importance of decision-making filters The nuances of word choice and specific examples regarding words we don’t use with our clients and why About My Guest: Amber De La Garza is a sought-after coach, trainer, speaker, writer, host of the Productivity Straight Talk podcast, and creator of the S.T.O.P. Leverage Formula. She helps small business owners improve their time management and elevate their productivity to maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most! Amber passionately shares her message with entrepreneurs all over the world. 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/222 Get Amber’s free training “Take Back Your Time”: https://www.amberdelagarza.com/takebackyourtime Amber’s Leverage Lab: https://www.amberdelagarza.com/leveragelab Listen to Amber’s podcast “Productivity Straight Talk.” Book mentioned: “Clockwork” by Mike Michalowicz Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Amber De La Garza (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberdelagarza/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 43: How Speaking Can Grow (or Derail) Your Business with Amber De La Garza

We talk quite a bit on this podcast about the value of creating frameworks. A framework is the repeatable process you use with your clients to help them achieve a particular outcome. We have our own Signature Talk Canvas® framework that we created and use when we work with our clients on their presentations. Your framework is your intellectual property (I.P.), which becomes an asset to your business. My guest in this episode is Erin Austin, who is an intellectual property attorney and the founder of Think Beyond IP. She helps B2B professional services firms identify, protect, and leverage their valuable intellectual assets. Erin and I talk about: What it means for a business to be scalable and saleable Why you want to think in terms of what it would look like to sell your business even if you have no intention of doing so The different forms of intellectual property for service-based professional businesses and how to protect them (copyright, trademarks, etc.) Erin’s G.I.V.E. framework The importance of having a speaker contract The benefits Erin received from working with us in a VIP Day to create her signature talk About My Guest: Erin Austin combines her decades of commercial transactions experience as a former COO and general counsel of IP-driven companies with her intellectual property law background to help professional services firms build and protect their assets to create scalable, saleable businesses. Her service has included roles as general counsel, head of business affairs and COO at large and small companies, including Warner Bros., Lionsgate (fka Artisan), MGM, Teaching Strategies and M3 USA Corp. Her experience as a lawyer and as an executive--at the intersection of business and the law--informs the elevated legal and strategic business advice she provides to her clients. 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/221 Get Erin’s free checklist at https://www.thinkbeyondip.com/carol Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Erin Austin (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinaustin/

In this episode, we’re sharing the opening remarks from our recent Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. Listen in for not only the content but also the structure of our speeches. What elements do you notice? Our emcee Amber Hawley kicked off the event and then our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz opened with her speech on how as women we’ve studied our absence and how that has affected our confidence. I then picked up on this thread and talked about the importance of stories told by women, why as women we silence ourselves, and what we can do to change this. Our event was inspiring, motivating, and empowering for the hundreds of women who attended. Here's what attendees said: "This is by far the best online event I have attended: intimate, engaging and special. The speakers were riveting, their stories compelling. Thank you to all the women who worked so hard to create this day of empathy and strength to make us all stronger. WOW!" "This is my first summit and so amazing. I feel super motivated and understood." "I love the diversity of age, background, speaking and life experience." "Kudos to all of you for putting together this ambitious program, and to your speakers for sharing their vulnerable stories. This is helping me get real with myself in new ways." A huge and heartfelt thank you to our team, speakers, panelists, summit speaking coaches, and volunteers who made this event happen! Enrollment is now open for our Thought Leader Academy! Get all the details and join us at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. 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/220 Join our Thought Leader Academy at 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 195: Our Opening and Closing Speeches from Our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Summit 2020 Episode 216: Why We're #ChoosingWomensVoices - and You Should Too

As we get closer to resuming in-person conferences and events later this year (yay!) plus with many groups still doing virtual events, this is a great time to research, identify, and reach out to organizers to get on their roster. What are ways you can do this? How do you know which types of speaking engagements are best for you? This episode is made specifically for you to address these questions and more! This is a mini-training based on the one we do for our clients in our Thought Leader Academy on creating your visibility plan and identifying and pitching places to speak (in TLA, we also go into creating your speaking fees and packages, writing your speaking proposals, and more). Our next Thought Leader Academy is enrolling now through April 19, 2021! Get all the details and sign up at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. In this episode, Diane Diaz and I share: What we did early in our businesses to get visibility and speaking opportunities The 4 visibility opportunity areas Selecting the best channels for your visibility goals The surprising results we’ve experienced from tracking our visibility Identifying and researching places where you can speak 6 different types of speaking engagements you can do, including which are generally unpaid and which are paid Ways to connect with event organizers 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/219 Join our Thought Leader Academy at 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 132: 7 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Paid to Speak Episode 150: Podcast Pitching and Guesting with Angie Trueblood [Goals & Planning Series] Episode 169: Leveraging Free Speaking Engagements Into Bigger Opportunities with Angela Hosking Episode 209: The Differences in Doing Interviews for Podcasts, TV, & Publications with Carol Cox and Marie Fiebach

My guest Natalie Legrand recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and is one of our panelists at our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. I invited Natalie on to talk about: Her thought leadership project What it looks like to implement DEI as a small business owner Why you want to be a force for change and not just a force for good Questions we can consider to be a force for change Recognizing obstacles others have that we don’t think about Natalie coaches me (really helpful!) Our Thought Leader Academy is starting again in April 2021. Get all the details and sign up at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. About My Guest: Natalie Legrand is a leadership and social impact coach, a trusted advisor, and consultant. Her work addresses various societal issues and brings awareness of the unique cultures, politics, and economies that characterize different regions around the world. She collectively designs, develops, and implements global strategies and programs in which individuals and teams of employees from Fortune 100 organizations strategically engage in underserved communities. She advises companies on corporate responsibility, social issue leadership, employee engagement, and related areas with the goal of creating initiatives that strengthen business and impact society. 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/218 Natalie’s website: https://www.natalielegrand.com/ Natalie’s Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/natalierlegrand/ Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Natalie Legrand (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-r-legrand-9443773/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 175: The Work of Anti-Racism as White Women with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

What steps can you take to start building your thought leadership platform? What are strategies you can use to build an audience and grow your business, speaking, and visibility? This episode is a panel discussion from our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit that we held last October 2020. (Our next event is coming up very soon on April 1, 2021! Register for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit.) Our panelists (LuAnn Nigara, Tammy Lally, and Dr. Karen Wilson) are all accomplished speakers, from having a podcast with over 3 million downloads to having a TEDx talk go viral with over 2 million views to being a sought-after presenter at top industry conferences. You’ll hear us talk about: What does being a thought leader mean to you? If you had to pick one thing that was key to getting you from where you were 4 or 5 years ago to where you are today (in terms of your platform/success), what would it be? What’s something you wished you had done early on when building your thought leadership platform? What role has speaking played in developing your platform? Do you ever get vulnerability hangovers? If so, what strategies do you use to work through them? About Our Guests/Panelists: LuAnn Nigara is the host of the top-rated interior design podcast, A Well-Designed Business®, which recently surpassed 600 episodes and 3 million downloads. Her podcast was named in Architectural Digest as one of the top ten podcasts listened to by interior designers. LuAnn also hosts an annual event called LuAnn Live and has published several books. LuAnn began her career more than thirty years ago as a co-owner of Window Works, an award-winning window treatment and awning retailer in Livingston, NJ. Tammy Lally is a published author, TEDx speaker, and Certified Money Coach. Her TEDx talk on money shame has been viewed over 2 million times. She helps others master their finances by first conquering their emotions around money, then by creating a comprehensive financial plan. Dr. Karen Wilson is the founder of ChildNEXUS.com, which aims to dispel myths about issues related to pediatric mental health, disseminate information, and help parents make informed decisions when choosing providers for their children. She’s also a clinical neuropsychologist, with a private practice in Los Angeles, California, where she specializes in the neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents. Karen is the host of the ChildNEXUS podcast. 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/217 Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Websites: LuAnn Nigara = https://luannnigara.com/ Tammy Lally = https://tammylally.com/ Dr. Karen Wilson = https://www.childnexus.com/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox LuAnn Nigara = https://www.linkedin.com/in/luannnigara/ Tammy Lally = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammylally/ Dr. Karen Wilson = https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkareniwilson/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 11: Creating and Preparing for a Keynote Presentation with LuAnn Nigara [Coaching] Episode 24: What It Takes to Do a TEDx Talk with Tammy Lally Episode 91: Visibility Works: From Local Speaking to TED.com to a Book with Tammy Lally Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas Series]

Last March 2020, as part of Women’s History Month, I released this episode and our challenge called #ChoosingWomensVoices. This content and challenge is just as relevant today, so this is an excellent opportunity to listen again or to listen for the first time. I’m taking this opportunity myself to audit the podcasts I listen to, the books I read, and the people I follow to make sure there are a preponderance of women’s voices and of diverse women’s voices. This all started towards the end of 2019 when I was listening to a well-known, very popular male podcaster and he put me over the edge when he said something like this (I'm paraphrasing): "Some people tell me I should have more diverse guests - women and people of color - but I don't think that should be a criteria for who I invite. I want the best person on a given topic no matter their gender or race." And at that moment, I hit stop, unsubscribed, and deleted his show from my podcast app.🤯​ (You'll hear who it was and more in this episode.) I do have to thank him for partly inspiring the #ChoosingWomensVoices challenge we're running this month to raise our awareness of the voices we listen to (and read), from podcasts and books to movies, tv, and news to our specific industry. How many are women? Is there diversity within those women's voices? Are there women podcasters/authors/experts you can find to augment (or replace) the male voices? You may be wondering: why does it matter if the content I listen to or read is from a woman or a man? That’s what we’re talking about on the podcast as well as during the challenge. In this episode, Diane Diaz and I talk about: What’s just as important as visibility is our actual voices as women and what we’re saying: “If you can see it *and* hear it, you can be it.” Although there are more women in higher-profile positions than ever, we're still hitting that glass ceiling. Why is that? There are many factors, but one is literally the voices we hear. The history of women being shamed, ridiculed, threatened, even harmed and killed for speaking up. This continues even today: GamerGate, harassment on social media, women in politics. Women’s actual voices are criticized as being shrill, nagging, whining, too angry, too emotional or not emotional enough. The positive impact that collective women’s voices can have, as we've seen in movements like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and #TimesUp. What we can do about it by being more intentional with the voices we choose. Unsilencing ourselves and developing the confidence to do so. Join the Challenge! To sign up for our free #ChoosingWomensVoices challenge, go to https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge. During the challenge, you'll receive an email prompt each day for 5 days with a short activity, along with recommendations. (You can start the challenge any time.) 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/216 Sign up for our free 5-day challenge #ChoosingWomensVoices at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge. Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on social media: Carol Cox LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol Cox Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Diane Diaz LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 191: Women in Politics and the Public Sphere with Rep. Anna Eskamani [Use Your Voice Series] Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas Series]

Have you ever felt like you have a deeper story and message to share with your audience? Perhaps you’re uncertain what it is because it’s hidden under surface content. Or perhaps you know what the deeper story is but you have some fears and doubts about being vulnerable and sharing it. We all have a deeper story and message - and our audiences can benefit when we’re willing to open up. This is exactly what we’ve seen Zaribel Clay do in our Thought Leader Academy during the past few months. Zaribel has been working closely with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz on her thought leadership message and her signature talk, so I asked Diane to interview Zaribel to talk about the journey Zaribel has been on. Zaribel is also one of our speakers for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit that takes place on April 1st. It’s free to attend, so register today: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Zaribel has been an inspiration to the other women and to me. I'm delighted to have her on the podcast! About Our Guest: Zaribel Clay is a business owner, writer and speaker. She runs her Kinderdance business out of Elizabeth City, NC. She is passionate about helping women find their voice, find emotional healing, and live their truth. She is also a proud wife and mom. Her faith is her most important value. Zaribel's highest goal in life is ''to be the reason someone knew healing is possible.'' 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/215 Zaribel’s website: https://zaribelclay.com/ Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/ Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers with Carol Cox Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox

Get ready for a value-packed and heartfelt episode with key takeaways you can use as you think about your thought leadership message and signature talk and putting yourself out there. This is a round table discussion with our speaking coaches who work with our clients in our Thought Leader Academy and with the speakers for our upcoming Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. Joining me in this episode are Diane Diaz, Marie Fiebach, and Joy Spencer. We talk about: The shifts we’ve seen our clients go through over the past few months Common challenges and obstacles we see clients face The impact of being in community with other women working towards similar goals Vulnerability and self-compassion when digging deeper into your story and message The connection between the head, heart, and gut in thought leadership Unlearning academic or marketing jargon when creating speeches And 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 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/214 Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. 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 Marie Fiebach = https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariefiebach/ Joy Spencer = https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-spencer/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 169: Leveraging Free Speaking Engagements Into Bigger Opportunities with Angela Hosking Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers with Carol Cox Episode 194: How to Structure a Movement-Making Speech Using Your Story with Joy Spencer Episode 205: The 4 Types of Talks You Need as a Speaker and Thought Leader with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 209: The Differences in Doing Interviews for Podcasts, TV, & Publications with Carol Cox and Marie Fiebach

How can you start developing your thought leadership message? In this episode, I walk you through: my V.O.I.C.E. model for thought leadership common fears that keep us as women from speaking up the rewards you get from speaking up 6 steps to position yourself as a thought leader Download our free Thought Leadership workbook that has the V.O.I.C.E. framework, question prompts, and more: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. I define a thought leader as someone who has an interesting idea, especially one that hasn’t been talked about a lot in their circle of influence, that challenges the status quo and challenges our assumptions; who communicates it with conviction and boldness; who inspires people to take action; AND who causes people to be self-reflective, to learn more about themselves and how they relate to the world. Thought leaders who gain momentum also have what I call a container or project for their thought leadership message, which you’ll hear more about in this episode. One of my thought leadership containers is this podcast; the other is the Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit we did last year and that we’re doing again on April 1st. Register for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. This week is also the 4-year anniversary of this podcast! Podcasting each week has been the most important factor in the growth of Speaking Your Brand as a company and in helping me refine my voice. THANK YOU for being a listener, whether you've recently found the podcast or have been listening for a while. A SPECIAL THANK YOU if you’ve been a listener since year 1! You helped me continue to hit publish every Tuesday. This episode is part of our Big Ideas series. 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/213 Download our free Thought Leadership workbook that has the V.O.I.C.E. framework, question prompts, and more: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 183: Amplify Your Voice by Having a Sponsor with Jhaymee Tynan Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader & How We're Evolving at Speaking Your Brand Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers Episode 194: How to Structure a Movement-Making Speech Using Your Story with Joy Spencer

Have you been asked to be an emcee for an event or thought about being one? An emcee (or MC, Master of Ceremonies) is the person who is the bridge and what I call the cohesive glue of the event. Being an emcee is harder than it looks! You’re a host, an entertainer, and a representative of the event’s brand. As the emcee, your goal is to make the participants, the event organizer, their brand, and their business look good. I recently was the emcee for a virtual event and wanted to share my experiences and lessons with you. I’m joined in this episode by Amber Hawley, who is the emcee for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit coming up on April 1st and was the emcee for the event we did last year. Amber and I talk about 5 rules we came up with for being an excellent, effective, and engaging emcee. These rules apply whether you’re doing virtual or in-person events. And these rules are helpful for you as a speaker! Be sure to register for our next Brave. Bold. Beyond. LIVE virtual summit to see Amber in action! https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/ About My Guest: Amber Hawley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of a group private practice. Amber is also co-host of the My Biz Bestie Podcast, Founder of CouplesFix, which provides relationship support to high achieving couples, and is a speaker and emcee. 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/212/ Amber’s website: https://www.mybizbestie.com/ Listen to Amber’s podcast “My Biz Bestie.” Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Amber Hawley (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberhawley/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 153: Threading a Story Throughout Your Signature Talk with Amber Hawley

We all love TED talks, right? The best ones tell us something we haven’t thought of before and inspire us to take action. TED talks became so popular because they showcased Big Ideas that oftentimes came from or were influenced by the speaker’s own personal story or experience (plus they’re under 20 minutes!). In this episode, I’m joined by Tanya Golash-Boza, who recently delivered her TEDx talk called “How to Kill a Neighborhood and Make a Profit” about how disinvestment in Black communities during the 20th century has led to gentrification in the 21st. Tanya is currently in our Thought Leader Academy and worked with us to create her TEDx talk. As a professor of sociology at the University of California, Merced, and founder of the Racism, Capitalism, and the Law Lab, Tanya knows a lot about her topic (she’s writing an entire book on it!): years, statistics, and the specifics of policies like redlining and racial restrictive covenants that led to segregated neighborhoods. Her challenge was to take an academic topic for a niche audience and turn it into a powerful TEDx talk for a general audience - and she did! In this episode, Tanya and I talk about: Narrowing down her content and finding the throughline for her talk Integrating her personal story and experiences growing up in D.C. How she iterated her scripts and added more storytelling with help from one of our speaking coaches Joy Spencer Getting feedback from various people in different disciplines How she memorized her script and prepared for the filming What she’s doing next: taking her TEDx talk and expanding it into a signature talk and keynote, using our framework What has been the most beneficial aspects of being in our Thought Leader Academy This episode is the second in our Big Ideas series. About My Guest: Tanya Golash-Boza is a scholar who focuses on gaining a deep understanding of systems of oppression and exploitation. As a writer, speaker, and teacher, she tells stories of people and of systems to help colleagues, students, readers, and listeners understand how racism and capitalism structure our lives and what we need to do to change this country and the world. 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/211 Tanya’s website: http://www.racismcapitalismlaw.com Tanya’s TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/eakUZX-pRCQ Tanya’s blog post: http://getalifephd.blogspot.com/2021/01/how-to-write-compelling-tedx-script.html Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on Twitter: Carol Cox = https://twitter.com/carolmorgancox Tanya Golash-Boza (guest) = https://twitter.com/tanyaboza Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Tanya Golash-Boza (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyagolashboza/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 91: Visibility Works: From Local Speaking to TED.com to a Book Episode 98: Expanding Your Personal Story into a Universal Message Episode 194: How to Structure a Movement-Making Speech Using Your Story

What does it mean to have a Big Idea? Your Big Idea doesn’t need to be something that’s never been talked about before or something that new research you’ve done has uncovered for the first time (if yours does, that’s great!). I like to think of Big Ideas as ones that aren’t getting talked about in *your* circles, in your community or in your industry. Big Ideas can often be found at the intersection of your industry and a trend (not a fad - I talk about the differences between trends and fads in episode 206). For example, in episode 163 last year, I talked about a feminist approach to public speaking. Speaking is not a new topic and feminism is not a new topic, but combining them is something new. Big Ideas inform your thought leadership. In this episode, I talk with Jackie Roby, the founder of Inspired Journey Consulting, a Boston-based business dedicated to wellness, healing, and transformational tourism. Jackie was one of our incredible speakers at our last Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit and is currently in our Thought Leader Academy. This episode is the first in our new series on Big Ideas. Jackie and I talk about: Her Big Idea of how travel can be healing (which came from her own personal situation) What wellness travel and healing travel mean The thought leadership project Jackie is creating with her new podcast and her #TravelCanHeal hashtag and challenge How Jackie came up with another Big Idea around helping travel companies with DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Questions you can ask yourself to identify your Big Idea Jackie shares her experience of speaking at our event and the impact it had on her About My Guest: Jackie Roby is Chief Excellence Officer at Inspired Journey Consulting, a Boston-based business dedicated to wellness, healing, and transformational tourism. She is a sales strategist for wellness travel businesses & is a Diversity Equity Inclusion advocate. Jackie brings over 19 years of experience in travel and hospitality sales. IJC's vision is to create a world where marginalized people feel empowered to be their authentic selves, where traveling is a tool for inclusion, to enhance the cultural wellness in the travel industry, and grow emotional intelligence, healing, & self-care for a kinder humanity. 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/210 Jackie’s website: https://www.inspiredjourneyconsulting.com/ Register for Jackie’s webinar: https://inspiredjourneyconsulting.com/events/ Jackie’s Podcast “Through Inspired Eyes: Travel Can Heal”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/through-inspired-eyes-travel-can-heal/id1544605633 Jackie’s speech from our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit ‘20: https://youtu.be/bVsFpfbax0w Sign up to get updates for our next Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Jackie Roby (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-roby/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 162: Why We're #ChoosingWomensVoices - and You Should Too Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders

Many of us guest on podcasts and it’s an excellent way to increase your visibility and expand to new audiences. Have you considered pitching yourself for traditional media, like TV, radio, and publications? You should! Joining me in this episode is Marie Fiebach, who is one of our speaking coaches for our Thought Leader Academy and for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. Marie is the host of the Feed Your Family Tonight podcast and a regular contributor on her local ABC TV affiliate in Wichita, Kansas. Marie and I have been working on a training she’s doing in our academy on media pitching and prep, so it got me thinking that it would be helpful for us to talk about the differences in doing interviews for podcasts, for media (TV and radio), and for publications. In this episode, Marie and I discuss: Why you should do interviews (what you get out of it) Who gets media coverage (hint: you can!) The differences between podcasts, TV, and publications in the content you share, your call to action, and the depth of your answers How to interact with the host on a podcast vs. when doing a TV segment Examples from both my and Marie’s experiences in doing TV, podcast guesting, and being interviewed for publications About My Guest: Marie Fiebach has been working with non-profits for more than 20 years. Through her work in strategic planning and fundraising leadership, she has helped many organizations break through the status quo and achieve goals once thought to be impossible. Marie has helped organizations plan and execute fundraisers with revenues in excess of $100,000, developed a food program for at-risk teens, designed and executed a process for recruiting and hiring a new executive director, and so much more. She currently sits on two local non-profit boards and is a weekly guest on KAKE TV’s Good Morning Kansas. She lives, works, and volunteers in Wichita, Kansas. When she is not helping others dream bigger you may find her pursuing her passion for helping busy families at FeedYourFamilyTonight.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 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/209 Marie’s website: https://feedyourfamilytonight.com/ Marie’s podcast “Feed Your Family Tonight”: https://feedyourfamilytonight.com/category/podcast/ Work with us to prep for your media interviews: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/media-training/ Sign up to get updates for our next Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Marie Fiebach (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariefiebach/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 115: How Your Speaking, Media, and PR Can Work Together with Wendy Glaister Episode 139: Selecting the Best Stories to Include in Your Signature Talk with Marie Fiebach

If you’re an introvert, the thought of visibility, and maybe even the thought of public speaking, is one that you may be a little bit more hesitant to pursue. However, did you know that there are so many speakers from professional speakers all the way down to entrepreneurs, who do public speaking and consider themselves introverts? You do not need to be an extrovert to be a really great public speaker. As an introvert, there are many things that you can do to put yourself out there, to find your voice, and to use your voice effectively. My guest today is Katherine N. Johnson, who is a Certified Professional Coach, mentor, writer, podcaster, and speaker. In this episode, Katherine opens up about her experiences as an introvert and details her journey in finding and using her voice. Plus, we also share specific strategies we’ve both used as speakers that you can apply to your public speaking and thought leadership journey. About My Guest: Katherine N Johnson is a Certified Professional Coach, mentor, writer and speaker. After 20+ years in the Information Technology (IT) field, Katherine now leverages her extensive experience to mentor women in STEM fields helping them level up so that they can EXCEL in their careers. Katherine is passionate about helping professional women and young girls to gain clarity, courage and confidence to pursue their bigger purpose and vision. In her newest venture, the Beautiful Reflections podcast, Katherine gets vulnerable sharing details of her personal story, while interviewing other inspiring women along the way. 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/208/ Katherine’s website: https://katherinenjohnson.com/ Katherine’s podcast “Beautiful Reflections: Coaching for Career Women”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beautiful-reflections-coaching-for-career-women/id1546169726 Sign up to get updates for our next Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/ or text SPEAKING to 33-777. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Katherine N. Johnson (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinenjohnson/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 127: Developing Confidence in Public Speaking [Confidence Series] Episode 129: From Fear of Speaking to Keynote Speaker in 2 Years [Confidence Series] Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers [Use Your Voice Series]

It’s no question that 2020 definitely threw us for a loop. With many of our speaking engagements and events forced to convert to online presentations and webinars, I know that a lot of us are excited to get back to in-person speaking (hopefully sometime in the later half of 2021). My guest today is Mary Beth Simon, who is the founder of Niche Partnership Consulting and also a current client in our Thought Leader Academy. In this episode, Mary Beth & I talk about what she’s doing for visibility and various strategies she can implement to leverage her visibility opportunities including: In-person speaking engagements Virtual presentations Podcast guesting A TEDx talk Listen in through the end as she shares the opening of her TEDx talk that she’s working on—I promise, you’re going to be blown away! About My Guest: After 30+ years in corporate financial services, Mary Beth now uses her strategic talents to coach entrepreneurs and individuals on creating their contingency plans empowering their second-in-command to keep business and life flowing smoothly in an emergency. Mary Beth founded Niche Partnership Consulting because her clients’ transformations inspire her. She believes that the combination of continuous learning, growth, and change is the fountain of youth and recently became a certified Les Mills BodyFlow instructor. 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/207 Mary Beth’s website: https://nichepartnershipconsulting.net/ Apply to speak at our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/apply. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Mary Beth Simon (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-beth-simon-npc/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 102: Getting Local Media and Publicity to Expand Your Visibility with Amanda Berlin Episode 156: Visibility Strategies That Get You Noticed with Janice Gassam, Ph.D. Episode 206: Trends in Public Speaking and Thought Leadership for 2021 with Carol Cox

Happy New Year! This is the 3rd year in a row I’ve done a trends episode for the start of the year. You’d think after what happened in 2020, I’d shy away from projecting trends, but the trends I talked about a year ago surprisingly held up pretty well. (I recap them in this episode.) 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 the economy to popular culture and media as well as our politics. How do these trends impact our public speaking and thought leadership? Because 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 visibility, as well as to your business and marketing 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/206 Be sure you’re on our email list so you don’t miss announcements for our next Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit on April 1st, including our call for speakers in January: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join. Interested in working together to create your signature talk and thought leadership platform? Schedule a consult call: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 101: Public Speaking Trends for 2019 Episode 154: Public Speaking Trends for 2020 Episode 166: Reimagining Our Businesses, Industries, and Public Speaking with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]

I talk quite a bit on this podcast about signature talks - why you should have one and what goes into one. Your signature talk is your foundation for your brand message and story. It showcases who you are, what you do, who you do it for, and why it matters. We’ve worked with our clients for the past 5 years to help them create their signature talk, which they’ve used for presentations (in-person and virtually) for brand awareness, lead generation, keynotes, and TEDx talks. In this episode, Diane Diaz and I talk about: 4 types of talks you should have as an entrepreneur, speaker, and thought leader When you should use each type Examples of each My favorite type of talk What the women in our Thought Leader Academy are currently working on This episode is part of our series on Goals & Planning. 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/205 Get instant access to our Webinar Idea to Launch on-demand training: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/webinar-course Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. Maureen Taylor’s webinar results on Nikki Rausch’s Sales Maven podcast: https://yoursalesmaven.com/how-to-make-your-free-webinar-profitable-a-client-success-story/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 116: 16 Ways You Can Use Your Signature Talk Episode 145: You Need to Create a Framework [Frameworks Series] Episode 165: How to Repurpose Your In-Person Presentation into an Engaging Webinar with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

How can we create a decision-making filter to determine which opportunities to say ‘yes’ to and which to say ‘no’ to? If you are newer in your business and/or with speaking, it can be very beneficial to say ‘yes’ to a lot of opportunities because it provides you with experience and with data for future decision making. Then, as we get further along in our businesses and in our speaking careers, we inevitably get more and more invitations and opportunities. My guest today is Danielle Hayden, who is the founder of Kickstart Accounting, Inc. where she and her team help business owners with bookkeeping, financial analysis, and education. Danielle and I talk about: Decision-making filters to help you decide what opportunities to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to Identifying the goal you have for a speaking engagement Determining if that particular audience is the best one for you Tracking metrics beyond dollars (so important) When an entrepreneur should hire a bookkeeper and CPA The framework Danielle uses with her clients This episode is part of our Goals & Planning series. About My Guest: Danielle Hayden is a reformed corporate CFO (chief financial officer) who is on a mission to help rule-breaking female entrepreneurs understand their numbers so they can gain the confidence needed to create sustainable profits. After spending 10+ years in the boardroom as a corporate finance officer, Danielle is now in her sweet spot as the co-owner of Kickstart Accounting, Inc. where she helps business owners with bookkeeping, financial analysis, and education and as the author of the Profit Planner book series. When Danielle isn’t crunching numbers on her clients’ behalf or crafting the next iteration of the Profit Planner, you can find her hanging with her two kids as she inspires them to lead their fullest lives or doing any and almost every fitness-related activity ranging from Spartan races to pilates. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/204 Connect with Danielle at www.profitplannerbooks.com and www.kickstartaccountinginc.com. Download Danielle’s free financial goal setting worksheet: profitplannerbookkeeping.com/speaking Danielle’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniellehayden__oh Be sure to get on our email list so you don’t miss the details of our next Brave. Bold. Beyond. live online event that will be on April 1st. Call for speakers is coming in early January. Go to https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Danielle Hayden (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-hayden-kickstartaccounting/

This episode is 2 conversations in one. I invited my guest and client Lesley Batson, founder of Rebel Rock Wealth, on to the podcast to help us with our financial review and planning as we end one year and start the next. Lesley shares with us the areas we need to review as individuals and as business owners. This ends up being the 2nd half of our conversation. The 1st half of the conversation is about an incident that happened to Lesley when she was co-hosting an online event in November. You won’t want to miss either parts of this episode. About My Guest: Lesley Batson launched Rebel Rock Wealth, a strategic financial consulting firm that teaches independent thinking professionals and small business owners, the WHOLE truth about money and helps them implement strategies to control and build the wealth style they desire. Lesley is licensed in several states and meets with clients from Florida to California virtually. She loves Hamilton the Musical, playing golf, and taking up space on a sandy beach. 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/203 Lesley’s website: https://www.rebelrockwealth.com/ Free checklist: https://www.rebelrockwealth.com/syb Lesley’s video about what happened at the event she was facilitating: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lbatson_tedxcentennialparksalon-antiracism-diversityandinclusion-activity-6733081975789293568-pw2x Lesley’s group No More Ignorance: https://no-more-ignorance.mn.co/ Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Lesley Batson (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/lbatson/

What should you be measuring in your business and in your speaking and visibility efforts? There are the obvious metrics: revenue, leads, sales, number of events you speak at. But what else? We can’t forget to measure what we’re doing (or *not* doing and *should* be doing) that will get us to the goals we want. My guest is Casey Gromer, who owns SHE-Suite Boutique, a business consultancy that works for female founders who are ready to step away from being boss while still achieving growth and success as a business owner. I invited Casey on the podcast to share with us her 4-part planning process, which you can use now as you plan for next year and you can use throughout the year as you evaluate your results and set new goals. This episode is part of our Goals & Planning series. About My Guest: Casey Gromer is the founder and head Integrator of SHE-Suite Boutique – a business consultancy that works for female founders who are ready to stop away from being boss while still achieving growth and success as a business owner. As a mom and founder of my own company, I recognize that traditional, male-dominated business strategies are not resonating for many women business owners. Now, as an author, consultant, and Fractional Integrator, our team helps purpose-driven women business owners find the balance in business – avoiding burnout and decision-fatigue while maintaining sustainable and profitable growth. 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/202 Casey’s website: https://www.she-suiteboutique.com Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Casey Gromer (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseygromer/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 160: Shifting Your Sales Mindset and Strategies for Greater Success with Reena Philpot [Mindset Series]

Although 2020 didn’t end up going quite as planned (understatement of the year), there are lessons I’ve taken from it that have made me and Speaking Your Brand as a business stronger and more resilient. In this episode, Diane Diaz and I talk about: The impact COVID had on the business and our plans for the year The value of constraints What worked and what didn’t work this year 5 big lessons from 2020 (these are not the obvious ones) My commitments and strategic priorities What’s coming in 2021 This episode is the first in our new Goals & Planning series. 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/201 Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact. Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz Want to improve your podcast or need an editor? I highly recommend our editor, Tim Wohlberg. Check him out at https://podcastperformancecoach.com/. Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 166: Reimagining Our Businesses, Industries, and Public Speaking with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz

200th episode celebration! After creating 200 podcast episodes over nearly 4 years, I’ve learned a lot. In this episode, I share: The impact podcasting has had on my business How my guest selection process has evolved Things I wished I had done earlier The most popular episodes and why I think they are My favorite episodes The surprising lessons I’ve learned about finding and using my voice What’s coming next for the podcast Takeaways you can use if you have a podcast or are thinking of starting one Thank you so much for being a listener! I wouldn’t be 200 episodes in if it wasn’t for you. Want to help me celebrate? There are 3 things you can do: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Share about the podcast on your social media Tell a friend or colleague about one of your favorite episodes (text them the link!) 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/200 Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin. Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 100: Best of the Podcast: 100 Episodes Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 197: What We Can Learn as Speakers from ‘Hamilton’ with Carol Cox [Storytelling Series]

We’ve heard so much about the importance of storytelling over the past few years that using data, statistics, and research in our presentations seems to have been sidelined. However, data can play a very important role in helping people understand what’s going on and what’s possible. Data can be used to tell stories and to affect change. This is a fantastic conversation with my guest Monique Ositelu, PhD, who runs a data-consulting firm that helps educational institutions, non-profits, and companies leverage their data into useful strategic insights to curate actionable solutions. In this episode, Monique and I talk about: The stories she heard growing up and how they impacted her Why and how to use data in your presentations How to tell stories using data How Monique humanizes the data she analyzes Specific strategies you can use when presenting data, charts, and graphics The research Monique did for her dissertation on collegiate athletics, education and race, using data How Monique is sharing her thought leadership message Register for Monique’s professional development webinar “Telling Compelling Stories with Your Data”: https://hopin.to/events/telling-compelling-stories-with-your-data About My Guest: Dr. Monique Ositelu is the Founder & CEO of Data Driven Consulting & Solutions, a data-consulting firm that helps educational institutions, non-profits, and corporate companies leverage their data into useful strategic insights to curate actionable solutions. As someone who enjoys using data to tell stories and making systematic change in both practice and policy, Dr. Ositelu launched her business to pursue her passion and currently serves as the Chief Data Consultant. Dr. Ositelu also serves as a Senior Policy Analyst for Higher Education with the Education Policy Program at New America. New America is a bipartisan public policy research institute located in Washington, D.C. In her role, Dr. Ositelu conducts policy research and data analysis to promote college access and degree completion for historically underserved students. Dr. Ositelu earned her PhD in higher education, with a specialization in public policy, from Florida State University. Prior to that, she earned her master’s degree in public administration, with a concentration in public policy, from the University of Texas at El Paso and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Furman University. 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/199 Monique’s website: http://www.ddcands.com/ Register for Monique’s professional development webinar “Telling Compelling Stories with Your Data”: https://hopin.to/events/telling-compelling-stories-with-your-data Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin. Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Monique Ositelu (guest) = http://linkedin.com/in/moniqueositelu-phd This episode is part of our podcast series on Storytelling. Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 138: Scientists Need to Tell Stories Too with Karen Corbin, PhD, RD [Storytelling Series]

Writing a nonfiction book and having a signature talk go hand in hand: both are a reflection of who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Both your book and your signature talk should have a “hook,” which is your particular angle that answers “why me” and “why now” for your topic. Some of our clients come to us after they’ve written a book to work on their signature talk, so we help them pull out the most important stories and key points. Other clients create their signature talk first, which becomes the foundation and outline for their book. My guest in this episode is Kelly Notaras, founder of kn literary arts, which works with authors who are writing nonfiction books. Kelly and I talk about: Why stories about yourself are not self-indulgent and how detailed to get in your stories 3 types of nonfiction books you can write: prescriptive nonfiction, narrative memoir, and teaching memoir Examples of each type and how to choose the best one for you, especially as a speaker 5 elements you can use to find the “hook” for your book What traditional publishers look for in authors How her book coaches work with authors This episode is part of our podcast series on Storytelling. About My Guest: Kelly Notaras is an author, speaker, book editor and entrepreneur. She started her book editing career right out of college by moving to New York, where she worked in the editorial divisions at Avon Books, HarperCollins, Penguin USA and Hyperion Books. She then relocated to Boulder, CO where she became the VP, Associate Publisher at spirituality publisher Sounds True. Kelly speaks regularly at the Hay House Writer’s Workshops, and coproduces the membership-based Hay House Writer’s Community along with Hay House CEO Reid Tracy. But her proudest accomplishment is her book studio, kn literary arts, whose mission is to amplify positive change in the world through the medium of books. 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/198 Kelly’s website: https://knliterary.com/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Kelly Notaras (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/company/kn-literary-arts/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 116: 16 Ways You Can Use Your Signature Talk Episode 145: You Need to Create a Framework [Frameworks Series] Episode 186: From Hashtag to Podcast to Book: Developing Your Thought Leadership Platform with Elayne Fluker [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 193: Five Kinds of Stories to Share in Your Thought Leadership Content with Carol Cox [Storytelling Series]

I admit, I’m a bit obsessed with the musical “Hamilton.” I watched it on Disney+ the July 4th weekend it came out and was instantly transfixed. I knew I would like it, but didn’t realize I was going to love it. Today I’m going to talk about “Hamilton” the play and the production and what we can learn from it as speakers. Why study the play? After all, as speakers, we’re not acting in a play or singing in a musical. We’re speaking to grow our audiences, build our businesses, generate leads, get paid. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen a lot of so-so and boring presentations, both in person at conferences and, especially this year, virtually. Your presentations shouldn’t be flat - they can be fun and engaging and they should be layered - and speak to universal themes. In this episode, I’m going to share what I saw as I watched “Hamilton” as well as what I learned from reading the amazing book called “Hamilton: The Revolution” that gives behind the scenes of the creation and production of the musical. You can listen to this episode whether you’ve seen Hamilton or not. If you haven’t, this episode will hopefully inspire you to watch it. This episode is part of our podcast series on Storytelling. 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/197 Book “Hamilton: The Revolution” = https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Miranda/dp/1455539740/ Connect with Carol: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 137: The Missing Ingredients in Your Stories with Carol Cox Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader & How We're Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox