In this episode of Referral Worthy, host Dusti Arab is joined by Samara Bay, bestselling author of Permission to Speak and a sought-after speaking coach. Samara shares how coaching actors on accents in Hollywood led to coaching leaders on voice, presence, and the courage to sound like themselves. She explains why she chose to scale her ideas, not herself, and how B2B partnerships let her do deep, long-term work with rising executives and culture shapers.

They dig into what actually lands in 2025. Viral moments are emotional, yet most teams still reward flat delivery. Samara breaks down why the old rules around authority are outdated, how to use one upcoming talk as a Trojan horse for broader leadership growth, and why permission is not something you get from the outside. It is an embodied choice. The conversation also touches on activism, choosing service over hot takes, and giving yourself the freedom to have a lower-visibility era so you can do work that matters.

What listeners will take away:

• A practical lens for speaking that people feel, not just hear

• How to use a single high-stakes presentation to rewire your leadership presence

• When to choose B2B over B2C so you can do deeper work without burning out

• Why emotion is memorable, how to use it responsibly at work

• The difference between external permission and embodied permission, and why it changes how you sell, lead, and get referred

Samara Bay is a speaking and leadership consultant and Professor of Practice at USC's Annenberg School. She's the bestselling author of Permission to Speak and a behind-the-scenes guide to forward-thinking leaders across tech, culture, social impact, and politics. A former Hollywood dialect coach (credits include Gal Gadot), she shifted during a high-stakes election cycle to help rising political voices. Her mission: change the story of what power sounds like—so we change who has power.