If you’re exhausted by creating a brand-new presentation every time you’re invited to speak, I get it. You want the talk to fit the audience. But customizing your message is very different from reinventing it.

In this episode, I’m joined by our coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark to talk about how we each use one foundational signature talk across different audiences, industries, and formats.

Erin shares how she adapts her CALM framework for everything from a six-minute-and-40-second PechaKucha talk to a 60-minute keynote. 

Diane explains what to keep, what to change, and why your stories should be the last thing you cut when time is tight.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why customizing a signature talk is different from creating a new talk from scratch
• The core elements that should stay consistent across speaking engagements
• How Erin adapts her CALM framework for different industries and talk lengths
• How Diane changes stories and audience engagement without losing her central message
• Why listing 10, 15, or 20 speaking topics can make you harder to remember and refer
• How our Brand Voice Canvas connects your mission, expertise, methodology, and experiences
• What Erin did when she was assigned a topic outside her expertise
• How to expand a keynote into a workshop without turning it into a content dump
• How your signature talk can become podcast talking points, website copy, and months of LinkedIn content

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/486/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Learn about our Orlando speaking retreat: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/ 
• Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact
• Episode 462: Speaking Strategies That Create Lasting Impact: Live Signature Talks from TLA Grads with Erin Mark
• Episode 475: From Personal Story to Thought Leadership: A Framework for Speakers with Erin Mark
• Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book with Carol Cox

What if the most important sales moments connected to your speaking engagement happen before you step on stage and in the first few minutes after you step off?

My guest, sales strategist Nikki Rausch, has been my go-to coach for sales language, proposals, pricing, consultation calls, and follow-up for years. 

In this conversation, we walk through the entire speaking engagement from the first inquiry to the conversations that happen after your talk. 

Nikki explains how to make yourself easy for an event organizer to hire, plant sales seeds without turning your presentation into a pitch, and recognize when an audience member is giving you a buying signal.

We also chat about why your job as the speaker begins long before your scheduled presentation time. 

In this episode, Nikki and I talk about:

• Why you should answer an event organizer’s question before asking for a call
• How to state your speaker fee clearly and keep the conversation open
• Nikki’s “rapport bank account” and why your presence matters before you reach the stage
• The difference between planting sales seeds and selling from the stage
• How to use client stories and Q&A responses to show people how you help
• What a buying signal sounds like after a presentation
• How to invite someone to buy or schedule a call while her interest is still high

About Our Guest: Nikki Rausch is a sales strategist, speaker, and founder of Sales Maven. With more than 25 years of sales experience and over a decade as a business owner, she teaches service-based entrepreneurs how to have confident sales conversations that lead to yeses, without feeling pushy or fake. As a Master Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Nikki focuses on the language and communication behind selling. Her approach is rooted in building rapport, recognizing buying signals, and guiding conversations in a way that feels natural for both you and the client. She is the author of three books, including The Selling Staircase, and host of the Sales Maven Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally. Through her coaching, programs, and speaking, Nikki supports women entrepreneurs in turning sales into a skill they can rely on, so they can grow their business with clarity and confidence.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/485/ 

Nikki’s website: https://yoursalesmaven.com/ 

Get Nikki’s free gift Follow-Up Made Easy Guide: https://yoursalesmaven.com/easyfollowup 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Learn about our Orlando speaking retreat: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Nikki Rausch (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkirausch/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Carol’s episode on Nikki’s Sales Maven podcast: https://yoursalesmaven.com/blog/integrating-both-thought-leadership-and-lead-generation-into-one-talk/
• Episode 133: Authentic Selling at Your Speaking Engagements with Nikki Rausch
• Episode 34: Relationship Selling with Nikki Rausch
• Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book with Carol Cox

When you hear “executive presence,” do you picture someone walking into a boardroom looking polished, confident, and completely certain of what to say?

My guest, Mary E. Maloney, sees it differently. 

Executive presence matters most when you’re in the middle of a high-stakes identity shift, such as after a promotion, a career change, the sale of a business, a retirement, or an unexpected ending. 

Mary calls that in-between space the Keystone Gap: your old identity no longer fits, but the new one hasn’t fully locked into place.

In this conversation, Mary explains why the real issue in that gap usually isn’t a lack of confidence. It’s a lack of clarity. 

Mary shares her Five C’s of Identity Shift, the year she struggled to explain who she was without her CEO title, and the boss who pushed her onto a stage before she believed she was ready.

In this episode, Mary and I talk about:

• What executive presence means during a high-stakes transition
• Why identity is the hidden architecture beneath career and leadership changes
• The Keystone Gap between releasing an old identity and building a new one
• Why rushing through an identity shift can make the transition harder
• Mary’s Five C’s of Identity Shift
• The difference between needing more confidence and needing more clarity
• How purpose, impact, and your standards for showing up strengthen executive presence
• What Mary learned after selling her company and taking a year away
• How a reluctant first speech changed the trajectory of her career
• Why authentic stories and knowing your audience matter on stage

About Our Guest: Mary E. Maloney, FACHE, is a former CEO/CMO turned Master Facilitator who guides senior leaders through high-stakes transitions, helping them clarify and articulate the identity, purpose, and value that will define their next act. Through her signature two-call Brand Declaration® process, she helps leaders sift through decades of experience to name the recurring themes of their value in minutes rather than months. She works with C-suite executives, physician leaders, military officers, founders, and board-level talent through online courses, mastermind cohorts, and 1:1 inplacement/outplacement executive advisory work, and facilitates leadership and strategy retreats for enterprise teams navigating complex change.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/484/ 

Mary’s website: https://revealinggenius.com/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Mary E. Maloney (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryemaloney123/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book
• Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact
• Speak with Confidence series

When someone asks what you speak about, do you give them one clear answer - or a list that includes a bunch of keywords like leadership, communication, resilience, confidence, and change?

I understand the temptation to include everything. 

When you’ve had a long career, narrowing your message can feel like leaving out valuable parts of your experience. 

But if the person you’re talking with can’t explain what you speak about after the conversation is over, she can’t refer you. And that means you’re less likely to get booked.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between a broad subject, a presentation topic, and a distinctive idea
• Why your speaking topic is also a positioning decision
• The one-sentence referral test every speaker should try
• How broad positioning costs you opportunities you may never know you lost
• Three questions that can uncover the point of view inside your experience
• How to test your message with my I.D.E.A. Framework
• What event organizers need to understand before they can picture you in the room
• A practical sentence prompt for clarifying your audience, claim, and outcome

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/483/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episodes 478-481: Expert Trap Series
• Episode 468: What TEDx Organizers Look for When Selecting Speakers

AI can give you an answer. But it can’t be genuinely curious about you.

In this episode, I’m joined by our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to explore why curiosity is essential for developing a compelling thought leadership message and signature talk, especially in an age when AI can quickly produce polished but often predictable content.

Diane shares a powerful analogy about browsing library stacks: You may begin by looking for one book, only to discover an unexpected idea on the shelf beside it. That kind of exploration and serendipity is often where your most original insights come from.

We also talk about why being too close to your expertise can make it difficult to recognize what is most interesting about your ideas and experiences - and why the right questions from another human can uncover connections and stories you would never find through a fill-in-the-blank formula.

Diane and I discuss:

• How relying too heavily on AI can weaken our curiosity
• Why constraints can help you create a stronger talk more quickly
• The questions that uncover your most compelling ideas and stories
• Why your curiosity about your audience matters as much as your expertise
• How curiosity contributes to originality, personal connection, and even humor

Your audience doesn’t need more information. They want a reason to become curious about your idea and about you.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/482/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 481: Expertise Alone Doesn’t Get You Booked as a Speaker - Here's What Does
• Episode 479: 3 Ways AI Can Hurt Your Public Speaking, and 3 Ways It Can Help

If people leave your talk thinking, “She really knows her stuff,” that feels good. But it doesn’t necessarily make you memorable, referable, or bookable.

In this fourth and final episode of my Expert Trap series, I’m looking at three things you may be saying yes to (more content, neutrality, and the wrong room) and the identity questions underneath each one. I’ve done all three, and I still have to watch for them in my own presentations.

You’ll hear why your audience doesn’t need everything you know, how a clear point of view helps your ideas travel, and how to choose speaking opportunities that make your thought leadership stronger instead of more generic. 

I’ll also give you one practical exercise you can use right away: replacing one proof sentence with one belief sentence.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How too much content can become a way to prove you belong
• Why staying neutral can make your message harder to remember
• How to know when a speaking opportunity is the wrong room
• The identity shift from expert to thought leader
• Why expertise builds trust, but your point of view makes you referable and bookable
• The difference between a proof sentence and a belief sentence

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/481/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episodes 478-481: Expert Trap Series
• Episode 463: The Connection Formula of Expertise + Story: Live Signature Talks from Thought Leader Academy Grads
• Episode 458: Same Message, Different Medium: Why Your Talk Isn’t Landing (and How to Fix It)

If you love facilitating workshops and trainings, but you know there’s something more you want to say, this episode is for you.

My guest is Corrin McCloskey, a healthcare executive, speaker, writer, and facilitator who has made the leap from being a fabulous facilitator into a true thought leader. 

Corrin joined us in Thought Leader Academy in January 2025, and in the year and a half since then, she has spoken at multiple national conferences, published writing in her field, and continued building momentum around her message: healthcare needs more human-centered, connected, and courageous leadership.

This conversation is part of our Expert Trap series because Corrin’s story is such a powerful example of what happens when you move beyond simply teaching helpful content and start naming what’s missing in the conversation.

We talk about:

• How Corrin shifted from facilitating strategic planning and leadership workshops to speaking on bigger stages
• Why thought leadership is less about having all the answers and more about sharing a clear perspective
• The role of writing in expanding your ideas beyond a single talk
• How to keep putting your work out there, even when it doesn’t feel perfect
• What Corrin learned from both deeply affirming audience feedback and a painful experience of harassment after a speaking engagement
• Why having a support system matters when you’re using your voice more publicly

What I love about Corrin’s journey is that she didn’t abandon facilitation. She built on it. She took the skills she already had, added her lived experience and perspective, and stepped into a bigger conversation.

That’s the real invitation of thought leadership: to stop hiding behind expertise alone and start using your voice for the change you want to see.

About Our Guest: Corrin McCloskey is a healthcare executive, executive coach, and national speaker focused on leadership, culture, and change management in healthcare. She serves as Vice President of Heart & Vascular and Oncology Services at Tanner Health, where she leads strategy, growth, and service line development. Passionate about helping leaders build trust and navigate complexity, Corrin frequently speaks on physician leadership, organizational culture, and leading change in healthcare. Over the past year, she has expanded her national speaking presence and contributed thought leadership focused on creating healthier, more sustainable healthcare systems.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/480/ 

Corrin’s website: https://corrinmccloskey.com/ 

Watch Corrin deliver her signature talk on our live show: https://www.youtube.com/live/rhDAdGR44-g?si=MulG_sPQ0-MmpLK4 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Corrin McCloskey (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/corrinmccloskey/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 478: The Expert Trap: Why Great Speakers Don't Become Thought Leaders
• Episode 391: Claiming Your Identity as a Speaker and Thought Leader

I love using AI, and I use it almost every day. But when it comes to thought leadership, talks, and presentations, I’ve also seen how easy it is for AI to pull us into a new version of the Expert Trap.

In this episode, I’m sharing three things to be careful about when using AI for your talks, from my own recent experiences with clients, including why it can miss the deeper signal in your message, strip away your natural personality, and leave you with endless unfinished ideas that never become anything concrete.

I also share three smart ways I do recommend using AI: creating stronger slide graphics, brainstorming audience activities for workshops, and analyzing call-for-speakers pages so you can find a stronger pitch angle.

My goal isn’t to talk you out of using AI. It’s to help you use it in a way that supports your voice, your ideas, and your real thought leadership instead of replacing the very things that make you compelling.

You'll learn:

• Why AI can keep you stuck in the Expert Trap
• The difference between AI “polish” and your real voice
• Why your personality matters so much in a talk
• How too many AI-generated ideas can create more unfinished projects
• Three ways I recommend using AI for presentations
• Why I no longer recommend using AI to draft TEDx or speaker submissions
• How to make your human credibility markers stand out in your speaking proposals

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/479/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 468: What TEDx Organizers Look for When Selecting Speakers
• Episode 478: The Expert Trap: Why Great Speakers Don't Become Thought Leaders
• Episode 477: What AI Couldn't Do: Finding the Perfect Name for My Book
• Episode 432: AI Is Already Impacting Your Business – Here are 4 Innovative Ways to Leverage It
• Episode 433: Behind the Scenes of My AI-Powered Business: Real-World Use Cases

Have you ever given a talk that people loved in the moment but nothing happened afterward?

The audience took notes. They told you how valuable your presentation was. But you didn't get the next speaking invitation, new clients, or bigger opportunities.

In this episode, I explain what I call the Expert Trap: the place where expertise becomes the very thing holding you back from becoming a thought leader.

I share the three signs that you may be stuck in the Expert Trap, why helpful talks aren't always memorable, and what separates speakers who simply educate from those whose ideas truly travel.

If you've been wondering why your speaking isn't creating the impact you know it's capable of, this episode will help you see your talks through a new lens.

In this episode you'll learn:

• The three signs you're stuck in the Expert Trap
• Why audiences remember perspectives more than information
• How thought leaders help people see themselves differently, not just learn something new
• What your expertise may be costing you without you realizing it

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/478/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 362: Integrating Thought Leadership and Lead Generation in Your Signature Talk with Danielle Hayden
• Episode 354: Finding and Developing Your Big I.D.E.A.
• Episode 338: Escaping the Expert Trap: From Academic Presenter to Sought-After Speaker with Teri DeLucca, PhD
• Episode 342: I Almost Got Stuck in the Expert Trap: How I Created My Recent Successful Conference Presentation
• Episode 458: Same Message, Different Medium: Why Your Talk Isn’t Landing (and How to Fix It)

You can give a great presentation, get lots of compliments afterward, and still walk away with zero leads.

Why? Because most speakers approach their talks like teachers instead of marketers.

In this episode, Diane Diaz and I share how to create presentations that generate interest, build trust, and lead to clients, without feeling salesy or violating the dreaded "no selling from the stage" rule.

We talk about why audiences don't need more information, what they actually want from your presentation, and how to structure your talks so people understand not only your message, but also why you're the right person to help them.

If you've ever wondered why your speaking engagements aren't translating into business opportunities, this episode will help you rethink how you approach your talks.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why giving audiences more information often reduces conversions
• The difference between a lead-generation talk and a paid workshop
• How our Signature Talk Canvas® helps speakers create demand without being pushy
• The critical role of Act One in building trust and audience buy-in
• How to plant "sales seeds" naturally through stories and client examples
• Why emotional connection matters more than tactics and tips
• Simple ways to capture leads and book conversations after your presentation
• Real-world examples of talks that generated immediate clients

If you’re ready to work with us on creating or refining your signature talk, head to speakingyourbrand.com/contact/ to schedule a consultation and explore the best way for us to work together.

This episode originally aired as episode 457 on December 29, 2025.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/457/ 

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/

Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/ 

Attend our 1-day Speaking Accelerator Workshop in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/ 

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/ 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 456: The Missing Piece of Your Marketing Strategy is a Signature Talk
• Episode 449: Small Shifts That Make a Huge Difference in Your Presentation Impact & Results
• Episode 362: Integrating Thought Leadership and Lead Generation in Your Signature Talk with Danielle Hayden