I know you want to grow your business and brand and have a bigger impact as a thought leader.

But, as high-achieving women, there are beliefs we have that get us stuck in the expert trap.

We believe that we need to teach/train to provide value; that training content is what our audience wants; and our identity is tied to seeing ourselves as the expert.

These beliefs are what can hold you back from thought leadership and the impact and income you want to make.

The problem is that your presentations and content are undifferentiated and lack emotional resonance.

In this episode, I share 3 signs you’re stuck in the expert trap and how to get out.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/382/ 

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

Want to know what it’s like to create a signature talk with us?

There’s no better way than to hear our Thought Leader Academy grads deliver a 10-minute section of their talks!

You’ll hear how they’ve incorporated storytelling and their frameworks into their talks.

We’ll also have a roundtable discussion about what they’ve learned from being in the Thought Leader Academy and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders.

In this episode, I’m joined by Sandy Robinson, M.Ed., Yewande Fadojutimi, M.D., and Joanne Lane, Ed.D.

This audio is from a live broadcast we did on March 12, 2024. You can watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/1aqLfUxEAAw.

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/381/ 

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
• Sandy Robinson, M.Ed. = https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyrobinson/
• Yewande Fadojutimi, M.D. = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-yewande/
• Joanne Lane, Ed.D. = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-joanne-lane/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 380: Building Your Speaker Brand Separate From Your Corporate Identity with Sandy Robinson
• Episode 242: TLA Grads: Evolving from Experts to Thought Leaders

The power of women’s voices doesn’t just relate to women who own and run their own businesses; it’s also for women who work in corporate spaces. 

Building your personal brand and speaker brand separate from your corporate identity can give you a voice and mission that has a greater impact beyond the day-to-day work you do in your job. 

In this episode, our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz talks with one of our Thought Leader Academy clients, Sandy Robinson.

 Sandy works in revenue operations and she’s carved a niche for herself by building a personal and speaker brand distinct from her corporate identity. 

Diane and Sandy talk about:

• How Sandy began her speaking journey (it’s a fun story!) and how that has informed her speaking today
• Why she decided to look for a speaking coach and what led her to join the Thought Leader Academy
• What sparked her interest in sharing a more personal message with audiences and how and why she’s building her personal and speaker brand separate from her corporate work
• Her experience and takeaways from the Thought Leader Academy and our in-person speaking retreat
• How she felt doing the improv exercises at the retreat and what she’s going to do with that knowledge (hint: her sales teams might be surprised!)
• The way she’s integrated a topic she's passionate about into her professional work to support other women and build her personal and speaker brand

About Our Guest: Sandy Robinson is Senior Vice President of Revenue Operations and Enablement at Patra with over 20 years under her belt in making sales teams shine and operations run smoothly, thanks to her knack for turning numbers and innovative ideas into real growth. She's led Revenue Operations and Enablement at big-name SaaS companies including Web.com, SupplyFrame and Nymbus, steering them toward success and now plays a key role at Patra, where she's all about pushing boundaries and setting the stage for exciting new products. Sandy's not just about the bottom line, though; she's passionate about mentoring young women, sharing her journey to inspire others. With a mix of street smarts from MIT and NYIT, a master's in Education for Global Training, and even a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate, Sandy's blend of brains, heart, and kick-butt attitude makes her a force to be reckoned with in the tech world and beyond.

Sandy’s website: https://www.sandyelevates.com 

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/380/  

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/ 

Watch Sandy and our other TLA grads deliver a section of their signature talks: https://www.linkedin.com/events/usingtheirvoices-livesignaturet7171594958989053952/theater/

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/
• Sandy Robinson (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyrobinson/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Personal Branding Podcast Series
• Episode 349: Connecting Your Personal Brand and Your Thought Leadership
• Episode 356: What to Do Now to Position Yourself as a Thought Leader

We held our in-person speaking intensive last week in Orlando and it was so much fun!

Over three days, the women who attended worked on their speaking segments, practiced them on our stage with our coaching and feedback, and then had their segments professionally filmed on the final day.

Oh, and there were dance parties and improv exercises throughout!

I’ve invited three of our clients who were there, Shannon Bumgarner, Lei Comerford, and Denise Musselwhite, for a roundtable discussion on what they learned and insights they have for you as speakers.

We talk about:

• Why they decided to attend our in-person retreat
• What they learned about developing stage presence
• Speaking as a performance (no matter what your topic is!)
• Their newfound love of improv
• The power of using our I.D.E.A.L. storytelling ingredients
• Feeling confident *not* using notes or a script
• The impact of practicing on our stage and getting feedback at our in-person retreat

This audio is from a live broadcast we did on March 5, 2024. You can watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/ylcRJtfkdk4?feature=share. 

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/379/

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
• Shannon Bumgarner = https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonbumgarner/
• Lei Comerford = https://www.linkedin.com/in/leicomerford/
• Denise Musselwhite = https://www.linkedin.com/in/musselwhited/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 347: The Power of REAL Practice to Transform Yourself as a Speaker
• Episode 346: Get More Speaking Gigs by Adding Body Movement and Vocal Variation

What’s an early memory of using your voice?

That's the question we kicked off our recent 3-day in-person client retreat with - and the women’s answers were incredibly powerful.

March is Women’s History Month and March 8th is International Women’s Day (#IWD2024), so this episode is about the power of women’s voices and stories to change the world.

From young women activists like Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg to pro-choice women who are running for office to women like YOU who are out there sharing your messages, ideas, and stories, women are making a positive difference in their industries and communities.

In this episode, I talk about:

• The history-changing importance of women getting together to share their stories and experiences
• The self-doubts that too often hold us back from using our voices
• Why we need feminism more than ever
• My recent realization of the story I had been telling myself vs. the bigger story of what happened when I delivered my TEDx talk about women and power in 2016

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/378/

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

Mentioned:

Emily’s List: https://emilyslist.org/ 

New York Times’ opinion column: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/opinion/alabama-embroyo-dobbs-reproductive-freedom.html?unlocked_article_code=1.aE0.Htka.UI-TJYUThV1R&smid=url-share

Carol Gilligan: https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.publications&personid=19946 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 319: The 3 Stages We Go Through as Women When We Use Our Voice
• Episode 267: The Way to Gender Equality is through Public Speaking
• Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking
• Episode 162: Why We're #ChoosingWomensVoices - and You Should Too
• Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power

This week is the 7-year anniversary of the Speaking Your Brand podcast!

Thank you for being a listener, for sending me emails when an episode particularly resonates with you, and for sharing the podcast with others. 

Podcasting every week for the past seven years has taught me a lot.

I'm incredibly grateful to all the women who’ve been guests for sharing their stories and wisdom with all of us.

Podcasting has also been hard at times: boredom, burnout, too many ideas, no new ideas. I’ve been through all these feelings at different points.

In this episode, I share with you:

• 3 big lessons you can use whether you have a podcast or not
• How podcasting, especially creating all of the solo episodes, has shaped my thought leadership and strengthened my personal brand
• The book I’m working on and how the topic and ideas have come directly from the podcast
• Why having a regular content creation channel can be helpful to you as you develop your own thought leadership

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/377/ 

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 340: Can I Tell It's You? What a Brand Voice Is and Why You Need One
• Episode 327: From Expert to Thought Leader: 3 Key Strategies You Need Now to Set Yourself Apart in Our New AI-Driven World
• Episode 257: Writing a Book Gives Your Ideas Depth and Longevity with Tiffany Hawk

Integrating humor into your talks can seem daunting or even unimportant, but it's an essential element to use to connect with your audience.

Recently, Diane Diaz, our lead speaking coach, delivered a 5-minute stand-up comedy set live on stage (!).

You don’t have to add jokes or stand-up routines to your presentations. 

But, you can learn from the secrets of comedy to improve your storytelling and delivery.

Diane and I talk about her experience and what you can take away from it for your speaking, including:

• What makes something funny
• Her process of writing the comedy set
• The need for a single clear throughline
• How she practiced the set by chunking it
• Storytelling and audience engagement
• The importance of timing, pausing, and vocal variation
• Doing a comedy set vs. improv

Hopefully you’ll be inspired to try something new too!

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/376/ 

Video of Diane’s stand-up comedy set: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dianediaz_comedy-publicspeaking-personalgrowth-activity-7155204978867863552-gHre 

Resources: How to write a 5-minute comedy set and The New Comedy Bible

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/ 

Get ready for a fun and energizing conversation! 

Have you ever thought of using AI tools like ChatGPT to *amplify* what you’re already good at?

How about having ChatGPT coach you on how to prepare to show up in *any* room? 

These case studies are just two of the ones that my guest Stacey Hines and I talk about.

Like me, Stacey has a background in IT, so we are both passionate about how technology like AI can be used. 

You’re going to be laughing as she tells the story of a board room she showed up in 10 years ago and what happened. Storytelling is definitely Stacey’s superpower!

After we geek out about AI, I ask Stacey to share her tips as a speaker and as a panel moderator, which are really good!

About My Guest: Stacey Hines is an author, speaker, executive and CEO/founder of Epic Transformation. She is a Caribbean tech sector leader with global leadership experience in public, private and non-profit sectors. Her commitment to women in leadership and the technology industry is evidenced in her numerous awards, most recently including the Woman of Impact award from the High Commission of Canada on International Women's Day 2023. She was also appointed as the first Jamaican IT Fellow by the Chartered Institute of IT Professionals of the UK (BCS) in 2022, selected as the second female president of the Jamaica Computer Society in its 47-year history and selected as one of the Top 50 Caribbean Women in Tech in 2021. She hosts The Balanced Lady Boss Show podcast.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/375/ 

 Stacey’s website: https://www.epictransformation.net/

My episode on Stacey’s podcast The Balanced Lady Boss Show (aired Jan. 29, 2024)

Register for our Business of Speaking workshop live on Zoom on February 22: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/business-of-speaking-workshop/

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

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Stacey Hines (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstaceyhines/

Join us for a powerful conversation with Karen Williams, also known as the Black Visual Queen.

Karen, a skilled photo director, sat down with our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to talk about her journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship, her advocacy for more diversity in the photography industry, and her experience in crafting her impactful keynote talk during a one-on-one VIP Day. Spoiler alert, her talk went great! 

In this episode, Karen and Diane talk about: 

• Why and how Karen made the shift from corporate professional to entrepreneur
• The events that shaped Karen’s perspectives on her work and herself and the actions she took as a result
• The challenges she faced as a black woman in the photo industry and her path to empowering herself and others
• Making the decision to use her voice to champion her own work and bring more diversity to her industry
• Why she decided to work with Diane on her keynote talk and the outcome of her speaking engagement

About Our Guest: Karen Williams is a dedicated mentor to aspiring photographers, advocating for equitable access to information within the industry. With more than 10 years of experience in photography, Karen is a visual creative director, keynote speaker, and founder of Black Visual Queen, a photography consulting firm. An industry insider, she’s had a hand in visual stories for iconic brands like Netflix, Masterclass, Square, Wired, AARP, and San Francisco. In her free time, she loves marathon training and all things pop culture. Karen lives in Los Angeles, California.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/374/

Karen’s website: https://www.blackvisualqueen.com/

Register for our Business of Speaking workshop live on Zoom on February 22: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/business-of-speaking-workshop/

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

Get your own VIP Day to create your signature talk by enrolling 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/
• Karen Williams (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenannwilliams/

You love speaking, so you’re happy to say “yes!” when someone invites you to speak.

It feels great connecting with the audience and hearing how much they enjoyed your presentation.

Yet, are you getting an ROI from it?

Are you generating leads and/or getting paid directly to speak?

I’ve been speaking throughout my career, in various industries, from small workshops to big stages.

Early on, I didn’t even think about getting paid, so I never asked.

I also wasn’t that good at getting leads and clients from the speaking engagements I was doing.

Then, I realized what I was missing and techniques I could use.

In this episode, I share with you:

• 3 ways to increase leads from your presentations

• What to do even when conferences say “no selling from the stage”

• The one thing to do that is GOLD

• 3 things to do to get paid to speak

• Why many speakers don’t charge or don’t charge enough

• Examples to inspire you

Download example feedback form (no opt-in needed): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7scnmn11eqpfeh863i878/Speaking-Your-Brand-Example-Worksheet-FeedbackForm.pdf?rlkey=bmqkj2pzyjewmrg8r0smml2vu&dl=0

Register for our Business of Speaking workshop live on Zoom on February 22: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/business-of-speaking-workshop/ 

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/373/

This episode is the last of our podcast series called “Level Up Your Speaking.”