The Next Mountain (ft. Alison Levine)

Alison Levine has seen the view from the top of Mount Everest. But this week, we talk to her about her unique view from the top of the speaking game— and, more importantly— the strategies she used to get there.

OPENING QUOTE:

“I've heard speakers say, "Business professional? I wear jeans and a t-shirt. That's what I wear. That's my uniform. And I don't really care. That's what I'm going to show up in on stage." And I'm thinking, "If the client tells me they want me to wear a chicken suit, I will wear a chicken suit. Whatever they want me to wear, however they want me to show up, I'm there for them."”

 -Alison Levine

GUEST BIO:

Alison Levine is one of the most booked speakers on the planet. Best known for leading the first women’s expedition to Mount Everest and climbing the tallest peak on each of the seven continents, Alison is now a bestselling author, visiting professor at West Point, expert on leadership and high-performing teams, and continues to be an active adventurer and survivalist. 

Links

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• On the Edge

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[5:55] - It’s About Your Message, Not Your Resume

One attracts attention, the other changes lives

Before Alison submitted Everest, she found she had difficulty attracting attention for speaking engagements. But she quickly realized that the uniqueness of her message transcended anything she had or hadn’t accomplished— and that remained true even after she reached the peak of Everest and countless other peaks worldwide.

[11:41] - Instant Excitement vs. Long-Term Impact

Keep running through brick walls

While fondly recalling that one audience member from a West Point talk said Alison made him want to ‘run through brick walls,’ she emphasizes that great keynote speaking is about generating long-lasting impact— not just excitement in the room. The experts who can do that are the ones who have lasting and meaningful careers.

[26:54] - Deliver, Deliver, Deliver

Alison shares the key to managing bureau relationships

Alison learned early on that the best way to get bureau traction is to do whatever it takes to deliver for clients, audiences, and partners. She recognizes that wherever she is, she’s there to deliver outcomes not only for her own career but for the audiences, organizations, and bureaus surrounding her.

[30:01] - It’s Not About Who’s Onstage

It’s about who you’re serving

Alison Levine does the uncomfortable things, and that’s what makes her a cut above the rest. She hates schmoozing, but does it anyway in service of her clients and partners. She shows up to every 7am breakfast with a smile. We all could stand to learn from that example.

[36:56] - Beyond Stage Presence

Creating a message that shifts perspectives

Great speaking ability is one thing, but Alison stresses that your message has to offer something new— even if it’s not some earth-shattering insight but rather a new way of looking at problems, solutions, and mindsets. Deliver a unique message, and deliver it in a compelling way, and you’ll find a long career in speaking.

RESOURCES:

• [2:27] Alison’s book, On the Edge
• [14:30] Keppler Speakers Bureau

FOLLOW:

Follow Alison:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Follow Josh Linkner:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube

ABOUT MIC DROP:

Brought to you by eSpeakers, hear from the world’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests’ Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it’s starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers; sponsored by 3 Ring Circus.

Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.com

ABOUT THE HOST:

Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar. 

Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.

Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award. 

Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza. 

Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.com

ABOUT eSPEAKERS:

When the perfect speaker is in front of the right audience, a kind of magic happens where organizations and individuals improve in substantial, long-term ways. eSpeakers exists to make this happen more often. 

eSpeakers is where the speaking industry does business on the web. Speakers, speaker managers, associations, and bureaus use our tools to organize, promote and grow successful businesses. Event organizers think of eSpeakers first when they want to hire speakers for their meetings or events.

The eSpeakers Marketplace technology lets us and our partner directories help meeting professionals all over the world connect directly with speakers for great engagements. 

Thousands of successful speakers, trainers, and coaches use eSpeakers to build their businesses and manage their calendars. Thousands of event organizers use our directories every day to find and hire speakers. Our tools are built for speakers, by speakers, to do things that only purpose-built systems can.

Learn more at: eSpeakers.com

SPONSORED BY 3 RING CIRCUS:

From refining your keynote speaking skills to writing marketing copy, from connecting you with bureaus to boosting your fees, to developing high-quality websites, producing head-turning demo reels, 3 Ring Circus offers a comprehensive and powerful set of services to help speakers land more gigs at higher fees. 

Learn more at: 3RingCircus.com

PRODUCED BY DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:

In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown’s processes to launch today’s most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. 

Here’s to making (podcast) history together.

Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.com

SHOW CREDITS:

• Josh Linkner: Host | [email protected]
• Joe Heaps: eSpeakers | [email protected]
• Connor Trombley: Executive Producer | [email protected]