Everyone, please welcome back to the Speak to Scale Podcast…Arel Moodie! Arel joined me on the podcast way back in Episode 59, where we talked about how a mentor can help you become a successful speaker. With Arel as my own mentor, I can attest to that. 

He’s built several 7-figure businesses based on speaking and spoken to over 750,000 people all over the world. Arel returned to the podcast today to talk about his newest venture that helps speakers market themselves with data: Talkadot. 

For the full shownotes and links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/222

There’s a myth out there about what the “natural progression” of getting paid to speak looks like. At first, all you do is take free speaking gigs. You’re putting in your time and paying your dues. No one will want to pay to book you…yet. Until you slowly start replacing unpaid speaking engagements with paid engagements. When that happens, you’ve “made it.”

Like I said, this is a myth! This is usually what speaking looks like for those who want to become professional speakers. It’s not the case for business owners who want to leverage speaking for their business.

The truth is, you can do both — speak for free and get paid to speak — and make it work for your business. Both of them are valuable parts of your speaking strategy. And here’s why…

For full show notes and episode links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/221

Recently I got to speak with Racheal Cook of The CEO Collective and Promote Yourself to CEO podcast. She shared so many nuggets of wisdom (including how to find speaking opportunities) that I’m so excited to share with you all.

Racheal serves women entrepreneurs who run service-based businesses who are ready to sustainably scale, without sacrificing life, family, health, or themselves. How did she get into this “life first” mindset and business? By experiencing the harsh “work first” mentality throughout her education and career — and realizing she didn’t want that for her future.

In this episode, Racheal and I talk about where The CEO Collective came from, finding the best speaking opportunities for your biz, the value of niches, and more!

For the full shownotes and links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/220

No matter what industry your business serves, you’ll have to weather busy and slow seasons. But does that same principle apply to your speaker journey? Are there times you should be working on speaking for your biz?

The answer? Always. 

Whether your calendar is packed with speaking opportunities, you’re focusing on pitching, or you’re connecting with your audience on social media, you have to plan for all the speaking seasons. That’s how you make it a consistent part of your business!

For the full shownotes and links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/219

You can write your own talk, or you can have someone else write it for you. (Like me!) But the question is, should you? That depends. Your goal is always to deliver a great presentation, but the way you create it will be influenced by a couple of different things. Let’s dig in to see if you should outsource or not.

For full shownotes and links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/218

In the early years of my business, I was on calls with a bunch of ideal clients to gain information for a program I was developing. After a few calls, I noticed something: almost every single one of my clients had either been a teacher or wanted to be a teacher when they were young. It was fascinating! My people were educators at heart.

It was fascinating but also odd because I, personally, never wanted to be a teacher! And here I am today, 5+ years into homeschooling my two kids. Wild, right?! But now, I love it so much. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. 

Homeschooling my kids has taught me so much about my kids, myself, the art of teaching, and yes, even speaking.

For full shownotes and links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/217

You know those moments when someone asks you a simple question and it just blows your mind? A question that makes you fully pause and appreciate its greatness? I got one of those questions a few months ago from a client. She asked, “Knowing what you know now…if you had to start from scratch today, what would you do to see success as a speaker, fast?”

I know, right?! This question damn near took my breath away. But the cool thing is, my answer was simple. I’d follow the Speaker Sprint Gameplan.

What is the Speaker Sprint Gameplan? How did it come to be? And how can you use it for your own speaking journey? I got answers to your questions below.

For full show notes and episode links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/216

If you have a garden or have thought about starting one, I bet you have a Pinterest-perfect image of what it looks like in your mind. Cedar-raised beds, flowering arches, an ivy-covered picket fence, birds singing…

Unless you have an unlimited amount of time, money, and land, that’s not what your garden will look like right out of the gate…and the same goes for speaking. 

Why do I compare the two? Because starting a garden is a lot like speaking, actually. You won’t be a perfect, successful speaker from the moment you step on a stage for the first time. You need to start small, be patient, and learn from your experiences.

Let’s take a closer look at why gardening is a lot like starting your speaking journey. 

For full show notes and links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/215

Yep, you read that right. I’ve said goodbye to a signature program — The Speaking Strategy Academy — that’s been a core part of the business since 2019. Learn why I retired my speaking group coaching program and what I hope other business owners can learn from my experience.

For full show notes and episode links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/214

In the previous episode, I talked about showcasing yourself as a speaker on your website. If you haven’t listened to it yet, here’s a spoiler alert: I told y’all to start with the marketing assets you have and upgrade or add more as you continue speaking. 

Having a speaker website is definitely important. But how do you get people to find that website? That’s where social media comes in. Showcasing yourself as a speaker through social media content is just as important, if not more important, than having a great speaker page. 

For full show notes and episode links: https://thepublicspeakingstrategist.com/shownotes/213