The six different “likes” in the English language each have a functional purpose, explains speech and dialect coach Samara Bay, whose A-list clientele includes the likes of (ahem…) Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Gal Gadot, and Keegan-Michael Key. For Samara, identity and voice are intertwined. Her work asks listeners to reimagine what we think strength, warmth, power, and passion sound like in settings that include the boardroom, big screen, campaign trail, and beyond. 

Samara’s forthcoming book Permission to Speak discusses voice standards and stories, historical biases, and how to establish ownership of our own voices. With Billy and Billie, she explores how to bring passion and joy into authentic messaging and public speaking, dialing up or down the energies, we bring into a room or marketing tactic. Samara also shares her experiences as a young actor and mentor for women that have shaped her approach to speech coaching. Grab some tea with honey to go along with this episode: you’ll probably be talking about it for quite a while.

Hot topics include:

• Creating an authentic brand voice through diverse representation and market research
• Coaching for executive presence through love rather than fear
• The role of joy, mischief, and pleasure in presentations, pitches, and other high-stakes conversations
  
  

Keep the growth going:

• Get tips from Samara on how to best prepare before an important conversation
• Preorder Samara’s book Permission to Speak
• Follow Samara on Instagram, where she shares weekly voice tips
• Follow Billie Loewen, WillowTree Partner & VP of Growth Marketing on LinkedIn
• Follow Billy Fischer, WillowTree Partner & VP of Business Development on LinkedIn
• Follow WillowTree on LinkedIn