We are wrapping up our podcast series on Using Your Voice with a very special guest. Sharon McMahon is a former high school government and law teacher whose Instagram went viral in 2020 (she now has over 1 million followers!) and who is the host of the podcast Here’s Where it Gets Interesting.  Sharon is “on a mission to combat political misinformation by sharing non-partisan facts about the US government and democracy.”  Our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz is a super fan of Sharon and has been following her since the 2020 election season.  Diane reached out to Sharon who graciou ..read more

Have you ever felt so passionate about something that you experienced and the lessons you learned from it that you thought to yourself “others need to hear about this?”  If you’ve ever thought something like this, then you’ll want to hear this conversation with our guest Kelly Lopez.  Kelly is a graduate of our Thought Leader Academy and in this continuation of our Use Your Voice series, she talked with our Lead Speaking Coach Diane Diaz about:  Her story of going from settling, personally and professionally, to being intentional about her life and work Why she almost said no t ..read more

Have you had an experience that impacted you so much that you were compelled to take action, to make a shift in your life, business, or career? “Compelled to take action” is one of the core stories you can use to frame a talk (others we teach include crisis of confidence, paradigm shift, pin drop, and more). This is precisely what happened to my guest Dr. Nicole Rochester. Nicole was inspired to start her company, Your GPS Doc, after caring for her late father and witnessing the complicated healthcare system from the other side of the stethoscope. Not only has Nicole channeled her advocacy wor ..read more

Have you ever felt imposter syndrome, that you weren’t sure if you had enough expertise or experience or knowledge or credentials [or fill in the blank] to speak up, share your perspective, and use your voice? If so, you’re not alone - and there are ways to move past this. My guest is Kelly Schermerhorn, who describes herself as a recovering people-pleaser and accolade-collector (I can relate!). Kelly recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy. Kelly and I talk about: Her story of feeling worthy enough to have a voice Her message around mental health Why she wanted to create a signatu ..read more

If I take a look at your slide deck or presentation outline and I can’t tell that the content is yours (vs. another speaker on your topic), you’re in danger of being a commodity speaker. Commodity speakers are undifferentiated and interchangeable. It will be harder for you to attract higher-profile speaking engagements, raise your speaking fees, and generate quality leads at your presentations. What you want instead is for your content to position you as a thought leader. You will have a much bigger impact on your audiences and your speaking will be an effective marketing channel and revenue s ..read more

We’re wrapping up our series on how marketing is changing and new approaches you can take to more effectively connect with your audiences and prospective clients.  This episode is all about getting PR and media, which can be an important element of your visibility. Have you ever seen someone you know featured in a television news story and wondered how they made it happen?   It’s no secret that public relations efforts like being interviewed on television can ramp up your visibility and grow your reach.  But it might feel like a mystery as to how to get those opportunities ..read more

We’re continuing our series on how marketing is changing and new approaches you can take to more effectively connect with your audiences and prospective clients.  Two weeks ago, I kicked off this series on how we’re ditching the traditional hero’s journey framework for marketing and how here at SYB we’re approaching marketing. Last week, I talked to Cara Steinmann about relationship marketing and strategic collaborations. Today, I’m excited to have on the podcast Wendy Kendall, who is a Chartered Psychologist and a co-founder of The Self Led Practice, the health virtual workplace for inde ..read more

We’re continuing our series on how marketing is changing and new approaches you can take to more effectively connect with your audiences and prospective clients.  Last week, I kicked off this series on how we’re ditching the traditional hero’s journey framework for marketing and how here at SYB we’re approaching marketing. I knew I had to have on as my guest today, Cara Steinmann, for this series. I met Cara last fall and when we had a consult call and I learned about the work she does around relationship building and strategic collaborations, I was instantly intrigued. I got to know Cara ..read more

You know that stories have the power to inspire, engage, and create lasting connections with our audiences. But, do you wonder: Which stories should you share? How do you connect your stories to your overall message? How do you tell your stories in a way that the audience can relate to and get value from?   We're thrilled to announce our upcoming live online workshop, "Storytelling for Impact," designed specifically for women entrepreneurs and leaders who want to elevate their communication skills and make a difference.   Workshop Date = Thursday, April 13th, 2023   Here ..read more

We’re kicking off a new podcast series on how marketing is changing and what to do now. The rise of AI tools means that endless quantities of decent content can be generated at virtually no cost. This is going to impact social media marketing, SEO, and online advertising. As speakers, content creators, marketers, and entrepreneurs, doing the same things we’ve always been doing isn’t going to work for much longer. Along with content saturation making it harder for our content to be discovered and seen, pretty soon we’re not going to be able to tell who online is real and who is not. This is why ..read more