A few years ago I had the joy of seeing someone I trained take the stage.

To be honest, I didn’t think there’d be a better feeling than standing in front of an audience, seeing their eyes light up, experiencing the adrenaline and high of speaking on a conference stage.

Until the moment I watched my first client take the stage. I imagine it’s like watching your kid perform the lead role in a school play (but more businessy).

Now my favorite moments in my week are reviewing our weekly wins report, where I scan through the notes, posts and wins of my clients.

So when one of my Speak Up to Level Up clients reached out and asked if she could share how she used what she learned inside my program to LAUNCH her business, I was thrilled.

Meet Sarah VanHoose, a Ramsey Preferred Finance Coach, mom and full time leader in a healthcare organization.

In this episode she’ll share with you how speaking helped her find her messaging, voice...

The words “selling” and “persuasion” illicit a visceral response from many.

When I looked up the definition on ye ole google months back, the Oxford dictionary defined it as: 

• cause (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument
• cause (someone) to believe something, especially after sustained effort;
• convince.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t love the idea of being on the receiving end of that.

I’m reminded of the numerous political social media arguments between strangers who want others to believe what they believe so they scream louder with all caps.

Sustained effort.

Like if we just keep talking and pushing, we’ll wear someone down.

So when it comes to selling and persuading others to take action in our business, it’s no wonder that many shy away from it.

But what if I were to tell you that persuasion can be a good thing? That what I described below is actually a form of hubris and manipulation?

...

I love a good personality test. DISC, Enneagram, Meyers-Briggs, I say bring on self-awareness and understanding!

I think what I love most about them is the part that tells you how great you are ;), but I’d be lying if I didn’t find the weakness section to be a dead ringer.

So when I came across the book Strengths Finder 2.0, recommended by Michael Hyatt as few years back, I pounced.

But truthfully, I didn’t touch it until a few months ago when one of my Speak Up to Level Up clients (who happens to be a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach) delivered a pilot of her upcoming keynote presentation.

She kept talking about the term “superpower”.

I’d heard others in the online space use this phrase, and logically, I knew what they meant, but also I didn’t really know what they meant.  As a business owner, we have to wear SO MANY HATS. How does one tap into their superpower to grow their business.

It sounds so good, but what does it mean?

...

What do you do when you feel like you've been doing a lot of work to put yourself out there speaking, but it's not actually driving leads? I recently got a question around whether or not guest speaking was a big fat waste of time.  Today, I answer this question head on and share insights on what I learned in 2020 (including how many guest speaking events I did in 2020). Plus share specific questions to help you troubleshoot when you feel stuck.

Episode Highlights

MYTH: Speaking has to equate to sales

I believe that speaking is far more than sales (though you DO want to ensure you have a clear path between speaking and revenue generating activity). But speaking is also about IMPACT.

You do not have to sell from the stage for a speaking event to be impactful, you don’t need 500 opt-ins for a guest lecture to be a success.  The beautiful part of running your own businesses is YOU define success. 

Speaking isn't always about directly driving leads,...

In today's episode, I'm going to teach you four levers that you can adjust to become a better speaker. Pinpointing exactly where to focus will allow you to self-evaluate so you can make quick progress with your development. I believe that when you are more intentional with your message, speaking can become your best marketing tool. 

Episode Highlights

4 C's - Four Levers That Will Help You Become A Better Speaker

1. Clarity

Have you ever started talking and realized that you’re not entirely sure what point you’re trying to make? So you keep talking, thinking… it will become clear!

This is completely fine for everyday conversation (I mean, we all do it!), but when it comes to speaking on behalf of your brand clarity is critical.

Donald Miller, Author of Story Brand, says “When you confuse, you lose.” 

This is especially true with speaking.

Clarity is making sure that whenever you speak to an audience or a...

When people make a shift in their careers or in their business, typically, they aren't scared of the big goal they set out for themselves. They aren't scared of success. People are scared of starting off and being seen as small. <—- Brendon Burchard shared something similar to this last week during a training event and it really got me thinking about where many of my clients and students get stuck.

So in this raw, unplugged episode, I’m sharing tangible actions to take to stop the self sabotaging head game that happens when you start leveling up (especially when getting more visible).

This is a must listen for any Entrepreneur who’s working on a big level up in the next 12 months.

Episode Highlights

“People aren't scared of success. They’re scared of starting off and being seen as small.” Brendon Burchard

This is a reality. It's no wonder we think like this because in the Facebook groups and the programs we're in, we see the...

Creativity is a gift as an entrepreneur.

But sometimes our creativity can overtake our decision making in business.

Like when we get a little too precious with that canva graphic, trying to make “just the right quote card” that perfectly blends our aesthetic while making a statement.

But it gets little to no engagement on Instagram.

Meanwhile, a screenshot of your notes app gets hearts for a week!

And let’s get real, sometimes we get a little too attached to our marketing creative and make emotional decisions, versus data driven ones.

That’s exactly why I brought on marketing strategist Dawn Foster to share her approach, which is rooted in data, helping you incorporate you and your WHY into your brand while being making strategic.

 Topics Covered:

• How do design and communication show up in your business and what means to bring those two things together
• Infusing yourself into your brand to connect more with your audience
• Distinction between...

What actions can you be taking right now to build momentum for pitching events in 2020? Today I'm sharing with you four specific actions to intentionally lay the tracks for visibility next year. We’re talking about your business, your message and your relationships. So if you want to pitch and land big stages next year (like podcasts interview, virtual summits and guest lectures) this one’s for you.

Episode Highlights

4 Things you can do now to get your name out there and position yourself as an authority

1.  Create your stage wishlist with intention. (12:29)

Don't just randomly see something online and have just your go-to shows that you want to be a guest on. Don't make it a passive dreaming thing. You need to be clear. Here's what you can do:

• Have an active session to make a list of the kinds of shows that (1) excite you, (2) share your ideal audience, the people that you actually want to connect with and serve with your...

With holiday season around us, many personal brands pull back over the holidays and lose traction on their visibility.

In this live session I share 3 specific things you can be doing over the next 6 weeks to boost your authority and start 2021 strong.

1. Commit to consistency. 

Pick one platform and get really consistent with it and show up with the best version of you.

2. Share shoutouts.

If you want to be seen as a credible authority in your industry, you have to tell people you are! This means when people tell something nice about you, market yourself and tell people about it. 

3.  Book yourself a guest talk.

You don't have to be on a big stage or have a fancy talk all designed right now to book your first guest talk, you just need to lose your guest-speaking virginity and just start doing it! The more you demonstrate you're an authorty by speaking on stages, the more stages you will book.

And for online entrepreneurs looking to speak on...

In today's episode, you’ll hear from my Speak Up to Level client Milan Kowalewski, an online marketing strategist for aesthetic providers and MDs in New York City. As a marketer and podcast host, he has experience behind the mic, but found himself spending hours each week preparing notes before hitting record.  He wanted to find a way to prepare more efficiently while feeling confident that his message would have high value to his audience.

Listen in to learn the exact steps he took and how his speaking style has evolved over the last few months as he’s leveled up his speaking skills. 

A few of my favorite episode Highlights

Milan shares reaching a moment of plateau in his skill set and what was it felt like

“I came to this realization that I really plateaued in where I could take myself.  It felt like I was not able to produce fast enough and I was always catching up. I wasn't able to batch anything. I wasn't able to grow in my own business...