If you were handed a mic and 5 minutes to share your message, could you do it? Would you be able to distill your story– the things that have made you, YOU, into those few precious moments?

That was the exact situation today’s guest was in when she was presented with the opportunity to compete at Speaker Slam. This was a shock even to her, as she has JUST made the decision to finally act on her long time goal of becoming a speaker!

In this conversation, she shares her personal journey on how she worked hard to hone her speaking skills and took action to own her dream. We dive into the importance of practicing and getting feedback from peers, how investing in yourself can push you forward to your goals, and most importantly how you can distill your story into one powerful core message that can move your audience.

Episode Highlights:

• Penny’s journey from working on her speaking skills to becoming the winner of Speaker Slam
• How investing in yourself (AKA joining...

Even if you have no dreams of speaking on a stage— there are fundamental skills you must master as a business owner to effectively communicate with your audience. Especially if you have a desire to reach more people and create scalable programs.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Speak Up to Level Up member, Serena Shoup, a CPA running a virtual bookkeeping business dedicated to helping course creators. She’s someone who would not classify herself as a speaker and hated the idea of being in front of people, but had a heart to be a mentor, a desire to serve and an idea for a new offer in her business.

If leveling up in your business, reaching for bigger things, making a bigger impact with your voice and your heart is something that you're sitting with right now, I want you to listen to this interview as Serena shares her story of transformation and how she embraces her fear on stage and use it as fuel to accomplish her goals for her business.

A few...

In today's episode, I'm welcoming back to the show one my dear friends, Krystal Proffitt for a revealing discussion on how she has leveraged the skill of speaking to grow her brand and land every single stage on her dream list for 2021. 

In previous episodes, we’ve talked about the fear of public speaking, but what about the business owners who love speaking and have never been one to shy away from an audience?

Enter Krystal. She’s sharing how her natural strengths in communication were actually holding her back in a way that she didn't expect, plus what she specifically worked on to reach her goals.

This interview kicks off a new segment on the show where I feature other entrepreneurs leveraging their voice to make an impact.

A few of my favorite episode Highlights

Krystal shares her big scary goals back in 2020 and what happened to these goals when the whole world shutdown (i.e. physical stages weren't a thing anymore)

"I had this energy around, 'oh my...

I'm joined this week by a real estate specialist, entrepreneur, podcast host and Speak Up to Level Up member, Paige Schulte. In this conversation she shares her unique perspective for how speaking has played out in both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) worlds.

We also talk around how speaking can help be an accelerant for your business not only to get exposure but more so how can we be more intentional around all of the micro opportunities that are around us every day whether it's in a service-based business or a coaching business and looking for the opportunities to practice and get more confident.

In this episode we dive into...

• The importance of practicing and using stronger language on Instagram stories and live streams
• What happens when you approach one-on-one meetings and sales presentations like mini speeches
• How to leveraging Clubhouse to test the waters in speaking and position yourself as an expert
• Managing filler words, boundaries… and so...

Recently my 6 year old has decided he wants to become a YouTuber.

He turns on an old flip cam he found in our junk drawer and talks to “his fans” about… randomness.

The other day he showed off a “cool trick” he did with a connect four game and said “give me a thumbs up and be sure to subscribe if you think that was super cool”.

To be clear… he does not actually have a YouTube channel, he just thinks all videos just magically appear on there.

Unlike my kindergartner, I’m still working on boarding the YouTube train, but I love the idea that my content can be searched and found when convenient to business owners who need it, and by just posting on social (or even hosting an audio podcast), I’m missing a big opportunity to serve.

So enter 2021 being the year I consistently show up on YouTube as my next virtual stage.

But since I’m a total novice on the platform, I brought in my friend, client YouTube go-to, Scarlett...

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,...

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?

...

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...

Sometimes the best piece of business advice we need is simple.

Literally. That’s the advice: BE SIMPLE.

We have a tendency to over complicate things and unintentionally overwhelm a project before it ever sees the glow of a screen, especially in the online marketing world.

And if you keep finding yourself stuck writing to your email list or getting an offer out into the world, this episode of Finding Your It Factor is for you.

Meet Liz Wilcox, a serial entrepreneur who specializes in email marketing. She helps freelancers and professionals alike package up their magic and turn it into emails that convert. 

While she's always been a freelancer, she found her way to the online space and fell in love with doing her own thing. Today, Liz teaches people how to build online relationships and make sales through email marketing. 

 Let me share with you a bit more of the Liz I know and why you want to hear our conversation.

 I met Liz in a mastermind and...