Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

I’ve always thought of “Speaking Your Brand” as not only how you communicate externally to audiences, whether it’s at conferences and events, on webinars, or on podcasts. It’s also how you communicate internally with your team members, your clients, and your vendors. How can you best share your vision and values with your team? I invited my friend Amber De La Garza onto the podcast to talk about how she has done this with her team members as her business has grown. Amber and I talk about: The team retreats we held for our respective teams What content we included in those retreats to help our team members better understand our businesses The 3 questions Amber asks her team as well as her clients as part of the feedback loop Speaking Your Brand’s QBR (Queen Bee Role) and how that informs what we do The importance of decision-making filters The nuances of word choice and specific examples regarding words we don’t use with our clients and why About My Guest: Amber De La Garza is a sought-after coach, trainer, speaker, writer, host of the Productivity Straight Talk podcast, and creator of the S.T.O.P. Leverage Formula. She helps small business owners improve their time management and elevate their productivity to maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most! Amber passionately shares her message with entrepreneurs all over the world.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/222  Get Amber’s free training “Take Back Your Time”: https://www.amberdelagarza.com/takebackyourtime  Amber’s Leverage Lab: https://www.amberdelagarza.com/leveragelab  Listen to Amber’s podcast “Productivity Straight Talk.” Book mentioned: “Clockwork” by Mike Michalowicz Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact.  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Amber De La Garza (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberdelagarza/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 43: How Speaking Can Grow (or Derail) Your Business with Amber De La Garza JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

We talk quite a bit on this podcast about the value of creating frameworks. A framework is the repeatable process you use with your clients to help them achieve a particular outcome. We have our own Signature Talk Canvas® framework that we created and use when we work with our clients on their presentations. Your framework is your intellectual property (I.P.), which becomes an asset to your business.   My guest in this episode is Erin Austin, who is an intellectual property attorney and the founder of Think Beyond IP. She helps B2B professional services firms identify, protect, and leverage their valuable intellectual assets. Erin and I talk about: What it means for a business to be scalable and saleable Why you want to think in terms of what it would look like to sell your business even if you have no intention of doing so The different forms of intellectual property for service-based professional businesses and how to protect them (copyright, trademarks, etc.) Erin’s G.I.V.E. framework The importance of having a speaker contract The benefits Erin received from working with us in a VIP Day to create her signature talk   About My Guest: Erin Austin combines her decades of commercial transactions experience as a former COO and general counsel of IP-driven companies with her intellectual property law background to help professional services firms build and protect their assets to create scalable, saleable businesses. Her service has included roles as general counsel, head of business affairs and COO at large and small companies, including Warner Bros., Lionsgate (fka Artisan), MGM, Teaching Strategies and M3 USA Corp. Her experience as a lawyer and as an executive--at the intersection of business and the law--informs the elevated legal and strategic business advice she provides to her clients.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/221  Get Erin’s free checklist at https://www.thinkbeyondip.com/carol  Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact.  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Erin Austin (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinaustin/ JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

In this episode, we’re sharing the opening remarks from our recent Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. Listen in for not only the content but also the structure of our speeches. What elements do you notice? Our emcee Amber Hawley kicked off the event and then our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz opened with her speech on how as women we’ve studied our absence and how that has affected our confidence. I then picked up on this thread and talked about the importance of stories told by women, why as women we silence ourselves, and what we can do to change this. Our event was inspiring, motivating, and empowering for the hundreds of women who attended.   Here's what attendees said: "This is by far the best online event I have attended: intimate, engaging and special. The speakers were riveting, their stories compelling. Thank you to all the women who worked so hard to create this day of empathy and strength to make us all stronger. WOW!" "This is my first summit and so amazing. I feel super motivated and understood." "I love the diversity of age, background, speaking and life experience." "Kudos to all of you for putting together this ambitious program, and to your speakers for sharing their vulnerable stories. This is helping me get real with myself in new ways." A huge and heartfelt thank you to our team, speakers, panelists, summit speaking coaches, and volunteers who made this event happen! Enrollment is now open for our Thought Leader Academy! Get all the details and join us at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/220  Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 195: Our Opening and Closing Speeches from Our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Summit 2020 Episode 216: Why We're #ChoosingWomensVoices - and You Should Too JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

As we get closer to resuming in-person conferences and events later this year (yay!) plus with many groups still doing virtual events, this is a great time to research, identify, and reach out to organizers to get on their roster. What are ways you can do this? How do you know which types of speaking engagements are best for you? This episode is made specifically for you to address these questions and more! This is a mini-training based on the one we do for our clients in our Thought Leader Academy on creating your visibility plan and identifying and pitching places to speak (in TLA, we also go into creating your speaking fees and packages, writing your speaking proposals, and more). Our next Thought Leader Academy is enrolling now through April 19, 2021! Get all the details and sign up at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.    In this episode, Diane Diaz and I share: What we did early in our businesses to get visibility and speaking opportunities The 4 visibility opportunity areas Selecting the best channels for your visibility goals The surprising results we’ve experienced from tracking our visibility Identifying and researching places where you can speak 6 different types of speaking engagements you can do, including which are generally unpaid and which are paid Ways to connect with event organizers    About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/219    Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.    Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 132: 7 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Paid to Speak Episode 150: Podcast Pitching and Guesting with Angie Trueblood [Goals & Planning Series] Episode 169: Leveraging Free Speaking Engagements Into Bigger Opportunities with Angela Hosking Episode 209: The Differences in Doing Interviews for Podcasts, TV, & Publications with Carol Cox and Marie Fiebach JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

My guest Natalie Legrand recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy and is one of our panelists at our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. I invited Natalie on to talk about: Her thought leadership project What it looks like to implement DEI as a small business owner Why you want to be a force for change and not just a force for good Questions we can consider to be a force for change Recognizing obstacles others have that we don’t think about Natalie coaches me (really helpful!) Our Thought Leader Academy is starting again in April 2021. Get all the details and sign up at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.   About My Guest: Natalie Legrand is a leadership and social impact coach, a trusted advisor, and consultant. Her work addresses various societal issues and brings awareness of the unique cultures, politics, and economies that characterize different regions around the world. She collectively designs, develops, and implements global strategies and programs in which individuals and teams of employees from Fortune 100 organizations strategically engage in underserved communities. She advises companies on corporate responsibility, social issue leadership, employee engagement, and related areas with the goal of creating initiatives that strengthen business and impact society.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/218  Natalie’s website: https://www.natalielegrand.com/  Natalie’s Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/natalierlegrand/  Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.  Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.    Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Natalie Legrand (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-r-legrand-9443773/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 175: The Work of Anti-Racism as White Women with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

What steps can you take to start building your thought leadership platform? What are strategies you can use to build an audience and grow your business, speaking, and visibility? This episode is a panel discussion from our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit that we held last October 2020. (Our next event is coming up very soon on April 1, 2021! Register for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit.)  Our panelists (LuAnn Nigara, Tammy Lally, and Dr. Karen Wilson) are all accomplished speakers, from having a podcast with over 3 million downloads to having a TEDx talk go viral with over 2 million views to being a sought-after presenter at top industry conferences.   You’ll hear us talk about: What does being a thought leader mean to you? If you had to pick one thing that was key to getting you from where you were 4 or 5 years ago to where you are today (in terms of your platform/success), what would it be? What’s something you wished you had done early on when building your thought leadership platform? What role has speaking played in developing your platform? Do you ever get vulnerability hangovers? If so, what strategies do you use to work through them? About Our Guests/Panelists:  LuAnn Nigara is the host of the top-rated interior design podcast, A Well-Designed Business®, which recently surpassed 600 episodes and 3 million downloads. Her podcast was named in Architectural Digest as one of the top ten podcasts listened to by interior designers. LuAnn also hosts an annual event called LuAnn Live and has published several books. LuAnn began her career more than thirty years ago as a co-owner of Window Works, an award-winning window treatment and awning retailer in Livingston, NJ.    Tammy Lally is a published author, TEDx speaker, and Certified Money Coach. Her TEDx talk on money shame has been viewed over 2 million times. She helps others master their finances by first conquering their emotions around money, then by creating a comprehensive financial plan.   Dr. Karen Wilson is the founder of ChildNEXUS.com, which aims to dispel myths about issues related to pediatric mental health, disseminate information, and help parents make informed decisions when choosing providers for their children. She’s also a clinical neuropsychologist, with a private practice in Los Angeles, California, where she specializes in the neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents. Karen is the host of the ChildNEXUS podcast.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/217  Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.  Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.    Websites: LuAnn Nigara = https://luannnigara.com/  Tammy Lally =  https://tammylally.com/ Dr. Karen Wilson = https://www.childnexus.com/    Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox LuAnn Nigara = https://www.linkedin.com/in/luannnigara/  Tammy Lally = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammylally/  Dr. Karen Wilson = https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkareniwilson/  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 11: Creating and Preparing for a Keynote Presentation with LuAnn Nigara [Coaching] Episode 24: What It Takes to Do a TEDx Talk with Tammy Lally Episode 91: Visibility Works: From Local Speaking to TED.com to a Book with Tammy Lally Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas Series]   JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

Last March 2020, as part of Women’s History Month, I released this episode and our challenge called #ChoosingWomensVoices. This content and challenge is just as relevant today, so this is an excellent opportunity to listen again or to listen for the first time. I’m taking this opportunity myself to audit the podcasts I listen to, the books I read, and the people I follow to make sure there are a preponderance of women’s voices and of diverse women’s voices. This all started towards the end of 2019 when I was listening to a well-known, very popular male podcaster and he put me over the edge when he said something like this (I'm paraphrasing): "Some people tell me I should have more diverse guests - women and people of color - but I don't think that should be a criteria for who I invite. I want the best person on a given topic no matter their gender or race." And at that moment, I hit stop, unsubscribed, and deleted his show from my podcast app.🤯​  (You'll hear who it was and more in this episode.) I do have to thank him for partly inspiring the #ChoosingWomensVoices challenge we're running this month to raise our awareness of the voices we listen to (and read), from podcasts and books to movies, tv, and news to our specific industry. How many are women? Is there diversity within those women's voices? Are there women podcasters/authors/experts you can find to augment (or replace) the male voices? You may be wondering: why does it matter if the content I listen to or read is from a woman or a man? That’s what we’re talking about on the podcast as well as during the challenge. In this episode, Diane Diaz and I talk about: What’s just as important as visibility is our actual voices as women and what we’re saying: “If you can see it *and* hear it, you can be it.” Although there are more women in higher-profile positions than ever, we're still hitting that glass ceiling. Why is that? There are many factors, but one is literally the voices we hear. The history of women being shamed, ridiculed, threatened, even harmed and killed for speaking up. This continues even today: GamerGate, harassment on social media, women in politics. Women’s actual voices are criticized as being shrill, nagging, whining, too angry, too emotional or not emotional enough. The positive impact that collective women’s voices can have, as we've seen in movements like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and #TimesUp.  What we can do about it by being more intentional with the voices we choose. Unsilencing ourselves and developing the confidence to do so. Join the Challenge! To sign up for our free #ChoosingWomensVoices challenge, go to https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge. During the challenge, you'll receive an email prompt each day for 5 days with a short activity, along with recommendations. (You can start the challenge any time.)   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.    Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/216  Sign up for our free 5-day challenge #ChoosingWomensVoices at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge. Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.  Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.  Connect on social media: Carol Cox LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Carol Cox Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox  Diane Diaz LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz    Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series] Episode 191: Women in Politics and the Public Sphere with Rep. Anna Eskamani [Use Your Voice Series] Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas Series] JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

Have you ever felt like you have a deeper story and message to share with your audience? Perhaps you’re uncertain what it is because it’s hidden under surface content. Or perhaps you know what the deeper story is but you have some fears and doubts about being vulnerable and sharing it. We all have a deeper story and message - and our audiences can benefit when we’re willing to open up. This is exactly what we’ve seen Zaribel Clay do in our Thought Leader Academy during the past few months. Zaribel has been working closely with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz on her thought leadership message and her signature talk, so I asked Diane to interview Zaribel to talk about the journey Zaribel has been on. Zaribel is also one of our speakers for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit that takes place on April 1st. It’s free to attend, so register today: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.  Zaribel has been an inspiration to the other women and to me. I'm delighted to have her on the podcast! About Our Guest: Zaribel Clay is a business owner, writer and speaker. She runs her Kinderdance business out of Elizabeth City, NC. She is passionate about helping women find their voice, find emotional healing, and live their truth. She is also a proud wife and mom. Her faith is her most important value. Zaribel's highest goal in life is ''to be the reason someone knew healing is possible.''   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/215  Zaribel’s website: https://zaribelclay.com/  Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/  Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/    Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers with Carol Cox Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

Get ready for a value-packed and heartfelt episode with key takeaways you can use as you think about your thought leadership message and signature talk and putting yourself out there. This is a round table discussion with our speaking coaches who work with our clients in our Thought Leader Academy and with the speakers for our upcoming Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. Joining me in this episode are Diane Diaz, Marie Fiebach, and Joy Spencer. We talk about: The shifts we’ve seen our clients go through over the past few months Common challenges and obstacles we see clients face The impact of being in community with other women working towards similar goals Vulnerability and self-compassion when digging deeper into your story and message The connection between the head, heart, and gut in thought leadership Unlearning academic or marketing jargon when creating speeches And more! About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/214  Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.  Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz  Marie Fiebach = https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariefiebach/  Joy Spencer = https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-spencer/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 169: Leveraging Free Speaking Engagements Into Bigger Opportunities with Angela Hosking Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers with Carol Cox Episode 194: How to Structure a Movement-Making Speech Using Your Story with Joy Spencer Episode 205: The 4 Types of Talks You Need as a Speaker and Thought Leader with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 209: The Differences in Doing Interviews for Podcasts, TV, & Publications with Carol Cox and Marie Fiebach JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

How can you start developing your thought leadership message? In this episode, I walk you through: my V.O.I.C.E. model for thought leadership common fears that keep us as women from speaking up the rewards you get from speaking up 6 steps to position yourself as a thought leader   Download our free Thought Leadership workbook that has the V.O.I.C.E. framework, question prompts, and more: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/.    I define a thought leader as someone who has an interesting idea, especially one that hasn’t been talked about a lot in their circle of influence, that challenges the status quo and challenges our assumptions; who communicates it with conviction and boldness; who inspires people to take action; AND who causes people to be self-reflective, to learn more about themselves and how they relate to the world. Thought leaders who gain momentum also have what I call a container or project for their thought leadership message, which you’ll hear more about in this episode. One of my thought leadership containers is this podcast; the other is the Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit we did last year and that we’re doing again on April 1st. Register for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.    This week is also the 4-year anniversary of this podcast! Podcasting each week has been the most important factor in the growth of Speaking Your Brand as a company and in helping me refine my voice. THANK YOU for being a listener, whether you've recently found the podcast or have been listening for a while. A SPECIAL THANK YOU if you’ve been a listener since year 1! You helped me continue to hit publish every Tuesday. This episode is part of our Big Ideas series.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/213 Download our free Thought Leadership workbook that has the V.O.I.C.E. framework, question prompts, and more: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/.  Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.  Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 183: Amplify Your Voice by Having a Sponsor with Jhaymee Tynan Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader & How We're Evolving at Speaking Your Brand Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers Episode 194: How to Structure a Movement-Making Speech Using Your Story with Joy Spencer   JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.