Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies

Get ready to be inspired to get past perfection and throw out the script you may *think* (consciously or unconsciously) you should be using in your career, business, and life. My guest is Joy Spencer, who works as an organizational development consultant and is a certified professional coach. Joy and I worked together earlier this year on her signature talk called “Beyond Your Dream Job: A Reframe to C.R.E.A.T.E. Your Ideal Work Experience and Legacy.” Joy was planning on using her signature talk for in-person workshops for her coaching business. With in-person events not possible right now, Joy joined our Webinar Idea to Launch program in April and repurposed her signature talk into a webinar version, which she delivered for the first time a couple of weeks ago. In this episode, Joy and I talk about: Lessons from converting her signature talk into a webinar The results from her webinar What it means to throw out the script and how that showed up for her in her career Why your goal shouldn’t be productivity Joy’s upbringing in Nigeria and the impact her school plays had on her (this is a fun story!) Which comes first: clarity or action About My Guest: Joy Spencer is a coach, speaker, and organizational development consultant working with professionals and leaders at all levels within organizations.  Whether she’s working with individual contributors or senior leaders, Joy leverages over 17 years of experience she gained while working to champion change in social justice movements, including those related to global access to essential medicines and consumer advocacy for online privacy.  This work required a dogged commitment to not merely challenging the status quo, but to reimagining and working towards creating an ideal future.  It is this commitment to creating that has shaped Joy’s coaching philosophy and approach today.   She now supports leaders in sharpening the most important instrument they have for fostering change and developing teams—their own personal development and transformational growth.  Joy also specializes in coaching leaders through a dynamic process to unearth, craft, and share their defining stories.  Joy’s greatest passion, however, is to challenge experienced professionals to reframe their understanding of success away from a focus on being productive to a new commitment to being creators who continuously use their gifts to create beautiful things and experiences they can offer in service.   Using her signature C.R.E.A.T.E. framework, Joy guides her clients through a process to become incomparable in work so they can get paid to be themselves.     About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/172 Join Joy’s 30-Day-Challenge program: https://bit.ly/JuneESD30Challenge Join our “Webinar Idea to Launch” LIVE online program: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/launch/   Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Joy Spencer (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-spencer-acc-cpc-835b212/ 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/.

Do you have a strategy for your webinars? Do you know whether you should make a direct sales pitch on your webinar - or use it to build brand awareness and visibility? What's the difference between presenting to your own audience vs. someone else's? Can you get paid to do webinars? Knowing why you're doing a webinar and what to expect from it can provide clarity around the content to present, give you confidence when delivering it, AND see how it fits into your overall marketing strategy. We covered these questions and more on the live webinar we did last week on the 5 Types of Webinars You Can Do to Grow Your Business and Visibility. This episode is the audio from that very fun and fast-paced webinar.  If you’d like to see the video recording with the slides, register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/webinar/.    You'll learn about: 5 types of webinars you can do to grow your business and visibility WHY and WHEN to use each one HOW to get started with each SUCCESS strategies LOTS of real-life recent examples Need help with your webinars? Join our “Webinar Idea to Launch” LIVE 4-week online program: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/launch/   Here's where most people get tripped up with their webinars: They select the wrong topic They don't know how to sell their offer They don't know how much content to include They don't know how to keep the audience engaged They keep thinking of doing one but never actually do it This is exactly what we help you with, live on the group Zoom calls, you and 6-8 other women.   You're a great fit for this program if: You're a service-based woman entrepreneur (coach, consultant, strategist) at any stage in your business You want to sell a virtual offer (program, course, workshop, coaching, consulting) You want to do a webinar in the next 4-8 weeks and you have lots of questions and need guidance on how to do it right You've never done a webinar or you've done a few and you want to improve your content, delivery, and results You appreciate a community of supportive women Get all the details and sign up at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/launch/. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by one of our speaking coaches Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links:   Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/171   Join our “Webinar Idea to Launch” LIVE online program: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/launch/   Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 165: How to Repurpose Your In-Person Presentation into an Engaging Webinar with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 169: Leveraging Free Speaking Engagements Into Bigger Opportunities with Angela Hosking Episode 170: Taking Action and Pivoting in Your Business with Virtual Offerings with Amanda J. Hill [Coaching] 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 been wanting to add a new offering to your business but haven’t had a chance to yet? As my guest Amanda J. Hill says in our conversation, the current crisis has accelerated her action, from *thinking* for the past year about adding a new offering to *doing* it. This episode is a case study and on-air coaching call on how to quickly pivot and take action to be of service to your clients.   About My Guest: Amanda J. Hill founded MaesAwyr in 2015 and leads airport, airspace, capital improvement, and strategic planning projects for airport sponsors, consultants, and state agencies. She’s worked successfully with, for, and at many levels within the airport development industry as a planner and program manager for more than 15 years. She's an instrument-rated private pilot and also loves scuba diving, red wine, and rescue dogs.  Amanda previously worked as the statewide aviation planner for the Georgia Department of Transportation, responsible for airport and statewide planning, capital programming, and project oversight for 95 general aviation airports.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/170 Amanda’s website: https://www.maesawyr.com/ Join our “Webinar Idea to Launch” LIVE online program: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/launch/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Amanda Hill (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajhill/   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 117: Turning Your Signature Talk into a Lead Generation Webinar with Lorena Klingel [Coaching] Episode 165: How to Repurpose Your In-Person Presentation into an Engaging Webinar with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 166: Reimagining Our Businesses, Industries, and Public Speaking 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/.

A question I get asked a lot is: How can I get paid to speak? One of the best ways is to speak and present for free. (This goes for both in-person and online presentations and trainings.) Why speak for free? You build relationships with event organizers who can then recommend you or pay you to speak at future events. You get to know other speakers who recommend you for paid events. You can get video clips of you speaking to showcase your ability to deliver. You become more comfortable and confident with your material and delivery which results in you feeling more confident asking to be paid. My guest today is Angela Hosking, who is a dynamic speaker and founder of Her One Tribe.  Angela was in our Monetize Your Speaking program last year and is currently in our mastermind. In this episode, Angela and I talk about: Strategies she used to get her first free speaking engagements (that you can use too) The mindset shift Angela made How she used online summits and webinars to build her email list The opportunities that have come from the speaking she’s done, including ones she hadn’t anticipated What you can negotiate for when speaking Angela’s philosophy of taking small brave steps every day Register for our upcoming FREE webinar "5 Types of Webinars You Can Do to Grow Your Business and Visibility" at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/webinar/.   About My Guest: Angela Hosking, MBA, MSN is on a mission to help women grow and develop confidence, enhance their inherent leadership skills and inspire them to boldly achieve their personal goals.  Angela combines her 10+ years of Healthcare Executive Leadership experience with her expertise as a Women's Empowerment writer and author of “Woman on Top: Lead Like a Lady Boss” to deliver impactful workshops and motivational speeches. Angela is the owner and CEO of Her One Tribe, LLC where she hosts and coaches an online community for aspiring women to find education, inspiration and support with their fellow sisters.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/169 Angela’s website: http://heronetribe.com/ Join our “Webinar Idea to Launch” LIVE online program: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/launch/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Angela Hosking (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelalhosking/   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 106: Get More Speaking Opportunities with a Powerful Personal Brand with Diane Diaz Episode 131: Pitching and Negotiating for Bigger Speaking Opportunities with Maureen Taylor [Confidence Series] Episode 151: Dream Big, Speak Big: Inspiration from Women Speakers [Goals & Planning 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/.

How do your values show up in your work, whether it’s interacting with clients or employees, presenting to an audience, appearing on a podcast, or creating marketing materials? My guest today is Patti Perez, the founder of a consulting firm that’s dedicated to teaching leaders and teams how to create and sustain healthy, inclusive and profitable workplace cultures. Patti has a fascinating background that has informed her career, the work she does, and the values that she embodies, including truth telling, curiosity, and radical fairness. These values are also ones that she helps organizations develop so they create better workplaces. In this episode, Patti and I talk about: Her work as a workplace sleuth Why the phrase “get to know me” became part of her message Growing up and learning to use her voice to be her own advocate The importance of allyship Where companies can improve with their communication A powerful way for Patti to open her talks About My Guest: Patti Perez is founder and CEO of PersuasionPoint, a modern-day consulting firm dedicated to teaching leaders and teams how to create and sustain healthy, inclusive and profitable workplace cultures. Patti is passionate about and committed to helping organizations realize the vision of a workplace where employees are inspired to innovate, where leaders make courageous decisions and create a sense of deep trust, and where colleagues are aligned and profoundly connected. Patti is the best-selling, award-winning author of “The Drama-Free Workplace” (Wiley 2019) and uses the concepts from her book to lead interactive, action-oriented workshops, provide consulting services, and deliver keynote addresses. Her nearly 30-year career includes working as a California employment attorney, a workplace sleuth (conducting in excess of 1200 workplace investigations), a Governor-appointed state regulator, an expert witness, an HR professional, a tech company executive and an entrepreneur.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/168 Patti’s website: http://www.persuasionpoint.com/  Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin.  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Patti Perez (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-perez/   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 54: Building a Culture of Trust with Your Team and Audience with Dr. Laura Gallaher Episode 134: Gender Pay Gap: Talking About Uncomfortable Topics with Your Audience with Michelle Gyimah [Money Series] Episode 141: Advocating for What You Want for Yourself and Others with Nicole Tisdale [Leadership Series] Episode 156: Visibility Strategies That Get You Noticed with Janice Gassam, Ph.D. 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/.

Whether you’re presenting online or in person, to any size audience, creating a sense of belonging with your audience builds trust and contributes to their learning experience. My guest Traci Baxley, Ed.D. calls herself a “belonging advocate” and she walks her talk. In this episode, Traci and I talk about: Specific belonging practices you can use for in-person and online Why your own vulnerability is the key - and how to do this How Traci thinks about her role as a speaker How Traci gets speaking engagements Both Traci and I share stories of belonging from when we were young   About My Guest: Dr. Traci Baxley is a consultant, coach, and speaker, helping moms live intentional lives, grounded in compassion, open dialogue and social engagement for the betterment of themselves, their children, and humanity. Traci has been an educator for almost 30 years with degrees in child development, literacy and curriculum & instruction. Her work is in the areas of belonging, diversity and inclusion, anti-bias curriculum and racial identity. As a belonging advocate and mother of 5 biracial children (one child with ADHD, one diagnosed with anxiety and another who battles depression) Traci has navigated the space of parenting and applies her professional knowledge and personal experiences in her heart-centered coaching approach to support moms on their parenting journey. She is the creator of Social Justice Parenting™, a parenting philosophy that moves families from fear-based parenting to parenting from a place of radical love, for themselves, their children, and humanity. She also uses her BELONG framework to work with transracial families, specifically white mothers raising black and biracial children, to create bicultural homes and nurture positive racial identity. Traci has been featured on numerous podcasts, facilitated workshops and given keynote talks, including a TEDx  talk on Social Justice Parenting™ where she offers her grounding ROCKS framework for all parenting: Reflection, Open-dialogue, Compassion, Kindness & Social Engagement.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/167 Traci’s website: https://tracibaxley.com/  Sign up for our free #ChoosingWomensVoices challenge: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge  Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin.  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Traci Baxley (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracibaxley/     Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 54: Building a Culture of Trust with Your Team and Audience with Dr. Laura Gallaher Episode 82: How to Create an Emotional Connection with Your Audience with Leanne Kabat [Coaching] Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too 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/.

We've been hosting virtual office hours on Zoom for our clients and it's been so good to chat, commiserate about the situation we're all in, and talk about strategies for our businesses. One of the women remarked that she appreciated coming on because none of us was in a state of fear.  Instead, we're focused on how we can meet our clients and audiences where they're at and innovate around our businesses. This pandemic and the economic fallout is going to affect the speaking and events business (it already has), which means it’s also going to affect my business, Speaking Your Brand, too. We’re all in a state of uncertainty right now about our businesses, our industries, our communities, the economy, plus the health crisis itself. We can get tunnel vision - and when that happens it gets hard to see beyond either what you’ve always done or what’s possible. I’m an optimist by nature, with a strong dash of realism and practicality, so I know whatever changes happen, it will be ok. Join me and Diane Diaz for an honest and real conversation about: What we learned from our improv class and how we’re all improving right now How the pandemic will impact Speaking Your Brand’s business, offerings, marketing, and sales The future of public speaking and events Reimagining our business and industry, even society and government Exercises for how you can reimagine your business and industry How we can innovate with online events to make them more useful and interesting The revenue model around webinars and virtual events (can you charge for webinars?) About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined by our top speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/166 Watch our free webinar “How to Repurpose Your In-Person Presentation into an Engaging Webinar” at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/webinar/ Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin.  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz    Article mentioned: “Amid Coronavirus Fears, Startups Rethink the Virtual Conference”   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 163: A Feminist Approach to Public Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 164: Mindful Leadership in Uncertain Times with Puja Madan Episode 165: How to Repurpose Your In-Person Presentation into an Engaging Webinar 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/.

Have you attended a boring or poorly done webinar?  Tune into this episode to hear webinar audience engagement in action! This episode is the audio from a live webinar we did last week.  If you’d like to see the video recording with the slides, register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/webinar/.  With many of us having speaking engagements and in-person workshops postponed or canceled because of Covid-19, offering webinars or virtual workshops can be an excellent way to provide value to your audience. You don’t have to start from scratch when creating your webinar content. Instead, repurpose your in-person presentation.  However, there are several important differences between in-person and virtual presentations..   In this episode, you’ll learn about: Selecting your webinar topic Structuring your webinar Avoiding content overload Keeping your audience engaged What to put on your slides and how many to have Tech and prep We’ve done nearly a thousand online webinars and virtual events over the past 10+ years.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by one of our speaking coaches Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/165 Join our “Webinar Idea to Launch” LIVE online program: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/launch/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz  Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 116: 16 Ways You Can Use Your Signature Talk with Carol Cox Episode 117: [Coaching] Turning Your Signature Talk into a Lead Generation Webinar with Lorena Klingel 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/.

I don’t know about you, but for the past week, I’ve been checking the NYT website and my Twitter feed WAY too many times a day, as we all struggle to understand what the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) will have on us, our families, our businesses, and our communities. My friend Puja Madan, who is an expert on mindful leadership for entrepreneurs and business executives, has been sharing really helpful posts and videos on LinkedIn. I invited Puja for an impromptu conversation we recorded a few days ago to talk about: The two brains we have and deciding which will dominate As leaders, being mindful of and reducing emotional contagion and herd mentality As a speaker, specific strategies you can use when events you’re speaking at have been canceled or postponed How you can use this time for curiosity and creativity and being careful not to feel like you have to be especially “productive” or “efficient” Register for Our Free Webinar: How to Repurpose Your In-Person Presentation into an Engaging Webinar or Virtual Workshop With many of us having speaking engagements and in-person workshops postponed, offering webinars or virtual workshops can be an excellent way to provide value to your audience. You don’t have to start from scratch when creating your webinar content. Instead, repurpose your in-person presentation.  However, there are several important differences between in-person and virtual presentations. Join us on our free live webinar where you’ll learn about: Selecting your webinar topic Structuring your webinar Avoiding content overload Keeping your audience engaged What to put on your slides and how many to have Tech and prep We’ll answer your questions too!   Register to join us live or get the recording at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/webinar/. About My Guest: Puja Madan is the founder of The Mindfulness Map and an award-winning leadership coach and consultant. Her signature framework is designed to improve business performance and wellbeing at fast-growth companies using mindfulness, data and behavior analysis. Originally from India, Puja brings over 15 years of experience in business leadership and mindfulness to spark the full potential of leaders and organizations. Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Thrive Global and MindBodyGreen.    About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/164 Puja’s website: https://www.mindfulnessmap.com/ Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Puja Madan (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/pujamadan/ Get our LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin.  Join our Master Your Speaking program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.    Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 7: Finding Your Unique Message to Stand Out with Puja Madan [Coaching] 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 I’ve worked with nearly 200 women over the past few years, I’ve seen how the same things trip us up, as well as what liberates us as women - our voices and our stories.  Have you ever attended an event, heard a speaker, and thought, “I could give just as good as, if not a better, presentation. Why am I not up there?” Have you ever shied away from submitting to speak at a conference or pitching yourself for a paid workshop because you don’t feel like you’re expert enough? Lack of confidence, imposter syndrome, self-doubt, the critical inner voice can all prevent us from putting ourselves out there or from talking about what we really want to talk about. I’ve been a self-proclaimed feminist since high school and have Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in women’s history and gender studies. Yet, until recently, I haven’t seen how feminism applies to how we show up as speakers. In this episode, I’m sharing the beginnings of a feminist framework I’m developing around public speaking. Being a feminist speaker has nothing to do with your content - you don’t have to be talking about feminist theory or only to women. It’s about truly finding our voices as women that have been buried under the scripts we think we’re supposed to act from - and making room for the voices that haven’t had opportunities to be heard. It’s about relationship and connection, equality and liberation. Listen in to hear 3 ways you can start adopting a feminist approach to your speaking now. I’ll do a future episode where I dig more into the feminist framework I’m developing, so be sure to subscribe to the podcast.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.    Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/163 Sign up for our free 7-day challenge #ChoosingWomensVoices at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge or text the word SPEAKING to 33-777. Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Join our Master Your Speaking program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.    Resources Mentioned: Book co-authored by Carol Gilligan: “Darkness Now Visible: Patriarchy's Resurgence and Feminist Resistance” Emma Gonzalez’s March for Our Lives speech: https://youtu.be/u46HzTGVQhg  Article on political scientist Rachel Bitecofer: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/02/06/rachel-bitecofer-profile-election-forecasting-new-theory-108944 Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 91: Visibility Works: From Local Speaking to TED.com to a Book with Tammy Lally Episode 127: Developing Confidence in Public Speaking Episode 162: Why We’re #ChoosingWomensVoices – and You Should Too 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/.