Amplify with Jess Ekstrom

Today, Jess opens up about her personal journey with postpartum depression and anxiety. That period sucked, but she learned some valuable lessons on motherhood and emerged with a completely different attitude about embracing a new period of your life. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

On YouTube, you've probably seen today's guests, Kim and Penn Holderness. Their family videos have been consistently hilarious, starting with their rise to fame with Christmas Jammies 10 years ago.  They just released a new book, ADHD is Awesome, and are here to share their perspectives on the challenges and superpowers of Penn's ADHD. Listen and see how ADHD helps them with speaking prep instead of hindering it.---Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

In the speaking world, so many things are measured and judged. How many people were in the audience? How many likes were on that Reel? How many views were on the YouTube video?Maybe you've heard critics and the voice inside your head tell you that broadcasting your message to a small audience is "cringe-worthy."Well, maybe it's time to embrace the cringe!Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

As co-founder and first CEO of Netflix, Marc Randolph led the company from its inception in 1998 through its IPO in 2002. He left the company a year later to pursue other passions, which includes public speaking. Today, Marc joins Jess to discuss the importance of experimentation on stage, the value of continuous improvement, adapting to audience feedback, and why he’s committed to supporting women in professional speaking.–Marc Randolph is the author of That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea. –[01:30] “99% of the time, they don't work. And those aren't failures.”[04:00] Marc’s standard talk and hero’s journey framework[07:00] Why and when Marc will work for cheap[10:30] “The most obnoxious beginning to a story ever.”[14:00] Spotlight speaker vs Lighthouse speaker[15:45] How can women get more placement on stages?[20:00] Everybody has something worth sharing[22:00] The audience - “Not only are they looking at their phone, they're talking on their phone!”Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

When Jess was in college, she applied for an internship with NBC’s Today Show…and got it. In the back of her mind though, she was pretty sure she only got the job for a nefarious reason.But did that really matter?—Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

Today we explore what many of us struggle with - the power of confidence and self-belief. The trick is that confidence is a muscle we can work on every day, and we can create a strong foundation from within.Join us as Jess chats with Heather Monahan, who shares her transformation story from sales manager to successful keynote speaker, while emphasizing the value of authenticity and aligning personal stories with industry problems. She also shares her tips on visualization and positive affirmations for public speaking success. Heather Monahan is a Top 50 Keynote Speaker in the World 2022, TedX Speaker, Podcast Host of Creating Confidence, 2X Best-Selling Author (Confidence Creator and Overcome Your Villains) and the CEO of Boss in Heels.[02:53] Confidence is the key to speaking success.[05:48] How a lost job led to intrinsic confidence.[10:56] Caring enough or caring too much?[17:26] How research, asking questions, and solving problems leads to increased revenue.[23:29] Investing in yourself and declaring your worth.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

There are so many great reasons to embrace your “Yes” era. Saying yes to as many opportunities as you can fit into your day. Taking the job, taking the trip, going to the conference, joining the club and showing up to as many things as possible. And with each experience that you have, you walk away with more knowledge about yourself, the world, and your place in it. But maybe now it’s time for your “No” era.—Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

Whenever we step on stage, we’re making a courageous choice to be there and share our authentic selves with the audience. But what does it mean to be gutsy?Today, Natalie Franke shares her personal journey of facing a brain tumor diagnosis and infertility, while building her career. Jess and Natalie emphasize the continuous learning process of courage and the significance of self-reflection and embracing change. They also discuss the power of vulnerability, community support, and the value of integrity in personal and professional growth.Natalie Franke is the Head of Community at Flodesk and author of Gutsy: Learning to Live With Bold, Brave, and Boundless Courage.[00:02] Courage looks different for everyone.[03:20] Evolution of Natalie’s struggles and gutsiness.[06:16] How Natalie changed her perspective on courage.[10:13] Fear is natural but keep moving forward.[12:56] The impostor syndrome advantage.[18:46] Finding authenticity in breaking free.[23:49] Building your inner circle.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

Whenever you have reached any level of success, it helps others (and yourself) to be transparent about the messier early days. Today, Jess shares a story about a speaking event early in her career where she was picked up in a limo, and it seemed like an “I Made It!” moment. But instead, she was quickly reminded that not everyone was rooting for her success.—Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

Women’s voices have been suppressed for hundreds of years. Is it any wonder that we’re still facing a gender pay gap? We’re making progress, but we still have a long way to go.Today, Dana Rubin joins the podcast to explore the evolution of women's voices in history and the importance of inclusive communication. She discusses the need to document and share women's speeches, as well as showcasing diverse speeches. It’s time to amplify all voices for diverse perspectives - through effective communication strategies, the power of authenticity, vulnerability, and adapting speech to connect with audiences. Dana Rubin is the author of “Speaking While Female: 75 Extraordinary Speeches by American Women", and founder of the Speaking While Female Speech Bank.[01:56] Men's voices dominate history, where are women's?[03:48] History lesson: Women were silenced, but spoke up. [08:35] How we can support women to stand up and speak[10:50] Including men in the conversation[13:16] The power of the pause[14:57] Overriding stereotypes[17:04] Embracing emotions and authenticityAmplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.