The Speaker Lab

The Speaker Lab

Grant Baldwin

Grant Baldwin provides insights into the Art and Business of Professional Speaking

32 minutes 40 seconds

Your Front Row Seat To Life As A Speaker with Erin Pompa
“We can serve everybody, but that's being selfish, because it is impossible to give deep impactful, valuable change in a certain demographic if you are serving everyone in the world."
This week, Brittany Richmond and Erin Pompa sat down to talk about all things speaking. Erin’s been a youth speaker for years and has had just about every experience you can have while building a speaking career. In this episode, Brittany and Erin get into the good, the bad, and the ugly as you balance your impact and your opposition.
"And I had to learn how to release that pressure that I was putting on myself to be perfect."

During this conversation, they cover:
- 05:07 Let’s meet Erin Pompa.
- 07:11 What was your journey to becoming a speaker?
- 10:43 How did you get started when you decided to become a speaker?
- 15:06 Erin’s journey to finding her voice and message as a speaker.
- 19:33 Tips for working a room while you’re speaking.
- 22:59 The reality of getting negative feedback.
- 25:08 What does it mean to be a speaker and put yourself on stage.
- 29:05 How to reach your audience before you give your talk.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
23 April 2024, 9:30 am
38 minutes 20 seconds

How to Build a Life of Significance Outside Your Speaking Business with Aaron Walker
"And what I found out, Grant, that I was building a level of success financially, but I was doing it from a huge relationship deficit. And I didn't know my daughters like I should, and I didn't know my wife like I should."
This week, Grant sat down with Aaron Walker, aka Big A, to talk about how to build a life of significance outside of what you do. Grant often says, “who you are is more important than what you do,” and this episode really hits on that. As driven people, it’s easy to get caught up in the outcomes, the money, and the success, but it’s important to be intentional about curating relationships that will enrich your life and make it mean more.
"Do an evaluation, like, what gives me energy? What are the things that only I can do? Because when they are taking energy, you've only got so much bandwidth, there's only so much determination you can pull from, and you're going to crash and hit the wall, which I've done a couple of times I'm not proud of, but I had to take months off for a period of time because I'm such a hard charger and I want to accomplish, I want to go, but I'm like, you know what? I can't do that. So now what we've done is devised a plan and a strategy. I'm going to work within this framework. I'm going to work this many hours, and whatever I can get done, I'm going to get done.”
In this episode, Grant and Big A talk about:
- 00:00 Who Big A is and his story.
- 05:45 Success is fantastic, but how do you balance it with significance?
- 08:04 Why boundaries and accountability are important.
- 09:55 The importance of delegation.
- 14:43 Optimizing for success at work and at home.
- 16:44 How to develop better relationships with the people that matter.
- 22:41 What does it look like to create boundaries when delegation isn’t possible?
- 25:23 Embracing commitment to your people before your work.
- 26:37 How speaking fits into Big A’s life and time commitments.
- 31:43 Big A’s mastermind group
- 34:07 How to find quality accountability partners for your life.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
16 April 2024, 9:30 am
38 minutes 23 seconds

Why YOU Might Be the Reason Your Business Isn't Growing with Jake Thompson
"I've always, always had the mentality, that I'm going to out-prepare and outperform you. I just want the audience to leave, thinking "Yeah, we had that person who was an Olympic athlete or a pro athlete, but this guy over here who was like, working at a gas station selling t-shirts, that guy put on a show. And so I've always had the mentality to let the experience outweigh some of the credentials backing it up with statistics and data and things like that."
This week, Grant sat down with Jake Thompson, a speaker, author, and one of our amazing facilitators here at TSL, to dig into how he’s scaled his business and his income. Jake’s been on a few other episodes, so check out episodes 205 and 412 and then tune back in here.
"Throw out the hundreds and throw out the zeros and look at the medium. What did the person who booked you say, and are they willing to put their reputation on the line and do a testimonial referral? Because if they are, then you delivered, but if you didn't, you're probably going to get crickets from them, even if the "audience" loved you."
In this episode, Grant and Jake dig into:
- 00:00 Jake’s background and story to here.
- 06:19 How to find your mentors.
- 09:30 Building community for growth.
- 11:29 Focus areas to allow you to win as a speaker.
- 14:41 Why following up and following through will set you apart.
- 18:38 Finding the confidence to raise prices.
- 21:20 Jake’s mindset on pricing and fees.
- 24:19 Preparing to show up better than influencers in the space.
- 26:58 What questions should you ask to guide your business?
- 31:10 Jake’s next phase in business.
- 34:25 Why it’s important to sell and outcome, not a package.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
9 April 2024, 9:00 am
41 minutes 21 seconds

Why You Don't Need a Bureau to Get Paid Speaking Gigs with Brandon Edmondson
“I think the potential disadvantage with the bureau is you might have this idea, like, if I'm on a bureau's website and they booked me once, that could really turn into something big. And that's really not the reality."
Grant sat down with Brandon Edmondson, VP of Sales at Premiere Speaker Bureau, to dig into the current state of the speaking industry, things to think about as you price yourself, and if you need a speakers bureau to be successful.
"We know we probably represent less than 10% of the billion dollar industry of the speaking pie, right? So that means Coca Cola, all these companies on the outside of that piece, they're just connecting directly with speakers. So the pie is huge."
In this episode, they dig into:
- 00:00 Brandon’s background and credibility
- 06:04 How COVID changed the speaking world.
- 06:52 What’s shifted since then?
- 12:02 Let’s talk about the percentage of gigs agents are booking.
- 13:04 Is the world saturated with speakers?
- 16:57 Advice for raising speaker fees for all.
- 22:42 Why it’s important to track your own data.
- 23:42 Sectors that are currently thriving.
- 28:55 What it means to be a non-exclusive speaker.
- 32:16 How I think about pitching speakers and what your agent-speaker relationship could be.
- 33:28 Advice for aspiring professional speakers in demand.
- 37:24 The number key for success as a speaker.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2 April 2024, 9:30 am
32 minutes 4 seconds

7 Things to Consider Before Going Full-Time as a Speaker with Jeremy Rochford
"The goal is to look at the science because there is a step by step metric to keep tabs on your career so that you know without a doubt, is this or is this not the right time to go full time?"
This week, Maryalice Goldsmith is joined on the podcast by Jeremy Rochford to talk about when it’s time to go full-time with your speaking. Jeremy has a 7-step framework to make sure your transition from part-time to full-time speaker is seamless. If you’re on the fence or wondering when is the right time, this episode is for you!
"There are two things that most people will say are the most valuable things in life. One, time, two, money."
In this episode, Jeremy and Maryalice discuss.
- 01:00 Separating emotion from science in career decisions.
- 04:37 Why timing matters.
- 07:23 How to evaluate your readiness for a full-time speaking career.
- 10:16 What does this process of assessment look like in practice?
- 16:19 Where to grow and focus your efforts.
- 20:38 Reflect on the impact this will have on your routines.
- 21:53 Discuss caregiving outcomes and implications for the people you leave behind.
- 25:50 Why do we recommend bouncing this off a coach?
- 31:00 Get serious about speaking, visit thespeakerlab.com.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
26 March 2024, 9:00 am
35 minutes 41 seconds

How Finding Your Niche Will Unlock Your Growth with Amy Pechacek
"I did not see this being a full time gig at the time. I just thought I was going to be speaking, like, at churches or something, right? So I thought I was speaking at women events, women's conferences and things like that while doing my nine to five, maybe on the weekends."
This week, Grant Baldwin sat down with former TSL Student, Amy Pechacek, to dig into her speaking journey, how she’s “planned to win”, what her business looks like today, and the advice she would give other speakers looking to get to the next level.
"I came into this process thinking I was going to be an inspirational speaker...But people were coming to me, asking me to speak to their teams, and I thought, well, if people trust me in the realm of corporate american leadership and business development and sales and things like that, then I am a firm believer of people seeing you sometimes what you don't see in yourself."
In this episode, Amy and Grant get into:
- 05:18 How Amy transitioned from part-time to full-time as a speaker
- 07:20 Amy’s journey to exploring how to make speaking a business.
- 10:13 How Amy transitioned from motivational speaking to corporate training.
- 13:44 Leveraging both corporate training and inspirational speaking.
- 19:27 Amy’s take on the desires that unite people and create passion and meaning in our lives.
- 21:22 How Amy fosters connection with people in workshops.
- 24:21 Amy’s next steps for growing her business.
- 26:50 How Amy’s thought about narrowing direction in her business.
- 31:12 Amy’s take on The Speaker Lab program.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
19 March 2024, 9:00 am
52 minutes 59 seconds

How to Leverage Workshops to Build a 7-Figure Speaking Business with Erick Rheam
"And what better way than to expand your reach than to do workshops where you can really make an impact?"
This week, TSL Facilator and full-time speaker, Erick Rheam is on the podcast talking about how he’s personal scaled his business through workshops. Erick has a 4 step system for breaking into the workshop world to help unlock your income and your impact as a speaker.
"And so that's what I did, is I started thinking, okay, this is my keynote. Now, if I were to actually go to an organization and spend 90 minutes or longer with them, what would that look like? What kind of value would I bring? What would be the call to actions? What would be the action items?"
If you’re interested in learning more about how to use workshops to grow your business, this episode is for you!
- 01:07 What Erick’s been up to lately
- 03:16 Erick’s business growth (with real numbers!) since he started speaking
- 07:16 How workshops unlocked growth for Erick’s revenue
- 10:01 Leveraging workshops as a way to make a bigger impact with your story and skills
- 14:36 When you keynote there’s a lot of opportunities, but they are 3-5 years a part as conferences and businesses often change keynote speakers. Workshops give you an opportunity to do work outside of classic events.
- 16:11 What goes into creating a workshop? Well, here’s where you start.
- 23:24 When you capture contact info, be sure you deliver the value you promise and more!
- 25:50 Ideas to help with lead capture.
- 29:54 How to outline your workshop.
- 32:10 Make an educated guess, but be open to iterating when you start getting data.
- 35:57 How Erick helps people supercharge their workshops.
- 39:12 Why networking is worth it.
- 43:24 What kind of income can someone make from workshops?
- 46:39 About the Speaker Lab’s new workshop mastery program.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
12 March 2024, 9:00 am
34 minutes 57 seconds

How to Give Yourself a Raise & Charge What You're Worth with Angie Besignano
"It's really about differentiating between the reality and the necessity. How much do I need to make? How much will the market bear? And can I find that in between space where it actually makes sense?"
This week, Maryalice Goldsmith sat down with Angie Besignano to chat about how to charge your worth as a speaker just getting started.
If you’re new to speaking and looking to break into the industry, this is how to think about initial pricing, when to give yourself a raise, and how to go about finding your value in the market.
"There were definitely cues that I was receiving from the market that were kind of telling me, maybe it is time, right? Maybe it is time for me to go from $1,000 to $1,500 to $2,000 and make those incremental jumps."
During this episode, Maryalice and Angie discuss:
- 05:59 Why you have to understand your money mindset and how to change your relationship with money.
- 08:44 How to set realistic expectations around your financial expectations.
- 11:13 What goes into developing a well rounded fee.
- 14:34 How to assess your value based on expertise, not time.
- 16:58 Developing your confidence as a speaker through your fees.
- 23:09 Why you need to gut check when you’re quoting prices.
- 26:46 Elevate your pricing through market testing.
- 29:44 Using boundaries and confidence to set fair fees.
- 31:06 Understand the market, your money mindset, and your goals for true success in the speaking industry.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
5 March 2024, 10:00 am
43 minutes 47 seconds

Your Guide to Leveraging Stories to Connect With Your Audience from Ravi Rajani
“If you tell a story, it should evoke an emotion, and then that emotion can lead to a thought which shifts somebody's perspective."
If you want to learn how to tell better stories, this week's podcast episode is a must-listen!
Ravi Rajani joined Grant on the podcast this week to dig into all things storytelling. Ravi’s a TSL facilitator and also a professional speaker who teaches B2B sales teams to embrace storytelling and stories in their work so they can sell better.
"What emotion am I trying to elicit? What perspective do they have right now that isn't serving them? And what perspective do I want to give them and how can I support them in creating change?"
We all know that stories are important, but where do you begin? How do you source stories, what does it mean to workshop a story, how do you create compelling stories? Ravi and Grant share valuable expertise on sharing stories to connect with your audience.
“They all have one thing in common when telling a story and showing up in whatever medium they are. One, unapologetically self expressed. Two, they own their values, and three, they own their imperfections. And I think there's nothing more charismatic and magnetic as to when somebody can do that.”
In this episode they share:
- 00:57 Ravi’s speaking journey and background
- 06:58 First person or third person stories? Which are better for you to use?
- 10:35 What’s the difference between a mediocre story and a great story?
- 12:50 Storytelling experts that Ravi looks to for advice
- 14:34 Story structure for maximize impact
- 20:16 How do humor and stories work together to create a great end product?
- 23:04 What does it look like to tailor your stories to the audience?
- 25:59 What is a storybank?
- 28:42 How do you build a story bank?
- 32:21 What is a “new two” and how can you leverage that to test stories?
- 34:25 How do you script and practice stories so they don’t feel overly rehearsed?
- 40:29 Where do you go from here? How do you put these things into practice?
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
27 February 2024, 10:00 am
41 minutes 57 seconds

How to Break Through the Wall with Rory Vaden
"If you have diluted focus, you get diluted results."
When it comes to building your brand, Rory Vaden is the expert you want in your corner. He’s committed to helping others identify the problem they solve and build a strategy for lasting success.
"You're most specifically equipped to help someone get through a problem that you have already walked past. That's the greatest shortcut."
Rory has a unique story of how he came to be an entrepreneur, found his place on the stage, and embraced the wisdom and insight of others so he could keep growing. As a college student, he found his niche in door-to-door sales. With a knack for developing principles of personal success and development, he soon found himself on the speaking stage and rubbing shoulders with mentors who would change the trajectory of his future.
"There's so few people who have walked the exact path that you have walked that have overcome the problems that you have overcome. And so there is somebody out there right now who is looking for questions to answers that, you know off the top of your head, they're trying to find a path that you already walked 100 times.”
His mindset, experience, and intentionality have set Rory apart in the industry. If you want to learn how to build a brand that will set you apart, this episode is for you!
Here’s what you’ll learn from this episode:
- 02:00 How did your background play into your preparation for your career?
- 04:56 Rory’s early mentor and how he got connected
- 06:40 The difference between a good speaker and a great speaker
- 08:51 How to get enough stage time to build your stage confidence and polish your talks
- 14:00 The turning point for Rory’s career and his first business
- 16:55 Helping people level up and teaching the art of speaking/branding to clients
- 20:47 How to break through the wall
- 25:38 What it means to develop a brand that people will always pay for
- 34:03 How to go about finding your uniqueness
- 36:03 Overcoming the fear of your calling
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
20 February 2024, 10:00 am
33 minutes 59 seconds

There's a 95% Chance You Won't Be Hired by an Event Planner and Here's Why with Eve Gilmore
“Think about: Who is the person that I want to impact? Not so much how many people do I want to impact? Or what area of my area of expertise do I want to impact? But who is the exact person that I want to leave my message with and know that they're going to go and step out and make an impact with it?"
This week, Maryalice Goldsmith and Eve Gilmore are on the podcast talking about how to find better leads! Sure, Rick’s episode from a couple of weeks ago was great, but you can’t work leads well if you aren’t even trying to get to know the right people!
"When I am creating a lead list for a student, I can really tell the difference between a student who knows their audience and knows their voice versus a student that doesn't, because everyone wants to get booked by an event planner or a conference manager."
We brought in our Lead Manager, Eve, to talk about how she helps students dig into their expert positioning statements to find the best leads possible.
“In particular, we ask our students, hey, provide your expert positioning statement when they submit for leads, and the difference it makes when a student really has a clear vision and a really clarified voice in their expert positioning statement…It's the difference between someone saying, I cultivate leaders in the corporate world. That's a great expert positioning statement. But what a great expert positioning statement would look like to pull leads for is I cultivate leadership in HR directors at marketing firms in order to cultivate a greater work environment that gives you way more information because anyone can speak in leadership but what kind of leadership and who are you wanting to influence with that leadership? So I would say it makes such a huge difference. The more specific the better, especially when it comes to something as broad as leadership or confidence or resilience.”

Eve and Maryalice dig into:
- 03:22 Why you have to understand the nuance in your target marketing and the importance of having specific audience examples before you start finding contacts and trying to book gigs.
- 07:40 Reframing your focus from how many people you want to impact to thinking about WHO the specific person is that your story/message will resonate with to solve a problem or create a transformation.
- 10:30 How to walk through the mindset exercise of understanding the clarity that comes with a defined audience verses using broad terms to describe your people.
- 13:05 People often want leads across all industries, but here’s why that doesn’t work.
- 16:17 Expanding your ideas and options past event planners and yearly conferences can help you book steady gigs in other industries that have more money to spend on bringing in speakers. Let’s get creative!
- 20:07 Getting scrappy with Google to find unique titles for people booking speakers in unconventional places, ie, business retreats, schools, etc.
- 24:50 How to embrace the “no”s so you can find a yes. Tips and tricks for being approachable and sticking with the process when it’s discouraging.
- 28:25 Practical questions you can reflect on to find clarity in who your leads are and what kind of impact you’re making before you go out there and start spamming inboxes!
- 29:50 A pep talk for consistency and approaching your prospecting with tenacity.
Episode Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
13 February 2024, 10:30 am
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