- 24 minutes 24 secondsHow to Get AI Chatbots to Recommend You as a Speaker
How would it feel to get an inquiry from someone who wants to pay you $5,000, $10,000, or even $20,000 for a speaking engagement or workshop? And even better, they found you through an AI chatbot. It’s happened to me, and it’s happened to our clients.
Here at Speaking Your Brand, about half of our leads now come from AI chatbots and Google. On consultation calls, people tell me, “Claude told me you were the best,” or “ChatGPT said you were the top recommendation for what I needed.” These are high-quality leads who come into the conversation already trusting the recommendation.
In this episode of our Bookable Speaker series, I’m sharing how to help AI chatbots understand you, your brand, and your topics so they can recommend you.
Earlier this year, I created an entire course on AI SEO for the university where I teach. I did a lot of research and experimenting (the former software developer in me loved this), and I’m giving you the practical highlights.
We’ll cover three things you can work on: assessing where you are now, becoming the answer to the questions your potential clients and event organizers are asking, and publishing content that supports what you want to be known for.
In this episode, you’ll learn:- How to find out whether AI chatbots are already sending people your way.
- Why a clear, consistent message matters for getting recommended.
- What to include on your speaker page.
- How a conversational audit can reveal questions your website needs to answer.
- The role of your signature framework and what makes your work distinctive.
- Ways to turn newsletters, articles, and podcast transcripts into website content.
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, voices, 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/494/
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
Tool to query chatbots: AnswerThePublic.com
My speaker page: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/about/carol-cox/speaking/
Example blog post formatted for AI SEO: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/what-is-a-signature-talk-framework/
Related Podcast Episodes:
19 October 2026, 9:00 am - 44 minutes 39 secondsSocial Media for Speakers - What We Do and Advice We Ignore
Get ready for some real opinions on how effective (or not) social media is for you as a speaker.
After all, if a post gets thousands of views but none of the right people see what you speak about, what did those views do for your speaking business?
I'm joined by Speaking Your Brand coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark for a conversation about social media for speakers, as part of our Bookable Speaker series.
We have very different relationships with it. Erin enjoys making Instagram Reels. Diane and I spend most of our social media time on LinkedIn, and I stopped posting on Instagram years ago.
Yet we agree on the question worth asking: Can an event organizer find you, understand your message, and picture you speaking to their audience?
We talk about the LinkedIn profile details that matter, why Erin doesn't send a sales pitch with a connection request, and what happened when an organizer contacted me through my mostly dormant Instagram account. We also get honest about posting frequency and the temptation to chase views.
You’ll hear:
- Why follower counts and viral views can be misleading measures for speakers
- What to put in your LinkedIn headline and About section
- How Erin starts conversations with potential partners and buyers
- Why photos from actual speaking engagements are useful content
- How to choose a posting rhythm you can maintain and check whether it's helping
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, voices, 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/493/
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Connect on LinkedIn:
- Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
- Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/
- Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/
Related Podcast Episodes:
12 October 2026, 9:00 am - 51 minutes 18 secondsHow to Get Your Next Speaking Engagements: The Bookable Speaker Checklist
If you've been sending speaker proposals and hearing nothing back, look at three things: relevance, reach, and relationships.
Does the organizer understand why your talk fits their audience? Can they see evidence of you speaking? And do people in your network know what you speak about well enough to recommend you?
Those are the three R's we're covering in this first episode of our Bookable Speaker podcast series.
I’m joined by Speaking Your Brand coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark to talk about what each one looks like in practice and specific things you can do today to get your next speaking engagements on the calendar.
Get our free Bookable Speaker Checklist at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/checklist/
You’ll learn:
- The three R's of being a bookable speaker: relevance, reach, and relationships
- How to adapt your positioning to an event without creating a new talk every time
- Questions to ask an event organizer before you send a proposal
- Why video of you speaking has become more useful to buyers, and how to capture it on a budget
- What to ask for in your speaker contract when an event is being filmed
- How warm introductions, other speakers, and small local talks can lead to more opportunities
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, voices, 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/492/
Download our free Bookable Speaker Checklist at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/checklist/Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our online Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Connect on LinkedIn:
- Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
- Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/
- Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/
Related Podcast Episodes:
5 October 2026, 9:00 am - 49 minutes 59 secondsMaking Universal Topics Relatable: Live Signature Talks from Our Thought Leader Academy Grads
How do you speak about something as big as love, money, or the meaning of life without letting it become abstract or overwhelming?
You make it personal.
In this Back Stage with Speaking Your Brand live show, you’ll hear three of our recent Thought Leader Academy grads, Beth DeAngelis, Vanessa Dean, and Kelsey Faye, as they each deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they developed in the program.
Their talks explore some of life’s biggest subjects:- Beth DeAngelis explores love and human connection as essential leadership skills.
- Vanessa Dean turns financial behavior into something deeply human through candid stories about ADHD, money, and the gap between knowing what to do and doing it consistently.
- Kelsey Faye draws from her stories to explore meaning, faith, and the search for purpose.
You’ll hear how they:
- Use one specific personal experience as the doorway into a universal topic
- Move from “this happened to me” to “this means something for all of us”
- Make an abstract idea tangible through stories, metaphors, and frameworks
- Share vulnerability in service of a clear thought leadership message
- Help audience members recognize themselves in a story that isn’t their own
We also have a roundtable conversation about what Beth, Vanessa, and Kelsey have learned while developing their talks and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders.
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, voices, 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/491/
Watch the video at https://youtube.com/live/mchMlKWq3zM
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Connect on LinkedIn:
- Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
- Beth DeAngelis = https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethdeangelis/
- Vanessa Dean = https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-dean-adhd-money-coach/
- Kelsey Faye = https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-faye-246347344/ and instagram.com/the.cathedral.within
Related Podcast Episodes:
28 September 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 23 secondsMaking the Invisible Visible: Live Signature Talks from Our Thought Leader Academy Grads
How do you turn an overlooked pattern or experience into a thought leadership message that changes how your audience sees themselves and the world around them?
One of the most powerful things a speaker can do is make the invisible visible.
In this Back Stage with Speaking Your Brand live show, our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz hosts three of our recent Thought Leader Academy grads, Stephanie Warner, Noa Stisin, and Carolyn Clow, as they each deliver a 10-minute version of the signature talk they developed in the program.
Each speaker makes an invisible influence visible:- Stephanie reveals how our sensory environments quietly shape our energy, capacity, and leadership.
- Noa explores how a parent’s internal state and inherited patterns shape what happens in difficult moments with a child.
- Carolyn shows how the often-overlooked practice of self-leadership affects our ability to lead others.
You’ll hear how they:
- Bring an overlooked problem or pattern into view
- Use stories to make an unseen experience recognizable
- Give audiences language for something they may have felt but couldn’t name
- Turn an abstract insight into a memorable framework
- Offer a practical next step audiences can use in their own lives
We also have a roundtable conversation about what Stephanie, Noa, and Carolyn have learned while developing their talks and what’s next for them as speakers and thought leaders.
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, voices, 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/490/
Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/ZWHCwywBH1Q?si=U6QsPCGhG4EqTEc-
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Apply for 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
- Stephanie Warner = https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-warner-tcp/
- Noa Stisin = https://www.linkedin.com/in/noastisin/
- Carolyn Clow = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynaclow/
Related Podcast Episodes:
21 September 2026, 9:00 am - 18 minutes 14 secondsSignature Stage Segments: What They Are and Why You Need Them as a Speaker
If you want more speaking invitations, it’s tempting to think the answer is more pitching, more social posts, and more cold outreach.
But event organizers are receiving more speaker submissions than ever. Being one more qualified person in the pile isn’t enough.
You need parts of your talk that people can remember, describe, and refer.
I call these Signature Stage Segments: intentionally crafted moments that bring together storytelling, humor, audience interaction, props or costumes, and quotable lines.They make the talk more engaging for the audience and give you the kind of video that actually shows an event organizer what you can do on stage.
In this episode, I share examples from our clients and our own talks.You’ll hear how a lion at a watering hole, a round of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” a game show, a medical mask, and a pair of human-versus-AI paddles all became memorable stage moments.
And we’ll talk about the part many speakers still hold back.
In this episode, you’ll learn:- What a Signature Stage Segment is and why it helps you get booked and referred
- The five elements that make stage moments memorable
- How to use our I.D.E.A.L. Storytelling Ingredients to turn something that happened into an actual story
- How simple props can make an abstract idea visible
- Why quotable lines belong in both your talk and your speaker reel
- The thing many speakers are afraid to bring to the stage and why it matters
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, voices, 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/489/
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Attend our in-person speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
Related Podcast Episodes:
- Episode 488: They Took the Stage at Our Speaking Retreat. What Happened Next?
- Episode 462: Speaking Strategies That Create Lasting Impact: Live Signature Talks from TLA Grads
- Episode 422: How to Create a 10-Out-of-10 Keynote that Leaves Your Audience in Awe with Julia Korn [Client Case Study]
- Episode 345: Elevate Your Audience Engagement Skills with These Proven Strategies with Katie Anderson [Client Case Study]
- Episode 467: Making the Shift from Performer to Keynote Speaker with Andy Nunn
14 September 2026, 9:00 am - 49 minutes 39 secondsThey Took the Stage at Our Speaking Retreat. What Happened Next?
What stays with you after a speaking retreat - once the filming is over, the notes are back in your hands, and you're home again?
We could tell you what happens at one of our in-person speaking retreats and workshops.
Instead, our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz sits down with three women who experienced it: scientist and registered dietitian Dr. Karen Corbin, physician and health equity consultant Dr. Nicole Rochester, and emotional freedom and forgiveness coach Brenda Reiss.
They talk candidly about having to practice without their notes, watching themselves on video, learning to use stories and props, and getting immediate feedback from a room full of women who wanted them to succeed.
What I love most about this conversation is what happened next.
Nicole changed how she delivers talks and brought a much more personal story to a medical conference.
Brenda learned to trust herself and let more of the real person behind her expertise come through.
Karen became even more committed to helping scientists use story and personality to become trusted voices.
Their experiences are different, but the thread is the same: when you stop trying to get every word right, you create more room for the audience to connect with you.
You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/rmXYSCCoz-A.
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, voices, 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/488/
Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/live/rmXYSCCoz-A
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Learn about our in-person speaking retreat: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Learn about our online 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
- Nicole Rochester = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-rochester-md/
- Karen Corbin = https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-corbin-phd-rd-75229111/
- Brenda Reiss = https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendareiss/
Related Podcast Episodes:
- Episode 411: Reframing Public Speaking: From Elite Skill to Everyday Power with Dr. Karen Corbin
- Episode 329: From Compelled to Take Action to TEDx Speaker with Dr. Nicole Rochester
- Episode 347: The Power of REAL Practice to Transform Yourself as a Speaker
- Episode 385: Leading with Story in Your Talks [Roundtable]
7 September 2026, 9:00 am - 20 minutes 54 secondsThe Confidence Advice Women Get Backward About Public Speaking
If you've been telling yourself you'll pitch the conference, keynote, or TEDx talk once you feel more confident, I want you to reconsider the order.
Public speaking isn't something you do after you become confident. It's one of the ways confidence is created.
I’m sharing three practical ways to build real speaking confidence: say yes and get the reps, experiment with different formats and time constraints, and use podcasting to strengthen your ability to speak naturally.
I tell the story of walking into a TV studio for the first time with my heart pounding - and how becoming a regular political analyst years later finally gave me the repetition I needed to trust myself.And then there's the thing that surprised me most: taking an eight-week improv class. Even after decades of speaking, improv helped me get out of my head, into my body, and more comfortable not knowing exactly what would happen next.
In this episode, you’ll learn:- Why confidence is created through speaking rather than perfected in private
- What it means to embody your message instead of delivering it only from your head
- Why repetition builds the muscle memory that makes speaking feel more natural
- What my first TV political panel taught me about saying yes before I felt ready
- Why relying on a script can interrupt your connection with the audience
- How PechaKucha, Ignite, DisruptHR, workshops, and keynotes develop different speaking skills
- Why hosting a podcast or becoming a regular podcast guest strengthens impromptu speaking
- What an eight-week improv class taught me about uncertainty and presence
- How speaking confidence can help you claim the identity of “speaker”
- Why women's public voices matter to gender equality
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, voices, 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/487/
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Learn more about our speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
Related Podcast Episodes:
- Speak with Confidence podcast series
- Episode 379: How to Develop Stage Presence and Build Confidence as a Speaker
- Episode 378: The Power of Women's Voices and Stories to Change the World
31 August 2026, 9:00 am - 32 minutes 34 secondsStop Creating Every Presentation from Scratch: Build One Talk You Can Adapt for Any Audience
If you’re exhausted by creating a brand-new presentation every time you’re invited to speak, I get it. You want the talk to fit the audience. But customizing your message is very different from reinventing it.
In this episode, I’m joined by our coaches Diane Diaz and Erin Mark to talk about how we each use one foundational signature talk across different audiences, industries, and formats.
Erin shares how she adapts her CALM framework for everything from a six-minute-and-40-second PechaKucha talk to a 60-minute keynote.
Diane explains what to keep, what to change, and why your stories should be the last thing you cut when time is tight.In this episode, we talk about:
- Why customizing a signature talk is different from creating a new talk from scratch
- The core elements that should stay consistent across speaking engagements
- How Erin adapts her CALM framework for different industries and talk lengths
- How Diane changes stories and audience engagement without losing her central message
- Why listing 10, 15, or 20 speaking topics can make you harder to remember and refer
- How our Brand Voice Canvas connects your mission, expertise, methodology, and experiences
- What Erin did when she was assigned a topic outside her expertise
- How to expand a keynote into a workshop without turning it into a content dump
- How your signature talk can become podcast talking points, website copy, and months of LinkedIn content
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, voices, 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/486/
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Learn more about our speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Connect on LinkedIn:
- Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
- Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/
- Erin Mark = https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmark/
Related Podcast Episodes:
- Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact
- Episode 462: Speaking Strategies That Create Lasting Impact: Live Signature Talks from TLA Grads with Erin Mark
- Episode 475: From Personal Story to Thought Leadership: A Framework for Speakers with Erin Mark
- Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book with Carol Cox
24 August 2026, 9:00 am - 48 minutes 32 secondsGet Hired, Get Referred, Get Clients: The Relationship Side of Speaking with Nikki Rausch
What if the most important sales moments connected to your speaking engagement happen before you step on stage and in the first few minutes after you step off?
My guest, sales strategist Nikki Rausch, has been my go-to coach for sales language, proposals, pricing, consultation calls, and follow-up for years.
In this conversation, we walk through the entire speaking engagement from the first inquiry to the conversations that happen after your talk.
Nikki explains how to make yourself easy for an event organizer to hire, plant sales seeds without turning your presentation into a pitch, and recognize when an audience member is giving you a buying signal.
We also chat about why your job as the speaker begins long before your scheduled presentation time.
In this episode, Nikki and I talk about:
- Why you should answer an event organizer’s question before asking for a call
- How to state your speaker fee clearly and keep the conversation open
- Nikki’s “rapport bank account” and why your presence matters before you reach the stage
- The difference between planting sales seeds and selling from the stage
- How to use client stories and Q&A responses to show people how you help
- What a buying signal sounds like after a presentation
- How to invite someone to buy or schedule a call while her interest is still high
About Our Guest: Nikki Rausch is a sales strategist, speaker, and founder of Sales Maven. With more than 25 years of sales experience and over a decade as a business owner, she teaches service-based entrepreneurs how to have confident sales conversations that lead to yeses, without feeling pushy or fake. As a Master Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Nikki focuses on the language and communication behind selling. Her approach is rooted in building rapport, recognizing buying signals, and guiding conversations in a way that feels natural for both you and the client. She is the author of three books, including The Selling Staircase, and host of the Sales Maven Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally. Through her coaching, programs, and speaking, Nikki supports women entrepreneurs in turning sales into a skill they can rely on, so they can grow their business with clarity and confidence.
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, voices, 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/486/
Nikki’s website: https://yoursalesmaven.com/
Get Nikki’s free gift Follow-Up Made Easy Guide: https://yoursalesmaven.com/easyfollowup
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Learn more about our speaking retreat in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/live/
Connect on LinkedIn:
- Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
- Nikki Rausch (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkirausch/
Related Podcast Episodes:
- Carol’s episode on Nikki’s Sales Maven podcast: https://yoursalesmaven.com/blog/integrating-both-thought-leadership-and-lead-generation-into-one-talk/
- Episode 133: Authentic Selling at Your Speaking Engagements with Nikki Rausch
- Episode 34: Relationship Selling with Nikki Rausch
- Episode 483: How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book with Carol Cox
17 August 2026, 9:00 am - 32 minutes 45 secondsExecutive Presence Starts with Clarity, Not Confidence with Mary E. Maloney
When you hear “executive presence,” do you picture someone walking into a boardroom looking polished, confident, and completely certain of what to say?
My guest, Mary E. Maloney, sees it differently.
Executive presence matters most when you’re in the middle of a high-stakes identity shift, such as after a promotion, a career change, the sale of a business, a retirement, or an unexpected ending.
Mary calls that in-between space the Keystone Gap: your old identity no longer fits, but the new one hasn’t fully locked into place.
In this conversation, Mary explains why the real issue in that gap usually isn’t a lack of confidence. It’s a lack of clarity.
Mary shares her Five C’s of Identity Shift, the year she struggled to explain who she was without her CEO title, and the boss who pushed her onto a stage before she believed she was ready.
In this episode, Mary and I talk about:
- What executive presence means during a high-stakes transition
- Why identity is the hidden architecture beneath career and leadership changes
- The Keystone Gap between releasing an old identity and building a new one
- Why rushing through an identity shift can make the transition harder
- Mary’s Five C’s of Identity Shift
- The difference between needing more confidence and needing more clarity
- How purpose, impact, and your standards for showing up strengthen executive presence
- What Mary learned after selling her company and taking a year away
- How a reluctant first speech changed the trajectory of her career
- Why authentic stories and knowing your audience matter on stage
About Our Guest: Mary E. Maloney, FACHE, is a former CEO/CMO turned Master Facilitator who guides senior leaders through high-stakes transitions, helping them clarify and articulate the identity, purpose, and value that will define their next act. Through her signature two-call Brand Declaration® process, she helps leaders sift through decades of experience to name the recurring themes of their value in minutes rather than months. She works with C-suite executives, physician leaders, military officers, founders, and board-level talent through online courses, mastermind cohorts, and 1:1 inplacement/outplacement executive advisory work, and facilitates leadership and strategy retreats for enterprise teams navigating complex change.
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, voices, 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/484/
Mary’s website: https://revealinggenius.com/
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/
Connect on LinkedIn:
- Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
- Mary E. Maloney (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryemaloney123/
Related Podcast Episodes:
10 August 2026, 9:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App