Here in the U.S., we’re on the eve of electing our first woman president. If you haven’t voted yet, stop what you’re doing, find your polling place, and go vote! Then listen to a special Election Day podcast episode I did with Casey DeStefano on her fantastic show called “Women with Balls…In the Air.” (Here’s the direct iTunes link.) We …
A couple of weekends ago, I sat staring at my computer. I was working on my TEDx talk about women in leadership and politics – and I knew it was missing something. My first draft was good – about the benefits of having more women in elected office, the gender stereotypes female candidates face, and some stats thrown in for …
I was surprised while I was listening to a podcast the other day when the hosts, who also run a pretty large marketing conference, said that 70-80% of the speaker submissions they receive are from men. They want to have an equitable lineup of men and women speakers, and they came pretty close at their most recent conference. But, they …
I want to share with you an email I received earlier today from a friend of mine who runs a conference: I wanted to send this to you as a perfect example of the type of pitch I receive. This happens to be excellent when it comes to providing me with info about this person’s background — but it leaves …
I was working yesterday on my goals for the rest of 2016 and realized that in addition to putting into action my plans for the rest of this year, I have to start thinking about the conferences I want to speak at and the podcasts I want to be on in 2017. This means that you do too. Conferences in …
Talking like a politician seems like the exact opposite of what you would want to do, I know. But, hear me out. I’ve been working in politics, on and off, for over 12 years and have helped many candidates with their messaging and speeches. I’m also a political analyst on TV news, so I have to stay current and listen …
Need help structuring your presentation? Not sure how to start & end and how to add in meaningful stories that keep your audience engaged? Listen to my interview on the Biz Chix Podcast with Natalie Eckdahl. On it, you can hear me give Natalie specific feedback on a presentation she did earlier this year and coach her with concrete ideas and a …
Have you seen the new Tony Robbins documentary “I Am Not Your Guru”? Or, even better, have you been to one of his live events? (Lucky you! It’s on my bucket list.) It’s fascinating to watch Tony ask certain questions to get people to think deeper about what’s really causing their issues. Some are there to fix their health, others …
As I’ve been watching the Rio Olympics, fast forwarding through the commercials to get to the action (sorry, NBC), I found myself rewinding to pause and watch the profiles of key athletes, like swimmers Katie Ledecky and Dana Vollmer and gymnasts Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas. Why? Because it makes the Olympics so much more interesting to watch when I …
Last Friday, I was in Tampa watching Hillary Clinton address an energetic crowd of 3,600 people at a rally for her campaign. You can tell she’s done this a lot – she’s poised and in command of the stage and the audience. Regardless of your political leanings, here are some tips you can take away from political stump speeches to …
Have you ever had an idea, a this-is-it! idea that you got really excited about, whether for a new talk or a new product or a new business or a new way of approaching what you do? And then you come across another person or company that’s doing almost the exact same thing in the same way, kind of like …
I got 3 speaking engagements in the past week, with just a couple of short emails. No need for lengthy speaking proposals. No need to “prove” myself with a long bio listing all of my past speaking experience and qualifications. No need for a dazzling video. Easy, right? Well, yes, the emails were easy to write and the turnaround time …
I remember being angry while attending a conference about 10 years ago. This was a tech conference, so there were the usual software demos, technical speakers, and panel discussions on the latest and greatest in code techniques, databases, and programming interfaces. Exciting stuff, I know, although not typically the kind of content that will rile you up. Back then, I …
A couple was traveling from one village to the next when they came upon a farmer working in his field. They stopped to ask him what the people in the next village were like. The farmer asked, “What were the people like in the last village?” The couple replied, “They were rude, unfriendly, dishonest people.” “You’ll find the people in …
“The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.” – Steven Pressfield, The War of Art Ah, Resistance, my close friend. We go way back and have frequent visits together. You probably get visits from Resistance too. She likes to have a lot of friends and often shows …
A dream provides a path forward, illuminated by shared goals and values. “I have a dream” – one of the most well-known refrains in contemporary history. In his famous 1963 speech in Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. prodded us out of our complacency, reminded us of our shared values, imagined a better world for all of us, and challenged …
Last week, I talked about needing to be proactive to find the time and space to do deep work, to be creative, to just “be”. You know what happens when you stop planning and pushing and instead let moments unfold and pull you toward them? Magic happens. Not the magic of illusion and sleight-of-hand, but the magic of awe, wonder, …
I have a guest post today on the Main Street Vegan blog on using the hero’s journey to make your presentations more compelling and impactful for your audience. Check it out at http://mainstreetvegan.net/make-your-audience-the-hero-tips-for-creating-compelling-presentations-by-carol-morgan-cox-vlce/. How I became connected with Main Street Vegan: Back in August 2014, I had the pleasure of attending the Main Street Vegan Academy to become certified as a Vegan Lifestyle …
With my calendar getting filled up week by week, I find myself trying to slot in 30 or 60 minutes here and there for the focused activities I wanted to do, like writing, researching, and thinking through ideas to grow Speaking Your Brand into a training and development company. But, this strategy of piecemeal work wasn’t cutting it. I would start …
