Episode #313

Overcoming Adversity

With Chris Ruden

Overcoming adversity is an experience almost everyone has at some point in their lives. Our guest today was faced with this challenge early on and today he shares how doing so led to his speaking career.

Chris Ruden speaks to corporations and non-profits about overcoming adversity and diversity inclusion, especially regarding diabetes. Chris was born with a limb difference, he had most of his hand amputated when he was born. At 19 he was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease. That diagnosis was his wake up call to do something, which led him to his current speaking path.

On this edition of The Speaker Lab, we talk about what his speaking business looks like today (including how it shifted as a result of COVID), and he tells the story of how he landed his first $50,000 client.

Join us to hear it all on episode 313 of The Speaker Lab.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Why it’s okay to change course when opportunities present themselves.
  • Why becoming a great speaker is not enough to have a successful speaking business.
  • When is opportunity the worst thing that could happen to you?
  • What’s the difference between someone who talks to a crowd and a speaker?
  • How can you change your outreach to increase your fees?
  • How finding your core message will help you narrow your market.
  • Why your job as a speaker isn’t over when you finish your speech.
  • What one question can you ask yourself to help define your message as a speaker?
  • And so much more!

Want to know exactly how to find and book more paid speaking gigs?

Download our 18-page guide to the 6 proven steps you can use to book more paid speaking gigs in 2024!

About Chris Ruden

Episode Resources

Share This Episode 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email
Reddit

Explore Recent Episodes

#557: Overcoming Adversity and Setbacks in Speaking with Stacey Chillemi
“When you are speaking and you’re in front of people and you give them the momentum to look at life from a different perspective or do something they don’t have the courage to do, you could help change...
#556: The Hard Truths and Rewards of Speaking with Chase Livingston
“When you understand going into [speaking] that it’s going to suck for a while, it’s going to take longer than you think and it’s going to be harder than you think. When you know those things up front,...
#555: Finding Value in Your Story with Kimberly Clark
“I got to the point where if I was going to [be a speaker] I have to be serious about it and I’m going to have to invest in myself. I had to get to the ‘I’m worth it’ mindset, and The Speaker Lab [helped...