Why TSL?
I retired from being a cosmetic doctor in 2019. I was very well known on the world circuits. I found it tough to go into retirement mode, where they expect you to sleep on a couch or in a hammock all day and do nothing. So, in 2019, I wrote a bestselling book called The Secrets To Living A Fantastic Life. My plan was to go around the world speaking, but the world had a totally different idea and shut down for two years due to the pandemic.
I thought to myself, what can I do instead? I started podcasting because I was podcasting when I was a cosmetic doctor and it became a syndicated radio show, which then became a big syndicated radio show with 7 million people listening a month called How To Live A Fantastic Life.
I had a person on my show, Rob Dubin, one of The Speaker Labs’ star students. I asked Rob, how did you get to be such a good speaker? He said, The Speaker Lab! So I looked at it and signed up for the VIP program, and it really was good to get my message together.
I became The Doctor of Positivity and The Doctor of Happiness. So I said, I’m going to put that in all my stuff. I’m going to put that everywhere.
How did the VIP and Masters Program Impact Your Speaker Business?
Masters and VIP were very good. But the masters took it to another level. It took it and put it on steroids. Erick is such an amazing person and he helped me to take my speaking business to new heights.
The one thing he taught me that has changed my approach to my speaking business, is you have to work on getting gigs. You need to spend an hour a day getting gigs. To be honest, for the first several months, I was frustrated. I was putting my applications everywhere. I didn’t realize the runway was much longer than people may think. Meaning, if you want to book something for the end of the year, you need to start 9-12 months prior. You have to be disciplined and well-planned out, Erick taught me that.
I have also learned the importance of packaging yourself as an expert in your area of expertise. It’s not just having a speech. You’ve got to get your speech into the right hands. You have to get in front of the right people. And if you’re going to make a difference in this day and age, you need to have a clear message and get it out there.
I say I can’t thank The Speaker Lab enough for allowing me to get the message out there and make it happen. It’s truly one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.
What results have you seen?
As a result of implementing the work that Erick taught me, I won a big award from the IAOTP the International Association of Top Professionals. As the best author, the best speaker, and the best Mentor for 2024.
What they did was look at all my stuff. They looked at my message. They looked at who I was. They looked at what I had achieved. And, they said, wow, this guy is doing something. Without The Speaker Lab, I would have never been able to accomplish this. Now, this award in itself opens more doors.
Just in the last two weeks, I’ve gotten 10 speaking gigs!! My schedule just exploded. My April is going to be insanely busy. Next week I am giving a TEDx talk at the University of Alberta, a TEDx salon.
So, all of these little building swoons become assets. I was a good speaker. This turned me into a very good speaker. It also taught me that you are never completely there as a speaker and that you’re always going to be learning.
Who would you recommend to The Speaker Lab?
I would recommend anybody who wants to develop their speaking career. Anybody who is out there and wants to get out there more. Even if you don’t have your message together yet, this will help you get your message clear and specific. If you don’t have a platform yet, this will help you get your platform together. If you don’t have any speeches or you are just pivoting and want to develop your speech, this will help you do that.
When I started with VIP Katie helped me develop one of my signature speeches. That was really helpful. So much so it helped me to develop my other signature speeches and I now have five signature speeches that I could give. I also learned how to give that same speech in formats of 10-minute, 20-minute, 30-minute, or 45-minute speeches. Which I learned is important to meet the needs of the event planner.
You have to make that happen. You have to work consistently and make those doors open.
