Who do you speak to, and what do you speak about?
I’ll start with my Expert Positioning Statement and go from there. I help values-driven leaders and nonprofits align performance with trust-building, avoid burnout, and create lasting impact.
I tailor the message depending on the audience, but I’ve had a lot of success with nonprofits, especially in the climate and environmental space. Now, with federal funding being cut, many organizations are bringing me in as a keynote speaker for fundraisers.
Sometimes I even help design the event, but I still get my speaker fee. It’s the best of both worlds: a consulting and speaking engagement rolled into one.
What led you to seek out The Speaker Lab? What was happening, or not happening, in your speaking business at the time?
I had been thinking about it for a while, going back and forth—should I or shouldn’t I? Eventually, I realized: I can do this. I’m at the tail end of my professional career, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I saw the Virtual Bootcamp, joined, and the rest is history.
Did you have any fears or hesitations when you got started?
The initial fear was jumping into the unknown. I’ve spoken at Rotary Clubs and similar events over the years, but this was about figuring out the whole process—how to actually get gigs and make it a business.
One of the biggest fears was creating the demo reel, which still hasn’t been done but I’m doing business without it!
What have been your aha moments from the SPEAK Framework so far?
The takeaways I’ve had is that every gig you do is more practice. And it helps you overcome fears and obstacles, get rid of the “ums” and “ahs” and things like that along the way. The more you do, the better you get at it.
Also, I’ve gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback. I’ve had the opportunity to speak before some United Nations ambassadors, and I’ve gotten a reference from a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and a World Food Prize winner. Getting the respect and accolades from diplomats and world leaders has surprised the heck out of me.
What specific results have you seen since joining The Speaker Lab?
The paid gigs are a bit down the road – my calendar is lining up. I’m still doing a lot of free gigs because I already had them lined up, but they’re good practice and it gets me out there.
I’ve got a European tour lined up, I’ve got South America lined up, and I’ll be speaking across North America speaking on different topics working with non-profits. Getting to travel is part of the deal.
My initial plan to start was working more on the corporate side, but after being at a couple conferences and networking and talking to my Linkedin contacts, I’ve had to tweak things a little bit. My audience has shifted from corporate to non-profit and that’s led me to meeting international people and getting to do international opportunities.
I’m helping the non-profits make some money, especially on the speaking tour – when we do the tour, we get sponsors so they get their cut of the action as well.
Transitioning to getting paid was a no brainer. My initial audience was to get practice – I can get in front of a rotary audience (because I’m a member) any day of the week, and I’ve spoken at some of their regional conferences and district conferences. It’s been great, and easy, at least from my perspective. Things have come relatively quickly to me.
I’ve been really encouraged by the opportunities that have come my way since joining. So far, I’ve spoken at several Rotary Clubs, a district conference, the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy, and even at the UN Commemoration in Muir Woods. I’ve also been a guest on a couple of podcasts, led a workshop with Ocean Rescue Alliance, and shared with the Association of Continuity Professionals.
Looking ahead, things are really starting to build momentum. I’ve got multiple keynotes and workshops lined up in Brussels, Paris, Des Moines for the World Food Prize Week, and with the National Farm to School Network, plus more Rotary leadership conferences and climate-focused events. When I put it all together, it’s a lot more than I realized, and it’s exciting to see the doors continuing to open.
What’s your new normal looking like?
It’s all about repetition and doing your Power Hour every day. I’ve been doing the Power Hour since Week 2. Right away when Erick started talking about that, I started right away. I set up Pipedrive, and started utilizing that; I do emails and outreach five days a week and the research on Saturday or Sunday.
For the Power Hour, I tend to reach out to conferences and cold contacts, and on the side I’m reading out to my Linkedin contacts, so it’s been a combination of both. I’ve had more success with Linkedin contacts, but with cold contacts, it just takes time.
Sometimes I’m doing 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there, say, if I have a call that interrupts it, but I always come back to it. And sometimes it’s 2 hours a day.
What would you say to someone on the fence about joining The Speaker Lab?
It’s been one of the best educational experiences and training programs I’ve ever done.
I’m glad I did the Virtual Bootcamp at the beginning – that set the stage. That’s where I learned about Pipedive and the Power Hour. You get that snipped, but once I dove into it further, it all came together.
The coaches have all been wonderful. They give great feedback; I can’t say enough about the coaches and the Facilitators and the students in my cohort as well.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m fortunate I was able to leave Corporate America and dive into this. I dove into this with no safety net, and I’m all in. For those willing to go all in, and give it as much time as you can, but I know not everyone can if they have another job, so in that case, just commit to the Power Hour.