Sitting in Jason Jaggard's audience or workshops are consistently mind-blowing experiences. I’ve watched Jason live out what he pushes us all to do: to become and do more than we think we can. To live a bigger dream, and to not settle for the easy or mundane… And this creative leadership is so essential for us. To get beyond our own perceived limits and do something that matters. Embracing our own potential as creative leaders is all a part of the journey to become a better speaker.

I’ve admired Brad for years! In his work as the creator of Kid President (yes, THAT kid President!) - he has been a source of joy, inspiration and radical kindness for MILLIONS. When I got to meet Brad in person a few years back, he was as delightful as ever. Like - the most humble, gracious, hilarious and earnest person I’ve ever met. And then he got on stage: he broke all the rules that didn’t work for him, and just so joyfully shared out of love. And that JOY is what I wanted to talk about on the show. In this conversation, Brad shares something that I still aim for each and every day: Instead of saying “I made this, love me” - we create and say, “I made this out of love, for you.”  That difference comes from pure JOY for your work, your purpose, and those you get to serve. Enjoy.

Vikas Narula is an entrepreneur, speaker, writer - and passionate advocate for purpose-driven entrepreneurship and connectivity. Through his work with his tech company Key Hubs, he’s learned some powerful lessons about how we cultivate and share influence and connection with our audiences - and he shares them with us here. (Spoiler alert: it’s all about genuine care for your audience, being grounded in our authentic voice, and loving ourselves first.) Take a listen!

On our journey to become better speakers, we take on all the big ideas: authenticity, connection, risk, etc. etc. etc.... but we can't forget about something that is admittedly less sexy but oh so important. And that is PROCESS. One of the reasons I wanted to highlight this episode is that Jeff Goins - writer, speaker, entrepreneur - is one of the most thoughtful and effortlessly inspirational people I’ve ever talked to.  He is reflective, deep, open, curious - and advocates for us owning our ability to be artists of our own making. He's all about the big ideas, but insists we don't get lost there. The process is in service to all of the art. And that combo is so important in our journey. 

Angela Lussier - the founder of the Speaker Sisterhood -  is passionate about empowering women to use their voice and step out front with confidence. Several years ago (right after the 2016 election, it turns out), I had invited Angela on to the show and we talked about how - when we own and trust our authentic voices - we trust ourselves to do big things. We wrestled with that word: authenticity. And it’s an idea that we all need to wrestle with in our journey to become a better speaker! How can you BeAuthentic in your journey to become a better speaker?

The journey IS the THERE.

And it is SO TRUE for us as speakers, too: People come to me in such varying stages - some embracing the path opening themselves up to learning and growing and some - resisting the journey wanting to rush to the END, to this idea of THERE…

When in reality - there is no THERE. It is a circular, constant evolution and iteration and growth process.

So I decided help us ALL embrace this journey we’re on by sharing some of my all-time favorite conversations I’ve had about these really essential parts of the journey. The parts that even if we are on board with... we have to always keep working on. Cause the journey IS the there. Over the last four years I’ve talked with some incredible people - some of whom it’s fair to assume you’ve heard of - and others, you likely haven’t. And yet - ALL of these conversations held some AHA moments that will help us walk along in the journey more openly, more thoughtfully - more courageously. I've got 10 episodes for you, re-published favorites here on This Moved Me. And I can't wait for you to hear!