Advertise on podcast: Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities: Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. What if becoming a better leader isn’t about talking more, making faster decisions, or becoming more extroverted—but learning when to listen, wait, and let others speak first? As you move higher in your career, the skills that made you a successful individual contributor may not be the skills that make you an effective senior leader. T. Rowe Price Chief Investment Officer Sébastien Page explains why leadership requires a fundamental shift from relying on your own expertise to bringing out the best thinking in other people. And if you’re introvert-ish, you may already possess some of the qualities that can make that transition easier. In Laura’s conversation with Sébastien Page, you’ll discover: 🪝When speaking last in meetings helps you make better decisions, empower your team, and avoid unintentionally influencing what others tell you 🚀Why asking for feedback, staying curious during disagreements, and focusing on positive feedback can strengthen both your leadership and your team’s performance. 🧩Two practical habits you can start immediately to increase your visibility, and demonstrate senior-level leadership. Play the episode to learn the counterintuitive leadership habits that can help you make the leap from high-performing manager to influential senior leader—without pretending to be someone you’re not. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. About our guest: Sébastien Page is Head of Global Multi-Asset and Chief Investment Officer at T. Rowe Price. He has more than two decades of leadership experience and has conducted extensive research on positive, sports, and personality psychology. He currently oversees a team of investment professionals actively managing over $500 billion in assets under management. Page has written two finance books—Beyond Diversification: What Every Investor Needs to Know and the co-authored Factor Investing and Asset Allocation. He has also won six annual research-paper awards: two from The Financial Analysts Journal and four from The Journal of Portfolio Management. He appears regularly on CNBC and Bloomberg TV and was named a Top Voice in Finance by LinkedIn in 2022. He has been quoted extensively in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Barron’s. His latest book, The Psychology of Leadership, was published by Harriman House. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: How to speak up in executive meetingsExecutive InfluenceHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities: Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. What could change in your career—and your life—if you stopped waiting to feel confident before taking action? Fear can keep even smart, capable people quiet when they have something valuable to say. You hesitate to speak up in the meeting, introduce yourself to someone influential, volunteer for the presentation, or pursue an opportunity because you’re afraid of rejection, failure, or not saying it perfectly. In this episode, Joze Piranian shares how he went from avoiding speaking because of his stutter to performing stand-up comedy, delivering TEDx talks and corporate keynotes, and ultimately landing a book deal. His approach isn’t about eliminating fear—it’s about changing your relationship with it through small, deliberate acts of courage. By the end of Laura’s conversation with Joze Piranian you’ll know: 🔎How to identify your “inner stutter”—the moments when fear causes you to hold back—and uncover the beliefs driving that hesitation 🔑Why collecting small “micro moments of bravery” can gradually retrain your response to fear and help you take action even when you’re uncomfortable 🚫How to stop waiting for confidence and start using fear as a signal to move toward the opportunities that could change your career and life Play this episode to learn how small acts of courage can help you stop holding back, speak up when it matters, and build confidence through action. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. About our guest: Joze Piranian spent 25 years unable to say his own name. Not metaphorically, literally. A lifelong severe stutterer, he navigated social anxiety and depression while watching others take up space he couldn't access. Today, he delivers keynotes at Google, Tesla, and the UN. His book, Stop Holding Back:An Honest Guide to Turning Fear into Action (HarperCollins, 2026), is built around two concepts he developed: the "inner stutter," which is the invisible hesitation that stops capable people from speaking up; and "micro-moments of bravery," the small, uncomfortable actions that build real communication confidence over time. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: Overcoming fear of public speakingBuilding confidence through actionMicro moments of braveryHow to stop holding yourself backSpeaking up confidently at workOvercoming social anxiety and fear of judgmentUsing humor in workplace presentationsDeveloping executive presenceTurning fear into a trigger for actionExposure therapy for building courageChanging limiting beliefs about yourselfUsing discomfort for personal and professional growthHow a stutter led to stand-up comedy and keynote speakingNetworking and creating opportunities through courageThe connection between small actions and career-changing opportunities

Are you Director or Above Who Wants Faster Promotions, More Influence, and Stronger Executive Presence? Book a confidential Executive Presence Strategy Call to discover the communication patterns that help high performers get seen as senior leaders. 👉 Book Your Executive Strategy Call here Have you ever walked out of an executive meeting knowing you demonstrated your expertise—yet still wondered why senior leaders don’t seem to view you as strategic? At the senior level, knowing the details and delivering great work are no longer enough. If you’re constantly explaining what happened, sharing more data, and giving extensive context while someone else turns that information into “what this means,” you may be caught in the Strategy Gap. In today’s episode you’ll discover: 🔥 How to recognize when you’re communicating like an expert instead of an executive 🎯 Why adding more data and detail can actually make you appear less strategic 🔑 How to communicate your judgment so CEOs, boards, and senior leaders experience you as someone who can shape decisions Play this episode to learn how to close the Strategy Gap and turn the expertise you already have into the executive-level judgment and influence that earns you a stronger voice at the table. If you're listening to this thinking: Laura, this is exactly what happens to me. I know I'm strategic. I know I understand the business. But sometimes what comes out of my mouth doesn't reflect the level of thinking happening inside my head... That's exactly the kind of work I do with senior leaders inside Executive Presence Mastery. If this episode felt a little too familiar, go to the show notes and click here to book an EPMS Discovery Call. I’d love to show you how Executive Presence Mastery can help you close your Strategy Gap and take your influence to the next level. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: How to speak up in executive meetingsExecutive InfluenceHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities: Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. Imagine turning on a YouTube video or a podcast and hearing this: “Today, several people will discuss the status of a process. There will be an update on timelines, followed by a review of several outstanding items.” You’d change the channel before they finished the sentence. Your audience is busy, distracted, tired, and already juggling competing priorities. They may even have low blood sugar. When you begin with “Today I’m going to walk you through…” or bury your point beneath background information, you make other people work to figure out why they should care. In this episode, Laura Camacho reveals how to make your communication more interesting—not by becoming theatrical, but by getting clear on the job your message needs to do and leading with what matters most to your audience. By the end of today’s edgy episode you’ll know: 💰How to identify the most compelling starting point for an update, presentation, email, or meeting contribution so your audience immediately understands why it matters 3️⃣ A simple three-part framework—what changed, why it matters, and what needs to happen next—to turn routine business communication into clear, consequential messaging 🪝How to leverage curiosity without withholding critical information, helping you communicate with greater clarity, respect your audience’s attention, and naturally strengthen your executive presence Play the episode to learn how to stop sounding like white noise and make the first 15 seconds of your message earn people’s attention. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here. To hear E 215: Find your X Factor for Unstoppable Confidence and Executive Presence To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: Executive InfluenceHow to speak up in executive meetingsExecutive InfluenceHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Are you Director or Above Who Wants Faster Promotions, More Influence, and Stronger Executive Presence? Book a confidential Executive Presence Strategy Call to discover the communication patterns that help high performers get seen as senior leaders. 👉 Book Your Executive Strategy Call here What if the fastest way to become a stronger leader isn’t getting a bigger title—but becoming the kind of leader others already want to follow? You don’t need formal authority to create influence, solve meaningful problems, or demonstrate that you’re ready for greater responsibility. In this episode, Stanford basketball coach Eric Reveno shares how he stepped outside his traditional role as a coach to launch All Vote No Play—an initiative that ultimately helped change NCAA policy around civic engagement. Eric and Laura unpack what that experience taught him about finding unconventional paths to create change, building relationships with the people who can move an idea forward, and recognizing the power you already have within an organization. In this episode, you’ll discover: 🔑How to build influence and create change even when you don’t have formal authority or the “right” title 🪝Why being a great teammate or colleague can become the foundation for becoming a leader people genuinely want to follow 🔥How to use the STORM framework—Show Up, Take Care of Relationships, Own Your Power, Raise Up Others, and Maintain Mission Focus—to increase your impact at work Play the episode to learn how to stop waiting for permission, start using the influence you already have, and show up as the kind of teammate who’s ready to lead. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. About our guest: Head Coach for Men’s Basketball, at Brown University (moving there from Stanford) Eric Reveno brings more than 28 years of Division I coaching experience and a reputation for transforming teams from the inside out. A Stanford alumnus, Reveno most recently served as the James C. Gaither Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach at his alma mater. His second coaching stint at Stanford began in 2024, and he added General Manager responsibilities ahead of the 2025-26 season. In the dual role, Reveno helped lead every aspect of the Cardinal men’s basketball program. “Brown University represents a rare opportunity where academic excellence, athletic excellence, and personal development are truly aligned,” Reveno said. “My family and I are honored to join the Brown community. We will build a championship program by developing exceptional teammates, exceptional students, and exceptional competitors. Our goal is to pursue Ivy League championships while preparing young men to lead meaningful lives long after basketball. I can’t wait to get to work.” Reveno previously served on Stanford’s staff from 1997-2006, helping guide the program to national success. He was an assistant coach from 1997-04, before being elevated to Associate Head Coach in 2004. His Cardinal teams reached the 1998 NCAA Tournament Final Four, made seven NCAA Tournaments, won four Pac-10 Championships, achieved three No. 1 national rankings, and produced a number of future NBA players including Brook and Robin Lopez, Jason and Jarron Collins, and Mark Madsen. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: How to speak up in executive meetingsExecutive InfluenceHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Are you Director or Above Who Wants Faster Promotions, More Influence, and Stronger Executive Presence? Book a confidential Executive Presence Strategy Call to discover the communication patterns that help high performers get seen as senior leaders. 👉 Book Your Executive Strategy Call here Are you the person everyone relies on—yet somehow you’re still waiting for the bigger role, greater authority, or seat at the table? Being trusted to deliver doesn’t automatically mean you’re being seen as ready for broader leadership. In fact, constantly rescuing projects, absorbing extra work, and being the person who can always “handle it” may reinforce a reputation you’ve already outgrown. In this episode of Speak Up, Laura Camacho reveals how to shift the way others perceive your contribution by making the leadership behind your excellent work more visible. In today’s episode you’ll discover: 🪝Tips to communicate your judgment, recommendations, and business impact so people see more than your ability to execute. 🎯How to discuss priorities and trade-offs without automatically absorbing every new request into your already-full workload. 🎯Practical ways to demonstrate that your leadership creates results beyond your personal output. Play the episode to learn three practical communication moves that can help turn the trust you’ve already earned into clearer evidence of your readiness for broader leadership. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Source Note Ingrid Haegele, “Talent Hoarding in Organizations,” American Economic Review, 116(8), August 2026, pp. 3110–3151. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20220264. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20220264 The three-quarters figure refers to managers surveyed in the large firm studied; it must not be presented as a population-wide estimate. The study examines internal applications and career progression; it does not establish that talent hoarding explains any particular listener’s circumstances. Workplace dialogue in this script is illustrative, not a client quotation or case study. Topics covered in this episode include: How to speak up in executive meetingsHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Are you Director or Above Who Wants Faster Promotions, More Influence, and Stronger Executive Presence? Book a confidential Executive Presence Strategy Call to discover the communication patterns that help high performers get seen as senior leaders. 👉 Book Your Executive Strategy Call here Access your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide. Reporters tell leadership what happened. Strategic leaders explain what it means, what could happen next, and what should be done. Facts matter, but delivering facts is not the full value of an executive-level contribution. When you stop at the information, senior leaders still have to do the strategic work. When you name the implication, recommendation, decision, or next step, you help the room lead. By the end of this short episode you’ll know: 🎯The questions that turn an informative update into a strategic contribution 💰The phrases that make your recommendation clear 5️⃣The five visible choices that help senior leaders experience more of your judgment Choose one contribution for an upcoming meeting and write its final sentence first. If you want Laura’s help applying these tools to the personalities, politics, and pressure of a real meeting, reserve a 30-minute Executive Meeting Strategy Session using this link. Bring one important upcoming meeting and leave with a clear contribution, sharper recommendation, preparation for likely pushback, and a delivery strategy. Designed for Directors, Senior Directors, VPs, and executives. Investment: $400. Schedule your Executive Meeting Strategy Session here. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: Speaking up in executive meetingsExecutive PresenceHigh-stakes conversationsBusiness leadership communicationExecutive Presence TipsSenior Leader AdviceHow to speak up in executive meetingsHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Access your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide. How to Disagree With a Senior Leader Without Losing Your Nerve Some leaders disagree so diplomatically that everyone leaves the meeting believing they agreed. Their real opinion appears later in a private conversation—after the opportunity to improve the decision has passed. Trust is not built by agreeing with the most powerful person in every meeting. It is built by helping the group make a better decision. Yet many conscientious leaders either soften their point until it disappears or wait so long that frustration makes them sound more defensive than they intended. By the end of this short episode you’ll know: 🇨🇭The Swiss-Army knife question answering framework of Affirm and Add 🔑How to preserve both respect and candor—without weakening your contribution with disclaimers that invite the room to discount you 🔥The right mindset for approaching questions, even when they feel aggressive Identify one issue on which you hold a different view from a senior stakeholder. Write one genuine point of agreement and one addition the room needs from you, then practice saying both in a calm, neutral voice. Record the outcome in your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide and continue with Day 5 to make your contribution sound more strategic. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: Speaking up in executive meetingsExecutive PresenceHigh-stakes conversationsBusiness leadership communicationExecutive Presence TipsSenior Leader AdviceHow to speak up in executive meetingsHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Access your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide. What to Say When You’re Challenged in an Executive Meeting You prepare for weeks, present your recommendation, and then an executive asks the one question you did not anticipate. Within seconds, you are speaking faster, adding disclaimers, and retreating from the very recommendation you came to defend. An unexpected question is not proof that you were unprepared. Senior leaders ask questions to test risk, evaluate thinking, and participate in decisions. The real test is whether you can remain useful when the conversation moves beyond your script. By the end of this short episode you’ll know: 💰The PAAB framework: Pause, Acknowledge, Answer, Bridge. This four-part response helps you slow down, address the concern directly. 🎯How to distinguish what you know from what still needs verification 🛑 To stop seeking omniscience. What you need is composure and judgment. Predict one difficult question you could receive in an upcoming meeting. Write a response using Pause, Acknowledge, Answer, Bridge—and say it aloud twice. Capture what happens in your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide, then continue with Day 4 to learn how to disagree with a senior leader without becoming combative, apologetic, or invisible. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: Speaking up in executive meetingsExecutive PresenceHigh-stakes conversationsBusiness leadership communicationExecutive Presence TipsSenior Leader AdviceHow to speak up in executive meetingsHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Access your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide. Stop Making Executives Dig for Your Best Idea If a senior leader has to excavate your recommendation from three minutes of context, your idea may be excellent—but it is not yet executive-ready. Conscientious leaders often begin at the beginning because they want others to understand the analysis, history, and nuance behind their thinking. But executives are listening first for the destination: What should we know? Why does it matter? What do you recommend? What decision is needed? Context is not the enemy. Unprioritized context is. By the end of this short episode you’ll know: 3️⃣ A simple three-part structure starting with lead with the headline 🧩How to sound concise without becoming simplistic—and how to make your judgment easier for senior leaders to recognize and use 🪝 What to do with all the context in your head Choose one update you expect to give this week and write the first sentence senior leaders need to hear. Test it by asking: If I were interrupted after this sentence, would the room still know my essential point? Record the result in your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide, then continue with Day 3 to prepare for unexpected pushback. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: Speaking up in executive meetingsExecutive PresenceHigh-stakes conversationsBusiness leadership communicationExecutive Presence TipsSenior Leader AdviceHow to speak up in executive meetingsHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Access your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide. The 7-Minute Rule That Makes You More Visible in Executive Meetings The executive meeting on your calendar may do more to shape your career than the presentation you spent three weeks perfecting. While everyone discusses the agenda, senior leaders are also noticing who has judgment, who can handle pressure, and who belongs in the next room. For many high-performing introvert leaders, the hardest contribution is the first one. The longer you wait, the more room you give overthinking to take control—and the greater the chance that someone else will say the idea you were still rehearsing. In this first episode of the five-day Q4 Visibility Challenge, Laura introduces the 7-Minute Rule: contribute something useful within the first seven minutes of an important meeting. By the end of today’s episode you’ll know: 💰How to enter the conversation without forcing a brilliant insight 🧩Use the phrase “What I like about that is…” to add value rather than empty agreement 🎯Prepare one question or observation before the meeting begins Speaking early makes the next contribution easier and gives senior leaders visible evidence of how you think. Choose one important meeting this week. Prepare one useful contribution and deliver it within the first seven minutes. Then record what happened in your Executive Meeting Visibility Guide. Continue with Day 2 to make sure executives hear your best idea without having to dig for it. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: Speaking up in executive meetingsExecutive PresenceHigh-stakes conversationsBusiness leadership communicationExecutive Presence TipsSenior Leader AdviceHow to speak up in executive meetingsHow to communicate with senior leadershipHow to develop executive presenceHow to be seen as VP materialHow to influence executivesHow to stop overexplaining at workHow to answer executive questions conciselyHow to handle pushback from senior leadersHow to increase visibility with leadershipDirector-to-VP transition

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities: Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. What if trying to always be right is actually weakening your executive presence? For high-performing leaders, admitting you made the wrong call can feel risky. You may worry that reversing a recommendation, acknowledging a flawed assumption, or admitting someone else saw the situation more clearly will cause people to question your judgment. But executive presence isn’t about being infallible—it’s about how you respond when reality proves you wrong. In this episode, Laura examines Chamath Palihapitiya’s public reflections on his mistakes during the SPAC boom to reveal what owning a mistake can teach us about authority, trust, and leadership. By the end of this episode you’ll know: 🎯How to separate a bad decision from your identity so you stop hiding behind explanations and excuses. 🔥How to transform admitting a mistake into top value for your company. 4️⃣A simple four-part framework for communicating a changed recommendation. Play the episode to learn how to admit when you’re wrong, revise your thinking with confidence, and turn mistakes into evidence of stronger executive leadership. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. Sources and production notes: Chamath’s statements about his SPAC incentives, insecurity and redesigned incentive structure: OfficeChai’s coverage of his June 2026 Axios interview. The original interview and its framing of the SPAC chapter as the biggest “blemish” on his record: The Axios Show.Leadership research: Jia Hu, Shuxia Zhang, Robert B. Lount Jr. and Bennett J. Tepper, “When leaders heed the lessons of mistakes,” Personnel Psychology (2024): research paper. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: How to admit you’re wrong without losing authorityExecutive presence when making mistakesHow admitting mistakes can strengthen leadership credibilityHow to change your mind without appearing indecisiveHow to reverse a recommendation with confidenceWhy defensiveness can damage leadership trustHow leaders can take ownership of bad decisionsHow to explain why a decision failed without making excusesThe difference between confidence and executive presenceHow to communicate a change in strategy to your teamHow leader humility encourages team voice and learningHow to create a culture where employees speak up about problemsHow to demonstrate intellectual flexibility as a leaderThe relationship between executive presence, trust, and accountabilityWhat leaders can learn from Chamath Palihapitiya’s SPAC experience

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities: Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. What if the secret to becoming more influential at work isn’t talking more—but learning how to listen like a hostage negotiator? Whether you’re asking for more resources, pushing back on a senior leader, dealing with an attack in a meeting, or negotiating for something you need, your ability to stay composed and understand the other person can completely change the conversation. In this episode of The Speak Up Show, former Las Vegas police officer and Black Swan communication expert Annette Mullin shares lessons from 24 years in law enforcement, including her experience in investigations and crisis negotiation. She explains how tactical empathy, curiosity, preparation, and deliberate listening can help you navigate difficult conversations without becoming aggressive—or backing down. In today’s episode with Annette Mullin you’ll discover how to: 👂Listen for someone’s internal logic and emotions so you can understand what’s really driving their behavior and build greater influence. 🔑 Stay calm when you’re challenged or attacked by using tactical breathing, curiosity, labeling, silence, and a controlled tone. 🧲Prepare for important negotiations through low-stakes practice, crisis rehearsal, and techniques such as labels, mirrors, dynamic silence, and summaries. Play the episode to learn how to turn high-pressure conversations into opportunities to build trust, strengthen your leadership reputation, and negotiate with greater confidence. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here. About our guest: Annette Mullin retired from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) in August 2021, concluding a 24-year career in law enforcement. Throughout her tenure, Annette specialized in Violent Crimes against Persons, dedicating over 20 years to various roles including Criminal Intelligence, Sexual Assault/Abuse, Abuse/Neglect, Internal Affairs, Force Investigations, and Homicide. During her time with the LVMPD, Annette served as a Crisis Negotiator for nine years and led the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) for two years. In 2018, she was promoted to the rank of Director and spearheaded the Police Employee Assistance Program, providing health and wellness resources to LVMPD employees and their families. Annette has also made significant contributions to education, teaching Sexual Assault Prevention, Sex Trafficking Investigations and Domestic Violence Prevention both locally and internationally, with engagements as far-reaching as Vietnam and Budapest. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: How tactical empathy improves workplace communication and negotiationThe five levels of listening and how to practice empathetic listeningHow active listening builds trust and influence with senior leadersHow to uncover someone’s internal logic and emotional motivationsHow to push back respectfully when someone has more powerHow to make someone feel heard without agreeing with themHow to stay composed when attacked in a meetingHow tactical breathing helps leaders regulate stress in real timeHow tone, cadence, and silence de-escalate workplace conflictHow to use labels to address emotions and difficult behaviorFour essential negotiation tools: labels, mirrors, dynamic silence, and summariesHow curiosity reduces defensiveness, judgment, and assumptionsHow accusation audits prepare leaders for objectionsHow to negotiate for resources, headcount, compensation, and executive attentionHow crisis rehearsal and role-play prepare leaders for high-stakes negotiations

Are you Director or Above Who Wants Faster Promotions, More Influence, and Stronger Executive Presence? Book a confidential Executive Presence Strategy Call to discover the communication patterns that help high performers get seen as senior leaders. 👉 Book Your Executive Strategy Call here You can be the person doing the most important work in the room—and still be the person leadership forgets to invite into it. And if that's happening to you, doing even better work probably isn't going to fix it. You can be highly respected, trusted for your expertise, and responsible for strategically important work while still being excluded from the executive conversations that shape your next career opportunity. The problem may not be that you need to work harder or become more visible. It may be that senior leaders are experiencing you as the expert who executes the work rather than the executive-level resource they want helping them make the decision. In this episode, you'll discover: 🧩Why being respected for your expertise does not automatically make senior leaders see you as executive material 🚫Why “I just need more visibility” is probably the wrong diagnosis 🪝What has to change if you want executives to start thinking, “We need her/him in this conversation.” Play the episode to learn how to shift from being the expert executives know about to the strategic resource they believe they need in the room. 👉 Book Your Executive Strategy Call here. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics covered in this episode: How to develop executive presenceHow to communicate with senior executivesHow to communicate like an executiveHow to get noticed by senior leadershipHow to get invited to executive meetingsHow to move from Director to VPWhy high performers get overlooked for promotionHow to demonstrate executive readinessHow to be seen as a strategic leaderHow to stop being seen as only the technical expertHow to transition from technical expert to strategic leaderHow to build executive visibilityHow to communicate business impact to executivesHow to build influence with senior stakeholdersHow to become a trusted advisor to executives

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities: Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. With only 97 days remaining in 2026, working harder probably won’t change that story. You need one unmistakable piece of new evidence. Today I give you 5 options to develop that evidence and multiply your influence. In this Fun Friday episode, Laura shares five unexpected, research-supported moves that can change how senior leadership perceives you before year-end. From adopting a signature color and organizing a strategic lunch to recognizing overlooked talent, recommending what the organization should stop doing and claiming a problem nobody owns, each move communicates a different kind of leadership value. By the end of this episode you’ll know: 🪝Create recognition through consistency. Learn how a distinctive visual or audio signal can make your leadership presence more memorable 🎉Demonstrate leadership by creating value for others. Use purposeful gatherings and meaningful recognition to become known as someone who connects people, develops talent and strengthens collaboration 💰Replace greater output with stronger judgment. Discover how eliminating low-value work or claiming an overlooked organizational problem can position you as an enterprise-minded executive As of the release day of this episode, You have 97 days left in 2026. That is 97 days to change how leadership sees you. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here. Studies cited in this episode: Research on enclothed cognition Workplace commensality study Employee-recognition field experiment Nature study on overlooking subtraction To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. This episode explores how executive presence, leadership visibility, and a memorable personal brand at work shape your leadership reputation and career advancement. Discover a practical Q4 career strategy for high-performing introverts who want to strengthen their executive leadership skills, workplace influence, professional visibility, cross-functional leadership, executive decision-making, and strategic thinking. You’ll also learn how employee recognition and intentional leadership development can change leadership perception—and how to get noticed by senior leadership for the right reasons. Topics covered in this episode: How to change leadership’s perception of youFive high-ROI executive-presence movesUsing enclothed cognition and signature clothing at workHow consistent visual signals increase memorabilityOrganizing a cross-functional leadership lunchThe relationship between shared meals and team performanceUsing employee awards to make invisible contributions visibleHow specific recognition influences workplace performanceWhy leaders overlook subtractive solutionsCreating a strategic stop-doing recommendationDemonstrating executive judgment through prioritizationIdentifying problems that fall between organizational silosTaking charge without becoming the team’s permanent fixerMoving from individual contributor to enterprise leaderBuilding leadership visibility without braggingChoosing a Q4 action that changes your professional reputation