"Hi! I'm listening to one of my regular real estate podcasts, and one of the guys said his top take away from the Forward Event in Vegas was you and what you shared 😮" That's the DM that came through Instagram, from my step-cousin I haven't spoken to in probably a decade.

It started as a conversation about “thought leadership.” It turned into something sharper: a blueprint for saying something worth following.

The speakers who get booked again and again? They’re not the flashiest. They’re the clearest. The most useful. The ones who made people feel seen - and gave them something they could actually do.

Most people agree stories are powerful. So why do we default to facts, stats, and frameworks when it’s time to pitch an idea, write a post, or deliver a talk? Because it feels safer. More “professional.” Less vulnerable. And that’s exactly why people tune out.

If someone Googled you right now, would they meet the version of you that actually exists?

That’s the question that opened our recent masterclass on brand voice - and it landed hard.

Avital Eusgeld - founder of HiPitched Branding and the strategist behind some of the clearest, most human brand voice systems out there - says most of us are showing up online with a mix of “sort of me,” “past me,” and “this was a Canva template.”

“Just chill!”

“There’s nothing to worry about!”

“You’ll be just fine!”

If you’ve ever been told these things before giving a talk – or have said some version of these to yourself – then you know they don’t quite work.

Why? Because it’s very hard to control the mind with the mind.

This is both good news and bad.

In this week's article, let's figure out when and where to focus on brevity, clarity, or both.

In this week's article, we explore what a core message is, how it works, and I'll offer three creative ways to use it in your marketing, to quickly connect with prospects, collaborators, and even your own team.

You’re about to be interviewed on a podcast. You know the general topic you'll be asked about, but you have no idea what questions will be thrown your way. Oh, and you only have eight minutes. Plus, it won't be edited.

In this week's article I'm breaking down how I used our Core Messaging system to be totally prepared without any rehearsing, and delivered a knockout interview.

In 2024, our team at Conquer the Red Dot® had the privilege of helping 7 students book their talks and 11 speakers to deliver the talk of their dreams at conferences including TEDxAlexanderPark, TEDxBocaRaton, TEDxWesternU, and TEDxBelltown Women.

They spoke on topics from finance to activism to mental health to the science of balance, racking up a combined 1,724,000 views and one Editor's Pick.

In this week's article, we're discussing how you can turn your audience's attention into true engagement so they'll stick around long enough to hear about your brilliant solutions.

Every December, we’re bombarded with the same advice: Set goals. Make resolutions. Be better, faster, stronger next year.

The problem isn’t you; it’s the way we’ve been taught to plan.

Resolutions are narrow. They focus on what you’re doing but rarely ask why.