Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

To see if Laura’s Executive Presence Mastery System 90-day coaching intensive is right for you, set up a strategy call here.Ever felt like you don’t quite belong in senior leadership because of where you’re from?If you grew up outside elite networks or prestigious backgrounds, you might be unintentionally shrinking in high-stakes settings—despite your competence. This episode dives into why smart, driven professionals stay invisible and what it truly costs them. By the end of today’s episode you’ll know:🔥Why self-silencing habits are blocking your path to leadership roles.🦄How to leverage your roots and authenticity into real professional impact.🧲You can be inspired by real leaders from modest beginnings who’ve shattered the C-Suite glass ceiling.Listen now to learn how to transform your background into a leadership asset that commands presence, respect, and promotion.Because executive presence isn't about being flashy. It's about being felt. Even when you're not in the room.So if you’re listening to this and thinking, "That’s me..."If your performance is there, but your presence is missing...And you’re ready to stop shrinking and start showing up...Then book a strategy call.There’s a link in the show notes at the top or visit SpeakUpWithLaura.com/speakupTo learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities. By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.Name Brand CEOs From Modest Backgrounds:(source Wikipedia.org)Tim Cook (CEO, Apple)Born in Mobile, Alabama — raised in small Robertsdale, AL. His parents worked blue‑collar jobs (shipyard worker / pharmacy). (Wikipedia)Sam Walton (Founder, Walmart / Sam’s Club)Born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma — came from a modest rural background before building Walmart into a global retail empire. (Wikipedia)B. Kevin Turner (Former COO, Microsoft; senior executive at Walmart)Began as a store cashier in his hometown (small-town roots) and rose through ranks to a top‑leadership role. (Wikipedia)Howard Schultz (Former CEO/Chairman, Starbucks)Raised in a low-income housing project — humble urban roots rather than elite upbringing; built Starbucks from modest beginnings into a global brand. (Wikipedia)John Paul DeJoria (Co‑founder, John Paul Mitchell Systems & Patrón Spirits)Started with extreme financial hardship, reportedly once lived in his car — classic “from nothing to something” story often cited in entrepreneurship lore. (Scribd)Stew Leonard Jr. (President/CEO, Stew Leonard's grocery chain)Comes from a family business rooted in dairy/farming — modest roots and built a regional business into sustained success. (Wikipedia)Sandra Day O’Connor (example of modest‑upbringing + leadership — U.S. Supreme Court, not corporate)Raised on a cattle ranch in rural Arizona, learned self-reliance and hard work from an early age, later became first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice. (Note: illustrating beyond corporate — shows small‑town/rural → high leadership across domains.)Jeff Bezos (small town / modest roots to global scale)Grew up with modest means; his mother was a teenage mother; Bezos’ early life wasn’t “privileged elite,” showing even global‑scale founder can come from humble start.Oprah Winfrey (media/entrepreneur example)Born in rural Mississippi, raised in poverty — her rise to global media influence shows humble beginnings don’t limit potential.Elon Musk (not small‑town in U.S., but modest immigrant‑to‑wealth arc)Came from more modest beginnings relative to his later wealth and status — illustrates immigrant/modest‑upbringing success story from technical/entrepreneurial angle.Jan Koum (co‑founder of WhatsApp)Immigrated to U.S. in a working‑class family, early life marked by modest means — yet rose to create a globally‑used messaging platform.Indra Nooyi (former CEO, PepsiCo)Grew up in suburban middle‑class India (not elite), navigated cultural & economic constraints to rise to global leadership — example of non‑privileged origin + corporate success.Ursula Burns (former CEO, Xerox)Raised in a housing project in New York public housing; first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 — a powerful example of humble roots to corporate leadership.Mary Barra (CEO, General Motors)Middle‑class upbringing, first in family to go to college — shows upward mobility for people without elite pedigree.

To see if Laura’s Executive Presence Mastery System 90-day coaching intensive is right for you, set up a strategy call here.Are you tired of being seen as competent but not memorable in high-stakes meetings — especially when you know you bring strategic value? In today’s episode you’ll learn an executive-presence secret almost nobody teaches in corporate.Most high-performing introverts unknowingly fall into a communication trap: they’re too predictable. Today’s episode reveals how adding one touch of the unexpected — what host Laura Camacho calls a “Wrong Shoe Moment” — can immediately elevate your presence, make senior leaders lean in, and get your ideas remembered.                                                                     By the end of today’s episode you’ll know:🔬The neuroscience behind why “unexpected” equals smart and confident.🔥Real-world examples of Wrong Shoe Moments you can use today — even if you're not loud or extroverted.🎯A simple formula to create unforgettable executive communication without being performative or adding more energy.Listen now to learn how one surprising phrase can change how senior executives perceive you — and start communicating with the presence you’ve already earned.Here’s the scoop on Allison Bornstein.If you want to learn how to consistently communicate like a senior leader — with clarity, structure, confidence, and strategic elegance — I’d love to support you.Want to see where your executive communication REALLY stands?Take the Executive Presence Scorecard — a 3-minute diagnostic that reveals the exact behaviors holding you back (and the ones moving you forward).👉 Email me at [email protected] with “score” in the subject line and I’ll get you the link to that assessment.To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities. By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.

To see if Laura’s Executive Presence Mastery System 90-day coaching intensive is right for you, set up a strategy call here.  Here’s a truth that still surprises even the highest-performing introverts who listen to this show: You can be brilliant at your job… and still be playing way below your potential simply because you haven’t learned how to develop that executive communication skill set.In this 500th episode celebration, I’m sharing the top 3 transformational executive presence breakthroughs that have helped high-performing introverts stop being overlooked and start being seen as indispensable strategic leaders — without changing their personality or pretending to be someone they’re not.By the end of this 500th episode you’ll know:🚀Why your real job far exceeds simply delivering excellent outcomes.🏆How to clearly signal your unique value, even if you’re quiet or self-doubting.🎄The overlooked communication tools that make your insights memorable and actionable.Press play now to learn how to step into your next level of leadership by changing how — not who — you communicate.And heads up next week I’ve got a special holiday gift for you. This 12 Days of Christmas holiday mini-series is your fast, festive boost of charisma — designed for busy, brilliant leaders who don’t have time for long podcasts.Each episode in the Speak Up 12 Days of Christmas is less than five minutes and gives you:✨ One tiny habit you can use immediately 🎁 The exact words or actions to try 💥 And how it elevates your presence, your credibility, and your influencePresence isn’t built in rehearsals — it’s built in everyday moments.To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities. By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.

To see if Laura’s Executive Presence Mastery System 90-day coaching intensive is right for you, set up a strategy call here.                                                                                              If your boss says you’re doing amazing and always relies on you for the complicated problems—but you’re still not seen as a trusted strategic voice in the room—this episode is your wake-up call. By the end of today’s episode you’ll know: 🚀Why being the "Go-To” problem solver might actually be holding you back🎯What’s really keeping you from being trusted with bigger decisions🏆The invisible skillset you must build to break through the senior leadership ceilingIf you’re done playing small in meetings and ready to be seen as a strategic voice in the room, head to the link at the top of these show notes (or visit the website at www.speakupwithlaura.com/speakup) and book a call.Let’s close the gap between how good you are and how you’re perceived.If you’re someone who shows up strong with your team and even thrives in public speaking—but then freezes up or fades into the background when you're in the room with senior execs—and later regrets not speaking up or being remembered…That’s why we created the Executive Presence Mastery System—to help you build confidence and clarity around those exact moments. You don’t need to change your personality. You just need a strategy that sends the right leadership signals—your way.So if you’re tired of not being top-of-mind for promotions or stretch opportunities, go to the top of these show notes or head to SpeakUpWithLaura.com/speakup, and find a time to talk. I’ll walk you through how this system helps high-performing introverts create influence without being loud.To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.Research cited in this episode:Soft Skills & Leadership Advancement “Soft Skill Development: The Human Skills Needed for Success at Every Leader Level” Center for Creative LeadershipImpact of Communication on Leadership Perception “Effective Communication Results in Effective Leadership” ResearchGatePromotion Rates Tied to Communication Skills “Soft Skills Tied to Faster Promotions” LinkedIn Talent BlogSoft Skills as 'Power Skills' “Soft Skills Are the New Power Skills” University of ColoradoClarity & Executive Presence in Leadership “Leadership Soft Skills and Career Success” PMC JournalIn Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities. By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.

To see if Laura’s Executive Presence Mastery System 90-day coaching intensive is right for you, set up a strategy call here.Think charisma means being loud or extroverted? Think again. What if one simple phrase could make you instantly more influential — without pretending to be someone you’re not?In this episode of Speak Up, we break down a science-backed technique from the world of improv that helps high-performing introverts sound more executive, build rapid rapport, and boost confidence in high-stakes conversations — all while staying true to who they are.By the end of today’s short episode you’ll know: 🪝Why emotional safety is the foundation of real charisma and what that means🔥How a 6-word phrase can instantly elevate your presence in meetings🏆Get 6 ready-to-use scripts you can steal for your next big conversationPress play now to learn the low-pressure phrase that makes you sound polished, present, and powerful — even on the spot.Want to see where your executive communication REALLY stands?Take the Executive Presence Scorecard — a 3-minute diagnostic that reveals the exact behaviors holding you back (and the ones moving you forward).👉 Email me at [email protected] with “score” in the subject line and I’ll get you the link to that assessment.To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities. By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.