Speaking With Authority

A room full of nodding heads may be the most misleading data a leader ever collects. The analysis can be sound, the recommendation logical—and nothing changes. StoryLab founder and bestselling author Philipp Humm joins Jim Koetting to explore why stories reach people when facts, instructions, and arguments fail. They examine what story does inside the mind, why people can recognize truth in someon...

Why does progress so rarely die in a crisis and so often die on cruise control? Hall of Fame speaker and former NBA player Walter Bond calls the culprit "comfort creep," and in this episode of Speaking With Authority he explains how it quietly stalls successful leaders, teams, and companies, and what to do about it. Walter went undrafted out of the University of Minnesota, broke his foot twice in...

What do meeting planners look for when choosing a keynote speaker? A polished website, impressive biography, and compelling highlight reel may earn attention—but they do not prove that a speaker can serve the audience, deliver a meaningful outcome, or justify the investment. Maria Franzoni spent 23 years running an international speakers bureau, with experience booking speakers including Neil Arms...

Choosing the wrong keynote speaker can quietly damage your entire conference. So how do meeting planners, association executives and event organizers know whether a keynote speaker is actually right for their audience? In this episode of The Conference Hero, Jim Koetting sits down with keynote speaker, executive coach and GiANT Worldwide Certified Guide Jeff Spooneybarger for a candid conversation...

How do you build a business that runs without you? You stop making yourself the answer to every question. In this episode of Speaking With Authority, Jim Koetting sits down with entrepreneur, author, and Utah National Guard Captain Parker McCumber to explore one of the most expensive problems in founder-led companies: the founder bottleneck. Parker learned the lesson in an unusual place. As a 19-y...

What if you've been climbing the wrong mountain? Most leaders spend years pursuing success, only to discover they've been living according to someone else's definition of a meaningful life. In this episode of Speaking With Authority , Jim Koetting sits down with executive coach Becky Barcelotti , creator of the Alive Framework , to explore what it really means to live intentionally instead of acci...

Every one of us is telling ourselves a story. Some stories build confidence. Others quietly limit what we believe is possible. In this episode, Jim Koetting welcomes Cam Awesome, the winningest heavyweight boxer in U.S. amateur boxing history, for a conversation that goes far beyond sports. Cam explains how the stories we repeat to ourselves become our identity, influence our confidence, shape our...

AI Project Management Is Here: How Leaders Finally Get Real Visibility Into Work | Bronson Taylor What if your project dashboard is lying to you? Most projects don’t fail because people stop caring. They fail because leaders lose visibility. Status reports look healthy. Tasks appear complete. Meetings happen. But beneath the surface, critical blockers, missed deadlines, and communication breakdown...

What makes great leaders truly influential? According to trust expert David Horsager, it all comes down to one thing: trust. In this episode of Speaking With Authority , host Jim Koetting sits down with David Horsager, bestselling author of Trust Matters and one of the world's leading authorities on trust, leadership, and organizational culture. David shares insights from decades of research helpi...

Most leaders think anxiety is something other people struggle with. They're wrong. In this episode of Speaking With Authority, psychologist and anxiety expert Dr. Ashley Smith joins Jim Koetting for a deep conversation about the hidden role anxiety plays in leadership, communication, productivity, and decision-making. They explore why anxiety is not the enemy, how avoidance fuels fear, why high ac...

Why do so many talented, intelligent people fail to achieve the results they want? In this powerful episode of Speaking With Authority , Jim Koetting welcomes Dre Baldwin, former professional basketball player, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Work On Your Game. Dre argues that success has far less to do with motivation and far more to do with execution. Drawing from his experiences in profess...

“Why do you pick up your phone for five minutes… and suddenly lose two hours? Why do some stories completely pull you in while most people lose your attention almost instantly? In this episode of Speaking With Authority, master storyteller Jim Koetting shares a short, powerful story — then breaks down exactly what happened inside your brain while you were listening. You’ll discover how dopamine, c...

Why do most ERP, CRM, and tech implementations fail—even when the software is good? In this episode of Speaking With Authority, Jim Koetting sits down with digital transformation expert Eric Kimberling to break down the real reason technology projects fail. Spoiler: It’s not the software. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: Why ERP and CRM implementations fail The biggest leadership mistakes in dig...

What if the biggest problem in your leadership… isn’t your team—but your thinking? In this powerful episode of Speaking With Authority , Jim Koetting sits down with Dr. Lee Warren, a brain surgeon who has performed over 200 surgeries in Iraq—and then faced something far more difficult: rebuilding his own mind after unimaginable loss. This conversation goes far beyond neuroscience. It reveals a tru...

Why do some messages inspire action while others get ignored? In this episode of Speaking With Authority, Jim Koetting sits down with Joanna Wiebe, founder of Copyhackers and a pioneer of conversion copywriting, to explore the psychology behind persuasive communication. Many leaders believe they are communicating clearly — yet poor messaging costs companies billions every year in lost opportunitie...

Ginny Burton’s life includes nearly 30 years of addiction, incarceration, and a complete personal rebuilding that began at 40. In this conversation with Jim Koetting, she challenges the modern recovery and homelessness landscape—arguing that many incentives reward long-term management over real transformation. They talk candidly about withdrawal, discomfort, and why accountability can do what symp...

In this episode of Speaking With Authority , Jim Koetting interviews communication coach Alex Grabner-Jarlung, a key figure in the David JP Phillips speaking lineage. Alex breaks down the science behind great communication: how nervousness works, why “fight/flight/freeze” can hijack your memory, and how to train speaking like a measurable skill. You’ll also hear how Alex went from corporate presen...

Most people think “better communication” means finding better words. In this episode of Speaking With Authority , Jim Koetting sits down with Christopher Lincoln , founder of NeuroSpeak , to unpack the truth: communication is a neuroscience and nervous system skill before it’s a language skill. Chris has coached CEOs, executive teams, sales leaders, and highly technical professionals who have the...

*Stop Selling. Start Owning Your Authority* Authority is the difference between being “one of many” and being the go-to person everyone calls when things get messy. In this episode of Speaking With Authority, Jim Koetting sits down with five-time author and Three Dog Right founder Lisa Apolinski to unpack how real authority power works in an uncertain, noisy, digital-first world. Lisa shares how g...

*How to Read Minds Without Saying a Word* In this episode of Speaking With Authority, host Jim Koetting sits down with Roxani Oikonomou, an international expert in nonverbal communication, micro-expressions, and emotional intelligence. Roxy reveals the hidden language of humans—how our faces, gestures, and subtle expressions reveal far more than words ever could. You’ll learn: How to turn fear int...

Hiring a great salesperson shouldn’t feel like gambling. In this episode of  Speaking With Authority , I talk with  Jamie Crosbie  (Founder & CEO,  ProActivate ) about why the traditional sales recruiting model is fundamentally  misaligned —and how to fix it. We unpack how contingent recruiters get paid on  placements, not performance , why many candidates are&nbs...

Culture isn’t a poster—it’s behavior. Jim Koetting interviews  Bronson Taylor  (Workplace IO) on using AI and NLP to measure six culture metrics—burnout, psychological safety, conflict, engagement, alignment, execution risk—so leaders can design, track, and even forecast culture with the rigor of BI. Practical, ethical, and immediately actionable.

Join TEDx speaker and global educator Michelle Machado as she shares her transformative journey across four continents, exploring the shift from performance to presence in a digitally distracted world. Discover how her multicultural experiences have shaped her understanding of connection and identity, and learn practical insights on fostering authentic human connections in today's fast-paced envir...

*What does it really take to build leaders worth following in today’s distracted world?* In this episode of Speaking With Authority, host Jim Koetting sits down with Jeremie Kubicek—author of The Voice-Driven Leader, co-creator of The 5 Voices and 100X Leader, and co-founder of GiANT Worldwide. Jeremie’s leadership journey started in the chaos of post-Soviet Russia, living above a mafia boss and s...

In this episode of the Speaking with Authority podcast, join Jim Koetting as he sits down with Erika Glenn, a trailblazer in the corporate world known for her transformative work in technology and healthcare. Erika shares her journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a leader who champions empathy and resilience. Discover how her promise to never let her family struggle again shaped her lea...