The Speaker Lab Podcast

“I think of the definition of a creator as someone who sets out to make original work, to educate, inspire, or entertain other people.” There are plenty of simple ways to grow as a speaker, but becoming a creator is one of the easiest ways to expand your speaking business and book more paid gigs! The term "creator" is used frequently (and sometimes negatively), but here's the reality: if you're a...

“ It’s very important that the message bearer who’s up there selling that idea cares very, very deeply about it, and they would give it just as much energy if there were 5 people in the room, as if there were 5,000 people in the room. ” Running your own business is extremely challenging, but doing what you love can make it a bit easier. This week, Jack Galloway joined us on the show to talk about...

“Don’t conform to your environment. Everyone else does it, but you need to take that path, that uniqueness that is you, because there is no one like you.” As a former circus clown (yes, an actual circus clown), Dustin Portillo knows a thing or two about showtime. And now as a professional speaker, Dustin has taken that mindset and applied it to delivering value for audiences everywhere.  This...

“You just have to trust that it will work out if you do the right thing. Surround yourself with great people.” There’s no easy days when you’re an entrepreneur, but figuring out how you can divide and conquer for your business is really important. This week, Jay Papasan joins us to talk about how delegation is a powerful tool that frees you up to do what only you can do best. Jay walks through wha...

"You have to think of it from a relational standpoint, first and foremost, before anything else. And just understand, sometimes things happen, but I never want a client to be upset about paying me. I always want them to pay me and think, man, we got way more than we paid." We talk a lot about the benefits of being a professional speaker, but there are always challenges in any business! This week,...

One of the coolest parts of TSL is watching our coaches work 1:1 with students and helping them find the clarity and confidence they need to take their speaking businesses to the next level. And today, you’re going to get to see that process in action. We're back with another live coaching episode with Erick Rheam! This week, Erick is helping two TSL students, Josie Ann Lee and Kenny Barnwell, wor...

"Every time we make a decision, it is the conclusion of a story that we have built in our minds unconsciously about why that decision does or doesn't make sense." One of the most rewarding parts of being a professional speaker is the feeling of making a difference — the idea that the message you have to share can create real change with your audience. But how do you actually make that happen? Tams...

"I think often we confuse strategy with activity, and we can get stuck in this kind of flywheel of just like, well, I feel busy, I look busy. I did a lot of things today, but what did I actually accomplish?" If you  really  want to build a successful speaking business, you have to follow the right processes — and be consistent in doing the little things well. Everyone wants to book more...

"You can get rid of that limiting belief that you have to have a talk fully ready before you sell it." One of the hardest things for new and aspiring speakers is putting together a compelling talk. It's hard to move forward until you feel like everything is perfect — but what if you could sell your talk before it even exists? Your best marketing is a great talk — but you don't necessarily nee...

"Two things have to be true: one, you have to offer enough value so that they're paying attention. And two, you've got to communicate that value in a believable way, either through a third party or somebody they trust or you directly." It might be cliché, but it's still true: speaking is a relationships business. If you want to be a successful speaker, you have to invest in building relationships...

This week, we’re giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what coaching can do for speakers.  Erick Rheam is hosting live coaching sessions this week! These sessions feature TSL students and real problems that speakers face in their businesses. This episode features Molly Kennedy and Theresa Skaar. Molly focuses on shifting her demographics and finding new income sources, while Theresa foc...

“The key to any industry is not focusing or trying to sell to 98% of your market. You're only trying to sell to that very top percentage of people." If you're a speaker looking to scale your business and add new streams of revenue, you might want to consider launching a high ticket offer. This week, Grant sat down with Bryan Harris to chat about the value a high-ticket offering can bring to your b...

"If you've got a working keynote that has structure that you've been honing for a while, you probably have the bones of a book." - Liz Morrow  "If you are someone who is highly entrepreneurial and you feel like you really value having a lot of creative control over the end product and you don't mind doing the hard, you know, kind of manual work of putting all of those systems in place and rea...

“I'm really passionate about solving the same problem that they're passionate about solving. I have a unique ability that I'm willing to share." How do you write your own story and become the speaker you've dreamed about being?  This week, Brittany Richmond and Jake White are answering that question and talking about when to scale your business, how to find your niche, and so much more. “If y...

 "Just show up and provide value and get to know us." If you’re like most speakers, you’re probably wondering about AI. How should you use it? Should you be using it at all? And how do you make sure your authentic brand and story doesn’t get lost in the process?  This week, Pat Flynn is answering all of those questions and ALSO diving into what it's like being an event planner. How do ev...

“They used to be easy to spot, but they're getting better. They are getting more and more convincing at weaving their stories."  This week, Grant sat down with Lauren Sergy to talk about a new (and very) convincing speaker scam and, more importantly, how to avoid falling for it!  “No transactions are made, no contracts are signed. Unless you have a zoom, ideally a face to face Zoom call...

"We always recommend that people do not memorize their presentations verbatim. That results in just acting a little bit too robotic. Your audience can tell, and that's just not the best way to go." - Eric Silverberg This week, Grant sat down with Eli and Eric, some of our friends from Speaker Labs (not to be confused with The Speaker Lab). Eli and Eric help speakers master the four pillars of beco...

"There is so much value in saying no because not every event is the right event for you."  This week, Brittany Richmond sat down with Nathan Wray, an inspirational speaker who speaks on teen mental health and substance misuse prevention. Together, Brittany and Nathan dig into dozens of practical topics including recovering from rough feedback, showing up for and supporting event planners...

“I feel like I've always been Reggie's administrative assistant with our life. So it was kind of a natural transition just to slide into that.” - Patrice Wright  This week, Grant sat down with not 1, but 2 lovely guests to chat about building a speaking business with your spouse! You may remember Dr. Reggie Wright from Episode 471 last fall, but this week, we’re hearing from him AND his bette...

"If you can align your expertise with a specific industry and then really bring tremendous value with a clear ROI, you're always going to win the game." This week, Grant’s on the show with TSL legend Erick Rheam. We’re a little late to this year’s state of the speaking industry, but better late than never, right? "It's not necessarily that budgets are cut, but what I would tell you is that event p...

"The hardest part is just getting started, actually, because a lot of people say, well, yeah, I've got to make it perfect. I've got to do all these slides and presentations, curriculum, all this documentation. The best thing to do is just get started." This week, Grant sat down with Michael Patellis, the cofounder of Copecart, to talk about developing a course as a speaker. “A lot of people, they...

"People buy from you when they feel understood, not when they understand you." This week, Grant’s sitting down with TSL alumna Missy West to talk about her unlikely journey to public speaking and how her speaking career has taken off over the last few years. If you're wondering if you can overcome your fear of being on stage and be successful as a brand new speaker, this episode is for you! ...

“Reframing my approach to public speaking was a game-changer once I recognized I was my own worst critic.” This week, Maryalice sat down with TSL coach Katherine Johnson to chat about all things authenticity on stage. If you think you’re being authentic on stage, this may be the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed!  When it comes to presenting ourselves to an audience, we tend to think ab...

“In some ways, my story is a detriment. There's a pro and a con to having overcoming extreme adversity, because people feel disconnected from it. I've had people tell me multiple times after speeches, man, if I went through what you went through, I'd be as happy as you are. And I'm like, no, man, you're missing the point. The principles I just taught you are what you need to pay attention to.” Gra...

 "The biggest mistake that I repeatedly see speakers make is procrastination, just waiting too long to actually start developing the content and too long to practice the delivery." This week, Grant sat down with Eva Daniel to talk about one of the most important parts of being an effective speaker — creating and delivering an engaging speech. Eva is a speaker, storytelling expert, and communi...