Three Nonverbal Cues That Can Quietly Undermine Your Influence ... (and What to Do Instead)
If you consider the research, only about 7% of what we say is interpreted through our actual words.
Everything else is interpreted through our tone, our gestures, our body language, how we move, how we hold ourselves ... and even the cadence and tone of our voice.
So before I share three nonverbal cues that can quietly take away from your ability to influence, I want to start with something I know you’ve heard me say before:
Whatever you’re thinking comes out of your mouth.
In other words ... your mindset is the precursor to being able to influence successfully. Every time, it will impact how others will feel about what you have to say.
Get Your Head in the Game First
It’s very difficult for other people to be confident in us, trust us, and buy into what we’re saying when we are not confident in ourselves.
Let me give you a real example.
One of my clients, "Sue" (not her real name) is a rising female executive who is essentially creating a VP position for herself. She has been ...
🎯 The Imposter's Gift: Mind the Gap... and Move Through It (Part 2 to the 4-Part "Imposter's Gift" Series)
(Part 2 of 3 in “The Imposter’s Gift” Series)
World-class performers feel imposter syndrome too. The difference between them and everyone else?
They learn from the discomfort and get better because of it. They also perform with the end in mind.
Here’s how:
- Visualize yourself as the confident, worthy, successful version of you.
- Identify the “gap” between that version and where you are now.
- Take intentional action to bridge it.
When you honor the discomfort and reverse-engineer the path forward, imposter syndrome becomes clarity, courage, and yes—even confidence.
I’d love to hear your perspective. Who’s the future version of you that already owns the room? If you imagined yourself already there, what one shift would help close the gap?
🎥 Watch the Part 2 video and share your perspective.
This is a 4-part series, so be on the lookout for additional posts in the week to come.
Cheering you on, always!
- Sheryl
Building Loyalty: Retain and Inspire High Performing Teams - an Interview with Maricel Perez-Lovisolo and Lucia Leal-Pensabene of TELUS International
In the latest Fearless Female Leadership interview, I had the rare privilege of speaking with not one, but two inspiring women from TELUS International: Maricel Perez-Lovisolo, VP of Global Learning Excellence and Organizational Development, and Lucia Leal-Pensabene, Senior Learning and Enablement Manager. This unique conversation gave us a double lens—hearing both from an established executive leader and a rising star in the pipeline—on how to create environments where emerging female leaders can not only survive but truly thrive.
Maricel emphasized the power of accessibility, modeling open communication and psychological safety early on—even several levels down the org chart. For her, leadership means being approachable, available, and intentional about nurturing future talent, long before formal titles are earned.
Lucia spoke vulnerably and powerfully about the importance of seeing role models at the top. Early access to leaders like Maricel gave her not only feedback but also belief—...
Good Enough to Go for Greatness - an Interview with Kim Dorsett, Chief Human Resources Officer for Capital Impact Partners
In the latest Fearless Female Leadership interview, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Kim Dorsett, Chief Human Resources Officer for Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance, both part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations. Kim and I spoke about what it really means to believe you're good enough to go for greatness. This episode was a powerful reminder that mindset, boundaries, and bold action are the cornerstones of breakthrough leadership.
Kim’s leadership journey is grounded in the lessons she learned from her mother, who always expected excellence and taught her to strive five times harder. That relentless commitment to personal growth has carried Kim from early career milestones to her current executive seat. With a nod to her children for encouraging her to share her story, Kim spoke openly about how structure, discipline, and saying no have been critical to her success.
She highlighted the importance of essentialism—focusing only on w...
Building Intrinsic Confidence – an Interview with Sophie Gelsthorpe, Chief Human Resource Officer at Sitecore
In the latest Fearless Female Leadership interview, I had the privilege of speaking with Sophie Gelsthorpe, CHRO, Sitecore, about her journey and insights on intrinsic motivation. Sophie’s career in HR began by chance after university, influenced by her hardworking parents. She emphasizes the importance of intrinsic confidence, sharing her experience with confidence after becoming Chief People Officer at OpenTable and Kayak. Sophie advises reflecting on personal experiences, practicing self-validation, and preparing thoroughly for meetings. She highlights the need for women to fake it till they make it and suggests finding supportive peers to help build confidence.
Key take-aways from the interview:
- 0:02:32 Sophie’s early life and family background, including her parents’ divorce and their strong work ethic, inspired her ambition and drive.
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0:04:43 Sophie fell into HR by chance during university, but found it to be a perfect fit for her interests and strengths.
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0:07:15 Reloca
...
4 Things to Avoid When Asking for What You're Worth
4 Things to Avoid When Asking for What You're Worth
Have you ever felt like (or had the facts) another colleague is being paid more for an equal or lesser role?
The good news is that you’re not alone. The bad news is that it can be very unfair, disrespectful, demotivating, and bad for business.
You may be thinking that this shouldn’t even be an issue, and that there should not be a discrepancy. Agreed 100%.
But, until pay transparency is more regulated and more systems are in place to manage this very real problem, it may be time to speak up! If you already have, a few new tools could make all the difference for round 2.
Yes, it’s going to take time to get further down this road on pay equality, so it may be helpful to get comfortable (or I should say, confident and influential) about asking for what you are worth.
There is progress being made however for pay transparency and fairness, partially in thanks to pay transparency advocate and former Corporate VP, One Commercial Partner at ...
Podcast Episode #101: "Strategies for Building Confidence in Your New Role" - an Interview with Dena Jones
Strategies for Building Confidence in Your New Role
In case you missed my LIVE interview with the phenomenal Dena Jones (Vice President, Office of the CIO at Fannie Mae), here are a few of the wisdom gems she shared: Â
- You don’t need to check all the boxes, a couple of the boxes are fine... and you need to go for it
- Take more risks
- Realize you don't have to do it on your own
- Build a network of people around you that can support you and guide you. Have mentors and sponsors
- Always seek to learn more and grow. That never stops. It’s not like you get to a place and say "okay, I’m here and I don’t need to learn anymore"
- Listen to each other. Listen to different perspectives
- Do something transformational
- Verbalize what you’re good at
- If you feel too comfortable, it’s time to reassess what you're doing
- Always articulate what you want
To be notified for future interviews be sure to connect with me here on LinkedIn AND to learn more about how to build the mindset and influence f...
Podcast Episode #98: "Growing Visibility for Women in Wealth Management" - an Interview with Brie Williams
Growing Visibility for Women in Wealth Management
In case you missed my LIVE interview with the remarkable Brie Williams (Vice President, Head of Practice Management at SPDR Exchange Traded Funds - State Street Global Investors), here are a few of the wisdom gems she shared:
- Having an open mind and willingness to try something different, even if it's not what you've envisioned for yourself
- Learning to get comfortable in failing fast and failing up
- Building your confidence and strengthening your resilience through self-doubt and anxiety
- Using your network of colleagues and partners as a safe forum for trying out your ideas
- The importance and value of the give and take of the sponsorship/mentorship relationship
- Being authentic to yourself and embracing the many shapes and sizes of diversity.
To be notified for future interviews be sure to connect with me here on LinkedIn AND to learn more about how to build the mindset and influence for real change, join our community at...
There is Reason for Optimism in 2022
There is Reason for Optimism in 2022
I hope your year is off to a healthy, productive, and impactful start!
What do you love about what you do?
For me, I love being the guide so you, your team, or your colleagues can be the hero. While very aware of the importance of data, it’s not so exciting to me.
There was, however, some notable data that came out of 2021 that (I feel) is important for you to know, so we can learn and improve from it.
First, the "not so good news" uncovered from a pre-coaching assessment that was filled by the 10 female heart-centered leaders I was so honored to have worked with 1:1 in 2021 as well as the facilitations done for their managers and from the virtual speaking events that reached thousands.
- Female leaders are still feeling silenced, overlooked, and disregarded by their leadership.
- This is exacerbating overwhelm and burnout.
- Change is happening, but these inequities are not spoken about or addressed quick enough.
I’d like to first ac...
Want to Rise More in 2022?
Want to Rise More in 2022?
If you know you’re doing a great job, but you feel like you’re getting overlooked, excluded or not on leadership’s radar enough, it could be the perfect time to get a plan in place to dial up your visibility and rise more. While there may be many things that are not controllable, there is one thing that is 100% under your control, and that’s the impact that YOU decide you want to have. Likely having greater impact means getting leadership on the bus with your ideas and seeing you as a confidant and trusted advisor. Let’s make sure you have a visibility plan in place now, so you can have as impactful a year as possible.
Here are a few questions that will help you take the first step, gaining personal clarity, to rise more in 2022. Deciding on the answers to these questions and taking action on them is a way of accepting where you’re being called for your highest sense of leadership. They will also help lay the foundation for a proud moment when the day comes...
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