If you’ve ever ‘choked’ during an important conversation, it means that you’re human and that you care deeply about the outcome which is great! What’s not so great is that many times our inability to emotionally regulate robs us of our ability to influence, especially when the stakes are high.  

Here’s a look at my recent closed session at SFVegas for the Rising Stars cohort at Women in Securitization.  The focus was on Clarity, and what I'm about to share works any time of year, especially whe...

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 .....

Have you ever wanted (and deserved) to be in a room that would immediately add value, expand your visibility and impact ...but you were NOT included?

Maybe you know you’ve earned your way into that room, and it feels like you were purposefully excluded or maybe it was an oversight.

Either way, it can be incredibly frustrating and detrimental to the business.

Here’s the good news. There is a proven process to help you get into the important rooms and ensure your voice is heard, valued, and recognize...

Have you ever walked into a meeting prepared, thoughtful, ready to contribute ... and then left feeling dismissed?

It is incredibly frustrating.

And, I want you to hear this clearly:

Your voice matters. It matters more now than ever.
And you deserve to be heard, valued, and respected in the rooms you are in.

The good news is this does not have to keep happening. There is a proven process to reduce those moments and increase your influence without needing to become louder, sharper, or someone ...

Have you ever felt like a peer was quietly (or not so quietly) blocking your influence with leadership?

If so, you’re definitely not alone. And when it happens, it’s not just frustrating… it’s costly. Costly to your confidence, your credibility, your career momentum, and the business itself.

What makes it even harder is that this behavior is often driven by fear-based leadership or narcissistic tendencies. When someone feels threatened, they may try to limit your visibility, exclude you from conve...

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this too, but during the holidays (or anytime stress runs unusually high) some people can become more difficult than usual. Emotions get bigger. Patience gets thinner. Small frustrations can escalate quickly.

And whether the tension comes from a colleague, a leader, or even a family member you love dearly… it can feel incredibly draining.

If you’re feeling like you’re losing energy or losing ground influencing those who are important for your year to end strong, here...

If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “That was a lost opportunity… I could’ve been more prepared,” please know you are not alone. It happens to even the most capable, high-performing leaders. And yet, those small windows of time (whether it’s a 15-minute 1:1 or a brief hallway conversation with a senior leader) are often the moments that matter most.

They’re the moments that shape your influence, your visibility, and the confidence others have in your leadership.

I’ve been there my...

In the latest Fearless Female Leadership interview, I had the honor of talking with Sarah Lloyd Favaro, Senior Solutions Director, Office of Responsible AI and Governance at HCLTech, about one of the most urgent and misunderstood leadership topics today: how leaders can mitigate AI bias for women.

Sarah’s career has always lived at the intersection of technology and learning. Long before generative AI swept into the mainstream, she was exploring how tech could enhance human capability (not repl...

In the latest Fearless Female Leadership interview, I had the honor of speaking with Melanie Moore, the Inclusion and Engagement Leader at Honeywell, about “Building Inclusive Cultures That Drive Global Impact.”

Melanie’s journey into leadership wasn’t planned... it was discovered. A marketing major by degree, she was “accidentally” placed into a human resources internship, and that unexpected detour sparked a 30-year passion for people. From recruiting talent to fostering belonging across contin...

If you’ve ever walked into a high-stakes conversation with a great plan yet felt your words landed flat, you’re not alone. What we think and feel beforehand shapes what others hear (through our tone, body language, and presence.) That’s why mental preparation isn’t a “nice to have”... it’s a performance edge.

Over the last decade, my work with senior female leaders has shown a consistent pattern: those who prepare their mindset before they prepare their message influence more effectively… especia...