Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

Click here if you’re a senior leader who’s ready to explore the Executive Presence Mastery System to recalibrate how you’re perceived at the executive level — in the next 90–120 days.
Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. Download the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment.

Have you made it to senior leadership… but noticing the feedback has gotten quieter instead of clearer?

At higher levels, performance isn’t enough — and silence isn’t safety. Many Senior Directors and VP-track leaders assume that smooth meetings and polite feedback mean alignment.

But in reality, psychological distance increases as you rise. Honest friction disappears. And without realizing it, you can become categorized as “dependable” instead of strategic — shaping execution instead of shaping direction.

In this episode, you’ll discover:
🪝Why honest feedback declines at senior levels — and what that silence really signals
🏆 How being labeled “operationally excellent” can quietly limit your advancement
🎯 Practical ways to recalibrate your executive presence so your influence expands beyond the room

Press play now to uncover how you’re being perceived at senior levels — and learn how to strategically reshape your presence before silence turns into a career plateau.

Executive presence mastery is not about charisma. That’s only part of it. It’s about managing how power flows toward you.

This is the stage where presence determines trajectory.

If you’re ready to understand how you’re currently being categorized — and how to intentionally reshape that — book a private strategy conversation using the link at the top of these show notes or head to www.speakupwithlaura.com/speakup.

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.

Click here if: You’re a senior leader who’s finally ready to level up, speak up, get recognized and nail that executive promotion / visibility …and you want to work with Laura Camacho to build your Executive Presence in the next 90-120 days.
Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. Download the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment.
If you’re working hard, constantly explaining yourself, and still not being recognized for leadership potential, you might be missing the neuroscience behind true executive presence. This episode breaks down what really signals authority to senior leadership—especially if you’re a high-performing introvert.

By the end of today’s episode you’ll know:
🧲Why calm pacing overrides fast talking to communicate confidence and intelligence
✅How you can reduce “cognitive friction” and become easier for executives to trust starting right now
🔑 The 5 neuroscience-backed shifts that elevate your executive presence without over-performing

Listen now to learn how to shift from overlooked to trusted by using calm authority and clarity to transform your presence.

Learn how a Sid Mashburn store mirrors the way senior leaders are evaluated in real rooms—and why talking more, explaining harder, or “proving yourself” is often doing the opposite of what you intend. And if you’re ready to build calm authority check out the Executive Presence scorecard. There’s a link to it in the 2nd paragraph of these show notes.

Because the room isn’t waiting for you to talk more...It’s waiting for you to be trusted.

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.

Click here if: You’re a senior leader who’s finally ready to level up, speak up, get recognized and nail that promotion…and you want to work with Laura Camacho to build your Executive Presence in the next 90-120 days.
Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. Download the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment.

Are your high standards quietly killing your teams’ morale?

If you're a high-achieving introvert or perfectionist leader, you've probably struggled with letting go, delegating, or managing teams without redoing their work. This episode explores the hidden costs of perfectionism in leadership — and how it could be driving away great people without you realizing it.

By the end of today’s episode you’ll know:
🧩How to build trust and respect even when you're not the expert in the room
💰A mindset shift that helps perfectionists lead with more ease and less stress
🇯🇵How a Japanese tea ceremony revealed the true power of presence for leadership impact

Tap play to discover how to lead powerfully without letting perfectionism hold you — or your team — back.

If you’ve recently stepped into a senior leadership or c-suite role where you’re not the expert—and it’s making you feel like an imposter, unsure how to earn respect or manage people who know more than you—but you really want to show up with confidence, own your role, and lead strategically at a higher level… that’s why we built the Executive Presence Mastery program.

You can self assess how your executive presence shows up in different contexts by taking the Executive Presence Scorecard here.

To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.

About our guest:
Cynthia Lai is a governance leader and board advisor with over 20 years of experience leading transformation across Asia-Pacific at OCBC Bank, HSBC, and Bank of China (Hong Kong). As a former Executive Director at OCBC, she led multi-market teams through change while maintaining a zero regulatory breach record, proving that transformation and trust can coexist.
Now a Board Advisor, Executive Coach, and Co-Founder of MetaOptix, a deep-tech venture with 15 patents, Cynthia helps leaders build credibility and connection in an era increasingly shaped by AI. Her story, from a perfectionist manager who lost team members to a leader who develops others, captures the evolution from control to empowerment, and why empathy, ethics, and clarity of presence define modern leadership.

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...

Click here if: You’re a senior leader who’s finally ready to level up, speak up, get recognized and nail that executive promotion / visibility …and you want to work with Laura Camacho to build your Executive Presence in the next 90-120 days.
Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. Download the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment.

You’re respected, trusted, and technically strong — so why does your momentum suddenly feel slower at the more senior executive level? Learn the answer in today’s episode.

If you’re in the room but not shaping decisions, this episode exposes the hidden executive presence risk that quietly stalls high-performing leaders — even when everything looks “fine” from the outside.

In today’s episode, you’ll learn:
😳Why silence in certain meetings erodes status — even when results stay strong
🔑 How identity ceilings form and why time actually locks them in
🔥 What intentional visibility looks like without becoming louder or inauthentic

If you want to protect your trajectory and build real influence before options quietly close, press play and get clarity on what needs to shift now.

Because the problem isn’t your performance... It’s that your value isn’t fully visible where decisions are being made.

That’s why I created a private, high-touch Executive Presence Mastery System to help senior leaders break identity ceilings, build intentional visibility, and regain momentum without abandoning who they are.

If you want clarity on what’s really holding you back, go to the top of these show notes, click the first link, or head to www.speakupwithlaura.com/speakup and choose a time that works for you.

I’d love to show you how to move forward — intentionally and strategically.
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.

Click here if: You’re a senior leader who’s finally ready to level up, speak up, get recognized and nail that promotion…and you want to work with Laura Camacho to build your Executive Presence in the next 90-120 days.
Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. Download the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment.

Most high performers stay stuck because they rely on clarity and accuracy to communicate. But senior leaders aren’t listening for effort—they’re listening for judgment. This episode shows why unusual pairings (think Absolut x Tabasco) are your secret weapon to creating contrast and credibility in how you speak.

By the end of today’s episode you’ll know:

🧲The fastest way to sound like an industry leader without talking more or louder
🧩5 easy-to-use tactics to elevate your messaging and become unforgettable in meetings
🚀Why connecting two “unexpected worlds” in your language builds executive presence instantly

Listen now to discover how one surprising shift in your communication style can help you go from reliable contributor to trusted leader.

💡 So if you’re ready to move from reliable contributor to trusted advisor, go to the show notes, click the first link you find, or head over to speakupwithlaura.com/speakup — and book a time that works for you. I’d love to show you how to fast-track your transition into visible leadership — without selling out your personality.

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.