Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

Click here if you’re a senior leader who’s ready to recalibrate how you’re perceived at the executive level — in the next 90–120 days. The Executive Presence Mastery System may be your logical next step.
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.

In today's episode, you're going to discover what one of the most legendary music producers in history understands about executive presence, clarity, and impact—something that most corporate leaders completely miss.

Many high-performing professionals believe better communication means more slides, more explanation, and more detail. But in reality, senior leaders value something far simpler: clarity. In this episode, Laura reveals the counterintuitive communication philosophy used by legendary music producer Rick Rubin—and why the same principle can instantly elevate your presence in meetings, presentations, and strategic conversations.

After listening to this episode, you’ll learn:
🧮How the “subtraction principle” used by elite music producers can dramatically strengthen your communication and executive presence
🧲 A simple three-sentence structure that makes your meeting updates stand out with senior leaders
🚛How removing unnecessary information from emails, presentations, and conversations can increase your authority and clarity

Press play to discover the surprisingly simple communication shift that can instantly sharpen your executive presence and make your ideas land with more impact. 🚀

My favorite quote from Rick Rubin’s book: Look for what you notice but no one else sees.
Because executive presence is not about filling the room with words.
It's about making sure the right words land.

If you want help developing that kind of communication clarity—the kind that gets attention from senior leaders and positions you for bigger opportunities—start by taking my Executive Presence Scorecard assessment by clicking the link in the 2nd paragraph of these show notes.

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 ready to recalibrate how you’re perceived at the executive level — in the next 90–120 days. The Executive Presence Mastery System may be your logical next step.
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 you focusing so much on productivity and results that you’re unintentionally sabotaging your leadership success—and even your health?

Many high-performing professionals believe success comes from checking off tasks, working faster, and staying constantly busy. But research shows that busyness without meaningful human connection leads to disengagement, loneliness, and stalled leadership growth.

In this episode, leadership expert Dr. Michelle Johnston explains why the future of leadership isn’t about doing more—it’s about connecting more.

By the end of this episode with stellar guest Dr. Michelle Johnston, you’ll know:
😩Why productivity alone leads to emptiness, burnout, and missed leadership opportunities
🎯 The powerful mindset shift that helps leaders gain visibility, trust, and influence
🚀 Practical ways to build stronger relationships and run more engaging meetings—even if you’re an introvert

Press play to learn the leadership shifts that will help you build stronger relationships, gain influence, and lead with the human connection today’s workplace demands.

So if you’re someone who’s doing great work, checking all the boxes, hitting your goals, and still wondering why you’re not getting the visibility or recognition you deserve… you’re not alone.

Maybe you’ve been told you’re a high performer, but somehow you’re still not seen as leadership material. And that can be incredibly frustrating—because you’re working harder than ever, but it still feels like you’re being overlooked.

That’s exactly why we created the Executive Presence Scorecard. You quickly see how others actually experience you as a leader—so you can identify the hidden gaps that might be holding back your influence, visibility, and next promotion.

If you’re curious about where your executive presence really stands, just head to the 2nd paragraph of these show notes, click the link. It only takes a few minutes, and it could completely change how you show up as a leader.

About our guest:
Dr. Michelle K. Johnston is a passionate champion of connection-driven leadership. Recently featured on NBC News with Kate Snow, she is a best-selling author, top ten executive coach, podcast host, keynote speaker, and distinguished professor whose groundbreaking work is reshaping how leaders connect, communicate, and collaborate.

Widely regarded as being at the forefront of the connection movement, Michelle has spent her career showing leaders how authentic relationships drive both engagement and results. She is the bestselling author of The Seismic Shift in You: The Seven Necessary Shifts to Create Connection and Drive Results, her newest book coauthored with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. This powerful guide offers a transformative roadmap for leaders to reevaluate their perspective, priorities, meetings, and calendar to drive more meaningful results.

Michelle serves as a distinguished professor of leadership at Loyola University New Orleans, holds a Ph.D. in Communication from Louisiana State University, and brings decades of insight to her coaching and keynotes. She also hosts The Seismic Shift podcast, ranked in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, where she engages executives, authors, and thought leaders on the seismic shifts shaking up the way we work and the way we live.

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 ready to recalibrate how you’re perceived at the executive level — in the next 90–120 days. The Executive Presence Mastery System may be your logical next step.
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 already doing the executive job… setting strategy, leading people, carrying the pressure…
but you’re still not in the executive suite.

Many high-performing leaders work their way up inside an organization and eventually find themselves responsible for strategy, people, and major decisions. But despite carrying executive-level responsibility, they’re still stuck answering tactical questions, solving team problems, and defending their credibility in meetings.

The frustrating reality? Promotions to the executive level don’t come from simply doing great work—they come from being seen as an executive in the moments that matter.

By the end of this episode you’ll know:
🤪Why high-performing leaders often get trapped doing two jobs at once—strategist and executor
🔥The hidden perception problem that causes senior leaders and boards to overlook internal talent
🪝The critical mindset and leadership shift that helps directors and senior leaders step into executive roles

Press play to discover the leadership shift that moves you from quietly doing executive work to being recognized as the executive in the room. 🚀

If you're listening to this and thinking:
"This is exactly where I am right now."

You're already carrying executive-level responsibility. You're already driving strategy.

But something still isn’t connecting between where you are today…
And that next level of leadership... That gap is exactly what I help directors and senior leaders close.

Inside my Executive Presence Mastery program, we work on the four critical skills that move leaders into executive roles:
• Speaking powerfully in high-stakes meetings
• Influencing senior stakeholders
• Leading teams without getting pulled into execution
• And positioning yourself as the executive your organization needs

If you're ready to stop doing the executive job quietly… And start being seen as the executive…
Click the first link in these show notes and apply to work with me.

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 ready to recalibrate how you’re perceived at the executive level — in the next 90–120 days. The Executive Presence Mastery System may be your logical next step.
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.

Why do some people instantly command attention in a meeting—even when they speak the least?

Most professionals think influence comes from confidence, charisma, or speaking louder than everyone else. But neuroscience reveals something surprising: the real driver of influence is rhythm. In this episode, we explore the hidden psychological phenomenon called entrainment—and how leaders unconsciously control conversations by setting the emotional tempo of the room.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

😍How the science of neural entrainment makes people naturally sync with a speaker’s rhythm and how that creates massive likability
🔎Why slowing down your speech can instantly increase executive presence and authority
🚀A simple technique you can use in your next meeting or conversation to control the room

Listen now to discover how mastering conversational rhythm can make people naturally pay attention, trust you, and follow your lead. 🎙️

If this episode made you realize something — that influence isn’t just about what you say, but the rhythm and authority behind how you say it — then the next question becomes:
How strong is your executive presence right now?

Many high performers are already respected for their expertise, but they’re not always aware of the subtle behaviors that determine whether people lean in, synchronize with them, and follow their lead.

That’s why I created the Executive Presence Scorecard. It’s a short assessment that evaluates how you show up in meetings, presentations, and leadership conversations.

If you’d like that insight, go to the second paragraph of these show notes, click the link for the Executive Presence Scorecard, and take the assessment. It’s free and takes just a few minutes.

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 ready to recalibrate how you’re perceived at the executive level — in the next 90–120 days. The Executive Presence Mastery System may be your logical next step.
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.

Do you realize how easy it is to turn a small workplace crisis into a career-defining disaster—or have your proposal lose traction – just by how you communicate?

When pressure hits (a client threatens to leave, a sudden disruption, leadership demanding answers), most people rush, over promise, or try to protect themselves—and that’s exactly how trust erodes. This episode breaks down how to stay calm, tell the truth clearly, and communicate in a way that actually moves people toward the outcome you want.

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

🔑A simple way to respond when leaders demand answers and you don’t have all the facts yet—without sounding incompetent
🪝The 3 Cs (clear, concise, compelling) to make emails, updates, and presentations instantly easier to understand and harder to ignore
🧲Ways to turn dry messages into memorable ones with the 3 Ss (stories, statistics, sound bites)—so your point lands and sticks

Press play to get practical crisis and messaging frameworks you can use immediately to communicate with clarity, confidence, and credibility when the stakes are high.

So look, if you find yourself in high-pressure situations — your boss calling unexpectedly, a client threatening to leave, a board presentation that suddenly feels like a courtroom…
And you notice your brain speeding up like you’re “driving 100 miles an hour weaving through traffic”…
And you want to come across calm, clear, and credible — but you’re not sure how you’re actually perceived in those moments…

That’s exactly why we created the Executive Presence Scorecard.

Because executive presence isn’t about talking more. It’s about being measured, strategic, and trusted when it counts. The Scorecard shows you whether you’re projecting calm authority, clarity under pressure, and the kind of credibility that compounds goodwill instead of risk.

If this episode hit home, go to the 2nd paragraph of these show notes, click the first link, and take the Executive Presence Scorecard. I’d love to show you where you’re strong — and where a few focused shifts can elevate how you show up in your most critical moments.

About our guest:
Nathan Miller is the Founder and CEO of Los Angeles based Miller Ink, a leading strategic communications and crisis management firm that works with high-profile individuals, nonprofits and corporations to manage reputational threats, media scrutiny and organizational crises.

Nathan’s crisis communications insights are featured in Forbes, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, and his expert guidance on how leaders and brands can respond effectively under pressure has appeared on podcasts such as Truth, Lies and Coverups and Cut to the Chase.

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.