Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast

As we navigate the holiday season, setting boundaries can be challenging. Find out how to respond confidently to intrusive questions and requests without guilt or drama. Learn why boundaries are hard to set during the holidays and discover effective strategies to assert your needs while maintaining relationships. From common boundary mistakes to real-life examples, this episode offers practical tips to help you protect your energy and priorities, enhancing both personal and professional interactions. Tune in to develop the skills to speak up with confidence and authenticity. Happy holidays! 00:00 Introduction: Navigating Holiday Boundaries 00:52 Why Setting Boundaries is Challenging During Holidays 08:56 Common Boundary Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 12:52 Effective Communication for Firm and Warm Boundaries 13:56 Handling Pushback on Your Boundaries 16:12 Conclusion: Strengthening Your Unapologetic Voice   🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power    ✅ Free Newsletter:  https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/   ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?':   https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader    ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes:   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915      ✅ Listen on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2   ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/   ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/     ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company:   http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: [email protected] or [email protected] Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2

If you've ever felt like you're the one holding everything together at work — following up, reminding, double-checking, fixing last-minute mistakes, and caring more about the outcome than everyone else — this episode is for you. Because you shouldn't have to sacrifice your time, your sanity, or your career reputation just to compensate for other people's lack of follow-through. And you also shouldn't have to choose between: staying silent and doing it all yourself or speaking up and being labeled "difficult," "demanding," or "not a team player." There's a better way, and it starts with assertive accountability. You'll learn: why holding others accountable feels so uncomfortable how to stop chasing and reminding without sounding controlling how to protect your boundaries without damaging relationships how to speak up early (before resentment builds) how to get colleagues and partners to follow through, without nagging or apologizing We'll walk through 10 accountability conversations you can use with anyone you work with  peers, project partners, cross-functional teams, even leaders  to get results while maintaining respect and likability. If you want to be known as someone who is reliable, respected, and not walked over, this episode will give you the exact language and confidence to make it happen.   🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power    ✅ Free Newsletter:  https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/   ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?':   https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader    ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes:   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915      ✅ Listen on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2   ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/   ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/     ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company:   http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: [email protected] or [email protected] Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2

Have you ever shared an idea in a meeting… and nothing happened? No reaction. No acknowledgement. People move on. Then minutes later — or even next week — someone else says the exact same thing, and suddenly everyone thinks it's brilliant. It's infuriating. It's discouraging. And it makes you question your value, your credibility, and whether speaking up even matters. Here's the truth nobody teaches you at work: Most ideas don't get ignored because they're bad. They get ignored because of how they're introduced, framed, and reinforced. In this episode of Speak Your Mind Unapologetically, you'll learn exactly what to do so that your ideas land, don't get overshadowed, and are not repeated by someone else. You'll walk away with simple, repeatable strategies to make your ideas heard, respected, and credited back to you — without sounding aggressive, needy, or territorial. You'll learn: Why some voices get taken seriously in meetings — and others don't (regardless of talent) How to speak up so your ideas stick the first time What to say when someone repeats your idea and gets the credit Phrases that reinforce your expertise without conflict or defensiveness How leaders can amplify overlooked voices and stop accidental idea-stealing This episode applies to anyone who's felt ignored, overshadowed, or underestimated at work: introverts, early-career professionals, remote workers, immigrants, and empaths. Because great ideas don't change careers. Great ideas that get heard change careers. Tune in now to learn how to make your voice impossible to overlook.   🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power    ✅ Free Newsletter:  https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/   ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?':   https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader    ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes:   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915      ✅ Listen on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2   ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/   ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/     ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company:   http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: [email protected] or [email protected] Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2

When you're in a high-stakes meeting, job interview, panel, or senior leadership presentation, everything can be going perfectly, until someone throws a loaded question at you. Suddenly, confidence can turn into defensiveness. Preparation can turn into rambling. Months of hard work can collapse in 10 seconds if you sound insecure, reactive, or unsure. This episode of the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast reveals exactly how the top 1% of executives, leaders, and media-trained spokespeople stay calm, credible, and in control even when they're challenged publicly, and even when they don't have the answer. You'll learn how to: Stay in command of the conversation when someone tests you Pivot without sounding evasive Respond without rambling, over-explaining, or defending yourself Sound confident even when you're caught off guard Protect your credibility under pressure We'll cover 15 powerful media-training tactics used by CEOs, world-class communicators, and top-tier interview candidates to make sure tough questions never derail their image, confidence, or opportunities. Whether you're navigating executive meetings, stakeholder presentations, performance reviews, client discussions, or interviews for bigger roles, this episode will teach you how to turn hard questions into opportunities for influence and respect. If you want to feel unshakeable when someone challenges you, this episode is for you. Press play and learn to communicate like someone who deserves to be heard.   ✅ Schedule a Complimentary Call To Plan Your One Conversation: https://calendly.com/assertiveway/30min    🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power    ✅ Free Newsletter:  https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/   ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?':   https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader    ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes:   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915      ✅ Listen on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2   ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/   ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/     ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company:   http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: [email protected] or [email protected] Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2

Most people don't struggle with speaking up in general. They struggle with one specific conversation that feels risky — a conversation with career, relationship, or emotional consequences. Whether it's a performance review, a promotion request, a conflict, a micromanaging boss, a workload pushback, a boundary conversation, or a situation where you feel overlooked or disrespected… avoiding the conversation always feels safe in the moment, but it silently costs you confidence, influence, visibility, and self-respect. In this episode, you'll discover: Why certain conversations feel so intimidating What's really driving the fear of conflict, backlash, or judgment The hidden psychological and career consequences of staying silent What changes when you approach these conversations strategically rather than reactively How to communicate with clarity, respect, and strength — without aggression or over-explaining If you've been overthinking a conversation at work or losing sleep about what to say, this episode will give you the roadmap to finally move forward.   ✅ Schedule a Complimentary Call To Plan Your One Conversation: https://calendly.com/assertiveway/30min    🎁 Free Resource: Download the 30 Power Shifts Guide — a free, practical cheat sheet with real-life "weak vs. powerful" word swaps for meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations. Replace soft, hesitant phrases with powerful, natural ones. Speak with clarity, conviction, and calm authority. Be heard without apology. 👉 Get your free guide here: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/30power    ✅ Free Newsletter:  https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/   ✅ Take the Quiz 'Do You Speak Like a High-Impact Leader?':   https://myassertiveway.outgrow.us/highimpactleader    ✅ Listen on the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically podcast on Apple Itunes:   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-your-mind-unapologetically-podcast/id1623647915      ✅ Listen on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/6L1myPkiJXYf5SGrublYz2   ✅ Order our book, 'Unapologetic Voice: 101 Real-World Strategies for Brave Self Advocacy & Bold Leadership' where each strategy is also a real story: https://www.amazon.com/Unapologetic-Voice-Real-World-Strategies-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0CW2X4WWL/   ✅ Follow the show host, Ivna Curi, on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2/     ✅ Request A Customized Workshop For Your Team And Company:   http://assertiveway.com/workshops Contact me: [email protected] or [email protected] Contact me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivna-curi-mba-67083b2