001: [Coaching] Getting Paid Speaking Gigs with Heather Ryan

Heather Ryan looks like an elementary school teacher, but for 14 years she served as a Special Agent with NCIS (no wonder she was so effective under cover and as an interrogator!). Now, she teaches effective safety techniques for women and offers innovative prevention education for men, from college campuses to organizations and corporations. Heather has a book called “Special Agent Mom” coming out soon, with stories from her days as an agent plus safety tips.

I first met Heather in a mastermind we were in together in the fall of 2015 and we have been business BFF’s ever since. Heather worked with me to create her signature talk on safety and intuition and she was in my Stand-Out Speakers group coaching program in the fall of 2016.

In this episode, Heather and I strategize ways for her to reach out to organizations, universities, and companies to hire her as an expert speaker and trainer.

We talk about:

• The eye-opening experience that led Heather to join NCIS
• What it was like to be a manager in a male-dominated work environment
• The qualities that made her a good leader and interrogator
• The work Heather does now in her business
• My recommendations for what to include in pitch letters
• What works better than sending emails to get booked as a speaker
• Putting together speaking packages
• How to get momentum and buzz for you as a speaker, especially when you’re starting out
• Whether to contact conference organizers after submitting a speaking proposal

Links:

You can connect with Heather on her website at http://www.specialagentheather.me. Be sure to download her free PDF with safety tips for you and your family.

Twitter = https://twitter.com/SpclAgntHeather

Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/SpecialAgentHeather/

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Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/1/

Become Bookable Live Online Workshop - April 15, 2026
If you want to speak more but you’re not sure where to start or your efforts haven’t produced the results you want, I’m hosting a live online workshop called “Become Bookable: How to Get Speaking Invitations” on Wednesday, April 15th.

A lot of brilliant women assume they just need to pitch themselves more. But the real reason speakers get invited isn’t because they pitch harder — it’s because they’re positioned as bookable.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop live on Zoom, I’ll show you how speakers actually get invited — and help you clarify the positioning that makes event organizers say yes.

As a podcast listener, use the coupon code “Podcast100” to save $100 on your registration.

Learn more and register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/bookable