189: Behind the Scenes of Planning Our Virtual Summit with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz [Use Your Voice Series]

What’s it like to plan an event in only 8 weeks? We’re about to find out!

Our live virtual summit takes place on October 15. Register at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit (it’s free!).

This is a one-of-a-kind event: a mix of TED-style 10-minute talks plus panel discussions so you can learn how to craft a stellar speech and build your thought leadership platform.

I’ve coached a number of TEDx speakers over the years and love the format of short, impactful talks that center around a big idea and a powerful personal story.

If you enjoy speaking, want to get better at speaking, want to hear high-quality speeches, and want to learn what goes into them, you won’t want to miss our event.

In this episode, I’m joined by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz to talk about how we’re planning the event, from the speaker application process and speaker prep to the virtual event platform and marketing and promoting the event.

We talk about:

• Why we decided to host a virtual event (the business goal)
• The overall timeline and logistics of planning an event
• Why we chose the format we did (TED-style talks)
• The speaker selection process
• What stood out in speaker applications and videos - and what did not
• How we’re preparing the speakers, including providing each one with a speaking coach
• Marketing and promotion of the event
• Lessons learned (so far!)

After the summit, we’re going to come back on the podcast and talk about how it went, what we loved, the survey results of the attendees, what we’ll do differently next time, and more. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes!

This episode is the second in our podcast series called Use Your Voice.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/189

Register for our one-of-a-kind live virtual summit on October 15: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/

Schedule a consult call to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact.

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 174: Hosting Your Own Virtual Summit with Dr. Holly Tucker
• Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]

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