208: Being an Introvert and a Speaker with Katherine N. Johnson

If you’re an introvert, the thought of visibility, and maybe even the thought of public speaking, is one that you may be a little bit more hesitant to pursue.

However, did you know that there are so many speakers from professional speakers all the way down to entrepreneurs, who do public speaking and consider themselves introverts?

You do not need to be an extrovert to be a really great public speaker. As an introvert, there are many things that you can do to put yourself out there, to find your voice, and to use your voice effectively.

My guest today is Katherine N. Johnson, who is a Certified Professional Coach, mentor, writer, podcaster, and speaker.

In this episode, Katherine opens up about her experiences as an introvert and details her journey in finding and using her voice.

Plus, we also share specific strategies we’ve both used as speakers that you can apply to your public speaking and thought leadership journey.

About My Guest: Katherine N Johnson is a Certified Professional Coach, mentor, writer and speaker. After 20+ years in the Information Technology (IT) field, Katherine now leverages her extensive experience to mentor women in STEM fields helping them level up so that they can EXCEL in their careers. Katherine is passionate about helping professional women and young girls to gain clarity, courage and confidence to pursue their bigger purpose and vision. In her newest venture, the Beautiful Reflections podcast, Katherine gets vulnerable sharing details of her personal story, while interviewing other inspiring women along the way.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. 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/208/

Katherine’s website: https://katherinenjohnson.com/

Katherine’s podcast “Beautiful Reflections: Coaching for Career Women”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beautiful-reflections-coaching-for-career-women/id1546169726

Sign up to get updates for our next Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/ or text SPEAKING to 33-777.

Get on the interest list for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Katherine N. Johnson (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinenjohnson/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 127: Developing Confidence in Public Speaking [Confidence Series]
• Episode 129: From Fear of Speaking to Keynote Speaker in 2 Years [Confidence Series]
• Episode 192: The Cure for Vulnerability Hangovers [Use Your Voice 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