304: Provocative Performer Speaker Archetype with Cara Houser

This is the third episode in our series exploring the four speaker archetypes. (You can discover your archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz.)

Knowing your archetype will help you to:

• Create more impactful and memorable presentations
• Market yourself as a speaker using your strengths
• Try our recommendations to take your talks to the next level

In this episode, we’re talking about the Provocative Performer speaker archetype with my guest and Thought Leader Academy client Cara Houser.

As a Provocative Performer:

• You’re outgoing, charismatic, and love to put on a show. The bigger the stage, the better.
• You're an entertainer at heart and love to incorporate acting, comedy, dancing, singing, props, and multimedia into your speeches and presentations.
• Your natural performance abilities and comfort on the stage make you a captivating speaker. You enjoy thinking of new, creative ways you can wow your audience.
• Your big challenge? You love performing so much that you may miss out on the opportunity to provide your audience with your overall thought leadership message and a strong call to action.

Cara and I talk about how she’s leveraged her strengths as a Provocative Performer plus what she’s learned about the power of audience engagement and thought leadership.

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz.

About My Guest: Cara Houser has spent 20 years learning how to survive and ultimately thrive in the ultra male real estate development business. By shifting her perspective, strategy, and approach, she rebuilt my career with far more autonomy and purpose. Learning that she had the power to set her own rules of engagement with the world was a watershed moment. She just had to learn how to use it. Now Cara designs and leads programs to help high impact women see their value, use their power, and get what they want in work and life.

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, voices, 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/304

Cara’s website: https://www.carahouser.com/

Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/.

Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Cara (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/caraehouser/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 285: 4 Speaker Archetypes: Learn How to Market and Sell Your Speaking with Carol Cox
• Episode 249: The Relationship Between Speaking and Performance with Carol Cox

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