601: Former CNN and NBC News Anchor Lynn Smith on Building Authentic Presence and Excellent Communication

601: Former CNN and NBC News Anchor Lynn Smith on Building Authentic Presence and Excellent Communication

Lynn Smith, former national news anchor for NBC News, MSNBC, and CNN Headline New, and now executive communication coach, reframes public speaking as an internal leadership skill, not a performance. She identifies the recurring obstacle as the "brain bully", the inner critic that turns preparation into paralysis, and shows leaders how to retrain it so that clarity, calm, and connection become repeatable outcomes.

This episode translates decades of live television experience into actionable communication tools for high-stakes settings—from boardrooms to keynotes to broadcast media.

Key takeaways:

  • Name and neutralize the "brain bully." "It's that inner saboteur saying, 'You're not good enough' or 'What if you say the wrong thing?'" Smith explains. She traces these patterns back to early experiences and teaches clients to "control–alt–delete our prehistoric code" so fear no longer drives performance.

  • People don't want perfection, they want resiliency. Recalling a keynote where she froze on stage, Smith says, "I had to stop and tell the audience, 'I'm so sorry, I'm failing at this.'" That failure became the basis for her coaching framework. "People don't want perfection, they want resiliency. They want to see people overcome."

  • Replace over-scripting with intentional structure. "Executives spend hours memorizing, but the result is robotic. The big revelation is… it has nothing to do with your prep; it has everything to do with your mental game." Instead, she recommends bullet-pointing key ideas for authenticity and flow.

  • Drill down, don't dumb down. Smith's "Goldilocks effect" balances preparation, "not too much, not too little", so communication stays sharp and digestible: "If you communicate everything, you communicate nothing."

  • Make voice and presence technical. Drawing from broadcast training, Smith advises projecting "from your diaphragm, not your chest," and using "the power of enunciation" and pauses to improve recall and connection.

  • Manage energy deliberately. "Everything is energy," she notes. High-frequency energy, calm, clear, positive, creates magnetism. "When you're vibrating at the level you want others to meet you at, people lean in."

  • Model resilience for the next generation. Her children's book Just Keep Going distills the same mindset for young readers: that fear and failure are not endpoints, but steps toward growth.

For executives preparing keynotes, investor meetings, or media appearances, this conversation provides a research-informed playbook to quiet the inner critic, align mindset and message, and lead with authentic, repeatable presence.

Get Lynn's book, Just Keep Going, here: https://tinyurl.com/ymt4jvtv

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187: Jon Picoult, Why customer experience matters

187: Jon Picoult, Why customer experience matters

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 187, an episode with a sought-after business advisor and speaker, Jon Picoult. Get Jon's new book here: https://amzn.to/3H9SM6y Jon Picoult is the founder of Watermark Consulting and a noted authority on customer and employee experience. He helps companies impress their customers and inspire their employees, creating "raving fans" that drive business growth. He worked with some of the world's foremost brands, personally advising CEOs and other members of the C-Suite and helps organizations capitalize on the power of loyalty, both in the marketplace and in the workplace. His insights have been featured by dozens of media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Economist, Inc., NBC News and Forbes. Jon held senior executive roles at Fortune 100 companies – leading service, operations, distribution, technology, sales and marketing. Early in his career, at the age of 29, Jon earned the distinction of becoming the youngest executive officer in the over 150-year history of a leading, global financial services company. In this episode, Jon talked about how his career led to understanding customer experience and how to deliver value that will provide customer satisfaction in any kind of business or industry. For individuals and businesses who want to understand more about providing better customer experience and why it matters, this is for you. From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers and Employees into Lifelong Fans. Jon Picoult: https://amzn.to/3H9SM6y Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo We use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using our affiliate links, we will get a bonus).

8 Marras 202155min

186: Amanda Lotz, How the internet disrupted media industries

186: Amanda Lotz, How the internet disrupted media industries

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 186, an episode with a professor at Queensland University of Technology, Amanda Lotz. Get Amanda's new book here: https://amzn.to/3jzSLhK Amanda Lotz is an educator, media scholar, and industry consultant. She is known for her expertise in media industries, television studies, digital distribution, the business of media, net neutrality and other aspects of digital media policy. Amanda is a professor at Queensland University of Technology and leads the Transforming Media Industries research project. She is the author, coauthor, or editor of ten books that explore television and media industries including We Now Disrupt This Broadcast: How Cable Transformed Television and the Internet Revolutionized It All, The Television Will Be Revolutionized and Portals: A Treatise on Internet-Distributed Television. Media Disrupted: Surviving Cannibals, Pirates and Streaming Wars (MIT Press, 2021). Her books explore the connections between internet-distributed services as well as the business strategies and revenue models that differ. Her award-winning book, The Television Will Be Revolutionized, now in its second edition, has been translated into Mandarin, Korean, Italian, and Polish. She is frequently interviewed by NPR's Marketplace, has appeared on BBC, CNN's The Nineties, HuffPost Live, and ZDF (German television network) and been interviewed for articles in the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Christian Science Monitor, the Associated Press, Wired, and Men's Health among many others. She publishes articles about the business of television at Quartz, Salon, The New Republic, hosted the Media Business Matters podcast, and tweets about television and media @DrTVLotz. In this episode, Amanda talked about the effect of internet and digital technologies to media industries such as television, recorded music, newspaper, and film. For individuals and media practitioners who want to understand more about the impact of internet disruption in media industries and determine its relevance to their organization, this is for you. Media Disrupted: Surviving Pirates, Cannibals, and Streaming Wars. Amanda Lotz: https://amzn.to/3jzSLhK Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo We use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using our affiliate links, we will get a bonus).

3 Marras 202152min

185: Why you should read Bill Matassoni's memoir (Strategy Skills classics)

185: Why you should read Bill Matassoni's memoir (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we discuss why everyone should read Bill Matassoni's book. Every now and then, someone comes along and makes the subject of management both fun and insightful. That's what Bill Matassoni has done in his memoir—a combination of compelling stories and contrarian substance—that covers his forty-year career selling what he calls "ephemeral things." In addition to the memoir, Bill plays host to a series of videos that are entertaining, irreverent, and filled with his conviction that marketing is the primary driver of progress in both commercial and social markets. MARKETING SAVES THE WORLD: Stories Why Capitalism Works. Bill Matassoni Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

1 Marras 202118min

184: Kent Taylor, The man behind the success of Texas Roadhouse (with Travis Doster)

184: Kent Taylor, The man behind the success of Texas Roadhouse (with Travis Doster)

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 184, an episode with the Vice President for Communications of Texas Roadhouse and Kent Taylor's close friend, Travis Doster. Get Kent's new book here: https://amzn.to/30Q9SW7 Kent Taylor was the Founder and CEO of Texas Roadhouse, one of the most successful restaurant chains in America. It was founded in 1993 and is currently operating 647 restaurants in 49 states and 10 foreign countries. In 2016 and 2018, it was recognized by Forbes as America's Best Large Employer. On the 18th of March 2021, Kent died at the age of 65; just a few months before his book was finally released in the market. In this episode, Travis Doster talks about the humble beginnings of the iconic Casual Dining food chain. He talked about how Kent made out-of-the-box strategies that contributed to the company's legendary success. He also talked about how Kent handled more than 80 rejections as he pitched the idea for his business. For business owners who are facing difficulties during these trying times, this is for you. MADE FROM SCRATCH: The Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse. Kent Taylor: https://amzn.to/30Q9SW7 Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo We use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using our affiliate links, we will get a bonus).

27 Loka 202159min

183: How to start shifting to the career you've always wanted - Author program Q&A 7

183: How to start shifting to the career you've always wanted - Author program Q&A 7

Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com This is a part of a 10-episode program to help our clients and customers measurably and radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

25 Loka 20216min

182: What is corporate strategy? (Strategy Skills classics)

182: What is corporate strategy? (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we discuss the most important concepts you need to understand in order to advance your career. Be reminded about what is Corporate Strategy and how is it different from the other types of strategies. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

20 Loka 202112min

181: How to handle a "horrible" client (Strategy Skills classics)

181: How to handle a "horrible" client (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we answer a question from our audience. Facing a "horrible" client is a common experience in the business world. You could say that it is part of the journey. It can be hard to know what you should do during this situation. But it is exactly in these types of situations that we learn a lot. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

18 Loka 202114min

180: Jonathan Brill, Turn uncertainty into opportunity

180: Jonathan Brill, Turn uncertainty into opportunity

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 180, an episode with the former Global Futurist at Hewlett Packard, Jonathan Brill. Get Jonathan's new book here: https://amzn.to/3uG0m2F Jonathan Brill is an expert on resilient growth, innovation, and decision-making during uncertainty. He helps organizations by preparing them to profit from radical change. As a former senior leader in HP, he directed the company's long-term strategy programs. He was also a creative director at Frog Design and the managing partner of innovation firms that created over 350 products. He is currently the managing director at Resilient Growth Partners and a board member at Frost & Sullivan, a major market intelligence firm with offices in 46 countries. He also develops products for both fictional heroes and real people as the Futurist-in-Residence at Territory Studio, the creative visionaries behind the sci-fi tech in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade Runner 2049. He advises globally on product innovation and resilient growth strategy with clients, including Samsung, Microsoft, Verizon, PepsiCo, the United States government, and the MIT Media Lab. He is an in-demand thought leader, speaker, and contributor to TED, Singularity University, Korn Ferry, JP Morgan, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review. He holds a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute and has done extensive management training at Stanford University.  In this episode, Jonathan talked about how companies could prepare for uncertain times and what they could do to turn these into opportunities for profit and growth. For business owners who want to have a more secure future for their companies, this is for you. ROGUE WAVES: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change. Jonathan Brill: https://amzn.to/3uG0m2F Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo We use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using our affiliate links, we will get a bonus).

13 Loka 202141min

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