118: Strategies to Push Past Your Speaking Plateau for Better Results with Carol Cox

In today’s episode, we’re talking about hitting a plateau, why it happens, the danger of staying there, and how to get past one. I’m going to be sharing some of my own experiences plus giving you specific strategies you can use.

The definition of plateau is to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement; level off (from Dictionary.com).

Notice the word “achievement”.

Just because you’re at a plateau doesn’t mean you’re not a good speaker - or entrepreneur or writer or podcaster. You’re achieving - getting speaking engagements, getting good feedback.

But, you’re not getting the same results you used to for the same effort.

You’re at a place where there’s little to no growth, you’re no longer progressing, you’ve hit a point that you’re not going beyond.

It’s ok to be here for a little while - sometimes we need to coast a little on our achievements, take a breather.

But, not for too long because we can lose momentum and motivation, get stagnant, and not achieve what IS possible for us.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why we plateau and get stuck
• Times when I’ve reached a plateau
• Strategies you can use to get past your plateau to uplevel your skillset and mindset
• What I believe is necessary for us to shift to get past a plateau

How are we making sure that we’re continuously improving so that we can reach those bigger stages, increase our speaker fees, and having a bigger impact on our audiences?

We need feedback, accountability, guidance, and some pushing outside of our comfort zones, which is what you’ll get in our new “Master Your Speaking” Online Group Program.

This will be a combination of group coaching + mastermind, taking place on Zoom video and in a private online community, so you can join us no matter where you live.

By the end of the program experience, you'll have the speaking elements in place that will fuel the growth of your business and lead you to bigger opportunities.

Get all the details and apply online at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/118

Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999.

Apply for our new “Master Your Speaking” online group program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.

Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call.

Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review!

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 63: Five Mistakes You’re Making in Your Presentations that Turn Off Your Audiences
• Episode 68: Getting Paid to Speak and Negotiating Speaker Fees
• Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power
• Episode 97: Thinking Bigger – I Get Coached On-Air by Geraldine Carter
• Episode 108: NLP Can Make You a Better Speaker with Candice Czaplak
• Episode 113: Storytelling Isn’t Enough – Your Content Needs to be E.P.I.C.

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