182: Your Voice Can Help Others Break the Silence with Kelli Palfy, Ph.D. [Finding Your Voice Series]

In this episode, my guest and I talk about what may be a difficult topic for some of you: sexual abuse and in particular male sexual abuse.

We don’t go into detail about the abuse, but I wanted to let you know in case this is an area that is personal to you and you’d rather not listen to our conversation.

Even if we’ve never personally experienced sexual abuse or have a close family member who has, this topic can be uncomfortable precisely because it’s not talked about.

I’m not one to shy away from uncomfortable topics because I believe that it’s invisibility and silence that maintain the status quo - and there are so many things in our society that need to change.

My hope is that after listening to this conversation, you will be inspired to use your voice because you can help others break their silence.

I first met my guest Kelli Palfy, Ph.D. when I did an online presentation to Julie Broad’s Book Launchers group of authors (Julie was on this podcast in episode 65 and talked about writing, publishing, and promoting your book).

Kelli then hired us for a VIP Day and worked with our speaking coach Diane Diaz to create her signature talk.

After hearing more about the work that Kelli does and her book, I invited her on the podcast to talk about how she found the courage and confidence to give voice to a difficult topic - and what the impact has been on her, her clients, and her audiences.

In this episode, Kelli and I talk about:

• Her awakening to what was going on in her field (even though she was an expert)
• The fulfillment and meaning you get when you speak up
• How your voice can help others break their silence
• When you talk about a topic that others don’t, you help people think differently (which is huge)
• How we approached creating Kelli’s signature talk
• Suggestions for Kelli to start charging for her workshops

This episode is part of our podcast series on “Finding Your Voice.”

About My Guest: Dr. Kelli Palfy began her professional career working in adult and youth corrections. Here she noticed a disproportionate number of males in the system. After becoming an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer, she took an interest in investigating sex crimes and went on to specialize in sex crimes committed against children internationally.

After retiring from the RCMP, Dr. Palfy obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Alberta. She conducted her doctoral research on the reasons why males don’t commonly disclose sexual abuse. She is now a trained trauma therapist and public speaker on the topic of male abuse. Dr. Palfy currently runs a small private practice where she works with male survivors of sexual abuse, first responders and couples using Emotion-Focused and Cognitive Behavioral Approach, plus Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Her recent book is “Men Too: Unspoken Truths About Male Sexual Abuse.”

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/182

Kelli’s websites: https://www.peaksandvalleyspsychology.com/ and http://kellipalfy.com/

Work with us to create your signature talk: Get the details and schedule a consult call at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/coaching.

Enroll in our LinkedIn for Speakers Masterclass at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin.

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Dr. Kelli Palfy (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kelli-palfy-98336270/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 65: Writing, Publishing, and Promoting Your Book with Julie Broad
• Episode 153: [Coaching] Threading a Story Throughout Your Signature Talk with Amber Hawley
• Episode 180: You Say You Want to be a Thought Leader: What That Really Means & How to Find Your Voice with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz [Finding 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