237: The Power of Being Vulnerable with Your Personal Story with Cyndi Shifrel

I know from first-hand experience how hard and scary it can be to be vulnerable sharing a deeply personal story that reveals something that shows you’re not perfect.

And I also know how incredibly powerful doing so can be. Not only for those who hear it, but for yourself.

This is the journey that our guest Cyndi Shifrel has gone through during the past year, as COVID dramatically impacted her events businesses.

As the CEO of two businesses (with nearly 40 employees) and a leader in her community, it wasn’t easy for Cyndi to decide to share what she went through, both from a business perspective and also her own personal struggles.

And yet doing so has helped others and has shaped her thought leadership message.

Cyndi is currently in our Thought Leader Academy and has been working one-on-one with our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz, so I asked Diane to interview Cyndi about her journey.

Diane and Cyndi talk about:

• How Cyndi’s thought leadership message emerged from the dramatic impact COVID had on her events businesses
• The fears of being vulnerable and sharing your personal story when you’re a CEO and leader in your community
• On the flip side, the benefits of being vulnerable and sharing your personal story
• The work Diane and Cyndi are doing on her keynote signature talk
• What Cyndi has most appreciated about being in our Thought Leader Academy

Enrollment for our Thought Leader Academy is opening again in September! Get the details and join our interest list at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.

About Our Guest: With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, Cyndi Shifrel is the President and CEO of Orlando Wedding & Party Rentals, a full service luxury event and party rental company that specializes in upscale, tailored event rentals. She is also the President and CEO of Central Florida Luxury Restroom Trailers, a company that provides luxury restroom trailers for events. Cyndi has helped to grow her award winning company to a staff of more than 40 employees and is considered to be a leader in the event rental industry. Her company was fortunate to make it on Orlando Business Journal's Fastest 50 growing companies in Central Florida for the past several years. Most recently she started her own brand, The Gingerpreneur, a podcast that provides insight, tactics and advice on the daily challenges and success stories from women making a difference in the hospitality industry.

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. This episode is hosted by our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz. 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/237

Cyndi’s websites: https://thegingerpreneur.com/ and https://orlandoweddingandpartyrentals.com/

Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/.

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

Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact.

Connect on social:

• Diane on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz
• Cyndi on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndishifrel/
• Cyndi on FB = https://www.facebook.com/thegingerpreneur/?ref=pages_you_manage
• Cyndi on Instagram = http://instagram.com/the_gingerpreneur

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]
• Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas 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