337: Sharing Your Story as a Catalyst for Transformation with Karen Keene

I strongly believe that sharing your story transforms not only your audience, but also yourself.

You and your audience discover that you’re not alone and that change is possible.

From the consciousness-raising circles of the women’s movement in the 1970s to present-day campaigns for policy and legislative changes, our stories can make a profound difference.

My guest today is Karen Keene, who is a pillar of the Orlando, Florida, community. I’ve known Karen since 2016 when I went through one of the women’s leadership programs, Athena NextGen, that she runs.

Karen recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy, where we worked together to create her keynote so she can share her story of courage and resilience to her audiences.

In this episode, Karen and I talk about:

• The tragic event that happened to Karen in March 2020
• Finding her purpose and calling
• Making the decision to share her story through speaking engagements
• The framework we developed for her keynote
• Karen’s experience in the VIP Day and what she learned going through the Thought Leader Academy

About My Guest: Karen Keene’s life was blown apart when she was nearly killed in a home invasion on March 8, 2020. But after 23 life-saving surgeries by Orlando Health’s Dr. Michael Cheatham, who leads the only Level One Trauma Center in Central Florida, Karen is well on her way to recovery, and plans to work to end gun violence in the U.S. Karen’s harrowing experience and the daily struggles she fought to keep moving forward thrust her into finding her true calling. Each of us experiences personal setbacks that can shatter our world and test our endurance. But these tragedies, while agonizing, can be our greatest teachers, the catalysts for transformation. Karen’s professional experience spans more than 28 years as the senior marketing executive and public policy expert for international and regional law firms. She has led multi-faceted teams in client development, strategic planning, branding, external affairs, and media relations. Karen is the Founder and Chief Strategic Advisor of ATHENA Orlando Women’s Leadership, Inc. To date, 400 women are alumni of the ATHENA NextGen masterclass series and they're rising to the top of Orlando's businesses and non-profit organizations. It's changing the course for how women lead.

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/337/

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

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

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Karen Keene = https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-keene-profile2023/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 297: Integrating Your Story Into Your Talks with Carol Cox, Diane Diaz, and Joy Spencer
• Episode 263: Finding the Emotional Heart of Your Message with Carol Cox
• Episode 230: Use Your Story for an Inspirational Talk with Tanea Smith
• Episode 137: The Missing Ingredients in Your Stories 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