364: Your Stories and Experiences Shape Your Thought Leadership and Signature Talk with Samantha Irwin

364: Your Stories and Experiences Shape Your Thought Leadership and Signature Talk with Samantha Irwin

If you think your stories and experiences from long ago aren’t relevant to what you do now, what you speak about, and your overall thought leadership message, this conversation will show how much our past experiences shape who we are and reflect what matters to us.

Our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, sat down with Samantha Irwin, a recent graduate of our Thought Leader Academy and a seasoned entrepreneur with a fascinating journey.

In this episode, you'll hear:

  • Samantha's journey from teaching to entrepreneurship, and how these experiences shaped her thought leadership
  • Her time in the Thought Leader Academy and how it helped her create a signature talk
  • Samantha's recent talk crafted during her VIP Day and the positive feedback she received
  • Samantha's innovative use of her customer service card decks in her presentations for lead generation

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/364/

Samantha’s website: https://kaizen.zone/

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:

Related Podcast Episodes:


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

Episoder(492)

186: From Hashtag to Podcast to Book: Developing Your Thought Leadership Platform with Elayne Fluker [Thought Leadership Series]

186: From Hashtag to Podcast to Book: Developing Your Thought Leadership Platform with Elayne Fluker [Thought Leadership Series]

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185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]

185: My Journey as a Thought Leader and How We’re Evolving at Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]

This episode didn’t go quite as planned. In last week’s episode, we looked at why some speakers become thought leaders - the elements they have in common. I’ve gotten great feedback on that episode, s...

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184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]

184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]

What do you think when you hear the term “thought leader?” Do you think you can be one? (Hint: you can!) I define a thought leader as someone who has an interesting idea that challenges the status quo...

4 Aug 202034min

183: Amplify Your Voice by Having a Sponsor with Jhaymee Tynan [Finding Your Voice Series]

183: Amplify Your Voice by Having a Sponsor with Jhaymee Tynan [Finding Your Voice Series]

If you've seen the incredible production of the play “Hamilton,” you may remember the song, “The room where it happens.” In it, Aaron Burr laments that he wants to be in the room where it happens - wh...

28 Jul 202041min

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

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...

21 Jul 202026min

181: Find Your Story, Find Your Voice with Dr. Jerrica Dodd [Finding Your Voice Series]

181: Find Your Story, Find Your Voice with Dr. Jerrica Dodd [Finding Your Voice Series]

We’ve been talking for the past couple of podcast episodes about finding your voice and both the challenges and opportunities around that. My guest today is Dr. Jerrica Dodd, a pharmacist who now coac...

14 Jul 202040min

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]

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]

Have you struggled to figure out what to say, whether it's on a social media post or in a presentation? Have you stopped yourself from sharing something because you weren't sure what the reaction woul...

7 Jul 20201h 3min

179: The Deep Truths You and Your Brand Need to Say with Rebeca Arbona [Finding Your Voice Series]

179: The Deep Truths You and Your Brand Need to Say with Rebeca Arbona [Finding Your Voice Series]

When my guest said this during our conversation, we both stopped to write it down because it was so good: “You can’t attract the like-minded to you if you don’t speak your mind.”   Boom. Mic drop.   T...

30 Jun 202051min

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