406: Authenticity and Owning Your Story as Women with a Public Voice with Jennifer Adams and Sarah Henry

The Democratic National Convention is being held in Chicago this week and many Americans will be re-introduced to V.P. Kamala Harris when she delivers her speech on Thursday night.

I have a background in local Democratic politics and have always been a strong supporter of women running for office.

Earlier this summer, we held in-person workshops for women who are running in the Central Florida area where we helped them with their public speaking and storytelling.

It was a lot of fun and it showed me once again how powerful someone’s personal story is!

In this episode, I’m joined by two of those women, Jennifer Adams, who’s running for U.S. Congress in Florida’s District 7, and Sarah Henry, who’s running for Florida State House in District 38.

We talk about:

• Why they decided to run for office and the importance of asking women to run
• What it's like being a female candidate and having a public voice and presence
• Their stump speeches and how they tailor them based on the audience
• The surge of support and enthusiasm for V.P. Kamala Harris’s campaign for President and what that tells us about the importance of authenticity
• The lessons they’ve learned about being themselves vs. trying to be someone they thought they should be
• What they learned about storytelling, taking up space, and messaging from the workshops we did with then
• The importance of donating to women candidates (find local women that you can donate to!)

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/406/

Jennifer Adams for U.S. Congress: https://www.jenniferadamsforcongress.com/

Sarah Henry for Florida State House: https://sarahforfl.com/

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

Attend our 1-day Speaking for Impact in-person workshop in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/workshop/

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

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Jennifer Adams (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferadams111-/
• Sarah Henry (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/slouisehenry/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 398: Storytelling for Leaders: Crafting Narratives that Inspire and Persuade
• Episode 390: Impromptu Speaking: How to Prepare and Feel Confident in Any Situation
• Episode 378: The Power of Women's Voices and Stories to Change the World
• Episode 191: Women in Politics and the Public Sphere with Rep. Anna K. Eskamani

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