217: Steps to Build Your Thought Leadership Platform with LuAnn Nigara, Tammy Lally, and Dr. Karen Wilson

What steps can you take to start building your thought leadership platform?

What are strategies you can use to build an audience and grow your business, speaking, and visibility?

This episode is a panel discussion from our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit that we held last October 2020.

(Our next event is coming up very soon on April 1, 2021! Register for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit.)

Our panelists (LuAnn Nigara, Tammy Lally, and Dr. Karen Wilson) are all accomplished speakers, from having a podcast with over 3 million downloads to having a TEDx talk go viral with over 2 million views to being a sought-after presenter at top industry conferences.

You’ll hear us talk about:

• What does being a thought leader mean to you?
• If you had to pick one thing that was key to getting you from where you were 4 or 5 years ago to where you are today (in terms of your platform/success), what would it be?
• What’s something you wished you had done early on when building your thought leadership platform?
• What role has speaking played in developing your platform?
• Do you ever get vulnerability hangovers? If so, what strategies do you use to work through them?

About Our Guests/Panelists:

LuAnn Nigara is the host of the top-rated interior design podcast, A Well-Designed Business®, which recently surpassed 600 episodes and 3 million downloads. Her podcast was named in Architectural Digest as one of the top ten podcasts listened to by interior designers. LuAnn also hosts an annual event called LuAnn Live and has published several books. LuAnn began her career more than thirty years ago as a co-owner of Window Works, an award-winning window treatment and awning retailer in Livingston, NJ.

Tammy Lally is a published author, TEDx speaker, and Certified Money Coach. Her TEDx talk on money shame has been viewed over 2 million times. She helps others master their finances by first conquering their emotions around money, then by creating a comprehensive financial plan.

Dr. Karen Wilson is the founder of ChildNEXUS.com, which aims to dispel myths about issues related to pediatric mental health, disseminate information, and help parents make informed decisions when choosing providers for their children. She’s also a clinical neuropsychologist, with a private practice in Los Angeles, California, where she specializes in the neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents. Karen is the host of the ChildNEXUS podcast.

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 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/217

Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/.

Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/.

Websites:

• LuAnn Nigara = https://luannnigara.com/
• Tammy Lally = https://tammylally.com/
• Dr. Karen Wilson = https://www.childnexus.com/

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• LuAnn Nigara = https://www.linkedin.com/in/luannnigara/
• Tammy Lally = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammylally/
• Dr. Karen Wilson = https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkareniwilson/

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 11: Creating and Preparing for a Keynote Presentation with LuAnn Nigara [Coaching]
• Episode 24: What It Takes to Do a TEDx Talk with Tammy Lally
• Episode 91: Visibility Works: From Local Speaking to TED.com to a Book with Tammy Lally
• 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