224: Achieve Big Goals with Public Accountability with Natalie Sisson

When you have a big goal or project you want to achieve, what do you do to keep yourself on track?

For me, having external deadlines and public accountability is what gives me the motivation to complete the goal.

This is what happened with our first Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit. I set the date of October 15, 2020, announced it to our email list and on social media, and then worked backwards from the date to make sure everything happened that needed to.

I did the same thing when I launched this podcast in February 2017. I applied to speak at a podcasting conference and figured it would be helpful to have a podcast by the time of the conference, so the week leading up to it, I worked to make sure this podcast went live.

My guest in today’s episode is Natalie Sisson, who has achieved a lot of big goals, both personally and professionally.

Natalie has written 3 books, had 2 different podcasts, given a TEDx talk, biked across Africa, and much more.

In this conversation, Natalie and I talk about:

• The identity shift Natalie went through when she changed her brand name and focus after being The Suitcase Entrepreneur
• How she prepared for her TEDx talk she gave in 2016
• Why she decided to self-publish and crowdfund her latest book
• The success she’s had using public accountability to achieve her goals
• And more!

About My Guest: Natalie Sisson is a New Zealand entrepreneur, author, speaker, host of the ‘Untapped’ podcast and triathlete. After ditching a successful corporate career and co-founding a technology company, Natalie decided to monetise her humble, 6-month old blog, The Suitcase Entrepreneur, into a multiple-six figure online education platform back in 2010. In her efforts to continuously innovate, Natalie, the OG of digital nomads, has since turned that content and knowledge into 8 different revenue streams including digital products, courses, workshops, international retreats, and coaching. These days, she’s passionate about helping others leverage their unique set of skills, knowledge, and experience to earn a living and make an impact from anywhere, simply by being them. She’s the author of three books, and proud Queen Bee to the Queens of the $10K Club, an international posse of women who support each other through trials and success, all while being coached and mentored by Natalie.

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/224

I’ll be participating in Natalie’s Monetise You Summit happening May 25-27! I’m talking all about how to get paid speaking engagements. Register for free at https://speakingyourbrand--nataliesisson.thrivecart.com/all-access-pass/.

Natalie’s website = https://nataliesisson.com/

My episode 114 on Natalie’s podcast “Untapped”: https://nataliesisson.com/eps-114-how-to-find-your-thought-leadership-message-signature-talk-topic-with-carol-cox/

Get Natalie’s new book “Suck It Up, Princess”: https://nataliesisson.com/princess

Natalie’s TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/lNNCMu1OjRQ

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

Connect on social media:

• Carol Cox LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Natalie Sisson LinkedIn = http://linkedin.com/in/nataliesisson/
• Carol Cox Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox/
• Natalie Sisson Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/nataliesisson

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 65: Writing, Publishing, and Promoting Your Book with Julie Broad
• Episode 186: From Hashtag to Podcast to Book: Developing Your Thought Leadership Platform with Elayne Fluker [Thought Leadership Series]
• Episode 198: Find Your Hook for Your Book and Talk with Kelly Notaras [Storytelling 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