328: Feeling Worthy Enough to Have a Voice with Kelly Schermerhorn [Use Your Voice Series]

Have you ever felt imposter syndrome, that you weren’t sure if you had enough expertise or experience or knowledge or credentials [or fill in the blank] to speak up, share your perspective, and use your voice?

If so, you’re not alone - and there are ways to move past this.

My guest is Kelly Schermerhorn, who describes herself as a recovering people-pleaser and accolade-collector (I can relate!). Kelly recently graduated from our Thought Leader Academy.

Kelly and I talk about:

• Her story of feeling worthy enough to have a voice
• Her message around mental health
• Why she wanted to create a signature talk and speak to audiences
• Why she decided to enroll in the Thought Leader Academy
• The doubts that came up while she was creating her talk and our conversation about it
• The process of creating and refining her talk and framework

This episode is part of our new series called “Use Your Voice.”

About My Guest: Kelly Schermerhorn is a recovering people-pleaser and accolade-collector. She’s ditching her long-time history of collecting accolades in return for being her authentic self. Kelly’s traversed skyscrapers, tiptoed through galas at the Smithsonian and traveled from the United States’ East Coast to West Coast, all to say she’s worked in ‘Corporate America’ for the last 15 years. She’s taken her years of climbing skyscraper stairs and corporate ladders to provide women a framework to shed their shields, their suit coats, and instead become authentically who they are – beautiful, unique women, who will change the world, just as they are.

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/328

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

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

Connect on LinkedIn:

• Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Kelly Schermerhorn (guest) = https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/KellySchermerhorn

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 301: Why We Get Imposter Syndrome and What to Do About It with Melody Wilding
• Episode 321: What It Means to be Visible to Yourself and Others with Bibigi Haile

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