In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Ngozi Okeh, the global head of DEI at NextRoll, a marketing tech company. They delve into the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and how it can significantly impact business success. In this episode you will learn: The practical application of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a daily practice shaping workplace dynamics and opportunities. Strategies for effectively engaging executive leaders in DEI by...

Laura welcomes Dan Bradbury to the show where he shares his three commandments for success and enhancing confidence, presence, and influence in Mergers and Acquisitions. In this episode you will learn: Why connecting personally is so important in M&A, as it builds trust and rapport- show how much you care, then how much you know. How understanding the other person’s motives is essential for effective communication and negotiation Why articulating your numbers is necessary to convey the...

Katie Bussing, Chief Human Resources officer of Springfield Clinic, is Laura’s guest this week on Speaking to Influence. Katie shares some tips on how she pulse checks a room when speaking to different groups, especially key stakeholder groups. In this episode you will learn: How Katie is working to change the perception of HR by demonstrating the value of having HR function in a strategic role within the organization. How Katie reads the room to get an understanding of the audience’s...

Laura welcomes Skip Howard, Founder of Spacee, to this episode of Speaking to Influence. Skip talks about a time when he had a vision that no one, his investors, board of directors, or sales teams believed in, and what happened when he decided to execute it anyway. Tune in to find out what happened! In this episode you will learn: Why Skip uses a holistic approach to selling products, with transparency about the risks rather than focusing solely on the benefits of a product with...

Glenn Hofmann, Chief Analytics Officer of New York Life Insurance, is our guest on the newest episode of Speaking to Influence where he shares with Laura why we should not be afraid of A.I. and gives tips on how to leverage it for job security. In this episode you will learn: How he has addressed misconceptions about A.I. with his communications team when people believed they would lose their jobs to A.I., and why he believes ‘intelligence’ in its title is actually a misnomer. How he...

On this week’s episode of ‘Speaking to Influence,’ Luke Billeri, president and CEO of Member’s Choice Credit Union tells Laura how he used ‘pre-suasion’ to gain key stakeholder buy-in before a critical decision.   In this episode you will learn: How Luke learned the importance of adapting communication style based on the audience's competencies by modifying communication to be relevant to the audience How in acknowledging personal strengths and weaknesses, Luke’s team was able to create a...

Scott Miller is the guest on this week’s episode of Speaking to Influence. The Co-Founder and CEO of YESLY Water speaks to Laura about how he handled pushback and set boundaries to move forward. In this episode you will learn: How Scott used individual time with his team members to be vulnerable during a personal diagnosis, which resulted in galvanizing his team to become closer as they ended up opening up new levels of conversation. How Scott used transparency in order to ensure that his...

In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola and guest Vivian Wesson explore the importance of curiosity over judgment in inclusive conversations, emphasizing the transformative power of small gestures and acts of kindness in creating an inclusive society and highlighting the positive impact of smiles. In this episode you will learn: The surprising relevance of improv skills in leadership The importance of replacing judgment with curiosity The impact of silence on DEI efforts The power of greeting...

Joining Laura on this week’s episode of ‘Speaking to Influence’ is Johann Wrede, Chief Experience Officer at Emburse. Johann shares how he manages group dynamics among key stakeholders to keep them from hijacking meetings with their own agendas so that his plan stays intact. In this episode you will learn: What a great customer experience is really about. What exactly a Chief Experience Officer does, and why more C-Suites should think about adding one to take collaboration of departments...

Happy New Year! Dr. Laura Sicola is back with Part II: The Big Reveal. In this episode, she unveils her rebranding journey, discussing the issues and challenges her Vocal Impact brand had, and introduces the audience to her new brand: LauraSicola.com. In this episode you will learn: How and why your brand should accurately reflect the value you provide and resonate with your target audience Why words and language play a crucial role in communicating your brand’s message How you can use...

Dr. Laura Sicola: Sneak Peek- What’s Even Better than VIP? This week, join Dr. Laura Sicola for Part I of a two part series where she talks about defining and claiming your brand…or more specifically, HER brand! Join us for a sneak peek in the episode of an exciting development.   In this episode you will learn: The beginnings of Vocal Impact Productions and the lessons Laura learned along the way about branding The challenges she originally faced in finding a niche How Sheryl Sandberg’s...

On this week’s episode of Speaking to Influence, join Clate Mask, CEO of Keap Small Business Automation, as he tells Laura about when he knew it was time to put his career on the line by giving an ultimatum to his company, rather than continuing the battle of trying to persuade. In this episode you will learn: The importance of business automation for business owners and overburdened team members, and the need for entrepreneurs to have effective systems and processes in place to conquer...

Laura welcomes Dr. Shanil Ebrahim, Partner at Deloitte Canada, where he shares how he learned how to stop using layers of technical jargon that were preventing clients from identifying clear, actionable next steps. In this episode you will learn: How Shanil decided to make the pivot from research clinician to consultant due to his desire to have more immediate impact on more complex healthcare issues. How ‘branding’ and identifying your brand is relevant and valuable even for roles outside...

This week on ‘Speaking to Influence,’ Dr. Laura is joined by COO of Expensify, Anu Muralidharan, where Anu shares how she was able to build momentum in her company by having everyone identify their own unique value, and how it mattered in getting the company to their goal. In this episode you will learn: How a COO is like a Swiss Army knife The importance of acknowledging and addressing self-doubt and inner critics, and how Anu sharing her own experience helped a coworker overcome her own...

We welcome Paul Comfort of Modaxo and Transit Unplugged to this week’s episode of Speaking to Influence where he shares stories from his experiences running some of the world’s largest transportation and transportation technology organizations through potential powder-keg situations and refocused on new ‘north stars’ of safety, efficiency, reliability, and world-class customer service.   In this episode you will learn: How Paul, the newly appointed head of the Maryland Transit...

On this week’s episode, Melissa Schoger, Vice President of Finance for Identification Solutions and Vestcom at Avery Dennison talks with Laura about how she helped teams overcome an instance of mixed messaging to achieve mutual understanding. In this episode you will learn: How Melissa made sure the integrity of a message remained intact after witnessing how different leaders in a meeting had varying takeaways How she learned to take the time to listen to team members on the ground, rather...

Laura welcomes Senior Vice President of TD Bank, Chantal Capodicasa, to talk about how she found the courage to speak up in defense of her team and challenge a directive in a time of crisis. In this episode you will learn: How Chantal challenges the misconceptions about ‘lenders’ at banks, and illustrates how they are more ‘relationship managers’ for bank clients. How Chantal’s family’s battle with cancer showed her how being vulnerable can leave space for her team to show up for her in...

Our newest episode of Speaking to Influence features Charlie Saffro, CEO and Founder of CS Recruiting, who talks about the importance of resourcefulness and curiosity in a job interview, and how to do it by doing your research on social media and asking the right questions…and even shares what thos best questions are! In this episode you will learn: How Charlie realized that she was better at being a leader than a manager and struggled when she had to manage a new team member, learning the...

Joining Laura on this week’s episode is Ossa Fisher, President of Aurora Innovation, where Ossa shares the multi-faceted pow rapport-building techniques to uncover the real problem and get people on board, resulting in enthusiastic participation. In this episode you will learn: About the development of self-driving technology, the current use of autonomous vehicles on Texas roads, addressing concerns of regulators with safety measures and reassuring the public with real-life examples of...

This week’s episode of Speaking to Influence is with guest Erik Ryan, Senior Vice President and CFO of Iron Mountain, in a conversation that focuses on the power of ‘no’. In this episode you will learn: About a time Erik found himself in a conversation with Prince Edward where he tried to prove himself but ended up in a ridiculous argument about the similarities between different islands…leading him to learn a lesson of how to meet others where they were, avoid tangential conversations,...

Laura sits down with Mary Ellen Harris, Chief Human Resources Officer at Kreischer Miller, to discuss how she is shifting the paradigm on aspects of corporate culture to one valuing vulnerability and integrity in the workplace to champion employees with a culture of respect.

Laura is joined this week by Laura Liotta, President of Sam Brown Healthcare and Communications Agency, where they discuss misconceptions of healthcare PR and the importance of authenticity in communication with clients, patients, and the team. In this episode you will learn: About misconceptions surrounding PR and celebrities using medical options in the healthcare industry. The importance of collaborative agency-client relationships and how the client's influence sets the tone for the...

This week,Chris Hall, Chairman and Co-Founder of Stacuity Ltd. describes thechallenges of being a small startup grappling with geographical bias in the tech industry,and the need to convince others of their credibility in spite of these biases. In this episode you will learn: How they are trying to change the perception of the industry by offering a betterand more efficient network specifically designed for IoT. The importance of storytelling and the power of asserting oneself in...

This week, Matt Kraft, COO of Mosaic Learning, discusses how he rallied his team through a 17-hour marathon to overcome a total system collapse in the 11th hour before the very first earnings call for their new CEO.   In this episode you will learn: The challenges of e-learning platforms and the need for more immersive and connected learning experiences. The potential applications of AI in everyday life, such as using it to manage children's activities and schedules. Why Matt discarded...

On this week’s episode we are honored to have Dr. Richard Santiago, CFO of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) who shares how he had to become a change agent in order to implement massive digital transformation across more than one hundred locations around the world that absolutely could not afford to fail. In this episode you will learn: How he overcame the challenges of addressing a diverse audience of leaders and individual contributors that would eventually lead to...