274-SYB-Sarah-Lynn-Wallace.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

274-SYB-Sarah-Lynn-Wallace.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Carol Cox:
What are specific things you can start doing to book more speaking engagements, including paid ones? Listen in to this episode of the Speaking Your Brand podcast. More and more women are making an impact by starting businesses running for office and speaking up for what matters. With my background as a TV political analyst, entrepreneur and speaker. I interview and coach purpose driven women to shape their brands, grow their companies and become recognized as influencers in their field. This is Speaking Your Brand, your place to learn how to persuasively communicate your message to your audience. Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your Brand podcast. This is your host, Carol Cox. If you’re excited to start booking more speaking engagements and training opportunities, whether they’re virtual or in person, you’re definitely going to want to listen to this entire episode. On the key to booking more speaking engagements. Now that we’re coming out of the pandemic and more in-person events and conferences are returning, speaking opportunities are increasing. Conferences need speakers and organizations and companies need to bring in trainers. Now is the time to get prepared and to take action. And this is exactly what our guest today, Sarah Lynn Wallace, has been doing as she’s been going through our Thought Leader Academy. This year, Sarah has booked several speaking and training engagements, including paid ones. So I asked Sara to come on the podcast and have a conversation with our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to talk about what has been effective for her in booking these speaking engagements, including the paid ones. Diane and I have really enjoyed working with Sarah during her time in the Thought Leader Academy because she has such a unique take on the marketing and visibility work that she does with her clients, which you’ll hear about as well.

Carol Cox:
Diane and Sarah talk about why Sarah decided to focus on thought leadership in her business. So what she was experiencing in her business and why she decided that thought leadership was the way that she wanted to go. Sarah talks about feeling stuck in The Expert Trap. That podcast episode that I did last year about the Expert Trap and feeling like she wasn’t differentiating herself enough in the work that she was doing. And then Sarah shares a specific strategy she’s been using to book those speaking engagements, including paid ones, including at higher fees. And then Sarah shares her experience in our Thought Leader Academy. And then at the end, this is the work that she does is around the Enneagram. So Sarah talks about how your Enneagram archetype number can influence your speaking style. Our Thought Leader Academy is open for enrollment right now. If you also want to make the shift from expert presenter to sought after speaker and thought leader, this is the program for you. We have graduated 50 women now in the past year and a half, and I have loved to see how they have evolved and how they have transformed to become the speakers that we know they can be and to have the impact that they are making not only on their audiences, but also on themselves and on their businesses. You can get all the information about our Thought Leader Academy and apply today by going to Speaking Your Brand academy again. That’s Speaking Your Brand academy. Now let’s get on with the show.

Diane Diaz:
Welcome to the Speaking Your Brand podcast.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Sarah Oh, thank you so much for having me. Diane I’m excited to be here.

Diane Diaz:
Oh, I’m so excited to have you here as I am a huge fan because you are one of the members of our Thought Leader Academy. And so we’ll get to that in a moment. But I would love for you to just take a few minutes and tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do in your business and kind of who you work with and how you work with them.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Well, right now in my business, for about the last year and a half, I have been merging marketing, personal branding, kind of promoting yourself, getting visible. So those strategies with some self awareness, using a tool called the Enneagram, sometimes people are like, what? And other people are going to like know their type and their wing. But for those that don’t know, it is a tool that has kind of nine archetypes. And by no means is it saying This is you to a T, but it just gives you some insight about what motivates you less about the behavior and more about the motivation. And that has been really helpful in a business context because then the purpose of my work is to help women specifically develop the filter that’s best for them, because there’s a lot of great advice out in the marketing sales world. And so it’s just that not every piece of advice is going to be good for them. And so more than telling the answers now, I help them kind of ask the questions based on their unique personality and motives.

Diane Diaz:
Oh, I love that. Instead of the answers, it’s asking the questions. I love that. That’s so interesting.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah, there’s a quote and I don’t know who said it, but it says The answers are in the questions which people we don’t like. Right. And so sometimes we just want to know the answer. Just. The strategy and I believe in a good strategy how to but it’s finding out what that best how to for you is or what that direction is based on who you are, your natural strengths. And then also, what do you want, not what you feel like you should want.

Diane Diaz:
Okay, well, and as I mentioned, you are in our Thought Leader Academy that’s going on right now. And I’m curious what and I’d love for you to share with the listeners, what is it that drew you to the Thought Leader Academy not only did like how did you hear about it, but also specifically what were you looking to get out of it? What made you want to be in the program and kind of go through the different things in the program?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
I had been listening to Carroll’s podcast for a few months. She was a guest expert in another group. I thought she was so interesting, and so I popped over. And so I’ve been listening to you and her for several months. And then specifically what enticed me to the program was that, you know, with the Enneagram, there is a lot of how to a lot of information. And the the thing that I know, Carol and you both talk about is escaping the expert trap. And I felt like I was doing all these presentations about the the symbol of the Enneagram and describing the types. And that’s really fun for people who haven’t heard of it. But really, at the end of the day, I wasn’t saying anything that somebody couldn’t Google. I have a bookshelf behind me that has a 20 at least 20 Enneagram books and there’s so there’s nothing new really that I’m saying about the actual system. So what I wanted to do was kind of understand how I could infuse my style with the Enneagram and move into that thought. Leadership space like that felt really enticing and something that felt more meaningful than always talking about. I still like to talk about it. I just didn’t want to always be talking about information that could be Googled.

Diane Diaz:
So that’s kind of, as you said, it’s going from kind of the information that you share to more of the thought leader, which is that information to inspiration, right? So you’re kind of getting the audience to that next level, which maybe is that’s what leads to more questions, right?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yes.

Diane Diaz:
To tie back to what you said before. Yes.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah, I’ve started saying that I’ve started playing around with this, that you’re not going to leave this presentation with answers. You’re actually going to leave with more questions, but they’re going to be better questions about that.

Diane Diaz:
And so then, okay, so you join the Thought Leader Academy and now we’ve been going through for a while through the different modules of it. And I know you’re an action taker, so you’ve had quite a lot of success applying what you have learned. But tell us a little bit about I’m curious if you can get kind of specific about what your learnings and some of your takeaways have been from the program. And then if you can share how you’ve applied them, because you as I said, you’ve had quite a lot of success with that.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Okay. Yes, I have had so many takeaways. So I think one of them that stands out and actually I was just listening to Carol talk about this in another space, but is the storytelling and that is something that in theory, you know. Yeah. And like I said, I listen to the podcast, so it’s nothing new. But for me I was thinking, well, I don’t know that anybody would really. Yes, I know that Carol says that. But like, I think that people really just care more about the Enneagram or the information. And so I was really struggling with telling stories and understanding like what stories, what I tell. And for whatever reason, it’s taking me, I don’t know, three months, I don’t know how long I’ve been in here now for it to finally click. And as I’m watching other really great public speakers like Bernie Brown or others, I’m seeing, oh my gosh, Carol is right there telling stories. And so now I have a story bank that I’m and I like a good analogy, but I know that’s a little different than like a full story and Carol has that the C framework with the stories and so I think about that a lot. And now I have two or three stories, one that I haven’t shared yet and it feels like, oh, is that two vulnerable but oh.

Diane Diaz:
Intriguing.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
I might be sharing it in our group next week.

Diane Diaz:
So I can’t wait.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
So that’s been one is just to just to be encouraged and to to see why that is so important. Something else that I really will actually kind of share. Two things. Two more.

Diane Diaz:
Things.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah. So the other thing that just came to mind was I’ve just learned a lot from the other women in the group I think she attracts. Like a really great crowd. I have both been encouraged by other members to do certain things I have learned, like hearing their experiences, been inspired by their stories. And even though I may not relate to every every single thing that they say, we might be in different industries doing different things. I’m always thinking, Oh my gosh, I could apply that energy or something about that. So I really love the group that I’m into this round. And then the last thing that I will share is Carol has a lot of trainings, and she brought in an expert to talk about how to get booked and that that practical part, because it’s one thing to come up with what you’re going to say, and that is a lot and it’s a whole other thing to get booked and then pricing. And I will say you and I happen to have an amazing call like the day before I turned in this really scary proposal, which I just heard from the woman today, that it’s still in the works. So that’s that’s we can talk about that, but that was helpful. And then just yeah. Knowing what to say and how to say it and the pricing. And so all this stuff I have thought about on my own and I’ve Carol said a word the other day like mental fatigue or thinking fatigue or decision fatigue, I think it was. And I’m like, yes, I have struggled with that. When it comes to pricing, when it comes to like how long is it going to be? So I mean, there is a lot that goes into speaking. It’s not just speaking. And so I feel like I’ve just really gotten a good glimpse of what all it really takes. And then also Ben walked kind of step by step through each of those pieces.

Diane Diaz:
Yes. Yes, I like that. Because, you know, you mentioned how women in the group have supported you and shared ideas and things and encouraged you. And then I think sometimes it’s just takes one person to, you know, we get we have this decision fatigue, so we can’t move forward. But one person will say, we’ll just do this. And you’re like, well, I’ll just do that. And then you just do that. And then all of a sudden all these things start happening as a result of that. I think sometimes we just need one other person to tell us it’s okay to do that thing, and then it takes the decision out of our head and we just do what the other person said and then we’re off to the races, right?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah.

Diane Diaz:
Great idea. You, as I said, are an action taker. And I know that one of the reasons why I feel like you’ve had success is because you have done the outreach. The outreach seems to be the key, because I know you’ve shared in the group that you’ve reached out to so-and-so or made a connection with this person or had people make mutual connections. So tell us a little bit about how you’ve used that strategy of just just reaching out and how that has worked for you.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Okay. So at the same time that I’m going through this or this was a couple of weeks ago, I was also reading a book called I Think It’s How Women Rise. And they said there was a quote that said, women are excellent at relationship building but terrible at leveraging those relationships. So I had that in the back of my head and then I had the thought leadership academy and taking action and doing that, that type of work. And I thought, yeah, that’s so right. You know, I, I have a ten plus year career to separate careers in that time, but obviously relationships over that time and I really haven’t leveraged a single one. Even my, even college roommates were college connections. And so we had a specific training about outreach, exactly how to say it. We got scripts. And so I literally just took those scripts and started reaching out to people. And I will say my ego got in the way a little bit or ahead of me maybe a little bit because I was like, Well, who? Who can I get to say yes? And so I started just reaching out to everybody, and then I was like, I would hear back from people. And I thought, you know, I didn’t really like working with them then, so why would I do that now? Yeah. So, you know, now I’m kind of slowing down, so the action has a good side and then it also has that shadow side. Now though, it’s really exciting because as I’ve I’ve had that experience though, I’m getting clearer on what type of workshops, what type of companies, what are their values, who’s on their team that I would want to work with. One of my classmates had just said, Well, you know, why don’t you just pitch this idea to a dream person? And I thought, Yeah, that’s a great idea. Why? Why would I not do that?

Diane Diaz:
Why don’t I do that?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah, so I did that and she was very welcoming and said, yes, she opened it up to. Their global audience and I can make a promotion at the end, which is great. So this one is a practice. And then she introduced me to somebody else who I’m doing a presentation for them from that experience, got another paid workshop and then that business owner recommended me to a really large company to, to train their executive team or not to train, but to speak. So who knows? And then we had the the conversation with us. So who knows where all this lands. But I think it feels good to have some direction and some practice. Even if they say, no, it doesn’t work out. I’ve never done this before. Right? So just to have the practice and then while I’m doing it, I have the group and I have you and Carol to be like, what do I say? What do I charge? How do I do this?

Diane Diaz:
Yeah, no, I love that because I think that it’s we have these ideas of what we want to do, but sometimes either we stay stuck because we don’t know where to start or we sort of have that self doubt of, you know, well, if I reach out, they’re probably going to say no. And then I love that in the group. And especially when we do that, we break out into the smaller masterminds groups and then we’re kind of sharing like, Oh, I’ve got this issue, and then one person will say something, give us an idea. And then again, of course, you have to be an action taker. You can’t if you get the idea, you have to do something with it, right? So you are an action taker. So but I love how the women are so supportive and they will come with all the ideas and give you ideas that actually align with what you want to do. And then you just have to implement them, which you are very good at doing. And I think that’s why you’ve had such such success. And like you said, maybe you don’t know where it’s going to go, but if you didn’t do anything, nothing would happen, right? So you’re doing the things and putting the message out there of This is what I want to do, this is who I want to speak to. And those opportunities are coming to you because you are putting it out there. So you’re positioning yourself as a speaker.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yes. And you know, what I really appreciate is when I first started on this entrepreneur journey, I got in some specific circles that served me at the time. But I just kind of I don’t want to say brainwashed, but I was like in a it was in a bubble a little bit with two or three key entrepreneur groups. This group has really allowed me to completely bust out of those bubbles and see different ways of doing things and then collaborating with people that, you know, we have an engineer quality and design and I love her perspective on on things. And again, like it doesn’t apply 100%, but her ideas are fresh and it’s I haven’t heard that before. And so just meeting people like that is so expansive and really so helpful for you to think about things again, maybe giving you more questions, but better questions to think, Oh my gosh, I never thought about it that way. So I really appreciate the group for that reason too.

Diane Diaz:
Yeah, that’s a really good observation, Sarah, because I think that that does speak to that idea of asking like having better questions because someone you’re not an engineer. I’m not an engineer, but one of the women is an engineer. And when she poses either a question or an idea, then it might take your thinking to the level of something that you hadn’t even considered. Because she has a completely different way of looking at things. It doesn’t necessarily give you the answer no, but does it give you better questions? Yes. Right. So then you can ask better questions, which I think makes you see where you might take it that you hadn’t even considered it before.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Absolutely. Yeah.

Diane Diaz:
Yeah. I love that. And I hope that all the women are having that experience and the Thought Leader Academy. I think that they are because as we as we have the different breakout sessions, when we do the masterminds and then we have the different trainings, you know, I noticed that people are thinking next level instead of just where they’ve been. So so let’s talk a little bit about I’m curious, what had been your speaking experience before? Thought Leader Academy Like what what speaking had you done? Where did you think you’re speaking was going? And how is it how is that shifted now that you’ve been in the program for a while?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
I think the biggest shift has been that I could get paid to do this.

Diane Diaz:
Oh, yes, we want you to get paid. Yes.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
So I had one big speaking opportunity and that just kind of completely came out of the blue, like just pure luck from a connection I met 12 years ago. So you just never know when networking will will unfold. And that was really great. But before that, I had done like Facebook group presentations, done guest expert presentations, inside paid groups. I’d done a couple of in person before COVID, but never got paid for them. And I would spend a lot, a lot of time and I loved it. I just didn’t really have a good strategy. I. I think the content was, I think it was och I don’t think it was TED level but I think it was och but you know looking back now with what I’ve learned, it’s, it could have been so much better but they always could have been when you look at how to structure it and I feel like I’m not there yet, but at least I have kind of the tools to go back to, to, to be a pro. Whereas before I was just kind of stumbling in the dark. And then also when even you and I had our one on one and we were talking about pricing, I was like, Oh my God, somebody I should say, Should I write this down? I can even write it down.

Diane Diaz:
Like how much? How your what?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Are you sure? But I really enjoyed this and knowing about my personality and some, some of it is my Enneagram type and then just just understanding more about myself. I like being in a group, being a part of a group. And so the thought of being able to do that and also get paid for that time feels really good. And what’s so funny is, and I’m sure some of the listeners might be able to relate to this kind of at the end of their experience with the Thought Leadership Academy is I had shared that number that you and I had decided on and the options really. And the woman was just sent me back a text and I was like, That looks great. And I was anticipating, Oh my gosh, this is.

Diane Diaz:
So much so I.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Want to talk to you again. Right, right. You think you are? Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, just having that and then hearing about, oh, wow, they did a speaking engagement and got paid this amount or it’s just kind of painting a picture of what’s possible and and it’s not like an airy, dreamy what’s possible. It’s like literally five people just did this. So, you know, here are the steps to do that. You can absolutely do it, too.

Diane Diaz:
I love that. That’s so concrete. It is scary sometimes to think about, Oh, I should ask for how much? Because we have doubts about our own abilities and we’re not sure how the other person is going to receive it. And then I think that ends up selling ourselves short. And frankly, you know, we want more women need to get paid and need to get paid more to speak because, you know, men are getting paid. People are getting paid. And so but we can’t get paid if we don’t ask. Right. So we have to ask for it if we want to get it. So I think just putting it out there and even if even if nothing came of it, it’s that first step to, to knowing what your own worth and value is as a speaker and to letting other people know what your worth in value is as speaker. Because when you speak, you don’t just bring that one hour talk and that content. You’re bringing your how many, you know, ten, 15, 20, 30 years of experience and knowledge and perspective. That’s what you’re bringing. And so whatever that number is that has you have that value.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
You know, that’s one of those things for in theory. Got that, got it. And then practically it’s like, yes, but I’m only talking for an hour. So yeah. So it is nice to just kind of have that little encouragement, little nudge and you know, to that it is so true about women specifically. I was in just last week in a Enneagram professional group and the conversation around fees came up and one woman was speaking fees, interestingly enough, and she said she had asked for like, I don’t know, I think it was $300 for a 60 minute talk. And she said it made her stomach turn because she thought it was like overpriced. And so it’s just like, wow, when you hear about like, oh, my gosh, you could get paid 3000. And it’s not just information. You know, you were learning in the Thought Leadership Academy how to feel really confident about the value, how to bring the value, and how to feel confident that we’re bringing it beyond just how to things. So I appreciate that too.

Diane Diaz:
Yeah. So I know it was scary when you put that figure out there for that speaking engagement. I know that was scary. But let me ask you this. After you did that and she came back like this looks great, did you did it give you a sense of like, oh, well, okay, great, I could do that again.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah, it did. Yeah. And it’s been interesting, the other paid opportunity that I got during this time. She said yes and paid the next day and I was like, Oh my gosh, this is really crazy.

Diane Diaz:
Like, I just had to ask, Yeah, that’s.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Really wild how that works.

Diane Diaz:
Well, and I think the other part to that is that I think there’s a perceived value. You know, when we say we are charging two or $300 for a speaking engagement versus two or 3000. For it. There’s a perceived value on their end of what they’re getting. And so I’m sure I’m sure your proposal was amazing. And so she understood the value of what would come with you speaking at that fee.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah, I hope so. Yeah. So it does. It feels good and it feels hopeful and promising, like, okay, this is like the beginning of this, you know, potentially this being like a really viable stream of income in the future.

Diane Diaz:
Oh, fantastic. So speaking of the future before and we’re going to get into your Enneagram work in just a moment, which I’m excited about. Before we do that, though, what is in the future for you? Like, how do you see your speaking career unfolding? Do you have a specific speaking goals some stage you want to get on? Tell us about.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
That. I would like to. This is so I’m an Enneagram Type seven, if anybody knows what that means. We tend to like variety and options and freedom. And so I envision like having a it would be amazing to have a paid speaking opportunity once a quarter where I get to travel and meet new people and be in a new city and maybe I’m over romanticizing this, but making a long weekend out of it and having my family come in. So I would love that to happen. I think it would be fun to be on like The Today Show. And then as soon as I say that, I’m like, Oh, I’m trying to figure out how I would ever do that. And I’m like, Oh, that topic.

Diane Diaz:
You have to put it out there. Yeah, I’ll put.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
It out there and just let the universe create what it will. Yes. And then more tangibly, I, I think it was our two trainings ago, Carol had us look up the Ted X location nearest to us and I realized that there’s one coming up this fall. And I may have missed the deadline, but the fact that just it was never on my radar before because it wasn’t called my city. So I when I Googled it in the past. So that was really helpful. And that is something that I would love to actually bring to life in 2023. Yeah. And then just just more in general, like, like I mentioned before, like have this be a piece whether it’s virtual or I get to travel like a really I don’t say big but a good, a good chunk of my my revenue for my business because I really I enjoy it so much.

Diane Diaz:
That’s exciting and I would love to see you on a TEDx stage. So I think having that as a goal or any speaking engagement, but specifically a TED Talk because is very specific and it’s a very specific style and they are very selective having that as a goal, I think it’s a good one because again, if you don’t put it out there, it will never happen. But I think it sort of one of those things that if you’re able to do a talk like that, it kind of gives you that an extra layer of confidence. And I know I know that you can do that. So I’m excited to see when when I’m going to say when that happens. Not if that happens, because then we’re putting it out to the universe as a when I.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Think, yes, I’ll do that as well.

Diane Diaz:
Good. Okay. So okay, so now, Sara, talk to us a little bit. You mentioned about Instagrams and how there are speaker styles or speaker integrations for speakers, how it connects to being a speaker in the different speaker styles. So tell us a little bit maybe about Instagram and then give us some insight into how we can look at ourselves as speakers with regard to different Instagrams.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
So I actually got that idea from Carol. And so it’s my own kind of made up thing, but I think I think you’ll like it. So the Enneagram has nine different archetypes. And like I said, it’s, it’s not that there are some tendencies that each of the types have about how they behave and present their type. But really it comes down to their motive. And, you know, when you talk about somebody’s motive that was developed in childhood, you know, you kind of go on to autopilot so the Enneagram can go as deep as you feel comfortable going. It can be very, very much a spiritual tool, kind of uncovering childhood trauma stories, releasing old patterns, that type of thing. And we all know, like when you start to get visible and put yourself out there in a business context, like all those stories come up just kind of in different ways, Oh, I’m not good enough. I’m not worthy of charging that type of thing. So but it helps you kind of understand why you do what you do. And then also really it can be painful or like cringe because it also shows you where your blind spots are and why you may be running into the same issue. And so that’s hard to look at sometimes, but it really is such a such a fun tool because unlike some of the other, I’m sure people have heard of Myers-Briggs and the Big Five and and for me, the difference besides the motive is that it’s very fluid.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
And so it allows you to. Say, Oh, here’s where I’m starting, but here’s where I want to go, or here’s where I can go. So it’s it’s much more fluid. It’s not a test. It’s kind of like a a map more so than anything. Within each nine types, it can get kind of it gets all complicated. I don’t know if people have seen the symbol, but there’s all kinds of lines and there’s wings and arrows. And there’s one group that talks about there’s three numbers in each of this group that talks about your orientation to time. So how you tend to process challenges or information. And there’s one type that is more past focused. And so when something happens, they’ll be thinking, How did this go last time? And then when there’s a problem, there’s three types that will just be able to see the problem right in front of them. It’s like, can’t remember how far I’ve come. And I kind of forget that there’s another side of the mountain. I just see this problem right in front of me and I can get stuck easily. And then there’s three types that tend to be more future focused, which is great. You focus on the future, but then you also miss ever enjoying the present. So there’s pros and cons to each of those. So from that energy, I actually just created a small course recently. One of the sections I added this based on what I was learning from Carol and try to make some thought leadership out of the Enneagram.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
And so I did a little storytelling by time orientation. And so if you happen to identify as a one, a two or six who are in that present orientation, reminding yourself to talk about, explain the problem, the current situation that your audience might be facing, which I know, Carol, is always you got to have you got to have the problem obstacle. Yeah so remembering to like where are people right now? And then there’s three types, four or five and nines that are more pass focused. And so using examples from the past and lessons learned and reminding people how far they and you have come. And then there’s three types that are those future focus three, seven and eight. And so kind of vision casting and just not living people hopeless. It’s okay, here’s what’s possible or here’s what I’m going I’m looking forward to in the future, kind of what’s next. So there’s all kinds of ways because when you start to understand what your type is, you can kind of see where you get stuck at or how you see the world. And then knowing that, Oh my gosh, and everybody’s processing the information like this to include all of those. So it’s nothing new kind of Carol has that. But just that was a fun little Enneagram spin I did for a recent course.

Diane Diaz:
And so where can people find that course? Is that available online?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
It is. I just finished it. Enneagram NBA.com forward slash. Any a brand?

Diane Diaz:
Any a brand. Okay, so we will be sure to share that link in the show notes. I think that’s kind of a fun thing to see, especially for speakers. And I like that idea of depending on which Enneagram you are having your stories be more either reflective on the past or more future focused, or more like This is what we’re dealing with right now. I like that idea and does that. So if we are certain, if I’m a certain Enneagram and I say, okay, I’m going to have them more future focused, does that make the stories more comfortable for me? Does it make me more confident in what I’m sharing? Like, how does that impact me as a speaker?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Well, I think it’s more of a reminder that you may have a tendency to lean on that more, and then that’s great for you. But there’s other people who want to want the rest of the story or like what’s what are we solving here? And so making sure that you have actually all three to make sure that if you’re just talking to yourself. Yes, obviously. But you want to attract clients or engage your audience and everybody is kind of looking at the world differently. So that’s incredibly surface level. That’s very just scratching the surface. But it’s a fun way to kind of think about different perspectives and how to apply it.

Diane Diaz:
Yeah. And like you said, to make sure that you’re not getting just stuck in your one little lane that you’re so, you know, I’m more future focused than everything relates to that. But you forget those other parts of it, right?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah. Yeah. There’s because there’s also types that are very like data and fact oriented.

Diane Diaz:
Yes.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
And there’s others that are incredibly emotionally driven and then there’s others that are very positive. They just only want the positive. And so when you kind of know like, oh my gosh, I always give a lot of facts or data, then it’s like, well, I need to mix in some emotions maybe, or vice versa.

Diane Diaz:
That’s so good. And I think that that fits in really well with what we do with with our when we work with our clients on their talks is making sure. At the stories. Like you said, maybe there aren’t all data focused and there’s more a little bit more personal emotional stories in there to connect more deeply. So. Oh, I love that. I’m excited. I can’t wait to go take the quiz myself. Yeah.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah, it is. It’s very interesting. And usually I’ll tell you, it’s Diane. It’s usually the type that you don’t want to be tends to be the one that you probably are.

Diane Diaz:
But that’s that’s life, isn’t it? Right, Sarah? Share with our audience. Where can they connect with you? Where do you hang out most online?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Well, I will tell you, I try not to love it, but I just love a good Instagram stories. I just I’m on Instagram stories at Enneagram and Bay and then I since being a part of speaking, your brands have been trying to be more consistent. Have been more consistent over on LinkedIn. And I actually you have a course that I took about creating an improved profile. And so I took that to heart. And I’ve really been dedicating time and energy over there as well. So I’d love to connect on LinkedIn and Sarah Lynn Wallace over there.

Diane Diaz:
Okay. And what is your website address?

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Enneagram NBA.com.

Diane Diaz:
Okay, great. And as I said, we will share that in the show notes. And as I said, obviously, Sarah is an action taker because she took our LinkedIn course and then has already improved her LinkedIn profile. So I think that proved my point. Big action taker. But I love all that you’ve been doing, Sarah. And I love I love that you’ve been taking action and big action. You’ve been having really great results with it. It is just so exciting to see everything that you’re doing. And I know that you’ve got big things on the horizon coming and we’ve put it out to the universe is definitely going to happen. So that’s a good thing.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah. And most of the time I don’t have a problem taking action. I’m like, Well, let’s just see what happens. Like, I don’t really tend to be myself up, but the, the flip side of that is just like I burn out because I’m trying to do ten things right. And so this has been a really positive experience because it helps me kind of put some guardrails on my action and kind of some direction and some focus. Yes, action is great, but intentional action, I think is really what I have gotten from the Thought Leadership Academy. So thankful for.

Diane Diaz:
That. What a great point, Sarah. I think that’s an excellent point is when you have that direction and the guidance and accountability, then you can stay focused instead of going off and doing all the million things that we all kind of get attracted by. Shiny objects, right? Yes.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Shiny object is a thing for me. Yes.

Diane Diaz:
All right, Sarah, it was so great to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much for sharing everything with our audience and your experience and Thought Leader Academy. And thank you for being in the Thought Leader Academy and for supporting all the other women in there as well.

Sarah Lynn Wallace:
Yeah, I love I love being in it. I highly recommend it. And I really loved getting to chat with you. So thank you for inviting me on.

Carol Cox:
Thanks, Diana and Sarah for that fantastic conversation. Make sure to check out Sarah’s podcast called the Enneagram MBA, and that also go check out her India brand that she shared there at the end of their conversation. If you would like to enroll in our Thought Leader Academy, we would love to see your application come through and have a Zoom call with you. You can get all the details, including the pricing, and submit your application by going to Speaking Your Brand academy. Again, that’s Speaking Your Brand, IMG Academy until next time. Thanks for listening.

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