What happens when a storyteller from Microsoft turns her lens on the women shaping technology's past, present, and future?

Today on Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with Miri Rodriguez, CEO of Empressa AI, best-selling author, storyteller at Microsoft, and co-author of "The Women of Microsoft" (Wiley). Miri reveals how a simple Teams message from a colleague in Poland sparked a global collaboration — uniting 50 women from across cultures, career levels, and disciplines to tell their stories of innovation, resilience, and purpose.

Miri's thought leadership centers on mission-driven storytelling — using narrative as a strategic tool for inclusion and brand love. She shares how metrics like "brand love" go beyond data to measure emotional impact, connection, and loyalty. Her goal isn't just to celebrate women at Microsoft, but to ensure their contributions are recorded in the technological history being written right now.

She challenges leaders to think beyond traditional boundaries of thought leadership inside corporations. For Miri, there's no dividing line between personal purpose and professional platform — every story she tells aligns with her mission to empower women's voices. Her journey demonstrates how clarity of purpose can attract the right opportunities and how a clear mission can transform your work into a force multiplier.

This conversation is a masterclass in how to use storytelling as strategy — to inspire action, build communities, and leave a lasting mark on the narrative of innovation.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Mission-driven storytelling creates lasting impact — when your message aligns with a clear purpose, it naturally attracts opportunities and amplifies your influence.

• Emotional connection is a powerful metric — concepts like "brand love" show that loyalty and inspiration can be measured through human connection, not just numbers.

• Authentic voices shape the future — sharing real stories, especially from underrepresented groups, ensures that innovation and progress include every perspective.

If you were struck by the power of storytelling, emotional connection, and mission-driven leadership in this episode, the conversation with Jenna Fisher will take you deeper into those same themes in a corporate leadership setting. In her interview, you'll hear how she interviewed dozens of women leaders to uncover the real barriers and strategies for rising to the top, even when the rules seem stacked against you. Listen next to discover how to merge narrative, metrics, and career strategy into a playbook for women (and all leaders) to advance influence, voice, and impact.

Listen now: "Women in Corporate Leadership"

What’s the real ROI of a book?

That’s the question Peter Winick poses to Chief Imaginative Officer of Emerson Consulting, author of "The Expert's Edge: Become the Go-To Authority People Turn to Every Time" and publishing expert Ken Lizotte, in this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership.

Ken has helped more than 350 thought leaders turn their ideas into published works—books, blogs, and articles that position them as authorities in their fields. He’s seen it all: the excitement of a new book idea, the confusion around agents and publishers, and the reality that the book itself isn’t the profit center—it’s the door opener.

Ken breaks down the evolving world of publishing—traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing—and reveals how authors can choose the right path based on their business goals. He and Peter cut through the myths about literary agents, unpack how the publishing game really works, and share why alignment between author and publisher is so rare (and so essential).

More importantly, Ken makes it clear that a book’s success isn’t measured in units sold—it’s in how well it builds credibility, opens doors to speaking gigs, attracts clients, and establishes long-term brand authority. Whether you’re dreaming about your first book or looking to turn ideas into influence, this conversation will show you how to treat your book as a strategic asset, not just a creative project.

Three Key Takeaways:

• A Book’s True ROI Isn’t in Sales—It’s in Strategy.
The financial return on a nonfiction book rarely comes from copies sold. Instead, it comes from what the book enables: paid speaking gigs, consulting work, and business growth. A book is a credibility tool, not a revenue product.

• Authors Must Choose the Right Publishing “Game.”
Traditional publishing, hybrid, and self-publishing each serve different goals. Ken stresses that authors need to decide early whether they’re playing the publisher’s game (focused on sales volume) or their own game (using the book as a business and thought leadership tool).

• A Great Book Builds Authority, Not Just Audience.
The most successful thought leaders use their books to define expertise, attract the right clients, and create long-term influence. The focus shouldn’t be on pleasing everyone—it’s about reaching the specific audience where your ideas have the greatest impact.

If you’re fired up by Ken Lizotte’s strategies for making a book a business-building tool, then you’ll definitely want to hear Lucinda Halpern’s episode too. In it, Lucinda debunks the myths that trap many thought leaders—like thinking an agent guarantees a book deal, that publishers will handle all marketing, or that you need huge social media numbers to get published. You’ll walk away with clearer insight into publishing timelines, how to build a platform that matters, and how to make a book a lead-generation engine, not just a creative side project.

Tune in and get sharper on how to align your ideas, your reach, and your publishing strategy—all toward real growth.

What makes a podcast truly powerful — and worth your time?

In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with Ryan Estes, co-founder of Wildcast and Kitcaster, to unpack what separates a great podcast guest — and host — from the rest. Ryan’s work connects CEOs, founders, and thought leaders to the right audiences through strategic podcast placement. His mission: to turn conversations into meaningful distribution.

Ryan explains why founder-led marketing outperforms brand marketing — by as much as 80%. He reveals how showing up authentically on podcasts isn’t just about exposure; it’s about building credibility, creating demand, and sparking conversations that open doors to your ideal clients.

Together, Peter and Ryan explore what makes a podcast worth appearing on. It’s not about chasing the biggest show or the biggest name — it’s about relevance. For many business leaders, the right niche podcast might be the only place where all their potential buyers are listening. Ryan walks through how to identify the right shows for your goals, the importance of energy and chemistry in a podcast conversation, and how to develop the skills — from delivery to lighting — that make you a guest worth remembering.

They also discuss the “guest hygiene” problem: why so many smart leaders fail to prepare properly, neglect to promote their episodes, or treat podcasts like disposable media hits. Ryan argues that building a personal distribution network — your own voice, audience, and presence — is an investment that carries over to every project, every company, and every new venture.

If you’ve been thinking about launching a podcast, or becoming a
sought-after guest, this episode is your roadmap to doing it right — and doing it with purpose.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Founder-led marketing drives results. When leaders speak directly to audiences through podcasts, their message builds far more trust and engagement than traditional brand marketing.

• Relevance beats reach. The best podcasts for business growth aren’t always the biggest — they’re the ones where your ideal buyers actually listen and engage.

• Consistency builds credibility. Thought leaders who prepare well,
promote their episodes, and keep showing up authentically develop a personal brand that outlasts any single company or project.

If this conversation inspired you to think differently about using
your voice and platform, take the next step by listening to our
episode with Srinivas Rao. He dives deep into how creativity,
curiosity, and personal expression fuel powerful thought leadership. Discover how to build an audience that connects with your ideas — not just your brand.

Listen here.