How do we make change that scales and replicates beyond our immediate sphere?

For Denise Brosseau, founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Lab, thought leadership is a transformative path, a way to not just expand our influence and impact for good but to reshape the very fabric of our industries and ecosystems.

It’s not about personal branding or superficial success. It's about being the 'pebble in the pond', the one who, with unwavering determination, uses their knowledge, experiences, and networks to push industries or ecosystems forward, even in the face of adversity.

During our conversation, Denise shares practical tips on how to become a thought leader, including the importance of finding your niche and building a network of support ready to jump in when the waters get rough. These insights can be invaluable on your journey to thought leadership.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• What it actually means to be a thought leader
• Denise’s two key inflection points in her career and the different choices she made each time
• Why thought leaders need to cultivate allies along with their ideas and convictions
• Essential questions to ask yourself when finding your thought leadership niche
• The importance of making your experience and processes tangible

Learn more about Denise Brosseau:

• Thought Leadership Lab
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Ready to Be a Thought Leader?

Learn more about Mary Knox Miller:

• Thought Leader Media
• Connect on LinkedIn

Resources:

Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement, Tarana Burke

Our world is increasingly data-driven, especially when understanding our audiences, but what if the metrics we’re using are incomplete?

David Allison, a renowned marketing strategist and the innovative mind behind Valuegraphics, argues that, at best, demographics only provide a partial picture of a person and, at worst, reinforce biases and stereotypes. This is where values fill the gaps and offer a more comprehensive understanding.

David and his team have not just identified 56 universally shared values, but they've also made them actionable. By adopting a values-based approach to communication, we can challenge our unconscious assumptions and gain predictive insights into what truly engages, motivates, and inspires our audience.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How our values drive everyday choices, large and small–
• How demographic data perpetuates stereotypes and hinders social change
• How acknowledging our common values helps build consensus and move us forward
• How the core 56 values break down into nuanced and actionable definitions and interpretations
• Three key questions to begin uncovering people’s values

Learn more about David Allison:

• Website
• Valuegraphics
• Connect on LinkedIn
• The Death of Demographics: Valuegraphic Marketing for a Values-Driven World

Learn more about Mary Knox Miller:

• Thought Leader Media
• Connect on LinkedIn

Can you be a leader of an organization and publically share your personal views? Ami Dar, Executive Director of Idealist.org, is currently threading that needle after going viral for his commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Driven by a long-held desire to create positive change and inspired by the possibilities of the nascent web, Ami Dar launched Idealist.org in 1995 to bring together nonprofits and social impact professionals to maximize their potential to do good.

Over the last thirty years, Idealist.org has grown from a directory of links to become an essential resource for social impact professionals and 150,000 nonprofit organizations worldwide.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Ami’s multinational childhood and experiences in the Israeli army drove his desire to create change
• How his post-military travel and the dawn of the internet inspired the eventual creation of Idealist.org
• Why Ami says it’s vital for leaders to recognize mistakes, learn from them, and course-correct
• How going viral surprised him and why he says that commenting on the Israel-Palestine war wasn’t a choice
• How Ami sees Idealist Days as bridging the gap between connecting online and connecting with your community to make a real-life difference
• Why saying yes and getting started, even imperfectly, is how we make change

Learn more about Ami Dar:

• Idealist.org
• X: @amidar
• Watch Ami’s appearance on TED, "An Israeli and a Palestinian Talk Peace, Dignity and Safety"

Learn more about Mary Knox Miller:

• thoughtleadermedia.co
• Connect with Mary Knox Miller on LinkedIn
• Follow Thought Leader Media on LinkedIn