Born and raised in a war-torn Croatia, Kristina and her family left everything to start over in the US. As a young adult, she faced divorce, poverty, single parenting, and her own mental health struggles. But her determination, quick wit, and deep compassion won her the crown for Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star in 2011.

Since then, Kristina Kuzmic’s story has been sprinkled with the fairy dust of commercial success. She has over a billion video views, a huge social media following, a beautiful family, and a financial trajectory that continues to climb steeply up and to the right.

But Kristina would be the first to admit all that glitters is not gold (or even tin foil). And it’s her honesty about her imperfections that’s been the real magic in her impact. It’s her unfiltered struggles, failures, and invisible wins in motherhood, mental health, and the spotlight that has impacted millions and given her what she would say matters most.

Kristina’s story then begs a question for those of us trying to perfect our speeches, our writing, our branding, our marketing funnels, our websites, and every other thing we’re “supposed” to do in order to launch and grow our businesses: Are we missing the point by trying to get things perfect?

Yes, it’s important to learn and utilize the tools, insights, and playbooks proven to move our missions forward. But as we learn and apply them, how do we simultaneously stay true to our authentic selves? Because the truth is, it's our candor that gives us the power to help others, not our polished image.

In our conversation with comedian, best-selling author, and sweatpants-wearer, Kristina Kuzmic, you’ll be reminded of why you wanted to help others in the first place and how building a business rooted in vulnerable imperfection might be exactly what you and your audience need most.

Check out these magical moments:

• 00:00:00 // Tomfoolery and banter
• 00:06:15 // Introducing Kristina Kuzmic
• 00:10:40 // What Kristina found resonated most with her audiences
• 00:17:13 // Kristina's powerful mission statement
• 00:24:14 // The pros and cons of working with big names and big agencies
• 00:30:10 // Important questions to ask a client when booking your next speaking gig
• 00:47:03 // What pro publishing lessons Kristina learned between her first and second books
• 01:04:02 // A powerful perspective on how to best serve your audience

To your meaningful impact,

Josh

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Thanks to our sponsor, YOUTH SPEAKER UNIVERSITY. At YSU, you can learn how to launch and grow your speaking business, write and publish your book, and launch your online course! Watch the intro video NOW:

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CONNECT WITH KRISTINA

Website: kristinakuzmic.com

Instagram: kristinakuzmic

MUSIC

Flourish by Londau

FREE TRAINING: Learn how to grow your impact and income on stage, page, and screen at https://stagepagescreen.com

Do you remember when the world nearly came to an end?

When most of us thought the whole “coronavirus thing” was going to be wrapped up in a couple of weeks? A month at the most?

Do you remember when there wasn't enough toilet paper to go around?

Or when you knew for sure you were going to lose your mind because your kids would now be “distance learning?” of

During that time most of us experienced significant upheaval in our work, our health, and our relationships — perhaps even our worldview. In many ways, we’re still picking up pieces and reimagining how we do life. Yet the truths we’ve been reminded of through so much loss, isolation, and worry continue to resound:

Relationships are what matters most.

Work that betters the lives of others is most satisfying.

Keep extra rolls of toilet paper stashed all over your house, all the time.

As speakers and writers, our work was especially upended by the pandemic. So what’s the best way forward, now that the world didn’t end?

Josh Shipp knows those challenges and questions well. In the middle of the pandemic, he was leading a speaking bureau for dozens of people who could no longer book gigs. Traveling was off the table. As was gathering in large groups for live presentations. Virtual presenting was new, awkward, and in sparse demand. The future was one big question mark.

Just a couple years later, however, the pendulum has swung the other way. Josh and his team can hardly keep up with the present demand for in-person presentations. In fact, his business has doubled, and is even adding speakers to the roster.

So how did Josh get HERE from THERE? What did he learn about himself and his business along the way? And what does he believe the future looks like for speakers and writers like YOU? You’re going to discover all that and more in this special episode of SP&S, guest-hosted by our good friend, Blake Fly.

In addition, you’ll learn:

• 00:02:16 // Tomfoolery and banter
• 00:07:38 // Introducing our guest host, Blake Fly
• 00:14:22 // One of the biggest personal challenges Josh faced in the pandemic
• 00:23:57 // How he leveraged his strengths (and weaknesses) to sustain and grow his business as the economy tanked
• 00:48:26 // What he learned from the pandemic that he believes can equip speakers and writers for whatever new challenges come along
• 00:55:56 // What Josh considers one of the biggest professional challenges we’re facing and how to overcome it
• 01:05:02 // The top 10 things he’s grateful for learning and applying through the pandemic, into the present, and beyond

Josh Shipp used to speak at 300+ events a year until he realized his bigger dream of leading a speaker’s bureau, writing books, coaching speakers, and spending more time with his family. He has hosted his own TV show, been celebrated and recommended by The Great O (Oprah), and recently started his own podcast. It’s called Stage, Page & Screen, and it’s time to crank it up.

We hope you enjoy this special, guest-hosted, deep-dive conversation as much as we enjoyed having it!

- The SP&S team

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Thanks as always to our sponsor, YOUTH SPEAKER UNIVERSITY. At YSU, you can learn how to launch and grow your speaking business, write and publish your book, and launch your online course! Watch the intro video NOW:

***

CONNECT WITH JOSH

• topyouthspeakers.com
• joshshipp.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshshipp

MUSIC
Flourish by Londau

FREE TRAINING: Learn how to grow your impact and income on stage, page, and screen at https://stagepagescreen.com