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

***

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:

***

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

***

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

Public speaking is a skill that can be learned, developed, and even mastered. But the path toward mastery demands everything you’ve got: keen self-awareness, the humility to be a life-long student of the craft, and an unrelenting commitment to put in your time. Because more than anything, mastery requires putting in your "reps," delivering countless speeches in all kinds of venues to all kinds of audiences - for decades.

It's the costly nature of mastery that makes it so rare.

So when the opportunity comes along to talk with someone widely regarded by their peers as a master of their craft, you pull up a chair, lean in close, and take some serious notes.

That’s what I had the opportunity to do when I sat down with Mark Scharenbroich, an Emmy award-winning, Hall of Fame speaker (and personal hero of mine) who’s been tenaciously honing his craft for more than 40 years.

In this masterclass for speakers and presenters of every kind, Mark and I dive into:

• 00:00:19 // Tomfoolery and witty banter (and jackhammer sounds)
• 00:04:59 // Introducing Mark
• 00:08:40 // How much you should customize your speech for a particular audience or event.
• 00:15:36 // Why you must choose being clear over being clever.
• 00:32:20 // How to ensure your delivery reaches every person in an audience no matter the venue (from old school gyms to high-end auditoriums).
• 00:42:55 // How to answer the question: “Who comes first - the audience or the client?”
• 00:51:25 // How to create content your audience will actually remember long after you’ve left the stage.
• 00:56:15 // How to decide which kind of marketing is best for you.
• 01:00:17 // How to cultivate and protect your most important relationships while building a successful speaking business.
• 01:05:18 // How to successfully transition audiences (e.g., students to parents/teachers, education market to corporate)
• 01:11:59 // What characteristics make a speaker extraordinary?

Pull up your chair and get ready to jot down a notebook's worth of pages. You're about to become a genuinely better writer and speaker.

Enjoy!

-Josh

***

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 MARK

Website: nicebike.com

LinkedIn: mark-scharenbroich-nice-bike

MUSIC

Flourish by Londau

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

In order to grow your income and impact you need to identify and embrace your "core message."

A core message is like a life theme that is uniquely yours. It's formed by your experiences, temperament, talents, and gifts. If categories like topics, styles, and target audiences were flowers, your core message would be the root system connecting and feeding them all.

Some might call it your "why" or your "calling" or your "Inner Red Power Ranger" (just us?). Whatever you call it, you have to understand it so that your decisions can be guided by it and not by an anxious striving to pick the most marketable topic or technique.

Nicki Joiner understands the importance of identifying your core message. More importantly, she's in the thick of it herself. And her journey to identify it (and the insight she's gleaned along the way) are PURE GOLD.

In this episode, we'll get to the gold through:

• 00:00:35 // Witty banter & tomfoolery
• 00:04:45 // Introducing Nicki Joiner
• 00:11:11 // Discovering how "working on yourself" is critical to unveiling your core message
• 00:15:42 // Asking the question: How clear should your core message be before you're ready to go public with it?
• 00:20:00 // Finding the link between your core message and your decision-making
• 00:24:20 // Listening in on the back and forth between Nicki and Josh as they discuss the "Shipp-tastic Ultimate Venn Diagram of Feedback & Success" (Editor's note: title pending): a Venn Diagram with the potential to launch an overwhelmingly successful next chapter of your life and business (Editor's other note: Josh didn't make this claim but the editor does).

Nicki Joiner is a public speaker and consultant who helps people navigate diverse environments with confidence and understanding. She takes a practical approach to addressing some of the most pressing issues in companies and organizations across North America. Nicki regularly speaks about community-building, confidence, self-awareness, and inclusion with companies like NASA, Girls, inc., Meeting Professionals International (MPI), and over sixty colleges and universities.

Join the conversation now and enjoy the pure gold that is Nicki Joiner!

***

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 NICKI

Nicki's website: http://nickijoiner

Nicki on Insta: @thatsoniickki

MUSIC

Flourish by Londau

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

Launching a book - whether as a first-time author or as a publishing superstar - is an exceedingly challenging endeavor. It involves both art and science.

And maybe a little secret sauce.

Not many people know that better than Aryn Van Dyke, owner of Book Rockstar, a book launch consultancy that helps authors develop marketing strategies, build their brand, sell more books, and “ feel like a rockstar throughout the process.” From growing an author’s platform to choosing just the right editorial quote for a book’s front cover, Aryn has seen what works and what definitely doesn’t when it comes to turning ideas into bestsellers. The result? A heaping plateful of insight and tools that could take YOUR book idea to the top of the charts..

On this exciting episode of SP&S you’ll learn:

• 00:00:00 // Tomfoolery and banter
• 00:02:56 // Introducing Aryn Van Dyke
• 00:05:11 // What first-time authors do for a successful launch
• 00:12:39 // How to successfully grow a platform
• 00:23:00 // What your role in marketing your book should look like
• 00:44:27 // How to develop content that will connect with an even bigger audience
• 01:02:13 // How to define your niche in the Amazon marketplace
• 01:24:57 // The reality of author platforms and what publishers are looking for

Aryn Van Dyke is a nonfiction book launch consultant and author coach. She spent five years at HarperCollins helping authors promote their books and build their brand. She’s worked on more than 100 book launches, including multiple New York Times bestsellers, spanning across multiple nonfiction genres.

Our delicious conversation with Aryn Van Dyke spills over with practical tips and behind-the-scenes insight as she delivers a recipe for successfully launching your book. Bon Appetit!

***

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 ARYN

Aryn’s website: http://bookrockstar.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aryn-van-dyke/

Instagram: @thebookmarketer

MUSIC

Flourish by Londau

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

Preparing a great presentation takes more than just practice.

It takes learning about your audience, developing channels of communication with them before and after, seeking feedback from trustworthy voices, revising and reiterating until your eyes are blurry. It also requires some personal reflection to discover WHY you’re doing things the way you are.

DK (yes, that’s his full legal name) is an expert guide when it comes to the entire preparation process. Having helped hundreds of speakers prepare and deliver their content, he knows the subtle differences between practicing and preparing. More importantly, he knows the difference between being just another talking head and being a truly engaging speaker that can bring insight and transformation to their audience.

On this episode of SP&S you’ll learn:

• 00:00:00 // Tomfoolery and banter
• 00:02:10 // Introducing DK
• 00:07:02 // Helpful tips on how to best use slides in your presentation
• 00:26:52 // The critical thing DK learned by “faking” his way through a TedX talk
• 00:32:26 // An unconventional (and potentially game-changing) approach to crafting your speech
• 01:00:55 // Pro tips on developing and presenting your content virtually
• 01:25:37 // What your responsibility is toward your audience

DK is a sought after speaker coach that helps leaders craft and deliver impressive presentations. For nearly ten years he organized and ran TedX Wellington (in New Zealand’s capital city). Hailing from Wales, formerly making his home in New Zealand, and now living in England, DK's international reputation and platform allows him to serve leaders around the world with his expertise (and his love for Minimalism). His insights and experience will absolutely help YOU better prepare great presentations that will impress and serve your audience well.

We hope you enjoy all the goodness and “rolled ‘R’s” in this episode as much as we did!

***

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 DK

• DK’s website: http://justadandak.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justadandak/
• DK's TED x talk (discussed in the podcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSp78RwcAS4
• DK's video podcast (mentioned in the podcast), CreativeWelly

MUSIC

Flourish by Londau

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

Confidence is necessary for building a satisfying and impactful life. Without it, we can miss opportunities to help others, feeling like “we don’t have what it takes.” Or move through life under a dark cloud of shame assuming we’re just “not enough” somehow.

At the same time, we know there are pitfalls found in over-confidence. We’ve felt the emotional exhaustion that comes from trying to “fake it until we make it.”

So what does having real confidence really mean? And how do we grow it in areas where we lack it? This episode’s guest has some game-changing insight and experience to offer any of us that struggle with confidence (i.e., all of us).

Juan Bendana went from dreaming about becoming a speaker in one moment to taking the main stage of education’s biggest event in the next. In between those moments, he had to face the ability he lacked while jumping whole-heartedly into an incredible opportunity. Those lessons - and the many he’s learned since while building a successful speaking business and getting a book deal with a major publisher - are now yours to glean.

In addition, you’ll find:

• 00:00:50 // Witty banter and tomfoolery
• 00:07:40 // An only-partially successful introduction of Juan Bendana
• 00:17:10 // How Juan confronted his inexperience and insecurity
• 00:24:20 // How to REALLY get to the biggest stages
• 00:43:09 // The details of Juan’s pre-big-event routine
• 00:55:05 // How over-confidence can trip you up
• 01:13:56 // The two-word secret to writing a bestselling book

Juan Bendana is an internationally-recognized keynote speaker that helps audiences build the confidence necessary to thrive in a changing world. Over the past decade, Juan has interviewed the top CEO’s, Olympians, actors and peak performers across every industry. From his research, the Confidence Cycle was born — a science-backed framework that helps leaders boost engagement and confidence so they can thrive in work and life.

So press play and enjoy the wisdom (and infectious energy) Juan has to share!

CONNECT WITH JUAN

Website: juanbendana.com

Instagram: @juanbendana

***

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:

***

MUSIC

Flourish by Londau

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