Episode Description

Thought leadership isn’t what it used to be. The market is crowded, AI is everywhere, and people are overwhelmed by messages.

If you’re trying to grow your audience, make an impact, or build a business leveraging thought leadership, your ability to focus and stand out are key!

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to start or to make a bigger move, it’s now.

Whether you’re in stealth and building quietly, or just unsure how to begin, this episode will show you how to cut through the noise and shine in 2025.

I’ll share how I’m adapting my approach and how you can, too. You’ll learn:

• Why standing out in 2025 requires a different strategy.

• How to make your messaging sharper and more impactful.

• A practical 3x3 framework to connect with your ideal audience.

The market may be tougher, but if you’re ready to get dirt under your nails, you’re going to make it happen. Lets DO THIS!

Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by DIY Influence, a community designed to help you master thought leadership and market yourself effectively. Join weekly sessions, connect with others, and get the support you need for just $79/month, only through year end. Lock in your rate now, and enjoy a complimentary week pass: DIYInfluence.com

Let’s get started!

If you’re reading this, it’s probably your responsibility to get your thought leadership done and out the door.

It’s not an easy burden.

It’s time-consuming and a whole extra part-time job.

But the value of being top of mind is everything if you’re working to build something new or be known in your field.

Here’s what I do to get my podcast out the door in this season, and why it’s so important to do it!

The tools:

Substack (podcast host and email newsletter - on the same platform! 👏)

CapCut (I use the mobile app. Also an app on desktop. download the desktop app, their browser app doesn’t work quite as well)

ChatGPT (it’s my favorite helpdesk tool - if you’re stuck in an app and can’t find something. Or ask for help creating the podcast process you’ll use. Example, “ChatGPT, I have my iPhone and an hour in my kids parking lot. How can I get a podcast out the door if I’m hosting my podcast on Substack?” Or, “ChatGPT, I don’t know what a podcast host is. What is it and do I need it if I’m starting a podcast?”)

Are you podcasting?

Deliberating about starting yours?

I’d love to hear about it. DM me on LinkedIn or reply to this email if reading via Substack and share!

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliemichellemorris

This podcast is sponsored by DIY Influence, where leaders learn to become thought leaders in a supportive learning community. Check it out with a free week pass.

Thought leadership opens doors, but overly creative services close them. This podcast guides ex-corporate consultants on how to use thought leadership to attract clients while offering familiar, easy-to-understand services they can immediately say yes to. Learn to balance innovative ideas with practical, marketable offerings to monetize your expertise and build a sustainable consulting business quickly.

The reason people come to thought leadership is not just to make an impact. Often, they're kind of dying inside, having lived a life in corporate. You walk out with a little runway, some severance. Hooray! That runway won’t last, though.

But now, monetizing your subject matter expertise and thought leadership is on you.

You've got big ideas, but when you're first starting out, we need to think differently. Take that innovative thought and bucket it into something familiar.

Clients need to say, "Oh, that's exactly what we need."

Thought leadership is your bridge, anchoring an exchange of value.

But right now, you need wins.

For the initial term, until we have our feet under us, we need to back off being creative in the name of putting food on the table.

Be pragmatic about what people can say yes to.

They have to go to bat for you, after all.

It's time to package that expertise so people can't overlook you.

Balance your big ideas with practical, marketable services.

That's how you'll build a sustainable consultancy and truly make an impact.

Keep that thought leadership going strong, too. If you do, you’ll know what to say, how to say it, why you're here.

About me:

Julie Michelle Morris helps leaders become thought leaders, and drags the genius out of organizations and their leaders across cybersecurity, philanthropy, social good, policy, for-profit including Center for Internet Security, World Economic Forum, Asset Funders Network, UC San Diego, along with founders, authors, speakers, and consultants from across the globe. Julie speaks on developing your visibility toward service at scale, monetizing your expertise, and the how-to of thought leadership. Her podcast, 'How To: Thought Leadership' shares tactics of personal PR and growing your audience for experts who need to market themselves. Julie is mom to two amazing daughters and wife to a financial analyst turned YouTube woodworker.

LinkedIn | Reply to this note and I’ll send a link to my calendar for an intro call.