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.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on Substack!

Quick episode to get you moving for the week ahead:

Are there too many people in the market already with a newsletter?

Is there any space for yours?

We're going to wrestle with that idea for a few.

There are reasons to be nervous right now. The biggest ones are because of us and our guts. The biggest ones are because of us and the fact that we're not moving.

Don't worry about the market.

Worry about the actions you're taking today.

Do you need a newsletter? Do you want a newsletter? What does it do for you?

I'm going to talk about this kickoff for Inbox Influence, but as always, I am all about DIY. So if you need to conserve cash, You need to do it on your own. Don't let that stop you.

More than anything else you're going to hear me say, like always, you're not going to figure it out till you've started. You're not going to see the benefits till you're down the road, but don't delay don't put this off.

Learn how to navigate a saturated marketing environment by identifying your unique value proposition and effectively communicating with your target audience.

Gain insights on creating impactful content, selecting the right email marketing platform, and setting up your first newsletter.

Join our Inbox Influence masterclass if you need this figured out, stat.

Thanks so much for tuning in to How To: Thought Leadership!

(first episode published after moving to Substack from Buzzsprout! Let’s roll!)

Read more about why to start a newsletter.

00:00 Identifying Marketing Saturation

00:46 Unique Value Proposition

02:03 Building a Body of Work

04:42 Defining Your Target Audience

06:14 Addressing Client Problems

07:28 Choosing the Right Email Marketing Platform

About me:

Grab time on my calendar for an intro call or with questions. Happy to help.

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. She hosts high-profile conversations on her podcast, 'How To: Thought Leadership'. Based in Dallas, Texas, Julie graduated from California State University of Long Beach with a Bachelors in Economics and studied Accounting at the University of California, San Diego, and is mom to two amazing daughters and wife to a financial analyst turned YouTube woodworker.

LinkedIn

If you're looking for a podcast on thought leadership, often, you're facing a pivot. A layoff. A big change ahead.

And you know that thought leadership is a powerful tool to wield in that endeavor.

But there's still some challenges that make you feel stuck:
Fear. You don't know if you should bet on YOU.

Meet Yann Dang, a finance leader turned executive and life coach. She helps women in male dominated spaces build lasting confidence. With over 20 years of experience as a finance leader in corporate America, Yann has been the only woman in the room, the youngest, the one breaking barriers and defying the odds.

Julie's big takeaway:
I'm a brain nerd. I loved Yann's approach to fear, that while it is a challenge, it's important to give it a listen - it may just need some calming down. Then you can move on, rather than ignoring what you're hearing! Doing so with a trained guide will expedite the process.

GIFT TO HOW TO: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP LISTENERS!
Yann is generously gifting a 90-min session with our podcast listeners! While space is available, book your spot! https://calendly.com/yanndang/coaching-consultation

LIVE SESSION:
For members of the network Chief, join Yann on Friday Oct 28th from 1-2pm EST for Navigating Workplace Conflict Confidently: Transforming Tensions into Triumph: https://members.chief.com/meetups/S0Xl0hv9s3

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Follow Yann Dang:
Website: aspire-coaching.co
Email: connect@aspire-coaching.co
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yanndang/
Instagram: instagram.com/aspirecoaching_yann/

Stop waiting for recognition - It's time to recognize yourself.

Learn how to build your audience at DIYInfluence.com
Follow Julie Michelle Morris on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliemichellemorris/

"People don't just want to connect to you because of your expertise. They want to connect with you on a heart human level..." says Nidhi Tewari, LCSW.

Join Julie Morris as they dive deep into Nidhi's shift from therapist to influential speaker. Learn how she mastered LinkedIn, built a powerful personal brand, started with free workshops, and partnered with a top speaker agency. If you're eager to transform your expertise into wide-reaching influence, this episode offers the roadmap.

About Nidhi Tewari, LCSW
Website | LinkedIn

Nidhi brings a unique combination of personal and professional experience with mental health to her speaking. As a licensed therapist and consultant with over a decade of experience, and as a person who has overcome her own mental health challenges, Nidhi is highly sought after by corporations, conferences, and brands for her science-validated tools, storytelling, and engaging delivery. She was invited to speak about workplace wellbeing at the World Economic Forum, and her expertise is featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, TED Blog, Thrive Global, Oprah Daily, and HuffPost. Her clients have included Godiva, NPR, National Speakers Association, UC San Diego, The American Society for Quality, WellnessCoach, The Futur, Activate, and APN Lodge.

Stop waiting for recognition - It's time to recognize yourself.

Learn how to build your audience at DIYInfluence.com
Follow Julie Michelle Morris on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliemichellemorris/

Special session in CHIEF with Julie Michelle Morris and Melissa Cohen!

Personal branding - what a convoluted topic! It's overly complex, when it should instead be pragmatic, clear, operational.

Let's show the power of personal branding and how you can leverage it:
- To differentiate you
- Toward finding clients
- To rise above other equally qualified candidates
- To make your thought leadership go from good to great

This will be a brief discussion with Melissa Cohen and Julie Michelle Morris, to give you tactics to put to work right away from our session.

We walk and live what we teach!
Want to work with us?
We kick off SOON - visit https://diyinfluence.com/bootcamp and use code Q4 - and let’s put you on a fulfilling path and trajectory in personal branding like ours!

Stop waiting for recognition - It's time to recognize yourself.

Learn how to build your audience at DIYInfluence.com
Follow Julie Michelle Morris on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliemichellemorris/

In this 20-min episode with Melissa, we get brutally honest about our love for the black turtleneck, simple personal branding, and a powerful network!

Recorded in Spring 2023, Melissa and I didn’t know during this episode, and that we would go on to teach and partner together, and have a blast leading others through a self-discovery journey on LinkedIn! ❤️👏

🎧 Give it a listen to light your fire and get your feet moving!

We walk and live what we teach!
Want to work with us?
We kick off SOON - visit https://diyinfluence.com/bootcamp and use code Q4 - and let’s put you on a fulfilling path and trajectory in personal branding like ours!

Stop waiting for recognition - It's time to recognize yourself.

Learn how to build your audience at DIYInfluence.com
Follow Julie Michelle Morris on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliemichellemorris/