How to Go From Expert to Thought Leader (The Shift That Changes Everything) | Ch. 8

We're rocking and rolling.

Oh, and then I repeated it.

Woo, woo, woo! So exciting! Part 2!

Oh my gosh.

Let me open the book so I can remember what Part 2 is about.

Woo!

Oh, this is so good. Part 2 is about becoming someone who tells stories, becoming the person who tells stories. This is super important. So I'm really, really glad that you're here. Welcome back to Speaking Story, the free audiobook version of Speaking Story by me, Sally Zimney. I am both the author and the narrator of this. And yes, you can go run to Audible right now and get the ad-free version of Speaking Story over there, kind of your traditional beginning-to-end audiobook. And I hope that you like it and, or you can get it for free here on your podcast feed and here on YouTube. So welcome, welcome. Part of what's fun about coming back and doing this is the book was written in 2023. It was published in 2024. And, uh, late, late, late in 2024, I recorded the audiobook and it is now 2026.

So.

It doesn't have to take that long, movers, but, uh, that is how long it took me to do all of this. I've been busy doing a lot of other amazing things, but it's, it's really especially exciting for me to be bringing this audiobook to you because I'm an audiobook person. I love listening to audiobooks. I prefer, I mean, I like to have them physically because I just kind of like the feel of them and the sound of— what's it called? No, um, ASMR. I was like, EMDR? No, that's something else. Anyway, if you've been walking with us through the whole time, you, you know this already, but if you're kind of jumping in right here in part 2, what I can tell you is that, uh, I feel really strongly that of course I think this is important. I mean, I wrote a book about it. Of course I think it's important. I just feel this drive right now to make sure that you, everybody listening, knows how to do this, which is really, really important. But here in part 2, it's about the belief of doing this. You can know how to do it, but if you don't feel like it's something you should be doing or could be doing or have what it takes to do, it doesn't matter. This is why While I do much of my keynote speaking about actually these kinds of skills, storytelling, development, and presentations, and lots and lots of trainings for companies. And one of my new, my new offerings this coming year is training about this kind of thing. At the end of the day, what I realized as a coach, years ago was that most of the work I was doing was about the internal belief. It was very much about what we were thinking and what we were believing in the road to stepping out front and sharing our story and allowing ourselves to be seen. And it is a, it is an internal, it is internal work. You'll hear a little bit more about this, but I did not really think as I was getting into this work that essentially I'm a, you know, I'm not a therapist, but I get paid to play one in my day job. And I say that with so much love and respect for everyone that I work with. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone that I work with is on the internal journey. That is where the real work happens. So it's nice to talk about how to do it, but if we don't talk about our belief in becoming someone who actually does it, it does not matter. So we are at part 2. It's episode 11 and chapter 8. That's a lot of different numbers. Here we go. And, uh, I am so excited to share this chapter with you because if you're listening to this, you know your stuff. You, you have the experience, the credentials, the years of doing the work, and that like even, even with all of that, it doesn't really matter until you believe. About that shift, that it's about more than just technique. It's a whole new way of showing up. So let's dive in.

Hey everybody, and welcome to This Moved Me, a podcast about creating talks that move the world, with me, your host, Sally Koering Zimney. This complimentary listening of this Speaking Story audiobook is brought to you in part by the Be Moved Institute, or as I lovingly refer to it, Be Me. Leadership almost always comes with a microphone, Movers, whether that's a meeting, a presentation, a tough conversation, a keynote conference opportunity that you have. I mean, even if you would never call yourself a speaker, or a storyteller, you are one. You just might not have the tools that you need yet, or the support that you need yet. And that's why I created the Unspeaker Simple Storytelling Audio Course. It's like having me right alongside you on your walk or in the car on your commute, and it guides you through simple, powerful exercises to find the leadership stories that are already inside you and that will move your people. It's $49, but it's truly priceless, and I'm really excited to give you the opportunity to come join me over there. All you have to do is head to sally-koering-zimney.com/unspeaker to get started. And while you're there, join the waitlist for the Be Moved Institute. An incredible 2-day experience where we are giving corporate leaders the tools to present with power and clarity and authenticity and support. Now let's get into the chapter.

Part 2.

Become Someone Who Tells Stories. Chapter 8: Moving from Expert to Thought Leader. You may be coming to this book already confident in what you know. That's an important place to start. You have experience, knowledge, and topical expertise. All of these things are truly needed if you're going to stand up and speak your story. But that can't be where it ends. Your job as a leader is to share not only what you know, but also who you are. And if that feels scary right now, that's okay. Stories push us to move beyond the head, step into risk, and speak from the heart in truly transformative ways. The process of speaking your story is the process of moving from expert to thought leader. An expert knows things and shares what they know in the form of information. Dr. Fauci is a great example. So is a meteorologist and sometimes a history book or museum guide. Even Google and so many of the new AI functions act as experts for us. And that's great. We need experts. And we can't ultimately become a speaker without first owning our expert status. Yes, you know enough. Yes, your experiences are enough. Yes, your knowledge is worthy. But we can't stay in the land of expert. We have to make the shift into thought leadership. A thought leader knows things and shares what they know, but they also share who they are. This means they share stories. They share how they came to know what they know. Their stories and ideas are grounded in that knowledge and experience, and more More importantly, they're rooted in a vision and story for something different. Experts share information. Thought leaders create meaning. Ultimately, speakers are people who are shaping perspective and leading with that perspective. Thought leader is one of the terms we use to express that idea. So your job, if you wanna harness the power of story, is to embrace the role of thought leadership. Yes, I know, I know, you may be cringing at the thought leadership concept. Too many bad TEDx talks will do that to you. But if you have an idea you want to share with the world, and you do, if you have a concept you want people to follow, and you do, if you have a point you want to make or something you want to convince people of, and you do, then you need to embrace the idea of thought leadership. And thought leadership works better with stories. So let me tell you about another one of my speakers, Jess. Along with being a speaker, Jess is an Enneagram coach and leadership consultant who helps teams and leaders move through conflict and create more productive and peaceful working environments. She knows all the things she needs to know to do her work. She has all the accolades, coaching certifications, and a master's degree to boot. She is an educator and is educated. She is eminently capable and skilled, and she has so much expertise and information to offer. But telling stories? As Jess embraced the potential of her role as a speaker, she knew that storytelling would be important. Knowing it and doing it are two very different things, though. When you've been an educator, an information teacher for decades like she had been, it's hard to trust that storytelling can be not only an important companion to that information, but also the linchpin to its success. When Jess came to me, her talks were good. She had such natural capabilities and is a gifted communicator, but the stories were generic, hidden underneath the weight of information and tools that Jess trusted and was leaning on. She wasn't taking advantage of the persuasive power of stories, and it was keeping her stuck in the sea of experts clamoring for attention and recognition. Jess told me, "I love speaking. I'm desperate to do it more. It fills me up, but there's something missing from it. I know stories are important, but I'm not sure how to tell them well and in a way that engages my audience." So together we created a more story-driven message she could share as a keynote speaker, what I call a signature talk, one that felt more personal, more vulnerable, more real, and ultimately more impactful. She started to shift from purely an expert to a more story-driven, perspective-shaping thought leader. Tens of thousands of dollars in speaking revenue and a TEDx Talk later, Jess may not necessarily be comfortable with the title of thought leader, but she is one. She is building stronger connections with her audience and becoming an authority and a go-to in her industry. And it's not because she's giving them more information. It's because she is showing up with a story-driven message. That's the thing. People can get your expertise online for free right now. Without paying you a cent, they can find all the information they need without you. It's the story that helps them decide whether they want to get their information from you. The story helps your audience decide if you, get them. The story helps people know the context of the expertise and why it matters. The story helps you stand out. P.S. Jess has taken that same story-driven approach to her social media. Just the other day she said to me, "It works, Sally. Stories really do work." That's the end of this chapter of Speaking Story. If you want to keep listening ad-free, you can find the full audiobook on Audible or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. And if this chapter stirred something in you, if it, shall we say, moved you, let me suggest that you start with the Unspeaker Simple Storytelling Audio Mini Course at sally-zimney.com. Www.moving.com/unspeaker.

All right, movers. This moved me.

What is moving you? See you next time.