Ep. 117 Becoming Unforgettable?

Hey there, Mark Brown. Learning to be unforgettable. I think a lot of people think it's easier, and I think they think they're alone in the struggle.

Mark, listen, that's a request that people have all over the world. And the cool thing is we have built a community of people who together are learning to do just that. Beyond forgettable. And today we get to meet some.

Anyone can give a presentation. Few deliver unforgettable presentations. What's the difference? You're about to find out. Welcome to the Unforgettable Presentations podcasts with your hosts, world champion speakers and coaches, Mark Brown.

Mark Brown, your life tells a story, and there's someone out there who needs to hear it.

And Darren Lacroix. And Darren Lacroix.

Stage time. Stage time. Stage time.

Ready for some powerful presentation. AHAs. Let's dive right in.

All right, Mark. I just remember I went to my first NSA convention and there's 2,000 people there, and I thought I was the only one in the room who wasn't making any money. It took me like two or three years before I realized 85% of the people here are barely making anything. And I think people like, in their struggle to be unforgettable, they. They think they're alone. They think, man, this is. It's work. It's work to be unforgettable. It's work to be world class.

Oh, no doubt about that. You know, and everyone has to go through that struggle. You and I just did a program, a three day program with some. Some of our attendees. And when they realized the kind of work we put into, just to get a speech to fit into a certain timeframe, how to find the right kind of words and language. It was very eye opening and very educational. And I think it's really cool that through Stagetown University, we are helping people to get an understanding of that to go from good to great to unforgettable. And I can't wait to meet some of our members and to get their take on the whole process. I'll let you lead, brother.

Yeah. These are the people who are out there doing the work, fighting the good fight, falling down, getting up, giving another presentation. So let's just start. In no particular order, Sarah McGill. Sarah McGill. Welcome. Glad to have you here. How are you doing?

Great, thank you. And I'm happy to be here.

Nice. I'm glad you're happy. So just real quick background. So how did you come to know about Stagetime University?

Ooh, okay. It was a couple of years ago and I met You, Darren, when you were speaking and got to know you and learned about the program with stage time, and I couldn't pass it up. I remember I justified it by giving up my gym membership. I was like, I'm doing this. I'm going for it.

Nice. Giving up the gym membership. Wow, there's pressure there.

I can run outside. I can run outside and.

Okay, so that's how you got to know about us. What was it that got you to want to be a part of stage time? But what was your aspiration?

Well, I do have. I have a mission. I have a heart for moms with daughters. I've got two daughters, and that was the audience I wanted to speak to. And I remember talking to you about it, and it was just this tiny little inkling of an idea back then, and you said, this is going to go somewhere. This is going to be big. There's all these moms out there who need you. They need to hear your message. They need to hear what you have to say. That's all I needed to hear. I needed someone to believe in me, and you did that for me, and that was incredible. And then joining stage time and finding this wonderful group of people with the same kind of mission, their own mission, but the same reason for getting out there and helping people and speaking to people, just getting to know others, having that community was the best thing that I ever could have done, was finding a community like you have.

And now who's your audience and what's your message?

My audience is still girl moms. I particularly like to help moms build their daughter's self esteem, confidence, and character. And I do that right now through a podcast I have called Raising Fearless Girls.

Awesome.

Nice. All right, welcome. You stand out. Mike stands out. Kathy stands out, because you guys are the ones doing the work. That's why you were invited. You're doing the work, so I figured your stories are going to resonate with people. So, Mike Davis, how did you find out about stage time?

You called me in 2003 and said, I'm starting this new group. We'd like you to be one of the members. Now, you had agreed a year before that to become my mentor. Because I passed your big test. Yeah, I was in right away because I knew the value of following the people who are doing what you want to do. Get right in line behind them, and everything they suggest you do, just do it. Don't question it, just do it. Because they see things in you you can't see. Just every time you suggested something I did It.

Which is rare, by the way. You have a lot of people who want it. And then here's the first suggestion. No, that's not going to. Well, why'd you ask? Why'd you ask? And the quiz. The. The test that Mike passed was the get the book test. When people came to me, they want to be funnier. I said, okay, go get this book. And how simple is that? And I do that because if somebody's not willing to go get the book, I recommend a $12 book. Go get this book. And then you come back to me and you got another question. No, duh. If you're not going to respect my one thing, you're never going to do the hard work. Mike Davis, who's your audience? What's your message?

I'm now working with business leaders, business owners to help them become more confident and influential speakers every time they speak, whether it's to a camera or to a live audience.

Yeah. And for those of you listening, Mike is also a coach. He's a member and a coach. He's the Hair club president and a client.

Yeah, right. Karen, you and I. Look, those who aren't watching the video will know. Darren and I have. No, not too much on the follicle part.

We have hair envy when Mike Davis is around.

Yeah. Cool, smooth hair. Yeah.

And the true. The true thing is you got the call. You got to put me in coach. When we had an event and Craig Valentine got injured and we had a coaching event, people were flying in. What do we do? How do we coach people? He needed, like, surgery right away, so he couldn't be there for one of the days. So we called the guy who is out there doing the work. Make no mistake, one of the ways you're going to get that bigger platform is that you show up, people are aware of you. They see how hard you're working. In the comedy world, I was always told the first day you get to be headliner is the day the headliner doesn't show up. And they got no choice and it's too late to call someone else. And that's exactly kind of what happened here. So, Mike Davis, we love you. You're awesome. You're a great coach and a great mentor as well.

And it's cool because he's also the host of our weekly coaching call and the emcee for our live events. So, Mike, we're glad you're here today.

Thanks, Mark.

All right, Kathy. Kathy, how did you come to know about stage time?

Well, I guess I knew about you first. Because my sister was in Toastmasters with you a million years ago, and I'm pretty sure there was like three speakers and you were one of them that she said, you have to come. And I had no idea what Toastmasters was back then. She's like, you have to come to this Toastmasters event and see the speaker. They're one of the better speakers. You know, like three times she drugged me kicking and screaming to see speakers. And you're one of them and you didn't have any idea who I was back then. And then I was helping. I joined Toastmasters, like, helping launch some clubs. And my sister's like, we gotta get Darren to come talk. And so we met through my sister. When you came to help us, you presented at one of the MGM resorts, new Toastmasters clubs. And then we just kept running into each other. And I saw you at nsa, and I don't know what year it was I joined. It took a little bit, but, yeah, it was just over the years, what.

Was it that you saw that you're like, yeah, I want to be a part of this.

So I did want to be a speaker, and I was hanging out with speakers and I was lacking kind of where to start and that community to have people encouraging you to just work towards your business. And I liked what I saw, and I have to say something Sarah said too, is you're like the encourager. You always let people know that they can do it. You always make us feel like we have it within our reach. And typically we are doing the opposite thing in our heads. So it's great to have a mentor who's telling you, no, you can do this, you can do this. And I'm your biggest fan. And I'm going to find out today that I'm not the only one you say that to right now.

I don't know what you're talking about. And, Kathy, who is your audience? What's your message?

So my audience is senior leaders who want to build the leadership muscle of their leaders, of their managers, activate better performance and strong results. My message right now is focusing on the approach to dealing with uncertainty, because right now no one is an expert, because no one has actually survived managing a business during a pandemic, who's currently trying to manage a business during pandemic. So I've done a lot of research around that topic, and I share strategies to be an effective leader and face uncertainty, which we're probably going to be continuing to face for the next couple of years. We're in denial. But.

Kathy, you Took a path that Ford Sakes, Craig Valentine, Ed Tate, David Brooks, took where you started off by speaking as a contract trainer. Explain that.

And this is part of why you have to be around people, right? Because if I wasn't at nsa, I wasn't in Toastmasters, and, and Toastmasters led me to NSA Las Vegas. I would have never actually gotten paid to speak because I had a mentor, Judy Morio, and because I did a lot of work and they gave her to me as a mentor to me. And she asked me, what do you want to do? I'm like, well, I actually want to get paid to speak. So she knew somebody and hooked me up with prior learning solutions and got me in the door faster than most people would and did that for four years. And I'm still doing it because it's not bad gig during the pandemic, sitting in front of your camera, you know, 120 days a year, you know, so I've done it for four years. And it's a hard, it's a hard gig. You don't get paid your value, but when you don't get paid your value, you actually understand how valuable you are and you have platform skills, you find your lane, you, you make all those mistakes. And I was pretty good in front of the room, and now I feel like I'm pretty darn good right here in front of this camera because I do this every day, like three days a week.

So, yeah, paid stage time. Stage time. Stage time. Sweet. So we want to cover from your perspective, the three of you, what was some of like the struggles you went through. So your, if your goal, people listening to this, they have a desire to be unforgettable. What's some of the struggles you had or maybe one struggle you had? And how did stage time or one of the coaches or coaching call or one of the programs, maybe the step by step program. How did that help you?

The first thing that jumps to mind, Darren, is the day you asked me to host the weekly Zoom calls back in 2017. My initial reaction was no, which I'd never said to you before, and not because I wouldn't want to do it. I was afraid I would embarrass your brand. But again, as a good mentor does, you saw something in me. You said, you'll be fine. The first night was an utter disaster. I felt like, okay, that's no good. He will find somebody else. And you just kept pushing me back out there. And it was a reminder. Just like we teach in speaking, it isn't going to Be perfect the first time, the second time. You never want perfection. It's not going to be that good. Don't worry about it. As long as you learn from it and keep getting back out there and doing it. Every part of stage time that we coach and teach goes back to that. Get on there, get in front of the camera, get in front of a group. Go do it. Ask yourself this question first. What did I do? Well, make a list of that. Then we can talk about what you didn't do. Well, because you're. You're going to beat yourself up. We don't need to, but that's it. Just keep getting out there and doing it. And don't worry about in the beginning getting it right. Just get some experience doing it.

And Mike, I'm going to come back to you in a second as a coach. What you see a lot of our members because you're on. You're the only one who's on every coaching call. What do you see some of the struggles and what people need to get past to truly become unforgettable? Sarah?

Well, I'm going to jump on the COVID bandwagon and say that that was one of my biggest struggles. I was just about to start speaking in person to moms and Covid hit, of course, and I had to course correct. I had to find another way. And I did so by starting this podcast. And that happened to be one of your programs here at Stagetime. I had an incredible time learning through that workshop over the two days. I've done other workshops since about podcasting, and by far and away, I learned more from yours at Stage Time than any other place. It's just incredible, the value that I got, because here I am over a year later, still podcasting, still giving great information to moms, and it all started with this one little workshop, which is awesome.

I'm curious, Sarah, your podcast is audio, obviously. Do you ever do video as well?

I record for video when I have folks on. When I do interview other people. But most of my episodes are just me speaking, and that will be me with my hair up in a messy bun and so no without makeup.

So, no, I don't.

Well, I do ask that question, you know, for a reason, because I know for you, you were a little bit concerned about doing video challenges as well as part of stage time, and you often shared the story of your. One of your first experiences where it wasn't perfect, but you did it. And I'm curious to know if the idea of venturing force and doing the Podcast. Being part of the program, did you find in yourself, Sarah, the ability to do what you were concerned about doing or what you thought you could not do, but you felt the encouragement to press on anyway?

I see where you're going, Mark, and I'm going to tell you this. I don't think I could have done that podcast in the first place. Not only for the workshop that I went through, but also this challenge that we had at stage time. Back then, it was a 51 day game changers challenge and anyone who did this challenge had to go on Facebook and do a live video and it was 51 days. I remember my very first. Oh my goodness. My very first one. I think Darren shows it sometimes as what not to do, because it was.

No, I show it as inspiration of exactly what to do.

Okay, well, I did it. I got it out there. I finished off in not the best light, but I didn't die. That's what I always say. I didn't die. And I left it up there. And because you can just, you can delete these and redo a new one. I left it out there for my girls to see it. I have two young daughters and I really wanted them to see what mom overcomes and then that burden to getting the 51 days under my belt. And they saw a huge difference that way. And that really, it tremendously helped me get this podcast started. It gave me that extra courage. So the challenges alone in stage time will, will get you going.

Thank you, Kathy.

Can I replay Sarah's that video? Because I've seen it like three times. It was like.

Thought I shut it off.

Awesome, awesome. So I remember I was surprised at how much it impacted me. This is why I remember this one. It was when we were back in the old days, pre pandemic. In person, you get coached to speak and I always hem and ha should I do the upgrade, be the vip and oh, you know, and I didn't. But I was amazed not being one of the VIPs, just seeing people get coached, how much you could learn by just being in the room. And that really was amazing to me. And then I just want to just because it's giving me a flash forward to 2019 influence. When I saw you and Mark run do that event and I, I was like, well, I'm going to go to your breakout session because I'm exhausted and I don't want to go to any others. And you're like, thanks. And it was amazing because I watched it there as like a friend and a part of the community. And I was watching what you were doing, but I was also listening to the 200 people in the room and they all had that same experience I had by watching two or three people get coached by you guys for just a couple minutes, changing two words. And I heard these people going, oh my gosh, did you hear? Did you see that? Oh my gosh, that was amazing. And I was like, you could feel the energy in the room of everyone having this response to seeing somebody get coached and the huge impact a small change can make in a couple words or the first word that comes out of their mouth. So, you know, that was probably two or three years later. And you know, it's still something that's impacted me is you don't have to necessarily be the one being coached, but if you're just open to be present and listen and just be a sponge, right? You can learn from every experience if you're just there and present.

Well, thanks Kathy for clarification. If you're brand new to our podcast and Kathy mentioned going to an event and being a VIP and also influence 2019. At our events we have attendees who pay to observe and be a part and be involved. But the VIPs get special attention over a three day program to improve in their coaching program, as in get coached to speak. We have different programs and Influence is the name of the annual conference for the National Speakers association. And in 2019 they normally do 45 minute sessions. In 2019 in Denver, Colorado, Darren LaCroix and I did a 90 minute deep dive version of live coaching for over 200 attendees and some very, very well known speakers. And that I believe that was the event you attended. I think I'll go. But again you saw by simply observing with our experience how we're able to help even professional speakers help them improve their presentations. And I was tickled, Darren, one time he gave one personal bit of help and I heard somebody say it's better already after a few seconds. And this may sound like we're blowing our own horn, but don't forget now, Darren built stage time to do just that. To help people become better, to pursue excellence and to become unforgettable who have married our 50 plus years of experience to this, in this effort to really help people to become better as presenters and better individuals. So we really appreciate your perspective, Kathy, and the fact that you're still here tells us what do one or two things right. What do you think, Darren?

And can I just add, Harvey MacKay, swim with the Sharks was in the audience. And if you don't know who Harvey McKay is. It's because you're not as old as me. He walked up and he gushed about the experience, and he had his note, his pad of paper there, and he's like, I took 20 pages of notes. It's one of the best breakouts I've ever been to. And that is just what you said. It's the combination of the two of you and how well you work together to coach speakers. Because everyone, they didn't just see it, but they felt it. And there's a difference between seeing it and noticing what's going on. But they felt. They felt what happened with the speech, with the coaches, and that's the difference. It was this feeling that the whole room felt, including Cargy McKay, who I was so glad just be standing next to him.

Well, you know, I tell you, we're honored. We were honored. Harvey did approach us unsolicited and give us a recommendation and testimonial, which we appreciate. But it was our opportunity to show the National Speakers association and the professional speaking world what we're doing every day here at Stagetown University. And it was all the brainchild of my brother right here, my other bald brother, Darren Lacroix.

So we help people with. We have live events, live and now hybrid events. We have go at your own pace programs. The old CDs and DVDs we've turned into online programs, and then we have live coaching calls, which I think is one of the biggest differentiators to any other program out there. I don't know of any other program where they actually do live coaching, and I think that's critical. But let's start with just the step by step programs in terms of which one of the programs helped you the most and what breakthrough did it give you, if you remember?

So it was funny. I did the virtual presentations. I don't know what the exact name of it is, towards the beginning of the pandemic, and I think it was one of the first ones. And I was like, well, I'm already on virtual, you know, whatever. And so I did it. And I was like, oh, I guess I don't know everything there is to know virtual. And I did the vip, which was great. So I got the feedback from the coaches, but I also got the feedback from the participants. And, you know, I don't know what I was listening to the other day, but, you know, somebody was talking about how when we speak, we don't. We only have our own perspective of what we're doing. We don't know really what's going on in the audience unless you take the time to figure that out. So it was a great opportunity to hear from the coaches and I think Mark actually stayed with me. I think maybe for that I have like a vision of Mark being with me while we were waiting for everybody. But it could have been Ed too or it could have been two parts or something, you know, to just see, get the feedback from the coaches, get the feedback for the participants. And it helped me connect better with the audience because of that. And that's a hard thing to do when you're just on this, especially in this world to know what's happening on the other side. So yeah, for me it was the virtual. What is the name of that official name?

Mastering virtual presentation. That one, that one, that one. If you're listening to this you can go to stagetimeworkshops.com stagetimeworkshops.com Sarah, what program helped you. Do you remember?

The one that we, that I did by on my own online was the, it was called, it's called create your keynote by next week. And then I believe you guys turn that into unforgettable presentations because I've done that one as well. So I did that on my own step by step. I went through it and was able to go through the frick method like put layout, an entire keynote ready to go. And then I actually went through this program as unforgettable presentations live as a vip. And I'm going to tell you, there's nothing like being a VIP when you are really trying to work and hone in on something like getting your keynote just right or like Kathy said, with the virtual presentations upgrading to that VIP level was huge for me. I got that one on one attention and it was actually a two on one. It was you and Mark were there and coaching me and that was just fantastic. And then recently I just went through it again through a virtual presentation that you guys did online. And so I didn't realize this was the third time I've done this and every single time because I'm working on a new keynote and every single time I just, I get, I find out something new, I learned something new even though I've already gone through it. Some of that's just the experience that I've had but I'm always catching new insights and I think that's just something to be for people to remember who are already in stage time too is doing these programs again is nothing but helpful. Just helpful.

Yeah, it's just like reading a book or if there's a course, even if it's not one of our courses, you go through a course now, a year or so later, go through again if it was content rich, you're gonna get something different out of it. No doubt. Mike.

I have such a unique perspective on stage time because of all I do and access to everything I love. Secrets of storytelling. As far as one of the master courses, what I want to add on to what you just said, Darren, is I have this unique opportunity not only to host core call, be a coach, I get to audit all of the videos. I get to hear this two, three times minimum. And it's the second and third time through that I get the real value, the aha's. Because especially when I'm coaching and hosting, sometimes I just can't. I have a different perspective. And when you're speaking and you're getting, you're out there and you're giving your speeches and you're sharing your stories and then you come back to the material with that real world experience, you see all of this material differently. And that's what I love about, about what you've done, Darren. You've created this library not just of material, but of coaches that give such unique perspectives on all aspects of the presentation world. I've had an opportunity to see other programs out there. They're okay. There's nothing that's touching. And yes, I know I'm biased, I'm one of the coaches, but I'm also a student and I've been a student of this art for more than 20 years. There ain't nobody out there forgive the language. Ain't nobody out there doing nothing as good or as close as to what you're providing.

Wow. Thank you, Mike.

Well, we appreciate that.

Thank you. And one of the other unique things about stage time, because I was trying to think of what do people need? What do people need? Well, they need the step by step, the direction. Here's where to go. But what they also need is what I call the correction. They need the coaching from a qualified coach. So we started, thanks to Mike, we started a weekly coaching call where we, and this goes back to what Cathy said is you can learn so much by watching other people get coached. So we have three of our members be coached on any given call, but everyone else adds their perspective, you know, online. And so how did the coaching calls. And Mike and Sarah, I'm going to ask you about the skill calls. And Kathy, I'm going to ask you about the business calls. Because we also do business mentoring and I know you're on all of those. So, Sarah, we'll start with you. What do you see about the live coaching calls?

Okay, this one? Yeah, I want to talk about this one because it was huge for me. For those of you out there who are Toastmasters, who've ever tried Toastmasters, if that's what you're working in, that is great. I did that for about a year before I joined stagetime, when I joined Stage Time and started going to or dialing in for the coaching calls weekly. Like you said, I'm listening to others get coached. I've been coached. Sometimes it's two on one and sometimes it is three on one coaching that you get. It is incredible. And then you are also getting the feedback from other members who have dialed in as well. But the biggest difference that I saw was learning through others and being coached is that I went back to my Toastmasters club and they are just in awe of how quickly, like my speaking improved at lightning speed because of this coaching. And you can't get that just from going through the programs online. You have to have this other aspect of coaching, one on one that you get two on one, three on one that I don't know of other programs that have that stage time is so.

Unique and just amazing.

And like I said, you can increase your ability so quickly.

So quickly.

That's cool, Mike.

Yeah, that's so well said, Sarah. You can't coach yourself. I've had a couple of my stories coached on coaching calls. As a coach, you can't do it. What I've noticed in the last four years, especially recently, is the comments from our members in the chat box every week have gotten so insightful. We know Mark because Mark's on at least half the calls every month. We see the ones who are working the program because they'll make comments. And I'm thinking, well, that's. I wish I'd have thought of that. So we know they're working in this program. We live in a world where if you can go on a TV show in six months, you can get a record contract, American Idol, the Voice, whatever. And people mistakenly believe that that's how it is. It's not. It takes a long time and repetitive work and to go back. And it can be lonely. And that's another power of this community, community you've created. Speaking is a lonely job. A lot of practice by yourself. And it's less lonely when you've got a community of people who first of all understand and Empathize with what you're going through, and second, can give you qualified feedback. And that's what really blows me away about the weekly core calls is what our members are coming to us with as attendees and just watching.

Thank you, Mike and Kathy. We also have Business Mastery, where you bought. You're on pretty much every call with me and Ford where we mentor people in the business. So part of it is skill, but we also have Business Mastery, which is business and skill. It's not one or the other, it's both. Because if you want to be in this business, you got to have a good presentation as well. It's your number one marketing tool. So as far as the mentoring calls, again, live calls, asking us questions, reviewing your website, looking at your LinkedIn profile, your YouTube channel. Kathy, what would you say? How is that helpful to people?

Well, so I would say that the business side of this business is the hardest part. So clearly, we all show up because we have a message, we have this passion, we have this desire to share something with the world, right? You don't get to do it unless you run the business. And that is the hardest part about this. It's making the calls, the prospecting calls, or researching the prospects, having a good presence, pulling it all together, knowing what to say, and that's what we get there. And even the whole support thing. So, you know, you know that I made these little friends, you know, that are all in Business Mastery through. In the community. And we met for breakfast, you know, several years ago at one of the annual events. But we knew each other from Business Mastery, and we knew each other from the challenges. And so we still meet every month on a zoom call. We call it Friends Mastermind. And we hold each other accountable for the business part. And so we learn in the calls, we sometimes debrief what's happened at the calls, and then we make goals based on those calls, and it's just to support one another. So we actually have businesses, because the businesses does not happen. You don't just have a logo and create a good LinkedIn profile and good website, and people just don't start calling you. You know, there's the work that has to be done, and that's the hardest part of this business. And that's what most people don't like to do. So to have that accountability and those constant conversations, reminders, and the coaching of people, it helps keep your head in the game. I don't know who said you're only as strong as the five people around you. And so if you're not surrounding yourself in this business with people that are in the business, everyone else around you is going to probably talk you out of doing it. Because we are crazy to have those people, the support, to have the calls. Even when you hear things that you heard it, you know, you heard it before, but you hear it the right way because it is work. It takes hard, consistent work. But I also believe, and this is me being an optimist, that Jennifer Lear said this. The playing field has been leveled in the speaking business because all the in person speakers got canceled and they're not really in person totally yet. So anyone who has a message and can be unforgettable and I think find themselves, which is what you guys do. You help people find themselves and know the business. Anyone can get into this business right now, but you have to be willing to do the work. And it's hard. It's really hard. But the playing field is level and anyone can enter, but you have to do the work every day. And that's what you guys instill in us, especially you and Ford and more. So Ford, really the hammer.

He's a bit more direct.

Yes.

So what would you say to somebody, and this is for anyone, what would you say to someone who thought, I don't really need that. I can figure it out on my own.

Good luck.

Go just update your resume because you're gonna need a job.

You can't teach yourself. You can't teach yourself to speak.

Yeah, I would say, and I know it's a bit of a cliche, but in the sports world, the greatest athletes have coaches, multiple coaches.

Why?

Because it's impossible to coach yourself. You cannot see your own strengths. A lot of times we ignore our strength, but we can't see the weak.

Spots, blind spots, because you're on every week, Mike. You see this more than all of us. I didn't even get until we started assembling Michael Hague, Kevin Burke, you guys, Jennifer Leone. I didn't see how clear it was that every coach has their own unique strength, their own superpower. I just thought, well, they're a good coach, they're a great coach, but. No, they're great. But then there's that thing that they stand out in, that truly they have their superpowers. What's your thoughts on that, Mike?

It's really an interesting question, Darren, because it's rare that we have the coaches disagree. It happened. It happened the other night with Michael Hagenby. He was absolutely right about something I said. But we agree, but we have a different perspective Whether it's storytelling, humor, it's uncovering a message or how you deliver. And I was very happy about a year ago when I realized I had a lot of the same notes written down that Mark Brown had or Michael Hague or Darren or Kevin. I thought, I'm starting to really get this. We're all in the same wavelength, but we still have our unique perspective. I coach a lot of TED speakers. Mark works with a lot of keynotes. He's worked with kids. I haven't worked with kid audiences very much. So we all bring those experiences in perspective, but we're all in the same lane, going in the same direction as far as helping people become better presenters.

That's good to hear. And I want to ask a simple, trite question almost, but as Darren says, I don't need it. What would be, what would you. What would be your one statement of encouragement to tell me why I need this even if I'm in the National Speakers Association? Kathy, I'm going to go to you first. Why would you still encourage me as an emerging speaker to consider Stage Time University?

So, first of all, I have to preface it this way, is that typically when we don't do something, it's because we're playing a short game, so we're thinking of why we can't. But if you truly have a vision of who you want to be and that message that you want to share with the world, and it's important enough, you're going to invest in the time, the effort and the coaching and the programs that are going to get you to that end goal. But oftentimes we look at this business as I can't afford to. Money is one of the biggest things that people have concerns with, and it's a real concern and it's something we have to be smart about. If you're investing in the future self, then you're going to make better decisions. So what is that future self? You know, who do you want to be as a speaker? And I want to go back to all these different coaches because you know what Mike was saying, because it's true. I think when you bring all these brilliant minds who have different ways of communicating, they look at different things, but they all are in the same lane. It helps everyone in the community find their own true, best self, their authentic self, because none of us should want to be like another person in Stage Time. We should all want to be the best version of ourselves. And I think that's the great thing about the collaborations of the experts that are here, because you can learn something from all of them, and you can find connections with each of them, and then you can find your own best self. And so if you're really serious about being in this business, you're not going to be able to be in it, stay in it, last in it, and have make money. If you don't invest in it, it's not possible. I've been hanging out for six years with speakers, and I know once I started investing in myself, I started making money. There's no way you can make money if you aren't willing to invest the time, the effort and money in coaches and the right coaches, the right programs. You know, nobody's born an expert. They work their butts off at it. And you guys have done it. You've already been there. And that's the point of having coaches, is to have people who've already been there and done that. That can help you get to the next step.

We certainly appreciate that. Yes. Sarah, what are you going to say?

You want to talk about emerging speakers? Emerging speakers tend to be Toastmasters, or it's somebody who's in a business and just wants to start out speaking suddenly and maybe help grow their business. I want to reiterate that I was in Toastmasters for one year before joining Stagetime, and I got to the point where, and this isn't bragging, this is bragging on stage time. I was getting wows and just. That's the best speech I've ever heard you give. And I can't believe how much you improved. And I knew that I was surpassing other members in my Toastmasters club who had been there for several years, very long time. And I don't say that to just toot my own horn. It is a testament to what stage time has done for me. The coaching, the programs, showing up every week, showing up online, showing up with our community on Facebook, all of it, all of it made a difference for me, and it can make a difference for any emerging speaker.

Wow.

Well, we appreciate that. Darren and I have been doing the podcast now for over two years. It's been a labor of love. We jumped in, we wanted to share our expertise and knowledge. But I don't think it would be wrong for me to point out that Stagetown University, Darren was very strategic in building that, because we talk about the coaches, and you've heard about Mike and Darren and me. But Darren, just for a couple seconds, just let our listeners understand the caliber of coaches that work with us. When we say some of the best coaches, we are not Saying that to make, to try to brag, but really you found a way to get Ford Sakes and Michael Hague and Kevin Burke. Who are these guys?

Well, Ford Sakes, I hope he doesn't listen to this because he's going to kill me for what I say next. But Ford Sakes, he's author, speaker, csp, CPAE speakers Hall of fame and look, the best in the industry in nsa, the best speakers in the world go to him for marketing. It's like he's the guy. I remember we kind of. I went to one of his events through Patricia Fripp, and I was just her tag along, her plus one, sat in on the event, got to know him, and somehow we. He created this friendship and I told him what I was doing and he decided I could do a couple hours a month, and this partnership was born. I'm like, you will. I think he does it just because it's a place for him to do his comedy, his business comedy. So I think he likes the audience. But seriously, Michael Haig. Michael Haig, who works for Will Smith's comedy company and gives him feedback on stories like, seriously, like Hollywood's capacity to the stars.

Yeah, he is. Yeah.

You know, and Kevin Burke. Kevin Burke, who did the One man show in Vegas over 4,000 times defending the caveman. Here's a guy who's not only great, but he's, you know, he talks about the audience. He's got a line. He says, yeah, when it's a bad crowd, we have Las Vegas's number one drama. But he goes with.

It was a record. He was Guinness Book of World Records for consecutive performances of that One man show. You know, you, you get these individuals to come work with us, and I'm just really thankful for a chance to lock arms with them, to serve our community. And our podcast is one way that stage time is serving the speaking community.

Yeah. Jennifer Leone. I mean, I sat. She lives in Australia. I sat at her kitchen table with her and she's. Her ninja skill is going into your life and pulling out those emotional moments. I've met. Mark's amazing at it. Jennifer's like, that's her ninja skill. That's where she stands out five minutes. And she asked me about one of my stories and I didn't even ask her to coach me. And she starts digging in and then all of a sudden, whoa. That's why I did that. That's why I had the lair. And, and. But she, that's, that's her strength. That's what she loves. And I think, Mark, the commonality. If I had to pay everybody, like their keynote fee, I'd be out of business. But they do it because they love it and they love helping. The one commonality, Mike, you can confirm or deny. The one commonality of all the coaches we have is they all have the heart of helping, and that's above what I can afford to pay them. I do not pay Michael Haig whatever Will Smith pays him, I guarantee it. But we created this thing where he gets to do what he loves. And then Mark Brown, of course, changed my life. World champion of public speaking, csp. We just got a great team. I don't know how it happened, but through prayer, I think, is the only way you can explain that one. I want to honor our time, and I know you guys are going a little longer than I promised you initially, but I think one question. And Mark, if you got one more question that's important, I'll pass it over to you. But one question is if you were having coffee with someone who really wanted to be unforgettable, they really doubt themselves. They're at the beginning, they want to. They got some confidence. But what's the best advice you would give them? Mike Davis.

And this ties back to Mark's previous question. I would ask questions. Number one, are you getting the number of speaking engagements you want? Secondly, are people taking action on your message when you're done speaking? And number three, are you getting paid what you're worth? If the answer to any of those is no, you got to get help. And that's why stage time, because of all the reasons we've talked about. I won't belabor that you're not going to get a community anywhere else like this, and at a very, very economic rate, I might add.

We'll talk about that in a quick second. Sarah, love your eagerness to chime in.

I would ask them, are you moving as quickly as you want to be? And not to say that you can just run through all of this without doing any of the work, but is the program you're using right now, is the system you're using right now moving you along as you. As quickly as you want to be getting there? I mean, is it dragging? And if it is, it's time to find something new. Maybe stage time.

Thank you, Sarah.

Kathy, I won't say what I'm thinking. And I do get in a lot of these conversations because there's. I know a lot of speakers that are at my level, but because of nsa, I know a lot of speakers at many different levels. And kind of even back to what Mark was asking me is, let's be honest, most speakers were out of work the last 18 months. So every speaker can use a community of people around them because this is a very lonely job, especially more now than ever because you're here behind a webcam and a lot of times you don't see faces. So I mean, I would ask the person, are you sure that this is what you want? Because. And it's kind of like back to my wellness days too. Do you really want to lose the weight? Do you really want to be a speaker? And I love that because Michael, I was like, is he going to ask, are you making the money that you're worth? Because most of us don't understand our worth. They don't understand our value. And when you're surrounded by people that reinforce you and they support you, and then you get the guidance on the business side, which is what we all hate the most. Nobody wants to pick up the phone, Nobody wants to make prospecting calls, Nobody wants to do that work. But if you're around people, you understand how important it is. And if you're really serious and you have the mindset that you're going to do this no matter what, I think, I believe now more than ever is the time to either grow your speaking business, get it back to where it was, or start your speaking business. I am very optimistic about the speaking business future right now. And I think this is the time for serious people who have a long term view and have the grit or whatever it is to do the work and just dig in and get support around them. I think this is the time to get into the business.

Yeah, it's the. To lay the foundation, the new foundation of the way things are going to be different. I remember Jennifer Lear saying that not only is now the time the playing field got leveled, but you can't just show up and tell your stories and rely on your personality anymore. So the people that did that, the speakers that did that, they're going to kind of fade away. And now, because they're not on stages all the time in front of thousands of people using their number one marketing tool, which is their speech, they're going to fade away. And it's sad, but it's our ability to adjust and adapt to, like you're saying, laying that new foundation for the new world, the new hybrid world. Jennifer had said that every contract she does now now has a virtual clause in it where it never ever used to be that way. So it's now got a virtual clause. She actually called me yesterday for a speech that I have coming up in January that they're still working out the details for. And she said, are you willing to lose it because they want to get all their money back if they have to go virtual? And I said, no, I'm not willing to do that. We'll do a deposit, but I'm willing to walk away. And I was like, wow, Ford just showed up in my body somehow, because a year ago, I would have been like, take it, take it. And I'm like, no, just a deposit. We'll find another date. That's fine. But the confidence came from, again, spend it. Like it was said earlier, the Jim Rohn quote. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So we created this place as a place where anyone for a super minimal investment can hang out with us, can be with us. And I love that we can just say, you know, open the kimono and say, here's what I'm doing now. It didn't work. Don't try that. Here's what I'm doing now. Mark, any questions as we wrap it up?

No. I am just thankful we got to meet these individuals. Normally, when we have guests is a whole bunch of keepers, but there's two things that Kathy said I just kind of chuckle at. One was, don't play the short game. Don't think what you're going to do now. Think about your career and your future. And for everybody, including me, I love this. And if I'm wrong, correct me with my word in here. Kathy. When you don't get paid your value, you finally understand your value.

Yes.

When you don't get paid your value, you finally understand your value. And that changes the way you think, the way it changes your posture, the way you position yourself, and where you would say, okay, I'll take that. You said, no, my fee is this. We're not going to discuss fees right now, but just understand the value you can get. And we want to help anyone who's hearing this, who's even considering being better as a speaker, to understand and appreciate your value by becoming unforgettable. And that's what we do, Darren.

Yeah. So as we wind down to the investment in stage time, Ford beats me up constantly. That's why I'm hoping he doesn't listen to his podcast. He beats me up constantly. He's like, dude, you got to raise the price of this. You got to raise the price. I think back to the 1990s Darren, who was just getting started and the prices he wants me to charge, I couldn't have afforded it. And I just want to, I want to help the people who are serious, who will find a way and if they're not willing to invest a little bit. So it's 377 for a year for presentation mastery. It's 770 for a year of business mastery. And you can do monthly 97amonth for business, 47amonth for presentations. And that's at the time of this recording. He may get me to focus and upgrade it more, but for what you invested, Mike, Sarah and Kathy, how do you feel about the price? And you're welcome to pull out your Ford slap me around, but what did you think of the price when you first heard it or what you got from it? Sarah?

Well, yeah, I'm going to agree with Ford. I pay a certain price and I think you should raise it. You know, the value of is just incredible. You will not find this anywhere else. I've done other programs, not with speaking, but just other kinds of programs. They're out there online and what they're charging for certain things, it is different than what you're doing, Darren. But yours, your value is just, it's incredible. The prices are a steal. They are a steal.

Thank you, Mike.

Raise them out of zero, he's saying.

You try to keep it simple. And again, I'm in a unique perspective situation in that I'm also paid to be a member of the coaching staff. But yeah, I've seen other programs. What Sarah said, the value is just phenomenal for the dollars you invest. And it's not just the money, it's the time you're saving. All that learning you don't have to do because you've got over a century of experience coaching every single week.

Kathy.

Yeah, and the less the other programs have less access to experts that can help you. Right. So Ford's probably gonna, you know, we're gonna see him. I don't know if he has those conversations with you in person, but he's gonna have some time in a car with you. So I'm sure he's gonna be talking about the price. I mean, yeah, it is a steal right now to be a member of stagetime. And it's interesting cause I think the more people invest, the more seriously they take their business.

True.

So there is this weird thing about if you've got the right people, they're gonna invest what needs to be invested in their business. And the people that are Just not really serious. They won't be there. But it creates a bigger pie and creates a higher value pie for everybody. So I better renew before you bump up the price.

So check it out now. Stagetimeuniversity.com join us. Presentation mastery or business mastery? And presentation mastery. Thank you, Mark. One of the coolest things is when I reached out to Mike and Sarah and Kathy and I just said, hey, would you do us a favor? And all three of them were like, yes. And how cool is it that people who invest with you really want to help you. And that's like the greatest gift. So I'm going to ask you guys one last question. One word, one word that you can think of that best represents what Stage Time has done for you or given you. What's one word? And then Mark, I'll have you close us out.

Growth value. That's what you get for not going first or second. Sarah.

I know it. You took mine. Mike. Opportunity. Just an incredible opportunity this has been.

Growth, value and opportunity. Thank you all for giving us your time today and giving our viewers and listeners a peek behind the curtain at stage time. Listen, we want you to join us because we want you to go from good to great to unforgettable. And we'll see you next week.

Make sure you subscribe to our show.

Remember to subscribe because if you missed a week, you miss a lot.

If you like this episode, please leave us a review. If you want to get more from Mark and Darren, check out Stagetime University where they provide experienced presenters a proven path and world class feedback. To become the speaker everyone is talking about, go to stagetimeuniversity.com join us next week if you're going to take the time to prepare a presentation, make it unforgettable.