Lisa Gates

What if confidence isn’t something you have — but something you practice? This question guided my latest conversation on Transformative Leadership Conversations with Angela Stopper, Ph.D. Chief Learning Officer at UC Berkeley. Angela brings a powerful lens to the topic of confidence that every leader should hear: Confidence isn’t a personality trait. It’s a skill — one you can build. In our conversation, Angela breaks down confidence into six learnable competencies and reframes it as something that grows through intentional practice, not perfection. Here are a few insights that stayed with me: 📌 Confidence is not fixed — it strengthens through repeated behaviors. 📌 A clear framework (courage, expertise, self-awareness, self-development, resilience, adaptability) makes confidence achievable and authentic. 📌 Comparison erodes confidence; self-awareness anchors it. 📌 Courage is the connector between confidence and leadership — acting despite fear, not without it. 📌 Mistakes don’t diminish confidence; they build it when we learn from them. 📌 Role models inspire, but they shouldn’t define your version of confidence. Angela’s perspective makes confidence feel both accessible and actionable — something any leader can cultivate, no matter your starting point. Where in your leadership would growing your confidence make the biggest difference right now? If this resonates, listen to the full episode and share your reflections. And thank you Angela for being on the show!!

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Are you struggling to turn readers into high-paying coaching clients with your book? You’re not alone. Many nonfiction authors assume their book will naturally lead to premium clients. Then they wait. And wait. This week’s guest, client acquisition strategist Jesse Holmes, specializes in strategic word-of-mouth. He reveals what turns readers into coaching clients. If you’re a nonfiction author, coach, or consultant who wants meaningful conversations, steady referrals, and high-value clients without cold outreach or paid ads, this episode will open your eyes. Jesse shares practical, relationship-driven strategies to help you move beyond passive book promotion and into purposeful connection. The payoff? More warm introductions, better-fit prospects, and conversations that lead to real opportunities. You’ll also discover the missing link between book readers and premium clients: intentional relationship building rooted in generosity, clarity, and consistent daily connection. Key Takeaways: • Your book builds trust. Conversations create clients. What happens after someone reads your book determines whether they ever hire you. • Word of mouth can be engineered. Warm introductions don’t have to be random when you build intentional referral relationships. • One conversation a day can transform your pipeline. Small, consistent outreach compounds into steady opportunities and ideal clients. • Give first to become top of mind. Strategic generosity sparks the reciprocity that leads to referrals and invitations. • Clarity makes you referable. When people know exactly who you help, they know exactly who to send your way. Tune in now to start turning conversations into clients.

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Stop wasting time “marketing your book.” Try this instead. ⬇️ Want to know how I added an extra $12,000 in book royalties without a launch or daily posting? Here are the 6 shifts that changed everything: 1] I stopped thinking like an author. Most experts market books like content. I treated mine like a product with buyer intent behind it. 2] I targeted people already searching for answers. Not vague keywords. Not inspiration. Only real phrases typed in by someone ready to solve a problem. 3] I started small on purpose. Five to ten dollars a day. Not to scale fast. To collect clean data without fear or ego. 4] I let positioning do the heavy lifting. Cover. Title. Description. If those do not convert, ads will not save you. 5] I measured sales, not clicks. Clicks feel good. Royalties pay bills. If a keyword did not produce revenue, it was gone. 6] I treated the book as the front end. Royalties were nice. But readers turned into conversations. Conversations turned into clients. Here is what most reluctant experts miss. Your book is not just credibility. It is leverage. When your intellectual property is packaged well, it stops living in scattered notes and client calls and starts working for you. That is the shift from time for money to scalable authority. If you want to turn your spoken ideas into a book that actually attracts clients, not just royalties, I built a simple framework for that. Reply BOOK, and I'll send it over.

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Why AI can’t replace human‑to‑human connection in coaching and therapy ​In professions built on human connection — like coaching and therapy — AI can’t replace the real thing. Valerie Polunas, ACC, ACTC, ORSCC explains why AI can be a helpful supplemental tool, but not a substitute for human‑to‑human engagement. She also talks about the dangers of using AI as a therapist and why the outcomes have sometimes been harmful. #ValeriePolunas #HumanConnection #AIDiscussion​ #CoachingSkills #50tastesofgray

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You don’t have to fix everything. One of the fastest ways to lose trust with a client? Jumping to solve when they just need to feel heard. Most advisors are wired to fix. But in high-trust relationships, connection comes before correction. In your next conversation, try this: Don’t interrupt. Nod. Stay present. Say: “That sounds frustrating. I hear you.” Let them feel safe before you help them solve. Trust is built in the pause. #ClientCommunication #FinancialAdvisor #Leadership #ListeningSkills #SalesTrust #EmotionalIntelligence

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𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲? Likes vanish. Algorithms move on. Screens refresh. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆. That’s the uncomfortable truth many professionals avoid. In today’s episode of 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂, I speak with Sarah Scott about why publishing still matters, especially for leaders who want authority that outlives platforms. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹. 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁. 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 does three things social media can’t: 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 If your visibility depends entirely on posting, you don’t own it. If your ideas are published, referenced, and cited, you do. This conversation is for anyone ready to move from being visible to being remembered. Be honest with yourself. If LinkedIn disappeared tomorrow… what would still speak for you? To watch the full episode , tune in on my youtube channel: https://lnkd.in/dxiidURM To listen to it: https://lnkd.in/dG_hqYmU

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If There's Confusion, There's No Conversions | A clip from my Substack post, The 4 Zones of Positioning: Find Your Way Out of the Burnout Cycle. Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/eBqjczjm

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Podcasting is HARD: My Brutal Truth About Starting a Podcast Uncover the raw reality of early podcasting struggles! Join us as we confront initial challenges, insecurities, and the bumpy road to finding our voice. Learn from our mistakes and discover how to overcome common podcasting hurdles. Watch the full Episode Now on YouTube or this Wednesday on Spotify Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gjdPNiKN YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gSkchqDr #podcasting #podcaststruggles #PodcastingJourney #PodcastStruggles #NewPodcaster #PodcastTips #PodcastGrowth #AudioProduction #ContentCreation #PodcastCommunity #BehindTheMic #PodcastLife

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Resistance is rarely defiance. It’s a survival strategy. When we meet that with safety instead of shame, growth becomes possible. 📘 Learn how to reframe behavior and write trauma-informed FBAs that actually work — with Your FBA is a Fantasy! #TraumaInformedEducation #Neuroscience #EducationLeadership #TraumaInformedFBA #BehaviorIsBiology

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👉 What is one practice you do to lead consciously? 📢 In this powerful episode, Annette Gregg, CMM MBA CIS shares that when the pressure is high and the external noise is loud - what keeps her grounded is this beautiful practice of creating more AWE consciously. 👀 In this clip, she talks about how she creates more space in her day to day life for more AWE to enter her life and be in the present moment. 🎧 Listen to this real conversation with a CEO herself whom I absolutely admire. You rock Annette Gregg, CMM MBA CIS! #presence #consciousleadership #selfleadership #leadfromwithin

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