455: Your Attachment to This Particular Fear is Tanking Your Confident Executive Presence and Leadership Reputation

Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

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Imagine walking into a boardroom, facing tough critics, and still nailing your pitch. In today’s episode I’m breaking down the exact strategies to make it happen.

This episode dives deep into a problem so many high-performers face but rarely talk about: the fear of rejection and the discomfort of selling yourself in professional settings. Whether you're pitching to the board, applying for a promotion, or defending your strategy in a meeting, this conversation unpacks why rejection stings and how to shift your mindset to influence with clarity and confidence.

By the end of today’s conversation with sales coach Jacob Hicks you’ll know:

🎯A clear mindset shift to stop tying your identity to your ideas

🏆How to prepare for difficult questions so you handle them like a total boss

🛠️Practical tactics to pitch with confidence—even when the stakes are sky high

Press play to learn how to present your ideas without fear, freeze, or frustration—so you can lead with impact and get your best work heard.

To get our weekly executive presence insights please visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. Our Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning

About our guest:

Jacob Hicks is a certified Elite Success Coach with over 12 years of experience in sales, leadership, and personal development. Specializing in strategies that foster clarity, resilience, and success, he empowers leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs to achieve sustainable growth.

As the host of the Purpose Driven Progress podcast, Jacob shares actionable insights on mindset, effective follow-up strategies, and turning rejections into opportunities. His coaching philosophy centers on creating goals, developing actionable plans, and providing ongoing support to help clients realize their aspirations. With a background in surpassing sales goals across diverse industries since 2014, Jacob is a trusted advisor for those seeking to enhance their performance and build a balanced, fulfilling life. Beyond coaching, he is an avid reader, self-taught pianist, investor, and has engaged in mission work in Liberia.

In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities.

By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.