What does it take to influence people in an era where trust is harder to earn, and attention is harder to capture?

In this episode of Chief Influencer, Anthony Shop sits down with Dr. Loretta Doan, CEO of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), to explore how leaders can turn expertise into influence, build trust across diverse audiences, and create alignment that drives meaningful impact.

Drawing on a career that spans science, communications, policy, and association leadership, Loretta shares how she helped transform AAI into a more outward-facing organization and talks about the launch of the Immunology Explained initiative. Along the way, she reveals why influence is not about being the loudest voice in the room, but about earning credibility, empowering others, and creating opportunities for trusted messengers to connect with the audiences they serve.

The conversation explores the power of "borrowing trust," building internal alignment before pursuing external visibility, and why authentic leadership is more important than polished messaging in today's environment.

Whether you're leading a nonprofit, association, company, or movement, this episode offers practical lessons on how influence is built, sustained, and scaled.

Takeaways:

Influence Starts With Listening: Before leaders can communicate effectively, they must understand their audience. Loretta explains that meaningful influence begins with listening, learning where people are coming from, and meeting them where they are.
Trust Is Built Through People: Institutions may struggle to earn trust, but people still trust other people. Leaders can extend their reach by empowering ambassadors, advocates, and trusted voices who can connect authentically with their own communities.
Internal Alignment Creates External Impact: Successful public-facing initiatives rarely start with marketing campaigns. They begin with alignment among leadership, staff, stakeholders, and members. When people share a common vision, influence becomes far more powerful.
Borrowing Trust Accelerates Credibility: One of the episode's most memorable concepts is the idea of "borrowing trust." Strategic partnerships with respected experts, creators, and advocates can help organizations reach new audiences and build credibility faster.
Great Leaders Create Space for Better Decisions: Loretta shares how presenting multiple options rather than forcing binary choices helps encourage collaboration, reduce defensiveness, and create stronger outcomes across teams and boards.
Authenticity Matters More Than Perfection: In a world saturated with polished content, authentic human connection stands out. Influence grows when leaders show up as people first and allow others to connect with the human side of leadership.
Influence Evolves Over Time: Early in a career, influence often feels tied to personal recognition. As leaders mature, influence becomes less about individual visibility and more about helping others succeed and creating lasting impact through collective effort.

Quote of the Show:

"People trust people. We borrow the trust of these influencers who do have these followings of people who trust them."

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loretta-doan-9b876a4/
AAI Website: https://www.aai.org/
Immunology Explained: https://linktr.ee/immunologyexplained

Shout Outs:

Gwen Fortune-Blakey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwenfortuneblakely/
Dr. Meghan Martin:
- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/beachgem10
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beachgem10