Podcast
Madame Speaker Says
Hosted by Magogodi · EN
Madame Speaker Says is the podcast for women of colour ready to own the mic, drop that book and get paid like a legend.
Join Magogodi oaMphela Makhene - author, speaker and coach - for real talk, shortcuts and receipts to help you lead with confidence — on stage, on the page and way beyond the 9–5. No caucacity, no crusty old school leadership.
Edges snatched. Script flipped. No apologies.
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Episodes
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How to Give a Keynote When You're an Expert — Not a Speaker
2w ago00:37:00Tap to summarizeYou said yes to the keynote. The panic slammed into you, right after.Because yes, you have the expertise. You have the receipts. What you don't have is a way to turn twenty years of knowledge into a keynote that lands. Because knowing your field and knowing how to give a keynote are two completely different skills — and nobody told you that until right now.Your expertise won't give the keynote for you. Clarity will. Structure will. The right story will.In this solo episode, host Magogodi gives you three concrete moves to build a keynote that sounds like you, commands the room, and travels long after you leave the stage.You will walk away knowing how to: Name what you actually stand for, not your title, your argumentFind the one story that makes your authority land and stickBuild the 90-second spine that becomes your keynote and rewrites your bioNo speechwriter. No TED coach. Three public speaking moves. Doable before your keynote date.Ready to build your whole talk? The Whole Damn Talk is a 3-hour one-on-one intensive. We build your keynote from scratch — hook, spine, one-liner, business case. Five spots a month. madamespeakersays.com.Chapters:00:00 You're Not Being Rejected. You're Not Even on the List. 02:30 What You're Walking Away With — Stay for All Three Moves 04:00 Your Excellence Is Not Going to Save You. Here's What Will. 06:30 "I Don't Have a Talk Right Now" — And Why That Sentence Is the Problem 09:00 Lebo Mashile: She Built the Vision Before Anyone Co-Signed It13:00 Wanuri Kahiu: She Named the Genre Before the Genre Existed 17:30 Dr. Kemi Doll: She Made Her Excellence Impossible to Ignore 21:30 Move 1 — Name It. Your Argument. Not Your Title. 25:00 Move 2 — Find the One Story That Proves You're Right 28:00 Move 3 — Build the 90-Second Talk That Gets You on the Shortlist 31:00 The Whole Damn Talk — What We Build Together in 3 Hours 34:30 Your Work Will Not Speak for Itself. That's Your Job.Episodes Mentioned🎙️ Dr. Kemi Doll: Your Excellence Is Not Enough. On Black Women's Health, Authority & Building in Public → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/madame-speaker-says/id1814213243?i=1000767012758🎙️ Fear, Faith & Afro Bubblegum: Wanuri Kahiu on Following the Idea That Won't Let Go → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/madame-speaker-says/id1814213243?i=1000763653315🎙️ Fame, Shame & The Freak Show Part II: Lebo Mashile on Turning Pain Into Power → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/madame-speaker-says/id1814213243?i=1000762218836Work With Magogodi The Whole Damn Talk — 3-hour private coaching intensives. Learn More → More madamespeakersays.com📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
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Dr. Kemi Doll: Your Excellence Is Not Enough. On Black Women's Health, Authority & Building in Public
3w ago01:21:38Tap to summarizeYou have been excellent your entire life. You did the work nobody else would do. You stayed late. You got the credentials. You built the thing — and then you kept quiet about it, because somewhere along the way someone told you that talking too much would make you look like you weren't serious.And so you stayed silent. And excellent. And invisible--This episode is your wake up call!Dr. Kemi Doll is a double board-certified gynecologic oncologist, Professor at the University of Washington, Founding Director of The GRACE Center, co-founder of ECANA — the first-ever national advocacy organization for Black women with uterine cancer — and the author of A Terrible Strength, out now. She spent over a decade inside the institution doing the science no one else would do. And then she posted on Instagram and sent out a survey — and built a movement.By the end of this conversation, you will know exactly why your excellence has been working against your authority, what it actually cost her to build in public, and the one move that changes everything — starting this week.Here's what you'll walk away with:Your work will never speak for itself — and brilliant women who keep waiting for it to become footnotesA fellowship office, 5:30 PM, one tap on the shoulder — and who gets to write the story of your excellenceThe Instagram post and survey that became ECANA — and the architecture behind turning a decade of expertise into a movementShe stopped doing one thing — and it unlocked everythingWhy she flew Black women with uterine cancer to Hawaii — and what institutional tools look like in service of communityWhat visibility actually costs — and the thing everyone's scared of that nobody says out loudWhat your body has been trying to tell you that the medical system decided you didn't need to knowFearlessness is a scam — here's what you actually do with the fearThis is an episode about the moment you stop letting other people write the story of what your excellence means.Chapters00:00 — Introduction03:00 — The tap on the shoulder: who gets to write the story of your excellence11:00 — The one thing she stopped doing that unlocked everything19:30 — The Instagram post, the survey, and the birth of ECANA28:00 — The Hawaii meeting: institutional tools in service of community36:00 — Survivor-led, not physician-led: how stepping back compounds authority43:30 — The real cost of visibility — and the fear nobody names out loud50:00 — A Terrible Strength and what your body has been trying to tell you57:00 — Rapid fire: fearlessness, the wildest dream, and building your ECANA📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
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When Failure Is the Point: Joan Godoy on Why Taking Up Space Takes Nothing From Anyone Else
4w ago01:13:07Tap to summarizeYou've spent years making other people powerful. You built the thing, ran the coalition, trained the leaders, held the room together. Somewhere in all of that — you stopped asking what you want. Not the organization. Not the mission. You.This episode is the intervention.Joan Godoy is the CEO of Radical Partners, co-founder of Fuckup Nights Miami, and one of the most quietly radical builders in the social impact sector. She spent $1.5 million dollars a year amplifying other people's leadership. And then her executive coach asked her one question that froze everything — and set her free.By the end of this conversation, you will know exactly why you keep giving your authority away, what it is actually costing you, and the one move that starts building it back in your own name.Here's what you'll walk away with:The question that will make you stop hiding behind the institution you built — and start claiming authority in your own nameWhy failure is not a lesson to extract — it's the thing that made you brave enough to jumpHow to know when a crisis is actually an invitation to build something nobody else has the guts to buildThe hybrid model that saved Radical Partners — and why it applies to every woman sitting between two worlds afraid to claim eitherWhy the most dangerous move a builder makes is staying invisible inside the thing she createdThe three Cs that tell you exactly where your authority lives — independent of any title, any org, any room that hasn't let you in yetWhat it actually costs to step into the center — and why your coach has never asked you that questionThis is not an episode about Joan. This is an episode about the moment you stop building authority for everyone except yourself.CONNECT WITH JOAN: radicalpartners.org Instagram: @radicalpartnersMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 🔥 Fuckup Nights Miami — the global movement in 200+ cities built on one radical premise: go public with what didn't work 🏛️ Leadership Lab — Radical Partners' flagship five-month cohort for BIPOC community leaders, nearly 200 graduates deep 🌍 Global Shapers Community — World Economic Forum initiative where Joan first refused to give the accomplishment speech — and accidentally started a movement 📖 The Fuckup Nights Manifesto — the document that broke open a two-hour conversation that changed everything 🧠 Arathi Ramapushnam — the executive coach whose one question dismantled years of self-erasure 🎙️ Abstract on Netflix — why bold work always divides the room, and why that means you're doing it rightTIMESTAMPS: 03:00 — The accomplishment speech she refused to give — and what happened when she told the truth instead 09:15 — Failure sucks, but it instructs: what shame actually is, where it comes from, and why you'll never outrun it 18:40 — How to know when to stay silent and when to act: the George Floyd moment that built Radical Partners' most powerful program 27:00 — The hybrid bet: how she moved from 90% grants to selling more than they raise — and what that unlocks for you 36:20 — The $1.5 million question: what it actually costs to make everyone else visible when you're still invisible yourself 42:00 — The one question your coach has never asked you — and why answering it changes everything 51:00 — The three Cs: how to locate your authority when it has nothing to do with your title, your org, or anyone's permission 55:30 — Rapid fire: Guatemala or Miami, the failure she won't applaud, bachata, and chocolate-covered humanity📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
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Fear, Faith & Afro Bubblegum: Wanuri Kahiu on Following the Idea That Won't Let Go
Apr 2601:21:10Tap to summarizeFrom Creative Vision to Cultural Movement: Wanuri Kahiu on Funding Bold Ideas and Building a Brand Bigger Than Your WorkIn this rich and unfiltered conversation, award-winning Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu — the director behind Rafiki and Hulu's Washington Black — gets radically honest about what it actually takes to bring a bold, unconventional creative vision to life.Because having the idea is one thing. Finding the belief, the village, and the funding to make it real? That's something else entirely.Wanuri breaks down:Why excellence alone will never be enough — and what you actually need beyond craftHow she spent seven years pitching Rafiki before getting the yes that changed everythingWhy a no is never the end — and how to turn rejection into the beginning of a relationshipHow naming a movement (Afro Bubblegum) gave her community permission to claim their right to joyWhat it means to understand yourself as a brand — and why that realisation set her freeWhy the ideas that keep haunting you are the ones you're meant to followHow to pitch your creative vision to funders when your story sits outside the dominant narrativePlus: Wanuri shares the daily four-hour practice that keeps her creative output consistent — and the dead-simple phone hack that makes it actually work.Chapters: 05:00 — When excellence isn't enough: redefining success on your own terms 07:14 — The creative process: from blank page to unshakeable belief 09:40 — The idea that keeps coming back — and why you must follow it 12:11 — Self-doubt, spirals, and the cycle every creative goes through 15:28 — Directing Washington Black and making mistakes at the highest level 21:50 — How to turn a no into the beginning of a relationship 40:44 — How to pitch when you're outside the dominant narrative 45:00 — The four-hour daily practice that changes everythingConnect with Wanuri: Website: wanurikahiu.comInstagram: @wanuriResources mentioned in episode:🎬 Washington Black — now streaming on Hulu🎬 Rafiki — Wanuri's landmark Kenyan love story, funded in part by the World Cinema Fund🎉 Blankets & Wine Festival, Nairobi — Wanuri's most Afro Bubblegum real-life experience🎨 Afro Bubblegum — the cultural movement Wanuri co-founded celebrating African joy, imagination, and creative freedom🎥 Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón) — the film Wanuri credits with changing how she thinks about what the camera can doNigerian designers mentioned:FruchéZero + Maria Cornejo📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
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Fame, Shame & The Freak Show Part II: Lebo Mashile on Turning Pain Into Power
Apr 1901:11:50Tap to summarizeFrom Body Shaming to Reclaiming Her Voice (Part 2): Lebo Mashile on Turning Pain Into PowerIn Part 2 of this raw and unfiltered conversation, Lebo moves beyond the origin story and into something even more powerful: what it actually takes to trust your voice, follow your calling, and bring a bold vision to life.Because the truth is, having the idea is one thing. Having the courage to act on it? That’s something else entirely.Lebo breaks down: Why Black women’s bodies are still treated as public property and how to reclaim yours How Saartjie Baartman’s story still shapes the way Black women are seen, judged, and controlled today Why your body is still a battleground and what it takes to defend your boundaries What happens when you stop asking for a seat at the table and start becoming the whole house How to know when a risky creative vision is yours to pursue even when you don’t feel ready Why the ideas that won’t leave you alone are usually the ones you’re meant to follow Plus: Lebo shares the internal test she uses to separate fleeting ideas from true callings and why taking the first step matters more than having the full plan.TIMESTAMPS: 05:00 — Is this vision really yours to pursue? 06:00 — The True Love Magazine cover that sparked a national controversy 12:00 — Everything is data — and why Pamela Vete changed everything 15:00 — How Lebo went from poet to playwright overnight 17:00 — Saartjie Baartman and the hypervisibility of Black women 22:00 — Why you have permission to make the work that scares you 29:00 — Why a poet is telling you to make AI your research assistant 35:00 — Do you have the nervous system that fame requires? 43:00 — Stop plotting the steps — take the first one 47:00 — Your future self wants to know they can trust you nowCONNECT WITH LEBO: Website: lebomashile.comInstagram: @lebomashile Twitter: @lebomashileMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 🎭 Lebo's play Saartjie vs Venus at the Market Theatre: markettheatre.co.za/shows/watch/saartjie-vs-venusOther theatrical works mentioned in her journey include:“Roses and Angels” — the production where Lebo first stepped into acting and writing for theatre, under the influence of Pamela Nomvete“I Am Dancing” (stage adaptation) — based on Pamela Nomvete’s autobiography, where Lebo performed and collaborated creative📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
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Lebo Mashile Part I: Reclaiming Your Body and Power in a World That Wants to Silence You
Apr 1201:00:21Tap to summarizeFrom Body Shaming to Reclaiming Her Voice: Lebo Mashile on Turning Pain Into PowerLebo Mashile was publicly shamed for her pregnant body. Instead of shrinking, she turned her fury into a groundbreaking play about Saartjie Baartman — and a five-year excavation of how the exploitation of Black women's bodies shapes our world today.In this raw, two-part conversation, the iconic South African poet and playwright breaks down:Why Black women's bodies are still treated as public property — and how to reclaim yoursHow Saartjie Baartman's story is a portal to understanding the dehumanization of Black womenWhy your body is still a battleground — and how to defend your boundaries in a world that wants to bulldoze themWhat happens when you stop asking for a seat at the table and start becoming the whole houseHow to know when a risky creative vision is yours to pursue — even when the world says you're not readyPlus: Why politeness is poison when someone disrespects your body, your dreams, or your destiny.TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Why Lebo sat down to interview herself this season 04:56 — How a gossip column about her pregnant belly became a groundbreaking play 12:11 — Saartjie Baartman: the woman whose body was exploited in a freak show for centuries 18:02 — Why the public still feels entitled to Black women's bodies today 23:26 — The internal test that tells you when a creative risk is yours to take 32:29 — Why body shaming is never about your body — and how to stop backing downCONNECT WITH LEBO: Website: lebomashile.comInstagram: @lebomashile Twitter: @lebomashileMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 🎭 Lebo's play Saartjie vs Venus at the Market Theatre: markettheatre.co.za/shows/watch/saartjie-vs-venus📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
Transcribe →The Woman You're Becoming Is Waiting
Apr 501:06:29Tap to summarizeBecoming the Authority: The Moment You Stop Waiting and Start Claiming ItYou don’t become powerful the moment everything is perfect. You become powerful the moment you decide you’re enough as you are.In this raw and deeply personal episode of Madame Speaker Says, Magogodi steps out from behind the mic and into the hot seat stripping away the “expert” layer to reveal what it really looks like to build authority in real time.This is not a polished highlight reel. This is the becoming.From navigating vulnerability and perfectionism to confronting fear, visibility, and self-doubt, this episode unpacks the internal shifts that shape true leadership and presence.Because stepping into authority isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about choosing yourself before you feel ready.So here’s the real question:Are you waiting to feel qualified… or are you ready to claim your voice now?Short answer: authority is not something you earn later. It’s something you decide to embody today.This episode is for women who know they are meant for more, more visibility, more impact, more truth but feel the tension between who they are now and who they’re becoming.In this episode of Madame Speaker Says, you’ll explore:Why vulnerability not perfection is the real gateway to authorityThe hidden ways perfectionism keeps you stuck and playing smallWhat it actually costs to step into your voice and be seenWhy waiting for the “right time” is the biggest illusionHow to move from proving yourself to owning your powerThe difference between performing expertise and living your truthWhat courage looks like in real, messy, everyday momentsChapters 0:00 — Why This Episode Is Different 2:00 — Breaking the Expert Illusion 5:00 — The Fear of Being Seen in Real Time 8:00 — Vulnerability vs Authority 11:00 — Letting Go of Perfectionism 14:00 — The Real Cost of Growth 18:00 — Claiming Your Voice Without Permission 22:00 — Why You Don’t Need a Team to Start 26:00 — Visibility, Fear, and Judgment 32:00 — Becoming Her in Real Time 36:00 — You Are Already Enough 43:00 — What Season Three Is Really About 50:00 — From Listener to Leader📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
Transcribe →Rescue Mode Is Destroying Your Authority
Mar 2900:18:51Tap to summarizeThe Worker Bee Trap Women Leaders Fall IntoBeing the hardest worker in the room does not make you the leader. Vision does.In this powerful mini episode of Madame Speaker Says, host Magogodi breaks down a transition many brilliant women leaders struggle to make:The shift from worker bee energy to queen bee leadership.For years, your success may have come from proving yourself through execution being the one who fixes problems, rescues teams, and makes sure everything gets done.But the very skills that helped you rise can quietly trap you in the wrong role.Because the next level of leadership requires something different.It requires vision, imagination, and the courage to stop proving your value through labor.So here’s the real question:Are you leading the work or are you still proving that you can do the work?Short answer: being the hardest worker is not the same as being the visionary.And no, that doesn’t mean your work ethic isn’t powerful. It means your leadership is ready for its next evolution.This conversation is for founders, executives, creators, and impact leaders who know they are capable of more influence but feel stuck constantly executing instead of steering the vision.In this episode of Madame Speaker Says, get clear on:Why many leaders stay stuck in worker bee energyThe hidden cost of constantly rescuing teams and fixing problemsWhy visionary leaders stop proving their value through laborHow rescuing people can actually limit your leadership impactWhy stepping into queen bee leadership unlocks the next level of influenceChapters 0:00 — Worker Bee vs Queen Bee Leadership 2:00 — Why Many Leaders Stay Stuck in Execution 4:00 — The Visionary Shift Leaders Must Make 6:00 — Why Being the Hardest Worker Is a Trap 8:00 — Identify the Decisions Only You Can Make 10:00 — Stop Proving You Can Do the Work 12:00 — Stop Rescuing People 13:30 — Fire Yourself From Execution 15:00 — Why Visionary Leadership Matters📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
Transcribe →Your Work Has Outgrown Your Brand: How to Reintroduce Yourself
Mar 2200:34:40Tap to summarizeReintroducing Your Next Level Self: When Your Work Outgrows How You’re SeenYour work hasn’t outgrown your ambition. It has outgrown how you are seen.In this powerful mini episode of Madame Speaker Says, host Magogodi breaks down why so many brilliant women founders, executives, and industry leaders feel like they’ve outgrown the rooms they’re in, yet people still introduce them as an older version of themselves.You’ve evolved.Your thinking has sharpened.Your work has expanded.But your bio, your website, and your public messaging might still be promoting the version of you from two years ago.And when your growth happens privately without being articulated publicly, people keep responding to the old narrative.So here’s the real question:Has your work evolved but the way you present yourself stayed the same?Short answer: growth without repositioning creates frustration. And no, that doesn’t mean people are intentionally underestimating you.It often means you haven’t reintroduced the world to who you’ve become.This conversation is for founders, executives, creators, and cultural leaders whose work has expanded faster than their public positioning — and who are ready to step fully into the next version of themselves.In this episode of Madame Speaker Says, get clear on:Why your work can outgrow how you are publicly perceived The hidden cost of growth without repositioning How outdated bios and messaging keep you playing small The gap between what you believe privately and what you say publiclyWhy reintroducing yourself is essential to claiming your next levelChapters 0:00 — When Your Work Outgrows How You’re Seen 2:00 — Why People Still See the Old Version of You 4:00 — The Symptoms of Outgrowing Your Platform 7:00 — Private Growth vs Public Perception 9:00 — Growth Without Repositioning Creates Frustration 13:00 — The Fossil Test: Is Your Bio Outdated? 17:00 — Do You Have the Right Room Key? 22:00 — Does Your Voice Hold Weight? 24:00 — The Gap Between Private Belief and Public MessagingConnect with Madame Speaker Says📲 Instagram: @madamespeakersays🎙 Subscribe: Madame Speaker Says PodcastConnect with Magogodi📲IG: @magogodimakhene👩🏽💻Website: https://www.magogodi.com📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
Transcribe →If You’re Good at Everything, You’ll Be Known for Nothing: Multi-Talented vs Multi-Scattered
Mar 1500:12:15Tap to summarizeMulti-Talented vs Multi-Scattered: Why Focus Builds Real AuthorityRange is powerful but focus is what builds authority.In this powerful mini episode of Madame Speaker Says, host Magogodi breaks down why so many brilliant women founders, executives, creatives, and industry leaders struggle with one quiet but costly problem:Trying to do too many things at once.When you’re multi-talented, you can speak, write, teach, convene, strategize, host, and lead. Your range is impressive.But authority doesn’t come from range.It comes from depth, consistency, and building heat in one lane long enough for people to recognize you as the obvious choice.Because when you keep switching lanes, something important never has time to happen. Momentum.So here’s the real question:Are you truly multi-talented or are you unintentionally becoming multi-scattered?Short answer: talent without focus becomes noise. And no, that doesn’t mean you aren’t capable.This conversation is for founders, executives, creators, and multi-hyphenate leaders who know they have powerful gifts but feel pulled in too many directions to build the authority they deserve.In this episode of Madame Speaker Says, get clear on:The difference between being multi-talented and multi-scattered Why switching lanes prevents you from building real authorityHow depth transforms you from impressive to the obvious choiceWhy every thought leader needs a “main weapon” for their expertiseHow cutting distractions strengthens your authority and influenceChapters 0:00 — Multi-Talented vs Multi-Scattered 2:00 — Why Range Without Focus Creates Noise 4:00 — The Exhaustion of Being Everything in Every Room 5:30 — Identify Your Most Potent Weapon 7:00 — Why Depth Builds Authority 8:30 — Where You’re Performing Instead of Building 9:30 — The Six-Month Cut: Starving Distractions 10:30 — Focus Is How Authority Is BuiltConnect with Madame Speaker Says📲 Instagram: @madamespeakersays🎙 Subscribe: Madame Speaker Says PodcastConnect with Magogodi📲IG: @magogodimakhene👩🏽💻Website: https://www.magogodi.com📧 JOIN - Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.
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