288. Turn Your Audience into Co-Creators: Lessons from the Tiger Sisters

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Think Fast, Talk Smart – "Turn Your Audience into Co-Creators: Lessons from the Tiger Sisters"

Host: Matt Abrahams
Guests: Cherie Liu & Jean Liu (The Tiger Sisters)
Date: May 14, 2026
Episode: #288

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Matt Abrahams sits down with Cherie and Jean Liu—known as the Tiger Sisters and hosts of the Tiger Sisters Podcast—to discuss how purpose-driven content creation, audience engagement, and co-creation empower effective communication in the evolving creator economy. The conversation highlights the importance of reinvention, collaborative audience relationships, transparent branding, and practical techniques for making complex topics accessible to all.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Tiger Sisters’ Purpose and Mission

• Defining Ambitious Goals
  • The Tiger Sisters openly share their mission to “help 1 billion people in the world with what we do,” emphasizing the value they place on scale, impact, and meaningful connection.
    • “That's something that we didn't really say out loud and start telling people until recently because we were quite sort of bashful about how audacious that is. But now we just say it full on.” – Cherie Liu [02:42]
• Transition from Corporate to Creator Careers
  • Cherie discusses her leap from a 15-year corporate career into content creation, inspired by the tangible impact her sister Jean was already making.
    • “I had never been on camera in my life... But I watched all your content. I applied, and I got the job. I'm moving across the country. After a few years of that, I was like, this is something that has both incredible scale and reach and really touches and changes the lives of individual people.” – Cherie Liu [03:09–04:08]

2. Creativity and Strategy in Content Creation

• Making Complex Topics Accessible and Fun
  • The duo deliberately breaks down challenging subjects like private equity and venture capital in a way that's both educational and entertaining (“Private Equity for Hot People”).
    • “There's so much research that goes behind every single episode... a lot of our ethos is meeting our audience where they are.” – Jean Liu [06:29]
  • They focus on what their “Tiger Fam” community truly wants—equipping listeners to confidently join real-world conversations about business and tech.
    • “People want to know what to say... and ask well-informed questions. So that's why when we made an episode about VC and PE, that was the angle—we're like, how to talk about money in any room.” – Cherie Liu [07:11]

3. Audience as Co-Creators

• Community-Driven Programming
  • Cherie and Jean see their audience as “co-producers,” actively inviting and implementing feedback.
    • “Each episode... is like a mini product in and of itself. Once we put it out, we can get feedback... We read all of the comments.” – Jean Liu [08:27]
  • This dynamic shapes their content and fosters a sense of ownership among listeners.
    • “Our audience... see that we're listening and they really do feel like a part of the production and the growth and the development of Tiger Sisters.” – Cherie Liu [08:51]

4. Conflicts, Collaboration, and Low Ego Partnerships

• Approaching Disagreements Constructively
  • Tight mission and shared vision alignment, along with a “startup” mindset, reduce conflict and enable rapid decision-making.
    • “We were really well aligned on so many aspects of how we were going to build this.” – Cherie Liu [10:35]
  • Testing ideas by data, not by ego:
    • “Sometimes Jean will have a crazy idea and I'm like, I don't know if that's a good idea... Let's test it. Let the numbers speak for itself.” – Cherie Liu [11:34]
  • Respect for each other’s perspectives:
    • “Going into conversations thinking, ‘What if she's right?’... Instead of being like, no, I'm definitely right.” – Cherie Liu [11:34]

5. Reinvention and Communicating Big Life Changes

• Candid Reflections on Career Pivots
  • Both sisters address fear and uncertainty in leaving stable careers—especially against family expectations.
    • “That was really terrifying. But the tenet that I've lived my life by... is just the idea of reinvention.” – Cherie Liu [13:27]
    • “It may be our mother's worst nightmare that we're not working in corporate anymore... But we believe in ourselves so much, so we also need that belief and support from you.” – Jean Liu [15:00]
• Communication Strategy in Transitions
  • Explicitly asking for support was key in bringing stakeholders along.
    • “You had an ask. You didn't just say, we're doing this... you said, and we need your support.” – Matt Abrahams [15:56]

6. Personal Branding in the Creator Economy

• Standing Out Through Authentic Value
  • “Be good at what you do, provide value, and what are ways that you are different.” – Jean Liu [16:55]
  • Emphasizing differences as sources of value and credibility—whether in identity or communication style.
    • “We're talking about business, career, finance, money, power, and we are the only people in this category that look and sound like us and have the experiences that we have.” – Jean Liu [17:34]
• Contextual Adaptability
  • Recognizing the nuances required to tailor personal brand and messaging for different platforms and audiences.
    • “If I am posting on LinkedIn versus posting on Instagram, the message I share and the way that I share it... is very different.” – Jean Liu [24:37]

7. Tactics for Making Complex Ideas Accessible

• Use of Case Studies and Personal Stories
  • Each episode is approached as a learning opportunity, blending business school case study methods with personal life lessons for greater relatability.
    • “Every single episode [is] kind of like a lesson... But we also apply it to our personal lives and our personal relationships, our friendships, our love lives.” – Cherie Liu [19:23]
• Active Learning and Vulnerability
  • Integrating exercises for listeners and sharing their own failures to demystify and humanize complex subjects.
    • “We talk about our mistakes and our failures and the way that we had to learn things the hard way.” – Cherie Liu [19:23]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Impact:
  “You changed my life with your content... I never knew what product management was... but I watched all your content, I applied and I got the job.” – Cherie Liu [03:01]
• On Audience Co-Creation:
  “We often think about our community, our viewers, listeners, as the co-producers of our episodes.” – Jean Liu [08:08]
• On Conflict Resolution:
  “What if she's right?... Let's test it. Let the numbers speak for itself.” – Cherie Liu [11:34]
• On Reinvention:
  “Don’t ever count yourself out, because so many people... are going to want to like, count you out. Don't do it to yourself before you get into it.” – Cherie Liu [13:58]
• On Branding:
  “We are the only people in this category that look and sound like us and have the experiences that we have.” – Jean Liu [17:34]
• On Communicating across Platforms:
  “On LinkedIn... maybe I can make my content a little bit more personal, surprise them a little bit, be more vulnerable. On Instagram... maybe I should come off a bit more professional.” – Jean Liu [24:37]

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Highlighted Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------| | 02:42 | Mission to “help 1 billion people” explained | | 04:08 | Motivations and origins of Tiger Sisters | | 06:29 | Strategic choices in content creation | | 08:08 | Audience as co-creators and feedback process | | 10:35 | Conflict management and startup mindset | | 13:27 | Communicating career pivots & reinvention | | 16:55 | Branding philosophy for creators and professionals | | 19:23 | Methods for simplifying complex topics | | 24:37 | Adapting communication styles across media |

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Lightning Round & Closing Reflections

• Quick Choices Game (23:29–24:01): Reveals differences and similarities in the sisters’ personalities.
• Favorite Communicator:
  “Reese Witherspoon, because I think she’s done something very special with building Palo Sunshine in being able to tell stories that are meant for an audience that is historically really underserved.” – Cherie Liu [24:09]
• Three Ingredients for Effective Communication:
  1. “Knowing your audience.”
  2. “Being curious.”
  3. “Making people feel like they’re the star.” – Jean Liu [24:37–25:37]

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Purpose and clarity drive both content and career pivots.
• Audience engagement is not passive—they are co-creators, not consumers.
• Conflict is best resolved with low ego, data-driven testing, and mutual respect.
• Reinvention is possible at any career stage, and communicating change should include a direct ask for support.
• Personal branding is about value, differentiation, and adaptability.
• Complex topics become accessible through storytelling, case studies, and sharing real experiences.

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For more insights into communication, reinvention, and the new creator economy, check out the Tiger Sisters Podcast and explore Think Fast, Talk Smart’s back catalog at fastersmarter.io.

Transcript

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Hi, Matt.

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[Matt Abrahams]

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[Matt Abrahams]

Passion and collaboration can turbocharge your communication.

My name is Matt Abrahams and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Welcome to Think Fast Talk Smart, the podcast. Today, I'm excited to visit with the Tiger Sisters, Cherie and Jean Liu. They are the dynamic co hosts of the Tiger Sisters Podcast, a show I

encourage all of you to put in your playlists.

They together demystify the tech and finance industries and go beyond with their insights that are both fun and educational. They blend the strategic rigor of the boardroom with the candor of sisterly love.

Well, welcome Jean and Sheri. It's great to have you here. I'm a big fan of your show and the connections we have. It's great to be here in person chatting with you at Spotify in la. Thanks for being here.

[Jean Liu]

We're so excited.

[Matt Abrahams]

Excellent. You both are incredibly curious and motivated. What drives what you do? Jean, you Want to start.

[Cherie Liu]

So for Tiger Sisters, our mission is to help 1 billion people in the world with what we do. And that's something that we didn't really say out loud and start telling people until recently because we were quite sort of bashful about how audacious that is. But now we just say it full on. And the context behind that is that prior to starting Tiger Sisters with Shuri about a year and a half ago, I had never been on camera in my life. I had never done anything like this, never been in the media industry. I actually had had a 15 year long corporate career before all this. So this is all totally new to me. And the reason that, you know, I left that all behind is because while I was in my corporate career, I was sort of behind the scenes and watching Sheree and seeing all that she was doing as a creator, which she had been for about five years. And I was sort of seeing all the DMS and the messages that she was getting from people where they would write into her and say, hey, I just want to let you know, you changed my life with your content. I never knew what product management was. I never knew I could ever work at a tech company, but I watched all your content. I applied and I got the job. I'm moving across the country. And so after like a few years of that, I was like, you know what? This is something that has both incredible scale and reach and really touches and changes the lives of individual people. So from that I was like, this is worth me dedicating my life to.

[Matt Abrahams]

I really like that you guys are very purpose driven.

[Jean Liu]

Oh yeah.

[Matt Abrahams]

And you're right. I mean, what we do can have impact on people and that's fantastic. So, Sree, you and I go way back. We've, we've had a connection. But I'm curious to have you share sort of your motivation. Maybe you can share how we actually know each other as well.

[Jean Liu]

Yes. So Matt and I know each other from Stanford Graduate School of Business. I was a student there and I graduated in 2024. So not too long ago. Jean and I, it's amazing that we get to work together every single day for this mission, but we both feel so much Dr. Purpose and passion for empowering and helping and uplifting people. I started creating content in 2020 during the pandemic and mostly on TikTok short form. And the thing that really clicked for me was when I created this video that rated my undergraduate computer science classes 1 through 10. I rated them and I'm like, how helpful were my classes to what I am doing now working in the tech industry. And I took that idea and a TikTok trend with a Hannah Montana sound so it was like current and relevant and I combined those two together and that video went viral. So it had way more likes, comments, views than my silly dance videos or my cat videos. And people were asking follow up questions in the comments like, oh wow, this class is so interesting. Like how long did it take you to do your major? And at the time there weren't a lot of people sharing their experiences in an educational and like also entertaining way. And so starting from there, I've had a content creator career, mostly part time until recently, full time after graduating. But throughout gsb I was also posting like, what is it like to be a business school student at Stanford? What are the classes that I'm taking? What am I learning? What's the behind the scenes? And so now after graduating in 2024, Jean and I have come together and turned it into Tiger Sisters, which is both our full time jobs and passion for the impact we want to create in this world.

[Matt Abrahams]

Well, I'm hoping that the ratings of the GSB classes were good. I really like how part of what you all do is in a very creative way, you make more detailed, tough at times content accessible to people. Yeah, you're very good in the way in which you communicate complex ideas and make things relevant. How much of that is strategic? Do you guys sit down and talk about how are we going to address this issue or communicate this topic? Or is it just natural and happens?

[Jean Liu]

Oh, no. I mean, I think the behind the scenes of Tiger Sisters people don't see because it does come out very polished. But there's so much research that goes behind every single episode. And for Jean and me, I think a lot of our ethos is meeting our listeners, our viewers, our audience where they are. And while some of the content we have is more complex or academic, one of our more famous episodes or well received episodes, we talked about private equity and venture capital. Very fun and sexy. But we called it like private equity for hot people. And that was a bit, but it also reached people. We're like, okay, there's something interesting there. We can talk about it, break it down and make it more palatable, exciting, entertaining and interesting.

[Cherie Liu]

Yeah. And we're always thinking about what our audience wants, right? What the community we call the Tiger Fam, what they want and why they want to listen to this topic. So for a topic like venture capital or private equity. Yes, like some people are interested in it. Just for the academic pursuit. But really what people want is to be able to participate in any conversation. Like if you go to a networking event or you go to a fancy dinner, people are talking about this company just raised a seed round. Or like this Vertical Industrials is really heating up for private equity. People want to know what to say to that. They want to understand that. They want to be able to participate and ask well informed questions. So that's why when we made an episode about VC and pe, that was the angle that we went at it. We're like, how to talk about money

[Matt Abrahams]

in any room which reaches all of us. Right. So really knowing that audience, doing that reconnaissance, reflection and research is important. How do you get insight from your audiences? Are you doing surveys? Are you talking to people? Are you watching who responds to what?

[Jean Liu]

Yeah. We often think about our community, our viewers, listeners, as the co producers of our episodes. And Jean and I think about Tiger Sisters building it like building a tech startup, which I think is pretty unique in this space, but makes a ton

[Matt Abrahams]

of sense with our background, rapid prototyping, the frameworks and all of that. Yeah.

[Jean Liu]

Because each episode that we put out is like a mini product in and of itself. Once we put it out, we can get feedback on whether or not people are resonating with the topic. What do they want to hear next? What are their follow up questions? And a lot of that comes in both quantitative and qualitative feedback. The qualitative is digging into every single comment that people leave. And we read all of the comments.

[Cherie Liu]

We say that in every episode too. So people know that.

[Matt Abrahams]

Right. And that encourages more.

[Cherie Liu]

Exactly. People are very passionate and people really make a lot of suggestions about what they want us to cover. So we've seen comments before where we release an episode and then people say, oh my God, this is the topic I asked for a month ago. I can't believe you guys finally did it. And they'll be like, please talk about this topic next. So it's really this like virtuous cycle because our audience, the Tiger fan, they see that we're listening and they really do feel like a part of the production and the growth and the development of Tiger Sisters.

[Matt Abrahams]

That sense of community is so important. We do very similar here on Think Fast, Talk Smart. We definitely like getting the feedback and the ideas and we build that in. It's part of it. And that sense of community, I think is something that's very special. I really like this idea of seeing your work as a tech startup. One of my colleagues, I don't know if you ever took a class with Michelle Gelfin, but she likes to say, mind your metaphors. The metaphors we use affect how we do our work. And seeing it as a startup means you bring a certain ethos and approach and a way of interacting not just with each other, but with your audience. So I really like that idea. And all of us can be thinking about, what are those metaphors we bring to the interactions we have? Is this gonna be a battle? Is this gonna be a dance? Is this gonna be a startup? I think that's really interesting. I'm curious about the two of you. I mean, obviously you're sisters, but you're also colleagues and co founders. I can imagine occasionally there might be some differences of opinion. How do you resolve conflicts or different points of view? For those listening in, are there some conflict management techniques that we can learn from?

[Jean Liu]

Not included in your list is roommates.

[Matt Abrahams]

Oh, wow. So you guys are 7 by 24. Tiger sisters and Tiger roommates. Wow. Okay, this just got really interesting.

[Cherie Liu]

I mean, people ask, they're like, how do you grow so quickly? It's because we're always working on it. I think we're really lucky in that we did a lot of sort of pre work, whether we knew it or not, in aligning our mission and how we looked at building Tiger Sisters, like the metaphors we use. We looked at it as a startup. We said, we are going to bootstrap this. We said we are going to, no matter what, spend 18 months on this and just see where it goes. When we start this podcast, we are not going to take any sponsors for the first year. All we're going to do is work on the content and make sure we prove to ourselves that we have product market fit. So I think because we did all that pre work, we were really well aligned on, like, so many aspects of how we were going to build this. And I think just personality wise, we both are pretty hard workers when we are really excited about something. And so I don't think we've had too much conflict.

[Jean Liu]

The thing is, with Jean and me, we both have very low ego when it comes to creating Tiger Sisters or when you're working with someone or in a partnership with someone, I think it's having low ego. So we do a lot of testing for thumbnails and titles and content, and sometimes Jean will have a crazy idea and I'm like, I don't know if that's a good idea or a bad idea. Let's test it. You know, like, let the numbers speak. For itself. Let's test this title. And if it works, that's great for the betterment of Tiger Sisters. And I also just have a lot of respect for, obviously, my older sister and going into conversations thinking, like, what if she's right? You know, instead of being like, no, I'm definitely right, or like, she's wrong, and I have the better idea. It's not really that. It's like, we both want Tiger Sisters to be so successful and we want to help people and we have the same mission and vision. Like, what if she's right?

[Matt Abrahams]

I really like that approach to potential conflict is, what if the other person's right? Most of us, I think our natural reaction is, I'm right, they're wrong. But I like that. I what if she's right? And I love that you also go to the numbers. Let's test it out before we have a battle or a fight. Let's try it. And in the space you're in and with the technology we have, you can test things pretty quickly. The notion of being very clear on your goals and alignment also, I think is something that is have been helpful. I heard you say that was really important up front. Lots that you're doing that many of us can take away, get alignment, think about what if the other person's right, and figure out ways to test the areas where there's contention or potential conflict. That's really helpful. I'm curious to hear you both made pivots from a completely different career. How was that and how did you communicate that? I can imagine family members, friends, others saying you had a pretty good run doing what you were doing, and you're going to go do what? What was that thought process, and how did you communicate that in a way that was able to help get the support that I assume you've had?

[Cherie Liu]

Yeah, I mean, in many ways, terrifying to kind of not throw away, but put aside the entire 15 years of working in corporate. And, you know, after a long time, you become quite successful and you are an expert in one area. So to move to an entirely new area that I have no evidence that I'll be at all any good at it. That was really terrifying. But I think the sort of tenet that I've lived my life by and that I use to help communicate this change is just the idea of reinvention.

[Jean Liu]

Right.

[Cherie Liu]

That is a theme that we talk about all the time on Tiger Sisters, that you can reinvite yourself at any age and you can do it in a million different ways. So the other tenet that I live my life by is that don't ever, like, count yourself out, because so many people, they're going to want to, like, count you out. Don't do it to yourself before you get into it, and especially if you're a woman, play to your strengths and, like, don't worry about the fact that you may not be perfect on paper. There's going to be something about you that makes you special for the role.

[Matt Abrahams]

I think this idea of reinvention, which comes across loud and clear in the show you do, and it's very empowering. But every time you reinvent, you're leveraging what you've learned in the past, so you're applying all the skills you learned to your new role in communicating that to your colleagues, your parents, et cetera. Was it hard for you and for them? I mean, that's a hard message to say. I'm leaving a successful career. Did you strategically think about the message that you had to deliver?

[Jean Liu]

I think for Jean and me, it may be our mother's worst nightmare that we're not working in corporate anymore. So we come from, you know, we are tiger sisters. We have a tiger moment, to say the least. And she's an immigrant, and we grew up thinking that our lives should look a certain way. We should get the resume attributes and go to the schools and have those jobs. And so I think it's absolutely so scary to share that we are not doing that, or we've done that and now, trust us, we are taking a major pivot. But we believe in ourselves so much, so we also need that belief and support from you as well. I still think it's kind of a battle, like, maybe battle's kind of a dramatic word. But I do mean that in that we're proving to ourselves, we're proving to the world and also proving to the people who care about us and want the best for us, but don't necessarily know what this whole media stuff is, you know?

[Matt Abrahams]

Yeah. One of the things that I want to pick up on that you said that I think is really valuable when communicating change to others from whom we want support, is that you had an ask. You didn't just say, we're doing this or I'm doing this. You said, and we need your support. And that connection, I think, is really important in sharing that I'm making this change, I'm reinventing myself, but I'm going to need that help and support along the way, and that can pull people forward with you. You guys are doing a great job of Branding yourself and your show in this creator economy, whatever that means, that brand is important. Can you talk to us a little bit about the conscious efforts you're following or acting on to define your brand? Because I believe as we move forward in this creator led world, all of us in some way, shape or form are going to have to have a personal brand. Maybe it's a show like you have, or maybe it's just when I go to apply for a job, I have this brand that others can go check out to see that my brand is in line with whatever the corporate brand is. Thoughts on branding? You're doing a great job at it.

[Jean Liu]

Something that I've been thinking about for branding for Tiger Sisters and how I've approached branding for the last few years is what makes you stand out in your category or your vertical, Be good at what you do, provide value, and what are ways that you are different. So one of the reasons why I reached out and we're doing this podcast is that our podcasts were next to each other on the top business charts. And you know, Gina, I look at those charts and sometimes when we're up there in the top 10, we're like, wait a second, we're talking about business, we're talking about career, finance, money, power. And we are the only people in this category that look and sound like us and have the experiences that we have.

[Cherie Liu]

And.

[Jean Liu]

And so I think my takeaway for the last few years is just like, how can you brand yourself as someone who is very credible, be good at what you do, provide value, and how are you just a little bit different, providing nuance and a different perspective. This started when I was in my computer science class as an undergrad. I wasn't the best CS student at all, but something that's different about me. I was good enough in my classes. I was part of Women in Computer Science, but I was very talkative, very outgoing. That helped me stand out among my peers who were in the club with me. And I was nominated president because I could be the corporate facing person to talk to these companies, to bring the companies to campus and, you know, have those intern and job opportunities for my classmates. But I think in that way, like, I also was trying to figure out how do I stand out.

[Matt Abrahams]

What I hear in different answers that you gave is knowing yourself and where your strengths are.

[Jean Liu]

Yeah.

[Matt Abrahams]

And then from a branding perspective, understanding the context you're in and figuring out how you can bring a little bit of nuance or difference there so that you leverage the strengths that you have and You've done a good job of that. And it takes a lot of research and reflection and trial and error, as you've mentioned, to really find that. But once you do, it can really be helpful for you. It gives you focus, and it also invites in those audiences for the creative stuff you do. One of the things I really appreciate about what you do is you take a lot of complex information and make it really accessible. And I'd like to get very tactical. What are some of the techniques you think through about how to communicate it so people understand it? I know you think about your audience, but are you thinking a good story would work here? Or. Let's use an analogy there. Talk to me about that process, because it's very helpful to learn material through you all in the way you do it.

[Cherie Liu]

Yeah. I think the funny thing is that, again, it helps that we have a similar background and that we both went to business school because we really draw on that sort of method of learning, of learning through case studies. So whether or not we intended to go about it this way, we basically approach every single episode as kind of like a lesson. And hopefully that's not how people perceive it, because it's also meant to be extremely entertaining. But we try to pull the best of what we learned from business school, and we always include a case study. We include some of the background that people need to learn in order to be able to process and build that critical thinking around the topic themselves. And then we layer in what I think is our secret sauce, which is we talk a lot about our own personal experiences. Right. So we talk about our mistakes and our failures and the way that we had to learn things the hard way across certain topics in our careers. And then I think one level deeper, what makes us even more unique is that we don't just take these sort of frameworks and principles and apply it to business and money and career, but we also apply it to our personal lives and our personal relationships, our friendships, our love lives. And we also have many exercises.

[Matt Abrahams]

And what's so interesting to me is, I mean, the things that you do and you've just described are things that people like me use when we teach. And I love that you learn them from the other side. As students, you learn these techniques, but the adult learning theory is all about the things that you're doing. I love that you use a case to make it real. You bring your own personal experiences. You give people an activity to do to really reflect. That's how people learn and grow.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

We'll be right back to Finish our conversation. But first, a quick word from one of our sponsors. Their support allows us to bring you

[Matt Abrahams]

this show free of charge.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. One thing I see often is that people are doing thoughtful, meaningful work, but it's not always easy for others to see or understand it. And that's really what personal branding comes down to. Not self promotion, but clarity. Making it easier for people to find you, understand what you do, and connect with your ideas. That's where Squarespace comes in. It gives you a simple way to build a professional website, claim your domain, and create a clear, cohesive home for your work, whether you're writing, speaking, teaching, or building something of your own. And if your work involves others, you can offer services, schedule sessions, and get paid all in one place without adding a lot of complexity behind the scenes. So you're not just sharing ideas, you're learning who your audience is and what resonates with them over time. With Squarespace, your online presence actually reflects the value of what you have to offer. Head to squarespace.com TF for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, use offer code TFTs to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Hi, Matt here. If you enjoyed my recent conversation with Gene and Sherry from the Tiger Sisters Podcast, I think you'll really love their show. Jean and Sherry are known as the Internet's Wall street and Silicon Valley big sisters. They take big and sometimes complicated ideas around money, power and love and turn them into clear, practical tools you can apply right, right away. And together they've built Tiger Sisters into a top ranked business podcast. Two fun facts. I coached Sheri for her TEDx talk and I had the chance to join them on their show. They ask great questions and bring a perspective you don't always hear. New episodes drop every Monday on their YouTube channel and across all audio platforms. And now back to our conversation.

[Matt Abrahams]

Before we end every episode, I always ask three questions. One I'm going to create just for you. Actually, instead of a question, I want it to be a little bit of an experience and then I'll ask you the two questions. So when I teach, one of the icebreakers I use is a very quick game called this or that. So what I'd like to do is I'd like to pose to each of you a choice and I'd like you to just state your choice. No more information. And then after we do a few of these, I might ask a question so it'll be interesting to see if you have similar or different choices. So, for example, if I were to say to you, cherise, summer or winter? You would say winter, summer or winter?

[Cherie Liu]

Summer.

[Matt Abrahams]

Okay, see, interesting. Already we've got a difference. Backpack or suitcase?

[Jean Liu]

Backpack.

[Cherie Liu]

Suitcase.

[Matt Abrahams]

Money or time?

[Jean Liu]

Time.

[Cherie Liu]

Money.

[Matt Abrahams]

Player or coach?

[Jean Liu]

Player.

[Cherie Liu]

Now player.

[Matt Abrahams]

Okay, interesting. See, so some similarities and differences. Talk to me about backpack or suitcase.

[Jean Liu]

I like to have things on me. I'm ready, I'm on the go. Suitcase, you gotta. There's more maneuvering.

[Cherie Liu]

And for you, I personally have a suitcase that I really, really love.

[Matt Abrahams]

Okay.

[Cherie Liu]

And that's, That's.

[Matt Abrahams]

That's the way you do that. Yeah. Okay, so question number two, Gene. I'll ask this of you, and I'll come to you with question number three. Who's a communicator you admire and why?

[Cherie Liu]

Okay. I would say Reese Witherspoon, because I think she's done something very special with building Palo Sunshine in being able to tell stories that are meant for an audience that is historically really underserved, based on what she wants to hear and what she wants to know.

[Matt Abrahams]

So connection and storytelling. And Reese is a Stanford affiliated. So important to know. So, Cherie, what are the first three ingredients that go into a successful communication recipe?

[Jean Liu]

I would say the first thing is knowing your audience. And maybe that's something I learned from you and Allison Kluger from her classes, but knowing your audience. And I'll. I'll bring this example into the digital world. Whereas, like, if I am posting on LinkedIn versus posting on Instagram, the message I share and the way that I share it, the medium and also the copy that I use, it's very different. The audience on LinkedIn, coming from the corporate world, they're expecting to see more professional content. And that way, maybe I can make my content a little bit more personal, surprise them a little bit, be more vulnerable. It's not what they expect in that way. It's a little bit surprising. And they can engage with that on Instagram. Like, my audience is a bit younger. Maybe I should come off a bit more professional. That's not what they're seeing on social media. So knowing your audience and maybe knowing what they expect and maybe tweaking that a little bit so you can surprise and delight them. I would say the second thing is when you're talking to people and meeting them, I think about, how do you be the most curious person and asking a lot of questions to them in that way. Like, we've all met people who are like, oh, my God, they're so charming. They're so magnetic, like how do they do it? And I think it's being really curious about the other person and I think everyone has an interesting story to offer and really digging in and asking good questions and making people feel like they're the star.

[Matt Abrahams]

So it's about knowing your audience, it's about being curious and it's about bringing out the stories in other people. Fantastic ingredients and something that's demonstrated on your show all the time. It's been lovely to chat with you, to reconnect. Yes, I am fully a member of the Tiger family and really appreciate the collaboration and the learnings. Thank you.

[Jean Liu]

Thank you. Mat thanks you.

[Matt Abrahams]

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. To learn more about related topics like we discussed, please check out our extensive back catalog you can find wherever you get your podcasts or at Fastersmarter IO. This episode was produced by Kathryn Reed, Ryan Campos and me, Matt Abrahams. Our music is from Floyd Wonder, with special thanks to the team at the Spotify Studios in Los Angeles and Podium podcast company. Please find us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe and rate us. Also follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram and check out fastersmarterio for deep dive videos, English language learning content and our newsletter. Please consider joining our Think Fast Talk Smart learning community at Fastersmarter IO Learning. You'll find video lessons, learning quests, discussion boards, my AI coach and our book club opportunities. Again, that's FasterSmarter IO learning.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Before we wrap up, I just want to say thank you for listening. It really means a lot to hear how people all over the world are using these ideas in their own lives. It inspires me and the whole team that brings you this show. If you want more episodes and resources, feel free to follow, subscribe and explore past conversations. We're grateful for your support of Think Fast, Talk Smart.