What makes a speaker memorable long after they leave the stage? For Brigitte Lessard, founder of Women Talk, it starts with something every speaker already has: a story.
Brigitte joins Kelly for a lively conversation about how storytelling can help speakers connect with an audience, stand apart from other speakers, and bring more personality to the stage. After hearing thousands of stories through Women Talk, Brigitte has learned that people often overlook their best material simply because their own experiences feel ordinary to them.
Kelly and Brigitte explore how speakers can weave personal stories into educational content, find humor in difficult experiences, and use emotion to take an audience through both serious and lighter moments. They also talk about why trying to sound like every other successful speaker can work against you when you're trying to land speaking gigs.
For speakers who think they need a bigger story, a more polished persona, or another five-step framework to make an impact, Brigitte offers a different place to begin: look more closely at the experiences you've already lived and discover the stories only you can tell.
The Gig-Getting Insights Inside:
- Why the stories that feel ordinary to you may be anything but ordinary to your audience
- The connection between standing out as a speaker and discovering what is uniquely yours
- A different way to look at the difficult, embarrassing, or painful moments in your life
- How emotional range can change the experience you're creating from the stage
- The story-discovery exercise that helped Kelly uncover material she had forgotten about
About the Guest:
Brigitte Lessard is the founder and host of Women Talk, owner of SportsBras.ca, a comedian, actor, and lifelong believer in the power of women supporting women. For more than 25 years, she has helped women feel comfortable and confident through SportsBras.ca, and she created Women Talk to support women in a different way by giving them a welcoming place to share their stories, speak their truths, and know they are not alone. Through the Women Talk video podcast, live events, and special experiences, Brigitte brings women together to connect, laugh, learn, and inspire one another.
Resources
Mistakes Speakers Make and How to Fix Them is a practical mini-course designed to help speakers of all levels identify and overcome the common pitfalls that can hinder their success. Drawing on insights from Kelly Woodhouse’s "Landing the Gig" podcast interviews and her extensive experience as a TEDx and keynote speaker, and bestselling author, this course provides actionable strategies to enhance your speaking impact, open doors to new opportunities, and boost your revenue.
This mini-course is Free for 14-days and after that it will be $199. If you consume it in the 14-day period, then you can keep it forever. https://app.hiro.fm/channel/mini
About Kelly:
Kelly Woodhouse is an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, publisher, and coach. A burn survivor since the age of 2 on 75% of her body, she transformed a story of near death into one of resilience and triumph. From being called the “scar-faced girl” to gracing the TEDx stage twice, Kelly’s journey has inspired millions worldwide. Her documentary Still Beautiful aired on TV, and her Goalcast video surpassed 10 million views.
Global TV named her one of the Most Inspirational People of 2020. You must ask yourself HOW? How did the scar-faced girl find the strength in her scars? Goalcast Video on fb which has received over 10 million views: https://www.facebook.com/dailygoalcast/videos/566114747146421/
https://www.KellyWoodhouse.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyfalardeau/
https://www.facebook.com/kelly.woodhouse.2025/
https://www.youtube.com/@KellyWoodhouse2
TEDx talk - U.G.L.Y. is Still Beautiful: https://youtu.be/KMBZvjetRqQ?si=V61xjiCxI5tNBL0F
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Music Credit
Our sincere thanks to Raquel Soto for generously allowing us to use "Raise Your Voice (Ink And Impact Awards Theme Song)" as part of this podcast. We are grateful for the opportunity to feature this inspiring music and appreciate her support of the show.