StoryEQ™

Founder

flynnkristina media, inc.

with over 17 years of building story-driven brands and communities for exceptional individuals—from NBA All-Stars to venture capitalists and renowned artists—my approach combines traditional storytelling with the latest in tech and AI. giving you a transformative perspective and uncovering new dimensions in your personal and professional journey.

how can you work with me?

• 1:1 guided personal story discovery 
• story articulation, content strategy and market positioning
• personal story playbooks, knowledge bases, and custom GPTs

accomplishments:

- transformative brand and operational advancements to over 20 award-winning artists, Ivy League PhDs, industry-leading CEOs, Gates Scholar recipients, and multi-million dollar bootstrapped startup Founders.

- built my personal brand to 20,000 followers + subscribers across platforms and a “Top Personal Branding Voice” recognition by LinkedIn in 2 years.

- created "StoryEngine", an AI-powered platform enhancing personal branding and professional growth among influential women and non-binary leaders; 90% approval rating from all BETA participants.

- led the development of a sold-out, first-of-its-kind, 1,000-piece generative art collection on the Ethereum blockchain that generated over $250,000 for award-winning musician, Ed Balloon, in 72 hours.

- engineered Kyle Lowry's pioneering Genesis NFT Collection, marking a significant intersection of technology and sports on blockchain technology.

- enhanced operational efficiencies and cross-functional team communication by over 25% in less than a year and advised and acted as a thought partnership to the CEO for the #1 training program for underrepresented tech founders in the US, Founder Gym.

Personal Brand + Story Strategist

Rug Radio

content focused on all things web3 (culture, community, creators, tech et. al.). platform and format agnostic.

host of weekly podcast, Web3 Queeroes.

Freelance Content Creator

elected, founding, member leading the establishment of the governance framework of pioneering decentralized autonomous organization in the media sector, underpinned by 1000 ETH ($5 million) and a community of over 1,000 co-owners.

Council + Founding Member

Marigold Capital

advisor to one of North America's first and top impact investment funds.

Advisor

jiiWA

- escalated and bootstrapped the startup to over $500,000 in revenue in less than 3 years through strategic development and oversight of all core business units.

- led JIIWA to successful B Corp Certification, acknowledging stakeholder governance policies and company procedures that embody the values of community investment and sustainable business practices.

- facilitated close to 3 years of industry research and customer discovery, collecting over 800,000 data points from over 10,000 end users across multi-year, enterprise clients in North America.

Co-Founder & CEO

GuardLab

- orchestrated the development of operational systems and digital platforms, including a DTC Website, Shopify backend, iOS and Android apps, leading to significantly enhancing efficiency and team and stakeholder engagement.

- established pivotal partnerships with Fortune 500 companies and major sports franchises across the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, UFC, and NCAA.

- acted as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the CEO and Board of Directors on industry trends and consumer behaviours that informed critical business decisions.

Vice President, Operations

The 519

- spearheaded the execution of a groundbreaking $100 million capital project of the world’s first inclusive sport and recreation facility, led by one of Canada’s wealthiest families. 

- acted as the primary liaison and strategic council between a major philanthropic donor and critical project stakeholders, including Federal, Provincial, and Municipal elected officials.

- directed the development, presentation, and administration of the project’s annual $1.5 million budget.

- facilitated a comprehensive community engagement process for over 2,500 residents of Moss Park, leading both the planning and execution phases.

Senior Project Consultant, The Moss Park Project

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

- promoted 3 times in under 6 years beginning as Intern, and ending as Manager, Community and Player Engagement.

- led a team of 4 in the strategy and execution of all business and personal initiatives and charitable investments for 90+ professional athletes, coaches and executives annually. 

- generated $1.7M through event management, sales and operations for major MLSE Foundation events through innovative sponsorship and donor engagement strategies. 

- launched MLSE’s educational platform, coordinating cross-functional teams to create a comprehensive resource for community health and wellness that served over 100,000 teachers across Canadian school boards.

- spearheaded MLSE’s first-ever Pride Night and Pride March.

Manager, Community & Player Engagement (Toronto Raptors | Toronto FC | MLSE Foundation)

Coordinator, Community and Player Programming (Toronto Raptors)

Coordinator, NBA Programming (NBA 3on3)

Community/Basketball Development Intern

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin

- Acted as liaison between Toronto and Ottawa legal offices in the acquisition of Johnson and Buchan LLP. Included software and systems training of 15 Ottawa personnel. 

- Created and maintained corporate manual on department policies, procedures and guidelines.
	
- Delivered training seminars to legal secretariat assistant groups and conducted departmental orientations for new legal professionals.

- Assisted with special projects by researching new resources and testing new products and software.

- Provided support to the Records Management team as required.

Analyst/Coordinator, Records Management

make your personal story a profitable brand | i help high-potential women understand & share their stories to effortlessly sell themselves & their work | +15 years building brands for NBA All-Stars, founders, VCs | ADHD

aren’t you sick of playing small?

maybe you’re:

• feeling overlooked while you watch others rise
• unsure how to own your story & show up confidently
• ready to finally get paid for what makes you unique

🟦 short 🟦

for 18 years, i built personal brands for NBA All-Stars, Olympians, and VCs. now, i help mid-to-late career founders + pros use StoryEQ™—my AI-driven, neuroscience-backed approach—to discover, articulate, and own their story so they can GET PAID for their expertise.

tired of staying safe? go to my “featured” section to book a discovery call.

🟦 long 🟦

if you’re here, you’re feeling it. the frustration of not fully knowing (or owning) who you are or how to communicate what makes you valuable.

you’re wondering:

• how do i explain what i do in a way that feels like me?
• how am i different and why should people care?
• who the f*ck am i to call myself an expert?

you’ve tried to "figure it out"… journaling, courses, reading. but it never feels complete.

but you’re still stuck:

• holding back
• doubting your worth
• feeling invisible in rooms you belong

the reality is you don’t feel like you because you haven’t fully discovered who you are.

but, here’s what i know from 18 years with top talent:

• you’re not alone in feeling this way
• it can 100% be fixed (in way less time than you think)

if you want to show up with confidence, get paid for your unique expertise, and build a personal brand that "feels like you" AND deeply connects with your audience, it starts with two things:

1) getting clear on your personal story and why it matters
2) learning to share it authentically—in a way that connects with any audience

that’s what i help you do with StoryEQ™. 

this AI + EQ framework makes self-reflection accessible, storytelling strategic (without the trauma-spilling), and your personal brand your greatest professional asset.

ready to enter your no f*cks era? book a discovery call in my FEATURED section.

---

real results from leaders who’ve used StoryEQ™ to step into their No F*cks Era™:

🔸 “i built a multi million dollar company in 18 months, and if i'd had StoryEQ™ early on, my team and i could’ve done it in 9. it is so impactful that we now send all of our consulting clients through the process with Kristina.” — Amanda Northcutt (Founder and CEO @ Level Up Creators)

🔸 “kristina is kindness and warmth personified. she creates a safe space to dig into the nitty-gritty parts of your life and analyze them in a way that gives them deep meaning.” — Erica Schneider (Founder + Creator @ Cut The Fluff + Full Stack Solo)

kristina flynn

walking into a room of 100 accomplished women is my nightmare. last week i not only walked in - i got on stage…


the first thing i asked?


"how many of you looked around today and thought… i must be in the wrong room?"


90% raised their hands.

90% of the top creators. journalists. executives. entrepreneurs. from Spotify, CNN, Forbes, Vanity Fair, iHeartRadio…

90% felt like imposters who got "lucky."


we'd all been telling ourselves the same lie.

that everyone else belonged.
that we were the only ones who didn’t. 

it was wild. 

and a perfect intro to my talk, The Science of Trust in the Creator Economy. 

because the best news is that we can rewire this sh*t. we can engineer self-trust. 

by understanding when we're performing instead of being ourselves.
by proving to ourselves - one terrifying moment at a time - that we can handle it.

micro moments. big shifts. 


standing on that stage, my body screamed RUN. 

(a yell that started over 72 hours earlier)

turns out, I didn't need to be fearless.
those women didn't need me to be fearless. 

they needed me to be real. 

to be terrified and do it anyway. 

because self-trust doesn't come from never feeling fear.

it comes from feeling like you’re gonna puke and still taking the mic. 
feeling like you don't belong and still sharing your story.


rooms of all women have rarely felt safe to me. 

as a mom who didn't birth my kids, i'm often seen more like a "Dad" — never quite fitting the mold.

but by refusing to “perform professionalism” last week at Amy Sterner Nelson’s The Gathering in DC 

I gave others in the room permission to do the same. 

and from the moment i walked off stage, I felt supported, welcomed, seen. 

turns out the wrong room was exactly where we ALL needed to be.

90% of us, learning we weren't alone in feeling alone.


real talk 💬 does walking into a room of all women feel safe to you?


—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their personal stories into personal brands (that feel like them and make shittons of money).

• follow me here: kristina flynn  
• subscribe to my newsletter (relaunching soon!)

you don’t know why you’re valuable. I fix that | 18 yrs w/ NBA All-Stars, Olympians + VCs | founder, StoryEQ™ — helping overthinking high-achievers see, own, and get paid for what makes you unique | ADHD

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my therapist says i need "consistency." so here's 12,000 thoughts from this morning.



(welcome to #overthinkinginpublic — my brain dump series happening every Wednesday)


the avg person has 4000 thoughts/day. 

overthinkers like me? we're *at least* triple that. 


here are some of mine:
(that literally no one asked for)


• whoever said Allan Keys are the best invention has never actually used a f*cking Allan Key

• we have tech that lets rockets take off, come back and land…Apple, can you really not build an AirPod case that stays closed when it drops???

• i don't care how much of a Millennial it makes me. i'm not booking no flight on a f*cking phone. 

• 🎵"i'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby"🎵 

• are we "officially old" when a car peels around the corner and we respond with "well, that was unnecessary."

• as a kid i collected keychains. now i collect domains. welcome to the family, performingprofessionalism(.)com

• i resent Gen Z bringing back the tramp stamp. how are people supposed to know my age now? 

• were "The Jones'" a marketing campaign just like "Betty Crocker"?

• are we the last generation to say things like "2 shakes of a lamb's tail"? (yes i actually say this)

• what asshole decided that women needed to shave their entire bodies to be desirable?



real talk 💬 how many thoughts do you think you have daily?



—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers like you turn your personal stories and wild careers into personal brands (that feel like you and make sh*ttons of money).

if you liked this (and don't hate Queer people):

follow me here: kristina flynn

i crushed the talk. but felt nothing. like watching someone else’s success through a window. 



last week i shared that 90% of women in a room of 100 raised their hands when i asked who felt like they didn’t belong.

today i'm still thinking about why.


"imposter syndrome" doesn't capture it. 
at least not for me.

i don't feel like an imposter. 
i know logically i'm “good at what i do”.

for me, it feels more like disconnect.

my brain can list the facts:

• brought value
• crushed the talk
• people connected
• asks to work together

but my body? feels nothing.


and if 90% of the women in that room of 'heavy hitters' (barf) raised their hands? 

this isn’t just a “me” problem of knowing my achievements but being unable to feel them.


so, here's what i'm #overthinkinginpublic today (maybe you can help me figure this out):


what if the way we're taught to “succeed” actually breaks our ability to experience it when we do?

think about it.

• every time we push through exhaustion for a deadline
• every time we smile in meetings when we want to scream
• every time we ignore our gut to be "professional"

we’re doing what i call “performing professionalism” 


teaching our nervous system its signals don't matter.

teaching ourselves that success means overriding what we feel.

that to “win” we need to disconnect from ourselves.



so when we "make it" - we literally can't feel it. because we've trained ourselves out of it.


i don’t have any answers yet 
but naming it feels like the first step

and i can’t ignore the pattern.


if 90% of a room of ridiculously accomplished women feel like they don’t belong… 

that's not individual failure.
that's something bigger.

and if we wanna fix it… we’re gonna have to admit it’s a big f*cking problem in the first place. 


real talk 💬 have you ever experienced this?


—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their personal stories and wild careers into personal brands (that feel like them and make sh*ttons of money).

if you liked this (and don’t hate Queer people):

follow me here: kristina flynn

my therapist says i need "consistency." so here's 12,000 thoughts from this morning (pt.2)


(welcome to #overthinkinginpublic — my brain dump series happening every Wednesday)

the avg person has 4000 thoughts/day.
overthinkers like me? gotta be at least triple that.

here are some of mine:
(that literally no one asked for)

• do 2 narcissists ever end up together?
• are crawfish actually just baby lobsters?
• do Blue Jays know that they're the Brad Pitt of birds?
• Pamela Anderson might be the best comeback story since the QR code
• “this is our daughter, Dottie, and this is our other daughter…Dottie’s sister”
• why are ears and noses the only things on our bodies that continue to grow as we age?
• if an item you washed is damp but you really want to wear it, do you put it on anyways? (i 100% do)
• i’m still working on a definition of peri-menopause but so far I’ve got: 3 days of existential crises monthly
• is my house actually a disaster or is it just a disaster compared to the house i grew up in (where you only played in your room and basement)?
• 🎵doooooo yooouurrr ears hang low. do they wobble to and frow. can you tie them in a knot. can you tie them in a bow. 🎵


real talk 💬 are you an overthinker?

—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers like you turn your personal stories and wild careers into personal brands (that feel like you and make sh*ttons of money).

if you liked this (and don't hate Queer people)

follow me here: kristina flynn

my 6 y/o discovered the $6.2 million banana. what i realized next won't leave my brain.

she doesn't overthink.


my daughter is an Artist. 
she started claiming that label at 3. 
 
wifey and i encourage it. 

i'm an Artist, 
but couldn't claim it until my late 30s. 

last week she burst through the door after school:
"Mommy, this guy's art was taping a banana to a wall!"

i said, "wild right, it's called 'Comedian.'"

her eyes went huge. "you KNOW that story?!"

and we were off. 
(i'd bet my right arm she has my brain)

30 minutes deep diving into Maurizio Cattelan. 
the concept. the sales. the controversy.

about 15 mins in, she grabbed my sharpie.

didn't ask permission.
didn't worry about getting it wrong.
didn't wonder if she was artistic enough.

just...started drawing.

couple minutes later (with some spelling help from me) her interpretation was done. 

it was like i got to watch myself create before the world got to me.

before i worried "what will they think?"
before i wondered "am i qualified?"
before i felt wrong claiming Artist. 

she wanted to make something. so she did.

no overthinking to the point of paralysis.
no overriding voice in her head.
no second guessing.

just: idea → action.

this is what we lose, isn't it?

not our creativity.
not our ability.
not our ideas.

we lose the permission to just do.

overthinking high-achievers get this. 

1000s of ideas sitting in your notes app.
frameworks dying in your Notion instance.
stories you're "perfecting" instead of posting.

maybe it's time to pick up the sharpie again.

stop asking if you're ready.
stop waiting for permission.
stop overthinking it without action.

your 6-year-old self would've just done it by now.


real talk 💬 what did you want to be when you grew up?


—

hey hey, i'm kristina with a 'k' and i help overthinking high-achievers turn their personal stories and wild careers into profitable personal brands (that actually feel like them).

if you dig this (and aren't afraid of Queer people):

• follow me here: kristina flynn

INSEAD

Teaching leaders and organisations how to leverage the power of storytelling and master the art of impactful communication to better connect with their audience, build trust, inspire action and drive collaboration.

Lecturer and Facilitator at INSEAD

StoryCast®

When leaders don’t embrace the power of personal authentic storytelling they end up being ignored and become invisible to their people. At StoryCast® we’re on a mission to change that.

After meeting and interviewing hundreds of inspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders on my award-winning podcast The Unconventionalists and hearing feedback from the readers of my best-selling book Glow in the Dark (Hachette UK), I realised just how much people struggled to share their story or see how their story mattered.

That's why I decided to launch StoryCast® to help unlock the power of everyone’s story because I believe that the story that will change your life isn't the one you'll hear, it's the one you'll share.

Through our engaging talks, Masterclasses and coaching programmes we teach CEOs, founders and business leaders how to leverage the power of storytelling to connect with their audience, build trust and inspire action.

If you'd like to learn how you can turn your story into a powerful asset that gets noticed, and helps people care about what you have to say, share or sell, get in touch with us today.

CEO and Founder

Hachette UK

Author of the bestselling book "Glow in the Dark: How Sharing Your Personal Story Can Transform Your Business and Change Your Life" which recently won "Best Business Self-Development Book" of the year award at the 2023 Business Book Awards.

Now available to order from all major retailers (please shop local when possible), and is available on Kindle and audiobook too.

Learn how to turn your story into a powerful asset that gets noticed 👉 https://www.glowinthedarkbook.com

Author

Ministry of Purpose

Our Mission is to eradicate career misery in the workplace for the younger generation of talent.

Most organisations still think that purpose doesn't fuel profits. Unfortunately, this short-term thinking couldn’t be further from the truth. As a result, their employees feel disengaged, undervalued, and ready to vote with their feet to a company that will treat them better.

The secret to solving your retention issues and maximising high performance is fostering a purpose-driven culture throughout your workplace, and to give meaning to the work you do.

The Ministry of Purpose’s team of Coaches, Strategists and Storytellers are your one stop shop for the information and inspiration you need to unlock the power of purpose in your work.

OUR SERVICES: 

The Ministry can help your organisation with our signature keynote talks, experiential workshops or one-to-one coaching. Each engagement is tailored around your company’s needs, and will leave you with an actionable roadmap you can use to start fostering purpose in your workplace. 

The result? Fostering better leadership, a better ability to serve your customers, and a better business.

Want to learn more? Connect with me here on LinkedIn, or send me an email at info[at]ministryofpurpose.com

Chief Purpose Officer

The Unconventionalists

Back in 2015 I was tired of hearing podcasts with just the positive stories of founders and business leaders. 

I wanted to hear the other side of making an impact: The self-doubt, the set backs, the failures…the stuff most people don’t talk about in public and yet is an integral part of chasing your purpose.

In short I wanted to have real conversations with real people, the kind of conversations I had with business leaders and owners behind closed doors.

So I launched a podcast with zero idea of what I was doing.

Today, as the Founder and Host of The Unconventionalists®, I’m on a mission to empower entrepreneurs, business leaders and founders to do great work on their own terms. 

My podcasts gives listeners the tools and tactics they need to stand out, find their true voice, unleash their powerful story and build a tribe of raving fans.

Founder and Host

Dent Global

Dent are worldwide leaders in strategy and technology that helps the rising stars of business stand out, scale up and make a Dent in the universe.

As a mentor, I help Dent clients build their online presence, showing them how to become known, liked and trusted.

Mentor

Guardian News & Media

The Guardian Masterclass provides in person training and courses from some of the world’s best minds on leadership, writing, media, photography and more.

I deliver two masterclasses, on how to find your purpose, and how to find your voice as a leader.

Lecturer

Mark Leruste

As a sought after international inspirational keynote speaker at companies and conferences around the world, I've helped more than 5,000 people across 30 organisations learn how to build trust, connect with their audience and inspire action.

Since 2016 I've had the honour to speak at Fortune500 companies, non-profits and leading business schools, including Google, YouTube, The Guardian, Amazon, Method & Ecover, Insead, HEC and Oxford Business School to name a few and I am known for my refreshingly human approach to leadership.

Professional Speaker

MarkLeruste.com

Over the past six years I've had the honour to spent 500+ hours coaching more than 200 unfulfilled professionals, leaders and small business owners from 20 different nationalities.

Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)

Coaches Training Institute (CTI)

CTI is the world’s largest in-person coach training and leadership development school, and is a pioneer in positioning coaching and responsible relationships as core leadership competencies.

As part of the core faculty, I train people who want to become coaches to step into their role as leaders, speak their truth and start making their mark on the world.

Find out more about my next coaching event at http://www.markleruste.com/live-events/

Faculty

CEO of Storycast®, Keynote Speaker, Leadership and Communications expert, Personal Storytelling Nerd, Bestselling Business Author of Glow in the Dark (Hachette) and Award-Winning Host of The Unconventionalists Podcast.

Unless you have a story, you don’t have a way to connect with people. 😲

Good news is, everyone has a story.

Whether it's in meetings, on stage, or through various media, it can be disheartening when your message isn't landing or driving the change or impact you envisioned. 

Unfortunately, too many leaders struggle to cut through the noise when they talk, unsure how to connect authentically with their audience, build trust or inspire action. 

It’s a common challenge, feeling like you're shouting into the void while your ideas and messages get lost in the crowd. 

Are you clear?
Are you compelling?

You see, I understand this challenge intimately. 

Growing up as a dyslexic kid with ADD, I often felt unheard and like my voice didn't matter. But I knew I could contribute more if given a chance.

It wasn’t until I discovered the stage when I was a young child that I found a way to connect with people and make them feel something. 

Over the years I've learned how to use storytelling and impactful communication to transform how an audience thinks, feels, and acts.

It's helped me grow my business, raise millions for charity, win awards and inspire others to do the same.

That's why today I help leaders master the art of personal storytelling and communication for impact to drive change. 

Through our work together, be it as a keynote speaker, storytelling coach or facilitator, you (and your team will) find the confidence to share your story, communicate with clarity and connect with your audience on a deeper level. 

Just ask Daniel Costa Gil, who went from hiding behind his story for 30 years to launching his foundation, Mission 32, or Donna O'Toole, founder of August Recognition, who transformed her narrative into a tool for connecting with her ideal clients. 

Jannine Bardouille, Director, Sport & Society EMEA at Nike eveh said, "Mark's energetic, fast paced, authentic and humorous style of delivery managed to keep our audience inspired and captivated throughout. Mark isn’t just a great speaker, he’s also exceptionally human."

When you work with me, you're not just getting a talk; you're getting an experience. 

I make people laugh, feel, and, most importantly, act differently. 

If you're ready to break through the noise and have your message finally heard, let's talk.

Ready to learn how to forge an emotional human connection with your audience?

Fill out my booking form on my website to schedule a free consultation with me and let's discuss your upcoming event and how together we can make it a great success.

I really can't wait!

Mark Leruste 🎤

Most people think it takes months to build trust in a room, but the truth is, they’re wrong. Here's how you can do it in under five minutes 👇

Since running my very first workshop back in 2012, I’ve seen it happen over and over again:

Whether it’s a group of strangers from different organisations taking part in a leadership programme, or colleagues who’ve worked in the same company for years, one simple moment can shift everything.

That moment is when people go from, “Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m the Director of Operations at…” to, "Here’s something most people don’t know about me.”

It instantly changes the energy in the room.

Why? Because the masks drop and the connection speeds up.

But make no mistake, this isn't magic. 

It's intentionally curated and designed to achieve something special (without it feeling like it's being manufactured).

That's why when I’m booked to deliver a keynote or masterclass, one of the things I focus on is designing connection on purpose. 

Because if you want people to gel faster, go deeper and actually do the work, you need them to feel it, not just hear it.

One way to do this is by providing them with a "before" and "after" experience.

One simple exercise I've come up with and that I love to do is:

1) Ask people to introduce themselves the usual way to the person next to them. (Name, title, blah blah blah.)

2) Debrief the experience, 'How did that feel?' (E.g. boring, meh, etc.)

3) Invite them this time to share something you can’t find on Google or LinkedIn. Something that most people don't know about them.

Make sure to land the plane by getting them to share how different the second introductions felt like (compared to the first beige, vanilla introductions). 

In less than 5 minutes, a group of strangers or colleagues turns into a group of people who feel a deeper sense of connection, trust and bond with each other.

That’s the shift. 

That’s the real culture change that can happen in a moment, if you give them the opportunity to.

When in doubt, remember this: the speed of connection in the room equals the speed of vulnerability you're willing to lead with.

With that in mind, what’s one thing most people don’t know about you? 

Don't be shy now, and share it in the comments below. I can't wait to get to know you better 😊 

PS: If you're running an event, an offsite or a leadership programme and you want your people to really connect, get in touch with me about my keynote or masterclass options. Especially if you're looking for a high-energy, high-trust experience that leaves your audience inspired, seen and transformed.

#leadership
#communication
#impact
#storytelling

---

(📷 Photo Credit: John Owen)

Mark Leruste 🎤 

Humanising leadership one talk at a time. Founder of StoryCast®. Leadership Communication Keynote Speaker. Award-Winning Author of Glow in the Dark. I’ll teach you how to connect with your audience in a deeper way.

People are already judging you the second you walk into a room. Here’s how to make that work for you instead of against you.

Whether you like it or not, you have an impact on every room you walk into. 

That's why today I want to share with you a clip from New York-based stand-up comedian Adam Gilbert, who, in 47 seconds, teaches you everything you need to know about connecting to your audience and owning a room.

When you first see Adam, you can't help but think there is something unusual about his physicality. 

But instead of avoiding it or pretending like it's not there, he owns it on stage in a way that’s not just hilarious and brilliant, but deeply instructive.

He turns what people were already thinking - at least under their breath - into the very thing that gives him connection, power and instant stage presence.

You see, people are already making assumptions the second you show up.

Be it:

Your height. 
Your accent. 
Your clothes. 
Your posture. 
Your skin colour. 
Your mannerism
Your haircut.
Your energy.
Your weight...

In short, all of it.

Now, you don’t have to like it, but you do have to realise it’s happening.

Years ago, I took a short stand-up comedy course for charity, and at one point, we had to shout out all the assumptions we had made about one of our fellow participants, who was standing in front of us.

It was brutal:

“You look posh.”
“You look gay.”
“You look like a personal trainer.”
"You look like you went to private school."
"You look like an Abercrombie&Fitch model..."

You get the idea.

But here’s the twist: instead of curling up in the fetal position in a corner, he took that feedback and used it.

The good and the bad.

He ended up opening his 5-minute set by leaning into what we’d shouted out and played to that perceived assumption.

The crowd instantly warmed up to him and laughed (with him) throughout his entire set.

Why? Because he took the unspoken tension out of the room. He’d owned his impact and the way he landed and turned it into a strength.

He's since appeared in several TV series on Netflix and Apple TV, and even starred in a show in the West End.

But just to be clear, this is not about self-deprecation; it’s about self-awareness.

You can either resist the way people perceive you…Or you can acknowledge it, accept it and use it to connect more deeply with your audience.

Because the moment you name what’s obvious, they stop thinking about it and instead start listening to what really matters: your message.

So here’s the question: What do people assume about you when you walk into a room? And how can you turn that into your opening line?

Don't be shy, I'd love to hear it in the comments 👇 

(PS: The way I opened up my 5-minute stand-up comedy set was by saying "I know I look like a metrosexual-lumberjack," which went down like a treat as at the time I had a VERY long ginger beard and wore a lot of checkered shirts...🙈)

#Leadership
#PublicSpeaking
#Communication
#Impact

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The Battle

kristina flynn

Mark Leruste 🎤

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}kristina flynn's LinkedIn Performance

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