You didn’t become an entrepreneur to sit in the shadows; people need to actually know who you are. You need visibility and one of the best ways to do that is through speaking–either on a stage, from a Zoom room, or on podcasts.
The challenge is getting past the “I’m not readies” and the “I’m not enoughs” to actually pitch yourself and get those speaking gigs.
News flash, friends: You won’t be ready until you actually take some action. You have to just do the thing, then think about how to make it good once you get the yes. See a need, then go start talking about it. Worry about that perfect website or perfect talk later. (Another news flash: It’s never going to be perfect.)
That’s what this week’s podcast guest did. Dr. Carmen Landrau is a cardiologist in private practice who saw a need in her industry for women’s empowerment and leadership. She had already been speaking about cardiology and health care, but wanted to step away from the stethoscope a bit and lift up women in her industry and beyond.
Now she’s a well-paid speaker who delivers engaging keynote addresses and talks at corporate events, business conferences, and, yes, health care events. Listen in to how she got started and advice she and I both have for anyone looking to add speaking to their visibility toolbox.
About Dr. Carmen Landrau:
Carmen W. Landrau, MD is a board certified cardiologist and professional keynote speaker who is also certified in Leadership and Management by Duke University. She uses her experience navigating a male-dominated and hierarchical career to empower women to embrace their talents and acknowledge their achievements so that they may transform into phenomenal leaders.
Dr. Carmen W. Landrau is a keynote speaker at corporate conferences and association events. In addition, she provides individualized teaching and coaching to professional women’s groups and female executives who have overcome obstacles and created their success to become full and equal leaders.
Her leadership talks are well received by those actively involved in the advancement of women into senior executives of an organization. She has also participated in corporate panels and workshops, receiving excellent feedback and audience response.
Dr. Landrau has been invited on numerous occasions to be the featured keynote speaker for the American Heart Association’s annual conference, Latinas Go Red Houston Vestido Rojo. During the year she is frequently seen on both live and national TV interviews educating the community to help create awareness about heart disease in women.
Dr. Landrau is a contributor to online publications and frequent podcast guest. She has been featured for several years in a row in H Texas Magazine, Houstonia Magazine, and continues to be recognized among Houston’s Top Doctors. In her free time she enjoys reading, dancing, exercising and spending time outdoors with her husband and three children, ages 13, 13, and 11.
Links and Resources:
Time Stamps:
[2:08] How Carmen got started in speaking
[5:55] You don’t have to be “ready” to get started
[8:30] Belief that this isn’t going to get you anywhere (it will)
[9:38] We need to see others be successful
[15:22] Connection is key to get past the bad days
[16:40] Getting paid to speak
[18:18] Take the risk, make it imperfect, then you can make changes
[19:01] You don’t realize who you’re impacting and who’s hearing you
[20:12] Root for yourself, even when you’re not feeling it
[23:50] get to know who you are and who your audience is and price yourself right
[24:18] Being on the stage is 5% of speaking
[26:50] Speaking is a gift you’re giving the audience
[29:25] Getting started
[31:30] You need two different marketing plans: online and in person
[35:35] The different levels of Amber
[37:39] You don’t have to just talk about what you do for a living
[40:40] Be true to yourself
[43:40] Speak on topics where you’re comfortable
[45:18] Your passion will come to the surface in your talk
[47:00] The hardest part of speaking: Mindset
[52:13] You can only do so much, then you need to delegate
Transcription
Amber Hawley 0:01
business owners are increasingly being pulled in so many directions, feeling like they aren’t reaching their full potential in business and life despite their type aways. With my background as a therapist, entrepreneur, and as a.com dropout with ADHD, I interview and coach high achieving business owners like you who want to stop struggling for success by using psychological systems, strategies, and the occasional care plantation. This is the easily distracted entrepreneur, your place to slay overwhelmed perfectionism and shiny object syndrome so that you can get done what matters most to you. Happy Wednesday all I’m very excited for today’s episode, as I have an awesome guest with me. And it is part two in the visibility series, where I talk to experts who are teaching us how to gain visibility in our businesses. And frankly, if that’s not your goal for the year, at some point, it’s going to be a goal for you as you scale and grow your business.
Amber Hawley 1:08
So today, I have the lovely Dr. Carmen Landrau, who is a prolific speaker, as well as being a doctor. She does all the things, people. But I’ll let her tell you more. Welcome Carmen.
Carmen Landrau 1:22
Hi, Amber. Thank you. I’m so happy to be here today.
Amber Hawley 1:25
Yes, I’m pumped to have you. I said I was when I was thinking about this, like wanting to reach out to people who are, you know, really doing a great job in the different areas of visibility. Immediately as I thought about speaking, I thought about you because this is something you do all of the time. In addition, again to being a doctor. Oh, just that a cardiologist. Right.
Carmen Landrau 1:50
Right.
Amber Hawley 1:51
Okay. I was like, I hope I had that. Right. I knew I did. But you know, you start to doubt yourself. But I think it’s so helpful to hear from people who are in the trenches and actually doing it. And so yeah, I wanted you to come on and share all the things. So why don’t you tell us a little bit more about yourself in a much better, more efficient way than me about who you are your business what you do.
Carmen Landrau 2:14
So I’m Dr. Carmen Landrau. I’m a cardiologist and I live in Houston, Texas, although I’m originally from Puerto Rico. I’m also a professional speaker, I speak on women’s empowerment and leadership. And I work with organizations who want to keep women in the workforce and also promote them to become executives at higher levels.
Amber Hawley 2:33
Oh, I love that. I mean, that’s, I mean, it’s just a fantastic mission. And I think it’s so important right now. And again, like, I think what’s so impressive, not only is your niche, like perfect, right, and it’s such an important thing, but you’re somebody who is getting booked a lot like you are you are crushing it in the speaking world. So I just, I wanted to have you on to share about like, kind of your story, how you got started, and then kind of, you know, give our listeners some tips for if they’re looking to get started or if they’re already been speaking and want to up their game. So I guess let’s start from the beginning what how what got you into doing speaking because obviously, you’re a cardiologist, you spent a lot of time in school training to become a cardiologist. Right.
Carmen Landrau 3:20
Right.
Amber Hawley 3:22
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I get it, I get it.
Unknown Speaker 3:26
That’s a question I get all the time. Well, a few years ago, I would say about seven, eight years ago, I’m still a cardiologist. I want to just be clear, I don’t I started for a little while as a staff of the University of Texas, but right after that, less than a year after that, I decided to become a solo cardiologist. So my own practice I without any, any preparation in business, zero. So hey, why not do that?
Amber Hawley 3:57
I was like, that puts you probably with most of the listeners. I think most of us just Yeah, never had that experience before. But like, this is what I want to do. This is what I’m doing. And let’s jump in. Exactly.
Carmen Landrau 4:09
So well. I said I’m a cardiologist. How hard could it be? extremely hard. But it was a great tool. It was a great learning experience. I love my patients. I love having my own rules, although you still have to follow some regulations that’s given. But as the the environment in healthcare was changing, I was also seeing that and I started to feel like you know, there’s something else I want to do. I started to feel a little bit of burnout, being everything. I’m also a mom, I have three kids, but then they were very little. And also they’re taking care of my mom who’s now a cancer survivor, but at the moment was going through the process. So it was a lot at the same time and running my own practice being the person for all these patients. I decided that there was something else I wanted to do with my life like not an escape, but something different something that could make a difference. And still give me that satisfaction. So about it took me about, I would say, a year to find a place where what happened was that a an organization was doing media training that what they call media training. And it was, you just show up one day, and they tell you, this is what we do. And this is what we want you to do. We need people to represent us. This was one of the big organizations because association in the country. And when they realize that I’m a cardiologist, I’m a female, my first language is Spanish, they’re like, Okay, you’re coming with over never let you go. So I started speaking with them, whether it was TV interviews, or in their events. And every year, I’ve been doing their What, what’s called the vestido row, which is the red dress, Hispanic version of the red dress. And I’m the featured speaker. And that’s basically how I started going to events, going to TV interviews without any preparation whatsoever, until I found about I would say, a year down the line a year after that event, a year down the line, someone was offering coaching for people in health care who wanted to be speakers. And that’s when I connected the dots, because that’s when I realized, Oh, this is a, this could be a career. And this is important because as a physician, we’re used to speak and we don’t get paid. We do Grand Rounds, we do all the presentations for the medical field. People call you to share your knowledge. And it’s not something that I knew people would get paid for. And that’s when I say, Okay, this is what I want to do. I had initially, kind of not played but tried medical writing. I am not a writer, I’m a speaker. Yeah. So it’s a different skill. And whenever I’m in front of an audience on stage, I feel like fish in the water, I’m very comfortable, I connect with the audience. I dedicate a lot of my life to be very professional about it. And that’s how my business has grown, you know, from being I would, I would say the right place at the right time. But also looking for it. It was not something that just fell in my hands. I was looking for that something and I found it.
Amber Hawley 7:13
Yeah, not only that, what I hear and that is you really took a risk, because you know, other people would hear, Oh, hey, we’re doing media training, and be like, Oh, my God, like, I don’t want to media training that sounds really overwhelming and scary, you know, you know, like, public speaking is the number one fear, right? So, like, phobia wise, I mean, and so, you know, having you took that risk, and then, you know, again, you just seize the opportunity, like you said, you’re looking for something, and you sees it so, so then you realize, oh, hey, this is something I get paid for. And I wholeheartedly understand that I’ve, I’m in other groups where people are talking about like speaking and such. And, and, and I had made a comment about you know, and in therapy, professional organizations, typically, not only do you not get paid unless you’re like the keynote, they sometimes some therapy conferences won’t even pay for your ticket, which is kind of the guarantee, like, when you go to all these other big conferences, if you’re chosen as a speaker, you don’t have to pay for a ticket. I mean, you still have to pay for everything else, right? Like your airfare and hotel. And I’m like, it’s just a different world. So when you come from health care, there is this mindset of like, Oh, that’s not sustainable, right? That’s true,
Unknown Speaker 8:29
we’ll say, or I used to think I don’t think like that anymore. But the belief is that, okay, this is not going to get you anywhere, right? You’re going to be doing this, this is more like a hobby, it’s a good thing to do kind of philanthropic, but not something that you can see as a business. And to me, it was the same, it wasn’t until I got that opportunity to have a coaching. Because I was looking for you no more training, what else I can learn about speaking, since I like it so much. And then this coaching popped up. As I was looking as I was doing the search in that’s when all the gates open, like, Oh my god. So this is possible. And it was given by someone who was retired from medicine. And she is she was at the moment, a professional speaker. She was traveling everywhere. This was way before the pandemic. She was traveling everywhere. People would just call her to speak and invite her and she would get like you said, you know, everything will be paid all the expenses paid. So this was her career of the moment. And it showed me that it could be done. Yeah.
Amber Hawley 9:35
So and I think that’s helpful, right to see that to see. Like to know that it’s not those anomalies, anomalies. It’s not just like the Brene Browns of the world who are getting paid and you know, I have Yeah, I have friends who are like making 510 $15,000 a talk. And you’re like, oh my gosh, this is possible. So sometimes it’s so nice to have that person. Be the person who gives you like open Your eyes to the possibilities, right?
Carmen Landrau 10:02
It helps because it shows you that you can do it too. Yeah. And also, when you are with that person, in my case, I was getting coached by her. We were, it was a group coaching. But you can see that she’s just another human being. Yes. I mean, the only difference is that maybe her experience because she’s ahead in the game. Other than that, there’s nothing that says that you can do it.
Amber Hawley 10:25
Exactly. Yeah. No, that that’s what I think I mean, but you know, like Brene Brown, like to me is, I just think of in this in the therapy world, we hold her, I hold her in very high esteem anyway, as a human being. But you know, she’s one of those like, top tier people. And so like, Brene, feels very different, which I’m sure if you’re friends with her, she feels like a normal, regular person. But for us, it looks different. But when you know somebody, and like you said, you realize like, Oh, these are just regular people. And this is possible. I think that’s what’s so exciting about it when you meet people that are, are doing something that you dream of doing. Like those are great people to surround yourself with? Oh, absolutely. You know, they say that you’re the average of the five people around you. And I believe that you have to look sometimes outside from your, from your group, if you are and that’s one thing I did when I started speaking, I knew I wanted to speak on women’s empowerment, not exactly. give a talk on cardiology and heart disease. Yes, I still do that people want me to. But my main topic is women’s empowerment and leadership. So I knew that I needed to step away, or step outside for medicine, find those people, where are the women who are in my audience.
Unknown Speaker 11:38
So I started networking, I started to go to lunches. You know, if I only had an hour for lunch, I would step outside, I would go go to lunch. And there was a women’s group that I found on I think it was Eventbrite back then. I don’t really know where I found them. I think it was Eventbrite, again, looking for that solution that answer right. I think I found them on Eventbrite. And this was an amazing group, created by a woman, a group for women, business owners, created by a woman, and all she wanted to do is have women need to network. So it was ideal back then it was the ideal place. And they were so welcoming, a totally different environment from medicine, you know, from the, and I’m not saying anything negative. From medicine. I’m a physician, after all, but not the rigidity of medicine. Now, we are meeting with women. And you know, when when we go to a to a business, women, women business meeting, how can I relax, but at the same time, on task we are? I don’t know, if you can relate to?
Amber Hawley 12:42
Yes, I don’t know if I always feel that I’m on task. I mean, that’s my ADHD, probably, but no, it’s, you’re right, it feels like, like you’re there for a purpose. And so you get to meet these amazing people are doing amazing things. But it is a very laid back feeling when you’re in the right spaces. Right?
Unknown Speaker 13:02
Right, when you’re in the right space. And that’s where I kind of started speaking of outside of the medical field, I remember going there in they will give you an opportunity to introduce yourself as a guest, I started to get in the group. And it happened that the creator of the group, the founder of the group was there. So when I introduced myself, I remember she looked at me and then at the end of the meeting, she said, Would you like to give us a talk? A 20 minute talk and 20 minute presentation? I said, Absolutely. I was just starting from there that year in that group. And that group had six other or more divisions, more chapters. So I did at least six stocks in that group only just because I was there looking for that thing that outside of my network. So it helped me tremendously. And I’m what I got from there, I got experience, I got photos, I got testimonials. And I made friends, which is extremely important. Yeah. i And to this day, I still have friends in the group, I am still friends with the founder of the group. And these women support you, you know, anytime I’m posting something on social media, whenever I’m speaking, and they know I’m speaking, they’re cheering me, and they don’t have the needs. They just like to be around me and I like to be around them. Because you found your group of you know, cheerleaders, basically.
Amber Hawley 14:22
Absolutely. And I think that’s one of my favorite things from about networking. You know, the first part like you said, that Jim Rohn quote is my favorite the five you are the average of the five people you spend your time with. So there’s that there’s like, surrounding yourself with like minded people who are going out and reaching for their dreams and their goals. But there’s also just the camaraderie and and true friendship when people support you with no agenda with no like quid pro quo and just are really there for you because they believe in you and what you’re doing and and I think that’s why I love them. networking because it can I think it gets a bad rap sometimes, right? Especially if you think about like, Bro networking, and that varies in that way. But, but I think when I’m with a lot of women, that’s what seems so natural to me is there’s this building of genuine friendships.
Unknown Speaker 15:16
And I think it’s super helpful because of course, having your own business is no easy task. So there are going to be bad days and knowing that there’s someone out there that you can tap into. And sometimes I don’t even call anybody, they just call me Hey, how are you doing? I saw you doing this, maybe it was two weeks ago, but they’re seeing it now. Keep doing the good work. You’re fantastic. I love it hit or they will say, you said this phrase. And I spoke to me at the moment because I was this was happening in my life. And it shows you that okay, I am doing the right thing. I’m in the right path. I gotta keep going.
Amber Hawley 15:51
Yes, I love that. And it’s, I think sometimes we have those thoughts too. And we don’t always communicate that to the people around us. So that’s a great reminder of, we all need that encouragement, because even if we’re doing good things, we have those days of self doubt, or we just have those hard days, but to know you’re making an impact is so powerful. So to remember to do that for you know, those people you see showing up in your you know, the friends that you have that are doing amazing things and giving them that feedback is so great. I love that.
Unknown Speaker 16:22
Yeah. So, so that’s awesome.
Amber Hawley 16:25
So you go to the networking thing. So it’s like, again, you’re seizing these opportunities, then you get to do all sec. So you get all you get to practice and, you know, put stuff out there. When did you make the shift to doing like getting paid for speaking,
Unknown Speaker 16:41
I started getting paid within the first year, of me being a speaker, wow, wasn’t really surprising. Within the year, I got my first paid gig. And in this case, it was by a medical device company. The rep happened to see me at the hospital, and somehow someone introduced me to her. And she saw my website, I had my speak my very my original website, which was not what I have now. It was very rudimentary. But she realized she said, you know, what? Would you like to give a talk? And we’ll sponsor it? And I was like, Absolutely, just tell us your price. And it was surprising because I, I quoted a price. And I thought they would say no. And what she said was, okay, we don’t have the full amount, but I’m going to do everything I can to give you the maximum amount that we paid. And that’s what happened. It was very close to my to the feedback then that I voted, which was very good. And I spoke and she said, I would like to bring it to my I think it said division, or regional supervisor, Regional Director, she said, I would like to bring it to my Regional Director, so that you can give us a talk, since you’re speaking leaders empowerment, I will we need that in the in the field of medical reps. So I didn’t do that, you know, that didn’t come through. But one thing that really happened for me is that I back then started working on my visibility without knowing it. And I was doing something again, take the risk, make it on perfect. And if it doesn’t work, then you can change direction. It’s okay. What I did by that is, you know, I knew I needed to be more visible, I knew I needed people to know me. So I started doing podcast interviews, I will choose the podcasts about related to my to my topic on women’s empowerment or leadership. And I would pitch them and people started to say yes. And I would show up. And I’m gonna be honest with you after a few months, of course, not getting repeated gigs. I was like, Okay, great. I am the speaker who only those plugins, interviews. That’s how I saw myself. But what happened was that at the end of the year, I went to a business meeting where I met you. We met we met there. And many of the women there women that I admired. They came to me like oh my god, I hear you everywhere. You’re everywhere. We know what you’re doing. Keep doing it. It’s fantastic. And I’m like, okay, is this really happening? People are really hearing me when I’m doing the podcast interviews. And they were and from one workers interview. I don’t know which one and I don’t know when somebody found me and I got so year after that I got a big gig, the highest pay that I’ve had so far. Because somebody in the organization, this was a corporate event and somebody organization heard me and they say you need to hire her to speak for other national event. Oh, I love that. And it was just something that I did not know what I was doing. Knowing knowing what I was doing but not knowing if it would be something that would give me risk. salts, I just did it.
Amber Hawley 20:02
Yeah, there was you didn’t have like, like, Oh, this is the defied? Absolutely. This works, it’s gonna make it happen. It’s you, you had to put a lot of trust out there. Right?
Carmen Landrau 20:12
Exactly. And you have to trust yourself, you have to go for it. And when nobody else is rooting for you, you have to do it for yourself. So you’re going to trust that what you’re doing is going to lead you somewhere. And it’s okay to change directions eventually, if this is not working out, it’s okay. But back then it was something that proved to me like, Okay, I have been doing this. And I understood the concept of planting seeds in business. It takes time, it’s something that you may or may not see results immediately, just because I had that one talk initially didn’t mean that I would then many more trucks would come after that I still have to work for this, I still have to show up daily, I have to treat this as a business that it is. And be serious about it be a professional and things will happen. Depending on the action that you take.
Amber Hawley 21:02
Oh, I love that. I mean, there’s so many great things in that, you know, in your story and what you just shared one, I love the idea of like, my, my website wasn’t perfect, but you still put yourself out there. Because none of us have that. I don’t think anybody feels like there’s this perfect, maybe just after they just got their new version done. But you know, we’re always and that didn’t stop you from booking somebody. Right? And then like you said, it’s like you did something that I think a lot of women especially struggle with? Have they asked you how much do you charge? And this is where I think a lot of women traditionally lowball themselves, or they fear like if I go too high, they won’t hire me. But you you still put it you like said, Okay, well, I’m going to try and they could say no. But generally, if people are seeking you out, they’re not just going to be like, Oh, forget it and move on. Like there’s an opportunity for discussion. Right. So I love that. And that takes a lot of guts and all honesty, especially as your first paid speaking engagement. I think that’s fantastic.
Unknown Speaker 22:01
I took a risk, I decided that okay, the worst he can say is no, yeah. And if I give a number, if I give a finger, they may come with a lower number. And that’s okay, because so that moment I hadn’t made anything I had not right. Hey, whatever I get, it’s okay. I didn’t want to give a lowball a low number because I also need people to understand that I’m giving them value. And if you think that if you go lower, you have a better opportunity of being hired sometimes that backfires sometimes, to people who are hiring you, they really want a professional, they really want someone who knows what they’re doing that will do a good job, and you get too low a price, they may think that you are not that good. So it’s kind of a balancing act. I want to deliver the right price for me. Yeah, I don’t want to be out there. But I also don’t want to be so low that they think I’m a good enough.
Amber Hawley 22:57
Right? Oh, I love that. And I think it’s true. I mean, I think we’ve all had those experiences where, you know, maybe not hiring a speaker, but we’re gonna buy something or invest in some program or something. And if it’s too low, we begin to question the value of it right. And so I think that’s so smart. And in, and I’m just honoring, it’s a very scary thing to do, especially when you’re starting, but I love that attitude of like, oh, well, like, you know, so then I keep going, right?
Unknown Speaker 23:25
Right? It’s scary. Initially, it’s super scary, because you don’t have the experience, you don’t have, you know, games. And as a speaker, you want as many gigs as you can get initially because that builds your credibility, right gives you more weight as a speaker. And you don’t want anybody to say no, but then it gets to a point where you have to say no to people, because it doesn’t go in tune with what you’re doing. You know, I tend to joke that if somebody calls me to speak at the men’s club, you know, the golf club, to 70 year olds, were smoking cigars, and what am I going to tell them? That’s not for me. But it’s that thing that you have to get there. You have to get to know where you should be and who is your audience? And price yourself, right? Yes, you’re giving them value. You’re not just they’re showing off to talk. And that’s the main thing about speaking people think that, Oh, you’re only doing this presentation? Well, being on stage is about 5% of what I do. There’s a lot of negotiations behind the scenes, there’s a lot of conversations, I have to prepare. Even though I have a signature talk. I don’t get the same talk everywhere I go because I want to connect with the audience. I haven’t been in an event where the audience is the same as the next event. So I have to connect with them. You have to understand the purpose of this event. What does the event planner really want this year? Because sometimes people hire you repeatedly. And just because I spoke for them last year, doesn’t mean that this year they want the same thing. So that’s another consideration. So all these things I bring to the table in the sense of okay, this is my The value that I give you as a speaker. So I need to be treated as the professional that I am.
Amber Hawley 25:07
Absolutely. And I love that you’re pointing out that the actual speaking is a very small portion of everything that you have to do when you’re building up your, your career as a speaker. And I always think about, I can’t remember what show it might have even been like my life on the D list with Kathy Griffin. Like, it might have been that, but I remember, it was either her or someone else talking about, oh, hey, she was gonna do a comedy show in England. And so she had to go into research and kind of figure out to make sure like it made sense, like you said, like, there’s your audiences difference. And it’s not that you have to completely reinvent the wheel. But there are things that you want to be mindful of, or kind of shift. Like, I know, when I’m speaking to all women, it’s I use different references than when I’m speaking to a crowd that’s, you know, mix genders like, you know, I, I changed up kind of the things I’m referencing to make it feel like to bring them in, right. And so I think it’s things like that. And like you said, if you’re being hired back at a place, they’re probably getting repeat people coming to their events as well, like, so you’re wanting to shift up things. And to remember that that takes time and energy, right.
Carmen Landrau 26:22
So there’s a lot of energy. Yeah, it’s very stressful, you know, for me, and it’s funny, preparing to an event is more stressful than taking care of a patient at the hospital.
Amber Hawley 26:33
Oh, absolutely. I could deal with a suicidal patient way easier than prepping for a talk, right?
Unknown Speaker 26:42
Good job, and you, you don’t want to disappoint people. And every time is different, even though every patient is different. It’s just that thing that I need to make sure that I do a good job. Because I only get one chance with these people. And because they deserve it, you know, to me is more how much I’m giving them to my speaking is a gift is the gift that I’m giving the audience and event planner, I don’t want to do a poor job, I want to be someone who they say, Wow, we did a good job hiring her, she helped us elevate the event, the audience came out of here and transformed in a positive way. And not not everything is positive, you know, it’s 100% Positive. But in general, you want to have a good experience and give them a good presentation. So that they feel that what they did for their audience, because preparing an event is a lot of work. Yeah, I’m not an event planner. But I know it’s a lot of details and a lot of work. So they take this very seriously, and they’re very busy. They don’t want to have someone in there that shows up late or doesn’t show off or forgets what she’s doing or somehow the presentation, you know, the things that could go wrong in a presentation. So I have to make sure that every detail on my side works, that every detail is happening. And also, one thing I do I want to be available in case something on their side doesn’t go right. You know, they someone not show up, okay, I can feel it for you. Because I’m already there. If it’s a live event, even if it’s virtual, it’s something that I can also be available for. You want to let them know, okay, this person really knows what she’s doing. This person is a true professional. She’s deep into the skill of speaking. We need to hire her.
Amber Hawley 28:23
Yeah, I love that. I love it. And yeah, I think anything that where you can make other people’s lives easier that the odds of them rebooking, you are probably really good. Right. Right. And a lot of the people who are booking speakers, you know, depending on the level of events, or you know, incorporations, of course, it’s usually the same people. So, like you said, it could be different departments, different divisions, it could be for different kinds of events. So it’s like, it’s so that’s part of that, maintaining the relationship with the people who are booking. Right, right. It’s a relationship business. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. I. So then, so you start doing speaking, you start doing the paid speaking gigs. And I know, this is something like, you know, obviously, the last couple years have been a little rough for the speaking community, for in person, I should say, but I know you are still booking even though we’re, you know, in these different times, you’re still booking and going to events. Now, what is something that you suggest for people? Like how do they? Where do they go to start like prospecting or thinking about how to kind of look for those opportunities?
Unknown Speaker 29:39
You know, I think the first thing you need to do is be very clear. Who is your ideal client? Who is your audience? As a speaker? Who is your audience? Who do you want to talk to and where do they hang out? That’s like, like, I like to say that. Are these people incorporation? Are these people meeting and association events? Are they in education? Where are they? You know, where can you find them? because each group has different characteristics that you will not see in another. So your, your message has to be in tune with the audience and that ideal client that happens to be your event planner, or the organization that is going to hire you. And also, how you’re going to show up there, be sure that you are showing off the way that you should. And I say this, because if I am speaking for professional women, my image has to be that of a professional woman. Yeah, I can be doing something on social media, maybe wearing a sweater, maybe, you know, but it cannot deviate as much. Because you want to keep your message in tune with branding with what you’re doing with who you are, and with who these people are. So that’s also important. And also try to find out, what is your best channel for you to communicate with these people. If you’re on social media, in my case, because I’m in a professional environment, I try to be on LinkedIn, I do a little bit on Instagram, maybe on Facebook that I share. But I know my two most important messages will be in on LinkedIn, and also on Instagram. And I have to mention social media. To me, I’m kind of smiling, because a few years ago, you would have told people Oh, go on LinkedIn, go on Instagram, and people will laugh in your face. Yeah, nowadays, you know that? If you’re not on social media, where are you? Yeah, they’re not gonna come directly to your website.
Amber Hawley 31:28
Yeah, I mean, it definitely gets you the opportunity. And when, you know, when I think about, like working with coaching clients, I’m often talking to them about, you know, having a online marketing plan, and then also the in person marketing plan. So, and you don’t have to do it all but thinking about those things. And that’s where, you know, I have people that I’ve known that are like, Oh, I hate social media, but I actually like networking, and vice versa. And so there are things that you can do. But like you said, I think when you it’s like having a presence so you can connect to people and so they can hear from you. And you know, to your point about, I think, you know, it’s one of those things to always be mindful of, if you’re, if your goal is to speak to entrepreneurs, I think there’s a different vibe that you can give and that you can show up as, as opposed to corporate, like there’s a little bit of a different vibe. But I was meeting with I just attended this, like training last week, with somebody who is an expert in booking like corporate gigs, for all kinds of things, speaking trainings, workshops, all kinds of thing. And she said, like, you can still be yourself because what was she Oh, cuz we were talking about Silicon Valley, because obviously, my group practice is in Silicon Valley. And, and I was a previous comer. And she said, she was like, Well, you know, they’re not all like, very uptight, like vanilla type people who work in Silicon Valley. And then I was like, oh, yeah, that’s right. Like, I, I’m from that world, but I still felt like I said, I don’t know if I could speak in corporate because, obviously, we all know, I swear, I am capable of not swearing, but I do swear a lot. And I, I have a very, like laid back vibe. So I thought, oh, maybe that won’t work. And then I was like, What am I thinking about? Like, I come from this world? And then I was like, oh, yeah, that’s right. Remember that time? My, you know, Vice President was doing coke in the bathroom at a at an event was like, they’re not all vanilla, no buttons. Not that I’m saying that’s how important it is. But but it was a nice reminder that, that yes, there are going to be some times if you have a if you have more of my maybe slightly edgy personality. Some events are not going to be I’m not I probably won’t be chosen for but there are going to be so many other opportunities. So it’s not about having to be somebody else. But like you said, being really thoughtful about who am I serving and being honest, you know, true to who you are. Because I think you show up very authentically who you are. I’ve seen you in many different, you know, venues and I feel you’re the same person, right?
Unknown Speaker 34:05
I’m the same person. You know, it’s it’s funny, because people and it happens with patients as well, you know, they they initially see me and they’re scared and they’re like, Oh my God, and I tell him okay, let’s come down here. I know party will do that before and you’re expecting me to give you bad news. That doesn’t always happen. So it’s good to see when people chill out a little. And also when you are not event, you know, you’re you’re networking with other women or I’m working with older women and sometimes men as well. And we’re just having a good time. We’re relaxed. We’re doing our stuff. You’re just everybody’s there to network. And then as a speaker, I show all that I am you know, it’s a professional environment, but I like to be relaxed just like you said, I like to be myself. I like to be relaxed. Yes, um, I have a responsibility which is to give this message, but also given in a way where people that people feel comfortable that people feel Like, okay, she’s approachable. She is someone that even though she’s here to give me a message, I can relate to her. And maybe I can approach her at the end of the talk and connect with her somehow, which happens to me a lot. When he has, there’s always a q&a, but then after that, I always have to stay there, you know, of course outside of the room and talk to people because they have either a question or a story that they want to share with me, because they relate to that. And I think it’s because of course, I present myself as approachable because that’s, that’s how I am.
Amber Hawley 35:33
Yes, like you said, you’re a real person, just like the mentor who initially you looked up to, it is about being a real person. And when I think about the events that I’ve gone to in the speakers, that just blew me away, or that I connected with the most it was because I saw that person, not this like perfect persona. Right? It was It felt so genuine. And so I’m just putting that out for there for people who feel like, oh, maybe you know, I’m, I’m a little more on The Edgy side, or, you know, whatever. I think again, it comes back to being kind of true to yourself, but something I say, like, you know, I’ll talk to people I say, like, in the therapy room, I’m like, Amber on like a six, maybe if I’ve worked with them for years, maybe a seven. You know, if we’re going out as girlfriends for dinner and drinks and stuff, I’m maybe like a nine or a 10 Amber, but I think it’s like, I’m still the same person. It’s just like, what level of intensity or insanity Am I giving? You know? So it’s, I think it’s not about being small or not being you, but just being thoughtful like we do in professional environments, right?
Unknown Speaker 36:42
Absolutely. It’s, you know, you know, how to behave in a different environments where you are, when you’re home, you are very comfortable, relaxed, when you’re at work, it’s a different situation. So you know, how you will have to behave there. And the same for me, you know, speaking is another job for me another not another job, it’s something else I do. It’s another thing I do. So you have to understand that you are conducting yourself in this environment. So that’s how you need to present yourself.
Amber Hawley 37:12
Yeah, no, I love that. I’ve my brain went to so many different questions, because I just think it’s I’m trying to think of like the things that I hear from people as they Oh, I know when when we’re when we’re starting out. So I know for me, this was something I finally I think it was last year that it really solidified. And it might sound stupid, but it was one of those moments of like, oh, yeah, when I first started speaking, like you said, a lot of us do the thing. We’re we’re speaking for free, and just getting exposure and experience, which is great. And I think it’s an important part of the process. And sometimes you do it because you love the organization or whatever. But when I first started speaking, of course, I felt like all I have to talk about therapist II type stuff, right? Like it all. That’s like my kids say therapists do stuff. So I was talking about, you know, like, I went to like, schools and talked about like suicide and depression. And I talked about domestic violence. And then I also talked about some business building stuff, but everything was very, like therapist related. And then I did talk about other stuff like overwhelm, I started branching out into the things that I really love talking to women about, like, I had a talk called Superwoman socks. Why Martha Stewart can’t be Martha Stewart. And so like I started branching out, but it was still everything felt like it had to be related to being a therapist, like there was this. I had this box on myself that I didn’t even I wasn’t even fully aware. I was like, well, obviously, this is where I’m going to get known for right? And then, you know, of course, little here and there. It’s like kind of growing, but it wasn’t until last year. Now. Again, I’ve been speaking for many years, and I’ve talked on many business building type things. But even the things I was proposing, always related back to mental health. And so I just thought, Oh, this is so what am I doing? Like, I don’t have to do this when I met somebody who she’s like a chef, and she was talking about, yeah, women’s empowerment or something like that. And I thought, it doesn’t have to be correlated to what I do for a living. And in fact, sometimes that’s what’s so fantastic, is it gives you that opportunity to do something super different, especially if you’re, you know, trying to find avenues to get out of that burnout. Right. So I guess it seems like early on that was just super apparent to you. I don’t know Do Do you have any idea of like, why that? Maybe I’m the only idiot who thought I don’t think I am truly I see a lot of us like pigeon holed us in our professions. Like this is what I have to talk about only. It doesn’t even make sense.
Carmen Landrau 39:54
You know, I started speaking on heart disease and, you know, heart disease in women. But as I was taking as I was taking coaching, I develop my signature talk. And I knew with that coach, I knew that I wanted to do women’s empowerment. And she helped me tremendously to develop my signature talk on women’s empowerment. And then it keeps evolving, because now I’m doing, yes, the women’s empowerment, but I’m also including leadership. Because if we want to have women go up in ranks, we want women to be leaders, we also have to talk about leadership. So, yes, initially, I was speaking on heart disease, and I would do TV interviews, I would do events, you know, people will call me and I would speak. But as you start doing more, and you get more experienced, you start feeling that need of being true to yourself, what exactly is my passion? What exactly do I want to talk about? Why am I only talking about heart disease, when I want to show the world that I have this great message on women’s empowerment. So it’s really necessary as someone who whatever you’re doing, it doesn’t have to be speaking, if you’re doing anything, and this is what you want to do, it’s really important that you are true to yourself and say, Okay, I’m going to start digging, or I’m going to start walking into this past, and I’m going to start showing the world what I’m doing. And I remember the first time I did a talk on women’s empowerment, it was really, really satisfactory. I was I came out of there. I was very happy. Of course, I got great reviews, but at the same time, it was that come to Jesus moment. Finally, I’m doing what I want to do. Finally, I’m speaking on the topic that moves me. And it happened, because even though we may say, oh, it’s not related to health? Well, it is because
Amber Hawley 41:49
everything yes, everything is really
Unknown Speaker 41:52
canonical. The way that I started speaking of women’s empowerment, it was because women in the hospital would approach me and they would be residents, or nurses or students or, you know, other other colleagues. And they would say, how do you do it? How are you well, and and wife and you know, and then they will start sharing their experiences, okay, this happened to me. And even though I saved this patient, now I have this difference with a male colleague, and everybody sees me as I’m too aggressive. And I’m a troublemaker. And it opens your eyes to the reality that, okay, I’m not the only one who has been through this. So this is important. This is something I need to be sharing with the world. And I need to tell women, you can do this, and you’re not a troublemaker, when you stick to your, to your to the truth. And you are doing the right thing. So yeah, I mean, it’s something that evolved. But yes, I can share with you that. In the beginning, I was like, Oh, my God hardly sees. But I never felt that that was the thing I wanted to do. Do I still feel that I want to talk about heart disease? Absolutely. Do I still get hired for that? Yes, absolutely. But if you ask me, What is your main topic? I speak on women’s empowerment and leadership?
Amber Hawley 43:02
Yes. And you know, it’s interesting, because I say it was almost like, last year, when Carol Cox talks about this, like thought leadership, the idea that there’s something that is important to you that you’re passionate about, and it may or may not have anything to do with the business, your other business that you have, right, just like, you know, it has nothing to do with being a cardiologist, but this passion of supporting women, you know, even in the medical field, or outside of it, who are having these challenges of being told, like you’re too much, or you’re a problem, just because they actually have a viewpoint, right. And so there’s like, following that passion. And, and I think, again, I guess I’m hoping to I’m hoping out there, if you’re listening that you’re hearing, you know, it’s it doesn’t necessarily have to be that directly related to your business thing. And I think as I’m thinking about it, as I spoke to, I went on this, we called it like our conference tour, Melissa Hall, and I went and did a whole bunch of speaking. And we were actually talking about building your business support network, right. So like networking and, and building that network of people and and actually how it makes you a better leader and how it helps you, you know, as a person, just like, feel better. So I would have those moments, but still, I would come back to what was on my speaker page was all very related, like, What would people feel is appropriate? I knew to kind of like you said, I was like, I can’t just keep talking about, like domestic violence. And you know, like suicide and stuff are super important topics. And there are wonderful people out there doing that work for me, because I do work with clients. I was like, I needed something different. Like I needed something that was in a different sphere where I could, you know, it’s not really appropriate. In my book, I like to make I use humor a lot. Like those aren’t topics that people want to hear a lot of humor. And I think like I want to be me and so me felt like, you know, the things that I’m doing now where I talk a lot about burnout or shiny object syndrome, or all those other things. So I think it’s like honoring that yet, you might start getting your experience in something that is directly related to your expertise. But don’t let that pigeon holed you into. That’s the only thing you can talk about. Right?
Carmen Landrau 45:18
Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s so true, what you’re saying. Because, you know, I guess initially, it’s what we do, because that’s where we feel comfortable. Yeah, we have, you know, the meaning of the topic is what I do. But then, if it’s something that you truly, truly feel passionate about, it’s going to come up into the surface, and you’re going to want to do this. I don’t see myself and I don’t know of any speaker, who can be consistently talking about something that they don’t feel passionate about. Yeah. Because you’re not just talking to people you are performing, you are sharing a message you are relating to them. You’re doing so much that eventually, you’re not going to be able to give 100% and people will notice.
Amber Hawley 46:05
Yeah, yeah, no, I think yeah, I think that’s, it makes sense. And, and, and in that regard, we’re always going to grow and change, right, like the things that we’re passionate about, sometimes shifts slightly, or, you know, I think our I think what we think about evolves over time, and it has to I mean, it should, right?
Carmen Landrau 46:25
It has to grow, we go through these stages in life, you know, we’re younger men were middle aged and older. And we see life situations differently, depending on where we are. Yeah. So that helps that you also bring that it’s not just okay, I’m going to do this, I’m going to stay here for the rest of my life. And even if you look at jobs, people don’t stay in the same job for the rest of their lives, you know, same maybe they stay in the same profession, but they change location, or divisions or things like that, right?
Amber Hawley 46:58
Well, these are old statistics, but the last time I had heard those statistics, people go through two major profession changes on average in their lifetime. That is the new average.
Unknown Speaker 47:11
Wow, yeah. Yeah. That, for me was even bigger. Because, again, as a physician, there’s this belief that once you’re there, what else do you need? Right? Why are you doing this? You don’t need anything else? And of course, you have to work with your mindset as well. Yeah, which is the works.
Amber Hawley 47:32
I think that’s the hardest part, right?
Unknown Speaker 47:34
You’re always thinking, Oh, what if someone sees me? What would so and so say? Well, so and so? They cannot, they do not live in my home, they don’t pay my rent, they don’t pay my mortgage. You know, they, they didn’t even help me get to where I am, when I worried about them. So it’s a lot of work that you have to do with yourself in order to get where you want to be.
Amber Hawley 47:54
Yes, yes. And it’s hard. Because like you said, when you’re out there, you know, if you’re the person pitching yourself, it nobody wants to feel rejection, right. But that’s where having that support system and having the mindset of, hey, you know, they’re not rejecting me, it’s like, they don’t this idea, or this thing doesn’t fit with what they’re needing or wanting right now, right? Like, sometimes it’s those small mindset shifts to, to kind of keep you going, of course, it still feels like crap. I mean, no one wants to be rejected.
Unknown Speaker 48:26
It’s the fear of rejection is big. It’s something that I had to work with initially. And I can tell you, I would not dare to pitch in the beginning. Because I was afraid of being rejected. Yeah. And it was big. And then something happens that I don’t know. Either you quit, or you grow up from there from the experience. Something happens. In my case, I’m gone from that fear of rejection to this day. I appreciate that. If I pitch anyone, at least if you don’t want me to tell me no, because I want to move on. I don’t want to be spending time 100% saying, you know, and that’s a process, you know, you have to get to that step. I totally understand when people don’t want to take a move because they feel that they want to be rejected. But if you think about it, if you don’t take action, what’s going to happen, nothing’s going to happen. You’re not going to move the needle anyway. So take the risk. It’s gonna be scary. What if they say yes. You have to maybe it’s great. It’s better than a no sometimes. But if you don’t, if you hear from people, and you’re thinking, Oh my God, what do they want me to? They don’t want me You know, I don’t like that. I don’t like to be there. I just if you don’t want me tell me no. Okay, we’re gonna choose someone. Thank you. What is it that making sense but it’s on release? And release and I move on, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean that I’m less good. I’m not a good speaker. It doesn’t say anything about me as a person. Usually no means not right now. Yeah. Because no They will come and say no to you in a mean way, I haven’t had that experience, they made the right people or we’re not looking for a speaker right now. It’s okay. It doesn’t take away from you. It doesn’t take any town away from you, and he’s killed from you. But you have to get to that step. And the only way to get it is to walk in a path. Yeah.
Amber Hawley 50:23
And you know, like anything you do anything you feel anxious about, the more you do it or take action, the less scary it becomes, right? Like, that’s how we just get better. That’s why you seeing a patient or meeting a patient or a client as well, we can do that in our sleep, because we’ve done it so many times. And that’s why it doesn’t feel as scary, you know, scary at all right? Feels like that’s my wheelhouse, because we’ve done it so much. And so I think just the more you put yourself out there, the better you’re going to get at it. But yeah, I know, I do love, I know cuz you’re in the inner circle membership. And we have our co working days. And I feel like you’re always like you’re doing like either the pitching or the calling or the following up or the like working on your talks. Like you feel very focused in on that stuff. And like you said, you’re treating it like this is this is my work, this is what I do. And so you’re putting that effort in instead of just you know, you could sit not you, but somebody could be sitting there like, oh, thinking about it, but never actually taking the action. Right. And that’s the difference. Yeah. We all have we all have those moments. I mean, that’s what makes us human. Right. And even like for me pitching, it wasn’t even like the rejection part. It was, I mean, no one loves that. But for me, it was like perfectionism around it needing to be the perfect pitch. So that’s why like, even with like podcast pitching, I’ve outsourced that, because I can’t the time that I would waste, like trying to perfect a pitch that somebody who’s a genius at it can just make happen so easily. Right? So sometimes it’s not sometimes yes, you have to do it for yourself, and you have to figure out and like put yourself out there. And then other times it’s realizing like, it’s just not my wheelhouse. And it’s okay to have an expert to that.
Carmen Landrau 52:12
Yeah, and I’ve learned that the hard way. Because right now even for for visibility, social media, if I do everything myself, when I do everything else that I need to do, if I’m only working in the business, what when am I going to do the other things I need to do in my life? You know, I still have my kids, I have a husband and I have a job. So it’s something that as professionals or business owners, we have to understand, okay, I can do so much. And then I also need to be aware that there are things I need to delegate. Yeah, and this is one of those, as I say, not as I do, because I’m still learning it. But I’ve learned that, first of all, if I don’t take action, nothing’s going to happen. So I do have to take action. Second, there are things that I’m not good at. I don’t have all the talent in the world. I am not good at everything. So it’s okay for me to delegate on someone who’s better at me better better than me. Yes, yes. And that’s okay. And if it’s not the person, and I think sometimes the fear is okay, if I hire someone, and they’re not exactly what I want it, you can always train that person, sold them again, or find someone else. And that’s okay. If it doesn’t work out the right way. You know, you mentioned the pitching, I pitch podcasts. I used to pitch podcast, and I used to be an event planners. Was it perfect? No. But I had to do it, because otherwise nothing would happen. Now, when I’m pitching anybody is way better than in the beginning.
Amber Hawley 53:45
Of course. I mean, that’s how it has to be right. We have to start. We all grow from our first times, but it’s just getting it out there. And and it will get better. And the beauty is sometimes I have to remind myself, like we are all so busy and have so much going on that most people aren’t going to remember like, Oh, hey, I rejected this person two years ago. I’m going to tell them no, because I hate them for them pitching themselves like, like, it’s like nobody thinks that way. Right? So it’s like the move, you move on. And you always have another opportunity. There’s plenty of time to come back. Even if you pitch to that person that you think this is my dream client or my dream opportunity. There’s only time to come back.
Unknown Speaker 54:29
It happened to me that I pitch someone and they say no now please reach out, reach back. I don’t know if it’s bringing us rich back in the fall. I reach back and they say no, then or they don’t answer. And then sometime down the line, maybe a year or two later. They Oh, you know what? You approached me back then. I’ve always been thinking about you but I haven’t had it. It’s not even about you. They’re not rejecting you. It’s just things happen. They may have a timeline, they may have a list of people they want they have to work with. Just do it, I would say reach out to people. Pitch, if you want to be in a podcast pitch, if you want to talk about an event, or whatever it is you want to do if even if it’s TV, I will say that just pitch them. Because someone may say, Yes.
Amber Hawley 55:19
I love that. I feel like that’s the perfect thing to get almost end on. Because someone may say yes, I mean, that’s the that’s the upside of it. Right? There’s a guaranteed No, when you don’t pitch. Pitch yourself. Awesome. Well, if I first of all, thank you, I love your story. I think there’s so many great lessons for people as they, you know, nervously put themselves out there or, you know, kind of wonder, Am I ready for this? Or, you know, just feels like so much. There’s no, there’s so much mindset stuff that can come up with visibility, right. But I think your story just hits all the points and just, you know, the power of taking those risks and feeling the fear and doing it anyway. And look what happens, right? It can be great. If people want to find out more information about you, or, you know, go go, go stalk you on social media or something, where should they go?
Unknown Speaker 56:15
They can go on my website, which is Drlandrau.com, or on social media, I’m usually on LinkedIn, Instagram, sometimes on Facebook, and my handle is DrLandrau.
Amber Hawley 56:26
Awesome. And we will have all of those links in the show notes, of course. So of course, for all of you listening, who are looking for a fantastic speaker for their next event, please reach out to Carmen because she is amazing. But thank you again, Carmen for coming on. And, you know, giving this I think I think speaking is an awesome opportunity for people to get visibility for themselves, their thought leadership and their businesses. So thank you.
Carmen Landrau 56:50
Thank you. Pleasure to be here.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
The Inner Circle
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