73. How to show up, speak up and inspire action

Have you ever been in a meeting and not spoken up because you thought your idea wasn’t good enough? Maybe you wanted to share something with a family member, friend, or partner and didn’t? You’ve MUTED yourself.

Today’s guest is Heather Hansen - author, TedX speaker, coach, and multi-cultural expert - Heather helps top global professionals show up, speak up, and inspire action in a changing world. She is on a mission to empower global voices to contribute to conversations that matter in business, politics, and life.

You live your values through your big life choices. Think back to the major crossroads in your life– deciding what school to attend, moving to a new country, or even getting divorced – the choices you made at those times were when you were truly “living your values.”

I talk with Heather (for an extensive interview) about that and more in today’s episode. From the high achieving culture of “you can be anything!” in the US, to Jante Law in Danish culture, to the cringe-worthy reverence for white westerners in Singapore’s residual colonialism, we’ll dig in to Heather’s journey, and find out about her fascinating new book “Unmuted.” Can the world afford NOT to hear YOUR voice?

Discussion Points

Where did your passion for communication come from?
The book “Unmuted” came about during the pandemic
The Venn diagram – Conscious/Connected/Confident
Some of Heather’s personal cultural challenges – Danish Jante Law, Singapore’s colonialism
Heather and her Danish husband’s personal cultural challenges
Is there a way to determine “what I stand for” with some actionable steps?
In the Venn diagram– which is most important?
The confidence area encompasses skills confidence and speaking confidence
What about the differences in male vs. female confidence?
The Innovisor method of surveying for a company’s influencers
3% of the most trusted employees influence 90% of other employees, and they’re not top management
What has had the greatest impact on your leadership journey?
Three key takeaways:
- Leaders are conscious communicators
- Leaders are confident communicators
- Leaders are connected communicators