Last week’s Undeniable Session with Carol Cox, Founder & CEO, Speaking Your Brand, hit like a double espresso. We talked about the real reason most career stories fall flat (spoiler: it’s not your experience, it’s your delivery).

Read to the end for a bonus tip on how Carol advises you answer the dreaded interview question “What’s your greatest weakness?”

Here’s the metaphor that broke the internet (okay, the Zoom chat): Most of us tell oak-tree stories: tons of branches, can barely see the trunk. We drown our audience in context and lose them by sentence three. Carol’s fix? Be a palm tree (duh, she’s in Florida).

“Your story is in service to your audience… It’s not your therapy session.”

Try This: Say your 60-second intro out loud to a real human. You’ll instantly hear where you ramble and where you land the punch.

If your intro sounds like alphabet soup (MBA, PMP, SPHR, FYI …you lost them), you’re in the Expert Trap. Carol calls it the place smart women hide when they confuse information with transformation. “Everyone’s got credentials. What they don’t have is your story.”

Try This: Keep credibility; add relatability. A self-aware laugh or quick “been there” line. Tell one story about what changed because of you. Litmus test: if someone could swap in their name and it still fits, it’s not your story.

Carol shared three questions that’ll completely reframe your elevator pitch:

This is your “origin-to-impact” line: the trunk that connects all your fronds. And it’s pure gold in interviews, panels, and networking convos.

Try This: Journal these three questions and then say them out loud. You’ll find where the story actually lives (hint: it’s usually not in your résumé).

Someone in the session said: “I left my job after 20 years and now I feel embarrassed talking about it.” We get it. But Carol dropped this gem: “Share from the scar, not the open wound.” If you’re still healing, don’t force the narrative. When you’re ready, the story writes itself, and it’ll hit harder because it’s integrated, not raw.

Carol reminded us that your story isn’t for everyone. It’s for your people: the ones who need to hear what you’ve lived. “You are the messenger your audience is waiting for.” That means stop dumbing down. Be specific. Be clear. Be the damn palm tree.

Find your natural communication style, whether you’re leading meetings or running the room. This comes straight from Carol’s Speaking Your Brand method, used by leaders and execs to land TEDx stages, board seats, and bigger paychecks.

That dreaded interview curveball: “What’s your biggest weakness?” Carol’s take: “Use self-deprecating humor, but never at the expense of your core skill.”

Try This: Pick something harmless. Place it in the past. End with what you learned. Boom: self-aware, confident, and still credible.

Live Undeniable Session with Keri-Lynne Shaw. Thursday, October 16 • 11am CT

Let’s be blunt: too many brilliant women are still getting lowballed, overworked, and told to “be grateful.” And too many of us are saying: “okay”. This session is about ending that. Join Kate Wade and Keri-Lynne Shaw, former Chief People Officer turned negotiation coach and founder of The Salary Bump, for a live, no-BS conversation about how to

KL’s sat on the other side of the table, crafting offers and setting salary bands. She’s watched talented people walk away with less, not because they weren’t qualified, but because they didn’t know how to position themselves. Now, she’s teaching you exactly how to fix that.

What You’ll Learn

You’ll also get a live Q&A where you can ask your biggest money questions anonymously (no judgment, no shame). Because here’s the truth: you don’t rise by being polite. You rise by being prepared.

Thursday, October 16 • 11am CT. Free, live, and confidential on Zoom. Check out her TV Show for more of her takes on the job market, “Job Hunt New York”.

Get Her Hired is taking time on Monday to recognize Indigenous People’s Day. You will note this falls on Columbus Day, which we acknowledge glorifies European settlers who have committed violence against Indigenous communities. On October 13, we want to honor Indigenous People and communities and celebrate their resilience, cultures and histories as they faced assimilation, discrimination and genocide spanning generations.

We encourage you to read this article “Unlearning Columbus Day Myths: Celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day”

Thank you all for taking the time to learn and grow with us. - Jhoneth, Ann Marie, Lourdes, Mimi and Kate.

Ready to move, but don’t know where to start? 📞 Book a call. Let’s build the roadmap that takes you out of “stuck” and into hell yes.

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