profile

Kimberly Brown, @kimberlybonline

Welcome to my Insider Notes where I'm sharing speaking tips, podcast episodes, and leadership insights.

Featured Post

Why coaches and consultants need a different speaking strategy (2 of 12)

Hi Reader, Welcome back to my special email-only series: Highly Visible, Highly Booked: Upgrade your stages, increase your leads, and grow your income. This series is specifically for coaches and consultants, and it’s the kickoff to my upcoming launch of The Visibility Shift. If you want my help increasing your speaking bookings and conversions through high-visibility speaking engagements, join the TVS waitlist here. If you’re a coach or consultant, getting booked to speak is only part of the...

Hi Reader, Over the next 12 emails, I’m going to run a special email-only series: Highly Visible, Highly Booked: Upgrade your stages, increase your leads, and grow your income. This series is specifically for coaches and consultants because your speaking strategy should be connected to the business you already have. It’s also the kickoff to my upcoming launch of The Visibility Shift. If you want my help increasing your speaking bookings and conversions through high-visibility speaking...

Episode 143 of the Your Next Move Podcast

Reader, Last year, when my mom died, I walked into her wake and saw flowers from Julia Rock. Julia and I weren’t best friends. We hadn’t worked together for years. We hadn’t even had that many conversations. But she saw that my mom had passed, found the funeral home herself, and sent flowers without asking me for a single detail. I still remember it. And during our conversation for this week’s episode of Your Next Move, I realized that moment explains Julia’s approach to leadership better...

Reader, I recorded a podcast episode this week with handwritten notes and a nervous stomach. [Click here for the links to listen to episode 139] And right before I hit record, I turned the camera on, looked at myself, and thought, "Ooh girl, you ain't put no makeup on. Go put some concealer on." Some people would have just recorded. See me in the raw, take it or leave it. That's not me. I got up, put a little something on, made sure my skin looked how I wanted it to look, and then sat back...

Reader, Let me guess: you've sat through at least one virtual presentation where the speaker was framed like they were in witness protection. Camera pointing up their nose. Terrible lighting. Background that looked like a crime scene. You could barely see their face, let alone connect with what they were saying. And here's what kills me: that speaker probably had brilliant content. They might have spent hours preparing. But because they treated the technical setup as an afterthought, their...

Reader, I need to tell you something that might surprise you. When I first started developing my public speaking skills over a decade ago, I thought the benefit would be simple: I'd be less nervous when presenting. Maybe I'd sound more confident in meetings. That's it. That was the extent of my expectations. But what actually happened? The ripple effects went so far beyond what I imagined. I'm talking about: Getting pulled aside by a provost who said "you sound like a leader" when I wasn't...

Kimberly Brown Speaking

Reader, Have you ever watched another speaker and thought, "I need to be more like THEM"? Maybe they were hilarious and you thought, "I'm not funny enough."Or they had this massive transformation story and you thought, "My story isn't dramatic enough."Or they were polished and perfect and you thought, "I'll never be that smooth." Here's what I've learned after 15+ years of speaking: The most powerful speakers aren't the ones trying to be everything. They're the ones who know exactly what type...

Kimberly Brown Speaking

Reader, Quick question: When was the last time you avoided an opportunity because it required you to speak? Maybe you stayed quiet in a meeting. Declined to present your idea. Said no to a panel. Turned down a promotion that required more visibility. If so, you're not alone. Research shows that 75% of people experience public speaking fear—and it's costing them career-defining opportunities. Here's the truth: You don't overcome fear by waiting for confidence to show up. You overcome it by...

Kimberly Brown Self Coaching

Hey Reader, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.” ~ Alice Walker Every day, we make a crucial choice that shapes our entire existence. It's not a choice about career, relationships, or location. It's far more fundamental: Do we betray ourselves, or do we coach ourselves? Each time we betray ourselves, we reinforce Alice Walker's observation. We convince ourselves that we're powerless, that external forces control our destiny, that we're victims...

Hi Reader, You’ve done everything “right.”You’re the reliable one. The fixer. The one people trust to get things done. But you’re still being passed over—for the big projects, the stage, the recognition.And you’re starting to wonder… “Is it me?” Let me offer you another explanation:It’s not imposter syndrome. It’s invisibility. You’re not lacking credibility. You’re lacking strategy.Because the truth is: doing great work gets you respect, but visibility gets you opportunity. So what do you...