Memorable speeches stay with us. They hit us in the gut. They hit us in the heart. They make a call for us to activate.

But, writing a speech that delivers is an art.

When was the last time you heard a talk or keynote where you felt seen, where you carried it with you, where you took action from its contents? It's probably been a while.

If you're looking to write a book, it's likely you're also looking to get on stages–they go hand in hand. But, they're two very different skill sets.

This week on Bound & Determined, I'm chatting with THE expert on effective keynotes, Brian Miller. Brian is a message design consultant whose TEDx talk, "How to Magically Connect with Anyone," has surpassed 3.7 million views. He is the founder of Clarity Up Consulting, a boutique firm specializing in core messaging and message design for experts, leaders, and founders. Brian is one of five co-founders of core messaging as a formal discipline and has consulted on more than 45 TEDx talks with a combined 20 million views across 30+ subject areas and 11 distinct industries. He is also the author of The One-Page Keynote (Rethink Press, 2026)

In this episode, you'll learn about how authenticity and presence require actual preparation, and why half the struggle of writing a good speech is understanding your audience.

We had a ton of laughs on this episode and I just know you'll love it!

Music has always been in the background of my life. That's why I'm thrilled to share this week's episode of the Bound & Determined pod!

This week I'm chatting with Alan Light, an Emmy Award-winning music journalist, a bestselling author, and the co-host of the music news podcast "Sound Up! With Mark Goodman and Alan Light." He's also the former Editor-in-Chief of Spin and Vibe magazines, and a former Senior Writer at Rolling Stone.

Alan is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Esquire, among other publications. His latest book is DON'T STOP: WHY WE (STILL) LOVE FLEETWOOD MAC'S RUMOURS, and his previous titles include THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN, about the song "Hallelujah" (which was adapted into an acclaimed documentary), as well as biographies of Prince, Nina Simone, and Johnny Cash.

If you're a music lover like me, or you're interested in the intersection of art, culture, money and career–this will be an absolute treat!

You set out to write a book. You worked your tush off (and probably still are)...but somewhere along the way, without anyone warning you, you also became an entrepreneur.

That's the part nobody talks about when it comes to authorship. And it's SUPER important to know what is ahead.

You can nail your idea, land the agent, even get the deal — and still hit publication day and think: okay, now what?

Who's actually going to buy this?

How do I build an audience around it?

How does this thing make me money beyond the advance?

And all those answers come back to your community. Your platform.

That's exactly what I'm digging into on this week's Bound + Determined pod. My guest is Lindsay Ratowsky, founder of Nicely Done — an agency that helps creative thinkers grow and monetize their platforms with integrity. Before starting Nicely Done, Lindsay spent over 15 years as the right hand to some of the best-known names in thought leadership, including co-founding Esther Perel Global Media, where she helped build a content and digital product ecosystem that generated hundreds of thousands of new subscribers and millions in revenue.

In other words: she's spent her whole career doing the thing most authors don't realize they need until it's too late — turning expertise into something sustainable.

You don't want to miss this episode…

I'm excited to bring you this episode—it's a great overview of all the thoughts authors sit with before taking the plunge.

After, frankly, an unplanned pause on the podcast in order to get my book out the door, I'm thrilled to say we're back this week with a new episode!

This one's a bit different. My pal and Book to Brand co-host Farnoosh Torabi invited me on her award-winning pod So Money, for a collab conversation around books, AI in publishing, the ROI of books, and alllll the dirty details about THE LIST…you know the one. (Ahem, NYT, Ahem)

I'm excited to bring this episode to you as the first one back because it's such a great overview of all the thoughts authors sit with before taking the plunge.

Head over and listen now!

In a world where we're overly connected to technology, which should, in theory, make community stronger, we are actually the loneliest we've ever been.

Dr. Sylvia was a Book Proposal Blueprint student of mine several years ago. About to leave a hospital therapeutic practice, she was in that "what's next" moment we all find ourselves in at one point or another.

So she began to listen.

Listen deeply, for themes coming up in her patients. From youth to folks in their golden years, much of what her patients were struggling with could be reduced down to disconnection, abandonment and loneliness.

And there she had her next call to service.

She joined my program and we developed the book that hits shelves THIS WEEK! Lonely AF: A Therapist's No BS Guide to Feeling Less Alone (Wiley)

Join Dr. Sylvia and me on this week's episode of Bound & Determined, where we deep dive into her process for real connection, and she breaks down the journey of bringing this incredible book to life.

What if the path to ease and freedom is not scaling up, but scaling down? Fewer clients. No costly employees. No content treadmill.

This is the conversation I'm having with Pia Silva this week on Bound & Determined. She's the founder of No BS Mastery and is about to launch her second book, Scale Solo this week!

Pia teaches boutique agencies, consultants, and coaches the No BS Business Model for multi-six figure revenue with freedom and ease and no employees. She's aTEDx speaker, host of The No BS Mastery Podcast, former Forbes contributor, and author of Badass Your Brand.

Tune in to find out how to grow your business, coaching practice, platform and authority with more ease!

The world is changing all around us at rapid pace. We have to think on our feet now more than ever. And for those of you reading this, alongside that rollercoaster life is also a creative passion. A project you want to bring to life.

If you're ready to go deep, this week's Bound & Determined pod episode with Paul Lubicz is for you.

Paul works with high-capacity founders, leaders, and creatives who are externally successful but internally overextended.

For over two decades, Paul has worked at the intersection of performance, psychology, and lived experience—helping people identify where they've become the bottleneck in their own lives and remove the emotional and structural load that's quietly eroding clarity, health, and decision-making.

He is the founder of Return to True Nature, a private mentorship and advisory practice where he works one-on-one and in small groups over extended periods, guiding clients through sustained behavioral change rather than insight alone.

Paul's perspective has been shaped by decades of personal inquiry, leadership exposure, and deep observation of what actually works when pressure is high and stakes are real.

Today, he speaks and teaches on clarity, alignment, and responsibility—helping people stop managing appearances and start living with coherence, authority, and integrity.

I'm certain you'll leave this episode with as many Aha's as I did.

Mid-podcast interview with Courtney Townley, my guest this week, a comment she said stopped me in my tracks.

"I moved from discipline to devotion."

She was talking to me about how she reframed the times she showed up to write–moving from discipline (or something she HAD to do), to devotion (focusing on this incredible book that would serve her community).

I absolutely love the distinction.

Courtney, already known for her poignant reframes around women, midlife and wellness, made the point that women don't need another guru telling them to move their body, stress less and eat kale–we need to understand self-leadership.

With over three decades in the wellness industry, she's discovered that deep health isn't about following someone else's manual—it's about writing your own. A sought-after speaker and educator, she blends science with straight talk, helping women navigate behavior change with grace, grit and self-trust.

Ladies, this episode is for you–full of nuggets and applicable wisdom–you don't want to miss it!