In this episode of the Style and Strategy Podcast, Sonya, a personal brand and style coach, shares the secrets behind maintaining a grounded presence when speaking in public or on video. Addressing a common question, Sonya explains her framework consisting of physical grounding, vocal grounding, and energetic grounding. She discusses her personal rituals and tactics, such as lighting a candle, using a power pose, and pacing her speech. Drawing from her corporate leadership and presentation coaching experiences, Sonya offers valuable advice for amplifying one's presence and leading with confidence. Listeners are encouraged to practice these techniques and reach out for personalized coaching. The episode wraps up with holiday wishes and a preview of what to expect in 2026.

Key Takeaways:

• Grounded presence is built through practice, not natural confidence.
• Use three pillars:
• • Physical grounding: Pre-speaking rituals and strong posture.
  • Vocal grounding: Slow down, pause for impact, and speak from your chest.
  • Energetic grounding: Focus on one clear message and be authentic.
• The more you practice, the more comfortable and powerful you’ll become as a speaker.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Style and Strategy Podcast
00:46 Staying Grounded: The Honest Truth
01:54 The Three Non-Negotiables for Grounded Presence
06:32 Physical Grounding Techniques
09:58 Vocal Grounding Strategies
13:36 Energetic Grounding: The Internal Work
17:28 Final Thoughts and Holiday Wishes

Links and Resources:

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen, so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:

Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

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• YouTube
• Facebook

In this episode of the Style and Strategy Podcast, Sonya, a personal brand and style coach, emphasizes the importance of planning for personal growth and leadership presence before the New Year chaos begins. She discusses the tendency to prioritize others' needs over personal evolution and shares two diagnostic exercises to help listeners align their brand and style with their future goals. Sonya's exercises aim to identify key areas for improvement and establish a clear vision for 2026. The episode encourages listeners to take proactive steps in December to start the new year with a solid, personalized plan for success.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t try to overhaul everything, focus on strategic refinement in the areas that matter most.
• Identify your two to three lowest-scoring areas and make them your focus for 2026.
• Define three to five words that describe the leadership presence you want to embody in 2026.
• Choose one concrete action you can take in the next seven days to align your style and brand with your vision.
• Take time to plan now, before the new year and holiday rush, so you enter 2026 with clarity and momentum.
• Your brand, style, and leadership identity should evolve with you, intentional planning and action are key to meaningful change.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and December Reflections
00:34 The Importance of Personal Planning
02:09 Welcome to the Style and Strategy Podcast
02:56 Why January Planning Fails
04:07 Diagnostic Exercises for 2026
06:43 The Brand and Style Life Wheel
13:19 Vision Exercise for 2026
16:53 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Links and Resources:

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen, so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:

Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Facebook

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Style and Strategy Podcast, personal brand and style coach Sonya explores how leadership and personal evolution demand not just career proficiency, but also an aligned personal style. Sonya introduces her concept of the 'Ladder of Elevation' to make small yet impactful wardrobe refinements that reflect your current leadership presence. From understanding why your go-to outfit might feel 'off' to making targeted adjustments without overhauling your closet, learn how to ensure your style aligns with who you are now and the rooms you want to lead. Discover strategies for tailoring, upgrading finishing touches, and embodying your signature style to amplify your presence and impact.

Key Takeaways:

• Your wardrobe reflects your personal and leadership evolution - when it feels "off," it's a sign you've grown beyond your old self.
• You don't need a complete overhaul; small, strategic refinements can make a big impact.
• Focus on tailoring, upgraded accessories, and intentional finishing touches to elevate your style.
• These 3% changes help align your appearance with who you are becoming, boosting confidence and presence.
• The right style choices ensure you're experienced as the leader you are in the rooms that matter most.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Style and Strategy Podcast
00:46 The Power of Your Go-To Outfit
02:15 Understanding the Wardrobe Shift
02:40 The 3% Change: Small Refinements, Big Impact
05:25 The Ladder of Elevation Framework
09:20 Foundation Fit: Ensuring Your Clothes Fit Today
10:27 Finishing Touches: The 3% Upgrades
12:14 Signature Style Embodiment
14:00 Practical Steps to Elevate Your Wardrobe
17:16 Conclusion and Next Steps

Links and Resources:

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen, so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:
Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Facebook

If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting thinking, “I literally said that 20 minutes ago… why did it only land when someone else repeated it?”, this episode is for you.

In today’s conversation, Sonya breaks down one of the most overlooked elements of leadership presence: communication design — the bridge between how you naturally express yourself and how your audience actually processes information.

You’ll learn why capability isn’t your barrier, why confidence isn’t the real gap, and why even highly experienced leaders still feel unheard despite delivering results. Sonya explains the four primary communication processing channels (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, auditory-digital), how they influence perception in high-stakes rooms, and how to translate your message so it lands every time — without changing who you are.

This episode is essential listening for leaders transitioning from expert to executive, from execution to strategy, or anyone tired of feeling overlooked in meetings, boardrooms, and strategic presentations.

Key Takeaways

1. The real gap isn’t your capability — it’s how you're being experienced.
   Leaders often get dismissed because their delivery doesn’t match the way their audience processes information.
2. People absorb information through four channels:

• Visual: needs structure, mental imagery, “picture this”
  
• Auditory: tuned to tone, pacing, resonance
  
• Kinesthetic: needs to feel, notice, experience
  
• Auditory-Digital: needs logic, sequence, step-by-step reasoning
  

1. You have a natural communication blueprint.
   It can be precision, storytelling, emotional resonance, vision, simplicity, or real-time insight — and forcing yourself into someone else’s pattern creates disconnect.
2. The goal isn’t to change who you are.
   It’s to translate your natural design into the channel your audience is prioritizing — especially in high-stakes moments.
3. When you don’t translate your message, you risk:

• being labeled too in the weeds
  
• being seen as not strategic enough
  
• getting overlooked in critical conversations
  
• walking out feeling unheard
  
  

Timestamps

00:00 — Why capability isn’t the gap
01:00 — The experience vs. delivery problem
02:00 — Visual communication vs. verbal communication
03:00 — The 4 communication processing channels
06:00 — Why mismatches cause brilliant ideas to fall flat
09:00 — Why “be more concise” advice fails
10:00 — Your natural communication blueprint
13:00 — Why the expert → executive transition feels uncomfortable
14:00 — How to translate your design into your audience’s channel
17:00 — What happens when the gap is unaddressed
18:00 — Why you’re making yourself smaller in meetings
19:00 — The real definition of leadership presence
20:00 — How to work with Sonya to map your communication design

Links & Resources

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen—so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:
Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

• Instagram
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• YouTube
• Facebook

This isn’t a teaching episode—it’s a coaching session. Sonya guides you through a live inquiry to surface the hidden patterns that make high-achieving women feel invisible in high-stakes rooms. You’ll identify your dominant pattern, see where it once served you, quantify what it’s costing you now, and choose one concrete action to shift it this week.

You’ll learn

• The five most common leadership patterns behind “I felt invisible”:

  1. Strategic restraint (waiting for the perfect moment)

  2. Room calibration (shapeshifting your energy)

  3. Invisible influence (doing the work, missing the visibility)

  4. Preparation as protection (over-prepping, under-trusting)

  5. The recognition gap (excellent work, under-positioned)

• Why these patterns worked earlier in your career—and why they stall you now

• The specific costs: missed influence, diluted presence, and stalled advancement

• A simple, one-step assignment to break the loop this week

Coaching prompts from the episode

• “What story did you tell yourself in that moment?”

• “When did this pattern serve you?”

• “What is this pattern costing you now—specifically?”

• “If you weren’t running this pattern, what would you do instead?”

Action menu (pick one this week)

• Speak once in the first 10 minutes of a meeting (end the “perfect timing” myth)

• Decide your baseline energy before 3 meetings and bring that energy

• When praised, don’t deflect: “Thank you—here’s what I focused on.”

• Prepare enough, then trust yourself to navigate live

• Make one win visible (DM/email/post walking through your thinking)

Who this is for
Senior female leaders and founders who are deeply capable, yet feel under-seen in high-stakes rooms—and are ready to align identity, expression, and positioning.

LINKS & RESOURCES

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen—so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:
Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Facebook

What if the secret to powerful brand imagery isn’t about posing perfectly—but about being seen truthfully?

In this episode of the Style and Strategy Podcast, Sonya Choi La Rosa sits down with Jen from Vividity Photography, a brand and portrait photographer who helps women rediscover their confidence through the lens. Jen shares her 80/20 approach to brand photography, why “perfect” images don’t build connection, and how to prepare for a photoshoot that feels authentic—not staged.

You’ll learn:

• Why powerful brand photography begins with authenticity, not aesthetics.

• The 80/20 rule Jen uses to create images that capture your true essence.

• How to prepare mentally and emotionally for your next brand shoot.

• The rise of AI imagery—and why it can’t replace genuine connection.

• How a single photoshoot can transform how you see yourself and your leadership presence.

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable in front of the camera or wondered how to create imagery that reflects your brand and evolution, this episode is your permission slip to show up as your real self.

LINKS & RESOURCES

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen—so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:
Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

• Instagram
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• YouTube
• Facebook

In this episode, Sonya breaks down new global leadership research and reveals how senior women can close the gap between what they’re capable of and how they’re perceived.

You’ll learn why traits like hope, trust, and compassion now define strong leadership—and how to communicate your expertise with authentic power.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Have you ever watched your moment pass in a meeting?
02:00 – The new Gallup global leadership study (2025 findings)
04:30 – What employees really want: hope, trust, compassion, stability
06:45 – Why women’s leadership style is a strategic advantage
09:00 – The competence gap and McKinsey’s 2024 findings
11:00 – Why your capability isn’t always being experienced
13:00 – The 3D Impact Method™ explained
17:00 – Redefining executive presence for modern leadership
21:00 – Brene Brown & Adam Grant on “Pocket Presence”
23:00 – The truth about imposter syndrome and self-awareness
25:00 – How to close your experience gap and lead with intention

#WomenInLeadership #ExecutivePresence #LeadershipDevelopment #StyleAndStrategyPodcast #PersonalBrand #AuthenticLeadership #SonyaChoiLaRosa #WomenInBusiness #leadershippresence

LINKS & RESOURCES

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen—so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:
Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

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In this transformative episode of the Style and Strategy Podcast, Sonya speaks with Jolee Mougey—a former medical researcher turned Reiki master and psychic healer—about the link between energy, intuition, and leadership.

After decades in science, Jolee made an unexpected pivot into energy healing. She shares how physical pain, chronic migraines, and burnout led her to explore intuitive modalities that science couldn’t explain—yet profoundly transformed her life.

Together, Sonya and Jolee unpack:

• How suppressed emotions can show up as physical tension and fatigue.

• What it means to “heal in layers” instead of chasing instant transformation.

• How intuition can help women in leadership release self-doubt and lead from authenticity.

• Why guilt, fear, and overthinking block ambition—and how to clear those energetic patterns.

• Simple practices to reconnect with your body, intuition, and emotional wisdom.

If you’ve ever felt “stuck” in your growth or leadership journey despite doing all the right things, this conversation will help you tap into the one power source that never runs out—your inner energy.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• joleemougey.com
• IG @jolee.mougey
• Psychic Sidekick ChatGPT Freebie

➡ A 4 part private podcast to help you reconnect with how you want to be seen—so your leadership presence reflects who you are, not just what you do.

Own The Room

➡ Download the Wardrobe Checklist for Professional Career Women – Get a curated list of must-have wardrobe staples that blend versatility, style, and impact:
Checklist

➡ Book Your Strategy Call

➡ Find out more about programs and services

➡ Connect with me on social media

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Facebook