What if the expertise you already have only turns into influence the moment you stop trying to prove it and start using it to solve someone else's problem?

Episode Description:

PR veteran and Innovation Women founder Bobbie Carlton explains why expertise falls flat the second it becomes about you, the mindset shift that turns "what I know" into "what I can do for this room," and why the expert who serves the audience beats the expert who impresses them every time.

In this episode, I sit down with Bobbie Carlton, a longtime PR veteran and the founder of Innovation Women, to talk about the moment expertise actually becomes influence. Her take is simple but easy to miss: the second your speaking becomes about proving what you know, you lose the room. The speakers who actually move people are the ones who've made the shift from "look what I know" to "here's what I can do for you."

We get into what that mindset shift looks like in practice, how to figure out who your audience really is and what they actually need from you, and why public speaking is one of the most underused tools for career growth and business success. Bobbie's built her whole career around getting more women and underrepresented voices on stage, and she brings that same clarity here: mastery isn't about the depth of what you know, it's about what you're willing to do with it for someone else.

Want to run this same test on your own expertise? Head to bit.ly/expertisemr for Find Your Wonder-Work, a free interactive exercise: answer five quick reflection prompts, and it names the specific, valuable skill you've been overlooking, the one you're already excellent at but never thought to call expertise.

Takeaways:

• The transformation from expertise to influence occurs when we prioritize solving others' problems rather than showcasing our own skills.
• Public speaking serves as a pivotal tool for career advancement and business success, as emphasized by Bobbie Carlton.
• To effectively engage an audience, one must adopt a mindset focused on service rather than self-promotion during speaking engagements.
• Identifying the right audience is crucial; understanding their needs allows a speaker to tailor their message for maximum impact and relevance.

Links referenced in this episode:

• innovationwomen.com
• Find Your Wonder-Work (free interactive exercise): bit.ly/expertisemr

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Carlton PR & Marketing
• Innovation Women
• Innovation Nights