In this thought-leading episode, Tara Gooch, Owner of taralafongooch.com, shares how she conquered the TEDx stage and helps other thought leaders win as well!
You will discover:
– Who is actually keeping you in your box
– What is a thought leader, and why is it important for you
– How to distill your expertise into a TEDx-worthy idea
Episode Transcript
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello, hello and welcome. Welcome once again to the secrets of the high demand coach podcast. And I am here with yet another high demand coach we have with us today, the one and only Tara LaFon Gooch, who is a globally recognized competence expert and international best selling author and keynote speaker she works, has worked diligently researching and studying cutting edge strategies to help her clients succeed and take their business to the next level. And Tara has recently delivered her TEDx talk in Nottingham, England, called gratitude the foundation of confidence. She earned her MBA in business analytics from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and has certificates in management from the University of Notre Dame, and a certificate in financial management from Cornell University, among all those things. She is also the author of her brand new book, talk your way to the top. Secure the stage. Market Your talk for success and transform your life on the famous red dot. Well, Tara, so excited to have you here. Loved getting ready for this episode. Loved getting a look at your new book, which is super exciting. We’ll dive into that. And in the book you taught, you kind of open up with this idea of being a thought leader. And a lot of people know what that is, but I found a lot of folks don’t either. So we’ve got a lot of founders, entrepreneurs, leaders listening to this podcast, what is being a thought leader and why does it matter to them?
Tara Gooch
Oh, such a great question. So you know, a lot of entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, are leaders, right? We have learned immense technical knowledge or skills and abilities to help other people, but then it’s about translating that to inspiration, right? Because we can teach people all day long, but are we really inspiring them? And I feel that one of the best ways to inspire people is through both the written word and the spoken word being on stage one the one to many approach, right? But also with an air of inspiration. You want to transform people’s lives. And I found that when people do this, when they take that knowledge, that skill set, ability that they have, and transform it and transmute it into a leadership of thought. It really does transform people’s lives and cause them to be inspired to take action.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, so there’s, there’s kind of a couple groups of people, and one of them is, I just want to help people. I, you know, I just want to, I don’t. I’m not a thought leader. What would you say to someone who was feeling that way?
Tara Gooch
I would say, yes, you are right. Of course you are. If you have a skill set or ability that I don’t have, there’s something that you can teach me. So I think we all have these innate skill sets, strengths and abilities, and it’s up to us to, you know, act on it. And of course, you can be a thought leader. It’s your willingness to inspire others, and again, help somebody else when we convey knowledge, and I mean, really convey knowledge, so that means you’re able to teach people with tangible things they can take away, but also in a way with storytelling through our own experiences. Guess what? You’re a thought leader. It doesn’t have, you don’t have to have some grandiose title, right? It’s, it’s just about transferring knowledge in a tangible way that, again, provide the inspiration to others.
Scott Ritzheimer
Now, in your book, you spent a significant portion of the book focusing in on TEDx. In particular, I was curious, why did you choose TEDx? And maybe for those who aren’t even familiar with that, can you tell us a little bit about what that platform is and why you think it’s so important to thought leadership today?
Tara Gooch
Absolutely, it’s, it’s the modern day platform for storytellers, for thought leaders, right? So it’s something that anybody can do. I want to point that out, because a lot of people are looking at this and saying, oh, gosh, that’s great for other people, right? And they watch TEDx talks, probably on YouTube, and they think, Oh, that’s great for them, not realizing it’s actually something accomplishable for anybody with the right amount of skill set and ability. So I brought this up in my book, because the stage transformed my life. I did not always consider myself to be a thought leader. I did not always consider myself to be a TEDx speaker, right? And then it happened, and it changed my life. And I wasn’t a celebrity, you know? I’m not like a household name in. Household, maybe some household, but not all right. And I was able to do this and get on an international stage, share my story and change my life. And I wrote this book to help others do the same.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, I love that. So again, in your book, you talk about the this kind of moment of finding your 10 TEDx were the idea. And there might be some folks thinking out there, like, I don’t even know what I would talk about. How do you go about finding that idea? And how do you know once you’ve found it?
Tara Gooch
That’s awesome. I love that. Well, an idea is something that is transformative, right? It’s something that perhaps has helped you, but can definitely help others as well, right? And I was lucky enough to been writing my first book at the time, how to grasp confidence and known your power. So I knew I was going to write a talk and deliver talk based on confidence, but my first book’s five steps. That’s a little long for a TED talk that’s supposed to be 18 minutes and under right and ultimately, is it going to help the audience? Because, you know, five steps is kind of a lot to take in in that short amount of time. So I knew I needed a shorter, more concise idea. So then I distilled the idea down into the foundation of confidence. So the audience had one point to take away. It was much more tangible for them that they could apply immediately in their lives.
Scott Ritzheimer
That’s awesome. And was there a moment that it was like, this is the one, this is the right one, or is it something that you really felt like you had to practice again and again and again to really feel that confidence?
Tara Gooch
I knew immediately that that was the right idea. But it the thing with confidence is it’s a skill that you put the reps in no matter how great your idea is. Put your reps in every single day. And from the moment I realized what my idea was. I began putting in the work and began putting in massive amounts of action. I wrote and refined my story daily, and then I practiced daily. So at you know, between the time that I got accepted into TEDx and delivered my talk, I had probably practiced over 100 times. Wow. You have to be willing to put in the reps that gains you confidence more than anything.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, I think it’s Jerry Seinfeld, and I’m gonna butcher the quote, but he basically talks about how he admires other comedians, and he doesn’t necessarily admire them because they’re funny, but he admires them because he knows the work that it took to get there. I think he says something along the lines of anyone who’s willing to crawl on their belly for that long. And what I think a lot of people do when they see the stage is to see a speaker and think, I’m not that, and not recognize that nobody was that they’ve all worked to get there. And one of the things I think that gets in the way of that is, is imposter syndrome, right? One of the challenges about being a speaker is that, and a previous guest taught me this, it’s not only that you have a message, but to some extent, you are the message. And that strikes a few additional chords, you know, to the tune of imposter syndrome, what are some tools that you found are particularly helpful for folks who are stepping into thought leadership and dealing with imposter syndrome?
Tara Gooch
First off, know that it’s normal, right? I want to just say that, because I think a lot of people think imposter syndrome happens to them and not others. This is a normal sign of your progression and evolution and your it means you’re gaining success, right? Think of it as a it’s a fun it’s fine, it’s normal. Just acknowledge it for what it is, which is not real. Just because it’s normal doesn’t mean it’s real, right? So it happens to a lot of people understand that, but understand this is just your feelings and emotions and thoughts, not actual reality. So impostor syndrome can happen, and that’s all right. It’s about pursuing in the face of that imposter syndrome and not letting it dictate your next outcomes and actions. And when we can do that, you can step on stage, you can write a book, you can share your story, you can start a business, you can be confident. All of these are possible when you keep putting in the action, despite the feelings and emotions that we think.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. What? What have you found? Because we can, I’ve seen folks make the mistake of thinking that speaking is a solo sport, right? Of you know of kind of doing it on your own. What have you found in terms of community or coaching to be helpful, particularly around this area of imposter syndrome?
Tara Gooch
absolutely it doesn’t. You don’t have to do it alone. And part of the reason I formed, I have a global speaker community, is for this exact reason. It’s to bring us all together in a mastermind, to uplift each other, to show each other the way, right? And we have various speakers from in different levels. Some are very high performers. They charge 50,000 or more per keynote. Others are just starting out on their journey, and it’s a level of mentorship that you need in that. And when you have this mentorship, when you can come together in a mastermind, you realize you don’t have to know everything and know all the answers, because you have other people to lean on, and that’s so powerful, and that’s part of my journey. You know, I didn’t start this 10 years ago. This was something that was relatively recent, and I figured out how to do this, do it quickly and efficiently, but also have success. Because of that. I want to mentor others to do the same and have the same level of success, and show them that it doesn’t have to take 10 years, that with the right guidance and mentorship, you don’t have to be solo, you can get through this together.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that’s so true, so true. So there’s some folks listening to this, and maybe they don’t necessarily have aspirations to be on a stage, but they do want to be a more compelling thought leader within their organization or for the people that they lead. What could they take from from your book or your journey as a speaker, that could help them become a more compelling thought leader?
Tara Gooch
Absolutely. And if you’re a leader of an organization, if you’re a leader of people, you should be a thought leader. It’s your authentic story, in your journey that people want to hear about that’s what’s going to connect you to others, right? Whether it be employees, partners, investors, friends, clients, your authentic story and journey. And that’s not all the pretty stuff, right? Some of the failures as well some of the harsher truths you’ve had to learn in your life, you’ll find that sharing those moments and being vulnerable and be willing to be vulnerable will actually connect you like glue to someone else, and create a sense of trust in them, in you that was not actually possible before. So my best advice to leaders is to be authentic and not be afraid, to be vulnerable. And it’s okay to convey this in speeches, in presentations, because that’s what other people respond to. And remember, people buy from other people, which means we want to hear your stories.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, that’s so good. So Chad, there’s this question I like to ask all my guests, and it is this, what would you say is the biggest secret that you wish wasn’t a secret at all. What’s that one thing you wish everybody watching or listening today knew?
Tara Gooch
If one person did it? So can you stop thinking that you are in this box. This box that you think you’re in is imaginary. Guys, guess what? If one person became a billionaire, then it’s possible. If one person became a multimillionaire, then it’s possible. If someone did it, you can too. The only thing getting in the way of any of our dreams is the action that we take on them. So my biggest lesson is that anything is possible. Don’t think something is out of your league. The only person putting you in a box is you. So get out of the box. Start taking action and fulfill the success level that you’re meant to fulfill. It’s possible for everyone.
Scott Ritzheimer
So Tara, there’s some folks that are listening to this, and they’re just it’s that final push that they needed to move in the right direction. They’re ready to do it. They’re ready to jump in. They need some help along the journey. They need some steps along the way. Tell us a little bit about your book and why you wrote, who it’s for and where they can get a copy of it?
Tara Gooch
Awesome. Yeah, so my book is available on Amazon. Both of my books are including my first book, and the first book I wrote is to inspire you to be confident, right? Because I realized that before we do really big things, we need to build a foundation of confidence. First, that makes sense, right? So part of what inspires me is helping others achieve that level of confidence, that personal development, that they know is within them, that power, that seed of potential. And then I help people unlock that power and purpose in the biggest way possible. So go to Amazon, check out my books. If you’re into personal development, becoming the best version of yourself, doing scary things like speaking on the stage, delivering an international TED Talk, writing a book, sharing a story, just developing your personal brand. It starts with confidence. And honestly, that’s one of the secrets too, that I wish more people knew, is that it’s already within you. So sometimes it just takes a coach, a book, a guide, to get that out of you, and then once you do, the limitless potential that you had is unlocked.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. So good. So that Tara, where can folks find out more about you and the work that you do?
Tara Gooch
Absolutely you can check out my website. taralafongooch.com, my company’s website is bestbranding.solutions.
Scott Ritzheimer
Fantastic. Thank you so much. For those listening, take a look at the book. It’s fantastic. Had a chance to read through it. It’s called: talk your way to the top, secure the stage. Market Your talk for success and transform your life on the famous red dot you will you’ll love it. It’s great storytelling, great information, super, super practical. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Tara, thanks so much for being here, just an honor and privilege, having you on the show. And for those of you watching and listening, you know that your time and attention mean the world to us. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I know I did, and I cannot wait to see you next time. Take care.
Contact Tara Gooch
Tara LaFon Gooch is a globally recognized confidence expert, International best-selling author, and keynote speaker. She works diligently researching and studying cutting-edge strategies to help her clients succeed and take their businesses to the next level. Tara has recently delivered her first TEDx talk in Nottingham, England, called “Gratitude: The Foundation of Confidence.” She earned her MBA in Business Analytics from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She also earned certificates in Management from The University of Notre Dame and a certificate in Financial Management from Cornell University.
Want to learn more about Tara Gooch’s work? Check out her website at https://taralafongooch.com/
Her book can be purchased here: https://a.co/d/51DGJu8
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