EXECUTIVE SPEAKER COACHING TO CULTIVATE THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Do your leaders’ presentation skills match their expertise?
For most organizations, the answer is no.
The knowledge is there. So are the credentials and the strategic thinking.
But when it is time for leaders to present to a board, deliver a keynote, pitch an investor, speak to the press, or testify before Congress, their communication falls short of the expertise behind it.
The fix is rarely “become a better speaker.” With the proliferation of AI, “good speaking” is the baseline, and chasing “better” without addressing what is happening behind one’s delivery leads to communication that is rigid, inauthentic, and trust-eroding.
The fix is making a habit of communication that pairs kindness with candor and vulnerability with gravitas. Communication that consistently connects, calls people in, and calls them to take action.
That is what executive speaker coaching with Alexia Vernon and Step into Your Moxie achieves.
1 in 5 business leaders report losing business to poor communication, and 43% report gaining it through effective communication. — Grammarly, 2024
Why Most Executive Speaker Coaching and Media Training Fails
Most speaker training teaches mechanics. Stand here. Gesture like this. Open with a story. Close with a call to action. It gives people a formula, but most formulas produce speakers who sound like everyone else. And when coaching ends, a speaker is slightly more polished but no more persuasive, no more trusted, and no closer to being seen as an authority or trusted advisor.
Media training similarly often falls short of its goals. It prepares someone for an interview, but it does not build the communication foundation that makes every visibility opportunity convert into trust, clients, talent, or capital.
And hiring a solo executive speech coach can sharpen delivery for one leader, but it rarely builds the strategic messaging underneath or scales when an organization needs multiple leaders prepared for different stages and presentations throughout the year.
Executive speaker coaching with Step into Your Moxie addresses what all three miss:
- Messaging that gives leaders' ideas a clear point of view, whether they are pitching investors, presenting to a board, or representing their organization on stage
- Stories that turn data, clinical evidence, and technical expertise into narratives audiences understand, remember, and act on
- Presence and vocal command that ensures a speaker stays grounded when the stakes are high and audiences are skeptical
- Turning speaking engagements, media interviews, and other visibility moments into new opportunities and revenue generation
- Everyday communication that determines culture and performance: team meetings, one-on-ones, feedback, and hard conversations leaders tend to avoid
- The ability to support one leader or an entire organization, with a robust team of certified Step into Your Moxie vocal empowerment facilitators
Alexia is a brilliant speaking coach, intuitive mentor, and wordsmith. As a psychologist, I’ve seen a lot of people connect with their clients and pull out their gifts, but I have NEVER seen anyone as gifted as Lex. I was able to spit out my ideas, that were often only semi-coherent, and she would reflect back to me, in such a concise way, something brilliant.
I’m now so clear on my message and platform that each speaking or visibility opportunity leads to more invitations. And able all, I now communicate with confidence what I do and what I stand for. Working with Lex I got overwhelmingly more than I expected because she is so brilliant.
Dr. Willis, Psychologist
What Executive Speaker Coaching Looks Like
Every engagement with Step into Your Moxie is built around our clients and the speaking moments ahead of them. There is no cookie-cutter curriculum. Our executive communication coaching work draws on a consistent set of capabilities, combined differently depending on what our speakers need.
Alexia skillfully addressed what I thought was a difficult topic… but the dynamic content and expert presentation skills she brought to our 200+ person audience were very well received and inspiring. Thank you, Alexia!
Aron Khoury, Director of Supplier Diversity at Medtronic
When Companies and Consultants Engage Us for Executive Speaker Coaching
While each organization or individual who comes to us for executive speaker coaching and thought leadership development is unique, here are some of the most common contexts where we’re called on to help.
Under Alexia’s speaking and business mentorship, I was able to speak on the TEDx stage, revamp my website, land advisory board positions, secure larger, lucrative speaking engagements with numerous food brands, and land a book deal with a major publisher.
Working with Lex has been an amazing experience. She delightfully exceeded my expectations, and I highly recommend her as a speaking coach and business mentor!
Jill Castle, MS, RDN, CEO of The Nourished Child®
How to Work with Step into Your Moxie
Step into Your Moxie is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and works with clients in the U.S. and internationally. Most coaching happens virtually, with in-person options available for VIP Days, team trainings, and keynote prep.
- Ongoing retainer (individual or organizational). For individual speakers and organizations where high-stakes communication is constant rather than a one-time event, retainers combine speaker coaching, messaging, and training, and they flex as needs change. A CEO or consultant preparing for ongoing keynotes receives different support than field reps who are selling a new biotech solution. Step into Your Moxie executive communication and team retainers enable our clients to lock in easy access to ongoing communication support.
- Speaker development engagement (fixed period). A focused executive speaker coaching engagement, typically six to nine months, is built around a specific goal: building a signature presentation, preparing for a new keynote or funding pitch, or developing a compelling thought leadership platform. These engagements include a deep-dive strategy session to clarify the core message and ensure it aligns with larger individual and organizational goals, followed by regular speaker coaching sessions to build out the content, practice delivery, and refine the messaging. Some clients also engage us for done-for-you speaker marketing assets: a speaker one-sheet, a speaking website page, and outreach templates.
- In-house speaking and communication training. Step into Your Moxie also designs and leads training for teams and organizations, from presentation skills bootcamps to programs on how to speak up and influence, navigate daring conversations, and use storytelling as a scientist or technical expert. Our training programs are tailored to each client and can be delivered virtually or on-site.
- In-person speaker training and speaker reel production. Step into Your Moxie hosts an annual two-day speaker training intensive in Las Vegas where speakers are on their feet for two full days of live practice, coaching, and feedback. The intensive includes professionally produced speaking footage shot by our Las Vegas media team, giving speakers performance footage they can use for conference submissions, speaker bureau profiles, and speaker marketing. This is available as a standalone experience or as part of a coaching engagement.
In addition to CEO Alexia Vernon, an accomplished keynote speaker and speaking coach who oversees all client speaking and thought leadership development engagements and works with many clients directly, Step into Your Moxie has a team of 60+ certified facilitators trained directly by Alexia in her vocal empowerment system and coaching methodology. Executive speaker coaching is never limited to Alexia or another coach’s availability.
Our executive speaker coaching is industry agnostic. That said, many of our clients are in healthcare and the life sciences, where Alexia’s patient advocacy deepens the work. Other industries we commonly serve include professional services, food and beverage, government, finance, construction, transportation, technology and AI, and hospitality and gaming.
Alexia spoke at our National Sales Meeting on humanizing sales conversations through patient stories. Her interactive approach, including pulling our sales reps onto the stage, set the tone for the entire week. We continually reference her insights and apply them.
Wendy Zeldes, VP of Marketing, PreludeDx
Your Next Steps to Explore Executive Speaker Coaching
Maybe you have an upcoming keynote, and you need to walk onto that stage equal parts prepared, confident, and connected to your audience.
Perhaps you are a scientist with research that can change outcomes, and the challenge is communicating that to the people who decide whether it receives funding and mass-market adoption
Or you have been building expertise for years, and you are ready for your speaking to finally reflect your authentic voice and fresh point of view so that you can stop being the best-kept secret in your industry.
Alternatively, you may be the one responsible for making sure your leaders and employees communicate at the level your organization needs, and you are tired of piecemeal, ineffective solutions.
Whatever the context, whether you are investing in yourself or in your team, the path forward starts the same way.
Step 1: Let us know how we can help.
Tell us what kind of speaking support you are looking for. This helps us come prepared to a conversation about partnership opportunities.
Step 2: Schedule a consultation with our team.
After reviewing your form, we will reach out to schedule a time to talk through your goals, your timeline, and what the right engagement looks like, whether that is coaching for one leader, a retainer for your organization, or a skill-building communication training or team building session for your team.
Step 3: We get to work.
Watch your leaders start playing to their edge as communicators and presenters, on stages, in meetings, during pitches, and whenever they have high-stakes communication where they need to speak up and influence.
Have a question or prefer to reach out via email? Contact us at LeadershipDev@StepIntoYourMoxie.com.
The Females in Food community, representing corporate leaders from over 350 companies across every sector of the Food and Beverage industry, has greatly valued working with Alexia. Over the years, we have consistently sought her expertise to speak, lead training, coach our Summit speakers, and facilitate our executive women’s circle, empowering our members to amplify their voice, visibility, and influence. Alexia has been, and will continue to be, a trusted advisor, coach, and speaker, playing a pivotal role in helping women within every corner of the F&B industry transform their careers and drive greater impact in their organizations.
