Transcript

LauraAura: [00:00:00] What I decided was that I am, I'm gonna just show up in every space in every room as myself. Yeah. As my full, bold self. I am raw and I am deep, and I am direct, but I'm also gonna be one of your biggest cheerleaders and, and I'm doing myself and the people in my world a disservice if I'm muting that anywhere.

Jess Ekstrom: Welcome back to Amplify with Jess Extra, where we amplify your ideas, your influence, and your income. I'm talking kind of quiet because my baby's sleeping in the next room, and today is our last episode of this season. We're gonna be taking a break for the holidays and come back early next year with a new and exciting rebrand.

So if you haven't already, text me the word pod. To 7 0 4 2 2 8 9 4 9 5, and I will text you when we are back and who better to close out the season than one of our very own speakers who graduated from Mic Drop Academy and is out there with a top 1% podcast and [00:01:00] taking on stages all over the world.

Today's guest is a speaker, a top podcaster known for encouraging women to make gutsy moves. But her own recent gutsy move was sparked by conversation she had with an AI bot. Laura Ora is our guest, and it all started while she was driving, listening to Taylor Swift's, the man inspired and activated. She went home and typed a simple question into chat Chi BT.

How would my career look different if I were a man? The answer was a stark. Statistical list both infuriated and motivated her revealing the systemic biases that keep women from equal footing. Our guest today, Laura Ora, decided not to settle. She took the AI response listing things like higher pay, access to power rooms and less self-questioning, and turned to each point into a concrete gutsy action item for her own life and career.

So in this episode, we'll break down her five bold steps for achieving some starting block access [00:02:00] in business. Why showing up in your fullest self means being wonky on LinkedIn, and the powerful reasons why you must learn to outsource faster. So let's start at the beginning. In her car, when a Taylor Swift song led to a prompt that changed her whole life trajectory.

LauraAura: You know, I'm driving to the gym, I've got my songs on Shuffle. Taylor comes on as she normally does, and this time it was, it was the song The Man. Mm-hmm. And I, you know, I've heard it a million times, but there was something about that day where, I don't know, the lyrics just really stood out to me. I was very kind of already activated anyway.

Mm-hmm. And, and the words stuck out to me. So I went home and I put in chat, like, how would my life look different? If I were a man, how would my career look different if I were a man? And it just spewed out this, this whole list of all of these things. Jess, it, it pissed me off as much as it activated me to do something about it.

Like I, I was like, I'm no longer, I'm not gonna settle for this anymore. No more 

Jess Ekstrom: like, what were [00:03:00] some of the things that it said that would look different if you were a man? 

LauraAura: So one of the very first ones was it, you will be making more. You would be making more money. And I was like, listen. I mean, we already kind of, we already kind of know that.

Yeah. But it, it gave me stats. Like it would, it was like you would be making 300 to $500,000 or upward. Wow. You would be charging way more than 10,000 for your keynotes. Um, you would be seen as an authority. Right. Like you mm-hmm. You would just, like, the money would just be rolling in the way that it, yeah.

Could and should be. 

Jess Ekstrom: You would be the Joe Rogan of gutsy. 

LauraAura: Yeah. Right, exactly. Or the Dax Shepherd. 

Jess Ekstrom: Yeah. 

LauraAura: And you know, in that moment I decided, I'm like, okay, what's a gutsy move that I'm gonna make? Because I'm like, okay, I don't want this to just irritate me. I wanna do something about this. Yeah. Like that's the premise of making gutsy moves is doing the thing that you can't stop thinking about.

I could not stop thinking about this. And so I, 

Jess Ekstrom: okay, so I mean, like, break it down for me though. It was. Money. What else did it say? [00:04:00] Because I actually saw something on LinkedIn recently. This woman put in a picture of her speaking, um, and said, uh, you know, help me look. Like a very successful sales speaker because that's what she speaks on in sales.

And the photo it gave back, she was an Asian woman and it came back a middle-aged white man. Oh my gosh. Yeah. 

LauraAura: See, yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like even, even the, the AI systems now. 

Jess Ekstrom: Well, I think that that's like a whole other conversation is that like AI is crowdsourced information and so it can be super helpful but also.

All of the bias that exists in this world, it now exists, of course, in ai. Absolutely. So, okay, so it said you'd be making more money. What, like other things did it say, how would your life look different if you were a man? 

LauraAura: I would have more access to power rooms. Like I would be more access [00:05:00] to power rooms.

Mm-hmm. Like I would be invited to more rooms. Um, my boldness would be seen as confidence, not as a risk. And it was like, oh man, that one really hits home. Yeah. Um, it said that I would outsource faster, so I would ask for more help. Oh, like 

Jess Ekstrom: delegate? Mm-hmm. 

LauraAura: Yeah. And that I would have less self-questioning.

I would just, I would just go for things more often and not question myself as much. 

Jess Ekstrom: Now. I find this fascinating because, um, I literally just stitched a video yesterday on TikTok that was like, um, Adam Grant and Brene Brown, I don't know if you saw it. Uh, talking about how executive presence and charisma are really just, um, like overrated ways to keep women out of leadership positions.

Uh, where like, you don't have to be this like. Big, tall, like charismatic person in order to lead a company. And there are, I think, like things that we could benefit from [00:06:00] seeing, like, yeah, I wanna question myself less. I wanna like do some of those things. And then there are some things that I think historically we've been taught.

That are more masculine ways of thinking, masculine ways of speaking, masculine ways of leadership that we don't need anymore. Yeah. So, and I think to like, just to be clear, one of the things I feel like I always need to reiterate is like this conversation and what we do at Mic Drop is not anti-men. It's like, how do we get women in the same, like on the same starting block Exactly.

Or in the same. 

LauraAura: Yeah. It's just about, it's about playing on the same field, you know? Mm-hmm. Having, having the same access, having the same, um, connections, like being, just being able to do the same thing without Yes. Gender coming into the conversation. 

Jess Ekstrom: It's like, you know, finding out many times, and I'm sure you've found this on the speaking front, what the male speaker got paid versus what you got paid, and my gut instinct is to be like [00:07:00] mad at the man, but then when I really think about it.

I'm not mad at the man. I'm mad at myself, or I'm mad at the system for not asking for what I truly felt like I deserved 

LauraAura: a hundred 

Jess Ekstrom: percent. But it's like he asked for it. This, there's no fault in that. So okay, you got, you got this chat, GPT, prompt. You're fuming, but also activated. Then you started going down this rabbit hole of like, how do I change this?

So. Walk me through what that looked like for you. 

LauraAura: Yeah, so I just went through each one. I'm like, okay, what do I do with this information? Right? Mm-hmm. I can, I can be upset about it and just stew in it. I can let it continue or I can do something about it. So I'm like, I'm just gonna decide one gutsy move that I'm going to attach to each one of these.

Okay. So for the earning more, for instance, I was like, I'm going to pitch full price. 

Jess Ekstrom: Yeah. 

LauraAura: Period. We, we, how many times do we go into a room and we're like, oh, I want to charge this, but then we get nervous or are they gonna pay this and can they, and a million question where you start 

Jess Ekstrom: negotiating [00:08:00] before they even give you an answer, before they 

LauraAura: even say anything.

Yeah. So I'm like, I'm just gonna go in full rate. Like it. It's really about owning my numbers and owning my worth and my ability. So, yeah. No more undercharging period. Yeah. Yes. I love that. For the access to the power rooms, I decided I'm just gonna show up in spaces. Like, I already belong there because I do.

Yes. And if I'm not invited to the space, I'm going to invite myself, 

Jess Ekstrom: you know, like, or I would take that a, a step further in, like create the space. There is this, um. Like, I'm not obviously gonna say names, but there is this kind of like group of women, um, who are all fantastic and they're all, they all promote and support each other's, uh, programs and courses and things that they've done.

And, um, for years I was just trying to like get. Invited to, and I see like pictures of them in like Cabo and like, oh my gosh, like look at this [00:09:00] yacht that they're on. Like, I just need to get in that, in that circle. Um, and like was not getting any, any traction there. And uh, so then I was like, well, I have a lot of women and I.

Network that I think we could do the same thing, like learn from each other, kind of like an unofficial mastermind. Like we're not paying for it, but we're all kind of charging the same rate. We are all kind of, our businesses are doing similar amounts and, but yet we don't have like competing audiences that we could just, um, learn from each other, but also share resources.

And so we created a trip to Arizona that we're doing in January. And so I would even take it a step further of like. Instead of like inviting myself to that room, finding ways to create it on my own terms. I, 'cause I find that even when I force my way sometimes into a room, um, I get in my head. Because I'm like, well, I wasn't invited.

Like, or do I, should I be [00:10:00] here? I don't know if you ever experienced that. 

LauraAura: Oh my gosh. All the time. I think when I, when I'm talking about like inviting myself to a room, I'm a thousand percent with you of not pushing where I don't feel like I belong or like forcing something, but rather like, you know, if there's a group or a company or an event that I wanna speak at and I'm not being invited there.

How are they gonna know I exist if I don't put myself in front of them? 

Jess Ekstrom: Yes. You know? 

LauraAura: So, 

Jess Ekstrom: yes, 100% 

LauraAura: presenting myself and asking to be in that room and 4,000 million percent create the space yourself. If it doesn't exist, make space, because that's where deep connection happens. And there's something so brilliant about when a woman steps up and does something, she gives other women permission to do the same thing.

Not that they needed permission, but sometimes they need to see it modeled. Sometimes they need to see it in action. And that's I think what creating a space really does. 

Jess Ekstrom: That's what I think. You know, you are one of our shining stars in Mic Drop Academy, which I love. Oh, thank you. That's like, of course, in Mic Drop Academy, we teach you, you know, how to scale [00:11:00] your speaking.

This is more for seasoned speakers like yourself. But I think one of the other big benefits of the club that, or of the academy is. Seeing someone, like someone in the cohort, you know, it's a cohort usually of 30 or so women, um, seeing someone say, Hey, I just got this opportunity. They paid me this amount.

I also negotiated this because how are we supposed to know what's possible for us if we're not being transparent with other women? But it's really hard to do that online. It's like, Hey guys, like let me tell you what my, like, you know, accounts receivable look like right now versus being in this space that it's like all of us are thought leaders.

We know that we're going towards this thing. Let me tell you how I got this or why this didn't work out. And you have always been so great in academy and in that group for. Starting those conversations and being really transparent about it. So I just wanna take a second and thank you for that. Thank 

LauraAura: you.

Of course. Well, and thank [00:12:00] you because you and definitely the women in my cohort and, and everyone in MDA, but you specifically, you showed me what was possible. Like, I think that especially when you're shifting, like I made a, a really big gutsy move and shifted and left industries and started all over again.

Mm-hmm. Being in your orbit, you showed me what my brain could not yet calculate. Ooh, like you, gosh, that's so sweet. What, like, what you are charging and what's possible and the kind of organizations that you're working with, and just the, the magnitude of MDA and everything that you do. You modeled to me what was possible, so it gave my brain proof that I can do this too.

So hats off to you, my friend, because your thanks, your ripple effect is immeasurable 

Jess Ekstrom: and I won't say the name, but I know you have a very big opportunity coming up on the speaking circuit. And so let's just take like a quick sidebar from this chat GBT response. You know, obviously we can give you all the tools and all the resources in [00:13:00] academy, but.

There are people that like take it and run with it and then there are people that have analysis paralysis or like are waiting for, you know, something to happen in order to get started. Do you have any tips for people on the speaking front that might be in that analysis paralysis? Like, oh, I just need to wait for my website to be perfect.

Do I need to wait till I have footage? But how do I get footage if I'm not speaking? Like you are so good at obviously taking gutsy moves. In the speaking sense, what advice can you give someone that might be experiencing a little analysis paralysis there? 

LauraAura: You know, I hear that loud and clear. I'm not void of it.

It still happens, but you gotta get to this point where you're like, but what's the alternative? Mm-hmm. I'm either continue to talk about it, I'm either gonna continue to think about it, overthink it, plan it, wait for the right moment, or I'm just gonna do one thing. So my advice is, what is one next step that you can take?

We, we wanna have the perfectly curated plan. We wanna have all the details, you know, we want it all to be like perfect [00:14:00] before we do the thing, friend. The only way you get to the thing is by doing something. And so everything that I've built and what I have right now has all been the result. Taking one next move, which creates momentum, which creates more clarity, which puts the right person in front of you.

You know what I mean? Like all those details that you're racking your brain trying to figure out comes to fruition when you actually do something. So make the one next move my friend. 

Jess Ekstrom: I mean, this is why you're a speaker. 'cause it's like this small, like Oh yeah. Thing. And I think that's like so much of what speaking is, is not this like revolutionary idea, but just the reminder of like, what's the next right thing that I can do?

Not all of it. So I love that. So, okay, we have money. We have getting in the room or creating your own, what were some of the other, um, let's call 'em healthy spirals. Healthy spirals, happy rabbit holes. Yeah. The 

LauraAura: next one was, was particularly hit home because of my brand [00:15:00] around being gutsy, which is boldness would be seen as confidence, not as a risk.

And it was like, listen, boldness comes in all shapes and sizes. It doesn't mean you're always flipping the table, it just means you're willing to go for it, right? So. What I decided was that I am, I'm gonna just show up in every space. In every room as myself. Yeah. As my full, bold self. I am raw and I am deep, and I am direct, but I'm also gonna be one of your biggest cheerleaders and, and I'm doing myself and the people in my world a disservice if I'm muting that anywhere.

Mm-hmm. So, like for instance, LinkedIn. Okay. LinkedIn is typically very kind of buttoned up and more professional and, and more like you're at a networking event, right? And then I was like, I don't wanna do that. 

Jess Ekstrom: Yeah. Like, 

LauraAura: that's just not my vibe. I mean, I can be professional and bold at the same time, so I, I just took the lid off.

I am very wonky on LinkedIn, and you know what? It works. It works for me and it works for the right people. And [00:16:00] I think that that's the most important thing to remember. 

Jess Ekstrom: I think you saying it works for the right people is exactly what people need to hear because that means it's also not gonna work for everyone.

Yeah. And that's okay. But if you are like, I always think I'm like, if I am being performative, if I'm like trying to fit into a role, sure it might gain followers or attract people, but then that's a role I have to keep up. To keep. Exactly. Yep. And so I used to like be really afraid of people like unsubscribing or unfollowing me and now I'm like, oh no.

If I am truly showing up as who I am and someone doesn't like it, thank you for like. Clearing my, like clearing the way, giving me more focus to the people that are helping me. Like I'm, you know, I feel like my, like TikTok, my LinkedIn, I do a lot of like speaking related content and Instagram, I've tried to be like really specific of like lifestyle, motivational, but I love sharing speaking related content.

And lately I've been doing more of that and [00:17:00] being so scared of like, well, what if people don't like it? Or what if they unfollow and it's like, well then. Yeah. Yeah. 

LauraAura: And your business is gonna continue to grow, and you're gonna be happy because you're not maintaining something that someone else expected of you.

Like it. Yeah. That's where that overthinking really comes into play is like, oh, how should I, and, and what if this? And it's like, and let me just be, 

Jess Ekstrom: do you have an example of, um, when you maybe, uh. Showed up kind of either online or in person, in your like, kind of your vibe instead of conforming to, so like usually people do this, but I did this.

LauraAura: Yeah. So I, I put a, a post up on LinkedIn. I don't remember the context of the video, but I put up a post on LinkedIn, um, wearing no makeup and no bra. So love, I I, I talk a lot about like No Bra Sunday, and there's a whole concept behind that, and it's, you know, typically on LinkedIn. Wow. [00:18:00] That's like, like a no-no.

Right? Yeah. But it's one of my highest engagement videos because I love it. Women were like, that's a real human being. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like I, I love to talk about, and I'm very intentional about focusing on the real stuff that we're all thinking and feeling and experiencing, but most people are not saying out loud or you don't have a space.

To talk about it. And so sometimes I show up on social media without a bra and without makeup and we're just having raw conversations. But nine times outta 10, they're the highest engagement ones because people can relate to it. Yeah. It's like talking to another human instead of this internet persona.

Jess Ekstrom: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I love that. Inspires me to do more of that 'cause it's so easy to fall into like, well, what's working for everyone else? And let me do that. Yep. Um. Okay, what else? Next one 

LauraAura: was outsource faster. Oh yeah, that one. Delegation. So I'm just going to be very intentional about always evaluating what's working and what's not, and what can I hand off to someone.

Like what can [00:19:00] I get my hands out of? Because just because it's important doesn't mean I have to do it. In fact, I can rely on other people that are much better at things than I am to help me with it. And this one is kind of a twofer because I think it comes back to the first one about money. And that is charging.

So an intentional thing about outsourcing is charging full price, like coming in with my full rate so that I can afford, outsource, afford to outsource, you know, so I have the resources to be able to bring people in, which is a ripple effect of its own because it supports other people in their small businesses.

You know what I mean? So it mm-hmm. This one was a two for, for me. Yeah. 

Jess Ekstrom: And I think, you know, there's so much like women backed in this, because historically women have. Not outsource. It's like you're taking on everything at home, you're taking on, and now we have to work. And it's like, where is there the permission to alleviate?

It's like, well, maybe we're not getting paid enough to outsource at work. There's a ton of [00:20:00] culture around mom shaming it and guilt to outsource at home. Yep. Um, and so this is like really specific as it pertains to women. Outsourcing and something I constantly have to ask myself. 

LauraAura: Always. I mean, it's, it's deeply ingrained for centuries, you know what I mean?

Mm-hmm. So it, it takes a conscious undoing, but I, I'm a big fan of just pausing in the moment and asking myself, do I need to do this? Or can someone else do this better? 

Jess Ekstrom: Yep. 

LauraAura: I love that. And that, it, it just, I think sometimes it really helps to latch onto the idea too, that me asking someone else to help.

It's not a weakness. In fact, it's a power move. Yeah. 'cause it's supporting that person. They're getting to do something that they love. I get some of my time and capacity back, like that impacts their lives and their families. So it, it we're, we're doing some good stuff here when we let go of all the things, 

Jess Ekstrom: and I think this is like, uh, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I also have realized that I can outsource things and [00:21:00] spend that time.

That free time in an unproductive way. 

LauraAura: Yeah. 

Jess Ekstrom: Because I always thought, okay, if I'm gonna pay for someone to give me more time back at work, then that means I have to do more work with that time. And I'm like, no. Or I'm just gonna like pick my kids up early from school and go do this. Or maybe I'll just.

Bed rott for an hour. Yes, yes. That's done. So you don't have to replace the delegation with even more productivity, which I think is also a thing that women tend to do. 

LauraAura: Yes. Louder for those in the back. Jess. 

Jess Ekstrom: Yeah. Wait, we don't have to look. I've like, definitely binged love is blind while, uh, like having, you know, paying for people to do stuff.

LauraAura: Absolutely. They're happy. You're happy. No. Yes. No harm, no foul. Yeah, for sure. I love it. 

Jess Ekstrom: Okay, so can you walk us through, it was money and give us maybe those quick gutsy actions that we can take. 

LauraAura: Yeah, there's one more. Do you want that one? 

Jess Ekstrom: Oh yeah, 

LauraAura: yeah, yeah. So [00:22:00] the last one was less self-questioning. 

Jess Ekstrom: Oh, yes.

Like I think I tried to block this one out because I felt so attacked by it. 

LauraAura: It's personal at this point. 

Jess Ekstrom: Yeah. 

LauraAura: It's like, you know, am I doing enough and how is this gonna be received and who am I to do this? And, you know, maybe tomorrow and I need more information, I gotta read another book. And it's like, hold up.

Mm-hmm. What if I just pull it back and I, and I just look at my track record? Yeah. So my, my gutsy move in this was, let me just write down all the things that I've accomplished. So if I'm, if I'm questioning myself. Let me look back at the history book here of Laura. Yeah. Let me look at what I've done and accomplished to this point.

And I listed things out and I was like, I am not going to question myself again. Yes, period. I'm not saying I won't have seasons or, you know, I think every time that you level up or you go to try something new, this pops up, which is natural. But looking at this list, I'm like. 18 years in business, 11 years speaking, 500 plus episodes of the Gutsy podcast, [00:23:00] thousands of women have made gutsy moves because I showed up.

Okay, listen, we're not, we're not questioning this anymore. This is actually, this is my purpose. I, I can confidently say that I have found my purpose in life. So if you're questioning yourself right out the great things that you've done, whether there's one thing or 500 things or anything in between, look at what you've done.

You've done way more than you give yourself credit for. 

Jess Ekstrom: Even if it's on the personal side, raising kids graduating from college, like your evidence bank is much larger than what it probably feels like in your head. And so I love that tip of like, just take the time to write it out. And I would even say like, and keep.

Saved somewhere that you can reference when you start feeling a certain way. 

LauraAura: Yeah, and I love that. And add to it, you know, put it in notes, a notes section of your app and, and add to it as you go. Like give yourself a brag list. 

Jess Ekstrom: Yes, you have done these things. [00:24:00] It's so funny, like with my husband, he's not like an arrogant person or anything by any means, but I watch him move through life without the mental gymnastics of like wondering if he's qualified or good enough or big enough.

And like, and then also when I have feelings of self-doubt, it's, it's almost like it's kind of hard for him to understand where I'm coming from. 'cause he's like. What are you 

LauraAura: talking about? I'm like, well, like this person didn't use an exclamation point. They used a period and he's like, get a grip. They only said K.

They didn't say, okay, they only used K and now I'm spiraling. 

Jess Ekstrom: Totally. And so it's so funny sometimes to like watch someone who doesn't have that and the amount of energy that they save to like put towards other things. I think for me, like the self-questioning stuff was honestly like [00:25:00] just an more so an energy drain than anything else.

For me, I'm like, do I really wanna spend this limited amount of energy that I have, like wondering if I should be here? Yeah. Um, I don't always do that, right, but. It's something that I catch myself doing. Um, okay, so now give us the, the recap and the gutsy move. You got it. So the first 

LauraAura: one is you'd be earning more.

So go in, charge your worth, ask for more money, ask for the raise. The second one is having access to more power rooms. So either create the room. Or put yourself in the room. The third one is boldness would be seen as confidence, not risk. So you're showing up in every space, in every room as your fullest self.

You're taking up that space, my friend. Yes. The fourth is to outsource faster. Look at what are you doing that you don't have to be doing? What can I delegate? What can I hand off to somebody else so that I can focus on the work that I really need to do? And the fifth one is less [00:26:00] self-questioning. Write down your track list, my friend.

Mm-hmm. Write down the things that you've done and accomplished. Small, big, large, everything in between. Look at the things that you have done and accomplished in your life because that list is way larger than you think that it's, 

Jess Ekstrom: and even like, send it to chat, GBT. Say, remind me that I'm a badass bitch.

Heck yes. Whenever, yes, like ache, BD can tell us what our life would look like if we were a man, but we can also program it to be our cheerleader. 

LauraAura: Absolutely. 

Jess Ekstrom: Uh, and if you haven't realized this already by Laura Orr's, amazing voice and beautiful answers, and just like punchy takeaways, you are also a podcaster of like a.

Top podcast. So tell people where they can listen to you. Where they can find you, and all of the things. 

LauraAura: Yeah, thank you. The Gutsy podcast, there's over 500 episodes, so there's something for you in there. It's on Apple and Spotify. Wherever you listen, if you are bumping up against the same shift, you are tired of overthinking things.

You're ready [00:27:00] to do the thing, and you just need some encouragement and some practical things on how to do it. The gutsy podcast is gonna rock your world in the best of ways. Um, and then I'm on TikTok and Instagram the most. My handle is at that Laura aa. 

Jess Ekstrom: Yes. And she's an incredible speaker. So if you're a meeting planner listening to this and need a speaker for your next event, Laura Ora is your girl.

And just thank you for being such an advocate for what we're doing at Mic Drop and being able to be someone that we could be like, she's one of ours. Aw, uh, you're the best. Laura Ora, thank you. Being. Right back at 

LauraAura: you, my friend.

Jess Ekstrom: Thanks for listening to Amplify. If you're a fan of the show, show us some podcast love by giving us a rating and review. This episode is brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop, where you can learn how to become a better speaker. How to land paid speaking gigs. And become a keynote speaker. This episode was edited and produced by Walk West.

I'm Jess [00:28:00] reminding you that you deserve the biggest stage, so let's find out how to get you there. I'll see you again soon.