Creating an Unforgettable Presence

Lorraine K. Lee

Lorraine K. Lee is an award-winning keynote speaker, best-selling author, and founder of RISE Learning Solutions. She specializes in helping professionals enhance their presence, influence, and impact in the modern workplace. With over a decade of experience as a founding editor at tech firms like LinkedIn and Prezi, Lorraine has developed a deep understanding of effective communication and leadership.

Her book, Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career (Wiley, 2025), encapsulates her expertise in professional development. Lorraine is also a respected instructor at LinkedIn Learning and Stanford Continuing Studies, where she teaches courses on topics such as executive presence and virtual communication. Her insights have been featured in major publications, including CNBC, Forbes, and Fast Company.​

Lorraine’s journey into public speaking began in 2021, and following a layoff in 2022, she launched her own company, RISE Learning Solutions. Through this platform, she offers training and consulting services to organizations aiming to empower their teams. Her work has positively impacted professionals at companies like Zoom, Amazon, Cisco, and McKinsey & Company. Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice in workplace communication, Lorraine inspires individuals to take control of their careers and stand out.​

SHOW NOTES

Keep up with Lorraine!

Website: lorraineklee.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lorraineklee
X (formerly Twitter): @lorraineklee
Instagram: @lorraineklee
Facebook: facebook.com/lorrainekleespeaking​

To see the LinkedIn Live, check it out here! 

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:02:56.633] Jess Ekstrom:
Hi, everyone.

[00:02:57.834] Jess Ekstrom:
Welcome back to Amplify with Jess Ekstrom.

[00:03:00.798] Jess Ekstrom:
So glad that you all are…

[00:03:02.158] Jess Ekstrom:
Here because you will not…

[00:03:03.219] Jess Ekstrom:
Want to miss today’s guest.

[00:03:05.302] Jess Ekstrom:
I started devouring her newsletter—pun intended—that I just thought of because her newsletter is called Career Bites.
Bite-size tips to supercharge your career in three minutes or less.

[00:03:16.555] Jess Ekstrom:
And if you’re like me and you know this podcast, we like to keep it short, punchy, tell me what I need to know, and then let me continue on my day, which is how my new friend Lorraine K. Lee works.
And when I heard that she had a book coming out called Unforgettable Presence, I was like, we got to do this.
We got to get Lorraine here on the show.
And so I shot my shot…
I’m a speaker, don’t know how to talk… shot my shot in her DMs.
And she said yes.

[00:03:46.370] Jess Ekstrom:
Lorraine is a LinkedIn Top Voice. She has over 300,000 followers on LinkedIn.
Her book Unforgettable Presence, that comes out soon, has been endorsed by the CEO of Zoom, the CEO of Tinder, the CEO of Kickstarter, Daniel Pink and so many more.
Which is why I’m so happy that you are here today. Lorraine, thank you for being here.

[00:04:09.461] Lorraine K. Lee:
Thank you for having me. I love your intro video. I’m pumped up now.

[00:04:13.424] Jess Ekstrom:
I was like, can you dissect my presence?
I have been obviously devouring your stuff, and some of the things that you share around presence I’m like, oh my gosh, why didn’t I think of that? Like crossing your arms versus opening your arms.
So give me feedback, but also tell me some stuff about presence with body language that maybe we’re not thinking about all the time.

[00:04:36.886] Lorraine K. Lee:
Sure. You look great on your videos.

[00:04:39.067] Jess Ekstrom:
Thank you.

[00:04:40.668] Lorraine K. Lee:
I think, you know, with this book, I am redefining what presence means.
And I think a lot of people, they hear “presence” and they think of how I show up in a room, my executive presence.
And what I’m saying is that yes, executive presence is part of that.
But your professional presence is so much broader.
So it’s about both how and where you’re seen.

[00:05:08.567] Lorraine K. Lee:
To your point—for example—body language is how you’re seen, right?
You don’t want to be closed off, arms crossed, in photos or in person.
But also, where you show up.
On video calls, you want to make sure you’re using your hands and being expressive and using your full body—not limiting yourself to just your head on camera.
There’s that really important combination—where you’re showing up well and being seen by the right people.

[00:05:36.552] Jess Ekstrom:
OK, I’m going to scoot back for people watching so I can use my hands a little bit more.
I have such a bad habit of just getting right into the screen.
But you’re right. I’m looking at you right now and you are back from your computer.
So that way there’s more of your body—it feels a little more like in person, right?
Versus virtual. So many of us are just like ginormous heads.

[00:06:04.735] Jess Ekstrom:
I love that.
One of the things I found really interesting when I was looking at some of your endorsements for Unforgettable Presence—and for anyone who’s listening live, you can pre-order it in the chat—Daniel Pink said that if you’ve ever felt like your hard work wasn’t enough to move you forward, this book will change your perspective.
So my question is, why isn’t hard work enough?

[00:07:27.048] Jess Ekstrom:
Yeah, hard work is not enough, unfortunately.
It should be, but it’s not.
And a lot of where this book stemmed from is from my own experience.
I was a founding editor at LinkedIn—loved my job there, loved everyone, worked on really interesting projects.
I was well-liked, I did great work.
And as hard as I tried, I could not figure out how to get that promotion.
Because I thought, “I’m working so hard. I’m doing everything that’s asked of me.”

[00:08:06.242] Lorraine K. Lee:
It was only after I left LinkedIn and did a lot of self-reflection where I realized—oh—I needed to know how to advocate for myself more.
I needed to know how to promote my work and make sure the senior leadership team saw me.
Not just my immediate team, but cross-functional partners and the people in promotion conversations.

[00:08:21.930] Lorraine K. Lee:
Hard work is important.
You need that foundation so people know that you do good work and that you execute well.
But the leap from hard work to being seen more strategically—that’s what I’m tackling in this book.
It’s one of the hardest jumps to make in mid-career—because what got you there won’t get you here.
There’s a difference between being qualified to do the job and getting the job.

[00:08:58.234] Jess Ekstrom:
And I think that’s one of the reasons I work with women speakers only—because there’s so much research around how women won’t apply for the job unless they’re 100% qualified.
Same goes for speaking engagements.
Being qualified is step one.
But using your presence and your skills to actually get it is steps two, three, four, five, six… and all the rest of the domino effect.

[00:09:27.227] Jess Ekstrom:
So can you give us maybe some bite-sized tidbits from Unforgettable Presence that we might not think about all the time?

[00:09:34.590] Lorraine K. Lee:
Of course. I think one of the most important ones is: you have to ask for it.
It sounds obvious, but we forget.
Even asking once isn’t enough—you have to make it known.
People are distracted, especially today. Your manager has a whole team to manage.
So ask for it and make it known.

[00:10:22.303] Lorraine K. Lee:
The second thing is this idea of sponsorship.
A lot of women are over-mentored and under-sponsored.
A mentor is someone who will coach you, guide you, and share experiences.
But a sponsor is someone who will advocate for you—who will say your name in a room you’re not in and open doors for you.

[00:11:11.750] Lorraine K. Lee:
We don’t get places alone—it takes a village.
And if you’re trying to break into a space or reach a new level, find someone who sees something in you and build a relationship where they can bring you along with them.

[00:11:17.693] Jess Ekstrom:
“Over-mentored and under-sponsored”—you just summed up what I’ve been trying to say for the past ten years in ten seconds. That is brilliant.

[00:11:45.326] Jess Ekstrom:
There’s the kind of mentorship that’s like “I’ll watch your footage and give you feedback.”
And then there’s sponsorship, where someone says, “I’m going through the list of places I spoke last year, and I’m referring you.”
Both are helpful—but one is mentorship and one is sponsorship.

[00:12:03.364] Jess Ekstrom:
You talked about this with Corporate Natalie—about coffee dates and “can I pick your brain” meetings.
People have choices in how they spend their time.
So how do you make spending time with you more appealing to someone who could be a sponsor?

[00:12:31.164] Lorraine K. Lee:
A lot of it comes down to relationships.
These things take time. It’s rarely going to be someone you meet once who agrees to sponsor you.
So don’t just build relationships when you need something.
Start beforehand—get to know their goals, see how you can help them.
It can’t just be a one-way relationship.

[00:13:08.802] Lorraine K. Lee:
And don’t go into coffee chats with a “let me pick your brain” mindset.
You want to give before you get.
Show value. Be helpful.
In writing my book, I interviewed nearly three dozen executives and thought leaders, and one theme was consistent—sponsors want to bring up people who will make them look good.

[00:13:44.389] Lorraine K. Lee:
They won’t open doors for you unless they’re confident you’ll do great work.
So do good work. Build relationships.
And then be clear about what you want.
Make it easy for them to help you—and find ways to help them, too.

[00:14:20.504] Jess Ekstrom:
That reminds me of what I teach in Mic Drop Workshop:
Make every ask an offer.
Instead of, “Can I speak at your event?” say, “Here’s what I can offer your audience—would this be helpful?”

[00:14:47.274] Jess Ekstrom:
Even mentoring someone can be mutually beneficial.
I’m mentoring an eighth grader right now—she’s the founder of Beautiful Curly Me.
She created a line of dolls with naturally Black hair.
And she’s crushing it.
Selfishly, I want to be associated with her because she is going up from here!

[00:15:36.693] Jess Ekstrom:
So it’s not always a one-way street like we think it is.
That mindset can stop us from even asking.

[00:15:45.900] Jess Ekstrom:
You said something I love—that promoting your work is not boasting.
It’s sharing the evidence.
So why is it so hard, especially for women, to share our accomplishments?

[00:15:55.089] Lorraine K. Lee:
As women, we’ve been taught to be modest.
We don’t want to come across as loud or aggressive.
But it really is important.

[00:16:12.176] Lorraine K. Lee:
I always share this analogy:
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it—did it happen?”
If no one knows about your work, it will only take you so far.

[00:16:30.610] Lorraine K. Lee:
Presence is about how and where.
You might be doing amazing work, but if it’s not being seen anywhere—then what’s it all for?

[00:16:41.102] Lorraine K. Lee:
Tie your work to data, to the company’s bottom line—leaders love that.
And use collaborative language.
Harvard Business Review found that when people used “we” or “our team,” they were seen as more of a leader than people who used “I” statements.

[00:17:17.594] Lorraine K. Lee:
So if it helps ease the discomfort, know that sharing your accomplishments collaboratively can actually amplify your leadership.

[00:17:25.756] Lorraine K. Lee:
Another concept I share in the book is:
Be the CEO of your own career.
Your manager might be great—but they’re focused on themselves.
So you have to be proactive.

[00:17:41.625] Jess Ekstrom:
That idea of collaborative language and sharing data—I’m such an advocate for that…
But when it comes to doing it for myself? Yikes.

[00:18:04.801] Jess Ekstrom:
I’ve been working with a LinkedIn coach—Melanie Borden—and she asked,
“Do you have testimonials from audience members or meeting planners from your talks?”
I said, “Boatloads.”
And she said, “Why aren’t you sharing them?”

[00:18:27.671] Jess Ekstrom:
And I said, “Because it feels self-serving.”
And she goes, “But it’s data.”
It’s what people said about you.

[00:18:44.721] Jess Ekstrom:
So Jane—who’s on my team—we’ve committed to posting a testimonial once a week.

[00:18:58.806] Lorraine K. Lee:
Same. I still feel uncomfortable doing it too.
But my book coach Macy had this great perspective:
Not sharing the book is selfish—because fewer people can benefit from it.

[00:19:27.689] Jess Ekstrom:
Yes! And that’s how I feel when I meet women with powerful stories who say, “But I don’t have a website.”
It’s like—you’re sitting on something people need to hear.

[00:19:44.580] Jess Ekstrom:
You also say your LinkedIn profile is your landing page.
Some women in Mic Drop Workshop worry about their employer seeing their content.
But our response is—your employer doesn’t own your LinkedIn. You do.

[00:20:00.316] Lorraine K. Lee:
Yes! I call LinkedIn the virtual water cooler—our virtual office, our landing page.
You want to be seen there.
And yes, your LinkedIn is your own. It’s part of your brand, part of your presence.

[00:20:23.105] Lorraine K. Lee:
I understand the concern:
“Is my employer going to think I’m looking for another job?”
But when you build a strong presence on LinkedIn, it actually helps you and your company.

[00:20:46.010] Lorraine K. Lee:
It creates organic, positive brand awareness—especially if you’re speaking on panels or being active.
You’re representing your company in the best light, at no cost to them.

[00:21:13.972] Lorraine K. Lee:
When I was more active on LinkedIn, people started viewing me as more of a leader.
Putting yourself out there is scary—and people notice that confidence.

[00:21:38.163] Lorraine K. Lee:
I even got invited to step in at a media roundtable when a colleague was out.
Those connections later led to a consulting client.
And internally, I got tapped for more opportunities—speaking at all-hands, marketing meetings—because people saw I was comfortable putting myself out there.

[00:22:33.882] Jess Ekstrom:
That’s so helpful.
Again, it comes back to the ask and the offer.
You might be afraid your company will see your visibility as disloyal…
But actually, you’re offering value by building your professional presence.

[00:22:53.223] Jess Ekstrom:
You also talk about identifying your Presence Persona, and we have a quiz from Lorraine that we’ll drop in the chat.
Can you tell us about the personas and how to think about them?

[00:23:21.548] Lorraine K. Lee:
There are four personas you’ll see when you take the quiz.
It ranges from the Hidden Gem or Hesitant Hard Worker, to someone who already has a strong presence but can amplify it more.

[00:23:41.315] Lorraine K. Lee:
The key thing to remember is: presence is a spectrum.
It’s not about having charisma or gravitas.
Presence can be learned and strengthened at any stage of your career.

[00:24:04.486] Lorraine K. Lee:
Your presence shows up in all kinds of places:

• Your LinkedIn

• How you lead meetings

• How you present virtually and in person

• How you advocate for yourself

• How you show up on Slack or Teams

[00:24:35.258] Lorraine K. Lee:
As long as you’re intentional—and the book gives tactical guidance on this—you will build presence.
And the more you do, the more your confidence grows, and the more others will perceive you positively.

[00:24:45.834] Jess Ekstrom:
And this is important—because some people think their personality type holds them back.
There’s this bias toward extroverts at work.
So what would you say to someone who’s more introverted?

[00:25:00.305] Lorraine K. Lee:
I’m an introvert.
So I’ve been able to do this, and I know how frustrating it can feel.
Corporate America often feels built for the loudest voices.
But introverts have strengths too.

[00:25:16.127] Lorraine K. Lee:
We’re strong communicators.
We listen, process, and make smart connections.
We can summarize conversations well and think strategically.

[00:25:33.879] Lorraine K. Lee:
Introverts are also great at one-on-one relationship building.
And as we’ve discussed—relationships are foundational to business success.

[00:25:43.317] Lorraine K. Lee:
We’re also strong at preparation.
And that’s what makes introverts great at public speaking.
It’s a controlled environment—you get to practice and prepare.

[00:26:10.125] Lorraine K. Lee:
You don’t have to be the loudest.
You just have to be intentional and authentic.
And when you lead meetings, you’re often the one making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

[00:26:27.688] Lorraine K. Lee:
Research shows that the more diverse voices in a meeting, the better the ideas.
So introverts bring tremendous value.

[00:26:50.073] Lorraine K. Lee:
Don’t think of introversion as a hindrance—think of it as a strength.
It’s a superpower.

[00:27:18.883] Jess Ekstrom:
Thank you so much for being here.

[00:27:20.623] Jess Ekstrom:
Definitely pick up Unforgettable Presence wherever books are sold.

[00:27:24.584] Jess Ekstrom:
What’s the pub date again?

[00:27:26.184] Lorraine K. Lee:
April 22nd.
I’m trying to hit 600 preorders by then—we’re at about 350 now.
So any support is very appreciated.

[00:27:33.886] Jess Ekstrom:
We will help.
We will help.
Yes, for sure.
I am sure you will crush that number.

[00:27:39.388] Jess Ekstrom:
Thank you so much for being here.
If you haven’t taken Lorraine’s Presence Persona quiz, we’ll leave that for everyone as well.
And I hope you all have a great day.

[00:27:52.053] Jess Ekstrom:
Thank you again, Lorraine, for being here.

[00:27:52.633] Lorraine K. Lee:
Thank you, everyone. Bye.