IAM1037- Founder Helps Professionals Level up Their Speaking Platform

Tricia Brouk is an international award-winning director. She founded The Big Talk Academy and was the executive producer of TEDxLincolnSquare. She curates the Speaker Salon in NYC, hosts The Big Talk an award-winning podcast, and her book, The Influential Voice: Saying What You Mean For Lasting Legacy was the #1 new release on Amazon.

• CEO Hack: (i) LastPass (ii) Book- The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
• CEO Nugget: Build a team culture that starts with your values, mission, and purpose
• CEO Defined: Being a dancer

Website: https://triciabrouk.com/
www.TheInfluentialVoiceBook.com
www.TheBigTalkAcademy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciabrouk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricia_brouk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebigtalkwithtriciabrouk

Full Interview:

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Transcription

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00:00 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:40 – Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Tricia Brouk of the Big Talk Academy. Tricia, it's great to have you on the show.

00:48 – Tricia Brouk

I'm so excited to be here, Gresh. Thank you so much for having me.

00:52 – Gresham Harkless

Definitely super excited to have you on as well, too. Before we jump in, I wanted to read a little bit more about Tricia so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Tricia is an international award-winning director. She founded the Big Talk Academy and was the executive producer of TEDx Lincoln Square. She curates the speaker salon in NYC, hosts the Big Talk and award-winning podcast, and her book, The Influential Voice, Saying What You Mean for Lasting Legacy was a number 1 new release on Amazon. Tricia, it's great to have you on the show. You're doing so many awesome things. Are you ready to speak to the IMCEO community?

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01:24 – Tricia Brouk

I'm so ready. Let's do this.

01:26 – Gresham Harkless

Let's do it then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit. Here is a little bit more on what I call your CEO story. We'll let you get started with all the awesome work you're doing.

01:35 – Tricia Brouk

I've been working and living in New York City for 3 decades in film, television, and theater. And 3 years ago, a friend of mine who was a fan of my work, reached out and said, I just landed a TED stage at TEDx talk in Syracuse. Would you direct me? And I thought that sounds super fun, just like a one-woman show. I'll do a script analysis. We'll do the intention. We'll do blocking and choreography. And it'll be amazing. And that's exactly what it was. She planted the seed after we had this experience and she said, you could really do this. You're really good at it.

And I thought people pay coaches to teach them how to speak. I'd never heard of such a thing. Before I knew it, I had all these amazing speakers and no place to put them. And I decided what's the best place for speakers. A TED stage, what do producers do? I'm a producer, we put on shows. So I decided to become the executive producer of TEDx Lincoln Square and start amplifying and elevating voices on those stages in order to make the world a better place.

I also decided 2 years later after having produced TEDx Lincoln Square for 2 years that I wanted to have even more impact. And that meant producing my own shows. It meant founding the Big Talk Academy, where I could actually take people through a Signature Speaker program and really help people communicate effectively with dignity, and with respect. So in the last 3 years, I've put over 50 speakers on more than 15 stages. I've produced several speaker events here in New York City. I founded the Big Talk Academy. I produced the speaker salon, which is a live incubator for speakers in the city.

And I wrote the influential voice saying what you mean for a lasting legacy, because I truly, truly believe, Gresh, that we need to learn how to communicate with dignity and respect and to give all voices the opportunity to be heard in the world. And that is how this all came about.

03:33 – Gresham Harkless

Nice. And I absolutely love that word that you use kind of empower and amplifying, you know, because I'm a big believer in a lot of times we have, you know, skills, we have talents, we have gifts. But sometimes if you're not able to communicate that if you're not able to be empowered and feel that amplification that you talked about and do in so many different ways, then it's almost I don't want to say it's as if we didn't do it or we don't have it. But I love that you're able to kind of bridge that gap so that people can make the impact that they hope to have.

03:59 – Tricia Brouk

Part of why I wrote the influential voice is because I was sitting in New York City during the height of the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic. And we had just come out of the impeachment hearings, the first impeachment hearings. Ahmaud Arbery's murder became public. Breonna Taylor was murdered. And then George Floyd was murdered. And I thought, what is happening? And how am I part of the problem? And how can I be part of the solution? So I sat down and wrote the influential voice about the systemic racism in this country and how we need to come together and learn how to communicate with dignity and respect.

And it is not about everybody having the same opinion. It's about learning how to coexist and to do what's right. So this book is so important and powerful and also elevating speakers. And in my community, inclusion is 1 of the core values along with community. So that's why being the CEO of the Big Talk Academy and my company is so important to me. And it's why I get up in the morning every single day.

04:59 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. And I almost, you know, feel, and I don't know if you feel the same way, is that a lot of times when we step into our voice, step into who we are, not only does it help us out and make that impact that we hope to have, but it also gives people that reminder and that permission to do it as well. So I appreciate you so much for writing the book and having the show and doing all those things, because not only does it help you to kind of amplify your voice, but it helps so many others who may not feel like they are able to do that as well.

05:23 – Tricia Brouk

Right. May not feel able or may not know how. And I think that's why it's so important for every CEO who is listening to this broadcast that your teaching and your mentorship and how you show up and model who you are will have an impact on someone else.

05:39 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. That's where the power lies. So I love that you're able to do that. So I know you touched on the different ways by which you do that. Do you have any more that you can kind of tell us about how you work with your clients and what that process looks like?

05:50 – Tricia Brouk

Sure. I work with my clients one-on-one who desire to really have more visibility as a speaker and that's super high touch and it's limited, it's a minimum of 6 months. It takes a long time to create that kind of visibility. And that includes headwork, keynotes, and companions to their books. It also includes PR and marketing. My also my membership is also a way that I work with speakers.

And what I realized is I was working with mostly speakers in New York City, at the speaker salon, people who would work with me one-on-one here. And all of a sudden I thought, wait a minute, there are amazing speakers in Singapore and the Philippines and the UK and New Zealand and Australia who want to amplify their voices. How can I make it possible for people to work with me who can't come to New York City?

And that's why I founded the Big Talk Academy and that's why I founded the membership community. So I really want to give people as many opportunities and as many ways to work with me as possible, whether you are ready to invest in 6 months or whether you want to invest in a monthly membership, which is a small investment of resources.

And that's really meant to serve as many people as possible because of the ripple effects that happen when you learn how to effectively communicate, whether it's from a membership community or from one-on-one high touch or whether it's going through the signature speaking program, every bit of information that you are able to absorb as a speaker will have that kind of ripple effect when you take it out into the world.

07:20 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to hear now about what I call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself personally or your business or a combination of both, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

07:31 – Tricia Brouk

It's really that I've been working in film, television, and theater for 30 years. I see the world through the lens of a, I'm a former dancer, so I see the lens through movement and choreography. I also have created a safe space for all of my actors to play scenes in. I know how to do script analysis from all the scripts that I've written and also analyzed. So being able to come to the table through the art of public speaking with the lens of a showbiz person really is what sets me apart.

And also, Gresh, I'm from Missouri. I live in New York City, across from Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, but I'm from Missouri. And what that means is that I'm a Midwestern girl. What I say is what I mean. And I also am super, super authentic. And what you see is what you get. So there's no bells and whistles here. I show up fully inauthentically and in alignment with my clients. And I think that's also what sets me apart from other people.

08:29 – Gresham Harkless

Definitely, Definitely, definitely. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

08:41 – Tricia Brouk

LastPass has reduced my stress level by 150%. If you don't know about LastPass, it is a password housing system where you enter 1 password and everything is in this 1 space. And it's everything from all your passwords to your driver's license, to your passport number, to anything and everything that you need to remember, that has eliminated my stress. Also, you can share certain passwords with your team without them seeing it. So if I need my team to get into my website, if I need my team to go into acuity and schedule something.

I can share that link with my team and they have access. So it's a game changer. And then I also wanted to share a book with you that I read when we were at the height of quarantine. Grant Cardone's had 10 X rules. I became obsessed with this audiobook and I would literally every Saturday clean my house while listening to the audiobook and I was like, yeah, come on baby, who can do this? I'm gonna do 80 YouTube videos in quarantine with no hair and makeup. And I did.

09:48 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, Yeah, I absolutely love that. And it's so funny. I love that book just because, and I want to go back and read it now too. So I might also be with you doing those 80, you know, YouTube videos as well. But I think so many times we forget like It's not just action, but it's, and I forgot the phrase that he uses, but it's 10X action, if not more, that really is gonna move you towards your goals and reach your success. And I think when we think about breaking through the noise and how exactly to do that, we don't realize that it's really that 10X philosophy that really makes that happen.

And who can go wrong with the last pass? My blood pressure definitely went down when I realized you don't have to remember all the different rules and all the different settings for each of these different websites. You have 1 password, you put it in, and then you can connect with everything you need to from there.

10:32 – Tricia Brouk

Yeah, I love it.

10:34 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

10:46 – Tricia Brouk

I would definitely say when you are building a team, make sure that you build a team culture that starts with your values, your purpose, and your mission. And when you do that, you will immediately move away from any kind of transactional relationship with your business and build a team culture that aligns with you and where everyone is aligned on the vision of the company, the values of the company, the purpose of the company will always serve not only each other and you, but the vision and the audience and the community that you're trying to serve.

11:22 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. And I think so many times we lose sight of like why we're doing everything that we're doing. And I love that nugget just because It kind of allows us to do, I guess, the work internally, to understand what our values and how that's going to translate into what it is that we're doing. And it sounds like it's kind of, for lack of a better term, a North Star related to our actions, who we're bringing on our team and everything that way.

11:42 – Tricia Brouk

For sure. If you are not clear on your values, you can go off track really easily. Somebody could give you advice and you take it and you don't know why you're taking it. It is that North Star. It is that heartbeat. It's going to keep you on track so that if and when you veer off track, you're like, what are my values? What is my purpose? What is my mission?

Okay. I need to come back here. So absolutely it's your North Star for sure. Yeah, I love that. And I love that heartbeat piece too, as well. Cause so many times we feel like something's not right and we don't know exactly what that is, but how often that might be that we're not in alignment with what it is that we started to do and where we want to ultimately go.

12:20 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're open to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Trisha, what does being a CEO mean to you?

12:31 – Tricia Brouk

I think being a CEO is, if I may, very similar to being a dancer. It requires discipline, it requires grit, it requires tenacity, and it requires consistency. And I have always had that as a dancer. And what I didn't know is that I would be applying it as the leader and CEO of my company. And it has served me tremendously. Also, if you think about repetition, how can you repeat processes? That's the same with plies. Dancers do a million plies. And once you understand that you need to repeat processes and systems that work, it's just like being a dancer.

13:09 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. And I love that you made that analogy because I think so many times I've been a big believer in that business and life a lot of times is in alignment with, you know, sport or being an athlete, whatever that might be the repetition that it takes to see that performance. It doesn't just happen that day that the person wakes up and does a plie. They've done it over and over and over and over again. And that repetition, that grit, falling down, getting all that, you know, makes into building something really successful. So I love that definition.

13:38 – Tricia Brouk

Thank you,

13:39 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Tricia, truly appreciate that definition and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best they can get out of you, get a copy of the book, hear about the show, and all the awesome things that you're working on.

13:55 – Tricia Brouk

Thank you so much. I think the 1 thing I would love to just add is that Get really clear on who you are. And there are a lot of opportunities for us to mimic others or to pretend like we are someone who we aspire to be. And that is going to ultimately get in your way. It's ultimately going to slow you down. So I would love to just inspire and encourage and invite your audience and all of your CEOs to trust that who you are is enough and that what you represent is truth. There are 7.8 billion people on this planet. Not all of them are going to resonate or align with what it is you have to say and who you're serving.

But there are a few, a handful, maybe just 1, but there are a handful of people who you can and will serve to your greatest ability. And so be who you are fully and authentically, and let go of anybody that you are pretending to be or mimicking or desiring to be like. You are the person that we really wanna hear from. And that's the 1 thing I wanna leave with your audience. In terms of getting in touch with me, you can find me and everything that I talked about at Trisha Brooke.com and my book, The Influential Voice. You can find that at influentialvoicebook.com and I'm on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

15:15 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Trisha truly appreciates that and to make it even easier, we'll have the links and information in the show notes. But I love that final point. I often say, that if we run our own race, we can't lose. And I think we get lost in running other people's races. We want to emulate who people are, and what it is that they're doing.

But it's so much power, it's so much power in being yourself. And I love that you said you're enough by being yourself because I think so many times we need to hear that and remind ourselves of that. So thank you so much for the time you took all the awesome work and vision and execution you've been able to do as well too. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

15:50 – Tricia Brouk

Thank you. And I forgot I wanted to offer your audience the free chapter of my book. If they want the first chapter for free, you can just grab that at the influentialvoicebook.com/chapter.

16:01 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, Awesome. We'll also have that in the show notes as well too, so you can directly go there. But thank you so much for that, Freebie. And of course the time again and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

16:11 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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