We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Karen Laos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Karen below.

Karen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

In October of 2021 I heard a ghostwriter on Clubhouse and became mesmerized that I could have a published book by Spring of 2022 with his help. I’d always wondered why people hire ghostwriters instead of writing it themselves, but I quickly learned it could be a fast track to getting a book published with minimal work on my part.

Wow, was I wrong in that last part! He was a disaster. After months of waiting, I got the first draft. It was terrible. Within 24 hours I knew I had to write the book myself. But I hadn’t faced that yet.

Driving to the gym the morning after getting the draft, I thought, “He didn’t even get the point of my book!” Then I had to turn the tables on myself and ask, “What is the point of your book?” Yikes. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. Maybe I never said it. Then it hit me: “It’s to trust your own voice!” I had another realization: “I’m not famous. No one cares about my story. They care about themselves. They need practical tips. Not just a few sprinkled throughout my story, but a whole host of them. That needs to be the story.”

As I started on the 22T treadmill that morning, it hit me: “I have to write this book myself.” After my workout, I parked at the Marina Green in San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge to my left and started writing the outline of my book.

In 45 minutes, I wrote out the ten Chapters and sub points. It flowed out of me. It was a divine download. Thank You, Jesus.

It took awhile for me to face that I truly did have to write this myself, but once I did, I started writing every day. That was the beginning of April, 2022. My deadline was April 30. If I wanted to have this book done in time for a June publish date, then I had to do it quickly.

In three weeks, I wrote my book. Well, the bulk of it. It first started at the Write Your Story workshop with Donald Miller and Ally Fallon. That’s where I learned a powerful story structure. There, the first chapter was born. It’s also the chapter that took the most heart. I hired a phenomenal writing coach (Ann Kroeker). I wrote all over the city of San Francisco, mostly from the passenger seat of my car.

Never did I imagine I would do it this way, but it became magical. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time and it was well worth it. I learned the power of focus in a way that I couldn’t have experienced without doing this. Head down every day, you can make things happen; often quicker than you expect.

You may have a book in you, too. Start writing. Get to know yourself through the process. You’ll find new insights about yourself that you didn’t see before. That’s the power of writing your story.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In July of 2020 I quit my corporate leadership job to focus on my mission: to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women in 10 years. Too many women are paralyzed with doubt, and my goal is to give them strategies to speak up and ask for what they want.

My dream is to speak on the Chase Center stage in San Francisco by May of 2030 – I can’t imagine anything more exhilarating then thousands of women coming together, empowered and free!

Whether you’re speaking in a boardroom, leading a meeting with your team, or negotiating with a roofer for your home, I want all women to be free of the things that hold us back: self-doubt, people pleasing, fear of rocking the boat, perfectionism or fear of judgment. I’m on a mission to replace doubt with confident communication skills, specifically what to say and how to say it.

What’s most exciting for me is to watch someone go from hesitant and unsure to speaking up with clarity and confidence.

For example, one of my executive clients wanted to overcome her fear of public speaking, and she was terrified before we started working together. Within six months, she nailed a presentation in front of 200 people in a huge hotel ballroom – she felt calm and confident, which was her goal.

Another example is a client who had been waiting for 10 years at her company to get promoted, thinking and hoping that she would notice her. We started working together, and within three months, she got promoted, because she made an offer to her company that they could not refuse – she saw a need that she could fill, we worked on her pitch, and she got it.

My mastermind community is called The Power House, and this is a combination of group and 1-1 coaching along with collective group wisdom. What’s powerful about it is the connection of the women and the shared experience of the group – the supportive nature is so helpful for women to feel more confident and connected.

Besides coaching, most of what I do is on a stage – as a speaker on executive presence and messaging/storytelling, along with negotiating and how to harness our power as women. Ask my clients – I love doing role plays as that gives people massive value, along with recording people speaking and then watching it back so they can celebrate their wins and also see what areas in their body language, voice, or facial expressions they need to work on. Many people come to me for public speaking help, but my heart is for the woman in a meeting who’s holding back from speaking up. I yearn for all women to be free to share their ideas and do it with certainty.

In 2022 I published my book: Trust Your Own Voice: Growing your influence through confident communication. I never expected to start a podcast, but opportunity struck and now my podcast, Ignite Your Confidence, has 30,000+ downloads and is in the top 3% globally of popular podcasts.

What matters to me is making an impact, and I’m grateful I’m most known for my practical tips that people can immediately apply. My core values are care, flair, and excellence. I live these out daily and am deeply vested in my client’s growth.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

This speaks to the power of knowing and owning your worth (and getting the sale!). In February of 2020, I secured the highest executive coaching contract I’ve ever had. I was thrilled. Then Covid happened and the company decided against it. I continued to follow up every few months and I had just about given up on the business after a year of following up.

Out of the blue, the person within the company that was looking for coaching reached out to me. She was desperate for my help and said the CEO had approved the coaching.

When I looked back at the contract, I was surprised at how low the rate was compared to my then current rates, as well as the length of the contract. I decided to take the risk and ask for nearly three times as much with a little longer contract.. They said yes! I shared how I continue to learn that sustainable change takes time, intention and support, along with the fact that I’m in more demand now so my rates have increased.

It was a huge win! Four years later, I’m still working with that client.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

It seems counter-intuitive to think of being a professional speaker during a pandemic, but that’s exactly the path I chose to follow.

The pandemic was the best thing that ever happened to me. It allowed me to break free from being stuck. At 52, I seized the opportunity to quit my corporate leadership role and follow my dream of being a professional speaker.

That may seem ironic as all in-person events shut down, but it unleashed me to put my stake in the ground and go after my dream. Picture a racehorse behind the starting gates, ready to run, but the gates are locked. For two years prior to leaving my job, that’s how I felt. I knew I was meant for more, and I wanted to go for it, but I couldn’t get clarity on what to do next.

In December of 2019 standing in a circle of co-workers holding champagne as my colleague made his retirement speech, I thought, “I’ll be making a similar speech next year.” I had planned to leave in December of 2020, but I’m glad that God had other plans.

Covid freed me. My mission is to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women and teach them practical strategies to speak up for themselves in the boardroom and beyond. I want all women to ask for what they want and finally receive it—to stop missing opportunities, whether in a negotiation or a job promotion.

I’m grateful that Covid opened up new opportunities for many women to go after their dreams and shake up the status quo. As much as it was a difficult time and many had significant loss as a result, my prayer is that everyone could take it as a chance to create new opportunities that light a fire in their souls and to go for everything they want!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://karenlaos.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenLaosConsulting/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlaos/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng

Image Credits

Praise Santos