Last March 2020, as part of Women’s History Month, I released this episode and our challenge called #ChoosingWomensVoices.

This content and challenge is just as relevant today, so this is an excellent opportunity to listen again or to listen for the first time.

I’m taking this opportunity myself to audit the podcasts I listen to, the books I read, and the people I follow to make sure there are a preponderance of women’s voices and of diverse women’s voices.

This all started towards the end of 2019 when I was listening to a well-known, very popular male podcaster and he put me over the edge when he said something like this (I'm paraphrasing):

"Some people tell me I should have more diverse guests - women and people of color - but I don't think that should be a criteria for who I invite. I want the best person on a given topic no matter their gender or race."

And at that moment, I hit stop, unsubscribed, and deleted his show from my podcast app.🤯​ 

(You'll hear who it was and more in this episode.)

I do have to thank him for partly inspiring the #ChoosingWomensVoices challenge we're running this month to raise our awareness of the voices we listen to (and read), from podcasts and books to movies, tv, and news to our specific industry.

How many are women? Is there diversity within those women's voices? Are there women podcasters/authors/experts you can find to augment (or replace) the male voices?

You may be wondering: why does it matter if the content I listen to or read is from a woman or a man?

That’s what we’re talking about on the podcast as well as during the challenge.

In this episode, Diane Diaz and I talk about:

• What’s just as important as visibility is our actual voices as women and what we’re saying: “If you can see it *and* hear it, you can be it.”
• Although there are more women in higher-profile positions than ever, we're still hitting that glass ceiling. Why is that? There are many factors, but one is literally the voices we hear.
• The history of women being shamed, ridiculed, threatened, even harmed and killed for speaking up.
• This continues even today: GamerGate, harassment on social media, women in politics.
• Women’s actual voices are criticized as being shrill, nagging, whining, too angry, too emotional or not emotional enough.
• The positive impact that collective women’s voices can have, as we've seen in movements like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and #TimesUp. 
• What we can do about it by being more intentional with the voices we choose.
• Unsilencing ourselves and developing the confidence to do so.

Join the Challenge!

To sign up for our free #ChoosingWomensVoices challenge, go to https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge.

During the challenge, you'll receive an email prompt each day for 5 days with a short activity, along with recommendations. (You can start the challenge any time.)

About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox, joined in this episode by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. 

Links:

Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/216 

Sign up for our free 5-day challenge #ChoosingWomensVoices at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/challenge.

Register for free for our Brave. Bold. Beyond. Live Virtual Summit at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/summit/. 

Join our Thought Leader Academy at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/. 

Connect on social media:

• Carol Cox LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox
• Carol Cox Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/carolmorgancox 
• Diane Diaz LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 184: Why Some Speakers Become Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Thought Leadership Series]
• Episode 191: Women in Politics and the Public Sphere with Rep. Anna Eskamani [Use Your Voice Series]
• Episode 213: The V.O.I.C.E. of Thought Leaders with Carol Cox [Big Ideas Series]