Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities: Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted. Access the Executive Presence Scorecard assessment here. Have you ever walked away from a conversation wishing you had connected more deeply—or wondering why it felt awkward, forced, or one-sided? Most people believe great conversations come from asking better questions or having the perfect thing to say. In this episode, Jason Bellue shares why that's the wrong focus. Drawing on lessons from producing conversations with Oprah and interviewing hundreds of people, he reveals the elements that matter far more than perfectly crafted words. If you're a leader, professional, or simply someone who wants stronger relationships, this conversation will completely change how you think about communication. By the end of Laura’s conversation with Jason Bellue you’ll know: 🔑Why psychological safety—not perfect questions—is the foundation of meaningful conversations 🧩How curiosity, active listening, and genuine presence help people open up naturally 🔥Practical strategies for navigating intimidating conversations, difficult workplace discussions, networking events, and leadership interactions with greater confidence and trust Press play to discover the conversation habits that help people trust you faster, communicate more effectively, and build stronger relationships in every area of your life. Want to know how your executive presence is being perceived by the people who matter most? Take the free Executive Presence Scorecard here to assess your strengths across the key dimensions that influence trust, credibility, and leadership impact. Discover where you're already signaling executive readiness—and where small shifts can dramatically increase your influence, visibility, and ability to earn buy-in from senior decision-makers. To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning. About our guest: Jason Bellue is the CEO of Flying House Media, where he helps healthcare brands tell powerful patient stories built on trust and authenticity. With more than 20 years of experience producing conversations—from boardrooms to living rooms to interviews inspired by his time working with Oprah—Jason has developed a unique approach to communication centered on psychological safety. His core belief is simple: you can't ask someone to be authentic; you can only remove the reasons for them not to be. Through his media company, writing, and speaking, Jason teaches leaders how to create environments where people feel safe enough to share their most honest stories. The Speak Up Podcast helps high-performing professionals develop executive presence through strategic communication, executive confidence, and leadership influence. Each episode provides practical strategies to help you speak up in meetings, communicate with senior leaders, present ideas with clarity, build executive visibility, strengthen your leadership presence, influence without authority, stop overexplaining, answer difficult questions with confidence, and become a trusted executive leader. Whether you're preparing for your next Vice President promotion or looking to communicate with greater credibility and gravitas, you'll learn actionable executive communication skills that accelerate career growth. Topics Covered In this Episode: Executive presence and leadership communicationHow to build psychological safety in conversationsActive listening vs. performative listeningCreating trust through authentic communicationThe role of curiosity in executive leadershipHaving difficult conversations at workCommunicating with senior leaders and executivesLeadership influence through better conversationsExecutive communication without scriptsHow to stop conversations from feeling transactionalBuilding trust with employees, clients, and stakeholdersReading the motivations behind difficult behaviorManaging conversations with intimidating leadersThe psychology of authentic communicationLeadership lessons from Oprah's interviewing styleHow great leaders ask better follow-up questionsPresence, empathy, and executive influenceBecoming a more effective conversationalistRelationship-building for high-performing professionalsExecutive communication strategies for career advancement
