The Speaker Lab Podcast

The Speaker Lab
  • 4.8 (556)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Semiweekly

Want to learn how to get booked and paid to speak — consistently? The Speaker Lab podcast features business tactics, speaking tips, and insider strategies from TSL CEO Dan Irvin, The Speaker Lab coaches, and some of the world's most successful speakers. You'll learn how to find speaking gigs, build relationships in your industry, negotiate higher speaker fees, and grow your speaking business. Every week, this podcast will give you key insights and practical advice from speakers who have been there and done that and can help you take the next step in your speaking journey. Whether you’re just getting started as a paid speaker or you’re a veteran speaker looking to build and grow your business, The Speaker Lab Podcast is here for you!

  1. 5d ago

    Why Loving the Process Beats Loving the Stage with Matthew Sharpe

    “The better the foundation is, the more opportunities I'm getting to do exactly that.” Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! This week's episode is another alumni spotlight, and it might be Dan's favorite combination yet: Matthew Sharpe is a licensed therapist — and a stand-up comedian. He put the two together in Standup Therapy Live, where the laughs do the heavy lifting for the mental health lessons. Matt works with high-stress, high-stakes professions — healthcare workers, law enforcement, corrections officers — teaching resilience through humor, complete with a “humor lab” where he makes rooms full of uniformed officers sweat bullets by writing jokes on a 15-minute deadline. But the real story of this episode isn't the comedy — it's the business. Matt just booked out a full week of paid speaking for the first week of October, and every gig in it traces back to a different lesson from The Speaker Lab playbook: cold outreach to people he'd never met, follow-up that turned one law enforcement gig into a repeat booking, and a Department of Corrections client bringing him back to train staff from around their state. He's even had a gig land completely cold — the National Conference of State Legislatures found him through SEO he didn't set up. And then there's the lesson most speakers never learn: Matt genuinely loves the process. The prospecting, the pipeline, even the rejections. Dan also coaches Matt through a proposal that died on price, unpacking budget questions, decision makers, add-on gigs, and the “menu” of offerings that can save a stalled deal. Whether you're still chasing your first paid gig or trying to figure out why your calendar isn't as full as your talent deserves, this conversation is a masterclass in falling in love with the 95% of the work that gets you the 5% on stage. You'll learn: How Matt booked a full week of paid speaking by following the process step by stepThe simple cold email (“quick question — who books your talks?”) that keeps turning into gigsHow follow-up after a gig — the harvest — creates repeat bookingsWhy an inbound gig from SEO is the bonus you earn for doing the workThe mindset shift that separates speakers who burn out from speakers who buildHow to reframe the business side as your foundation, not the tax you pay to performThe 85/15 rule of speaking — and why Dan thinks it's really 95/5How Matt learned to price himself with confidence (and who convinced him to raise his fee)Where a proposal to a doctors' organization stalled — and the budget questions that could have saved itHow add-on gigs and geographic prospecting give you room to get creative with your feeWhy offering a menu — keynote, workshop, reception comedy set — adds value for event plannersAnd much, much more! “Find something new and exciting that makes you laugh every day. It just opens your eyes to new possibilities.” Ready to build a speaking business that books itself — and actually enjoy the work that gets you on stage? Take the free Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA and find out exactly where you are in your speaking journey and what to do next. Episode Resources: Get Your 15 Minute Speaker Business AssessmentMatthew Sharpe's WebsiteCalculate Your Speaking FeeSubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  2. Jul 16

    The Question That Flips the Switch on Fear with Jennifer Ryan

    "What if I didn't let it stop me? What if I just push past it?" Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this Alumni Spotlight episode, Dan Irvin sits down with Speaker Lab alumni Jennifer Ryan — a speaker who just hit a real turning point. She finished her book, Be the Donkey, Not the Jackass, she's ready to take it on the road, and she's built a talk that is unmistakably her own. Jennifer's message starts with fear — the greatest motivator and the greatest deterrent to everything. It began with a movie, sparked a "year of yes" where she said yes to literally everything, and led her to a horse and dog rescue where two donkeys handed her the metaphor that became her book. Along the way she learned what it takes to write something deeply vulnerable, rebuild a talk after rereading her own book exposed the gaps, and differentiate herself in a world where "a million people speak about yes." But this conversation doesn't stay in theory. Jennifer and Dan get honest about the hard stuff: the conference that suddenly had no space for her (and no explanation why), the self-doubt train that follows silence, and the moment she realized her talks were entertaining people without actually moving them to act. Her fix — be prescriptive, give your audience exactly what to do next Monday — is a masterclass in building talks that create change instead of just applause. You'll learn: Why fear is both the greatest motivator and the greatest deterrentHow a "year of yes" can completely change your trajectoryHow to find your signature story in unexpected placesWhy writing a book is a "humbling" exercise in vulnerabilityHow rereading your own book reveals the gaps in your talkHow to differentiate yourself when your topic is "already taken"What to do when a reliable speaking avenue suddenly closesHow to handle negative feedback (and why the 2% matters)The difference between entertaining an audience and moving them to actWhy prescriptive next steps are what turn talks into transformationAnd much, much more! "A talk has done its job the moment one person decides to try something new." What's the question that flips the switch on your fear? Grab a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA and turn "what if" into your next step. Episode Resources: Get Your 15 Minute Speaker Business AssessmentJennifer Ryan's WebsiteCalculate Your Speaking FeeSubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  3. Jul 9

    Value Over Volume: Why the Best Speakers Lead by Giving with Michael Hidalgo

    "When you're late, you tell people you don't care. I didn't agree with it at the moment. But then I started really just disciplining myself. And it is hard work for me every single day to be early." Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this Alumni Spotlight episode, host Dan Irvin brings on Michael Hidalgo — a keynote speaker who helps teams actually talk to each other. His core idea is deceptively simple: words are vehicles, and what the receiver unpacks may not be what you loaded them up with. But what makes this episode fire is the business side of Michael's story — and the habits that are fueling a serious run right now. Start with the headline: Michael just landed his highest-paid gig yet off a single email. Except it wasn't really a single email. He did the homework — researched the organization, understood the need, sent a tailored pitch — and then heard nothing for two months. Instead of chasing with "did you get my email?", he followed up twice by adding value: an article relevant to their challenge, a lesson he learned from a client. Seventy-three days later, the planner wrote back with four words: "Are you still available?" Booked on the spot — and now they want his consulting, too. Then there's the keynote that produced six hot leads. Michael put a Calendly QR code on his final slide with a $50-value team assessment offer. By the time he walked off stage, four CEOs had already booked calls. He stayed for dinner with another contact who introduced him to two more executives. Two proposals went out that week. And every one of those consulting opportunities came from the speaking — the keynote was the tip of the spear. Whether you're figuring out how to follow up without being annoying or wondering what separates speakers who get rebooked from speakers who get forgotten, this one is a masterclass in the business behind the business! You'll learn: Why Michael's biggest booking came 73 days after his initial pitch — and what he did in the silence that made it happenHow to follow up with event planners by adding value instead of asking "did you get my email?"The QR code + free assessment strategy that generated six hot leads from a single keynoteWhy speaking is the tip of the spear for consulting revenue — and how to build that pipeline from stageWhat "be fun and easy to work with" actually looks like in practice (hint: show up early and set up chairs)The pre-talk ritual Michael never skips: handwriting an abbreviated outline, connecting with the tech team, checking in with the planner, and glide-handing the roomHow to pivot mid-call when an event planner says "this isn't what we want" — without getting defensive or losing the gigWhy the two magic phrases "tell me more about that" and "help me understand" buy you time and keep conversations aliveThe difference between value addition and value extraction — and why givers get rememberedWhy the gig is actually won before you ever send the first emailAnd much, much more! "How can I leave someone with something that is going to make them either personally or professionally better? How can I give something to them? I promise you that will pay dividends." Give more than you take? That's the whole business plan. Grab a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA and build a system that turns generosity into bookings. Episode Resources: Get Your 15 Minute Speaker Business AssessmentMichael Hidalgo's WebsiteCalculate Your Speaking Fee Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  4. Jul 2

    How to Turn Free Talks Into Paid Speaking Gigs with Dr. David Chastain

    "I didn't get paid to go to Seattle, but I made a good connection there that I will be paid for." Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this Alumni Spotlight episode, host Dan Irvin sits down with Dr. David Chastain, a speaker who works at an intersection most people are afraid to even name out loud: grief and addiction, and the way the two are wound together. Grief can delay recovery, and it can trigger relapse years into sobriety — and David speaks on it from both professional expertise and lived experience. David has been quietly stacking wins, and almost every one of them traces back to the same source: relationships. A paid webinar that came through a former colleague. A talk for an addiction professionals association in North Carolina where one conversation with the executive director — and one leader who happened to be in the room — turned a "our keynotes are full" into a three-hour pre-conference workshop. An unpaid conference in Seattle where he worked the empty expo hall and walked away with three or four potential webinars in the pipeline. He didn't chase the money. He tended the relationships, and the money followed. Dan also puts on his coaching hat for a candid working session: how to handle the conference that passed on your proposal (spoiler: "apply again next year" is an invitation, not a brush-off), why you should retitle your talk to match a conference theme without rebuilding it, and the insight from a local speakers association that unlocked a whole new pitch — framing grief and addiction as the employee-retention problem businesses are already paying to solve. Whether you're waiting on your first paid gig or wondering whether the free rooms are worth it, this episode will change how you measure a room! You'll learn: Why grief and addiction intersect — delaying recovery and triggering relapse even years into sobrietyWhat landing a paid webinar meant after years of speaking for free ("it's okay for me to ask for money")Why your existing network beats cold outreach — and how to actually use itDavid's "tiny book" strategy: 40 portable pages designed to sell at conference tablesHow seeking out one executive director turned a filled keynote slate into a three-hour workshopThe empty expo hall trick: working vendor rooms while everyone else is in sessionsHow to respond when a conference passes on your proposal — and why you should always reapplyRetitling your talk to fit a conference theme without changing the talk itselfThe reframe that opened a corporate lane: grief and addiction as a turnover and retention problemWhy David stopped saying "I'm not good at networking" — and what changed when he didAnd much, much more! "I've stopped saying I'm not good at networking, because the evidence says I am. It's not only the process of the events happening again — it's the process of believing that I can make this work." Measuring every room by what it pays you today? The unpaid room might be the seed. Grab a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA and build a system that turns connections into bookings. Episode Resources: Get Your 15 Minute Speaker Business AssessmentDr. Chastain's WebsiteCalculate Your Speaking Fee Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  5. Jun 25

    The Ugly Start: Why Momentum Beats Perfection with Chris Jackson

    "It's never gonna be right. It's gonna be good enough to get started. You have enough to get started — just get started." Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this Alumni Spotlight episode, host Dan Irvin sits down with Chris Jackson — a speaker and consultant building his business from the foundation up, getting ready to land his first paid gig in this chapter of his career. And the message he's building on is one every listener needs to feel, not just nod along to: momentum, breaking the inertia of the start, and getting comfortable with an ugly start. Chris's favorite analogy says it all — spaceships burn most of their fuel breaking gravity, not cruising through space. He and Dan unpack how perfectionism keeps speakers grounded, how the Speaker Bureau intake (plus some smart AI brainstorming) finally gave Chris clarity on his niche — helping high-performing dentists shift from clinician to CEO — and the proposal he sat on for weeks despite knowing every single decision maker by name. He just wouldn't pick up the phone. If you've ever been the dog sitting on the nail, this one's for you. Then there's the story that gave both of them goosebumps: 19-year-old Chris bombing his first tour at Atlanta's Cyclorama, until an older gentleman shook his hand, told him to slow down, and gave him a five-dollar tip — his first paid speaking gig and the feedback that launched a lifelong study of the craft. It pairs with the harder lesson that came later: someone told Chris he sounded "too motivational," and he let it shrink him until speaking wasn't fun anymore. The takeaway? Take the feedback that serves your mission, and let the rest go. Whether you're frozen at the starting line or sanding down your voice to fit someone else's idea of you, this episode will get you off the nail and into motion! You'll learn: Why breaking gravity takes most of your fuel — and what that means for starting your speaking businessHow perfectionism disguises itself as preparation (and keeps your talk grounded)Get Your 15 Minute Speaker Business AssessmentFind Chris Jackson on InstagramCalculate Your Speaking Fee Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifyHow the Speaker Bureau intake questions gave Chris real clarity on his clinician-to-CEO topicUsing AI as a brainstorming partner, not a do-it-all machine — and why mastering one tool beats drinking from the tech fire hoseWhat private equity did to dental service organizations, and the pain point Chris solves for dentistsThe "too motivational" feedback that almost cost Chris his voice — and what it taught himHow to tell the difference between feedback worth taking and feedback worth letting goThe Cyclorama story: a stranger's $5 tip that became a first paid gig and a turning pointWhy Chris knew every decision maker for his first proposal — and still wouldn't make the callWhy momentum is a decision, not a feelingAnd much, much more! Episode Resources: Get Your 15 Minute Speaker Business AssessmentFind Chris Jackson on InstagramCalculate Your Speaking Fee Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Spotify "Do the thing that you fear the most. Make the phone call, send the proposal, show up. When you show up for yourself, that's when the magic happens." --- Sitting on your own nail right now? Stop waiting for perfect and take the first step. Grab a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA — a real look at where you are and what to do next. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  6. Jun 18

    Why People Buy — and How Speakers Get It Backwards — with Kevin Sidebottom

    "You have to have influence. That's the relational collateral that gets everything done. Think of it like a bank account — the more you put in, the more you can take out when you need to." Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this episode, host Dan Irvin sits down with Kevin Sidebottom — a keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author who has spent two decades studying one question: why do people buy? And here's the fun part: the guy who teaches sales for a living is now out there selling himself, building his own speaking business. Oh, and he's a self-described introverted electrical engineer. As he puts it — he's not a unicorn. Kevin and Dan dig into why introversion is actually a speaking superpower (airports, Ubers, and hotel rooms are basically an introvert's training camp), what joining The Speaker Lab's Speaker Bureau unlocked in his positioning, and the warm-up system that took his outreach from crickets to three calls in one week: connect on LinkedIn first, publish consistently, and let your content make the deposit before the email ever lands. Then it gets tactical. Kevin breaks down why event buyers see speakers as commodities — and how influence is the only real tiebreaker. He shares his timeline for pitching January sales kickoffs six months out, why he refuses the shotgun approach in favor of the rifle scope, and the mindset he learned from a Navy SEAL mentor: follow a process, move forward, adapt, repeat. Whether you're hearing way more no's than yeses right now or you're ready to overhaul your outreach entirely, this episode is a sales education most speakers never get! You'll learn: Why introverts make exceptional speakers — and how Kevin recharges with JOMO (the joy of missing out)What the Speaker Bureau's gap report revealed about his positioning ("I was mortified — but gaps are opportunities")Kevin's LinkedIn warm-up system: weekly blog plus video before any cold email goes outWhy buyers see speakers as commodities — and how influence breaks the tieThe mentor wisdom that stuck: "If someone says yes too quickly, be scared"How "it doesn't have to be me" outreach to associations builds influence by the bucketWhy making the customer the hero of their story is the key to word-of-mouth bookingsThe six-months-out timeline for pitching corporate sales kickoffsThe rifle versus shotgun approach to outreach — fewer targets, deeper researchKevin's two signature talks: Sales Titans (Built, Not Born) and Magnetic InfluenceAnd much, much more! "You're a salesperson as a speaker, because you have a business. All business owners are selling. And if they're not selling, they're not in business very long." Episode Resources: Kevin's WebsiteGet Your 15 Minute Speaker Business AssessmentCalculate Your Speaking Fee Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on Spotify--- Hearing more no's than yeses? That's the job — but your system might be the problem. Grab a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA and get a real look at your positioning, pipeline, and outreach. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  7. Jun 11

    How to Sell a Message Nobody's Heard of Yet with Danny Karon

    "I said to my wife literally yesterday: for the first time in 60 years — I just turned 60 — I feel like I've found my true calling." Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this episode, host Dan Irvin kicks off a new format — sitting down with real speakers who are a step or two ahead of you, because the fastest way to figure out your next move is to connect with someone living it right now. First up: Danny Karon, a "lovable lawyer" who spent 35 years succeeding at traditional law before walking away from it to build something nobody else is building. Danny calls it legal wellness — the unaddressed fourth pillar alongside physical, emotional, and financial wellness. There's a Dr. Phil for your mind and a Suze Orman for your money, but nobody teaching everyday people how to stay out of legal trouble before it starts. Danny is betting his next chapter on that open lane: a new book, a TEDx talk written for the stage, and teaching gigs at Ohio State and the University of Michigan (yes, both — they can coexist). But this conversation doesn't sugarcoat the pivot. Danny is candid about the part nobody warned him about: he thought that because he could speak, the business side would slide right into place. Instead he got the cold-outreach runaround — bounced between university offices, told "the students organize their own events," hearing crickets. He and Dan get tactical about where the breakdown is, why recurring events like orientation week are a goldmine hiding in plain sight, and how to make people care about a topic they've never heard of. Whether you're sitting in a safe career feeling pulled toward a message you can't shake, or you're mid-pivot and hitting the same walls Danny is, this episode is a masterclass in committing to a new lane before the world understands it! You'll learn: What "legal wellness" actually is — and why the lane is wide openThe two observations from 35 years of law practice that triggered Danny's pivotHow playing the long game with relationships landed him teaching gigs at Columbia, Ohio State, and MichiganWhat writing a TEDx talk taught Danny about his real message (hint: it's not the law — it's agency, ownership, and control)The honest financial reality check you need before leaping from a stable careerWhy "men and women ages 18 to 65" is not an audience — and how Danny niched down to college studentsWhere cold outreach to large institutions actually breaks down, and how to find the real decision makerWhy a missed orientation week isn't a missed opportunity — it's next year's pitchHow to frame a brand-new topic so prospects care about something they've never heard ofThe "Trojan horse" strategy: pitching where event planners already book speakers on adjacent themesAnd much, much more! "You never know what you're gonna find, but I do know that the only certainty is in doing nothing. And that means I have no choice but to succeed." Feeling pulled toward a message you can't shake? Don't spend another year sitting on it. Grab a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA and get a real look at how to turn your expertise into paid speaking. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  8. May 28

    The Truth About Speaker Bureaus: 3 Things You Need to Hear

    "I finally realized I was not paying for a service. I was paying for hope. And hope is not a business strategy." Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! Fair warning — host Dan Irvin is ruffling some feathers in this one. In this solo episode, he takes on one of the most common "shortcuts" speakers chase: the speaker bureau. Dan has personally signed up with about a dozen of them. Paid the fees, built the profiles, sent the demo reels, connected with the reps. Total paid gigs booked across all of them? Zero. Meanwhile, he's doing 40+ events a year using the exact process he teaches at The Speaker Lab. So either he's unbookable — or something about the bureau model is broken. In this episode, he breaks down exactly what bureaus are actually selling, who they actually work for, and what to do instead. You'll hear about: Why the bureau pitch is so appealing — and why it almost never delivers what it promisesThe difference between a booking machine and a listing service (most bureaus are the second one)The four things bureaus won't help you with: positioning, marketing assets, coaching, and actual speaking experienceWhy the speakers who get booked through bureaus are almost always speakers who were already booking themselvesThe bureau is an amplifier, not an engine — and why most speakers have the order completely backwardsDan's personal nine-month bureau experiment: paid the fee, sent everything, got zero leads — and a vague email when he finally asked what they'd done with his profileThe story of a woman who signed with three bureaus, paid onboarding fees, and started wondering if she was even cut out for speaking (she was — the system was the problem)Why the bureau model quietly destroys speaker confidence by making you think you're the problemThe three things that actually get speakers booked: owning your system, working with guides who are in the trenches, and building the wraparound infrastructureWhy the talk is only 15% of the equation — and how bureaus won't touch the other 85%And much, much more! "Stop renting somebody else's process. Build your own. That is where the freedom is. That is where the income is. That is where the calendar full of gigs you actually want comes from." Tried a bureau and hit a wall? It's not you — it's the model. Grab a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA and talk with someone who's actively getting booked and paid right now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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About

Want to learn how to get booked and paid to speak — consistently? The Speaker Lab podcast features business tactics, speaking tips, and insider strategies from TSL CEO Dan Irvin, The Speaker Lab coaches, and some of the world's most successful speakers. You'll learn how to find speaking gigs, build relationships in your industry, negotiate higher speaker fees, and grow your speaking business. Every week, this podcast will give you key insights and practical advice from speakers who have been there and done that and can help you take the next step in your speaking journey. Whether you’re just getting started as a paid speaker or you’re a veteran speaker looking to build and grow your business, The Speaker Lab Podcast is here for you!

Information

  • Creator
    The Speaker Lab
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    641
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    The Speaker Lab Podcast

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