Send Lauri a message What if charisma isn't something you learn, it's something you were born with that got covered up? In this off-season episode, Lauri Smith joins Kelly Myerson on what was then the Mystic Nerd Squad Podcast (now Bridges and Beacons) for a wide-ranging conversation about authentic speaking, the soul suckers that drain your energy before you open your mouth, and why imitating Martin Luther King Jr. or Lady Gaga will never unleash your charisma (because that's theirs, not yours.) Lauri shares the acting class moment that changed everything, how the Speaker Alter Ego Quiz was born, and why speaking is a spiritual practice, not a performance skill. Kelly brings her own journey from holding back on stage to fully embracing a speaking style that's more maternal than commanding and more connected than controlled. Listen if you've ever wondered why your message isn't landing the way you know it could. Topics covered: • Why charisma is not one-size-fits-all • The Seydways Studio moment: jaw tension, oneness, and the first time Lauri truly let go • Soul Suckers: what they are, where they came from, and how they show up in speaking • The Speaker Alter Ego Quiz: how it was born and why it types the resistance, not the person • Silence, temperature checks, and why slowing down isn't the answer • Speaking as a spiritual practice that raises consciousness 🎙️ Originally aired on the Mystic Nerd Squad Podcast with Kelly Myerson (now Bridges and Beacons) 🔗 Find Kelly: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bridges-and-beacons-podcast/id1603063964 1. Charisma is not one size fits all, and imitating someone else's will never work. Martin Luther King Jr.'s charisma was his. Lady Gaga's instrument is hers. Copying the style, the gestures, or the delivery of speakers we admire doesn't unleash our charisma, it covers it. We are each born with a one-in-eight-billion version that only comes through when we stop imitating and start transmitting. 2. Charisma isn't about being emotional. It's about befriending sensation. The most compelling speakers haven't suppressed their emotion or let it run them, they've befriended all of it. Sensation, feeling, energy: all harnessed in service of the room. That's what moves people from "I understood you" to "I felt you." 4. The mask is like carpal tunnel: an innate trait overused into a habit. If you're naturally funny, you can be funny. If you're naturally peppy, that's a gift. The problem isn't the trait, it's when that one trait becomes the only one available, hardened by repetition into a reflexive protection. Jivin’ Jokester, Peppy Pleaser, Deranged Manikin. They're not flaws. They're innate gifts that got stuck. 5. Don't slow down. Take breaths. Telling a fast talker to slow down doesn't work. Taking one breath more than you're comfortable with does. Silence isn't a gap, it's a temperature check. It's how you read the room, let the audience integrate, and decide what to do next. 6. The audience is not your adversary, and picturing them in underwear is insulting to both of you. Fight-or-flight training makes us walk in assuming danger. The truth is the people in your audience are there because someone they trust said you were worth hearing. At worst they're neutral. At best they're leaning in. Start from there and actually look at them. 7. Speaking is a spiritual journey, not a nerve-wracking obligation to survive. Most speaking training stops at fear. Lauri's work goes further and deeper. Speaking, like relationships or health, is a path back to your true self. And the more people speaking soulfully, from their actual resonance, not a mask, the more consciousness gets raised. The Speaker Alter Ego Quiz Take the Speaker Alter Ego quiz to find out which protective mask hides your natural radiance so you can learn how to get present, connect deeply, and share your vision when it matters most! https://voice-matters.com/speaker-alter-ego-quiz/ If you love this show and you’re looking for some new shows to fill your queue, head over to feministpodcasterscollective.com to explore everything FPC has to offer. Support the show Thank you so much for listening! Take the free Speaker Alter Ego Quiz to find out which protective mask is hiding your wild, untamed radiance. https://voice-matters.com/speaker-alter-ego-quiz/ Follow me on: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voice_matters_llc/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauri-smith-voice-matters/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voicematters9646
