How a Shy Introvert Became World Champion of Public Speaking | Darren LaCroix

How a Shy Introvert Became World Champion of Public Speaking | Darren LaCroix

(This video was originally uploaded on the Speak Arizona YouTube channel. Go check them out at speakarizona.com) What makes a speech connect, land, and win? In this special Speak Arizona episode, Matt Malan steps into the host seat for a live workshop with Darren LaCroix, the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. Darren gives real-time feedback on Matt's Division contest speech and breaks down practical ways to make a message more memorable. They explore how to use dialogue instead of narration, create vivid scenes, build emotional moments, speak directly to the audience, and stay coachable on the path to stronger communication. Perfect for Toastmasters, speakers, leaders, and presenters who want to turn a good speech into one that truly connects. Key takeaways * Use dialogue to create a scene instead of simply narrating what happened. * Make the audience feel like you are speaking to them one by one. * Build speeches around emotional moments, not just events. * Add sensory detail to help listeners see, hear, feel, and remember the story. * Stay coachable because the right feedback can completely change a speech. Chapters 00:00 - Intro and why this episode matters for speakers 01:52 - Matt welcomes Darren LaCroix to Speak Arizona 02:25 - The International Speech Contest journey 04:25 - Darren's first speech and learning to be coachable 08:04 - Why clarity matters more than cleverness 13:43 - What Darren notices first in Matt's speech 18:55 - How to step in and out of a scene 19:30 - Use "you" language to connect with one listener at a time 21:45 - Turn narration into dialogue and emotional moments 26:55 - Introduce characters with vivid detail 30:00 - Use sensory details to build a memorable scene 34:04 - Stage Time University and the value of stronger feedback 39:05 - Darren's final advice: decide to be world class Watch Matt's full 2nd Place Contest Winning Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWtvZWwhblI About the guest Darren LaCroix is the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. After a rough first comedy club set, he committed to mastering the craft of speaking and eventually became a world champion. Today, Darren helps presenters, executives, professional speakers, and trainers become more unforgettable on stage through his coaching, keynote work, books, and Stage Time University. Contact • Websites: https://darrenlacroix.com/ https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/ • Book: 17 Minutes To Your Dream: How To Get The Breakthroughs You Need - https://amzn.to/4egHy2q As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

A Billion-Dollar Company Stole My Invention Overnight | Amanda Sima

Building a company is hard. Watching a billion-dollar corporation copy it overnight is harder. In this episode, Matthew sits down with Amanda Sima — a serial entrepreneur who scaled a collegiate apparel brand to tens of thousands of SKUs, exited after 12 years, then invented a spill-proof kids' cup lid she believed was a billion-dollar idea. Then it got into the wrong hands. Within months, a major corporation had a near-identical product and marketing in market, locked it down with a utility patent, and Amanda lost her investor overnight. Three years into the legal fight, she's turned the experience into a mission: defending small creators against corporate theft. Along the way, she breaks down the real difference between design and utility patents, why brand equity is your best protection, how to scale on a shoestring, and why she's grateful for every painful setback. If you're building something worth protecting, this one's a must-watch. KEY TAKEAWAYS * A design patent protects how a product looks; a utility patent protects how it works. The second is the one that actually shields you. * Your strongest protection isn't a patent — it's brand equity built through quality, customer service, and a real following. * Embrace the shoestring budget. Being under-capitalized early forces discipline, endurance, and creative thinking. * Know your phases. The founder who starts a company isn't always the right person to scale it — hiring a CEO earlier can be the smartest move. * Don't fear failure. Setbacks are where you grow, and there's almost always something better on the other side. ABOUT THE GUEST Amanda Sima is a serial entrepreneur and creator. After graduating from The Ohio State University, she built and scaled a licensed collegiate apparel company over 12 years before exiting, then invented and patented a spill-proof disposable kids' cup lid. She's now an outspoken advocate for small creators and patent reform, the host of her own platform Brain on Loan, and the founder of a film and television production company drawing on her experiences as a female entrepreneur. CONNECT * Website: brainonloan.com [https://brainonloan.com]

From Mute for Two Years to Winning on Stage | Matthew Malan

(This video was originally posted on the "Speak Arizona" YouTube channel. Go check them out at speakarizona.com [https://speakarizona.com]) What changes when public speaking stops being about applause, trophies, or proving yourself? In this episode of Speak Arizona, host Rupesh Parbhoo talks with Don Ratliff and Matthew Malan about mentorship, belief, and learning to speak from the heart. Matthew shares how bullying, stuttering, and years of speech therapy shaped his relationship with his voice, while Don reflects on what it means to see potential in someone before they can see it in themselves. Together, they explore how coaching, encouragement, and service can transform a speaker from performer to messenger. Perfect for speakers, mentors, coaches, and leaders who want to communicate with more courage, connection, and purpose. Key Takeaways * Mentorship can help someone rebuild belief when their own confidence feels fragile. * A speaker grows faster when coaching includes both honest feedback and heart-centered encouragement. * Public speaking becomes more powerful when the goal shifts from performing to serving. * Speaking from the heart helps create real connection with an audience. * The best mentors do more than improve speeches. They help people see what is already inside them. Chapters * 00:00 - Cold open: The neck brace story and the power of eye contact * 00:19 - Speak Arizona intro * 00:56 - Host intro and episode setup * 01:14 - Matthew's voice, bullying, stuttering, and rebuilding trust * 02:02 - Why this story is also about mentorship * 02:49 - Don and Matthew join the conversation * 05:47 - Why mentorship and service matter in this story * 09:01 - What Don saw in Matthew * 10:14 - Don shares why he wanted to pass mentorship forward * 11:21 - Generational service and mentorship * 23:08 - Moving from performance to service * 23:15 - Speaking from the heart, not just the head * 43:53 - Advice for new public speakers Connect LinkedIn: Don Ratliff About the Guest Matthew Malan is a data-driven marketer and Marketing Manager at Vemo Smart Energy. He focuses on growth, experimentation, and performance, with experience leading digital acquisition across paid social, email, and content. His work combines analytics, campaign execution, and marketing systems to generate measurable business results. Connect Website: https://matthewmalan.com [https://matthewmalan.com]

How I Built a 7-Figure Empire | Abi Asija

Most entrepreneurs think growth means more ads, more debt, and more hustle. Abi Asija proved the opposite. After nearly a decade of corporate burnout in NYC, he and his wife built a 7-figure land flipping business — closing over 700 deals without taking on a single dollar of debt. In this episode, Matthew sits down with Abi to break down exactly how he did it: the Friday night lead he lost that changed everything, the speed-to-lead principle that beats raw sales skill, the BANT framework he uses to disqualify bad prospects fast, and the formula behind every profitable business (Goodwill × Offers). Abi also walks through the 4 types of offers every company needs, how to construct stacked offers around your customer's biggest problems, and why focusing on LTV over CAC will quietly outperform any ad budget. If you sell anything — land, services, products — this conversation will change how you think about every customer interaction. Key Takeaways * Speed beats skill in sales. Responding in 60 seconds vs. 48 hours decides who closes. * Treat your business like a business, not a side hustle. Off-hours coverage is non-negotiable. * Use BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing) to qualify and disqualify leads fast. * Your job as a salesperson is to help the prospect decide — yes or no. Both are wins. * Revenue = Goodwill × Number of Offers. Most businesses leave money on the table by making just one. * Talk to your customers. Their problems and complaints are the blueprint for your next offer. * Focus on LTV, not just CAC. The same customer buying repeatedly will outperform endless cold acquisition. About the Guest Abi Asija is the founder of a 7-figure land investment company that has closed over 700 land deals without taking on debt. After spending nearly a decade in corporate tech in New York City, he and his wife pivoted into real estate, scaling their business through speed-driven sales, customer-led offer creation, and long-term relationship building. He is the author of The Land Business, a principles-based guide to building a profitable land company from zero to seven figures. Connect * LinkedIn: Abi Asija * Book: The Land Business — https://amzn.to/4nPz85f As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

80% of AI Projects Are Failing. Here's Why | Ryan Drumheller

Most companies are racing to adopt AI without fixing the basics first. In this episode, Matthew sits down with Ryan Drumheller, founder of Stellar Horn Group and Fractional CIO, to break down why less than 20% of AI projects are actually succeeding and what businesses are getting catastrophically wrong. Ryan shares 20+ years of IT experience including a $764 million acquisition where he uncovered hundreds of thousands of security vulnerabilities, a real horror story of an AI bot retraining itself and deleting an entire company's data, and the leadership philosophy that made his teams stick with him through the hardest projects. They cover AI governance, why "set it and forget it" automation backfires, the rise of fractional executive leadership, and the real reason corporate giants are falling from #1 to #6 after cutting their teams for AI. If you're a founder, business leader, or anyone trying to make sense of the AI hype, this conversation will reset how you think about it. KEY TAKEAWAYS * Less than 20% of AI projects succeed because companies skip the human planning phase and treat AI like set-and-forget automation. * Bad data in means bad results out. Ryan calls it the "mud water" problem and it's why most AI rollouts fail. * Every business adopting AI needs a governance committee, a clear human owner per initiative, and contracts that protect trade secrets from being used to train competitors' models. * The fractional executive model gives small and mid-size companies access to C-level expertise without the C-level price tag. * Real IT leadership means putting people first, quietly building a Plan B when you know the official plan will fail, and remembering that "a little good every day adds up to a lot of good in time." ABOUT THE GUEST Ryan Drumheller is the founder of Stellar Horn Group and a Fractional CIO with over 20 years of IT leadership experience. He has led mergers and acquisitions, technology transformations, and team-building initiatives at companies across industries, with a focus on helping businesses adopt AI the right way. He hosts the Decline Invite Podcast and is finishing his first book on leadership and the IT industry, set to release later this year. CONNECT * LinkedIn: Ryan Drumheller * Website: https://stellarhorn.com * Podcast: The Decline Invite Podcast