Branding Room Only with Paula T. Edgar

Hosted by Paula T. Edgar

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Oct 2026

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This is the Branding Room Only podcast with Paula T. Edgar where we share career stories, strategies, and lessons learned on how industry leaders and influencers have built their personal brands.

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October 27, 2026Episode 14613 min

So You Want to Be a Speaker? Building a Speaking Career That Lasts

Getting booked to speak can feel like a measure of success, especially when the opportunities start getting bigger and the audiences more impressive. Yet the size of the room doesn't always reflect the impact you make, and a prestigious opportunity isn't necessarily the right one for your career. Building a speaking career that lasts means learning to recognize the difference and being intentional about the opportunities you pursue. When I started speaking more intentionally, I wanted to get on bigger stages as quickly as possible. Bigger audiences, bigger names, bigger platforms. Those things still matter to me, but I've learned that some of my most meaningful conversations have happened in smaller rooms. Over time, I've had to rethink what success looks like as a speaker, because getting booked is only one part of building a career. The decisions you make about your business and the commitment you bring to improving your craft matter just as much. In this final episode of the So You Want to Be a Speaker series on Branding Room Only , I'm sharing an honest reflection on what I've learned about building a speaking career for the long game. From the mistakes I've made to the lessons that have challenged me, I'm looking at why a speaking career isn't built on one perfect moment, but through the consistency, relationships, and commitment to growth that develop over time. 1:59 – Why bigger stages don't always mean greater impact 3:29 – What I learned from undercharging for speaking engagements 4:59 – The cost of saying yes to every opportunity and choosing the right ones 6:38 – Developing your craft and becoming a better speaker 7:27 – Why your niche is your power and getting specific makes you more memorable 9:27 – Building the systems to sustain your speaking business and recognizing the value of your voice 11:20 – Taking action to build your speaking career Mentioned In So You Want to Be a Speaker? Building a Speaking Career That Lasts Part 1 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked Part 2 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked Part 3 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Pitch, Prepare, and Get Invited Back Part 4 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Turn a Speaking Engagement Into More Opportunities Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform ! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops . Your LinkedIn profile is more than an online resume—it's your professional homepage. My Leveraging LinkedIn: Build a Brand That Works for You is a three module course providing practical, ethical, and sustainable strategies you can implement today. Get access now. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

October 20, 2026Episode 14536 min

Building a Personal Brand Rooted in Purpose and Advocacy with Dr. Camille Hammond

Dr. Camille T.C. Hammond is a physician, public health advocate, and co-founder and CEO of the Tinina Q. Cade Foundation. Her work grew from a deeply personal experience with infertility, including six unsuccessful rounds of IVF before her mother offered to carry and ultimately gave birth to her triplets. That journey gave Camille an understanding of infertility that extended beyond her medical training and eventually reshaped both her career and her personal brand. Camille shares how she moved beyond defining her impact solely through practicing clinical medicine and embraced the work she felt called to do. Through the Cade Foundation, she helps families facing infertility through grants for fertility treatment and adoption, reproductive and maternal health education, and advocacy focused on expanding access to care. As Camille explains, her personal brand had to “grow up” alongside her purpose. In this episode of Branding Room Only , Paula T. Edgar talks with Dr. Camille Hammond about the shame that can surround infertility, what people should understand about their fertility while they still have options, and why state and local advocacy matters to reproductive and maternal health outcomes. Camille’s story demonstrates what can happen when you remain open to a different path and allow your expertise, lived experience, and purpose to shape your personal brand and the impact you make. 1:13 – How Dr. Hammond defines personal brand, plus her motto and hype song 2:43 – Why Dr. Hammond appreciates growing up in Richmond, VA 4:08 – How Dr. Hammond’s fertility journey led to the creation of the Cade Foundation 8:55 – How Dr. Hammond’s mother helped bring her triplets into the world 12:39 – The reality TV family Dr. Hammond credits with changing the conversation around infertility 13:35 – The three-part strategy behind the Cade Foundation’s work 17:14 – Why reproductive health advocacy often begins at the state and local level 18:38 – How the foundation’s summits support reproductive and maternal health 22:34 – Why Dr. Hammond says her personal brand had to “grow up” after leaving clinical medicine 24:46 – Dr. Hammond’s advice for pivoting toward work that feels deeply personal 27:19 – What Dr. Hammond wants girls to know about fertility and the graduation gift she’s giving her daughter 29:59 – Dr. Hammond’s candid fertility advice for people in their thirties 32:00 – What Dr. Hammond does for fun, what she’ll never do for money, and the joy she brings into a room Connect With Dr. Camille Hammond Dr. Camille T.C. Hammond is a physician, public health advocate, and co-founder and CEO of the Tinina Q. Cade Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting families facing infertility through education, advocacy, and financial assistance. Drawing on both her medical training and personal experience with infertility, she has helped expand access to family-building resources and elevate reproductive and maternal health issues for families across the country. Dr. Hammond completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond, medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins and the National Cancer Institute (respectively). In addition to her work with the foundation, she’s actively engaged in social, civic, community, and philanthropic efforts throughout the nation. The Tinina Q. Cade Foundation | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram Mentioned In When a Private Struggle Shapes Public Impact with Dr. Camille Hammond Cade Foundation Family Building Grant Cade Foundation Reproductive and Maternal Health Equity Summits Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review . Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Your LinkedIn profile is more than an online resume—it's your professional homepage. My Leveraging LinkedIn: Build a Brand That Works for You is a three module course providing practical, ethical, and sustainable strategies you can implement today. Get access now. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

October 13, 2026Episode 14418 min

How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

Your LinkedIn profile should reflect the expertise and value you bring to your work. Does yours? In this solo episode of Branding Room Only , Paula T. Edgar explores the gap between doing strong work and making your value visible to the people who could hire, refer, or recommend you. Your LinkedIn profile is working for you long after you update it. Paula walks through how to make that profile reflect what you want to be known for, from a current, recognizable headshot and a headline that goes beyond your job title to a Featured section that showcases your expertise. She also shares how the questions you answer and experiences you have can become content, and why thoughtful commenting is a practical way to build recognition. If your approach has been to update your profile, check the box, and move on, this episode will help you rethink how you use LinkedIn. You’ll hear strategies for showing up consistently, contributing your perspective, and helping your network connect your name with the value you bring. 2:16 – Why treating your profile as a resume (instead of a working asset) limits your reach 5:04 – Strategies for leveraging your headshot and headline to create a credible and authentic first impression that follows you across LinkedIn 7:57 – How to use the Featured section to control the narrative and showcase your thought leadership before someone even scrolls down 9:25 – What to include in your About section (and using first vs. third-person perspective) so you can attract the right people 10:55 – How to use the Experience section to show the connection between your former roles and what you’re doing now 11:58 – Why you’re overcomplicating content creation on LinkedIn, and why others will care what you have to say 13:21 – A simple commenting strategy that allows you to join conversations and increase visibility 14:26 – How to arrange the Skills section of your profile for the algorithm and PDF exports 15:32 – Why LinkedIn is rarely the problem if the platform isn’t working for you Mentioned In How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn LinkedIn Strategies & Leadership Tips to Master Personal Branding with Richard Bliss Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform ! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops . Your LinkedIn profile is more than an online resume—it's your professional homepage. My Leveraging LinkedIn: Build a Brand That Works for You is a three module course providing practical, ethical, and sustainable strategies you can implement today. Get access now. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

October 6, 2026Episode 14359 min

Make a Scene and Make Your Message Memorable with Mike Ganino

When people think of you, what stories come to mind? Make a Scene author and keynote director Mike Ganino sees those associations as a central part of your personal brand. In this episode of Branding Room Only , he and Paula talk about how to make your message clear enough for people to remember and connect with it. Mike shares why a list of events or accomplishments isn’t yet a compelling story. Listeners need to understand what an experience meant to you and how it changed the way you show up. He explains how specific details help people recognize themselves in a story, and why a strong presentation starts with the belief you want your audience to reconsider. They also discuss presence: how eye contact and movement can bring an audience into the conversation, and why charisma draws on warmth, competence, and awareness of others. Whether you’re speaking onstage, interviewing for a role, or having a difficult conversation, Mike offers a useful question to ask beforehand: What story will the other person tell about this interaction afterward? 1:31 – How Mike defines personal brand, his favorite motto, and his Ariana Grande hype song 7:10 – Mike’s tricks for getting more response from an audience on stage 9:35 – How Mike’s childhood experiences shaped the work he does today 13:26 – Mike’s professional journey and his experience as a flight attendant on 9/11 19:29 – Empathy and shared humanity in the days after September 11th 22:14 – What separates memorable messages from overlooked ones 24:48 – Why a signature story or message matters 27:23 – Lessons from the stage that can strengthen your presence 33:57 – What makes a speaker’s ideas resonate long after the talk ends 38:31 – The most common storytelling mistake professionals make 44:34 – What persuasive storytelling can teach you beyond asking for money 47:49 – Why charisma isn’t the same as extroversion and what you can strengthen 49:58 – The patterns Mike sees in people with magnetic presence 52:15 – Two ways to strengthen your personal brand and communication this week 54:44 – Mike’s favorite things, brand non-negotiable, and special gift Connect With Mike Ganino Mike Ganino is a keynote director, author, and expert in transformational self-expression who helps leaders, founders, authors, and visible experts build a public presence people can feel. His professional trajectory spans acting, writing, and directing for the stage, a stint as a TEDx executive producer, and years spent as a hospitality executive and corporate trainer. Each one sharpened the same instinct: how to see storytelling and performance from the audience's side. He uses that instinct to help clients build talks and performances that do more than wow a room; they change how the audience thinks. Mike is the author of Make a Scene , where he shares his signature frameworks for storytelling, stage presence, and magnetic communication. Through his coaching, speaking, and programs, he helps professional speakers, best-selling authors, Fortune 500 executives, and other industry leaders align their voice, story, identity, and presence so they become not just respected but unforgettable. Mike Ganino | LinkedIn | Instagram Mentioned In Make a Scene and Make Your Message Memorable with Mike Ganino Jacquette Timmons Make a Scene: Storytelling, Stage Presence, and the Art of Being Unforgettable in Every Spotlight by Mike Ganino Company Culture For Dummies by Mike Ganino Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review . Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

September 29, 2026Episode 14254 min

How Your Work Shapes Your Personal Brand with Deesha Philyaw

What comes to mind when people hear your name? For award-winning author Deesha Philyaw, it’s stories about Black women seeking freedom, told with humor, desire, and honesty. It’s also the way she supports other writers. Deesha sees her personal brand in both the work she chooses to create and how she shows up in her community, while recognizing that she cannot control how everyone receives it. In this episode of Branding Room Only , Deesha shares how the women who raised her in Jacksonville shaped The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and her commitment to writing Black women as complex, fully human people. She also traces the winding path from teaching and freelance work to her award-winning fiction and her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman , a project she has worked on for 20 years. Paula and Deesha talk about rejection, revision, community, and building an online presence through genuine conversation. Deesha’s advice for writers draws on her own experience: do the work, find your people, and stay clear about what you are willing to put your name on. 1:36 – Deesha’s relationship with personal branding, rejection, and how she describes herself 5:16 – How growing up in Jacksonville shaped Deesha’s writing 11:42 – Deesha’s path from college and early careers to becoming a writer 18:22 – The "ancestral honesty" of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and the church community’s response 24:52 – What rejection and persistence taught Deesha about how she wants to show up 29:48 – Deesha’s experience expanding her work into television 33:37 – How social media helped Deesha build her platform and brand 39:14 – Why The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman took 20 years to write 46:03 – Deesha’s advice for authors building an authentic brand 49:22 – What Deesha does for fun 50:50 – What Deesha will never compromise on in her writing and brand Connect With Deesha Philyaw Deesha Philyaw is an award-winning author and a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, and United States Artist Fellow. Her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, was released in September 2026 and is published by Mariner Books (an imprint of HarperCollins). Deesha also co-hosts two podcasts: Ursa Short Fiction with Dawnie Walton and Reckon True Stories with Kiese Laymon. She’s currently working on developing TV shows based on her short fiction. Deesha Philyaw The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman and Other Books by Deesha Philyaw Follow Deesha on Threads | Instagram | Bluesky | X/Twitter | Facebook Mentioned In How Your Work Shapes Your Personal Brand with Deesha Philyaw Deesha’s short story “Fuckboy Museum” in the anthology Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women (also available on Amazon ) Curated Resources from Paula Sign Up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review . Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

September 22, 2026Episode 14151 min

The Most Personal Talk of My Career and the Personal Side of a Personal Brand

I am a big proponent of authenticity, and I describe authenticity as a scale. Vulnerability is different. I can decide whether I’m vulnerable or not, and while I share a lot with people, I don’t think many people get underneath the layers of Paula unless we are close or unless I’m being strategic about it. Giving the most personal talk of my career meant deciding I was going to let people underneath some of those layers. I knew I wanted to do something that was going to stretch me, and this absolutely did. I went about preparing for this talk as if it was not emotional. I knew my points, I knew what I wanted to say, and I was holding myself to the very high standard I always have for how I show up. What truly made this different was the emotion. On the actual day, I had to honor the preparation but also honor the moment and give myself permission not to show up exactly the way I had planned. In this episode of Branding Room Only, my coach, Jacquette M. Timmons, is turning the tables and interviewing me about that experience. We talk about why I decided I was ready to tell this story, how I prepared for a talk that stretched me in a completely different way, what happened when the delivery did not look exactly like I had planned, and what the experience taught me about vulnerability, credibility, and the personal side of personal brand. 1:11 – Paula’s definition of personal brand and how she describes herself 5:03 – Growing up in a Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn and how it shaped Paula 7:43 – Why Paula was ready to tell a more personal story about her mother at PDC 16:33 – Letting go of memorizing the speech and embracing what stretched her as a speaker 20:57 – The difference between authenticity and vulnerability and Paula’s high standards for herself 25:11 – Opening the talk without distractions and letting the emotion shape the moment 30:05 – How her mother’s inclusivity became a leadership lesson that resonated with someone in the audience 36:08 – Giving herself permission not to show up exactly as planned 40:53 – How the experience expanded Paula’s thinking about personal brand 42:54 – Weighing the risks and rewards of sharing something vulnerable publicly 47:52 – Paula’s advice for doing the thing you’ve been hesitating to do Mentioned In The Most Personal Talk of My Career and the Personal Side of a Personal Brand What Losing My Mother on September 11 Taught Me About Leadership Remembering Joan Donna Griffith 25 Years After September 11 with Peter L. Griffith A Tribute to My Mother Joan Donna Griffith Professional Development Consortium (PDC) Jacquette M. Timmons Mindful Living with Z Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform ! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops . Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

September 15, 2026Episode 14021 min

What Losing My Mother on September 11 Taught Me About Leadership

For 25 years, much of the conversation about my mother, Joan Donna Griffith, has focused on how she died. But the greatest leadership lessons I carry did not come from losing my mother on September 11, 2001. They came from how she lived, what she taught me, and how she prepared me for moments neither of us could have imagined. In this episode of Branding Room Only, I’m sharing one of the most personal talks I have ever given, originally delivered as a PDC Talk at the Professional Development Consortium (PDC) Annual Summer Conference. In this short talk, I reflect on what my mother taught me about preparing for disruption, making decisions grounded in your values, knowing your worth, and creating more leaders through mentorship, sponsorship, advocacy, and love. Leadership begins long before a crisis arrives. It is revealed through how we prepare people, the choices we make when something is at stake, and how we advocate for others when they are not in the room. 2:42 – The leadership philosophy Joan instilled in childhood 5:45 – The vital importance of preparing others for the unexpected 11:28 – Knowing your values and refusing to let fear make your decisions 15:15 – A lifelong reminder about exponential self-worth 18:12 – Love as the hidden meaning of leadership, and a question to ask yourself Mentioned In What Losing My Mother on September 11 Taught Me About Leadership Remembering Joan Donna Griffith 25 Years After September 11 with Peter L. Griffith A Tribute to My Mother Joan Donna Griffith Professional Development Consortium (PDC) Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform ! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops . Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

September 8, 2026Episode 1391 hr 37 min

How Raymond Sanchez Jr. Honors His Father’s Legacy 25 Years After September 11

What people say about you when you’re not in the room matters. Raymond Sanchez Jr. has seen that play out throughout a career shaped by relationships, mentorship, and people willing to put his name forward because they trusted how he would show up. It is also a lesson he learned early from his father, Raymond Sanchez Sr., who taught him to have a plan, think ahead, and understand that what you know matters, but so does who you know. Ray was only 22 when his father, a union carpenter working at the World Trade Center, was killed on September 11th. In the aftermath, Ray found himself navigating the legal process to establish his father’s death, an experience that ultimately helped lead him to law school. Twenty-five years later, his father’s example still shows up in the way Ray thinks about service, integrity, and whether he is leaving things better than he found them. He is equally intentional about making sure his father is remembered for who he was, not simply for what happened to him on September 11th. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar sits down with Ray to discuss the people and experiences that shaped his career, why doing the right thing when nobody is looking remains central to his personal brand, and how his father continues to influence the choices he makes today. They also reflect on their shared experience of losing a parent on September 11th and why telling their parents’ stories matters if their legacies will be more than names on a wall. 1:13 – What personal brand means to Ray, three words he’d use to describe himself, his two favorite quotes, and his hype music 6:38 – How a childhood in the NYCHA buildings of the Lower East Side forged Ray’s code of ethics 12:47 – The internship that quietly connected Ray to politicians, Broadway royalty, and two decades of career opportunities 19:43 – The exhausting, bureaucratic maze of proving his father's life ever existed, just to get what Ray was legally owed 22:24 – Going to law school and working at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. 28:13 – The one thing to consider before accepting any job offer, and the roles Ray took on doing meaningful work in the Hispanic community 37:53 – A perfect demonstration of how personal branding is about what people say about (whether you’re in or out of the room) 41:00 – Why Ray ran for NYC Council District 7, joined a non-profit six weeks before federal investigators raided it, and became its new executive director 51:49 – Why Ray almost lost his cool with a city bureaucrat over the phone 57:19 – Raymond Sanchez Sr. as a man and a father, and what his son Ray remembers most about him 1:03:39 – The morning of September 11th through Ray’s eyes, and his father's quiet act of heroism that day 1:11:32 – The dehumanization of the 9/11 victim’s compensation fund, and how that experience proved to be a turning point that led Ray to law school 1:18:26 – How losing his dad the way he did turned Ray into who he is now 1:21:31 – Standing up for our communities as legacy, and why the phrase “victims’ families” never told the whole story 1:24:19 – Pushing back against being only defined by 9/11, why it took 15 years for Ray to talk about that day and tell his father’s story 1:28:15 – The joyful, fun parts of Ray today that his dad would recognize and be proud of 1:30:54 – What ethics demands of you when nobody’s watching, and Ray’s special talent to quickly synthesize complexity Connect With Raymond Sanchez Jr. Raymond Sanchez Jr., Esq. has spent two decades building a career at the intersection of law, government, and public advocacy — moving fluidly between City Hall, the private sector, and the nonprofit boardroom in ways that have repeatedly put him in the room where a crisis needed a steady hand. He most recently served as General Counsel to the NYC Mayor's Office of Contract Services, advising the City's Chief Procurement Officer on citywide policy and compliance. Before that, he was appointed CEO of Aguila, Inc., a NYC homeless services nonprofit, where he led the organization through a New York State Attorney General investigation and a pandemic-era transformation of a 200-bed shelter into the city's largest COVID quarantine center. His earlier chapters include Managing Director at Mercury Public Affairs, Principal of his own government relations firm, and seven years as General Counsel and Director of Policy to the Bronx Borough President, where he helped pass NYC's Living Wage Law and secured the conveyance of the Fulton Correctional Facility for a first-of-its-kind reentry housing program. A first-generation Latino leader, Raymond holds a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law and a B.A. in Government from Wesleyan University, and serves on the board of Areté Education and as a special advisor to the La Unidad Latina Foundation. He is a two-time honoree on NYC "40 Under 40" lists and a recipient of the Council of Urban Professionals' Law Catalyst Award. LinkedIn | Instagram Mentioned In How Raymond Sanchez Jr. Honors His Father’s Legacy 25 Years After September 11 Hispanic Federation Latino Justice The Boys Club of New York (BCNY) 9/11 Memorial & Museum Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review . Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

September 1, 20261 hr 42 min

Remembering Joan Donna Griffith 25 Years After September 11 with Peter L. Griffith

This year marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. For Paula and her family, the anniversary brings an intensely personal loss into focus, along with the many milestones and ordinary moments they wish her mother, Joan Donna Griffith, had been here to experience. Joan was brilliant, funny, stylish, loving, an avid reader, a dedicated professional, a mentor, a wife, and the mother who raised Paula. She shaped how Paula shows up in the world, what she values, how she cares for others, and so much of the personal brand she has built. In this special rerelease of Branding Room Only, Paula revisits a conversation with her father, Peter L. Griffith, about Joan, the life their family shared with her, the grief that followed September 11, and the legacy she continues to leave. This conversation honors Joan Donna Griffith for the fullness of how she lived, not only the way she died. 3:04 - How immigrating to the U.S. shaped Peter’s experience in junior high and high school 10:37 - Peter’s early career experiences and what he learned about race, opportunity, and expectations 16:22 - How Peter met Joan and what it took to build a family together 24:38 - Stories from Peter and Joan’s early years together and the love that shaped their marriage 30:19 - Joan’s love of reading and how the family changed when Paula’s younger sister was born 36:32 - The 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the role Joan played in keeping Paula connected while she was away at boarding school 40:16 - How Joan showed up at home and at work and the standards she passed on to Paula 43:47 - The music, photos, and home videos that captured so many everyday family memories 48:55 - Joan’s dreams, her work ethic, and the impact she had on the people she worked with 55:10 - How Paula and Peter learned about the September 11 attacks and what they remember from those first hours 1:03:06 - How their family began navigating the shock and grief that followed 1:11:09 - Memories from the final weeks with Joan and the “last piece of love” she gave Paula that August 1:19:39 - Remembering Joan through her memorial and the day Paula and Peter retrieved her purse in Lower Manhattan 1:24:30 - What it was like to grieve such a personal loss so publicly 1:34:18 - How Joan’s values continue to shape Paula, her family, and the generations that came after her Mentioned In Remembering Joan Donna Griffith 25 Years After September 11 with Peter L. Griffith A Tribute to My Mother Joan Donna Griffith Angela Titus on LinkedIn Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform ! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops . Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

August 25, 2026Episode 13820 min

So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Turn a Speaking Engagement Into More Opportunities

Excellence without intentional follow-up has a very short shelf life. You can deliver a great presentation, have people tell you how much they enjoyed it, and still leave entirely too much value on the table if you don’t have a strategy for what happens next. There’s a window after you speak when people still remember your message, your stories, and how you made them feel. What happened during the engagement can also give you clues about what comes next. A question that keeps coming up, a conversation with someone in the audience, or feedback from the organizer may point toward another opportunity. The point is to pay attention, follow up thoughtfully, and not treat the engagement as something that ended the moment you left the stage. In Part Four of So You Want to Be a Speaker? on Branding Room Only , Paula T. Edgar walks through what to do after a speaking engagement to keep the momentum going. She shares how to follow up with the people involved, build proof of your work, and use the experience to support future opportunities while continuing to build genuine relationships. She also gives you a practical timeline for the days and weeks that follow, so you know what to do next while the experience is still fresh. 1:35 – Why the first 48 hours after you speak matter just as much as the talk itself 3:12 – What to say in your LinkedIn post reflecting on the event 4:39 – The right and wrong way to send a personalized LinkedIn connection request 6:03 – How to follow up with the event organizer and ask for a testimonial and an introduction to a new audience 9:13 – How you can turn every speaking opportunity into a content goldmine 10:58 – The video and photo strategy that builds evidence of your work for potential clients 13:12 – How to build a simple system for collecting and organizing testimonials 14:18 – Why you should think of the people in your audience as future connectors in addition to potential clients 15:47 – Practical timeline to use after your next speaking engagement, from 48 hours to 30 days 18:32 – A short tease for the next episode of this series Mentioned In So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Turn a Speaking Engagement Into More Opportunities Part 1 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked Part 2 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked Part 3 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Pitch, Prepare, and Get Invited Back Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform ! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops . Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today . Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services , go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.

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