The Sage Sayers

Hosted by Debbi McCullough

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Episodes

163

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

A bi-weekly podcast on tips and tactics to communicate our ideas and stories in ways that land. We interview authors, entrepreneurs, keynote speakers, and executive leaders who know how to connect with audiences in surprising, meaningful ways that AI simply cannot. New Zealander show host, Debbi McCullough, has written on social and business trends and struggles for the Economist, the Guardian, and Financial Times of London. She's a self-retired college professor of writing/business communications and a trusted coach of over 1,200 clients at Fortune 500 companies. Follow her Substack: https://betterthanabot.substack.com/ Visit her at: www.hangingrockcoaching.com

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 8, 2026Episode 1610 min

"Executive presence and confidence comes from a well-draped Sari." An interview with Aish Sethuraman

Aish Sethuraman, a business lead in the finance sector, has loved wearing sari as long as she can remember. Her mother, when growing up wore them immaculately too. On International Women's Day, she launched her own small business from her San Antonio, TX base, Aiswariya - Sari Draping, which she has since grown purely by word of mouth. "I believe your quality work will make it so you need little or no advertising at all," she says. In our ad hoc interview, we hear from Aish all about saris, what it feels like to wear them, what situations invite them, and the regal, executive confidence that comes when your sari is well-draped. "A sari is a way of communication, it is beautiful. It is a form of executive presence that gives you confidence and no bother at all, because the draping means you don't need to bother with it. Podcast host Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach and is a trusted communications coach for Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train with her on Maven.

July 25, 2026Episode 1546 min

We Don't Need AI to Surprise Our Audiences. We Need Great Delivery with Michael Chad Hoeppner

We sit down with Michael Chad Hoeppner, the CEO of GK Training, and Author of the bestselling book Don't Say Um: How to Communicate Effectively to Live a Better Life. If you struggle with saying "um," sounding flat, speeding, and dreading speaking in front of audiences, you're in the right place. Michael proves we're not doomed to poor communication habits forever. His kinesthetic techniques and hands-on exercises like finger-walking to stop using filler words or silent storytelling to reduce monotone teach you to communicate well, regardless of your emotional state. And we discuss the opportunity AI brings us as speakers: an invitation to speak really well, be spontaneous, offer wilder ideas, and have the bravery required to surprise our audiences. Featured guest Follow Michael Chad Hoeppner : https://michaelchadhoeppner.com/ Buy Michael's book here : https://tinyurl.com/4wxahzwd Visit Don't Say Um for exercises and more : https://dontsayum.com/ Podcast host Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach and is a trusted communications coach for Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train with her on Maven.

July 10, 2026Episode 1425 min

"If you want to win, be joyous." Mia Frolova and Maryna Frolova on becoming Miss Texas Jr. Teen

It took four pageants, but for Mia Frolova, the newly crowned Miss Texas Jr. Teen, every one was worth it. Asked what helped her win this time, she credits practice, focus, joy—and staying true to herself. It's rare to interview a beauty queen. It's rarer still to interview a mother and daughter who've both worn the crown. In this week's episode of Sage Sayers , we hear from Mia Frolova on the leadership and communication skills she's built through competing in pageants—skills tested most starkly on stage, where the judges' panel grew notably tough, firing off ad hoc questions that contestants had under a minute to answer with poise. We also hear from her mother and coach, Maryna Frolova, a marketer in big tech and a pageant winner herself: Maryna was crowned Miss Minnesota as a teen. Correction: Mia's scholarship to Midland University in Nebraska is $128,000, not the full ride she mentioned in the episode—that goes to national titleholders. Call it a preview of what she's aiming for next. Follow the new Miss Texas Jr on Instagram here. And through her official titleholder Instagram account here. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach and is a trusted communications coach for Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train with her on Maven.

June 26, 2026Episode 1315 min

Why do many bright, ambitious people answer direct questions vaguely?

How we answer an ad hoc question has unfairly become an audition for memorability and conviction. Way too many of us fumble the return. Reading from this week's popular Substack post , we ponder on why a simple question does not always yield a simple answer. Also, how answering ad hoc questions in vague, convoluted ways can kill an interview, torpedo a first date, even start a fight with someone we love. Why? Because it frustrates and evades what they asked of us. You can read the full Substack here, which is free to subscribe and loaded with culturally sensitive tips and tactics throughout the week on your biggest, most stubborn communications challenges. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach and is a trusted communications coach for Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train with her on Maven.

June 13, 2026Episode 1235 min

"I want them to be aware of their bias." Marcia Reynolds on listening, receiving, and setting boundaries with our audiences.

We bring back to the show Dr. Marcia Reynolds, Global Guru Top 10 and Master Coach Trainer and Author of multiple books, including Coach the Person, Not the Problem Second Edition, now a bestseller on Amazon. We ask Marcia about listening, receiving, and preparing our mind to listen, all essential for any coaching and conversation to go well. We discuss how judgment can obstruct our presence and listening, and that judgment is inevitable given we're all judge-y and biased at times; but ways exist to notice and pause our judgment, and then let it go. And we hear how to remain present and lay down boundaries when conversations become tense, opinionated, cruel, and cut us to the core. Setting intentions and defining how we're willing to be spoken to becomes a powerful tool in heated moments, and one we can all learn from, at work and at home. You can find Marcia Reynolds on LinkedIn and find her Second Edition of her bestseller here on Amazon. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach and is a trusted communications coach for Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train with her on Maven.

May 30, 2026Episode 1129 min

"Trees have no boundaries. They grow in every country." Interviewing the founders of the non-profit Trees for Me.

Founders of the New Jersey non-profit organization, Trees for Me, align with a core premise: It takes ten trees to support one life. With that, founder Harini Rajesh and co-founder Anvita Gurumurthy, Sowmya Parthasarathy and Rupa Gurumurthy started this initiative to plant trees around the world. (Harini goes to Cornell university and Anvita is at NYU.) "There aren't nearly enough trees in the world for everyone. And we intend to change that," Rajesh says. In our interview with the Sage Sayers, the week of Mother's Day, we hear of their progress made: $30k raised, 2,811 trees planted, and 281 lives sustained. We hear from two college students whose applications to college became even better through launching a non-profit in their youths, because they had an uplifting story to tell. And we hear how launching a non-profit can bring families closer and teach us storytelling techniques, because motivating others to plant trees and fund those plantings requires excellent communication, organization, and persuasion skills. You can follow Trees for Me here and visit their instagram page here. Email the group at 10treesforme@gmail.com if you'd like to donate, get involved, or plant a tree. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally, and is a communications thought partner to emerging and newly-promoted Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train your teams with her on Maven and here.

May 16, 2026Episode 1029 min

"Jesus is the Coolest Guy I Know." Writer Melinda Gonzalez on making Jesus less complicated (and way cooler) than religion made him look

We sit down with Melinda Gonzalez, an author and retired entrepreneur whose heart and purpose feel deeply rooted in faith and service. When her twin son and daughter both went to college, she felt a bigger pull to write the book she believes Jesus always wanted her to write. "Jesus is the Coolest Guy I Know" takes all of her learnings from being a devoted Bible student for decades and draws lessons and memoir from her own twists and turns with life, relationships, fertility, and faith. Her compelling guide convinces us that beyond the rituals, judgment, and perfection, the real Jesus was a masterful storyteller. He was the friend who never flinched at mess nor problems. He was the CEO of Creation. He was the Ladies' Man who brought dignity to women. And he was Heaven's Bouncer. We learn too of the many decisions new writers must make, everything from our title, to chapters, to our point of view, and the book cover. You can find and support Melinda's book on Amazon here and join her Cool Jesus Club on Instagram here. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally, and a communications thought partner to Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train your teams with her on Maven.

May 2, 2026Episode 925 min

NextTier Athletes founders and executives on confidence, connections, and getting athletes to the Ivy League

When Harvard University first year student Jonathan Rubin first launched NextTier Athletes five months ago, he did not anticipate the business reaching five figures monthly so soon from launch. The consulting business, helping high-school top athletes get the inside edge from current Ivy League athletes, took off fast. "We had an idea. We knew time was limited, and we had to capitalize on it," Jonathan says. From Harvard Square, we sit with Jonathan and his executives Jordan Gonzalez and Nicholas McCullough on their early launch, success, and the power of a personal brand. We also get an interesting take from teen entrepreneurs on confidence, and how to block out the inevitable fear when doing something big (and bold) like introducing yourself to powerful coaches, pitching yourself to parents, and launching a first venture. You can read more about NextTier Athletes here and hire them to help your high school athlete get to an Ivy League college. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, FT, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally, and a communications thought partner to Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult . Train your teams with her on Maven.

April 17, 2026Episode 817 min

The art of conversation: How to expand our simple sentences (and stand out)

We hear the need for brevity to hook and engage our audiences. What if we're so brief, we struggle to expand or stretch beyond one sentence? Reading from Substack: How we can expand on our ideas and offerings to the world in interesting ways, and without sounding annoyingly "braggish." Tips, tactics, and analysis on the cultural and humility barriers that might be getting in our way. You can read along to this reading here. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, FT, and Guardian and is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally. She's a communications coach to leaders at Fortune 500s/100s including Google. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult on the communication challenge irking you most.

April 3, 2026Episode 722 min

"Tell me your real story, about when you earned $250 a month." LinkedIn Coach Ashi Chopra on sharing our wins and struggles

If you seek motivation to use LinkedIn more liberally and well, start listening to and following LinkedIn Coach Ashi Chopra. She's a Mumbai-based entrepreneur who loves to help women (especially) tell their stories on LinkedIn, the world's largest social media site for business professionals. We hear from Ashi on the missed opportunities of engaging on LinkedIn and that telling our audiences what does not work and what does work becomes vital. If we share only the highlights then nobody learns how we navigate our challenges, nor how we talked ourselves back into success. You can find Ashi on LinkedIn here. You can enjoy our interview on YouTube here. Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, FT, and Guardian and serves as a Master Certified Coach and communications coach to leaders at Fortune 500s/100s including Google. Find her on LinkedIn . Book her for a consult on the communication challenge irking you most.