Have you held back from pitching yourself for bigger speaking engagements? Or have you not raised your speaking fees even after you’ve been speaking for a while? Or have you not asked to be paid at all? Just like in our businesses, we need to develop confidence in the value, expertise, and experience we provide as speakers at an event. And sometimes having an outside perspective, like a coach, can be the push you need. My guest is Maureen Taylor, known as The Photo Detective. Maureen has been a speaker for years and has appeared on national TV programs like The View and The Today Show. As a member of our Master Your Speaking group coaching program, Maureen has been encouraged by me and the other women in the group to go after bigger speaking opportunities and to raise her fees. In this on-air coaching call, Maureen and I talk about: How nerves can appear even when you’ve been speaking for years (and oftentimes it’s because of a certain type of audience) What to do when you’re hit with a bundle of nerves to gain your confidence back The energy you have as a speaker and the energy and personality of the audience How to handle hecklers in the audience Negotiating your speaker fees Pitching yourself, including what to write in the introductory email Strategies to make it easier to promote yourself Whether you’ve been speaking for years or have started more recently, you’ll learn a lot from this episode. This episode is part of our Confidence Series, episodes 127-131. About My Guest: Maureen Taylor is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada. She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira). She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/131 Connect with Maureen on her website at https://maureentaylor.com/. Listen to Maureen’s podcast “The Photo Detective.” Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Get on the interest list for the Monetize Your Speaking group coaching program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/group. Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Create your signature talk or TEDx talk. Get all the details at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/coaching. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave a review! Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 46: We All Need a Wingwoman with Mia Scharphie Episode 72: How to Speak Strategically for Better Business Results Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power Episode 127: Developing Confidence in Public Speaking JOIN US: Our in-person Speaking Accelerator Workshop is coming up in Downtown Orlando on October 30, 2025. Create and practice your signature talk in one day using our proven framework, so you can confidently share your message and attract more opportunities. It's a fun, supportive environment where you get personalized feedback, professional photos, and more. Limited to 15 attendees. Get the details and secure your spot at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/orlando/.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.