

Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast
For People Leaders Leading Bold Conversations | Ivna Curi
Speak Your Mind Unapologetically is the leadership communication podcast for people leaders — managers, directors, and VPs — who want to speak up, lead bold conversations, and influence outcomes that matter.
Whether you're addressing conflict, delivering feedback, leading meetings, or navigating difficult conversations, this podcast gives you practical strategies to:
👉🏼 Communicate with clarity, confidence, and conviction=
👉🏼 Influence decisions and build trust across functions
👉🏼 Speak up under pressure — without sounding aggressive or backing down
👉🏼 Encourage your team to share ideas, concerns, and feedback
👉🏼 Tackle conflict, disagreement, and misalignment early and effectively
You'll hear insights, frameworks, and stories from real workplaces — all designed to help you grow your leadership impact through communication.
🎙 With 400+ episodes, the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast is trusted by people leaders across Fortune 500s, healthcare, tech, startups, and global organizations.
ABOUT THE HOST
Ivna Curi is a Fortune 500 speaker, TEDx speaker, and host of the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast. She's a Forbes contributor, author of Unapologetic Voice, and founder of the Assertive Way Institute. A former corporate leader with an MBA from INSEAD and over 20,000 leaders trained, Ivna brings global experience and real-world strategies that help leaders drive results through bold communication.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Assertive Way Institute helps organizations empower people leaders to lead bold conversations, influence outcomes, and build courageous speak-up cultures. Our workshops and talks help people leaders become confident, clear communicators — and turn workplace communication into a competitive advantage.
Whether you're addressing conflict, delivering feedback, leading meetings, or navigating difficult conversations, this podcast gives you practical strategies to:
👉🏼 Communicate with clarity, confidence, and conviction=
👉🏼 Influence decisions and build trust across functions
👉🏼 Speak up under pressure — without sounding aggressive or backing down
👉🏼 Encourage your team to share ideas, concerns, and feedback
👉🏼 Tackle conflict, disagreement, and misalignment early and effectively
You'll hear insights, frameworks, and stories from real workplaces — all designed to help you grow your leadership impact through communication.
🎙 With 400+ episodes, the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast is trusted by people leaders across Fortune 500s, healthcare, tech, startups, and global organizations.
ABOUT THE HOST
Ivna Curi is a Fortune 500 speaker, TEDx speaker, and host of the Speak Your Mind Unapologetically Podcast. She's a Forbes contributor, author of Unapologetic Voice, and founder of the Assertive Way Institute. A former corporate leader with an MBA from INSEAD and over 20,000 leaders trained, Ivna brings global experience and real-world strategies that help leaders drive results through bold communication.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Assertive Way Institute helps organizations empower people leaders to lead bold conversations, influence outcomes, and build courageous speak-up cultures. Our workshops and talks help people leaders become confident, clear communicators — and turn workplace communication into a competitive advantage.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 8, 2022 • 25min
Future Of Work Post Pandemic – What You Need To Know Now (Part 2)
The world has been changing fast with the pandemic, rise of social issues, and increased uncertainty. And with it the workplace has also been changing at a much faster pace. In order to thrive in this new workplace of the future, it is important to understand how these changes and trends are going affect your workplace relationships and what you can do about it. This episode is the second of a series of 3 where we'll explore the top workplace trends and what you need to do to prepare to be surfing on these trends, not drowning. In this episode, you'll discover the secrets to thrive with these 3 workplace trends: Inflation and reduction of real wages Automation of managerial tasks Automation and AI in companies 👉🏼 Links Show Notes: https://assertiveway.com/49 Part 1 of Future Of Work Post Pandemic – What You Need To Know Now Assertive Communication Newsletter: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/ Assertiveness free resources: https://assertiveway.com/free/ Assertiveness free training: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/getahead Leave a rating and review guide: https://youtu.be/iN96MGnmFdk

May 31, 2022 • 45min
A Breakthrough Career Conversation You Need To Pursue Your Dreams (With Google UX Researcher Ojuolape Junaid)
"In 30 min my life changed"; "It was a brave request". Google researcher Ojuolape Junaid shares courageous moves and powerful conversations that led to an important career change, the pursuit of a big passion project, and that helped her initiate a hard conversation at work. In this episode, you'll discover: ✔️ How a 30-minute conversation can pivot your career to where you want. ✔️ How to use your passion to select the right people to reach out to, prepare for important conversations, and effectively connect. ✔️ An unusual stress-coping strategy. ✔️ Why correlating workload with stress doesn't work. ✔️ How to find courage through gratitude for significant people in your life. ✔️ The benefits of pairing structured work and unstructured exploration activities. Ojuolape is a UX Researcher in Learning and Education supporting Google Classroom on a cross-functional team passionate about using research insights to inform product direction. She was previously a Program Manager in the Employee Referrals Program, executing large-scale Googler-facing initiatives to bring in talent through outstanding and representative referrals. Ojuolape holds a BS from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in International Relations and Technology. Outside of work, Ojuolape is an avid foodie with an admitted plantain obsession. She also enjoys dancing (mainly Afrobeats and Samba) and practicing her Nigerian sarcasm. If you liked this episode, please leave a rating and review. Here's how: https://youtu.be/iN96MGnmFdk 👉🏼 Links: Show Notes: https://assertiveway.com/53 Ojuolape Junaid Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/junaido/ Assertiveness free resources: https://assertiveway.com/free/ Assertive & Liked 10-Day Challenge: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/10daychallengeoffer Assertiveness free training: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/getahead Assertive Communication Newsletter: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/

May 30, 2022 • 18min
You Don't Have To Change Your Personality To Start To Be More Assertive
Does being more assertive change your personality? In this episode, you'll discover: ✔️ Why assertiveness won't change your personality. ✔️ The 4 most common mistakes that people make when they don't know the language of assertiveness. ✔️ Similarities and 1 key difference between French and assertiveness languages. 👉🏼 Links Show notes: https://www.assertiveway.com/52 Free crash course on how to be assertive without being rude and other free resources: https://www.assertiveway.com/free Assertive Way Newsletter for tips on how to confidently speak up and be more assertive without being aggressive or rude: https://www.assertiveway.com/newsletter

May 30, 2022 • 59min
She 3x Her Salary In 5 Years and Conquered Job Given to Other (With Guest Maria Kauffman)
In this fun episode Maria Kauffman reveals her powerful stories as a woman in male-dominated workplaces: getting a massive salary increase, landing the job she wanted that had already been committed to another person, and saying no to her boss. Today, Maria helps women 'Handle Anything', ENJOY life, and have fun transforming from IMPOSTER to IMMUNE by building a strong personal brand. Find out: ✔️ How she tripled her salary in 5 years. ✔️ How she got the promotion that had already been given to someone else and became their boss with a single move! ✔️ How she successfully said "no" to her boss regarding working on weekend, even though her boss was looking for an excuse to fire her. And more… Links: Show Notes: https://assertiveway.com/54 Maria's website: https://mariakauffman.com/ Maria's podcast "The Everyday Heroine": http://mariakauffman.com/the-everyday-heroine/ Assertive Communication Newsletter: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/ Assertiveness free resources: https://assertiveway.com/free/ Assertiveness free training: https://assertiveway.aweb.page/getahead

May 25, 2022 • 21min
Find Courage To Speak Your Mind In These 9 Episodes
The wrong mindset is the first thing that holds us back from saying what we need or want to say! Here are the top speaking your mind MINDSET podcast episodes from Season 1 to help you gain more courage to speak up. ✔️12 Questions To Know When To Ignore Criticism and Judgment https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/12-questions-to-know-when-to-not-take-judgment-seriously ✔️Top Hack To Stop Worrying About What People Think Of You https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/top-hack-to-stop-worrying-about-what-people-think-of-you ✔️8 Ways To Be more Confident With Perspective Taking https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/8-ways-to-be-more-confident-with-perspective-taking ✔️6 Conflict Myths: Lies Teachers Like To Tell About Confrontation https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/029-6-conflict-myths-lies-teachers-like-to-tell-about-confrontation ✔️5 Ways To Convince Yourself To Speak Up Even If You Are Fearful https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/8-ways-to-convince-yourself-to-speak-up-even-if-you-are-fearful ✔️You Don't Have To Be Aggressive To Get Ahead https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/you-dont-have-to-be-aggressive-to-get-ahead ✔️How To Find The Courage To Ask For What You Want Even If It Is Unreasonable https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/the-most-selfish-and-unreasonable-request-ive-ever-made-to-my-boss ✔️4 Top Speaking Up Fears Debunked https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/4-top-speaking-up-fears-debunked ✔️10 Secrets to Heart-Centered Assertive Communication https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/10-secrets-to-heart-centered-assertive-communication 👉🏼MORE RESOURCES Show notes: http://assertiveway.com/48/ Assertive & Likable 10-Day Email Challenge https://assertiveway.aweb.page/10daychallengeoffer Assertiveness Free Trainings & Other Resources https://assertiveway.com/free/ Assertive Communication Free Newsletter https://assertiveway.com/newsletter/

May 18, 2022 • 29min
Future Of Work Post Pandemic – What You Need To Know Now (Part 1)
The world has been changing fast with the pandemic, rise of social issues, and increased uncertainty. And with it the workplace has also been changing at a much faster pace. In order to thrive in this new workplace of the future, it is important to understand how these changes and trends are going affect your workplace relationships and what you can do about it. This episode is the first of a series of 3 where we'll explore the top workplace trends and what you need to do to prepare to be surfing on these trends, not drowning. In this episode, you'll discover the secrets to thrive with these 3 workplace trends: Remote and hybrid work Virtual meetings More work flexibility (both location and time) 👉🏼 LINKS Show notes: https://assertiveway.com/49/ Part 2 of the Future Of Work Post Pandemic: https://speakyourmindnow.libsyn.com/future-of-work-post-pandemic-what-you-need-to-know-now-part-2 Free crash course on how to be assertive without being rude and other freebies: https://assertiveway.com/free Assertive Way Newsletter for valuable tips on how to speak up and be more assertive without being aggressive or rude: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter

May 4, 2022 • 26min
A New Way To Think About Being Nice: Why Niceness Is The 51st Shade Of Grey
Do you view yourself as "nice"? Do others describe you as "nice"? Do you always enjoy being "nice"? Have you ever stopped to think about what being nice actually means to you? In this episode, you'll discover: ✔️ 9 questions to find out of you have an internal conflict with being nice ✔️ 3 questions to discover what being nice really means to you ✔️ 14 alternatives to being nice that will make you more proud of yourself 👉🏼LINKS Show notes: https://assertiveway.com/47/ Free crash course on how to be assertive without being rude and other free resources on assertive communication: https://assertiveway.com/free Assertive Way Newsletter for valuable tips on how to speak up and be more assertive without being aggressive or rude: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter

May 1, 2022 • 1h 6min
My Journey From A Shy People Pleaser To Be More Assertive
In this episode, The expert on leadership for women Maria Kauffman interviews me about my path to assertiveness. Maria also shares how she learned and applied assertiveness too. In this episode, you'll discover: ✔️The exact script Maria used to tell her sister to not steal her clothes that worked like a charm ✔️What to do when you find out a less competent male coworker earns more than you ✔️Challenges in a career as a female engineer ✔️How to ask your boss for what you want ✔️How to encourage your team to be more assertive ✔️Is trying to please your boss people pleasing? 👉🏼 Get access to a free crash course on how to be assertive without being rude and other free resources on assertive communication: https://assertiveway.com/free 👉🏼 Sign up for Assertive Way Newsletter for valuable tips on how to speak up and be more assertive without being aggressive or rude: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter

Apr 19, 2022 • 25min
10 Real-life Incredible Examples of How Assertive Communication Can Boost Your Career
Many of the top career challenges people face can be solved through the right type of communication: getting a promotion, changing jobs, holding employees accountable, managing own professional brand, being heard and seen, being taken seriously by team members, losing good employees. The challenge is that people often feel like communicating what they want will come across as rude, unreasonable, or aggressive. So, they don't speak up, and problems snowball into bigger frustrations. But what if you could communicate what you want to say at work without being perceived as unreasonable, aggressive, offensive, or rude? What could that do for your career? A lot! That's what these workplace situations show. In this inspiring episode you'll find out 10 real-life examples of what assertive communication can do for your career. Invisible and stuck -> Fast-track promotions Applied for a role and didn't get it -> New role created Losing good employees -> Happy retained employees No promotion in 6 years despite hard-working, highly qualified, and indispensable -> Promoted to desired role on the spot Leader seen as aggressive -> Leader kept edge and effectiveness while being more liked Lack of confidence to participate in larger meetings with superiors -> Confidently speaking in any meeting Seen as rude when direct -> Seen as helpful when direct Employees were not taking manager seriously -> Authority as manager respected Stuck in uninspiring business function -> Change to new business function despite no prior experience Stuck as individual contributor -> Got first people manager role 👉🏼 Get the full show notes here: https://assertiveway.com/44/ 👉🏼 Get access to a free crash course on how to be assertive without being rude and other free resources on assertive communication: https://assertiveway.com/free 👉🏼 Sign up for Assertive Way Newsletter for valuable tips on how to speak up and be more assertive without being aggressive or rude: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter

Apr 16, 2022 • 20min
Important Assertiveness Skills You Need At Your Job Level
In this episode you'll find out exactly what assertive communication soft skills you need at your job level to succeed. ✔️ Individual contributor assertive skills needed ✔️ Line manager assertive skills needed ✔️ Mid manager assertive skills needed ✔️ Senior leader assertive skills needed 👉🏼 Get the full show notes here: https://assertiveway.com/important-assertiveness-skills-you-need-at-your-job-level/ 👉🏼 Get access to a free crash course on how to be assertive without being rude and other free resources on assertive communication: https://assertiveway.com/free 👉🏼 Sign up for Assertive Way Newsletter for valuable tips on how to speak up and be more assertive without being aggressive or rude: https://assertiveway.com/newsletter


