Making It with Jess Ekstrom

Dr. Lorneka Joseph found herself in the hospital after pushing too hard, and she uncovered a hard truth - she needed to slow down or stare directly at a premature death.Today, Lorneka and Jess discuss the importance of prioritizing self-care and well-being for high achievers. They share insights on setting boundaries, recognizing red flags of neglecting personal health, and integrating self-care into daily routines. It’s not easy, but we can all learn how to be ambitious without sacrificing our physical and mental well-being.Dr. Lorneka Joseph is a Pharmacist, Motivational Speaker, Life and Wellness Coach for high achievers and organizations redefining work and wellness.[01:00] Introducing Dr. Lorneka Joseph[04:30] How do we strike a balance of being an ambitious person, but not at the expense of our physical and mental wellbeing?[08:30] “Without our health, we're absolutely nothing.”[12:45] Red flags showing you’re not prioritizing self[17:00] How can we unlearn productivity in a wellness-focused way?[19:00] Dr. Lorneka’s stress-induced anxiety attack[22:45] “ Just because I have the ability to do something, it doesn't mean that I have the capability to do something.”Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

Today, Jess shares a story about what happened to her physically when she was full steam ahead in her work and completely neglecting self-care.If you’re barreling toward burnout, you’ll want to listen to this, as Jess shares some tips to help you get off the hamster wheel to something that resembles more of a work-life balance.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

What does it mean to be a natural at speaking? Or is that the wrong question, because being a natural at speaking is a load of crap?Speaking can be taught, speaking can be learned, and we have to learn it somewhere. So when you see someone that is up on stage, so effortlessly sharing their story, or it seems like they have all the confidence in the world, you know what? They have had insecurities before. That happens with anything. If we work at it, we mess up. Our guest today is Rachel DeAlto, and seems like someone who can be so effortless on stage. But that’s not the reality.Rachel DeAlto is a relatability and communication expert, motivational keynote speaker, and author of relatable: How to Connect with Anyone, Anywhere (Even if it Scares You).[01:30] “Rachel clearly isn’t capable of doing this.”[05:11] Reflecting on past mistakes[08:22] “The house is built. It's time to live in it. It's time to enjoy it.”[10:57] Relatability in relationships and personal growth.[13:10] Speaking relies on relatable stories, not AI.[18:02] Building one-to-one connections.[00:20:15] "My signature story is about a cat allergy."Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

On today’s Monday Motivation, let’s learn how to become a more confident public speaker. Jess Ekstrom explains the difference between being a “spotlight speaker” and a “lighthouse speaker” and encourages you to shift your mindset to focus on delivering value to the audience. She also shares a mantra with you to ease nerves before speaking, and discusses how to anticipate challenges and come up with solutions.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

With only 0.5% of global sports sponsorship dollars going to female athletes, we still have a long way to go in closing the gender pay gap in women's sports!Today, Leela Srinivasan sheds light on the challenges women face in negotiating fair compensation and the role of social media in amplifying their voices. Tune in to learn more about the efforts to promote gender equality in sports and how you can support women athletes.Leela Srinivasan is the CEO of Parity, which helps brands tap into the power, popularity, and reach of pro women athletes.[02:38] Closing the gender pay gap in sports.[08:09] How Parity helps female athletes get opportunities.[11:18] Importance of data and storytelling in speaking career.[15:07] Don’t believe the headlines: Progress in women's pay is misleading. [21:32] Pay transparency and representation to navigate negotiations and create more opportunities. [24:59] How you can support female athletes and speakers.[27:57] Life-changing experience in Africa.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

We're getting close to Valentine's Day!  Around this time, we think a lot about relationships with others. But what about taking a moment to think about the relationship with yourself and your own self-worth?Start by answering: "What makes you feel worthy?"Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

Growing up in a household of 30+ people, with an African American mom and a Sikh American dad, the importance of diversity was ingrained in Deanna Singh from the moment she was born.As a speaker, however, she noticed that diversity was clearly not a value of every event organizer.Today, Jess and guest Deanna Singh emphasize the need for diverse perspectives in conferences and events to provide unique and valuable content to the audience. Deanna Singh is the managing partner of Uplifting Impact, and the author of Actions Speak Louder.[03:34] Public speaking is a skill, not a gift.[05:38] Overcoming fear and embracing imperfections in public speaking.[09:40] Diversity (or lack of diversity) in the speaking industry.[12:23] Creating equity and inclusion helps meet everyone’s goals.[14:32] Increasing diversity by changing recruitment practices.[19:56] Inviting diverse speakers only for diversity topics.[21:50] Advocating for others and sharing opportunities.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

Today’s Monday Motivation is how to deal when feeling constantly overwhelmed. Jess shares her own experience of feeling overwhelmed when the never-ending tasks never seem to reach the bottom of the pile.Learn how she reduced burnout by embracing the never-ending pile.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

Meggie Palmer and Jess Ekstrom share the same mission - Close the Gender Pay Gap! Both ladies are on a mission to increase women's pay and communication surrounding it.Today, Meggie dives into these 6 tips with Jess to help you get paid what you're worth:The need to build relationships with audiencesOffering free resources (yes, to help you get paid more)The value of preparation in negotiations Meggie's three W's framework for determining one's range in negotiationsThe power of saying no Embracing an abundance mindsetMeggie Palmer is the founder of PepTalkHer, speaker, and journalist. She’s a native Australian who now calls NYC home.[00:02:43] Gender pay gap is a problem. Start small, start local[00:06:21] Craft a speaker statement and reach out to opportunities closest to cash.[00:08:11] Negotiation for speaking engagements and non-monetary compensation[00:11:37] Building referrals[00:15:07] Negotiation is just a conversation, but requires knowing your worth[00:21:37] The power of saying NO[00:23:49] Building demand by creating FOMO can be powerful[00:27:49] Collaboration and support are keyAmplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!

Welcome back to Amplify with Jess Ekstrom!Today's Monday Motivation: "Faking it" shouldn't lead to "Making it".When Jess began her career, she wanted everyone to believe she had it all figured out and thought the best way to prove that was through appearance and speech.She would wear blazers and shoes that just weren't her style, try to emulate other leaders that she admired, and use words that weren't in her daily vocabulary.But she realized quickly that faking it wasn’t serving her at all. It wasn’t until a “speaking gig” where she spoke honestly to the attendees that she found her voice.Tune in to hear all about it.Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. Visit walkwest.com to see more!