The Sage Sayers

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. 

In this episode, Michael speaks als...

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 nota...

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 lo...

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.  

A...

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 ra...

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, ju...

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 ge...

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...

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 fi...

We spotlight a revered and favorite MCC coach, Master Coach Trainer & Author Dr. Marcia Reynolds, who has worked in 47 countries and reached over 100k people. Dr. Reynolds comes to us weeks after her Second Edition release of "Coach the Person, Not the Problem," already an Amazon bestseller. 

We learn communications and listening approaches and habits leaders and coaches can emulate right away. 

“There’s always a gap of what men can read, understand, and put into practice with supporting the women in their lives through menopause.” 

So says British author and photographer, Simon Salt, who is working on a beautiful guide, the “Quiet Transition” to help men and women ride the perfect storm of menopause. 

He reasons: Men are fixers. We are solution finders. ”Problem is with menopause, there’s nothing to fix, because nothing is broken.” Also, of the 80 or so symptoms women may experience in perimenopause and menopause, each woman's experience is totally different, and many don't know wh...

We turn the spotlight this week on Dr. Haru Yamada, a sociolinguist, listening intelligence researcher, and author of “KIKU: The Japanese Art of Good Listening” to discover just how we do listen? Also, why performative skills like speaking, presenting, and offering ideas can overshadow (in many cultures) the often under-tapped skills of listening, both for receiving information and strengthening relationships.  

We hear Dr. Yamada's approach to listening, which includes listening with our heart and of the Japanese concept of “kiku,” a deep, empathetic form of listening to communicate, connect, and become more present and understanding in our interacti...

Like many effervescent people, Ohio-based Austin Sussel has little trouble connecting even with strangers, and even at work. He got great at it, actually, as an international account manager of Fortune 100/500s. But even Austin struggles at times when the connection's not there. Or worse, the receiver of your attempts to converse stone walls you.  

"In those moments, sales leaders told me I ought to compliment them on their shoes they're wearing," he laughs.

"But I find what works best is simply asking about their day--or what's happening next." The key, he says: "Be curious. B...

We're welcoming back to the show Harvard student athlete, Nick McCullough, now on his second semester at Harvard as an Econ student and defensive tackle player for the Harvard Crimson football team. [Listener note: Nick is also my oldest son.] 

We hear from an 18-year-old first-year student and footballer all about networking and what that means at Harvard: Getting in with people you like and want to grow with for your "block" (the dormitory wing for your second year).  Making connections for internships and your hopeful work, after the studies are done. 

And building trust, and...

Happy New Year, dear Sage Sayers listeners. Welcome back. 2026, Year of the Fire Horse, will be awesome. 

If you're stuck on how to approach goals this year, or even to bother with them, British tech marketer and coach, Malvika Joshi, joins me for episode 1, season 5, with her approach, and how to communicate goals (to ourselves, and others.)

(Popular data tells us 80-90% of professionals abandon their resolutions, and usually by mid-January, highlighting the need for clear plans, new approaches, and accountability.)  

Malvika likes to see her goals compound interest over time and to le...

Patty McGee never cared for how grammar was taught to her at school. “It was always so strict, rigid, and not interesting at all.” 

After years as a teacher, Patty pledged to make grammar interesting for the kids she taught at school. From seeing such great results and children loving her approach, she co-wrote a book on grammar, one which we can appreciate as business communicators too. 

In our interview, we hear of Patty’s new love for grammar, her book-writing process, and insights into the rules which make many of us feel stuck (like capitals...

Co-Founder of Female Mavericks, Advisor, Coach and Cheerleader to Solopreneurs Beth Mazza joined the Sage Sayers the week before Thanksgiving, and I'm so glad she joined our show. 

Our paths crossed from her intriguing LinkedIn post which highlighted that AI searches of images of female founders often yielded images of men. As a mother of three daughters and whose two exits as an entrepreneur totaled 7+ figures, Beth felt angered, and then intrigued and empowered to share the findings with many. 

Her post yielded amazing responses, mine was one, and a connection formed. I too had fo...

Award-winning author, speaker, and CEO advisor Leslie Grandy guides teams, companies, and product leaders to leverage their creative thinking to elevate their organizations. She's worked across the entertainment, retail, and IT industries for the big giants whose names you'd know (including Amazon, Oracle, and Apple.) 

Although her book, "Creative Velocity," encourages us to harness our creativity, Leslie herself felt highly uncreative growing up. She knew she was great at other things; but creativity felt something outside of her realm, which in part inspired her book.  

In our lively interview, we hear of Leslie's first published wo...

Not often do I meet a fellow writer, entrepreneur, and problem solver like Content Creation Coach Cynthia Trevino. We met via LinkedIn after she liked something wild I put out there (a hype video for a workshop). I noticed her pithy, powerful title and headline she'd wisely crafted and invited her in for a chat. 

I love that Cynthia has reinvented, started out as an entrepreneur after being laid off, and before YouTube or TikTok to guide us on how to market ourselves. She figured things out through experimenting, making mistakes, and rebounding. 

Today she he...

Entrepreneur, almost new dad, and tech leader Steven Puri knows a lot about remote teams and work. He's led remote teams across multiple huge companies (including Fox, DreamWorks, and Sony) for 20 years. He's a daily yogi, an almost new dad, and also launched the Sukha Company helping remote workers focus, finish faster, and feel healthier. 

We discovered different ways to connect, even when remote, and ways to get meetings finishing on time. We also talked about entrepreneurship, managing our time, and his Sukha Company venture, including how he and his wife came up the great name. Discover t...

My guest this episode is Patrick Chou. His career path has included a PhD from MIT and a thriving Silicon Valley career in the optical telecom business where he understands both the technology and business of pluggable optics. Patrick's also a writer and actor, which helps feed (along with his technology work) a quest to better understand how humans communicate. 

In our conversation, we hear of Patrick's career, his choices, his love for acting, and especially improv, which has taught him to ground and worry less, in even the most intense presentations and discussions. 

You ca...

One thing I love about being a coach? Meeting other coaches, who are often just the loveliest, upbeat people--and thoughtful too. Coach Neeraj Juneja is a favorite new coaching friend this year who has already taught me so much.  For ~20 years, Neeraj has worked at American Express, BCG, NatWest, and Axis Bank and has coached leaders for the last 6+ years at BCG and NatWest. 

In our interview (Neeraj in New Delhi, India, me here in Wisconsin, USA), we hear of his eternal optimism, his love for storytelling, and the power of staying upbeat, even during these turbulent ti...

My guest this week is John Hopkins University professor Consuelo Amat whose research interests include state repression, armed and unarmed resistance, political violence, and developing civil society in authoritarian regimes, with a focus on Latin America.

In a delightful conversation, a first-time meeting, Consuelo tells us what started her on this path and why she's remained there fascinated and uplifted ever since. We also explore what we (as business leaders and communicators) ought to keep in mind when working with those who emerge from authoritarian regimes. Because their communication challenges and perspectives to simple requests, like asserting...

Requests for updates on our work can startle and befuddle us as communicators. Much pressure exists: We must be brief, clear, and on point with what the requester of information needs and wants. Communications strategy and self awareness on why we feel unconfident in that moment helps. 

This week’s episode shares all of that, including a framework for getting in and out of your update in a minute or less, and with reasonable specifics within. 

Wanting more tips and strategies on self promotion, brevity, and staying humble and confident? Join my Sept 9-12 Maven work...

My guest this week is Jacqueline Freeman, a New Zealander TV industry insider, a media strategist, and the unapologetic voice behind a platform thats rewriting what relevance looks like after 50. After her posts speaking out against ageism went viral, reaching 1 million views (and counting) her podcast interview with the Sage Sayers is her first after many invitations elsewhere. (Lucky us!)

Freeman’s a voice worth listening to. Thousands of people write to her saying they feel heard, stronger from her truth, and that her posts are real. 

Her hope: that those 50 and over can sit and...

Polly Leung has long loved conversations on finance. She enjoys getting us talking and thinking about our money and planning ahead so we can enjoy our lives when retired, taking that time to travel. 

Her lesson on money came from growing up in Hong Kong and then starting over in her teens in California, US, moving here with her mother and siblings—an expensive move, and one that also taught her cultural agility. 

In a lovely interview, we hear of Polly’s cultural transition across two continents and a wish that she’d connected with more loc...

Business owner of College Sharks Lee Norwood helps break down the complexities of college admissions for thousands of college students. And she loves the lessons the teens teach her on humility, storytelling, grit, determination--all which they need to enter a college that will take them places. 

In a lively, unscripted interview, Lee shares her segue from Pharma to college consulting (which happened with serendipity). She speaks on the challenges for students, which include intense competition and misinformation from scaremongering parents. And we hear of her love for helping teenagers get their hearts and minds in the right p...

A recent live, online workshop I hosted reminded me of the power of grounding in our bodies, one sense at a time—-and with nature, my favorite tool and companion. A documentary essay of my last few hours before going live.

Your show host, D G McCullough is a former reporter for the Guardian, the Economist, and the FT of London. She runs Hanging Rock Coaching and serves as a communications coach to leaders all over the globe. Find her on LinkedIn.  Join her upcoming workshop on Maven, Brag Like a Boss.

British Marketing and Product GTM Leader, Nirav Patel, rejoins us on the Sage Sayers for an update on his life since our earlier episode. 

He’s now a podcaster, like me, five episodes into his show Unwinding Pursuits, and has learned a lot from his rich conversations with his guests. He’s still thriving as a leader and on Father’s Day weekend, reflects on parenting his three daughters and the gifts, opportunities, and knowledge within. 

We take a lovely wander down memory lane, two foreign born professionals and parents drawing on our lessons from our own...

Experts tell us AI writing adoption's now mainstream with 82% of businesses using AI tools for creating content. Good news for the AI market, now projected to reach a $1.8 trillion global AI market by 2030. 

And yet we know AI's not perfect at writing. In fact, partners I team with, like Maven, a popular platform for cohort-based learning where I'm building several communications workshops, discourages course creators to use AI for writing a course design. It reminds us to use AI to brainstorm content ideas, not to write them. 

I fully agree, and so does entrepreneur and Ca...

My guest this week is Dr. Elise Wilkerson, a culture champion in the workplace, an evaluator, educator, and researcher. Dr. Elise is also a woman eager to share her story with endometriosis, a condition impacting 1:10 women of reproductive age globally—an estimated 190 million. 

Its symptoms can cause pain and potential infertility, and yet what Elise, who struggles with endometriosis has found, too few women talk about what this is like, especially the most painful part: the infertility. 

In our interview, which we recorded on Mother's Day week, Elise shares her experiences in hopes that other wome...

Harvard University received 53,700 applications for this incoming class of 2029. Of those, 1,950 were admitted, a 3.63% acceptance rate. My oldest of two sons, Nicholas McCullough, is one of them. He’ll play defensive tackle for the Harvard University football team, who recruited him, and he’ll study economics.

As mother’s day weekend approaches, my last with him under our roof, I’m feeling what any Harvard parent might feel: Pride. Euphoria. Excitement. Awe. 

The deeper feelings, impending heartbreak of him moving away from our Wisconsin base to Boston, I’m processing—and managing, in part through honoring Comp...

“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” So said Muhammad Ali — the late boxer, social activist, and cultural icon known as The Greatest. He was right. And yet, too many of us shy away from bragging in our self-appraisals and self-assessments. We can default to vague, corporate language, light on specifics. Gems — the crowning achievements — get buried or left out.

I think I know why. Most professionals spend 1–3 hours writing their self-appraisal (McKinsey tells us), but privately many spend beaucoup hours agonizing over it. Why? Fear of disdain from a dismissive boss. Lost confidence from missed pr...

You don’t get great at entrepreneurship without being an amazing storyteller. And Mark DeSantis, an entrepreneur whose robotics company was acquired by Kubota Corporation, is truly excellent. 

But not everyone embraces the opportunity of storytelling or knows they can bring these skills they use with their kids, those they love, or friends to work. Even fewer realize that storytelling might simply be framing an idea as “our experience.” 

Failure to employ this innate skill we all possess is a missed opportunity, especially for leaders, Mark muses in our insightful interview. (And don’t even get him st...

My guest this week is Stephen Lancaster. He’s a vocal artist, baritone, and teacher who has performed song recitals in New York, Paris, Berlin, and Gstaad. Media like Fanfare Magazine describe him as “varied in tone and alive to feeling,” and having invited him to the Sage Sayers, we fully agree. 

In our delightful conversation, Stephen, who is also Professor of the Practice at University of Notre Dame, shares his early starts into music (which began from his church). We hear of the confidence that comes from using our voice with ease and the freedom and startli...

Listening well goes beyond silent, bobbing heads and affirming mm-hmm's. If we really want to listen deeply, we must ask powerful questions that invoke and invite reflection, eureka moments, and pause. We've not an exhaustive list here; but in this week's episode I'm offering up my top ten tips to asking questions that help create space, inspire new takes on things, and drive powerful outcomes and deals.

Your show host, D G McCullough is a former reporter for the Guardian, the Economist, and the FT of London. She runs Hanging Rock Coaching and serves as a communications...

Interrupting others before they’re done with their conversation turn brands us poorly in most situations. 

Coaching has shown me just how much I interrupt and for surprising reasons that bring pink to my cheeks. Sometimes it’s arrogance, thinking I’ve a better or grander idea. Sometimes it’s sloppy coaching and a poor habit I’ve cultivated from being super creative with too many ideas. Other times it’s excitement, a genuine want to share and contribute to the cause. 

In this week’s podcast, reading from my essay on Medium, I’m sharing the five m...

Select Model Management fashion model, Gina Magro, never cared much for fashion growing up. Like your show host, she enjoyed casual clothes and exploring more than prancing. “I placed a lot of value on comfort so I could climb and move with freedom,” she recalls. 

Today (with both Select Milan, Paris, and Chicago, and ELITE NYC) she graces runways in international centers in China, Europe, and New York. And  having joined our Sage Sayers show last spring in Chicago, her home base, we brought her back to talk more on fashion, ease and flow with our appearances, but al...

Two weeks ago, I coached and listened in deeper ways that will stay with me forever. I felt deeply connected to my coachee. And she to me. I slowed things down. As did she. I poured in very little. In fact, I only asked questions. I mirrored back. I got deeply curious. I noticed inconsistencies between her non-verbal cues and her words, but without trying to mold, steer, nor change. 

We experienced joy, abandonment, discovery—all through me actively listening. And the entire call, all 38 minutes and 25 seconds of it, focused on what she wanted and needed, not...

Few LinkedIn bios are as concise as Mark DeSantis whose title alone sits within one word: Entrepreneur. Of course, he is so much more. Mark teaches entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. And his robotics business, Bloomfield Robotics, got on the radar of Kubota Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of farm machinery, who acquired them. Mark now serves as advisor.

Our ad hoc, unscripted interview started as complete strangers, two professionals with a shared love for brevity and non-fluff communications on the social media platform that scares so many. Hearing Mark’s stor...