If you’re sick of being told “bring your whole self to work!” and having zero idea what that means, this episode is for you. Claude Silver, author of Be Yourself at Work, joins Melody to discuss how to discover who you want to be at work after years of being defined by comparison, what your options are when your current role doesn't feel like a fit, and how to lead with emotional intelligence while driving accountability and results.

About Claude Silver

Claude Silver is on a mission to bring more heart and humanity to the way we lead and work. As the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, she partners with Chairman and CEO Gary Vaynerchuk to build workplaces where people come alive—safe to speak up, proud to belong, and driven by real connection. Claude has earned Campaign Female Frontier and AdWeek’s Changing the Game awards, and energizes audiences at global events including Meta, Google, U.S. government agencies, and the armed forces. She’s been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and dozens of podcasts. Claude leads with heart, coaches with fire, and shows people how to show up.

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

If you've ever found yourself overexplaining in emails, freezing up when you're put on the spot, or second-guessing your words long after a meeting ends, then this episode is for you. Melody reveals three habits of highly effective communicators – habits that help your ideas land, your voice carry weight, and your confidence show up before you even say a word.

What You’ll Discover:

• Why your message isn’t landing – and the subtle shift that makes people actually listen
• A powerful mindset reframe to stop overexplaining and start being taken seriously
• How to get your point across without steamrolling others or overthinking every word
• The overlooked factor that makes high-pressure conversations feel less intimidating
• A simple technique to stay composed (and sound confident) when you're put on the spot
  
  

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

You work hard, get promoted, receive praise—but there’s still a part of you that feels like it’s all temporary, that maybe it happened by chance. In this episode, Melody reveals how imposter syndrome goes beyond simple self-doubt. It's about how we process positive experiences, often attributing success to luck while internalizing every small misstep as proof of inadequacy. She shares four actionable steps to help you shift your thinking

What You’ll Discover:

• Why your successes often feel fleeting or undeserved—and what you can do to make them truly stick
• How imposter syndrome tricks you into downplaying achievements and amplifying self-doubt
• How to rewire your brain to see success as a reflection of your skills rather than pure luck
• The neuroscience behind why praise feels uncomfortable for high achievers and how to overcome it.
• Four proven techniques to reframe how you see your achievements and start owning your success.

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

⏰ LAST CHANCE: Doors for Speak Like a Senior Leader™ close December 16th at 11:59pm. Get the details and secure your spot: https://speaklikeaseniorleader.com

You know that sinking feeling when you're in a high-stakes meeting and your brain just... scrambles? You start talking in circles.

In this episode, Melody sits down with Missy, an IT Director who was being groomed for VP but struggled with one thing: staying articulate and composed under stress. Through Speak Like a Senior Leader™, she stopped winging it and learned exactly how to stay and be articulate in high pressure moments.

Tune in if you want to project the poise and clarity that makes executives see you as ready for the next level and finally walk out of meetings knowing you nailed it instead of replaying every word.

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

📢 DOORS OPEN: Speak Like a Senior Leader™ gives you the system to become a crisp, clear, confident communicator and be handed dream opportunities before you ever ask for them. Secure your spot: https://speaklikeaseniorleader.com

A key influence skill of executive leaders is “reading the room,” but HOW do you do it? In this episode, you’ll hear from Candice, an analytics leader at Google. She shares exactly how she learned to diagnose someone's communication style in minutes and tailor her message on the fly. You'll hear the framework she uses to read any room (interviews, stakeholder meetings, even emails), how she positions the same achievement differently depending on who's listening, and more. If you've ever felt like you're guessing in high-stakes moments and need a system for reading people fast, this conversation gives you one.

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

In this value-packed replay of Melody’s most recent training, you will:

• Discover a 3-second test that reveals whether you sound credible and executive-ready…or still like a junior executor
• Say goodbye to agonizing over the "right" thing to say. THIS matters more than accuracy
• Learn one simple structure to go from a rambling response to laser-sharp clarity
• Get five words that flip a combative conversation into strategic problem-solving
• See what you're missing in every status meeting that could position you for promotion

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

📢DOORS OPEN: Speak Like a Senior Leader™ gives you the system to become a crisp, clear, confident communicator and be handed dream opportunities before you ever ask for them. Secure your spot: https://speaklikeaseniorleader.com

You keep waiting for someone to tell you the secret of what's actually standing between you and the next level. It feels like everyone else got a handbook that you didn't. In this episode, Speak Like a Senior Leader™ graduate Lindsey DellaDonna shares how she went from being stuck in this maddening limbo – on the cusp of director for months with no clear path forward for years – to getting promoted in a matter of months by finally cracking the code on what "executive presence" and "strategic communication" mean in practice.

What You’ll Discover:

• Why executive meeting invites don't equal promotion readiness – and the real test of whether you're advancing
• The communication shift that turned polite nods into executive action on Lindsey's ideas
• What "leadership presence" means in practice when your evaluators can't define it
• How Lindsey restructured her presentations for faster buy-in – without changing her actual work

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

🎟️ FREE TRAINING: RSVP for 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader happening December 3rd 5pm ET: https://melodywilding.com/training

Your manager says you're ready. You're getting pulled into important meetings. Leadership says "on their radar." But somehow, the promotion never seems to happen. Welcome to promotion purgatory. In this episode, Melody reveals signs you're stuck in this limbo without even realizing it and shares how to break out without working harder, playing politics, or leaving your company.

What You’ll Discover:

• The hidden message behind vague feedback like "executive presence" (and why your manager can't explain how to fix it)
• Why the instinct to "prove yourself" backfires – and what to do instead
• A little-known skill that shows you're already operating at the next level before the promotion happens

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Follow Melody on LinkedIn
4. Follow Melody on Instagram
5. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up