We’re living in a trust recession—and most leaders are still showing up like it’s business as usual. In this episode, I’m joined by Salvatore Manzi—executive communication coach and author of the upcoming book Clear and Compelling—to talk about what it really takes to build trust before you speak.

Let’s keep it real: memorizing talking points and “performing” presence isn’t cutting it anymore. Leaders today must embody credibility from the inside out—and that means aligning identity, values, and voice with the external moments that matter.

We’re unpacking:

• Why self-trust is a prerequisite for market trust

• How over-relying on comms teams and scripts erodes credibility

• The “trust leaks” you’re not thinking about (like your tone of voice)

• The link between identity, legacy, and external influence

If your leaders sound robotic, go off-script in a panic, or leave audiences uninspired—it’s not a polish problem. It’s a preparation problem. And this episode is your fix.

What you’ll learn:

• The trust-building signals leaders must send before they say a word

• How to shift from “company rep” to recognized authority

• The biggest trust killers hiding in plain sight

• Why identity is the leadership strategy no one’s talking about

Resources mentioned:

• Salvatore Manzi’s Clear & Compelling Resource Library: https://clearandcompellingplaybook.com

• Connect with Salvatore on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salvatoremanzi/

Your Next Steps:

• Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us

• Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/

• Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

Some of the most powerful people inside STEM companies are also the least visible—and that invisibility is quietly eroding trust in the market.

In this solo episode, I’m breaking down a leadership blind spot I see everywhere: technical leaders whose credibility is trapped internally while investors, talent, and customers are forming opinions externally. CTOs, heads of product, and engineering leaders often understand the future best—yet they’ve been trained to stay heads-down in a world that now rewards visible, intentional leadership.

This isn’t about personal branding or turning engineers into influencers. Let’s fix that narrative.
This is about leadership infrastructure—and recognizing that external influence is no longer optional. It’s baseline performance.

If you’re a technical leader navigating visibility, or an executive wondering why trust feels harder to earn than it used to be, this episode will change how you think about leadership, credibility, and silence.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why silence from technical leaders actively erodes trust
• The difference between internal authority and external credibility
• How to communicate complex work without hype
• What intentional external leadership actually looks like

• Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us
• Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/
• Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

If you want this even sharper (ultra-short, Apple Podcasts–style) or adapted for YouTube descriptions vs. podcast apps, say the word and I’ll trim it further.

If you think influence is just about being visible, we need to fix that. In this episode, I’m spilling the tea on why attention is currency—and how leaders are quietly burning through it every time they show up unprepared, over-scripted, or disconnected from the humans on the other side of the room.

I’m joined by speaker, author, and founder of Engagify, Anders Boulanger. After nearly two decades commanding attention on global stages and trade show floors, Anders has cracked the code on what actually makes people listen, trust, and remember you.

We get real about why smart leaders still lose the room, how executive communication has become dangerously dehumanized, and why external engagement failures are far more expensive than most companies realize. From monotone delivery and robotic messaging to leaders who can’t articulate a single original point of view—nothing is off limits.

This isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being effective. And if you’re a leader representing your company in public—investors, media, talent, or the market at large—this conversation is required listening.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why attention isn’t free—and how leaders unknowingly waste it

• The fastest ways executives lose trust the moment they open their mouth

• How to balance authority and warmth without sounding scripted or sloppy

• What “rehumanizing executive communication” actually looks like in practice

Resources & Mentions:

• Learn more about Anders, grab his PDF, and Book: https://engagify.ai/engage-first/

• Follow Anders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersboulanger

• Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us

• Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/

• Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com