Tag Archives: Crazy Good Talks Blueprint

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21. From Free to Fee: Proven Tips for Becoming a Paid Speaker



You’d love to get paid for your professional speaking. But you’re not sure how to go from free-based to fee-based. Sound familiar?

In this episode, Deirdre Van Nest tells all! Having gone from speaking for free to now earning a living from delivering her Crazy Good Talks®, Deirdre has proven tips to help you initiate and increase your fees over time. 

Deirdre discusses: 

  • How structure and practice will propel you to become a Crazy Good presenter and speaker
  • Why she urges aspiring fee-based speakers to get on stage as much as possible 
  • How having a speaking coach will help you make a massive impact on the lives of others
  • Why networking is the key to continually getting booked to speak
  • And more

Resources: 

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Episode 10 – The Secret Weapon for Decreasing Your Speaking Jitters — with Jesse Tordsen



Did you know that breathing is a secret weapon for decreasing anxiety and increasing your effectiveness as a presenter?

In fact, when used daily, this secret weapon will give you more peace of mind and help you be more successful in all areas of your life.

In this episode of the Crazy Good Talks® Podcast, Deirdre Van Nest sits down with Jesse Tordsen, owner of Steady Path Healing. As an expert in breathwork, he shares how to use your breath during speaking events and daily life activities. Stay tuned until the end, where Jesse will give you two guided exercises to help you center your energy before you present.

You will learn:

  • How to decrease stress and anxiety when presenting
  • Why tuning into your breath can help you “calm your mind”
  • Two types of breathing exercises to center your energy before you present
  • And more!

Tune in to this episode, to become more aware of the science behind using your breath!]

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest | Steady Path Healing Book a Massage | Steady Path Healing | Steady Path Healing Instagram | Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor | Jesse Tordsen | Jesse Tordsen Breathing Exercise Demo


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Episode 9 – Never, ever end your presentation with a Q & A session. Never!



Contrary to popular belief, one of the ways even the best presentations can be derailed is by closing with a Q and A session. If you are presenting like this, it is absolutely time to make a change!

In this episode of the Crazy Good Talks® Podcast, Deirdre Van Nest shares why it’s a mistake to close your presentation with a Q and A session, and how to keep the audience interested until the very end of your  presentation.

You will learn:

  • How you should be ending your presentations so that you and your audience never experience the ‘FOOSH factor’ 
  • The 3 KEY places to hold your Q and A session
  • The mindset needed to take control of your stage and own the room when you’re holding a Q and A session
  • THE strategy that will redirect questions you don’t want to answer 
  • And more!

Tune in to learn why you need to be the last voice ringing in your audience’s ears!

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest


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Episode 8 – Speak To Be Remembered — with Craig Valentine, MBA



What if you could become one of the best professional keynote speakers in the entire world? What would that journey look like, and how would you want to be remembered?

In this episode of the Crazy Good Talks® Podcast, Deirdre Van Nest sits down with Craig Valentine, MBA, an award-winning professional speaker, and speech coach. Join Deirdre and Craig as they divulge their key tips to mastering your skills and how they became World-Class “Crazy Good” Speakers.

You will learn:

  • How Craig turned adversity into an advantage and propelled his career in public speaking with the mantra of “if you can face it, you can change it.”
  • Why you have to lose the mindset of “Who am I to think that I could possibly help somebody else?”
  • Why you should always be open to incorporate new tools, strategies, and techniques into your presentations
  • Why Craig starts every coaching process off by asking “Did you come here for validation or did you come here for education?”
  • Craig’s three down and dirty speaking tips to become a Crazy Good speaker
  • And more!

Don’t miss this episode! It will help you become a great educator and speaker, and create strong emotional connections with your audience so that you will be remembered.

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest | Craig Valentine’s 52 Speaking Tips | Craig Valentine LI | Book: World Class Speaking by Craig Valentine | Craig Valentine Bio


Episode 7 – The Blind Spot of Building Trust — with Guest Joey Davenport



Your ability to build trust and emotional connection may not be as easy to quantify, but research shows, to the consumer, these qualities are MORE important than competency.

In this episode of Crazy Good Talks®, Deirdre sits down with Joey Davenport, International speaker and president of Hoopis Performance Network. Joey and Deirdre share the top four traits consumers look for in a professional, and pinpoint the blind spot of trust, outlining ways experts can become more approachable.

In this episode you will learn:

  • Why competency is the LAST quality the consumer considers when looking for a financial professional
  • How to stand out in a sea of sameness on LinkedIn (sneak peek: Humanize your profile!)
  • How to create favorable introductions to build a strong connection
  • Why if you’re not willing to show appropriate vulnerability with prospects and clients, you may lose them to a professional who will
  • The top 4 qualities consumers consider when choosing a financial advisor 
  • And more!

Tune in to learn more on how financial professionals can create an emotional connection with clients and pinpoint the blind spot of trust.

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest | Joey Davenport on LI | Joey Davenport Bio | Trustworthysellinginfo.com | The Soft Skills Gap Article | Hot LZ | Rodger Johnson on LI


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Episode 6 – Is Storytelling in Your Sales & Relationship Building Toolkit? Part 2



Creating a real connection with your audience through a “Why Story” is like adding lighter fluid to your presentations, conversations and marketing tactics.

In this episode of Crazy Good Talks®, Deirdre delves into more detail on Why Stories. You will learn why this type of storytelling is so powerful and how to communicate your story to connect on a deeper level with your audience.

In this episode you will learn:

  • How adding Deirdre’s Why Story to her speeches skyrocketed her career
  • The key is to choosing your Why Story so it resonates 
  • Guidelines to help incorporate your Why Story into a presentation
  • The four main ingredients to creating your story
  • And more!

Tune in to learn more about how you can create an emotional connection with your audience and become a Crazy Good Storyteller!

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest | Episode #5


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Episode 5 – Is Storytelling in Your Sales & Relationship Building Toolkit?



Did you know that human brains are ideally set up to understand and learn from a story?

In this episode of Crazy Good Talks®, Deirdre will go over three types of stories every business professional MUST have in their tool kit. You’ll learn that stories are an extension of your sales and relationship building team, how they can help you connect on a deeper level with your audience, and how to determine the story type that best fits your purpose.

In this episode you will learn:

  • What three types of stories are essential in business
  • How to determine which story type you need in your presentation
  • How to avoid the biggest storytelling mistakes most professionals make
  • And more!

Tune in to learn more about how to weave stories into your next presentation. Virtually & In Person!

Resources:  Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest


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Episode 4 – How to Grab Attention from the First Words Out of Your Mouth



One of the biggest challenges a presenter has is grabbing the attention of your audience from the first words out of your mouth. 

In this episode of Crazy Good Talks®, Deirdre will teach you how to inspire your audience and hook them at the beginning of every presentation both virtually and in person.

In this episode you will learn:

  • Why you should skip the “unpleasant pleasantries” in your opening
  • Techniques to open your next presentation with a bang
  • Deirdre’s three go-to-ways to open a presentation
  • The difference between opening a presentation virtually and in person
  • And more!

Tune in to learn more about how you can captivate your audience from the first words out of your mouth.

Resources:  Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest 


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Episode 3 – How To Prepare Before You Step Out on Stage



Are you treating your presentations like any other meeting? You may not realize the work you need to put in before you step on stage.

In this episode of Crazy Good Talks® Deirdre Van Nest, discusses how to discipline yourself and put the audience’s needs before your own. Deirdre explains ways you can empower yourself and control your energy, to give a powerful presentation with actionable steps and strategies you can use both virtually & In person

In this episode you will learn:

  • How to manage your mindset and energy before you speak
  • What an energy protection plan is and how to create your own
  • How to get into the mindset of focusing on what you can control as a speaker
  • And more!

Tune in to learn more about how to prepare to deliver an empowering presentation!

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest | Crazy Good Talks® TV | I didn’t come this far to come this far 


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Episode 2 – Why I Left The Stage for 24 years with Deirdre Van Nest



In this episode of Crazy Good Talks®, you will get to know Deirdre Van Nest. Why is this important? Deirdre believes if you are going to follow her advice you need to feel confident she knows her stuff! Deirdre is passionate about helping and mentoring people to success, she has powered through her own challenges and shares a few of those in this episode

In this episode you will learn:

  • What life events led Deirdre to leaving the stage for 24 years
  • How she created a successful speaking business after being away for so long 
  • What Deirdre feels are some of the most important elements in her life
  • How she helps her private clients get past their fears and move forward
  • And more!

Tune in to get an inside look at how Deirdre became an expert in speaking Virtually & In Person!

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest | Fearless Living | World Class Speaking


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Episode 1 – Why You Must Be a Crazy Good Speaker with Deirdre Van Nest



Welcome to Crazy Good Talks® podcast!

In this debut episode of Crazy Good Talks®, top-rated international keynoter and trainer, Deirdre Van Nest discusses her approach to improving your speaking skills, so you can stand out and own the room every time you speak. Deirdre, highlights a couple of success stories and how she helped others become Crazy Good Speakers

In this episode you will learn:

  • What it means to be a Crazy Good Speaker and why it’s so important 
  • How structure, content and delivery all come together
  • What it means to have a great curb appeal
  • What the Crazy Good Talks® Blueprint is and how you can benefit from it
  • And more!

Tune in to learn more about how Crazy Good Talks® can help you become a Crazy Good Speaker!

Resources: Crazy Good Talks® | Deirdre Van Nest | Crazy Good Talks®Blueprint