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How the worst day led to the best unexpected discovery.
Today, I’m 61. But let’s go back to 2006. I’m 42. 📻 I’m sitting in a radio studio. State College, PA. And I hear a song with the lyrics...
Dawn Ziegerer
Oct 122 min read


What if everything you want is just waiting for you to ask?
When I was 19, I was modeling in New York and Germany. At 22, I spent a summer volunteering in the Mission District in San Francisco and...
Dawn Ziegerer
Oct 122 min read


The Communicator's Golden Rule: Make Listening as Easy as Binge-Watching Netflix
We've all been trapped listening to a speaker where our minds wander to grocery lists or counting ceiling tiles. And that's the last...
Dawn Ziegerer
Sep 153 min read


Why Do We Beat Ourselves Up for Failing at Things We've Never Been Taught?
You’re in another meeting. You think, I'm so boring. I sound like really bad AI reading an obituary. Across the table, Janet tells a...
Dawn Ziegerer
Sep 152 min read


The Empathy Gap: Why Your Brilliant Ideas Fall Flat
Ever mess up a presentation? Here’s one explanation. Let’s start with Sarah. She walks into the company meeting with a huge smile. She...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 252 min read


What Being A Server Taught Me About Leadership in 1983
It's 1983. Sedalia, Missouri. I'm working at Ken's Pizza while going to State Fair Community College. It’s midnight on a Saturday. The...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 252 min read


What's happening vs. Why it matters.
Have you ever used facts in a presentation or meeting in the hopes of convincing someone of something? Most of us do.. But there’s a...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 92 min read


Introverts vs. Extroverts: Who's the better storyteller?
Are you an introvert? If so, I’ll tell you why that’s an advantage when you’re talking to a group. In every “Storytelling for Leaders”...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 91 min read


Persuastion isn't a bad word. In fact, you do it all the time.
I just finished another workshop—this time with these six amazing women. And it started the same way. They were nervous. Some didn’t...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 92 min read


Having the conversation vs. Avoiding the conversation
To avoid is human. To have that tough conversation is leadership success. BOSS: Hey Jamie, what’s up? JAMIE: It’s Brad. He’s late to...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 92 min read


The only thing being led in this workshop is the mass exodus of souls.
The workshop you organized went sideways. Here’s what you can do to literally save your team. Half of all leadership development...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 91 min read


Here’s WHY you'd love working for Brené Brown instead of Ivanka Trump.
Here’s WHY you'd love working for Brené Brown instead of Ivanka Trump. They’re both powerful and smart women. But I’d rather hang out...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 91 min read


Why personal stories are one of the best leadership tools.
I recently did a storytelling workshop with the fine folks at Ag Sciences Global at Penn State. It was a blast! Lots of laughter and...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 92 min read


Why women tell better stories without men in the room.
It wasn’t planned. I was brought in to run a storytelling workshop for eight people working in various leadership positions. Some were...
Dawn Ziegerer
Aug 92 min read


The most powerful thing a woman leader can do is tell the truth.
A few weeks ago, I ran a storytelling workshop for female leaders. I began by talking about the scientific data that explains why...
Dawn Ziegerer
May 242 min read


Why my biggest career failure became my greatest professional victory.
Guitarist Joe Walsh once said something like, “There’s a philosopher who says, ‘As you live your life, it appears to be anarchy and...
Dawn Ziegerer
May 242 min read


Funny how one random meeting can change everything.
We’ve all been there. We get invited to a networking event, a dinner, or something horrific like bingo. And we wonder if that event is...
Dawn Ziegerer
May 242 min read


Here's why vague mission statements are worse than just being ineffective.
(video transcript) I have a question—a little experiment. I asked my husband to paint the kitchen blue, and when I got home, the kitchen...
Dawn Ziegerer
Apr 93 min read


Worried about how you sound when public speaking?
Baby Sebastian making fun noises.
Dawn Ziegerer
Mar 311 min read
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