September 7, 2026 • 27 mins
A leadership and visibility strategist on why women over-explain, and the four-part shift to executive presence and real authority in any room.
Dr. Rita Renee spent 30 years in executive healthcare leadership learning the difference between explaining yourself and owning the room. On this episode of The Power Lounge, she joins Amy Vaughan to unpack why so many high-performing women shrink their language before they even finish a sentence, and the specific words to use instead. This is a conversation about executive presence for women, precision in communication, and what it actually takes to lead with authority without losing your humanity.
Key takeaways
Explaining is convincing people you deserve to be in the room. Owning is knowing you already belong there.
Every extra qualifier, like just, maybe, or I think, quietly gives away your authority before you finish the sentence.
Precision has four parts: know your point before you start talking, lead with the headline, cut unnecessary qualifiers, and end clearly with what you recommend or need.
Confidence and kindness are not opposites. You can be warm and still be clear, and disagree without over-explaining why.
You do not have to be in every room. Be fully visible in the rooms that matter for the people you serve.
"Explaining is when you feel like I have to convince you that I deserve to be in the room. Owning is when I know I belong there."
Dr. Rita Renee
"Clarity is not about saying more. It's just making what matters impossible to miss."
Dr. Rita Renee
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and introducing Dr. Rita Renee
01:05 Explaining versus owning the room
03:06 A 30 year lesson from healthcare leadership
04:43 The pattern holding high performing women back
07:26 Moving from seeking validation to stating your position
09:34 A real example of repositioning as a decision maker
11:34 Four strategies for precise communication
14:03 Confidence, kindness, and the fear of being too much
15:19 Executive presence on Zoom versus in the room
16:46 The first shift for women early in their career
19:47 The future of leadership communication
23:08 Power round with Dr. Rita Renee
25:47 How to connect with Dr. Rita Renee
Connect with Dr. Rita Renee
Website: https://drritarenee.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drritarenee/
Connect with Together Digital
Website: https://togetherindigital.com
Podcast: https://togetherindigital.com/podcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Explaining is when you feel like I have to convince
you that I deserve to be in theroom.
Owning is when I know I belongthere.
Every extra sentence can diluteyour message.
Clarity is not about sayingmore, it's just making what
matters impossible to miss.
Today, we are joined by Dr.
SPEAKER_01 (00:21):
Rita Renee, a TEDx speaker, international keynote
speaker, author, and leadershipinvisibility strategist who has
dedicated her career to helpinghigh-performing women strengthen
their voice and lead withauthority.
(00:49):
My name is Amy Vaughn, and I amthe owner and chief empowerment
officer of Together Digital, adiverse and collaborative
community of women who choose toshare their knowledge, power,
and connections.
You can join the movement atTogetherindigital.com.
And today we are joined by Dr.
Rita Renee, a TEDx speaker,international keynote speaker,
author, and leadershipinvisibility strategist who has
(01:11):
dedicated her career to helpinghigh-performing women strengthen
their voice and lead withauthority.
With over 30 years of executivehealthcare leadership
experience, Dr.
Rita understands what it takesto communicate in a high-stakes
environment where claritymatters and influence determines
impact.
She teaches women how to stopover-explaining, stop shrinking,
and start positioning themselvesas decision makers, not just
(01:35):
contributors.
We are thrilled to have her herewith us to talk about how we can
all own the room with precisionand presence.
Welcome, Dr.
Rita.
We are thrilled to have youhere.
Thank you for having me,exciting.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think a couple of thethings that I'm probably the
most speaking of being excitedabout is the overexplaining.
(01:56):
Um, I think there's a I've beenlearning a lot lately through my
personal journey and personalgrowth that that actually comes
from a lot of like childhoodexperiences and trauma, but it's
definitely a space where womenum fall into and the shrinking
as well.
Um and so that's why the topicstop explaining yourself own the
room is so important.
What would you say is thedifference between explaining
(02:18):
and owning?
And why do so many talentedwomen, in addition to maybe that
childhood trauma, or if that'salso part of it, like what
causes us to default to this?
SPEAKER_00 (02:29):
Absolutely.
Um, explaining is when you feellike I have to convince you that
I deserve to be in the room.
Owning is when I know I belongthere.
So a lot of talented womenoverexplain because we've been
conditioned to make peoplecomfortable with our decisions.
And so instead of saying, Thisis my recommendation, we say, I
(02:53):
was just thinking, or maybe ifsomebody agrees, but every extra
sentence can dilute yourmessage.
And that's why it's so importantthat owning the room doesn't
mean being loud, it just meansthat you're clear that you can
give context without giving awayyour authority.
SPEAKER_01 (03:11):
Yeah.
I mean, to know that you haveand add value to those rooms
that you're in, right?
And to not have to feel like youhave to justify.
And I do think there's a coupleof good practices I've seen in
this, and I'm curious if youhave any as well.
But I know there used to be likea Google plugin that would scan
your emails after you wrote themto remove all of your modifiers
because we tend to marginalizeourselves with the just or I was
(03:34):
thinking or I feel instead ofmore direct statements.
SPEAKER_00 (03:37):
Yes, yes.
Use those apps.
Um, even use chat.
You can remove all those fillerwords out so that you can be
concise and consistent and justbe confident about what you're
saying.
SPEAKER_01 (03:48):
Yeah.
And then I'm kind of curious,you know, spending 30 years in
healthcare leadership, you'veprobably navigated some pretty
high-stakes communications andconversations.
Um, what was there a moment inparticular that you realized
that your approach tocommunication needed to shift,
or was this like a gradualprogression of kind of awakening
to what needed to change?
SPEAKER_00 (04:09):
Well, one of my biggest lessons I've learned in
healthcare was that competencealone wasn't enough.
I couldn't know the information,I could understand the
situation, I had the experience,but I couldn't communicate what
needed to be to happen nextconfidently, especially in high
pressure environments, because Iwas afraid of my opinion being
(04:31):
shot down.
My expertise wasn't having theimpact it could have if I was
more confident.
So I realized that I needed tostop giving people a long road
to my point, right?
You have these longdissertations to explain
yourself, and that changed how Icommunicated.
I learned to lead with um issuesthat stated that um and stated
(04:51):
the things that I recommendwithout over-explaining.
So that explained that that thatwas the the moment that I said,
you know what, my opinion hasvalue, my experience has value.
And that was a major shift forme from um pivoting that I knew
something to communicating in away that moved people to action.
SPEAKER_01 (05:12):
Yeah, it's kind of like in journalism we joke about
burying the lead.
It sounds like what you'resaying is don't bury your
opinion in a bunch ofexplanation.
You just need to be able tostate it simply and clearly.
Absolutely.
I love that.
So you work with a lot ofhigh-performing women.
We those are our listeningaudience, um, those who are on
with us right now and listeninglater, um, who are already
(05:34):
accomplished incredible.
What's the most common consumingcommunication pattern that you
see holding the women that youwork with back from the level of
influence that they really dodeserve?
SPEAKER_00 (05:46):
Well, I see a lot of them minimize what they already
know.
It's like they want to keep upwith the next best thing, but
just hone into the thing thatyou know that you have the
experience and expertise in.
And these are accomplished womenthat do this all the time.
They have all the credentials,experience, results, and
expertise.
But sometimes they wouldn't likereally show up fully and
(06:10):
communicate what they knew.
They'll say things like, Um, I'mnot sure, but this may be silly,
this may be a silly question.
You know, we heard thatsometimes.
We probably did that sometimestoo.
But they're credible before theyeven open up their mouth.
Their language startsnegotiating away their
credibility.
So I tell women, stop shrinkingthe sentence before you even
(06:32):
finish saying it.
SPEAKER_01 (06:34):
Yeah, exactly.
I wonder how much of it, too, islike a desire to remain
relevant.
A lot of our members have like20 years of experience, which is
a lot.
And they are like the the MO ofour members is like in our
community is people who areconsistent learners, right?
We always want to be learningand growing, which is fantastic.
But I do worry, and I don't knowif you see this as well or if
(06:55):
you have thoughts on it, thatsome of that stems from, you
know, as we get older as women,we get more marginalized still.
We become more invisible still.
And so there's like this desireto feel like you have to keep up
with everything because it isabout staying relevant yourself.
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
So my thought on that is um women shouldn't feel
like they seem more invisible aswe go along because I feel like
a lot of that is done becausewe're in the rooms that we don't
necessarily need to be in.
We don't have to be in everyroom.
You just need to be in the roomthat's important for you and the
people that you're trying toserve.
SPEAKER_01 (07:32):
I love that.
You're hitting on somethingreally important there, Dr.
Rita.
I think women too, we often getconditioned that doing is
leading and being everywhere anddoing everything is leading.
SPEAKER_02 (07:44):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (07:44):
And you're saying, no, like you don't don't do be
doing it all, don't be in everyroom.
Um, be selective, right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
If you're in the room with those three main
people that need your services,that need your wisdom and
expertise, you're in the rightroom.
You're not invisible to them.
SPEAKER_01 (08:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (08:03):
You're very visible to them.
So be visible for them.
SPEAKER_01 (08:08):
I love that.
So, how do you coach women tomove from seeking permission and
validation to just simplystating their position with
authority?
Because I can imagine those arehard habits to break.
SPEAKER_00 (08:18):
Yeah.
I teach them to separate umconfidence from consensus.
Like you don't need everyone toagree with you before you can
clearly state what you believe.
Instead of, would it be okay ifyou if we consider this?
Doing all of that, that's that'sso much extra work.
Or what questions do you haveinstead of, I just wanted to
(08:41):
add, you know, smaller languageshifts can completely change how
people experience yourauthority.
SPEAKER_01 (08:49):
Love it.
That's great advice.
It also kind of reminds me of umAdam Grant's uh give and take
book out there that talks aboutdisagreeable givers and how you
have like agreeable givers whokind of, you know, tell
everybody what they want tohear.
You've got your disagreeabletakers who everybody knows those
guys, they suck.
And then you've got youragreeable takers who are a
(09:10):
little more sketched, right?
You really have to watch becausethey're gonna tell you what they
want to hear, but they're doingit from a place that they want
to take.
Whereas I really try toencourage people and I even
myself to be a disagreeablegiver.
And that really does meansharing my opinions, thoughts,
and voice, even when it's not inagreement, but it's in the
spirit of giving, of making thework better, the situation
better, the environment better,whatever that might need to be.
SPEAKER_00 (09:34):
Right.
I love that because you knowwhat?
We we can't please everybody.
No, yeah.
We we we just can't pleaseeverybody.
And so my thing of it, just bethe best you and those people
will gravitate to you.
People want to know that youcare before they care about what
you know anyway.
So build relationships first.
(09:54):
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (09:55):
Yeah, that relational one-on-one is
absolutely necessary.
You're right, you have to earn alittle bit of that trust, you
know, with others one-on-onebefore you can just like walk
into the room.
Unfortunately, I don't think wealways have that privilege,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (10:10):
Um, you know what?
You don't have to wait to beinvited.
You can always create your ownroom.
That as well.
SPEAKER_01 (10:17):
Yes, absolutely.
Absolutely love it.
Okay, could you give us um maybea concrete example of how women
re-a woman that you've workedwith, or even you, repositioned
herself um as a decision makerrather than just a contributor?
Because again, that's anotherpivot for women who are in
middle management struggle with,right?
SPEAKER_00 (10:35):
Absolutely.
And I've been at the samecorporation for 22 years, so I
understand.
So I've worked with women whoare already doing like
leadership level work, but theyum kind of communicate like
they're supporting the staff inthe room.
They're they're acting likethey're part of the staff, but
sometimes it can be a problem.
So one woman would come into ameeting, prepare the um with the
(10:58):
solutions for the day, but shepresented everything as
suggestions.
She would give everyone in theroom uh an opportunity to
validate the idea that shebrought instead of just owning
it herself.
So we changed one thing first.
First, we have to change thelanguage.
So instead of saying, maybe weshould consider doing this, she
began saying, based on whatwe've been seeing, my
(11:21):
recommendation, this is howwe're gonna be moving forward.
So the same woman, sameexpertise, same information, but
different positioning.
And people began responding toher differently.
And then finally, shecommunicated herself on the
level that she has beenpresenting herself or wanted to
be seen all along.
SPEAKER_01 (11:41):
Great example.
I love that.
Those small language shifts makesuch a big difference, and
that's something you can startto practice right away, right?
You don't have to wait tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00 (11:49):
You don't have to be in leadership to do it either.
SPEAKER_01 (11:52):
Exactly.
Yes, yes, yeah.
The whole waiting for permissionthing, I feel like is another
struggle for us, right?
We just kind of wait to be giventhe opportunity or handed it or
asked to do it versus juststepping into it.
I love that.
All right.
Um, what specific communicationstrategies seem to help women
show up with uh precision,whether it comes to being in
(12:13):
meetings or boardrooms or evenvirtual environments like these?
SPEAKER_00 (12:17):
Yeah, absolutely.
I would give them four things tothink about.
Like first, know your pointbefore you start talking.
So if you don't know whereyou're going, everyone else has
to travel through your thoughtswith you.
And that's that could be a maze.
So we don't want to be doingthat.
And then second, we want to leadwith the headline.
So give me the most importantinformation first, because you
(12:40):
know how our attention spans canbe, right?
And then third, removeunnecessary qualifiers.
Words like just maybe, kind of,hopefully.
I think we can weaken a strongstatement, you know, make it
feel comfortable for everybody.
Don't do it.
We don't want to overuse thosewords.
And then the fourth thing is inclearly.
(13:02):
What do you recommend?
What do you need?
What decisions need to be made?
That's precision.
Clarity is not about sayingmore, it's just making what
matters impossible to miss.
SPEAKER_01 (13:15):
That right there, that's such a powerful line.
And I think that oftentimes, youknow, we had a workshop recently
and we were talking about thismore in the context of even our
home lives.
Like even what you're describingright now, Dr.
Rita, like this could be used athome with your kids, right?
You say, I help clean thekitchen.
But if you don't paint thepicture and make that point,
(13:37):
make it clearly and you know,finish on that means I want the
dishwasher emptied and refilled,the counters wiped, the handles
wiped down everywhere, and thefloor swept, you know?
Because clean means somethingdifferent to everyone.
Exactly.
Especially to a kid, and maybeeven to a guy.
And so it's like if you don'tpaint that picture, you know,
(13:58):
it's like you can't expect tohave what you need done the way
you want it done.
And then I think again, that'swhat the trap we fall into,
right?
Is that we don't explainourselves clearly, we don't say
it firmly, and then we look atthe kitchen just as a continue
of that reference, and then wesay, it wasn't done well, and
now I need to go back and do itagain.
SPEAKER_00 (14:20):
Absolutely get frustrated when we did we
weren't clear in the firstplace.
SPEAKER_01 (14:24):
Exactly.
Yeah.
So owning that little bit andusing some of the tools you're
talking about here is is reallygoing to help save us too,
right?
From feeling like we have tocome in and save the day on
these projects.
And that gives the autonomy,clarity, and opportunity to our
team, right?
Delegation.
Oh my gosh.
Delegation.
That could be a whole otherepisode.
(14:44):
All right.
There is often an underlyingfear when women are trying to
own the room.
Um, fear is kind of for beingseen as aggressive,
unapproachable, unkind.
I've heard a lot of these wordsthrown at me and other women
that I've talked to within ourcommunity.
How do you help them navigatethat tension between that um
looking to kind of establishtheir confidence, but also
(15:07):
remain, remain connected?
SPEAKER_00 (15:09):
Yeah.
I just remind women thatconfidence and kindness, they
are not, you know, opposites.
You can be warm and still beclear.
You can listen and stilldisagree.
You can empathize with peopleand still have boundaries.
And you can say no without afive-paragraph explanation for
no.
So owning the room is notdominating the room, it's being
(15:31):
fully present in it.
And so I tell women (15:32):
don't trade clarity for likability, but
don't trade human humanity forauthority either.
You can have both.
SPEAKER_01 (15:42):
I love that.
That's so fantastic.
We're gonna have some good soundbites from today's conversation.
I can tell already.
I love it.
All right.
Um, so your work spans in bothin-person and digital spaces.
What does the challenge ofcommunicating with authority
shift when we're on somethinglike a Zoom call versus an
actual conference room?
And what are some things thatstay the same?
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
Yeah, digitally, um, everything becomes more like
concentrated.
But on Zoom, people see yourface, right?
They can hear your voice, theycan notice your energy in the
very small frame.
But you don't have the samephysical present when you're
walking into a conference room.
So digitally, you have to bemore intentional about you know,
(16:22):
um, eye contact with the camera,even now while I'm talking with
you, making sure I'm in andlooking at the camera, vocal
energy, posture, you're allthat.
But what stays the same is thefoundation, right?
You do know what you want tosay, you do believe what you are
saying to be true, right?
(16:43):
And you can communicate clearly.
So technology can change theroom, but it doesn't change the
uh requirement for presence.
SPEAKER_01 (16:53):
Yeah.
I do agree, and I think it iseasy for people to sort of fall
prey to like the the tendency,the desire, the I don't know,
the pull to multitask.
I think sometimes too whenthey're on digital and not as
actively listen.
And like you said, uh camera eyecontact, all of that stuff.
And it's but it's such goodpractice, you know, and it's
(17:16):
good for when you're in persontoo, but yeah, even more so when
you're in the virtualenvironment because I I don't
know, I think we can people pickup on a lot more than what we
realize, both in person andvirtual.
So yeah, exactly.
I love it.
That's good advice.
All right, for women who arejust beginning to claim their
experience and authority, what'sthe first shift in their mindset
(17:37):
or a behavior that you wouldencourage them to make?
Say they're earlier in theircareer.
SPEAKER_00 (17:42):
Yeah, this is stop feeling like you have to be
completely ready.
There's always going to beanother credential you can earn,
uh, another class you can take,probably another book you can
read, another person you cancompare yourself to.
But at some point you have toacknowledge what you've already
known.
And um, I would ask, what haveyou earned the right to speak
(18:06):
about because you've lived it,learned it, and led through it,
or produced results in it andstart there.
And you are not claiming to knoweverything.
We don't know everything, butyou are simply refusing to
pretend that you don't knowanything.
Yes.
That's great.
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (18:26):
Yeah, I think that's a that's a it's an interesting
thing, you know, because notall, I guess that's a follow-up
to that question.
How do you how do you work forthat when you are in an
environment that doesn't reallyinvite that sort of thing where
they kind of do, like say youare an intern or maybe you are
first year out of college andand going out there?
Um what are some other ways,maybe even outside of work, that
(18:49):
you can start to get thatpractice?
SPEAKER_00 (18:51):
I think it's very important for have a mentor or a
coach.
Even coaches need coaches.
I have a coach.
Okay, I have several coaches.
So I think that's veryimportant.
And it's also also veryimportant to have an
accountability person where youcan share your true thoughts and
be vulnerable, um, betransparent and get the advice
that you need and don't and theycan encourage you, right?
(19:14):
They can see that you're you'rebeing frustrated, you're being
challenged, and how to workthrough that without losing your
reputation and using losing yourprofessional posture while
you're growing.
SPEAKER_01 (19:27):
I love that professional posture.
I like that.
That's a really good word.
I like that phrase.
I'm gonna borrow that because Ido think it does take exercise
and practice.
And that's one thing I wouldhave to say that I love about
our together digital communityis I noticed that between our
Slack community, our peergroups, speaking events, um, our
mentorship program, all of that,like it's almost like it's like
(19:48):
a it's a safe space, right?
Like that's what you'redescribing.
A safe spaces for you to kind ofbuild exercising that muscle of
exercising your voice, because alot of us have been in spaces
and places where questionsweren't welcome, thoughts and
ideas weren't welcome, opinionsdefinitely weren't welcome.
And so it's really easy to kindof just silence ourselves before
it's even happened.
(20:09):
So finding places where you cansort of stretch those legs,
essentially, um, I think isalways good to help you get more
confident and comfortable withspeaking your truths, you know?
Absolutely, I agree.
Yeah, I love it.
All right, as you look to thefuture of leadership and
communication, what is yourbiggest hope for how we show up
differently?
SPEAKER_00 (20:30):
That we probably stop confusing visibility with
performance.
Because I see a lot of peopledoing that and they're not
authentic.
I want to see leaders who cancommunicate with clarity without
creating a character, right?
That they have to become everytime they walk into the room.
I want women to be able to owntheir expertise, use their
(20:50):
voices, make decisions, setboundaries, and lead without
constantly asking, am I toomuch?
Because I get that sometimes.
The future needs leaders likeus, right?
Who are clear, courageous,connected, and human.
SPEAKER_01 (21:05):
Right, right.
I love that.
Because yeah, at first I wasgonna ask you, I'm like, oh,
explain that a little bit more.
But I do think that there's thisis why I have the issue with the
term, which is why I liked yourprofessional posture better than
executive presence.
The term, I don't know aboutyou, but the term of executive
presence always got under myskin because I think to me it is
veiled feedback when women gettold.
I don't know a man who has everbeen told.
(21:26):
If there's a guy listening andyou have been told, please
message me, email me, whatever,and tell me if you've been ever
told that you need to work onyour professional, like your
executive presence.
Because I feel like it's onlyever been women when I'm in the
corporate or like agencyenvironment.
SPEAKER_00 (21:40):
And to me, it just sounds like I have seen and
heard from men who have saidthey have been told the same
thing too.
Yeah.
Um so it it happens on bothends, maybe not as much on one
end as the other, but it happenson both ends, and I contributed.
All of this to a heart issue,and that's a whole nother
(22:03):
segment.
A heart issue?
Yes, a heart issue.
How people, um, their values andhow they see other people um not
as um property, not as um morethan just an employee, but uh
extension of themselves.
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (22:20):
Mm-hmm.
Well, because I thinkoftentimes, right, when we when
I I guess just when I hear youneed to work on your executive
presence, I have nothing wrongwith professionalism, don't get
me wrong.
I think it just it feels morelike a performative box you're
asking somebody to exist in.
And it like to your pointearlier, it doesn't feel like
authentic leadership.
It feels like look like, speaklike, sound like, act like your
(22:42):
atypical leader, which isusually why it says male.
So yeah, doesn't create a wholelot of opportunity for unique
and diverse voices when thatfeels like we're all being kind
of pushed into that box.
But that's just me and my littlesoapbox.
SPEAKER_00 (22:53):
So it is okay.
It is okay because we all haddifferent experiences.
I've just had an experiencewhere I've just been accepted um
based on my performance andnothing else.
So that's fantastic.
SPEAKER_01 (23:05):
That's and I think that just goes to say a lot
about again, like your courage,your ability to communicate
yourself really well and to showup.
I mean, that's half the battle,is just like doing it and
showing up and being like, yeah,I belong here.
Absolutely.
This is my room, you know, and II know that that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
And if I can't stay in this room because I don't
have everything I need, then Itake that responsibility on
myself to learn more, to get outthere, to ask for help so I can
be in the room and there's noexcuse why I can't.
SPEAKER_01 (23:35):
I love it.
That's such a great mindset.
That's the right mindset, Ithink, that all of us could take
away and learn from today.
All right, we're gonna get intoour power around questions.
I'm gonna check our livelistener chat too, just to see
if there's any comments orquestions.
I think we're good there rightnow.
And then um we're gonna go toour power around questions.
So these are our fun little likerapid fire questions.
(23:56):
But live listening audience, ifyou do have questions for Dr.
Rita, please drop them into thechat.
That's why we love having youhere with us.
We want to make sure we get allthe bases covered, that we get
all of the wisdom and genius outof Dr.
Rita as we can.
Ooh, give me a second, hold on.
Clear my throat.
All right.
(24:16):
All right, on to the powerround.
What is one phrase that womensay most often that immediately
underf undermines theirauthority?
SPEAKER_00 (24:25):
I'm sorry.
I hate that phrase.
SPEAKER_01 (24:28):
Uh sorry, not sorry.
Yes, overapologizing is huge.
I'm so guilty.
I've tried to get better.
In fact, oh, here's my trick forthat, Dr.
Rita, and tell me what youthink.
Um, I instead, because I'm so sosay somebody tells me, oh, hey,
Amy, you left the attachment offof an email.
How many times have we donethat, right?
(24:48):
And you're always like, I'm sosorry.
And then you send the theattachment.
I always say thank you insteadof sorry.
Thank you for pointing that outto me.
That's my trick to keep me fromsaying sorry.
SPEAKER_00 (24:59):
I love that perfect, perfect response.
SPEAKER_01 (25:01):
I have nothing to add.
I love it.
And then if you could give onepiece of advice to your younger
self as a leader, what would itbe?
SPEAKER_00 (25:10):
Stop waiting for permission to become who you
already know you're capable ofbeing.
Yes, let's go.
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (25:16):
Finish this sentence.
SPEAKER_00 (25:18):
Precision in communication means saying what
needs to be said in a way thatneeds to be heard without
burying a message.
SPEAKER_01 (25:28):
Love it.
And then last but not least, themost powerful question you ask
when coaching a woman who isready to own her expertise.
SPEAKER_00 (25:38):
What would you say differently if you stopped
worrying about whether everyonein the room approved of you?
SPEAKER_01 (25:44):
Oh say that one again.
SPEAKER_00 (25:47):
What would you say differently if you stopped
worrying about whether everywoman in the or every person in
the room approved of you?
SPEAKER_01 (25:56):
That is such a good question.
I love that.
Sorry, I just want to make surethat they got that because they,
oh, y'all, don't lose that.
That's an important one.
All right.
I don't see anything in thechat.
Um, this was amazing.
Dr.
Rita, I'm so glad that you werehere with us today.
This conversation was very muchneeded.
I know for me, great remindersfor our live listeners, for our
(26:20):
listeners of the podcast.
Um, it's so good.
If you want to connect with uhpeople want to connect with you,
Dr.
Rita, what is the best way to dothat?
All platforms at Dr.
Rita Renee.
Okay, fantastic.
Thank you all for listening.
And if you're ready to refineyour message, claim your
expertise, and show up withclarity and precision.
We'd love to see you within theTogether Digital community.
(26:41):
Also connect with and reach outto Dr.
Rita.
Head on over to the Together inDigital website to join us if
you're looking for connectionand community.
You'll also find all this andevery other episode of the Power
Lounge available free on YouTubeand wherever you stream
podcasts.
Dr.
Rita, thank you again so much.
This was delightful.
SPEAKER_00 (27:01):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (27:03):
All right, everyone.
Thank you for joining us.
We appreciate you taking thetime today.
We hoped you took away somethinggood.
Please be sure to share onsocial, tag Dr.
Rita, tag Dr.
Digital, or Dr.
Digital, together digital.
Good.
I'm so glad it's Friday, y'all.
Everyone, have a wonderfulweekend.
Until next time, keep asking,keep giving, and keep growing.
(27:24):
Thanks all.
Explaining is when you feel like I have to convince
you that I deserve to be in theroom.
Owning is when I know I belongthere.
Every extra sentence can diluteyour message.
Clarity is not about sayingmore, it's just making what
matters impossible to miss.
Today, we are joined by Dr.
SPEAKER_01 (00:21):
Rita Renee, a TEDx speaker, international keynote
speaker, author, and leadershipinvisibility strategist who has
dedicated her career to helpinghigh-performing women strengthen
their voice and lead withauthority.
(00:49):
My name is Amy Vaughn, and I amthe owner and chief empowerment
officer of Together Digital, adiverse and collaborative
community of women who choose toshare their knowledge, power,
and connections.
You can join the movement atTogetherindigital.com.
And today we are joined by Dr.
Rita Renee, a TEDx speaker,international keynote speaker,
author, and leadershipinvisibility strategist who has
(01:11):
dedicated her career to helpinghigh-performing women strengthen
their voice and lead withauthority.
With over 30 years of executivehealthcare leadership
experience, Dr.
Rita understands what it takesto communicate in a high-stakes
environment where claritymatters and influence determines
impact.
She teaches women how to stopover-explaining, stop shrinking,
and start positioning themselvesas decision makers, not just
(01:35):
contributors.
We are thrilled to have her herewith us to talk about how we can
all own the room with precisionand presence.
Welcome, Dr.
Rita.
We are thrilled to have youhere.
Thank you for having me,exciting.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think a couple of thethings that I'm probably the
most speaking of being excitedabout is the overexplaining.
(01:56):
Um, I think there's a I've beenlearning a lot lately through my
personal journey and personalgrowth that that actually comes
from a lot of like childhoodexperiences and trauma, but it's
definitely a space where womenum fall into and the shrinking
as well.
Um and so that's why the topicstop explaining yourself own the
room is so important.
What would you say is thedifference between explaining
(02:18):
and owning?
And why do so many talentedwomen, in addition to maybe that
childhood trauma, or if that'salso part of it, like what
causes us to default to this?
SPEAKER_00 (02:29):
Absolutely.
Um, explaining is when you feellike I have to convince you that
I deserve to be in the room.
Owning is when I know I belongthere.
So a lot of talented womenoverexplain because we've been
conditioned to make peoplecomfortable with our decisions.
And so instead of saying, Thisis my recommendation, we say, I
(02:53):
was just thinking, or maybe ifsomebody agrees, but every extra
sentence can dilute yourmessage.
And that's why it's so importantthat owning the room doesn't
mean being loud, it just meansthat you're clear that you can
give context without giving awayyour authority.
SPEAKER_01 (03:11):
Yeah.
I mean, to know that you haveand add value to those rooms
that you're in, right?
And to not have to feel like youhave to justify.
And I do think there's a coupleof good practices I've seen in
this, and I'm curious if youhave any as well.
But I know there used to be likea Google plugin that would scan
your emails after you wrote themto remove all of your modifiers
because we tend to marginalizeourselves with the just or I was
(03:34):
thinking or I feel instead ofmore direct statements.
SPEAKER_00 (03:37):
Yes, yes.
Use those apps.
Um, even use chat.
You can remove all those fillerwords out so that you can be
concise and consistent and justbe confident about what you're
saying.
SPEAKER_01 (03:48):
Yeah.
And then I'm kind of curious,you know, spending 30 years in
healthcare leadership, you'veprobably navigated some pretty
high-stakes communications andconversations.
Um, what was there a moment inparticular that you realized
that your approach tocommunication needed to shift,
or was this like a gradualprogression of kind of awakening
to what needed to change?
SPEAKER_00 (04:09):
Well, one of my biggest lessons I've learned in
healthcare was that competencealone wasn't enough.
I couldn't know the information,I could understand the
situation, I had the experience,but I couldn't communicate what
needed to be to happen nextconfidently, especially in high
pressure environments, because Iwas afraid of my opinion being
(04:31):
shot down.
My expertise wasn't having theimpact it could have if I was
more confident.
So I realized that I needed tostop giving people a long road
to my point, right?
You have these longdissertations to explain
yourself, and that changed how Icommunicated.
I learned to lead with um issuesthat stated that um and stated
(04:51):
the things that I recommendwithout over-explaining.
So that explained that that thatwas the the moment that I said,
you know what, my opinion hasvalue, my experience has value.
And that was a major shift forme from um pivoting that I knew
something to communicating in away that moved people to action.
SPEAKER_01 (05:12):
Yeah, it's kind of like in journalism we joke about
burying the lead.
It sounds like what you'resaying is don't bury your
opinion in a bunch ofexplanation.
You just need to be able tostate it simply and clearly.
Absolutely.
I love that.
So you work with a lot ofhigh-performing women.
We those are our listeningaudience, um, those who are on
with us right now and listeninglater, um, who are already
(05:34):
accomplished incredible.
What's the most common consumingcommunication pattern that you
see holding the women that youwork with back from the level of
influence that they really dodeserve?
SPEAKER_00 (05:46):
Well, I see a lot of them minimize what they already
know.
It's like they want to keep upwith the next best thing, but
just hone into the thing thatyou know that you have the
experience and expertise in.
And these are accomplished womenthat do this all the time.
They have all the credentials,experience, results, and
expertise.
But sometimes they wouldn't likereally show up fully and
(06:10):
communicate what they knew.
They'll say things like, Um, I'mnot sure, but this may be silly,
this may be a silly question.
You know, we heard thatsometimes.
We probably did that sometimestoo.
But they're credible before theyeven open up their mouth.
Their language startsnegotiating away their
credibility.
So I tell women, stop shrinkingthe sentence before you even
(06:32):
finish saying it.
SPEAKER_01 (06:34):
Yeah, exactly.
I wonder how much of it, too, islike a desire to remain
relevant.
A lot of our members have like20 years of experience, which is
a lot.
And they are like the the MO ofour members is like in our
community is people who areconsistent learners, right?
We always want to be learningand growing, which is fantastic.
But I do worry, and I don't knowif you see this as well or if
(06:55):
you have thoughts on it, thatsome of that stems from, you
know, as we get older as women,we get more marginalized still.
We become more invisible still.
And so there's like this desireto feel like you have to keep up
with everything because it isabout staying relevant yourself.
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
So my thought on that is um women shouldn't feel
like they seem more invisible aswe go along because I feel like
a lot of that is done becausewe're in the rooms that we don't
necessarily need to be in.
We don't have to be in everyroom.
You just need to be in the roomthat's important for you and the
people that you're trying toserve.
SPEAKER_01 (07:32):
I love that.
You're hitting on somethingreally important there, Dr.
Rita.
I think women too, we often getconditioned that doing is
leading and being everywhere anddoing everything is leading.
SPEAKER_02 (07:44):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (07:44):
And you're saying, no, like you don't don't do be
doing it all, don't be in everyroom.
Um, be selective, right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
If you're in the room with those three main
people that need your services,that need your wisdom and
expertise, you're in the rightroom.
You're not invisible to them.
SPEAKER_01 (08:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (08:03):
You're very visible to them.
So be visible for them.
SPEAKER_01 (08:08):
I love that.
So, how do you coach women tomove from seeking permission and
validation to just simplystating their position with
authority?
Because I can imagine those arehard habits to break.
SPEAKER_00 (08:18):
Yeah.
I teach them to separate umconfidence from consensus.
Like you don't need everyone toagree with you before you can
clearly state what you believe.
Instead of, would it be okay ifyou if we consider this?
Doing all of that, that's that'sso much extra work.
Or what questions do you haveinstead of, I just wanted to
(08:41):
add, you know, smaller languageshifts can completely change how
people experience yourauthority.
SPEAKER_01 (08:49):
Love it.
That's great advice.
It also kind of reminds me of umAdam Grant's uh give and take
book out there that talks aboutdisagreeable givers and how you
have like agreeable givers whokind of, you know, tell
everybody what they want tohear.
You've got your disagreeabletakers who everybody knows those
guys, they suck.
And then you've got youragreeable takers who are a
(09:10):
little more sketched, right?
You really have to watch becausethey're gonna tell you what they
want to hear, but they're doingit from a place that they want
to take.
Whereas I really try toencourage people and I even
myself to be a disagreeablegiver.
And that really does meansharing my opinions, thoughts,
and voice, even when it's not inagreement, but it's in the
spirit of giving, of making thework better, the situation
better, the environment better,whatever that might need to be.
SPEAKER_00 (09:34):
Right.
I love that because you knowwhat?
We we can't please everybody.
No, yeah.
We we we just can't pleaseeverybody.
And so my thing of it, just bethe best you and those people
will gravitate to you.
People want to know that youcare before they care about what
you know anyway.
So build relationships first.
(09:54):
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (09:55):
Yeah, that relational one-on-one is
absolutely necessary.
You're right, you have to earn alittle bit of that trust, you
know, with others one-on-onebefore you can just like walk
into the room.
Unfortunately, I don't think wealways have that privilege,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (10:10):
Um, you know what?
You don't have to wait to beinvited.
You can always create your ownroom.
That as well.
SPEAKER_01 (10:17):
Yes, absolutely.
Absolutely love it.
Okay, could you give us um maybea concrete example of how women
re-a woman that you've workedwith, or even you, repositioned
herself um as a decision makerrather than just a contributor?
Because again, that's anotherpivot for women who are in
middle management struggle with,right?
SPEAKER_00 (10:35):
Absolutely.
And I've been at the samecorporation for 22 years, so I
understand.
So I've worked with women whoare already doing like
leadership level work, but theyum kind of communicate like
they're supporting the staff inthe room.
They're they're acting likethey're part of the staff, but
sometimes it can be a problem.
So one woman would come into ameeting, prepare the um with the
(10:58):
solutions for the day, but shepresented everything as
suggestions.
She would give everyone in theroom uh an opportunity to
validate the idea that shebrought instead of just owning
it herself.
So we changed one thing first.
First, we have to change thelanguage.
So instead of saying, maybe weshould consider doing this, she
began saying, based on whatwe've been seeing, my
(11:21):
recommendation, this is howwe're gonna be moving forward.
So the same woman, sameexpertise, same information, but
different positioning.
And people began responding toher differently.
And then finally, shecommunicated herself on the
level that she has beenpresenting herself or wanted to
be seen all along.
SPEAKER_01 (11:41):
Great example.
I love that.
Those small language shifts makesuch a big difference, and
that's something you can startto practice right away, right?
You don't have to wait tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00 (11:49):
You don't have to be in leadership to do it either.
SPEAKER_01 (11:52):
Exactly.
Yes, yes, yeah.
The whole waiting for permissionthing, I feel like is another
struggle for us, right?
We just kind of wait to be giventhe opportunity or handed it or
asked to do it versus juststepping into it.
I love that.
All right.
Um, what specific communicationstrategies seem to help women
show up with uh precision,whether it comes to being in
(12:13):
meetings or boardrooms or evenvirtual environments like these?
SPEAKER_00 (12:17):
Yeah, absolutely.
I would give them four things tothink about.
Like first, know your pointbefore you start talking.
So if you don't know whereyou're going, everyone else has
to travel through your thoughtswith you.
And that's that could be a maze.
So we don't want to be doingthat.
And then second, we want to leadwith the headline.
So give me the most importantinformation first, because you
(12:40):
know how our attention spans canbe, right?
And then third, removeunnecessary qualifiers.
Words like just maybe, kind of,hopefully.
I think we can weaken a strongstatement, you know, make it
feel comfortable for everybody.
Don't do it.
We don't want to overuse thosewords.
And then the fourth thing is inclearly.
(13:02):
What do you recommend?
What do you need?
What decisions need to be made?
That's precision.
Clarity is not about sayingmore, it's just making what
matters impossible to miss.
SPEAKER_01 (13:15):
That right there, that's such a powerful line.
And I think that oftentimes, youknow, we had a workshop recently
and we were talking about thismore in the context of even our
home lives.
Like even what you're describingright now, Dr.
Rita, like this could be used athome with your kids, right?
You say, I help clean thekitchen.
But if you don't paint thepicture and make that point,
(13:37):
make it clearly and you know,finish on that means I want the
dishwasher emptied and refilled,the counters wiped, the handles
wiped down everywhere, and thefloor swept, you know?
Because clean means somethingdifferent to everyone.
Exactly.
Especially to a kid, and maybeeven to a guy.
And so it's like if you don'tpaint that picture, you know,
(13:58):
it's like you can't expect tohave what you need done the way
you want it done.
And then I think again, that'swhat the trap we fall into,
right?
Is that we don't explainourselves clearly, we don't say
it firmly, and then we look atthe kitchen just as a continue
of that reference, and then wesay, it wasn't done well, and
now I need to go back and do itagain.
SPEAKER_00 (14:20):
Absolutely get frustrated when we did we
weren't clear in the firstplace.
SPEAKER_01 (14:24):
Exactly.
Yeah.
So owning that little bit andusing some of the tools you're
talking about here is is reallygoing to help save us too,
right?
From feeling like we have tocome in and save the day on
these projects.
And that gives the autonomy,clarity, and opportunity to our
team, right?
Delegation.
Oh my gosh.
Delegation.
That could be a whole otherepisode.
(14:44):
All right.
There is often an underlyingfear when women are trying to
own the room.
Um, fear is kind of for beingseen as aggressive,
unapproachable, unkind.
I've heard a lot of these wordsthrown at me and other women
that I've talked to within ourcommunity.
How do you help them navigatethat tension between that um
looking to kind of establishtheir confidence, but also
(15:07):
remain, remain connected?
SPEAKER_00 (15:09):
Yeah.
I just remind women thatconfidence and kindness, they
are not, you know, opposites.
You can be warm and still beclear.
You can listen and stilldisagree.
You can empathize with peopleand still have boundaries.
And you can say no without afive-paragraph explanation for
no.
So owning the room is notdominating the room, it's being
(15:31):
fully present in it.
And so I tell women (15:32):
don't trade clarity for likability, but
don't trade human humanity forauthority either.
You can have both.
SPEAKER_01 (15:42):
I love that.
That's so fantastic.
We're gonna have some good soundbites from today's conversation.
I can tell already.
I love it.
All right.
Um, so your work spans in bothin-person and digital spaces.
What does the challenge ofcommunicating with authority
shift when we're on somethinglike a Zoom call versus an
actual conference room?
And what are some things thatstay the same?
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
Yeah, digitally, um, everything becomes more like
concentrated.
But on Zoom, people see yourface, right?
They can hear your voice, theycan notice your energy in the
very small frame.
But you don't have the samephysical present when you're
walking into a conference room.
So digitally, you have to bemore intentional about you know,
(16:22):
um, eye contact with the camera,even now while I'm talking with
you, making sure I'm in andlooking at the camera, vocal
energy, posture, you're allthat.
But what stays the same is thefoundation, right?
You do know what you want tosay, you do believe what you are
saying to be true, right?
(16:43):
And you can communicate clearly.
So technology can change theroom, but it doesn't change the
uh requirement for presence.
SPEAKER_01 (16:53):
Yeah.
I do agree, and I think it iseasy for people to sort of fall
prey to like the the tendency,the desire, the I don't know,
the pull to multitask.
I think sometimes too whenthey're on digital and not as
actively listen.
And like you said, uh camera eyecontact, all of that stuff.
And it's but it's such goodpractice, you know, and it's
(17:16):
good for when you're in persontoo, but yeah, even more so when
you're in the virtualenvironment because I I don't
know, I think we can people pickup on a lot more than what we
realize, both in person andvirtual.
So yeah, exactly.
I love it.
That's good advice.
All right, for women who arejust beginning to claim their
experience and authority, what'sthe first shift in their mindset
(17:37):
or a behavior that you wouldencourage them to make?
Say they're earlier in theircareer.
SPEAKER_00 (17:42):
Yeah, this is stop feeling like you have to be
completely ready.
There's always going to beanother credential you can earn,
uh, another class you can take,probably another book you can
read, another person you cancompare yourself to.
But at some point you have toacknowledge what you've already
known.
And um, I would ask, what haveyou earned the right to speak
(18:06):
about because you've lived it,learned it, and led through it,
or produced results in it andstart there.
And you are not claiming to knoweverything.
We don't know everything, butyou are simply refusing to
pretend that you don't knowanything.
Yes.
That's great.
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (18:26):
Yeah, I think that's a that's a it's an interesting
thing, you know, because notall, I guess that's a follow-up
to that question.
How do you how do you work forthat when you are in an
environment that doesn't reallyinvite that sort of thing where
they kind of do, like say youare an intern or maybe you are
first year out of college andand going out there?
Um what are some other ways,maybe even outside of work, that
(18:49):
you can start to get thatpractice?
SPEAKER_00 (18:51):
I think it's very important for have a mentor or a
coach.
Even coaches need coaches.
I have a coach.
Okay, I have several coaches.
So I think that's veryimportant.
And it's also also veryimportant to have an
accountability person where youcan share your true thoughts and
be vulnerable, um, betransparent and get the advice
that you need and don't and theycan encourage you, right?
(19:14):
They can see that you're you'rebeing frustrated, you're being
challenged, and how to workthrough that without losing your
reputation and using losing yourprofessional posture while
you're growing.
SPEAKER_01 (19:27):
I love that professional posture.
I like that.
That's a really good word.
I like that phrase.
I'm gonna borrow that because Ido think it does take exercise
and practice.
And that's one thing I wouldhave to say that I love about
our together digital communityis I noticed that between our
Slack community, our peergroups, speaking events, um, our
mentorship program, all of that,like it's almost like it's like
(19:48):
a it's a safe space, right?
Like that's what you'redescribing.
A safe spaces for you to kind ofbuild exercising that muscle of
exercising your voice, because alot of us have been in spaces
and places where questionsweren't welcome, thoughts and
ideas weren't welcome, opinionsdefinitely weren't welcome.
And so it's really easy to kindof just silence ourselves before
it's even happened.
(20:09):
So finding places where you cansort of stretch those legs,
essentially, um, I think isalways good to help you get more
confident and comfortable withspeaking your truths, you know?
Absolutely, I agree.
Yeah, I love it.
All right, as you look to thefuture of leadership and
communication, what is yourbiggest hope for how we show up
differently?
SPEAKER_00 (20:30):
That we probably stop confusing visibility with
performance.
Because I see a lot of peopledoing that and they're not
authentic.
I want to see leaders who cancommunicate with clarity without
creating a character, right?
That they have to become everytime they walk into the room.
I want women to be able to owntheir expertise, use their
(20:50):
voices, make decisions, setboundaries, and lead without
constantly asking, am I toomuch?
Because I get that sometimes.
The future needs leaders likeus, right?
Who are clear, courageous,connected, and human.
SPEAKER_01 (21:05):
Right, right.
I love that.
Because yeah, at first I wasgonna ask you, I'm like, oh,
explain that a little bit more.
But I do think that there's thisis why I have the issue with the
term, which is why I liked yourprofessional posture better than
executive presence.
The term, I don't know aboutyou, but the term of executive
presence always got under myskin because I think to me it is
veiled feedback when women gettold.
I don't know a man who has everbeen told.
(21:26):
If there's a guy listening andyou have been told, please
message me, email me, whatever,and tell me if you've been ever
told that you need to work onyour professional, like your
executive presence.
Because I feel like it's onlyever been women when I'm in the
corporate or like agencyenvironment.
SPEAKER_00 (21:40):
And to me, it just sounds like I have seen and
heard from men who have saidthey have been told the same
thing too.
Yeah.
Um so it it happens on bothends, maybe not as much on one
end as the other, but it happenson both ends, and I contributed.
All of this to a heart issue,and that's a whole nother
(22:03):
segment.
A heart issue?
Yes, a heart issue.
How people, um, their values andhow they see other people um not
as um property, not as um morethan just an employee, but uh
extension of themselves.
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (22:20):
Mm-hmm.
Well, because I thinkoftentimes, right, when we when
I I guess just when I hear youneed to work on your executive
presence, I have nothing wrongwith professionalism, don't get
me wrong.
I think it just it feels morelike a performative box you're
asking somebody to exist in.
And it like to your pointearlier, it doesn't feel like
authentic leadership.
It feels like look like, speaklike, sound like, act like your
(22:42):
atypical leader, which isusually why it says male.
So yeah, doesn't create a wholelot of opportunity for unique
and diverse voices when thatfeels like we're all being kind
of pushed into that box.
But that's just me and my littlesoapbox.
SPEAKER_00 (22:53):
So it is okay.
It is okay because we all haddifferent experiences.
I've just had an experiencewhere I've just been accepted um
based on my performance andnothing else.
So that's fantastic.
SPEAKER_01 (23:05):
That's and I think that just goes to say a lot
about again, like your courage,your ability to communicate
yourself really well and to showup.
I mean, that's half the battle,is just like doing it and
showing up and being like, yeah,I belong here.
Absolutely.
This is my room, you know, and II know that that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
And if I can't stay in this room because I don't
have everything I need, then Itake that responsibility on
myself to learn more, to get outthere, to ask for help so I can
be in the room and there's noexcuse why I can't.
SPEAKER_01 (23:35):
I love it.
That's such a great mindset.
That's the right mindset, Ithink, that all of us could take
away and learn from today.
All right, we're gonna get intoour power around questions.
I'm gonna check our livelistener chat too, just to see
if there's any comments orquestions.
I think we're good there rightnow.
And then um we're gonna go toour power around questions.
So these are our fun little likerapid fire questions.
(23:56):
But live listening audience, ifyou do have questions for Dr.
Rita, please drop them into thechat.
That's why we love having youhere with us.
We want to make sure we get allthe bases covered, that we get
all of the wisdom and genius outof Dr.
Rita as we can.
Ooh, give me a second, hold on.
Clear my throat.
All right.
(24:16):
All right, on to the powerround.
What is one phrase that womensay most often that immediately
underf undermines theirauthority?
SPEAKER_00 (24:25):
I'm sorry.
I hate that phrase.
SPEAKER_01 (24:28):
Uh sorry, not sorry.
Yes, overapologizing is huge.
I'm so guilty.
I've tried to get better.
In fact, oh, here's my trick forthat, Dr.
Rita, and tell me what youthink.
Um, I instead, because I'm so sosay somebody tells me, oh, hey,
Amy, you left the attachment offof an email.
How many times have we donethat, right?
(24:48):
And you're always like, I'm sosorry.
And then you send the theattachment.
I always say thank you insteadof sorry.
Thank you for pointing that outto me.
That's my trick to keep me fromsaying sorry.
SPEAKER_00 (24:59):
I love that perfect, perfect response.
SPEAKER_01 (25:01):
I have nothing to add.
I love it.
And then if you could give onepiece of advice to your younger
self as a leader, what would itbe?
SPEAKER_00 (25:10):
Stop waiting for permission to become who you
already know you're capable ofbeing.
Yes, let's go.
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (25:16):
Finish this sentence.
SPEAKER_00 (25:18):
Precision in communication means saying what
needs to be said in a way thatneeds to be heard without
burying a message.
SPEAKER_01 (25:28):
Love it.
And then last but not least, themost powerful question you ask
when coaching a woman who isready to own her expertise.
SPEAKER_00 (25:38):
What would you say differently if you stopped
worrying about whether everyonein the room approved of you?
SPEAKER_01 (25:44):
Oh say that one again.
SPEAKER_00 (25:47):
What would you say differently if you stopped
worrying about whether everywoman in the or every person in
the room approved of you?
SPEAKER_01 (25:56):
That is such a good question.
I love that.
Sorry, I just want to make surethat they got that because they,
oh, y'all, don't lose that.
That's an important one.
All right.
I don't see anything in thechat.
Um, this was amazing.
Dr.
Rita, I'm so glad that you werehere with us today.
This conversation was very muchneeded.
I know for me, great remindersfor our live listeners, for our
(26:20):
listeners of the podcast.
Um, it's so good.
If you want to connect with uhpeople want to connect with you,
Dr.
Rita, what is the best way to dothat?
All platforms at Dr.
Rita Renee.
Okay, fantastic.
Thank you all for listening.
And if you're ready to refineyour message, claim your
expertise, and show up withclarity and precision.
We'd love to see you within theTogether Digital community.
(26:41):
Also connect with and reach outto Dr.
Rita.
Head on over to the Together inDigital website to join us if
you're looking for connectionand community.
You'll also find all this andevery other episode of the Power
Lounge available free on YouTubeand wherever you stream
podcasts.
Dr.
Rita, thank you again so much.
This was delightful.
SPEAKER_00 (27:01):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (27:03):
All right, everyone.
Thank you for joining us.
We appreciate you taking thetime today.
We hoped you took away somethinggood.
Please be sure to share onsocial, tag Dr.
Rita, tag Dr.
Digital, or Dr.
Digital, together digital.
Good.
I'm so glad it's Friday, y'all.
Everyone, have a wonderfulweekend.
Until next time, keep asking,keep giving, and keep growing.
(27:24):
Thanks all.
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