About me
Your voice has the power to change your life. Meet Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, who’s on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them simple strategies to speak up in the boardroom and beyond.
She’s passionate about this because many years ago she found herself tongue-tied in a boardroom because she didn’t trust herself to speak up. Stomach in her throat, she couldn’t get the words out. Karen heard her boss shut down the meeting. Mortified, that was the day she set out to change. She worked tirelessly to regain her confidence so she would never be grasping for words again.
She now guides women to transform self-doubt into self-confidence resulting in more clients, job promotions, and negotiation wins, changing the trajectory of their careers to have more freedom, peace and fulfillment, all while adding revenue to their bottom lines.
With 25 years serving as C-Suite advisor and commanding stages at global organizations such as Google, Starbucks and NASA, Karen leads the frontline of best practices for creating results through confident communication. She guides corporations and individuals with her signature framework, The Confidence Cocktail, and is known for her actionable tips and ability to build trust quickly.
What do you do and why do you do it?
My mission is to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women and teach them practical strategies to speak up for themselves in the boardroom and beyond (executive presence and messaging skills). I want all women to ask with confidence for what they want and finally receive it—to stop missing opportunities, whether negotiating a business deal, asking for a raise, or going for a promotion.
So many of us hold back, second guess ourselves and are looking for approval/permission from others. I want all women to be free of that junk that plagues us and express the truest version of themselves; to go after their dreams and shake up the status quo. My prayer is that everyone would create new opportunities that light a fire in their souls and to go for everything they want!
I’m fortunate that my dad taught me to negotiate and ask for what I want at a young age, but I still held back many times when I wanted to speak up because I was too concerned about what everyone else around me thought. A classic people-pleaser! I want to impact the world one person at a time to know that confident communication awaits you – the skills are simple and can be learned so you can speak up and stand out.
What changed for you after age 50?
One of my biggest dreams was realized – to live in Manhattan – I rented an apartment there for the entire month of my 50th birthday. Not a lot otherwise. I’ve never connected with the term midlife. I’ve always had big dreams and never thought of a point in which I will have “arrived” or hit a milestone when I turned 50. Maybe because I never had kids, but I’m like the energizer bunny – I have a lot of passion and will keep moving forward to go for my dreams – the biggest one is to be on the Chase Center stage in SF to culminate in reaching 10 million women!
What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?
You know SO much more than you think. Trust yourself and speak up in all the places. You have much to offer the world just by being YOU. Your value is in you, the person, not what you produce. And you have so much value just as you are. You’re enough!
What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?
Well done. You made a massive difference in so many lives. I love you and I’m so proud of who you’ve become. As Sonita said, “You sucked the bone marrow out of life”
What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?
Massive!
Who or what inspires you and why?
My husband has been battling kidney disease for the past 4.5 years. It can be brutal – ups and downs, intense pain in his entire body, and at times the situation calls for the question “is this the time to call 911 or will this pass?” In spite of everything he’s going through, his attitude and perseverence is incredible. He is still so positive, never complains, and makes me laugh every day.
Something else I’d like to share
Your voice truly can change your life – speak up and ask for what you want!
