Speak In Flow

About Speak In Flow

How loud is your inner critic? Would you love to silence the inner critic and develop the skills to Speak in Flow? After a decade of studying the state of flow, Melinda Lee has found the actionable and practical steps for heart-centred leaders to develop their communication confidence. Melinda helps leaders like you overcome their fear of public speaking and transform self-doubt into confidence & freedom, so they can exponentially increase their impact with heart and ease. We all have an internal dial of authentic strength, and when we learn to turn it up in spite of our circumstances, people feel and hear us, and our world changes. That is the power of our voice. When we Speak in Flow: · We feel free to be ourselves. · We speak from the heart. · We can connect with our audience · We feel more in alignment with our purpose. · Other people are attracted to us, and more opportunities show up! There are many ways to manifest authority, abundance and influence. What I stand for and love doing is empowering others to get in touch with their heart, tune into their intuition, and communicate their truth. This is Speak in Flow.

Publisher

Melinda Lee

Category

business · business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Apr 2023

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

182 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   The Ownership Mentality Every CEO Wishes Their Team Had

   If you look at the work environment globally right now, you’ve surely heard people say things like, “Why would I go the extra mile if this company isn’t even mine?” And they have a point. If employees don’t feel that the company’s growth is their growth, they won’t put their max into it. That’s where ownership comes in. Christine Simmons, entrepreneur, strategist, and self-described recovering C-suite executive, joins Melinda Lee to explain how leaders build an ownership mentality in people who never signed a cap table. In This Episode, You Will Learn: Ownership Is a Mentality Before It’s a Cap Table “There’s a mentality of equity before you get to the cap table.” Why people can think and act like owners without owning a share, and how the shift from checking off KPIs to understanding their impact changes the way someone shows up. Connect the Small Piece to the Big Picture Why leaders who are too busy to explain the “why” lose the buy-in they need, and how tying a single task, even a two-second edit in a video, to its effect on the team, the company, and the wider ecosystem turns a job into a contribution. Delivered Isn’t the Same as Received “Just because I delivered that message does not mean it was received.” Why a town hall announcement doesn’t create ownership, and how getting to know your people as whole humans lets you adapt the same message so it lands, like one song played in many genres. Ownership Looks Different in Every Person “Throw a piece of trash down in the middle of the room, and wait to see who picks it up.” How to tell project leaders from people leaders, and why building on people’s strengths, instead of forcing them into roles that don’t fit, wins more than fixing weaknesses. Lead So It Thrives Without You “You need to want it to thrive without you.” Why replacing “because I said so” with real dialogue, creating a safe space for feedback, and taking the ego out of the equation is what frees leaders to focus on the creative work only they can do. _____________________________________ A great person can still be a bad fit. Waiting to find that out is the most expensive way to learn it. Read our guide on how to hire the right people for a startup. _____________________________________ About the Guest: Christine Simmons is an entrepreneur, strategist, and former C-suite executive with 20+ years of experience leading transformational change across sports, media, and entertainment. She has served as COO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars) and President and COO of the Los Angeles Sparks, and held leadership roles at Magic Johnson Enterprises, Disney, and NBCUniversal. Today, she advises organizations through her consulting firm, Alis Volat Propriis, co-founded 360 Impact Collective to help top athletes turn their platforms into lasting impact, and teaches a course on social impact in sports and entertainment at the University of Miami’s Law School. Connect with Christine Simmons: IG @unapologetically_christine linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unapologeticallychristine/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/unapologeticallychristine/) FB: https://www.facebook.com/UnapologeticallyChristineNicole (https://www.facebook.com/UnapologeticallyChristineNicole) YouTube: @UnapologeticallyChristine Fun Facts: 🏍️ Grew up water skiing and dirt bike riding 🧬 Self-described genealogy nerd who has traced her family history back to 1840 👦 Proudest achievement: being mom to her son, Christian _____________________________________ About Melinda: Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results. She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence. Website: https://speakinflow.com/ (https://speakinflow.com/) Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow (https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow) Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow (https://instagram.com/speakinflow?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

2. 

   22 Oct 2026

   The Leadership Rule That Works at Every Company Size

   Companies change, and markets shift, but some leadership principles stay the same. In this conversation, Melinda Lee sits down with Kian Alavi, the co-founder and CEO of Mazlo. He talks about the principles that have stayed the same at every stage of his company's growth, explaining why these principles are the key to getting around the “founder's trap.” Basically, when every decision still goes back to the CEO, a team built on trust, ownership, and the right people can carry the mission without you in every room. In This Episode, You Will Learn: Your Inbox can be a Red Flag “If you've got great people on your team, you should be getting fewer emails or having an easier time managing them.” A constant stream of requests that need your response is a symptom of an organization built around one person. Why You Can’t Let Go The honest answers behind micromanagement are not trusting the person, not setting them up to succeed, and not being clear on what you’re asking and why. “It won’t get done right unless I do it” is almost always false. Delegation vs. Ownership “If you’re delegating appropriately, you’re actually shipping their work to them.” The difference between handing over a task and handing over responsibility shapes whether work gets done well, quickly, and without follow-up. Also, a task that needs chasing usually signals misalignment, not a motivation problem. The Right People and the Courage to Move Quickly “The CEO's job is to be fierce and defend and protect their team.” Why keeping an ill-fitting person in a role costs the whole team, how a great person can still be a bad fit, and why acting early is a form of respect for everyone involved. _________________________________ In a startup, one hire can represent 5-20% of your entire team. A bad hire can cost 15,000–30,000 and result in months of lost momentum. In our latest article, we explain how to hire based on your company's stage, develop a hiring process that surpasses gut feeling, and take action quickly when a candidate isn't the right fit. _________________________________ About the Guest: Kian Alavi is the co-founder and CEO of Mazlo, the financial infrastructure for nonprofits and fiscal sponsors. Mazlo brings banking, payments, and accounting into one platform built specifically for the back office of a sector representing 1.5 million U.S. nonprofits. Today, Mazlo serves nonprofits across 47 states and has surpassed a quarter billion dollars in funding volume in under two years. Its platform removes up to 90% of the manual reconciliation work that burdens finance teams, automatically enforces fund restrictions, and replaces month-end guesswork with real-time financial visibility. Connect with Kian Alavi: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kianalavi/?isSelfProfile=false Website: https://www.mazlo.com/ Mazlo’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mazlo-official/ Fun Facts: 👨👧👦 Dad of two 🥾 Enjoys hiking and biking ⚽ Coaches youth sports 🌱 Mentors young adults _________________________________ About Melinda: Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results. She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence. Website: https://speakinflow.com/ (https://speakinflow.com/) Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow (https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow) Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow (https://instagram.com/speakinflow?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

3. 

   15 Oct 2026

   How Union Negotiations Reveal the Real Cost of Misalignment

   “Alignment” may sound like a buzzword until it results in a strike, diminished performance, or unachieved goals. In this episode, Yvonne Cheng, a member benefits consultant at the California Teachers Association, joins Melinda Lee to discuss what effective alignment looks like in practice. With her experience representing a union of over 310,000 members and two decades in corporate retail leadership, Yvonne offers valuable insights into achieving alignment when the stakes are high. In This Episode, You Will Learn: Alignment Starts With Listening, Not Assuming Why the first step to successful leadership, whether running a company or representing 310,000 educators, is listening to what people actually need rather than assuming you already know. What Happens When Alignment Breaks Down “If they're aligned together, everything could go so much more smoothly.” How misalignment between a school district and its local union escalated into strikes lasting up to twelve days, and what that disruption reveals about the real cost of unresolved disagreement. The CEO Who Knew Her Name “I really felt seen and heard.” A personal story from two decades in corporate retail on the difference between managers who communicated expectations clearly and those who didn't, and how that gap directly shaped success or failure on the job. Shared Understanding as the Real Goal Why alignment doesn't require everyone to agree on everything, but does require a genuine channel for disagreement, perspective, and feedback to be heard and acted on before it turns into disruption. _____________________________________________ Your training isn't wrong when it's built. It's outdated by the time it arrives. The half-life of a technical skill is now less than 2.5 years, and static courses can't keep up. Read our latest article to learn how to upgrade your training and increase your ROI. _____________________________________________ About the Guest: Yvonne Cheng is a benefits professional with more than 10 years of experience in benefits, customer experience, partnerships, and program development. She currently works at the California Teachers Association in the Member Benefits Department, where she helps CTA members access valuable resources, programs, and services that support their financial, personal, and professional well-being. Connect with Yvonne Cheng: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-cheng-67a3038/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-cheng-67a3038/ ) Fun Facts: 🎤 Has been to over 12 Backstreet Boys concerts _____________________________________________ About Melinda: Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results. She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and has worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence. Website: https://speakinflow.com/ (https://speakinflow.com/) Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow (https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow) Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow (https://instagram.com/speakinflow) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcast review. Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

Who has been a guest on Speak In Flow

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• James Weisberg
• Jaime Lee
• Rohin Parkar
• Jonathan Holburt
• Tony Zirnoon

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

13 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

95

Social presence

91

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

Contact Speak In Flow

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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