Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
Castro 
RSS Feed Episode 317: Your Voice Is Your Edge: Dr. Leslie Gordon on Confidence, Presence, and Speaking Up
What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of expertise, but the fact that your voice hasn’t caught up to what you know?
In this episode, Steve Mellor sits down with Dr. Leslie Gordon, a speech, voice, and accent expert who helps high-performing professionals speak with more confidence, presence, and impact. Leslie introduces the idea of the “growing edge,” a powerful replacement for the word “weakness,” and explains why real growth requires more than mindset. It requires action, repetition, awareness, and the willingness to step into unfamiliar territory.
This conversation is for anyone who has ever left a meeting thinking, “I should have said something,” or who knows they have something valuable to contribute but struggles to make their voice match their expertise.
- Why “growing edge” is more useful than calling something a weakness
- Why high performers struggle to speak up, even when they know their stuff
- How self-evaluation can help growth or quietly block it
- How to work with the inner critic using Leslie’s “name it to tame it” strategy
- Why presence, breath, and body tension shape how your message lands
- Why confidence is built through action, not simply something you either have or don’t have
Connect with Dr. Leslie Gordon:
Website: https://www.leslie.gordon.speech/lesliegordonspeech.com
Connect with Steve Mellor
Stay connected and keep growing with Steve:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellor
- Book Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.com
- Support the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163
Connect with GrowthReady
Join the community and keep your growth journey going:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellor
- Official Website - https://growthready.com/
----
Professional Speaker, Speaker Coach, Voice & Accent expert Coach,
Dr. Leslie Gordon is a professional speaker, speaker trainer, and communication coach who helps high-achieving professionals unlock the voice that drives their next level of growth. With a PhD in Applied Linguistics, and extensive experience working with leaders, experts, and performers, she specializes in helping people speak with clarity, confidence, and authentic presence.
Leslie’s work focuses on a challenge many accomplished professionals quietly face: knowing they have valuable ideas, but not always feeling that their voice fully represents their expertise. Through her keynotes, programs, and coaching, she helps clients develop the clarity, presence, and intentional communication that allow their ideas and leadership to land.
A past president of the National Speakers Association Georgia chapter, Leslie works with organizations, associations, and high-performing professionals who want their voice to match the level of impact they’re ready to create.
