Madame Speaker Says
Madame Speaker Says is the podcast for women of colour ready to own the mic, drop that book and get paid like a legend.
Join Magogodi oaMphela Makhene - author, speaker and coach - for real talk, shortcuts and receipts to help you lead with confidence — on stage, on the page and way beyond the 9–5. No caucacity, no crusty old school leadership.
Edges snatched. Script flipped. No apologies.
Fresh episodes drop weekly.
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Episodes
34 episodes
Authority in Crisis: Why Your Work Matters More When the World Is Burning (BONUS)
Stay On Brand While the World Is Burning: Authority in a Time of CrisisHow do you show up with authority during global crisis without being tone-deaf, performative or reactive?In this episode of Madame Speaker Says...
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Season 2
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Episode 129
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26:51
If You Feel Called to More, This Episode Will Help You Stop Playing Small
If You Feel Called to More: Stop Playing Small and Build a Bold Public VoiceWhat happens when you stop playing small and finally use your voice the way you were meant to?In this episode of Madame Speaker Says, ho...
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Season 2
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Episode 128
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15:25
We Are the Ones: Imani Ellis on Purpose + Building CultureCon
CultureCon's Imani Ellis: From Living Room to 12,000 People What happens when you stop waiting for someone else to build the thing you've been craving? CultureCon founder Imani Ellis knows—because she built it herself, starti...
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Season 2
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Episode 127
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39:53
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The Real ROI of Public Speaking - with Ellen Yin of Cubicle to CEO
From Cubicle to CEO: Ellen Yin on Turning Expertise Into Speaking RevenueEllen Yin went from corporate marketing employee to multimillion-dollar entrepreneur — without a backup plan. Now the host of the globally charting podcast C...
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Season 2
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Episode 126
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1:01:50
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Why Wanting Scares You More Than Failing: Your 2026 Thought Leadership Reset
Why does wanting scare you more than failing ever will?In this solo episode, Magogodi Makhene unpacks why thought leaders, founders, and creatives shrink from naming what they actually want—and how that silence is costing you more...
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Season 2
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Episode 125
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33:10
Speaking Without Filtering: Thought Leadership as Spiritual Work with Rha Goddess
Thought Leadership Is Spiritual Work. No Ego, No Performance.What if thought leadership isn’t about influence — but about responsibility?In this powerful conversation, we explore why thought leadership is spiritual work, an...
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Season 2
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Episode 126
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1:09:26
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Why You’re Tired, Angry… and Weirdly Happy
Tired. Angry. Happy. The Truth About This Year We SurvivedWhat if there’s nothing wrong with you for feeling tired, angry, hopeful, and joyful all at once? This week, I’m pulling back the curtain on why so many of us—espe...
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Season 2
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Episode 125
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37:13
Organize Against Autocracy: From Fear to Action with Vanessa Priya Daniel | What Women of Color Teach Us About Power
Unrig the Game: How to Organize Through Autocratic Fear with Vanessa Priya DanielWhat's your part to contribute when autocracy tightens its grip and fear becomes a daily ration? For Vanessa Priya Daniel, the answer has always been...
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Season 2
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Episode 125
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1:11:13
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NonStop Productivity Is a Scam: The Lie Killing Your Thought Leadership
The Productivity Lie That's Killing Your Thought Leadership (Why Rest Is Your Secret Weapon)What if the most powerful move you can make as a thought leader isn't relentless productivity—but radical restoration? After a sudden heal...
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Season 2
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Episode 124
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45:45
How to Get Paid to Tell Stories in Time of Resistance with Anna Malaika Tubbs
From Stanford Grad to Paid Storyteller: The Thought Leadership Blueprint for Resistance with Anna Malaika TubbsWhat does it really take to build a career around storytelling and public speaking—especially when the world needs your...
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Season 2
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Episode 123
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1:20:33
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Stop Waiting for Permission: How to Share Your Story & Build Your Platform with Kutloano Skosana
📧JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER: Madame Speaker SaysWhy Black Women's Stories Matter - And How to Master Yours with Kutloano Skosana RicciYour story isn't just yours—...
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Season 2
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Episode 122
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1:09:49
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Facing Bankruptcy, Finding True Currency with Art Chang
📧 NEWSLETTER: Madame Speaker Says (Weekly Truth Bombs)Why 98% of Immigrant Businesses Fail (And What One Bankruptcy Survivor Learned) | Art Chang on Leadership, Small Business,...
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Season 2
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Episode 121
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1:08:35
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She Almost Died and Came Back to Tell Y'all: Stop Letting These Jobs Pimp Your Integrity
She Almost Died and Came Back to Tell Y'all: Stop Giving These Companies Your Integrity for FreeWhat happens when you almost die—and then go back to work in a place built on performative safety? In this raw, unflinching conversati...
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Season 2
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Episode 120
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1:14:10
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Skip the Book Deal: One Powerful Article with Kleaver Cruz
Skip the Book Deal: One Powerful Article with Kleaver CruzTired of waiting for the "right time" to become a thought leader? In this episode, we sit down with Kleaver Cruz to explore the alternative path to publishing—and why you d...
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Season 2
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Episode 119
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1:14:45
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Claiming Audacity: Building Thought Leadership For Marginalized Voices ft. Sisonke Msimang
Building Thought Leadership as a Marginalized Voice 🎙️✨Tired of waiting for permission to lead? In this episode, we sit down with Sisonke Msimang to unpack what it actually takes to become a thought leader—especially when the worl...
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Season 2
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Episode 118
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1:18:34
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Singing Survival with Joy Harjo - BONUS Episode - 2020 Replay
Our 2020 Conversation with Joy HarjoJoy Harjo—the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, saxophonist, member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the woman who held that laureateship longer than anyone in decades—breaks down why ...
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Season 1
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Episode 117
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1:12:39
Nikki Giovanni on Toni Morrison: Why "The Bluest Eye" Still Saves Lives 50 Years Later
BONUS Episode - From our 2020 Conversation with Nikki GiovanniThink poetry is just pretty words? Think again. Nikki Giovanni—who survived lung cancer, buried her best friend James Baldwin, and kept teaching at Virginia Tech throug...
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Season 1
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Episode 116
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1:05:55
Fighting Autocracy with Arundhati Roy - BONUS Episode - 2020 replay
Our 2020 Conversation with Arundhati Roy Think love is just sentiment? Think again. Arundhati Roy—author, activist, truth-teller extraordinaire—breaks down how love becomes revolution, how tenderness transforms into resistanc...
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Season 1
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Episode 115
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1:23:58
Building Unshakeable Confidence: The MAIN Character Method™ That Changes Everything
🎯 PART 3/3 - The MAIN Character Method™: How to Embody Unstoppable AuthorityReady to own every room like Beyoncé owns a stadium? This is where everything clicks. We're breaking down the complete MAIN Character Method™ framework th...
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Season 1
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Episode 114
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34:40
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Unpacking Why Brilliant People Hide (spoiler? you're not just humble)
🎯 PART 2/3 - Why Brilliant People Hide (Spoiler: It's Not Humility)We're diving deep into the real reason brilliant people stay invisible: the fear of judgment that makes you defer to everyone else's narrative except your ow...
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Season 1
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Episode 113
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27:00
Becoming the Storyteller You're Secretly Stalking (PART 1/3) - VISION
🎯 PART1/3 - Getting Clear on Your Vision Tired of nodding politely while dumber people mansplain your own brilliance back to you? Tired of saying 'someday I'll write that book' while the same plain vanilla people publish plai...
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Season 1
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Episode 112
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31:17
Breaking Into Global Cinema with Karabo Lediga - BONUS Episode
🎙️ BONUS EPISODE from our podcast sisters at Shades & LayersWhat happens when the dream your mother sacrificed everything for becomes your p...
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Season 1
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Episode 111
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1:02:07
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Living Big At Every Age with Maki, my mom!
Season 1 Finale with my Mom!This is it — Episode 10 and our Season 1 finale! And who better to close out this incredible season than my own mother, Maki Makhene, MSW? (But since I love you, I'm dropping a fun bonus episode next we...
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Season 1
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Episode 110
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50:49
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Embracing Mistakes That Made Me with Magogodi
Real Talk - My Story Behind The MicThis personal episode reveals the mistakes, missed chances, and mindset shifts that shaped who I am as your host. I'm pulling back the curtain and sharing my story—the hard lessons I learned in m...
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Season 1
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Episode 110
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19:40
Unpacking the True Cost of Female Entrepreneurship with Yvonne Biggins
The True Cost of Being a Female Entrepreneur 💼💥Tired of pretending it’s all fine? You're not alone.In this episode, I sit down with Yvonne Biggins to unpack her latest research on the real challenges women entrepreneurs face—a...
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Season 1
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Episode 109
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1:10:53
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