Today’s guest is Justin Foster, the author of Oatmeal vs Bacon and co-author of Rooting Up.  He is a speaker consultant and co-founder of Root + River a practice that specializes in branding for defiant leaders. Justin shares his path to thought leadership and the tricks he learned along the way, including a brilliant method for how to get in front of potential clients when they won’t answer the phone for a sales call. Breaking through the noise to have your voice heard amongst an abundance of other consultants is tough enough, but how do you get heard without coming across annoying or worse like a jerk? Justin tells us how conviction and originality can be the key! Last we discuss methods of generating content, the pros and cons of going with the method you are comfortable with and have energy for versus the method that you audience might expect from you. This episode is filled with a ton of TLPM (Thought Leadership per Minute) so grab a pen and take notes! Three Key Takeaways: Being an expert in your clients business is just as important as being an expert in the thought leadership you look to delivery to the client. Your thought leadership cannot afford to be bland. You have to have an original take on an idea and the conviction to stand by it. It’s okay if your thought leadership is heretical or counter-intuitive, so long as you can prove and defend your content.