588: How Elite Athletes and Great Leaders Build Unshakable Executive Presence Through State Management

588: How Elite Athletes and Great Leaders Build Unshakable Executive Presence Through State Management

Author: Laura Camacho June 17, 2026 Duration: 27:22

Know Your Own Executive Presence Strengths & Opportunities:

Click here to pinpoint the specific area in your executive presence that’s keeping you invisible to senior leadership and guarantees you stay working hard as a pack mule who never gets promoted.

Do you ever walk into an important meeting fully prepared—only to freeze, ramble, or fail to show up as your best self?

Most professionals assume executive presence is about confidence, communication skills, or charisma. But what if the real issue is your mental and physiological state?

In this eye-opening conversation, Deri Llewellyn-Davis shares the science behind his Ultra State Framework and explains why modern technology, constant distractions, and dopamine overload are preventing leaders from accessing flow, focus, connection, recovery, and peak performance when they need them most.

After listening, you'll discover:

😱Why your phone and daily habits may be sabotaging your executive presence and leadership performance.

🚀How to intentionally access flow, focus, connection, recovery, and peak states to perform at your highest level.

🧩Practical techniques for staying calm, confident, and influential—even when everyone else in the room is stressed or emotional.

Listen now to learn how mastering your state—not just your skills—can transform your leadership, performance, and executive presence.

To learn more visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. New Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.

About our guest:

Advising over 330 boards and testing performance in extreme environments, Deri Llewellyn-Davies reframes executive presence as a state-selection issue rather than a motivation problem. His Ultra States framework helps leaders understand why clarity, listening, and authority disappear under pressure.

From very humble beginnings Deri has worked his way up through the corporate ranks, built over 20 companies of his own and firmly established himself as one of the leading experts on business strategy and extreme performance.

Despite being told by experts that he would never complete several of his physical feats he has proved that you can do the impossible … if you simply use the right strategies.

He has helped his business clients produce an incredible 860% faster growth than the UK average.

As an adventurer and extreme sportsman, he has climbed 6 of the 7 tallest mountains in the world including an infamous feat on Mount Everest. He also completed the toughest footrace on earth, The Marathon Des Sables… a gruelling challenge that can make even the toughest men crumble, and this is just a small part of his many feats.

In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities.

By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.


Ever find yourself in a crucial meeting, certain your idea is the right one, only to have the conversation move past you? That specific frustration of being unheard, despite your expertise, is exactly where Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style begins. Hosted by communication strategist Laura Camacho, this podcast digs into the subtle, often unspoken rules of influence within organizations. It’s not about talking louder; it’s about communicating with a clarity and conviction that commands attention and gets results. Each episode moves beyond generic advice, offering practical frameworks for shaping how you’re perceived in high-stakes situations, from boardroom presentations to everyday team interactions. You’ll hear real-world breakdowns of communication successes and missteps, actionable strategies for structuring your thoughts under pressure, and insights into the nonverbal cues that define leadership presence. This is for professionals who are ready to transition from being a participant to becoming a pivotal voice. Tune into this business and careers podcast for a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of what it truly means to lead through your words and demeanor, transforming your potential into tangible impact.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style
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