Stop Calling Yourself a Thought Leader (Do THIS First) - With Brian Miller | Ep 358

The Futur with Chris Do

The Futur

Design, Self-improvement, Education, Business, Marketing, Arts

5 • 976 Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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In this episode, Chris sits down with Brian Miller—former professional magician turned speaker, TEDx coach, and founder of a message design firm for experts—for a rigorous and thought-provoking conversation about real thought leadership. No fluff, no vague buzzwords—just a clear framework for how to lead with ideas that matter.

They dive into how to turn expertise into impact, the difference between being visible and being valuable, and why the best communicators don’t just speak—they persuade, challenge, and invite others to think differently.

Timestamps:

(00:06) – Becoming a Thought Leader Through Storytelling

(04:09) – Understanding Thought Leadership: Assertions, Judgments, and Predictions

(08:54) – The Role of Assertiveness in Leadership

(15:53) – The Art of Making Predictions

(24:00) – The Challenge of Flawed Characters in Storytelling

(27:43) – The Art of Messaging in Communication

(37:25) – The Art of Persuasion: Building a Compelling Argument

(38:49) – Understanding Paradigm Shifts

(46:04) – The Art of Misdirection in Storytelling

(52:58) – The Secrets Behind the Magic Trick

(01:00:01) – The Role of Luck and Preparation in Success

(01:07:39) – Navigating Low Trust in a Noisy World

Check out today's guest, Brian Miller:

Brian's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brianmillerspeaks

Brian's Website: https://www.brianmillerspeaks.com/

Brian's Consulting Firm: https://clarityupconsulting.com/

Check out The Futur:

Website: https://www.thefutur.com/

Courses: https://www.thefutur.com/shop

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Podcasts: https://thefutur.com/podcast

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Twitter: https://x.com/thefuturishere

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Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/thefuturishere

Check out Chris Do:

Website: https://zaap.bio/thechrisdo

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechrisdo/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BizOfDesign

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thechrisdo/

Twitter:https://x.com/thechrisdo

TikTok:

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Best training ever for the world of business was being a magician.
0:03.1	What you do, Brian, is you help people who are experts become speakers, and there's a difference there.
0:07.6	Hopefully, then, to become a thought leader.
0:09.7	Anybody speaking professionally needs one story that they can tell over and over and over again.
0:16.1	Anytime somebody asks, that answers the question, why am I listening to you?
0:21.2	My name's Brian Miller, and you're listening to the future.
0:26.3	I was listening to one of your episodes while I was cooking dinner.
0:29.9	You were talking about thought leadership, and it's a topic that comes up a lot.
0:32.9	And I was loving the episode, the whole way.
0:36.0	It was like 40 minutes into an episode and everything had been great.
0:39.0	And then you asked the guest a question about thought leadership.
0:41.7	And they gave a vague, nondescript answer like most people do when asked about thought leadership.
0:51.1	And it made me angry.
0:52.5	Not really.
0:52.8	But it just, I just went, there's a better way to talk about this.
0:56.7	And it's one of my little pet peeves.
1:00.0	And so I reached out to you to say, hey, would you like to talk about thought leadership in a way that's not fluffy and vague?
1:04.9	Yes, I would.
1:06.2	And I have to admit to you, I've had problems with that term for a long time.
1:12.6	It seems very self-important.
1:15.1	I mean, there's two words in there that are like, can't, can you just deal with one?
1:19.3	Like, I'm a thinker.
	...

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