19 hours ago

294: From Panels to Keynotes: The Real Path to Becoming a Speaker | JD Miller & Sean Barnes

Most people who want to speak on stage have no idea how the first step actually happens. JD Miller does. He is the CEO of the James Duane Group and SVP at CyberRisk Alliance, he runs events across the country, and he decides who gets a microphone and who does not.

In this conversation, Sean Barnes and JD break down the real progression from nobody to keynote speaker. It starts with a phone and a tripod in your living room. It moves to a panel seat, then a fireside chat, then a short session, then the keynote. JD explains what he checks on LinkedIn before he books anyone, why he intentionally gives first-time speakers a slot, and why the ask should never come in the first conversation.

They also get into why copying another speaker sets you up to fail, how one recorded conversation turns into a dozen assets, and why picking one platform beats being everywhere. Sean shares the six years he spoke for free and the mistake he made telling organizers he could talk about anything. JD shares the night he literally fell off the back of a stage and why it helped him.

If you are an executive who wants a bigger voice and does not know where to start, this is the roadmap.

Key Moments

0:09 - How Sean and JD first met, and why the connection stuck

1:05 - JD's path: church announcements, sports anchor, thousands of broadcasts, hundreds of podcasts

2:21 - Sean's story: extreme introvert to keynote speaker, and why people do not believe it

2:51 - You can be a public speaker no matter where you land on the introvert scale

3:36 - Toastmasters, improv, and practicing into a microphone with nobody listening

4:19 - Why short-form clips train you to land the plane

5:39 - The worst thing you can do is compare yourself to someone with 30 years in

6:33 - Sean on speaking free for almost six years to get the reps

8:20 - The mistake of telling an organizer you can talk about anything

9:07 - Do not be the Cheesecake Factory of topics. Keep it small and specific

9:57 - How to actually get on a panel: build the network first

11:07 - Why JD books first-time speakers on purpose, and where he places them

12:27 - Build the relationship before you make the ask

13:14 - The QR code badge trick that removes friction

14:07 - Getting comfortable being uncomfortable

15:59 - Stage skills carry straight into the boardroom

16:14 - The extrovert's hardest lesson: let silence breathe

17:03 - Eye contact as a signal, on a panel and in a meeting

18:18 - How JD opens a room and gets an audience leaning forward

20:16 - Do not copy your mentor. Borrow traits and make them yours

22:32 - Document everything and build social proof

23:41 - What JD checks before he agrees to book someone

24:20 - One piece of content is really 12 pieces of content

26:08 - Know where your audience lives and stop trying to be everywhere

27:50 - The 4-1-1 approach to posting

29:11 - Be patient, and find a mentor who has done it

30:17 - Failure stories, including the time JD fell off the stage

31:31 - When you fumble, keep moving and never apologize

32:43 - The full path, start to keynote, in one recap

33:13 - Where to find JD

Key Takeaways

Start smaller than you think you should. A phone on a tripod, a panel seat in the corner, four people in a room. Reps come before pay, and for Sean that meant roughly six years of speaking for free.
Own one topic, not every topic. Telling an organizer you can speak on anything pushes the work onto them and cheapens your brand. A narrow, specific topic makes you easy to book.
Build the relationship before the ask. Organizers check your LinkedIn for a voice and a track record before anything else. Show up, connect, create content, then ask next year.

Podcast Show Notes – Episode 294 | 08.11.2026

Episode Title: From Panels to Keynotes: The Real Path to Becoming a Speaker | JD Miller & Sean Barnes

Guest: JD Miller

CEO, James Duane Group

SVP, CyberRisk Alliance

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

Website: https://www.jamesdwayne.com/

Host: Sean Barnes

Wolf Executives, Houston, TX

Website:
https://www.wolfexecutives.com

https://www.seanbarnes.com

LinkedIn: