Ep 42: Jane Hanson - Camera Ready, Career Ready: Finding Your Voice and Owning the Room

Camera Ready, Career Ready: Jane Hanson on Finding Your Voice and Owning the Room AI can give you the words. It cannot outsource your credibility. And in a world of AI-generated everything, that may be your biggest competitive advantage. This week, Cristina and Jacqui sit down with Jane Hanson —nine-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, longtime NBC New York anchor and host, and now executive communications coach—to talk about what it really takes to command a room, survive the unexpected, and make people actually listen when you speak. And yes, this particular SHeCOMMERCE friendship started exactly as all great professional relationships do: at Cannes, bonding over a questionable “Bates Motel,” a commandeered shuttle, and pink toilet paper. 😂 But Jane’s career was forged in considerably higher-pressure situations. She spent decades in live television, interviewing presidents, executives, celebrities and newsmakers—and shares what it was like to be the first person on air at NBC on 9/11, with almost no confirmed information and no script to hide behind. Her lesson? When everything goes sideways, clarity, judgment and adaptability matter more than polished talking points. That lesson feels even more urgent today. Jane gets real about why confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build. Why accomplished women routinely undervalue themselves. Why becoming “Formal Jane” the second you walk onstage actually works against you. And why vulnerability, authenticity and listening can be far more powerful than trying to look perfectly buttoned-up. We also dig into the communication double standards women still navigate: be confident, but not intimidating. Assertive, but not aggressive. Warm, but authoritative. Speak up—but apparently not too much. Jane’s answer? Stop contorting yourself into someone else’s definition of leadership. Because communication isn’t a “soft skill.” In an AI-driven business world, Jane argues it’s a hard skill—and an increasingly essential one. She shares practical advice you can use immediately: know exactly what you want your audience to remember; use “bridging” to acknowledge a question, transition and return to your message; prepare for the questions you don’t expect; write down your core competencies when confidence wobbles; and remember that a job interview is a two-way street—you’re choosing them, too. 🎤 MIC-DROP MOMENTS ⚡ “Confidence can absolutely be trained.” ⚡ “You’re there for a reason… Own it. Believe in it. Believe in yourself.” ⚡ “All of life is just a conversation.” ⚡ Communication isn’t a soft skill anymore. It’s a hard skill. ⚡ And our SHeCOMMERCE takeaway: AI can generate the presentation. You still have to stand up there and make someone care. ☕ BUT FIRST… WE SPILL THE TEA We celebrate women making moves, including Anne Hallock’s new role as Senior Director of Ad Marketing at Roku and SHeCOMMERCE alum Lauren Griewski’s latest leadership move at Chase Media Solutions. Then we go beyond the basket with Coca-Cola’s “The World Will Wait” campaign , which is essentially staging an intervention for our collective screen addiction and reminding consumers to put down the devices and share an actual meal. And EY puts $100 million behind the human skills that matter in a tech-led world —judgment, critical thinking, adaptability, leadership, collaboration and innovation. Which raises the question at the heart of this entire episode: As machines get better at communicating, do humans need to get better at being human? Our answer after this conversation with Jane? Hell yes. 🎧 Listen if you’ve ever walked into a boardroom, interview, presentation, Zoom call—or just a meeting where someone stole the idea you said five minutes earlier—and wished you knew how to own your voice a little more. Because being visible isn’t the same as being heard. And having something valuable to say is only half the battle. Bold Brands. Fierce Women. One Sisterhood. SHeCOMMERCE:  Website : https://shecommer