Dia Bondi is a Leadership Communications Coach helping founders and leaders know their voice so they can lead with it. She is also the author of Ask Like an Auctioneer: How To Ask For More and Get It. We loved sitting down with Dia to get her advice and tips around the formula for speaking powerfully, and how to achieve mastery before you step on a stage.
Caitlin: We hear a lot about the importance of "speaking powerfully" as a leader. What does that really mean?
Dia: My core philosophy that’s been developed over thousands of coaching sessions is that you are your most powerful when you speak from who you truly are. It isn’t just about volume or confidence or stage craft—it’s about clarity of ideas, precision in your storytelling that bring those ideas to life and owning connecting those ideas to the business imperatives you have going on right now and tied to the long term vision for the future. A powerful voice is one that distinguishes you in your domain, quickly builds trust, and drives action.
Caitlin: Many leaders assume that being a great speaker is about performance. How do you see it?
Dia: Performance matters, but it’s not the whole story. True leadership communication starts with knowing what you stand for and how your voice serves your broader mission. Get that right and much of the performance side of leadership communications sorts itself out. Because when you speak from conviction and clarity, you know exactly “where you put your hands”.
Caitlin: What holds leaders back from developing a strong leadership voice?
Dia: A few things. One is the pressure to sound a certain way instead of speaking from a place of real conviction. Another is a lack of clarity on what their voice is actually meant to do—whether that’s rallying a team, influencing investors, or shaping an industry. Leaders who don’t intentionally develop their voice often default to safe, generic communication that doesn’t move the needle, and overtly focus on skill acquisition instead of the substance of what they really have to say.
Caitlin: If an executive or founder wants to refine their leadership voice, where should they start?
Dia: They should start by defining their Platform Map™—a four-part framework I use to help leaders craft a leadership voice that aligns with their business imperatives. That means identifying what they stand for, how they want to be perceived, and what impact their voice needs to have. From there, it’s about practicing in real-world situations—keynotes, board meetings, investor pitches—so their voice becomes a true strategic asset.
What's fun is watching a leader or founder discover the points of view they really have, articulate what they deem as important in their role and industry and then own that. They regularly surprise themselves and there is immense relief in finding those gems and that’s when they really “find their voice”.
Then, what I love about cred is you can help bring that to the stages that matter most and build on that thought leadership over time with consistency.
Caitlin: You’re hosting an upcoming Transformational Voice Intensive. Who is it for, and what can participants expect?
Dia: It’s for founders, executives, and independent professionals who want to develop a distinct leadership voice that drives real impact. Over 2.25 days, participants will map out their leadership voice, test it in high-stakes scenarios, and leave with a personalized strategy to use their voice as a leadership tool. If you want to lead with clarity and influence, this is for you.
👉 Applications are now open for the next Intensive retreat! Apply here (it takes under 2 minutes). Use code CRED for 25% off your enrollment.
About Dia Bondi
Dia Bondi is a Communications Catalyst for high-impact people. In her private coaching and programs, she works with C-level leaders, VC backed founders and ambitious professionals helping them find their voice and lead with it. Her workshops and talks are hosted by corporations including Quartz, Salesforce, Google's X.team, and Dropbox. In global sport, she helped Rio de Janeiro secure the 2016 Summer Olympics. After attending auctioneering school for fun, she translated the techniques she learned into a program that prepares ambitious professionals and especially women, to ask for more and leave nothing on the table called Ask Like an Auctioneer. She's been featured on CNBC Make It, Forbes and Fast Company. Her book, Ask Like An Auctioneer: How to Ask for More and Get It, is available now.
