Real stories. Real people. Real lessons.
Welcome to The Journey : In Conversation—a special series where we sit down with founders, builders, and big thinkers to explore the highs, lows, pivots, and lightbulb moments that define their entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial journey. These unscripted conversations go beyond surface-level success stories. We dig into motivation, failure, resilience, and execution—so you can absorb lessons by osmosis and apply them to your own journey.
Want to be my next guest on the show? Tap that big, blue button and tell us more about yourself.
Prefer watching on YouTube? This podcast episode was also filmed live and published on March 12, 2026.
Episode Description
In this episode of The Journey : In Conversation, Paul Austin-Menear sits down with communications coach Janna Landry, founder of Aline Communications Coaching and co-host of the Pull the Shoot podcast.
Janna shares how her early life as a performer shaped her approach to coaching business professionals. She explains how skills from acting and music — emotional engagement, pacing, presence, and storytelling — translate into business settings like sales conversations, keynote talks, leadership communication, and pitching.
Topics covered include :
How to identify your natural communication style (visual, kinesthetic/emotional, analytical)
Why “don’t fight who you are” matters for confidence and credibility
Building a “passion pitch” instead of a generic elevator speech
Adjusting your delivery to your audience without becoming inauthentic
Why humour, small imperfections, and personal stories build trust faster than polish
The power of pauses and “letting the room breathe”
A simple structure for talks and pitches: beginning, middle, end — and landing a strong closing “button”
Handling change and failure by stepping back, reframing, and seeking trusted feedback
Janna’s closing advice: lead with your heart, trust your instincts, and “sharpen your pencil” by becoming more fully yourself
Links to Janna’s website, LinkedIn, and her book will be included in the show notes.
Subscribe to catch future conversations with builders and founders sharing their experiences, challenges, and lessons along the way.
Summary of Insights
Don’t fight your natural communication style — build your message around how you actually think and connect.
Audiences detect misalignment quickly; if you don’t believe in what you’re doing, it will leak through your delivery.
Replace the “elevator pitch” with a “passion pitch” rooted in real emotional buy-in.
Know your audience and communicate in a way they can receive, without becoming inauthentic.
Humour and imperfection build trust faster than polish; small personal stories help people relax and lean in.
Use pauses strategically — “let the room breathe” so people can absorb and trust what you’re saying.
Structure wins: beginning (earn trust), middle (organized substance), end (memorable button).
About the Guest
Janna is an accomplished vocalist and professional actor. She holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance and has studied the voice extensively. Throughout her career in the entertainment industry she has an extensive list of production credits in theatre, television, and the music industry both recorded and live. She holds memberships in SAG, AFTRA, and AEA performing unions. She has taught private voice and acting for over 25 years. With her business knowledge in media and having assisted hundreds of businesses with marketing campaigns, branding and development, Janna understands the challenges that small and mid-sized business struggles with in today’s fast paced climate.
Connect with Janna Landry :
Additional Links :
Feedback
Improving The Journey is a journey in itself, and I’d love your help. Share your anonymous feedback here : https://6catalysts.ca/subscribe/the-journey-feedback/
