1:1 Program

Signature Story Program

Find the signature of your work and build it to hold in any room, on any stage, in any conversation that matters.

Two admissions per month. Application only.

There comes a moment when people need more than expertise

They ask you for a keynote. An interview. A podcast. A panel. An internal event. They want to know how you see the world, what perspective you have developed, and why it matters.

That is often the moment you discover expertise alone is no longer enough.

The more experience you build, the harder it becomes to keep the through-line visible. Ideas grow, examples pile up, nuance multiplies. What once seemed obvious becomes harder to explain clearly and convincingly.

A Signature Story brings that back to its essence.

Not as a summary of everything you know, but as the one story that shows how you think, what you stand for, and why people should listen to you.

That is why this program uses the keynote as its working format.

Not because everyone wants to become a professional speaker. Some clients build a keynote speaking career out of this work. Others use the same story in sales conversations, podcasts, interviews, video, a book, or in the boardroom.

The keynote is the most demanding test of a story.

It leaves no room for loose ends. No unnecessary explanation. No borrowed structure. It forces you to make choices, to arrive at one central idea, and to build it so that it holds under pressure.

If a story can carry a stage, it can usually carry an interview. A book. A podcast. An investor pitch. Or a conversation where one good story makes more difference than a hundred slides.

You have more to say than you can currently get across

You are an expert, founder, or leader with a strong track record. You have built something. A company, a career, an expertise, or a perspective that is worth the room.

And yet you notice that the way you communicate today does not always do justice to the quality of your thinking.

When you speak, present, or give an interview, more stays in your head than actually reaches your audience. Not because you have too little to say, but because years of experience, nuance, and insight do not translate by themselves into one clear and convincing whole.

You may recognise yourself here:

✓ Your current way of explaining your work feels too broad, too complex, or too explanatory.
✓ People respond enthusiastically, but afterwards they struggle to articulate what makes your perspective distinct.
✓ Your message grows richer over the years, but not necessarily sharper.
✓ You are invited more and more often for a keynote, interview, podcast, or panel, and you sense your communication has not evolved with it.
✓ The core of your work sometimes disappears under context, examples, and nuance.

For those who want a keynote to be more than a keynote

Clients come to this program for different reasons.

A CEO preparing their first major keynote. A founder developing their origin story. A thought leader building an international speaking career. An expert who wants to communicate with more precision in interviews, podcasts, video, or on a stage.

What they have in common is that they do not want to build a presentation that disappears after a single performance.

They want to develop a keynote that holds value beyond the stage. A story that gives direction to interviews, podcasts, video, articles, sales conversations, and every other moment where their ideas become visible.

This program is for you if you:

✓ are asked more and more often to share your ideas, experience, and perspective;
✓ want to develop a keynote that stays relevant for years;
✓ want one clear through-line for presentations, interviews, podcasts, video, and articles;
✓ want to be known not only for what you do, but for how you think;
✓ are willing to examine, challenge, and develop your ideas further.

“The format is a keynote. The outcome is a communication foundation you can build on for years.”

See if this is the right fit →

How the program works

01
Every keynote starts with a first draft.
Not because it has to be good yet. On the contrary. The first version shows how you articulate your perspective today. How you think. How you argue. How you connect ideas. And how you structure them instinctively.
The draft is a diagnosis and a starting point. It shows where your story already stands, where it still catches, and where the real work begins.
That is why the program does not ask for a collection of loose ideas, examples, or insights. Those do not yet show how you bring your perspective together into one whole. That work happens before this program. During Signature Story we start from your first attempt to give your thinking shape.
02
From there, we build on it together.
We challenge your ideas. We sharpen your perspective. We look for the through-line. We cut what distracts, strengthen what is distinct, and build a structure that can carry your story.
Between sessions, you work out what was discussed. Before every session ianka reads your new version and brings in further improvements.
03
Only once the content holds does the attention shift to form.
How do you build tension? Where do you slow down? What do you leave out? Which examples stay with people? How do you make sure they not only listen, but understand, remember, and pass it on?

By the end of the program you have more than a keynote.

You have a considered narrative you can use on a stage, in interviews, podcasts, video, articles, and every other moment where you want to convey your perspective clearly, convincingly, and consistently.

What you walk away with

A signature story you can trust — in every context where your authority needs to land. One that feels completely yours, holds under pressure, and carries into a keynote, a pitch, a conversation, or a written piece without losing what makes it work. Many clients use it to build a keynote career. Others use it to communicate their expertise with precision wherever it matters. Both are valid outcomes. The story comes first.

Request the full program information →

From €5,000 ex. VAT. Admission only.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take this story to the stage?

Yes — and for many clients, that is exactly the point. The keynote is built to be performed. Many clients go on to build a speaking career from this work. The program does not assume a confirmed stage date, but it produces a story that is ready for one.

What is the difference between this and a public speaking training?

This program works on the story first — the through-line, the arc, the language, the decisions about what stays in and what comes out. Once the keynote is ready, performing it is the next step. ianka has over thirty years of stage experience across theatre, television, and media, and has worked as a director. You will learn how to carry your story in the room — with the authority it deserves. What this program does not do is work on confidence. If you need to feel more comfortable on a stage in general, that is a different kind of work. This program assumes you are ready to perform — and builds the story that is worth performing.

What about speaker marketing?

Speaker marketing — how you position yourself as a speaker, how you approach bureaus and events, how you build a speaking career — is not part of this program. That support is available through Authority Builders.

Will this program help me get more keynote bookings?

No.

And honestly, caution is warranted with anyone who claims that a speaker bureau, course, or coaching program will turn you into a sought-after speaker by itself.

There are more keynote speakers today than ever, while the number of relevant stages stays limited. Whether you get asked depends on far more than the quality of your keynote: your reputation, your positioning, your network, your visibility, and the relevance of your subject all play a part.

What this program does do is make sure that when the opportunity arrives, you have a keynote worth the invitation. A story that strengthens your authority instead of undermining it, and that you can also use in interviews, podcasts, video, articles, and every other moment where your ideas have to make the difference.

I am not sure a keynote is what I need right now.

That is a fair question.

Not everyone who wants to strengthen their visibility or authority needs a keynote today.

If ianka notices during the intake that a keynote is not yet the right next step, she will say so. In that case she usually advises starting with Authority Builders first.

Authority Builders gives us the space to develop your ideas, perspective, and direction further, without a keynote having to emerge from it. Often it becomes clear during that process whether a keynote is the logical next step, when that moment has arrived, or whether another format creates more value at that point.

ianka will never recommend a program she does not stand behind. Her job is not to sell you a program, but to help you take the right next step.

What if I do not know yet what my keynote should be about?

That is not a problem.

We discuss it during the intake conversation. On top of that, ianka developed a thinking tool that helps you write a first draft from your experience, expertise, and ideas.

That first version does not have to be good. It gives us a starting point for the program.

What if I do not enjoy writing, or am not good at it?

That is not a problem.

You do not need to be a writer. You do need to be willing to put your ideas on paper.

Some clients write their first draft. Others record their ideas first and work them into a text afterwards. The form matters little. The end result is always a document that shows how you think, how you connect ideas, and how you articulate your perspective.

Having AI write your keynote for you is therefore not a good idea. AI can help you order your thoughts or improve your language, but it cannot take over the thinking. If the first version is not yours, exactly what we work with in this program is missing.

How much work is involved on my side?

A significant amount — and that is normal.

This is not a ghostwriting service. We do not only develop a keynote, but also your ability to communicate your perspective clearly, convincingly, and in your own words. That is why your own thinking and writing is not preparation for the program. It is an essential part of it.

Between sessions, you write, rewrite, and sit with difficult questions about what you truly want your audience to take away. Clients consistently describe the process as demanding and, at the same time, as one of the most clarifying things they have done professionally.

In which language does the program run?

Dutch or English. The program focuses on one keynote language. A second language version can be developed through Authority Builders.

Are the sessions recorded?

Yes. All sessions are recorded and supported by a note taker. After each session, you receive a transcript and a written summary for personal reference.

"Every expert has one story that changes how their work is understood. This program finds it."

ianka fleerackers, Founder Own Your Story

When you want to go further

For many clients, the program ends here.

They leave with a keynote that holds. A story they can fall back on in presentations, interviews, podcasts, video, and every other moment where their ideas become visible.

Some want to keep building afterwards.

Not because the keynote is finished, but because their work keeps evolving. New insights arrive. A keynote grows with the career of the person delivering it.

For them, Authority Builders is the logical next step.

There we keep challenging your thinking, explore new ideas, discuss keynote updates, and refine your communication further. Not from a fixed program, but from the questions that are relevant at that moment.

Sometimes it turns out during or after Signature Story that the next step is not more communication, but a stronger foundation. In that case the Authority Blueprint can help you deepen your authority position and ground it more deliberately.

Not every path runs the same way. That is why we look together at which next step creates the most value at that moment.