The Science of Being Taken Seriously

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Happy New Year!

I don’t know about you, but it took me every single day of 2025 to finally hit my goal for the year.

I have officially finished the full draft manuscript of my new book:

Unignorable: The Science of Being Taken Seriously

I started pre-planning in December 2024 along with some warm-up writing. Testing ideas on LinkedIn and in my weekly newsletter. Some ideas did well. Some completely fell flat.

In April, I hired my book coach, Patricia Wooster. She was amazing to work with, and she challenged me to write stories that I would’ve never shared on my own.

The problem I’m solving in this book is simple: You shouldn’t have to be loud, obnoxious, and self-promoting for your ideas to be heard.

And here’s why I wrote it…

Something strange is happening in the workplace right now.

The most competent and capable people are often the least influential.

Meetings are messier. Inboxes fuller. Decisions faster. And yet, the people with the clearest thinking are being passed over.

Not being heard. Feeling misunderstood.

If that resonates, please know that most people feel exactly the same way. In fact, Gallup reports that globally, only one in four employees strongly agree that their opinions count at work.

Most literature today on this topic focus on one thing: leaders. Trying to convince them to create spaces that their employees feel heard and valued.

Based on the Gallup data, it’s clearly not working.

So, I’m providing the empowering steps any person can take to be taken seriously and have their ideas heard. No more waiting for leaders to show up to do the right thing.

This book isn’t about building a personal brand or chasing visibility for its own sake. Instead, it’s an evidence-based toolbox that coaches you on the psychology of high-trust influence.

With over 60 cited studies in the world of psychology, cognitive behavior, and neuroscience, I am certain that I didn’t leave any stone unturned.

As I close out this week, let me just say: I completely surrendered to the process and so proud of the result.

From Lin Manuel-Miranda’s origin story of Hamilton, to Rick’s Rubin’s revitalization of Johnny Cash’s career, to Robert Downey, Jr. and his amazing comeback, to my Grandmother’s kitchen and her family heartbreak… this book covers the stories and storytellers of this generation.

Remarkable stories about simple people who overcame amazing odds… not by being loud and aggressive. But by building trust in incredibly learnable ways.

I can’t wait to share this with you in 2026, and I hope you’ll stay on this journey with me as my newsletter, LinkedIn content, workshops, and keynote talks will all be covering The Science of Being Taken Seriously more and more!

Your coach,
Chris

P.S. Tell me what you’re working on in 2026! What big resolutions or goals do you have. Hit reply and share. I read every response!



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