Official Website of Author
Think of a negotiation—big or small—that you’ve been avoiding. What story are you telling yourself about why it won’t work?
Now, flip the script and consider:
​
What’s the best that could happen?
What woulD change if I approached it with curiosity, clarity, and confidence?
​
Your next breakthrough might be one bold ask away.
About the book
The playbook for building authority, expanding influence, and driving results. What does it take to truly hold your own in today’s business world? Whether you’re presenting to senior executives, leading a negotiation, or navigating the boardroom, success depends on more than skill—it requires presence, influence, and the courage to act.
In Holding Your Own, Executive Leadership Advisor and former Expedia CMO Melissa Maher shares the strategies she’s taught to senior leaders, founders, and executives across industries. From building executive presence to elevating communication, self-advocacy, and influence, this book offers practical tools and relatable stories to help you command attention, expand your impact, and accelerate results.
Accessible, actionable, and inspiring, Holding Your Own is the definitive playbook for leaders who want to step into any room with confidence, elevate their value, and leave having made a lasting impact.
“An outstanding, actionable, and highly readable guide to upping your executive game. Melissa Maher shows you precisely how to increase your influence, authority, and income, whether you are in corporate America or running your own shop. Highly, highly recommended.”
—MICHAEL LEVIN, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND #1 AMAZON KINDLE BUSINESS AUTHOR
​
“I’ve known Melissa for years and have been able to witness in real time her ability and passion in lifting others up, speaking to inconvenient truths, and being a leader who is real and leads with a great deal of authenticity. Holding Your Own captures that spirit and reminds the reader that leadership requires work and intentionality and gives us tools to strengthen our leadership muscle. Most importantly it focuses on the human condition and the need for understanding in a world that needs more human connection.”
—MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ, PRESIDENT & CEO
ASSOCIATED LUXURY HOTELS INTERNATIONAL
About the AUTHOR
In today’s high-stakes business world, confidence and presence are not optional—they’re essential. Yet too many talented leaders hold back, waiting for permission to speak up or step forward.
In Holding Your Own, Melissa Maher draws on her two decades as a global executive and her work as an Executive Leadership Advisor and Strategic Consultant to show leaders how to communicate with authority, advocate for themselves, and influence outcomes at the highest levels. With practical frameworks, real-world stories, and actionable strategies, she equips readers to own the room, build their personal brand, and turn confidence into impact.
Melissa S. Maher is an Executive Leadership Advisor, Strategic Consultant, Speaker, and the CEO and founder of Pinnacle Enterprises Group. A former Chief Marketing Officer at Expedia Group, she spent two decades in senior roles leading global teams, driving negotiations, and shaping strategies that influenced the travel industry worldwide.
She is the creator of proprietary leadership programs, including Executive Essentials: Confidently Command the Room and Speak Up, Stand Out: Master Confident Public Speaking, which equip leaders to elevate their presence, sharpen communication, expand influence, and drive meaningful business results. She also provides advisory services to senior executives and startups across industries, as well as consulting support for leading hospitality brands.
Recognized as one of the “30 Influential Women in Hospitality” by Hotel Management and one of the “100 Inspirational People in Travel” by the International Hospitality Institute, Melissa holds both an MBA and BS from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Connect with Melissa:
www.pinnacleenterprisesgroup.com
LinkedIn: Melissa Maher
Praise for melissa
Leaders across industries have experienced Melissa Maher’s coaching, consulting, and advisory work firsthand. Their words reflect the clarity, confidence, and impact she brings—and the transformation her work inspires, now captured for every reader in Holding Your Own.
“Melissa Maher embodies what she now teaches: presence, clarity, and the confidence to ask for what she wants. In Holding Your Own, she distills decades of experience into
practical, actionable insights."
Stuart Greif,
Chief Strategy, Innovation & Operating Officer, Forbes Travel Guide
BUY THE BOOK
Holding Your Own
by Melissa Maher
Step into any room with authority, communicate with clarity, and influence with impact.
​
-
Strengthen confidence and credibility in every interaction
-
Build a personal brand that commands attention
-
Communicate with power, precision, and authenticity
-
Influence outcomes and advocate effectively for themselves and their teams
Speaking
Bring Melissa to Your Next Leadership Event
Melissa Maher is a dynamic keynote speaker and executive leadership advisor who helps leaders speak up, stand out, and hold their own in every room. Known for her bold yet relatable style, she blends storytelling, humor, and real-world business experience to inspire action and drive measurable results.
Whether she’s addressing senior executives, founders, or emerging leaders, Melissa’s message resonates across industries — empowering audiences to lead with authenticity, confidence, and impact.
Signature Keynote Topics
Melissa’s keynotes are designed for leaders who want to elevate performance, communicate with authority, and drive results that last. Each session combines practical tools, relatable stories, and actionable insights that help audiences lead with clarity, confidence, and influence.
Holding Your Own: The Confidence, Presence & Influence Every Leader Needs
Based on her book Holding Your Own, this flagship keynote equips leaders to step into any room with composure and credibility. Melissa shares actionable strategies for building confidence, communicating with impact, and leading with purpose — even in the toughest situations. Attendees walk away with the tools to elevate how they show up, how they’re seen, and how they drive results that matter.
Audience Takeaways:
-
How to project confidence under pressure
-
Communicating with clarity and intention
-
Turning authenticity into a leadership advantage
Brand You: Building a Leadership Brand That Commands Respect
Your reputation is your leadership currency. In this keynote, Melissa helps leaders define, communicate, and elevate their personal brand so it reflects both who they are and the results they deliver. Through practical frameworks and real-world examples, she shows how an intentional brand builds visibility, influence, and trust — within your organization and across your industry.
Audience Takeaways:
-
Identify and articulate your unique leadership brand
-
Align perception with performance to elevate influence
-
Leverage your brand to create visibility and opportunity
Command the Room: The Power of Executive Presence
Great leaders don’t just enter a room — they own it. Melissa demystifies executive presence and breaks it down into its core components: gravitas, communication, and credibility. She helps leaders at every level strengthen how they carry themselves, connect with others, and lead with confidence, composure, and respect — both in person and virtually.
Audience Takeaways:
-
What executive presence really looks like in action
-
How to balance confidence with approachability
-
Practical communication and body language techniques to command respect
The Art of Self-Advocacy: Ask for What You Want — and Get It
​
Melissa empowers leaders to own their value and advocate for themselves with confidence and clarity. Drawing from years of coaching and corporate leadership, she shares frameworks that help professionals navigate pay negotiations, high-stakes meetings, and everyday interactions with more influence and less hesitation. This session helps leaders communicate their worth and drive outcomes that strengthen both personal and organizational success.
Audience Takeaways:
-
How to advocate for yourself without over-explaining or apologizing
-
Language that conveys confidence and authority
-
Why self-advocacy drives both individual and business performance
Influence with Impact: How Great Leaders Inspire Action and Buy-In
Leadership today is about connection, not control. Melissa reveals how to earn trust, gain buy-in, and motivate others to act through influence rather than authority. Using lessons from boardrooms and global teams, she shows how to craft compelling messages, align stakeholders, and lead with authenticity — turning great ideas into measurable results.
Audience Takeaways:
-
How to build credibility and trust that inspire action
-
Frameworks for persuasive storytelling and communication
-
Turning ideas into buy-in and business outcomes
Speak Up, Stand Out: Mastering Confident Public Speaking
Public speaking is one of the most visible measures of leadership credibility — and one of the most common sources of fear. Melissa helps leaders overcome anxiety, sharpen their message, and deliver with authenticity and composure. Whether you’re presenting to the board or addressing hundreds on stage, this keynote provides practical tools to elevate your speaking presence and strengthen your leadership influence.
Audience Takeaways:
-
Overcoming speaking anxiety and imposter moments
-
Structuring messages for clarity and retention
-
Delivering with authenticity, energy, and connection
