Body Language Mistakes Every Woman Must Avoid To Get Rich (Two Bags Look Cheap!)

July 22, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Body Language Mistakes Every Woman Must Avoid To Get Rich (Two Bags Look Cheap!)

Vanessa Van Edwards, a self-described "recovering awkward person," has spent two decades studying how humans communicate without words. She argues that the first six seconds of any interaction determine everything—and that most people, especially women, are unknowingly sabotaging themselves with small signals they never think about. The episode is a practical guide to reading rooms, projecting competence and warmth, and using body language intentionally rather than reactively.

The First Six Seconds Decide Everything

Van Edwards claims that 82% of our impressions of people come from warmth and competence cues, and those judgments are made almost instantly. "The person you are talking to decides everything about you in the first six seconds," she says. "The rest of the meeting is them just justifying that opinion."

The most common mistake women make in those first seconds is holding their breath before speaking. When you hold your breath and speak at the top of your exhale, your voice goes high and sounds small. The fix is simple: speak on the outbreath. "Morning" delivered on an exhale sounds grounded and confident; "Morning" on an inhale sounds nervous and uncertain.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:36) **The First Six Seconds Decide Everything** - Vanessa Van Edwards explains that people judge warmth and competence within the first six seconds of meeting you, and the rest of the interaction is just them justifying that opinion.
2 (03:28) **Why Smart People Struggle to "Own the Room"** - Vanessa shares her personal mission: helping recovering awkward people communicate better by finding their “micro superpowers.”
3 (05:55) **The Dinner Party Experiment: Everyone Feels Like an Imposter** - Vanessa recounts a dinner where every single woman, despite being hugely successful, felt they didn’t belong or have anything interesting to say.
4 (09:01) **Emotional Contagion: Be the Alpha You Want to See** - Vanessa explains that humans catch emotions from the most alpha person in the room, so you must decide what emotional contagion you want to bring.
5 (10:36) **How to Read a Room: Three Tactical Moves** - Vanessa gives a sports analogy for socializing and outlines the rookie mistake of staying in the “start zone” (the entrance).
6 (14:08) **Spotting the Nervous Person: Nonverbal, Vocal, and Verbal Signs** - Vanessa details the giveaway signs of a nervous person, from shrinking body language to vocal fry.
7 (18:18) **The Power of the Pause and "Confetti Phrases"** - Maggie shares her mom’s advice about not filling the silence, and Vanessa provides the research to back it up.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards, bestselling author and founder of Science of People, joins Maggie Sellers Reum on Hot Smart Rich to reveal how to own any room, make unforgettable first impressions, master body language, and become instantly more confident in business and life.

Vanessa shares how to prepare for intimidating rooms, spot the subtle signs someone is nervous, build trust through body language, and why the first six seconds of any interaction can change everything.

She also explains what your appearance communicates before you speak, how to recover from a bad first impression, the fastest ways to create genuine connection, give more memorable answers, and perfect your personal introduction so people never forget you.

Whether you're networking, interviewing, pitching, or building your career, this conversation will change how you communicate forever.

Conversation by Vanessa Van Edwards is a science-backed guide that teaches you how to master small talk, build instant rapport, and communicate with authentic confidence in any social situation. Pre-order now: https://linkly.link/2nCMM

Get unselfish access to insights that will help you own the room. Sign up now https://linkly.link/2jPXJ

(00:00) Intro

(03:34) How To Read Any Room

(06:47) Prepare For Intimidating Rooms

(13:43) Signs Someone Is Nervous

(17:36) Stop Interrupting Conversations

(21:31) Body Language That Builds Trust

(24:23) SoFi Ad

(25:37) Lululemon Ad

(26:38) Essential Business Body Language

(31:53) The Six-Second First Impression

(32:42) What Your Appearance Communicates