The Actor’s Approach to Compelling Communication with Michael Cinquino
Show Notes
What does it mean to lead with presence, empathy, and authenticity?
In this episode of Mental Notes with Matt, I sit down with Michael Cinquino — actor, educator, and creator of the Communication Dynamics Lab (CDL) — to talk about how high sensitivity can be a superpower and why the skills of performance belong everywhere from the stage to the boardroom.
Michael shares his journey from actor and photographer, to becoming a coach and professor helping leaders and teams communicate with clarity and humanity. Together, we explore:
Why high sensitivity is often misunderstood — and how it fuels leadership and creativity
The actor’s toolkit for connecting deeply and authentically
Overcoming shame, fear, and resistance to show up fully
Why emotional fluency isn’t a “soft skill,” but a vital leadership strength in today’s world
The daily courage it takes to act, communicate, and live authentically
This is a conversation about sensitivity, resilience, and the courage to communicate in ways that move people.
Michael Cinquino is the creator of the Communication Dynamics Lab (CDL), a research-driven training studio that turns communication science into practical, repeatable skills for leaders and teams. Through fast experiments, high-rep training, and precise measurement, CDL develops confident, clear, and compelling communicators.
Michael has built a career at the intersection of performance, psychology, and leadership. He began his professional journey as a United States Navy Rescue Swimmer, where he learned to stay calm and decisive under extreme pressure. After his military service, Michael earned his BA in Acting and Directing from DeSales University and trained at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts with William Esper, a protégé of Sanford Meisner. The program has produced actors such as Sebastian Stan, Tom Pelphrey, Kristin Davis, and Calista Flockhart, carrying forward the Meisner lineage of authentic, presence-driven performance.
Michael then spent nearly a decade working with the founders of the CIO Strategy Exchange, an elite forum that brought together 25 Fortune 70 CIOs from organizations like Boeing, Goldman Sachs, the Department of Defense, and the CIA. Behind closed doors, he witnessed how the world’s most powerful leaders navigate communication, trust, and influence at the highest levels.
Today, Michael combines these experiences as a professor at the University of New Hampshire’s Paul College of Business and Economics, where he teaches The Work-Ready Communicator. He is also founder of SoHo Creative Studio, where he helps executives, founders, and thought leaders translate their expertise into compelling video, podcasts, and keynote presence.
Currently pursuing a second master’s in Applied Psychology at Northwestern University, Michael continues to deepen the bridge between communication science and the psychology of presence.
He lives and works between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Brooklyn, New York.
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