The world needs your voice.
Especially when ...
I know the World needs your voice & your
stories
because it needed mine.
And I needed to be brave enough to speak them.
My granny and granddad told stories on the back porch while we watched the gingko tree grow. My minister Dad told stories from the pulpit and my artist mom told stories with her hands, so I was poised to become a storyteller.
But as a child I was painfully shy. I was the epitome of "good girl," terrified of doing something wrong, making a mistake, standing out or speaking up, and sometimes went for days without speaking. At all. (That's me on the right. Being good.)
At the expense of all things human, I chose being invisible over the possibility of being "wrong." (ouch)
The first time I truly connected with an audience - when I read aloud a poem I had written - I was astonished by the sensation of hearing my voice land on the ears and hearts of the people in the audience.
That experience unleashed a body of on-stage work spanning over 20 years - including performing at poetry slams, creating solo theater pieces, and a career helping others find their voices. I've worked with adolesent girls, incarcerated women, senior adults, corporate CEOs, fledgling entrepreneurs, TEDx speakers and passionate change-makers.
As a public speaking coach and trainer, I help entrepreneurs, leaders, and movers & shakers inside organizations craft talks and presentations around stories that matter.
I've helped
Grab my free audio training “How to get a yes from any audience” and learn the secrets to turning your audiences into raving fans.
My clients make friends with their fear of public speaking and get clear about the message they want to be known for - so they can share their ideas with the world and have the impact they want to have.
In my group programs - Speaker's Playground and Women Who Speak and in the team trainings I lead - you won't spend much time in chairs! You'll get on your feet, in your body, using your voice, SPEAKING right from the get-go.
Because when it comes down to it, whether you want to speak at local events, grace the TEDx stage, or present with gusto and impact in a way that moves the needle in your professional life or business, the only way to do it is to do it.
I know that on the other side of fear about public speaking is not just presence, power, and clarity, not just a new client or a closed sale, but the thing you want most in the world and the treasures you're longing to share.
After 20 years on stage as a successful theater artist, I started my speaker coaching business. I naively thought I could just wake up one morning and say "I'm a public speaking coach" and clients would flock to my door. When they didn't, I put my nose to the grindstone to figure out how to pull off the business of speaking.
I had more than my fair share of disappointing conversion numbers. But with a whole lot of trial and error, and a boatload of support, I learned how to combine my years of stage experience with strategic business smarts and watched my speaking and coaching business go through the roof.
I know the closer you are to your truth the more deeply you'll connect with your audience.
I know that when it comes down to it, whatever the situation, it's just you in a room sharing your humanity and inviting your audience to action.
And for most folks, that's easier said than done.
I crack open opportunities for people to experience pure, raw truth, then watch them nail their presentations and watch their careers and their lives soar.
I believe everyone has a story that can make a difference in someone's life.
I believe that no matter what message you're trying to convey, you won't get anywhere till you truly connect with your audience.
I believe in the power of bringing your whole body & voice & breath & heart into the room, and speaking from there without apology, even when the idea of it scares the bejeezus out of you.
I believe when you walk right up to your fear and shake its hand, tectonic shifts happen----in your life, your relationships, your business, your world.
FOLLOW ME