Public Speaking

Does your event need a kick up the arse from someone described as a powerhouse public speaker? In addition to that, you get a real mould-breaker, shooting from the hip, sometimes loud, always proud, who’ll fire up your event, challenge your audience and leave them smiling, bursting with new ideas and gagging for more, long after I’ve left the building.

I’ve spoken and blogged a lot about my struggles with learning to speak publicly without wanting to either puke or break a limb, rather than get up there and crack on! It seems like being nervous is such a throwaway comment, but it never is. You’re totally out of your comfort zone, it’s unnatural, you’re in front of X amount of people and it’s on. When I first did it, I felt all the same anxieties as everyone else: the butterflies in the pit of my stomach, the feeling of nausea before going on stage or in front of an audience, as well as having to deal with, Why the fuck am I doing this to myself?

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You can either crumble under pressure, accept it’s not for you, and vow never to put yourself in that position again. Or you can work on your technique, accept the challenge, and keep on going. Your voice will always be sketchy at first. You’ll always be nervous, but you’ll feed off it and learn to channel the energy. It’s not only the buzz of talking to an audience – it’s the buzz of talking to an audience about your chosen subject.”

Read the full chapter about how to Maximise your Exposure from my biographical blog series ‘Being me: concept to sale of a digital business’.

I was the most nervous public speaker on the planet until I channelled my anxieties, practised, and practised more, put myself out there, kept going, mastering my craft until I became pretty decent at it. This relates to some of the subjects I cover: turning imposter syndrome on its head to become a growth moment and developing a different relationship with your fears.

Now I live for these events. I’ve delivered in-person talks to audiences of more than 2,000 people, and online talks that have exceeded that by far.

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Public speaking subjects

Concept to sale of a services business

Over a period of 1,000 days I built and sold a digital transformation consultancy called Difrent who designed and built services across the public sector and the NHS. I then sold the business for an eight-figure sum.

Transformation of the NHS

I led the patient-facing transformation of the NHS and introduced things like the NHS App to the healthcare system in the UK. We went from a repository of content (NHS Choices) and built live transaction services that 50 million users a month access.

My Personal Journey and Development

I learnt I am the biggest investment I’ll ever make. My talk stems from this and branches into fitness, meditation, getting sober, the 12-step programme, learning, my interest in psychedelics and my experience on the global leadership programme for the top 1% of entrepreneurs.

Leadership

Leadership is multi-layered with many moving parts. I’ve had to be comfortable being on such a public platform and comfortable in my own skin. With all eyes on you, tough days in the office can be spectacular!

A gay woman in a man’s world

As a gay woman who came out aged 17, I’ve been open and out in the workplace since day one. During this time I’ve dealt with homophobic behaviour, but I’ve never let it hold me back.

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If you’ve been affected by any of the content on these pages, then hit me up and let’s have a chat. The business mentoring services are there, the public speaking is there, or if I can tailor something for you, it’s all up for discussion. What’s stopping you?

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