Find Your Voice, Change Your Life

Les Brown is a well-known motivational speaker, but what you might not know is that he came from humble beginnings. In this interview, he shares a couple experiences from his childhood that shaped and transformed the way he lives his life. The key was in changing the story he believed about himself!  Les is full of insightful knowledge and shares lots of quotes I'm sure you'll find meani...

Today, I interview Todd Cherches and to describe Todd as a shy child would be an understatement! As a very tall yet introverted boy, he hid in the back of the class and was afraid to speak up-- or even to answer the telephone at home. He was quiet, a bit antisocial, and generally preferred to just be in his own company. However, as you'll see in this interview, Todd shares three experiences t...

Today, I interview Rob Howze whose talent for music came naturally. He was able to communicate through music without a second thought. In a speech classes, he found that he wasn't as readily able to express his thoughts clearly without music. It was like a different language.  He later discovered that he truly felt the most confident when he was thoroughly prepared. Being familiar with the su...

Today, I interview Dr. Bridget Cooper who experienced an unstable environment of pain, addiction, violence, and overall dysfunction. She learned to be very cautious, and the trauma and lack of support limited her ability to speak up the way she wanted to and truly be herself. Growing up and feeling a greater sense of authority and legitimacy, Bridget started to speak her mind with more boldness. S...

Today, I interview Rita Bocuzzi, who grew up in a household where she was told to be seen and not heard, and especially never to ask questions about things that were not "her concern"--especially those about money.  Rita's curiosity and boldness to speak was stunted and suppressed during most of her young childhood.  Rita was naturally driven to learn about finances and how to manag...

Today, I interview Yvonne Dam who had many years of work in the corporate world which conditioned her to speak and act in a certain way. She didn't feel fulfilled because she always felt so pressured to fit in and not speak out of turn.  One day, she had enough and decided to leave the corporate world for the chance at a life that really held meaning for her and allowed her to open herself up...

Today, I interview Laura Feltz who after the intense, fast-paced experiences in the corporate world, the uniformity of behaviors and the hierarchy of these organizations became something that pushed her toward perfectionism. She later developed sight loss and was unable to cling to that perfection and perform the way she was used to in the past. She also didn't allow herself to grieve the los...

Today, I interview Gary Wilkin who had such a strong background in technology, that his skill set was being able to speak to clients and find out what their needs are, and then return to the tech side and translate that message to that team, and vice versa.  As a leader and liaison, he learned to use very clear, established vocabulary, and he also became an excellent listener. As time passed, his...

Today, I interview Brian Wagstaff whose first experience with speaking anxiety came as during his childhood. When asked to make a phone call for his mother, the call ended in embarrassment. From this point forward, Brian hesitated to speak up in social situations for fear of experiencing another embarrassing situation.  As a teenager, he had a wardrobe mishap and ended up feeling quite humiliated...

Today I interview Matt Travis who had a lot of learning disabilities when he was a kid and it always created a sense of not feeling that he was enough. This made him struggle to speak in front of classes and groups.  When he was in college studying to become a teacher, Matt had to learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to follow his passion. Being able to speak in front of l...

Today, I interview Dr. Tressa Berman who was a child performer -- singer and songwriter from an early age. She put away her creative life for something that felt "safer," and became an academic professor until somewhere in the middle of that career, she had a breakdown/breakthrough. This breakdown  brought her to her spiritual path and back to her creative life. She eventually left acade...

Today, I interview JoAnna Brandi wo was part of the "be seen and not heard" generation of children. She grew up in a household that revolved around her parents and their words.  In a strong, outspoken Italian family, she struggled to speak up in the crowd. She was also conditioned by strictly enforced rules in Catholic school.  She was terrified when she had to start public speaking. She...

Today, I interview Laban Ditchburn who discovered that although self-deprecation worked as a defense mechanism, it was doing damage to his view of himself. It was tearing down his confidence.  Although we've all seen it used in comedy, when you get to the root of it, it's clearly "cringe-worthy", as Laban puts it. He started to treat himself better and remove the negative self-...

Today, I interview Robin Winn who was born into a large, loud family. Her parents had a powerful presence, and she never felt that her voice was as big. There were a lot of opinions, and speaking out randomly wasn't encouraged, and the only way to appear powerful was to be articulate. She instead learned to communicate through touch and writing.  Later in therapy, she learned to speak in a sa...

Today, I interview Janine Bolon who grew up in a military and nursing household, where communication was brief and direct. She felt she didn't know how to tell a compelling, connective story. She also moved a lot throughout her young life, causing her to feel constant loss and disconnection. After years abroad, she suddenly found herself in a small, Mayberry town in Missouri.  As the first on...

Today I interview Tyler Foley, who says he never suffered from public speaking anxiety, however, he does distinctly remember having a clear sense of stage fright twice in his life.  As a trained performer and someone who has been on stage since he was six, both times were perplexing to him.  He ended up spending the better part of a decade deconstructing the reasons for these incidents. That searc...

Today, I interview Elaine Williams who said that growing up, she felt an emptiness-- that something was wrong with the world. She experienced childhood depression and anxiety, feeling as if no one was really listening to her.  Later events led to her feeling like "the lightning rod of the family", having too much directed at her. She felt it was unsafe to speak the truth for fear that it...

Today, I interview Marti MacEwan who says that although she was a successful speaker, there was a lack of satisfaction after speaking because there was a lingering fear of those eyes on her and the opinions of her audience. No amount of reassurance helped.  Marti learned to refocus her energy and was able to overcome stage fright by shifting her awareness and her expectations.  Marti who is a prof...

Today, I interview  Caterina Rando who looks back to her childhood in a noisy, overly lively household and not having the courage to speak up in the face of it. She also struggled with feeling a little bit held back due to being a plus-sized female her whole life.  Interestingly, she enjoyed public speaking because she had been given permission to speak; her real fear crept in when she was among p...

Today, I interview Tom Ruwitch who talks about his roots and success in the sales industry. He realized that although he "communicated" and "hustled" all day, the quantity was squelching the quality.  What he was doing didn't represent who he truly was and how he felt on the inside. Tom points out that we're taught that the harder we work the better we'll do, and...

Today, I interview, Lorraine LaPointe who talks about the way that our mindset shapes our reactions and views of the world.  She is able to share the story of an experience she had as a child, and the impact it had on her in feeling that she could not express herself.  Now, talking regularly on her own shows, she has clearly overcome this fear. She says, "there is a deep desire in all of us t...

Today, I interview Steve Peck who catches our attention right away when he says "I knew where I found my voice. I just didn't know where I'd lost it!"  As an introvert, Steve had an active and very successful career but experienced moments where he felt that people didn't want to listen to his ideas, so he consequently became quiet.  He began to keep things inside and avoi...

Today, I interview Ted Prodromou who talks about his shy beginnings as an introverted child. He later realized that he had been carrying around years of hurt from being picked on by his siblings. It had really impacted his self-esteem and courage! As adults, his sibling's later apology brought about the sudden realization of the root cause of his fear.  The good news is that healing can come...

Today, I interview Steve Sapato who shares stories from his past where he learned how important it is to put yourself out there and let go of your fear of being seen. Learning to speak brings confidence! Steve discusses the way we learn and the mindset that has shaped the way the world interacts and behaves now. Sometimes we don't realize what we have been carrying, but our past always plays...

Today, I interview Meredith Bell who shares an important childhood story and the fears of judgment, rejection, and criticism she has experienced and carried with her. She remembers being afraid to "speak her truth".  As a professional adult, she later realized that the common thread within each of her projects was her tendency to think smaller than she should have. She has since realized...