When I Found the Courage to Speak Up (or… How 2 women in tailored suits, a lunch that I wasn’t invited to, and a fancy pen changed my life)

Does a fear of speaking up hold you back from showing your true abilities, your expertise, your opinions with the world? Do you feel that your shyness results in you getting overlooked and ignored — at work, and in your personal life? Do you watch as the great ideas that YOU had get recognized by those who had the courage to speak up and share them?

Growing up, I was terrified of public speaking. I avoided it, I asked other people to present on my behalf, and when I didn’t have a choice, I simply read my entire speech and waited for the earth to swallow me up.

So when, over the years, people asked me how I got into this field, I simply didn’t want to share this unexciting (and sometimes unflattering) background. I thought to myself, “who would want to work with me to become better at public speaking if they find out that I used to HATE public speaking?”

But avoiding it left a bit of a void in the “how did you get into this business?” question. The ‘stock’ answer of “I decided that I wanted to go in this career direction in my 30’s” left a blank look on my questioner’s face. But more that that, I knew that I was holding back a WHOLE lot to that question because I worried about how it might affect how people perceived me and my business.

I started opening up and sharing the real story a few years ago with some of my audiences. They appreciated the honesty. I appreciated the surprising connection that sharing this story created with them.

And so…here is the story of how I went from feeling shy and quiet, overlooked and ignored, hanging back and embracing my inner wallflower, to a career as a professional speaker.  And it was all thanks to the help of two women in super-tailored suits, a free lunch I DIDN’T get, and a couple of very fancy pens.

If you’ve ever let fear keep you silent… being afraid of making a mistake, looking stupid, being judged, please watch this video — and then start to envision all that COULD be, if only you were to speak up and share all that you are. Even if no fancy pens are involved.

Want some help finding your voice, sharing your expertise or message, and engaging your audience while doing it? Contact me at www.suzannahbaum.com/contact.