Why I Became A Speaking Consultant & Coach

I’ve been literally living out my dreams since I was 16.

I’m a professional actor working on stage across the country and abroad, consulting for the Royal Shakespeare Company and on screen for the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. I studied hard throughout my acting career and have a BA in acting and a Masters in writing, directing and performance leading me to do associate lecturing at the university of York and create my first business in teaching and vocational actor coaching. In 2017, with more than 30 years of performing and teaching expertise behind me, I founded my business Honestly Speaking, to help talented and ambitious people find their authentic voice and look, feel, sound and be the best that they can be.

So what made me do something different?

It started with one lady, who was a professional in the NHS.

She wanted to move into an executive role, and she was struggling because every time she started to speak, she was too quiet, she was flustered, and she was losing her voice. She was just unable to gather herself and step up when it really mattered. It was holding her back from her full potential.

After a couple of sessions with me she absolutely aced the interview, got the job, and was subsequently promoted again shortly after. She's now a key director in the NHS - managing and directing a huge team. She literally took wing and flew!

I got more of a kick out of helping her than anything else I'd ever done before, and that’s when I realised that enabling others to achieve their potential is the thing I’m really good at. 

At that point, I needed to see what I could achieve - to really unlock my own potential. So I went on a mission to find out everything I could - to support my expertise in speaking and performance, I trained as a coach and NLP practitioner and became obsessed with learning exactly what it takes to be an incredible speaking consultant.

And this took a toll - I was suddenly scrabbling around trying to find bits of personal finance to fund the next step. It was scary and exhausting, and liberating and brilliant all at the same time.

Seven years on from that point and my life is now so fulfilling. I’ve helped so many people reach further than they ever thought possible. I take so much joy in seeing them grow and flourish.

Whether it’s a leader who wants to speak dynamically and impactfully to their organisation, or a young apprentice who can't find the words to describe who they are and what they want to do, or somebody who’s running their own business (like me) and is struggling to network or stand up and speak in front of their clients. I'm the one now that helps them find their words, helps them to believe in themselves, to reduce the negative mind chatter, and think more positively about their own voice and their true potential..

We should never speak for speaking’s sake. We should be able to speak as a whole person authentically and honestly. And that is what I love to see from my clients. I know I can look them right in the eye and say, “Trust me on this. I know what I'm talking about. And if we go down this route, I promise you're in safe hands.”

And that feels amazing to me.

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