Visibility Changes Everything | Laurie-Ann Murabito | The Sean Trace Show

In this episode of The Sean Trace Show, I sit down with Laurie-Ann Murabito to talk about what it really takes to find your voice, speak with confidence, and become the kind of leader people actually remember. 

We get into how shyness is learned, how confidence is built through reps, and why visibility often matters just as much as competence when it comes to career growth, leadership, and influence. Laurie-Ann shares how she went from being painfully shy to helping professionals, executives, coaches, and consultants use storytelling, humor, body language, and vocal delivery to stand out in rooms that matter. We also talk about nervous system training, imposter syndrome, public speaking anxiety, leadership presence, communication skills, and why some people sound like leaders while others, even if they are technically brilliant, struggle to land their message. This conversation is full of real stories, practical speaking advice, and honest insight on how to stop hiding, own your superpower, and use your voice to create opportunities, build trust, and make a lasting impact.

 What is one moment in your life when you realized you needed to stop staying quiet and start using your voice?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Not just in using your words, but one of the things that I teach my clients is to play with their voice. That's how we get good at using our voice, because otherwise you just sound very monotone in this like one, like here's my range. But what if you spoke a little bit faster? Because there's certain things that actually you can provoke physiologically in your listener, whether it's on a podcast to an audience at a board meeting. And there are different things that happen to the human body when you speak a little bit slower. And just being able to play with your voice, how loud you are, a different tone, draws people in and it makes you interesting to listen to.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Welcome everybody back to the Sean Trace Show. I am your host, Sean Trace, and I have an awesome guest with me today, which likes to tell people who you are and a little bit about what you do.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Oh, thank you, Sean. I am Lori Ann, and I am a reform painfully jail girl who accidentally said yes to a speaking opportunity. And because I said yes, it was just like I had to show up. I had to do this. Now it wasn't very good, but it certainly led me down a different path. And I am living proof that you can teach your nervous system new tricks. I ended up in the leadership development and corporate engagement industry after I wrote my first book and wrote another book on leadership. And then something happened in Fort Lauderdale. I was not at the airport, but it brought every plane around the globe to a screeching halt. They landed. And I literally was like, Universe, I need a new business model. And two weeks later, I got a text message from somebody that said, Laureanne, do you write speeches for people? So today I help people use their voice and their story to either get promoted in corporate or to use it as their best form of marketing if they are a coach or a consultant.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

I love that. You know, one of the things too is I think finding helping people uh find their voice is such a powerful thing because um we are not always trained to use our voices, especially in school. You know, don't raise your voice, don't be too loud, wait your turn. But the reality is, my daughter the other day was talking to me about her school. And I I love us living in Vietnam. I think Vietnam is very lovely, but there's one thing that I can't stand, and it's the way that her schools deal with student leadership. Um she's in a class, and the student uh leader um for her class was picked four years ago in first grade. They picked the student leader, and the kid uh stayed the student leader up until fifth grade. I it goes when they go to middle school, they change the leader. And my daughter was complaining the other day because he, like the leader in her class, wasn't a very good leader, and he's been um, you know, just she doesn't lead the class well. And I said, Well, Ilani, why don't you lead? And she's like, Well, I don't know if I I know what to say. I said, Maybe you start off by showing people how you want them to behave. And then if someone does something that's not a great thing, you speak up. And she's like, Well, we're we're not supposed to speak up. The teacher doesn't like it. I said, if you see someone punching your cousin in the face, what are you gonna do? I'm gonna tell them to stop. I said, There's your voice. And that's a powerful thing. Like you, you know what's right for you and your beliefs and say something about it. Speak up, use your voice. And it's powerful.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

It is. And my first book, which is Rethink Leadership, Four Lessons to Make You Remarkable, you one of the chapters is you don't need a title to lead. Some of the most powerful people do not have tits. Yes. And she doesn't need a certificate, she doesn't have to be a certain age, she can just start leading. And if they picked a leader back in first grade, it was a popularity contest, not who's gonna make the best leader, you know, in grade X.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

Mm-hmm. Right, right. It it's like, and the thing is, is I think that what is special is that you can actually learn these things, whether you're 10, whether you're 30, whether you're 50, that you can learn to speak up and find your voice, you know. And I think, you know, I was reading up on some of the stuff that you put together. And like you, you've said that career plateaus are really about competence and more about visibility. I love that. Because, you know, when we we can't be visible if we're not speaking up and using our voice, you know.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Right. That's what people remember. Because also, not just in using your words, but one of the things that I teach my clients is to play with their voice. That's how we get good at using our voice, because otherwise you just sound very monotone in this like one, like, here's my range. But what if you spoke a little bit faster? Because there's certain things that actually you can provoke physiologically in your listener, whether it's on a podcast to an audience, at a board meeting. And there are different things that happen to the human body when you speak a little bit slower. And just being able to play with your voice, how loud you are, a different tone, draws people in and it makes you interesting to listen to.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

I I so agree.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

And I think as I think as podcasters, this is so important, also, especially if you're if uh most of your audience is only listening to your podcast.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

Right, right. It's interesting too, because I think that, you know, I was horribly shy when I was younger. And, you know, and then as I grew older, I had to learn to speak up and to not feel terrified every time I did so. And it was interesting because um what helped me was probably one of my toughest teachers. He was our choir teacher. And it's surprising that you think that the choir teacher was the toughest teacher, but he was, he drilled and he took us to a level of excellence that was unheard of for the my school's choir. And we were singing all over the state because he got us to a place that was exceptional, but he did it by not just being tough, but by instilling confidence in people. And you know, he would pull me in a room and he's like, Sean, you see that person across the field? I need you to get their attention. I was like, he's like, what are you gonna do? I said, Well, I'm gonna run across the field to get them. He says, No, you're gonna use your voice. And I said, I can't. And he says, No, you're gonna use your voice. And I was like, Hey, hey. Do you remember the movie Sister Act way back in the day? Yes. And I do, I do quiet little nun, who she, you know, whoopie gets her to project her voice and this power comes out. Where was there a moment that you realized, okay, this is a skill that I can train?

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Yes. I did I did have a moment and I still remember the moment. But before I before I tell you the story, Sean, I'm curious. Where did you learn to be shy?

SPEAKER_00 8:04

That's a good question. That's a huge question. I had big people around me, like big personalities that took up the room. You know, and these people were they demanded attention. And, you know, specifically, I think of my uncle, and I loved my uncle, but man, he commanded a room. And it made me very nervous to speak up when someone owned that space so much. I always would wonder, is there room for me? You know? So I think I I became shy. I guess that's that's the only thing I can think of that pops into my head right now.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

So my dad's an engineer, he doesn't talk very much, everything is black and white, and my mom was kind of afraid of people. So I learned to be shy by watching my parents. I just, you know, like you look at them as being your guardians and like these people, like they know everything. So I watched their behavior, and that's obviously what I'm supposed to do. So that's how I learned to be shy. But the moment I realized that I had to change. So I was working in a grocery store, and it was just before we were like the afternoon shift where everybody like got out of high school, and there was this guy, and I still follow him on LinkedIn, Richard Gazardi. He was so outgoing, and he was just like talking to everybody before we started. He was great with customers, and I just looked at him and I just thought, wow. And then I had this like literal download of information that said, if you don't change this behavior, this is not going to serve you in the long run. And I literally looked at somebody that was talking to me, and I looked at them for a couple of seconds, and then turned away and realized the earth did not open up and swallow me whole. And the person that I was talking to didn't laugh at me. And I thought to myself, if I can do that for a couple of seconds, I bet I can do it a little bit longer. And that's how I started to train my nervous system to make eye contact with people when I was talking. And that's what got me eventually on stages to speak to audiences.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

It starts with a seed that you plant, and you just have to water it. You know, my my teacher planted that seed with one drop of calling across the field. And then it was watered with this consecutive uh things that he did. But, you know, it took time and it was a struggle. It was a struggle. And um, you know, it and there was a lot of pressure, you know. And I he would work with us, but I remember the first time he had me on stage singing a solo. And I was like, I was like, you know what, no problem. I'm singing, I can project across the field. And then he's like, all right, now you're gonna have to sing this song and you're gonna have to sing it to your mom in front of your entire school. And I was just like, it was hard. And it was interesting because um I knew what I wanted to sing, but I struggled to get it done. And what do you think usually gets in the way of clarity when people speak or sing or do something under pressure? Because I mean, I shut down and I don't know why I did, but I did, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Chances are you were too in your head and not in your heart. This is what I have found, and this is what I sort of teach my clients to do. Because I I'll ask them when you know that you're free, like what are you saying to yourself? What is going on? Like, what is the recording that you are hearing again and again? And it's the I'm not sure, I'm ready for this. What if somebody asks me a question that I can't answer? What if they judge me? What if they make fun of me? So this is all up here. This is you being like, I am focused on me. But what if you focused it on the audience who you are speaking to? So that's why I say you're speaking from your heart. It's a very different energy. And it takes you out of the equation. So if you got up there on that stage and had to sing to your entire school and your parents are there and family members, like, imagine going back there and just like, let me get out of my head, get into my body, let me just serve, let me just like give the audience a gift.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

I love that because it's like it is a gift. It is something that you are, every one of us has a story. Every one of us has a talent and a thing, but like we don't always get the chance to express it, you know, and here you are working with like high performing professionals who are already respected, but like they they still feel overlooked, you know, which is wild to me that these people that are super successful and and are are, you know, at the top of their profession, but like what are they often doing that unintentionally keeps them invisible? Because, like, you know, not we sit there and go, I want to be visible, I want to be visible, but then we do things that keep us invisible. What are some of those things? Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

It's called procrastination. Oh, I'll I'll do that later. Let me go take care of this first. And also, like 92% of executives have experience, and I'm sure that this is the same thing with coaches, consultants, any of us, like 92% of us have experienced imposter syndrome at some point in our life career. It's just a matter of are you gonna let that hold you back or are you gonna move beyond it? And the other 8%, I believe, are narcissists. So they think that they're wonderful, anyways. But those 92%, when I work with executives, I ask them if they've ever heard of imposter syndrome. And I'm always surprised at how many people have never heard of this. But if you do like a 360 evaluation, you can see it. I can see it in the numbers. I can see it in what other people's opinions are. So it's the let me get myself out of that awkward situation and I'll go do something else instead.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Yeah, I love it. And it's interesting too because um you talk a lot about being remembered and not just heard. And I love that. You know, I I love that I do a lot of conversations and I try to show up for the conversations and be heard. And it's, I'm not gonna lie, before I got on this podcast, I got a message that just rocked me. And I'm I'm gonna read it without saying names because it it really upset me. So this is the message. Uh, thank you, Sean. This is so-and-so from so-and-so's podcast coordinator. Thank you for your kind invitation to have him on your podcast. Uh, although humbled by your request, we have a lot of requests just like yours, hundreds actually. And his plate is full. And and we're only prioritizing people that have a very large reach, a hundred thousand plus per episode. As such, we don't want to talk to you. And like, and I was just saying, why I'm bringing it up, why I'm bringing it up. I'm not trying to be sour here, but it's just you have to be memorable. And for me, one of the things that pops into my head is authenticity. And like one of the things that I think is wrong, and a lot of people have wrong, and what that girl and that team has wrong is the idea that metrics are a definition of success. And yet the reality is that what should be a definition of success is to be memorable and to be like, and you're being memorable in the right rooms. I had um, I have my Growing Money Financial podcast that is one of my favorites, and I love it, and it's growing. And I might not have millions of downloads, hundreds of thousands of downloads per episode. But you know what I do have? I have a room of people that are influential in the community that all know who I am now. And I had one guy who was really big name in that industry that came on my podcast. And before we started, he says, You're Sean Trace. I said, Yeah, that's me. And he says, I don't know who you are, but you have awesome conversations with people that I know and respect. And because of that, I wanted to talk to you. And I was like, All right, be memorable. Because it's not about the metrics. It's not about having a hundred thousand people see you. It's about having the people that you need to see you see you and remember you. And I mean, if we're talking about especially for business, um, and this is the question that I think a lot of people ask. I know what makes me memorable. It's a it's a mix of honesty, comedy, and not taking shit so seriously. You know, that's kind of my what helps me stand out. But like, what makes someone's communication actually stick in a room?

SPEAKER_01 17:30

With each of my clients, I can hear something in their voice. And I also, because I'm working on Zoom, like I can see something with the way that they smile, with their the way that their eyes light up. Everybody has a superpower. There's something about them. So mine is connection and likability. I'm easy to like and I love to connect people. Like one of the things that I'm gonna do after we hit if after we finish recording, I'm gonna say, who can I invite introduce you to? What other kind of interesting guests? Like, what is there any particular type of person that you're looking for? And because I because I help people speak better, the references, you know, like the referrals, the introductions that I'm gonna make to you, like they're gonna be great guests. Like I already know this, but I want to help you. Yeah. And I do that a lot for other people as well. So that's what I'm really known for is making connections with other people. And it was something that just this is just something that I do, and I never realized it was actually one of my superpowers. So, what is your superpower? And let's play on that strength. So, one of my clients, you know, he works for a big investment company, and he's very well known within the organization, but he's trying to move up. So I just said, like, get there early. Stop cramming your day, you know, like meeting to meeting to meeting. Have some cushion in there so that you can get there a little early, especially if you're presenting, because he's so likable to go in there and just like say, hey, hey, Mary, I'm so glad you're here. How was your vacation last month? I haven't seen you since, you know, just to be able to have those conversations. So figure out what your superpower is. And you may not be able to see it yourself. So ask a couple of people that are close to you or that work with you. What do you think my superpower is when it comes to my communication, my presence? Like, what do I need to lean on and do more of that because you're already good at it. Let's not worry about the stuff that you're not great at, but let's let's let's start to work on the stuff that you're great at that comes natural to you. Then it will be so much easier to pick up the places that, oh, all right, I could learn to speak a little bit more fluently.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

Yeah. It makes complete sense. And it's like, it's interesting because if you can focus on what you're good at and figure that out, you are halfway toward, you know, toward fulfillment, toward building the audience, toward whatever it is that you're looking for, you know. For me, I I would love at some point in time to travel around the world doing public speaking, to love to go and do conventions and things like that. And and I do know that where I honed my craft was 20 years, 20 years in the most difficult, demanding environment that you could ask for for a public speaker. A children's classroom. I worked as a kids' teacher for 20 years. I taught 10 to 12 year olds English in Vietnam. And you want to talk about a demanding audience, they will tear you apart and they will judge you and they will like, you know, and it it made me get faster and wittier and lean into what I was strong at. I'm strong on knowledge. I'm strong on finding great analogies and ways to impart that knowledge. And I make it fun. And if we can, we aren't having fun in the process. And I think when you know that, it it comes all together, you know? And I and then also knowing what you're not good at. I'm not good at the guy who's like, if you want someone who's gonna just be all of everything's super like lined up and formal, I'm not your guy. I'm not your guy. That's not me. But if you want something that's off the cuff and we have some fun, then then we do that. But like you, you've blended like neuroscience with like real world leadership communication. What's one insight from brain science that completely changed how you coach people to speak?

SPEAKER_02 21:53

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Before before we go there, I want to take you back to my college days. So I have a degree in exercise physiology. And one of the classes that I had to take requirements was chemistry. Chemistry. I think I did it. It was only an hour three times a week and showed up in this woman's class and I literally dropped out halfway through. I was just like, I'm not doing this. She was so boring. So boring. So I mean, I have to take this. So the following year, if it's going to be boring, I'm just going to do it quicker hour and a half, twice a week. And I took this guy's class and he had a master's degree in education, not chemistry. I loved going to chemistry class. I learned so much from him that the following semester, when I had to do part two, I did it in a one, three-hour class a week. So yeah, I studied chemistry for three hours once a week, just because he was that good.

SPEAKER_00 23:01

Right. And it motivates people, you know. And it's like, I, and I think that if you can find a way to pull people in, but yeah, you know, that's powerful. And I think that that's that says a lot for a person who understands how to do their job, you know? But like coming back to like the brain science, because that's I'm super fascinated. One of the my favorite books that I've ever read is called The Buddha's Brain, the practical neuroscience of mindfulness. And it's one of the coolest books because they go into the brain science and then how we get into these anxiety cycles and why, and then they look at how mindfulness was able to really help with that. But like you talk about brain science, and what's one brain insight, brain science insight that completely changed how you coach people to speak?

SPEAKER_01 23:46

Couple of things. Humor and storytelling. So both of them, so humor literally, like when you're speaking to an audience, your audience has got their arms crossed, they're sitting back, they're a little defensive, if you will. But if you can make them laugh, laughter literally opens up the brain to learning. So now it's that like, oh, I like this person. So you get the audience to lean in a little more. So that's so being funny. And so I'm from the New England area, so I got a little bit of past and sarcasm that's going on when I speak. So that would be one. My second one is storytelling. Instead of just dishing out facts and figures, share a story, a story about a customer, a client, a case study, an analogy, something from sports. When you tell stories, your audience pictures themselves in the story that you're telling them. And we love stories. I mean, when you think back to before we had like paper and pen, how did we pass down different, like what history was and what and what great grandpa did? We told stories. I mean, I still to this day, I mean, my both of my grandparents, um, both sides, haven't been around for ages. And I just think of like some of the stories. Like they still linger on. And I have some very wonderful stories about each of them, how they impacted me. And that's that's another great one. And I'll add another one in there about pausing. Now, pausing is a little bit hard when you have an audio podcast because whoever's listening to it thinks, what happened? Did did I lose the connection? So, with pausing, when you're face-to-face, or this is video, this is going to be video, when you pause, you're giving the audience a place to think, to formulate their own opinion, to answer the question that you just asked. That is allowing like your audience to basically engage with your presentation. So pausing is very powerful, but most people don't like to pause because they think it means they don't know what they're gonna say. The audience is gonna judge them for like they lost their place. And it's okay if you lose your place. I have been in front of people and answered a question, and so basically took a little side tangent, as you were saying, you're that kind of speaker, also. I took a little side tangent and then I looked at the audience and I said, Yeah, what was I talking about? And they laughed. Again, laughter. They laughed because they're thinking she's just like me. And I I mean, I literally had put my hand on my hip and I looked at the person that was closest to me. And in that two seconds, while they were laughing, I remembered. And I picked it right back up. So, what does the audience think? Oh, yeah. It's just kind of part of the act. No big deal. So the audience will never know what you didn't tell them. So if you forget something, don't worry. They're not mind readers, they didn't know. And if it's an important piece of information, like you're in the boardroom, I mean, somebody's gonna ask. And then you're gonna share. So that's a couple of neuroscience. And another thing that I will share about what happens like when you are speaking. So, Sean, when you start speaking around the globe, what happens is like your audience, you have to grab their attention. You have to give people a reason to put down their phones and ignore it. And that happens. So people naturally will then lean in if you grab their attention. But then they will naturally lean back and they fold their arms because they're thinking, but why should I listen to you? And that's where what I have an in-demand signature speech methodology. That's where you share who you are in a non-boring resume LinkedIn type way. You want it to be an engaging way that you're sharing with people, like kind of like the the way that I started this when you said introduce yourself. I'm a reform painfully shy girl who accidentally said yes. And that was 25 years ago. And I've worked with a couple of little companies like American Towers and Johnson and Johnson. Like just that few seconds, it says, Oh, I'm afraid of speaking. So is she. If she can do that, maybe I can too. Oh, she's been doing this for 25 years. She might know a thing or two, and I can learn something. And oh, Johnson and Johnson. Yeah, I've kind of heard of them. So then they lean back in, and then that's when you can teach.

SPEAKER_00 28:42

Right? It's interesting because there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. But you know, one of the things that I think that for me, um, I I got a great, I have a great teacher, and the teacher that I have for control for engaging an audience, keeping their attention is my wife, who uh is a pro singer here in Vietnam. And so when she gets up on stage and she has to compete against people, like she goes to the events and they're on their phones. They are often, it's like often dinner events, and so they're talking to each other. And she, so many singers want to be up on the stage because they feel safe. She gets down in amongst the people. She gets that mic down, she gets off the stage, she starts going out there, she starts like having people sing along with her, she gets the people dancing, gets the people moving, and she continues the book shows again and again and again. And why? Because people go, the audience had a great time. You connected with them, you bridged that connection and you got their attention. You kept it because you gave them value, you gave them things that they felt happy about. And you know, for me, it's like I've been that person up on stage where I thought that I was gonna have the confidence. But one of the things that I thought that I'd have the confidence before speaking, but actually I wasn't confident. But when I got up there, it just started coming. And I got more confident the more I talked. Like, hang on, you know, I didn't spontaneously combust. I'm not dead. My worst case scenarios literally did not just happen. This is not so bad. But you know, confidence gets built by getting up and putting the reps in. Not by it's not something you magically go, I'm confident now. It's the reps that really make you confident. Do you work out? Yes. Yes, I do.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

Okay. And I, and I do as well. But there are some mornings that I wake up and I'm like, the motivation's not there. I don't really feel like going. But guess what? I'm just like, all I gotta do is get out of bed and start moving my body, and I will be there for seven o'clock like I am every single day. It's that motion, that movement, that doing what I know that I'm supposed to do. So you getting up on stage. Yeah, there are times where I'm just like, I really don't feel like it.

SPEAKER_00 31:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

But I get up there and I start, and it's like, this is what I'm supposed to do. This is like I'm supposed to be here delivering this message. And then it's just like my heart comes out. Like, I just I share. And then I'm just like, darn, my time is up.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

Sometimes you get into that flow state and you don't realize how much like time is passing, and then you look down and you're like, wow, wow. That just flew by. And I think that that's one of the things that I found is that I I find the joy uh of being in that moment. And it's almost like Zen in the art of public speaking, you know? But what I wanted to ask you this: like, what's the biggest difference you see between people who sound like leaders and people who are technically smart but just don't land that way? You know, people that they might both be great leaders, but some people like this person, it sounds like impressive, and this person doesn't. What's what's the difference? And how can how can the person who doesn't sound that way become the leader that has that that voice?

SPEAKER_01 32:14

Well, I think there's a couple of things that are going on with the people who are like, let's just say, like they're both technically smart, but one person sounds like a leader versus the other person. I bet you the person who sounds like a leader has put in the reps and has practiced. They didn't always sound like that. They got to that point versus the person who thinks, you know, like, oh, well, this should just come naturally to me. Like people should just understand what I'm trying to say and then go do what I what I'm saying or be influenced by me. You know, and you know, maybe they just they sound like they're like, what is it, like the peanuts teacher? Wah wah. You know, it's just like it's that monotone. And they're not delivering their message. You know, I was uh a couple of weeks ago, I noticed this because I listened to voice. I listened to what people say and how they say it. I asked a service person a question, and then I listened to his answer. He repeated his answer three times before he stopped speaking. As he was like answering the question, he answered it the first time. And then I was like, oh my God, he's answering it again. And then he answered it a third time, saying nothing new, but it was just something that I noticed. And there's so many people who do that also. And this is trying to fill the void with words instead of being concise. So that person who their leadership is not landing, how are they speaking? And one of the best things you can do is to record yourself. I was just hearing on a podcast that episode that's coming out, how years ago somebody had said to me, Have you ever listened to yourself, the voice messages that you leave? And I was like, I didn't think anything was wrong with it until I went and listened. And I was like, oh my gosh, I don't sound the way I'm trying to sound. So I would literally re-record, listen to it again. I still don't like it, re-record, listen to it again until I was happy with it. So sometimes I would re-record messages five times. Do you think it paid off? Yes, because I don't re-record messages five times anymore. They're one takes because I've set the intention. What is it that I want to say to this person? And what's the emotion that I want to have in my voice so that they'll feel that? And so voices are just as important as what you say. So the how you say it is as important as what you say, and then your body language when you're in person and also on video to really think about your presence, how you're showing up, how you're standing, because also how you're standing, whether you're sitting down at a board meeting or you're standing on a stage, are you hunched over because you you're like, you know, you're a singer, like you're not using your lungs, you're cramping them up. Open up.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

Right. Right. Right. Looking back at your journey, because when I look at my journey, you know, I see some of these little events that were major events that they didn't seem massive at the time, you know? And these little small things that added up to like to shape who I am. But looking back at your journey, what was a small, almost unglamorous habit that made a massive difference in how you showed up over time?

SPEAKER_01 35:49

A habit, um, or just a moment. Wow. I don't as you were asking the question, something that came to mind when my family lived in Japan. I went from a public school here in the United States to a Catholic, all-girl navy blue uniform and all school. And one of the classes was a speech class. And it wasn't a speech like what I teach people today. I really feel like it was more of an etiquette class with a little bit of how you sound. One day when I was leaving, you know, and I was this was predominantly 90% of the students were Japanese. They went to the school probably because they had an American or English parent. And it was a great way for them to, they're gonna learn Japanese, but now they can learn English like really well in a school system. And so leaving class, and Mrs. O'Keefe said, Laureanne, the school's doing a speech contest. I think you should do it. I was 13. What do you do when you're 13? And teacher tells you to do something, you just go, yes. Okay. I had no idea what this meant. And I picked a humorous reading, Sean. So now I had to go find something that was funny. And I read that. And I do remember being in the contest, and I was able to have my script over on one hand, but I also had to know where everything was. It was only there as like a security blanket. And I remember once getting lost. I forgot, like I couldn't find my place, but I had to do it in like seconds, not even seconds. You know, it's like I had lost my place and I made up something. The audience didn't know. And just like the other incident that I shared earlier about not knowing where I was in my speech, I turned back and my eyes fell right on the line that I needed next. And I picked it right back up. The audience never knew. So there's so I I think that was an important moment for me. It gave me the courage. Maybe I could do this again. Maybe I can do it again, maybe I can do it a little better. So I've always been that sort of person who I don't worry too much about the future. Like I don't worry about like what if somebody asks me a question that I can't answer. I'll just tell them that, oh, I don't know. But if you give me your contact information, I'll find that answer for you. So I so I think that built up my courage and also a little bit of my confidence because it was evidence.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

For someone listening tonight who feels capable but stuck, you know, at that, and they don't they don't know how they can get to that next level. What's one simple thing that they can start doing today, this week, whatever, to change how they're perceived, to change how they project, to change how they impact the world?

SPEAKER_02 38:54

Video.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

IG stories. That's usually my go-to is IG stories. One, it's only around for 24 hours. And you get it's a skill to look in the camera and speak concisely. Are you gonna be good at first? No. Are you gonna get good over time? You know, Sean, before Facebook took down all of your Facebook lives that were more than like 30 days old. I left my first Facebook Live up there. And it was horrible. Like I say it was horrible, but it was like, it was like this flat personality. You couldn't like really feel my heart because I was staring at this little green dot on my laptop, speaking and trying to share some information. And it just wasn't that good. But it was my very first Facebook live.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

I do podcasts. And I feel like I'm pretty good with podcasts. But you know what? I'm really bad with short form content. When I'm sitting there going, Hi, I'm here today to talk to you about what and I just feel not as natural. But the the irony is, is like if I had more reps and I was focusing on it more, I'd get better at it. But like I think it's like where you put your attention is where you start refining. But I wanted to ask you this: where can people look to find out more information about you and what you do?

SPEAKER_01 40:20

I say the best place to find me and learn from me is right on over on my website, because from there you can find me on your favorite social media. My website is speakeandstandout.com. And there's I also have a podcast called Be in Demand, which is all about public speaking, whether you're in corporate and you want to get that next big promotion, or you're a coach, a consultant, and you want to leverage speaking opportunities because there are so many opportunities that are out there.