Disruptive Influence with Jeff Abracen Ep 33: "Stop Performing, Start Believing" with Annelise McCarthy
Aug 24, 2025
Join Annelise McCarthy, founder of Her Speaking Coach and an expert in empowering voices, as she shares her inspiring journey from overcoming a childhood lisp to building a global coaching business. She dives into the essence of authentic communication, debunking the myth that seriousness equates to credibility. Annelise emphasizes the power of self-love in public speaking and reveals how anxiety can be a superpower. This conversation will inspire anyone looking to embrace their voice and connect meaningfully in a noisy world.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
From Lisp To Speaking Teacher
- Annalise grew up with a lisp and spent years in speech pathology before embracing drama and competitions to build confidence.
- By 16 she earned a diploma to teach public speaking and later balanced teaching with university studies while deepening her speaking practice.
Knowledges Value Depends On Delivery
- Competence without memorable communication equals being remembered for how you present, not what you know.
- In a world of scarce attention, investing in memorability matters more than raw knowledge alone.
Oprah Joke That Opened A Conference
- Annalise emceed a 1,000-person event and improvised a joke about meeting Oprah that landed after she paused the room to build suspense.
- Her timing and willingness to back the joke set the conference tone and created lasting audience rapport.
