Find Your Voice, Change Your Life

Today, I interview Desislava Dimitrova, who grew up learning to stay quiet in order to keep the peace. She shares what it was like growing up in a strict home where it did not feel safe to speak, and how being quiet became a way to protect herself from a very young age.A major turning point came later in her life through a serious illness that divided her life into before and after. The long healing process forced her to slow down, listen deeply, and face her biggest fears. Through years of meditation and healing, she began reconnecting with her heart and the deeper knowing that had always been there.Today, Desislava uses her voice to help others slow down and listen to their heart. Through meditation and a personal, intuitive approach, she supports people in finding healing, clarity, and a deeper connection to themselves.__________________Desislava Dimitrova is a holistic whole health consultant with intuitive and healing abilities. She is passionate about helping moms improve their lifestyle and live with more joy and inner peace. People she has worked with often describe her as practical and motherly nurturing, and she offers a very personal approach that works with mind, body, and spirit.She is certified in multiple healing modalities, but life experience is her biggest credential. Desislava works with mid age professional and business women who feel overwhelmed, stressed, or are going through major transitions in their lives. She helps them find peace, hear their inner voice, and move past blocks so they can take their next inspired steps with confidence and clarity, while creating a calm and safe space for healing and growth.__________________Find Desislava here:Website: https://desi-divine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desislava.dimitrova.3110/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desislava-dimitrova-30271293/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desisdivine/Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview Manya Gittel who lost her voice during a stroke and woke up to something far more unexpected than the crisis itself. She describes that moment as an inner awakening she didn’t see coming, one that shifted her sense of who she was and how her voice lived inside her.Manya shares parts of her early life, shaped by her parents’ history and the roles she learned to carry as a child. These patterns became so natural to her that she never questioned them, even as they influenced how she showed up in the world.What changed after the stroke is something she explains in a way that feels both surprising and deeply human. The way she describes that shift invites you to listen closely and wonder about the places where you too might be living from habit instead of truth.Today, Manya reflects on how that experience continues to shape her voice and her presence. Her story opens a rare conversation about authenticity, connection, and the moment a person realizes they have been further from themselves than they knew. It is an invitation to explore what happens when someone finally hears the voice they didn’t know they lost.__________________Manya Gittel is a coach and trainer from South Africa who works with people around the world. Her background spans decades of facilitation, education, training programs, coaching, participatory theatre, and deep study of the Enneagram. She is known for helping people explore truth through voice, presence, and honest connection.Manya’s work is rooted in meaningful engagement, both with oneself and with others. She brings a unique blend of insight and experience, shaped by training in both formal and informal settings and by the recognitions she has received for her commitment to personal growth and awareness.Recent life events have opened new layers in her understanding of authenticity and expression, and she now weaves those insights into her coaching. She continues to guide people toward a more grounded, truthful relationship with themselves and with the world around them.__________________Find Manya here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manyagittel/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KnocKnockCoaching/Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/masteryofselfandrelationshipsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/manyagittelSupport the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview John Kippen who spent years hiding after a surgery left half of his face paralyzed. His story is one of deep courage, transformation, and learning what it really means to be seen.As a child, John grew up in a successful family and learned how to perform, achieve, and seek approval. But beneath that confidence was a longing to be understood for who he truly was. When a brain tumor led to facial paralysis, everything he knew about identity and worth was shaken.What followed was a long season of silence and isolation that eventually became a doorway to rediscovery. Through his love for magic and storytelling, John began to connect with others again. The stage became a space where he stopped hiding, shared his truth, and turned what once felt like a limitation into a powerful message of authenticity.Today, John uses his voice to help others find theirs. As a speaker and empowerment coach, he reminds us that real confidence isn’t about appearance or perfection. It begins with self-acceptance, compassion, and the courage to show up exactly as we are.__________________John Kippen is an entrepreneur, professional magician, speaker, resilience and empowerment coach, and published author.In 2002, he was diagnosed with a large benign brain tumor that, while successfully removed, left him with permanent facial paralysis. The experience stopped his forward momentum and led him into hiding for more than twelve years.During that time, John rediscovered his childhood love for performing magic and storytelling. What began as a way to cope slowly became his source of healing. With renewed passion and hope, he came to see that his facial difference was not a limitation but his greatest superpower.Today, John lives with joy and purpose, helping others rise above self-doubt and fear. As a resilience and empowerment coach, he teaches people to get out of their own way and step into a life of confidence and connection.His guiding mottos are simple yet profound: Being different is your superpower and Feed your heart with your art.__________________Find John here:https://www.johnkippen.com/https://www.facebook.com/kippen/?_rdrhttps://www.instagram.com/johnkippen/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnkippenspeaker/Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview Robin Humphreys, who once felt her voice caught in her throat and her body tense with fear. She shares how creative expression became her lifeline, helping her release what she couldn’t say out loud.Growing up sensitive and full of imagination, Robin later faced experiences that taught her to hold back her voice. Years of silence led to a deep disconnection from her own safety and expression, until art and body-based healing began to show her another way to live and speak.Now, Robin helps others find that same freedom, guiding them to calm anxiety, reconnect with their bodies, and rediscover their authentic voice. Her work reminds us that healing and self-expression often rise together, leading us back to what is most true within.__________________Robin Humphreys is the visionary Founder and CEO of Phoenix Heart Healing. She is a true catalyst for transformation, guiding individuals to experience radiant shifts by aligning the body, heart, mind, and spirit.Her holistic mastery weaves together energy healing, meditation, breathwork, and movement, helping clients dissolve anxiety, depression, and overwhelm while nurturing a deeper connection to themselves and the world around them.As a trained international and TEDx speaker, Robin’s mission to transform lives has touched hearts across the globe. Her empowering presence inspires others to take a soulful leap on their journey homeward.__________________Find Robin here:https://www.facebook.com/phoenixhearthealinghttps://www.instagram.com/phoenixhearthealing/3 Tips to Reduce Anxiety in 2 Minutes or Less - https://phoenixhearthealing.org/ Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview Heidi Fischbach who grew up in a strict, high-control environment where fear and rules shaped how she learned to speak and exist. From an early age, she carried the weight of right and wrong, heaven and hell, and learned to stay small to stay safe.As she grew older, this constant vigilance became anxiety and self-silencing. Her turning point came when she began to understand how the body holds old fear-based patterns, and how healing the nervous system can restore a sense of safety and calm. Through curiosity and self-friendliness, she learned that safety isn’t just emotional, it’s physical, and that when the body feels safe, the voice naturally begins to emerge.Today, Heidi helps others reset their nervous systems and rediscover what it feels like to be calm, connected, and expressive. She teaches that healing happens in small, steady increments, not through force, but through gentleness and presence.__________________Heidi Fischbach is a nervous system coach and writer who helps people reset after high-control environments, whether that’s a fundamentalist religion, a rigid family system, or chronic survival mode. With training in Focusing, Polyvagal Theory, and body-based trauma healing, she helps clients feel safe, connected, and at home in their bodies.She is currently finishing her memoir, Missionary Kid: How My Body Saved My Mind from High-Control Christianity, and offers a program called The Nervous System Jumpstart.__________________Find Heidi here:https://www.instagram.com/heidifischbach/https://www.heidifischbach.comSupport the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview Catherine G. Lucas who opens up about losing her voice in the midst of a painful breakdown. In her late teens she was already standing on stage for public speaking competitions, but by the time her parents divorced during her university years, the weight of family wounds caught up with her. Instead of enjoying summer with friends, she found herself in an acute psychiatric ward, her world shattered and her voice silenced.Her breakthrough came much later, when she discovered that what had been called a breakdown could also be seen as an awakening. It took years of reframing and deep inner work to see her experience not as illness, but as a turning point with the potential for healing.Through mindfulness, patient advocacy, and writing her first book, In Case of Spiritual Emergency, Catherine began to speak from her whole self rather than hide in shame. Today she helps others step into their deeper calling, showing that finding your voice is not about perfection but about expressing the truth of who you are in a way that heals and uplifts.__________________Catherine G. Lucas is the author of four books on how to move successfully through crisis and harness the transformational power it holds. A former university professor, Catherine left her academic career behind to step into her soul’s deeper calling, following a profound crisis of awakening.She went on to set up a UK charity and now helps people step into their deeper calling. Her media appearances include BBC Radio 4 and TimeWarner TV, and she regularly speaks internationally. More recently, Catherine has convened the highly acclaimed Birth the New Earth summit.__________________Find Catherine here:https://www.youtube.com/user/CatherineGLucashttps://www.catherine-g-lucas.com/https://www.co-creatingourfuture.world/https://www.co-creatingourfuture.world/free-gift-download/Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview Liz Sweet, who spent years feeling the pressure to be polished and perfect, even when it left her exhausted. Growing up in Los Angeles, she was encouraged to use her voice, but only her polished side was welcomed, while her vulnerable self was seen as “too much.”As she built her career leading trainings around the globe, Liz created a confident persona that looked successful on the outside but drained her on the inside. Her turning point came when she discovered a presence-based approach and realized that real confidence comes not from performance, but from connection.In this conversation, Liz shares what it meant to drop the mask, move through discomfort, and find the deep freedom of being seen as her whole self. She shows how presence—not polish—is what allows your true voice to shine.__________________Liz Sweet is the founder of Connected Speaking, where she helps professionals find real confidence in their voice and leadership. With over a decade of experience training nonprofit and philanthropic leaders, she knows how easily the pressure to prove yourself can take over—no matter your role.Liz also knows this struggle personally. For years, she battled speaking anxiety, relying on performance and polish to get by. Her turning point came when she discovered a presence-based approach that helped her move beyond fear and perfectionism into genuine confidence and ease.Today, Liz leads supportive group programs and coaching that go deeper than surface-level techniques. She guides people to feel at home in their voice, connect more authentically, and lead with greater impact.__________________Find Liz here:www.ConnectedSpeaking.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethasweet/ Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview Renee Zukin who spent years caught in fear and intrusive thoughts that silenced her voice. For much of her life, anxiety and self-doubt made her question whether she could ever step into leadership or express herself authentically. She carried the weight of comparison, believing that courage belonged only to those who could do the big, bold things she thought she couldn’t.Her turning point came when she redefined bravery. Instead of measuring herself against others, she began to see that courage could be found in the smallest steps — getting out of bed, showing up for work, or speaking honestly in the moment. That shift allowed her to reclaim her sense of worth and begin showing up in her life with more authenticity and compassion.Over time, Renee committed to the inner work, embraced mentors, and put her story into the world. She discovered that she didn’t need to be “fixed” to move forward — every step of bravery became part of her healing and part of her voice.Today, she is an author, coach, and educator. Through her book Every Day I’m Brave, she shares her story along with journal prompts that guide others to reflect, find awareness, and take their own brave steps toward reclaiming their voice.__________________Renee Zukin is an author, educator, coach, and mental health advocate committed to doing the inner work that creates outer change. With more than 20 years of experience in education, writing, and entrepreneurship, she has also studied multiple psychological and healing modalities that sustain her and support those she works with.Passionate about creating safe spaces, Renee helps others use the written word as a tool for self-transformation and empowerment. Her debut book, Every Day, I’m Brave: Cultivating Resilience to Gain Freedom from Fear (Wonderwell Press, August 2025), is both memoir and manifesto — an invitation to embrace bravery in the face of fear and to reclaim a life of authenticity and connection.__________________Find Renee here:https://www.reneezukin.com/https://www.reneezukin.com/brave-bookSupport the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview Michael Grant and Lee Glickstein. Michael once struggled with stage fright, from freezing in high school to facing the daunting role of speaking at his uncle’s memorial service. His voice, long held back by anxiety and fear, often felt locked away.Everything began to shift when he discovered Speaking Circles, created by Lee. Instead of relying on performance or technique, Michael experienced the power of pauses, silence, and being truly seen. He learned to drop into his heart, receive listening, and let his authentic words emerge naturally.What once felt like collapse slowly transformed into presence, connection, and shared humanity. Now, Michael is stepping into personal leadership with a voice no longer frozen by fear. Together with Lee, he shares how listening itself can be healing, how authenticity matters more than performance, and how true voice is found not in speaking louder—but in speaking from the heart.__________________Michael Grant is an architectural designer whose journey with stage fright has spanned decades. What began in high school as a phobia of public speaking—whether in class, on stage, or even raising his hand—developed into a deep-seated anxiety that shaped much of his adult life.Over the years, Michael explored countless avenues to face this fear: public speaking courses, acting classes, personal growth workshops, and three years with Toastmasters. While these tools helped him function in front of groups, he never truly felt safe internally. The anxiety persisted, often leaving him frozen under the spotlight, even on Zoom calls.Everything changed when he was asked to MC his uncle’s memorial ceremony—a high-stakes moment with over 130 attendees. Michael feared delivering a stiff, scripted performance instead of honoring his heartfelt intention: to create a safe, loving, and inclusive space.He discovered Be Heard Now! by Lee Glickstein, immersing himself in the practice of speaking from true inner presence, and with intensive dedication to planning and practice, he pulled it off. The memorial became a magical experience. Today, Michael sees his early fears not as burdens, but as invitations into lifelong personal growth.__________________Lee Glickstein, founder of Speaking Circles International, is an authority on leadership presence and magnetism in public speaking. Decades of debilitating stage fright led him to develop an innovative approach to solving the epidemic fear of being fully oneself in front of groups.Lee has presented his unique programs at over 20 chapters of the National Speakers Association. He is the author of Be Heard Now! Tap Into Your Inner Speaker and Communicate with Ease (Bantam Doubleday and Sounds True Audiotapes) and Be Seen Now! Inspiring Insights into Being a Fearless Speaker (Precosity Press).He has facilitated thousands of Speaking Circles, workshops, seminars, and retreats around the world. Through Speaking Circles International, his team has trained over 1,000 Speaking Circle facilitators, who have led groups in eight countries and six languages.Lee graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.A. in Sociology in 1966. In 1996, he was awarded the Athena Award for Excellence in Coaching and Mentoring.Lee lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. His hobby is constructing crossword puzzles for The New York Times.__________________Find Lee here:https://speakingcircles.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeglickstein/Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.

Today, I interview John Briggs, who once believed that working harder and earning more was the ultimate measure of success, until the cost of that belief showed up at home.He grew up as the youngest in a religious family, often singled out and bullied in his childhood. Making himself small felt like the only way to stay safe. Even in the workplace years later, that pattern repeated. His voice silenced under systems that rewarded overwork and discouraged questioning the norm.The breakthrough came late one night, when John walked into his house at 2 a.m. and was met not with silence, but with his pregnant wife in tears. She told him she felt like a single parent. That moment shattered his assumptions about success and forced him to reflect on what he was really building, and who he was building it for.Since then, John has taken real steps to change not just how he works, but how he lives. He’s created a new standard, one that honors presence, productivity, and the people who matter most. Today, he teaches others how to step out of the hustle and into a more harmonized way of working, where you don’t lose yourself in the process.__________________John Briggs is widely recognized for his innovative approach to productivity and work-life harmony, encapsulated in his book The 3.3 Rule: The New Workday Standard of Creating More by Working Less. His approach has not only led to significant revenue growth for his company and clients but also promotes sustainable work-life harmony by combating the damaging hustle culture mindset.__________________Find John here:https://incitetax.com/https://www.youtube.com/incitetaxhttps://www.instagram.com/incitetax/https://www.facebook.com/incitetaxhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbriggscpa/Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.