Find Your Voice, Change Your Life

Today, I interview Chris Salem who remembers being disappointed and hurt by his father. His dad wasn't around much and didn't give him the encouragement and praise he so longed for, and this lack of support dug a deep hole in Chris's heart. Chris says his mother was great. She was always there, always supportive, and did her best to fill in the gaps where his father was lacking. However, she was an extreme perfectionist, so her unrealistic desire for perfection from a child meant she was often helping him to "get it right" down to the last detail. This resulted in a codependent relationship and a lack of independence and individuality in Chris.In connecting the dots, Chris says he got his passive side from his father, and his aggressive side from his mother, because she had modeled the expectation of perfection. He was "always striving for something that was impossible." Despite his mother's good intentions, he was also in pain over his father and he became bitter, rebellious, and angry in his teenage years. This led to him getting into trouble, making bad decisions, and eventually spiraling into various addictions. He didn't know how to cope with his anger. Eventually, Chris got sick of being "on the hamster wheel". His dad had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer and passed very quickly after. The day before his passing, he saw Chris in his room and began speaking to him – but he spoke differently than he ever had. He expressed his heart and made a last effort to connect. Suddenly, Chris had an epiphany. He realized that his dad had always been doing and being what he knew. He wasn't intentionally doing a poor job as a parent. He did care, and he did the best he could despite his own uphill battles. Chris realized he'd been acting like a victim his whole life, and that he needed to take stewardship of his time on earth. He went down a path of self-discovery and found a way to overcome his limiting beliefs and bad habits. He developed his self-esteem and found his own personal values, embracing personal development and acknowledging his emotions. Once he stepped into his purpose, he realized that the goal wasn't perfection. The goal was to be present today in order to embrace life and continue to grow. ___________ Chris Salem is an accomplished CEO, business executive coach, world-class speaker, corporate trainer-advisor, award-winning author®, certified mindset expert, and radio show host & media personality mentoring business leaders and organizations to scale their brands and business by raising their level of influence as trusted advisors. In addition, he mentors business leaders and organizations toward solutions for enhancing corporate culture, improving workplace communications, increasing sales, and increasing employee engagement for maximum production. His book Master Your Inner Critic / Resolve the Root Cause – Create Prosperity went international best seller in 2016. He also co-authored the recent edition of "Mastering the Art of Success" with Jack Canfield. His weekly radio show, Sustainable Success, is part of the Voice America Influencers Channel and Business Influencers with TAL Radio, part of the Touch-A-Life foundation. Find Chris here: https://christophersalem.com/ https://www.facebook.com/chris.salem.773 https://www.facebook.com/sustainablesuccess2017 https://www.facebook.com/christophersalemprofessional https://www.instagram.com/chrisrsalem/ https://twitter.com/whealthteam https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersalem https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisSalem1967___________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I helpSupport 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 Kamala Murphey whose family was a fairly rigid system. Her father – who had at one point studied to become a priest but in the end, did not – was a strict perfectionist. He and his doting wife had high expectations of their two daughters, thrilled with the acclaim they saw on report cards.Kamala uses the phrase "compliant children", which paints a saddening image. She also tells us that her mother was dealing with alcohol addiction behind closed doors. When Kamala was in first grade, her favorite activity was show and tell because she got to talk in front of the class and everyone listened to her. Then in second grade, she remembers a teacher telling her not to get up unless she had something "important" to say. This made Kamala question the importance of her thoughts and what she was communicating. It broke her heart. She says she carried that for a long time. Although Kamala didn't mind being "a good girl" and was happy to have been disciplined, on the inside she was still screaming, "Oh, let me experience life!" She was excited to leave home and go find her way. She makes the amazing point that part of the "good" of a luscious life is in figuring out "how we’re created to be and accessing all of it." Her mother died at 68, and while working in corporate America at the time, Kamala saw how unhappy and empty her mother's life had become. She realized she wanted a bigger, more luscious life for herself. She left this work and started a coaching business, trying out Toastmasters, as many of us do. One of those coaches introduced her to Speaking Circles, which I founded with my partner, Lee Glickstein. We all worked together and she says she immediately felt a great connection. One of the things she learned from me was the process of pausing and taking a big deep breath – not rushing to speak. And one thing she says stuck with her about Lee was his encouragement to "dare to be boring". She learned how to always listen to herself and connect with everything that is stirring deep inside her. Today, she helps other women look into the mirror and just breathe, showing them that they are strong, brave, beautiful, and worthy. ___________ Kamala Murphey has been a spiritual life coach and mentor for over 20 years, working with women worldwide to move from heartache and disappointment to living rich, full, luscious lives. As a young woman, she battled with herself trying to fit into who and how she was supposed to be. Her one-part good Catholic girl was easy, but how to meld in the wild-hearted hippie chick inside her? Having experienced the anguish of playing small, knowing she was meant for more, she knew she was to help others like herself break free from what she calls Good Girl prison. Her passion is to empower women - especially those trained to be good girls - to change how they see themselves, to own their beauty, wisdom, heart, and chutzpah to become the models who change the paradigm about older women feeling valued, being seen and heard, rather than the heartache of fading into the woodwork, becoming invisible. She holds Master’s degrees in counseling and theology. And is the host of the Heart & Chutzpah podcast. Find Kamala here: https://www.kamalamurphey.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamalamurphey/ https://www.instagram.com/kamalamurphey/ https://www.facebook.com/KamalaMurpheyHeartacheHealer https://twitter.com/Kamala_Murphey _____________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. Get started nowSupport 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 Candy Motzek who was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Her father is black and her mother is white, and in those early times, many people didn't understand interracial couples and didn't always react well. Some were unkind. Candy says she felt like an "oddity". Already a quiet child, her quietness grew as she stayed in the background, carefully watching and listening to her world around her. In school, Candy had great groups of friends and she found her own way to shine through her intelligence and kindness. She sometimes took the road less traveled and ended up in groups of friends she maintained for years. But she has always felt the awareness that she's always the one who looks like her. She stood out a little.In college and in developing her career, she came out of her shell more and more, but not in the traditional sense. Instead of staying quiet, people began to learn that Candy had lots of opinions on things, but she spoke carefully and with intention. She chose her moments. This gave her words more value and made ears perk up when she spoke. Throughout her work, Candy's ability to sensitively read a room and cautiously gauge situations led her to also become successful at "herding cats". She diffused situations and helped bring about a calm and safe environment. Having left the corporate world and become a coach, she continues to bring calm by reminding people that the negative voices we hear inside us are just there to protect us and remind us to be cautious, so we don't have to fight them and we can feel less burdened by our inner chatter. We all have negative thoughts, but they can make us stronger and more self-aware. ______ Candy Motzek is a bestselling author and podcast host of the show She Coaches Coaches, and is also a life and business coach for coaches. Candy helps smart people start successful coaching businesses, and she believes that coaching transforms lives and that being a coach is a calling. She helps coaches get unstuck and feel more confident so they can play bigger, sign clients, and create more meaningful success. She is a recovering corporate executive and engineer who combines practical strategy and mindset in her calming, unique approach. Find Candy here: https://stepintosuccessnow.com/ https://www.instagram.com/candymotzek/ https://www.facebook.com/CoachCandyM Get Candy’s Free Private Podcast: Unlock Coaching Success:https://www.candysfreetraining.com ______________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.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 Michael Whitehouse who grew up in Massachusetts and found himself in an interesting family dynamic. His parents divorced when he was seven, so he split his time among 4 homes: his mother's, his father's, his mother's parents', and his father's parents'. Many people thought it to be an unstable situation for him, but Michael says he always loved it. He got to have different experiences at different times and places, and always gained something special from each unique home environment. He felt safe and loved. Today, he says he probably developed ADHD from always moving back and forth among all of these different houses. He says there's a lot that he doesn't remember from his childhood because of "the way [his] neurology works." I loved this part because he just plainly stated the facts, with no apology or hint at any deficiency or disability. As he grew up and established his career, we learn that Michael developed this confident understanding of himself by discovering his talent for sociability. He jokes that he is a "compulsive networker," but also admits it's the literal truth. He loves meeting new people and is always doing it. This came in handy and he has made quite a successful career out of this ability. He connects the right people to each other. Michael believes that our differences are our gifts. He says that people who are struggling with ADHD, depression, OCD, etc. simply need to be shown that these things can be seen from a perspective of power - that they can be harnessed to create unique and fulfilling, successful businesses. These things are useful and don't have to be debilitating. We must lean into the things that make us unique. ______ Michael Whitehouse is The Guy Who Knows a Guy. In 2014, he came to Groton, Connecticut knowing no one at all. A year later, after diving into networking with both feet, he was a major connector in the local community. In 2020, he went global and began connecting entrepreneurs, investors, speakers, and others around the world to people they need to know. He offers his services as a networking concierge, making connections and building strategic alliances around the world. He is the host of the daily Morning Motivation Podcast and the Guy Who Knows a Guy interview podcast. Find Michael here: https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/ https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/facebook https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/linkedin https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/tiktok https://amzn.to/3nNtoJY Get Michael's Power5 Networking Tips: https://www.guywhoknowsaguy.com/ ______________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.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 Dr. Gary Wohlman, a powerful teacher who is important to me because he was one of my first coaches! I had a transformative experience with him and I am so honored and proud to share him with you all today. Gary was born in New York City to Russian Jewish parents. They were hardworking pillars of the community. Gary was always very physically active and expressive, always moving his body in every way possible. His mother felt his creativity and free spirit might limit him in his career, so she encouraged him to pursue more academic, traditional vocations. He would show her his art, and she would ask him how his math classes were going. This broke Gary's heart. He wanted to thrive but felt so limited and disconnected by the lack of encouragement in this area. He found out he had a relative who had pursued the arts and found success, and this helped Gary to break through and give himself permission to explore and express himself in the creative world, no longer trying to fit into the molds and perceptions of success that are most common in today's society. Dr. Gary works in a spontaneous, creative way. Instead of conforming to a step-by-step method, he improvises with people based on what he senses about them. He guides them through their fears to process their experiences and break through those fears. One amazing technique he uses is a guided affirmation, where he asks us to say, "People are more interested to hear my message than I am scared to share it." And it's true! Today, Gary thrives using his "multisensory" techniques to spread the awareness and message, quite literally, that we can be ourselves, we can follow our hearts, and we can break free. ________ Dr. Gary Wohlman has devoted his lifetime as an archaeologist of the soul ~ liberating stored layers of energy, communication, and expression buried within the physical, emotional, and creative layers in the landscapes of our bodies. Since the pandemic has shifted the ways we are able to reach and connect with one another, Dr. Gary has been developing offerings online to provide visceral coaching and counseling without having to be in the same room or even in the same part of the world. As a performing artist, he has specialized and developed the character of Sharaad La Charade, court jester. In this capacity, he provides improvisational storytelling where audiences participate in his living legends by enacting the characters in the scripts he is weaving. These days, he uses this jester persona to awaken creativity, spontaneity, and authenticity with developing speakers, presenters, entrepreneurs, performing artists, and developing leaders. As a communication artist, his one-on-one coaching and interactive signature speech /keynote presentation and workshop "Speaking from the Heart, Transforming your Message with your BODY & VOICE", has assisted thousands to enhance the engagement, impact, and effectiveness of their presentations, and to bring their message out into the world. His soul's devotion is to awaken creativity and full self-expression and to assist fellow humans to take a stand for our lives - through our body, our chief instrument and temple of communication. Find Gary here: www.mypresentationdoctor.com www.garywohlman.com www.garywohlman.com/online-services/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/garywohlman https://www.youtube.com/elijahgary 2 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2tYjK9w7hFQNdox1iSGnMw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl0QQA2snnBDG_fpJzgR-Fg _______I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so theSupport 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 Michelle Prince who grew up in Chicago in a strong, faith-based family. Her parents were from big Catholic families, so she and her brother had deep Catholic roots during their upbringing. It was a safe and happy home, but there were strict rules and high expectations. Her mother had grown up in a home where perfection was expected, so Michelle often got a sense of those same expectations from her. Michelle was cautious and obedient, but when it came time for her to go to school, she was ready to jump into her own independence. She says she always had a strong social presence, always being animated and friendly, wanting to be liked by everyone. Years later when she began college, she met Zig Ziglar and was immediately inspired by him. She wanted to get all she could out of life. She wanted to be successful and make lots of money, and in order to do that, she had to learn to speak up for herself and tell the world what she wanted. She did finally break into that space and reach the success she'd dreamt of, but it had come at the cost of her passion. She wasn't doing something she loved. Even in getting to work with Zig, Michelle felt like something was missing. The company encouraged personal development, building confidence, and self-esteem. But she just didn't feel like herself. She didn't feel free to show herself fully and be seen with complete vulnerability. She loved God but didn't feel free to share her faith with her peers. She felt like an imposter with a mask on, leaving out some of the biggest and most important parts of herself. She started writing. At first, she journaled casually, but then it grew and became more serious and she poured herself into it, feeling her connection to God and eventually turning her writing into a book. This was the turning point for Michelle. She had finally found her passion and had enough confidence to start. She completed the book and started her business. Now that she has broken through, she loves to use the phrase "claim your authority" not to express the ego, but to acknowledge your identity and be boldly yourself. She encourages others to release the fear that holds them back and to step into life with joy, passion, and authenticity. _______________ Michelle Prince is a best-selling author, motivational speaker, publishing expert, leadership coach, podcast host of The Power of Authority Spotlight, and CEO/Founder of Performance Publishing Group, a partner publishing company dedicated to making a difference, one story at a time. She’s helped thousands tell their stories and founded the “Book Bound Workshop”. Michelle has published many successful books of her own, including her best-selling Winning In Life Now and her latest The Power of Authority. She is known as "America’s Productivity Coach", is a certified Human Behavior Consultant, and dedicates herself to helping leaders impact the world, using the strengths and talents already within them. She is also a dynamic speaker and has been endorsed by some of the most influential speakers in personal development, including Zig Ziglar, and is a Ziglar Legacy Certified speaker/trainer. Find Michelle here: https://performancepublishinggroup.com/ https://www.michelleprince.com/ https://www.bookboundworkshop.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleprincespeaker/ https://www.youtube.com/user/MotivateInspire https://www.instagram.com/michelleprincespeaker/ Get Your FREE Digital Copy of The Power of Authority: www.thepowerofauthority.com/freebook________________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voiSupport 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 Jean Kathryn Carlson who grew up in a religious family and felt invisible for much of her childhood. The goal was to be perfect and keep the peace in order to secure her place in heaven. She never felt enabled to be herself, to open up, or to color outside the lines. She felt so much pressure to get things right, she was always too afraid to connect with people or truly have fun as a child. Instead, she found her place of fun and play inside her own imagination. She created new worlds of adventure in her mind, and her creativity came alive. In this part of her story, Jean makes a brilliant connection. She tells us that the wound is important. The place where the problem lives is the place where we can dig deep and find gold. There is a gift there, where we listen and feel and make that connection. Jean continued in her studies, but the religious inner conflict tugged at her. She says that love was a double-edged sword; there was a great big God who loved her, but she also had a constant fear of condemnation. She hadn't yet figured out how to access her own strength, so she relied on the outside world -- teachers, ministers, and other adults -- to assess her and decide how she was doing. She lost some self-worth in this area. She found a love for the Spanish language when studying it for her undergrad. She also had a connection to music. When she moved to California, she had a tremendous sense of value because she had two skills that could be used. She was starting to find her place, express her creativity, and feel affirmed because of her expertise. She had experience teaching, but she still had that active imagination and her heart was to become a storyteller. She was finally finding herself. She left a 25-year marriage and began to come alive, realizing she was able to shine from within and let her joy spill into the lives of others. Joy is her passion. Today as an alchemy coach, she works with people to focus on their energy, language, and habits, "to create a more joyful, expansive, expressive life". __________ Jean Kathryn Carlson believes that play is the new work. Her passion for solitude, music, nature, and dreams supports her in living a life full of magic and miracles. She loves to hang out in the invisible realms of the imagination where anything is possible. Intuitive Dreamworker, Storyteller, Thought Detective, and EFT Practitioner are some of the tools she uses in her Alchemy Coaching. Her life purpose is to joyously express the wonder and mystery of life and guide others on their unique journey of joy. She knows that when we claim our inner authority we are empowered to live more joyfully no matter what is going on around us. Jean Kathryn is a certified Dream Coach and Dream Facilitator, Law of Attraction Life coach, certified ProEFT Coach, certified Speaking Circle Facilitator, Certified Tribal Marketing Coach, and SendOutCards Affiliate. Find Jean here: http://www.vibrantlivingalchemist.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeankathryncarlson/ https://www.facebook.com/jeandreams2 https://www.facebook.com/VibrantLivingAlchemist https://www.instagram.com/jkdreams2/?hl=en Go to www.vibrantlivingalchemist.com to book a free 20-minute consult! _____________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.   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 Shawn Langwell who grew up in California in a loving family with two brothers. His father was a fireman, and Shawn looked up to him as his hero. However, when Shawn was 12, his father left the family to start a new family. This crushed Shawn, of course. He missed his father's presence and affection, and he didn't know how to cope. Unfortunately, he went from class valedictorian in school to a depressed and lost child struggling with drugs and alcohol. Looking back now, Shawn tells us that during those years since the departure of his dad, he was trying to be everything that his father wasn't. He felt the duty to keep an eye on the house, take care of his siblings, and help support his mother by shouldering the household responsibilities with her. Helping to do all of these things gave him a sense of purpose in a difficult situation. Shawn was still experiencing a lot of anger during his teenage years, and he did his best to mask that with drugs and alcohol. He'd always been the brainiac in school, but now that he was getting older, he was interested in girls but too shy to approach them. He found, as many do, that alcohol became his "liquid courage". At age 22, he decided to stop using. When he came back into a clear state of mind, he had to tangle with lots of questions about who he was and who he wanted to be in the world. He chose to keep learning. He became a waiter, then a salesman, then a husband and father. Shawn says that each of those experiences moved him closer and closer to a place of confidence where he was able to realize that he had a voice, and he could share his heart with people and help serve the world. One of the things he so powerfully shares with us is that we all have a voice, but it's important not to let all the other voices in our heads overshadow that voice. We can overcome that inner critic and have powerful connections with the world. Love is the common thread that binds us all together. ______ Shawn Langwell is the Immediate Past President of The California Writers Club (CWC), Redwood Writers, past president of Toastmasters of Petaluma, an international speaker, and top producing media salesperson. He is the author of the memoir Beyond Recovery: A Journey of Grace, Love, and Forgiveness, and his recent release, Ten Seconds of Boldness: The Essential Guide to Solving Problems and Building Self-Confidence. His personal mission is to add value to people and businesses everywhere. More specifically: To encourage inspire, and help people become brave and confident enough to believe they can accomplish their dreams and goals. Find Shawn here: https://shawnlangwell.com/ https://www.facebook.com/shawn.langwell1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-langwell-01937045/ https://www.instagram.com/shawnlangwell/ ________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com. 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 Mary Simon, who at age 11 was in Austria with her Mother and older sister. Her Austrian mother had spent many years in America but returned to Austria after divorcing their father. The country had drastically changed, and she was unable to re-assimilate or fit in anywhere. Destitute, the girls and their mother went to the US Embassy on Friday and were to be returned to America on Monday. Little Mary, however, had a sudden urgency to stay in Austria. She saw that war had changed the world, and she watched her mother lose herself. She had nothing and no voice, and Mary was determined not to follow that same path. She didn't want to return to the U.S., so when her sister and mother went back to the hotel to await their departure, Mary stayed behind and made a brave plan to negotiate a way to stay in Austria. She adamantly plead her case to one of the officers, who eventually took her on with his own family. She was later forced to return to the U.S. because her father didn't like a diplomat caring for his daughter, but Mary immediately put the pieces together and made her way back to Austria. This was the first sign that Mary was to become an expert negotiator. She continued to form compelling arguments for other moves in her education, living situation, and overall life. She knew what she wanted and she was going to find her own way to make it happen. After several relocations and exhaustive studies, Mary eventually completed a degree in neuroscience. She had a curiosity to learn the biological factors that are at play in relation to life's circumstances. She wanted to understand how her life had affected her neurologically, and how if affected other people. In her work as a now professional negotiator, Mary studies both the things that hold people back and the things that motivate them. When there is misalignment, she helps to advocate for them so that they can find their voice and become the best version of themselves. __________ Mary Brunelle Simon is a Senior Executive Coach with 20+ years of international experience. Expertise in building and capturing professional legacy is the cornerstone of her business career. She has served as faculty/staff for The Wharton School MBA program, authored a book about negotiation strategies, and advised senior leaders in 15 industries. Find Mary here: https://marybsimon.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/marybsimon/ https://www.facebook.com/mary.simon.758___________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.  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 Judy Baker, whose parents were both very introverted, and Judy was the youngest child. She didn't really understand that people could be bubbly and friendly, and she was afraid of strangers and meeting new people. She was shy and spoke with such a tiny voice that many people at school couldn't hear her. Her parents didn't really have many friends or much of a social life, so Judy never got to witness people having friendly, open dialogue with one another. In fact, because this was never modeled for her, she says she didn't quite learn how to converse with people until she was in her 30s. But during her childhood, it was a struggle. In school, she loved drama class because she says she found it easy to pretend to be someone else, even though she was too shy to be herself. In speech class, her knees shook as she held the lectern in terror. Her speech teacher taught her to use her body to occupy space, with a big, open stance. Magically, she says her knees unlocked and her voice was amplified to the back of the room. Judy's most noted speaking tool is to visualize the person sitting at the back of the room. She had learned exercises to loosen facial muscles and tongues, and how to enunciate, but the focus in applying these techniques was to ensure that she was able to use every piece of her toolkit to emotionally connect with the person at the back of the room. This allowed her to be fully aware of her own space, but to also step into a new and more confident persona. Her focus is on showing genuine interest and making real connections with people. She always strives to be a good listener, taking the time to thoughtfully craft her response and interact with care. Today, her passion is to help authors to get their message to a larger audience. She helps them share their stories by helping them break through marketing roadblocks and other barriers. She is a true friend who uses her voice to lift others up and amplify their voices, too. ____________ Book Marketing Mentor Judy M. Baker helps business authors turn content into cash without going broke or crazy. Authors benefit from Judy's resilience, a gift discovered during her cancer journey. Thinking beyond the book since 2011, her workshops and one-to-one mentoring have inspired hundreds of authors to build awareness about themselves, their books, and their businesses. Find Judy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judybaker/ https://bookmarketingmentor.com/about https://linktr.ee/judymbaker https://twitter.com/bookmktgmentor https://twitter.com/BookMentorJudyB https://www.instagram.com/bookmarketingmentor/ _____________I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.     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​.