Figure Out Who You Are, And Be.
If you’ve just started to follow me or read my blog posts, this might be surprising, but I used to resist being myself online, in my role as a public speaking coach.
On my music accounts (did you know I’m also a musician?), I’d swear (something I do fairly regularly in real life - I like emphasis ;) ), talk about feminism and racism and things that mattered to me. I’d be silly and smart and not be bothered about my “professional image”.
However, the same was not true on my ubu skills accounts. I played it very safe. I felt that I needed to portray a professional neutrality in order to win over customers. Or at least, I thought I was playing it safe to be professional. The truth is: I was afraid.
One day I came upon a woman who ran The School of Visibility. I started to read about the importance of standing behind what you believe in and being who you are. Being visible to the world.
And I realized that I wasn’t.
I knew that I wanted to focus my messaging on women, but I was afraid to call myself a coach for women. I knew that there were injustices in the world, but I left the signal boosting to my music accounts.
When I decided to invest a significant amount of money into the Make It Work Online program by Jenny Shih (by the way, I am not an affiliate, I just really loved this course), I knew I wanted to build my business into something substantial. I knew I wanted it to take the place of my day job, and I knew I wanted to make an impact on the world in my own way (by teaching people how to find the confidence and power to speak up).
When we started to write out marketing materials, building upon our internal ideologies and messaging, I would talk about all of the things that were important to me, but I didn’t put them out there just yet.
And then one day, I did. By accident, haha. I had sort of been so entrenched in all of this work that I forgot how I’d framed it, and so when it was time to use it in offers and website copy, I realized… I was out. And there was no turning back.
And that felt scary. I felt exposed and vulnerable. Like, I woke up in the middle of the night and wondered if I should run to the computer and start erasing stuff.
But instead, I doubled down. I knew that becoming more political in my posts might turn a few people off. That’s okay. I knew that some of my male clients might wonder why I was calling myself a public speaking coach for women. I didn’t hear a peep. The funny thing is, nothing catastrophic happened. Nothing changed at all.
Well, that’s not true. Internally it did. I now feel like I can be fully present in my business.
And guess what I did? I doubled down, again.
I quit my job. (HOLY SHIT.)
Because I didn’t spend all of this money, and invest all of this time, and believe so strongly in my ability to give people tools and systems to allow them to gain confidence and power, to spend 40 hours of every week at a job that wasn’t contributing to my growth. In fact, it was taking away energy I needed to continue to build. And although it was comfortable there, I’m no longer interested in being comfortable.
At first, I worried that people would think I was nuts to quit my super-safe job in the middle of a pandemic. But when I started to tell people, having all of my arguments and reasons ready to go, what I found was support. Enthusiasm. Encouragement. Congratulations.
And so here I am. I created space to be visible. It often felt like the ground was about to give out beneath me, but I stuck with it. I wanted to be present and fully myself. Maybe for the first time ever. And it’s thrilling, and scary and feels completely right. And it’s ongoing.
And so I want to leave you with this: in what areas of your life are you playing small? Are there areas where you’re stifling yourself because you’re afraid? Can I help?
I’m always happy to talk (for free!) about this stuff - if there’s something in your life you’d like to change, but you’re not sure how - if you feel like you’d like to step up a little more, send me an email to megan@ubuskills.com. I might know a trick or two that can get you started!
Watch it live!
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I help women calm their nerves, speak authoritatively and feel confident when it's time to speak.
I help professionals update their stature, read speeches while connecting with their audience and keep a steady focus.
I also help groups of people learn how to be incredible communicators by teaching excellent presentation tools.
If you’re ready to become a master presenter, I have a host of 1:1 coaching packages, group workshops or courses designed to help you confidently speak in any situation. Curious about how I can help you get past your public speaking fears? Click here to learn more: Work With Me.
