I wanted to give a special shout out to community member @Fernando Martin-Gullans who spoke at Google this week to represent and promote one of his passions - philanthropy. Fernando has braved the stage as a professional dancer for many years but I wanted to shout out --the courage it takes to do new things --how important it is to speak --about things that matter to you --to people who need your message Way to go Fernando 😍

Thanks to all who showed for today’s workshop! As Brave Academy evolves and more of you are ready to develop and share your story, we’re going to need practice and feedback sessions. 1:1 coaching is great for that, but so will the “Fireside Feedback” sessions I’ll be putting on the calendar. Your talks need to get out in the open and be rehearsed and developed to make your time speaking as impactful as possible. Not only that, but getting the chance to get true constructive feedback is an excellent way to build up your brave and help others do the same. You don’t have to deliver the be all end all talk of your life right away. Just get things out, see how it feels, then work with it, or try something else! This is as much a process of self discovery as it is one of public visibility. Try out the 5 minute Talk Chat GPT tool I created to get you moving. Link in the comments!

Thank you to all who came to the first of our Brave Beginner Series today! Recorded Content will be available in the classroom at a later date. We have a little homework, the Create Your 5 Minute Talk with Chat GPT tool, and I also recorded a short visualization for you, which we did not do during the workshop. Listen and comment your thoughts on any of the above! Homework: (choose or do all depending on your greatest present need) MESSAGE: Purpose & Audience Clarity - Write a “letter to your future audience” explaining why you want to speak and what you hope to achieve. - OR - Imagine you have one sentence to convey something important to a stranger in a coffee shop or elevator. Something you can practice and feel confident with! MINDSET: Voice Declaration - Craft a brief, personal “Voice Declaration.” - “My voice is powerful because…” and finish with a call to action or intention, e.g., “I will speak to inspire courage in others.” TAKING ACTION: Create a 5 minute talk! - Create a talk - don’t be precious about it - Don’t judge where you are starting from.  See comments!!

Take a few minutes to be reminded of the power of your words, how long they can make an impact on others, and how you don’t have to be a perfectly composed speaker to touch many hearts and minds. Do you feel powerful? What does powerful mean to you?

I just created a new speech crafting tool for this month's Brave Beginner Speaker Series!! I would LOVE a few of you to test it out before the end of the week. Who's interested? Comment and say AYE! A 5 minute talk is the perfect way to get our feet wet. I sure hope y'all are up for a mini speaker summit by the end of the month. With all this support we're going to get you ready for the stage in 2025.