Why TSL?
I speak to women about reimagining their decisions so that they can find their voice, change their story, and become their own hero in all aspects of their lives. I decided to sign up for TSL because to be honest, there was nothing happening in my speaking business. I had the idea and the vision but there were a lot of ‘hows’ that I didn’t know how to do.
I watched The Speaker Lab for a year thinking this is too good to be true while also convincing myself I’m not ready yet. I had all of the excuses and about a year later I had just had it. The Elite program had everything that I was looking for. All of the obstacles that I had said were in my way, it had a way to overcome all of them. So I took the plunge and invested in myself and signed up for The Booked and Paid To Speak Elite program.
What were some A-ha’s and takeaways?
My biggest a-ha was you don’t need to do it alone. You know, so often when we go into a new business endeavor as an entrepreneur we’re solo. Realizing that I can get to where I wanna be so much quicker and with much less headache through coaching with speakers who have been there and done that has really changed the game for me.
I will tell you we as humans put so many obstacles in our way. So many limiting beliefs like we can’t do this until…. I can’t be a speaker until I have a website. I can’t be a speaker until I have an abstract. I can’t be a speaker until I have a contract and on and on and on. Working with The Speaker Lab took all of those obstacles away. In its place you have the clarity you need to become a professional speaker business owner.
Another huge takeaway for me was I came to TSL knowing I could speak about a hundred different subject matters. I didn’t know how to take all of the subject matters and find that golden thread that weaves through all of them and tie them all together. The Speaker Lab coaches in our one-on-one sessions were able to do that for me. It was mind blowing! The breakthroughs that I had talking with my coach was something that I will forever treasure.
I will say, having the coaching was a good thing but also a “bad” thing. It was a good thing because I got the clarity, the vision, and all I needed to move myself and my business forward. It was a “bad” thing because it removed all the obstacles and left me with zero excuses. I had all I needed and I am not going to lie, it was scary at first. For many of us who are sitting in our comfort zones saying, I want to do this but it’s uncomfortable, you can relate. This was the moment I had to literally level up because there was nothing stopping me thanks to TSL.
What is your new normal as a professional speaker?
My new normal is so much more confidence! When you do it once and you do it twice and you see the impact that you’re having and the help that you’re providing to the event planners, it clicks and your confidence clicks in. It simply takes a couple of times.
I recently went for what TSL calls the lowest hanging fruit. How many people do you have in your circle of influence that you just never really put together that you could actually help or speak for? Well, this happened to me at a local community college where I do therapy work with my dog.
I reached out and had a conversation with my contact there and he asked me if I could talk about a specific topic. We agreed that I could definitely lend some help in this area. I wanted to ask for $2,500 but knew that it was not in their budget. So I said, look, my normal speaking fee is $2,500, but this is our first time interacting. I want you to really see all that I can deliver. So, I offered him $1k and he agreed.
He was so pleased with me that he said, I would love to have you come back and talk about a different topic within my wheelhouse. And I said, well, that’s great, but now I’m going to need to get my full speaking fee and he said not a problem.
I did that additional speaking gig for him and then I asked if he knows anybody else that might need a speaker and he put me in touch with someone. When we finally connected I literally closed my eyes, took a deep breath and asked for $5,000. I was like, where’d that come from? Her response… we’d love to have you. I was like, damn, that was so easy. So, it was such an eye-opening experience to be able to ask for that much money and not fuddle around but simply stay in my confidence.
Who would you recommend to The Speaker Lab?
I would recommend it to those people who are sitting on the sidelines, the people that keep looking at all of the speakers and saying, I could do that. The person that says one day, maybe I’ll be a public speaker… stop that! We’re not guaranteed one day, we’re only guaranteed today.
So, I would encourage those that are sitting on the sidelines. We need to hear your story, whatever your story is. It doesn’t need to be that you overcame cancer or that you made it through a near death experience. It could be that you just managed empty nest and menopause. It could be that you went through a financial catastrophe and came out the other end. It could be that you have 10 stress relieving things that you can do on-the-go for people who are under incredible amounts of stress. Don’t think that your story doesn’t matter.
Just because somebody else is talking on that subject, doesn’t mean you don’t have something to contribute. I would also like to impress upon you that we have different teachers and mentors that come into our life at different times for different reasons. You have to remember that your story and your expertise is meant for someone – people need you in order to grow and evolve. You just need to be one step ahead of where those people are to make the impact in their lives with your story.
Finally, you also have to make the decision to invest in yourself. Because you’re worth it. What you have to say is worth it and it will impact others in a profound way.