In July last year I wrote a blog about how Business and Confidence Coaching enabled Leigh to stand on the cusp of launching her life long dreams. Fast forward 6 months and Leigh has built her own very successful Health and Fitness business, specialising in Obesity, Diabetes and Nutrition management. Included in the business launch was an introduction to networking, in order to gain brand awareness.
Leigh held her hands up straight away and told me that the thought of public speaking made her physically sick. Her fears included what others thought of her and not being good enough. She lacked the confidence in her own ability and said that it would put her way out of her comfort zone. Leigh has immense passion in what she does, so it was really important to get her brand out there. The first photo of Leigh is when we agreed that she needed to deliver a 15 minute public speaking presentation to over 100 people. Pretty much her idea of hell!
In Leigh’s words:
“When Chris suggested that it may be a good idea to consider delivering a business presentation to the Newark Business Club, I was absolutely horrified. Public speaking was something other people did, but reluctantly I agreed. This was a step too far out of my comfort zone and I was terrified of making a fool of myself.
My initial draft was lacklustre and practising my speech out loud only reinforced my negative thoughts because I was struggling to remember what I was supposed to say. Every ounce of my being was telling me it was a really bad idea. I honestly considered telling Chris I’d made a terrible mistake and that I was pulling out. I also knew that if I did withdraw I wouldn’t learn anything. In order to grow I needed to continue with this challenge and push myself. My presentation was reworded several times and I practised every day. With Chris’s coaching and support I started to feel like I could actually remember the words and get through it without embarrassing either of us”.
Building and developing the structure of her presentation and then executing it a number of times really helped to build Leigh’s confidence levels. I coached her to be open, honest, and sincere, but most importantly to be herself. Feeding her with inner positivity to confidently engage with the audience was another area I worked on. This would enhance the delivery of her presentation.
On 11 Jan 19, Leigh successfully delivered her Health & Fitness presentation to over 100 people at the Newark business club monthly meeting. The second photo is of Leigh on stage after her presentation, literally brimming with confidence. Her transformation has been nothing short of simply amazing. She challenged herself and stepped completely outside of her comfort zone. With focused coaching and positive directional guidance, Leigh is more than ready to launch the next phase of her online Health & Fitness coaching business.
In Leigh’s words:
“In the preceding days I started to get a little excited amongst the nerves and I just wanted to do it. Once I was on stage my nerves faded and I actually enjoyed it. I remembered all of the words and I was left wondering why I had been so worried. It was such an empowering experience and I’m glad I faced my fear”.
As a coach, I couldn’t be more proud of Leigh. She has a strong, focussed and determined work ethic. Her courage and desire to achieve are insatiable and she completely embraced the challenge of facing her fear.
Facing your fears head-on builds confidence and can completely change your outlook on life.
Make the Change
Chris
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