I stepped onto the stage, the lights went up and... I froze.

How many of you has this happened to? Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your speaker journey...?

After making my living as a professional actor, singer, and speaker for 20 years, I experienced one of the most devastating moments a performer can experience on stage: I had a full-blown panic attack and my mind went completely blank.

Not only did my brain go blank but my vision went blurry, I couldn’t hear anything, my body went numb and I felt like I was floating above myself. It was every performer’s worst nightmare… and it was happening to me.

I had heard stories from other performers about ‘stage fright’ and panic attacks but these were things that happened to other people, not me. After all, I was bullet proof on stage. I had never suffered from anxiety on stage in my life. This came out of left field and blind-sided me with a massive left hook that knocked me out with a vengeance.

And so, after successfully making a living as a performer and as a coach, I thought I would have to give up performing and coaching.

For the next 6 years I tried everything to recover and find my feet again on stage: Meditation, running my lines over and over and over, pretending it WASN’T happening, not telling anyone what was happening, crossing my fingers and hoping for the best each time I stepped on stage or led a workshop. I did everything I could to pretend everything was ok.

The only thing I didn’t do was ask for help.

After all, I was a professional actor and singer, I love being on stage. This shouldn't be happening to me. I should be able to handle this.

And so I ‘white-knuckled’ it for years, holding on for dear life in each show and workshop, praying that I would make it through without forgetting my lines. It was hell. And I endured it for years because I was too ashamed to admit it was happening and too ashamed to ask for help.

Shame kept me quiet. Shame kept me living a nightmare over and over each time I stepped on stage or led a workshop. I felt all alone and I felt like a failure.

One day I reached breaking point. I was asked to speak at a conference about voice and how to speak with confidence on stage and I knew I needed to walk the walk in order to deliver. So I told a fellow actor what was going on and he gave me two key exercises to help shift my mindset from fear to confidence.

So, I used these new exercises and went back to the drawing board and began learning all the tools I give my clients, right from the beginning. I started from the scratch and learned all the physical, vocal, and mindset techniques I give my clients.

And it worked.

It didn’t all happen at once. It took two years of hard work and relentless determination but today I have rediscovered my joy and passion in performing and speaking. I approach every workshop, every speaking gig, and every acting gig with confidence, excitement, and a voracious sense of purpose.

I thought I was a lost cause. And I knew that if I could come back from the brink of hell, then so could other speakers and business leaders. I knew I could help business leaders, speakers, performers, and business professionals master their fears, become amazing speakers, and speak with joy, inspiration, and purpose in all their communication situations.

Maria x

PS. Book your FREE discovery call here with me and become the confident, powerful, inspiring speaker you want to be.

https://mariatecce.com/book-a-consultation

PPS. Remember: My online course ?????? ???? ???????????? ?? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? - ?????????????? ?????????????? ??????????????+ Bonus sessions, MP3 Guided Meditations is hot and live.? Check out all the deets here: maria-tecce-s-school.teachable.com/p/how-to-become-a-public-speaking-rockstar-speaker-mastery-course

PPS.? Grab my FREE ??????????'?? ???????????????? ?????????? ??????????:? ?? ?????????????? ???? ???????????? ???????? ???????????? ???????????????? & ?????????? ???????? ?? ?????? https://mariatecce.lpages.co/7secretstomasterpublicspeaking/