Speaking Afraid: The Courage to Communicate with Fear Confidently. (This is the final title of my book!)

I just completed a huge communication revival by going through the biggest and most impactful Speaking Afraid journey of my life to date. It started in October 2022 and peaked in its learning intensity for me in March 2024, but in hindsight, March 2024 is probably the moment I transformed, and today, June 11, 2024, I can confidently say I loved the whole journey, even the really hard parts when I felt like crap going through it.

Many of you have witnessed parts of this journey as I made the conscious decision to show as much as I had the courage to share, and this was a highly vulnerable decision I followed through on. I am glad I did because, at the start of this journey, I thought I was alone (even though I had a lot of people around me, both digitally and in person). Today, I confidently know I am not. I know there are many of you who are going through your own speaking afraid journeys so you can realise the business lifestyle you want.

Some of you may be going through an easy and fun patch. Some may be going through the hard patch that is testing you on how much you want your business lifestyle dream. Some of you are grieving the loss of your old self-identity that you know you cannot take with you. Some of you are like me today, cheering and grateful for the liberation of completing the speaking afraid journey, which means you know how to have the courage to communicate with fear confidently as you move forward toward the business lifestyle you are dreaming about.

Congratulations to you, no matter what stage of the speaking afraid journey you are on, because you have already taken steps forward, you have learned something valuable, you have let go of some of the things you no longer need, and you are continuing with the staying power you have.

What was my recent speaking afraid journey? Glad you asked :-)

There were three parts that were interrelated in their own way:

1. Facing my speaking fear of performing stand up comedy,
2. Learning how to effectively communicate as a business owner in a way that revived my energy levels and shaped the business I wanted to create,
3. Discover my unique way to train and coach you on the communication skills, methods, and perspectives you need so you can blossom and have the courage to speak afraid to achieve the career and business lifestyle you are working towards.

So what does completing the speaking afraid process look like? Another great question. You are good :-)

For me, it is a freeing confidence to do my work with greatly reduced anxiety levels. My nerves and fear are no longer a block or distraction; instead, I know how to communicate with my versions of fear and nerves and use them to increase my courage to communicate and act. I feel energised and have more confidence in managing my boundaries and my time based on my goals and priorities. I can see the shift in connection levels I have with the different people I communicate with, it is a shift towards the better. I no longer feel lonely and isolated.

I invite you to remind yourself:

• What is the business lifestyle you are dreaming about?
• How much of the journey do you believe you have gone through so far?
• Have you celebrated that?
• Do you know and use different techniques and practices to re-energise yourself so you can keep going?
• How much are you focusing on your communication skills to help you achieve your business lifestyle dream?
• Are you using your communication skills to be a blossoming speaker and, hence, enjoying the fruit of your efforts?

I have committed to publishing my book, Speaking Afraid: The Courage to Communicate with Fear Confidently, on August 6, 2024. I will be self-publishing, and if this topic and my work are of interest to you, I invite you to support my self-publishing journey and invest in either the limited edition pre-sale signed hard copy or the pre-launch Speaking Afraid Communication Pack which helps you get early access to doing the foundational work with me.

In return, I remain committed and invigorated to continue my mission, help you achieve career confidence through communication, and help you realise your business lifestyle dream by courageously speaking afraid in the different settings you communicate in during your journey there.

All the best, Susan.

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