That time I spoke to 17,000 people in my pajamas...

You know those recurring nightmares people have where you're standing in front of the class, or in front of an executive roundtable, or on stage... in your underwear?

Well, I once presented to 17,000 people. And I was wearing my pajamas.

And no, it wasn’t a nightmare. I was very much awake.

It was during the peak of the COVID days, before vaccines were widely available. I think I’d gotten my first shot, but not my second, so I was still in self-imposed lockdown. Like many others, I’d embraced the quarantine aesthetic—I’d dyed my hair an outrageous shade of red-purple, partly out of boredom and partly because... well, why not?

Those were the Zoom days. The world had suddenly gone Very Much Online, and I was lucky enough that my business thrived in that environment. In fact, I scaled exponentially during COVID—but that’s a story for another email.

This particular day, I had a virtual speaking engagement. Seventeen thousand people had signed up to hear me talk. That’s not a typo. 17,000.

And because of the pandemic, I was wearing my pajamas. But not my "nighttime pajamas." I had upgraded to my "daytime pajamas," a now-ritualized nod to keeping some semblance of routine in a locked-down world.

That said, don’t let the loungewear fool you—I was fully prepared. I had a full face of makeup, an outline of my points, and the energy to match the occasion. I was ready to deliver.

And deliver, I did. That 45-minute session—without any explicit sales pitch at the end—turned out to be the keynote of my life. It packed my calendar for months. It doubled my business that year and the year after.

It taught me an invaluable lesson: there’s no more powerful business development activity than speaking directly to your ideal clients.

Here’s the good news: while we can all go outside again, virtual speaking opportunities are still alive and thriving. And while my clients and I often speak at in-person events, we’re finding incredible results with virtual ones as well.

I’m gearing up for two virtual speaking engagements early next year, and I can’t wait to share more about them soon.

If you’re ready to explore the same opportunities and create that kind of impact for your business, let’s connect. Because whether you’re in a tailored suit or your coziest pajamas, speaking to the right audience is transformative.

I'm booking my clients for virtual and in person speaking engagements?in 2025 right now, all over the world.?If you'd like to talk about we can do that for you,?book a call with me.?We'll think through your speaker strategy and how you can get on the right stages that will allow you to turn your audience into clients.

Let's make 2025 your best year yet.?

You've got this!