Welcome to a new Subscriber Showcase.

I hope you’re enjoying this series of virtual meet-ups with your creative peers. 🙂

I’ve been enjoying the the diversity of my subscribers! It’s such a joy to discover the many different ways of living a creative life.

And this month we’re exploring a form of creative expression that’s a new one for this series – public speaking.

Allow me to introduce the inspiring and empowering work of…

Sally Koering Zimney

Tell us about yourself, Sally. 

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Hi! I’m Sally.

I’m a presentation coach and consultant – and I have the awesome privilege of helping speakers (and people who are convinced they’re not speakers) to bring their voice and story to the world with more authenticity, courage and clarity.

After some formal training in the speech world (trained by some of the finest speech coaches in the country), and a decade of being on stage in the theater world, I found myself bringing these worlds together: taking the technical skills of speaking and applying them like an artist, because being a good speaker – like a good artist – requires us to really know ourselves as humans.

Most presentation training applies a kind of formula and aims to short-cut the process.

But the artistry of creating a moving talk takes intuition, creativity, and a willingness to dig a little deeper.

And in my view, speaking is something that is available to – and needed by – any creative leader who wants to make her mark in the world!

So I make it my deal to make speaking both a higher calling – and a lower hurdle to jump over.

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Tell us a little about your creative life, and why it’s important to you.

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I myself love being on stage!

It has always fed and challenged me creatively. I remember the first time I made people laugh on stage – I was hooked! And for a decade or so – that’s what I thought my life was moving towards.

But life kept offering me opportunities on the other side of things, as a coach. And I quickly realized that maybe even more so I am built to empower and illuminate.

I *see* what’s possible – and have learned how to help you get there. (Only after stumbling at that last part for a bit…)

Now my creativity is nourished as I wrestle with the possibilities that exist in each of my speakers.

One of my most cherished mantras is that We Start with an A – an idea that I had been living out as a coach, but which was given a name and explained in the amazing book by Ben and Rosalind Zander called The Art of Possibility.

The basic gist is that as a coach (or a teacher, or a boss, or a parent…) my job is to give you an “A” – because the masterpiece is already within.

As the student you just have to believe in it and behave as if this masterpiece is there – and I have to help you chip away the other stuff that is covering it up.

I think, perhaps, this is the most accurate description of the process of creating a talk. It’s a chipping-away – not only at our ideas and our words – but all the things we hold on to that get in the way of really revealing who we are.

Great speaking reveals the masterpiece that is hiding inside.

I am most moved creatively when I can create that moment when a speaker experiences the joy of sharing something real – and having that connect with the audience.

It’s a liberating and empowering experience that I feel privileged to be a part of.

I’ve seen it turn a light on inside people because there’s nothing as powerful as standing in your own truth and having that truth be heard and appreciated.

I want to bring more of it into the world, not just for the empowerment of the speaker, but for the good of the world.

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Tell us more about your current creative adventures…

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I just launched a new service called Quick Coaching – quick, personalized virtual coaching to help you take your talk to the next level.

It’s a great way for speakers to get a little guidance and feedback on what they’re doing without breaking the bank or investing in a long-term coaching partnership.

I have devoted much of my life studying not just what works, but how to communicate to and uplift people in the process of doing what works – and it’s a real passion of mine that I think can be surprisingly helpful.

And, I’m building my way towards an in-person workshop experience called the Movers Lab. Bringing a handful of experts who are building their signature talk together to workshop them, give them support and feedback in the process, and build some powerful connections amongst the group.

It’s a dream of mine – and I hope to bring it to life in the next year! (Along with, like, a billion other ideas! Help! I am drowning in hopes/dreams/wishes/ideas!)

• • • 

Thank you, Sally!

So, I hope that you enjoyed meeting Sally and her fascinating world of public speaking. If you’d like to hear more from her, she has a brilliant podcast series over on iTunes – it’s called This Moved Me.

Or if you’d like Sally’s support in telling your own moving story, please head over to her website where you can find more details on how to connect, as well as a free download:

7 Costly Myths of Public Speaking

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And if you’d like me to feature you and your creative projects in a future Subscriber Showcase – please just let me know.

Here’s to the power of telling our stories. 🙂

Have an inspiring and wonderful week!

Danielle