I’ve just come back from Develop:Brighton — a gaming conference that offers a rare kind of connection:

Truly Immersive Networking.

You find everyone there. Players, developers, studio teams, sound artists, legal minds, investors, animators, narrative architects and, of course, voice actors.

It’s a world alive with creativity, collaboration and imagination.

What fascinates me most is the world-building at the heart of it all — the craft and intention of creating an experience a player can fully step inside.

And that’s exactly what powerful speaking does.

Whether you’re a speaker, actor, writer or director, you’re not simply delivering information.

You’re inviting people into a world. You’re shaping an experience they can enter, feel and move through.

When it truly lands, people leave changed.

They come away transformed, with a new perspective, always with something shifted.

That is the heart of Embodied Speaking

Subscribe now

It’s also why I created Spotlight Sprint — to give you the essential building blocks for this kind of speaking.

And for those ready to go deeper, I developed the Speaker Eco-System: an immersive 90-day container designed to help you build a spectrum of talks for The Sovereign Speaker

Claim your space — and ignite a spark!

Spotlight Sprint is now open and ready for you to step into you spotlight and say yes to any opportunity to speak.

If it’s something you’ve been considering, secure your spot with a deposit and we’ll schedule a focused 1:1 for next quarter.

Call me today to explore what’s possible—whether you’re under pressure to deliver an upcoming presentation or ready to turn a core idea into a spectrum of talks you can draw on for any occasion.

Spotlight Sprint

Your voice is not here to fill the room — it is here to move it

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

Discovering where you make your greatest impact begins with a bold decision: to speak from your own unapologetic point of view.

When you hide inside the familiar “echo chamber” of coaching jargon and AI-generated shortcuts, your voice gets diluted.

You become easy to ignore.

People can’t feel what you really believe, so they can’t fully trust you.

Powerful speakers do something very different.

Instead of chasing what they think will sell, or endlessly twisting their topic to fit every event theme, they commit to developing their own line of thought — original ideas, lived experience, and a point of view that only they can stand behind.

That’s what cuts through the noise and moves a room.

Subscribe now

We still listen deeply to the stories and struggles our audience shares.
But our responsibility on stage is to respond in a way that:

- Exposes and fills a real gap in their knowledge
- Offers a clear, teachable process they can actually apply
- Stretches their thinking and challenges them to see the world differently

FREE Masterclass Move The Room
June 11th 10.30-12.00 BST
OR
June 16th 13.00-14.30 BST

3 Techniques to move any room you're in
Speak with power not panic
#1 Mistake people make blocking momentum

Book the Bundle
Retreat Day in London Speaking OUT LOUD! + Spotlight Sprint starting in JULY

Those unscripted situations when you are presented a question you didn’t expect or are on a panel and the direction it takes is unpredictable.

This is where your brilliance—the part of you that can respond in the moment with presence, personality, and style—can truly shine

The work is in preparing for the unexpected

In SOLVING FOR X the final session of the Sprint I show you how to navigate these hurdles, turning surprise moments into opportunities to connect, engage, and leave a lasting impression.

Ready to transform every speaking opportunities into memorable experience for the right reasons?

Our next sprint starts in July --following the Retreat Day JUNE 23RD

Why not come along for a taster

FREE Masterclass Move The Room

June 11th 10.30-12.00 BST

OR

June 16th 13.00-14.30 BST

3 Techniques to move any room you’re in

Speak with power not panic

#1 Mistake people make blocking momentum

Book the Bundle Discount

Retreat Day in London Speaking OUT LOUD! + Spotlight Sprint

Subscribe now

Your voice is not here to fill the room — it is here to move it

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

A spotlight in public speaking is your focused message—the clear, intentional beam of attention you cast on one key idea, story, or invitation to act.

Instead of scattering your energy everywhere, you direct it to a specific “spot” in your talk so your audience knows exactly where to look and what to remember.

We are well into Layer 3 the Delivery Layer of the Spotlight Sprint Course. Last session was about Metaphor -the spine of your story which inspired this metaphor of how I’ve designed the SPOTLIGHT SPEAKING Method.

Light Layering becomes the golden rule of speaking. Which is why there are 4 layers to SPOTLIGHT SPEAKING

Rather than relying on one flat “speaker mode,” you blend different layers of delivery to create depth, dimension, and flexibility in the room. When these layers work together, you can shift seamlessly from bright, high-energy delivery to intimate, heartfelt moments—controlling the emotional tone and direction of your talk.

Subscribe now

1. Ambient Lighting (The Base)

This is your overall presence: your natural voice, posture, and warmth that make the room feel safe and open. It’s the background glow that allows your audience to relax, trust you, and follow along.

2. Task Lighting (The Function)

This is your focused content: your key points, data, structure, and clear calls-to-action—the “heavy lifting” of your message. It’s where you shine a strong light on what you want your audience to know, do, or decide.

3.Accent Lighting (The Drama)

This is your drama and delight: the vivid story, striking metaphor, bold gesture, or well-timed pause that adds contrast and texture. Accent elements create a visual and emotional hierarchy in your talk, drawing the audience’s eye and heart to the moments that matter most.

4. Decorative (Spontaneous Opportunity)
This is the layer of unexpected brilliance—the part of you that can respond in the moment with presence, personality, and style. In unscripted situations, it’s what makes you compelling even when you haven’t prepared every word.

It’s the colour, character, and spark you bring naturally, turning surprise moments into opportunities to connect, engage, and leave a lasting impression.

Would you like to transform your speaking opportunities into lasting lights of memorable experience?

Book the Bundle Discount

Retreat Day in London Speaking OUT LOUD! + Spotlight Sprint Bundle

SPOTLIGHT SPRINT Short Course for Speakers is a dynamic approach to embody your VOICE give your MESSAGE a spine that stands up, evolve your DELIVERY to engage your audience moving them to ACTION.

Our next sprint starts in June --after the Retreat Day JUNE 23RD

Want a taster? Join me for a MASTERCLASS

JUNE THURSDAY 10.30-12.00 BST

JUNE 16 TUESDAY 13.00-14.30 BST

Your voice is not here to fill the room — it is here to move it

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

Share

Layer ONE Starts with YOU:

The First Story You Tell

I originally designed the SPOTLIGHT SPRINT after hearing so many people dread the awkward “So… what do you do?” moment—the infamous 60‑second pitch. It’s more than a slick introduction; it’s the first story you tell about who you really are.

👐 Every Encounter is an Opportunity to Connect 👐

SPOTLIGHT SPRINT Has evolved into more that just a pitch coaching sesh. In addition to nailing your social pitch, now you will:

👉 Discover Your Authentic Voice

👉 Reinforce Your Vocal Power

👉Explore Your Speaker Profile building on strengths and developing skills

👉 Centre in the Body for Unassailable Presence

SPOTLIGHT SPRINT Training is set up give you the foundations you need to speak in any space and always find your light

If the Story of You is the First Story You Tell...What is the most important story you tell?

Oh and the most important story you tell?

The one you tell yourself!

We’ll be working on that too!

Subscribe now

Layer Two The Spine of Any Story: Metaphor

Every story every speech every film or game has a theme a motif a symbol that repeats and deepens and connects all the dots

quietly linking every moment, pulling the audience deeper in.

👐 The Gleaming Detail 👐

Finding the image to connect your audience to your message creates recognition building a bridge of understanding as well as leaving a gap wide open for a surprise revelation.

METAPHOR

Metaphor is the fastest route to that gleaming detail—and the backbone of unforgettable communication.

👉 Distils emotion and meaning into a single image, word, or gesture

👉 Locks in your central idea so it sticks

👉 Leads your audience step-by-step through the world of your story

👉 Sparks true understanding and opens the door to transformation

This is what we discover in the second circle of

In Session Two, we focus your core IDEA and give it a SPINE—so your message becomes memorable, repeatable and, above all…

UNDERSTOOD

We’re moving through the course together over these 2 weeks.

If you’re ready to be truly understood and to create engagement that naturally leads to buy-in…

Join us now!

SPOTLIGHT SPRINT this week only includes a 1:1 catch-up session for Session 1 so you don’t miss a thing.

SPOTLIGHT SPRINT Short Course for Speakers is a dynamic approach to embody your VOICE give your MESSAGE a spine that stands up, evolve your DELIVERY to engage your audience moving them to ACTION

Share Stacia Keogh

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

Challenging the silence of a life played safe, hiding behind the characters she created, Shonda Rhimes transformed her existence by saying yes to the unknown.

Her memoir Year of Yes, now 10 years on and 7 new chapters later, highlights how reclaiming power, health, and joy doesn’t just change your schedule; it rewrites your entire story.

I recently re-read this book --in a weekend-- as memoirs are my mentors when there is no one in my physical proximity to give me the guidance I need.

I have fears too. But what I have learned over the years is growth flourishes when you confront fear, embrace imperfection, and find the courage to be truly seen.

When you stop ducking the spotlight, you realise something radical: the light isn’t there to scorch you. It’s there to illuminate you and draw all eyes to what only you can do.

So once the light is on you… what then?

🔥 RECEIVE IT

How often do you deflect a compliment or casually decline an invitation that secretly excites you? The quiet revolution begins with simply saying “thank you,” standing still, and letting yourself own your brilliance. Receiving your success with grace is a defining step towards leading boldly—and giving others permission to do the same.

🔥 There is no Perfect Version of YOU

Perfection is a polished lie that keeps women exhausted, ashamed, and convinced they’re always falling short. You cannot hold everything at once without something slipping—and that’s not failure, that’s reality. Boundaries are not selfish; they are self-honesty in action.

🔥 The Right Time is Right NOW!

Waiting for a sign from the universe is often just a fancy way of staying stuck stop waiting for permission. Shonda proves that you are the only one who can decide when it is your time to shine. Part of the SPOTLIGHT SPRINT is about Permission Slips.

🔥 Retire the Lone Wolf

Wolves don’t thrive alone—they run in packs. Let’s retire the myth of the Superwoman who carries it all in silence. By saying yes to support, Shonda became a stronger leader and a more present mother. Asking for help isn’t weakness; it’s a strategic move. When you lean into your tribe, your capacity multiplies.

🔥 SPARK JOY

joy is the spark that keeps the fire from going out. Play is not a waste of time. It is an essential need that keeps you grounded. There is a healthy dose of PLAY in the SPOTLIGHT SPRINT which is why clients feel as empowered as their audience!

🔥 Say the Thing that Needs to Be Said

Avoiding the hard talk is like leaving a wound untreated. It only festers. Being nice is not the same as being kind. Being kind is different: it’s honest, clear, and courageous. Truth spoken with care builds relationships to last and grow. Another part of SPOTLIGHT SPRINT Practice is sending Eviction Notices.

🔥 Every Day’s a School Day

Change is not a one-time event but a daily commitment. With every YES, you evolve into the next version of who you are. You discover you may be bigger, braver, and brighter than you ever imagined.

We are only limited by our imagination!

SPOTLIGHT SPRINT Training is set up to do exactly this!

SAY YES!

SPOTLIGHT SPRINT Speaking is a dynamic approach to embody YOURSELF, your MESSGE with a spine that stands up, evolve your DELIVERY as you develop yourself in collaboration your audience

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

When you step onto the stage, you stand in a place of power and possibility.

You are clear on where you want to lead your audience, and intentional about how you guide them there. You know how to engage, build momentum, and equip your listeners to actively co-create the experience with you.

You are Sovereign—embodying authority within your own domain. Sovereign Speakers are autonomous, free, and independent. They do not rule; they lead.

They move with purpose and invite others to travel alongside them.

The mark of a seasoned speaker is one who consistently invests in high-level coaching to refine their thinking, elevate every talk, and grow both their speaking business and public authority.

They use the Somatic Coaching Container as a dynamic environment to test new ideas, evolve their delivery, and develop themselves in parallel with their teams and collaborators.

They are ready to move beyond familiar patterns and habitual performances of corporate compliance.

By reconnecting with themselves, they strengthen their presence, deepen audience connection, and lead with renewed clarity and impact.

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

Subscribe now

Masterclass April 23 & April 30

Come to this online FREE workshop SPOTLIGHT YOUR SPEAKING STYLE, a 90-minute session focused on identifying your speaking style, managing your voice and focusing your Spotlight Story.

On this training you’ll discover:

• Why most people get stuck overthinking and fumbling the delivery and the simple practice you can use to start getting engagement

• How to create simple speech structures the easy way without having a million slides and notes distracting you

• The #1 mistake that people make in speaking that stops them from getting the momentum they desire and how you can avoid this

BOOK NOW!

April 23 THURSDAY

ONLINE

10.00-11.30 BST

SPOTLIGHT YOUR SPEAKING STYLE

April 30 THURSDAY

ONLINE

13.00-14.30 BST

SPOTLIGHT YOUR SPEAKING STYLE

This is for Intelligent Growth Minded People who are stuck in their head over-complicating their message and fumbling their delivery.

They is a respected, credible speaker who has built—or is in the process of building—a strong reputation in their field.

They have an established platform, clearly articulated ideas, and offer fresh perspectives supported by robust frameworks.

They are looking to develop these ideas further and grow their audience by empowering others to carry, interpret, and share their thinking.

At times, they can become overly protective of their ideas, reluctant to see them reinterpreted or adapted.

What they are being called into now is a larger version of themselves—one that trusts the work enough to let it travel.

On stage, they are magnetic: fuelled by vision, conviction, and a sense of purpose that moves people to think differently and act with intention.

This next phase is about harnessing and sustaining that momentum—deepening their practice, sharpening and elevating their message, and raising their game as they step onto bigger stages, speak to broader audiences, and bring their voice to more diverse, more challenging, and more influential environments.

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

Subscribe now

Masterclass April 23

Come to this online FREE workshop SPOTLIGHT YOUR STORY, a 90-minute session focused on identifying your speaking style, managing your voice and focusing your Spotlight Story.

COME SEE HOW THE PROCESS TO BE SPEAKER READY WORKS

Booking NOW!

April 23 THURSDAY

ONLINE

10.00-11.30 BST

SPOTLIGHT SPEAKING

This is for Intelligent Growth Minded People who are stuck in their head over-complicating their message and fumbling their delivery.

Experts are individuals with deep, specialised knowledge who are widely respected in their field.

Whether it’s in fashion, or food, or forensic science, they really know their stuff, mavens are connoisseurs on their topic.

They are often invited to join panels or speak at events—a prime opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and build their professional profile.

Yet many still decline.

Clients frequently come to me when they are offered speaking opportunities but feel hesitant to accept.

They may already be committed to present yet sense their message is not fully resonating.

They care deeply about their work, but can easily slip into lecturing rather than engaging in a conversation, often because they have never been shown simple, practical speaking structures or techniques.

Their expertise leads them to share too much detail, leaving audiences overwhelmed.

Other times, their delivery lacks clear shape, making it harder for their message to land.

Their intentions are strong

Their ideas are valuable.

What they typically need is support in trusting their own convictions, simplifying without compromising integrity, and shaping their message so it meets the needs of different audiences with clarity and confidence.

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

Masterclass April 23

I am running an online workshop SPOTLIGHT SPEAKING, a 90-minute session focused on identifying your speaking style, managing your voice and focusing your Spotlight Story.

TIME TO SPOTLIGHT YOUR STRENGTHS AND BUILD ON THEM

Bookings NOW OPEN!

April 23 THURSDAY

ONLINE

10.00-11.30 BST

SPOTLIGHT SPEAKING

This is for Intelligent Growth Minded People who are stuck in their head over-complicating their message and fumbling their delivery.

I’ve noticed several different types of speakers who come into my world as an Embodied Speaking & Storytelling Coach. Over the next few weeks I’ll be profiling them.

First up the CULTURE VULTURE

You’ll recognise them immediately at networking events, mid-rant with a prosecco in hand halfway through a brilliant explanation that never quite lands.

They can connect ideas across industries in seconds and spot cultural shifts instantly.

They talk. A lot.

But never quite sticking a landing.

Subscribe now

Why?

Too many ideas, too much complexity, not enough clear line for the listener to follow.

Culture Vultures are well-read, educated, and forever hunting down the latest podcast, play, screening, or underground gig. They may be at a crossroads with career or life.

They want real recognition for their ideas. Which is exactly why they get sucked into shiny business models that promise BIG audiences, BIG outcomes, BIG RESULTS. Some drift in from speaking clubs, desperate to shake off all the rigid rules they’ve been squeezed into.

They’re visionaries who just need to pick ONE idea from the cauldron, give it a spine, and then step aside so their audience can actually receive it.

Do these qualities sound uncomfortably familiar?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO SEE HOW YOU SHOW UP AS A SPEAKER

💜 Be Different! Do Different! Think Different! 💚

(*Bonus Speech Builder Template for naming the band in the photo)

My old stomping ground back in the day on Capital Hill

I was listening to these two powerhouses riff on life, work, and everything in between, and one moment jumped out at me. Amy Poehler said to Viola on her podcast Good Hang

“…you do something that I absolutely love, which is every other sentence you say my name—and boy does it work. Every time you say my name, I’m like, yes! You’re talking to me.”

That’s the magic of really connecting with people

Say Their Name!

Call Them IN!

When you’re speaking to someone—anyone—thread their name through the conversation.

It signals respect.

It telegraphs attention.

It pulls them into the moment with you.

Names light up every conversation.

Whatever you want to call in--Say the Thing!

Call your desire by its name.

Say it.

Out loud.

Because here’s what usually happens in a presentation:

😶‍🌫️We bury the point.

😶‍🌫️ We smother it in data.

😶‍🌫️ We water it down with qualifiers.

😶‍🌫️ We “faff about” and lose the room.

Viola and Amy didn’t.

They cut straight to it:

💥 AMBITION 💥

Viola observed how some people confuse just showing up with excellence.

They think their mere presence is the event.

They settle for pretty.

For average.

For “fine.” She refuses.

“I’m openly ambitious,” she says. “In real time I’m saying, ‘I want to get the best out of myself and others.’ Ambition is different than ego.”

And she’s right.

Subscribe now

The world will come for you.

It will knock you down and leave you in the dumpster.

That’s why you must be bold.

Unapologetically ambitious.

Clear about what you want—and relentless in going after it.

🔥 Language

🔥 Action

🔥 Attitude

When you do, something shifts.

Your people find you.

Cheerleaders. Champions.

The ones who don’t just watch you rise— they rise with you.

Be Different

Do Different

Think Different

💜 SPEAK WITH INTENTION. ANNOUNCE WHAT YOU WANT. NAME IT!💚

INTENTIONAL SPEAKING NOW!

MARCH into April with a NEW Voice

Get CLEAR and Unapologetically NAME what you want with

- A sharp, focused message

- A structure that moves people to action

- A natural, confident, embodied delivery

If you want more buy-in, more opportunities and more authority, Be bold enought to NAME IT!

Only a couple of 1:1 sessions available through April.

To secure your spot, reply to this email or

BOOK HERE

There is a righteous rupture going on. The ground heaving. People are shaking with rage.

At injustice. At gender inequality. At the decades of lies and deceit.

At institutions and authority figures who no longer even bother to hide or excuse their behaviour.

Are you still being asked to giving yet another talk about “Women Having It All” —as one of my clients told me she was tasked with.

Expected to handle the “emotional” business topics—

boosting morale, smoothing over conflict, being more—communal—

Instead of being recognised for your agency, your authority, and your strategic leadership.

This is where rage becomes powerful.

When we refuse to numb it or turn it inward, sugar coat it, rage can become a tool for transformation.

Focus this fury so instead of burning us out—it burns down the status quo.

Rage, when directed, becomes clarity.

It sharpens our language.

It strengthens our voice.

It allows us to show up with full, embodied presence.

Speaking out—without minimising, apologising, or over-qualifying!

Subscribe now

Turn rage into a clear structure:

- Name the problem.

- Present the evidence.

- Articulate your point of view.

- Deliver a bold recommendation.

This is rage as leadership.

This is rage as strategy.

This is rage as a catalyst for real, lasting change.

Let’s build a strategy for speaking that lives off the slides and into the room—

so your rage doesn’t just make noise, it makes history.

Be Different

Do Different

Think Different

💜 Having a strategy supports strong action with momentum 💚

INTENTIONAL SPEAKING NOW!

MARCH into April with a NEW Voice

You don’t need fixing—you need clear strategic structure and turbo-powered delivery that matches the strength of your ideas.

In these 1:1 preparation sessions you’ll get:

- A sharp, focused message

- A structure that moves people to action

- A natural, confident, embodied delivery

If you want more buy-in, more opportunities and more authority, you have to do something different.

I have a limited number of 1:1 sessions available this month.

To secure your spot, reply to this email or

BOOK HERE

Interviews can be tough, unexpected and intimidating.

You are asked to speak as an expert on a position or event

You think you know what line the conversation will take.

Even very knowledgeable people can lose their footing.

They start explaining too much, become defensive, or drift away from the message they originally wanted to communicate.

Within minutes the interview

becomes less of a conversation and more of an interrogation.

That’s what happened to Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee who made headlines after publicly threatening to fire her comms team during a difficult press conference saying she hadn’t been briefed about the questions asked.

Journalists can change direction, challenge assumptions or push further

that’s their job.

They can also have an agenda unrelated to yours

the key is to know your core message, values and have some techniques to ground you so you can respond under pressure

Subscribe now

The opposite happened with Hillary Knight, captain of the US Women’s Hockey Team, after their Olympic gold medal win.

During several interviews she was repeatedly pushed to comment on the behaviour of the men’s team in the locker room. The questions had little to do with her team’s achievement, but they kept on coming.

Instead of getting pulled into the controversy, she calmly acknowledged the question and redirected the conversation back to her team, their performance and the values of the sport.

She kept possession of the conversation.

The ability to stay composed under pressure is not accidental: it comes from preparation. When you know your core message and have a strategy for handling difficult questions, interviews and panel discussions stop feeling like traps and start becoming opportunities to reinforce your authority.

What’s your game plan for interviews?

How do you handle tough questions?

Whether it’s the press or Q & A

You need to be prepared grounded and focused.

If you don’t have a plan you’ll be railroaded, blind-sighted and discredited

Be Different

Do Different

Think Different

💜 Having a plan for questions saves you from being grilled 💚

March 8. This year, the 115th International Women’s Day—a date the world claims is dedicated to action, advocacy, and real progress toward gender equality.

Really?

Let me give you a glimpse of what this “celebration” has looked like in me last year.

Last March, I went to four glossy, “IWD”–themed events—some in the grand halls of political power. Drinking enough prosecco to float a boat, eating canapés for lunch...

We listened to speech after speech about how hard we strive, how we just keep going.

Meanwhile, the share of startup funding going to women entrepreneurs slipped from a pitiful 2% to an even worse 1.89%. And still, we were told how lucky we are. As if it’s luck that builds our careers or helps us navigate unpaid caring responsibilities and career breaks.

Across so‑called “leading” nations of the free world, women have seen “rights” to healthcare, education, and childcare rolled back.

Rights.

Things granted from above—conditional, revocable. They can be taken away just as quickly as they’re bestowed.

Last year, while we were being toasted and told how fortunate we were, Jess Phillips MP stood up and read the names of UK women killed by men, or where a man was charged or named as the prime suspect.

She had to request special permission to extend her speaking time—because it took that long just to read each woman’s name. Those names have been painstakingly recorded by the Counting Dead Women project since 2012.

Here’s just a snapshot of the timeline we’re at just in my lifetime:

Since the first documented Take Back the Night marches began in the mid‑1970s, I’ve walked in thousands of and Reclaim the Night events, in cities and streets across the world—so many I can’t truly count them.

- 1973: Abortion legalised in the US. Overturned in 2022.

- 1975: Women allowed to open a bank account, apply for credit, and own property without a male signatory.

- 1982: Women could legally enter a pub and have a drink without a male companion.

- 1983: The Equal Pay Amendment Act recognised equal pay for work of equal value—yet in 2026 figures show the gap is 12.8% Women earn, on average, 87 pence for every pound men earn, with the pay gap expected to take until 2056 to close.

- 2019: Abortion decriminalised in Ireland.

- 2025: France formally redefined rape around lack of consent.

And here we are in 2026.

The official IWD website is in stark contract to what the UN theme of Rights, Justice, Action announces —their official theme is Give to Gain.

Huh?

Here’s why:

The website internationalwomensday.com is owned and operated by IWD Support Ltd (formerly Aurora Ventures), a private for-profit marketing company based in London, not by the United Nations or a non-profit organisation. It was founded by marketing executive Glenda Slingsby and focuses on corporate, business-friendly themes.
Key details about the ownership of internationalwomensday.com:
Ownership: The site is run by IWD Support Ltd (formerly Aurora Ventures (Europe) Ltd), which was rebranded in 2025.
For-Profit Entity: Despite providing information for the event, IWD Support Ltd is a private company, not a charity or NGO.
Corporate Focus: The site offers commercial services, including, but not limited to, selling merchandise and hosting corporate events.
No UN Connection: The site is not affiliated with the United Nations or UN Women, which organises official International Women's Day commemorations.
The site has been in operation for over two decades, often using themes, hashtags, and branding that are distinct from those used by the UN.

This year, I’m done with hollow celebrations. I’m calling for a new IWD: Intentional Women Declare.

Yes—declare.

We speak our truth out loud.

We say exactly what we want. We name what we will take bold, deliberate action on in the year ahead.

No more waiting for permission. No more hoping for a shift in public opinion before we move. This is about clear, strategic, step‑by‑step action.

Who’s with me?

Join me as I reclaim my voice and my space—out loud—on social platforms.

Support me

Join me.

Let’s stop simply celebrating women and start backing women, with intention, with action, and with our full, unapologetic selves.

Share Stacia Keogh

Performative actions prioritise optics, virtue signalling, and external validation.

They chase clicks, applause, and the illusion of momentum—busy, loud, and highly visible, yet often hollow underneath.

They look good in a screenshot, on a stage, or in a quarterly report, but rarely move the needle where it truly matters.

Purposeful actions are different.

Subscribe now

They are grounded in truth, aligned with your deepest values, and anchored in a clear strategy.

They may not always be flashy or instantly popular, but they are intentional, consistent, and designed to create tangible, long-term impact—not just a spike in attention or an emotional reaction.

Purposeful actions build trust, credibility, and resilience over time.

Performance is about being seen.

Purpose is about making a difference.

One asks, “How do I look right now?”

The other asks, “Who will be better off because of what we do, and how will this still matter in 5 years?”

When you choose purpose over performance, you stop aiming for applause and start creating change that your audience can feel, remember, and share.

Be Different

Do Different

Think Different

💜 Purpose is the Pulse of every Good Idea 💚

One of the biggest physical shifts I see in the people I work with is actually emotional as I help them open their mouth—and their whole body.

OPENING

Invites

VULNERABILITY

When you speak, you’re sending sound from the deepest part of your body.

If you want to create a big, resonant sound, you have to let your mouth open wide.

If your body doesn’t open to let breath in—and then support the sound as it moves out—your voice won’t carry very far.

When you bring this onto a stage, whether in person or online, you’re choosing to be present, visible, audible—and emotionally open—to your audience.

Allowing that emotional connection in a way that can be seen, felt, and heard, even when you don’t know how it will land, takes real courage and stamina.

I work with people to build this stamina through the physical body and emotional nervous system.

That’s what Embodied Somatic Speaking is all about!

Physical Technique

+

Regulating the Nervous system.

Subscribe now

No matter how passionate you are in order to connect consistently with your audience you have to be able to sustain your message and that emotional connecting through strong physical technique.

When it all comes together it feels wide open and free.

Vulnerability is powerful.

Speaking is a physical practice.

When the physical and emotional come together, you create a presence that can hold an audience and lift the whole room.

I work with Idea Led Speakers to create Powerful Speaking Experiences

Where do you want your speaking to take you & your audience?

Be Different

Do Different

Think Different

💥 Vulnerability Opens Connection 💥

There are all kinds of mountains in life. Some dare us, some break us, some stand immovable in our path, blocking the view of what’s possible—and we face them anyway.

When I first left Northwestern Ohio—flatter than a pancake, where standing on a paper cup lets you see soybean fields for miles—I landed in Colorado, and it felt like stepping into another universe. The mountains didn’t just sit there; they demanded to be climbed.

I “bagged” my first 14er: Longs Peak, in September. A fourteener is any mountain with a summit of at least 14,000 feet. Longs rises 14,259 feet, the highest point in the park, and the trail gains 4,855 feet as it carves along steep ledges and a narrow section just a foot wide—a knife-edge of rock that insists on your full attention.

In Colorado they say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes.” The higher you climb, the truer that becomes. One moment you’re hiking under blue skies and the next—bam—snow, gusting winds, sleet, rain…lightning.

It taught me how adversity and opportunity often travel together.

For the first time, I was completely on my own, meeting each new challenge with a mix of excitement and fear—and learning, step by step, what I was really capable of.

Subscribe now

💥 LESSON 1: STAY FIERCELY PRESENT

On a mountain, your mind is completely focused on the now and fixed there. There’s no space for worry, no luxury of doubt—only the next foothold, the next handhold, food, water, rest. Life strips down to its essentials: lock your focus on what’s right in front of you and let the future earn its way into your awareness.

💥 LESSON 2: FORGE A NEW PERSPECTIVE

There’s an Irish story about a couple whose cottage sits in the shadow of a mountain that blocks their view. The priest tells them, “Close your eyes and dance.” When they open them, the mountain is far away and they’re at a new cottage, ready to make it home. The mountain didn’t move—they did. When the obstacle won’t budge, you shift your angle. Perspective isn’t passive; you create it.

💥 LESSON 3: DOMINATE ONE STEP AT A TIME

Think of running or cycling up a big hill: if you keep driving forward, it starts to flatten out. Climbing Longs Peak is no different. Don’t look down. Don’t obsess over how far there is to go. Claim the next step, then the next, and take in how the view keeps changing as a result of your effort. And don’t forget: you’re already standing on a mountain of your own—your experience, your skills, your scars and hard-won lessons. That’s your built-in altitude, whether you recognize it or not.

WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF OVERCOMING THE ODDS?

Use it to map the relentless climb of a project or journey. It doesn’t have to wrap in a neat “win” to hit hard. It can be about grit, resilience, and refusing to fold when it would’ve been easier to walk away.

There are many ways to structure a story and drive your message home. Most of us are bombarded with the same old Hero’s Journey and spoiler alert (not) the HEro always wins and that’s ….it. Which is why they now have movie franchises It’s the same thing on repeat. Try something different. You don’t have to ‘win’ it’s all about the journey.

⛰️ The Mountain Structure ⛰️

⚒️ Tracks the brutal ups and downs

⚒️ Shows how you smashed through or outlasted a series of obstacles

⚒️ Cranks up tension step by step

⚒️ Lands in a conclusion that feels earned, honest, and meaningful

⚒️ You don’t necessarily succeed in what you set out to do.

⚒️ The outcome changes you not reinforces what you already know

Be Different

Do Different

Think Different

💥 STRUCTURE YOUR STORY TO INSPIRE ACTION💥

In his classic book To Sell Is Human, Daniel Pink reframes the traditional ABC of selling.

Instead of:

Always Be Closing

he suggests a new trio:

Alignment

Buoyancy

Contrast

So, what does this mean for public speaking? 💥ABC of IMPACT💥

Alignment

When you align with your audience’s values, cultural references, and goals, you create a foundation of trust and relevance. You’re not just talking at people; you’re speaking with them, from a place they recognize and care about.

Buoyancy

Public speaking can feel high-stakes, but the more lightly you can hold the outcome, the more present you become. Staying connected to your breath and allowing flexibility in your delivery helps regulate your nervous system. This keeps you buoyant—able to adapt in the moment and stay grounded, even under pressure.

Contrast is a powerful tool in your speaking toolkit. It not only helps you connect with your audience and stay attuned to their reactions, it also guides them toward a clear, shared outcome. By setting up meaningful opposites, you make your message easier to grasp and more compelling to follow.

So what exactly is Antithesis?

Subscribe now

Antithesis is the placing of a person, idea, or thing directly opposite another. In rhetoric, it’s the deliberate use of contrasting ideas to highlight differences and sharpen meaning.

When you place ideas in contrast, you give your listeners clear options and invite them to choose:

Negative or Positive

Dystopian or Utopian

Motivation or Warning

Barack Obama used antithesis to great effect in his now-classic 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address. At the time, he was relatively unknown, yet his speech generated more excitement than the acceptance speech by the presidential nominee, John Kerry. One of his most memorable lines:

“There is not a liberal America and a conservative America—there is the United States of America…”

This is contrast in action—simple, clear, and unifying.

Remember, your ideas are multifaceted. Think of them as dimensional prisms through which people can see themselves and their world. Use alignment, buoyancy, and contrast to reveal those dimensions—and tell the whole story.

Be Different

Do Different

Think Different

What Ideas brining into form? I support you delivering message and getting RESULTS IN ACTION 💥

There’s a determination to Spring

It doesn’t wait around wishing it could bloom but oooh it’s just too cold.

It BURSTS forth.

It doesn’t ask permission it just comes

Ideas come forth

When we select, give them a home, a STRUCTURE. a platform to grow they do their work in the world and BLOSSOM

Have you ever felt that flash of brilliance—only to have it snatched away by distraction until the whole thing just… evaporates?

Where does it go?

And then, out of nowhere, you see someone else out in the world doing exactly what you once dreamed of—only you never moved on it.

That’s where your idea went. It didn’t disappear. It found someone ready to give it a body, a voice, and a place to live in the real world.

Because here’s the thing:

Ideas are begging to be shaped, shared, and put to work.

But for that to happen, they need structure.

They need a container.

Your speech is that container—a living blueprint for action.

Subscribe now

Great speakers don’t just say more; they hold more. They know when an idea is carried inside a clear structure, it can breathe. It can be felt. It can stick.

A strong through-line turns your idea into a force with direction.

Patterning, sequencing, and signposting carve out space for meaning to land, take root, and grow.

This isn’t about memorising a script—it’s about giving your idea a shape your audience can walk into and experience from the inside out.

Want to Inspire your audience to take a Leap of Faith?

Move your audience to action?

Ignite their belief and excitement in your vision?

Gather co-creators, not just followers?

Use Positive / Negative Comparison:

Paint a vivid, Utopian picture of what’s possible.

Set it against the hard edges of how things are now.

In the GAP between those two worlds, map out the steps that will build the future you’ve just revealed.

Do you have Ideas and need to SIMPLIFY and STRUCTURE?

Get in Touch

Yesterday I was delighted to be invited to the House of Lords for what promised to be a stimulating summit at the UK Forum on Cultural Diplomacy put forward by Women of the World (WOW).

Instead, I spent a good deal of the time rolling my eyes so hard I’m amazed they didn’t detach and make a run for it.

Yes, the speakers were diverse in background and culture—which was great—but, shall we say, equally diverse in actual speaking ability?

Even some of the messaging was so archaic it match the decor of the room!

Some were almost unintelligible (see my ongoing crusade for CLARITY), and I’m sorry, but reading word-for-word from a sheet of paper without once looking up is… not speaking. It’s reporting...at best.

Then there was the elder statesmen from Denmark who remarked 50% of his cabinet were women and he couldn’t believe how efficient they were. Duh!

It wasn’t a complete write-off though—there were some real standouts.

Lord Taylor was animated and engaging, even if his slides were basically decorative.

Then there was Charles Heather, Founder & CEO of GeoBlocks, who was clear and concise about the need to involve local communities in exploration and mining of, ahem, their natural resources. Love it or hate it, you at least knew exactly what he was talking about.

Nathan Jay of Nethermind Blockchain Research and Protocol Design pushed forward sharp ideas about what blockchains can actually do and how they support a range of initiatives—including protecting assets like your likeness and voice from AI.

And speakers like Corina Goetz, who in the brief five minutes she had the mic, positioned herself and her work brilliantly and served up clear, concrete ways to collaborate with her.

Which left me pondering a deceptively simple question:

Why do people speak?

Let’s face it some of those people were there merely based on a title or entitlement or former position.

They had no new insights.

Shared not a single idea --just platitudes.

We now have an entire industry built around “professional speaking,” but if speaking is what your called to do, what are you actually saying that moves the conversation on, deepens understanding, or delivers clearly conceived ideas?

I’ve identified three kinds of speakers I work to develop:

• Spotlight Speakers

• Idea Initiators

• Sovereign Speakers

• Spotlight Speakers are those who are ready to step out from the shadows of supporting roles but still need to nail the basics—content structure, delivery, and actually land their message.

• Idea Initiators have something powerful to say and are already being invited to speak, but they need the guidance of a trainer and coach to help them generate real impact—to spark enough interest to turn those ideas into a book, or expand their published thinking into a speech that moves people to take action.

• Sovereign Speakers are the established voices with platforms and reputations. They’re in a position of genuine leadership—true leading lights—who now need to build momentum and gather fellow travellers to help carry their message further.

  

  Lavinia D. Osbourne started Women in Blockchain Talks with the purpose of educating and opening doors to all with the Power of Blockchain Building for Good. Now she is a moving into her Sovereign Speaker phase.

Subscribe now

Lavinia D. Osbourne is CEO of Women in Blockchain Talks a force for good and a natural community builder driven to uplift people financially, personally and professionally.

Lavinia is a trailblazer using blockchain to break barriers for women and underrepresented groups in tech. Multi-award-winning and globally recognised as a leading voice in crypto, she made history by securing the world’s first NFT case law precedent.

An international speaker, Lavinia is regularly invited to share her experience and vision for how blockchain can build community beyond crypto. She is a sought-after keynote speaker, trainer and event moderator, with appearances on CryptonitesTV, the Decrypt Podcast and in CoinTelegraph.

Lavinia is a revered authority whose expertise is trusted by the world’s biggest brands and organisations.

Lavinia will be speaking at the WOW Summit this week and moderating a panel on Women in the Digital Economy