How Life Changes When You Find Your Voice
Improving your public speaking doesn’t just change what happens on stage, it transforms how you move through the world.
For years, I believed I was shy. I told myself I had anxiety. But the truth was far simpler: I just hadn’t learned the skills.
Now that I’ve started working on them, life is shifting in ways I didn’t expect. And if you’re someone who’s always thought “I could never do that”, I want you to know that you can. And when you do, here’s what begins to happen:
1. Confidence deepens. You walk into rooms taller. You speak more clearly. You trust your own voice, whether you’re in a quiet one-to-one or a crowd of many.
2. Opportunities multiply. Presentations, networking, spontaneous chats… suddenly, they’re no longer daunting. Your ability to connect draws people in and opens unexpected doors.
3. Leadership emerges. You become the person people look to when clarity is needed, when messages must land, or when direction must be shared.
4. You shape perception. The way you speak influences how you’re seen. Confidence and clarity can shift how others experience your intelligence, creativity, and capability.
5. Relationships deepen. You find yourself better able to express emotions, tell stories, and connect meaningfully with clients, friends, or audiences.
6. You control your nerves, not the other way round. With time and practice, anxiety softens. It becomes energy you can use, not fear you need to run from.
7. Self-awareness grows. Learning to speak well means learning to think well. You become clearer on your beliefs, your values, your voice.
And it’s not just professional. It’s changed my personal life in the most beautiful way. I’m getting closer to the friends I already have with real conversations, open laughter, deeper trust. And I’m finding new friends too. New connections that feel more aligned, more honest.
The same is true in business. I’m not just building a network; I’m building relationships.
And here’s something I never expected:
I used to hate the sound of my own voice. I’d cringe when I heard it back. But now? I’ve fallen in love with it. Because it’s as if I’m hearing a new voice. A voice with confidence. The same goes for video. What once made me recoil now makes me lean in. I no longer flinch. I engage.
But I want to be honest. I’m in no way “there” yet. I’ve got so much more to learn, more to practise, more edges to soften and stretch.
But now that I’ve started, I’m hungry to continue.
One day, I’d love to try amateur dramatics and I will. Because for me, reaching that point means I’ve conceded something powerful: That I’ve reached a pinnacle and then I’ll aim for something else.
And if you know me well enough, you’ll understand exactly what I mean.
Ray
