Conquer Your Fears

Lisa Kimmel, ICD.D, Global Managing Director, Sector Specialty Agencies, DJE Holdings, Chair & CEO, Canada and Chair, Latin America and Global Women's Equality Network (GWEN) at Edelman

 “When I was young, I had a terrible fear of public speaking. Sweating. Red blotches all over my face. A quiver in my voice. As I progressed into more senior roles, I committed to overcoming my fear by leaning into it and finding any opportunity to speak to an audience. Through years of practice, I finally was able to overcome the anxiety that befell me before every speaking opportunity.

This past week, I was invited to speak to the Business Council of Alberta after not having been on a stage for close to two years. For a brief moment before I got up to speak, I flashed back to all of those anxiety-ridden years when I was so fearful to speak publicly. I can tell you that as soon as I was up there, it came so naturally, like riding a bike. It felt so good.

Conquer your fears. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Develop your own strategies to challenge yourself head on. It’s so worth it.”