I never wanted to be a speaker. The fact that I am still sometimes makes me just stop and scratch my head. I wonder if that's happened to you, too. Are you suddenly feeling the call to get on stage when just a few years ago, the thought of public speaking made you want to throw up? Because that's how I was when I was first an adult.
I got asked to speak, and I literally turned around, ran out of the building, got in my car, and drove home. I didn't even answer the person who asked me to speak. It was in church. It was only a 20-minute speech, probably, but I didn't even let him finish because I was so terrified of public speaking.
That was about the year 2000.
Obviously, I got over that fear because now I have spoken all over the world. I've spoken in London three times, on cruise ships, and all over the United States, and I love it. I am addicted to it now. So, how did that happen? You may be wondering, and you might be going through your own journey of being terrified of speaking to feeling the call in your heart to get up on the stage, wondering what the heck is happening.
Well, for me, it was a very fast transformation. I got fired in January of 2017 because of some pretty severe depression issues. I went home and wallowed for three months in my depression. Then, I ended up getting invited to this three-day life-changing seminar. I thought, ew, gross, no way. When you're in a depression, you don't want to spend any time around happy people.
But I kept getting this nagging voice in the back of my head saying, "Kelly, don't you think you could use some life-changing?" Finally, I gave in. I went to this event. It completely changed my life. By the end of it, I was crying that it was over, and I wanted more. I found out there was another guy that did these three-day life-changing events every month. So, for the next eight months, I went to two of them. I spent six days out of every 30 sitting in a giant event room, having my life changed.
During that time, I realized I did not want to look for a regular job again. I wanted to get up and change lives from the stage. That was completely insane and out of character for me, but I did it. I pursued it because it was all I could think about. I got into a one-year training program to learn how to speak and do events. I got certified as a life coach. I started teaching people how to manifest. I wrote a book that became a best-seller on Amazon called "The Drive-Thru Method of Manifesting." I started my first podcast, which was called "The Queen of Manifesting," which, if you want to learn everything there is to learn about manifesting, you can look it up. It is on every podcast platform out there.
Within about a year of starting these monthly personal development seminars, I found myself on stage. I entered a speaking contest and won. Then, I emceed my friend's event. I had my first two events, which were very tiny. My third event was big. I rented out the Expo Center. I had 45 people, which was huge for me in Washington, and I made $15,000 that day. I thought, oh my gosh, this is for me. I embarked on a journey of both manifesting, coaching, and speaking.
Well, after a couple of years, more people were asking me, instead of how to manifest, how to get out of the audience and onto the stage. They wanted to know how to become a speaker, how to write a speech. I realized my true calling was to teach other people how to speak. I became a speaking coach. I fought it for a long time because I had only been speaking for two years or so. I thought, who am I to go out and be a speaking coach? That's crazy. But you know what? There's always someone who is farther back on the path that you're on. You're farther ahead, and you can teach them things.
So I started training a few people, and it grew. I got more experience, more confident, learned more things, and figured more things out. Pretty soon, I had a full-time speaker coaching business. I love it. I love my clients. This weekend, I got to go see two of them speak at a huge conference. They were both amazing. They both filled their rooms. It was practically standing room only in both of them. I was a very proud speaking coach on Saturday.
Here is my advice for you. If you are feeling the call to speak, to get out of the audience and change lives from the stage, just do it. Start pursuing that goal. Don't let your fears take over. Don't worry about what people are going to think or say about you because guess what? There will be a few people who don't get it and don't think you are qualified to speak or be an expert in the thing you want to speak on.
Those people are not your people. They might be your friends and family, but they're not your audience. Remember, you are here to serve the people you were sent here to serve, and most of the time, that is not a family member. Let go of that fear because it will probably happen. Your family might think you're crazy, and it's okay. You might also lose a few friends, and that's also okay. Maybe in the end, you'll end up friends again.
I want to read you a quote that I love that really helps me keep going when it feels hard to keep showing up, getting on stage, doing webinars, and finding speaking gigs. This quote from Marianne Williamson just gets me to my core. I love it so much. I'm going to share it with you. It is from Marianne Williamson, "A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles."
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Oh, I love that so much. That is such a powerful quote. Who are you not to be fabulous? Who are you not to get out there and change lives from the stage? Follow your dreams, be brave, tap into your higher power to give you the extra courage you need when things get rough, and share your message with the world. If you're feeling the call to do it, that's because it is one of your missions on this earth. I applaud you. I am rooting for you. I'm excited for you, and I hope that I can give you lots of support and encouragement along the way.
If you need help figuring out what to speak on or what stories from your life to tell, you can download my free workbook. Just go to kellykayewalker.com/workbook.