The very thought of public speaking makes my armpits sweat.
This is exactly why I said, “YES” to my first public speaking gig this summer at the Brave Girl Symposium in Boise, Idaho.
Over the past six years, I’ve stepped into some seriously uncomfortable arenas, the kind that made me cringe, resist, and sweat, but I knew I had to do them because, like it or not, this was MY PATH.
Teaching my first workshop, writing my first (and second) book, filming my first E-Course and launching Studio Diaries all felt like incredibly hard, verging on impossible, mountains to climb.
Ya see, using my voice, speaking my truth, and being SEEN (gasp!) are all things I avoided like the plague for most of my life. In my heart of hearts, I’m a really shy person, and being the center of attention is NOT my comfort zone.
So as you can imagine, life got pretty interesting when suddenly I was being asked to speak, write, teach and otherwise take up more space.
But I did it, and here’s what I’ve learned. The one and only way to become comfortable doing what feels crazy uncomfortable is to DO IT — and do it a lot.
Fast forward six years, I’ve taught over a hundred workshops, shared my E-Course with thousands of people, written two books, contributed to other online courses and done countless interviews.
On a weekly basis, I do what used to feel like THE HOLY SHIT WORST THING EVER which is to step in front a video camera and ya know, TALK. And yes, my armpits still sweat, my heart still races, and critical voices still fight for space in my head.
But here’s the thing, every single time I do hard things they feel a little bit easier. And through doing them, I’ve learned that sharing my stories and process has the infinite potential to make a positive difference in the world, while holding it all in simply feeds my fears and keeps me small.
This July, I’m stepping up and over the edge of comfort once again to share my truth and words in front of hundreds of women gathered at the perfectly named, Brave Girls Symposium (I swear my heart just started beating faster even writing that).
I gotta say, public speaking for the first time at a retreat designed for the very purpose of sharing stories, embracing vulnerability and gathering with like-hearted women seems pretty darn perfect.
I’m happy to say that if you’re feeling called to be a part of this Idaho love fest, there are still spots available. I would seriously love to look out into the crowd and see you there — and give you a big ol’ hug of relief afterwards!
And if you haven’t already checked out Brave Girl University (omg, it’s an epic, creative, online resource!), you can use this coupon code: florabowley, to receive your first month freeeeee.
Here’s to doing hard things and surviving every single time. And to growing, always to growing.
xo flora
