Stories from Linda Clemons’s students

I was good at making other people feel seen, and even better at staying on the sidelines as a cheerleader. I told myself it was about the work, but it was really a visibility wound.

I have now delivered my first two keynote speeches-freely, without any PowerPoint slides or notes-and I've begun integrating storytelling much more prominently into all of my event moderations... the biggest shift for me has been moving from communicating solely on behalf of others-through my international communications agency-to developing and growing my own voice.

I wanted to upgrade my skills and learn to deliver unforgettable keynote speeches without a script. And in this sense, the programme was really a gamechanger.

It took me a couple of months to put up my stories, watch a couple of times to really understand the main points, and correlate them to my own stories. I did it. I discovered myself speaking smoothly, calmly, and naturally... and truly connect.

For years I said I want to be on stage, never knowing how or when... The idea of being able to follow my dream and help thousands of people is now more tangible.