The Big Talk with Tricia Brouk

When you step onto the stage, are you tempted to put on a persona? Do you feel pressured to be someone you are not? Do you allow fear to prevent your voice from having its true impact? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this episode is for you! Today’s guest shares her powerful story of dealing with fear and allowing her inner voice to shine through. You’ll be inspired to listen to your own inner voice, take action, and speak with greater impact.

Do you struggle with developing your authentic voice? If so, you are in good company. Today’s guest shares her journey of going through a divorce that helped her begin aligning her external and internal voices. You will be inspired to step into your authentic calling and begin speaking your truth.

As a leader and a storyteller, the temptation is to project yourself as strong and invulnerable. Today’s guest reveals the power of speaking and leading from the heart. You’ll learn how to inject fun and creativity into your speaking and better connect with others as a human being.

Robin Gelfenbien is a NYC-based storyteller, writer and comedian whose told stories alongside luminaries like Hannah Gadsby and Trevor Noah. She's also a two-time Moth StorySLAM winner who has performed on PBS, RISK! and Mortified.

Storytelling is not one-way communication. Instead, it involves a great deal of listening, whether you are telling a story on a stage or with your team in the workplace. On this episode, our guest reveals why listening is such a vital part of storytelling, and how to use it as a tool to invite people into powerful stories.

Today’s show is another in a series of bonus episodes each featuring one of the fantastic talks given by my participants in The Big Talk Academy as a part of our Virtual Showcase. This showcase is the culmination of their hard work as they cross the finish line to becoming certified speakers.

These episodes give you a peek behind the curtain to witness the amazing Big Talks presented, and also give you exclusive access to my live feedback and direction I give to each speaker immediately following their performances.

This week’s episode features Maria Johnson and her talk, Choosing Possibility Over Disability.

In 2013, Maria experienced severe vision loss in both eyes and was diagnosed with a rare condition called Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy - LHON. This diagnosis caused her to become legally blind in a matter of months. It also led her to create and launch her website and blog “Girl Gone Blind” in early 2014. She is a mom of two kids, group fitness instructor, blogger, podcaster, and speaker living in San Diego, CA.

In her touching and powerful Big Talk, Maria shares her own journey of choosing possibility over disability when she lost her sight. She walks us through how she went from the consuming devastation of her sudden disability to the sparks of strength and determination she found to make it through.

Life will blindside us all at some point. However, you always have a choice. You can let the situation crush you or you can get up and crush it.