Find Your Voice, Change Your Life Podcast

Today, I interview E.A. Csolkovits who when he was very young, helped his father with deliveries as a milkman. As they made their rounds, he would observe all different types and classes of people, and he was drawn to those who appeared to be happy and successful, “living the dream”. Even as a very young child, E.A. felt a deep, instinctive pull to figure out how these people lived lives of such happiness and abundance.

Today, I interview Susan Birch who grew up in a small village in New Zealand. She was the oldest of four children. The family kept busy and worked hard, and her siblings eventually found their callings and settled into successful career pursuits. Susan, however, felt a bit delayed because she often struggled with language.

Today, I interview Peter George who as a young child had a speech impediment. Because of this, he learned to stay quiet and kept his circle fairly small. He was shy and rarely spoke up in class. But he decided he could become very proficient in all kinds of sports, as the athletic kids rarely get picked on.

Today, I interview Eric Brotman who was very entertaining in childhood. He loved doing standup comedy or singing, always mimicking his favorite stars. He enjoyed putting on a show for his friends and family, goofy and carefree. But he never actually used his own voice or his own style when he did these things.

Today, I interview Joe Perrone who remembers growing up in Connecticut and being a secure child. He was in a home-school environment where he had to build his own network of friends. Later, in a public school setting, he was thrust among many other kids his age who had spent their lives learning in a completely different environment.

Today, I interview Regan Nelson who had great confidence when it came to speaking up. Her brother and sister were heavily involved in politic. She excelled in speech classes and always found it easy to perform. The true missing piece, Regan says, was that she hadn’t found a specific cause or passion that she personally identified as a reason to speak her mind and boldly share her own thoughts.

Today, I interview Sandy Abell, who as a child felt starved for attention because her younger sibling received so much more attention. She started acting out, as many children do, which led to people rejecting her. All of the rejection put Sandy in the habit of being and behaving the way she thought people wanted her to.

Today, I interview Kori Gouge who learned to be very quiet and cautious due to living with a step-parent who struggled with mental illness. Her concern was to not cause trouble or upset, which earned her the nickname “Mouse.”

Today, I interview Debbie Hoffman who worked on Wall Street for 20 years and performed very confidently. She excelled at an extremely young age and was one of the only females in a male-dominated industry. However good she was at speaking successfully on behalf of her clients it was not the same as speaking up for herself.

Today I interview Tyler Foley, who says he never suffered from public speaking anxiety, however, he does distinctly remember having a clear sense of stage fright twice in his life. As a trained performer and someone who has been on stage since he was six, both times were perplexing to him.