Woohoo! I don't know about you but I am EXCITED by that! Thanks to all of you for jumping on board and engaging! And let me know what I need to improve around here to hit that next hundred milestone... 😍

Okay, this is a bit of a personal post. I just came out of a meeting at my day job with Epic Learning, and my role has been disestablished, along with the majority of the rest of the team. 🙁 -Or to be more accurate we are in the 'consultation period'. While it is not a huge surprise, work has been sparse all year, it is still a punch in the gut, and the team is pretty gutted. We all worked really well together. It was one of those teams that if we were all in the same place we would 100% meet up and spend the afternoon together (we are a remote company spread around New Zealand). I had only just signed a new contract with them at the end of last year with more responsibility and a pay rise... A big part of the problem is the low demand for educational services this year due to AI. We were an early adopter of AI and were using it at the cutting edge in our industry for the past couple of years. But now people feel that they can get what they need from AI directly, I guess.🤔 Anyway, I felt I should let you know in the community what is going on. It should not change anything with this community. I am still committed to growing this community, and helping people with their talks, presentations and pitches (which is different from what I was doing at Epic Learning as an instructional designer). I recognise I am only one person being affected by the current economy, and there are many others worse off, so I am not hunting sympathy, just keeping it real. 😉

That was Benjamin Djain in our first TEDx workshop. He stood up, read his talk, and the words tumbled out in a blur. Nervous energy. Too much material crammed into 15 minutes. Adrenaline doing what adrenaline does. He looked jerky. Rushed. Like he was trying to outrun his own nerves. 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿. So we got to work. First, we cut material. Ruthlessly. Not because his ideas weren't good — but because good ideas need room to breathe. When you're racing to fit everything in, nothing lands. Then I had him write pauses into the script. Actual pauses. Moments where he had to stop, breathe, and look around the room. It felt unnatural at first. But it forced a slower pace. Finally, mirror practice. Standing in front of a mirror while rehearsing. Because Benji had a tendency to pace and sway, something I struggled with early in my own speaking career. The mirror doesn't lie. It shows you what the audience sees. Fast forward to TEDxUoWaikato in November. Benji didn't just deliver his talk. He anchored the entire event. I put him in the opening slot—the one that sets the tone for the whole evening. He owned that stage like a pro. The difference wasn't talent. It was giving his words space. Trusting the pauses. Letting the audience come to him instead of chasing them with speed. Real command doesn't come from talking faster. It comes from slowing down enough to let your message land. If you are willing, share in the comments a time when you rushed and later wished you had paused. 😉

When I built this community, I wasn't really sure what Skool was all about. But in the last few months I have: 😺 Joined a bunch of communities. 😺 Jumped on live calls with interesting people all over the world. 😺 Spun a yarn or two. 😺 Had some laughs. 😺 And I have learned a LOT! So I thought I would share a few communities that I have found interesting or useful. Feel free to check them out, they are all free to join, but there are paid options for those interested. In no particular order: ⭐ Small Business Video School - Ed Oyama, has a great way of teaching video. -Expect more video from me! ⭐ Laughter Clinic - A new community run by Kerry with 18 years experience as a comedian. ⭐ Pinterest Skool - I know, random as! This is one of the few communities I pay for. It is amazing! ⭐ Start a Business with No Money - A new community, but with some really helpful experts in there. ⭐ The Storyteller's Path - For those wanting support in writing their fiction or non-fiction book. ⭐ KDP Publishing - For those thinking of publishing a book. Some great information here. ⭐ The Art of Integration - If you are sick of reading the stuff but never using it, Jenifer does a great job of 'decoding' great books and giving you action steps. ⭐ The Indian Cooking Club - I love Indian food, but it has always been limited to 'boil-in-the-bag'. I have yet to get cracking on this, but it is on my list!