Say what you do
with confidence,
online or in person

Back in 2004 I attended my first networking meeting as a small business owner desperate to make new connections and *hangs head in shame* sell advertising in the local business magazine I ran with my husband. I learned pretty quickly that networking in the true sense of the word is not #buymystuff; it’s about building those all important “know, like and trust” relationships and conveying a message that leaves your fellow networkers in no doubt as to what you do, what pain points you address for your clients and who your ideal client might be. You become a great ambassador for your business and your colleagues in turn become a great ambassador for you. I loved it, I showed up for weekly meetings, I helped fellow business owners and they in turn supported me.

However, our local community magazine became successful for all the wrong reasons. We did everything from securing sales, creating adverts, walking our magazine round to 9,000 households every month in the sun, wind, rain and snow. And when the last one for the month was pushed through the final letterbox, we started all over again. Our advertisers loved us; our adverts worked really well for them. So well in fact, that as small businesses with an influx of new clients and customers, they didn’t need to advertise! We felt like we were on a hamster wheel we couldn’t get off and eventually became worn down by the relentless work.

So we decided on a “do over” and moved to Tenerife (as you do) and I quickly secured a role as a performing arts teacher at the local drama school. Revisiting my love of theatre, combined with teaching the kids and getting them ready for their LAMDA exams was a dream job.

Whether it was from the stress of the crazy hours of running a magazine or whether it was just bad luck, I developed something called a “hemifacial spasm”. Rapid, jerking, contorting movements in the right side of my face knocked my confidence for six, and the only possible “cure” on offer was brain surgery which was not an option where I lived.

I moved to Voiceover work. It’s perfect for people who don’t want to show their face. You stand in a small space talking to yourself creating great narration without having to be on view. It was a natural extension to my work with the kids and it’s been my privilege to narrate for over 60 countries.

A move to Norway for family reasons meant I could continue with my Voiceover work and also accept a fabulous opportunity to be part of a customer care training programme as a coach for a global organization. Had it been on camera it would have been a hard pass but all training was conducted by phone and of course I’d become an expert at performing without being seen.

After 10+ years of hiding my face I decided to take advantage of a new opportunity that had presented itself to have surgery. Despite the risks, I was done with all the hiding and living such a little life. After surgery I was 70% better which I was truly grateful for, and even more so when three months down the line I realised my face had settled down completely.

You might imagine you’d want to hold your head high and leap back into life but when your confidence has been dented for over a decade it takes time to rebuild. However, I believe small steps make a positive impact and I’ve worked consistently to once again feel I can look people in the eye.

Fast forward to today. I’m still busy with Voiceover work and also working online with my clients on Zoom to help them with confidence and visibility online.

With the events of 2020 I’ve been to more networking events than ever before and what I’ve seen is a huge amount of people who are struggling to succinctly say what they do, who they help, how they help, who their ideal customer is. Knowing the power of true networking I want to help. That’s why I have set up the group so we can support people who want to communicate effectively online in meetings for better engagement, genuine connection and positive growth!