An Official TEDx Speaking Coach and founder of SHE Speaks Academy, Nicole is known for helping women communicate with impact and speak up in ways that truly resonate.

As she told the room: “When you tell your story in the way that only you can, your voice has the power to move mountains.”

Why speaking matters, especially now

Whether it’s a podcast guest spot, a webinar panel or a live stage, Nicole encouraged every woman in the room to stop waiting for permission and start using speaking as a strategy to grow their business.

“Speaking is your edge,” she said. “It’s the ultimate credibility and authority booster. You can spend thousands on ads – or you can spend a few hours speaking in the right room.”

While some speakers make a living from keynotes alone, Nicole was more interested in the everyday power of speaking for your business – using your voice to grow visibility, build trust and attract aligned clients.

“You might not get paid $10K to speak,” she said. “But if you walk away with four new clients at $2,500 each, that’s your return.”

Of course, not every audience member will buy – but they might refer, collaborate or open a door. That’s the long game of visibility. And when budgets are tight, especially in the early years of business, showing up and speaking can outperform even the most well-targeted ads.

“You never know who’s in the room,” Nicole said, “or where a single conversation might lead.”

In a world of carefully curated Instagram feeds and Canva graphics, Nicole argued, what really cuts through is human connection.

As she put it: “AI can write your caption, but it can’t stand on stage and connect with someone.”

 

Selling through stories

Contrary to popular belief, Nicole said speaking isn’t about pitching or performance – it’s about sharing stories that move people.

“Nobody wants to be sold to, but everybody loves to buy,” she said. “The art is learning how to sell through stories.”

Whether it’s a personal anecdote, a client experience or a well-known case study, Nicole showed attendees how to make that message matter – and how to make it memorable.

“Start with the end in mind,” she advised. “If someone leaves your talk and turns to the person next to them, what do you want them to say it was about? If your audience could be, think or do something different after hearing you speak, what would that be?”

One of the most powerful insights of the session was that your story doesn’t have to be big, traumatic or dramatic to be meaningful. But it does need to be ready.

“Share from the scar, not the wound,” Nicole said. “If the story still breaks you open, it’s not time to tell it yet. And when you are ready to tell those stories, remember that it’s not really about what happened to you – it’s about what that story can do for the people in front of you.”

From presentation to conversation

A key shift Nicole urges her students to make is moving away from rigid scripts and slideshow overload, and instead embracing conversation.

“Less boring your audience to death with slides they won’t read,” she said. “More talking to them like the humans they are.”

Similarly, she warned against the all-too-common habit of opening a talk with a long-winded rundown of your qualifications and job titles.

“When the MC does their job, they’ll introduce you and cover the key stuff anyway,” she explained, “so you don’t need to do it again. Sure, it’s important to refer to your experience – but sprinkle it in throughout. Don’t start with it.”

She introduced Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion, which she uses as a simple framework to explain what makes a talk land:

• Ethos: Credibility – your expertise, whether earned through qualifications or lived experience.
• Logos: Logic – facts, data or insights that back up your point.
• Pathos: Emotional appeal – the stories you tell that help your audience feel something.

“Pathos is the one I love the most,” she said. “Because we are wired for stories.”

Referencing Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo, Nicole shared that in one of the most acclaimed TED Talks of all time, Bryan Stevenson’s 2012 address, only 35 percent of the content was rooted in ‘Ethos’ and ‘Logos’ – the other 65 percent was storytelling.

“Your story,” she said, “is the vehicle that carries your audience to the impact you want to have.”

Silencing the inner critic

Nicole’s session didn’t shy away from the fear many people feel when speaking. She acknowledged the sweaty palms, racing hearts and intrusive thoughts that show up just before we take the mic.

Her antidote? Reframe the fear.

“Fear and excitement feel the same in the body,” she explained. “So when you feel it coming, tell yourself: ‘I’m excited. I’m ready. I’ve got this.’”

She also introduced five common imposter “types” identified by Dr Valerie Young — patterns of thinking that can hold women back from putting themselves forward:

• The Perfectionist – If it’s not flawless, it’s a failure.
• The Soloist – If I need help, I’m not good enough.
• The Expert – If I don’t know everything, I don’t belong here.
• The Natural Genius – If it doesn’t come easily, I must not be cut out for it.
• The Superwoman – If I’m not doing it all, I’m not doing enough.

Nicole asked for a show of hands – and almost everyone in the room recognised at least one of those patterns in themselves. Her message in response was simple but powerful: these thoughts are not truths. They’re habits.

“A belief is just a thought you’ve had over and over again,” she said. “So if you want to feel like you belong, you have to start thinking like someone who does.”

Confidence, she explained, isn’t about knowing more than everyone else.

“A confident woman doesn’t necessarily know more,” Nicole said. “A confident woman moves more. She moves with faith that it will work out. That she can figure it out as she goes. That she doesn’t need to have all the answers upfront.

“So next time you’re looking at someone and thinking, ‘I wish I could do what she does’, remember – she doesn’t know more. She just moves more.”

SPEAK your mind

To give attendees a practical tool to take into their next speaking opportunity, Nicole shared her go-to framework:

• Smile – to calm your nerves and connect with the room
• Posture – to boost confidence and presence
• Eye contact – to build genuine connection
• Affirm – to speak positively to yourself before (and during) your talk
• Keep breathing – to regulate your nervous system and return to calm

And her bonus tip? “Find your feet. Wiggle your toes. Feel the floor. It gets you out of your head and back into your body.”