From Stage Fright To Spotlight: Speaking Through Sensitivity Soulful Speaking podcast

From Stage Fright to Spotlight: Speaking Through Sensitivity

16d ago 48:59

Content provided by Lauri Smith. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Lauri Smith or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.

Send Lauri a message

What happens when a highly sensitive person takes center stage?
In this episode of Soulful Speaking, copywriting soul genius Joanne Homestead shares her journey from a terrified five-year-old clutching a microphone to a confident entrepreneur embracing her authentic voice. Along the way, she invites us into a deeply human exploration of fear, presence, and transformation.

Together, we explore:

Why some of our earliest speaking experiences leave lasting marks
How teaching became Joanne’s improv playground
The hidden challenges (and gifts) of being a highly sensitive speaker
What to do when the spotlight feels more like an alien abduction
Why soulful visibility begins with listening to your own needs

This episode is a love letter to the late bloomers, the empathic entrepreneurs, and anyone who's ever wondered if they were “too much” for the stage. You’re not. Your presence is powerful—and your story deserves to be told.

TAKEAWAYS
1. Your speaking journey might begin before you even realize it.
(Joanne’s began at age 5—and not by choice.)
2. Bravery isn’t the absence of nerves; it’s showing up anyway.
3. Empathy for your younger self can be a powerful healing tool.
4. Memorized speeches can shut down connection. Presence invites it in.
5. Teaching is speaking with heart—especially when it’s tailored in the moment.
6. Sensitivity isn’t a weakness—it’s a superpower in speaking and connection.
7. Every classroom, audience, or moment is different. Adaptability is leadership.
8. Soulful self-care looks like breaks, breath, and maybe even fiction books.
9. You don’t have to shout to be heard—you just have to resonate.

✨ Connect with Joanne:
Website & Free Storytelling Guide: deskplantcreatives.com
Follow on LinkedIn: Joanne Homestead

The Soul of Visibility
A Soulful Speaking Playshop for loving rebels on a soul-driven mission.

Join us for The Soul of Visibility, a live, interactive Soulful Speaking Playshop where we’ll explore visibility not as a performance, but as a sacred act — one rooted in presence, truth, and soul.

The Speaker Alter Ego Quiz

Take the Speaker Alter Ego quiz to find out which protective mask hides your natural radiance so you can learn how to get present, connect deeply, and share your vision when it matters most!
https://voice-matters.com/speaker-alter-ego-quiz/

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening!

Take the free quiz and learn which Soul Sucker™ you need to release to free your voice: https://voice-matters.com/soul-sucker-quiz/

Follow me on:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voice_matters_llc/

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauri-smith-voice-matters/

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voicematters9646

Chapters

1. Joanne Homestead - Shorter than the Mic (00:00:00)

2. Speech Forgotten, Courage Remembered (00:04:51)

3. From Forced to Fun: Discovering Theater (00:07:55)

4. Teaching as Improv: Interactive Speaking (00:15:38)

5. Finding Her Voice as an Entrepreneur (00:22:41)

6. Spotlight Panic: A Highly Sensitive Speaker’s Moment (00:24:24)

7. Empathy, Sensitivity & the Stage (00:26:31)

8. Self-Care in Speaking (00:35:45)

9. The Wild West Speaking Chapter (00:39:22)

10. Where to Find Joanne (and Her Soulful Emails) (00:42:11)

11. Pivot Pivot: Fun lightning round questions (00:44:31)

44 episodes