Recorded on: Friday, June 7, 2024

Overview

Sean, a life and business coach and winner of the 2013 North America's Next Greatest Speaker Contest, discusses the importance of overcoming personal obstacles to achieve greater impact in speaking and other areas of life. He emphasizes the significance of understanding and addressing fears, particularly the fear of public speaking, and offers insights into how to manage these fears effectively.

Main Topics Discussed

Introduction and Background

• Sean's journey to becoming a speaker and winning the 2013 North America's Next Greatest Speaker Contest.
• Encouragement to explore one's potential and not let it go unspent.

Importance of Speaking and Making an Impact

• The significance of using one's voice to make a difference.
• Audience engagement: Sean asks how many are already speaking, want to start speaking, or want to improve their impact.

Overcoming Obstacles

• Identifying personal obstacles that hinder progress.
• Audience participation: Sean asks attendees to identify their biggest obstacles, with common responses being fear and perfectionism.

The Power of Vulnerability

• Reference to Sean's TEDx talk on the "Power of Vulnerability in Men."
• Emphasis on the importance of vulnerability in personal growth and influence.

Understanding Fear

• Differentiating between the fear of an activity (e.g., flying, speaking) and the fear of the potential negative outcomes (e.g., dying in a plane crash, being judged).
• The concept that fear is often about the consequences of actions rather than the actions themselves.

Self-Punishment and Fear of Failure