Find Your Voice, Change Your Life

06/10/2026

“I keep telling myself I'll be more confident next time.
But when it's my turn to speak, I still freeze.”

Discover a different approach in The 7 Secrets to Essential Speaking — for just $7

Available here: https://doreendowning.com/product/digital/essential-speaking-book/

06/05/2026

Some of us learn very early that certain parts of who we are make the people around us uncomfortable. So we learn to keep them quiet.

In the latest episode of Find Your Voice, Change Your Life, Lizzie Siegel shares how she spent decades being guarded, choosing her words carefully, and speaking as a version of herself because the fuller truth of who she was made others uncomfortable.

For those whose voice has ever made others uncomfortable, this episode will change how you see your own voice.

Watch the full episode.

Comment “PODCAST” and I’ll send you the link to the full episode

05/06/2026

Shut down so many times, and from a young age

You learn pretty quickly what’s not worth saying

So when you actually want to say something

You hesitate
You hold it back

And the opportunity passes
Ideas left unsaid
Your sense of self hidden

On the latest episode, Andrea Horvath, a high-performance mentor for corporate leaders, shares how that pattern followed her into adulthood

…and what changed when she finally trusted her voice in a moment that mattered

If you’ve ever held something back like this, you’ll want to see how this unfolded—comment "PODCAST" and I'll send you the link to the full episode

05/05/2026

You know what you want to say, but it’s not always easy to stay with it

In Speaking Circles, you have the chance to speak and be listened to without interruption or pressure, and without needing to prepare anything in advance

With practice, your words begin to come through more clearly and with less strain

One person recently shared this with me after attending

“I learned a few things about how to better connect that were blind spots I had… and I walked away feeling heard, seen, and much lighter than when I walked in”

Being heard in that way can change how you approach speaking

If you want to join the next Speaking Circles which will take place on May 13, message me "CIRCLES" and I’ll send you the further details

May 13, 2026
6:00–7:30 PM PT
Berkeley, CA

If you’re not in the area, you might know someone nearby who would benefit from this, feel free to pass it along

And if coming in person doesn’t work, I’m planning a small Speaking Circles on Zoom with space for 5 people, message me if you’d like to be included

04/21/2026

You don’t burn out just from doing too much

You burn out when you keep giving 150% to things that aren’t really what matters most to you

And still show up like it’s working

Still speak
Still perform
Still meet expectations

It doesn’t look like a speaking problem at first

It’s not that you’re not speaking
It’s that you’re not speaking from what’s true

And that takes more energy than you think

Watch the latest episode of the podcast to hear what it takes to stop holding back and start speaking from what’s true

Message me “podcast” and I’ll send you the full episode

04/10/2026

Stop telling yourself you just need more preparation

You've already tried that — and it didn't work

You went blank

Here's what actually happens: the moment you start speaking, your inner critic shows up

You're checking if it sounds right, if you're making sense

And that's exactly what gets in the way

It's not a preparation problem

It's your inner critic talking over you

My book, 7 Secrets to Essential Speaking: Find Your Voice, Change Your Life, shows you how to quiet that voice so what comes out actually matches what you meant to say

If you want to stop your inner critic and free your voice, start here 👇🏼

Get the digital book for just $7 (Message me “BOOK” and I’ll send you the link)

04/09/2026

04/09/2026

I suggest you stop putting your precious energy into rehearsing so much

Carisa used to do this—spend a lot of time going over what she wanted to say and trying to get it right

But over-rehearsing wasn’t helping

Over-rehearsing is like over-baking a cake. Your speech may fall flat, be too dry, or you’ll burn up.

And worse yet, over-preparing might make you more nervous

Instead of spending so much time practicing, take another look at what is really going on inside of you

Ask yourself, “what am I really afraid of?”

What if my performance sucks?
What if my nerves take over?
What if everyone looks bored?

The underlying fear, the anxiety is what you need to tame before you can finally be free to deliver your message with absolute confidence

If you are ready to move out of fear so that at your next presentation, meeting, or event, you can feel calm, clear, and confident without over-rehearsing—

👉🏻 Book a free Anxiety Breakthrough Session with me
(link in the comments)

04/07/2026

I’m offering another in-person SPEAKING CIRCLES in Berkeley tomorrow 🙌

If you’ve been holding back your voice, this is where you stop waiting and actually do something about it

After more than 30 years of working with individuals, I’ve seen how many people stay silent not because they have nothing to say, but because something in them hesitates when it matters most

You can keep managing it, overthinking it, or avoiding those moments...
OR you can START CHANGING how you experience speaking from the inside

Speaking Circles is not about performing or pushing yourself to be confident—

It is about learning how to stay present, grounded, and real while you speak so your voice comes through clearly

This is where you stop shrinking back and start showing up with more clarity, steadiness, and self-trust

Come experience it for yourself 🎉

When: April 8, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 PM PT
Where: Berkeley, CA

👉🏻 Message me to join and I will personally guide you into the circle

03/29/2026

When did you start checking if it was safe to speak?

You were about to say something… and then you stopped

Not because you didn’t know what to say

👀 You just adjusted

Over time, that just became how you operate

More people carry this than you think

In the latest episode of the podcast, shares where this pattern began, in “Silence Kept Her Safe… Until It Didn’t”

Watch the full episode—there’s more to this story

Comment “PODCAST” and I’ll send you the link