In the summer season of Speaking with Confidence I’m revisiting some of my, and your, favourite episodes.

And this one is one of my all time favourites.

In this conversation with Kate Toon, digital marketing expert extraordinaire, author and most recently, bookshop owner, we unpack how to build the confidence to be DISLIKED.

Yes … how to get comfortable with rejection so we can go and do our thing, anyway. Because really, when we say we’re ‘scared’ of public speaking … it’s not the fear of speaking, it’s the fear of judgement and rejection.

Kate Toon has over 15 years of business experience sitting snugly in her gym tights, once completed 40 speaking events in just one year, and has been a resident expert on Kochie’s Business Builders - she has confronted this fear over and over again. And, as she explains in our chat, while she’s not necessarily ‘confident’ in being disliked, she’s got some great strategies to get herself on stages, on TV and on billboards anyway.

Listen in to hear Kate’s thoughts on :

• Getting comfortable with being disliked
• Dealing with random, rude emails that are explicit in their dislike
• Being contrarian and authentic to stand out in the crowd
• The value of the mundane in building a business
• The role of hormones in fear, and how to manage them

If you want to know about my new program, Unshakeable: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, message me here (I had to remove my email address because of the overwhelming spam emails!)

To get my weekly musings on all things confidence, impact and authenticity, subscribe here

To learn more about the fabulousness that is Kate Toon, visit her website - https://www.katetoon.com/

Welcome to the summer season of Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson, where I’m sharing some of my favourite and most popular episodes.

This week I’m revisiting my interview with Denise Duffield-Thomas, a Money Mindset Mentor, author and host of the wildly popular and successful Money Bootcamp, where she has supported more than 10,000 people overcome their money mindset gremlins.

Denise epitomises what it means to make an impact at scale, while still maintaining your authenticity. She is delightfully down-to-earth, honest and, well, ‘normal’ 😉

I invited her onto the show to talk about how she’s built a business using speaking - on stages and on her podcast - despite the fact that she doesn’t really like public speaking! And, we had such a delicious conversation talking about all sorts of things.

In this gorgeously real, insightful and authentic chat, we explore how Denise chooses to use her voice, her way, so that it works with her current phase of life and business and leans into her strengths

Listen in to hear:

• Denise’s preparation rituals for calming her nerves before a big presentation
• Why Denise doesn’t like keynotes and how instead she reframes those invitations invitations into a style that works for her
• Denise’s journey in moving from delivering free presentations to paid ones
• How Denise stays on track in presentations, and avoids those ADHD rabbit holes
• Why Denise enjoys spontaneous presentations and discussions over prepped, rehearsed ones
• How to trust the spontaneous presentation style will deliver value for your audience AND be safe for you
• Why public speaking, in whatever format you choose, is a powerful way to share your voice and why we’re both such advocates for women finding theirs
• The lessons Denise took away from our conversation

Resources and links mentioned in this episode

If you’re keen to know more about Unshakeable: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, email me at cat[@]catmatson.com.au

Connect with Denise Duffield-Thomas on

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/denisedt/

Website - https://www.denisedt.com/

Chill & Prosper Podcast -

Connect with me on

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/catmatson/

Website - https://www.impactfulpresenters.com/

Sales conversations tend to trip up even the most confident of communicators - we don’t want to feel salesy or pushy, we don’t want to be rejected and of course, we still have our sales targets to reach.

Rather than just talk about this in theory, today’s episode you’re getting to listen in on a real confident communication coaching call that I had with a small business owner.

Caitlin runs a successful pet photography business; she now has a team of photographers capturing beautiful photos of families and their furry friends. And, like many small business owners, Caitlin was uncomfortable with her sales process and conversations.

Listen in to hear:

• How to shift your mindset from sales is ‘icky’ and ‘pushy’ to sales is a form of service
• How to use other communication techniques, like beginning with the end in mind, to reduce confusion and take your clients on a sales journey that feels good
• Different ways to respond to objections, and anticipate objections so they can be incorporated into the conversation
• How to package up your offers, and options, so they feel natural and easy for your clients to buyWhy speaking to your full stops, in full, complete sentences, rather than filling the silence with more words, is far more powerful than we realise

If you’d like a FREE Confident Communication Coaching Session, book here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review, or share it with your friends and colleagues.

To ask me a question, connect with me on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/

To have a look at Caitlin’s gorgeous pet portraits, visit her website - https://ragamuffinpetphotography.com.au/

"I want to stop rambling" is the number one 'problem' people come to me to solve.

But what if your 'rambling' is actually how you process information, make sense of things and form your opinions.

If you're a verbal processor like me, it's not a flaw that needs to be fixed, in fact, it's the very thing that helps you see what others don't. The issue isn't the rambling - that's part of your process - the issue is not confusing your audience as you think aloud.

Listen in to hear:

• how I discovered I was a verbal processor (and how it's different to people who AREN'T out-loud thinkers)
• why verbal processing shows up as rambling
• how you can still 'ramble' in professional settings without losing your audience

Also in this episode I have a little chat about my refreshed approach to content creation as I move away from algorithm-focused techniques and back to human-focused techniques.

Mentioned in this episode

My substack - https://catmatson.substack.com/

My email newsletter - https://www.impactfulpresenters.com/f/how-to-stop-rambling

If want to chat with me - best way is via substack (above), Instagram or LinkedIn

Concerned your umms and ahhs are undermining your credibility?

In this week’s episode I’m answering a listener question about training yourself OUT OF saying ‘ummmm’ and ‘ahhhh’, and also providing my thoughts on whether umms and ahhs are really as bad as we think.

Listen in to hear:

• Why you might want to ‘chill out’ when it comes to your use of umms and ahhs

• How silence, and ‘speaking to your full stops’ can be a useful way to stop using filler words

• Some alternative filler words or phrases that will engage your audience and give your mind time to ‘catch up’

• My controversial take on another key question that some speaking coaches says undermines your credibility

• Why being on message is more important than any umm or ahh you might use

Want my full lesson on how to stop umming and ahhhing? Visit -

Want to ask a question for a future podcast - connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram here.

Join my Impact Club for high touch support, guidance, coaching and community for humble leaders.

‘How much of yourself do you share?’ and ‘how to make a speech engaging’ are the questions I’m answering in this week’s episode.

Storytelling, particularly lived experience storytelling, is easily THE BEST way to make your speeches engaging. But how personal is too personal, how much of yourself do you share?

Listen in to hear:

• How to balance the line between misery porn or self-indulgence, and stories that inspire and empower

• Why framing your stories through the lens of the audience is incredibly important

• How to tell your stories to take your listeners on an emotional journey that leaves them ready to take desired action (rather than leaving them a broken, helpless mess)

• How to manage that doubt of ‘do people really want to hear my stories?’

• Where to find other lived experience stories

Join my IMPACT CLUB if you’re an impact-minded humble leader, looking for support on messaging, strategy and mindset as you work to make your dent in the universe, in your way.

For more on how to showcase your talents in your lived experience stories, listen to episode 140.

And for that episode on misery porn (thank goodness it exists!), check out episode 60, Authenticity, Misery Porn and Stories of Happiness.

Ever rocked up to speak at an event, expecting a lectern, or a certain kind of microphone, and the set-up was NOT as you expected?

Or you were forced to use a headset mic that just felt weird, or a lapel mic that kept slipping?

Well, in today’s episode I’m talking about how to manage just these situations!

Listen in to hear:

• The pros and cons of using a lectern

• What you want to consider if you choose NOT to use a lectern

• How to ‘show up’ if you are using a lectern, particularly if you’re ‘vertically-challenged’

• The different kind of microphones and how to prepare not just your presentation but your outfits so they work on the day

• How to prepare for your stage WELL ahead of presentation day!

Join my IMPACT CLUB if you’re an impact-minded humble leader, looking for support on messaging, strategy and mindset as you work to make your dent in the universe, in your way. Get all the details here.

Want to know how to pitch to speak at a TEDx talk?

Listen up, because that’s the exact question I’m answering today.

A listener has set herself a challenge of speaking at a TEDx event and wants to know how to pitch her talk.

Listen in to hear:

• Whether a TEDx event is the right platform for you

• If it is, how to pitch yourself

• How TEDx speaker selection really happens, and what you need to do to be noticed

• Other events that might serve your purposes better

• How to pitch for them

Links mentioned in this episode:

The Impact Club - where thoughtful business owners, community leaders and corporate hippies are supported to make their dent in the universe, in their way.

Why I don’t like TED talks - episode 3.

How to find stages to speak on - episode 51.

How to pitch yourself for speaking opportunities - episode 135.