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The Public Speaking Horror Show

The Public Speaking Horror Show

By: Laura Reid
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 Step into the dark side of public speaking with “The Public Speaking Horror Show,” where we expose the chilling fears and epic stage fails of speakers who’ve lived to tell the tale. Join us as we dig into their nightmares and discover the killer tips that turned their terror into triumph.© 2024-2025 The Speech Slayer Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Jocelyn King’s Cyber Security Horror Story and How to Vanquish the Nightmare

    Jocelyn King’s Cyber Security Horror Story and How to Vanquish the Nightmare
    Jun 26 2025
    Host Laura Reid welcomes the Queen of Online Safety, Jocelyn King, to the show to talk about the terror of cybercrime and how to stay safe against hacks. Jocelyn was a victim of cybercrime herself and now she is named one of the top ten women in cybersecurity and is the Founder and CEO of Smarter Online Safety. Jocelyn shares the real-life horror story of the sanity-destroying cybercrime she was a victim of, how she rallied and became a cyber security expert, the power of neural sculpting, and surviving nightmare speech failures along the way.What Jocelyn King learned about cybersecurity and what she now shares online was not available when she herself was a victim of cybercrime. As Laura says, Jocelyn needed her present self back then. The scary reality of being hacked and losing not just financial security and online privacy, but home security and physical safety is harrowing. But Jocelyn explains how it drove her to create the resources she needed and didn’t have. Being a podcast host, speaker, and former singer, Jocelyn also has a lot of public speaking experiences to discuss and not all of them went smoothly. Join Laura as she learns how to stay safe online, what neural sculpting is, and why Jocelyn says to smile and breathe when something goes wrong onstage. About Jocelyn King:Jocelyn King is the CEO and Founder of Smarter Online Safety, dedicated to empowering and equipping individuals and organizations with the knowledge to protect themselves in today’s evolving AI-driven cybercrime world. A renowned safety expert and educator, she has been recognized as a “Top 10 Woman in Cybersecurity” and is a sought-after keynote speaker and the podcast host of Smarter Online Safety. Her expertise has been featured on Dr. Phil’s prime-time news, morning shows, and international radio and podcasts.As the creator of the Better Online Safety Simplified (BOSS) System, Jocelyn makes online protection as intuitive and simple as locking your doors and windows. What sets her apart? She isn’t just a cybersecurity expert—she’s a cybercrime survivor. After enduring a long-term, devastating hacker attack, she collaborated with top security professionals to master hacker tactics and protection strategies. Now, she uses her hard-earned expertise to help others stay safer and saner online.Jocelyn holds a B.S. from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California.__Contact Jocelyn King:Website: SmarterOnlineSafety.comPodcast: Smarter Online Safety with Jocelyn KingLinkedInContact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer: Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland Linkedin: Laura Reid Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid —TranscriptLaura Reid: [00:00:02] All right, speech slayers. Welcome to another episode of the Public Speaking Horror Show. And get ready because today's guest knows all about real life horror. But we're not talking about ghosts and ghouls. We're talking about something even scarier: cybercrime and neuro sculpting. Ouch. Today's guest is better known as the Queen of Online Safety. She is the founder and CEO of Smarter Online Safety, where she empowers everyone from CEOs to celebrities, parents to entrepreneurs on how to protect themselves in the digital age. From hackers and AI deep fakes to the latest scams, she helps people stay safe, sane and informed in an online world that's, let's face it, getting creepier by the day. But here's where things get terrifying. She wasn't always a cybersecurity expert. In fact, she was once a victim of cyber crime herself. And not just a little hack, but a life shattering attack that devastated her finances, her career, health and even marriage. That experience forced her to fight back. And now she's not just a survivor, she was named a top ten woman in cybersecurity and has dedicated herself to helping others stay protected before it's too late. So if you've ever worried about getting hacked, scammed, or even digitally impersonated, this episode is for you. Buckle up because we're diving into the real horror stories of the internet, and trust me, you'll want to hear what she has to say before you click on that next suspicious link. Let's slay the cyber monsters and learn how our brains can help us slay our nerves too on stage, there's a lot to unpack. Welcome to The Public Speaking Horror Show Jocelyn King. Jocelyn King: [00:01:57] Oh, thank you so much, Laura. So great to be here with you and everybody. And you're not only a speech slayer, you are a podcast introduction slayer. That was amazing. Laura Reid: [00:02:06] Oh. Thank you. Thank you so much. So we're going to get started with what I'm calling the killer 13. These are 13 rapid fire, quirky, sometimes spooky, random questions. Are you ready to play? Jocelyn King: [00:02:23] No, of course not. But sure. Laura Reid: [00:02:27] That's the correct answer. ...
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    50 mins
  • Life is About Storytelling and When Anxiety Attacks with Monique Bradley

    Life is About Storytelling and When Anxiety Attacks with Monique Bradley
    Jun 26 2025
    Host Laura Reid welcomes Monique Bradley, keynote speaker and former TV shopping host, to the show to talk about her storied life. From being bullied in childhood through acting, magic, and live TV, Monique has made public speaking her entire life journey. Laura finds out how Monique would sell an item spontaneously, what scares (or more accurately doesn’t scare) her, and why we need to reserve judgement about people when things go awry. Monique shares the highs and lows of a life in public speaking.Monique Bradley survives Laura Reid’s Killer 13 rapid-fire questions with some impressive spontaneity and revelatory insights. She then shares her life story which is one of discovering herself and her true power of connecting with people through storytelling. At one point in life she says she became a magician “because you’ve got to keep earning money somehow”. Monique pulls speaking inspiration from her combined pakeha and Maori roots, talks about attending theatre school with Jemaine Clement, sings the praises of New Zealand, and divulges a public speaking horror story that ends in an important epiphany. About Monique Bradley:Monique spent my life studying and playing with words and stories, exploring their power and potential. Her training as an actor, speaker and singer began at the age of 8. As the youngest of 7 and born into a loud, theatrical, Radio and TV family, it was no surprise that she would end up either in leadership, sales, TV or the creative arts. In fact, she’s worked in all of them. She has a degree in theatre and film from Victoria University, a certificate in film and TV production from the TV training school previously attached to TVNZ in Wellington, qualifications with Trinity College of London and the NZ Speech Board and is a Board member of the Professional Speakers Association of NZ. Monique is also currently doing a Masters in Creative Practice at Unitec, exploring the impact of speaking and storytelling.Monique has been in multiple national and international films, TV commercials, MC'd and hosted numerous online and in real life events, worked as a voiceover artist for documentaries, commercials, animated films and games, recorded albums of music, worked as a TV shopping presenter, digital content creator and live streamer, educator, coach and even ran her own performing arts school. She has now clocked up more than 25 years of a creative career and the common thread running through it all is storytelling. Even working in retail and banking (of which she’s also done) was all about storytelling.__Contact Monique Bradley:Website: MoniqueBradley.tvInstagramLinkedInContact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer: Website: TheSpeechSlayer.comFacebook: TheSpeechSlayerInstagram: @Laura_InWonderlandLinkedin: Laura ReidBook: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid—TranscriptLaura Reid: [00:00:02] Welcome to The Public Speaking Horror Show, where we dive into the terrifying, cringeworthy, and downright bloodcurdling moments of public speaking. I am your host, Laura Reid. Our guest today is a master of persuasion, a high impact storyteller and if public speaking were a battle, she'd be wielding the one ring of influence. She spent over 25 years captivating audiences, from TV shopping to the keynote stage. But has she ever had a moment where things went completely off the rails? You're about to find out. Please welcome all the way from New Zealand, Monique Bradley. Welcome. Monique Bradley: [00:00:49] Thank you so much. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to be on your podcast. Thank you so much for the invitation. It's an absolute honor and a privilege. Laura Reid: [00:00:59] Oh, it's such, such a thrill to have you here. Monique and I met in Oahu back in November, and I had the opportunity to be in the audience for her talk, and it was just hilarious. Meaningful. Impactful. Like, all the things. It was so, so good. And I planted a seed then, I've got to reach out to her to be on this podcast. So I'm so glad it worked out. Monique Bradley: [00:01:23] Yeah, so am I. This is such a buzz for me. Thank you. Laura Reid: [00:01:27] Oh, good. So we're going to start out with what I'm calling the killer 13. 13 rapid fire questions, just so our audience knows, she did not receive these in advance. So we're just putting you to the test here. Monique Bradley: [00:01:41] I'm on. Laura Reid: [00:01:42] Are you ready? Monique Bradley: [00:01:42] Let's do this. Laura Reid: [00:01:43] You're ready. Monique Bradley: [00:01:43] Let's do it. Laura Reid: [00:01:44] Okay. Number one. What's scarier? Forgetting your lines on stage or losing a live audience's attention. Monique Bradley: [00:01:52] Losing a live audience's attention. 100%. Laura Reid: [00:01:55] Yeah, Absolutely. Number two, would you rather sell a haunted doll or a cursed mirror on live TV? Monique Bradley: [00:02:04] A haunted doll. Laura Reid: [00:02:06] All...
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    47 mins
  • Pete Tingstrom on Forgetting to Thank the Important Person and Celebrating Life

    Pete Tingstrom on Forgetting to Thank the Important Person and Celebrating Life
    Jun 26 2025
    Host Laura Reid welcomes Army retiree and former Green Beret Pete Tingstrom to the show to talk about his scariest speech moment and current business, Aloha Oahu Weddings. Pete tells Laura about the frequent speeches he gives for military and veteran organizations and how a scary speech moment still caught up with him. He reveals profound thoughts on celebration and care, why he needs that speech outline, and re-thinks that opening hook with Laura.Pete Tingstrom has a wedding and event business called Aloha Oahu Weddings and it brings him great joy to share the beautiful location with people celebrating all manner of moments. Last October he organized a private cruise for a global gathering of Green Berets so they could all share some special moments together. In a pivotal speech to that gathering, Pete seemed to make eye contact with his wife while thanking someone else for their help. And then forgot to thank his wife. Laura and Pete discuss the horror of that moment, where to put thank yous in a speech to make sure they’re noted, and how to recover from a moment like that. About Pete Tingstrom:Pete is a 30-year Army retiree who served in the Infantry, Special Forces (Green Berets) and Aviation branches. Currently he owns a wedding and event venue in Kaneohe on the Island of Oahu with incredible ocean and mountain views. He has recently added a party bus and photo booth options for all events on his lush venue. Pete spends a lot of time leading and working with many non-profit veteran service benevolent organizations, and a global peace movement called Live and Let Live. __Contact Pete Tingstrom:Website: AlohaOahuWeddings.comInstagramFacebookYelpGoogleContact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer: Website: TheSpeechSlayer.comFacebook: TheSpeechSlayerInstagram: @Laura_InWonderlandLinkedin: Laura ReidBook: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid—TranscriptLaura Reid: [00:00:00] Welcome back to The Public Speaking Horror Show, the podcast where we dig up the scariest, most cringe-worthy, downright disastrous moments speakers have faced on the stage so you don't have to. If you've ever had a presentation and it felt like a slow motion car crash, you're in the right place. And if you haven't, oh, just wait. Your time will come. But before we dive in, make sure that you hit the like and subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Because the only thing scarier than public speaking is a podcast with no ratings. So today's guest is the incredible Pete Tingstrom. Pete has this amazing badass background, I'm not going to do it justice, but just know he's like jumped from airplanes on missions as a Green Beret. He's a 30 year Army retiree, served in the infantry, the aviation branches. So yeah, I want to hear a little bit about that from him. But today he owns a wedding and event venue on the beautiful island of Oahu. I have been on his boat, takes people out to the sandbar out there, it's just absolutely amazing. He is just living this beautiful life in paradise these days. And I think he earned it. So, but today before, we're not really here to, like, talk about just his wins. Oh no. Like, we are here to unearth his story and maybe some things that he kind of wished were kept buried. So, Pete, welcome to the show. Pete Tingstrom: [00:01:42] Thank you, Laura, for having me. This is quite an honor to be on your show. Laura Reid: [00:01:47] Thank you. So thrilled to have you. So before we dive in to the good, the bad and the oh, my God, did that just happen, let's break the ice with our killer 13. These are 13 rapid fire questions, Pete. Don't overthink it. Are you ready? Pete Tingstrom: [00:02:07] I'm ready. Laura Reid: [00:02:08] Okay. Number one, what's scarier? A silent audience or a heckler? Pete Tingstrom: [00:02:16] A silent audience. Laura Reid: [00:02:18] Yeah, I agree. You just jumped out of a plane. Your parachute doesn't open. What's your first thought? Pete Tingstrom: [00:02:26] This is going to be one hell of a ride. Laura Reid: [00:02:29] I love it. Hell of a landing, too. Pete Tingstrom: [00:02:32] Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that part. Laura Reid: [00:02:36] What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? Pete Tingstrom: [00:02:40] Probably crickets. Laura Reid: [00:02:43] Crickets. I had crickets, too. In Zimbabwe, you fry them with some salt. Not too bad. Pete Tingstrom: [00:02:48] Good with chocolate covered too. Laura Reid: [00:02:49] Oh, good. Were they cooked and, like, covered in chocolate? Not just like a raw? Pete Tingstrom: [00:02:54] Yeah, they were cooked and covered in chocolate, but I've had them raw as well for survival. Laura Reid: [00:02:57] You have? Oh, I would think the ink could be a problem, but yeah. Pete Tingstrom: [00:03:02] No, they're not. I don't like it. Laura Reid: [00:03:05] Number four, would you rather get stuck in a haunted house overnight or give a surprise Ted talk with zero prep? Pete ...
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    32 mins

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