Today, I interview Judy Baker, whose parents were both very introverted, and Judy was the youngest child. She didn't really understand that people could be bubbly and friendly, and she was afraid of strangers and meeting new people. She was shy and spoke with such a tiny voice that many people at school couldn't hear her. 

Her parents didn't really have many friends or much of a social life, so Judy never got to witness people having friendly, open dialogue with one another. In fact, because this was never modeled for her, she says she didn't quite learn how to converse with people until she was in her 30s. But during her childhood, it was a struggle. 

In school, she loved drama class because she says she found it easy to pretend to be someone else, even though she was too shy to be herself. In speech class, her knees shook as she held the lectern in terror. Her speech teacher taught her to use her body to occupy space, with a big, open stance. Magically, she says her knees unlocked and her voice was amplified to the back of the room. Judy's most noted speaking tool is to visualize the person sitting at the back of the room. She had learned exercises to loosen facial muscles and tongues, and how to enunciate, but the focus in applying these techniques was to ensure that she was able to use every piece of her toolkit to emotionally connect with the person at the back of the room. This allowed her to be fully aware of her own space, but to also step into a new and more confident persona. Her focus is on showing genuine interest and making real connections with people. 
She always strives to be a good listener, taking the time to thoughtfully craft her response and interact with care. 

Today, her passion is to help authors to get their message to a larger audience. She helps them share their stories by helping them break through marketing roadblocks and other barriers. She is a true friend who uses her voice to lift others up and amplify their voices, too.

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Book Marketing Mentor Judy M. Baker helps business authors turn content into cash without going broke or crazy. Authors benefit from Judy's resilience, a gift discovered during her cancer journey. Thinking beyond the book since 2011, her workshops and one-to-one mentoring have inspired hundreds of authors to build awareness about themselves, their books, and their businesses. 

Find Judy here: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/judybaker/ 
https://bookmarketingmentor.com/about 
https://linktr.ee/judymbaker 
https://twitter.com/bookmktgmentor 
https://twitter.com/BookMentorJudyB 
https://www.instagram.com/bookmarketingmentor/ 

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I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. 

Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.     

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I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.