I often hear speakers assign harsh and brutal judgments about their own behavior, thoughts, and feelings before, during, and after a speech. I'm guilty of doing it too - so I know a lot about it. Ever stood in front of an audience and said to yourself, "They look bored. They don't like me. This isn't going well." Or, after a talk, said, "That was awful. I bombed. Worse presentation I ever gave?" What if, instead of judging, criticizing, and mentally shaming yourself for everything you do, you approached each moment from a place of curiosity? In today's episode, I discuss the mistakes I've made and how curiosity could have saved the situation. I also read an awesome excerpt from the book, The Conscious Heart, Seven Soul-Choices That Inspire Creative Partnership by Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks, two Ph.Ds. They have a whole chapter dedicated to cultivating curiosity in relationships, but as I read it, I thought, this is also about public speaking! I also share a few simple action steps to live a life through the lens of curiosity and stop living from a place of perfection. If this quote from the book gets you excited, you will love today's episode. "Curiosity opens the door to playfulness and spontaneous joy."

PS: I also share an update on how my tiny summer challenge is going. If you are participating and would like to share, email me at [email protected]!