Be Brave Enough to be Different
“Speaking is a form of, you know, the impact that is the strongest one. And if I don’t use that tool to create impact, then I’m not really fully in my fullest potential.” —Daria Vodopianova
Daria Vodopianova turned down two invites to speak on TEDx stages because she believed she didn’t have anything to share. A nonprofit group talked her into telling her story, and there she realized that she did have something to share and she could indeed be an example to others and make an impact as a speaker.
In this episode of “Authors Who Lead,” I talk with Daria about speaking on stages and her journey to create She Leads, her business that helps grow other female leaders.
Being Brave
Although Daria is a successful speaker, entrepreneur, and leader, she feels that a “thought leader” is less about the number of followers you have and more about “being brave enough to be different in the industry—being brave enough to really say what you stand for.”
Daria was lucky to find mentors on her journey. But even with all that support, when she stood on stage to speak, she knew she was up there by herself. She was able to overcome her fears by realizing that she was up there to serve the people watching. The focus was really on them, not her.
Confidence to Move Forward
Daria has a community of entrepreneurs at different stages of growth. She initially asks them to develop an “umbrella topic” that can cover most of the things they could talk about for three to five years. This process can help entrepreneurs have confidence in their ideas and topics so they won’t get tired of talking about them.
Making sure that you are moving forward with this integrity and confidence in yourself and your ideas will help you be authentic with your audience. The biggest impact you can make is to share your gift with the world and serve others. Daria encourages us to “get it out of yourselves so you can create more space for new ideas. And that idea is good at the moment. It’s perfect at this moment.”
In this podcast, Daria also shares with us:
- People will remember your passion
- You don’t need to be perfect to become a speaker
- It’s not your idea that will create change in the world; it’s your commitment to that idea
- Leadership can be an amazing type of creativity
- How focusing on service and contribution will lead to abundance in your own life
- More about her She Leads club
What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Do you have a message that can make an impact on others’ lives? What is keeping you from sharing your story? Share in the comments below!
That’s all for this week. If you have a message inside of you that needs to be written, today is the day to start. Don’t delay—take action.
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