Find Your Voice, Change Your Life

Dr. Doreen Downing

Psychologist and Host, Dr. Doreen Downing, invites guests who have suffered from public speaking anxiety to tell their story of struggle and how they overcame fear. They took an inner journey, found the voice that is truly their own, and now speak with confidence.

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S1 · E194
November 5 · 29 min
#194 When Achievements Hide Your Real Voice
Today, I interview Cheryl Kasper who spent years overworking and overachieving, hoping her efforts would finally make her feel seen and heard. But all those degrees and certifications still couldn't bring the acknowledgement she had sought since childhood. Growing up in a loving family, Cheryl often felt that what she had to say wasn't important. She learned to suppress her voice, while watching her mother work almost constantly shaped her beliefs about success. When the strain eventually caught up with her, Cheryl began looking more deeply at the experiences behind her choices. Along the way, a vulnerable step toward sharing her story helped change her relationship with her voice. Today, Cheryl combines psychology, subconscious work, body awareness, sound, and frequency to help women recognize patterns they may not even know are there. She helps them develop greater trust in themselves and feel free to express who they are. __________________ Cheryl Kasper is a clinical psychotherapist and creator of Frequency Mapping™, a soul-led method that helps women uncover invisible patterns influencing how they respond to money, visibility, relationships, receiving, and expansion. With 30 years of experience as a trauma therapist, she combines psychology, subconscious patterning, nervous system and somatic awareness, sound, frequency, and the biofield through her Brain, Body, and Biofield approach. Cheryl works with self-aware, visionary women who have already done a great deal of healing and personal growth but still find themselves repeating patterns they understand intellectually. Her work helps them address what lies beneath those patterns so they can trust themselves, receive more, expand their capacity in wealth, relationships, and business, and feel free to be fully who they are. __________________ Find Cheryl here: https://www.instagram.com/cheryl.frequencyalchemist https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.f.kasper https://cherylkasper.com/ https://site.cherylkasper.com/vpd Support the show 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.
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S1 · E193
October 15 · 36 min
#193 Your Body Has a Voice. Are You Listening?
Today, I interview Caren Carnegie, who grew up shy and struggled to find the confidence to use her voice. As the youngest of three girls, her older sisters often spoke for her, leaving her little room to express what she was feeling and what she wanted to say. For much of her life, Caren followed what was expected of her while struggling with her relationship with herself and her body. After an injury in 2019, she began exploring movement and discovered something unexpected about the way she communicated with herself. That discovery led her to make changes in her life, listen more deeply to her body, and trust what she was experiencing. Along the way, she found the courage to share what she was learning. Today, as the founder of Transform Fitness Coaching, Caren helps others connect with themselves through movement, nature, and spiritual life coaching. She shares how listening to the wisdom of our bodies can help us find our voice and discover new ways of showing up in the world. __________________ Caren Carnegie is the founder of Transform Fitness Coaching, a speaker and writer whose work explores embodiment, the wisdom of the body, and storytelling through channeling. Her work invites people to listen more deeply to what moves through and around them, and to consider how that awareness shapes the way we live, lead, and participate in the world. Caren is a fellow Torchbearer at IGNITE: The Inner Uprising, where she represents the wisdom of the body. __________________ Find Caren here: https://www.instagram.com/carencarnegiefitness https://www.facebook.com/carencarnegiefitness https://www.linkedin.com/in/carencarnegietransform/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E192
September 24 · 34 min
#192 From Pain to Purpose, From Voice to Power
Today, I interview Aleya Harris, an award-winning keynote speaker and former Google executive, who grew up as a natural talker but became self-conscious when people focused their attention on her. A comment from an adult relative stayed in the back of her mind for years and made her question herself whenever people were watching her speak. As a teenager, Aleya finally stood up to that same uncle and describes the moment as reclaiming her voice. Later, postpartum depression challenged her identity in a different way and gave her what she calls an “earned gift” of empathy. Today, Aleya helps leaders and speakers uncover the stories they have lived, recognize the lessons inside those experiences, and shape them into something they can say with clarity and conviction. Aleya believes that everyone has something to say, stories to tell, and a legacy to leave, and that no matter what you have been through, your experiences can become part of what you offer to others. __________________ Aleya Harris is an award-winning keynote speaker, former Google executive, and Founder & CEO of The Evolution Collective. As the creator of the Story-Driven Leadership™ framework, she helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and organizations find their authentic voice, build trust, and inspire meaningful action. For more than 15 years, Aleya has empowered people to communicate with confidence, lead with purpose, and transform the stories that shape their lives, careers, and leadership. __________________ Find Aleya here: Website: https://www.aleyaharris.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyaharris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleyaharris Support the show 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.
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S1 · E191
September 3 · 37 min
#191 When Vulnerability Becomes a Voice
Today, I interview Catherine Bell who grew up painfully shy and afraid to speak, while also having to start over again and again as her family moved every two years. Making new friends, finding her place, and speaking in front of others overwhelmed her. Even later in life, she let others speak her words for her because she worried about how she would be received. Her breakthrough came gradually. One of the clearest moments happened in a dimly lit café in New York City, when she suddenly felt called to write her book, The Awakened Company. Over time, she began to recognize that her voice could only fully come forward when she was willing to enter those vulnerable, softer places in herself. Today, Catherine brings that awareness into the way she works with people. She encourages others to become more present, listen more deeply, and notice what life may be asking them to see or express. Her work continues to center on helping people move toward greater wholeness, trust their own voice, and bring their own piece of the puzzle into the world. _______________ Catherine R. Bell is the Founder and CEO of the Awakened Company, where she helps leaders, teams, and organizations create healthy, thriving cultures. She is an award-winning Profit 500 founder, serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and certified Enneagram practitioner. Catherine also co-founded the mindfulness app Awakenly, has created two Enneagram audio programs with Sounds True, and teaches at Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. Her upcoming 2026 book with Hay House explores the Enneagram and creativity. _______________ Find Catherine here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellcatherine/ https://x.com/AwakenedCompany https://www.facebook.com/awakenedcompany https://www.instagram.com/theawakenedcompany/ https://www.youtube.com/@AwakenedCompany https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-awakened-company/ https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3868695/ https://awakenedcompany.com/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E190
August 13 · 34 min
#190 The Courage to Stop Settling for Less
Today, I interview Kayla Middleton who spent much of her life speaking up for other people while finding it much harder to speak up for herself. Growing up in the UK, she was outgoing, expressive, and often seen as the responsible “good girl,” yet years of bullying and expectations shaped how she saw herself. As she moved into adulthood, Kayla found herself settling for a life that felt limited. She believed struggle was simply part of growing up and that the “good life” was meant for other people. In our conversation, Kayla shares the turning point that challenged that belief and helped her realize she could choose differently. What began as a practical decision to change her circumstances became a deeper shift in how she saw herself, her voice, and what was possible for her. Now, Kayla no longer believes she has to settle for the bare minimum. She has learned to stand up for herself, trust her own choices, and give herself permission to build life on her own terms. __________________ Kayla Middleton is an Identity and Mindset Coach for women in service-based businesses. She helps women stop being their own ceiling in business by identifying the beliefs, patterns, and behaviors that are keeping them stuck. Through one-to-one coaching, her membership, and other resources, Kayla helps women understand what is happening beneath the strategies they are already trying to follow. Her work focuses on helping them shift their identity and mindset so they can show up differently, make decisions with more confidence, and move their business forward. Having coached hundreds of women, Kayla is passionate about helping business owners get out of their own way so they can create not only the business they want, but the life they want that business to support. __________________ Find Kayla here: https://instagram.com/kaylamiddleton.co/ https://facebook.com/kayla.middleton.coaching/ https://kaylamiddleton.co.uk/5-signs-opt-in Support the show 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.
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S1 · E189
July 23 · 35 min
#189 She Stopped Changing Herself to Be Loved
Today, I interview Riana Malia, who grew up through repeated family breakups, broken promises, and the belief that she had to earn love. The instability left her feeling unsettled, too much in some ways and not enough in others, while also teaching her to become deeply resourceful. Those early beliefs followed Riana through marriage, motherhood, financial hardship, betrayal, and relationships where she tried to manage outcomes and become who others needed her to be. Although she went to therapy, read the books, and talked about her experiences, the anger, sadness, and old story continued to shape her life. Her breakthrough came when she realized that repeatedly telling the same story was keeping her inside it. She learned to stand on her story instead, let go of the belief that she had to beg people to love her, and become the same person in every room. That shift helped her break the cycle of broken promises and create a different life. Today, Riana uses what she has learned to help women stop repeating the relationship patterns that no longer serve them. She helps them get clear about who they are, what they want, and the life and love they want to create. __________________ Riana Malia is a Board-Certified Neurosomatic Practitioner, Identity Architect, and private authority for women who have built extraordinary lives and refuse to settle for ordinary love. Her methodology blends neurological rewiring, subconscious reprogramming, and nervous system recoding to address what therapy, retreats, and self-help have not been able to reach. Riana is the creator of the Clear to Create™ Method, which helps women clear old patterns, create aligned beliefs and habits, and claim a new identity. She is also the founder and host of the Brilliance Brunch™, an invitation-only gathering for high-achieving women in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the creator of the Extraordinary Love Index™ (ELI™), an assessment that reveals what may be standing between a woman and extraordinary love. __________________ Find Riana here: Website: https://rianamalia.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rianamalia/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rianamalia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rianamalia/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RianaMalia/ Substack: https://substack.com/@rianamalia Freebie: https://quiz.rianamalia.com/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E188
July 2 · 40 min
#188 Finding a Voice for Unspoken Grief
Today, I interview Beth Erlander, a grief expert and therapist who spent years believing she had to stop being a caregiver before she could truly support other caregivers. Although she had helped people through grief for more than 26 years, Beth hesitated to focus on this work because she was still living it herself. In our conversation, she didn't think she was ready, and she wasn't sure she had enough distance from her own experience to guide others through theirs. She shares what helped her stop waiting, why she finally became comfortable with not having all the answers, and how her own experience gave her a deeper understanding of the people she felt called to serve. We also explore why grief is more than death loss, how it can show up in life's transitions, and what it means to give grief a voice. Today, Beth helps those who unexpectedly find themselves caring for a spouse or partner navigate the emotional realities of caregiving. Through her professional experience and her own journey, she is creating programs that help caregivers feel seen, understood, and supported while navigating a grief that often goes unrecognized. __________________ Beth Erlander, LPC, grief expert and seasoned therapist with over 26 years of experience. She works with grief and loss issues from any kind of sudden life transition. Yet the main focus of her work is serving those who find themselves thrust into the role of being the caregiver for their spouse or partner. Her memoir, Life Upside Down: The Fall That Transformed Our Lives, Lifting Me Through Grief Love and Quadriplegia speaks to the journey of being her partner’s caregiver for the past 13 years. Beth is a Creative Grief Support Practitioner, Art Therapist and EMDR practitioner. She is currently training in Somatic Experiencing, Peter Levine’s work where she is gathering more tools to equip grievers to navigate the overwhelming experience of grief in the body. Beth runs an online program called The Wheel of Grief, which gives grievers a map to navigate the wild terrain of loss. She co-leads grief rituals and ceremonies, both online and in person. She is also a Cowry Shell Diviner taught to her by the late and great Elder Malidoma Somé. __________________ Find BETH here: Book: https://crowflowpublications.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betherlander_grief2joy/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E187
June 11 · 35 min
#187 Two Sisters Who Turned Shyness Into a Global Sisterhood
Today, I interview sisters and business partners Amy and Nancy Harrington, who both grew up shy and spent years navigating environments that made it hard to be heard, until they decided to leave their high-powered Hollywood careers and build something that could give other women the voice they had to fight for themselves. Amy rose to vice president at Warner Brothers at 27, often the youngest and only woman in the room, quietly doing the work while men took the credit. Nancy built a solitary graphic design business for nearly two decades to avoid the very rooms that made her shrink. Together, they built The Passionistas Project Sisterhood, a global community that gives women from marginalized backgrounds the space, support, and platform to finally be heard. __________________ Sisters and business partners, Amy and Nancy Harrington are the co-founders of The Passionistas Project Sisterhood, a global community for passion-driven women, especially from marginalized backgrounds, to find support, purpose, and empowerment. After leaving high-powered careers in Hollywood, where Amy worked on major films like Harry Potter and The Matrix, and Nancy created Academy Award campaigns, they now use their platform to uplift others. Through their Power of Passionistas Women's Summit podcast, number one international bestselling anthology book, Awakening Your Power, writing mentorship program, and online global community, they give a voice to women who often don't feel seen and heard. __________________ Find Amy and Nancy here: Website: https://www.thepassionistasproject.com/ Community: https://www.thepassionistasproject.com/membership Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePassionistasProject LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-passionistas-project/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepassionistasproject/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PCPassionistas Free Download: https://www.thepassionistasproject.com/30-days-journal Support the show 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.
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S1 · E186
May 28 · 40 min
#186 She Spent Years Hiding What Made Her Different
Today, I interview Lizzie Siegel, who came into this world deeply connected to her gifts but spent years learning to suppress them, until a series of accidents, illnesses, and a relationship where she felt completely invisible forced her to stop abandoning herself and come back to her voice. Raised with a heightened sensitivity that others around her often misunderstood, Lizzie spent nearly two decades as an international school teacher before her body began breaking down from years of ignoring her inner voice. Autoimmune diseases, a spinal injury, and a recommended hip replacement were the signals she could no longer dismiss. Through energy healing, sound work, and a journey across more than 70 countries, she found her way back to the voice she had always had, and built a practice around helping others remember theirs. __________________ Lizzie Siegel is a Resource and Reality Architect, Subconscious Freedom Coach, and global gridworker who has traveled to over 70 countries activating the Earth's energetic grids, sacred sites, and collective consciousness. She works at the intersection of voice, frequency, and remembrance, using sound, light language, and intuitive transmission to awaken what she calls Divine Source Codes within the human system. With a rare clairaudient gift, Lizzie hears beyond words, reading the energetic field of what is spoken, suppressed, and ready to be liberated. Her presence alone becomes a catalyst for transformation, dissolving deep rooted patterns of fear, trauma, and limitation, and recalibrating individuals at the level of identity, nervous system, and soul. She doesn't just help people find their voice. She helps them remember who they were before they ever learned to silence it. __________________ Find Lizzie here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizziesiegel/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilybity Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzienamasteplantbased/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartshomewithlizzie/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heartshomewithlizzie Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2y8L6exu2GxJeBQSEUSX5K?si=0a10cdc09bec41c4 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hearts-home-podcast/id1648081724 Support the show 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.
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S1 · E185
May 14 · 38 min
#185 He Forgot the Words, Then Found Himself
Today, I interview Fabio da Silva Fernandes, who has always known his voice mattered but faced moments throughout his life that tested that conviction, from a humiliating childhood experience on stage to navigating corporate spaces where he felt he did not belong, to a pandemic burnout that forced him to completely change direction. Raised with a deep sensitivity and awareness, Fabio spent more than 20 years in the fintech industry before recognizing that the life he had built no longer aligned with who he was. In 2021, he took a month off, listened to himself, and made the decision to start over. Since leaving corporate, he has built a practice centered on helping others do the same, working with individuals and organizations as a speaker, writer, and consultant focused on resilience, mindful leadership, and authentic expression. Fabio da Silva Fernandes runs a holistic wellness practice focused on resiliency, mindfulness, and Reiki. His passion is helping others cultivate greater resilience as a speaker, writer, and consultant. After more than 20 years in the fintech industry, Fabio left the corporate world to found Resting Bell Wellness Inc., now known by the name of his podcast, The Stumbling Spirit. He works primarily with corporate and nonprofit organizations to elevate mindful leadership, build trust, and enhance team collaboration. Find Fabio here: Website: http://thestumblingspirit.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiofernandes27/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestumblingspirit/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thestumblingspirit.bsky.social About the Show Find Your Voice, Change Your Life is hosted by Dr. Doreen Downing, psychologist and speaking confidence coach. Each episode features guests who lost their voice, or never felt they had one, and found their way back to it. New episodes on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Support the show 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.
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S1 · E184
April 30 · 37 min
#184 From Painfully Shy to Unshakeable Leader
Today, I interview Andrea Horvath who struggled to speak up for most of her life due to a fear that using her voice would lead to rejection. She followed expectations, stayed quiet, and avoided conflict, which affected her confidence and ability to express herself. Raised in a strict environment, Andrea learned that questioning the norm could mean being labeled “crazy” and risking connection. She built a stable life with a CPA career and family, but kept her thoughts and voice suppressed for years. When her daughter showed signs something was wrong, her concerns were dismissed. Instead of staying silent, she spent nearly two years seeking answers, choosing to trust her intuition and speak up despite the discomfort. Today, Andrea helps leaders reconnect with their voice and build confidence in how they show up, focusing on self-trust and grounded self-expression in their speaking and leadership. __________________ Andrea is a high-performance mentor for corporate leaders and executives seeking measurable and meaningful growth fueled by alignment. For more than two decades, she rose as a CPA and leader in corporate, driving performance at the highest level while learning how to achieve without compromise and hold both success and peace at once. Today, she mentors high-performing, awakened leaders to reach the next level of success in their careers and life from a place of deep alignment and inner authority. Her work combines energetic alignment and strategy to support leaders in elevating their leadership and stepping into greater opportunities. She is also a speaker who works with organizations and teams ready to lead and perform at a higher level without abandoning who they are. __________________ Find Andrea here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreamhorvath/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-V0tlhCwHkNED3kD1G0KA https://www.andreahorvath.com/titlepaypeaceform Support the show 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.
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S1 · E183
April 16 · 35 min
#183 She Left Everything to Find Her Voice
Today, I interview Rachel Radway who spent years in corporate leadership, showing up, performing, and doing what was expected, while quietly carrying the sense that something about it did not fully fit. Like many who struggle with confidence and speaking up, she learned how to adapt, even when it meant holding parts of herself back. As she was growing up, she was creative and expressive, using her voice freely. But after moving frequently and being teased for being different, she began to feel that she did not quite belong. Even as she continued to show up, there was an inner tension between wanting to be accepted and knowing she experienced the world in her own way. Over time, she reached a point where she could not continue in the same way. She could not take another job, and that led her to make a bold decision to quit her work, sell her home, and move to Peru without a plan. Living in different places gave her the space to step back and listen more closely to herself. Since then, she has come to understand her neurodivergence and the patterns of masking she lived with for years. Today, she supports others who think and feel differently to build confidence, speak more authentically, and express what is true for them. __________________ Rachel Radway is a certified leadership & executive coach, mentor, speaker, and award-winning author with more than 25 years’ experience in corporate leadership roles at startups, national nonprofits, Fortune 100s, and global enterprises. With compassion and a deep understanding of all the disconnects between the corporate world and brains that are wired differently, Rachel helps high-achieving, highly perceptive, and neurodivergent clients lead with confidence, clarity, and authenticity—and without burning out. Her book, Perceptive: Insights for leaders who feel more, process deeply, and think differently, reframes misunderstood and stigmatized neurotypes, including HSP and AuDHD, as a set of strengths—and leadership assets—accompanied by challenges, the other side of the coin. __________________ Find Rachel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reradway/ https://www.rercoaching.com/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E182
April 2 · 34 min
#182 A Diagnosis, a Divorce, and a Decision to Speak Up
Today, I interview Karen Rudolf who believed she wasn’t enough and learned early on to stay quiet, especially after being told as a child to stop asking questions. That moment shaped how she saw herself. She became very quiet, carried that into her relationships, and continued to feel small and unheard into adulthood. Growing up, her curiosity was shut down, and with a mother who was also timid and a people pleaser, she learned not to speak up. She entered a relationship where her voice was again dismissed, reinforcing the belief that what she thought and felt did not matter. Everything began to shift when her life circumstances intensified. Going through a divorce while raising three daughters, facing health issues like hair loss and a pre-diabetes diagnosis, and even being told she might not walk again forced her to confront how she had been living. These moments pushed her to listen to herself and realize she could no longer stay silent. She began to speak up, ask for what she needed, and trust her intuition. Today, Karen uses her voice to help others uncover the root cause of their patterns and express who they truly are. __________________ Karen Rudolf is the founder of Tranquil SOULutions™, where science meets soul to support high-performing, heart-led women and leaders shift out of survival mode and into grounded alignment. With a background in nursing and training in neuroscience-informed tools, somatic awareness, and trauma-release principles, she helps clients reconnect with their inner voice, regulate their nervous system, and lead from a place of embodied clarity. Karen is also the creator of the Tranquil SOULutions Mind Mosaic™ and The Butterfly Technique, practical and intuitive frameworks for decision-making and inner realignment. She is the author of the upcoming book Spiraling UP: The Light You Command. __________________ Find Karen here: https://www.facebook.com/officialkarenrudolf/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenrudolf/ https://www.instagram.com/officialkarenrudolf/ https://www.youtube.com/@officialkarenrudolf Clarity compass: https://karenrudolf.com/free-clarity-compass-pdf-967946480054 Support the show 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.
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S1 · E181
March 19 · 42 min
#181 Silence Kept Her Safe… Until It Didn’t
Today, I interview Dori Eversmann who grew up in a family where speaking up could lead to disconnection, learning as a young girl to stay silent, watch people’s faces, and only speak when it felt safe. That pattern followed her into school and adulthood, where she became the quiet, compliant, invisible one, often freezing when asked to speak and doubting her own voice. For decades, she lived this way, until in her 40s she felt invisible, disposable, and replaceable, reaching a breaking point that pushed her to seek help and begin healing. A major shift came later after building and selling a business, when a COVID experience made her realize, “This is not what I am on this earth to do,” leading her to finally pursue something more meaningful. She began taking small, courageous steps, training as a coach, practicing speaking, and learning to connect from the heart. Today, she helps others move out of silence and fear and into authentic, heart-centered communication in their work and relationships. __________________ Dori Eversmann is the owner of Resilient Relationships and a speaker, facilitator, and coach specializing in communication skills and leadership presence. She works with leaders and managers to build cultures of healthy communication and create high-trust teams where people actually want to stay and grow. Her career spans both business and nonprofit leadership. Along the way, she discovered one truth that shows up everywhere: effective communication is the key to success at work and in life. While she teaches these skills, she also lives them imperfectly. She openly shares that communication can still be a challenge, especially with her husband of 33 years. __________________ Find Dori here: https://www.instagram.com/dorieversmann/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/deversmann/ https://www.facebook.com/dori.eversmann https://www.youtube.com/@RiseUpWithDori Support the show 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.
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S1 · E180
March 5 · 26 min
#180 When “You Can’t” Becomes “Watch Me”
Today, I interview Mikki St. Germain who grew up being told to “keep your mouth shut” and made to feel like her voice didn’t matter. At 14, her mother left, and she stepped into adult responsibility, working, caring for her siblings, and eventually becoming an emancipated minor at 16. When a guidance counselor told her, “Girls like you don’t go to schools like this,” something inside her woke up. With $263 in her pocket, she drove to Florida after graduation and decided she would figure life out on her own. That decision marked a shift from living in desperation to choosing inspiration. She stopped allowing other people’s opinions to become her reality and began building courage from the inside out. Today, Mikki is a high school football coach with 17 years of experience, one of the rare female head coaches to win a divisional league and championship. She also coaches people off the field, helping them move from setback to comeback. Her message is clear: only you can tell your story, and when you choose to step up and use your voice, it can change everything. __________________ Coach Mikki St. Germain is an international speaker, published author, and one of the rare female football coaches leading in a male-dominated sport. With over 17 years of coaching experience from Pop Warner to high school head coach, she has won a divisional league and championship while building teams that succeed both on and off the field. As the founder of The 4th and 1 Mindset, Mikki helps individuals turn setbacks into comebacks by choosing inspiration over desperation and refusing to let other people’s opinions define their reality. __________________ Find Mikki here: Website: http://www.4thand1mindset.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HailMaryInHeels Support the show 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.
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S1 · E179
February 19 · 37 min
#179 Success that Hides the Truth
Today, I interview Robin Goad who grew up believing that if her own mother did not love her enough to protect her, then she must be unlovable. From a young age, she learned to perform. Achievement was praised. Expectations were high. On the outside, she looked confident and capable. On the inside, she was hiding pain and building a life around approval. That pattern followed her into adulthood. She excelled in corporate America, rising into leadership while staying driven by performance and approval. At home, she was in a painful marriage. Then she made a choice that went against her own values, a choice that forced her to confront the life she had been living. But what felt like a nervous breakdown was actually the beginning of something new. Alone and finally facing herself, she uncovered the lie she had been living from for decades. Facing that lie marked the turning point in her life. Today, Robin shows up differently. Through her book Girl by Birth, Woman by Fire and her coaching, she creates space for women to be real and authentic, to tell the ugly raw truth without judgment. She helps women heal from trauma and guides young women in corporate America to discover their superpowers and rise without losing who they are. __________________ Robin Goad is a powerhouse technology executive at Amazon Web Services, speaker, and coach who helps ambitious women master the corporate game without losing themselves. With over 30 years of leadership across Fortune 100 companies like Dell and Gartner, she has closed billion dollar deals, earned recognition as Dell's Working Mother of the Year, and built a reputation as a warrior in heels. But Robin's journey was not paved in perfection. It was forged in fire. Behind the titles were battles with childhood trauma, divorce, and a breaking point that forced her to confront the lies she had believed. That moment became her turning point. As the author of Girl by Birth. Woman by Fire., Robin equips women with her R.E.A.L. Framework and The Unwritten Rulebook, practical strategies for thriving in corporate America and in life. Her message is simple and bold: you can achieve extraordinary success without sacrificing your soul. __________________ Find Robin here: https://www.therealrobingoad.com/ https://www.facebook.com/robin.goad.5/ https://www.youtube.com/@robingoad5604/ https://www.instagram.com/fiftyfavoredfiguringitout/ https://www.tiktok.com/@therealrobingoad/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E178
February 5 · 42 min
#178 The Hidden Cost of Being the Strong One
Today, I interview Shelly Grimm, who reflects on growing up alongside chronic illness and learning, from a very young age, how to take care of herself and others. Much of Shelly’s childhood unfolded in hospitals, financial strain, and ongoing uncertainty. She learned how to manage, decide, and keep going without much protection or guidance. Confidence developed through necessity. Speaking up was less about expression and more about making sure life continued to function. As the conversation unfolds, Shelly starts to recognize how much of her strength came from necessity. Naming this brings a new awareness to the cost of always having to handle things alone, and how that shaped her confidence and voice. Today, Shelly’s work supports caregivers and families navigating long-term illness and responsibility. In this conversation, we explore how voice and confidence can form through lived experience, and what becomes possible when those early patterns are finally seen and understood. __________________ Shelly Grimm is the founder of The Perpetual Caregiver Collective, a national movement dedicated to supporting caregivers and those living with chronic illness through compassion, financial clarity, and renewal. A former insurance executive with 27 years of experience in financial consulting, Shelly blends her professional expertise with deeply personal experience. Her mother was the first woman in the United States diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 1956, an event that shaped Shelly’s lifelong empathy for those facing chronic illness and the families who care for them. She is the author of her debut memoir Some Asses Just Need Wiping and the upcoming sequel Some Loves Just Need Leaving, part of her Some Just Need… book series. Shelly has been featured on Fox Business, Bloomberg, and Tom Hegna’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and was named by MSN as one of the Top 10 Most Inspirational Women to Follow in 2025. Her work through The Perpetual Caregiver Collective bridges the gap between practical financial preparedness and emotional well-being, ensuring no caregiver—or care recipient—ever feels unseen or unsupported. __________________ Find Shelly here: www.linkedin/in/shellygrimm/ www.facebook.com/theperpetualcaregiver/ www.instagram.com/perpetualcaregiver/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E177
January 22 · 32 min
#177 The Cost of Living in Systems Not Designed for Women
Today, I interview Katrina van Oudheusden, who reflects on how early family dynamics, expectations, and learning to be capable from a young age shaped the way she learned to push through, stay productive, and quiet parts of herself. Growing up in a large family with strong values around stability and responsibility, Katrina learned to perform well and do what was expected. As an adult, those early patterns followed her into high-achieving environments, where productivity was prioritized and bodily signals were often set aside, eventually leading to exhaustion and a sense of losing her voice. A turning point came when she began questioning whether confidence, speaking, and success were meant to be forced at all. That question opened a deeper exploration of listening to the body and recognizing rhythms many women are never taught to honor. Today, Katrina supports women in slowing down, reconnecting with themselves, and building lives and businesses that feel aligned with who they are. In this conversation, we explore how voice, trust, and presence begin long before speaking, and what becomes possible when listening replaces pushing. __________________ Katrina van Oudheusden (van Oud-who’s den) is a Business Growth Coach and creator of the CreatHER Method, a framework that helps highly accomplished women grow their businesses without burnout. With a background rooted in Disney’s legendary customer experience philosophy, Katrina brings a unique blend of strategic precision and emotional connection to everything she creates. Through her offerings, including CreatHER Business Rewire, the CreatHER Planner, and her in-person CreatHER Rest & Reset, she helps ambitious women reconnect with their natural rhythms and design businesses that flow. Katrina’s work blends the art of customer experience with the science of business scaling, turning clarity into cash flow, rest into results, and creativity into sustainable impact. __________________ Find Katrina here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinavanoudheusden/ https://www.pinterest.com/thetruthbomb/ https://truthbombmarketing.com/go/authentically-female/authentic-female http://creatherplanner.com Support the show 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.
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S1 · E176
Dec 18, 2025 · 48 min
#176 When Staying Quiet Was Survival and Listening Became Healing
Today, I interview Desislava Dimitrova, who grew up learning to stay quiet in order to keep the peace. She shares what it was like growing up in a strict home where it did not feel safe to speak, and how being quiet became a way to protect herself from a very young age. A major turning point came later in her life through a serious illness that divided her life into before and after. The long healing process forced her to slow down, listen deeply, and face her biggest fears. Through years of meditation and healing, she began reconnecting with her heart and the deeper knowing that had always been there. Today, Desislava uses her voice to help others slow down and listen to their heart. Through meditation and a personal, intuitive approach, she supports people in finding healing, clarity, and a deeper connection to themselves. __________________ Desislava Dimitrova is a holistic whole health consultant with intuitive and healing abilities. She is passionate about helping moms improve their lifestyle and live with more joy and inner peace. People she has worked with often describe her as practical and motherly nurturing, and she offers a very personal approach that works with mind, body, and spirit. She is certified in multiple healing modalities, but life experience is her biggest credential. Desislava works with mid age professional and business women who feel overwhelmed, stressed, or are going through major transitions in their lives. She helps them find peace, hear their inner voice, and move past blocks so they can take their next inspired steps with confidence and clarity, while creating a calm and safe space for healing and growth. __________________ Find Desislava here: Website: https://desi-divine.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desislava.dimitrova.3110/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desislava-dimitrova-30271293/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desisdivine/ Support the show 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.
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S1 · E175
Dec 4, 2025 · 30 min
#175 Layers of Awakening: What It Means to Truly Have a Voice
Today, I interview Manya Gittel who lost her voice during a stroke and woke up to something far more unexpected than the crisis itself. She describes that moment as an inner awakening she didn’t see coming, one that shifted her sense of who she was and how her voice lived inside her. Manya shares parts of her early life, shaped by her parents’ history and the roles she learned to carry as a child. These patterns became so natural to her that she never questioned them, even as they influenced how she showed up in the world. What changed after the stroke is something she explains in a way that feels both surprising and deeply human. The way she describes that shift invites you to listen closely and wonder about the places where you too might be living from habit instead of truth. Today, Manya reflects on how that experience continues to shape her voice and her presence. Her story opens a rare conversation about authenticity, connection, and the moment a person realizes they have been further from themselves than they knew. It is an invitation to explore what happens when someone finally hears the voice they didn’t know they lost. __________________ Manya Gittel is a coach and trainer from South Africa who works with people around the world. Her background spans decades of facilitation, education, training programs, coaching, participatory theatre, and deep study of the Enneagram. She is known for helping people explore truth through voice, presence, and honest connection. Manya’s work is rooted in meaningful engagement, both with oneself and with others. She brings a unique blend of insight and experience, shaped by training in both formal and informal settings and by the recognitions she has received for her commitment to personal growth and awareness. Recent life events have opened new layers in her understanding of authenticity and expression, and she now weaves those insights into her coaching. She continues to guide people toward a more grounded, truthful relationship with themselves and with the world around them. __________________ Find Manya here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manyagittel/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KnocKnockCoaching/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/masteryofselfandrelationships LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/manyagittel Support the show 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.
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