My Personal Speaking Journey Year One, by Amber Ladley

I feel lucky to be a Speaker Sister, don’t you?

I’ve been thinking lately about how the Speaker Sisterhood could not have come at a better time in our lives. Its purpose is to give us the opportunity to find our own voice, speak up, raise awareness, and spread good intentions. As a result, we get to:

• Become better listeners and speakers
• Feel heard
• Create meaningful relationships
• Connect in real life (& in our digital one too!)

If you’ve had the pleasure to experience it, you know it’s magical. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Check out a club »

I met Angela last March (3/3/16 actually — see photo from my journal). She had put out a call for interviews on a Facebook group run by vital corps, a group we are both members of. I waited until the last day to volunteer, letting my nerves get the best of me, but I finally reached out and I’m so glad I did. We communicated over email and set up a time to meet for lunch in Holyoke, MA. It was a meeting I’ll never forget. Angela has a meaningful way of connecting with people; she’s open and honest and I instantly felt like I could be myself around her.

After we ordered food and had some quick chit-chat, she got right down to business, asking me questions and recording my responses — she was building the Speaking School for Women and conducting research from potential participants. I was fascinated by her organization and ambition. After the interview, we chatted for quite some time and I learned that she liked to craft — I knew in that moment a friendship had blossomed.

There was one particular question that really stood out to me that day; Angela asked me: “What will your life look like in one year after taking my course?” I knew I was craving a shift in my professional offerings, but I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant or how it would look by 2017. I’m sure I answered, “I don’t know,” but now that it’s been almost a full year, I do.

I graduated from the Speaking School for Women last spring. It was the best online course I have ever taken. Each week, I’d sit in my pj’s in the comfort of my own home and watch a live webinar delivered by Angela at her house in her pj’s. She shared with all of us her experiences as a public speaker over the past ten years. The homework assignments were thoughtful and encouraged each of us to dig deeper into ourselves to find our voice. Her weekly feedback was insightful and I was in awe of how much attention she could lend to each of us participating in the class.

Since graduating, I have given hands-on creativity workshops, website strategy presentations, and regularly teach others how to create a website (like this one!). I also joined the Northampton club when it launched in September and I’m launching my own club in South Hadley on February 24th.

The Speaker Sisterhood is more than a public speaking club. For me, it’s the place to connect with women (in person) to share in meaningful conversation and it’s a growing community of women connecting online in our digital world.

In November of 2016, Angela asked me to join the founding team. Since joining I’ve had the pleasure of brainstorming ideas, creating handmade gifts for new members, and building the Speaker Sisterhood website.

I’m thrilled to officially unveil my title of Creative Director. It makes me grin each time I think it of because I know I’m getting to do the work I love to do with a talented and driven team by my side.

I’m here to engage and grow the culture of the Speaker Sisterhood community and I hope you’ll join me.

Here are ways you can help:

• Spread the word! Share our online content with your friends on social media and/or forward our monthly newsletter to women in your life who are craving connection.
• Donate. We are a small team, but we are positioned to grow rather quickly and could use some financial help during our startup stage.
• Post images on social media using the #speakersisterhood hashtag.
• If you are a member or club leader, you may also write guest blog posts and bring a friend to your club.

Have feedback or a suggestion for growing and improving the Speaker Sisterhood community? We’d love to hear it!

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Amber Ladley is a creative entrepreneur with expertise in creating websites and crafting with repurposed materials. She is also the Creative Director of the Speaker Sisterhood. You can find her online at amberladley.com and happilyupcycled.com.