Does public speaking make you cringe? Me too, but I do it anyway. In my early days on Wall Street I was asked to speak about my trading in front of fairly large groups and I was terrified. I’d even have a shot of scotch beforehand just to help me get on stage. But once I began to talk, I found that I was ok.

This month I’ve been asked to speak at Petticoat Row on Nantucket. This is a women’s entrepreneurial group on the island made up of fellow real estate brokers and other business owners. I’m thrilled, but I do have a pit in my stomach. In order to calm my nerves, I go back to other speeches I’ve given to women’s groups to see what worked and what didn’t. I then prepare what I’m going to say and practice, practice, practice. I work especially hard on the opening because if I can get over my nerves in the first five minutes, I’ll be ok.

I think the reason I say yes when asked to speak, is that I love what I’m talking about. My goal is to help women everywhere become financially independent by working for themselves. It’s an incredible opportunity to share the stories of the successful women I’ve met through VentureMom in any public forum. So I think I can stomach a few nerves to help other women succeed. Let’s go!!!