What I learned from speaking through panic.

You don’t need to feel ready to do something brave.

Public speaking gave me panic attacks. The kind that leave you breathless, second-guessing everything, questioning why you said yes in the first place.

And still - I did it anyway.

Not once, but twice. Two keynotes. Two countries. One version of me who almost pulled out.

I’d never done a keynote before. No formal experience, no past stage wins. Just a deep belief in my message and a growing fear that I wasn’t ready to share it.

When the invitation came - to speak about AI in marketing - I was honored. But the weight of it? It hit hard.

I rehearsed daily. Obsessed over every word. Practiced until my voice felt scripted.

Still, none of it calmed the nerves.

• I almost cancelled the trip.

• I started anti-anxiety medication.

• I convinced myself I wasn’t enough.

But I also knew this mattered. I knew I had to show up.

Not because I was confident. But because something inside me knew - growth lives on the other side of fear.