My First Speaking Gig Was on My Birthday

It Started With a LinkedIn Post

This opportunity did not land neatly in my inbox with a formal invitation and a guarantee that I was ready. It started, as so many things do now, with a post on LinkedIn.

Someone in my network shared that they were organising an International Women’s Day event. I saw it, felt something pull at me, and asked if I could be part of it.

That might sound like a small thing, but it was not.

Because asking to be part of something means putting yourself forward before anyone has asked you to. It means taking the first step without knowing whether the answer will be yes. It means allowing yourself to believe, even quietly, that you might have something valuable to contribute.

And that, in itself, takes courage.

Self-Belief Does Not Always Arrive First

I think we often misunderstand self-belief. We imagine it as this solid, confident feeling that arrives before we do something new. We think we are supposed to feel ready, certain and fully qualified before we raise our hand.

But in my experience, self-belief rarely turns up that neatly.

Sometimes self-belief is not loud. Sometimes it is not polished. Sometimes it is simply the quiet thought of, “I care about this enough to try.”

That was the truth of this opportunity. I did not have a long list of speaking gigs behind me. I did not have evidence from previous events that I could do it. I was doing it for the first time.

But I wanted it. I cared about the message. I cared about the women in that room. I cared about the theme, the purpose and the opportunity to contribute to something meaningful.

And sometimes that is enough to begin.

The Birthday Nerves Were Real

I would love to say I arrived feeling completely calm, polished and ready, but that would not be true. There were nerves. Of course there were. Not because I did not know my topic, not because I had not prepared, and not because I did not care deeply about the message.

The nerves were there because this moment mattered.

This was the first time I was stepping into that space as a speaker. Not just as a facilitator, coach or workshop lead, but as someone standing at the front of the room with a story, a message and a responsibility to hold people’s attention in a different way.

Speaking asks something slightly different of you. It asks you to stand in your message, trust your experience and believe that what you have lived, learned and practised has value beyond a structured session or a slide deck.

That felt big. And, if I am honest, it should feel big. The moments that stretch us usually do.

Why International Women’s Day Made It Even More Meaningful

Delivering my first speaking gig at an International Women’s Day event felt incredibly fitting.

International Women’s Day is not just about celebration. It is about visibility, voice, progress, courage and the ongoing need for women to take up space in rooms where their stories, experiences and perspectives matter.

So to be standing there, on my birthday, sharing a message about courage, learning and stepping beyond comfort zones felt deeply personal.

It was not about pretending to have everything figured out. It was about showing what it looks like to go first, to back yourself before you feel completely ready, and to trust that your story might help someone else reflect on their own.

That is what made it so powerful.

From Comfort Zones to Drop Zones

The talk was rooted in something very personal to me: skydiving.

Not because I am fearless, definitely not because I am naturally brilliant at it, and not because I think everyone needs to jump out of a plane to prove something to themselves. Skydiving became part of my life during a time of grief, change and rebuilding, and it has taught me more about learning than I ever expected.

It reminded me what it feels like to be new at something. To feel unsure. To be overwhelmed. To need support, feedback, encouragement and practice. It showed me how vulnerable learning can feel when everyone else seems more experienced than you, and how easy it would be to step back rather than keep going.

Most importantly, it taught me that confidence does not arrive before action. Confidence is built through action. It is built through showing up, trying, getting it wrong, being coached, adjusting and going again.

That message matters far beyond skydiving. It matters in schools, workplaces, teams, management and life. So much of our growth sits just beyond the edge of what feels familiar.

The Power of Being the Learner Again

One of the biggest gifts skydiving has given me is the reminder of what it feels like to be a beginner. As adults, we often avoid that feeling. We like to feel capable. We like to know what we are doing. We like being the person with the answers.

But learning strips that back. It asks us to be open, to listen, to take feedback and to practise something before we feel good at it. That can feel uncomfortable, especially when we are used to being competent in other areas of our lives.

It is also where growth lives.

That was one of the messages I wanted to bring into the room during my first speaking gig. Whether we are talking about students, staff, managers, leaders, parents or teams, the principle is the same. We do not grow by staying where we feel safest. We grow when we are supported to step into something new.

Speaking Felt Like Its Own Drop Zone

The irony was not lost on me. There I was, speaking about courage, learning and stepping beyond comfort zones, while actively standing in one myself.

This was my own drop zone. Not at 14,000 feet, not with a parachute on my back, and not with goggles, altitude and a plane door involved, but still very much a drop zone.

It required me to step forward before I felt completely comfortable. It required me to trust my preparation, trust my story, trust the message and trust that I did not need to be perfect to be impactful.

That is such an important reminder, because so often we wait to feel ready before we begin. We convince ourselves that once we feel more confident, then we will take the step.

But sometimes readiness comes from beginning. Sometimes confidence only has something to attach itself to once we have moved.

You Do Not Need to Feel Ready to Care Enough

There is something I keep coming back to from that day.

Doing something for the first time does not require perfect self-belief. It does not require absolute certainty. It does not require you to have all the proof in advance.

It needs to matter enough.

You need to want it enough to ask.
You need to care enough to prepare.
You need to believe enough to take the first step, even if that belief is shaky.
You need to trust that discomfort is not a reason to stop.

That is the bit we do not talk about enough.

Self-belief is not always the starting point. Sometimes care is. Sometimes purpose is. Sometimes the desire to contribute is stronger than the fear of getting it wrong.

And that can be enough to move.

What I Learned From the Experience

My first speaking gig taught me that nerves are not always a sign that something is wrong. Sometimes they are a sign that something matters. They show you where there is energy, meaning and stretch.

It also reminded me that you do not need to perform a polished version of yourself to connect with a room. You need to be present. You need to be honest. You need to care about the people in front of you. You need to speak from purpose, not ego.

That is where the real connection happens. Not in being flawless, but in being human.

Why This Was the Best Birthday Gift

By the end of the talk, I felt something I will not forget quickly. Not just relief, although there was definitely some of that. It was more than relief. It was pride.

The kind of pride that comes from doing something that scared you a little. The kind that comes from taking a step you have been quietly building towards. The kind that comes from realising that another version of you has just been born.

That feels fitting for a birthday, really. Because birthdays are not just about age. They are about becoming. And this one marked the start of something new.

The Bigger Message

My first speaking gig reminded me that growth does not always arrive loudly. Sometimes it arrives as a decision. A yes. A message sent. A hand raised. A shaky voice that steadies. A room you choose to walk into. A story you choose to share.

Whether you are stepping onto a stage, into a classroom, into a new role, into management, into learning, or into a completely different chapter of your life, the same truth applies: you do not have to feel fearless to begin.

You do not even need to feel fully ready.

You just need to care enough to take the step.

And sometimes, that first step becomes the moment you realise you are capable of far more than you thought.