I Know What It's Like to Be Terrified of Speaking

And I know what it takes to transform that fear into confident, authentic communication.

Amarkai Group • Reshaping Perspectives

SEEN

I wasn't always a public speaking specialist.

Twenty years ago, I was the person who avoided presentations with more than four people, stayed silent in meetings despite having ideas and felt like I would have a heart attack when standing in front of people.

I know the shame of being 'the quiet one'.

I know the frustration of watching less qualified people get promoted because they could speak up. I know the exhaustion of overthinking every word before you say it.

That's why I do this work.

Not because I was naturally confident and want to teach others my gift.

But because I fought my way from debilitating fear to genuine confidence - and I know the exact path that works.

HI, MY

NAME IS ELIZABETH AWESOME.

From Silent to Specialist: My Journey with Glossophobia

How my personal struggle became my professional mission

Phase 1: The Struggle

For years, I avoided speaking. At university, I'd nominate someone to present whilst I did the background work.

In my early career roles, I spent hours researching how to be a better presenter, but never felt good enough to try. Colleagues probably thought I wasn't knowledgeable enough. The truth? I was terrified.

The physical symptoms were intense: racing heart, shaking hands, blank mind, nausea. But the mental torture was worse - the constant self-criticism, the shame of 'being like this', the belief that everyone else was just naturally better at this than me.

I thought I was broken."

Phase 2: The Awakening

Everything changed when I needed to present to 30 people in a disused airport hangar and over 100 people showed up.

After living to tell the tale after the presentation, I asked myself, 'what are you actually afraid of?'

I couldn't answer. I know that my whole body felt like it was shutting down as the fear flooded my entire body but never examined why.

That question launched a decades-long journey into understanding the mind and, more recently since focusing specifically on glossophobia, the psychology of fear, the neuroscience of anxiety and why some people struggle with speaking while others don't.

The revelation: This wasn't about lacking skills. It was about untreated psychological barriers. I had limiting beliefs I'd never challenged. Narratives about myself I'd accepted as truth. A threat response I'd never learned to manage.

Once I understood the 'why', I could address it properly."

Phase 3: The Work

Transformation wasn't fast or easy. It took:

Deliberate practice in safe environments (not just 'forcing myself' to present while terrified)
Cognitive reframing to challenge limiting beliefs
Progressive exposure to build genuine confidence
Finding my authentic voice (not copying other speakers)
Understanding where fear originated for me (childhood experiences, perfectionism, fear of judgment etc.)

The breakthrough:

When I stopped trying to 'perform' and started focusing on 'contributing', everything shifted. Speaking wasn't about me being judged - it was about serving my audience. That mindset change made all the difference.

Phase 4: The Mission

Once I had transformed my own relationship with public speaking, I couldn't unsee all the talented professionals holding themselves back by the same fear I had experienced.

In all honesty, I didn't know how to truly help them in the role I was doing at the time. However, through conversations, through role modelling and lots of encouragement, I was able to help many professionals take those initial steps towards self-belief.

In 2016, I founded Amarkai to help others find themselves, their confidence and their voice. But it wasn't until 2020 that I fully began to specialise in glossophobia, which is the specific psychological barrier that keeps people silent, despite having capability.

Over the last 20+ years, I've worked with more 7,000+ professionals in varying capacities. I've seen the patterns. I know what works and what doesn't. I've refined the UPGRADE methodology, which utilises the A.C.T (Accept. Create. Transform) framework for change, through thousands of hours working with people experiencing every level of speaking anxiety.

This isn't academic for me. It's personal.

Every client who breaks through their fear reminds me of my own journey. Every transformation proves what I learned: You're not broken. You're not unfixable. You just need the right approach.

Why People Trust Me with Their Fear

Deep Expertise

📚 20+ years specialising in learning and development

🧠 Supporting professionals with public speaking skills since 2021

📖 Knowledge of neuroscience, glossophobia research and adult learning theory.

I don't just teach speaking techniques. I understand the psychology that creates fear - and how to address it at the root.

Real-World Impact

7,000+ professionals trained across 20 years
Worked with Network Rail, Google, Ernst & Young, AFC International and more
Career progression made from those who did the psychological work

This isn't theory. It's proven methodology tested with real people experiencing real fear.

Authentic Approach

I'm not the naturally confident speaker who never struggled. I'm the person who fought through debilitating fear and came out the other side.

That means:

I never minimise how hard this is
I never say 'just relax' or 'picture them naked'
I understand the shame and frustration
I know the difference between nervousness and glossophobia
I speak from lived experience, not just training

Ready to Understand Your Starting Point?

Every glossophobia journey is different. Some people lack self-awareness about their fear. Others understand it deeply but won't take action. Some are ready for technique training, while others need psychological work first.

Take the free Breaking the Silence Quadrant Assessment to discover exactly where you are and what you need next.

Take the Free Assessment

10 minutes | Free | Instant results

Talk about your failure when you first started looking for a solution. Maybe there was a conspiracy against you, a false belief, a misunderstanding.

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Hint at the fact that you discovered the secret...

...the solution, the result of all this pain and suffering, and now...

you are on a mission to help others just like you!

WHAT we do here.

01.

Service Offering

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