Hi! I'm Stephanie! I'm passionate about building impactful partnerships, enabling businesses to grow, and making sure the social impact community thrives. With over a decade of consistently generating seven and eight figure annual revenue for companies, I understand what it takes to drive success.

Over the last 15 years working with non-profit, government and for profit businesses, I've developed a unique process for building community and generating revenue through a partnership growth mindset. I've been fortunate to develop programs and partnerships that have touched lives across the globe, from India to the United States and beyond. I've created thousands of ecosystems and opportunities that unite governments, educators, employers, and donors to make tangible change.

I believe that together we can achieve great things and am committed to paving the way for a more inclusive, impactful future.

Stephanie Wilson

This weekend I’m spending time at the ISET National Gathering, and I want to name how meaningful it is to be here.

Being in this space is a reminder that workforce development is not just about programs, funding, or outcomes on paper. It’s about people, place, and self-determination. Indigenous communities have been doing this work for generations, building pathways rooted in culture, community knowledge, and lived experience.

What stands out most is the care and intentionality behind the conversations. 

Listening comes first. 
Relationships come before solutions. 
Progress is measured not just by numbers, but by trust, relevance, and long-term impact.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, to listen, and to be present in a space led by Indigenous voices and priorities. 

Moments like this quietly reshape how you think about the work and how you show up when you return home.

#ISETNationalGathering #ISETGathering2026 #Indigenous #WorkforceDevelopment #Community

Thanks to Jelly Academy for organizing such a collaborative space and to Digital Moment | Moment numérique for the opportunity.

Cross-Sector Growth Strategist | $100M+ in Government & Partner Funding Secured | Nonprofit • Tech • Education • SaaS | Founder – The Uplift Collective

The last five days have been full.

Full in the sense of listening carefully, asking questions, and sitting in rooms where people are genuinely trying to figure out how we do this work better.

Across different events, sectors, and conversations, the thread has been consistent.

How do we build systems that actually serve people, not just programs?

How do we prepare for the future of work without losing sight of the humans navigating it right now?

How do we move past performative solutions and into ones that are grounded, inclusive, and durable?

There’s also a reality I’m hearing more clearly now than ever.

Funding is tight. Budgets have been cut. Teams that once sent three or four people to conferences are now sending one. Many are attending virtually, not by choice, but by necessity.

I’m genuinely grateful to conferences and organizers who make that possible. Access matters. So does recognizing that for many organizations, showing up at all right now takes intention and sacrifice.

What that’s changed is the weight of being in the room.

More people are carrying insights back to their teams. 

More responsibility to listen well, synthesize, and translate what matters into action. Fewer spectators. More stewards.

The conversations I’ve been part of haven’t been about trends for the sake of trends. They’ve been about tradeoffs. Priorities. What we protect when resources are constrained.

Spending this time with practitioners, funders, educators, Indigenous leaders, and workforce builders has been a reminder of why this work matters to me.

Not because the answers are easy.

But because when conditions are tight, clarity matters even more.

It was so great to reconnect, meet new people and learn from so many amazing individuals! Until next time friends!
Wendy Baker Darian Kovacs ♾️ Allain Lauzon Mary Stack, BA, CPHR Jasmeen Sidhu, Ph.D. Allan Govender Virginia Gluska Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia Eleanor Hawkins Nausheen Ali Fatima Saadeddine, MBA,PMP,CHRP,ESPT  Jade (Jadelyn) Psutka Allison Bear BComm Barbara Wilson,🍁CCDP® Lisa Stephenson-MBA, CRSP Kelly Johnson

It was unfortunate that so many people had travel cancelled so they couldn't attend after all - I see you!

#Cannexus2026 #ISETGathering2026 #Community #NonProfit #EmploymentServices #Indigenous #Learning

We have a beautiful owl that lives in the trees near our driveway. Usually across the way. Easy to admire from a distance.

Last night, I went out to grab wood for the stove before bed and nearly jumped out of my skin. 

He was sitting right on the front porch railing. Completely still. Just watching. Probably hunting. Definitely unbothered by me.

I froze. Slowly backed into the house. Turned off the lights.

Then I stood in the dining room, in the dark, and watched him for a while.
No noise. 

Just this quiet, unexpected moment of sharing space with something wild and calm and entirely unconcerned with my plans for the evening.

It was incredible.

Sometimes the best moments are the ones that do not mean anything more than exactly what they are.

#Wildlife #NotAPhotographer #CountryLife 

Alyx Parks and Stephanie Martin - I thought of both of you immediately after it happened.

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The Uplift Collective

https://www.upliftcollective.ca/the-partnership-blueprint-five-proven-steps-for-forging-successful-partnerships

the-uplift-collective

I grew up in a small town in rural eastern Ontario.

When I finished high school, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I just knew one thing very clearly. I did not like school the way it was structured. Sitting still. Being talked at. Memorizing instead of doing.

So I took a year off after high school to try to find my way.

It felt uncomfortable. Most of my friends knew exactly what they wanted to do. Everyone was heading off to university. I felt behind. A little lost. Like I had missed some memo everyone else received.

After that year, I still did not know what I wanted to be “when I grew up.” But I did know I needed some form of post secondary education. I needed skills. I needed momentum.

I chose college and enrolled in executive administration.

It was hands on. Practical. I learned a lot. I worked three jobs to cover rent and school. I learned how to manage money because I had to. Those years shaped my work ethic and my sense of responsibility in ways I still carry with me.

After graduating, I got a job working for a municipal councillor. What started as a role turned into six formative years. It exposed me to government, policy, community, and how decisions actually get made. That path eventually led me into the nonprofit world, where I found my purpose. That part of the story is for another day.

For a long time, I was embarrassed to say I did not have a university degree.

I was screened out of jobs automatically because it was mandatory. I questioned myself more times than I can count.

Do I regret not going to university?

Yes and no.

No, because I do not think I would have thrived there at that point in my life.

Yes, because there were real opportunities I never got access to because I did not have that piece of paper.

Both things can be true.

I am sharing this because I see so many people feeling pressure to follow a single definition of success. A single path. A single timeline.

Education matters. Credentials matter. But lived experience matters too.

Learning by doing counts. Working your way through school counts. Taking a longer or different route counts.

There is no one right way to build a career.

Chart your own path. Pay attention to what energizes you, not just what looks good on paper. 

Choose the pathway that works for how you learn, how you move, and who you are becoming.

#CareerPath #Employment #FindYourOwnPath #NonProfit #Education

Photo is me from 2008, still trying to figure things out.

Some of the most valuable parts of my work live in the things I no longer consciously think about.

After years of building, reviewing, defending, and negotiating government budgets, so much of what I do has become instinctive. 

You stop noticing the hundreds of small decisions you make because you have internalized how funders think, where flexibility actually lives, and which details quietly matter most.

Recently, I had the chance to sit with that experience and write it all down. 

Not the big frameworks or the obvious rules, but the small things you only learn by doing the work. 

The wording choices that reduce scrutiny. 

The assumptions that do not need to be over engineered. 

The places where people think they are locked in, but are not.

There was something unexpectedly grounding about translating years of lived experience into something clear and usable for a client. 

Not to impress. 
Not to overcomplicate. 
Just to make the work easier and less stressful for the people doing it.

This kind of work reminds me why I enjoy what I do. 

Helping smart teams feel more confident, more capable, and less constrained by rules that often feel heavier than they actually are.

If you have ever felt weighed down by process or rules that seemed immovable, I promise there is often more room to breathe than it appears.

#BudgetDevelopment #ProposalDevelopment #NonProfit #GovernmentFunding

One thing I think everyone should try at least once is learning someone else’s job.

Not the polished version. The real, day to day work. The setup. The decisions no one talks about. The small things that keep everything moving quietly in the background.

When you work in teams, so much of that effort becomes invisible. Systems run. Tools connect. Processes exist. You rarely stop to think about how much experience and judgment it takes to make things feel that seamless.

Until those people are not there.

And you have to do one small piece yourself.

You realize how many choices live inside what once looked simple.

Lately, I am spending an absurd amount of time learning tools.
Not the exciting kind. The tiny, fiddly ones. Payment systems. Tool connections. Settings I did not even know existed.

Learning to do something you have never done before, or something that was always someone else’s role, builds more than skills.

It builds appreciation.

It changes how you show up the next time.

#ProfessionalDevelopment #GrowthMindset #Entrepreneurship

I really hate getting a no.

Not because I expect everything to work out, but because I put a lot into the work. Time. Thought. Energy. And more than that, belief. I care deeply about what I do and about the teams and ideas behind every proposal. That makes the no’s land harder than people realize.

Early on, I took them personally. Every declined submission felt like a judgment, not just of the work, but of the care behind it. And honestly, I still feel that sometimes. Loving the work makes you more exposed, not less.

What changed over time was not the feeling. It was what I did with it.

I started sitting with the no’s longer. Looking for patterns. Paying attention to what funders questioned, what they ignored, and what clarity actually meant in practice. Every no taught me something I could not have learned any other way.

That learning adds up. Today, more than 40 percent of what I work on gets approved. Not because the no’s stopped hurting, but because I stayed curious instead of shutting down.

Lately, there have been a lot of yes’s for clients. And I feel genuinely excited for them every single time. 

I also know the no’s will come again. They always do.

When they do, I will feel them. And then I will learn from them.

Because caring about the work is not a weakness. It is the reason the yes’s mean so much when they arrive.

#GovernmentFunding #BusinessDevelopment #ProposalDevelopment

I’ve learned that authenticity isn’t about having a fixed identity. It’s about staying honest as things shift.

I have spent years being the reliable one. 

The person who could hold a lot, absorb uncertainty, and keep moving anyway.

That works. Until it does not.

Because eventually you realize how much energy it takes to live up to a version of yourself that was built for other people’s expectations.

Letting go of who you think you are supposed to be does not mean losing drive or ambition. It means releasing the pressure to look a certain way while you are building something real.

Authenticity is not a reveal or a brand decision.

It is a daily choice to show up aligned, even when that alignment keeps evolving.

And that choice changes everything.

#BeTrueToYourself #Authenticity #Leadership #NonProfit #StartUp

One of the best parts of a panel on AI and the next generation at the AI Policy Conference yesterday was that it did not try to wrap anything up neatly.
Instead, it named the complexity.

AI is already embedded in education, work, and daily life. Young people are forming relationships with systems that shape how they think, learn, and see themselves. Institutions are trying to respond in real time, often without data, shared frameworks, or room to pause.

At the same time, many of the loudest predictions about jobs and disruption have not fully materialized. Change is happening, but unevenly. Slowly in some places. Abruptly in others.

What emerged was a quieter but more useful set of questions.

How do we equip young people to be creators, not just users?

How do we protect without pretending we can stop what is already here?

How do we build literacy, judgment, and human skills that remain valuable no matter how tools evolve?

There was no single answer, and that felt right.

This is long-term work. It requires humility, collaboration across disciplines, and a willingness to sit with uncertainty without defaulting to fear or hype.

If there was a through-line, it was this: the future will be shaped less by the tools themselves and more by how thoughtfully we choose to integrate them.

Panel participants:
Justin Hendrix, Tech Policy Press
Shingai Manjengwa, Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute
Namir Anani, P.Eng., ICTC-CTIC
Laurent Charlin, Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute
André Côté, The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University 

Thankful to Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute for access to the AI Policy Conference and for putting together such a great event!

#AIPolicy #YouthAndAI #Talent #GovernmentofCanada

Creativity is my word for 2026.

Creativity in how I approach work, rest, and everything in between.

Creative problem solving.
Creative contracting.
Creative time off.
Creative experiences.

Creativity is what lets you ask better questions instead of accepting the default answer. It is how you find options where others see constraints. It is how you design work and life in ways that actually fit.

In 2026, the only box is that there is no box.

More room to experiment.

More permission to rethink how things are done.

More trust in the idea that there is almost always another way.

Here is to a year of curiosity, flexibility, and building something that feels as good as it works.

#Focus #GrowthMindset #HeresTo2026

I never thought I would be an entrepreneur.

In fact, quite the opposite. I was convinced I did not have the “it” that founders and leaders are supposed to have. 

I wanted stability. The person who imagined working for others my whole life and being perfectly content doing that.

And for a long time, that made sense.

What I did not realize then is that entrepreneurship does not always look like taking big risks. Sometimes it looks like taking responsibility. For your values. For your time. For the kind of work you want to put into the world.

I did not wake up one day wanting to start something of my own. I arrived here slowly, through experience, through necessity, and through a growing understanding of what I needed in order to feel grounded and aligned.

Entrepreneurship was not a goal. It was a response.

And maybe that is the part we do not talk about enough. Not everyone sets out to build something. 

Some of us end up here because staying the same stopped being an option.

Did you ever picture yourself doing what you are doing now?

#Entrepreneuship #CareerFocus

Woke up to a weirdly satisfying thing this morning.

I’ve had a watch since July that tracks something called body battery. 

I’ve seen it end the day at five more times than I’d like to admit.

Today I woke up at one hundred. First time ever.

That’s it. That’s the post.

#WeekendVibes #QuietWins #SlowDown

READ THE QUOTE IN THE IMAGE!

Now read it again!

Who. You. TRULY. Are

NOT the version that feels easiest to explain.

NOT the version that keeps everyone comfortable.

NOT the version that fits neatly into a role you learned to play well.

Being yourself is not about being loud or visible all the time.
It is about being honest. With your values. With your limits. With what actually matters to you now, not who you were five years ago.

I have learned that the more energy you spend trying to meet expectations that are not yours, the dimmer everything feels. The work. The relationships. Even the wins.

The moments where things start to open up again usually come from a small shift. 

Saying no when you would normally say yes. Choosing alignment over approval. 

Letting yourself evolve without needing to justify it.

Your light is not something you manufacture.
It is something that shows up naturally when you stop hiding parts of yourself to fit the room.

And the right rooms do not require you to dim it in the first place.

#BeYourself #BeAuthentic #ISeeYou #Leadership #Teamwork #BetterTogether

One thing I keep coming back to in conversations lately is timing.

A lot of organizations are doing the right work. Strong ideas. Capable teams. Real demand. And still, things are not moving the way they expected.

Not because they are doing something wrong.

Because the system itself is in motion.

Calls are delayed or quietly reworked.
Programs get folded into other initiatives.
Priorities shift before anything ever reaches a public intake.

From the outside, it can feel confusing. Like you misread the landscape or missed a signal. In reality, the rules are still being rewritten.

This is where patience becomes strategic.

Not passive patience. Active patience. The kind where you keep preparing, strengthening, and paying attention while resisting the urge to force momentum.

A lot of the work right now is helping teams sit with that uncertainty without spiraling. Adjusting plans without abandoning them. Staying ready without trying to rush a system that is not ready yet.

Sometimes the smartest move is not to push harder, but to hold steady until the timing catches up to the work.

#FundingStrategy #GovernmentFunding #NonprofitLeadership
 #StrategicPlanning #SystemsThinking

Join an upcoming FREE workshops to better prepare for what's coming!  https://lnkd.in/e_KQt4jg

Stop beating yourself up!!!

Don’t think you do that?
Here’s what it actually looks like in real life:
- Replaying a conversation on the drive home.
- Second-guessing a decision you already made with the information you had.
 - Assuming a mistake says something about who you are, not just what happened.
 - Feeling like you should have known better, been faster, clearer, stronger.

Sound familiar?

We’ve been taught that self-criticism equals accountability.
That if we’re hard on ourselves, we’ll improve faster.
That pressure produces excellence.

But more often, it just produces exhaustion.

Beating yourself up usually shows up when expectations are high, outcomes are uncertain, and you’re carrying more responsibility than anyone sees.

It’s a signal.
The problem is that self-criticism rarely makes us better.
It just makes us smaller.

So how do you stop when you catch yourself doing it?

1️⃣  Name what’s actually happening.
 Instead of “I screwed this up,” try “This didn’t go the way I hoped.”
 Facts calm the nervous system. Stories inflame it.

2️⃣ Separate intent from outcome.
You can have good intentions and imperfect results at the same time.
Both can be true. Only one needs fixing.

3️⃣  Ask one forward-looking question.
Not “What’s wrong with me?”
But “What’s the next small adjustment I’d make if this came up again?”
That’s it. No spiral required.

If you’re trying to be a good person and you try to do the right thing, that's all that matters.

Growth doesn’t require punishment.

It requires honesty, rest, and the willingness to keep going.

And if you’re reading this thinking, “This sounds like me” then it probably is.
You’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong.
Be a little kinder to yourself today.

#BeKind #PersonalGrowth #FallingNotFailing #SelfImprovement #Leadership #Teamwork

You may not control the events that happen to you
 but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

That choice is one I see leaders, founders, and builders struggle with more than almost anything else.

Because a setback can quietly turn into a story about who you are.
A hard moment can shrink your confidence if you let it.
One decision, one missed opportunity, one tough season can start to feel permanent.

But it isn’t.

You’re allowed to be impacted without being defined.

You can acknowledge what hurt without letting it harden you.

You can learn from something without carrying it as proof that you’re not enough.

Resilience isn’t pretending things didn’t affect you.

It’s choosing not to let them take more than they already have.

If you’re in the middle of something heavy right now, this is your reminder

You’re still standing.
You’re still growing.

And YOU get to decide what this chapter means next.

#NonProfit #Leadership #StartUp #GrowthMindset #Resilience #NonProfitLeadership

I watched a video and could not stop thinking about how early we learn to edit ourselves.

Kids start out loud, curious, unapologetic. They ask strange questions. They take up space. They are fully themselves without checking the room first. And then, slowly, they learn when to quiet down. When to blend in. When to stop standing out.

What stayed with me is how familiar that feels in the professional world.

At some point, many of us learn the same lesson.

Tone it down.

Stick to the playbook.

Do not be the odd one out.

Over time, that sparkle does not disappear. It just gets managed. Contained. Brought out only when it feels safe or appropriate.

And yet, the work that actually moves things forward is almost always shaped by people who think differently. 

The ones who question defaults. 

The ones who see patterns others miss. 

The ones willing to sound a little strange before they sound right.

If you have ever felt yourself shrinking to fit a role, a title, or an industry norm, consider this a reminder. 

That part of you is still there. It has just been waiting for space.

BRING BACK THE SPARKLE!!

Step off the well worn path.

Nothing meaningful has ever been built by people who only followed the herd.

https://lnkd.in/emWvkws2 
His Youtube Channel to give him a follow: https://lnkd.in/ehb-AESd [I couldn't find the above video on the channel]

#BringBackTheSparkle #BeYourself #BeAuthentic

If you have ever hit a word limit halfway through answering a funder’s question, this is for you.

One of the hardest parts of writing proposals is answering every part of a funder’s question while staying inside a tight word or character limit.

Especially when appendices or extra attachments are not allowed.

You cannot skip components. You also cannot explain everything.

So when space is tight, here is a rule that helps.

Every sentence must do more than one job. Ideally three.

A strong sentence should:

 1 describe what you are actually going to do

 2 signal eligibility and alignment to the funder’s priorities

 3 imply milestones, outcomes, or credibility

If a sentence only does one of those things, it is a candidate for removal or compression.

This is how you stay compliant and persuasive without running out of room.

It is not about writing less.

It is about making every sentence work harder.

If you have ever hit a word limit and wondered what to cut, start here.

#ProposalDevelopment #GovernmentFunding #NonProfit #Charity

Growth is what you do with what happens.

That is how better decisions get made over time.

#WednesdayWisdom #GrowthMindset

One thing I wish more people understood about funded projects is how messy they usually are behind the scenes.

From the outside, a successful contribution agreement looks clean.

A defined plan. 
A neat timeline. 

It gives the impression that everything is stable and predictable.

That is almost NEVER the case.

Most funded projects are delivered while markets are shifting. 
Project timelines wobble. 
Plans get pulled forward or pushed back. 
Teams make trade offs in real time, often without the luxury of perfect information.

What funders are really assessing in those moments is not whether risk exists. It is how it is understood and managed.

Strong applications and delivery organizations are not the ones pretending everything is fine. 

They are the ones that show judgment.
An ability to adapt without overreacting. 
A plan that can flex while still holding together.

There is a skill in knowing what to surface and what to hold steady. 
In demonstrating resilience without amplifying uncertainty. 
In showing that the work will continue even when conditions are not ideal.

Funding success is rarely about having a flawless story.
It is about proving you can keep moving when the story changes.

#Resilience #NonProfit #GrowthMindset #StartUp #GovernmentFunding

Age 8, I was visiting my grandparents house in Pakistan

My uncle announced an "English-speaking competition"
One by one, my cousins stood up and spoke
Their words flowing like water

Me?
I froze.
Words trapped in the translation. 

I Failed, they won
Everyone laughed.

This wasn't just an everyday failure
It was a delibrate attempt to prove me inferior to my cousins.

And I learned the UGLY side of my family.

Humiliation overwhelmed the 8-year-old me
And a seed was planted that day... deep in my gut:
→ “I’m not good enough.”

That belief became my shadow.
My deepest insecurity.
My secret tormentor.

On surface, I was thriving..
Straight A’s. 
Class topper. Medals.

But behind every achievement was a boy seeking validation.
Every success became less about growth…
and more about desperately proving:
→ “I do belong.” 

2012: 
Graduated in Electrical Engineering.
2 Master's degrees followed.

Still, that question echoed in every silent moment:
"Am I enough?"

The answer never came.
Imposter Syndrome sure did.

Fast forward to 2019.
I moved to U.S. for PhD studies. New chapter.
But one evening, at a cultural event in Rolla, Missouri...

History repeated itself:

A media reporter shoved a mic in my face.
The spotlight scorched.
Heart racing.
Palms sweating.
Voice cracking. 

I froze and then...
15 seconds of broken words spilled out.

The “English-speaking competition” all over again.
→ Same humiliation... just a bigger crowd.
→ Same shame... higher stakes.

Confidence? Rock bottom. 
Wanted to hide someplace far and dark.

But this time.. I've had IT.
That night, I made a decision: 

ENOUGH!

Let this be the last time I make a fool of myself in public.
My voice is broken? I will rebuild it.

2 years of relentless effort.
 - Toastmasters practice.
 - Digital courses.
 - Day-long bootcamps.
 - More failures than I can count. 

But this time, failure didn't stop me.
And slowly.. silence gave way to strength.

Since then...
 → Spoken 4 times at The Moth, sharing personal stories with 300+ strangers.
 → Coached 50+ individuals to find their voice.
 → And most importantly... rewrote the belief that ruled my life. 

If I can go from Silent to Seen..
SO CAN YOU!

DM “WORKSHOP” for Live Free Workshop on Public Speaking Confidence.

These are the types of results you can expect:

🔥 “This wasn’t just coaching. It was reconstruction. Not just of my speaking, but of my identity.”
-Dr. Joshua Oigara, CEO, Stanbic Bank Kenya

🔥 "The coaching didn’t just help with communication, it helped with overall confidence and leadership." -Carl Lane, Founder & Business Owner, USA.

Waqas P.

I used to start my presentations with my life bio. Thinking they were interested in knowing how many degrees I earned. Turns out... they weren't. 

Here are 10 openers that make your audience bored instantly.

Without you even realizing it.

I've seen brilliant experts crash in the first minute or two.
Not because of bad content

But because they opened with credibility killers disguised as “professional”

1. The "agenda slide" trap
↳ "Today's presentation will cover A, B, & C..."
↳ Gives boring high school teacher vibe
↳ Kills curiosity before it starts

DO THIS INSTEAD: 
• Open with a problem that keeps them up at night

2. The "I'm nervous" confession
↳ Transfers anxiety to your audience 
↳ Congrats... now everybody is nervous 

DO THIS INSTEAD:  
• Transform that energy into connection

3. The "famous quote" shield
↳ Hides your original thinking
↳ Signals imposter syndrome

DO THIS INSTEAD:  
• Lead with your POV that challenges their beliefs

4. The "so excited" overplay
↳ Feels forced
↳ Breaks trust instantly

DO THIS INSTEAD:  
• Let your insights create the excitement

5. The "technical difficulty" dance
↳ "Can everyone see my screen?"
↳ Followed by death by 100 apologies

DO THIS INSTEAD:  
• Own the room before touching tech

6. The "let me tell you my career bio"
↳ Starts in 1979... audience checks out in 2026
↳ Makes it about YOU, not THEM

DO THIS INSTEAD:  
• Share the ONE 'relevant' story that changed everything

7. The "industry jargon" Avalanche
↳ Drowns audience in acronyms
↳ Creates instant disconnection

DO THIS INSTEAD:  
• Speak human, shock with simplicity

8. The "PowerPoint karaoke"
↳ Reading slides like they're lyrics
↳ Kills credibility instantly

DO THIS INSTEAD:  
• Use slides as billboards, not novels

Your opening isn't just an introduction.
It's opportunity to build connection.

💾 Save it for your next talk or presentation
➕ Follow Waqas, P. for more on public speaking

Confession time: Which opener are you guilty using the most? 😅

Waqas, PhD 🎤

Tech leaders: stop freezing in high stakes presentations & lead the room in 60 days | Engineer → Speaking Anxiety Coach

→ My 1st presentation exposed me in front of my class
→ My 2nd one was reading word for word from slides
→ My 3rd one made me insult a class-fellow for laughing

(I still feel bad for him and for my older self)

But 15 years later... 

I spoke to 300+ strangers at The Moth Stage, Denver
and got unforgettable cheering and applause.

But what if I gave up? 

It woulda been a huge mistake and..

I would've missed out on:

- Restoring my self-confidence, my worth
- Speaking at The Moth Stage 4x
- Speaking countless times at Toastmasters
- Building my very own coaching business
- Coaching/training 100's of professionals
- Hosting workshops on speaking confidence
- Growing my LinkedIn audience to 21k
- Growing my Newsletter audience to 1.5k

And most importantly:

This belief... 

I can achieve anything humanly possible if I have burning desire for it.

Now I live, breathe and teach public speaking every single day.

🔵 If this interests you.. 
Hi, nice to meet you and I'm happy to have you here.

➕ Follow me Waqas, P. for more of confidence public speaking.

Yesterday, I wrapped up my January workshop.

2 days. 4 hours. Diving deeper into public speaking fear

I’m grateful for:

→ people who showed up fully
→ honesty in the Zoom room and
→ The trust people place in me when they talk about something as personal as speaking anxiety.

3 things stood out for me:

1. When you’re doing what actually matters, time flies
  - 4 hours felt like minutes (not for my back tho 🥲)
  - Not because it was easy
  - But it was meaningful.

2. Emotional safety comes before confidence
  - Once the room felt safe, people stopped performing
  - They reflected. They shared. 
  - And the work went deeper than just frameworks.

3. Awareness alone doesn’t fix anxiety
  - People didn’t just learn about triggers
  - They practiced noticing them in real time
  - They experienced what it feels like when the nervous system actually settles.

The biggest shift isn't about learning more skills.

It's this realization:

“Oh, I’m not broken…
I just never understood what was really going on.”

This alone changes how someone walks into meetings, presentations, and high-stakes conversations.

If this hit close to home…
February workshop waitlist is now OPEN:

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I Coach Mid-Senior Tech Leaders to Speak with Confidence & Authority… Without Changing Who You Are | Engineer-Turned Public Speaking Coach | From Silent to Seen

My manager thinks I’m a lost cause: 
→ I suck at tech (even tho I have a PhD in Engineering)
→ I suck at coding (AI can easily replace me today)
→ I suck big time at climbing the corporate ladder

Sometimes I don't even know what I'm doing with my life & career.

But I also feel that’s okay…

Cause I’ve got a few things that I REALLYYY love doing and lose track of time:

- Public speaking with storytelling (AI will never replace it)
- Teaching ins & outs of speaking anxiety & confidence 
- Investing big $$$ on self growth (even after getting “burned” big times)
- Not giving up on my passions & life’s mission

I strongly believe..

Most of us have 2 types of passions:

→ One that others found for you 
(and you work on it to please everyone BUT you)

→ 2nd that you stumble upon on your own 
(some never get to know this one ‘cause they are too busy with the first one)

I wake up every morning 5:40am to work on the one I stumbled upon myself 5 years ago.

And I do 95% of things that I suck at (or hate doing) so I get to do the 5% of what I love doing.

Because when I'm 65, I don't want any regrets… 
I wanna know I tried.

If this resonates with you , I'd love to connect - Waqas, P.

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It was the last Friday of September 2021. 
My FIRST day of my internship at Tesla. 
Remote work era...

Which is a bit of a letdown as I wanted the full US in-person experience. 

But hey, it’s Tesla. I’m in.

I log into my first team meeting on Microsoft Teams.

30-ish people. All strangers. All brilliant.
The team lead is hosting.

Then it begins: INTRODUCTIONS
You already know where this is going...

And even though I know they’ll get to me eventually, I’m still not ready…

I’m sweating.
I’m rehearsing in my head.
I’m smiling nervously at names I can’t pronounce.

I’m thinking:
“Please don’t mess up. Just say something smart. Have a perfect first impression.. Don’t sound like you don’t belong.”

I’m the last to go. 
My heart is pounding...

“Hi, I’m Waqas…
I’m a PhD student at Missouri University of Science and Technology...”

So far, so good.

But then I try to casually share what I do in my free time:

“…I like reading books on Audible” 👀

Wait.
What?
You don’t read on Audible.
It’s an audio app. You listen. That’s literally the point.

Panic kicks in..
I try to fix it… but I’m in a spiral.

Words come out that don’t even make sense in my own head.

It’s like I’m speaking in alien code.
I abruptly stop...

Silence.

People are confused if I’m done or buffering.

Then finally, the team lead graciously thanks me for “introducing” myself and moves the meeting on.

Looking back…

That wasn’t just a flub.
That was the weight of limiting beliefs doing their work:

- “I have to be perfect or I’ll be exposed.”
- “I need to impress them or I don’t belong.”
- “They’ll find out they hired the wrong guy.”
- “One mistake = career suicide.”

I was so wrapped up in trying to “perform” I couldn’t just be myself.

And ironically, trying to sound perfect is what made me sound FAKE.

What I learned and what might help you:

→ Your PRESENCE is powerful than perfection.
→ It’s NOT about having perfect intro or smooth lines.
→ It’s about being GROUNDED in who you are... even when you stumble. Especially when you stumble.

Mistakes aren’t proof you don’t belong... 
they’re proof you’re human.

When you mess up, audience gets a glimpse into REAL YOU..

Stay human!
Build connection and trust… Use humor when fitting.

QUESTION for You:

Think back to a moment where you messed up when speaking..
What belief were you carrying at the time?

I’d love to hear your story.
(Share below one sentence or the whole thing)

Let’s normalize the messy moments that make us real. 
You never know who needs to hear it.

➕ Follow Waqas, P. for on public speaking confidence.

“Just speak up more” is a terrible advice.
Here’s a step-wise guide to build visibility if you’re starting from Zero:

Many introverts live with a quiet frustration of invisibility everyday.

NOT because they don't have what it takes

But they were never taught how visibility actually works.

I spent almost 30 years staying invisible.

In 2025.. I’ve spoken in front of 300+ audiences 3 times without the old anxiety running the show..

The shift wasn’t “be more confident" or "Speak louder" 🚫

Here’s exactly how I’d build visibility and get promoted through public speaking (if I had to start from zero):

1. Admit the real issue → not lack of skill, but fear of being exposed
2. Stop calling it “confidence problem” → it’s nervous system threat response
3. Expect & embrace initial spike of nerves → everyone experiences it
4. If anxiety keeps returning → identify root causes, not surface symptoms
5. Address anxiety triggers bfore learning more skills (don't reverse the order)
6. Kill the myth early → “good work speaks for itself” (it just whispers)
7. Realize cost of invisibility → missed promos, stolen ideas, vague feedback
8. Redefine public speaking → meetings, updates, opinions, reviews
9. Identify where promotions are shaped → recurring leadership convos.
10. Pick 1–2 rooms that matter → staff meeting, sprint review, leadership sync
11. Build visibility there → repetition beats one-off act of bravery
12. Stop "faking" confidence → aim to sound clear and present
13. Stop copying extroverts → visibility ≠ volume. visibility ≠ noise.
14. Speak within first 5–10 minutes → don’t wait for permission
15. Replace “Do they like me?” → with “What value can I add?”
16. Maintain eye contact 3-5 seconds → like you’re conversing with them 1-1
17. Prepare points, not scripts → use examples, analogies, stories
18. Rehearse strategically → never memorize word-for-word
19. Practice out loud → physically moving as if in front of audience
20. Minimal text on slide → use it as visual aid, not the main thing
21. Use this framework for Updates → What. So what. Now what.
22. When caught off-guard → Use PREP: Point. Reason. Example. Point.
23. Make one grounded contribution per meeting → micro-wins compound
24. Normalize imperfect delivery → don’t sweat every single filler word
25. Track progress differently → Being in-control  >  perfect delivery
26. Make public speaking part of identity → “this is how I contribute”
27. Stay consistent → promotions reward patterns, not one-off moments
28. Learn from someone who’s done it before
29. (Do you wanna add anything?)

This is how I'd do it if I had start from zero.
(No Fake-It-Till-You-Make-It BS 😃)

But you must not forget this: 
Be intentional and make it part of your daily life.

You will remain invisible and stuck if you keep waiting for your work to speak for itself.

💾 Save it for future reference
♻️ Share it with your network
➕ Follow Waqas, P. to gain visibility with public speaking.

I Help Mid-Senior Tech Leaders Speak with Confidence & Authority… Without Changing Who You Are | Engineer-Turned Public Speaking Coach | From Silent to Seen

Most speakers confuse their audience & don’t realize it
It’s not that your audience isn’t smart. 
Or your topic is too "technical".

Most confusion comes from how speakers think, not what they know.

15 reasons audience get lost even when speaker is capable:

1. You’re not clear yet, but you start speaking anyway
→ If an idea is fuzzy in your head, it becomes chaos in theirs

2. You overestimate what audience already knows
→ You’re deep in the subject. They’re hearing it for the first time

3. You skip the “why this matters” part
→ Great ideas fail w/o context. People need a reason to care before they follow

4. You try to solve multiple problems in one talk
→ One talk = one core problem. Everything else is noise

5. You confuse complexity with credibility
→ Clear speakers sound confident. Confusing ones "sound smart"

6. You explain everything instead of focusing 'what matters'
→ More info doesn’t equal more clarity. It's often the opposite

7. Your 'transitions' exist only in your head
→ You know where you’re going... they don’t. Guide them

8. You talk in concepts.. instead of concrete examples
→ Concepts float. Examples land

9. You rely on jargon to sound professional
→ Jargon impresses peers. It loses everyone else

10. You don’t anchor your talk to one central idea
→ If they can’t summarize it in one sentence, it's not clear

11. You use stories that don’t serve the point
→ Stories add weight. Side stories dilute it

12. You hide the structure - intentional or otherwise
→ Audiences relax when they know where they are & where they’re going

13. You slides are text heavy
→ Slides are visual aid, not the message. Too much text splits attention

14. You speak like you’re being evaluated
→ When you’re focused on "sounding good".. you stop being understood

15. You never check if clarity actually landed
→ Silence doesn’t mean understanding. It often means confusion.

And remember...
No topic is too complex or technical

And it's not an excuse to being vague or confusing others.

As a speaker/ presenter, it's our responsibility to make it simple & digestible  for any type of audience.

(also know your audience and prep accordingly)

💾 Save it & revisit it before next talk or presentation.

♻️ Share with your network if it resonated.
➕ Follow Waqas, P. for more on public speaking confidence & clarity.

Most tech professionals don’t do these 4 things:
(That's why their career plateaus, even when they’re great at what they do)

It's rarely because they lack skills. Or talent.

It's because their expertise never becomes visible to decision makers.

After witnessing first hand, I noticed 4 things most tech pros consistently avoid.. and it quietly keeps them stuck:

1. Speaking up in meetings
(I wanted my work speak for itself. Often it never did)

2. Asking for promotions
(I waited for 'permission' to ask for promotions. No one ever gave it to me)

3. Storytelling, analogies, examples in presentations
(The bar is so low that even my bad storytelling attempts made me stand out)

4. Learning to communicate with clarity under pressure
(This is what actually changes how decision-makers perceive your value)

Because..

They don’t promote based on technical ability alone.

They promote based on what they can clearly understand, trust and advocate for.

I saw this at my previous role at Lucid Motors:

One of the most technically experienced person on the team had over 15 years in the industry. Everyone would go to him to solve hard problems.

But in meetings with decision makers, he struggled to communicate. 

A LOT.

And over time, that invisibility mattered more than his experience.

If your work isn’t speaking for itself, it’s not a talent problem. It’s a visibility problem.

That’s why the 4 shifts above matter. 

➕ Follow Waqas, P. to gain visibility with public speaking.

I stayed silent for 30 years because of public speaking anxiety. It took me 2 years & more failures than I can count to solve this mystery.

“Just speak up more” and
“be confident” is terrible advice I’ve ever heard.

(don’t even get me started on “practice in front of a mirror” BS)

In 2025…

I spoke 3x in front of 300+ audiences at The Moth without old anxiety running the show.

So.. to save you the headache 

I’ve put together a Step-by-Step Guide to gain public speaking confidence even:

→ If you're starting from scratch
→ If you’re feeling lost where to start
→ If you’ve tried every thing but still feel stuck 

Swipe the PDF below & enjoy 👇🏻

💾 Save it for future reference
♻️ Share it with your network
➕ If this resonated.. let’s connect: Waqas, P.

How to gain public speaking confidence 

Mid-senior introverted Tech professionals:

You solve hard problems but feel invisible in meetings.

You build Great products but..

Someone else gets the credit.

You tell yourself to 'speak louder' and somehow… 

Confidence disappears right on cue.

You wait for your work to be noticed.. while decision-makers promote louder voices in the room.

I know this feeling.
Heck, I lived it!

Tech pros are rarely taught how to gain visibility
or communicate the value of their work.

So they wait for their work to 'speak for itself'.

And often… it DOESN'T.

That’s why I’m on a mission to change this.

I’m hosting a FREE live 2-Day 'Silent to Seen Workshop' for introverted Tech professionals who are done staying silent & invisible.

We’ll dive deep into:

1. Reducing fear of judgment when you speak
2. Understanding what’s causing your speaking anxiety
3. Handling anxiety in the moment without losing your train of thought
4. Guided, practical exercises on all of above topics

You'll walk away with practical tools you can implement immediately.

When: Feb 15 & Feb 16, 12PM – 2PM EST (both days)

🟢 Register here using the link on main page (Registration is must)
🔴 Seats are limited and typically are gone in first 2 weeks after announcement.

Helping Tech Leaders Move from Freezing Under Pressure to Staying Grounded in 60 Days | Engineer → Speaking Anxiety Coach

View event: Public Speaking Confidence for Mid-Senior Professionals

Public Speaking Confidence for Mid-Senior Professionals

Sun, Feb 15, 10:00 PM - Mon, Feb 16, 12:00 PM PKT

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Stephanie Wilson's LinkedIn Performance

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