Voicing the Sacred with Victoria Rader.

Welcome to Public Speaking with Peter George. Do you want to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then stay tuned as we discuss public speaking tips, techniques, and tactics that help you increase your impact, influence, and income.

Victoria Rader is a transformational speaker and the founder of U2Shine. She empowers coaches, entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking personal development to grow through her proven formula for peace, purpose, and prosperity. Here's my conversation with Victoria Rader.

How to Know You're Meant to Be a Speaker

Peter: Victoria, how might my listeners know they're meant to be public speakers?

Victoria: Two signs. The first: you listen to a speaker and find yourself thinking, "They should have said it this way" — and you feel a little guilty for that criticism, but also a little pulled by it. That's an inkling that you belong on that stage. The second: you have a message. A deep need inside you that you keep sharing with friend after friend after friend. Your subconscious mind gets our attention through repetition. If you find yourself returning to the same message over and over, that message belongs on a stage. Frame it, form it, and it becomes transformative.

It's Not About You

Victoria: In a way that might sound almost too direct: it's not about you. The second you understand that it never has been about you, you become an empowered public speaker. I was incredibly painfully shy as a child. But there was a moment when another person's need was greater than my shyness. And I understood: if I am on stage and I have a message, there is one person in that audience whose need is greater than my ego. Their need is greater than my fear. Their need is why I am there. Talk to that one person. Everyone else is just eavesdropping.

The Scared and the Sacred

Victoria: We all have two voices. I call them the voice of the scared and the voice of the sacred. Same letters — the only difference is where the C sits. I call that the C of commitment. Every day is recommitting from scared to sacred. The scared voice is loud and fast — it identifies every possible failure, every risk, every thing that could go wrong. Its job is to protect you. Don't fight it. Don't numb it. Just say: I hear you. And then use the two magic words.

The Two Magic Words: What If?

Victoria: What if? Those two words shift you instantly from the possibility of failure to the possibility of success. What if, despite everything going wrong, I touch someone in a way that nobody has before? What if the mic goes out and only the front row hears me — and in that row is someone who has never been paid so much attention? What if this is a sacred moment, regardless of all the scared noise? Once you ask what if, you cannot undo it. You're on the journey of the sacred.

Excellence Over Perfection

Victoria: You can only fail if you have a certain expectation. If your one expectation is that no matter what, you will do the very best you are capable of — and you are not attached to results — you become failure-free. You are only responsible for what you put in, not what comes out. Let go of perfection. It's unattainable. Strive for excellence instead. Excellence is in your effort, not in the result.

Peter: I like to tell my clients: don't go for perfection. Go for connection.

The Mark of a Good Speaker

Victoria: Authenticity. A good speaker knows what their message is and doesn't bend it to the audience. If you're afraid the audience won't receive your message, don't change the what — change the how. Change how you deliver your authentic truth, but never the truth itself. And if you're going to use self-deprecating humor, make sure it comes effortlessly. If you're forcing it, you're not being authentic. The moment you can say mid-stage, "Wait — I'm trying too hard here," with genuine awareness — that's vulnerability, and it creates instant connection.

Peter: Victoria, where can listeners connect with you?

Victoria: Visit us at YU2Shine.com. You'll find a free session, a money quiz, and lots of resources to support your growth in all areas of life.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Are you ready to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then visit petergeorgepublicspeaking.com and let's make it happen. I'll see you next time.