THE CONFIDENT SPEAKER COLLECTIVE
Why is it that some people can captivate a room full of strangers…
…while you can barely choke out your own name?
The Confident Speaker Collective
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The Confident Speaker Collective 〰️
Wish you could pitch, present, or perform without the fight/flight/freeze?
Lemme tell you what’s NOT true:
It’s not because they’re an extrovert and you’re an introvert. (Introverts can be fabulous speakers.)
It’s definitely not because they were born with some
innate talent you don’t have.
(Public speaking is 100% a skill you can learn.)
It’s not even because they’re more charismatic. (Charisma is not a prerequisite for commanding attention.)
But it can be hard to believe otherwise—especially when your heart’s beating so hard you swear the whole room can hear it.
You were making career moves back in the last financial crisis, yet you still can’t speak in front of a room full of people without your stomach getting tied up in knots.
And there are a lot of people in this room. Doesn’t matter that you know most of them. Doesn’t matter that you couldn’t care less what talks-too-much Chad thinks. (Because of COURSE his name is Chad.)
As the presenters make their way around the room, you hopelessly try to clamp down the rising feeling of panic.
“Crap. I have to talk next.”
— your internal monologue RN
Your palms are sweaty. Knees weak. Arms are heavy. Something about spaghetti.
And just like Eminem, when your turn is up, you lose yourself—but not because you’re fully engaged in a devastating freestyle battle, but because you’ve detached from your body and the words that are tumbling out of your mouth.
In the span of moments, you’ve reverted back to five-year-old you during show and tell. (If only there were naptime at work.)
Snap back to reality: You come crashing down and see the faces around you, all either blinking in confusion, smiling in sympathy, or looking at their phones in embarrassment.
And as the meeting ends, and you watch Chad small talk it up with your boss, you vow to make this the last meeting you fumble.
But you’ve done the pep talks in the mirror.
You’ve read Talk Like Ted.
You’ve recited a million affirmations.
None of it tamed your anxiety.
I’ve got something that’ll help you finally feel ready for your own mic-drop moment.
Let’s be real. You don’t need to be the next Oprah or Tony Robbins. You don’t need to give the next viral TED Talk, either.
You just want to have a voice—and use it.
You should be able to rise to the occasion when an opportunity presents itself.
Like calmly presenting a pitch deck to your team’s biggest client.
Or being poised on stage during a panel discussion at your next industry conference.
Or knocking the socks off the company higher-ups while interviewing for your dream job.
Because you’ve paid your dues.
You’ve earned the credentials.
You’re qualified to take up some space already.
If you’re not convinced public speaking is for you, listen up:
You don’t need to be an extrovert to take the mic.
You don’t have to fake it ‘til you make it, either. Public speaking is a skill you develop with practice. And truth is, it doesn’t always come easily to extroverts, either.
You’re not “bad” at public speaking just because you’ve bombed.
I believe you are what you think. So stop putting bad ish into your head and reframe.
Like this…
I'm bad at public speaking. → I am getting better at public speaking every day.
See? Much better.
You CAN be yourself and be taken seriously.
When I became a speaker, I thought I had to wear a blazer, blouse, and heels to be seen as “professional.” Ugh. Not my style.
Then I saw women speakers CRUSHING it in Chucks. Bye, heels. Hello #SpeakerSneakers.
If you’re in the corporate world, there might be certain *standards* when it comes to how you dress.
But I’m a big proponent of wearing what makes you feel most comfortable, powerful, and YOU.
So, do what works for you so you can focus on your message.
It’s not your fault you’re not a “natural” at this.
School did us dirty when it comes to this stuff. Most of us weren’t taught how to craft a compelling story, engage an audience, and overcome the butterflies in front of a crowd.
We were merely given assignments to present in front of our classmates (who could be SO cruel).
All we have to compare ourselves to are the polished, rehearsed speeches and videos on social media. No bueno.
But there’s an even BIGGER reason why the world needs more leaders like you speaking up.
What happens when introverted people—or anyone who believes they weren’t meant to take up space—talk themselves out of public speaking?
🚩 We miss out on a diverse range of stories, experiences, and perspectives.
🚩 We idolize the extremely charismatic and the traditional (male, white) version of success.
🚩 We pass on the message to yet another generation—especially BIPOC girls—to keep their mouths shut and let the louder people have the mic.
Not to mention, YOU miss out on opportunities. Whether that’s a promotion, a chance to grow your leadership muscles, an opportunity to get in front of a new audience, or simply a chance to discover something about yourself you didn’t know was possible.
The sooner you can overcome those mental blocks,
the better off the world will be.
“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”
— Madeleine Albright
What if you could have the confidence of a mediocre white man?
(No offense to Chad, but Vivian Kaye had the right idea.)
What if you were unafraid to raise your hand or take a stand?
What if you learned to love the sound of your voice?
No more shrinking in your chair, stumbling over your words, or shaking when you speak.
You don’t need another self-help book, visualization tactic, or power pose.
There’s nothing wrong with these “tips and tricks,” but the fact is, none of them address what’s at the root of your fear of public speaking:
A lack of practice and a lack of (useful) feedback.
Which means the only way to get over your fears is to get in the arena.
I’m Melissa Ruiz, your public speaking coach, strategist, and hype woman.
I’ve spoken on the TEDx stage, competed in the Miss New Jersey pageant, and I can quote you every line from the movie Beetlejuice. (My forever fave.)
I believe everyone who’s got ambition should be a confident public speaker.
That includes you.
There are probably doors you haven’t even let yourself consider knocking on, because you’ve made certain untrue assumptions about yourself.
And I’m not about to let that slide, because I KNOW what confident speaking can lead to.
Things like:
💣 Dream jobs
💣 Promotions
💣 Accepted pitches
💣 Collaborations
💣 Winning the contract
💣 Leadership opportunities
…and so much more.
I’ve worked with 9-5ers, C-suite bosses, side hustlers, authors, performers and so many more who’ve gone on to do big things they’d never imagined.
Like take their business full-time.
Start a podcast.
Get into standup comedy.
Build wealth.
Make an impact.
You shouldn’t miss out on opportunities like these just because your voice shakes a little when you have an audience.
So if you:
Avoid speaking in public and, as a result, miss out on opportunities
Have read all the books and tried all the “tips and tricks,” but still get tripped up in front of a crowd
Want to make an impact, earn the recognition, or advance your career and know your shaky voice is holding you back
Join me in the Confident Speaker Collective, where I’ll help you quit practicing your fear and start seeing yourself as a capable speaker.
I serve to help you learn how to silence the critical voice in your head so the real you can command any audience’s attention, from the Zoom room to the board room.
But to be clear, I’m not the gatekeeper of confidence—I’m the facilitator.
You’re the superhero. I’m the cape.
So let’s turn on the juice and see what shakes loose.
"I've never been a confident public speaker - it actually is a total nightmare for me that sends me into a full-blown panic.
One of the reasons for my lack of confidence is because I felt like I could never stay on a linear path when telling a story—enter Melissa.
She taught us about the structure of storytelling and the importance of finding peaks, valleys, and places or anchors for the audience to connect with. She also taught me how to stay on track and maintain a theme and good pace.
It was truly one of the best investments I made in my business and in myself. Since taking her course, I have accepted numerous public speaking events and presentations and I know I wouldn't have been able to approach them with confidence had it not been for Melissa's coaching."
— Krista Martins, Business Coach and Founder of Wukkout
The Confident Speaker Collective
May 2022 - May 2023
The most hands-on, in-depth public speaking program for entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, side hustlers, and other aspiring leaders who want to go from shaking in their boots to strutting in them every time they take the floor.
This program was built for you if you want to:
✅ Advance your career by being seen as a thought leader or industry expert
✅ Land the dream job by being calm, cool, and collected during the interview
✅ Market your business by getting in front of investors, customers, and clients
✅ Make an impact by sharing your story, raising awareness, or advocating for a cause
This program is going to give you the skills to prep and speak, the virtual (and in-person!) stage to practice on, the support and feedback to improve, and the time to build your confidence.
You’re going to make big strides fast in this program.
But it’s the ongoing support and feedback that are going to take you from mom’s spaghetti to owning it when your opportunity comes.
The Confident Speaker Collective includes:
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Each month, I’ll do an expanded training on the course material. (Perfect if you’re behind on the videos, prefer learning live, or have questions about the lessons!)
This isn’t just theory—it’s real-life stuff, and I’ll be providing you with tons of examples from my career and my clients’ wins, as well as practical applications so you can take what you’ve learned and immediately put it into action.
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The community calls are driven by you and what you need. We’ll start with icebreakers because your girl LOVES icebreakers (and because they’re a low-stakes form of practice).
The community calls are also your chance to connect with the group, share what you’re working on, and practice anything you need feedback on. You’ll have the option to sign up for a slot to share for 10 minutes and get 10 minutes of feedback. Depending on the group size and needs, there will also be breakout sessions and accountability buddies.
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In this program, you’re going to get plenty of individual attention. These coaching calls are guided by you and what you need, but I’ve got some ideas for you, like: talking through any mindset blocks you’re experiencing, organizing your ideas for a meeting or talk you’re working on, brainstorming ways to approach an opportunity you’re interested in, or rehearsing and getting live feedback on your summit materials!
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This is our community hub between calls and mini summits. Ask your questions, share your wins, and get feedback on your ideas.
Each week, I’ll share inspirational writing prompts in the #weeklyprompts channel to get your creative juices flowing, because before you can tell a good story on stage, you have to be able to get the idea on paper. (This will be great fodder for your mini summit material!)
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Over the years, I’ve collected a book’s worth of tools and advice for overcoming nerves, speaking with confidence, and delivering a clear and compelling message. I’ve put the content together in a video training library just for you, and I’ll be adding content from guest coaches throughout the year.
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Including downloadable PDFs like the 5 Mistakes You’re Making in Interviews, 99 Interview Questions, 25+ Story Prompts, and the Event Prep Checklist for Virtual and In-Person Events. (More to be added!)
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When you enroll, I’ll donate a percentage of the profits to the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization that’s near and dear to my heart. My grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s, was a key part of my life growing up. (So much so that I spoke about her on the TEDx stage.) By signing up for the Confident Speaker Collective, you’ll be contributing to the research and care for people and families affected by Alzheimer’s.
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You didn’t think you’d only be hearing from me, did you? Throughout the year, you’ll get special trainings from experts like:
- Jessica Patching-Bunch, Stress Resilience Coach
- Geo Derice, Book Doula
- Anna Tibbits and Alysha Turner, hosts of the Popping Perfectionism podcast (and past clients of mine!)
- Dave Hanson, writer, playwright, comedian
- Shakivla Todd, Marketing Associate at IFundWomen
- Dr. Victoria Farris, speaker and activist
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I offer other paid events like my public speaking intensives and workshops. As a member of the Confident Speaker Collective, you get access to them all, totally free.
Bonus goal-setting kickoff call
The first five people to enroll will get a special welcome call to get a head start on your goals for the program and celebrate investing in yourself!
And the best part of all…
Virtual summits and a final
in-person summit in NYC!
I am ALL about practicing what I preach. (And I preach practicing. As often as possible.) That means you’ll be preparing for live virtual and in-person events during which you and your fellow Collective members are each going to apply what you’re learning and take to the Zoom stage to share a story.
Don’t pee your pants, because this is a safe space. (Remember, the CSC is filled with people just like you! We’re in this together.) All your learning and training on things like mindset, breathing, confidence, language, and content organization will be building up to these events.
We’ll keep the first one intimate and online, just us. The next two summits will also be virtual, but you’ll have the option to invite your personal cheerleaders to come hear you speak.
Our fourth and final summit will be in-person in New York City. (That’s right, you’ll be able to say you performed in NYC!) Taking place in May, 2023 (venue TBD), this event will be the culmination of all the learning, work, and confidence-building you’ve done in the last 12 months inside the Confident Speaker Collective. Even more importantly, it will be a celebration of how far you’ve come and all the doors now open to you.
HOW TO WORK WITH ME
$2500
This 12 week course focuses on storytelling and culminates in a virtual summit to share your progress.
This community provides support and teaching in various forms of speaking from the Zoom room to the boardroom.
“Melissa, right from the start, made me feel so capable and positive.
She is down-to-earth, approachable, and super interactive. She provides such constructive feedback during every Zoom session. She is honest while still making you feel good at what you're doing!
There were several strategies that I found helpful, and the more I practiced, the more confident I felt. My speech could not have gone better. (It was in front of almost 400 people!) Initially, that thought terrified me, but after working with Melissa I was in a much better headspace. I received such positive feedback, too.”
— Shenelle DePaul, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW
Here’s my confident promise to you…
I get it. This is a big investment of your time and money. What if it’s not for you?
If after three months you’ve shown up to the calls, done the work, and gotten feedback on your speaking and don't feel like you've made the progress you hoped, I will refund you the balance of the remaining time in the program or cancel your payment plan.
(As in, you’ll ONLY pay for the time used.)
FAQs
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It’s both! All of the teaching, community, and 1:1 calls—plus the summits—in the Confident Speaker Collective are live. But the learning material and bonus resources are there for you to make your way through at your own pace.
And in many ways, you set your own pace for what you want to work on in the program. The structure of it is flexible enough that you get to decide the content you craft and deliver.
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This is completely up to you! You could work on several small projects or one big project. You could use the Collective to workshop asking your boss for a raise one month and delivering your maid of honor speech another.
If you don’t have anything in mind, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in the program, like with the weekly prompts I’ll be sharing in Slack. And for our first mini summit, we’ll start by simply telling stories about ourselves (which you’ll receive a ton of guidance on every step of the way).
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Listen, I know you might be thinking this is a big time and energy commitment.
It is. And… it isn’t as big as it may seem.
The thing is, I KNOW you’ve got other things on your mind besides sweating your way through a presentation. I KNOW you’ve got obligations outside your career ambitions.
That’s part of why I didn’t cram this program into an 8-week container. There’s too much value inside, and I didn’t want you rushing through it, or worse, missing the materials because of a busy season or unexpected life thing.
So I created a space for community, learning, coaching, practice, and feedback because:
Getting good at this takes time. Especially when you’ve got a million other things going on in your life. There’s too much value in this program to rush it.
You have big goals. Whether that’s climbing the corporate ladder or pitching your next big idea to investors, I want to give you every tool to succeed.
Besides, we’re doing deep work here. We have multiple virtual summits to look forward to and prepare for. These things require space. Reflection. Celebration.
You can expect to spend about 4-6 hours per month on the calls and on the training most months, and closer to 6-8 hours each month we host a mini summit.
And if you have a busy season or life happens? No sweat. All the training videos and recorded calls will still be there for you, and you can pick up where you left off.
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I know a lot of folks who join this program will have full-time jobs and other commitments that keep them busy most of the day. I prefer to get a read of the room to see what works for the majority. We might decide on a set day/time each month, or we might do a variety of days/times to make sure everyone can participate at least most of the time.
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Details like the venue are still TBD, but the event will take place in April 2023. We’ll meet in the afternoon for lunch and a rehearsal with an evening showtime. You can invite friends and family to attend (and stay for along weekend in NYC! You’ll need to pay for your own travel and hotel expenses.
Your participation in the in-person summit is not a requirement to join the Confident Speaker Collective, but OMG you 100% should come, speak, and celebrate yourself. This is a time and money investment that will give you lifelong returns.
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There sure is. We’ll chat about what works best for you on a call.
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To make sure you’ve had every chance to succeed in the Confident Speaker Collective, I ask you to commit to three months of doing the work. That means showing up to most or all of the calls, speaking in front of the group, getting feedback, and applying that feedback.
If after three months you don’t feel like you’ve made the progress you’d hoped, I will refund you the balance of the remaining time in the program. (As in, you’ll ONLY pay for the time used.) That ensures I’m paid fairly for the time and energy I’ve invested in you—because I invest a lot!
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To be honest, I don’t know yet! It depends on several factors, like how many people are already in the program—because there’s only so much of me to go around. If I do, the investment will most likely increase.
Listen, if we all waited until we were 100% ready to make big moves, we’d all be waiting around for a looong time.
So what I’m more interested in? Is whether you’re ready enough.
Everything you’ve done to this date to get over your hangups about speaking in public has gotten you to this point.
You’ve read the books, practiced the visualization techniques, and maybe even put yourself in some uncomfortable situations and lived to tell the tale.
Now, it’s time to try something new to get to the next level of confidence.
Because confidence isn’t reserved for the brave. At least, not the people we tend to think of as “brave.”
It’s a muscle just like anything else, and I can guarantee that muscle will be absolutely JACKED at the end of our 12 months together.
So if you’re still choking on your words and are READY for a change, no matter how scary it may seem…
…you’re ready enough.
"As Melissa always says, there's someone out there waiting to hear your story.
Through my experience with Melissa, I have started taking more risks, putting myself out there to share my story on social media, and finding ways to connect with other people through life's messiness.”
— Ariel Deitch, Dual MSW/MPH candidate, social impact consultant
Still stalking?
You’re ready to join the Confident Speaker Collective
if you…
Can picture yourself being more of a leader but have a hard time picturing the road to get there.
Believe progress takes time and that “overnight success” is a myth.
Are open to loving feedback, embrace messy growth, and value community over competition.
Have tried and been disappointed by any of the common “tips and tricks” for public speaking success, like:
“Fake it ‘till you make it” (which does nothing to actually PREPARE you for speaking)
Talking to yourself in the mirror (because why don’t you scrutinize your appearance while you’re at it?)
Rehearsing over and over… but without an audience (trust me, you need feedback from someone other than yourself)
Reading allll the public speaking books (because at some point, you’ve gotta stop procrastinating via “research” and actually DO the thing)
Sound like you?
Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
You know by now that the REAL reason you’re still getting dry-mouthed in every public speaking situation has nothing to do with…
how introverted
how talented
or how charismatic you are
…and everything to do with how prepared, practiced, and present you are.
And when you’re terrified of standing up in front of the crowd, the best way to get to that point isn’t by reading all the how-to books, stumbling your way through every presentation through eternity, or avoiding opening your mouth altogether.
It’s by intentional, imperfect, and iterative practice.
Which is what you’ll get inside the Confident Speaker Collective.
(That, and a refreshing amount of FUN.)
When you join, you’ll have finally given yourself permission to take up space, take the mic, and take a seat at whichever damn table you choose.
You in?
Oh hey! Fancy running into you down here.
If you’ve made it to the bottom of the page, it’s likely because you’re REALLY interested in joining the Confident Speaker Collective, but like me, you’re super analytical and need to read awwwl the fine print.
There’s no fine print here, but if there’s a question I haven’t answered, or you’re not sure if the Confident Speaker Collective is for you, let’s talk.
I invite you to book a free, no-strings, exploratory call with me to get all your questions answered so you feel informed enough to make a confident decision—whether that’s a “hell yes” or a “not right now.”
Otherwise, if you’re ready to join me today, get in here already!