https://www.themelissaruiz.com/home daily 1.0 2026-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1594321155494-W42QCVL7HZAHJ86HB3QG/Penn-State-Logo.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1594321073219-BMG9UGJHLWULLQC7VPPH/tedx-logo.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1594321327155-ZZMUWC5GVJECZWBKX52C/Miss-New-Jersey-logo-Stacked.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/392be307-d7e0-4aac-99b2-5673f3eea17f/arms+crossed.jpg Home - From fears to cheers! You are already a public speaker. Everyday, you are sharing, pitching, and reporting. At home, at work, there is a question to answer, a story to tell, a product to sell. Your preparation and content development, or lack there of, is the part no one sees. It’s time to stop shaking, sweating, and forgetting your words. It’s time to be the speaker and storyteller you’ve looked up to so you can finally stop wishing for it and take action to work on it! Melissa has been on stage for most of her life, from small-town community theatre to the Miss New Jersey stage and, most recently, TEDx. She has her Master's in Social Work from Rutgers University and worked in higher education for almost 10 years before transitioning to public speaking. Now, she helps leaders in their fields get over their fear of public speaking to create a bigger impact. You can do this! https://www.themelissaruiz.com/you daily 0.75 2022-02-28 https://www.themelissaruiz.com/contact daily 0.75 2022-03-01 https://www.themelissaruiz.com/free-resources daily 0.75 2022-02-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847895626-I0RS2T6LQGM9IRYBEERM/image-asset.jpeg Free Resources - Build it. It all begins with an idea. 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. https://www.themelissaruiz.com/confident-speaker-collective daily 0.75 2022-05-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/71a8f206-e35a-44d2-af86-5b61ee966fff/unsplash-image--2vD8lIhdnw.jpg Confident Speaker Collective - “Crap. I have to talk next.” — your internal monologue RN https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1648503302949-W2843K68LN5TEKJRHG2B/unsplash-image-dGxOgeXAXm8.jpg Confident Speaker Collective https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1648504382904-WQJ1O207T3TYHOHW3A3F/unsplash-image-IkEpl3JkVqU.jpg Confident Speaker Collective https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/23c36354-f4e8-40c4-b38f-77c5f7c74b2a/MA.jpg Confident Speaker Collective - “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 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/bfc83e98-165c-4317-9f13-f66303152c9b/Melissa+Ruiz+2021+headshot.jpg Confident Speaker Collective - 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. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1648510865205-9Q76B9UO2WJ1S1PM0W81/unsplash-image-yMg_SMqfoRU.jpg Confident Speaker Collective https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/ca180e0c-46c4-43fc-b6f2-f959b9f4d82e/Speaking.png Confident Speaker Collective https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/d9ff1bc9-af67-4c6e-907d-9da24d4e18bc/Krista.jpg Confident Speaker Collective - "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 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/da1d59b9-6225-4de0-bf06-7d1951173c0f/8_rec+no+BG.png Confident Speaker Collective https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/eb31183a-524f-4c75-a2e7-7158699e937b/CSC+LOGOS.jpg Confident Speaker Collective - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/5aeb9f3c-2e3b-401d-b7ee-87ce20afcc9b/shen.jpg Confident Speaker Collective - “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 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/436a5e14-6b7f-4aa9-a500-2d9379ffd6ca/IMG_8477.jpg Confident Speaker Collective - "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 https://www.themelissaruiz.com/getstarted daily 0.75 2022-02-28 https://www.themelissaruiz.com/getstarted/p/5-mistakes-youre-making-in-interviews monthly 0.5 2022-02-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1646005472478-7GU3YAON6UCIHM2RRV0X/5+MISTAKES+DOWNLOAD+%28Logo%29+%281%29.png Get Started - 5 Mistakes You're Making in Interviews https://www.themelissaruiz.com/getstarted/p/99-interview-questions monthly 0.5 2022-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5efd1ef5fe4bf652e81749bc/1646005220508-7Y12SL8GYCQVLZ794AFB/EXCEL+LIST+COVER+IMAGES.png Get Started - 99 Interview Questions