{"id":633,"date":"2025-04-03T08:12:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T08:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michelleshaw.co.uk\/?p=633"},"modified":"2025-04-03T08:12:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T08:12:22","slug":"%f0%9f%8e%a4-the-day-i-chose-to-be-seen-without-music-to-hide-behind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hopeful-elgamal.88-208-215-195.plesk.page\/?p=633","title":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udfa4 The Day I Chose to Be Seen \u2014 Without Music to Hide Behind"},"content":{"rendered":"

\ud83c\udfa4 The Day I Chose to Be Seen \u2014 Without Music to Hide Behind<\/em><\/h3>\n

In 2012, I stepped onto a stage with no music, no lights, and no DJ decks \u2014 just me, a mic, and a message. \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Up until that point, I\u2019d built my confidence around sound. I was a DJ, a radio host, a woman who knew how to read a room through rhythm. But that day? There was no bassline to hold me. No track to mix. Just breath, silence\u2026 and truth.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa7 While broadcasting daily to passengers onboard P&O Cruises, a few of them suggested something unexpected:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should be a motivational speaker.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At first, I laughed \u2014 surely this was just another one of my hair-brained ideas. But the suggestion stuck. The more I sat with it, the more it made sense. If I could stand in front of people, no music to hide behind, and still hold the room? Then maybe\u2026 I\u2019d find out who I really was.<\/p>\n

So I said yes. Not because I was fearless \u2014 but because I was curious<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udfb5 What Made It So Powerful<\/em><\/h3>\n

The audience was small \u2014 just nine people. But to me, it felt like a stadium.
\nI even hired a videographer to capture it (thank goodness for that past version of me). \ud83d\udca1<\/p>\n

But this moment wasn\u2019t just about public speaking.
\nIt was about being seen<\/em> \u2014 with the volume down and the masks off.<\/p>\n

At the time, my personal life was quietly falling apart. I was still grieving the loss of my mum, navigating family disconnects, and doing everything I could to get my head and heart back in sync. \ud83d\udc94<\/p>\n

So I turned to what I could<\/em> control: my personal growth. My creativity. My voice.<\/p>\n

Speaking became more than an idea. It became a lifeline.<\/p>\n

And unexpectedly, it led to new doors \u2014 a library talk, an opportunity to sign and sell paperback copies of my book, and most importantly: a turning point in how I saw myself.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udf00 Why I\u2019m Sharing This Now<\/em><\/h3>\n

Because I\u2019ve only just started telling the truth about what I was really carrying all those years.<\/p>\n

I spent nearly two decades laser-focused on my weaknesses \u2014 trying to \u201cfix\u201d myself, hiding behind competence, starving for someone to tell me I was doing well.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t find that person \u2014 so I became her.
\nAnd now I support others in becoming their<\/em> own anchor, too.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sharing this video not because it\u2019s perfect \u2014 but because it\u2019s real.
\nIt was the first time I stood on stage, completely unplugged, and said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is me. Take it or leave it.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\n<\/div>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Watch the Moment<\/em><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s the original, unfiltered video:
\n\ud83c\udfac Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n

If you do watch, I\u2019d genuinely love<\/em> your feedback:<\/p>\n