This is a guest post by Taunee English, 2019 WomanUP!® Emcee
This quote is my business motto: “Catch a passion for helping others and a richer life will
me back to you!” by William H. Danforth and I indeed came away from this year’s WomanUP!® richer because I said YES to Emceeing despite stage fright.
First off, because of WomanUP!®, I am sharing more about myself like (for instance writing this post for the blog) – totally OUT OF CHARACTER. For someone like myself - being both an introvert and with Asperger, I am not wired to do so nor seek to be in the “light” especially on a WomanUP!® stage!
BUT after attending the first WomanUP!® event, I felt something I never felt before (and I had to check to see if it was “that time of the month” and it wasn’t) - a sense of true sisterhood without the competitiveness, jealous, cliquish, judgmental energy that I usually notice when attending networking events. I appreciated the newness of it so much, that I joined the Women’s Council of Realtors® as a way to expand that sense of sisterhood in the real estate industry. And after attending the second WomanUP!® event I said YES to becoming 2020 President-Elect of the Metro L.A./Beverly Hills network.
WomanUP!® also influenced my increased involvement in C.A.R. I said YES to taking a leadership role on the Communications Advisory Committee and YES (well it was more like “Fine, I do it”) to being Region 13’s Regional Representative for the Taxation and Government Finance Committee.
#WomanUP2019 however, was a terrifying prospect. Though I had said YES to being the afternoon Emcee for Day 1, from the time I said YES to all the way up until before I stepped on the stage - I was saying “Noooo! I am going to suck!” Because I am not an eloquent speaker, I speak very fast (because I usually just want to be done with it) and despite the fact that I frequently host events and moderate panels - I am usually behind my protective podium where no one can see my knees shaking and I usually only speak for a maximum of 3 minutes at a time - not an entire afternoon, with no podium.
BUT, due to attending the last two WomanUP!® events I WomanUPped and got up on that stage and I have been saying YES to being on panels ever since - despite my fear of public speaking.
I am thankful to WomanUP!® and its fearless leaders because:
I have said NO to Fear and YES to stepping out on Faith
I’ve met amazing women that I never would have Want to add a caption to this image? Click the Settings icon.
To DO ME – I know (at this time) I am no Jennifer Berman, but what I can do is Want to add a caption to this image? Click the Settings icon. Dance – so Why Not open up the Afternoon session with very short performance of a Kickass Women empowerment song “Salute”!
I made great connections like Jennifer Berman (I absolutely adore THIS Dynamic Powerhouse Woman)
I expanded my network of “Out of Area” Realtors to work with
Helped me to identify my social media voice - I truly do enjoy sharing empowering and entrepreneurial nuggets/content with my fellow Lionesses
Helped me to say YES to support outside of myself, by making one of my 2020 Intentions to find a complementary real estate partner - influenced by the story shared by Lori Namazi and Lisa Dunn
I thank and really do appreciate Lionesses: Leslie Appleton-Young, Sara Sutachan and Debra Trappen for the opportunity to FLY and not worry about Falling.
Warmly,
Taunee English, Lioness Broker
Lions Realty Group, Beverly Hills
