Case Study: Lisa Ventura
I’ve known Lisa for a while now, and her passion to help and support others and improve the community through efforts such as Cyber Security Unity is inspiring. Over the time I’ve known her, I’ve been able to offer some encouragement and support, and it’s paid off. I’m extremely grateful that she’s willing to share her thoughts here.
Without further ado, I’ll give you Lisa’s experience, in her own words.
“James knows his craft inside out and has always encouraged me to break out of my comfort zone.”
I’ve been in the cyber security industry since 2009 when I transitioned into it from the entertainment industry having spent many years working with Chris Tarrant of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” fame. Over the years I’ve worked hard to build up my profile in the cyber security industry and community and being a born campaigner. I love building and creating communities for greater collaboration. I love helping people achieve their goals and acting as a mentor to others, and recently I gained a Level 5 Certification in Coaching and Mentoring alongside my Mental Health First Aider Certificate which enables me to broaden my skillset further as a coach to help others with managing their mental health and avoiding stress and burnout – something that is rife in the cyber security industry.
My work with Cyber Security Unity (formerly the UK Cyber Security Association) meant that I would often be asked to give talks and presentations, and to give keynotes for various events, but in my early days of this work I turned down many of these opportunities because I didn’t have the confidence to give talks either in person or online. I didn’t think anyone would be interested in what I have to say, and that my voice didn’t mean very much.
James supported me through my journey to becoming a public speaker in cyber security, he was always on hand to listen and to help me with my confidence. He introduced me to a couple of good voice coaches who helped me to develop my speaking skills and to not fear the sound of my own voice, which was something of a huge problem for me. Slowly but surely my confidence grew, and I accepted my first few speaking engagements.
These were incredibly nerve wrecking but thanks to the mentoring that James provided I was able to manage my nerves and I ended up really enjoying doing them which was a huge bonus! Since I started out on my public speaking journey, I have created a new YouTube channel to showcase the talks, interviews, and podcasts that I’ve done, and I’ve also got an agent who I work with for paid speaking opportunities. This area of my work has grown and blossomed immensely thanks to James and his support, and I highly recommend him to anyone who is looking to build their profile as a public speaker – the investment you will make with James is worth every penny.
Thank you Lisa!
If you’d like to work with me to improve your own speaking, whether that’s building up confidence on stage, defining your style, or preparing for that big upcoming presentation then get in touch!