"A few weeks ago I walked off stage after speaking to around five hundred people"
Speaking & Influence Mastery

"A few weeks ago I walked off stage after speaking to around five hundred people"

A few weeks ago I walked off stage after speaking to around five hundred people. I had no intention of “selling” anything. I simply told the truth, shared a piece of my journey, and wove my book into the leadership lesson. Classic inception. The Mindvalley playbook works when you actually apply it.
 People cried. People stood up straighter. People asked for the name of my book… and it sold itself. 
Here is the part that humbled me straight through to my core.
 One man bought the book and gave it to his daughter. She then found me on Instagram. She shared that she has been unable to leave the house for years. She is turning twenty soon. She has lived through abuse. She has been carrying PTSD since childhood. She read that I wrote my book hoping it could change one life. She told me it changed hers. She called it hope. She called it empowerment.
 I sat with that message and felt my younger self exhale. 
This is influence in its purest form. You do the inner work, you refine your voice, you tell the story you once needed to hear, and one day someone you have never met starts healing because you spoke.
 Speaking mastery is not about applause. Influence mastery is not about optics or charisma. It is about resonance. It is about being willing to stand in your truth so someone else finds the courage to stand in theirs. 
Here is the quiet truth: your voice can reach rooms you never enter. Your story can touch hearts you may never meet. When you master the way you communicate your lived experience, you don’t just speak. You ripple. So keep refining your message. Keep doing the uncomfortable inner work. Keep showing up even when your voice shakes. Lives are listening. 
I say this with sincerity and a tiny smirk: the universe apparently heard me when I whispered, “If this reaches one person, it is worth it.” It did and it is. Turns out, one person was paying attention. And she reminded me why we do this. The ripple is real. 

Jacqui Wilkinson

Transformation Coach

Oxford, United Kingdom

Related Stories

Speaking & Influence Mastery

"Four months into the course I delivered my TEDx talk"

I arrived at Speaking Mastery with a mix of curiosity and caution. I had just come off a rather disappointing experience with the Social Media course – nothing to do with the team, simply a feeling that the format wasn’t for me at that moment. So I stepped into this programme with some tr...
Read more

Agnieszka Piotrowska

Life Coach

London, United Kingdom

Speaking & Influence Mastery

"Recently, I was interviewed on stage in Los Angeles in front of 1,400 high-profile entrepreneurs. The feedback was overwhelming"

Before this Quest, my longtime corporate role came to an unexpected end, and I immediately knew I wanted to create a meaningful impact in my next chapter. I felt a strong pull to refine my voice — not to change who I was, but to express my message with more clarity, presence, and intentio...
Read more

Simone Mauri

Computer Systems Security Analyst

Zurich, Switzerland

Speaking & Influence Mastery

"One of the greatest gifts was the intimacy of my Mini Mastermind group. That small circle gave me strength, inspiration, and a place where my voice felt seen"

Growing up, my voice was something I learned to silence. Not because I didn’t have anything to say — but because being quiet kept the peace. Dimming my light made things easier for everyone around me. Staying small was how I received love. And reading the room before speaking became my wa...
Read more

Kara

Entrepreneur

London, Canada

Speaking & Influence Mastery

with Eric Edmeades Learn more

Mindvalley is fueled by your stories

Our community runs on voices like yours. It keep us going, and keeps us grounded.
Tell us like it is. What's your story?
Tell us your Story