Natalie Nixon - Exercising Courage as a Speaker

Natalie Nixon is a creativity strategist, author, and speaker. At her core, she considers herself a dreamer and creator. She comes from a background in cultural anthropology, fashion, design thinking, and dance. Using all her unique experiences and expertise, she helps leaders transform their business models and leadership styles by applying creativity and foresight. She is a big proponent of practicing courage and being flexible. Natalie's firm Figure 8 Thinking, was named among the top 20 women-led innovation firms by Core 77 in 2021. She was also named one of Real Leaders' "Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World for 2022."

Key Takeaways 

• Learn about how Natalie got creative with her book release and promotion during the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Creativity can be an incredibly powerful tool. Natalie believes speakers can exercise it through the three I's: inquiry, improvisation, and intuition. 
• Natalie's biggest goals on stage are to inspire and leave people with practical tips and takeaways. 
• Natalie is a big proponent of having courage in all endeavors. This means following your heart, being open to experimentation, and being able to admit ignorance.
• Pulling from past experiences that are not directly linked to presenting or giving talks can still help you develop speaking skills. For instance, Natalie's experience in dance taught her applicable lessons like the importance of discipline, working with others, and performance. 

Memorable Quotes

• "I think of creativity as toggling between wonder and rigor to solve problems." - Natalie Nixon
• "I'm a firm believer in embodying what we feel, what we think." - Natalie Nixon
• "If you are 50% terrified and 50% exhilarated, then leap...because the terror anchors you...and the exhilaration keeps you optimistic, and buoyant, and dreaming, and hopeful." - Natalie Nixon
• "The more you practice courage, the stronger you get to handle something of a much larger magnitude." - Charles Clark
• "Your tribe sets your vibe." - Charles Clark 

Episode Resources & Links 

Natalie Nixon

Website: https://www.figure8thinking.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalienixonphd/

Facebook + Instagram + Twitter: @natwnixon

Charles Clark

Website: https://thecharlesclark.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesclarkusa/

Instagram + Facebook: @thecharlesclark

To get access to all our episodes, visit our podcast page!

Enroll in our Journey to Paid Speaking Gigs program to find your voice and learn how to create your own speaking business.

Transcript

00:00:02 Charles Clark 

Welcome to the journey paid speaking gigs podcast. 

00:00:05 Charles Clark 

Here we bring on guests in the speaking world to uncover how to find your voice as a speaker, get paid speaking engagements and develop your speaking skills. 

00:00:13 Charles Clark 

I'm your host Charles Clark. 

00:00:14 Charles Clark 

Mental health and resilience speaker, and today I'm having a conversation with keynote speaker Natalie Nixon. 

00:00:20 Charles Clark 

If you like what you hear today, check out the journey to paid speaking gigs Academy on my website, thecharlesclark.com/apply where you gonna learn everything. 

00:00:30 Charles Clark 

That you need to. 

00:00:31 Charles Clark 

Know about how to create a successful speaking business. 

00:00:34 Charles Clark 

It's time to rise and thrive. 

00:00:35 Charles Clark 

Let's welcome Natalie. 

00:00:38 Natalie Nixon 

Hey Charles, it's great to be here. 

00:00:40 Natalie Nixon 

Thank you for. 

00:00:40 Natalie Nixon 

Having me. 

00:00:41 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah, so you know before we get this thing going. 

00:00:44 Charles Clark 

Who is Natalie Nixon? 

00:00:48 Natalie Nixon 

I am a crate. 

00:00:52 Natalie Nixon 

Well, let's see. 

00:00:53 Natalie Nixon 

I am a dreamer and a creator and I that's how I would. 

00:01:02 Natalie Nixon 

I would kind of describe myself to my core. 

00:01:05 Natalie Nixon 

And in my profession I'm a creativity strategist. 

00:01:11 Natalie Nixon 

I have I often describe myself as having an incredibly loopy background which where I'm I'm really fortunate to be at a stage and place in my career in my life where all of those divergent experiences have converged. 

00:01:25 Natalie Nixon 

So I have a background. 

00:01:26 Natalie Nixon 

And in dance and anthropology and fashion. 

00:01:29 Charles Clark 

Oh, really. 

00:01:30 Natalie Nixon 

Yes, yes, and. 

00:01:32 Natalie Nixon 

I know you're you. 

00:01:32 Natalie Nixon 

You were a professional sprinter and yeah, yeah I did a little something in high school. 

00:01:40 Natalie Nixon 

I was I I I I I was a sprinter in high school. 

00:01:44 Natalie Nixon 

I I. 

00:01:44 Natalie Nixon 

Did the 400 the 200 the. 

00:01:46 Natalie Nixon 

Triple and the long jump. 

00:01:48 Charles Clark 

Oh yeah. 

00:01:48 Natalie Nixon 

UM? 

00:01:49 Charles Clark 

Over time, what were your times? 

00:01:52 Natalie Nixon 

OK, well I only only a few times did I get did I break 60 seconds on the 400 like 58 though, you know? 

00:01:52 Charles Clark 

If you remember, don't know. 

00:02:00 Charles Clark 

OK. 

00:02:03 Natalie Nixon 

It was it. 

00:02:04 Natalie Nixon 

Was decent as we say in Philly it was decent. 

00:02:09 Natalie Nixon 

But yeah, so so so I have I have. 

00:02:12 Natalie Nixon 

I my work. 

00:02:13 Natalie Nixon 

Is about. 

00:02:15 Natalie Nixon 

Helping executive leadership teams and and leaders really transform, transform their business models, transform their leadership styles specifically by applying creativity and foresight. 

00:02:30 Charles Clark 

So so tell me about that journey of you actually getting on the stage impacting lives when and and when did you know that what you had to say about creativity and innovation? 

00:02:41 Charles Clark 

It mattered? 

00:02:43 Natalie Nixon 

Well, I you know every day. 

00:02:45 Natalie Nixon 

I credit my background as a student of dance as being so pivotal and so. 

00:02:49 Natalie Nixon 

Much of the work. 

00:02:50 Natalie Nixon 

I I I do, although I never went on to be a professional dancer. 

00:02:55 Natalie Nixon 

Dance taught me discipline. 

00:02:57 Natalie Nixon 

It taught me deep curiosity. 

00:02:58 Natalie Nixon 

It taught me how to work with others and it definitely for obvious reasons taught me performance. 

00:03:03 Natalie Nixon 

And in many ways my 20 plus years experience as an educator was part really, the first bit of times that experiences where I was really up, publicly speaking and presenting and trying to communicate ideas. 

00:03:17 Natalie Nixon 

In digestible ways, but I really took the advice that I overheard at a conference. 

00:03:25 Natalie Nixon 

That I I was a professor for 16 years. I I created a launch something called the Strategic Design MBA program and we sponsored a A Women's entrepreneurship conference and I was in the back of the room observing a panel and a question for the audience was. 

00:03:41 Natalie Nixon 

How how do I? 

00:03:42 Natalie Nixon 

Speak more, how did you become a speaker? 

00:03:45 Natalie Nixon 

I see you on a lot of panels and the advice was just start volunteering. 

00:03:49 Natalie Nixon 

And while I presented a ton at academic conferences as again spoke really every day, and in my work as as a teacher as a professor, yeah, I thought I thought that's really good advice and I and I really want to. 

00:04:05 Natalie Nixon 

Initially, I really thought speaking publicly would be a way to market. 

00:04:09 Natalie Nixon 

The Strategic Design MBA program that was really my my modus operandi and so I took that advice and I really just volunteered for panels which as we all know those of us to do this work. 

00:04:22 Natalie Nixon 

If you start by volunteering then you became become much more known as as a as a known entity, but but the talk that really. 

00:04:31 Natalie Nixon 

Catapulted me was when I did a TEDx Philadelphia talk in 2014 where I was proclaiming that the future of work is. 

00:04:39 Natalie Nixon 

Yes, and that started the invitations into companies and organizations to help them understand why and how to do that. 

00:04:48 Charles Clark 

That that's that's a. 

00:04:49 Charles Clark 

That's a unique journey. 

00:04:50 Charles Clark 

Like I'm so. 

00:04:51 Charles Clark 

I'm curious like did you do you tie in the the art of dance into your your speeches? 

00:04:58 Natalie Nixon 

I used to much more than. 

00:05:00 Natalie Nixon 

I have been lately and the reason I. 

00:05:02 Natalie Nixon 

Used to is because I. 

00:05:03 Natalie Nixon 

Really use my. 

00:05:04 Natalie Nixon 

Speaking as a way to prototype ideas. 

00:05:08 Natalie Nixon 

Every time I'm speaking to a new audience which has different needs, different set of objectives that they that they where they really ways that they want. 

00:05:16 Natalie Nixon 

The the talk. 

00:05:17 Natalie Nixon 

To inspire, educate, motivate, give practical tips, I use that opportunity to to work through a new idea that I'm thinking because I am fundamentally a nerd. 

00:05:29 Natalie Nixon 

I should have also mentioned that when you asked a bit more about me and so yes, dance was something that I used to talk about a lot. 

00:05:38 Natalie Nixon 

When I was playing around with this idea about the role of intuition in leadership, and I, uh, had done a what I called a miniature ethnographic study on intuitive leadership, and I decided. 

00:05:53 Natalie Nixon 

To look at. 

00:05:54 Natalie Nixon 

Chefs DJ. 

00:05:57 Natalie Nixon 

And dancer choreographers, and also first responders, because my assumption was, I think these are people who have to intuit a lot at in their work. 

00:06:05 Natalie Nixon 

And so I learned a ton by observing dancers and rehearsals. 

00:06:10 Charles Clark 

So speaking about being intuitive and and and being innovative during COVID, a lot has changed right? 

00:06:18 Charles Clark 

And and I I think a lot of events canceled for us and really we were at this place where what do we? 

00:06:24 Charles Clark 

Do so I want to know like for you what did you do to continue to develop and. 

00:06:31 Charles Clark 

Become a better speaker during that. 

00:06:33 Natalie Nixon 

Well, it's interesting because COVID, as we all know, in the United States, really hit us hard and and we were adjusting to our our new normal in March of 2020 and my newest book was launching in June of 2020. So all of the things I had planned. 

00:06:53 Natalie Nixon 

In terms of a traditional book, tour had to be reworked and revised, and I actually went into giving. 

00:07:00 Natalie Nixon 

Mode I went into. 

00:07:02 Natalie Nixon 

A mode where I. 

00:07:03 Natalie Nixon 

Offered I did a lot of collaborative cross marketing. 

00:07:06 Natalie Nixon 

Uh, webinars on zoom and really started to just give it away and and gave a lot of talks and webinars for free and I actually collaborated with a company that. 

00:07:21 Natalie Nixon 

Actually has now they circled back to me and said we really would love to produce a podcast about your work and that's radio kismet and that's and so I partnered with with their president, founder Christopher Plan. 

00:07:34 Natalie Nixon 

And we did several sessions collaboratively. One was on design thinking and another was was on foresight and creativity. And that really was the mode I initially jumped into back in the spring of 2020. 

00:07:52 Charles Clark 

Hmm, so this was. 

00:07:54 Charles Clark 

This was like COVID-19 you know. 

00:07:57 Charles Clark 

Despite all the things that that have happened bad with, you know, families and lost lives. 

00:08:02 Charles Clark 

This was really like your platform to to shine and what you do as a as an expert in creativity and innovation. 

00:08:09 Charles Clark 

So I'm like, I'm curious to know like for you, what do you see as a practice for other speakers? 

00:08:17 Charles Clark 

What can we continuously do to to be more innovative and creative in this new digital age? 

00:08:24 Natalie Nixon 

Well, first of all I love that you keep referencing that. 

00:08:27 Natalie Nixon 

You're curious to know, because if you know even a little bit about my work, you know I think about creativity as toggling between wonder and rigor to solve problems, and we can exercise our creativity through what I call the three eyes, which are inquiry. 

00:08:45 Natalie Nixon 

Or curiosity, improvisation and intuition. 

00:08:49 Natalie Nixon 

And right now some of the things I try to do. 

00:08:51 Natalie Nixon 

I watch Ted talks I learned from other speakers. 

00:08:54 Natalie Nixon 

There's there's our classroom is is wide open in terms of that. 

00:08:59 Natalie Nixon 

I also. 

00:09:02 Natalie Nixon 

Learned quite a bit from and. 

00:09:03 Natalie Nixon 

You have to excuse me because. 

00:09:04 Natalie Nixon 

I just forgot my friend's name. 

00:09:07 Natalie Nixon 

OK, here we go. 

00:09:07 Natalie Nixon 

I actually want to. 

00:09:08 Natalie Nixon 

I want to. 

00:09:09 Natalie Nixon 

Give this gentleman a shout out. 

00:09:11 Natalie Nixon 

Josh Linkner has a. 

00:09:13 Charles Clark 

Yeah yeah, I just I just had. 

00:09:13 Natalie Nixon 

Brand new. 

00:09:14 Charles Clark 

I just had him on the podcast, yeah? 

00:09:15 Natalie Nixon 

Ohh good so so Josh has a brand new book called Big Little Breakthroughs. 

00:09:21 Natalie Nixon 

He's incredible. 

00:09:23 Natalie Nixon 

Professionally generous, he has an incredible boot camp for speakers and I attended his boot camp a month before the quarantine really started and so you know, being part of communities like Joshua's and. 

00:09:37 Natalie Nixon 

And his team. 

00:09:38 Natalie Nixon 

Are incredibly valuable and helpful to help with. 

00:09:42 Natalie Nixon 

Everything from pricing our work to techniques on delivery on storytelling on, you know, all the dimensions of what it takes to be a top notch keynote speaker. 

00:09:56 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah, that that's awesome. 

00:09:58 Charles Clark 

That's awesome. 

00:09:58 Charles Clark 

So like for you when you're on that stage. 

00:10:02 Charles Clark 

What's what's your biggest goal when you are delivering your your message? 

00:10:06 Charles Clark 

What's the biggest goal that you have? 

00:10:09 Natalie Nixon 

My goal is is it's it's it's two things and you you also see that. 

00:10:16 Natalie Nixon 

As a theme. 

00:10:17 Natalie Nixon 

About me. 

00:10:18 Natalie Nixon 

In my work I. 

00:10:19 Natalie Nixon 

I think of things in terms of yin and Yang spectrum. 

00:10:21 Natalie Nixon 

Chaotic systems chaos. 

00:10:23 Natalie Nixon 

And order wonder and rigor and. 

00:10:25 Charles Clark 

Yeah yeah, yeah. 

00:10:27 Natalie Nixon 

What I always. 

00:10:29 Natalie Nixon 

What my hope is, is that I both inspire. 

00:10:33 Natalie Nixon 

And I leave practical tips and and takeaways for people to be able to start to implement. 

00:10:39 Natalie Nixon 

Some of the. 

00:10:40 Natalie Nixon 

Things that I. 

00:10:41 Natalie Nixon 

Share the same day within the week within the month individually for themselves and their personal lives as well. 

00:10:49 Natalie Nixon 

As for their. 

00:10:49 Charles Clark 

Teams and and what and what does? 

00:10:53 Charles Clark 

Inspiration mean to you when you talk about inspiring from the. 

00:10:58 Natalie Nixon 

Inspiration starts with kind of this ground swell in our bodies I'm of. 

00:11:03 Natalie Nixon 

I'm a firm believer about embodying what we feel, what we think, and I, I believe you, that will probably resonate with you. 

00:11:12 Natalie Nixon 

You you are an athlete and we know that that the mind, spirit, body, heart are all interconnected. 

00:11:18 Natalie Nixon 

It's all part of how we perform well. 

00:11:24 Natalie Nixon 

We have to be deeply connected to in in our bodies. 

00:11:27 Natalie Nixon 

So if people. 

00:11:29 Natalie Nixon 

They'll feel a fluttering in their heart if their if their mind is is firing off of all sorts of other examples. 

00:11:37 Natalie Nixon 

That my examples help them to think of if they begin to be more curious about how they might implement and integrate some of the ideas that I share into their own work with their teams. 

00:11:50 Natalie Nixon 

I believe they are inspired, you know, on in in terms of personal relationships. 

00:11:55 Natalie Nixon 

I remember when my husband and I got engaged and we were doing pre marital counseling and I'm I'm also a frameworks nerd and I remember I doodled a. 

00:12:06 Natalie Nixon 

A vision of a triangle of just how at the base it would be where we're kind of apart from each other, and moving up that triangle we're we are more in concert together and I'm I I'm I'm. 

00:12:19 Natalie Nixon 

Very faith-based. 

00:12:20 Natalie Nixon 

I have a faith-based life and so I believe God for me is is at the top of that. 

00:12:26 Natalie Nixon 

And as we are in spirit together we are inspiring one another. 

00:12:31 Natalie Nixon 

That, to me is is what inspiration is? 

00:12:33 Natalie Nixon 

It's it's it's. 

00:12:33 Natalie Nixon 

It's a. 

00:12:34 Natalie Nixon 

It's a copacetic flow. 

00:12:36 Natalie Nixon 

And for me as a speaker. 

00:12:38 Natalie Nixon 

One of the things that we miss as speakers not being physically with an audience is that we know that when we are on stage and we are sharing ideas that there's a feeling there's an energy that you can you hopefully that you're you're feeling for the audience. 

00:12:54 Natalie Nixon 

Which is a lot harder when we are have these digital screens. 

00:12:58 Natalie Nixon 

So it's my hope that and what I think. 

00:13:01 Natalie Nixon 

So when I'm thinking about when I say inspiration and being inspiring, I hope that I am in flow with the audience and that I'm triggering more curiosity and new ideas for them. 

00:13:11 Charles Clark 

Yeah, I see that what what you're referring to as as soul. 

00:13:15 Charles Clark 

You know where? 

00:13:16 Charles Clark 

Where you're you're divinely tapping into some like heart knowledge right? 

00:13:21 Charles Clark 

Where it's it's not just here but it it's felt here and and people feel that as authenticity and that's the thing that creates connection and allows people to want to pursue more of what you're. 

00:13:35 Charles Clark 

What you're teaching, right? 

00:13:36 Charles Clark 

So and may. 

00:13:37 Natalie Nixon 

I just add to that Charles. 

00:13:38 Natalie Nixon 

But that another thing that I really hope that I leave people with. 

00:13:41 Natalie Nixon 

In addition to. 

00:13:43 Natalie Nixon 

Really inspiring, practical skills is. 

00:13:46 Natalie Nixon 

Fundamentally, I want to encourage people. 

00:13:48 Natalie Nixon 

And So what, what, what, what's 

00:13:51 Natalie Nixon 

Really cool to be about the word encouragement. 

00:13:53 Natalie Nixon 

Is is that courage is is. 

00:13:55 Natalie Nixon 

Embedded in there and. 

00:13:56 Natalie Nixon 

Creativity requires a lot of courage, it requires. 

00:13:59 Natalie Nixon 

Courage to. 

00:14:01 Natalie Nixon 

To follow your heart to act on your intuition. 

00:14:04 Natalie Nixon 

To follow the bread crumbs of curiosity to be open to working more improvisationally and experimentation and collaborating with people who might call you on some things and and you have to admit ignorance. 

00:14:17 Natalie Nixon 

All of those things that are required of of creativity require a lot of courage. 

00:14:21 Natalie Nixon 

So that that also is a fundamental mental goal of mine is to encourage. 

00:14:25 Charles Clark 

I I love that you brought that in I I wanna ask you this question for for someone who's listening and thinking about becoming a speaker and they're a little afraid because of the unknown. 

00:14:36 Charles Clark 

What would be the. 

00:14:37 Charles Clark 

That nugget of courage that you could give them to. 

00:14:41 Charles Clark 

To push forward. 

00:14:44 Natalie Nixon 

Well, I think it. 

00:14:46 Natalie Nixon 

It's it's really helpful whenever we are on the verge of taking a leap. 

00:14:54 Natalie Nixon 

As I as. 

00:14:55 Natalie Nixon 

I read a lot about there's this expression I I made-up, which is might be helpful for people to remember, which is that if you are 50% terrified. 

00:15:04 Natalie Nixon 

And 50% exhilarated, then leap, then go for it, because the terror anchors you the. 

00:15:12 Natalie Nixon 

Sure ensures that you have dotted your eyes and. 

00:15:16 Natalie Nixon 

You've crossed your T. 

00:15:17 Natalie Nixon 

's the exhilaration keeps you optimistic and buoyant and and dreaming and and and hopeful and. 

00:15:25 Natalie Nixon 

You need both, so so that's. 

00:15:27 Natalie Nixon 

One thing and the other thing. 

00:15:29 Natalie Nixon 

I would really just encourage people to do is. 

00:15:33 Natalie Nixon 

Whenever we are at that precipice, of of venturing into the an unknown. 

00:15:37 Natalie Nixon 

Known, just try to take inventory. 

00:15:40 Natalie Nixon 

I call it the inventory of courage. 

00:15:42 Natalie Nixon 

Try to take inventory, reflect back on it might for me it goes all the way. 

00:15:46 Natalie Nixon 

Back to age 6. 

00:15:48 Natalie Nixon 

It you know it could go really far back for a person. 

00:15:50 Natalie Nixon 

When was the first time you dredged up that courage to do something that scared you that was new? 

00:15:57 Natalie Nixon 

And then he realized that was evidence for you to do the next thing, and the next thing, which for me, when I traced it back to being six years old in the public school playground where a girl would bully me every day and one day she she shoved in front of me and like we had to line up before we, you know, went inside the school building at the end. 

00:16:14 Natalie Nixon 

In recess and I. 

00:16:15 Natalie Nixon 

Tapped her on the. 

00:16:16 Natalie Nixon 

Shoulder and I said, why did you just bust? 

00:16:17 Natalie Nixon 

In front of me. 

00:16:18 Natalie Nixon 

And lied and she. 

00:16:19 Natalie Nixon 

Said I was very polite and she said. 

00:16:23 Natalie Nixon 

What you going to do kick my ****? 

00:16:25 Natalie Nixon 

And then she turned her back. 

00:16:26 Natalie Nixon 

On me and I was very. 

00:16:28 Natalie Nixon 

Literal, so I thought. 

00:16:29 Natalie Nixon 

That's not right, so I went to the. 

00:16:31 Natalie Nixon 

Back of the line I. 

00:16:32 Natalie Nixon 

Took a running start. 

00:16:34 Natalie Nixon 

And I kicked her in the **** and she never bothered me again. 

00:16:37 Natalie Nixon 

So that helped me. 

00:16:39 Natalie Nixon 

For the next time I needed. 

00:16:39 

Wait a minute, wait a minute. 

00:16:41 Charles Clark 

That's when you knew you were a track star first. 

00:16:43 Charles Clark 

Of all that's right. 

00:16:44 Natalie Nixon 

First of all, right first of all, but then that helped me for a a very challenging time later in 4th grade where I was essentially integrated. 

00:16:54 Natalie Nixon 

A a predominantly white school in a suburb of Philadelphia and then that helped. 

00:16:59 Natalie Nixon 

With the next thing. 

00:17:00 Natalie Nixon 

And all the way up to decades later, leaving a 16 year career in academia as a professor and becoming a full time entrepreneur. 

00:17:09 Natalie Nixon 

So we we actually have evidence in our lives of all of these different moments. 

00:17:15 Natalie Nixon 

When we had to build courage, so take stock of that. 

00:17:19 Charles Clark 

Yeah, I, I think that's so true. 

00:17:22 Charles Clark 

For me, I think that the more you you practice courage, the stronger you get to handle something of of a much larger, larger magnitude, right? 

00:17:32 Charles Clark 

You can't just I feel like that. 

00:17:34 Charles Clark 

You just can't jump into something. 

00:17:37 Charles Clark 

You know, like this omnipresent like massive goal that you have. 

00:17:43 Charles Clark 

Without going into those little courages like without going into the daily deposits of like I got, I got a little courage today, you know, so I that. 

00:17:50 Charles Clark 

That resonates a lot with me because I think it it. It started back for me. It started with track because someone always said like you can't run three events. You know the hundred 200 and 400 and the first time I did it was. 

00:18:03 Charles Clark 

My 8th grade year and that's when we had cities, you know, cities. 

00:18:07 Charles Clark 

All the athletes come out and I was running against Percy. 

00:18:11 Charles Clark 

Then he ran he well. 

00:18:13 Charles Clark 

He played football for the NFL and we were always competitive and that was the first time I I had courage. 

00:18:20 Charles Clark 

I was cramping up after but after I did it I was like. 

00:18:25 Charles Clark 

I'm strong, I can, right and it and it it just framed my mindset that maybe maybe almost anything is possible, right? 

00:18:32 Natalie Nixon 

That's right, and as you said. 

00:18:34 Natalie Nixon 

These are deposits that accumulate over time. 

00:18:39 Charles Clark 

So so tell me about. 

00:18:41 Charles Clark 

Tell me about a moment where you on the stage your most memorable moment on the stage. 

00:18:46 Charles Clark 

What happened and where were you? 

00:18:50 Natalie Nixon 

I think one of the most memorable moments on stage was. 

00:18:54 Natalie Nixon 

The Ted X Philadelphia. 

00:18:56 Natalie Nixon 

Talk I gave in 2014. 

00:18:59 Natalie Nixon 

My father had passed away. 

00:19:03 Natalie Nixon 

It was really just a. 

00:19:04 Natalie Nixon 

Year and a half earlier which. 

00:19:06 Natalie Nixon 

So it was still very raw for for. 

00:19:08 Natalie Nixon 

For us and my family. 

00:19:09 Natalie Nixon 

He he died of cancer and I said he was only 71 because 71 is a relatively it's not old. 

00:19:15 Natalie Nixon 

Old yet so. 

00:19:17 Natalie Nixon 

And and the reason that matters is because. 

00:19:21 Natalie Nixon 

My father was a big jazz head and I I ended up integrating principles from jazz improvisation into my PhD thesis, which was super nerdy and academically and a lot of the purpose of my TEDx Philadelphia talk was to translate the bigger ideas from my research. 

00:19:42 Natalie Nixon 

Into this talk again to inspire and to get people tactical skills. 

00:19:46 Natalie Nixon 

And well, I had I taught every day I stand up in front of people all the time. 

00:19:51 Natalie Nixon 

I've I've spoken at conferences. 

00:19:53 Natalie Nixon 

There was something so intimidating to me about the Ted X Red circle carpet and we had all this coaching and rehearsing beforehand. 

00:20:02 Natalie Nixon 

It was really well curated and. 

00:20:07 Natalie Nixon 

I remember I had a bit of a panic attack and a meltdown the night before at the kitchen table with my husband and I said. 

00:20:14 Natalie Nixon 

This is going to be terrible. 

00:20:16 Natalie Nixon 

I'm going to be the worst speaker. 

00:20:17 Natalie Nixon 

People aren't gonna think what I have to say matters or it's valuable. 

00:20:21 Natalie Nixon 

And I, I mean, I was just a hot mess and and. 

00:20:23 Natalie Nixon 

My my my. 

00:20:24 Natalie Nixon 

Father, my husband said think about my father. 

00:20:26 Natalie Nixon 

My husband said basically girl please, you'll be fine. 

00:20:30 Natalie Nixon 

You've done this this this this you're good and. 

00:20:35 Natalie Nixon 

You need to sleep. 

00:20:36 Natalie Nixon 

You need to. 

00:20:36 Natalie Nixon 

Just relax and. 

00:20:38 Charles Clark 

For the bed. 

00:20:40 Natalie Nixon 

Exactly exactly pretty much, and you know he was there the next day. 

00:20:45 Natalie Nixon 

My mother was there, friends, graduate students were. 

00:20:48 Natalie Nixon 

There and it it was like a. 

00:20:51 Natalie Nixon 

Dream I I I I I. 

00:20:53 Natalie Nixon 

Was so nervous I ventured onto stage. 

00:20:57 Natalie Nixon 

I used my visual slides as cues and and I told the story of that really started with my father and this incredible through line. 

00:21:05 Natalie Nixon 

Of have had. 

00:21:07 Natalie Nixon 

Growing up with jazz. 

00:21:08 Natalie Nixon 

Music in the home and and unbeknownst to me, that would become my theoretical construct to help people think about how. 

00:21:15 Natalie Nixon 

The future work is. 

00:21:16 Natalie Nixon 

Jazz and how our organizations have have to be design. 

00:21:19 Natalie Nixon 

And more improvisationally. 

00:21:21 Natalie Nixon 

That was a really big moment for me and I'm I'm very grateful for the opportunity because it really was a platform that helped for me to share. 

00:21:34 Natalie Nixon 

As Ted's goal is is is is to share ideas broadly and widely. 

00:21:39 Charles Clark 

I I'm I'm curious to know like what did that do for you to? 

00:21:45 Charles Clark 

To recognize like there was fear that was taking control of me. 

00:21:50 Charles Clark 

And then to step into that fear and to actually do something that that you didn't think was possible at first. 

00:21:56 Charles Clark 

What what was that like? 

00:21:59 Natalie Nixon 

Well in a. 

00:22:00 Natalie Nixon 

Lot of ways. 

00:22:00 Natalie Nixon 

I I I did. 

00:22:01 Natalie Nixon 

What you and I just finished talking about you called the deposits occurred to talk about that. 

00:22:07 Natalie Nixon 

Create this inventory of courage. 

00:22:08 Natalie Nixon 

I actually went. 

00:22:09 Natalie Nixon 

Back to my my. 

00:22:10 Natalie Nixon 

Dance performance experiences where I'm always. 

00:22:14 Natalie Nixon 

I've always been nervous right before I go on to stage. 

00:22:17 Natalie Nixon 

And right and and and and research shows like you actually should be a little bit nervous. 

00:22:24 Natalie Nixon 

Because that adrenaline is really what helps. 

00:22:27 Natalie Nixon 

You to be. 

00:22:28 Natalie Nixon 

Buoyant and to to be. 

00:22:29 Natalie Nixon 

On top of your your game. 

00:22:31 Natalie Nixon 

So for me it was a reminder of. 

00:22:35 Natalie Nixon 

In some ways you've been here before. 

00:22:38 Natalie Nixon 

You are totally capable of this, and it's it's. 

00:22:42 Natalie Nixon 

Speaking is a uniquely. 

00:22:47 Natalie Nixon 

Firm is it? 

00:22:47 Natalie Nixon 

Is it experience that is uniquely. 

00:22:49 Natalie Nixon 

Rooted in the present. 

00:22:51 Natalie Nixon 

Right while you can prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare, like I never memorized my talks like I. 

00:22:56 Natalie Nixon 

I literally can't memorize my talks, it doesn't. 

00:22:59 Natalie Nixon 

So how my brain works I I have kind of touch points, I'm very visual and so it is an incredibly. 

00:23:07 Natalie Nixon 

Live in the moment. 

00:23:09 Natalie Nixon 

Experience a flow and so a lot of what I had to do was trust the process. 

00:23:16 Natalie Nixon 

As we say in Philly with the Sixers, but I also had to, you know, trust everything that had brought me up to this moment in time, trust my capabilities and and trust that the audience will be there. 

00:23:30 Natalie Nixon 

And the and I have to say I still remember that audience. 

00:23:33 Natalie Nixon 

The audience was so beautiful they were so loving. 

00:23:37 Natalie Nixon 

They were so encouraging. 

00:23:38 Natalie Nixon 

They were so happy they were they were with me in the moments where I would. 

00:23:44 Natalie Nixon 

Say something is a little funny. 

00:23:45 Natalie Nixon 

They're with me at the moment where they they could since I was getting a little deeper and serious about things. 

00:23:50 Natalie Nixon 

So the. 

00:23:50 Natalie Nixon 

Audience matters so much as well. 

00:23:53 Charles Clark 

Yeah, your your tribe, your tribe set your vibe and you. 

00:23:56 Charles Clark 

Know as as. 

00:23:56 Charles Clark 

You were talking it kind of made me think about like what, what, fear and and maybe the the potential of anxiety. 

00:24:05 Charles Clark 

I look at fear. 

00:24:06 Charles Clark 

I look at anxiety and excitement on the same spectrum, but one of the things I kind of see. 

00:24:12 Charles Clark 

He is like when when we feel fear or we feel that excitement and anxiety. 

00:24:18 Charles Clark 

That's a little overwhelming. 

00:24:19 Charles Clark 

It's kind of like a start a a car starting up like when that car is starting up it takes a lot and it it's like you know it's like you know it it's it's tuning up to get to that place of of having that smooth sail and. 

00:24:33 Charles Clark 

So speakers as you're listening to this like there's gonna be so many moments where you just feel like oh. 

00:24:39 Charles Clark 

Man this is. 

00:24:39 Charles Clark 

Just overwhelming there's 100 people in the room. There's 1000 people in the room. 

00:24:43 Charles Clark 

But that's just you tuning up you. 

00:24:45 Charles Clark 

You know you're you're getting ready to to turn that car on, and when you get it started, you know, just understand it's gonna be a smooth sail like this is the place that you're called to be. 

00:24:55 Charles Clark 

Oh man, that that. 

00:24:55 Charles Clark 

Just excites me. 

00:24:56 Natalie Nixon 

I love that I love that that that's. 

00:24:58 Natalie Nixon 

A really wonderful metaphor. 

00:25:01 Charles Clark 

Thank you, thank you. 

00:25:02 Charles Clark 

So I wanna ask you if you could meet any speaker out there. 

00:25:07 Charles Clark 

Who would that speaker be and what would you ask him or her? 

00:25:17 Natalie Nixon 

I love Brené Brown, I love her work. 

00:25:21 Natalie Nixon 

I would like. 

00:25:21 Natalie Nixon 

To know how did she get to the point of. 

00:25:23 Natalie Nixon 

Having a Netflix. 

00:25:24 Natalie Nixon 

Special, but I would want. 

00:25:25 Natalie Nixon 

To know I I love that she is a woman in her field who. 

00:25:33 Natalie Nixon 

Comes from academia, so so she she's. 

00:25:36 Natalie Nixon 

She's smart, she's. 

00:25:37 Natalie Nixon 

Scholarly and she is so good at translating, you know, material that they could be dense into very meaningful ways, and she she clearly has a business sensibility which. 

00:25:53 Natalie Nixon 

I approached my. 

00:25:54 Natalie Nixon 

Work with that with that same mindset that this is my business, this is my profession. 

00:26:00 Natalie Nixon 

This is my work and so yeah, I, I she. 

00:26:05 Natalie Nixon 

She's definitely one who'd be on the. 

00:26:06 Natalie Nixon 

Top of my list. 

00:26:07 Charles Clark 

Love it, love it Natalie. 

00:26:09 Charles Clark 

Before we go we're gonna try and find. 

00:26:12 Natalie Nixon 

Please check out Figure 8 think.ing.com. That's the word figure, the number 8 think.ing.com and people can feel free to download a free sample chapter of my newest book. 

00:26:26 Natalie Nixon 

Called the creativity. 

00:26:27 Natalie Nixon 

Leap and join the ever Wonder newsletter. 

00:26:31 Natalie Nixon 

Going to be launching a course. 

00:26:33 Natalie Nixon 

In a few months I'll be in late spring, early summer of 2021, called the Wonder Rigor Lab. So if you joined the the newsletter that you'll be on. 

00:26:42 Natalie Nixon 

Top of all of that information. 

00:26:44 Natalie Nixon 

And and definitely just stay in touch, give me feedback on the book. 

00:26:47 Natalie Nixon 

If you have an opportunity to read it. 

00:26:49 Natalie Nixon 

And thanks so. 

00:26:49 Natalie Nixon 

Much for having me Charles. 

00:26:50 Charles Clark 

No problem, show off that book 1. 

00:26:52 Charles Clark 

Time for me. 

00:26:54 Natalie Nixon 

Oh sure, it's it's behind me and I. 

00:26:57 Natalie Nixon 

Also have a a copy. 

00:26:59 

Right here, so yeah. 

00:27:01 Charles Clark 

Boom, love it. 

00:27:05 Charles Clark 

I hope you enjoyed today's episode. 

00:27:07 Charles Clark 

Click the follow button to be notified for more episodes. 

00:27:09 Charles Clark 

And if you're interested in learning how to overcome the struggle of stage fright, write that life story in speech or how to become that paid speaker. 

00:27:17 Charles Clark 

Enrollment is now open to the journey to pay so we can games Academy. Head to the Charles clark.com/apply. It's time that you speak even if your voice shakes. I'll catch you guys. 

00:27:29 Charles Clark 

On the next episode.