When a Voice Becomes Courage

Every meaningful act of communication begins with a single decision: to step forward when staying silent would be easier.

Most of us were never taught how to stand in front of others and speak with clarity, conviction, or presence. For many, the very idea triggers a quiet dread, a fear of being seen, judged, or misunderstood, and in business, the stakes feel even higher.

You may need to brief a board, deliver a quarterly update, reassure a team, or win a client’s confidence. These moments look simple from the outside, yet countless professionals will tell you they’re anything but. When you haven’t been trained, public speaking becomes an act of bravery.

In October 2014, a young woman named Yeonmi Park stepped onto a stage and showed the world what courage truly looks like.

She wasn’t selling a product, presenting a strategy or trying to impress anyone.

She was telling the truth about surviving North Korea

Every time I hear her speak, she reaches a part of me that bypasses intellect and lands directly in the heart. Her words ignite empathy, anger, heartbreak, disbelief, and above all, awe. Awe that a young woman could stand before the world and recount life inside what she called “the darkest place on earth.”

At Mindful Presenter, we believe that connecting is everything, and Yeonmi Park embodies that principle more profoundly than most of us ever will.

Thankfully, almost no one reading this will ever have to summon the courage required to deliver a message like hers, but her example reminds us of something essential: our voice matters, and using it can change lives.

Most of us will never have to say:

• “We aren’t free to sing, say, wear or think what we want.”
• “I was abducted at birth.”

• “We were prepared to kill ourselves.”

• “I saw my friend’s mother executed for watching a Hollywood movie.”
• “I saw my mother raped.”
• “Seventy percent of North Korean women and girls are victimised or sold for as little as two hundred dollars.”
• “I thought nobody in this world cared.”

Imagine the strength it takes to relive those experiences publicly, not once, but again and again.

Yeonmi didn’t simply recount a harrowing story; she issued a call to action:

– Raise awareness of the human crisis in North Korea.

– Support refugees seeking freedom.

– Petition China to stop repatriation.

That is courage, not the absence of fear, but the decision to speak anyway.

So, the next time you feel anxious about a sales pitch, a leadership update, or a client presentation, remember this:

Public speaking takes courage, and courage grows when we choose to show up.

If you want to strengthen that courage:

– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.

– Get yourself some excellent presentation training