Podcast 10: the hype around VGB

0:00:13 – (Amanda Wright): This is YOUR special time. You’re listening to the official podcast of Amanda Wright. This is your special time, sharing suggestions and insights for your happier, healthier, inspired life. I’m coming to you today from Perth in beautiful, sunny Western Australia. Nobody wants anything from you right now, so tune in and enjoy this episode. You’ll find me on www.HypnoGenie.com and on all the podcast channels.

0:00:55 – (Amanda Wright): Hypnogeni is spelled H Y P N O G E N I E. Amanda Wright Podcast.

0:01:05 – (Richard Sinclair): Welcome to this is your special time, the podcast where we explore how to use the power of your subconscious mind to create real, lasting change. I’m Richard Sinclair and I’m here with clinical hypnotherapist and subconscious mind expert Amanda Wright. Amanda, lovely to be with you again.

0:01:28 – (Amanda Wright): Hi, Richard. It’s good to be here. Today’s topic is one I’m really passionate about. It has a bit of a personal story and that’s why so many women will relate to it.

0:01:43 – (Richard Sinclair): Absolutely. And it’s something I see often, too.

0:01:47 – (Amanda Wright): Today.

0:01:47 – (Richard Sinclair): Today we’re talking about public speaking and how fear, self doubt, or old subconscious blocks can get in the way of your voice. Whether it’s presenting in the workplace, speaking on stage, or just finding your voice in meetings, this episode is for you. Amanda, take us back. You’re a confident speaker now, but that confidence started somewhere very personal, didn’t it?

0:02:17 – (Amanda Wright): You’re right, Richard. You may not know this about me, but I wasn’t always confident. When I was speaking as a child, I was shy, withdrawn, and sometimes bullied. But my father, who was a big influence on my life, had this simple, powerful philosophy. Whenever something happened, he encouraged me to speak up, to explain and be heard. The practice that basically I repeated daily helped shape my voice, both literally and figuratively.

0:02:58 – (Amanda Wright): And it changed the way I saw myself. It made me realize that when you speak, you take your place in the world. I remember being just about 15, applying to be a Rotary exchange student. There I was in a room of over a dozen adults being interviewed. Now that was daunting. But I showed up, I spoke up, and I succeeded. That experience led me to a transformative year in the Philippines at a very young age.

0:03:37 – (Amanda Wright): Imagine a young Aussie girl living in a culturally rich, diverse environment, regularly asked to speak at community events and social functions. It was incredible and it shaped me. And when I returned home after a year of being in the Philippines, I entered a public speaking competition just for fun, because nobody else would do it at the school. And to my surprise, I aced the impromptu category. And what I learned then and now is this.

0:04:14 – (Amanda Wright): Public speaking isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being present. It’s about being heard, having an opinion and trusting your voice.

0:04:29 – (Richard Sinclair): That’s such a powerful early example, Amanda. It really shows how small moments of encouragement, like your dad’s words, can create a deep internal shift. And that stayed with you, didn’t it? Even into your professional life?

0:04:46 – (Amanda Wright): Absolutely, Richard. Throughout my career in engineering, construction and safety management, I found myself speaking to rooms full of people. Sometimes teams, sometimes executives, sometimes entire departments. Big workplace sites. I had to inspire, inform and lead people. I had to speak clearly, calmly and confidently. But what I noticed, especially amongst women, was even the most competent professionals often doubted their voice.

0:05:26 – (Amanda Wright): They feared being judged, going blank or not being good enough. And now, as a hypnotherapist, I see it every week, especially with women looking to improve their public speaking confidence in the workplace.

0:05:44 – (Richard Sinclair): And I imagine so many listeners are nodding along right now because that’s something people don’t often talk about openly. It’s not about lack of knowledge, it’s a deep fear of being seen and heard, especially in professional spaces. So let’s dig deeper. What’s happening in the brain when this fear of speaking takes over?

0:06:10 – (Amanda Wright): Fear of public speaking activates the amygdala, the brain’s threat detection centre. It interprets social judgment as potential danger, especially if you’d had past experience of being embarrassed, criticised or silenced. That’s often the case for many people who have these concerns. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex, the main part of the brain responsible for language, logic and clarity, can go offline while the stress response is triggered.

0:06:55 – (Amanda Wright): That’s why people say, I blank out or I can’t think straight. But here’s the good news. The brain is neuroplastic, meaning it can change. We can train new responses through hypnosis. With repetition, hypnosis and tools that regulate the nervous system, we can desensitize that threat loop in the amygdala, strengthen the calm response circuits through breath, posture and anchoring cues, and recondition the subconscious to see speaking not as a threat, but as a familiar, empowering experience.

0:07:46 – (Amanda Wright): Recent research has shown that mental rehearsal, imagining success with strong emotional engagement, activates the same neural pathways as real life experience. This is exactly what we do in hypnosis, in hypnotherapy. And over time, the mind begins to say, I’ve done this, I can do this again.

0:08:18 – (Richard Sinclair): And that’s what makes hypnotherapy such a Powerful tool for building public speaking confidence. It’s not surface level, it. It’s subconscious reprogramming. That sticks.

0:08:31 – (Amanda Wright): Exactly. Even in my business group that meets weekly, I see people freeze and it’s never because they don’t know their subject. It’s because their nervous system hasn’t yet learned to feel safe being seen. This is why I always say it’s not just a mindset issue, it’s a subconscious issue. And when we work at that level, that subconscious level, then the transformation is real and the transformation stays.

0:09:08 – (Richard Sinclair): Which brings us to your new program, From Silence to Strength. Tell us what that’s all about.

0:09:17 – (Amanda Wright): This program came from what I see over and over again, capable, insightful women who just need the right support to speak with confidence. From Silence to strength. It’s about confidence in public speaking for women. This four week hypnotherapy masterclass is designed to clear the subconscious fear, build inner calm and support your voice with real, embodied, practiced confidence. It’s ideal for women in leadership roles, business owners, presenters, or anyone looking to improve their speaking presence.

0:10:05 – (Amanda Wright): Whether in meetings, on camera, or in person, or in front of a live audience with a large or small group of people. We work with hypnosis, breath and body anchoring, mental rehearsal, somatic awareness, and powerful subconscious rescripting. I know the names sound daunting, but you don’t need to be concerned about that. They’re the range of techniques that we use because we want this to be a whole package.

0:10:42 – (Richard Sinclair): So whether it’s a pitch, a panel, or just a team update, this is for women who want to feel calm, clear and credible when they speak.

0:10:53 – (Amanda Wright): You’re absolutely right. When you feel grounded in your own voice, you stop trying to impress and you start to connect. It’s a whole different feeling.

0:11:07 – (Richard Sinclair): So tell us, Amanda, who would benefit most? From Silence to Strength.

0:11:14 – (Amanda Wright): It’s for any women who’ve ever frozen before having to speak in a meeting. Women who avoid speaking in a group or have left a conversation thinking, why didn’t I say what I really meant? You don’t need to be on stage. It’s about showing up fully in business, in leadership and in life. It’s about building a voice that feels authentic, powerful and truly yours, Amanda.

0:11:51 – (Richard Sinclair): It’s been powerful hearing your story and how this program supports women from the inside out. So where can listeners go to find out more?

0:12:02 – (Amanda Wright): To find out more about From Silence to Strength, my four session hypnotherapy program for women who want to speak with confidence in public, you can visit hypnogenie.com au that’s h y p n o g e n I e or follow the link in the show notes. And of course feel free to contact me directly. I’d love to hear your story.

0:12:38 – (Richard Sinclair): So if you’ve ever walked away from a moment thinking I should have spoken up, this is your invitation to change that.

0:12:47 – (Amanda Wright): Thank you Amanda and thank you once again Richard and to everyone listening to this is your special Time Amanda Wright Podcast this is your special Time. Thanks for listening to this official podcast of Amanda Wright. This is your special Time. I hope you’ve enjoyed our time together of me sharing suggestions and insights for you for your happier, healthier, inspired life. Have a fabulous week, feeling absolutely fantastic, better than you felt in ages and be sure to tune in next time.

0:13:31 – (Amanda Wright): You’ll find me on www.hypnogenie h y p n o g e n I e.com au and on all the podcast channels.