A Soft Place to Practice with Danielle Barnes

Strong Feelings

Design and tech events need more diverse lineups. But getting on stage? That's a big hurdle. Women Talk Design CEO Danielle Barnes joins us to talk about how to get over it by giving yourself “a soft place to practice.”

Women Talk Design is on a mission to see a more diverse group of speakers onstage, and a more diverse group of leaders thriving in their workplaces. CEO Danielle Barnes shares her story of joining and building the organization from a speaker directory to a set of flagship programs and events designed to build a safe, welcoming community and elevate the voices of women and non-binary people.

One of the things that drives me to do this work is that I truly believe everyone should be able to see someone onstage—or leading a meeting, or in the books that they're reading—that looks like them, that has similar experiences to them, and think that that can be them as well.

—Danielle Barnes, CEO, Women Talk Design

We talk about:

• The evolution of Women Talk Design and how Danielle transitioned from volunteer to CEO
• The power and necessity of public speaking and finding your voice
• How to find and hone your “why”
• The importance of seeing yourself represented onstage and in media
• The myth of “waiting until you’re ready”

Plus: in this week’s You’ve Got This, Sara offers tips for how to lower the stakes for yourself while practicing a new skill—whether speaking, listening, or anything else. Get more tools at https://www.activevoicehq.com/podcast.

Links:

• Danielle Barnes
• Women Talk Design
• Present Yourself Intensive (starting January 12)
• Active Voice