Annelise McCarthy: Taking up Space, Quietly

Speaking in front of people is one of the world’s most common fears. Yet much of the advice we’re given still sounds remarkably simple: just speak up.

Speaking coach Annelise McCarthy, founder of You’re On Mute, has spent years helping professionals communicate with greater confidence. After coaching thousands of people and leading a national speaking tour across Australia, she argues that confident communication isn’t about becoming louder, it’s about reducing the gap between what you think and what you actually say.

Together, we explore:

• Why many people aren’t actually “bad at speaking”

• The gap between thinking and speaking

• How to develop thought-to-speech fluency

• Why confidence follows action, not the other way around

• What “taking up space” really looks like

The conversation also explores the quieter side of public speaking: self-doubt, preparation, and the internal work that happens long before anyone steps onto a stage.