Finding My Voice as an Educational Leader

In 2021, after spending 21 years as a high school social studies teacher, I transitioned into a central office role in my school district. With this role came new responsibilities—and intimidating public speaking opportunities. I was required to regularly speak in front of school teams, including teachers who worked for my programs, fellow members of the central office leadership team, and, once, the school nurses.

Thinking back to the presentation for the nurses still makes me cringe with embarrassment. I watched other leaders speak confidently and wanted to do the same. However, my presentations were full of filler words, awkward pauses, and a lack of focus. Regardless of my preparation, I could not get the results I wanted, and I was frustrated with myself.

In February 2024, I experienced a profound loss with the death of my sister. For months afterward I thought about the fragility of life. Were there things I wanted to do but kept putting off? The answer was yes. Even though my public speaking had improved, I still had room for further growth. With the support of my family, I found a local Toastmasters club.

Northern Piedmont Toastmasters in Warrenton, Virginia, was small but incredibly supportive. The meetings were a bright spot on my calendar and a place to focus on my learning. As a result, my confidence and skills grew. It was comforting having a place to discuss how nervous or awkward public speaking could be and having the support of every person in the room who was also improving themselves.

Within six months I was elected Vice President Public Relations and started the club’s first LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. I wanted everyone to know the skills and confidence the club was providing me were available to anyone who wanted to pursue their own learning path.

One club member and Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) was incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. She was a master of evaluations, able to articulate both micro and macro points for improvement. She taught me how to pause and breathe when I had the urge to use a filler word. She also taught me about the power of structuring my speech around three key points to engage the audience. Her feedback was critical to my ability to build upon the strengths of each speech, identify areas of growth, and reach mastery.

After a few months, she inspired me to look for additional ways to grow in Toastmasters, and I began researching the DTM designation. It was a lofty goal and a serious commitment, but one I wanted to pursue.

In August 2025, I joined Hear Me Roar, an online and women-focused club. By joining an additional club, I improved faster and began to achieve the requirements necessary to earn the DTM designation. Plus, speaking in an online forum requires different skills from speaking in person. This club also has an incredible DTM who helped guide me through the uniqueness of online speeches.

My Toastmasters experience spilled over into my job as well. I became more comfortable presenting to large groups, speaking in front of division leadership, facilitating difficult conversations, and representing my programs with confidence. The techniques I learned through Toastmasters—impromptu speaking, reducing filler words, and delivering with purpose—have become essential tools in my daily work as an educational leader.

Joining two Toastmasters clubs has accelerated my growth in ways I never expected. I’ve grown into a stronger communicator and a more intentional leader. I’ve joined the boards of two local nonprofits and have taken on leadership roles, which allows me to speak on behalf of each organization and lead fundraising training. Additionally, I recently took on the Area Director role. As I continue working toward my DTM goal, I know each meeting, each speech, and each role brings me one step closer to the speaker and person I want to become.

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