Showing Up as You When the Stakes are High

Showing Up as You When the Stakes are High

From Be Truly Heard by Anne Leatherland

March 19, 2026 · 21 min · Episode 71

About this episode

Anne Leatherland discusses how high-stakes speaking situations affect the nervous system and offers practical strategies for vocal control under pressure.

In this episode of Be Truly Heard , Anne Leatherland explores what really happens when high-stakes speaking situations send your nervous system into overdrive. From meetings and interviews to client calls and presentations, she explains why your body can react as if you’re facing danger, and how that stress response affects breath, pitch, vocal steadiness and confidence. Rather than relying on “just be confident” advice, Anne shares a more practical approach: regulating the nervous system so your voice can reflect your real capability, even when the pressure is on. She unpacks the fight, flight, freeze and fawn responses, shows how adrenaline and cortisol can interfere with vocal control, and introduces the idea of nervous system leadership, guiding your internal state so your voice stays grounded, calm and authoritative. Through a simple do-along exercise using breath, pacing, pitch and physical grounding, she demonstrates how small shifts in the body can help the voice settle and the speaker feel safer, steadier and more present. Key Takeaways High-stakes speaking can trigger an ancient survival response. Your nervous system doesn’t always know the difference between a lion and…

People in this episode

Host: Anne Leatherland

Topics covered

  • high-stakes speaking
  • nervous system
  • vocal control
  • stress response
  • confidence
  • breath regulation

Keywords

  • high-stakes speaking
  • nervous system leadership
  • stress response
  • vocal steadiness
  • confidence
  • breath control
  • adrenaline
  • cortisol

More episodes of Be Truly Heard

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Be Truly Heard podcast page.