The fear hiding underneath the fear of public speaking with Aleksandra Plazinic

You can love the stage and still worry that someone will realise you don't belong there. Aleksandra Plazinic knows that feeling, and she's written a book about it.

This week, Serena Reynolds and Sara Ferrer welcome Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic, communications coach, lecturer and author of From Fear to Fearless Female Speaker. She set out to write about public speaking and recognised her own imposter syndrome in the pages: the overpreparing, the proving and the question of whether she'd done enough to earn the room's approval.

If you've ever replayed a presentation in your head, cringed at your recorded voice or read too much into someone's expression, this conversation will feel familiar. Aleksandra explains why confidence starts before delivery, and why trying to please everyone can get in the way of sharing something useful.

You'll hear about:

Moving from proving yourself to serving your audience.Owning your accomplishments instead of immediately chasing the next goal.Starting with your body when your mind is busy telling you everything that could go wrong.Finding an outfit that helps you feel confident, without losing yourself in the preparation.Giving yourself room to pause, think and sound like a human being.

Along the way, Serena and Sara share their own speaking insecurities, question the pressure women face over their appearance and discover that even an embarrassing childhood haircut has a place in this discussion.

Follow Fearless & Flawed for more honest conversations with women who own their imperfections. Explore more episodes and join the conversation at fearlessandflawed.com.