"Name one woman you know who isn't playing small," my friend asked me.
I didn't miss a beat. "I can name 50."
The truth is, I'd have to think hard to come up with a woman in my community who IS playing small. And that wasn't always the picture at Speaker Slam®.
The Night It Started
On October 19, 2016, Dan Shaikh and I held our breath wondering if anyone would show up at Revival nightclub in Toronto. Dan and I had met in a speaking group, and we had spent months visiting other people's events trying to find the gap. Slowly, people filtered in and filled the room. Our judges arrived. I couldn't believe I had gotten Farley Flex from Canadian Idol. What an acquisition!
Then the speakers arrived. 8 men and 2 women.
I wondered if we would struggle to get women to compete.
Today, in our tenth year, 70% of our speakers are women.
It happened one season at a time. Here is what I have seen from the side of the stage, and what it means for any woman thinking about public speaking.
The Night the Competition Changed
Something else happened at that first event. The speeches were SO good. They were vulnerable and personal and, most of all, inspiring. Instantly, our Speaking Competition became an INSPIRATIONAL Speaking Competition.
That shift defined everything that followed. An inspirational speech is built on a personal story and ends with a universal truth for the audience. Nobody wins by being the loudest voice in the room or by lecturing. If you want to understand the format, read my guide to inspirational vs motivational speakers.
I can't tell you exactly why more women step forward every season. What I can tell you is who keeps walking through the door: experts, coaches, authors and entrepreneurs who have done meaningful work and are ready to be recognized for it.
"I Can Name 50"
Back to my friend's question. She is dedicated to helping women who are struggling with their self-worth and limiting beliefs, and that work matters. But it isn't what I see every day.
I am surrounded by powerhouse women who have stepped up to compete at Speaker Slam®. That means they are ready to take center stage in their own lives. It means they are ready to be visible, seen and successful.
My group are writing books and speaking at TEDx. They are launching movements and getting paid to speak.
No... I don't know many women who are playing small.
I know women who are taking on the world.
Get to the Front of the Room
If there is one idea that explains why women keep choosing the stage, it's the one I teach most often. In February 2024, I spoke at FemCity Toronto with a session called Get to the Front of the Room, a framework for experts and entrepreneurs to take center stage and use speaking to build their brand.
The logic is simple. People hire, book and promote the person they see as the leader in a room, and the person at the front of the room is the one they see.
The moment you step on stage, people see you as an expert.
For so many women, that is the missing piece. They have the expertise and the results, but they have spent years doing great work quietly while someone else presented it. One speech changes how people see them.
Momentum begins at the front of the room.
The Rooms Where Women Are Speaking
Some of my proudest moments happen outside our own events. In November 2023, I gave a keynote at the WEDO Toronto Summit for Women's Entrepreneurship Day. In January 2024, I was a featured speaker at Ladies Who Dine in Mississauga, and that March I joined them again for International Women's Day with close to 50 incredible women.
Every one of those rooms had women in it who were one decision away from their own stage. That is the real measure for me. Our women speakers don't stay on our stage. They step onto other stages, start their own events and bring other women with them.
We Still Need Men
Here is the part people don't expect me to say. I want more men on our stage too.
Speaker Slam® has always been a mixed room. Men and women compete head to head and heart to heart, in front of mixed audiences, and the 70% figure simply describes who has stepped forward. It was never a target.
Back in 2023, after another season where the women continued to dominate, I put out a call that made a lot of people laugh: I need a man. No. I need many men.
I meant it then and I mean it now. Women-only rooms can give women a safe first place to practice being seen, and that matters. But the stage is open to everyone with a story worth telling. Right now, women are simply claiming more of it.
If You Are a Woman Thinking About Speaking
Start with one story. You don't need your whole life on stage. You need one moment that changed how you see things, and the message it taught you. My guide to finding your signature story shows you how.
Pair it with your expertise. A story makes people feel something. Your expertise gives them a reason to call you afterward. Together, they make you bookable.
Choose a supportive room for your first big stage. Speaker Slam® is where your fiercest competitor is also your biggest cheerleader! Competing alongside people who want you to win makes the first time far less lonely.
Stop waiting to feel ready. If not now, when? Look at what our alumni have gone on to do on our success page.
So tell me: who is the woman in your life who should be on a stage this year? And is it you? :)
Keep reading: How to Get Over Stage Fright: What Experienced Speakers Do Differently · How to Build Momentum as a Speaker After One Big Win
Your Next Step
If you have a story and the expertise to back it up, it's time to get to the front of the room. Join the women, and the men, who are building their brands one speech at a time.