# Showing Up as You When the Stakes are High

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/be-truly-heard-6747362/showing-up-as-you-when-the-stakes-are-high
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/be-truly-heard-6747362/showing-up-as-you-when-the-stakes-are-high.md
Podcast: [Be Truly Heard](https://stenobird.com/podcast/be-truly-heard-6747362)
Published: 2026-03-19T04:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://betrulyheardpodcast.co.uk
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/30ba2e91-5b01-44ed-aba9-18eda1006951.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/be-truly-heard-6747362/episodes/showing-up-as-you-when-the-stakes-are-high
Duration seconds: 1276

## Resource

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 a boardroom. Meetings, interviews and difficult calls can all activate protective stress responses that make speaking feel harder. Stress changes the voice as well as the body. When you’re dysregulated, breath becomes rapid, the throat can tighten, pitch may rise and the voice may wobble or lose power. That can make you sound less confident than you really are. “Just be confident” is not enough. Anne challenges surface-level advice like “just breathe” or “do a power pose” on their own. Real change comes from helping the body feel safe enough to move out of threat mode. Nervous system leadershi…

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## Transcript

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