About
On. Off. On again. And then, off again.
For more years than I care to remember, my relationship with my voice was dysfunctional—and deeply dissatisfying.
I would have moments where I stepped one-hundred percent into my moxie. I’d speak out about an injustice. Nominate myself for an opportunity. Champion a change initiative. Deliver a keynote.
Then, just weeks—and sometimes days or even hours later—I would do something to undermine my confidence. To chip away at my power.
Whether I apologized unwittingly for a mistake that wasn’t my own or swallowed an idea before testing it out on an audience, my sense of self—and ultimately my sense of worthiness—would diminish.
As a recovering serial overachiever, I’ve never been short on accolades or press hits. Yet, until I hit my thirties, I lacked the understanding that heart-centered, high impact communication and unshakeable stage presence is more about the inner work than it is about finding the right words, employing the right body language or telling the most illuminating stories.
“When we develop the capacity to stand before an audience and allow ourselves to be truly seen, our relationship to our inner and outer voice fundamentally shifts for the better.”
- from Step into Your Moxie: Amplify Your Voice, Visibility, and Influence in the World
Once I overcame my near debilitating fear of public speaking (and visibility), I knew I had to show others how to do the same.
I live by the belief that if we want to use our communication and influence to engineer extraordinary results in our companies, communities and in the world, we MUST stop prioritizing action steps over kind and forgiving self-talk. We MUST use our communication to build mutually beneficial relationships, rather than go at our goals alone. And if we are really serious about moving other people to take brilliant and bold action on our ideas, we MUST use clear, compelling and compassionate speech to show them how to do it.
Whether I am keynoting a conference, leading a Spotlight speaker coaching program or delivering my Step into Your Moxie® curriculum onsite at an organization, my work is showing entrepreneurs, business leaders, consultants and change makers how to fall (back) in love with their voices, unapologetically speak up and out on stages, in meetings and in interpersonal communication so they can leave the legacy they were put on this wacky, wonderful earth to make.
Are you (or your organization) ready to step into your moxie and use speaking to move people to take action on your important ideas? Let’s do it together.
GRAB MY FREE AUDIO TRAINING: Master the Five Communication Behaviors to Move Any Audience to Take Action
Alexia Vernon Empowerment, LLC is a family-led business, founded by Alexia Vernon in 2007, and co-run with her partner in business and in life, Stephen Oliveira.
Branded a “Moxie Maven” by President Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement for her unique and effective approach to empowering women’s professional success, Alexia is the author of Step into Your Moxie: Amplify Your Voice Visibility, and Influence in the World. A sought-after speaker, coach, consultant and media contributor, Alexia is the creator and leader of multiple speaker training programs and has delivered transformational keynotes and corporate trainings for Fortune 500 companies and professional associations, spoken at the United Nations, delivered a TEDx talk on the future of feminism, and been featured by media including CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., and Women’s Health.
A former biologist and environmental justice organizer with vast experience leading environmental consulting projects and teams, Stephen oversees client care, speaker bookings, corporate engagements, live training events and retreats.
