“When you really dedicate yourself to something people will see it, people will start to pick up on it, people will start to resonate and it will come back to you.”
The words ‘stutter’ and ‘keynote speaker’ don’t really go hand in hand.
That is until you meet Shil Shanghavi and these words intertwine to create the theme of his life story.
In his words, he believes you need to ‘think about whatever your weakness is as a superpower’. Something he himself demonstrates on a daily basis as he navigates life and public speaking with a stutter.
To best understand Shil though, he takes us back to his childhood where he grew up in Mombasa, Kenya and has fond family memories but also difficult memories.
It’s these difficult memories that have given him both heart breaking stories but also a message to impact others.
Today he spends his time sharing many of his most difficult and darkest moments through keynote speaking as well as teaching key life principles when coaching others to become confident speakers.
From his arrival in Australia, to his battle with drug addiction and his fear of speaking; in this episode Shil walks us through how he used his mindset to loosen the grip of both his addiction and his fears.
It’s this approach that ultimately allowed him to go on to become the founder of his very own coaching business, Chatterbox Public Speaking which he runs in Perth, Western Australia.
On overcoming your fears Shil says, “If you want to do something, really want to do something. Put your mind to it 100%. It’s not easy. You will hear no more than you hear yes. You will have setbacks constantly….but if you strengthen your mindset and if you remind yourself that this (whatever it is you want to do) that this is what you want to do and you focus on that 100 percent. Block out the negativity. Amazing things can happen.”
Shil’s story will help you recognise fears can be overcome and no longer need to control you. No matter the setbacks life throws at you, you can choose to become what you want to be and live a life that embraces weakness as a superpower. What’s your superpower?
Connect with Shil
Website https://www.chatterboxps.com.au
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chatterboxps/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chatterboxps
IN SHIL’S WORDS
On drug addiction
“Unfortunately, I went down this path of… I wanted to do the cool thing, I wanted to be accepted by the cool kids but also it was a way of masking the anxieties I feel.”
On quitting drugs
“Then you see the destruction it’s causing. You realise this is not a good thing and if I don’t do this, no one else will.”
On his fear of public speaking
“The more I did it, I realised how difficult it is, how much it scared me, how much it would affect my mental state and anxiety and I would Isolate myself.”
“I need to build my confidence in this, I need to find a way to control my stutter and my speaking ability, build my confidence because unless I do this it will be very difficult to build my career.”
On coaching and speaking
“Seeing people that I work with get up on stage and do a talk is very fulfilling.”
“But now being able to pass that on and then seeing somebody take that and go ‘I can speak’ it’s pretty cool.”
On always fighting his stutter
“It’s tiring, but it’s the card that I’ve been dealt and it’s the technique I’ve now learnt to live with.”
On choosing to pursue your dreams and face your fears
“You live once, you have one shot at life, give it 100% full focus.”
“When you really dedicate yourself to something people will see it, people will start to pick up on it, people will start to resonate and it will come back to you.”
“It will be scary, you’ll question yourself, you’ll be forced to expose your vulnerability, you’ll be forced to expose your weakness.”
On vulnerability
“Own it. People respect you.”
“Accept it, own it, embrace it.”
“Think about whatever your weakness is as a superpower.”
Never miss an episode of Season 3. Subscribe to Uplifting Studios TV
Enjoying Season 3 and want more? Check out all the previous Uplifting Studios TV Seasons here.
With Love,
Annie
