you’re a visionary woman craving to share your voice with the world

It all started when I was 9 years old. My family and I moved from my native city of Milan to a small town in the Italian Alps. I wasn’t prepared for the big changes to come. I’d been a very happy child in Milan, and I loved my teacher and friends at my Montessori school. I assumed everything would be just the same, only in a different geographical location.

But that was far from the truth …

When the first day of school came, I found myself surrounded by new teachers and students in a religious school that never felt welcoming.  I was the newcomer, the odd one out, and, on top of everything, the shy, introverted, and sensitive kid. Apart from a few moments of connection, I was never truly able to integrate in the new community.

Our move from Milan was the moment I stopped being a child and retreated into myself. In my mind, my authentic, loving, kind self had been rejected and made fun of, and I assumed there was something wrong with me, something that I should hide.

Silence became my safest option.

And so I became the quiet girl, the girl who never said a word and that no one noticed or remembered. I buried myself in books to escape the fact that people didn’t seem to know I existed. I learned to listen to others before listening to myself. And I grew terribly afraid that people would judge me for who I truly was. I decided that it wasn’t safe to be me and use my voice.

So, little by little, I forgot that I even had a voice …

As I retreated more and more into myself  through middle school and high school, I became terrified of anyone shining the spotlight on me, whether in class or at family gatherings. Every time it happened, I found myself sweating, hyperventilating, and my face turned bright red. Feeling like I was about to cry, I’d mumble a few confused words while feeling ashamed for being so inarticulate and clumsy, hence making myself even more silent.

While growing increasingly out of touch with my authentic voice, I became a pro at sharing other people’s ideas.

When I went away to college, I threw myself into studying, thinking that if I couldn’t speak, at least I could become really good at sharing other people’s ideas.

And I did become good, so good that I got accepted into a Ph.D program at an Ivy League University and quickly rose to the top of my class. I couldn’t avoid the spotlight anymore since I was being trained to become a professor. I had to be in front of students 5 days a week for 2 years straight -- it was terrifying (and a BIG stretch for my introverted self), but I had to find effective ways to manage my fears and grow into someone who was comfortable leading classes of up to 80 students.

I discovered that, despite my years of silence, I was a natural-born teacher and that I loved connecting with others through public speaking. I loved to communicate and inspire with my words, and I loved seeing students blossom and tap into their potential right in front of my eyes. I was still secretly anxious, but my successes and my students’ and colleagues’ positive feedback helped me gain confidence in myself and my abilities as a teacher and speaker.

To my surprise, I discovered that every time I spoke, people perceived me as a leader. I also found out that I was naturally charismatic and that people would hang onto my every word. Could this be true? I’d spent 20 years in hiding, feeling voiceless and powerless, only to discover that I was naturally charismatic and born to lead. Who would have guessed?

And, yet, I was still silent.

While I became a pro at my profession and gained the respect of my academic community, I felt that I had yet to fully discover and own my voice. Yes, countless conference presentations, lectures, and classes had made me really good at talking in front of others. But, the truth is, a part of me was still hiding. I was still speaking about other people and other people’s ideas.

I was still talking about “things” when what I truly wanted was to talk about “the thing behind things”, in other words, ME, the girl who’d gone missing after our move from Milan, and with whom I was so desperate to reconnect. And, apart from a few personal touches, there was no “me” in my classes and research.

How I found my voice.

After finishing my Ph.D, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery. I read countless self-development books (still love them!), enrolled in women’s empowerment courses (which worked nicely with my studies in feminist theory, gender, and sexuality), worked with a life coach, went through a deep personal spiritual transformation, and took a number of business classes, both in person and online.

At first, it was depressing to think that, far from giving me all I needed to make it in the “real” world, my PhD had only prepared me to realize that there was a ton I didn’t know (about myself, the world, others) and that I needed to gain new skills if I were to find my voice and have the life of my dreams.

Despite the many (many!) ups and downs, I kept at it, following my dream of using my knowledge, expertise and the insights from my own healing journey to help others. My desire was to create a movement and reach millions. And if I was to do that, I realized that I had to completely reconsider the way I’d been living and doing things. I had to go past my childhood programming and traumas, take full responsibility for my life, and create something worthwhile that would be a true expression of my voice while having a positive impact on others.

And so The Women Speak Up Project was born.

Defying all expectations, I combined my passion for feminism and women’s studies with my newly-acquired business expertise to found my own company, The Women Speak Up Project, to support women in finding, owning, and sharing their authentic voice.

In the process, I discovered that my true gift--my voice--was helping other women find theirs.

When I work with clients, I help them discover their “thing behind the things”, that is, the most authentic, raw, kind, loving expression of themselves. It’s who they are at their core, and who they learned to hide to fit into what society has told them to be.

I've made it my mission to support women in finding and sharing their voice to become the vulnerable, compassionate, kickass leaders that we so desperately need.

And today, I get to help amazing women (and, occasionally, men) step into their authentic voice, tell the truth, and share their ideas with the world.

I love my work as a coach, and I’m thankful for my courageous clients who embark on the brave journey to become the women they’re meant to be. In so doing, they help all women. Because, now more than ever, we need women to claim the spotlight, step into their purpose, and become fully self-expressed.

If my story resonates with you, I’d love to know!

And if you’re ready to find your voice and live boldly self-expressed, send me an e-mail at: hello@thewomenspeakupproject.com.