Reclaiming Your Voice & Showing Up Authentically with Elaine Williams

🎙️ Reclaiming Your Voice & Showing Up Authentically with Elaine Williams

Episode Summary

In this episode of The BOLD and Brilliant Podcast, Tracie sits down with longtime friend and community member Elaine Williams—video performance coach, speaker, comedian, and bestselling author—for a deeply honest conversation about confidence, visibility, healing, and reclaiming your voice. Elaine shares how her background in theater, stand-up comedy, and personal transformation shaped the work she now does helping women entrepreneurs become more authentic, engaging, and powerful on camera and on stage. This episode is a reminder that you do not need to be perfect to make an impact—you simply need the courage to show up as yourself.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why confidence is really about creating safety within yourself
• How humor and authenticity help people connect more deeply with your message
• The hidden ways women shrink themselves—and how to reclaim your voice
• Why community and personal growth are essential to visibility and leadership

Actionable Tips from This Episode

• Stop waiting to feel “fully ready” before showing up publicly
• Practice speaking and visibility in small, safe environments first
• Focus less on perfection and more on authentic connection

Memorable Quote

“People relate to your humanity, not your perfection.”

Bold Moment of the Episode

One of Elaine’s boldest decisions was finally leaving the toxic restaurant environment she had spent 15 years in—even without knowing exactly what was next. Despite fear, uncertainty, and the loss of stability, she trusted herself enough to step fully into her work as a speaker, coach, and performer. That leap created the space for her to build a business centered around authenticity, creativity, and helping others reclaim their voices.

About Elaine Williams

Elaine Williams is a video performance coach, keynote speaker, speaker coach, bestselling author, podcast host, and comedian with over a decade of experience helping entrepreneurs build confidence and captivating presence on camera and in public speaking. She supports women in sharing their message with authenticity, ease, humor, and impact.

Some of Elaine’s credits include Saturday Night Live, America’s Got Talent, HBO, ABC, NBC, FOX, The New York Times, Hay House Radio, and The Huffington Post. Her clients have gone from never doing video or speaking live to creating YouTube channels, speaking for NASA, and leading international book tours.

Connect with Elaine Williams

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElaineWilliamsCaptivate/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elainewilliamsfun/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/captivatethecrowd/
• Podcast: Captivate the Mic
  • https://captivatethemic.buzzsprout.com/
• Book (with Tracie and other podcasts guests, too!): The Power of Community: Courage, Compassion & Collaboration Leads to Success
  • https://www.amazon.com/Power-Community-Courage-Compassion-Collaboration/dp/1735025569

Join The Gather Community

If you’re ready to take your next bold step, come join us inside The Gather Community—a space for women leaders and entrepreneurs who are building their businesses through connection, collaboration, and courageous action.

🔗 

Transcript

Tracie Root 0:01

Are you ready to take bold action and live a life of brilliance? Welcome to the Bold and Brilliant Podcast, where women leaders share inspiring stories about daring decisions that shape their businesses, their lives, and their careers. Today, I'm with the fabulous and amazing Elaine Williams. Elaine is a video performance coach, speaker, bestselling author, and comedian who helps self-conscious female entrepreneurs to become authentic, confident, and engaging on camera and on the stage so that they can grow their businesses and attract their perfect fit clients. As we talk, you'll hear Elaine share her journey of entrepreneurship, including one bold decision that's created her path of what was next. Her story of resilience, risk-taking, and transformation will inspire, encourage, and support your personal and professional growth. Please join me in welcoming Elaine to the Bold and Brilliant Podcast. Elaine, welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited. Oh,

Elaine Williams 1:04

hi Tracie.

Tracie Root 1:05

We've been trying to do this for so long. I'm so glad that we're finally here. Welcome.

Elaine Williams 1:10

Thank you, Tracie. I'm so excited to be here. I've really missed you. I just love your energy and your community and, uh, it's just great to see a, a long lost sister.

Tracie Root 1:21

I know. Same, same for, so for those who are newer to me or to, I mean to either of us, what you don't know is that Elena and I have actually known each other for years. We've been, she's been part of the Gather community for a long time. We've been connected for many, many years, and, but. With life, life happens, things go crazy. And it hasn't been that frequent that we've had a chance to check up, even though we're like aware from social media of what's going on in the world, uh, with each other. So we're really excited today to get to talk one-on-one and to share this conversation with the listeners of the podcast and just to have the conversation, I think is what I'm most excited about. So,

Elaine Williams 2:02

yes. And as you were sharing that, Tracie, I was thinking about all the things I've learned from you about being bold and how you had started gather, and then COVID happened and you know, you pivoted and I went on my first cruise with you. Yep. And. You know, I am, I love my work. I love what I do. I love working out. I'm not good at relaxing. You know, I'm, I'm, I've gotten way better, and you showed me you are a great power example of like, no, this is your business cruises. And yes, it's to work on your business and to network, but you also can. Rest extra you can sleep. And I was like, what? Like,

Tracie Root 2:47

well, and it's funny that you say that. So I just had the flashback of the last cruise that we were on together and how you, how I was so in awe of how you like found the people on the ship to get to know. And we made friends with the rockstar singer from the show and the. Music director who is on piano leading the band, and I'm like, I'm still connected to them. And every time I see them, I think of you. And every time I see, think, see you, I think of all of the things that we've had a chance to do together. And you're right, like the, you've okay, you've learned things from me fine. I've learned so much from you that, you know, and it's, it's that reminder when we get to see each other, it's like, oh yeah, by seeing you today. I'm like, you know what? I should do a video today.

Elaine Williams 3:33

Alright.

Tracie Root 3:34

Like, that's just what happens when we finally reconnect after, you know, it being a little bit of a dry spell. So it's a, it's beautiful that we are together today. Yeah. But let's turn the focus. I wanna turn the focus back to you because for the podcast. I really wanna make sure that anyone who hasn't had a chance to meet you yet or hear maybe some of the original kind of origin story stuff. And I know that it's, you know, a long drawn out, dramatic saga. But let's do kind of the basics of tell people what it is you do like briefly, but tell us how you got doing that. Like a little origin story of how you decided to do the things that you do for people now.

Elaine Williams 4:16

Okay, sure. I'll,

Tracie Root 4:17

and I'm being dead because I want you to define what that is so people hear it more clearly from

Elaine Williams 4:23

you

Tracie Root 4:23

instead of me.

Elaine Williams 4:24

Yeah, and it's funny how I keep evolving. My work keeps evolving. Absolutely. And basically I help mostly female entrepreneurs reclaim their voice. And their power so that they can show up, embodied, confident, wholly, authentically, imperfectly, credible, relatable, charismatic. So it's not about being perfect, it's about. Sharing your whole self and having space for yourself. And I do that with humor and I believe in a lot of practice and stage time and screen time and helping people, you know, whether we do a mock podcast interview or I drag a client to an open mic, which is the scariest thing you can do with your clothes on. But once you've survived that, you're like, oh, I didn't die. Nobody threw tomatoes at me. This could be fun, you know, and, uh, you know, facing those fears or just learning to trust themselves on a whole new level because, you know, that's ultimately we get scared. What do we, what if I say, what if I forget something? What if I say the wrong thing? What if suddenly I have Tourettes? Like whatever. Right? And. And so learning to trust yourself and know how to navigate your nerves when you're under pressure. So that's, that's

Tracie Root 5:51

Well, and I love the way that you just, so I, I, this is why I wanted you to describe it because I love that description. In the past it's been like, I help people feel confident on video, and that was kind of it, but that was so rich because it really speaks to the, the, the things that hold us back. Right. The feeling like we don't know how to say the things that we're feeling and all that, and it's okay that you don't know how to say it. Like just, ugh, like let it show up and work from there.

Elaine Williams 6:25

Right?

Tracie Root 6:26

Yeah. Love

Elaine Williams 6:26

it. I love that. And I, you know, I'm, I'm always learning things and reading things, and I've been redefining what I do when I realized. When I first started doing standup comedy in New York City, people said it takes 10 years to become a comic. And I was like, 10 years I could be dead. Like 10 years and after, you know, years of going up and eating it or having like two big laughs and then some mediocre laughs and you know, whatever, like writing that right. What you learn is to have stamina, but c, to create safety within yourself.

Tracie Root 7:04

Ooh, ooh.

Elaine Williams 7:05

So that you, you wanna read the room but not need the room. Because if you need them to laugh, they're gonna sense it and pull back. But if you can stand there and stand for yourself, like, I know I'm funny and you can come along or not, it's your, you, you chose to be here. You know, I'm not entertaining you against your will and. That was a huge line of demarcation for me on my comedic journey, and that's part of what I teach and preach with my clients so that they can feel safe within themselves, whether it's on stage, on camera, in an interview, on media, because ultimately that's the power. Right.

Tracie Root 7:46

Right. So, okay, so let's go further back, because you're talking about being on stage, you're talking about comedy, and a lot of people are gonna be like, I don't wanna be a comedian. Right.

Elaine Williams 7:55

Okay.

Tracie Root 7:55

So go back and tell us, tell everyone how you got there, because you did want to be on stage, you wanted to be on Broadway, you want like all of these things. And then here you are working with women entrepreneurs. So give us a little bit of the, the journey path.

Elaine Williams 8:11

Why I'm so passionate is I grew up like so many people in a highly dysfunctional family where it was not safe, and so I had to keep moving so that I would not get blasted emotionally, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and. And so I learned to pour my love and into performing in the theater and that was one of the constants in my life. Music in the theater while, you know, adults left the country and we moved, you know, lots of pandemonium. And so theater was like my safe place. And when I see, uh, especially, you know, at risk kids having the opportunity to make art. I know it's so empowering. It can be so freeing.'cause it's their voice and maybe they don't have a safe space at home or whatever, but they can do it in their art and so. And I and I, I know so many women who felt like they were not being heard or they were told they were bossy and they got shut down or made fun of, or the numerous things that we do, and as we're growing up. And so I'm so passionate about helping people reclaim. Their voice and their creativity, what that, whatever that means for them, right? I'm like, you don't have to quit your day job, and you certainly do not have to wanna become a comedian, but how can you express yourself? Maybe it's time for you to take an acting class or go back to singing or pick up the guitar again, or all the things like we have a. Human right to be self-expressed. And when that is squelched and pushed down, that's when we develop illness and all the things and when we can release it in healthier ways, more productive ways, the world's a better place all around. So that's really, you know, my mission is to help heal the world. One joke, one story, one video at a time.

Tracie Root 10:12

Yeah.

Elaine Williams 10:12

And to show others how to do it as well. And so that's really what gets me outta bed in the morning of, you know,

Tracie Root 10:20

so,

Elaine Williams 10:20

cause what people feel heard and seen and gotten, it's so empowering. And then they also know that their voice makes a difference. And that's like life changing, you know? And I, you asked me about when I had my big, bold move, I. You know I, so many, but what just came up for me was when I did the landmark forum.

Tracie Root 10:48

Yeah.

Elaine Williams 10:48

I was in therapy. I was. In my addictions, and I was still very, um, uh, just a real victim to my family. And I had no tools. I was in therapy, but it was like I was chinking away at an iceberg. And then when I did the landmark forum and I really saw how my anger and resentment was really hurting me and nobody else, I mean, I just, for three days I was like. Kind of nauseous, like, oh, I'm justifiable, but you know, and so then I had this spiritual awakening and I asked for forgiveness and I forgave and, and then I continued in the curriculum and people kept saying, you are making a difference. And I was like. Wait, what? Me? You know? And all of a sudden I had this community of positive, like-minded, supportive people and you know, the power of community. And all of a sudden people were saying, you, Elaine, you make a difference. And I was like, what? And it was mind blowing. Mind blowing. And I think I had just forgotten who I was, but I don't think anyone had ever said. You make a difference, your presence, your voice, you know? And that was just, just mind blowing. Yeah. And so that's another reason I'm just so committed to this work, because there's so many brilliant people who have forgotten who they truly are.

Tracie Root 12:18

You know, it's so interesting that you say that because I, we hear that from a lot of people. Like, you know, one person will be like, don't forget. Your voice matters. Don't forget that you are worthy of the dreams that you dream. Don't forget that you have massive value to bring, as Katina says, right? And it's like that's how we wrap things up. But the more we hear it, the more we believe it. And so if it's just, if, if you're out there listening and you're just first hearing that the value that like you're making a difference. You who are listening right now, you are making a difference. You might not know who with who or exactly even how, but the fact that you are here, you're learning something from two people that you may or may not have ever met before. You're being inspired. You're showing up, you're doing whatever it is that you do that is making a difference. You might not know with who or how, but it's happening and that's just how the world works. People who take action make a difference in people's lives.

Elaine Williams 13:23

I love that. I love that. Tracie, sorry, I just noticed there's a weird, I'm gonna try to this up my glasses. When we did our, the memorial for my father last year, he did not know the difference that he made. You know, he really, he struggled with depression and anxiety and he really was not doing, getting older gracefully at all. We kept his, we took his keys after one of his strokes and he was like, I'm gonna sue you. Like he was so mad and we were. And so we, you know, he passed the very last day of February and then we planned this memorial in like mid-March or towards the end of March. And we honestly had no idea if we were gonna have five people. And we had people come from East Texas, west Texas south. People flew in. We were blown away at the, the amount of love present in this big space. And. This woman talked about how she had come from India and she'd been in a bad marriage and my dad had like taken her in and mentored her and she was, had this thriving practice now. And it was all thanks to him like, and it, and I just thought, I wish my dad, I mean he was there, but I wish. Before he had passed, he, if he had known the kind of impact he really had made,'cause he was such a sweet soul. And so my quest for everybody at the end of the memo Memorial was, can you please call somebody this weekend and tell them how much they helped you and how much they meant to you? Why do we wait? Till the memorials, you know?

Tracie Root 15:08

Yeah. I think that is so common. I'm thinking, obviously you're talking about your dad, so I'm thinking about my dad who passed several years ago as well, and had dementia for a couple of years before that. But the things that I remember about him are the things that from when I was, you know, in my thirties. Twenties, whatever. And seeing him with his community and knowing that, like he was a big deal in his community and he had all this impact and all these friends and all that. So that's what I hold on to because you know, at 80 whatever and kind of not engaged on a regular basis with a large group of his old friends, like the couple that he stayed with, that he was stayed in touch with, they were all still connected. And if you just go back. 10 years, like that collection of people just explodes. And that shows you that even toward the end of life when things start to slow down, the impact was already made. And it was for a long time. And so for those of us who are kind of there at the end, it's like we forget, but the people who were there 10 years ago never forgot. And people who were there 20 years ago never forgot. And we just. We needed that reminder. But, um, but the good news is that the people who were impacted got the reminder by, you know, the tragedy happening in the first place. They were like, oh, that's too bad. He did this for me. And so that's gonna happen to all of us, but we don't wanna wait until we're gone, like you said. Right, right. Recognize that you're having that impact now. I'm doing that for them. They, you know, and the other thing too is to have those conversations, the more we share with other people. Thank you. You're having this impact on me. You and I just were talking about that with each other. The more we do that real time. The more we're gonna recognize that what we're doing matters and we're not gonna give up and we're not gonna get as tired, or we're not going to think that we gotta do something different and always get stuck trying something new instead of really leaning into what it is we're meant to do.

Elaine Williams 17:19

I love that. I love that. And I, I think of connecting, you know, when I'm, when I start going too fast and I'm in my head too much, and, um, you know, I. I need to stop, breathe, and connect. That's, that helps me so much. Yeah,

Tracie Root 17:38

yeah, for sure.

Elaine Williams 17:39

And I keep getting that lesson over and over again. And I guess, you know, you had said what is, what was the one, the other one Bold thing that you did? Yeah. And I wanted, I mean,

Tracie Root 17:50

doing Landmark Forum is, is part of your story. That's a huge transformation, right? That was like old Elaine to. To what become current Elaine. Right. But even past that, and you're in New York and you're doing all these things and then you made another decision to take a turn. Ugh. So talk about that because that Sure. That tends to be the type of like taking the turn in adulthood when we're kind of like, we're doing our thing and this is what we thought we were supposed to do, but it's not really turning out. Or we're not as happy as we thought we would. For a lot of us, it's like being in corporate and then leaving corporate. Or for some people it might be like being in a relationship and then getting divorced or leaving that relationship. So talk about your like right turn that turned you to where you are now.

Elaine Williams 18:43

Well, and I feel like this is, this happens to a lot of people, so. I was always pursuing acting and always, always running around auditioning. And, and then I was pursuing standup and, and then I was speaking all over the country, but I always still had, um, my day job, which was actually, you know, days, nights, and weekends. I worked at this pretty famous steakhouse and I helped build it because when I first started it was very slow and I'd be like, well, why are we doing this? And I realized I had a lot more experience than many of my managers. And so, and then I started training everybody and you know, and we had evolved and after 15 years it was like one of the highest grossing restaurants in America. And then it became number one for a while. Wow. And there were so many wonderful things about this place, like just fabulous people. They liked to hire other actor, singer types. And so there were, we would break into song and dance, like

Tracie Root 19:44

lots of personality in the room.

Elaine Williams 19:46

So much talent, like, so much talent. And unfortunately there was a very, an old school. Kind of management where male managers would actually refer to other females as girls.

Tracie Root 20:03

Mm-hmm.

Elaine Williams 20:04

And there were naked pictures of women in the cigar bar, like, you know, just so many really bad. Bad things, you know? And um, and it wasn't just patriarchy, it was sexual arra, you know, there were just so many things, and I've always felt like I was protected because like when the craziest stuff went down, I was always like, out of town on a gig. I would be like, thank you, God, you know? But then people would always come to me and confess things. So anyway, after years of like trying to leave and then. I got into flipping houses and that didn't work. You know, there were so many times I was about to leave and then I, I was scared'cause I had two weeks paid vacation, 401k insurance. Like those were really great things. I kind of made my own schedule. Um, but I finally realized, I just came to a point where I was like, something has to change. I cannot seem to make any traction in my speaking. As, as long as I'm still there. And what I realized in hindsight was it was such a toxic environment for an empath and a sensitive, loving person like me. I was spending so much energy sort of processing the last shift and then gearing up for the next one. Like going into battle.

Tracie Root 21:29

Yeah.

Elaine Williams 21:30

And, and the commute. So anyway, so when I finally took a leave of absence, I was. Terrified'cause that had been part of my identity for 15 years.

Tracie Root 21:42

Yeah.

Elaine Williams 21:42

You know, I went through getting engaged and then going through a horrible breakup, buying my first house, then buying three other houses, then having the economy tank. Like so many things while I was at this place, but. I'm so grateful that I finally was like, I don't know exactly what's happening, but I think I have to leave. Yeah. And trusting that, oh my gosh, it was so scary. And Tracie, I would have so much anxiety. I would have to, like, I would eat potato chips. Like, yeah, I did not know how to calm myself down and I did not know how to work. I was used to like having an hour, and all of a sudden I have a whole day to work on my business. So I'd be like, I should do this. No, no, no. I should do this. No, in the mor, you know, and so it's taken a long, it's been a long, a slow process for me, but I wanna share that in case anyone here is. You know, thinking about taking a big leap and, you know, luckily I had supportive people around me. I had a supportive program and I did have, um, some money I was able to count on because it did take way longer than I had anticipated and actually making money with my coaching business. And I had had agents, but getting myself booked. For speaking gigs, you know? So

Tracie Root 23:02

yeah,

Elaine Williams 23:02

it was a big learning curve and I'm so glad I did it, but Woo. It was, it was hard. Yeah, it

Tracie Root 23:11

was. Well, and you were, like you said, you had, you had been engaged and then you had the breakup. So you were like, you had supportive circle, but you were relying on yourself.

Elaine Williams 23:20

Yeah.

Tracie Root 23:21

And past decisions and future decisions were all Elaine's decisions. Yes. And that is really, really hard. A lot of us who maybe the departure is like from corporate or whatever. So like for me, I also was, was on my own. Um, leaving, you know, corporate six figure whatever to go work for myself in a field. I had never experienced with two little kids, but I, and I had my family, my parents who I've moved near who supported me, but I wasn't gonna ask them for financial support. Um, so, you know, you have to have some sort of, uh, belief in yourself that you can do it, but you just don't know how yet. And so the, the. The void of what, what, yeah. What can I do? I have so much time to myself. What, what should I do next? And I should do this and I should do that, and I should, should be doing this. And so many, uh, challenges of, of trying to figure that out in the short term. Uh. It makes me anxious thinking about it again.

Elaine Williams 24:27

Yes. Well, it's great. Thank you for this conversation because it reminds me of how far I have evolved.

Tracie Root 24:33

Yeah.

Elaine Williams 24:34

As a human being, as an entrepreneur, as a mentor, coach, and speaker. It's just great to be reminded of that.

Tracie Root 24:43

Yeah.

Elaine Williams 24:43

You know, sort of trial by fire, if you will, and, um. Also like learning more about myself and like what kind of environment I'm going to do well in.

Tracie Root 24:55

Mm-hmm.

Elaine Williams 24:55

You know, sometimes you don't know until you're like, oh, I don't think this is good for me. Hmm. You know, so lots of those kinds of,

Tracie Root 25:05

and you know, thankfully we are more mature. We have a better understanding of, you know, our own, our own triggers. Boundaries. We have to, we have to keep, or we have to work to keep. And you know what really allows us to thrive? Because there's so many variables. You know, we're talking about a lot of personal stuff, and of course, and entrepreneurship, business is personal. We're all, it's all intertwined. And so if you don't have a good grasp on how you succeed, best for your own kind of mental health, your energy, like all of those things, if you don't have a. Understanding whether you have good practices are a different thing, but an understanding of what you need. Like, I know I need good sleep and if I go three days without it, I'm toast. So I better keep prioritizing it.'cause three days comes fast. And also like, um, the desire to help matched with the need to take care of yourself and. Not just always being a yes as much as we want to be a yes, because we know that if we are a yes for others, when it doesn't feel good, it's definitely not gonna feel good afterwards, let alone during. Um, it's, it's so important for all of us to have that kind of personal, that personal understanding. And so with everything that you've gone through and going through from, from, you know, childhood to through Landmark, to move into New York, to going and getting that, taking that leave, which I didn't realize it was a leave of absence, I thought you just quit. So that's, you know, it's also an interesting piece of information. The difference between, I took a leave of absence, I didn't quit. I had, I had a a hold, like I could have gone back. You were had your little safety net there, but Well, you knew you needed to not be there and,

Elaine Williams 26:59

well, it's interesting because what I had seen when certain people had given their notice

Tracie Root 27:08

mm-hmm.

Elaine Williams 27:08

They were treated horribly.

Audio Only - All Participants 27:11

Yeah.

Tracie Root 27:11

Like blackball

Elaine Williams 27:11

for two

Audio Only - All Participants 27:12

weeks,

Elaine Williams 27:13

like put in the worst sections. Called in then dis dismissed. Like they had, if unfortunately, two of the main people in most of the power were incredibly, one person was incredibly cruel. He was a raging addict, and the other guy was a psychopath. And so they would do horrific things, not to everybody, but if they decided that you were bad, you know? And so I knew that if, if, or when I finally did quit, I would have to do it. Not in the typical way. Yeah. And so I took a leave at first because I just wasn't sure, you know? Yeah. And then I, you know, after a couple months I finally said, you know what? I'm gonna go, but, um,

Tracie Root 27:54

not coming back.

Elaine Williams 27:55

Another thing I wanted to talk about Tracie, is I remember, you know, I was always going to transformational workshops and working on my mindset and my mental habits, and educating myself about finances and real estate. And I remember people would say, oh yeah, you know, this is personal growth, this is transformational. And I was like, yeah, yeah. Like I'm, I'm good at it. I, I love taking it and I'm always working on myself, but it's one thing to do it and then go back to your corporate gig.

Tracie Root 28:29

Yeah.

Elaine Williams 28:30

Then when you are fully flying as an entrepreneur without that corporate gig, that's the real transformational like that is. It's like next level. It's, you know, and people would refer that, say that to me, and I used to think, oh, it's not that different. But now that I've done it, I'm like, yes, it is. It's very different.

Tracie Root 28:52

Yeah. Yeah. Very different. I have a friend who. Um, who has her own business, kind of that she created on the side, but was fully employed and ended up leaving that job. I can't remember the circumstance of, of leaving whether she was asked to leave or left on her own accord, but regardless, she kind of like the job went away and she had her business and she's like, okay, well here's my shot, like I'm gonna. Make it happen. And literally within a month she went back because she wasn't ready. It wasn't right. Maybe it wasn't her choice or it just like was that place, but not the idea of that work. Right. Right. And so for a lot of people, it's like women, we have a hard time declaring what it is we want. Right? What do you want outta your life? What are you trying to create? I mean, this is a whole new kind of conversation, but Okay. Go.

Elaine Williams 29:42

No, I, I mean, absolutely, and I am very passionate about why, why do you think that is? Because we are conditioned to be service

Tracie Root 29:52

well. Yeah. Conditioning and patriarchy.

Elaine Williams 29:54

Exactly.'cause we are conditioned to Don't be, don't be bossy. Don't be too, if you stand loud and proud and tall, someone's not gonna like you. And in the olden days you would get thrown out of the tribe and you would die. Right? Yep. And so. So I think a lot of times we don't know what we want'cause we've been in survival. We have been so busy raising kids, taking care of our parents, taking care of other people's parents. Stepping up.'cause nobody else is gonna make cookies and do the posters and do the car wash and do the, so I'll do it. You know, I mean, they say,

Tracie Root 30:29

I love that you give all those examples. Having not had kids,

Elaine Williams 30:32

I know. Well I know,

Tracie Root 30:33

but you know, because

Elaine Williams 30:35

I know I'm an aunt, but I have a lot, a lot, a lot of friends, you know, and they say, you know, if you wanna get something done, give it to a busy mom.

Tracie Root 30:43

Yep.

Elaine Williams 30:44

Because you, there's a necessity to get it done fast and efficiently, you know, and um, but yeah, I think, I think it's a really exciting time to be a woman in business. And I think it's also still challenging and overwhelming. And I think so many times we focus on what we don't want. And so it's great to think about, oh yeah, what do I, I want a thriving business. I don't need it to be huge, you know, 20 students and 10 VIPs a year. I'll be cool with that, you know?

Tracie Root 31:22

Well, because a lot of us have an interest to do things outside of our work.

Elaine Williams 31:27

Yeah,

Tracie Root 31:27

that you know, it, that, so it's because it's about the life fulfillment, right? It's not about, and you know, this is not necessarily everyone. Perhaps there's people out there who want to have a thousand employees and, and make this giant, you know, whatever. I mean, that's not me. It might be whoever's listening, but you know, what I really want is to. Enjoy what I'm doing to allow myself to be creative, to meet people, to connect with others, and to also get to explore the world and have adventure and hang out with my husband and see movies, I love movies, like what do you love that you want more of? And if what you love is having an impact in, you know. Third world country. Yeah. I don't know if we're not supposed to say third world country anymore, but you know, in a, in a country that is struggling for visibility and money and resources and that's your vision, go have that vision. Yeah. And because when you decide what it is that you want, right? I just said like what I want, what do you want? Right. And then go get it and find the people who you can build community with who can help you get it. That is what building community is all about for Gather community for you, for me, for the groups that we're in together so that we can allow, like have the resources, right, whether they're friends, colleagues, technology, whatever it is that we need to be able to create the vision that we're imagining. And so I wanna shift and make sure that we talk about. How you're working with clients today, because we're gonna, we, we've probably already been too long and I don't want this to not make the recording. Um, but you know, because because we've known each other for so many years, I know that we all have evolutions every year. The gather community changes every year I change what I'm doing. And I know that you're still doing some of the same things, but talk about how, what that looks like for someone who is like. I like Elaine's energy, but I don't really know what she does. How could I learn more about that?

Elaine Williams 33:42

Well, thank you. Thank you for the question, and yeah, I think you and I could do like five episodes.

Tracie Root 33:46

I know.

Elaine Williams 33:47

Maybe we do

Tracie Root 33:48

part two, we'll do another one, but not today.

Elaine Williams 33:51

So, you know, I, I first started out teaching live video and, and then I started doing more short form video and people would come in and I would help them get over their fear of being on camera and, and telling their story, and remembering coming from the inside out. Your why, and. You know, loved it. And then they come and they would be in for two or three months and then they would go off on their merry way and later call me and say, I started a podcast and it's all your fault. Or, I'm doing a book tour in Europe. And you know, and I, I'm so happy when I get those calls and I also realize I year to go deep with people like. Because there's so much, you know, I have two degrees in theater plus lots of performance, you know, professional training, and

Tracie Root 34:37

you're so insightful,

Elaine Williams 34:39

right? And you

Tracie Root 34:40

are right. So you really see people very well,

Elaine Williams 34:42

right? And, and I've had the blessing of a lot of vocal training and body work, and so I created. Six month VIP mastermind called the Visible Authority Method.

Tracie Root 34:55

Mm-hmm.

Elaine Williams 34:55

And it's really about working with somebody so that they are embodying, they're coming from their deepest core and not getting excited, like mini masks, you know, and, and really helping them strip away the masks. So we do Meisner work. There's in-person work, there's Zoom work, and we're working on. Um, interviewing and media stuff, but also origin story, your signature talk. I just knew I wanted to go deeper with people and the transformation that I see, you know, it. You can, it can happen fast. And sometimes there's a, it's like a, a resettling, right? And so I, I have this person, Tracie, and we are having so much fun and we'll tell

Tracie Root 35:40

me someone else,

Elaine Williams 35:42

different Tracie, but such a cool name. But, um, you know, we're doing this work and then she'll call me and say, oh my God, I did the warmups and then when I went to speak, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I love being on this journey with her because. The goal is, you know, by the time we've done our work together, she is unrecognizable as far as like feeling confident and, and speaking from her core in lots of different ways, and learning to speak concisely, but still powerfully. And so that's, that, that's my latest offer that I'm just having so much fun with. And, and I wanna keep it small because. I really hold the space for people and I, I'm thinking about my clients all the time and, you know, sending them ideas from TikTok or whatever, and so, and I want everybody, there's no hiding, you know, because that's not gonna serve you. I've, I've been in big programs where I just got dropped in the middle, fell through the cracks, you know, and so,

Tracie Root 36:44

yeah.

Elaine Williams 36:45

So that's, that's what I love doing, is just really going deep with people and, and so that they are a hundred percent, you know, ready to go when the opportunities really start happening.

Tracie Root 36:59

Yeah. So you're working with women entrepreneurs mostly, um, and people who. Want more visibility, but maybe also want to do more speaking and have more opportunities, but create, you know, speaking, whether it's for speaking to sell or speaking on, you know, TEDx stages or whatever. Right. Like all of the above.

Elaine Williams 37:21

All of the above. And I started, I did this a while ago, but one I. Love to work with women who are in corporate and maybe they wanna be entrepreneurs in, in five or 10 years, but they either have a new position or they're being asked to lead meetings.

Tracie Root 37:42

Yes. I love that.

Elaine Williams 37:43

They have not done a million voice lessons and they don't know about executive presence and being grounded and taking up space and owning that deeper part of themselves.

Tracie Root 37:56

Yeah. Yeah.

Elaine Williams 37:57

So I want them to be able to get their voice in the world, in the in the room.

Tracie Root 38:04

I love that. I love that. So we have more women leaders in the corporate world. As the result. I love that.

Elaine Williams 38:11

Yes.

Tracie Root 38:11

I remember also, this was a few years ago, you were doing some work with like female attorneys and, and stuff like that too, which is another kind of similar thing, right? Get up in front of whether it's the courtroom or the boardroom or the, the, you know, all hands meeting and. And show. Show'em what you got. Like be the authority, like you said, the visible authority that they are, and to show up more powerfully each time that serves them. And every single person who's listening and watching them.

Elaine Williams 38:47

Yes, Tracie. And it's so interesting because what I've noticed going from the entrepreneurs and then. The lawyers and now the mediators Yeah. Is a new group I'm working with.

Tracie Root 38:58

Oh, yeah. Great.

Elaine Williams 38:59

There are some of the same concerns. I, I don't wanna sound salesy, and I'm working with this client and she's so beautiful and she has a very, like, yoga holistic approach.

Tracie Root 39:10

Mm-hmm.

Elaine Williams 39:11

I have just fallen in love with mediation because it's private, it's discreet, it's doesn't, it can be actually healing as opposed to going to a public thing and having your laundry aired for all to see and have some judge who doesn't even know you. It's more

Tracie Root 39:27

of a battle,

Elaine Williams 39:28

like, ah, you know, it just sounds horrific. And when we first started working together, she said, oh, I, I just don't wanna sound salesy. And so I said, I, I really invite you. And if anybody listening or watching, you know, really invite you to investigate that word, because truly what we're doing is educating people, Hey, this is how I help people go through, you know, unconscious coupling, if you will, so that the family is still intact and nobody is smeared all over the place. And you know what? If this could actually be a healing shift and be loving. Right. Like there's that potential. And so anyway, so I, I just love it whenever I can help people get out of their own way.'cause we all have those beliefs.

Tracie Root 40:18

Yeah. The salesy, that word, um, I mean it's not even a word. Right? Like we made it up and Right. And I always tell people if you feel like you're being salesy, well don't.

Elaine Williams 40:31

Right.

Tracie Root 40:31

You're having a conversation with someone, right? And are you gonna switch to and buy now? You know, like, no, talk to the person and like have a conversation and ask questions and listen and like all of that. Anyway, it's, we could go on about sales forever too. Like

Elaine Williams 40:48

forever.

Tracie Root 40:49

Okay, my friend, I wanna like do, let's do a wrap up. And what I wanna do is, you know, because. The journey is long and complicated, and you've found this new, like doing the small group VIP mastermind situation. The the people that are coming your way are like, they know. They know, but they don't know that they have that value and they wanna hone it and they wanna nurture it and. Speak to them. Tell them, like tell'em what they need to hear right now.

Elaine Williams 41:33

Sure. So if you have that yearning to tell your story for good and to make a difference and have more of an impact and you're not sure how, keep listening to Tracie. Keep listening to me

Tracie Root 41:51

and you

Elaine Williams 41:52

and, and surround yourself. With positive, supportive women who will cheer you on and you know, that can be harder. You know, they're not everywhere, but there are lots of really cool groups and you will find your way and trust the process and. It's going to be uncomfortable. You're going to feel like you're giving birth to an elephant at times. Like Ouch. Oh, ouch. Right? But anything worth doing, anything worth doing is, is, is hard and makes you sweat, in my opinion. And that, and why are we here? You know? Um, so even if you're not exactly sure, all you have to do is like one. Baby step at a time, right? And, and one day at a time. And, and stop waiting because you're never going to feel a hundred percent confident. You're never until you work with me for six months, but you're never going to feel like you're really ready, I don't think. Um. When I have a big pressure thing, there's a part where I was like, ah, I wish I'd ugh. And then finally I'm like, just get over it and go do it.

Tracie Root 43:08

Yeah. Oh, I just needed another week. No, you didn't.

Elaine Williams 43:10

You're fine. Right. There's, there's always gonna be like, well, but do the best you can. Prepare for the, and go for it. Like, stop waiting to be perfect because you're never gonna be perfect and people don't want Perfect. Perfect. Women have lame ass stories anyway and it's, you know, women are so. We're put up to this thing to try to be perfect and it doesn't exist and it's not relatable. People relate to your humanity, your fizziness, your, oh, great, I got a new wrinkle. Woo, you know, whatever. I couldn't figure out what to wear, all that stuff. People relate to all of it. So stop trying to be perfect and, and show up exactly as you are, and that's when miracles happen, when you're authentically, beautifully, yourself.

Tracie Root 44:01

Yes, yes. Plunk,

Elaine Williams 44:05

plunk,

Tracie Root 44:06

plunk. Beautiful. Elaine, I, yeah, we can keep talking forever and I'm so glad though that we had this kind of restart after all this time, not having a chance to catch up. So I'm so grateful to you for being here on the podcast, for being my friend for this long-term friendship that we have. Let's keep it going. Yeah. Yeah. Heck yeah. And um, yeah, thank you for being on the Bold and Brilliant podcast.

Elaine Williams 44:35

Thank you for having me, Tracie. Mm, bye. Bye.