For 25 years, you could hear my voice on the radio, broadcast at 50,000 watts to hundreds of thousands of listeners in several states.
That’s when I truly “found my voice.” Because being great at communicating is a skill like anything else. Which means it can be learned and practiced and improved over time. And I did.
I grew into the role hour by hour on the air. First as a news anchor, then as a morning show “side-chick,” and eventually as the host of my own talk show.
I learned a lot about being heard in those 25 years.
More than this, I figured out how to show up in a medium filled with so many other people also trying to be heard. Most of them men with big deep voices.
Anybody who’s ever struggled to speak up in a big meeting can understand that. It’s especially an issue for women.
I learned there’s a time for being quiet … and there’s a time to speak up and be heard.
Ironically, I also learned how to listen.
Particularly as a talk show host, my job was never to talk at people but to talk with them. To hear what they had to say. To connect with them. To have a conversation on the air.
To this day, people reminisce about the night they called into my show to tell me … something.
And what’s important to them in the moment they’re telling me that story is not what I said to them back then, but what they said to me.
Being heard is a crucial human need.
And so is connecting with other people.
That’s why I shifted away from radio for my “second act.”
How could I help people get heard? How could I help them better connect with other people? Not on the radio necessarily, but in everyday situations. Like virtual meetings, sales calls, or business presentations. Even simple phone conversations.
That’s why I became a professional speaker and coach.
I’ve stepped up to the front of the room to share what I know about communicating with confidence and charisma. To be a catalyst for people who want to connect with others and make big things happen …
Landing big clients, influencing decision-makers, and earning long-overdue promotions.
For those who have a hard time expressing themselves, I help them find their voice and say what they need to say.
And for those who express themselves too much, in all the wrong ways, I show them how to stop. When to pause. What to say, how to say it, and what to leave out.
And I have a special interest in women who’ve been hiding their light.
The ones who’ve been overlooked and under-heard. Maybe for their whole lives. Letting others take credit for their ideas and take their place at the table.
I help them find their voice and their strength. Their power. Their presence. Working with me, they discover how to show up and shine.
This is what I was born to do.
Is there something you or your people were born to do? But maybe it’s not happening for lack of the ability to speak or present or converse in a confident way that yields consistent results time after time?
If so, I’m here to listen. And to change all that.
My Mission:
As a catalyst for compelling communication, I offer the skills and the mindset to be confident, powerful and poised in presentations, meetings, and conversations. That’s how we connect with others, make a strong impression, and achieve personal and professional goals.
Buy the book
You meet someone new. In a matter of seconds they make up their mind about you. They’re responding to your Presence: what people see when they look at you, what they hear when you speak, and how they feel when they’re around you.
If you’re not thrilled with the responses you get – if you don’t attract clients the way you’d like to … if you didn’t get the promotion you wanted … if you don’t make the money you ought to be making – it may very well be because you’re missing that powerful presence.
In Show Up and Shine, you’ll discover how to change the way you’re perceived. And that can change everything.

For Meeting Planners
Download ZIP compressed file of 3 headshots of Catherine Johns (opens in new window):