How Acting Taught Me Everything About Executive Presence
The unexpected career pivot that transformed how I help leaders find their voice
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
Twenty years ago, I received a phone call that would completely redirect my life—though I didn't know it at the time.
An insurance company wanted me to train their sales team on communication skills. My first instinct? Turn it down. I was an actress, after all, pursuing my dream of working in television and film. Why would I take a corporate training gig?
But I said yes.
I had no idea that this one job would become my purpose and change the entire direction of my professional life.
Just six months earlier, everything had seemed to align perfectly. I'd signed with a talent agent who had big plans for me in TV and film. The roles started coming: appearances in top films and shows, exactly what I thought I wanted.
This was it. The dream I'd worked toward for years was finally happening.
Except... it wasn't the dream ticket I'd hoped for.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Getting What You Want
Here's what nobody tells you about achieving your goals: sometimes when you finally get what you thought you wanted, you discover it's not actually what you need.
Despite landing roles that other actors would have longed for, I found myself increasingly dissatisfied. The problem wasn't the quality of the work or the level of success—it was the work itself.
I didn't like screen work.
There, I'd admitted it. To myself, and eventually to others.
But it was more than just not liking it. I actively missed things that film and television couldn't give me:
I missed working with a cast. Screen work is fragmented, isolated. You film your scenes out of order, often alone or with just one other actor. The ensemble energy I craved simply didn't exist.
I missed the immediacy of the theatre. That electric connection with a live audience, the real-time energy exchange, the collective experience of shared storytelling.
I missed the transformation. In theatre, you can feel when an audience shifts, when a story lands, when hearts and minds open. It's visceral, immediate, undeniable.
What I truly longed for was:
The transformation you feel ripple through an audience
The alchemy of change through story
The magic of hearing the collective reaction of a crowd
But here's the revelation that changed everything: that insurance training job showed me what I really craved wasn't about the medium at all.
The Discovery: It Was Never About the Performance
During that first corporate training session, something unexpected happened.
I was teaching the insurance sales team techniques for presenting with confidence—using my actor's toolkit of voice, physicality, and emotional connection. As I worked with one participant who struggled to speak up in meetings, I watched her entire demeanor shift. Her shoulders dropped. Her voice strengthened. Her eyes lit up with recognition.
She'd found something in herself she didn't know was there.
And I felt it. That same electric current I'd chased in the theatre.
It wasn't the performance I'd been craving. It was the connection.
More specifically, it was the opportunity to witness and facilitate transformation in another human being.
The Transformation: What Acting Taught Me About Coaching
Finally, I understand now what I couldn't see then: my years in the theatre weren't preparation for a performance career—they were preparation for a career in transformation.
Every skill I honed as an actress directly translates to what I do as an executive communication coach:
Voice: The Instrument of Authority
As an actress, I spent years training my voice—learning breath control, vocal projection, resonance, and the subtle ways that pitch and pace convey meaning and emotion.
Now I use that expertise to help executive women eliminate rising intonation that undermines their authority, develop vocal power that commands attention, and master the subtle vocal variations that make their message memorable.
Your voice isn't just how you speak—it's how you lead.
Emotion: The Bridge to Authentic Connection
Theatre taught me that authentic emotion creates connection. An audience doesn't respond to technical perfection—they respond to genuine human experience.
In executive coaching, I help leaders understand that authentic communication isn't about suppressing emotion—it's about choosing which emotions serve your message and impact.
The executives who move people aren't the ones who present perfectly polished facades. They're the ones who bring genuine conviction, passion, and humanity to their leadership.
Storytelling: The Framework That Makes Ideas Stick
Every great play is built on story structure—setup, conflict, transformation, resolution. Stories are how humans make sense of the world and remember what matters.
I teach executives to structure their presentations, pitches, and difficult conversations using storytelling principles. Because data doesn't change minds—stories do.
Whether you're presenting a strategic vision, making a case for resources, or leading through change, the leaders who inspire action are the ones who tell compelling stories.
Presence: The Quality That Commands Attention
On stage, presence is everything. It's the indefinable quality that makes you impossible to ignore when you walk into a space.
Presence isn't about being the loudest or most extroverted person in the room. It's about being fully inhabiting the moment, owning your space, and projecting authentic confidence in your right to be there.
I help executive women develop this presence—not by performing or pretending, but by removing the barriers that keep them from showing up fully as themselves.
Overcoming Nerves: The Performer's Secret Weapon
Every actor knows pre-performance anxiety. The racing heart, the sweating palms, the voice that threatens to shake.
But professional performers also know that nerves aren't the enemy—unmanaged nerves are.
I teach executives the same techniques actors use: breathing exercises that calm the nervous system, physical practices that ground you in your body, mental preparation that channels anxiety into focused energy.
The goal isn't to eliminate nervousness before a high-stakes presentation. It's to perform brilliantly despite it.
What The Power of Coaching Shows
Coaching gives me something that acting never could: the opportunity to make a significant, immediate change to the person right in front of me.
In theatre, I could move an audience for two hours. But then they went home, and I had no idea if anything truly shifted in their lives.
In coaching, I can visibly see when a client's confidence transforms. Their ability to express themselves happens right before my eyes. The change is tangible, measurable, and lasting.
I watch executives who've spent years downplaying their expertise finally claim their authority. I see women who've been silenced by imposter syndrome step into the spotlight they've earned. I witness leaders who've struggled to inspire their teams discover their authentic voice and watch their impact multiply.
Your Journey Starts With Understanding What Matters
Here's what my journey from actress to coach taught me: Understanding what truly matters to you is the first step to finding your authentic path.
I thought for me it was fame, recognition, and success in film and television. What I actually wanted was connection, transformation, and the opportunity to make meaningful change in people's lives.
The same principle applies to executive communication. Many leaders think they need to:
Be more like their male colleagues
Suppress their natural communication style
Perform a version of leadership that doesn't feel authentic
Master techniques that feel uncomfortable or inauthentic
But what you actually need is to understand what matters most to you—your values, your strengths, your unique perspective—and communicate from that place of authenticity.
Are You Ready for Your Own Transformation?
If you're reading this and recognising yourself in any of these struggles:
Speaking with more confidence when every meeting feels like a performance where you might forget your lines
Leading with more clarity when your message gets lost or misunderstood
Bringing more authenticity to your communication instead of feeling like you're playing a role that doesn't quite fit
I understand. I've been there, done the journey, and discovered that transformation isn't about becoming someone else—it's about removing what's blocking you from being fully yourself.
Find Your Voice
You don't need to become a different person to be an effective leader.
You need to clear away the habits, fears, and patterns that are muffling the leader you already are.
Your voice—your real voice, not the tentative, questioning, apologetic version you've been using—is already there. It's just waiting for you to claim it.
At Vermillion Coaching, I combine the performer's toolkit with evidence-based coaching techniques to help you:
Develop vocal authority that commands attention
Build authentic presence that inspires confidence
Master storytelling that makes your ideas unforgettable
Overcome the nerves that keep you playing small
Lead with the clarity and conviction your expertise deserves
Sometimes the transformation we need doesn't look like what we expect. Sometimes it requires us to let go of what we thought we wanted to discover what we actually need.
Your transformation might be closer than you think.
If you're ready to find your authentic voice, to lead with the confidence and clarity you've been seeking, to stop performing and start connecting—I'd love to support you on that journey.
Because here's what I know after two decades of helping leaders transform their communication: The voice that will change your career, your leadership, and your impact is already inside you.
It's just waiting for you to give it permission to speak.
