Why Your Body Can’t Tell the Difference Between a Boardroom and a Stage
Ever notice that the tight chest before a big presentation feels exactly like the tight chest before you step up to sing?
That’s not a coincidence. It’s the same nervous system reaction.
How Anxiety Shows Up in Speaking and Singing
Racing heart. Shallow breath. A voice that suddenly feels thinner, shakier, or completely out of your control. Whether you’re about to present to the board or step up to a mic, your body doesn’t know the difference — it just knows it’s being watched, and it responds the way it always has: fight, flight, or freeze.
For speakers, that shows up as rushed words, a flat tone, or losing your train of thought. For singers, it shows up as breath support disappearing right when you need it most, pitch wobbling, or your throat tightening on the very note you nailed in rehearsal.
Different stage. Same reaction.
Why I Work With the Same Nervous System Reaction, Whichever Stage You’re On
Over 15 years of coaching, my speakers and singers keep feeding back the same three things I work on with them:
- Breathing and grounding the nervous system — teaching your body it’s safe before you ever open your mouth
- Mindset — reframing the underlying negative thought patterns that fuel the anxiety in the first place
- Performance and accountability — actually doing the thing, on repeat, with someone holding you to it
And I’ll be honest with you: I still use every one of these techniques myself, to this day. Stage nerves show up for me every single time. Fifteen-plus years in, multi-award-winning, and my nervous system still reacts. That’s not a flaw in the method — it’s exactly why I teach it this way. I know from the inside that resetting the body isn’t a one-off fix. It takes time and repetition, which is exactly why my speaking and confidence programme runs for 12 weeks, not 12 minutes.
How to Beat It
As a CVT coach, I work with a whole toolkit — and I don’t expect every tool to work for every person. What calms one nervous system down might do nothing for another. My job is to help you find and test what actually works for you.
If you want to feel that shift for yourself, have a go at one of my anxiety exercises.
Try the exercise → ANXIETY EXERCISE
Try it before your next big moment — whether that’s a boardroom or a stage.
