127: From Fear to Delight: Healing the Roots of Public Speaking Anxiety with Linda Ugelow

In this episode of A Simple Therapy Podcast, Sindee Gozansky welcomes Linda Ugelow—speaking confidence and vocal coach, podcast host, and author of Delight in the Limelight. Once paralyzed by public speaking fear herself, Linda now helps therapists, entrepreneurs, and professionals transform their relationship with visibility from dread to genuine delight. Drawing on her master's degree in expressive arts therapy and four decades performing with the women's world music group Libana, Linda brings therapeutic insight and embodied practice to help people reclaim the joy of speaking.

Together, Sindee and Linda explore why public speaking anxiety isn't random—it's rooted in past experiences of being silenced, compared, ridiculed, or made to feel unsafe in the spotlight. Linda shares her personal story of being kicked and called stupid by her sisters whenever their mother praised her, revealing how she learned that visibility meant danger. She introduces her "reveal and heal" framework: investigating root causes, doing the deeper healing work through EFT tapping and forgiveness practices, and preparing like a performer with vocal warm-ups and embodiment.

This conversation is full of permission to stumble, practical tools for warming up your voice and befriending the camera, and a powerful reminder that speaking is our birthright—we're designed to express ourselves with delight. Linda reminds us that perfection isn't the goal, that we can pick one tiny thing to practice, and that the joy of self-expression is waiting on the other side of our fear.

00:48 - Meet Linda Ugelow: Speaking Confidence Coach and Author of Delight in the Limelight

03:16 - Why Public Speaking Fear Isn't Random—It's Rooted in Past Experiences

09:21 - Linda's Story: Racing Heart Teaching and Performing for Decades

16:00 - Reveal and Heal: Linda's Framework for Overcoming Speaking Fear

19:57 - Healing Modalities: EFT Tapping, Forgiveness, and Creative Visualization

27:38 - Root Causes vs. Management Techniques

33:54 - Facing Camera Fear: Techniques and Practices

41:26 - Why This Matters for Therapists: Visibility and Building Your Practice

45:35 - Permission to Stumble and Not Find the Perfect Words

49:07 - Connect With Linda at lindaugelow.com

Check out Berries:

https://heyberries.com/heart-centered
Use Discount Code: Sindee50 for $50 off your first month

Shop Mental Health Threads:
https://mentalhealththreads.etsy.com

Connect with Linda Ugelow:

Linda Ugelow

LinkedIn

Delight in the Limelight Book

Delight in the Limelight Podcast

Connect with Sindee Gozansky:

Visit my website: asimpletherapypodcast.com/

Join the Heart-Centered Therapist Community FB group: facebook.com/groups/478651669638167

Instagram: 
instagram.com/heartcenteredtherapist/

YouTube: youtube.com/@asimpletherapypodcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sindeegozansky/

Want to be a guest on the podcast?

Email Sindee: [e-mail]