Questian and Nancy sit down with Misty Megia of the Theatre of Public Speaking to explore why women so often stay muted—in meetings, on stages, and in their own heads. They unpack the roots of negative self-talk, why we're so much harsher on ourselves than we'd ever be with a friend, and how to bridge the gap between knowing something logically and feeling it emotionally. Misty shares specific techniques for moving past self-doubt and making self-promotion feel authentic instead of performative.

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• (00:00) - Welcome to She Counts
• (02:12) - Misty's Inspirational Story
• (05:42) - The Concept of Unmuting
• (12:31) - Overcoming Self-Doubt and Negative Self-Talk
• (16:40) - Practical Tips for Building Confidence
• (32:25) - Reflecting on Childhood and Self-Doubt
• (34:27) - Navigating the Challenges of Self-Promotion
• (41:20) - The Importance of Community and Support
• (47:00) - Learning from Men: Authentic Self-Promotion
• (53:25) - Upcoming Programs and Opportunities

• Misty Schachtell Megia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-schachtell-3a634a2/
• Theatre of Public Speaking Spring 2026 Cohort - https://publicspeaking.mistymegia.com/bundles/tops-spring26?ref=857055
• Theatre of Public Speaking Spring 2026 Cohort VIP - https://publicspeaking.mistymegia.com/bundles/spring26-vip?ref=857055
• Theatre of Public Speaking on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theatreofpublicspeaking/
• Theatre of Public Speaking on IG - https://www.instagram.com/theatreofpublicspeaking/
• Dr. Tara Swart, “The Source” - https://www.taraswart.com/the-source/
• Dr. Tara Swart videos - https://www.taraswart.com/videos/
• List of common cognitive distortions - https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/products/common-cognitive-distortions-pdf
• Negative self-talk meme - https://kbravo.substack.com/p/cartoon-autopsy-negative-self-talk
• Kate Johnson, “How Accountants Can Grow On Video” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFWwclJHcjE
• Chair Whimsy Upholstery Courses - https://chairwhimsy.com/courses/
• The Blissful Life Podcast - ToPS Series - https://youtu.be/uM5voT6Fhks?si=-R3zNWReZNmR8LT6
  
  
• Studies Cited:
  • https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10963437/
  • https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.10985
  • https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3652533/
  • https://www.aeaweb.org/conference/2025/program/paper/4diYF3ZQ
  • https://labs.psych.ucsb.edu/sherman/david/sites/labs.psych.ucsb.edu.sherman.david/files/pubs/sherman.lokande.muller.cohen_.2021.sa_.pdf

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