The Courage To Be Seen
Public speaking and communication coaching for professionals who want to speak with confidence, clarity and presence without losing their authentic voice.
Practical, experiential training for presentations, pitches, leadership communication and high-stakes conversations, helping you stay connected to yourself and your message when it matters most.
You don't need to perform confidence.
You need to become more comfortable being seen.
Testimonials
“I wanted to be more authentic when presenting but didn’t feel confident going off script. The Courage To Be Seen Workshop with Jessica taught me practical skills to manage my nerves and gave me greater freedom in my presenting style.”
“Jessica’s approach to communication is practical, physical and immediately applicable. The work we did around physical presence and breathing gave me tools I could use in a high-stakes speaking environment, helping me manage nerves and stay grounded and present. I put those tools into practice for a keynote speech and they made a noticeable difference to how I delivered.”
About Me
I'm Jessica Grace Smith.
I come at communication from a slightly different angle.
As an actor and director, I've spent more than 15 years working in situations where being watched, judged and asked to communicate under pressure is part of the job.
I've learned that compelling communication isn't about looking confident.
It's about staying connected to yourself while connecting with other people.
That's the principle I bring into my work with professionals.
15+
Years in performance
With over 15 years of experience as an actor and director across film and television in Aotearoa and Australia, Jessica brings a unique understanding of presence, communication and the courage it takes to be seen.
BPA
Bachelor of Performing Arts, majoring in Acting
Bachelor of Performing Arts, majoring in Acting, from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. Rigorous training in voice, movement, presence and communication, grounded in the demands of professional performance.
The Problem
You know your stuff.
But when all eyes are on you, something changes.
- Your heart races.
- You start monitoring how you're coming across.
- You stick rigidly to the script.
- You second-guess yourself.
- You try to look confident.
The more you focus on performing, the harder it becomes to connect.
What if confidence wasn't something you had to perform?
When we're worried about how we're being perceived, our attention turns inward.
- Am I saying the right thing?
- Do I look confident?
- What if I mess up?
The result is often a version of ourselves that feels rehearsed, restricted or disconnected.
The Courage To Be Seen takes a different approach.
Instead of teaching you to perform confidence, we work on becoming more comfortable being seen - so you can stay connected to yourself, your message and the people you're speaking to.
Less performance. More presence.
I help you to
Speak
Be willing to take up space and contribute your ideas.
Present
Stay connected and communicate your expertise naturally.
Pitch
Stand behind your ideas without trying to sell a version of yourself.
Lead
Show up with presence and authority without becoming performative.
The goal isn't to become a different kind of person when you walk into the room.
It's to become more comfortable bringing yourself into it.
How we get there
The work is practical, experiential and designed to be felt, not just understood.
Mindset
Untangle self-worth from performance and outcome.
Embodiment
Use the body to change how you experience high-pressure moments.
Courage
Practise being seen before you feel completely ready.
Connection
Shift attention away from self-monitoring and towards the people in front of you.
Play
Replace the pressure to get it right with curiosity, experimentation and possibility.
Ways to work together
For organisations
Help your people communicate with confidence, presence and conviction.
Experiential workshops for presentations, pitching, leadership communication and speaking up.
For individuals
A focused 90-minute intensive for your next high-stakes moment.
Private coaching for presentations, pitches, public speaking and communication challenges.
Ready to be seen?
You don't have to wait until you feel confident.
Sometimes confidence comes after a courageous step.