Motivating and inspiring people as a professional speaker became my dream 25 years ago when my high school English teacher, Mr. Vollmer,
taught me the essence that is public speaking. (It was either that or become a Country Western singer, but I found cowboy boots to be uncomfortable.)
From there, it took me 15 years to convince myself I could actually pursue that dream.
I wouldn't change those 15 years because it's that very experience from which I draw the content for my presentations. I will encourage you though to NOT follow my path.
Dreams are meant to be lived! In fact, that's one of several motivational speeches I present: "Don't Just Dream, DO!" (It was about time I start taking my own
advice.)
Get to Know Me...
Hello Fellow 'Life Lessons Enthusiast',
If you've made it to this page, you're either planning a meeting or special event and in need of an engaging, dynamic speaker, or you're someone I graduated with eons ago wondering if I'm 'that' Heather Whittaker. Well...
Meeting planners and event coordinators, you're in the right place!
Fellow Graduates, yes, it's me, if you graduated from Campbellsport High that is. (Go Cougars!)
Here's a little insight to help you get to know me before we have the opportunity to chat about your event. In a nutshell, I am a:
- Committed Partner
- Community Volunteer
- Entrepreneur Advocate
- Dog Lover (And best dog mom ever!)
- Bit of a Geek (OK, maybe more than a bit)
- Published Author
- Lover of Vegetables
- People Observer
- Life Long Learner
And, I'm told I have a good sense of humor (Laughter within presentations having a life changing effect = Many;
# of times I've been pelted with rotten tomatoes = zero)
Suffer Personal Tragedy = Born Public Speaker (Right?)
When I first considered becoming a speaker, I didn't think it was possible because I hadn't suffered some sort of personal tragedy. (All professional speakers have near death experiences
which resulted in awesome stories of inspiration, right?)
I didn't have that, so how could I possibly inspire a group of people? I set out on the journey that is life waiting for my personal tragedy to happen.
I worked at everything from...
Waitress to
School bus driver to
Customer service representative
when I finally realized I had a knack for leadership.
That started me down the road of working in various management positions within the industries of...
Banking
Telecom &
Insurance
while also achieving a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership and writing an award winning children's book.
Tragedy Averted, Sort of...
After 20 years working in corporate America, I realized that no tragedy is needed to pursue my true passion for speaking.
Life is so short and time so precious, it was time to stop dreaming and start doing! (The only potential tragedy is the fact I didn't realize this sooner.)
The Moral of the Story...
My personal experiences, higher education, and opportunity to care for special needs dogs all converged providing me humorous stories and expertise in things such as anxiety management, personal
fulfillment, engagement, and communication; expertise I use to help people live the life they love.
It has truly been a privilege to meet and work with all of the entrepreneurs, volunteers, business professionals, and students that I have over the years, and I look forward to meeting you as
well.
As I said, I love to learn and every potential presentation is an opportunity for me to learn about a new industry, person, or organization. How awesome is that for someone like
me? (That's a rhetorical question, answered by saying... "Pretty darned awesome!")
Not only do I get to learn something new, I get the honor of watching others grow to find their own purpose and live the life they love.
The stories audiences share with me in return are also just as inspiring. I look forward to hearing yours!
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