The moment before you speak

Dear friends,

We’ve all felt it.

That split second before you step on stage.

Open your mouth.

Click “Join Meeting.”

Or hit “Send.”

The world sees the performance, but the real transformation happens right before.

That’s the moment that changed me.

Back when I worked at Disney-ABC, I was asked to go on-air live in front of hundred of thousands of people.

No journalism degree.

No real, professional on-camera experience.

Just me, a suit, a mic, and a blinking red light.

What I learned in those moments shaped everything I teach now.

I learned that we don’t lose ourselves in high-pressure moments because we lack skill or preparation. We lose ourselves because we lose our center.

We leave the stillness of our breath.

We leave the safety of our body.

We leap into the mind’s scramble — What if I mess this up? What if they don’t like me?

But here’s the truth: Centering isn’t calming down. It’s coming back.

Back to presence. Back to breath. Back to your true power.

That’s the shift I want to offer you.

Not another performance tip.

But a deeper practice:

Staying rooted in who you are — when the stakes are high.

Whether you’re presenting next week, having a hard conversation, or just trying to get clear on what’s next…

Practice meeting that moment — the invisible threshold — with presence.

That’s where power lives.

With you,

Ryan Justin Jackson