Lisa Braithwaite started performing at the tender age of three when, confronted by her mother about why there was Comet cleanser all over the bathroom, she responded, “Out, damn’d spot! Out, I say!” She’s been traumatized by bathrooms ever since.
Her background also includes playing a groovy Santa in a 1977 elementary school Christmas play and making her mother cry as Emily in the 8th grade production of “Our Town.” She occasionally won high school speech tournaments with her award-winning topic of “Brown Bag Lunches.” More recent achievements include faking her way through an interview for a Chicago Tribune article about faking public speaking.
But what’s most important is Lisa’s philosophy of public speaking: That it’s fun, that it’s an awesome way to express yourself creatively, and that passion and enthusiasm are worth more than a thousand techniques.
Also, that public speaking makes you richer, thinner, and better in bed, but you’ll have to read her blog to find out how!
(Now, if you still want all the boring credentials and what I’ve been doing for work for the past 20+ years, read on…)
School- and community-based training, education and public speaking experience since 1992
Theater performance background
Expertise in adult learning principles
Expertise in communication skills development
Expertise in program and curriculum development
M.A. in Education, UC Santa Barbara
B.A. in Theater, Pomona College
Before starting her public speaking coaching business in 2005, Lisa Braithwaite, a Santa Barbara native and Cate School graduate, worked in the nonprofit sector in Santa Barbara for sixteen years, developing and implementing programs, curricula, and training materials for local organizations. She has spoken to thousands of people, both youth and adults, on topics ranging from domestic violence and healthy relationships, to gender equity and Title IX, to public speaking and presentation skills.
Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to create new and innovative programs in each organization she worked for. In 1995, she created the first full-time teen relationship violence program in Santa Barbara County, for Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County. In 1998, she developed a media literacy program for Girls Incorporated of Carpinteria, inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold. In 2000, she joined the fledgling Morgan Foundation and established their domestic and international grant programs to provide computer and Internet access to poor communities and developing countries.
As Training Coordinator for Tri-Counties Regional Center, she led the team of staff and consultants in creating a new employee orientation program and a comprehensive training and education program using employees as trainers.
She is proud of her accomplishments with Body Electric, a nonprofit she co-founded in 1997 to promote participation, recognition and celebration of local women and girls in sports and physical activity.
In 2003, Lisa was honored for her work with Body Electric with the Louise Lowry Davis award, named for a local pioneer in women’s sports. The award is given annually by the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table to a person recognized as a player, coach or sponsor who excels in leadership and sportsmanship in the community.
Lisa is a graduate of Women’s Economic Ventures’ Self-Employment Training and continues to volunteer as a speaker in the program. In 2013, Lisa received WEV’s Santa Barbara CountyVolunteer of the Year award.
She has been interviewed for the Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, Wall Street Journal, the Santa Barbara News Press, Men’s Health Magazine and on Inc.com. Her blog, Speak Schmeak, is listed on Alltop.com as one of the top public speaking blogs on the Web.
Lisa resides in Santa Barbara with her husband and rescued kitty, TigerLiger.
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