3 Ways Your Voice Can Grow Your Business

From a Public Speaking Coach for Female Founders, Emma Gaskin

Do you remember that scene when Ariel from The Little Mermaid gave her voice away to become human and be with the prince? She traded her most powerful gift,her voice, in exchange for approval and belonging.

Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid

So many of us do the same thing without even realising it. We stay quiet to fit in. We downplay our ideas so we don’t make others uncomfortable. We silence our opinions to keep the peace.

Not you? Of course not. Unless…

Have you ever held back from saying what you really wanted because it felt easier not to?

Let your point go after being interrupted, just to keep the peace? 

Or watched someone less qualified land the opportunity you were too nervous to ask for?

You’re not alone. You can be a strong, independent woman and business owner and still give your voice away at times. And it’s no surprise, because you have been conditioned to be quiet.

From an early age, sociologist Cecilia Ridgeway suggests girls are socialised to be polite above all else  to make space rather than take it. That message follows us directly into adulthood.

Research shows that this socialisation shows up everywhere, even in how we speak and lead at in business:

• We’re less likely to share our true thoughts, often second guessing whether our ideas will be valued.
  

• We’re twice as likely to be interrupted as men and the women most often interrupted? Leaders.
  

• Most women wait until they are 100% ready to put themselves forward for something whilst our male peers go for it at 70 %
  

No wonder so many brilliant women hold back from using their voice. But the cost of that silence is huge. 

Disney's The Little Mermaid, where Ursula holds Ariel's captured voice inside a large, glowing conch shell necklace.

Why This Matters

When we don’t speak up and say what we mean, it directly impacts how we show up. In our businesses, our families and our communities.

Our voice is more than sound. It’s how we introduce ourselves, how people recognise us across a room, how they can tell when we’re excited or inspired. It’s a deep part of who we are  and yet, it’s one of the easiest things to lose. Especially when you’re a business owner, a mum, or a caregiver juggling everyone else first.

Using your voice isn’t about “being more confident” (yes, thanks for that advice, Steve 🙃). It’s about being connected to yourself, your story, and your why. Because when you do this, the way you sell, lead, and inspire changes completely. And when you’re connected to your voice, it doesn’t just move people it moves your business forward too.

When you’re not connected to it?

That’s when opportunities quietly slip by. It’s the video you never post. The collaboration you don’t pitch. The podcast you never start. The speaking opportunity you don’t ask to be paid for (even though it costs a small FORTUNE in train tickets to get there). Every one of those moments is a missed chance to be seen, remembered and valued for what you bring. 

But I get that it’s not that simple, I’ve been there. 

The Moment I Lost (and Found) My Voice

In 2016, I was 24 and working as a speech and language therapist, helping stroke survivors and people with brain injuries find their voice again. Then, almost overnight, my body gave up. After months of fatigue and confusion, a doctor said, “I don’t know what to do with you when you come to me like this.” That sentence silenced me. I stopped asking for help and quietly learned to get through each day.

Five years later, a new GP ran a blood test and finally gave me an answer: coeliac disease. As my health improved, so did my voice but I realised I’d made myself small in other parts of my life too. In 2023, four months before my wedding, I made the hardest decision of my life. I ended a ten year relationship because I realised I was once again shrinking myself for someone else’s story. I took the money I’d saved and invested it in a retreat that helped me remember who I was. 

That week, my voice didn’t just return, I realised it could build something of my own and help other women do the same. That was the day my business, The Speaking Hub was born.

Today, I help female founders and leaders to speak up, share their story and magnetise opportunities with their voice. Because you don’t need a stage to speak powerfully, you just need intention and the courage to begin.

three ways that have helped me and my clients

So here are three ways that have helped me and my clients to speak on TedX Stages, attract dreamy clients and get paid to speak. 

1. You Don’t Need to Sound Perfect

So many women hold back from speaking because they think they need to sound like experts. They wait until they have the perfect words, the perfect slides, or the perfect confidence. But an expert isn’t the person who knows the most, it’s the one who can make a complex idea sound simple.

When I train women for keynotes, podcasts, or panels, the moment they stop performing and start speaking like themselves, everything shifts. Their voice softens, their message lands and their audience listens. You don’t need a bigger vocabulary; you need a braver voice.

One of my clients, Anita, used to speak so quickly she’d run out of breath halfway through her workshops. Once she learned to slow down and connect with her words, her entire delivery changed. People told her she spoke with fire. The next month, she sold out her event.

Tip: If you want to sound confident, stop trying to sound polished. Focus on your first line instead. Know how you want to begin then breathe. When you start grounded, the rest will flow naturally.

2. Find Your Voice and Ask

Here’s something I see all the time: brilliant women doing incredible work quietly, waiting for opportunities to come to them. I say this with love ladies, stop waiting to be picked!

You don’t need permission to take up space. You just need to start asking. Ask to speak at that event. Ask to be a guest on that podcast. Ask to share your story in someone else’s community.

Most of the opportunities that changed my business didn’t arrive through luck; they arrived because I asked. I was invited to write this very blog after sending a DM introducing myself. I’ve spoken on stages because I was intentional with how I used my voice. 

Tip: You don’t need to be the loudest in the room to move it. This week, make a list of five spaces where you’d love to share your voice and reach out to one of them. The opportunities you want are already waiting for the version of you who’s brave enough to ask for them.

3. Share Your Story

People don’t want the polished version of you; they want you. Somewhere along the way, women were told to “sound professional,” as if confidence meant sanding down their edges. But your edges are what make you unforgettable.

When I stopped trying to sound perfect and started sharing my real story, the one about losing and finding my voice, everything changed. My LinkedIn following grew from 2,000 to over 12,000 in 12 months. I landed my first paid speaking gig because my story aligned with their message.  And women started reaching out to say my story gave them the courage to share their own.

That’s the ripple effect of storytelling: when one woman speaks up, others find their voice too.

Tip: If you’re nervous about showing up online or speaking about your business, start small. Share a real story. Talk about a challenge you’ve faced, a lesson you’ve learned, or a moment that shaped you. Your story is your strategy and the most profitable thing you can do is let people feel you before they buy from you.

Your Voice Is Your Legacy

Whether you’re growing a business or raising a family, your voice is shaping more than you realise. Every time you speak up with confidence, honesty, and heart, you show others what’s possible. So start sharing your story. Start asking for what you want. And start speaking as you.

Because when women use their voices, things move and the world moves with them. So speak up ladies, because the world is waiting to hear your voice.